Lena’s Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap

The food was good as well as the service! I had the chicken parmesan and my partner had the caesar salad with grilled shrimp. Both were quite good!

I’ve been here twice. Shea (sp?) the bartender is awesome, and so is the server who took care of us (and I’m sad I can’t recall her name!) The manager and floor staff are super-​friendly! I think the owner is a class act for giving someone the job of parking lot attendant. This place is right on the edge if a marginal neighborhood, and this gentleman’s presence made me feel safe coming to and fro. During my two visits with family, I tasted some of: the meatball sandwich, Korean bbq pizza, pepperoni pizza, gnocchi, spaghetti and meatball, and kale salad. The food is very solid-​good quality American food. Yep, this beats Clyde’s, Chadwick’s, Copperwood, Overwood, and all those other temples to mediocrity for the lame palates of Alexandria. Standouts are the fresh mozzarella on the Korean bbq pizza, decadent meatball with mozzarella inside, melt-​in-​your-​mouth gnocchi, al dente spaghetti, and a tasty kale salad with a nice blend of cheese with nuts and a light dressing.
The only complaint I have is about the unisex bathrooms. Both times I went, there were toilet seats up and urine dribble on the floor in front of the toilet from some lazy dude. I can’t expect staff to mop up after every customer, but since the male customers weren’t courteous with their evacuation on either visit, perhaps Lena’s can just designate one for women and one for men. I sure as heck don’t want to be stepping in some drunk’s urine that’s coating the floor in front of the toilet just so I can use the bathroom. Nor do I want to touch a dang toilet seat to lower it so I don’t fall in! Eeeeewwww on both counts!
Bottom line: Stellar customer service is a huge draw for me. The food is VERY good, and the menu has a nice range of choices. It’s about time that Alexandria starts slipping out from under the massive mediocrity our citizens accept as «good food», and the tourists just eat because it is there.
Can’t wait to see what’s in store at Lena’s in the months to come. New menu items? Cocktails? I’ll be by to check it out.

We went to Lena’s for Restaurant Week not knowing anything about Lena’s (but I love pizza, we went to Italy to see Pompeii and eat Pizza)
Lena’s was an extreme pleasant surprise and experience!!! We ordered the palenta fries, a delicious clam and bacon pizza and drinks. The palenta fries were great. I’d order them again and so was the clam pizza. It was delicious! There was a complimentary dessert of fried apple donuts. They were yummy too.
They have a year round outdoor seating area with heaters and one circular table around a fire pit.
Our waiter was Jason, he was personable and good. We were also greeter when we came in — nice touch. AND, they have parking!!!

Okay… it is a very nice after work meeting place-​granted.
We ordered pizza and I know pizza. For whatever reason their large pizza is 14″.
We ordered a 14″ cheese pizza this evening and the tall brunette with the accent said that was the largest pizza they had though my daughter said she saw pizzas on the menu that were 18″.
At any rate. the pizza tasted good but the pizza was burned-​BLACK on the bottom crust… She said the pizzas are cooked well… cooked well and burning the pizza OR having a clean oven to avoid the burnt crust is another other matter.
The pizza was too thin to support the sauce and the cheese and you could not hold the «small» slice in your hand and had to eat it with a fork.
$ 27 for a 14″ CHEESE pizza and 3 cokes is ridiculous. I suspect the rest of the menu would be very good but the pizza IS NOT VERY SUBSTANTIAL. Parking is tenuous but appears to be safe in the guarded lot.
Overall-​mixed review on the very tasty Pizza… I would not return for Pizza but would return for atmoshere.

FINALLY a Italian-​style restaurant in Del Ray that offers fresh made pasta, attention to detail, a great beer selection… and parking! The acorn squash gnocchi is the best I’ve ever eaten – I recommend it to all of my friends, it’s that delicious.

Great food and service!
Usually I give a restaurant at least 6 months before trying so they can work out their growing pains, but I ended up there on Sunday night and had a great meal at one of the high-​top communal tables. Polenta fries and pepperoni and mushroom pizza were delicious and had great conversation with the guy at our group table.
The service was outstanding and the manager came by to chat about our meal and make sure we were happy. I will be here a lot!

The only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is the service– the servers seemed a bit inexperienced the two times we had table service here, and the last time the food took a while and then came out at all different times.
That being said, the food is great and I love the ambiance! We’ve eaten in here twice and once to go– the first time we had their donuts which were so good– hot and fresh. My husband had the meatball panini, which he raved about, and I had the meatball pizza.
We have also had the chicken noodle soup (my husband said it was the best he ever had), the eggplant parm app, the sunny side up pizza, and the gnocchi (big handcut pieces).
Yesterday we went to order food to go at the bar because we didn’t feel like entertaining the baby through dinner– the bartender was super nice, and gave great service. I ordered the Korean BBQ pizza which was AWESOME– I don’t know why i waited so long to try it! My husband got the chicken parm panini (really good, but said it could have used more sauce).
Anyway, I highly recommend Lena’s!

