On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Categories: Pizza, Food Stands [Edit]
Ballston Metro StationThu-Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Loading...
Everyday between classes, I love to explore Ballston and Arlington to check out all the neat little restaurants, food stands, and the little Friday "farmers" market by the metro. My friend and I just had a few beers at Rock Bottom and saw that Pupatella had a "People love us on Yelp!" sticker on their stand, along with a lot of newspaper clippings. If you have that sticker and newspaper clippings about how good your food is, it better be for sure.
I don't remember the name of what I ordered, but it was a spicy Italian sausage wrapped along with some onions, and Italian bread. The guy was grilling them outside while the two girls in the stand would be making white pizzas (which I will have to try out next time.) The sausage for sure was spicy and fantastic. Way better than any hot dog stand you would find in DC or any metropolitan city.
Another thing to note is that there was a line that would form during lunch hours. From what I've been reading here, they are only open certain days of the week, so if you can make it those days, I highly recommend Pupatella. Remember to bring cash, they don't accept cards.
Pretty enjoyable for a street cart--this is good, thin crust, crispy pizza made by some friendly young folks. I went for lunch today a bit before noon, and there was a small line and another half dozen or so waiting for their orders to come out. Took me only a couple minutes to place my order, and about 15-20 minute wait for it to come out.
$6 for the basic margherita pizza; it's 10" by my guess, so one hungry person could tackle it themselves, or two could share it for a light lunch. Most additional toppings are $1 each, though I recommend adding the excellent grilled sausage for $2 more. The pizza is light on sauce and cheese, which is actually nice for lunch.
A few things to know
- only open Thu/Fri
- pay in cash
- located in Welburn Square (at 9th & Stuart) near Ballston Metro
Pupatella is getting -1 star for only being open Thursdays and Fridays now, otherwise I'd give it 5. It used to be open 5 days a week, and I'm hoping they are not cutting back due to lack of business. This place is such a gem, I would make specific trips to Ballston just to go here. Last time I was over there, I walked all around the block thinking maybe they had moved the cart closer to the mall or the metro - but then checked the website. On the plus side of this, rice balls only used to be available on Fridays, so now they've doubled their availability, although I still haven't been able to try them.
The pizza is the best I've had in the area, including the Italian Store. I've had the margherita and some of the gourmet options that change (or used to) daily. I suppose the size of the pizza is big enough to share, but you could definitely eat the whole thing yourself and only be in slight food coma. Prices are definitely reasonable for what you're getting. I have to get myself back there for the rice balls!
PIZZA :: chewy / crunchy / madly / deeply !
and the rice balls ain't bad either -- perfectly fried rice shell - gooey, savory interior - the peas pop like caviar.
Delicious! Not too much cheese, enough toppings--yum! Plus, you can't beat the price. Definitely worth trying.
Five stars and definitely a big fan.
Let me first say I am a pizza snob. I make it at home every weekend...I've modified my oven to reach 700+ degrees...I make my own dough using starters and let it ferment for days...I continually tweak and re-tweak my recipe to get it just right (I can taste how much salt is in the dough down to the gram). After trying their pie...I can say that this is one of the best in the area.
After arriving here later Thursday afternoon and waiting about ten minutes for a Margherita, I took the box over and sat down to feast on my pie. It was a fairly thin pie, had a little bit of charring on one side and was cooked fairly well. My one objection (and this is just personal taste) is I believe they used dry mozz vs. fresh mozz. I thought the cheese was good, but on a traditional Marg...I prefer fresh mozz. Now they did offer fresh buffalo mozz for $3 more...but I opted for the standard. I think if I went again, I might try the buffalo mozz.
