Radius Pizza
3155 Mount Pleasant Street NW
Washington, DC 20050 (202) 234-0808
- Nearest Transit:
Columbia Heights (Green, Yellow)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Alcohol: Full Bar
25 Reviews for Radius Pizza
THEYRE BACK!!! Im a neighborhood person and loved radius pizza when they first opened, however somewhere along the way it seemed as if the lost their "MOJO". Well i'm pleased to say the past 5 times ive been over the last month it was AWESOME. Now i know why they were voted Best NY Style Pizza in DC.....
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Great pizza, friendly service, love their Wednesday night wine night. The free wine with dinner made everything taste even better. Love the neighborhood feel, definitely going back!!!
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2.0 stars:-)!! This has to be the most expensive, unpredictable pizza I have ever experienced: one day it is fairly good, the other it was just bad, very bad with to much salt, a soggy crust, and to many hot peppers. I am done with this pizza establishment and it is time to give others a shot at my business!
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I went here last night. We ordered a large tossed salad (am I too old to snicker at that?), a large Pizza of the Day (artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, red peppers, and onions), and a large Laverda pizza (a white pizza with shrimp, pesto, and olive oil).
The salad was decent, but nothing to write home about. The pizzas are big, which I was pleased about as I was about to eat my arm I was so hungry. The Pizza of the Day was the worse of the two pizzas. It had too much cheese. And as an extreme cheese fan, if I say it has too much cheese, it probably has too much cheese for about 95% of the world population. Plus it was a tiny bit soggy, as other reviewers have mentioned.
The Laverda pizza was much better. They were generous with the pesto without overwhelming it. And it wasn't soggy at all. The only things wrong with it was that they could have done a better job distributing the shrimp more evenly around the pizza, which would have prevented that awkward situation where there's one piece that has tons of shrimp and everybody wants it, but we're all too polite to take it. But that's a pretty trivial point.
Service was decent, contrary to some of the other reviews. Our waiter was really friendly. It was late at night though, close to 11, so there weren't many other people there.
One thing I didn't like was the beer selection. It just wasn't that good. It was dominated by bad domestics (Miller Lite, Bud Lite, etc.). Although my brother liked the PBR on draft and it's equally attractive $3 price tag.
On Monday nights, they have 1/2 price pasta night. And on Wednesday night if you order a large specialty pizza you get a free bottle of wine. Can't beat that.
All in all I'd say this place was okay. I wouldn't get it delivery if I lived in Columbia Heights because by the time it gets to your place the pizza might be soggy. But if I were in Columbia Heights and jonesing for quick passable pizza, I'd go here. Or go here on Mondays or Wednesdays for the aforementioned specials.
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Good pizza, good apps. The free bottle of wine night is great for a date, but if your wine palate is developed very much, be wary. The red is always passable, but barely. Either way, its a good neighborhood spot you will have to try real hard to be disappointed with.
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Great when it's good.
Awful when it's bad.
I choose Radius often because A) theres not other decent pizza place nearby B) I hate Papa Johns and the like. But I'm always pissed at the exorbitant prices and some of the toppings (olives, mushroom, peppers) are way over the top to use a pun. Go with fewer, simpler toppings, sausage, pepperoni and you won't be disappointed. Warning, this pizza cannot handle more than 2 (two!!) toppings or it will be an unmitigated mess. 4realz!!!
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This pizza is tasty, but expensive. I spent $22 on a large pepperoni pizza for take-out last week and vowed not to go again unless I'm eating AT Radius.
Radius is a nice place to meet friends for a casual dinner. Go on Wednesday night when they have "wine night" - you get a free bottle of house red or white wine with each large pizza!
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One word: Uninspiring.
I ordered an Aprillia pizza for pickup and when I got to the restaurant, I thought this place looked pretty neat. The place is really small so it looks like it would be hard to grab a seat even though the bar had a few places to sit. I did like one thing about Radius: they said it would be ready in 20-25 minutes and it definitely was.
I was thoroughly unimpressed with the pizza. It was greasy and not very tasty. I know everyone has an opinion on how pizza should taste and I just didn't enjoy it at all. For a large pizza it was $20.00+. Twenty dollars? For this price you can get waaaaay better pizza.
