Vace Italian Delicatessen

We walked into this charming Italian grocery slash pizza spot and were pleasantly surprised. The pizza was excellent—fresh, flavorful, and seemingly authentic. Beyond the pizza, they offer a great selection of frozen pasta, sauces, olives, and all sorts of Italian specialties. It really feels like a little slice of Italy.

All of the products are authentic and amazing quality. My father in law said that the stuff from this store were the same products he had from his childhood when he lived in Italy. He was very happy with the gift basket I made from the products here. The Italian cold cut is AMAZING and I always get one every time I visit. The pizzas are very tasty too. My fave is the white pizza with onions and my husbands favorite is the cheese and also gets toppings too but if the cheese pizza is good then everything else is a bonus. ONE Bite, everyone knows the rules. 😉

Solid pizza. 👌🏼The best I’ve had in the DC area so far.

If I had time to go back and return this “cheese” pizza I would. It’s hard crust and tomato sauce with zero cheese. If they’re not going to put cheese on it, just call it a tomato pizza. Horrible. Never seen anything like it here or in Italy. The white onion pizza is great though. Disappointing.

I got the spinach and cheese pizza and I can tell you this is the best pizza I have ever eaten! If you are a fan of thin crust, go enjoy! I am from out of state and plan to order a whole pizza to take back home. I also ordered the meatball sub which paled in comparison, but was also good.

i was in bethesda for training 4 yrs back, late night found this place. amazing deli. growing up in LA we dont have old school spots like this, it made my trip!

Delicious pizza and sandwiches. Authentic imported Italian foods and such. Advise to order ahead for a fresh pie but their slices are also tasty!

Little gem of a place. If you have the chance to stop in, don't pass it up. You'll regret it. The pizza is always on point, as are the take-home bake selection in the case!

So so good! Nearby and very friendly, I've been going here once a week for a while. Vace has great service and food!

I mean, come on. The best pizza takeout at the best value. Everything here is delicious and affordable and efficient. So glad it is in our neighborhood.

The roll on my Italian Sandwich was a brick. Totally inedible. I took out the guts of the sandwich and made a salad with it. I should've sent the roll to Ukraine so they could catapult it against the Russians. It was that hard.

More Sandwich Options! Recently first time ordered the "Turkey Sandwich." On Vace's freshly baked Focaccia Bread. Tasty sandwich all fresh ingredients: particularly the sliced turkey breast, provolone cheese, onions, tomatoes & banana peppers. Courteous Customer Service. See Photos.

I got 2 slices of pizza and a turkey sandwich. I also purchased some frozen meals. I was there around 11am, who expects stale bread? The mushroom slice was good would have been better with more mushroom. The spinach slice was too salty to finish. The turkey sandwich was very disappointing. The homemade bread was stale and too hard to eat. The turkey was bland and tasteless. The wilted slice of lettuce and one slice of tomato was disappointing. They hopefully do better with the Italian sub with ingredients. Hopefully the frozen meals will be good. I hate wasting money.

After order from Vace for longer than I can remember, I was informed today that to replace fresh mozzarella for provolone on an Italian cold cut will cost me extra. What sort of cash grab is this? Sadly, with the way things are, we will have to find another place to get fresh subs. Enjoy the last extra dollar from me.

Delicious crispy pizza. I love the mushroom pizza, but they're all really tasty. They also have Sicilian delicacies!