So, back to the eating. It was really good. Why was it good...well, it's pretty basic, but they seem to get it. "Get What" you ask. They get pizza....especially this style of pizza. IT's not hunkered down with cheese or sugary tomato sauce...it's really simple. The crust is the star of the show, accented by the tomato sauce, co-starring the cheese, and a supporting role with fresh basil. The most basic ingredients...but they get it! The proportions are right...the preparation is great...and best of all, these guys seems to have the heart. They are running this tiny little food cart that they can barely fit into and making a product that is light years ahead of some of the chain pizzerias. The people that work there are super friendly and it was great to support their business.
So, if I am in the area I would definitely stop here...and I would probably go out of my way too...main drawback, not open on the weekends.
Upgraded to 4 stars.
[EDIT] Duh, I am dumb... this place is only open Thursday and Friday.
I've had two experiences here and both were very good. I had ordered the margherita pizza and for $6, the quality is comparable to Ella's Pizza (same thin crunchy crust) but for half the cost. My only gripe is that there's only 4 basil leaves on the pie and I felt like there could be more. I mean, when you remove the basil, it's only a cheese pizza, you know? I brought some to work and my manager couldn't believe it came from a food cart. I reheated it later that night and while it was still good, it was better fresh from the cart.
Last week I bought breakfast here. They sell doughnuts for $2, or 2 for $3. I got a plain one and a Nutella one. The doughnuts are freshly fried and then for the ones with filling, they slice in half and spread the filling, so it's more like a fried dough sandwich. These doughnuts are winners. So warm, chewy but not cakey, and best of all, not greasy. The plain doughnuts have sugar coating.
I can see how this cart has a cult following. People really want them to succeed. When I ordered my breakfast a man ahead of me had received his order of 4 doughnuts, totaling $6. He paid with a $10 bill and told the girl to keep the change! The staff is very friendly and their customers don't seem to mind the wait times for food. I've never had a long wait--usually it's 1-3 people ahead of me.
The little red cart is only here Thursdays and Fridays. However, the Afghan kebob cart is there, rain or shine, so I might give them a try soon.
All the rave reviews made me excited to try this place so I went on their website to check out their menu for the day. It was too late to try their donuts so I decided on the sausage sandwich with grilled onions and peppers and muenster cheese. I was quoted 10 minutes waiting time but probably waited more like 15. The guy doing the grilling was nice and apologetic about how long it took though, so I didn't mind. It cost $6 for the sandwich.
At first bite, the sandwich is juicy, tender and salty but delicious. I rarely ask for spice on my food, but some mild heat would have made it extra tasty. As I kept chomping down, I noticed how soggy the bread roll had gotten, but the entire sandwich was gone within 10 minutes so it didn't matter. The muenster cheese, although almost hidden by the pile of grilled onions, held its own. The taste was sharp and the texture was smooth. See for yourself: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
I was lucky they didn't run out of my ingredients, but I suggest you come here early as I overheard customers changing their orders because their original choice was sold out for the day.
Highest four possible. Maybe even a five if I can manage repeat visits.
Since the cart is just open on weekdays during work hours in Ballston, I had never managed to stop by in person and only had leftovers after it has been sitting in a box, put in the fridge, and then warmed in the toaster oven or the microwave.
The pizza is really good, even cold. The crust and the sauce are very flavorful. If it was this good reheated and little soggy, I could only image how great it would be to get one crispy and piping hot, fresh from the oven.
The only time the stars magically aligned and I was in Ballston for a meeting, my boss announced that before heading back to the office we should eat lunch something "better than from a street cart" and go somewhere nice like Cheesecake Factory. Or P.F. Chang's. T___T
Thanks to the holiday, I got out a little early and made a mad dash to Ballston in hopes of catching them before they packed up. It was pretty late in the afternoon and there was no line.
The person in the cart was very friendly. She said I had just made it since she was planning to pack things up soon. Since it was the day before Thanksgiving she only had a small selection available. I chose the white pizza with caramelized onions, potatoes, arugula, and parmesan cheese.
