1819 7th St NW

After checking their website and then confirming that information on Yelp I drove the 45 mins from Annapolis to go grab some pizza. Come to find out that when I arrived they were opening up later today because of the festivities in DC. No mention of this change to their regular hours anywhere. I called the store and the phone was answered by what could only be considered the most apathetic person in the world. I'm pretty sure this gentlemen didn't care if he ever sold another pizza in his life. I'm only sharing my experience and I hope yours is different, but after this I am scratching this restaurant off my list. I can kinda look past the issue with the restaurant opening late but I will never look past the way the person on the phone spoke to me.

I like to start these reviews with practical information like how this is a ghost kitchen with 0 indoor seating. They have a counter and 2-3 stools, but do not be mistaken--they are not for eating. They're for waiting ;) As most ghost kitchens, service is almost nonexistent. Hard to comment on it as there's also no onsite ordering. You must order online. The pizza itself was delish. The crusts were par-baked for speed (about 15-20min). The crust was soft and they all had a nice cheese crust on them. Out of all the pizzas, I enjoyed the Motown pizza the most as it had a light sausage where you could really taste the tomato sauce. The ricotta cheese I feel could've been drizzled rather than left in dollops. The bbq chicken was fine, but the chicken was dry and the cilantro was baked and thereby rather tasteless. I think they would've done better with basil. We wanted to order the tibs pizza (it's why we came here) but they were somehow sold out by 6pm on a Friday, so I guess there'd have to be a next time?

This place was run out of one of those food incubators, I think, and now has some small storefront in Shaw which I didn't really even see as I ordered online and they brought it to me curbside (you can gamble on the large bus area right near the shop, otherwise it's a mess of an area). They have some interesting options, but the Greek pizza I was considering was not available, nor were any of their salad. While they do have an Ethiopian-sounding option, it wasn't a vegetarian thing. Not wanting to pay through the teeth for toppings, I went for the basic pie. And it was delicious. A small four-square pizza slated any hunger I might have had, and the cheese crisped beautifully as is a requirement for this style of pizza. The sauce was perhaps a bit spicy; or maybe the ample basil added some zing? Whatever it was, it was satisfying. I rather wish they'd try a pizza with shiro on top or at least just get the veggies back in stock, but even with their current menu limitations I was quite happy.

This was convenient for me because I was in NW DC. My son and I needed a quick bite after church. My #1 Side Door pizza doesn't open until 5pm (such a bummer). I've tried them all from Emmy Squared (was pretty good) to Red Light Pizza (pretty good too) and even that trash at Pizza Hut. Side Door is still like Floyd Mayweather .....undefeated. Motown Square is tied with the other above mentioned establishments (all but Pizza Hut). It's not the best but it's definitely not bad at all. I'd try it again, but I will say the pie was smaller and pricier ($31.00 for eight squares) than expected. Who knew that Detroit style pizza had so many variations in taste depending on where you buy it from? My son was supposed to take a pic but as a teenager eating pizza...it slipped his mind. I guess we will make another visit and next time remember to take a picture when we do.

Was very disappointed in this pizza. Was expecting a nice pillowy dough and crispy bottom and edges. What i got was a super chewy and flat pizza. Almost like when you use expired yeast and the dough doesn't rise. The pepperoni was tasty but the pizza as a whole fell flat, literally.

The food was terrible, I ordered the pizza I ordered extra meat. I didn't get extra meat and I ordered extra mushrooms, I didn't get it and then the meat that was on it you could barely see it. It was Skimmpy! I'm from Michigan and no way is this Detroit Pizza. It's a mess.

Solid pizza, kind service. My first time having Detroit style. Pros: Flavorful; perfect amount of sauce - not too much, not too little. Crusty, crispy, cheesy. Cons: A bit too bready; ordering was a bit confusing, too. I wanted one whole 8-slice pizza with half BBQ chicken, half Jerome. Ended up getting two 8-slice pizzas with more cheese? Compensated for the high cost ($90+ including tip), but now have lots of pizza, which isn't so bad but still... overall, I'd come back.