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Nasty pizza there are so many better places. I know the guys are young hip and own the restaurant next door and below. But they should try to focus on the ingredients instead of how hip and trendy they spot is. Who lives in Mount Pleasant anyways???? Old married people with kids?????
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I don't care whether it's really New York-style pizza or not.
My husband got carry-out from here, and the pizza itself was about as big as our whole kitchen table. I was happy about that. I enjoyed the first piece, but the second one wasn't as good once it got a little cooler. I hate to say this, but it's the kind of pizza that would be the best thing ever ... if you were drunk.
But it's very thick and it stays with you well into the next day, if you know what I mean.
We recently ate in the restaurant and the service was terrible. They really need to hire more servers. For how expensive it is, they should pay more attention to the customers.
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I'm writing to stop myself from ever ordering pizza at Radius again.
It was SO good when it opened. The owner made a bunch of noise about having been to the City to learn to cook authentic NY style pie.
Well...things have changed over time and these days the ingredients are cheap (nasty, gluey cheese, thickly applied, oil salami, canned antipasto, stingy application of expensive toppings). The pie itself exists in two separate entities (the cheese and dough are not united in a pizza--one is wet and limp and cardboardy--one is thick and gluey--see above).
Now that the competition is closer and closer (Red Rocks, Moroni & Brothers) I hope Radius gets with the program improves their offerings.
Yes, the beer is good. Yes there is a happy hour. Yes the owner is a really nice guy who deserves to make money out the wazoo for putting up with the bullshit he must deal with every day he opens his two restaurants for business in our city. He's just not going to get any more of my money at Radius.
I agree with Alexis G. that the pizza sticks around--I was rooting around for pepci ac two hours after eating (and no damnit! I'm not THAT old yet!)
Oh and you'll spend $24 for a large pizza consisting of 8 generous slices of pie.
Hop your happy ass over to Vace in Cleveland Park and you'll pay $14 for the same specs. Oh and Vace is delicious.
There now, I've panned Radius. No more caving and ordering b/c it's too much trouble to think of something else to eat. I'll be taking my chances at Don Juan's.
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How can you go wrong when Wednesday nights are "order a pizza and get a free bottle of wine"? I actually like their pizzas, I agree it's a little pricey, but the Vespa pizza was very good! Much better than those crappy pizza-bigger-than-your-face places.
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Sometimes the pizza is good. Sometimes its bad.
Not sure how their delivery staff manages to mangle a pizza so badly. Slow and clueless staff when I ate their. Ho hum.
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Dear Radius Pizza:
In the beginning it was wonderful. You were fresh, hot, and were usually at my door within 45 mins of me calling you. Even if it was late and night and I was a little drunk. Oh, you saucy thing!
But you've just let yourself go. You turn up late, all sloppy, often cold, wet (not in the good way), and I just can't get into you when you're like that.
I'm sorry, it's not going to work out. I have to see other pizza joints. And it's not me, it's you.
J
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The downsides:
- the crust on our piaggio pizza was too chewy for me.
- the pizza was almost overwhelmingly heavy on cheese.
The upsides:
- the sundried tomatoes were pleasantly strong and not too acidic.
- the abundant cheese and strong-flavored toppings made the pizza really filling -- Three of us shared a large (18") and we still had two slices left over.
- our server was friendly and attentive.
- the dining room was bustling but not too noisy -- there were families, couples, groups of friends... It had a nice neighborhoody atmosphere.
Tip: On the menu, "EVOO" means "extra virgin olive oil."
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This place has pretty tasty pizza. I am a big fan of their "motto guzzi" pizza, which has onions, pineapple, and panchetta on it. Just like your basic hawaiian pizza except with yummy panchetta on it instead of cruddy sliced ham, and onions! mmmm!! This is usually what I order. However, I also had two of their subs delivered to my apartment recently. I shared a meatball sub and a chicken parm sub with my boyfriend. I wasn't very impressed with either. I thought the chicken parm sub was way too dry and the meatball sub was similar.
But 4 stars for the yummie pizza!!
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We had high hopes for this local joint, yet this was the worst pizza I've had in a very long time. We picked it up and brought it home and it was so soggy it fell apart. We took it back and got another. And it fell apart. The taste wasn't horrible but it was virtually inedible. We can only hope we caught them on a bad night, but we won't be trying Radius again anytime soon. As someone well versed in NY pizza this matched nothing I've had (especially for the $20 price tag). What a disappointment. The rats of Mt Pleasant are about to get very lucky...