It was kind of cool to watch her prep the pizza, and in less than 10 minutes it was piping hot and ready. She cut it into smaller than normal slices for me so I could have a taste right away and pack the rest for home.
Whoa. The pizza was even better fresh! The crust was deliciously thin and crispy without being too hard, and the toppings all worked really well together. I had to resist eating all of it in the park, or on the Metro, or the bus ride home. It smelled amazing.
All this deliciousness for only $8 including tax. Well, more if you include Metro fare if Ballston isn't part of the normal route, but still a ridiculous bargain for truly delicious pizza.
Ballston residents, you owe it to yourself to leave home a little late and try their breakfast items - toasted croissants, crepes - or leave work a little early and try the pizza or one of the non-pizza daily specials.
Ballston workers, you owe it to yourself to try Pupatella. Eat here often. They're looking for investors to expand or open a storefront or something and they need your support. You get delicious pizza and I hopefully get the chance to one day experience fresh Pupatella more than once a year. Win-win for everybody, right?
I heart this place! The sauce is absolutely delicious (like candy!), the dough/crust is reminiscent of the best pizza taglio I had on a recent visit to Rome. I wish this place was closer to me, and as others have mentioned, open more often than just Thurs-Fri! And you cannot beat the deal, $6! Nice staff too! I can't wait to go back!
Vonetta's gchat status message, "Life done been changed by this pizza," led to the following gchat conversation with A.
------
A: DO TELL!!
me: There's this pizza cart around the corner from the Ballston metro
Oh my God
I have no words
A: a pizza cart...
me: yes
A: meaning that it travels?
me: but it's neopolitan pizza, so the crust is superthin, and there's not a lot sauce,
no
It's stationary
Well, I guess it could travel
It does have wheels
A: lol
me: Anyhoo
A: interesting
me: Sooooo good
Fresh mozzerella
A: life-changing, eh?
me: YES
It tastes like Italy
Actually, have you been to 2 Amys?
It tastes kinda like that
A: oh yea? haven't been, only heard about it
me: OH MY GOD
A: i guess I have to make a visit out to Ballston
me: YES
Ugh
So good
with basil
and olive oil
and you can get buffalo mozzerella for $3 more
and a cute pregnant chick was making the pizzas, so I tipped her extra 'cause I felt bad
It must be hot in there
But Good Lord, she made a good pizza
-----
Trust the yelpers when they say that this is some darn good pizza. I'll definitely be back again and again and again!
I can't speak on the authenticity or anything, but the food was cheap, fast, and tasty, which is really all I ask for in a lunch cart. A pepperoni pizza set me back all of $7 and filled me up nicely. Since it's an outdoor cart, either head over on a nice day or take it back to your office or home or whatever. It's worth eating at, and is a different option than the typical sandwiches available in the area.
I've been to this place about a half dozen times and I can never get breakfast, let alone donuts. They're supposed to open at 8 AM. I've been there at 8:00, 8:30, and 9:00 and either they aren't there, or they're just starting to haul their coolers out of their truck into the cart. Or one time they had just opened but I was told the oil for the donuts wasn't heated up yet.
I've ALSO been there at 10 or 10:30, only to be told they're sold out of breakfast and donuts!! How the heck do people seem to know when to sneak in there, find them open, and buy everything!!??
I live in Arlington but I work in Tysons, so I can't just wait around and watch for them to open. I must admit that I have been there one time at lunchtime. My parents were visiting me and we'd just eaten lunch at Potbelly's (my Dad loves that place). So I couldn't get lunch at the cart, but I did take a look and saw someone getting their slices of pizza. I must say it looked scrumptious!
I'm ready to give up, but I'm sad to miss out on something everyone seems to love so much. :-(
Let me add that I ALWAYS try to eat there on a Thursday or a Friday. That's the only days they're supposed to have donuts, and I've seen it written here that they might only be open on those days. So I'm not going on the wrong days.