Good people I found a GEM!! With pizza being my favorite food, when I saw article about the spot... I dipped to go get it. Specializing in Detroit style pies... The spot is a must have. Where I am: @Motownsquaredc . Location Reviewed: 703 Edgewood St., N.E. Washington D.C. . Menu Includes: Their "OG" Wisconsin brick cheese pie, a pepperoni pie, a Greek pie with cherry tomatoes & feta, a BBQ chicken pie, & their "Tibs" pie with brick cheese, onions, and beef chunks. . What I got/rating: One large pie $28. Half of the pie was their "Motor City"(Brick cheese, mozzarella, sliced spicy sausage, ricotta, hot honey, crushed tomatoes, & parsley). STAMP!! The slightly dense cheese, & the flavorful marinara with fresh ingredients...PERFECTION!! The other pie half was their "Jerome's in the House"(Brick Cheese, Mozzarella, pepperoni, green peppers, & mushrooms). STAMP!! Freshness in every bite!! Top notch pizza!! Lastly I got their cheese sticks (with marinara $8). STAMP!! Again...the cheese, the crust. Tasty!! . Customer Service: Welcoming & Attentive!! . Online Navigation: Easy, third party delivery available. . Parking: Street parking. . Recommend: Highly!! Get the Motor City pie. . =STAMP =DELICIOUS =DECENT =PASS =NAH #Bigschlimsreviews

Wandered into this pop-up this weekend but the place we'd gone there for wasn't open so we decided that we'd try Motown square. Detroit style pizza is one of my favorites so we got a margarita and the Greek pizzas. 4 generous slices of thick crunchy and chewy pizza. Mmmm. The portions are generous, the ingredients are fresh and the service was fantastic. The pizzas were made to order so it was a 12 minute wait when we arrived and it was ready as promised. It's primarily a take out place so find a bench nearby or take your first bite in the car. I can declare that eating it later reheated is also lovely. The owner and chef was super friendly and helpful.

Service was poor, nobody was available to take our order and we had to wait a while and actually yell back to see if someone could take our order. Ordered the Tibs Pizza and the food was sooo disappointing. I have had Detroit Style Pizza many times and this was dry and tasteless. Save your money and go to Underground Pizza Company in Silver Spring

I was in the city for a game festival and decided to drive over here and finally try this pizza, feeling like I earned it after all the walking I did! I arrived at the Mess Hall, which I was under the impression I could enter, but that wasn't happening! So I went online to try and find a number, and called, and was told they only take orders online -- but the person I called came out and talked to me! What a nice guy! So he told me how the Mess Hall doesn't have seating right now and told me to fill out the online form. But he was happy to take my order there so he could pop the pizza in the oven so I wouldn't have to wait as long. It was barely 15 minutes and my pizza came out. I took a slice before I pulled off since it'd be about 25 minutes before I got home. HOT and tasty! So this Detroit style... it's a crispy crunchy crust, but not like the thin crust that you can get so many other places.. quite unique. As the crust got closer to the cheese, it transitioned to a soft bite, which was satisfying, especially with the flavors of the cheese, sauce and basil on top! It was EXPENSIVE, and you miiiiight still be hungry after (it's a light pizza, surprisingly!), but it's delicious! And it's a Black business! I was told the Pepperoni is another popular one, so I am going to try that next time I want to treat myself.

More expensive Pizza Hut/ little Caesars pizza. I was really excited to have a slice from home but this sorely missed the mark. I scheduled an order for 3:30 (30 minutes after they open) there was no line so only good thing I can say is that food was hot and guy serving me was really nice and accommodating. I could be wrong but that is NOT homemade dough and for the price it should be or at least better than Little Caesars hot n' ready! I got the Motor city that was suppose to have a little kick given the description and that wasn't the case. Nothing at all stood out about this pizza. Very underwhelming & probably no local/fresh ingredients. I'm not saying it should be just as good as home but at least be good pizza and it wasn't. Sorry

