Aziza’s On Main

This place was amazing, but Unfortunately it closed on Saturday. I believe Pizza Tonight is moving into the building.

Never disappoints!!! Aziza’s is a Richmond steadfast. Great pizza when you need a quick dinner. Great brunch for a great price. Dinner is always superb as well. My wife and I eat at all of the private restaurants in Richmond, and we always come back. It’s consistent, always better than you expect, and the service is great. A must try is the duck gnocchi and the cream puff for dessert.

This place is great. You can get a full meal or just do small plates. Everything tastes amazing. Great for brunch, too.

A hidden gem in Richmond! Great menu, especially the appetizers, pizza and desserts! Apps are amazing, but the pizza really stands out. Best Neopolitan in Richmond. Please go and enjoy the craftsmanship of the chefs…

What a great place to have dinner. My family went last night and had great pizza and awesome wine. Service was top notch. Love seeing local place that delivers across the board. Highly recommend going.

I’ve lived here a few months and have been wanting to go to Aziz on main. The ambiance of the place is pretty cool. It was kind of dark, seemed like a good date spot.
The dinner menu was really unique looking. We got braised ox tail stuffed peppers and gazpacho, both of which were EXCELLENT.
We additionally got a pizza which was good, but not really special.

I go to Aziza’s On Main occasionally for dessert only at night. The employees are usually very polite and down to earth. Recently, I stopped by for dessert at night before closing. I was getting a cream puff to go as normal. I ask the kitchen staff for a cream puff. They were very polite and said «yes». Some lady employee (My first time seeing her at the restaurant) interrupted and said «no, we are closed for a private event rudely. I could come back tomorrow.» A sign wasn’t on the door that stated private party and it was within normal business hours. The dessert side of Aziza’s On Main is separate from the dining area, so I wasn’t interrupting. I will not return for dessert or food because its too many dessert options in this city to deal with a rude employee.

Well worth the stop in. I will be back.

I was flummoxed as to why there were not many recent Unilocal reviews for this place from recent visits.
I came here with my mom and wife on a Friday evening at 7:30. We made reservations and got a table without a problem (the place was never completely full the whole time we were there).
We shared a bunch of different small plates and a pizza. We had the house made ricotta with honey, truffle, and pita points. It was very good — a nice combination of flavors. We also had the gnocchi with duck confit and pork cracklings. It was the highlight of the meal, and one of the best single dishes I have had in Richmond. It tasted like fall. We then got a prosciutto and arugula pizza, which was above average but not out of this world. My mom had the beet salad, which she really enjoyed and my wife and I got the scallop ceviche with grapefruit juice, which was just okay.
The original reason we came to Aziza’s was for their awesome banana pie, but it was not on the dessert menu. We did get the famous cream puff and a piece of tiramisu cake, both of which were rich and outstanding.
The ladies had a glass of wine and I had a beer. They only offered the latter in bottles, and had a decent but not impressive selection.
This place is often overlooked but should not be. It is truly some of the best food in the city.
One note — they could step up their online presence. There was no website, which is disappointing and really inexcusable in 2014.
This place is often overlooked but shouldn’t be.

If you haven’t been here yet… Shame on you.
This place is amazing. Light atmosphere, very relaxed and not stuffy. Service was the best — she was so knowledgeable and able to recommend for us. We were there on Tuesday, which is their Tapas night. We ordered about 7 different things and every dish was sooo good! Their chef certainly knows whats up. They make their own cream puffs and I would not pass these up. They are huge and delicious. If I could go every night, I would.

Delicious. Scratch that. Incredibly delicious. I completely understand why Aziza’s won Style Weekly’s 2013 Restaurant of the Year title.
We finally made our way to this culinary gem on Saturday evening, and I couldn’t be more pleased with our meal. I started with a glass of cava with brandied cherries, which was perfectly refreshing and not too sweet. I followed it up with a glass of malbec — my standard pick, and the ideal accompaniment to my meal. Just a note that the dining area isn’t huge, and although there is a bar, the two waitresses were also in charge of pouring drinks for folks. That said, I was impressed with the speed and attentiveness of the staff, especially given how busy they were!
But onto the food! My fiancé and I were having a hard time choosing from all of the enticing menu items, so we ultimately decided to share. We started with a small plate that sounded unlike anything we had ever tried: buckwheat pasta with blue crab, pomegranate seeds, and a few other ingredients I can’t recall (some kind of green, also topped with cheese). But really, all they needed to say was pasta, crab, and pomegranate seeds — no way I’m not trying that! It was unique, that’s for sure, and totally tasty. I love when dishes combine unexpected ingredients, and this one certainly did just that. I’d order this again, for sure.
For our mains, we ordered the grilled octopus, which was served with lentils, and a pizza. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a more beautifully presented octopus. For real, it was impressive. And it tasted amazing. So much so that I had to steal bites from my fiancé — even though we were supposed to be sharing, he couldn’t get enough. And to be fair, the octopus was his idea. But I certainly didn’t go hungry, because this just meant I got to focus on the pizza. Since Aziza’s has a separate pizza menu and are known, in part, for their wood-​fired brick oven pizza, we had to taste test. We went with a red pizza (red sauce and cow mozzarella) and added mushrooms and basil. I just love the taste and texture of a wood-​fired pizza, and this one was wonderful. It was simple, yet incredibly flavorful. Although it’s a more personal-​sized pizza, we still had half leftover to take home. And yes, it tasted great in the morning.
I’d definitely recommend reservations for a weekend, since tables are limited. Also, when you walk up to the restaurant, there are two doors, but the left door is the entrance. The right door looks into the dining area, and it’s locked. We tried to open that one first, and I saw a few folks do the same once we were inside, so I figured it was worth noting. Oh, and one more thing: the menu currently displayed on their website is not the menu we had on Saturday, so I’m assuming the menu changes seasonally. We were pleasantly surprised by the unexpected options when we arrived. The pizza’s the same, though!
Overall, a wonderful experience and I’ve already been talking it up to friends and planning a return visit.

