&Pizza’s new Chinatown location (Photo via &Pizza)
&pizza’s, the heaviest hitter of D.C.’s fast casual pizza scene, has opened its doors in the heart of Chinatown.
The standard design-your-own-pizza counter sits on street level. What distinguishes the shop from the other dozen or so area locations is what’s going on upstairs. The brick is adorned by murals in gold, white, and black that depict ampersand-tattooed, D.C. flag wristband-wearing, blinged-out pizza lovers painted by by local artist Ms. Chelove.
There, table service is available for a slightly elevated pizza (and less fast casual) experience. Upstairs is also the home of &Bar. Beer and wine is already served at other &pizza locations, but the Chinatown location has a streamlined bar that include cocktails.
There are three cocktails to choose from, a couple of them mixing local spirits with house-made sodas and teas. In one, gingerberry lemonade is paired with Civic Vodka from Ivy City. Another combines ginger peach tea, brandied cherries, and applejack with Boar Creek Whiskey from Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountain foothills. A third drink pairs Tequila Cabeza with mango passionfruit soda, lime, spiced rum, and grenadine.
The &Bar in Chinatown’s &pizza offers a preview of what the brand will do in Hotel Hive, Washington’s first micro hotel, scheduled to open in Foggy Bottom this winter. The cocktail bar and lobby restaurant at the hotel will be by the company.
“We’re always gonna look to push the limits of what an &Pizza experience can be and what we’re going to do with the & brand,” says Michael Lastoria. He spoke to DCist while sitting next to a tattoo artist offering complimentary ampersand tats to partygoers and employees at the restaurant’s opening party last week. “This is just dipping our toes a little. Look for many more different and funky concepts coming out of the brand in the next year or two.”
&pizza’s newest location is at 705 H Street NW in Chinatown. Hours are Sunday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 a.m.
