Prep Neighborhood Kitchen — Restaurant in Arlington

My family and I ordered takeout from Prep after reading all the other glowing reviews, and our expectations were absolutely met!

Prep deftly straddles the line between fine dining and a more casual family style experience, which I imagine might lead to something of an identity crisis in most restaurants, but Prep seems to have pulled it off. There is a consistency here of high quality locally sourced ingredients, imaginative dish concepts that are interesting but not bewildering, and expert preparation.

Our braised pork shank entree was incredibly flavorful, literally fall-off-the-bone tender, with seasoned black beans, roasted carrots, sweet potato and a fantastic homemade tzatziki.

A side of honey roasted carrots atop a quinoa salad with dried fruits and crunchy granola was an excellent medley of textures, sweet and savory and surprisingly hearty.

We also ordered 2 pizzas, and here's where I admittedly had the greatest skepticism, because charging $25 for a 12" pie isn't exactly a bargain at face value. In my subjective experience, many "artisanal" or more boutique-y pizza places also barely put anything ON them, you'll get like 5 maddeningly thin shreds of meat and a couple small dollops of fruit on a "fig and prosciutto" pizza for example. Prep, however, once again proved to be uniquely good faith and high effort.

The pizzas were LOADED with toppings, large chunks of mushrooms and plenty of truffle-infused cheese on one, and tons of delicious pepperoni, roasted chicken, big dollops of ricotta and a pleasant sweetness from drizzled hot honey on the other. Not to mention the obviously homemade crust, very flavorful with just the right amount of chew and in my opinion not too much charring. It's the kind of crust you actually want to eat, not merely an afterthought.

While I didn't dine in this first time, just walking into the restaurant to pick up my order was a pleasant experience too. For such a small space there's nice ambiance, with lots of plants and ample breeze created by ceiling fans so the pizza ovens and open kitchen don't overheat the place.

All of this is to say I think Prep really has something special going here, and I hope people don't dismiss them just because of their relatively small menu, or price points, or the restaurant's unassuming stature. It feels like they're uniquely trying to do the right thing...

Perhaps the nicest guys, tastiest food, understated atmosphere, and majorly hidden gem i've found in a long time. You will have a hand thrown, perfect dough recipe (homemade), locally sourced, well thought out Pizza and salad. The pizza deserves to be the price it is and I will never complain. I think these guys were 5 star restaurant chefs who decided to mellow out and be local and chill. I can't say enough about the food. I would never leave if they installed /expanded with a classy bar with local spirits and beers and a TV. Arlington Heights Square has 3 pizza joints/ 3 asian food places/ 1 local bar with avg. food/ a fantastic Italian deli and grocery store/ 2 breakfast places - 1 of which is incredible (Roasted Granola) and the other a greasy spoon. The other storefronts are retail. PNKitch is perhaps a place that those of us who appreciate great food can't get enough of, and I love these guys and will support and promote them as much as I can. I need to try all other menu items. Friday nights get busy. I ordered online - when I arrived, it wasn't quite ready. I sat at the small bar, had a great glass of wine, read a cookbook, and waited a few minutes. I loved every second of it. I went home with my 2 pizzas/salads and couldn't have...

Wonderful food.

We dropped a package at the nearby UPS store and window shopped for a dinner restaurant.

My wife and I shared fried peppers with corn on the cob and a mushroom ravioli entree. I had a (shared) Pilsner beer, and we shared an ice cream.

We almost did not eat here- my wife insisted that “Prep” meant it was a prep and cook your own food place. I insisted on asking, and learned it was a normal restaurant.

The setup was seated immediately with a carafe of ice cold water, two water glasses, and two small plates. It is a perfect setup for sharing. We were told to order at the counter. After ordering, the food was served at the table and we were checked on every few minutes.

The corn and peppers were a lot. Both very good. The peppers were the consistency of cooked spinach-I was expecting something similar to roasted peppers. The ravioli was great. The beer was a great choice. I am from Oregon where beer makers compete to put too much in their beers-IPA is too IPA, everything is overdone. I like an east coast beer-one you can toss down in 10 seconds on a hot day- which this one was.

The five star reviews are deserved. Delicious food from scratch, and...