​I finally made my way to Shaw after spending a day of taste testing various alcoholic seltzers (thanks, Yelp, for the tickets!) .. so I was a little bit drunk. My default drunk foods go as follows - seltzers/beers - pizza; tequila - tacos; vodka- wings or burgers. ​ ​ ​It features Detroit-style pizza, a thick square cut with a crunchy, fried bottom layer of crust. It was overflowing with melting cheese. ​ ​ ​Pizza is usually one of the foods I avoid because I am lactose intolerant - I can't have things with high lactose - no mozzarella, no ice cream, shoot even heavy cream in a soup would make my stomach turn. ​ ​ ​MSP offers a vegan version of this culinary masterpiece. Since my first visit to MSP, I went with the classic OG. The OG is made with Wisconsin brick cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, crushed tomatoes, and basil - replacing the Mozzarella with vegan cheese. ​ ​ ​It was my first time having Wisconsin brick cheese which is sort of like the bougie cousin of white cheddar. Instead of hopping back on the metro, I gleefully walk to my sister's house, eating my pizza along the way. The flavorful marinara sauce and melting cheese bring out the umami flavor. ​ ​ ​The next time I visit, I will take full advantage of one of Chef Paulos Belay's specialties - particularly the Tibs. It is a mixture of his Detroit background and his Ethiopian roots. ​ ​ ​Where can you get yours? ​ ​1819 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20001 Just steps away from the Shaw/Howard Metro station! ​ ​Open Thursday through Sunday. Hours vary- check their website for hours. ​ #dreamyeatsworldwide#dreaminsing#blackfoodfridays#shawhoward ​

I've had it three times. The first two times it was quite good, almost comparable to the more famous Detroit style pizza venues like Emmy and Red Light, but my latest trip the pizza tasted cardboardy. Overall, this place is a backup when the others are too busy

Motown Square makes delicious Detroit-style pizzas that also carry the flavors of Ethiopia. The sauce uses berbere and it adds such a great depth of flavor with a hint of heat. Truly magical stuff! But these pizzas don't just stop at the sauce. They sing with flavor through and through, from the first bite of the crispy crust to the last bit of ooey-gooey-melty brick cheese. We particularly enjoy the tibs pizza, topped with succulent beef tibs and jalapeños. It's such a great pizza - I daresay the best single pie offered in DC (which has a wealth of incredible pizzerias [don't @ me - i also lived in NYC, so i can speak as an informed pizza consumer here]). There's also vegan cheese available, which pairs perfectly with either of the vegetarian pizzas on the menu. In fact, you can make either the OG or Greektown pizzas vegan by using the vegan cheese and holding the parmesan or feta, respectively. The vegans in my life love these! Ordering is easy via toasttab, and you just call when you arrive. While parking in this area can be a challenge, especially during busy times, someone will happily bring your pies (because you really should order more than one, despite how filling each one is) out to your car in no time. If there's a downside, it's that Motown Square is only open Thurs-Sun, with a somewhat limited set of hours on each day. On the plus side, they are on Too Good to Go on Sunday afternoons, so keep an eye out if you need a Sunday pick-me-up.

Pretty good pizza. Loved the dough and sauce, order extra sauce. The tibs didn't blow me away with flavor but was interesting. The motor city was my favorite of the two. Cheesy bread was also decent, again order extra sauce though. By no means a Detroit style expert, so will need to try a few more of the others around, but this one was nice. Also love the new location which is walkable from me.

The pizza here was delicious. It is very hard to find good pizza in the DMV area. I ordered the 4 slice Motor City. I was pretty stuffed after two slices. I'm 250 pounds, and I wanted to save the other two for when I got out of work, but I just had to finish it. The restaurant itself had a horrible smell as soon as one opened the door. I have no idea what it could have been? The floors were sticky and dirty. The workers were extremely nice, and the pizza was done quickly. If this place was a bit cleaner it is definitely 5 star.