Ordered takeout from Lena’s and was very disappointed. The shrimp artichoke pizza came with 4 shrimp on it, maybe 3 artichoke hearts and the rest was a thin layer of tomato sauce. It was just a plain pizza crust with minimal toppings. I couldn’t believe they skimped so much on the pizza toppings, probably won’t order from here again. Definitely didn’t get my money’s worth.

After spending five days at home because of Snowzilla, my boyfriend and I were looking to try a new restaurant and leave our igloos for a while. I had read a blogger review of Lena’s a few months ago and had it on my list of pizza places to try, so we checked it out.
I love the Rosemount/​Del Ray neighborhood and try to drive through it as often as I can (I like the scenic route and the architecture in this neighborhood is stunning), but I had never been to that particular area of Braddock Road. Lena’s is in a cool brick building and the location is reminiscent of Pupatella’s (unassuming, right next to a gas station), but don’t hold that against it. The inside is cool (love the light fixtures above the hightop table), intimate, and kind of romantic. We didn’t have a reservation (this place was hoppin’ on a Wednesday night in January), so we opted to take a seat at the hightop table instead of waiting for a table in the dining area. The hightop table is one longggg table and it was a little hard to hear each other talk because of the location (right in the middle of the restaurant, right next to a bunch of other people), but it wasn’t a huge deal. Our server was super friendly and explained the night’s promotion (Wine Wednesday, half off bottles of wine that are normally served by the glass), and he let us take a look at the menu.
My boyfriend and I had really been looking forward to going out to where the people are (five. days. stuck. at. home.), so naturally, we both knew exactly what we wanted. To start, we had the burrata and arugula salad, which was so good. It comes with arugula, a squash purée (very unique and tasty), candied hazelnuts (they appeared to be coated in rock candy, instead of your more traditional «candied pecans» that are lightly glazed), and burrata, the entire reason for ordering the salad. We split the salad and it was a really good starter for two, we felt that the price was definitely right for the quality of the ingredients and the portion size. For our entrees, we each ordered a 10″ pizza to share, he got the diavola (spicy soppresatta, mozz, fried kale, and ghost pepper honey) and I ordered the meatball (meatball, garlic, ricotta, mozz). The diavola was fantastic, the fried kale is a nice touch, and the ghost pepper honey is very interesting; a little spicy, not too sweet. The meatball was very good with one minor flaw: the dough is so thin that it can’t really support such large slices of meatball. I wouldn’t knock off points for that, but this pizza is more of a knife-​and-​fork situation than a hands situation. Another waitress came by to freshly grate some parmesan (this is an ordeal, Lena’s has the largest cone grater I’ve ever seen) and offered crushed red pepper.
We are so glad that we got to escape our homes for a few hours and eat some delicious pizza. This place is not my absolute favorite (Pupatella, you have my heart), but I will definitely stop by again to try some other pizzas and maybe sit out on the patio, if the weather ever warms up.

Stopped by on a Thursday in November to experience the newest spot in my neighborhood. When I first walked in I noticed the oven… fired up and hot! I sat at the bar an ordered two Happy Hour drinks. The Bartender was a little light handed but I understood. To the food, I order the wings as a starter, they were… different. I never had wings with focaccia & caramelized onions before. They were alright, not the typical wings. On to the Pizza, I ordered the Sausage and peppers. It was a little salty (Should have been expected with those toppings!) and I had to add more cheese but It was Good, Flavorful and warm. I believe a pizza should take longer to cook, but that’s me. I will be returning to try out more of there dishes!

Polenta appetizer
Prosciutto and arugula pizza
Oh myyyyy I’m Italian and this is a pizza I can stand by. It was on the thicker side of thin crust, but the flavors were on point. I was particularly impressed by the quality of the ingredients used. The mozzarella and prosciutto tasted like the ones back home! The service was good. You can tell they take pride in training the staff. I would definitely recommend this place.

