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Alberto's Pizza
Category: Restaurants Pizza Pizza [Edit]
2010 P St NW(between N 20th St & N Hopkins St)
Washington, DC 20036
Neighborhood: Dupont Circle
(202) 986-2121
- Nearest Transit:
-
Dupont Circle Metro Station (Red)
- Hours:
Mon-Tue 11 am - 11:30 pm
Wed, Sun 11 am - 12:30 am
Thu-Sat 11 am - 5 am
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Late Night
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
115 reviews for Alberto's Pizza
Review Highlights
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"and the chicken pesto (my fave) is $5.78." In 9 reviews -
"1) Thin crust goodness with tasty toppings." In 18 reviews -
"So good, unlike Jumbo Slice (gag me." In 8 reviews
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115 reviews in English
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Review from Mark M.
3/21/2012 1 Check-in Here
Legit pizza, y'all. And open so late! A "slice" is 1/4 of a pizza. So for a small eater, you'll be taking part of your slice home.
Eight choices (way more on the "made to order") and all yummy. Chicken pesto is my favorite.
For six bucks, this pizza is really good. -
Review from Tiffany L.
San Diego, CA
4/5/2012
A very hearty slice because one slice equals 1/4 of a pizza!
First reaction: This pizza place was located downstairs- looks like a basement and very sketchy. The decor was quite interesting- I was surrounded by interesting/colorful cartoons and caricatures of political figures. The dining area was definitely not very clean or comfortable, and there is no seating.
Compared to the first "jumbo" pizza (Pizza Bolis) that I went to, this place had a lot more variety at a cheaper price. There was pesto chicken, Hawaiian, sausage, pepperoni, cheese, vegetarian, etc. The service was also very nice and fast.
I ordered the Pesto Chicken Pizza- $5.50
This is a thin-crust pizza with a nicely toasted and crispy crust. I liked how the pizza was not oily, however, the texture was quite flat- not very cheesy or saucy. Also, the taste was not bad, but not as pesto as I would have liked it. There was a fair amount of chicken and I was satisfied.Listed in: DC Affordable Eats
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Review from Jess C.
2/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
Basement hole in the wall type of place.
Alberto's satisfied my needs for a good thin-crust pizza. One slice does equate to two "normal" slices. Each slice is about ~$5 I also like the fact that because it's so thin and it doesn't taste too oily/fattening--perhaps this is where people complain about the "blandness." That's okay with me though, that's what condiments are for (which are scattered throughout the room, you kinda have to go looking for it).
They are open late, and we came around 12AM on a Saturday night. Luckily, the pizza we had came right out of the oven, so it tasted even better. I had the vegetarian that night.
There aren't many seats though, but you can grab some counter space and enjoy. -
Review from Joshua H.
Washington, DC
1/15/2012
The piizza was below average and much smaller than normal sizes. The person taking orders barley spoke English and then when I called back after an hour and a half looking for my pizza I got hung up on.
I will never order from here again. -
Review from wesley t.
Washington, DC
3/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
Pizza was good (by DC standards). But beware: I got change with foreign coins. How weird is that?
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Review from KaThy T.
8/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
Open late, I don't know how late but it was late when we got there. Many people walk in late just to find food. The pizza's thin but good. They slices they serve are big, which is a plus.
They have no seats inside. You can eat standing up along the counters on the wall. -
Review from Yule K.
9/28/2011
Having just gotten off the Circulator starving, I went down into this basement level restaurant to get a slice. Of course, this being DC, it was "jumbo-sliced" (essentially serving a portion the size of 2 normal slices and charging you $5 for it). I vaguely remember enjoying the pizza before, even though the only other times I have been here have been past 2:00am on a weekend night with my taste buds blurred by PBR and bottom shelf rail drinks. But, what the hell, how bad could it be?
Of course, whenever someone ends a paragraph with a rhetorical question like that, you know it has got to be pretty friggin' bad. I basically spent a good 10 minutes trying to choke down a sheaf of dry, tasteless crust slightly reminiscent of pre-vamped Domino's (which is to say, corrugated cardboard). The sauce imparted texture, but no flavor, and the cheese was heartily preprocessed. Basically, I managed to salvage the meal by pouring on powdered "parmesan" cheese and red pepper flakes that helped cover up the taste.