Pupatella food cart has blown my mind. Amidst the rows and rows of office buildings, competing with the chains and the street vendors, Pupatella stands alone fighting the gourmet fight. And it's winning.
You would never know, walking out of the Ballston metro stop, that such a delicious place was half a block away. Situated directly across from 901 Stuart (the Immigration Court building), this tiny little cart rolls into town around 8 or 8:30 every morning and stays for breakfast and lunch. There are three rules at Pupatella: no hotdogs, no change, and no harrasment. In that order. Those are the only rules, and really anything goes with Pupatella.
The lipstick red cart is unquestionably known for its Neopolitan pizza with an ultra thin crust. And who better to make it than a guy from Naples? The base is mozzarella, fresh basil, and San Marzano tomatoes, for only $6. For $3 more they'll use Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, a true naples delight made from Water Buffalo's milk with a creamier, fresher taste. The pizza is more than enough for one for lunch, but if it's not good enough for you, there are toppings. Go more Mediterranean and add sundried tomatoes and prosciutto. Or make it American with peppery salami and mushrooms. All the toppings are $1 more (except the grilled sausage, that's $2).
Lest you think that Pupatella is only pizzas, well, I told you all rules were off with this place. Deep fried risotto balls, grilled sausage and steak sandwiches, goat cheese salads - the menu tends to read like a list of "what we wanted to make today." Specials of the pizza and non-pizza variety show up on Pupatella's website daily (recently featured was a smoked salmon, capers, and goat cheese pizza). And don't forget, they do breakfast too. Fresh donuts, simply sugar-dusted or stuffed with your choice of chocolates or fruits, have just been added to the menu. Savory and sweet crepes are available depending on your mood. You really never know what to expect (unless you check the website. Then, well, you have a pretty good idea?).
Despite my praise, and your assumption that I now believe Pupatella is the second coming, allow me to provide some words of caution:
- Pupatella is two people in a tiny cart with the equivalent of a George Forman grill. Do not expect your food quickly. While there are a few kids plastic chairs for waiting, odds are you'll be standing for at least 15 minutes if not longer in DC weather (which is never "pleasant") before you eat.
- None of the food is neat. The pizza slices are huge and the sandwiches actually drip rainbows and happiness. There are plastic utensils that exist more or less to mock you. Suit and tie crowd, be aware: this food is messy.
- Cash only, people.
If you live in Ballston, if you work in Ballston, if you pass through Ballston, if you've ever been on an orange line train, you must go to Pupatella.
Everything that I've had here is delicious! The quality of the food is amazing, you would never expect this type of food or quality from a cart.
The pizzas are freshly prepared and cooked in small ovens. They're pretty light and not greasy at all with excellent sauce, not loaded with cheese. Look at the pic that I uploaded or the pic on their web site to see what I mean. You can get pizzas every day with a variety of ingredients. My personal favorite topping is the prosciutto, they actually put several pretty big slices on the pizza. If you're thinking about going to Vapiano for a pizza, go to Pupatella instead! They're much better than Vapiano's pizzas. The only downside of the pizzas is that if you're starving, you probably want to get more than just the pizza (like rice balls or a dessert). They're really light so they won't completely fill you up if you're really hungry. But for lunch a pizza is usually more than enough.
In addition to the pizzas, they usually have grilled sausage sandwiches that are grilled outside of the cart, and a few other things, sometimes salads, sometimes soup, and sometimes other things. The menu changes every day, but they actually post every day on their web site what the specials will be for the day. You wouldn't expect that kind of up to date info from most sit-down restaurants, let alone a food cart.
Oh, and they also do for breakfast starting when they open at 8:30. The crepes are great, and really cheap too! Where else in the area can you get a nutella crepe with fresh fruit? They also have made to order doughnuts but I haven't tried one yet.