I want to WARN others about this place & their CUSTOMER service! (Mainly about this 1 particular person! Light skinned, fairly Heavy set Woman, with hair in a bun!, who works the Cash Register at this place. Writing this in the car as I speak) She is ABSOLUTELY D**** RUDE!!! My Dad & I just actually Left there 3 minutes ago and I was so UPSET by how she spoke to me that I FELT an URGE to share my experience with you ALL! I was trying to FILL out their sandwich forms they have near the counter! And I was confused at first,(Keep in mind I'm somewhat slow to understand sometimes and have some hearing loss in the right ear) I handed the sandwich form to her, she then said I had to fill out 1 form for each sandwich I wanted! So did the forms again, (while she was yelling at me & being LOUD, so others could hear she was ANNOYED & IRRITATED at me!) she then proceeded to tell me basically I had DONE it WRONG! And took the 2 forms and balled them up in her hand, and with a HARSH glare and SNAPPY ATTITUDE she proceeded to take 2 more sandwich forms and filled them out herself! Making me Feel QUITE embarrassed and angry by the way she was treating me and my Dad (who's 83 and has hearing loss too). She DIDN'T say thank you or have a good day! But it's NOT the place it's self or the Food, that I'm giving this 1 star ! It BECAUSE of how RUDE & NASTY that lady was to me and my Dad! I've BEEN coming to Vace's since I was young! And I ALWAYS loved their Pizzas & Food! Everything there is Wonderful and Tastes great! I Can't Tell you NOT to go because I wouldn't do that! But I can WARN you to be careful if you walk in and Get rang up by that 1 cashier there! She's COMPLETELY RUDE & knows it & Isn't afraid to express her TRUE feeling about you & if u annoy her! She was JUST unbelievably MEAN & RUINED my happy experience at Vace! And after ALL that she did & acted like! She still DIDN'T get my order right! My second sandwich was supposed to be "Turkey" instead they just made us 2 "Italian Sandwiches" ‍ (least the sandwiches taste good!)

Solid pizza and an Italian deli as a bonus here. We ordered a half cheese and peppers, onion, and mushrooms. Cheese is great they use fresh mozzarella but it is not over topped. The sauce shows through. The toppings half tasted fresh and were pretty generous. The undercarriage is solid and isn't floppy. Has a nice crunch. Has a nice buttery taste to it that is more pronounced once you bite into the crust. The deli is stocked with frozen prepared food like lasagna, pasta dishes, and Italian staples. I usually get the ingredients to make homemade pizza here since they sell their dough.

Simply put, best overall pizza I've ever had. I live in FL and stopping here is a must when in DC/MD area.

Call in your deli orders and save time and be loved by the staff!!!! By the way, take any reviews that are negative with a pinch of salt. Some people can walk into a small store front in Bethesda and have no idea that they pump out subs and hundred of pizzas every evening from 4 to 7. The staff is adored by the BCC community. This is one of three shops in the area that are known by everyone in town that they are old classic style. Please take a pill, if you bring your issues into the place. We all have to get our pizzas back to our kids!!!

Hate to give this review but honestly the last time we got pizza it was not very good. Not enough cheese, lots of sauce, minimal toppings and the crust was rock hard. Not to mention the pizzas were burnt somewhat (over cooked and dry). Cardboard like. We have gotten pizza from them before and I don't remember it being this low level of quality. Unfortunate because it's a neighborhood spot and maybe even family owned?

Delicious, authentic Italian pizza / pasta spot with no frills and a variety of Italian food.

Best kept secret in Bethesda for limited authentic Italian products , deli and frozen pre-made meals. Great quality

Great place to get a slice in Bethesda. Slices are affordable for high schoolers and pizza tastes amazing.

Their pizza is famous for locals. More sauce less cheese and the crust is amazing. Be sure to order in advance because they make to order. Additionally, it's a nice little Italian market.

Best pizza in DMV. Hands down. Mushroom pizza is the best imo. Also their spinach focaccia is a winner. Frozen food section awesome! Standard service but it's a pick-up only place. The inside is more like a deli/store than a restaurant.

I came in this evening excited to have learned there was an Italian deli nearby. When I came in it was busy and bustling. This was a good sign. I ordered three sub sandwiches for my family. However, once I got home and opened the paper wrappers my heart sunk. What a huge disappointment. These submarine sandwiches barely contain enough filling for typical sandwiches. Plus, the bread is exceptionally hard. The ratio of filling to bread is hysterical. There's possibly one slice each of a few different deli meats, literally two razor thin slices of tomato and a three inch piece of romaine lettuce in a quarter of the Italian sub option. I wish I had read the review near identical to my own experience before coming in. I'd have skipped the stop and avoided the let down. The fresh mozzarella and ham subs were equally dismal and disappointing.

HIDDEN GEM ALERT Vace has a following and I was just recently introduced to the establishment. It's a hole in the wall on a back alley in Bethesda but damn they know how to make a delicious sub! I entered and followed the instructions to fill out my order on a piece of paper. I ordered the Fresh Mozzerella sub with choice of fresh or sundried tomatoes. I chose fresh but quickly learned they were out today. The sandwich was prepared and I was out the door. The white paper wrapping my sub was covered in delicious oil as I walked back to my office. My desk, my hands, my face covered in oil in the best way possible. The sandwich is messy but worth it! I was too excited to take a picture before I dove in. Picture features half a sandwich. I'm excited to return to try more items including the pizza and frozen pastas to take home.

