Pizza lovers rejoice: Longtime local favorite Pizzeria Paradiso is popping back up in Old Town. The location closed during the COVID-19 pandemic after a successful decade-long run.
Now, DC’s first Neapolitan-style pizza is back on the scene with a pop-up at Hank’s Oyster Bar in Old Town every Thursday through Sunday. The pop-up will offer pickup and delivery only, with no dine-in options, starting on March 13.
“If it seems like the community really wants to support this idea, we’ll keep it going,” says Pizzeria Paradiso chef Ruth Gresser. “We’re going to do this for a couple of months and see how the community responds. I think anything is possible.”
An Exciting Collaboration
Gresser and Hank’s Oyster Bar chef Jamie Leeds, two of the area’s most successful female restaurateurs, collaborated on Pizzeria Paradiso’s ghost kitchen within Hank’s Oyster Bar. They had been talking about collaborating for years. Leeds had a pizza oven at her restaurant that was underutilized, so they connected the dots to start the new venture. “We’ve talked about it so much over the years, and now we finally find ourselves in a place where we can do it. And it’s very exciting,” says Leeds. “I’m very excited about the possibilities.”
To memorialize the new collaboration, the chefs worked together to create a special white-sauced seafood pizza. It’s topped with shrimp, scallops, lobster, bacon and roasted potatoes.
“We thought that coming to Hank’s Oyster Bar without making a nod towards seafood would be silly and a mistake,” says Gresser. “So we worked together to make this [pizza]. It’s delicious.”
A Nod to Successful Women
On Saturday, March 8 — International Women’s Day — the first 100 guests to arrive at Hank’s Old Town location between noon and 2 p.m. will receive a free mozzarella and tomato pizza. The pop-up’s start on International Women’s Day seemed a perfect fit.
“We have a really strong support group of women owners and restaurateurs in the area, and we really like to support each other,” says Leeds. “We thought the timing was right to launch.”
Feature image of chefs Jamie Leeds and Ruth Gresser by Ana Isabel Martinez Chamorro
