Pizza 101—College Students Give Grades

Included were national chains as well as neighborhood places that deliver within designated areas. Pizzas were plain cheese—and to even the playing field, we reheated all of them, as many people do at home.

Our tasters were Andy Duffy, Sasha Irving, Matan Shamir, and Erin Zimmer of Georgetown University and Emily Axford of George Washington University. Here’s how they rated the pies:

The winners (a tie): Armand’s Chicago Pizzeria  (various locations; armandspizza.com; $11.95 for a 14-inch) and Don Corleone’s Brick Oven Pizza (21018 S. Bank St., Sterling; 703-444-4959; doncorleonespizza.com; $15.95 for an 18-inch). One taster summed up Armand’s strength as “perfectly balanced cheese and sauce.” Don Corleone’s had “the deepest flavor” plus sprigs of basil and an “amazing” crust.

A close second: Listrani’s  (5100 Mac Arthur Blvd., NW; 202-363-0620; also in Arlington and McLean; listranis.com; $11.99 for a 16-inch) for its “simplicity,” “tangy tomato sauce,” and “crisp crust.”

Next up: Angelico  (4529 Wisconsin Ave., NW; 202-243-3030; $11.83 for a 14-inch), with “great sauce that actually tastes like tomatoes,” and Geppetto’s (10257 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda; 301-493-9230; $17 for a 15-inch) for its “three-star tomato sauce” and “homemade Italian taste.”

Best of the big chains: Pizza Hut  (various locations;pizzahut.com; $14.26 for a 14-inch)—“a classic.”

Okay but not sure we’d order it again: Baffetto, Duccini’s,  and Pumpernickle’s  in DC; Lost Dog  in Arlington; Mamma Lucia,  with several Maryland locations; and the Domino’s, Papa John’s,  and  Pizza Boli’s  chains (various locations).

Fugeddaboutit: Mario’s in Arlington and McLean Pizza in McLean.