Nice little carry out and Italian market with decent pizza. I'd give the pizza a grade of a C. Would I return??? Probably not. I've had better.

Always wonderful! I love cooking with their freshly made noodles. Their pizza is delicious and reasonably priced. Order ahead as they get quite busy.

The heavy set girl tonight tried to say I didn't order 2 slices of cheese pizza with the rest of my order. Then instead of re-ringing the order, she decided she wanted to argue in front of customers because she said I didn't order because I was on the phone. She sho nuff heard me say TO ADD A TIP though while I was on the phone. I get that my shade isn't always welcome in these establishments like VACE but what can I do except spread the word. Good job lady....slow claps for you and how weird you are thinking you got the victory tonight. Girl bye.

I come here all the time. The food to buy is fresh and authentic. The pizzas and sandwiches are very good and are really good for take out. The store has a nice parking lot in-front so you don't have to look around Bethesda for a spot. The frozen pasta is also very good. I like to buy the tortellini and the agnolotti and make them for lunch. You should definitely stop by this store.

I took a detour on the way to the bank & stumbled upon this charming authentic Italian Deli. The exterior sign thanking customers for 40 years of patronage says it all, as the close knit family operation offers more than fresh Italian meat & cheeses. After all three employees invitingly said hello & offered assistance, I took a quick look around. The compact market has a huge selection of specialty selections - Pate, an abundance of Dry Goods, ready made Entree's, fresh made Antipasti, baked Pizza & Empanadas, Desserts, Wine, a good variety of Gluten Free products & more. The employee who may be a Son or Grandson stated they make almost half of the offerings in house. During my 10 minutes looking around, many customers were picking up Sub Sandwiches, homemade Pasta Sauces, & various Sweets. There's a few small parking spaces in front of the store, open 7 days a week & has a location in Cleveland Park as well. I'll return to pickup some GF items, in the interim I enjoyed my $2 Italian Soda.

There are a couple of dedicated free parking spaces outside the shop, I was pleased to discover. It's a small deli with no seating, so you aren't likely to be there long unless there's a line. Of course, there was one for me. This deli offers pizza-reheated slices or fresh pies-as well as sandwiches and a couple of other things fresh. They also have a variety of dry and refrigerated foodstuffs for home. They offer a couple of toppings on their slices, and I was pleased to discover that mushrooms were among them. It is a tasty New York-ish pizza with a thin crust, incomplete covering of quality cheese, and the mushrooms were plentiful. I also got a piece of spinach and cheese foccacia, which had a wonderfully browned crust and was pretty well stuffed with spinach. I can at least say I got some veggies in with this meal. The options for hot food are pretty limited, and a lot of what they do is not up my alley, but it's a good quick slice.

New stork style pizza in DC. Real slices. Hard to find Italian beers and great sandwiches and Italian treats reminds me of an Italian bodega. You can even grab a pie or a slice or even both. Great service shoot even got Moretti & Peroni beers

So sad to have to write this review. We have been fans of Vace for about 8 years. We have introduced it to so many friends and new neighbors. Unfortunately we moved a bit far to habitually get our pizza fix from Vace. So today when the moon and stars were aligned and I was able to grab some pizza from Vace, I jumped at the chance. However, something has changed. The crust was rock hard, not crispy... instead it was dry and the edge was as hard as a stale breadstick. The pizza was also really thick. Which was awful since it was so dry. The sauce , the same tangy vibrant recipe. The cheese... rubbery. It looks like they have cut corners to save some money. Whatever they have done, it's not working and it's noticeable. Which is incredibly sad.

