pizza

Gallery Clarendon to be Replaced with Connecticut Pizza Restaurant Colony Grill

By Vernon Miles
1/3

(Updated at 4:30 p.m on 11/02/20) Gallery Clarendon, a temporary art space at 2800 Clarendon Blvd, has announced that it will be closing to make way for a new pizza restaurant from New England.

The gallery, a project from the Arlington Artists Alliance, opened at Market Common Clarendon in June 2018 as a way to fill the space until a permanent tenant could be found. At the time, the Arlington Artists Alliance told ARLnow they expected to be open for roughly a year.

The gallery will close at the end of February, the Alliance said.

In May of 2018, with modest expectations and a solely volunteer effort, the Arlington Artists Alliance turned the empty storefront on the corner of Clarendon Blvd. and N. Fillmore into a gallery and artist studios for 50+ local Arlington artists. The positive feedback we received from the community was heartwarming and overwhelming… It was a wonderful experience for the artists and we thank each and every one of you who visited our gallery and studios or attended a class in Clarendon.

A pair of shows currently on display, called Catharsis and Kaleidoscope, will be the final exhibits at the gallery. Both shows are scheduled to have an opening reception tomorrow (Friday). Catharsis’ reception is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. while Kaleidoscope will start at 5 p.m., with both scheduled to finish around 7 p.m.

The Arlington Artists Alliance is currently hoping to find a new home in North Arlington, though its Gallery Underground location in Crystal City remains open.

Cherise Goldbach, general manager of Market Common Clarendon owner Regency Centers, said the new tenant in the space is Colony Grill, a small chain of thin-crust pizza-focused restaurants primarily based out of Connecticut.

The company’s website says it offers a one-size (12-inch) thin-crust cheese pizza, with signature spicy hot oil, and a variety of toppings. The chain also has a salad pizza — the company’s thin crust topped with salad fixings — with no cheese or sauce unless requested.

It will be the only Colony Grill location outside of Connecticut and New York, according to the company’s website. The first Colony Grill opened in an Irish immigrant neighborhood of Stamford, Connecticut in 1935.

“Everyone at Colony Grill is extremely excited to open in Clarendon later in 2020,” said Ken Martin, COO of Colony Grill, said in an email forwarded to ARLnow. “During our search, we absolutely fell in love with the greater Arlington area. It is simply a remarkable part of the country. We look forward to introducing our unique pizza to the neighborhood and becoming a part of the community fabric for years to come.”

Pete’s New Haven Pizza, which offered a different pizza style of Connecticut origin, closed in August two blocks away.

Despite New ‘Tacos’ Sign, Goody’s Is Still Selling Pizza in Clarendon

By Vernon Miles
1/3

Don’t be fooled by the signs on the building, the notoriously green shack in Clarendon is still long-time local pizzeria Goody’s.

The “Goody’s NY Style Pizzeria” sign has been taken down from the building at 3125 Wilson Blvd. and replaced with a sign that says “Tacos Mexicano,” while the windows advertise tacos and pupusas. Inside, however, there’s still rows of pizza and staff still call it Goody’s.

While Goody’s has sold tacos for nearly a year, according to their Facebook page, a manager at the restaurant said the sign change was reflective of a new emphasis on the Mexican cuisine. In addition to the classic “two slices of pizza and a soda for $5.99” deal, the restaurant also offers quesadillas, tacos, burritos and more.

The majority of the menu, however, remains various types of pizza like Goody’s Deluxe — pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, onions — as well as subs and burgers.

Goody’s changed hands in 2018 after its original owners retired. It reopened with new owners, whose colorful new mural on the diminutive building at 3125 Wilson Blvd didn’t fly with county regulators. It was later re-painted red and two shades of green.

Photos: Pupatella Now Open In South Arlington

By Kalina Newman
1/6

Three years after announcing its plans to expand, award-winning local pizza restaurant Pupatella has officially opened its second area location.

Pupatella opened its South Arlington location earlier this week at 1621 S. Walter Reed Drive, where it serves a variety of Neapolitan pizzas, gelatos, drinks, and more.

Originally founded as a food truck, Pupatella opened its original brick-and-mortar location at 5104 Wilson Blvd in 2010.

Co-owner Enzo Algarme is now teaming up with the partners behind Elevation Burger to expand via franchising. Pupatella currently has two additional locations outside of Arlington, in Richmond and Glen Allen, Virginia.