But, I wouldn't necessarily mind returning, just so long as it is past 2:00am and my liver is on the brink of needing a transplant because of alcohol poisoning. -
Review from Becky L.
7/24/2011
Alberto's is probably my worst pizza experience in the District yet: a long wait for delivery that ended when an unsliced and exceedingly poor interpretation of Chicago stuffed pizza arrived at our door, with a thin layer of cheese and a cardboard tasting crust. Surprisingly, the bag with three pieces of free candy did not make me feel better about spending upwards of $20 on a pizza for which we could barely finish a full slice each...
I will be back in Chicago in October and will definitely attempt to erase the memory of Alberto's by getting some real stuffed pie there. -
Review from Vanessa O.
Brooklyn, NY
1/18/2012
We got the sausage pizza to go. They didn't take our number down, or name or anything. They also cut the pizza really strange (into small squares rather than pie slices). At first I didn't like it, but it was kinda nice to eat them in small bits. I don't expect much as we bought a whole pie for like 11 dollars. I think that is pretty cheap and it tasted fine.
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Review from Bryan M.
Alexandria, VA
10/1/2011
I think you may have to be drunk or hung-over to fully appreciate this place. Seeing as how I wasn't either of them and just and wanted to grab a quick bite before class, I wasn't impressed.
This isn't to say that it was horrible pizza, but it sure wasn't great either. You do get a lot for $5, but it's a whole lot of blah. For $5, I got 1/4 of a Hawaiian pizza. The crust was flavorless and so was the sauce. The cheese, ham and pineapple weren't too bad, but they weren't good enough to make up for the lack of flavor elsewhere.
For $5, I honestly would've preferred Little Caesar's and that's saying something! -
Review from Danielle F.
Seattle, WA
7/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Overall: 3.5
Taste: 3.5
Menu: Decent for a dive; quite a lot of variety.
Price/Value: A lot of food. One slice is $5 and a quarter of a large pizza.
Service: Good and efficient service, though large groups of customers can cause them to run out of pizza.
Pros: A cut above the normal pizza joint, close and nearby, yummy chocolate mints at the front counter.
Cons: No seating in the restaurant, you run the risk of the selection being narrow if you catch them at a busy time, no menu items other than pizza. -
Review from Rebecca S.
New York, NY
1/21/2012
Slices were gigantic and good value but crust was extremely dry and tasted old. Asked the girl serving if the slices were hot, as she was serving them straight out if the display. She said yes but then we realized they were half cold so I had to specially ask for them to be heated for us. Disappointing.
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Review from Christian J.
Washington, DC
6/24/2011
Horrible pizza! Might as well pull out a frozen pizza and save your money. My pizza was shoved into a medium box (so the edges folded against the wall). Pizza took nearly an hour and a half to be delivered.
The presentation of the pizza was off when I looked at it., wasn't even fully cut. The toppings were scarce, didn't seem fresh. Def not my new pizza place. -
Review from Mistr K.
Washington, DC
6/11/2011
I hadn't had delivery for quite some time from Alberto's, so last night, I pulled out an old menu and ordered a Vegi Delight. Since they have always been notorious for taking really long to deliver, I was surprised when the guy showed up in 45 minutes, as the guy on the phone had promised. In the past, waiting over an hour was worth it because of the high quality of the product. In fact, when they were located in Logan Circle (I think Logan Hardware now occupies the building), the pizza was fantastic.
What I got last night was a soggy, unsliced mess that barely met the definition of pizza. A few random vegetables were tossed onto a mushy crust and thrown into a box.
I will never order from Alberto's again. The quality has deteriorated, and there are too many other places that deliver in my area that are far superior. I am not surprised that the Adams Morgan store closed, and if things don't change at the remaining P Street location, my guess is that they won't survive there either. -
Review from Minna S.
Roslyn, NY
6/10/2011
I used to live right around the corner from this place. I remember the thin-crust pizza to have a bit of a bite (spicy) to it, but to have a crispy crust.
