Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Dupont Pizza Food Review


You're in Dupont Circle: It's late, and you're in the mood for a good slice of pizza. Mozy over to 20th & P Streets and you have two options (conveniently situated next door to each other) Alberto's and Dupont Pizza... What's a hungry pizza lover to do? Stay on street level.

I reviewed Alberto's last February, and aside from an admittedly good crust... it was a relative disaster. Dupont Pizza, its upstairs neighbor is better on almost every level. First off, it's brighter and cleaner. The staff (equally young) at least talks to you, and acknowledges your existence. Even more importantly, they charge less for better pizza. $4.49 ($6, including tax with a can of soda) gets you two large slices of sausage & pepperoni pie, heated up in two minutes flat.


The atmosphere is a lot nicer at Dupont Pizza too. For one thing, you don't have to risk tumbling down a flight of steps in dark, tight quarters to get in the place. It's 10x cleaner, and the aforementioned staff aren't surly like their basement counterparts. Did I mention it's a dollar cheaper too?

As for the pizza, the crust had a great char: It's nice & thin, perfect for folding. Not much flavor; but I liked the cheese & pepperoni. There wasn't much sauce, which left it on the dry side; and I always want more sausage. However, it more than fits the bill if you skipped dinner and need something late & pronto. Considering its many positives, your choice seems pretty simple... Dupont Pizza, by a mile.

Atmosphere: B- (Miles above Alberto's)
Service: C+ (Again, much better than Alberto's; but room for improvement.)
Crust: B (Nice char, light & crisp.)
Toppings: C+ (More sauce please.)
Value: B- (A full dollar cheaper than Alberto's... See a pattern forming here?)
Overall: B- (Good late night option, but don't expect too much.)