Pizza for Brunch, Happy Hour and More
Fall is in the air, and while everyone else is fussing about pumpkin and spice, I’ve set my eyes on a bigger prize: carbs and cheese. We’re one week into National Pizza Month, which means I can shamelessly stuff my face with delicious pies all month long.
Pizza really is the miracle food. It’s socially acceptable to eat it for every meal of the day. Breakfast? Throw an egg on it. Dessert? Fruit pizza. Have a killer hangover? Cure it with pizza. It’s a vessel for your topping(s) of choice. Don’t know if an item makes the cut as a topping? Just do it. Bacon? Yes. Pulled pork? Absolutely. Tater Tots? Might as well. See what I mean? Miracle food.
Unless we’re counting Jumbo Slice, the DMV isn’t known for a certain style of pizza like Chicago is synonymous for deep dish and New York famed for its thin, foldable slices of pie. But it is home to quite a few pizzerias, perfect for any occasion: happy hour, brunch or late night. Check out the compilation of pizza joints below for your best bets this month:
Farmer’s Daughter pizza at & Pizza (Photo: Bozzuto)
&Pizza
With locations sprouting up all over D.C. and Maryland, stop in for a cheap and casual lunch or dinner. For less than $10, you can select one of their signature options with names as creative as their ingredient combinations: Kiss & Fire, Gnarlic, Moonstruck and Grecian Market to name a few.
Pizzeria Paradiso
For the aforementioned individuals concerned with pumpkin, check out Pizzeria Paradiso’s Autumnfest Pizza. Made with pumpkin-ricotta pesto, bacon, pine nuts, red onion and parmesan cheese, it’s basically Fall on a crust.
Graffiato
With fan favorite pies including Jersey Shore and Porky’s Revenge, there’s no shortage of unique pizza options at Mike Isabella’s Chinatown restaurant. In an anti-social mood? Throughout October, grab a take-home pizza kit and bake your pie at home. Choose between three Graffiato styles: American Pie, White House or Goodfellas. Additional toppings are available for $1 each.
Ghibellina (Photo: Washington Post)
Ghibellina
In my opinion, Ghibellina is home to one of the best happy hour deals around. Enjoy discounted pizzas from 4–6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at this 14th Street NW restaurant. That’s right, select pizzas are half-price EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK. On top of that, find great drink specials including $6 cocktails, $5 glasses of wine and $4 drafts. Bonus points: pizzas are delivered with special scissors for you to cut up tableside. Playing with food never gets old.
Piola
If you’re feeling gluttonous, head over to Piola in Rosslyn or on 14th Street NW for their bottomless brunch. Yes, they have an unlimited pizza brunch. Choose from over 10 varieties including Carbonara, Mediterranean and a Nutella pizza (see? Dessert pizza) and tack on an extra $15 if you want to go bottomless with sparkling beverages or sangria.
Mellow Mushroom
If you work near Adams Morgan, stop by for their lunch special: $5 small cheese pizza from 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m. on weekdays.
PIzza and games at Comet Ping Pong (Photo: Michael Moran)
Comet Ping Pong
Dinnertime and playtime join forces at this neighborhood pizza parlor. Enjoy games of ping pong and listen to live music while munching on thin-crust pizzas baked in a wood-burning oven. Come early, tables fill up quickly!
District of Pi
Pop into this Penn Quarter pizzeria for Chicago-style deep dish. If you’re feeling more traditional, they offer a number of thin crust options. Come during happy hour to try their specialty pizzas: a deep dish homage to the Korean bibimbap and a Tex-Mex style thin crust with pico de gallo, chipotle tomato sauce, black beans, avocado, feta, chili and lime.
So, while others consider Fall to be the season of harvesting apples, decorating pumpkins and roasting squash, I celebrate this time of year by eating endless pizzas, trying my best to look like a pumpkin. Join me.
