Pizzeria Paradiso

We love this place! The service is really good. The staff really knows their menu and are attentive and friendly. The pizza is outstanding! True brick oven pizza made with only the freshest ingredients. They have an incredible beer collection. I didn’t count, but would guess over a hundred different bottled beers of nearly every kind. They also have a dozen craft beers on draft. I ordered a flight (4 draft beer sample). I highly recommend this place and get there every chance I get. Be prepared to wait for a table, but well worth the wait.

I love going here, though the pizza is really just okay. The crust is a little overly tough and chewy, the sauce is quite boring (…spices guys, please), and the cheese always slides straight off of the pizza in one big weird glob. It’s not bad or anything — it’s just a little bland and not the best pizza. But, they have KILLER topping choices** — many weird and delicious — and probably the best beer list I have ever encountered — like, 10 pages of a bunch of fun stuff that I’ve never tried from around the world with some very good descriptions.
It’s also a nicely-​lit, beautiful restaurant in terms of the wood/​design/​little pizzas everywhere, which makes it a pretty place to go to. The atmosphere is also great. All in all, although the pizza is not the world’s greatest, it’s good enough to keep me coming back and I never have a bad time there.
**note — if you get egg as a topping it will arrive fully cooked on top of your pizza. What? Runny yolk, please.

They have 2 different sauces for the pizza and we selected the smoother sauce. Pizzas turned out great.
Crowded so we sat at the bar near the kitchen. Got to watch he cooks at work.
That was entertaining as well! Talk about humpin’!

Great food, and very accommodating. I’m vegetarian and they made sure my dishes were vegetarian.
Portion sizes were a little bit small for the price, hence the 4 stars, but I will definitely repeat.
Try the CROSTINI DI CARCIOFO, had it without Speck and it was delicious.

Pretty good! Been around the world, had pizza all over the US and Europe, this place knows what they are doing. I ordered the Margherita and thats who I judge the place. I originally thought this was a hipster joint because of the fancy beer, which is fantastic. I got my pizza and immediately I was like dam. I traveled all over the world and in my backyard I have excellent pizza. It’s magnificent I still have other favorites in the area but this place earned my number 2 in DC area. If you are visiting or live here please pay these guys a visit. Staff is wonderful, place is nice, you will not regret it.

One of my favorite pizza joints in the city. They have several locations and I’ve enjoyed both the DuPont and Georgetown location.
All the pies are good, just depends what you’re in the mood for. The salads are pretty big so they are shareable and so is the larger pizza.

Service was outstanding and everyone left satisfied with what they ordered. Someone even said their pizza gave them ‘mouthgasms’…I skipped the pizza and had the mozzarella with sun dried tomatoes and prosciutto. WOW it reminded me of being back in Naples and eating at my favorite mom and pop ristorante. I’ve eaten here in the past and I have yet to experience a disappointing meal.

This place was excellent. Super crowded and hard to walk around in, but the food was great, service was great. We made our own pizza and then did a Quattro formaggi which was SO good. Bruschetta was delicious as well. Beer selection was enormous!

Decent pizza, salads, and drinks.
We went here with some friends who live in the neighborhood. We grabbed a drink at the bar and were called for our table shortly after.
The dinner crowd was mostly locals, and the ingredients were fresh and tasty. I would go back if in the area again for sure.

Not a fan, kids.
Stopped here for lunch today only to leave disappointed and hungry. I ordered a 9″ veggie pizza with a whole wheat crust and a sour beer. Hubs ordered veggie as well, but on a white 9″ crust and he specified only mushrooms and tomato.
First up, we were served our beers in dirty glasses – hubs’ had lipstick stains and mind had food goo stuck on it. Disappointing.
Then pizza arrives. Mine was completely raw in the middle. Just a chewy, globby inedible mess. When we called over the nearest waitstaff to explain, she copped a good deal of attitude when I told her I was sending back the ‘za due to its undercooked status. «Oh-​kaaaaaaaay,» she says.
Hubs’ pizza was cooked, but «bland» he said.
Extra star because our server comped my whole wheat crust and beers, but still. I’ve experienced way better.

