The Best Pizza Near The Occidental, by the Record

The long-fermented dough is the tell at this casual pizzeria: the crust has enough flavor that people actually finish it. Deck-oven pies share the menu with Italian-American standards like arancini, and the room draws the kind of crowd that orders feta ranch with chili oil on the side without needing to be told it exists. Two locations in Navy Yard and Shaw, with a counter-service slice shop in Bethesda if you're heading that direction.

1. Washingtonian #85 · 100 Very Best Restaurants

A converted tourist kiosk steps from the Air and Space Museum that happens to be the only place on the National Mall where you can order a glass of wine with your pizza. The team behind Sonny's Pizza runs this casual counter, pouring natural wine, beer, and spritzes alongside grandma-style pan slices and focaccia sandwiches. Mornings lean espresso and pastries. The footnote writes itself: museum gift shops sell astronaut ice cream; this place sells Aperol spritzes.

1. Washingtonian Where to Eat Near the National Mall

The wood-burning oven is the whole point here, and it runs hot enough that pies come out of it faster than the counter moves. Stellina is a casual neo-Neapolitan pizzeria in Union Market territory, with colorful tiles, red stools, and the kind of blistered, chewy crust that makes "simple counter service" feel like a charitable description. The fritti is a good opening move, and the tiramisu won't embarrass anyone. The Michelin Guide has given it a Bib Gourmand.

1. Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
2. The Rammys Finalist · Casual Restaurant of the Year

A cheerful pink counter in Columbia Heights turning out New York-style slices with a foldable, crispy-bottomed crust that holds its shape even when loaded. This is a casual slice shop, the kind built for a quick lunch or a takeout grab. The chef behind it spent decades in the New York pizza world before landing in DC, and the menu runs from a proper pepperoni to more inventive pies built around local ingredients. It ranks on 50 Top Pizza's global list.

1. 50 Top Pizza 2025 · Best Marketing · 50 Top Pizza World Special Awards
2. 50 Top Pizza #83 · 50 Top Pizza World
3. 50 Top Pizza #2 · 50 Top Pizza Slice USA

1. James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Peter Pastan
2. Washingtonian #20 · 100 Very Best Restaurants

The half-and-half order is the move here, letting you split between red, white, and green sauce pies at this Neapolitan pizza spot on Upshur. It's first-come, first-serve, no reservations, and the to-go stack never seems to shrink. The crust has that blistered char that signals a kitchen paying attention, and the toppings lean creative without tipping into stunt food. A reliably packed neighborhood hangout with a Michelin Guide selection to its name.

1. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant

A sliver of a room on Mt. Pleasant Street where the bar fills up fast and wood-oven pizzas share the menu with Greek-leaning small plates. The team came up through Tail Up Goat, and the cooking has that same instinct for herbs, brightness, and a little crunch. Pizzas run from a classic red-sauce cheese to halloumi-and-squash combinations that have no business being as compelling as they are. Bring an appetite for the whole menu.

1. Washingtonian #67 · 100 Very Best Restaurants

A Neapolitan pizza restaurant a few miles from Arlington Cemetery, run by the same Sicilian family for close to half a century. The pies follow STG rules, meaning a pillowy, charred crust, properly melty cheese, and a lot of the ingredients shipped over from Italy. The room skews elegant for a pizza place, and the menu stretches well past pizza into pastas and starters, with a wine list that takes itself seriously.

1. 50 Top Pizza #37 · 50 Top Pizza USA

The counter-service offshoot of All-Purpose's DC locations, AP Pizza Shop runs a leaner menu than its siblings but holds two things they don't: pizza by the slice and a chicken-parm sandwich that reportedly requires planning around. The deck-oven pies use long-fermented dough, which makes the crust worth eating on its own. Order the feta ranch with chili oil for dipping and pretend it was your idea.

1. Washingtonian #85 · 100 Very Best Restaurants

The line forms before the doors open, which tells you something about a strip-mall pizzeria in suburban Maryland. Tony Conte left fine dining to make neo-Neapolitan pies here, and the blistered crusts show it. A James Beard nominee and a spot on 50 Top Pizza USA, the place punches well past its zip code. The roasted potato and onion pizza, fragrant with rosemary, was named one of the DC area's favorite dishes of 2025.

1. 50 Top Pizza #20 · 50 Top Pizza USA
2. James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Tony Conte
3. Washingtonian Roasted-Potato-and-Onion Pizza · Our Favorite Dishes of the Year in the DC Area

New York-style pies with a slightly puffed, almost Neapolitan edge are the calling card at this pizzeria in Baltimore's Little Italy. The dough is made by hand, the ingredients skew Italian, and the menu rounds out with salads and baked fillings. The family behind it rebuilt after Katrina, which perhaps explains why the place feels like it has something to prove. Ranked 44th on 50 Top Pizza USA.

1. 50 Top Pizza #44 · 50 Top Pizza USA