I am so happy that Lena’s finally opened up in the Rosemount/​Del Ray are of Alexandria. I suppose the best part about Lena’s is the huge, outdoor patio, which features get this… a fire pit! I mean, you can’t write a better blog post for
than that!
All kidding aside, I’ve been to Lena’s twice now and I’ve been pleased by the food and service. Their specialty is wood fired pizza, which I’ve tried both times. I must say that I would rate their pizza a 7.5 out of 10, which is actually a respectable score. It reminds me of Red Rocks, but with a thinner and lighter crust. I do like the thin crust neapolitan style, but it does not come close to the beautifully light, doughy and traditional Italian style at Pupatella, nor does it compare to the slightly more crispy, but equally balanced pizza at Il Canale in Georgetown. We tried both the Margherita and the Prosciutto and Arugula pizzas. I thought the prosciutto pizza was very good. Lean pieces of proscuitto and fresh arugula with generous shavings of quality parmesan. The sauce was very light and I thought there needed to be a bit more to balance out the mozzarella. But overall it was quite enjoyable and a 14″ pizza was more than enough for two people to share. We also ordered the baby kale salad, which I thought was awesome. Super fresh baby kale with slices of pear and chunks of delicious blue cheese. The creamy dressing was very light so as not to collide with the cheese and overwhelm the salad. The hazelnuts that they added was a nice touch and gave the salad a crunchy texture. For $ 8 I thought it was a good value.
So far I have been pleased by the attentive service, comfortable atmosphere, and good food at Lena’s. I especially love the outdoor patio, which as a huge draw for us, especially when the weather gets warmer (not that it has not been this unseasonably warm December we have been having). I also like the fact that they have a bunch of large flat screen TVs near the bar, which make it a great football viewing destination… do I hear the NFL playoffs coming up soon? Looking forward to trying more of their pizza and relaxing with a beer by the fire pit!

The new ARP Food Group (Virtue, Majestic, Lena’s, upcoming Palette 22, and more to come) has created a uniquely cozy and inviting spot at the prime spot on Braddock Rd. (a stones throw from Braddock Metro) across from Yates Sunoco gas station on Mt. Vernon Ave. Mr. Yates is actually the heartbeat of this venue, as it is named after his late mother, who was a culinary inspiration to his family, hence the name of the restaurant.
the place is awesome inside and out! you have to see it to believe it, as they have a European ski resort-​style patio to enjoy with outdoor heaters, a fire pit, and soft blankets for almost every chair. And just wait to see their indoor wood burning fire, as their stove, moreover, the gourmet pizzas and everything else that is made to order from within!

Came here with my husband and another couple a few weeks ago. It was a Saturday night around 7:30, so it was pretty busy. We were told it was going to be a half hour wait for a table, so we put our name in and sat down and got a few drinks and some appetizers in the bar area. The grilled calamari and wings were both really good. I had a cocktail with lemoncelo that was strong, but tasty. Service was very attentive and our table was ready sooner than expected. We all had salad and pizza for dinner (my friend and I shared the mushroom pizza, which was delicious). Fun atmosphere, good service and tasty food. We live down the street so I’m sure we’ll be back. Very nice addition to the neighborhood!

I stopped into this new hotspot to see Carl (bartender extraordinaire), and I was pleasantly surprised to find some of the best pizza this side of New York. Yes, Lena’s is part of the Yates Empire, but this dry cleaning and auto repair dynasty obviously knows a thing or two about pizza.
I had a meatball pizza with extra cheese, a pie that was perfect with every bite. Of course, the star of this pizza was the meatballs, little meaty masterpieces that were so creamy and yummy, I could swear that Grandma was back in the kitchen. The crust on this bad boy crispy and crunchy, and it quickly brought back memories of some of my favorite pizza joints in NYC. Trust me, the five families might very well go to the mattresses over this one, so you should prepare yourself for an offer that you’re not soon to refuse, my pizza loving friends.
With great food and a cool looking venue, I am sure to return to this one. Yum!