Came here with some friends from in town as a quick bite before heading to a show upon recommendation of their beer selection. I do have to say, the beer selection was pretty excellent — especially the bottles. I was almost going to order a 15-​year aged sour off the list, but I couldn’t get anyone in my party to help me finish all 750mL of it, haha. Saw another bottle I’d just had for 8 Euro in Italy the other week on the list for $ 36, thought it was a bit steep, but I’d guess you pay for rarity. Pizza is not bad, but not great, and pretty pricey for what you get.
That seems to be the main theme here though, passable quality paired with top-​shelf prices. I can understand paying for the best, but don’t charge me A-​list pizza prices for C-​list pies. They don’t even accept major credit cards here. At least the beer list saves it from a 2-​star.

Pizzeria Paradiso is located in all the quaint parts of town (Georgetown, DuPont, Old Town Alexandria) and has a fantastic beer program. The DuPont location is excellent for small groups and features an intimate ambience. The bar in front is often packed as it only has a dozen or so seats. Folks left standing fare ok if standing near the front, but the narrow space behind the bar features very little wiggle room. The bottle selection features some rare treats as well, such as a wide selection of Evil Twin beers, but it’s hard to justify spending that much on bottled options when the drafts are so diverse and high quality.
That being said, pizza P is a very lovely little space with excellent happy hours on Tuesday and Wednesday. All drafts are half off with food specials as well, and being the awesome beer bar that it is, the place often hosts tap takeovers and other special events during DC Beer week and Savor week. My friend and I happened to stop in on a day when New Belgium reps were promoting some of their tarter selections– and we walked away with these beautiful goblets to boot! Proper glassware indeed.
It’s hard to go wrong as far as pizza goes, and I’ve enjoyed all the pizzas I’ve had. However, I think Il Canale’s Neapolitan pizzas over in Georgetown may be superior owing to that awesome brick oven they’ve got.

There are very few late-​night dining spots in Dupont Circle. We were tired and starving after a trying day of travel (flight delays) and this VERY popular restaurant is just down the street from our hotel. On a late Thursday night, they were pretty packed inside and out.
We had the insalata romana ($ 8) which had escarole, sun-​dried tomatoes, white beans, marinated artichoke and parmesan with a creamy garlic dressing. I appreciated the slight bitterness of the escarole — it made this salad a little different. What I didn’t love, though, was something that gave this salad a fishy taste. We tasted anchovy in it… not sure why but it’s not pleasant when you didn’t expect it.
We also shared a 12-​inch Siciliana pizza. It is basically a vegetable pizza and everything on top was very fresh. BUT for $ 20, I would say it is not worth it. I’ve had better vegetable pizza at California Pizza Kitchen for less. We ate it because we were hungry but neither the flavor of the pizza sauce or the crust made this a remarkable choice.
I give it 3 stars for freshness but I would have preferred eating at Le Pain Quotidien a block away if it were open.

Pizza Paradiso is my favorite eating and drinking place in Washington D.C. And given all the wonderful spots just in DuPont Circle alone, that’s really saying something.
PROS:
1. Excellent pizza — every time. Housemade crust is delightfully rustic. Topings are excellent quality. And the varieties of styles to choose from are so awesome you wont feel the need to customize.
2. One of the very best beer selections in the district. There’s always something good on draft. I’ve never had to order from the bottle list, because the draft taps are always good and frequently rotated.
Honorable mention: My visit yesterday was my first where I mostly didn’t eat pizza. Was in a hurry so I just had a salad (the name of which I don’t remember), and it was really, really good. Had a creamy garlic dressing. I will for sure order it agagin.
CONS:
Nothing. There is nothing bad about this place. And if you hipsters or capitol hill douches ruin this place I will hunt you down one by one.

Ah Pizzeria Paradiso… we don’t venture out to the west of Dupont that often but when we do, we can always count on Pizzeria Paradiso.
It happened to be after the Pride Parade and obviously everywhere was going to be crazy but surprisingly post-​parade yes there were folks but it was not as insane in there as I expected.
We hung out at the bar while awaiting our table and once we sat down, we ordered our pizzas and with the wonderful company we were with, it was a very enjoyable post-​Pride parade meal.
We will definitely keep it on the list whenever we are in that area.
Thanks Pizzeria.
Happy (belated) PRIDE!

