[mappress]

This past week I met with a couple of friends who wanted to grab pizza in the Dupont Circle area. The first place that sprung to mind was Pizzeria Paradiso so we headed over to check out the venue that is on most people’s short list of the best pizza places in DC.

Service – B+
The space is small and seems constantly slammed – two variables that normally translate into a stressed out and cranky waitstaff.  The Pizzeria Paradiso staff defy the odds and are pretty cool and helpful.  The waiter did forget to bring my drink but he made it a double when I reminded him later, which actually is almost better than if he had remembered to bring my drink in the first place.

Food – B+
They make a delicious Italian-style stone oven pizza with fresh ingredients, which is one of the best in DC and certainly the best in Dupont Circle.

Décor – C
The Dupont location is pretty simple and a bit cramped.  In fact, the entire restaurant is about the same size as my dorm room in College.

Feel – A-
I’m a bit claustrophobic and ordinarily I can’t stand small, cramped spaces but somehow I find the smallness and chaos of Pizzeria Paradiso endearing.  It’s almost like the cacophony of plates and voices instills a sense of quietude and the constant motion of the waiters and waitresses zig-zagging through the cluster of tables and people creates a stillness.  The experiental contradictions packed into the restaurant synthesize to create something very special in one of my favorite places in DC.

What’s the Buzz

December 21, 2007 – Pizzeria Paradiso – Dupont Circle (WhereinDC) – One of my friends at work felt like pizza.  I felt like walking a little (not a lot) so we thought we’d try Alberto’s Pizza.  I of course, forgot I had already been there.  Anyway, we couldn’t find the restaurant, but realized that Pizza Paradiso was across the street.  Full Article…

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