Hmm.. as far as pizza carts go (and how far they do go), this is prety solid. I can't write a rave review or say that I'm anxious to return. The pizza here was fine. It's not great. It's not terrible. You can choose your toppings, but they're sometimes out of things. It's pretty cheap (abt 6-9 dollars, depending on your order). There's some appeal in ordering from a car on a warm day. The people running the cart are friendly. It's not worth making a trip to check this out, in my opinion, but if you find yourself in the area and seeking lunch, it's not a bad bet.
Highest score possible for a tiny food cart.
Think Jetsons . Not sure how they can produce such great food with such a small space. Amazing how other pizza places are huge and can't produce a decent product.
I walked by the cart daily as its right behind my office. Have eaten there the last 2 days and everything was great. Got the Margherita pizza and the ch orzo soup. Both much better then anything anything else in Arlington. I also personally like the idea of giving my business to small local vendors . So many Starbucks and Cosis in Arlington.
*****2 1/2 stars******
We went because Potbelly's was packed and we needed to get lunch. They had a long line. Seemed like everyone was ordering pizza. I wanted a sausage sandwich. Once I placed my order I watched the guy fixing other peoples foods & the girl inside fixing pizza. Never did I see anyone working on our sandwiches. Being who I am, I gave them the benefit of the doubt hoping that they didn't forget my order. Once I realized it had been about 10 minutes & countless folks had gotten their food. I went and complained. She was very apologetic and offered us a drink on the house (cart). And the guy quickly went & fixed our sandwiches. Within 2-3 minutes our food was done. I was a bit too upset to really enjoy it. But I have to say it was good. The service was just poor in my book.
When I worked in Ballston, I ate here nearly every day. Absolutely delicious. The menu is short, but everything they do, they do well. The pizza of the day or the sausage sandwich are the best bets. The drinks are not your typical foodcart fare - Pellegrino lemonade, and a cherry soda imported from Argentina, for example. They also have Kinder chocolates... yum!
This is amazing. It taste like it came from a brick oven restaurant.
Gourmet style
Cheap.
Needed to get myself out of a bad mood and decided to check out Pupatella since I saw it in the VA Sq/Ballston paper the other week. Wow it is good!! Very friendly worker and I'm just amazed at the quality of the pizza coming from a food cart. Very fresh and the crust was just perfect.
My second food cart in Ballston review.
Pizza here is good and beats Vapiano hands-down. Other than that, your only other quick pizza option nearby is Sbarro (if you even consider eating there).
Salad was also great and both items won't hurt the wallet. They do make it fresh to order so it can take a few minutes to get your food. They also offer a money-back guarantee but I haven't seen anyone try for it yet.
I've had the $1 cappuccino in the morning on the way in. It's about a 6 oz cup and was pretty decent. I think I got a good amount of grinds in the bottom of it, which I think they could improve on. I was halfway into work at that point and didn't want to walk back to try for the guarantee.
You can get a punch card as a frequent visitor for a discount after several trips. Only wish they would offer to-go boxes for people not wanting to eat right there. Walking a couple blocks with a salad, bread, and pizza on a plate could be tricky. Definitely a place to add to the carry-out lunch rotation.
Forget all the rest!
This is the Best!
This food cart is amazing! Never thought you could make such great pizza in a small space. If you ever had pizza in Naples, Italy.
This pizza will take you back there. I had my first slice, closed my eyes and thought I was back in Naples.
Best Pizza in arlington, by far!
They also have great rice balls, which I could never find anywhere!
I'm so happy to have found this little jewel. Its makes my day every time I go. And dont forget they also have sausage and steak sandwiches that are off the hook!
Thank you Pupatella, for making my life in the USA so much better.
The pizza is awesome and their sausage is very good. Crepes are very delicious - try goat cheese and ham. Brazilian drinks and European candies available too. I also like the sausage sandwich, eggplant Parmesan, meatballs, and stuffed peppers. There are so much more specials but I just haven't tried them all.