There are a few additional Pupatella locations in store for the D.C. area, including a 2,700 square-foot venture in Reston and another in the Mosaic District.

Bozzelli’s Expanding Into Larger Space in Crystal City

By Kalina Newman

A space-themed pizza shop and deli in Crystal City plans to take off into a bigger space down the block.

Bozzelli’s, an “intergalactic” deli serving pizza and sandwiches, first opened at 2600 Crystal Drive in 2010. Nearly a decade later, the restaurant is moving to the opposite corner of the street where it will have room for an expansive dining room and bar.

“Honestly, we outgrew our shoebox of a store from day one. We never had room for more than three tabletops and six seats so our customers could never bank on getting a table,” said co-owner Mike Bozzelli.

Bozzelli also commented on the incoming arrival of Amazon’s new headquarters, noting it “factored into our decision making.”

“We welcome the advent of HQ2 and are extremely grateful for the community,” he said.

Bozzelli’s has four locations, including one in Springfield and another in D.C. Its menu features whole pizzas, including the “Mic Mac” topped with macaroni, mozzarella, cheddar, and peppers — along with sandwiches, salads, and desserts.

New Pupatella in South Arlington Opening Next Week

By Kalina Newman

One of Arlington’s most successful restaurants will open its second location very soon.

The Neapolitan pizzeria Pupatella, which opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Bluemont in 2010, is expected to open at 1621 S. Walter Reed Drive next week.

“This week is training,” manager Anastasiya Laufenberg told ARLnow. “We should be opening next week. The community support has been great.”

Hopefully the new location will have better luck than past businesses at that address. A string of restaurants there who quickly shuttered after opening have given the Walter Reed corner the reputation as Arlington’s restaurant “Bermuda Triangle.”

Pupatella currently has two additional locations outside of Arlington, in Richmond and Glen Allen, Virginia.

Heading into 2020, Pupatella has also announced plans to eventually open a 2,700 square foot location at 1821 Wiehle Avenue in Reston as part of a new expansion push fueled by a $3.75 million investment.

Earlier this week, the restaurant introduced two “Pizza Lovers” wines, a red Merlot/Cabernet blend and a white Pinot Grigio-Chardonnay blend, to pair with its pies.

Ovi Drops By Arlington Fire Station, With Pizza

By ARLnow.com

Washington Capitals star, former Arlington resident and Papa John’s pitchman Alexander Ovechkin dropped by an Arlington fire station with free pizzas for the firefighters yesterday.

The surprise visit happened Thursday afternoon at Fire Station 2, near Ballston, where the Caps practice. Ovechkin can be seen in a video (below) dropping off pizzas and taking a brief tour of the station and ACFD’s Truck 106.

(The truck often runs calls in the City of Falls Church, which contracts with Arlington to provide fire services.)

“Yeah!” Ovechkin can be heard saying as he sits in the driver’s seat, with the truck’s lights blinking. “Everybody’s going to be afraid of me on the road.”

“We love station visits,” ACFD said in a Tweet shortly after the visit. “This one though… TOP! Thanks for dropping by @ovi8. Come by anytime!”

Screen cap via @Capitals/Twitter

We, The Pizza to Open Next Week

By ARLnow.com
1/3

It’s official: We, The Pizza says it will open its new Ballston location next week.

The restaurant at 4201 Wilson Blvd, in the Ballston Exchange complex, is expected to open on Wednesday, Oct. 30. In addition to the usual pizza selection, the restaurant will be introducing four flavors of gelato shakes, including Hazelnut Nutella and Stracciatella

The nearly 2,000 square foot space, which should draw a large lunchtime crowd from nearby offices, sits 50.

More from a press release:

We, The Pizza opens October 30th, 2019 at Jamestown’s Ballston Exchange by Nour Sharkas, the latest franchisee to expand a concept by The Sunnyside Restaurant Group. We, The Pizza offers 17 pies by the slice, 12 homemade sodas, chef-made wings and Italian gelato shakes.

Mr. Sharkas began his career by managing Good Stuff Eatery and later working in We, The Pizza in Crystal City, VA. “I am excited to bring this fantastic concept to a great area such as Ballston,” said Mr. Sharkas. “We wanted to create a dynamic space in this community for people to enjoy the great food we serve in a fun, hip, casual atmosphere. We’re also offering delivery at this location.”

