Food

Pizzeria Paradiso Has Permanently Closed in Alexandria After a Decade

It's the second recent blow to Old Town's pizza scene.

Pair pizza with beer at Pizzeria Paradiso's winterfest. Photograph by Juliana Molina, courtesy of Paradiso
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Pizza pioneer Ruth Gresser has closed the Old Town, Alexandria location of Pizzeria Paradiso after a decade on King Street. The restaurant has been dark due to Covid-19 since March. Gresser cites “unsuccessful lease negotiations” as the reason for the shutter.

A silver lining for fans of the thin-crust pies and robust beer program: Paradiso plans to pop-up at Alexandria’s Port City Brewing once a month starting Thursday, October 15 with either prepared pies of DIY pizza kits. They’ll also host a farewell in front of the restaurant space (124 King St., Alexandria) on Sunday, October 4 with free t-shirts, pizza, and other swag. Paradiso locations in Dupont Circle, Georgetown, Spring Valley, and Hyattsville remain open.

This is the second pizza loss for Old Town recently. Pendleton Carryout, popular for its Roman-style squares, closed earlier this month. It’ll be replaced by Chewish Deli, a New York-style sandwich and bagel shop, per the Alexandria Patch.

Food Editor

Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.