I recently visited DC & stopped by for a late-night snack. Since I ordered 2 plain slices, I had to wait a few minutes for a fresh pie to come out of the oven. no biggy, especially at 11pm. When I got back to my hotel room, though, and started to eat my pizza, I found it to be quite salty. Additionally, although my pizza was not burnt, it smelled as though it was burnt, which also affected my perception of the salty slice.
I gave Albertos 3 stars in part bc of my memory of the place, but also bc each slice is 1/4 of a pie. Yes, it costs upwards of $4.50 per slice, but (in the past) I've found Albertos pizza to be most similar to NY pizza...except with a bit of a kick. -
Review from linwood w.
Chicago, IL
10/30/2011
The Guy hung up on me . Cause he said it was to far for me to walk for the pizza.
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Review from Alicia M.
Washington, DC
11/20/2011
This place is pretty good. I'm from Chicago and they nailed the thin crust pizza. Every one k is about the deep dish pizza Chicago is famous for but few know about the rosati's style thin crust square cut pizza. It's nearly impossible to find outside of the windy city. Thanks for a true classic chicago thin cracker crust pizza!
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Review from Brian B.
Arlington, VA
5/9/2011
HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE CHICAGO PIZZA
While i'm not crazy about their style of thin crust, i must say that the chicago style pizza i ordered from here last night was wonderful. To begin with, the pie was beautiful just to look it and it definitely delivered on flavor. Lots of cheese in the bottom layer and a really tasty sauce on top, with chunks of real stewed tomato. delicious. -
Review from Zack S.
Arlington, VA
11/15/2006 ROTD 2/21/2007
Dear Italian Store elitists:
I understand. I, too, once thought that the Italian Store was the only pizza around worth putting in my mouth. I admit, I was wrong. You are, too. Yes, the Italian Store is very good. And I know it is very hip to like the Italian Store because it's a little off the beaten path and is the favorite pizza joint of one Sandra Bullock (well, maybe that makes it less hip-- I don't know). However, Alberto's is better. By better, I mean this: Alberto's more faithfully approximates a New York-style pizza. It's crust is crispier, its sauce is tangier, and they sprinkle a little parmigiano and/or romano on their pies that adds the perfect amount of saltiness. Plus, a $3 slice means 1/4 of a large pizza (sweet!). Alberto's reminds me a little of Stromboli Pizza in the East Village, NYC, which i reviewed favorably on this very site.
Dear 2 Amy's elitists:
I'm with you. But 2 Amy's is a totally different breed of pizza joint and not comparable. I encourage you to embrace your elitism. Just try to temper your indignation while reading this review. -
Review from Lydia M.
Burke, VA
Updated - 12/10/2008
I placed a delivery order at 9:28pm on Sunday. I received my pizza at 10:48 and it was cold. I live less than 5 minutes away... WTF?
When I called to complain, I was offered $5 off my next order that I'll never place with Albertos again. You've got to be kidding me.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/3/2008
Pretty darn good pizza...
I ordered "For the Extravagant" #1 which is fresh mozarella, baby… Read more »
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Review from Karol L.
Washington, DC
11/21/2010
It is awesome pizza!! The pizza is very tasty and definitely Chicago style. If you order cheese pizza alone, you will not be disappointed.
The down side to it is the delivery and phone service. When they pick up they are always rushing you on the phone. Not a lot of patience with you if you ask a simple questions as: "how long is going to take?" or "what's my total?". It always takes about an hour to get to your home. One time they forgot my drinks, not happy about that!
I will still recommend it regardless of the bad service just because the pizza is so darn good!! -
Review from Liam D.
Washington, DC
11/6/2008
Alberto's makes a decent pie, but it's really nothing to write home about. I know people who absolutely LOVE this place, but I just don't think it's that amazing. Sure, they make thin-crust pies and cut it into enormous slices, but so do Pizza-Mart and other shitholes - that doesn't make it "New York Pizza" by default. NY Pizza is NY pizza and it can hardly ever be duplicated - there is a taste, texture, and overall feeling of satisfaction that one feels when having a slice in Brooklyn or Manhattan that this place most definitely does NOT replicate. I'd say that this place is a solid 4 star pie palace, but I started out rating it a 3, until I realized that there isn't much in the way of comparison, so it's gotta be relatively high, since it is a good slice of pie.
