It’s only natural: Connoisseurs often find themselves traveling far and wide to feed their obsession. Luckily, pizza enthusiasts in Northern Virginia don’t have to go far to find distinctive slices outside our immediate region. Each one of these joints is worth a few extra dollars spent at the gas pump for an experience beyond what you’ll find in NoVA.
White Rabbit Gastropub
In 2022, the World Pizza Championship at the International Pizza Expo recognized “In Crust We Trust” as the best pan pizza on the planet. We couldn’t agree more.
Co-owner Kenneth MacFawn hit gold with the idea to surround the rectangular Detroit-style pie in a pepperoni frico, meaning a lip-smacking wall of crispy cheese and pepperoni. But don’t expect a heavy bite. The dough is surprisingly light, which allows guests to try more than one pie. Creative toppings include everything from kung pao chicken to lump crab meat with bechamel and Old Bay.
The best way for lightweights to partake of three at once is with a pizza flight, but true pizza fanatics will likely want to order several whole pies and enjoy the leftovers, too. 18 Market Space, Frederick, Maryland
Tonari
What if Detroit-style pizza had been invented in Japan? At this Wafu Italian restaurant (the first and only one in DC), you’ll think that it actually was. Using 100 percent Hokkaido flour produced by Yokoyama Seifun flour mill in Sapporo, Japan, chef and co-owner Katsuya Fukushima uses his active imagination to top his airy crusts. The unagi pizza, featuring unctuous barbecue eel combined with dill labneh, is the pie you didn’t realize you needed. Hungry for luxury? The create-your-own pizza option allows diners to add shaved black truffles or Kaluga caviar to a plain cheese base. 707 Sixth St. NW, Washington, DC
Pizzoco Pizza
Brothers Jesse and Steve Von Fange both clocked in at The Inn at Little Washington before they graduated high school. That three-Michelin-star restaurant’s attention to detail informs the pizza the pair lovingly crafts at this casual neighborhood hot spot that attracts guests from far beyond Winchester. The former Conoco service station circa 1928 is decorated with fun art, including a mural featuring George Washington feeding Audrey II a slice. Get the Bee Sting for a sweet-and-spicy fusion of pepperoni, hot honey, and chile flakes. 501 N. Loudoun St., Winchester
Z&Z
Perhaps even further spiritually removed from Italy, this family-run bakery specializes in manoushe, a Levantine flatbread. Why are we including it here? Because readers will love discovering that the world of crust and sauce is bigger than they realized at this spot that was named one of Bon Appetit’s best restaurants of 2022.
The basic za’atar manoushe is spread with a spice blend and rich olive oil, but toppings get far more complex. Try the Mariam Had a Little Lamb. The oven-blistered crust is dressed with red sauce, house-crafted merguez sausage, and arugula before it’s drizzled with sage yogurt. 1111 Nelson St., Rockville, Maryland
Feature image of Tonari by Rey Lopez
This story originally ran in our January issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
