Pupatella Neapolitan Pizza — Restaurant in Washington

My partner and I visited the Capitol Hill Pupatella for the first (and likely last) time this evening, and I’m sorry to report it was an all-around disaster. We were seated outside around 5:15 PM, and things started off fine—someone came by promptly to take our order. Unfortunately, that was the last we saw of any staff for quite a while.

From that point on, we watched a small theater of absurdity unfold. Other tables were seated, checked on, served, and even finished their meals—all while we sat there, increasingly hungry and increasingly confused. No water refills. No “Hey, your food's on its way.” Nothing.

It wasn’t until 6:55 PM—yes, a full hour and forty minutes after we placed our order—that our pizza finally showed up. And only because we went inside to ask. That’s when we found out our pizza hadn’t even been put in the oven yet. No apology, just a brisk “Thanks for your patience” and a vague excuse about the kitchen being backed up. Honestly, if we hadn’t spoken up, I’m convinced we’d still be out there waiting, possibly fossilized.

To add insult to injury, there was no offer to make it right. No comped suppli, no free drink, not even a crumb of acknowledgment that this was wildly unacceptable. Just vibes—and not the good kind.

Now, we’re empathetic people. We get that restaurants are short-staffed, that serving is no joke, and that chaos happens. Had someone just brought us a drink or even checked in with a shred of humanity, I’d have gladly enjoyed the scenery. But the “atmosphere” was that of a dystopian Disneyworld—complete with unruly Capitol Hill children sprinting through the patio while servers dodged them like they were in a high-stakes game of tag. Every parent there should’ve been mortified. The servers looked like they were fighting for their lives to not trip over any children.

Oh, and the food? Bad. Just bad. Not worth the wait, not worth the chaos, not worth the calorie burn from the stress.

To cap it all off, when we asked for a box and the check, a server cracked a poorly timed joke. Read the room. No one was laughing.

This level of service is unacceptable. We came in excited to finally try Pupatella, and that excitement has now been incinerated by one of the worst dining experiences we've had in recent memory. I sincerely hope this was a fluke—but unless something changes, I wouldn’t wish this evening on...

Woah. Where does one begin. Oh, I got it. I must not be in the targeted diner group. The fare is clearly geared towards hill staffers or the lost tourist.

The arancini and the panzerotti were indistinguishable despite the different bases, and the only half-redeeming part of these dishes was the tomato sauce upon which the overly fried blobs were served. And who ever heard of an Italian restaurant serving garlic bread covered in "some" melted cheese 🤮. Again, if this was promoted as some Hill staffer's Olive Garden, then one could accept that, but the local chain claims to have strong Italian roots. Nah, the place just serves some food you can get of equal or better quality and without the faux Italian roots across the street in the corner market.

Now let me get to the main course, the pizze. Oh, dog! Every alive and dead Napoletano, and Italian, is utterly offended by what is being served as pizza napoletana! The dough couldn't be any more bland and chewy, and the crust does not resemble anything that should come out of a wood fired oven. What a waste of time going there. Not to mention the $$.

Final word and observation: There is no Italian restaurant in THE WORLD that has the audacity to NOT offer a prosecco by the glass or bottle on their wine list --- except...

I have loved Pupatella before, and I loved it just as much at this new location if not more. I regret that we didn’t ask to sit outside on what was a rare, perfect evening in July, but I didn’t see the full patio until we were leaving and the host asked if we were ok sitting inside. We sat upstairs in the middle of a small room near the kitchen, and it was fine and not loud or distracting. Our server was really nice and just the right amount of attentive.

Loved my red sangria and bruschetta, but the Margherita was just so perfect. My husband had the Diavola and was extremely pleased as well. The pizza crust is fluffy and chewy but with perfect char, the sauce is deep red and flavorful and goes right up to the middle of the crust which I love. The cheese doesn’t fall off easily and doesn’t get cold and gummy right away like so many pizzas I’ve had.

The bill came to just over $90 including tip for two pizzas, an app and three drinks. Not something we can do a lot, but it’ll definitely stay near the top of our list for...