Total yum. Great stuffed squid. Awesome awesome garganelli — something like that I spelled it wrong — appetizer pasta. Bread is fabulous. Service marvelous. They have happy hour specials. My friends love the cream puff but it’s not my favorite. I will come back. And make a reservations. There are a bunch of things I want to try. Pizzas reportedly are amazing.

First off let me start by saying I have only been there one time but from that experience it was great. The service was friendly and timely and the food was awesome. I recommend the pasta as they make it fresh. Not to mention that they were playing some good oldies too. Its a chill atmosphere with great food.
Now, I didnt give it 5 stars only because I went in expecting to get Lebanese food. If you are going for and expecting to see items such as kebbeh, baba ghanoush, or shawarma on the menu as I was expecting… look elsewhere. However the food is great and recommend going!

Aziza On Main…
I didn’t expect Lebanese joint to be known for its pizza, what do you know it’s not half bad, actually it’s pretty darn good. The smell of the wood-​fired brick oven baking takes me back to my childhood, eating pizza on my grandfather’s farm in Italy. Truthfully, I usually find pizza to be relatively all the same, but not this place. The ingredients were fresh, the spices kicked in all the right places, and the taste was superb. I guess I had everything there that night good food and beer, a fun server, and some mediocre friends (haha) joking of course, good friends. A deadly combo for a good meal.
Pretty darn close to the best pizza I’ve had.

The Quest for the Best Pizza:
Since the origin of time, I have always been searching on the journey to find the perfect pizza. However, recently turned vegetarian, I thought this journey would come to a standstill (outside of ordering a cheese pizza). Man… was I wrong.
Went here on 12÷7÷2012 with my foodie partner Steven who is my joint partner in crime for finding the perfect pizza. Tagging along as a sidekick in this adventure was our dear friend Steve.
Arriving at 6:30 PM on a Friday night, I thought parking would be terrible to find and that the place would be packed. However, kudos to Aziza’s for being in a location where parking is easy to find. The restaurant was busy but we were seated promptly which is always awesome.
Let me just start off with two things I really enjoyed.
1) Our welcome into the restaurant which was very hospitable and cordial.
2) Our server Kirby (coolest name ever) was extremely friendly and gave very good recommendations
Lets start with drinks: Beer selection is somewhat limited, but what they do carry is great. Price on beers was a little overpriced IMO, but it’s Richmond, so that doesn’t surprise me.
Appetizers: I started off with a White Pizza (have I mentioned I really like pizza?). I’ll say that I was thoroughly pleased. The blend of garlic, oregano, olive oil, fontina cheese was well prepared. The crust wasn’t too thin and had enough substance that my stomach was satisfied. Was my journey for the perfect pizza search over? Sadly no, but I would say that this pizza place is now in my top 3.
Steven got the Calamari stuffed with sausage. The presentation of the food was almost enough to make me reconsider my choice to become a vegetarian =P Him and Steve absolutely wrecked the hell out of that appetizer and I saw it disappear as soon as the plate hit the table.
Entrees: I can’t comment on the pizzas Steve and Steven ordered, Pepperoni and Peppers/​Prosciutto and Arugula but my pizza partner Steven absolutely enjoyed both. He preferred the Pepperoni and Pepper pizza and stated it wasn’t the best pizza he ever had, but it was pretty darn close to being the best pizza in Richmond. Steven personally thinks 8 ½ has better pizza.
I got the Margarita R.G.P. for my main meal and it was not as good as my White Pizza, but the buffalo mozarella cheese really made the pizza. The beauty of the pizza lies in its simplicity so you can taste the tomatoes and the basil. Highly recommend for vegetarians.
Dessert: I really wanted the Cream Puff. However, two pizzas (Yes, I know I eat a lot and yes Kirby had a WTF look on her face when she saw that I had consumed two pizzas) was too filling. We will meet again next time Mr. Cream Puff.
Overall, definitely worth the visit if you want some RGP (Really Good Pizza). My journey continues forward to find the best pizza, but places like Azizas continue to give me hope: D