(*EDIT POST-​BUSINESS RESPONSE and my attempt to come again* I appreciate that the business is taking an active role on Unilocal and that Dave N. responded so quickly to my review, though after getting this response and trying to make a reservation here on OpenTable and by phone I was told that I would not be allowed to and could only make them before 4 pm and after 8 pm. This is ludicrous. I have tried several times to dine here to no avail. This isn’t some swanky, exclusive nouveau NY restaurant, it’s a pizza place. They clearly don’t want my money, and I suggest you do not give them yours.)
This place looks pretty good and I’m sure I would have enjoyed it… if I had ever gotten a table.
This new pizza place is relatively close to where my parents live, so on one of my visits to see them, we walked over here to give it a try. The hostess quoted us a 30 minute wait, and we opted to stay. However, since the entrance on the restaurant is incredibly ill-​placed, there was nowhere to wait inside, so we had to wait outside in the cold. The layout of the place was apparently problematic even for their own workers, as two people clearing outside tables with hands full of dishes were unable to get through to the dishwashing area without the help of my father and I on door-​opening duty.
After 45 minutes with no news of an open table, I go back in to check on our status. Apparently, their expensive-​looking seating system wasn’t expensive enough to give them an accurate idea of when more tables would be opening up, and the hostess told me my three-​person party would have to wait at least another 25 minutes to get a table. I politely asked her to take our names off of the wait list. Thankfully, Haute Dog was still open and appreciated our business.
I tried again several weeks later to make a reservation (see my note at the top of this review) and that came to nothing as well. I’ll take my business elsewhere.
Overall: 1.0 star
— — — — — –
Pros:
— The food smelled good. Would have been great if I could have tasted some, too.
— Extra parking in the rear of the restaurant.
Cons:
— When I am quoted a time, I expect it to have some degree of accuracy. I understand that sometimes inconsiderate patrons will hang out too long and harm your estimate, though there is no excuse for a 30 minute estimated wait time turning into a 70 minute one. That’s just not right.
— After being told to make a reservation, I tried to make one, only to find out I was not allowed to make a reservation during typical dinner hours. How in the blazes am I supposed to eat here?

I went on a Monday with my bf. The place was pretty full when we got there but people were finishing up. We were seated quickly and our waiter took our orders. Our drinks and appetizer came out quickly. The calamari was excellent but extremely over-​priced at $ 14. It’s grilled with a nice marinara sauce but for the amount you get, it’s really worth about $ 8 – 9. We waited ages for our pizza and it was warm, but not hot when it came out. That made me wonder if it had been waiting for a while and our waiter forgot about it.
The pizza was good but with the slow service and price, the local delivery place would have been cheaper, faster, and just as good. Lena’s menu also doesn’t have a «build your own» pizza option, which I think is odd for a pizza place.

Stopped by on a busy Monday night and was underwhelmed.
Ordered a margherita pizza and the famous Lena Meatball. They were both just OK and lacked taste. Not terrible in any way, but wouldn’t come here again.
The service was also just OK. The waiter forgot my drink and seemed distracted.

Don’t go here until they can figure out some of the basics.
I had high hopes but my kids and I were extremely underwhelmed. Showed up on a lazy Sunday at 4 p.m., and got seated pretty quickly. Place wasn’t that busy with less than half the tables filled. My son and I got fixed on the football games for about 10 minutes before we realized we hadn’t had a server help us. We watched servers around us help other tables but we were ignored. I finally stopped another server and asked for help. There were at least 10 employees huddled in the area fairly close to our table and I found it interesting that they were in a meeting while also working tables. Our server arrived and explained something about a shift change, and took our order.
My daughter ordered kids buttered pasta, my son, the penne alla arlecchino, and I ordered the large margherita pizza. At that point I realized my kids had two pages of kids menu activities without anything to write with. Details…
While we waited for our food, several server types came to our table with someone else’s food. They were having a hard time finding tables based on the numbers on the tickets. There was pretty extreme confusion going on.
My pizza came out first, and was just warm. Probably because it was offered to some other customers before it made its way to me, It also came out on a wooden pizza paddle. The second slice, and every one after, was room temperature and then cold. Not sure if the wood really helped to keep things the right temperature. Decent, but not great flavor. Actually tasted a little like SpaghettiOs.
The kids’ food finally arrived and my son’s penne was pretty good. Nice portion size but smaller than most Italian restaurants. My daughter’s kid’s pasta was embarrassing. The handful of noodles looked so small that she mentioned that she’d need to eat some of my pizza or starve. For $ 5, you can do a little better with buttered penne. No drink was included so it the cost was for child’s entrée only.
I think this place could do well with their menu and location. There’s just too many great places nearby; they’ll need to get the restaurant basics right before they can get my business again.

Beyond excited that Lena’s has opened. My new «soon-​to-​be-​regular» haunt. From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with genuine smiles and hospitality. The space is beautiful and the pizza oven beckoned — it was right there in full view.
We sat at the communal table by the bar. TVs galore. Happy Hour food & drink prices from 4 – 7 Monday — Friday.
Mom had a pepperoni & mushroom pizza; she loved the thicker pepperoni slices and the flavor. The house made penne pasta with local veggies & saffron cream sauce… fresh parm & delicious.
Of course, we were so full that we still had to order dessert… cinnamon sugar dusted apple donuts… and well why not… vanilla gelato.
You know why else these guys are first rate: great service, knowledgeable staff and recyclable /​compostable to-​go boxes. They also use disposable wipes to clean off the tables. refreshing!
Kudos to Lena’s, sure (wood) fire success. Welcome to the neighborhood!