Amy C.
Yelp
If my college stint in D.C. had been a Hollywood blockbuster, &pizza would've won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor/Actress (or whatever it chooses to identify as because who am I to force gender roles on a pizza?).
A month or two into my first semester of college, a new friend and I stumbled out of U Street Music Hall and across the street into &pizza, where she introduced me to the "Chipotle of pizza" concept. Although we ended up having to eat our pizza on the ground in front of the bus stop in Logan Circle, I don't think I had ever eaten a better pizza. My go-to back then was the Kiss & Fire (which sadly isn't on the menu anymore) with its mouthwatering combination of strawberry balsamic (RIP), mushrooms, and a four-cheese blend.
This particular location is very near and dear to my heart because it always managed to save the day (or night). When I first started running, I planned a three- to four-mile route that went through Adams Morgan and ended at this &pizza on U Street, correctly thinking that the pizza at the end of the run would motivate me to make it through all the hills. And it was always there for me at the end of a Friday or Saturday night on U Street -- serious props to the staff for putting up with lines of drunk customers every weekend.
I'm dismayed that &pizza no longer offers strawberry balsamic, but you can't go wrong with ancient grains, mushroom truffle, mozzarella, mushrooms, spicy chickpeas, chicken, arugula, sun-dried tomatoes, and red pepper flakes. Depending on your level of inebriation, you can even get away with turning a single pizza into two meals.