Paisano's Pizza in Washington, DC

Basic Information:

Pizza: Paisano’s Pizza

Number of Locations: around 40, mostly near Washington D.C.

Location Reviewed: 1500 Central Park Blvd. in Fredericksburg, VA (across the parking lot from the Central Park Walmart)

Website: https://www.paisanospizza.com/

Date of Review Visit: May 2018

What I Ordered: medium (12”) pizza with sausage and pepperoni; fountain drink

Price: $16.78 (includes drink and tax)

Photo:

Summary Review: 5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust has a fresh bready taste, but the texture is what really makes this crust special.  The light and fluffy texture makes this crust seem thinner than it is, and it is plenty thick enough to support all of the toppings.  This is one of the best crusts I have eaten recently.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: The sauce has a nice thick texture and a nice tomatoey taste.  It appears in good quantity.  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: The cheese appears in very good quantity, and sprinkling on some of the free parmesan really adds to the flavor.  The decent amount of grease leads to a mandatory deduction.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The pepperoni is pretty tasty, but the sausage steals the show: it comes in nice chunks with just the right amount of seasoning.  Both toppings appear in excellent quantity.  Score: 9/10.

Overall Taste: The overall taste would be a rare perfect 10/10 were it not for the high amount of grease I tasted.  Score: 9.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza looks like the robust pizza that it is.

Dining Atmosphere: Paisano’s Fredericksburg location has a very bright dining area with lots of big windows and nice, white tables.

Customer Service: The service was counter service, and it was excellent.

Monetary Value: This is a high quality 12” pizza, but wow do you ever pay for it: I have gotten 16” pizzas for less than the price I paid here.  You could blame the D.C. area’s confiscatory meals tax, but that would be like blaming a stale crouton for a bad salad.  On the bright side, the counter service saves on the tip.

The Final Judgment:

Paisano’s Pizza makes America’s capital proud.  If I lived in the D.C. area, I might not come here every week due to the price, but I would certainly come here.  Score: 90/100.