Menomale — Restaurant in Washington

Cozy neighborhood restaurant with decent Neapolitan pizza, great wine, and delicious bread! Touted with DOC/VPN Neapolitan certification, the Margherita pizza looked so scrumptious and promising, but underdelivered with poor execution. Although the ingredients were spot on, the tomatoes were too ripe and the pizza wasn't crispy and undercooked, and didn't have the pillowy crust that I had hoped for. There was something left to be desired.

The crispy focaccia herb bread was the highlight of my meal! I ordered the assortment of cured meats for my husband which came with homemade focaccia bread. The flatbread with olive oil sprinkled with herbs was bursting with flavor and among the best bread I've had. My husband enjoyed the salami and prosciutto and salami. The app also comes with goat cheese, red peppers, and olives.

For $15, the cured meats is a much better deal than the cheese sampler. Highly recommend the cured meats or just the focaccia bread!

I was disappointed with the cheese sampler. The dense scraps of crust and modest samples of hard cheeses (asiago, pecorino, ricotta, and a type of red wine cheese) were underwhelming. The grapes and honey were a miss and didn't quite complement the cheeses. I think olives, nuts, jams, and a variety of fruits would have elevated the flavor and paired better.

The Aglianico Wine was delicious. So glad that I snagged the last bottle! I couldn't find the bottle at Total Wine, would love to buy another bottle and enjoy it at home!

I love the casual family-owned restaurant and local neighborhood vibe, I just wish the pizza was as good...

UPDATE: I used to come here weekly, but I decided to stop doing so. One week, I ordered a quattro formaggi pizza as usual, but I did not get any of the delicious, strong gorgonzola taste/flavor. I noticed it was completely devoid if the characteristic blue marbling of gorgonzola cheese when I opened the box when I got home, so I was not surprised that it was lacking in that distinct gorgonzola flavor. I figured this was a mistake and they must have accidentally left it off that week. People make mistakes so I didn't think it was a big deal. The following week, I ordered from Menomale again and asked them to double check that this time, the gorgonzola gets onto the pizza. I checked the pizza when I was there and saw the same lack of blue marbling. However, the person who gave me the pizza told me that they made sure to put it on there this time. However, they were incorrect and there was no gorgonzola on it again. I emailed them through the website to let them know, but I never heard from them. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt and hope the issue resolves on its own by now. Perhaps they have a new chef or someone who doesn't fully know what they are doing? Who knows. But I feel apprehensive about ordering from here again, as I don't want to keep wasting my money. I may give them another shot and update this review if things are fixed. They were the best pizza in DC in my opinion and I hope the...

I visited Menomale simply on its ratings. It is totally understandable why so many before me gave 5 Stars. If I were 30 minutes earlier or 30 minutes later, I probably would have done the same.

I walked in on Friday afternoon, Sept 15th. The service even though I was ordering for take out was perfect. I really could not have asked for more.

They were moderately busy and the hostess focused on me, went over the menu and explained everything. It took about 10 to 15 minutes to prepare my two pizzas. I'm not sure how long of a wait it was as I was not timing them.

During the wait, I was invited to sit at the bar, watch TV and have a drink by three different servers. I really felt at home.

While waiting, there was a couple who had a small baby and the baby was really whiny. I know, there is absolutely nothing management can do but Menomale is a small, very small place and customers who sat the tables were visibly disturbed. The folks with the baby should probably have had there food packed up and done carryout.

Also, one of the servers was loudly complaining how long he had been working and only had two tables. Not a good thing to do with your client base sitting in front of you.

The pizza was fantastic. The dough and all of the toppings were obviously freshly prepared. The was no hint of anything frozen.

I will definitely return and give them an opportunity to earn the 5 Stars...