Seriously, for a food cart, this might be the best street food in DC. $10 got me an organic summer salad (fresh greens (not iceberg lettuce), red onions, and shaved Pecorino Romano all drizzled in imported extra virgin olive oil), a diet coke, and a personal Margherita pizza. The pizza is definitely Neapolitan Style-the Owner Enzo Algarme is straight from Napoli. He's a very cool guy and he's got great taste (as evidenced by the most beautiful food cart (and vendor-in Anastasia, his partner) in all of DC. Ok, back to the pizza: the crust is perfectly crisp, yeasty, and slightly chewy. It's thin crust but it's baked in a stoneware oven and is based on a strict interpretation of Enzo's family recipes from Napoli. The sauce is amazing. Fresh, good kick of salt and not overdone with oregano or basil. The sauce is actually the featured ingredient at Pupatella. The cheese is top shelf fresh mozzarella balls and therefore do NOT expect to get a slice of NY Style thin crust where there's a little sauce and tons of greasy cheese (which is also good!). Pupatella does it the opposite way...LOTS of sauce and less cheese...but the ingrediants and preparation is what is on display here. Everything is made by hand, each night. I had meatballs on my Margherita and they too gave me a tongue-gasm.
There are all kinds of seasonal offerings at Pupatella, though I only tried the Pizza, Salad, and Tiramisu (very nice marscapone layer, noticeable espresso/rum kick in the cakey part). I lie, I also had rice balls which are fried dankness and I hear the fried calzones are a huge hit. I know Enzo does meat pies and hopefully he'll roll some of those out in the future. I've know Enzo for 10 years now and he's a great cook, always has been, so I would suggest trying every and any thing they put in that little food cart. His pasta is swanky too!!
Now, the downsides: WHEN THE HELL ARE YOU OPEN PUPATELLA?!?! I lived in Clarendon (and worked in Fairfax) since the day Pupatella opened and I've still only managed to stop in a handful of times. I know they open M-F around 8am-ish and close at 3pm-ish. I don't know what the weather policy is, but I know they're open in the winter. If you happen to be near the Ballston Metro during the week, you owe it to yourself to get a little pizza or some other treat at Pupatella. It's fast, fresh, delicious, and won't leave you feeling fat. The people that work there and hang out there are beautiful and the menu changes daily or weekly so you will always have something new to try!!
We ADORE Pupatella! Delicious food, very kind people. You've got to love seeing folks live their dream. In this case, two twentysomethings who wanted to start a restaurant. With no affordable space to be found in Arlington, they went for a street cart instead - and what a treat it is! We had suffered with no good lunch-time pizza joint in the neighborhood for quite a while. These days you can't miss this fire engine red food cart in the park off of 9th street near Ballston Mall - it would be the one with the horde of people all around it. They serve great, classic margarita pizza with an assortment of fresh toppings available. The crust in particular is fantastic. High quality ingredients all around. I do miss the risotto balls filled with cheese and veggies. I have yet to sample the sausage and pepper sandwich but judging by the the sausage pizza it has got to be very good. Breakfast is also a real treat, with crepes and home-made doughnuts on the offer. The only downside for Pupatella is the LONG wait if you go during peak lunch hours - especially on Fridays when the farmers market crowds the park. The cart only has one oven so only a few pies can cook at any one time. Go for an early or late lunch for the quickest service. These guys are still looking for investors to help them get started with a real-deal restaurant. The food is certainly more than good enough. I can only imagine what Pupatella could accomplish with a real kitchen! Highly recommended if you are in the Ballston area over lunch!
order on line
Alexandria, VA
Mangia Mediterranea on…
Alexandria, VA
Arlington, VA
Category: Middle Eastern
Arlington, VA
Category: Mexican
Arlington, VA
Category: Art Galleries
Arlington, VA
Category: Pizza
Arlington, VA
Category: Food Stands
I seem to have a [potentially] unhealthy desire to…
Lactose intolerance my foot! What would my life be…
