Pizzeria Vetri brings some brotherly love to D.C. in the form of pizza. (Photo courtesy of Pizzeria Vetri)
Apparently D.C. just can’t get enough wood-fired pizza. Pizzeria Vetri (2221 14th Street NW) now joins the ranks of the just-charred crusts and San Marzano tomato slingers already occupying just over a half-mile of the 14th Street corridor, including Etto (1541 14th Street), Ghibellina (1620 14th Street), and Piola (2208 14th Street).
Coming to us from the City of Brotherly Love, Pizzeria Vetri was originally opened by Philadelphia chef Marc Vetri and restaurateur Jeff Benjamin as part of the city’s prominent Vetri Family restaurant group. Vetri sold the business to the parent company of Urban Outfitters, the hip Philadelphia-based clothing and home goods store, in February in a collaboration to expand the Vetri brand and allow the retailer to evolve their business into more of a destination experience that includes food, retail, and community space. Think Maketto, where Taiwanese fried chicken is sold alongside Vans shoes and DURKL hats, artist collaborations, and a running club. There are two Pizzeria Vetris already open in Philly, and a third opened last year in a new Urban Outfitters lifestyles concept in Austin, directly across from the University of Texas campus.
D.C.’s Pizzeria Vetri is a standalone, though don’t be surprised if you can eventually order a margherita pie in the Gallery Place and Georgetown locations of Urban Outfitters. For now, an opening event on Thursday felt a bit like a pizza party at the millennial-targeted store, with colorful murals splashing the industrial space and music blaring from a DJ booth. Line chefs churned out meter after meter of pizzas whiles servers in PV-logoed tank tops and artfully torn jean shorts passed out signature appetizers called rotolos and fried pizza dough.
Neapolitan-style pizzas, ordered by the pie or by the meter, have crisp crusts topped by quality ingredients like sharp smoked provolone, creamy stracciatella cheese, and thin slices of pepperoni. The Maurizio, a mozzarella pie with fresh rosemary and olive oil, finished with sea salt, is a delicious bargain at $12, making it one of the cheapest pies on the menu. Meters of some of the more expensive pizzas, like one with prosciutto crudo, head into $30 territory.
A must-try are the rotolos. The pinwheels of pizza dough are stuffed with mortadella and ricotta cheese, then topped with a pistachio pesto.
While guests took turns having live screenprinted t-shirts painted for them on the spot and crowded the rear bar, chef Katsuya Fukushima of Daikaya and Bantam King scooped out cones of a gelato flavor he created with a Philadelphia-based gelato shop. His Miso Honey frozen treat will be served exclusively at Pizzeria Vetri over the summer. Pleased with the double entendre (say “miso honey” a few times fast and you’ll get it), Katsuya sported a mischievous smile as he insisted that guests ask for his gelato by name before issuing cones.
Pizzeria Vetri is located at 2221 14th Street NW. Hours of operation are 4 p.m.-11 p.m. from Monday-Thursday, and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
