About Restaurant Openings Around DC
A guide to the newest places to eat and drink.
The British are coming! And they’re bringing…bottomless pizza? Yes, that’s new plan for celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, who will open the first-ever US branch of Street Pizza in Penn Quarter this winter. The all-you-can-eat slice joint currently claims four London locations, and will open next at 501 Seventh Street, Northwest—taking over what was originally slated to be a Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips. A splashy Wharf location of Ramsay’s reality cooking show-inspired restaurant Hell’s Kitchen is also scheduled to open later this year.
Ramsay says via email that he conceived of Street Pizza in 2018 while wanting a concept that’s “delicious, fun and full of energy”—all centered around endless thin-crust slices, cocktails, beers, and wallet-friendly wines. Toppings range from classic pepperoni and wild mushroom to contemporary British combos like charred aubergine with garlic pesto or corn-and-chorizo. Ramsay says his North America team is working on items exclusive to Washington, and that “there may or may not be pineapple involved!”
Prices are still being worked out for DC. Bottomless slices in London go for the equivalent of $20-ish dollars per person. Patrons will be able to add a la carte dishes like Caesar salads, tiramisu, or seasonal soft-serve ice cream, plus a variety of beverages from the bar. The space, formerly Bakers and Baristas cafe, is being redesigned to look like a European pizza shop with an open prep kitchen and a large communal dining table.
Just because the concept is bottomless doesn’t mean it’s an eating competition.
“We never count the slices in London,” says Ramsay. “Most of the time guests are having a great time with friends and family and honestly forget how many they’ve consumed.” How European! The celebrity chef says he can typically take down two-to-three slices, “but sometimes after a really long run or bike I can do 4.”
Which raises the question: Has Ramsay sampled DC’s OG street pizza, the Jumbo Slice?
“I have not, but when we open Street Pizza, trust me I’ll have to do some research and development!”
Street Pizza. 501 Seventh St., NW.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
