New Haven-style pizza is now at a Metro stop near you – well, just one, off of the Green line. Located a stone’s throw from the Columbia Heights metro station, Pete’s Apizza (pronounced Pete’s “ah-BEETs”, not like those Little Caesar commercials) is the latest addition to the neighborhood’s housing and retail revival/explosion. Pete’s serves up the trademark thin, chewy-crispy crusted pie, along with a selection of salads, paninis, pastas, and gelato from Dolcezza in Georgetown.

For those unfamiliar with New Haven-style pizza, an introduction on the Columbia Heights News website by co-owner Mark Wilkinson offers some background:

Short version: New Haven Apizza is an outgrowth of the Italian-American community that settled in the New Haven area in the early 20th century. It reveres the Italian food culture of fresh ingredients, simple construction, and unpretentious presentation.

Many people think New Haven pizza is all about coal as a heat source. Not entirely true, although the most famous New Haven pizzerias do use coal-fired ovens. Our absolute favorite New Haven pizza is actually found in East Haven in a restaurant named Grande Apizza, where they fire the pizza in a gas-fired oven, like we do …

On opening night this past Monday, Pete’s was handling brisk sit down and take out business. All orders are placed and paid for at the counter, which provides guests with a clear view of the open kitchen and gigantic metal pizza oven. Pizza is available by the slice ($2.50 to $3.25) or you can order a whole 18″ pie ($18 to $24). Patrons can get creative with a dazzling selection of seventeen different toppings. Some of the more unusual choices include fried eggplant, grilled artichokes, asparagus, and house-made sausage. Most notably, Pete’s allows diners to not only design their own pizza, but also design their own slice. Unfortunately, the menu in Pete’s is so small, it is nearly impossible to read the list of toppings unless you are standing directly under the sign. Diners lacking 20/15 vision should grab a take out menu at the door and read it while in line.