Tasty little Detroit homage. DC's Detroit scene is getting quite packed (Emmy, Dellabarba, Side Door, Red Light, Ivy & Coney). But this holds up, and is def worth a try. Pros: The sauce was a standout. When you ladle on top, as one does with Detroit, it really puts sauce in the spotlight. A weak sauce has nowhere to hide, and Motown Squares answered the call. The cheese was good too. I can't tell brick cheese from high quality, high fat mozzarella blind. They say they used brick, and I would believe it. A Detroit style must. Cons: I'm rooting for this place, but I do have a little constructive criticism. The crust was very dry, like beyond normal Detroit crunch. Now admittedly, I did reheat the pie for a few minutes on my pizza steel after delivery. But that's because delivery took over an hour and it was stone cold. As a new little incubator shop, I get partnering with Doordash for delivery. But as Motown scales hopefully they can get better, in-house delivery. That way I don't have to choose between moist crust but cold pizza, or dry crust but hot pizza. Crafting a great pie doesn't mean much if you can't get it to your customers like that! Give em a try! (Maybe for pickup)

Doughy. Very little cheese. Very little sauce. Skimpy toppings. A pathetic excuse for Detroit pizza

I may have had a bit of wine with my pizza but this pizza is a unique experience. Most specifically, the one with sausage, tomato, ricotta and hot honey. Just get it.

I'm from Detroit, and I think this is the best Detroit-style pizza I've had while living in the District. Similar to another reviewer, my friend and I were confused about how to order, but the owner kindly came up to the window and directed us on how to order and some of his fav flavors. We did a half and half between the pepperoni and motor city. I must say, the ingredients are fresh and DELICIOUS, and prob the most reminiscent to Detroit style pizza (and I've had others like Emmy Squared which was good, but doesn't taste like a "Detroit pizza"). The garlic cheese bread is A1 too. I will definitely be a return customer.

as a verified pizza addict i can and will attest this pizza, is an excellent example of the range of pizzas that one can fully enjoy. it's wonderful and exhibit the best qualities a pizza can have. great balance of sauce, cheese and dough. not too heavy. flavor lasts and lingers in your mouth. you can tell they use high quality ingredients. expensive? yeah, but it's worth it. it's like this. if you don't try this pizza you'll have a hard time explaining yourself to your grandchildren. plus EXCELLENT customer service!!!

Best Detroit-style pizza in town. The OG and Tibs pies are phenomenal. The berebere and other spices in their sauce are spot on and remind me so much of home.

Great Pizza! And they have gluten-free! So hard to get right, but they did! Excellent toppings, great flavor! Must try when in DC.

Ordered the Jerome in the House. And my god! This was the best pizza I've ever tasted in my life. The dough, sauce, cheese-- it was like a going on a tasteful journey in my mouth. Wow! 5/5 highly recommend definitely worth every penny.

Didn't really know what to expect when I ordered this pizza (being from California, Detroit-style pizza is not something that I had heard of before). This was honestly the most delicious pizza I have ever had in my life. Perfect balance of crispiness and soft doughiness with full-flavored ingredients. Unfortunately, there is no where to sit (due to COVID) and everything is made to-go for car pick-up. I just walked up to pick up my order and my entire pizza was finished by the time I walked along the bike trail back to the metro stop. 100% recommend and I will definitely be bringing family and friends back to this place!

Best Pizza in the DMV. My first time trying Detroit style pizza was with Motown and it was a mind blowing. The crust is next level and the quality ingredients and evident. I've tried other Detroit style pizza in the area and none of them compare. This black owned business is doing pizza right!

I stopped by on a Thursday night and got the Motor City and it was great! The distribution of ingredients combined with the crispness of the crusty was fantastic. The staff was friendly as well. I'll definitely be back to try the Jerome next!

Pizza is one of my favorite foods and this one was soooo good! I typically prefer NY pizza but the crust on this Detroit-style pizza did it for me. I definitely recommend supporting this black owned business.

Delicious, we live in Southern Maryland. Heard about this place on the news during the height of Covid. Tried it yesterday and loved it.