Recently, buzz has been building for “Fiorella Pizzeria E Caffe” at beautiful National Harbor near Washington, DC so I decided to check it out.  Word was that the service was lousy but that the trendy décor and pizza would make me forgive their lapses.  I found myself agreeing with the comments about lazy waiters but found the food to be average for an above average price.

As you walk through the front door you can’t help but see an odd statue of an overweight naked greek guy with a leaf covering his (cough) belt buckle.  We were quickly seated at what can best be described as a tall night stand with drawers on each side and placemats drawn onto the top of it for each diner.

 

As we waited (and waited and waited and waited) for our waitress at Fiorella Pizzeria, we had plenty of time to read (and reread and reread) the menu.  They have a list of pizzas that includes several topped in seafood as well as the traditional margheritas and standard toppings.  They took great pride in proclaiming half of their wine list as “sexy” and the other half as “Sexier” wines.  I wish the sexy motif had stopped there but let’s just say that guys using the bathroom urinals have a nice view above them through a one way mirror of the dining area as they do their business.   At the time, I was unsure the window was one way, making it a truly unique experience.

After what seemed like forever, a waitress finally emerged and brought us our pizzas.  The Margherita pizza was topped with basil and was covered in cheese.  Sadly, they didn’t seem to use any of the zillion spices they decorated their walls with.  The sauce was bland which probably makes it perfect for those prone to heartburn.   For a brick oven pizza, the crust was very average in a crispy without much char sort of way.  I’m not sure if they placed 3 whole cherry tomatoes on top to make it look fresher or if the chef was just too lazy to chop them up.

Overall, I found Fiorella Pizzeria E Caffe to be a trendily decorated restaurant with a beautiful view of the Potomac and average pizza.

I give Fiorella Pizzeria in Washington, DC 4 out of 8 slices but might go back with some of my guy friends so they can experience the urinals.