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The pizza might taste good if it weren't so soggy. The cheese just about falls off crust before you can get it in your mouth.
Call me old fashioned, but I like to be able to east my pizza without a knife and fork.
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I've had many a New York "slice" and aside from a thin crust, each restaurant's pizza is different than the next. So whether or not you think Raduis' pizza is New York style, totally depends on where you ate pizza the last time you were in New York. With that said, Radius' is the best pizza I've tasted within Washington, DC city limits.
The crust is thin and a bit crispy on the bottom and the red sauce is thick and zesty, the perfect complement to the smooth tasting mozzarella. A few of the preset pizzas come without sauce, so if you love pizza sauce like I do, just ask to be sure. You can always select from the fresh toppings menu to create your own unique pizza. My favorites are kalmata olives, mushrooms (they serve meaty portabellas and buttons) and broccoli rabe. Radius also has a nice selection of appetizers and entrees, but their pizza is definitely their best offering!
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I should start off by saying I went with Barrie C. (my brother) and I'm giving it the same number of stars but I had a more favorable experience. We were starving after a Capitals game and Radius seemed like a faster, cheaper alternative to Tonic.
The beer selection was nothing to write home about but they did have PBR on tap which, being a recent college graduate who only drank Natural Light, I can appreciate. The salads which they serve either individual or family size were a little pricey but there was enough for the four of us. We got two pizzas which were enormous. Here's where Barrie and I disagree: I thought the Laverda was drowning in olive oil and I know it makes things tasty but after eating it I felt like a duck in an oil spill. On the other hand I thought the special was delicious. It's funny that Barrie thought it was too cheesy since he loves cheese (he's always extra cheese on the pizza, i'm always extra sauce. mom gets mad.) I thought it could have used some more of the toppings but hey cheese is good too. They have some great deals during the week which since I live around the corner I will be taking advantage of soon.
The pizza scene in DC isn't great. I haven't been to Two Amys or Vace yet but I've had Duccini's, Alberto's and of course Jumbo Slice and as far as delivery goes Radius is my new go to joint cuz 1) it's close, 2) it's tasty. Overall- not great but not terrible.
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Radius is the sister restaurant of Tonic, which is right next door. It calls itself "New York style pizza" though most of my NYC transplant friends tend to disagree. I think its yummy. Lots of fresh ingredients, interesting toppings, overall pretty tasty. Oh, and they deliver. Definitely a good neighborhood pizza joint.
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Drool. Best pizza in DC aside from Alberto's, which is too far for me to stumble to on my way home from Adams Morgan. Plus, they have tons of weird toppings (but, as far as I can remember, no grilled chicken, which was kind of mind-boggling considering the rest of the list).
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What happened to you Radius? You were our go-to spot for awhile, but then one day the winds shifted and everything went downhill. We were so excited to discover you so close to our apartment back in 2005. We told our friends about you. We brought out-of-town guests to you. Your gnocchi appetizer was so tasty! and the pizza was great the first couple times we went. But then...it wasn't so great, but we gave you the benefit of the doubt and thought you were just having a "bad night". Like, five bad nights. But we didn't give up on you...until December 2006. Worst. Service. Ever. Orders get mixed up, mistakes happen, I get it. But on top of all of our orders being wrong (party of 6) the waitress was so rude! She forgot to put my order in, so I didn't even get my pizza until everyone else had finished eating, but she straight up lied to me about it. She also brought me white wine when I had ordered red, but whatevs. Basically the whole night was a trainwreck. I just can't go back again. I would actually give this place 2 and a half stars because their gnocchi (in a gorgonzola cream sauce) really is delicious, but it's only an appetizer - make this a main course! The other pasta dishes have been hit-or-miss, but mostly miss. And this is definitely not New York style pizza.
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this is definitely not new york pizza. there is too much sauce. that said, it's pretty good, and the sausage topping is great. however, i don't think it's worth the price. i think people are getting fooled by their appearance of providing some kind of gourmet service. do yourself a favor, and go pick up from 2amys
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i love the pizza, but delivery service is slow and it's, quite frankly, outrageously expensive.
if radius was an animal, it would be a dizzy walrus.
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