I’ve tried Aziza’s for brunch and dinner. Both were enjoyable but not out of this world. Tried their take on eggs benedict on a small biscuit with soft boiled eggs. Was creative and tasty. Fried had eggs and scallops and was very happy. The portions are ok, not huge or overbearing.
For dinner tried one of their pizzas and I was a tiny bit disappointed. The pizza was just too thin and not as flavorful as expected. I wish I got one of their daily specials like my dinner partner did who enjoyed the soup of the day (I think it was a pumpkin soup) and another appetizer involving bacon.
Good dining option in Shockoe Bottom that is not too crowded and «higher» end food with out a stuffy setting. Supposedly there is parking in the back.

This place is very cozy/​romantic. The chefs prepare the food on one half of the restaurant (where the case for take out and pastries are), they will greet you and remember you from previous visits. The food continues to wow, whether you are in the mood for fire roasted pizza, or wide array of foods made from local vegetables, meats, the flavors really pop on all of the entrees at dinner. Everything is made to order, so as things are ready they are delivered to your table. During lunch they offer Lebanese food, i have not tried it yet, but I have every intention of returning for more. The service is extremely sound, friendly, and subtle without interrupting any conversations you maybe having.

I went to Aziza’s tonight for two reasons: 1) It’s only two blocks or so from home, and 2) Because my new roommate’s name is Aziza so I wanted to take her there. xD
The restaurant itself is really cool. There are paintings on the walls and a lot of brick accents. Aziza said there was a very rustic vibe. The table had this interesting textured lacquer that immediately caught my eye. There was pottery all along the wall near the table where we were seated (some items of which were on sale). There are also two front doors, one for each of the two halves of the restaurant (perhaps this restaurant was once two separate stores in the past). The kitchen is on one side, and the wood-​burning brick pizza oven is in the back of the other half, near the restroom.
Our server was super friendly. When I asked about the chef’s tasting (which I had read about on Unilocal as well as on the restaurant’s website), she explained what it was and then asked the chefs if they would be willing to prepare it since we hadn’t called in advance. She came back telling us that the whole table (we were a party of three) would have to do it if we opted for the chef’s tasting, and that it would be $ 45 per person for the five course meal. There is no doubt in my mind that the food would have been phenomenal and that it would be worth the $ 45, but none of us really felt like dropping that kind of money tonight for dinner. However, I WILL keep Aziza’s in mind for a special occasion in the future (perhaps when I graduate med school in 2015).
We really enjoyed the complimentary sourdough bread, which came in this really cool, dark wood cylindrical container.
I ended up ordering the roasted quail entrée, and my two dining companions ordered pizzas (white and margarita, respectively). The two pizzas were cut differently (one into square slices, the other into the typical triangular), which was interesting. Both pizzas were super delicious! I always feel like brick-​oven pizzas (especially wood-​burning) taste better, and have that extra smoky touch.
My quail was amazing as well, with juicy, tender, succulent meat, served with dandelion greens, figs, and a bacon vinaigrette. I hadn’t had dandelion greens before; they were sturdy and a bit bitter, but a good pairing with the bacon bits and sweet figs. I thoroughly enjoyed my dish, although it was the typical «high quality, super fancy, but small portion» offering common with high-​end food. (In other words, I was not full after finishing it all.)
We also ended up splitting a cream puff (they are huge!) for dessert. The desserts are all on display in the glass display near the kitchen, above all of the deli items. It was light and tasty!
This restaurant is super eclectic too, serving brunch on Sundays, Lebanese food (with deli options) for lunch, tapas on Tuesdays, «fusion» food for dinner, and pizza all day! And each has a separate menu! Since I had such a pleasant experience dining here tonight (and it’s so close to home), I may just have to come back at different times to try each of Aziza’s reincarnations! =)

I used to live on 22^nd Street and when I first saw Aziza’s open, I was intrigued. I loved their Mediterranean dishes and deli counter options but when the wood fired oven and pizzas came along, I really fell in love. Buffalo mozzarella with the margarita pizza is divine.
I drive all the way down there when I can eat a good pizza, enjoy a nice beef carpaccio, glass of white wine, and their amazing cream puffs. The décor is a mix of comfort and relaxed bar scene with a nice TV near the bar area and a dividing wall from the deli counter area. Highly recommend if down in the Bottom!

Get the pizza. Just do it. Any of them.
Brick oven pizza at its best. Crust is thin but light and airy. Make sure to order a cream puff — one to split between two people is enough — they are the size of a baseball!
Great place for a date night!