Why go: Owners Jose and Reyna Velasquez, who worked at Pizzeria Paradiso, serve up delicious wood-fired pizzas and simple Salvadoran cooking in a neighborhood spot as homey and comfortable as the food.
What to get: Diavola pizza with tomato sauce, sweet and jalapeño peppers, red onion, mozzarella, and sausage; Diosa pizza with fresh basil, chopped tomatoes, mozzarella, ricotta, and pine nuts; and traditional Salvadoran carne deshilada, a pile-up of marinated flank steak, fried eggs, tomatoes, onions, peppers, rice, and beans.
Best for: Those who think that going out for a good pizza needn’t be a serious pursuit.
Insider tip: The restaurant makes deliveries, a rarity for this caliber of pie.
See all Cheap Eats 2008 restaurants
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
