Eat Great Cheap 2016A killer Caesar salad, a tasty, thin-crusted pepperoni pie, its edges bubbled and bronze. Those are the things we expected to find going into this sun-drenched Neapolitan pizzeria. But a scoop of rich-as-ice-cream Parmesan dip to kick things off? Or a beautifully balanced arugula salad with slivers of Cara Cara orange? They’re new arrivals to the menu, thanks to Bertrand Chemel, who also oversees the opulent tasting menus at nearby 2941. Still, for all the elegant touches that now show up here and there, Pizzeria Orso has retained its soul as an easy, family-friendly neighborhood joint. On Tuesday, kids get a free entrée, and on Wednesday selected bottles of wine are half off.
Cuisine: Pizza
Where you can find it: 400 S. Maple Ave., Falls Church; 703-226-3460
Also good: Margherita pizza; white pizza with clams; cheeseburger; doughnuts with Nutella cream.
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.
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.
