Pizza Paradiso Alexandria, VA
Slice Rating
Pizza Paradiso Alexandria, VA
Posted By: Pizzaholic DC March 22nd, 2012
In late 1991 my brick oven pizza obsession truly began. Growing up in a household that ordered crappy “Pizza Movers” deliveries at least 3 nights a week I didn’t yet know what GOOD pizza was. In December of 1991, I tried a new brick oven pizzeria in Dupont Circle called Pizza Paradiso and that all changed! This magical pizza had a crust unlike any I’d seen before. Even when the school cafeteria lunch ladies burned our little square pizzas the char was nothing like this heavenly flavor. It was that moment that I set out on a quest to find out what truly great pizza was.
Flash forward 20 years and Pizza Paradiso’s has moved to a much larger Dupont Circle space while 2 new locations have opened up in Georgetown and Old Town, Alexandria. I’m proud to report that the crusts are still amazing in their trendy new 140 seat Georgetown pizzeria. Their wood burning dome still kicks out one of the top 5 pies in DC on a daily basis.
Pizza Paradiso’s website explains that each great pie begins with attention to the crust. They use slow rising yeast to give the crust an optimal texture and then cook each pie at 650 degrees which is much lower than most of the other great brick oven pizzerias in town. The result is a crust with pliability that still has a delicious char flavor. The ingredients are always fresh and on this visit were popping with flavor. The tomatoes were even better than I remembered them while the basil provided a perfect balance. Unlike many other margherita pies the mozzarella was spread throughout the pie rather than clumped in sections. This lead to each bite being just as great as the last!
In addition to great brick oven pies, Pizza Paradiso has deliciously fresh salads, gluten free options, and extensive beer and wine lists to compliment their perfectly baked pizzas.
I give Pizza Paradiso 7 out of 8 slices.