First time experiencing Vace - found a space in front. Loved the pre-packaged frozen meals, chose eggplant for later. Ordered an Italian sub, scooped out, and the works - so excited. Got home and couldn't even take a first bit - the bread was soooooo hard, cut the roof of my mouth. Had to microwave to get it soft enough - awful. The sub didn't have a lot of meat. Other elements, lettuce, tomato, onions, etc, were not noticed at all. Please charge me more or offer an up-charge so that my once-and-awhile sub is unfreakin' amazing!!! This was an D-, would have been an F, except for the staff - very accommodating and eager to help. Wow, thought I found a gem - also went next door to get a bottle of wine while the sub was being prepared. Convenience was perfect! We'll see about the eggplant...I'm so very hopeful

A disappointing sandwich. The bread was very stale and hard. The quality of the fillings was average. That said, the provolone is cut a little too thick. The sandwich construction however was very poor. First, the lettuce was not shredded, as it should be in any Italian deli sub, so the texture and mouth feel were completely off. Second, the meat and cheese was just slapped onto the bread rather than folded into the roll. This also negatively impacts texture and mouth feel, creating an underwhelming experience. Finally, the dressing was sprinkled on, at best, effectively removing a key flavour from the dish. I am sure someone in the business knows what a sub should be. They should get into the store and institute some quality control measures.

One of the better pizza options in the Montgomery county area. Ordered a large with extra sauce and half with extra cheese. Sauce is on top of cheese which is a bit different than normal. Good layer of cheese, tangy, flavorful sauce, and quality dough with soft and crispy crust. Dough is almost pastry crust like so it may be a bit more crumbly than other dough but still good. Ingredients are quality so you don't feel greasy or miserable after eating it. Also had the white spinach pizza in the past and it was very good. This is coming from someone who normally doesn't eat white pizza. Customer service was friendly when picking up the pizza. Took about 20-30 minutes from time of calling in on a Saturday afternoon until it was ready for pickup. Check it out if you are in or near Bethesda!

Picked up a pizza yesterday and when I got home. I discovered it didn't have any cheese. I was pretty surprised so I called the store and asked and was rudely told, "The cheese is under the sauce. We always put sauce on top unless the customer requests otherwise." Bern a patron for years and this is total B.S. Customer service is abysmal here. You're bound to make mistakes at a high-volume restaurant but you should own up to them and don't gaslight the customer, Won't be coming back.

Worst goofy ass sandwich of my life -- stale, hard bread; 1/2 a sad, brown, lettuce leaf; hardly any filling (turkey & cheese). Ended up wasting my money and throwing it out. Subway would've been better (that's saying a lot!) and cheaper.

great pizza and lots of Italian food item to take home- frozen filled pasta, sauce, and boxed items

I love the food and the service is great. The cashiers are considerate and listen to the customers.

Being from the New York area, I am always looking for good places to find sandwiches in the DMV. Thought the sandwich here was delicious, and also great value. Pizza was pretty good as well. I will definitely be back anytime when I'm in the area

Best pizza in town. Took me a while to find it but worth the wait. The most authentic italian pizza and traditional food available as well. They also sell fresh pasta and Italian gourmet ingredients.

Best pizza around, fresh ingredients. lots of interesting pastas in the freezer, wines on the shelves, and misc Italian goodies. Sfogilatella is wonderful. Everything is good. 25 years of happy shopping and eating in this family.

The one star is for the convenience of the location. I hate to leave a bad review on pizza but how can you mess up pizza?! This is the second time I ordered cheese pizza that barely has any cheese on it. My kid was starving and wanted a slice of cheese pizza while we were out running errands. Did not notice there wasn't any cheese on the pizza until we got home. I called to let them know and they asked me to come back with the pizza but it's not worth my time to go all the way back while my kid was hungry. I recommend you check your pizza (even when buying by the slice) before you leave. I would think that cheese on a cheese pizza is a given?! If I wanted bread with sauce, I would of ordered bread sticks. Too many pizza spots around to be messing up cheese pizza.

Vace is a type of Italy pizza place in downtown Bethesda Maryland. And they serve only pizza

Long time Vace's patron. It's my favorite pizza in the area. This is NOT a heavy cheese pizza; if you're looking for tons of gooey cheese, go somewhere else. I love that the sauce is on top. The sauce is so fresh and clean. It's minimalistic and delicious. We always buy the cracked Sicilian green olives to eat with it. I also love the white onion pizza, but you may want to roll down your windows on the drive home because it is INTENSELY onion-y. I'm also a fan of the subs, but I like to get extra dressing, otherwise the bread can be dry. Both the pizza and subs are very reasonably priced. My only complaint, and the reason for the 4 stars instead of 5, is that sometimes the pizza is wet and greasy in the center. It's been going on for a couple of years and I'm not sure if the oven isn't quite hot enough or what, but it's definitely an issue that they need to look into!