Did I just do a 180? If so, does that make my review entirely useless? I sure could go for some Alberto's right now...... -
Review from Erik B.
Washington, DC
7/31/2008
I'm reading these reviews, and I'm confused. $4.25? I thought it was $3.50, but I guess I usually go there drunk, so I could be wrong.
The point is, I'm mainly confused because any review under 5 stars is just crazy. I'd give six if I could. A slice at Alberto's is worth $5 at the very least. The slices are huge, and it is hands down the best pizza I've had in the city. Besides, on U street I've seen them charging $5 and $5.50 depending on the establishment, and the pizza just isn't as good. The only pizza I've had in the same ball park as Alberto's is Manny and Olga's, but they're too far to walk and have what is undoubtedly the slowest delivery within the beltway.
Bottom line - even if you're partying in a different neighborhood entirely, head to Dupont. It's worth it. I once recommended to a group I was partying with in Foggy bottom to make the 10 block walk at 2 in the morning. Flurries of thankful drunk texts proved my point. Do it! -
Review from Courtney R.
Arlington, VA
5/20/2008
I haven't been to Alberto's in a few years. I used to go pretty religiously after a frequent scouring session of the DJ Hut just a door away. Today I stopped by with some co-workers after a training session in the Golden Triangle.
I ordered the veggie. I was astounded at the size (I don't remembering the slices being that big before) as well as the freshness of the toppings. The crust managed to be crispy and light with a hint of that bendiness I've come to love from growing up on Philly/N.J. pizza.
At $4.25 a slice I found the price a little high, but considering the gargantuan serving size I suppose it's forgivable. -
Review from Morgan W.
1/6/2009
I freakin' love Alberto's. Here's why:
1) Thin crust goodness with tasty toppings. And I'm fairly certain that the seasoning mix that is thrown on top of every pie is laced with delicious heroin.
2) The pause every time when I call for delivery and give them my address. Yes, I am literally so lazy that I will not walk the block to your establishment. Yes, I understand that I called during peak hours and that my delivery will take an hour. You are up front about the time, and I respect that, but I'm still just that lazy. For some reason I love the pause, though, because I know it is exactly what I would do if I worked there.
3) On the days that I do muster up the energy to walk to the actual establishment, I am greeted by music that makes me feel like I'm in a gay dance club and slices that are HUGE! Seriously, these bad boys are the size of a quarter of a Papa John's large, if not larger. One is all I need.
The long delivery time is the only thing keeping me from giving a 5-star review. I feel that the heroin in the spices totally makes up for the lukewarm temp. Plus, I have an oven, so it's all good. -
Review from Amar S.
New York, NY
8/18/2010
Came to Alberto's today for a quick lunch, and I left regretting my decision to come here. The actual location is nothing special, and is designed almost specifically for 'To Go' orders as there are no chairs what so ever. (You can however eat, standing up, on the counter)
There typically 5-8 different pizza options to choose from, but in my opinion, none of them will satisfy your pizza craving. The slices are very large, which is slightly off set by $5+ price per slice.
The pepperoni slices have to much herbs, which quickly overpower the cheese and few pepperoni pieces on the slice. Additionally, the crust is slightly undercooked, making it too chewy for my taste. If you want pizza, I'd recommend Goody's next door. -
Review from Nils J.
San Francisco, CA
4/14/2006
Best pizza in the city, bar none. Often, when I'm walking away with a slice, people will smell it and ask where it came from. You get a massive, chicago-style thin crust slice with excellent toppings for about $3.50. By massive, I mean about a quarter of one of their large pies. My favorites are easily the pepperoni and sausage and the chicken and pesto. Two slices will do a big guy like me in for the night.
Plus, they're open till four AM on weekends, so it makes EXCELLENT cheap drunk food after your bar crawl. A bit hard to find, because it's in a basement. Also, no sitting room, but really, who needs that? -
Review from Tom D.
