Mario's Pizza House & Grill — Restaurant in Arlington

Just stopped in for lunch - completely my fault for not realizing this was not Mario's pizza at Potomac Yards where you can walk in and get 2 crispy delicious greasy slices and be out the door at max in 5 minutes. I got in and after standing at the counter and having to say excuse me as the pizza maker was peeling a banana on a bar stool hiding behind a stack of pizza boxes, he ambled up and took my order. I stood there waiting for 10 minutes as one other customer came in and ordered a whole pizza which caused a commotion - like somebody had ordered 10 pizzas or something. The pizza maker said "It'll be ready soon" to me - that seems like another few minutes. At the 17 minute mark I finally ask "Can I have my pizza please" and he looked at me and said "We make every slice fresh" Really? Pizza by the slice in NYC or even Adams Morgan is crispy and fast, not this.

There were 2 other customers in there that ordered subs and I guess I wasn't paying attention but I looked over at the grill and deep fryer and it was filthy.

I got back to my office and as I went to put the pizza in the toaster oven, I noticed it was burnt around the edges and gooey in the middle - not a thin crust but a chewy almost deep dish crust? I thought baking it for 5-10 minutes at 400 would crisp up the crust a bit more - nope - cheese was melted more and brown and crust was still bready and undone. So the pizza takes 30 plus minutes to cook apparently? I get that for $6.50 for 2 slices it won't be gourmet but at least edible. I scraped the cheese and pepperoni off and left the crust - this coming from a person that starts eating a pizza backwards because I love a good crispy crust.

If you're desperate - the place is open 24 hours so there's that. I can't figure how they've stayed in business based on the food and the place looks dirty so...

Mario's is a part of NoVA history for those of us that were born an raised here. The guys that have worked here throughout the years, mainly Joe, Lefty (Ashok on the pizza) knew how to make a flavorful sub. I've been here at various stages of life, various times of day or night, and customer service can be hit or miss but, like many mom and pop spots I've been to across the country, they know what they got, and you need to deal with it.

While the subs are always spot on (The Italian sausage sub is very unique, I highly suggest you step out your safe zone and try it at least once), the Pizza is unique (aside from being squared slices) and may not come off fancy, dare I say maybe even bland to some in comparison to modern brick ovens, artisan fancy toppings and drizzles etc. For me, there is no other pizza sauce with the same flavor as Mario's and despite living 45 minutes away nowadays, I will still make an occasion trip out when I get the itch, its just a different flavor. The pizza is a very crispy base, cheese can be minimal at times and is in my opinion intended to compliment but never overpower the unique sauce.

All this being said, I highly recommend Mario's for the days/nights you don't feel like dressing up and/or, hung-over and need some comfort food, and/or its late and the franchise fast food sucks. Not a place for vegans or dieters IMHO.

PS, Its been a while since I've been BUT if they still have the Pina Colada flavored beverage flowing behind the counter, just go for it.. your already going over your daily caloric...

I've been going to Mario's since the 60s... I met Lefty shooting pool at the billiards place on the corner of Glebe and Wilson in the mid 60's and he told me about Mario's, and said he worked there... so I decided to give it a try. Man! My first order was the Lefty special, and I was hooked. For the next 20 years, I went there 2 or 3 times a week except for 1 year when I lived in Idaho. In the 80s, I got married and moved to the Fairfax/ Springfield area and had to limit my visits, but I still tried to get there at least once a month. I started going to the franchise location they opened in Merrifield, which was ok, but not as good... then, something happened in the 90's with their bread... I guess they changed suppliers, but it just wasn't the same... but was still the best steak and cheese in the area. Seems like every year starting in 2000, the price went up, and the quality went down. After Lefty and Charlie left, it wasn't the same. I tried them again a month or so ago with a friend... total disappointment! Subs and drinks for the 2 of us with a side of fries to split was over $50!!! The quality was nowhere near what it used to be. If they cut the prices in half, they might be worth still going to, but at their current price to quality ratio, they're just not worth it. It's sad too: been my favorite place for over 50 years... but now they're way too expensive for the mediocre quality...