Their basic cheese pie is sooo good .. I have yet to find another place in the area that tastes better. Also they put sauce over the cheese and it's amazing! Their caprese with fresh tomatoes is also very good I highly recommend it

Primarily, go here for the pizza. The frozen pastas are good, too, for later on when you don't want to go out. But the go-to is the pie. It's absolutely great. Not wood fired, but the dough is flavorful, so they must use a starter that imparts that extra something. I don't order delivery from the nig chains bc it sucks. It either Vace or my other go to across town.

Favorite sandwich place in Bethesda, and perhaps the last Italian deli in the area. Recommend trying focaccia sandwiches and carry out lasagna

I was raised in Italy and when we came to this country Vace was the only place that had Nutella!!!Thats so long ago. They carry things from Italy , have a great selection of pastas for those that don't know or don't feel like cooking. It is our family go-to for pizza. It's not pizza napolitana more Northern like Milano or Turing. It's delicious. I don't think they have changed the prices in 30 years. Seriously a large cheese is $13. I tend to go to the Conn Ave one more but Bethesda also has everything. Do not miss the onion pizza. Everything here is amazing

I was first introduced to this place by my uncle who's the one who lives in Bethesda. This was a 5 years ago maybe even longer. He would rave about this pizza and he bought some by the house and I was pretty damn surprised by how good it was. So most of the time when we visited my uncle or we were in the area we'd go there. The classic cheese pizza is where the cheese is blanketed between the delicious tomato sauce and the thin crust. I've also tried the pepperoni and white pizza by accident. What I mean by that was today we swung past to pick up a piece of furniture from my uncles house then we stopped off here. Was like 10am and I'm like who orders pizza this early... Apparently we do and a few others because the pizza is that dang good. I made a mistake and ordered white pizza instead. Part of me thought that was wrong but mostly I was confident until she showed me the pizza. My heart sank and I knew my mom was gonna be mad at me for messing up the order. So to make up for my mistake I bought her two slices of the cheese pizza. Overall I really loved the white pizza, the cheese when hot is nice, soft and stringy. I was never a fan of white pizza before because sometimes the cheese is hard or they use a cheap olive oil. The only good part is when you strip the hard cheese off and eat the soft pockets on top of the crust with the crunchy bottom. If you don't know what I'm talking about order a slice of white pizza from the Italian store on Lee highway or Washington Blvd. Just rip the cheese off and eat it. No shade to the Italian store I love them but I'm not a big fan of the white pizza because of the hard cheese (I like textural contrast with pizza). Anyways back to this late morning shenanigans I was really impressed with the white pizza and I liked it a lot. I think what makes the pizza from here is that simplistic but very flavorful tomato sauce. It's so good and you really can taste the tomatoes in it. If you're in the area, you need to check this place out. It's amazing!!!

Grew up on this food and it's delicious. The pizzas are some of my favorite in DC. Cant go wrong with just plain cheese. Dough is perfect, and they reheat well. Lasagna is filling, and the frozen lasagnas are good to stock up on. Fun to come in and see all the different pastas, desserts, cookies, etc. too!

Great food, super affordable lunch and it was amazing-- definately hit the spot for a pizza craving!

I should have read S.C.'s review from October of this year before ordering. The meatball subs were so disappointing. At first, I thought I was imagining things when I unwrapped my sandwich, noticed the lack of heft, and took a bite. I took a few more bites, trying to ignore the sinking feeling of disappointment until I was prompted by my dining companion to check. Both of our sandwiches did not have full meatballs. The last time we ordered, it was brimming with protein and it was delicious. This time, each half of a sandwich barely contained a full meatball. In fact, each half had one meatball sliced in half! (See pictures.) It barely tasted like meatballs. On top of that, our Italian sandwiches were lacking olive oil and vinegar or that Italian sandwich dressing which makes the sandwich. The sandwiches were dry. We were also disappointed with the service. We paid for our six sandwiches and were handed a bag with four. Thankfully, the cashier gave us our two meatball sandwiches before we walked out.

Terrible service and food. Would not recommend. Might make the top 1,000 restaurants in Bethesda list.