We, The Pizza is introducing four flavors of gelato shakes: Hazelnut Nutella, Cherry Amaretto, Tiramisu and Stracciatella. In addition, there will be some new pies: Spicy Sicilian, eggplant, spicy salami, fresh tomato sauce; Margharita Burrata, Vegan Veg Sicilian, Ace & Wes Cowboy Pie, pepperoni and sausage and a Ultimate Cheese.

We, The Pizza’s fourth location is opening at 4201 Wilson Boulevard and occupying a 1,894-square foot space. Seating capacity is 50.

New Pupatella Location to Open As Early As Next Month

By Kalina Newman
1/3

Pupatella, one of the county’s most beloved restaurants, could open its second Arlington location along S. Walter Reed Drive as early as next month.

“We are looking at the opening date around the end of October at this point,” owner Enzo Algarme tells ARLnow.

The Neapolitan pizzeria will be located at 1621 S. Walter Reed Drive where hopefully it will have better luck than past businesses. A string of restaurants there have quickly shuttered after opening, giving the Walter Reed address the reputation as a sort of restaurant “Bermuda Triangle.”

Italy native Algarme launched a pizza-serving food cart in Arlington in 2007, later opening Pupatella’s original brick-and-mortar location on Wilson Blvd in Bluemont in 2010.

The company has been expanding, with new locations in the Richmond area and more planned in the Mosaic District and in Reston. The team raised $3.75 million last year to open eight new restaurants across the D.C. area.

Pizza Roma in Ballston is Not, In Fact, Closed

By ARLnow.com
1/2

Our report of Pizza Roma’s possible demise last week was a bit exaggerated.

The pizzeria, located across the street from the Ballston Metro station at 4219 N. Fairfax Drive, was indeed closed during lunchtime hours. At the time, there was no indication at the restaurant, over the phone or online that its hours had changed.

Now, a sign in the window says that until next Monday, Aug. 26, the restaurant will only open for dinner, starting at 5 p.m. Tipsters tell us Pizza Roma was open for dinner this past Friday and Saturday.

In June, ARLnow heard from another customer who thought the restaurant had closed — it turned out then, as well, that it was only open for dinner.

Though our article couched the observation that Pizza Roma “seems closed,” and we tried several ways of getting in touch with the owner during business hours, ARLnow apologizes for the insinuation that the restaurant might have closed for good without checking in person, at night to see if it was open for dinner.

UPDATED: Pizza Roma Stops Serving Lunchtime Crowd, Remains Open at Night

By Vernon Miles

Update on 8/19/19 — Multiple sources tell ARLnow that Pizza Roma is, in fact, still open, but only in the evening. It stopped serving customers at lunchtime without notice.

Earlier: Pizza Roma, an Italian food bistro across from the Ballston Metro station, appears to have closed.

For at least two days in a row, Pizza Roma (4219 N. Fairfax Drive) has been closed around noon, despite having hours posted online saying it should be open. The phone number listed on the window rings, but eventually goes to a dead signal. The menu inside is plastered with “Not Available” sticky notes.

The restaurant averaged 3 out of 5 stars on Yelp, with reviewers praising the quality of the no-frills pizza, but generally agreeing that the restaurant’s aesthetics were pretty sparse.

Pizza Roma had been around for at least a decade, while the location next door had gone from Eat ‘n Run Deli, brgr:shack, Earl’s Sandwiches, and finally the Medina, which closed two months ago. The nearby Pizza Authentica also closed last October.

Pete’s New Haven Apizza in Clarendon Has Closed

By Airey
1/7

Pete’s New Haven Apizza closed down its Clarendon eatery this weekend.

Sign posted on the front doors this weekend read “Pete’s is permanently closed.” The restaurant’s Instagram page has been taken down and online ordering was disabled for its Clarendon location as of Sunday night.

The eatery specialized in New Haven, Connecticut-style “apizza” — a thinner crust pizza known for their charred edges with simple, fresh toppings.

The eatery posted signs announcing it was shuttering its doors after first opening up shop in Arlington eight years ago.

Last year, Pete’s closed its flagship eatery in Columbia Heights as convenience chain WaWa prepared to take over the space on Irving Street NW.

The pizza joint previously downsized from its original 4,000 square foot space in the Clarendon Center development at 3024 Wilson Blvd. When the pizza joint began construction in Clarendon in 2010, it was the first Virginia location for the D.C.-based local chain.

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