Pupatella

Address: 5104 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22205

Phone: 571-312-7230

Neighborhood: Arlington, Ballston, Arlington

Cuisines: Pizza, Italian, Deli/Quick Bites

Opening Hours: Open Tuesday through Saturday 11:30 AM to 10 PM.

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Kid Friendly: Yes

Nearby Metro Stops: Ballston-MU

Price Range: Inexpensive

Dress: Informal

Reservations: Not Needed

Website: Click here to open in new window.

Best Dishes Margherita pizza; prosciutto-and-arugula pizza; sausage-and-pepper sandwich; doughnuts plain or filled with caramel.

Price Details: Starters $3.50 to $7, pizzas and panini $8 to $12.

Special Features:
Kid Friendly

This Neapolitan pizzeria rolled into our culinary consciousness when owners Enzo Algarme and Anastasiya Laufenberg plied their doughy wares from a cart outside the Ballston Metro station. Today they operate out of a sliver of a restaurant that opens up into an indoor/outdoor area where young families and Peroni-sipping twentysomethings gorge on pizzas and fried risotto balls at wooden tables.

The springy crust tastes great beneath a layer of salty Parma prosciutto and peppery baby arugula, while the Margherita DOC—the initials stand for the Italian designation recognizing true Neapolitan pizza—makes an elegantly simple dinner well complemented by a glass of Chianti. Smoked mozzarella dominates the sausage-and-onion pie, but fans of that cheese’s deep, ashy flavor won’t mind a bit.

Also good: Frittura sampler, with prosciutto-filled potato croquettes, eggplant, and polenta arancini; sausage-and-mozzarella panini.