This restaurant is awesome.
The service
The food
The ambiance
Bathrooms
Location
Dessert
Ive been to District Pi, Jumbo Slice, DuPont Circle Pizza, & Pizza, Wise Guys, and various other pizzerias in the city. This place is by far the best. The flavorful crust down to the tops and sauce are just unmatched.
Also, try the tiramisu. Its just enough to satisfy your sweet tooth.
You’ll thank me later!

Been to this location twice now and it is always packed. But if you are patient enough you can find a seat at the bar where you can order your pizza and chat with the bartender or other patrons. Tip — there is a ledge you can set your drink on to the side of the bar while standing and waiting for someone seated at the bar to vacate.
The pizzas are what is happening here. They are modest size and you could share one, but also easily polish one down on your own and won’t feel too full as they are thinner crust. The dough is good and slightly chewy but the toppings are excellent and fresh. Come here for happy hour with drink specials and discounts on pizzas in the bar. The beer list both draft and bottle rotate and they have some interesting ones (some a little pricey — make sure you ask or look at menu before ordering).
I like this location better than the Georgetown one as it seems less hectic and easier to get to off the Metro.

Came here for a late lunch on a lazy afternoon when I was visiting DC.
It is pretty okay here.
My friend and I shared the Quattro Formaggi pizza which has gorgonzola, pecorino, fontina, mozzarella, minced garlic, and parsley. Other than the medley of cheeses, there was no real definition to the pizza. Crispy crust, sure, but meh, it wasn’t by any means amazing. It was cheap and they had a good variety of beer, but other than that, there wasn’t really anything memorable about the pizza.
I guess if you were locally situated, then sure, by all means come and grab a pizza and drink some beer. Visiting? I would recommend skipping this place.

Came here recently for the second time to celebrate my friend Helen’s birthday and again, had an incredibly disappointing meal. Both times I ordered one of their pizzes and both times, not only did I not enjoy the food, but I got noticeably sick from it. I ordered one of their large pies and saved half of it for later but after getting sick (again), decided it be better just to throw it out.
This time, I ordered the bosco pizze and it was so incredibly basic in its taste. Every bite tasted the same, even with the vegetables there was no noticeable difference. And the crust was burnt and unappetizing. I think the reason I disliked it so much is because there was basically no sauce on it. The menu says that it is served with «Paradiso Tomato Sauce.» But if it is, it must be used in microscopic amounts. I failed to notice it whatsoever. As mine as well have just been cheesy bread.
I struggle to see this restaurant’s appeal. It offers under-​sauced and unremarkable pizza pies with mediocre service at unreasonably high prices given their quality. It is surely not a restaurant I plan on revisiting.

I am way overdue updating this review. Especially considering they have been in their newer (not new anymore) Dupont Circle location for awhile now.
Am happy to report they are still cranking out excellent-​quality pizza. Those that live in the area might not appreciate as much how this kind of pizza quality is not the norm in some parts of the country. Having not had it for awhile, on a recent cold, rainy Saturday afternoon, we sure appreciated it!
Also appreciated one of the best brews I’ve ever had… it was called an Urbock, from Germany. When I wanted to order it, I loved that our Server suggested I try it first as it was quite unusual. Try it I did and absolutely loved the dark smokey bacon flavor! Husband as coveting it as he had gone with a more ordinary Ellie’s Brown Ale. (which he liked, but it paled in comparison to my choice). That’s okay though, he got an Urbock for himself after the Ellie’s. (made him leave mind alone!)
As always, we loved the excellent-​quality complimentary olives, especially appreciated considering a lot of pizza places put crappy canned olives on their pizza, but here GOOD ones are served beforehand for free!
Not starving, we opted to share a 9-​inch Macellaio with Pepperoni, Sausage, Red Onion, Sauce and Mozzarella. Pizza Perfection!
Please Pizza Paradiso, expand to Raleigh NC! Downtown is crying out for you!

Super pizza surtout la 4 fromage
Je suis allé souvent en Italie, c est aussi bon que la bas!