Washington, DC
12/5/2006
The man Zack brings up a lot of good point -- comparing Pizza to Pizza is not an apples to apples proposition. I love 2 Amys, I love Pizzeria Paradiso, I love the Italian store....Albertos? Well it's tough to be cause you do get 1/4 pie for 3 bucks -- they're almost giving it away -- but I have now been 3 times and it's kinda inconsistent -- and the last time it has like this funky, grassy, fume aftertaste -- it it wasn't 3 am and I wasn't drunk (they are also open until 4 am thurs--sat).
My jury is still out on this one -- it might only be a 3 star -- it might be 4 1/2. Like they say -- pizza is like ___ -- even when it's bad it is still pretty good.....now that thinking is questionable, but the pizza is good at worst -- and it's also really cheap. I could explore this analogy but I think it is best to end there......
Ciao for niao. -
Review from Larry G.
10/20/2008
Alberto's has the good stuff! People aren't exaggerating when they say that pizza slices are huge! For me, a slice is so big that I need a fork and a knife to eat. Other people just fold their slice in half and stuff themselves.
Pricing is reasonable for huge slices. You can get your pizza to go or hang out in the pizzeria. There are no seats but counters. If you stay, you'll stand next to the counter. You can chat with a friend or two next to two or stare at yourself in the mirror in front of you. Mirror = people-watching. Ooooooo!
Anyways, don't forget Alberto's when you're in the mood for a good slice of pizza or when friend are in town.. -
Review from Timothy S.
Washington, DC
8/3/2008
AMAZING HOURS. DELICIOUS FOOD. HUGE SLICES. GOOD PRICES.
Go here now. As a huge fan of jumbo slice, Albertos was a great find - it is still a huge pizza - slightly different taste than jumbo slice, but still delicious. Go here now, seriously! -
Review from Dee H.
12/12/2007
All pizzas are not created equal... there's fast, gourmet, brick oven, flame grilled, and some fancy-smancy artsy-fartsy stuff u see on the food network. Sometimes you jus wanna slice so you can continue your romp thru the city hollering at the tourist who get lost in Dupont Circle.
Albertos has a few now, and it's a pizza-by-the-slice spot. they deliver even though the 'skins got a better chance of makin the playoffs before your pizza gets there. Carryout works better... call ahead pick it up and enjoy.
it's flat, greasy and satisfying, not bad for a carryout spot but it ain't winning no awards. it's prolly best served as a late nite spot for a quick bite. They usually have 5+ pies to choose from every time I've been there. Also, they do a Chicago Style pizza, but i don't wanna tackle that yet because if i do i'd be longing for the real deal.Listed in: Pizza Nites
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Review from anika k.
1/17/2010
I'm done with overpriced pizza.
First, I seem to remember Alberto's having an online ordering system. That no longer exists.
Second, the pizza we got was delivered cold. Then realized they messed up our order (meat pizza for the vegetarian. No thanks!). The remade pizza, delivered an hour later, was a liquidy, soggy, mess.
Third, and most importantly, all of their prices went up. A lot. The website menu is pretty far off... a small deep dish pizza (what they call a "medium", but let's be honest here), starts at $20.95. Topping prices went up too.
I'll keep looking for deep dish pizza in the district because this simply won't do! -
Review from Kate F.
Washington, DC
6/19/2007
Ugh. I hate that this is the best pizza DC has to offer. Having recently moved from Chicago to DC, I can't help leaving disappointed with my slice. Yes, the crust was thinner and crispier than anywhere else I've tried in DC, but come on! It's praises should not be sung from the rooftops, it's just not that great. When will DC realize that huge slices do not a good pizza make. I will, however, be back because, despite it's failings, it's still in a class of it's own. How sad is that?
I'm bumping this review to four stars because I ordered delivery from here, and it was delish! A little bit spicy, lots of herbs, crispy crust - the best delivery I've had in DC.Listed in: Kate's DC Pizza Quest
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Review from Mark D.
Washington, DC
3/12/2008
Just walk down P Street and listen for the boom cha boom cha and look for the yellow rotating police light. It almost made me not want to walk in. This isn't a place to sit and have a nice slice of pizza...there's not a stool or chair to be seen (although they have lots of counters). The pizza is supposed to be "chicago" style, but not the deep dish pizza that I'm familiar with.
