Why go: The cooking at this fire-engine-red food cart, the creation of culinary-school grads Anastasiya Laufenberg and Enzo Algarme, is built on a foundation of high-quality ingredients—and worthy of a sit-down restaurant. The thin-crust Neapolitan-style pizzas, cooked in a propane-fueled oven, boast San Marzano tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella.
What to get: Pizzas, including the Margherita, with basil and mozzarella; arancini, deep-fried rice balls filled with peas and ground beef; sausage-and-pepper sandwich; fried-to-order doughnuts, including a version filled with caramel.
Best for: Lunch on the go.
Insider tip: Doughnuts are available only Thursday and Friday mornings, arancini only Friday at lunch. Before dropping by, scan the cart’s Web site, pupatella.com, to see the day’s specials.
Open Monday through Friday for breakfast and lunch.
>> See all 2009 Cheap Eats restaurants here
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.