It was a good experience, much better than those gross fat slice places you see in Adams Morgan/U Street. They serve pizza either by the slice (~$4/each) or by the pie, as either a stuffed chicago pie (which sounds like a big calzone) or pan style. Pizza was pretty good, not too greasy, and the crust wasn't chewy but not super tough either. -
Review from Sean S.
1/14/2010
Scale of 1-10 (single visit):
8 Food
8 Service
7 Atmosphere
9 Value
A good by-the-slice spot. If you can find it. (Look down) -
Review from Michael H.
Long Beach, CA
11/18/2007
Greasy. As. Hell.
One slice made me sick to my stomach for two days. Threw the rest away. NASTY!
Didn't even know it was possible for a pizza to be this greasy. Clearly, they do not remove excess grease. I wouldn't even be surprised if they added some. When they order it at work, although I won't eat it, I check the box. The grease always soaks through. -
Review from John B.
Washington, DC
12/10/2006
I like to call this place "Alberto's Habit-forming Pizza". It makes me laugh because the pizza actually is anthing BUT addictive. I only call it this because the sign out front says "Warning: May be Habit forming!"
Anyway, if you're walking around at 3:30 a.m. Friday night, it's likely to be the only place open (they are open til 4), and so you may as well try it out. It's not that bad---it's just that the last time I ordered a slice (to go), I made it about halfway through the slice (the slices are enormous) and then I suddenly felt disgusted and threw the remainders away in a Dupont Circle trashcan.
Does anyone know of another Pizza by the slice around Dupont? -
Review from Richy R.
Honolulu, HI
That is one big f***ing slice pizza!!! Its 1/4 the size of a large pizza (see pic). And one slice of cheese for under $5, too!!! The flavor itself wasnt all that great. The crust was too thin and bland. I had to dose it in parm, peppers, garlic powder and oregano and that still wasnt enough. But, still...do you see the size of this mofo!!! This is drunkards paradise!
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Review from Josh A.
Raleigh, NC
11/30/2008
Got stuck in the Hotel Room on a Sunday afternoon, so I decided to give this underground nosh-pit a try. The fam and I dined at the exquisite Pizzeria Paradiso a couple of days ago, so we had some pretty darn good pizza there to compare this to.
As it was rainy and nasty outside, we thought we would hole-up and call for delivery. Now, keep in mind we are staying at Hotel Palomar which is just down the block... So I call Alberto's and ask for delivery and the person who answers the phone says "What is the address?"... and I say "I am staying across the street at Hotel Palomar."... and she says "I don't know where that is. Can you give me the address?"....me: "Stick your head out the door and look to the left..." and on and on it went until I eventually found a piece of hotel stationary with the actual address on it. ANYHOO.....
The pizza showed up 1 hour later, sort of luke-warm. I of course am thinking, prep time = 7 minutes, bake time = 10 minutes, delivery time = 5 minute walk. Hmmm... let's see, that leaves about 37 minutes in a box under the warmer? I had ordered a pie with Fresh Mozzerella (a $2.75 "premium" topping), pepperoni, and sausage. Pretty easy, right? IF the mozzeralla was fresh, it was fresh from a bag... with the name "Kraft" on it or something... or they forgot it altogether. The crust was halfway decent and lended that "Baked on the Stone" taste to my tongue, but the sauce was too acidic and the toppings were sparse and not very fresh tasting.
Again, in comparison to Paradiso, this place was a major disappointment.
My advice would be to skip it (to be fair, for take out/delivery, at least) and go to the place UPstairs, instead of Down... you know.... "across the street." -
Review from David P.
Mobile, AL
8/7/2011
On a recent Bar Crawl trip in DC, I was told to be on a bar crawl in DC you need to have a slice before going home. We were at some place but it was too packed so we ended up at Alberto's, which was pretty much next door. I've never had a pizza slice that big before. It was pretty much the size of half a regular large pizza. It was good. I struggled, of course, drawing a lot of criticism from my friends. I guess this is the place to be at night, there was a pretty big crowd there. Good Pizza!
