Owner and chef Ruth Gresser opened the first Pizzeria Paradiso in Dupont Circle in 1991 because she wanted to make the kind of pizza that she longed for, but couldn't find. To Gresser, the crust is the most important part.

Gresser developed a dough that rises slowly in the restaurant's wood-burning, domed, stone oven at a temperature of 650 degrees. The oven is in the heart of the restaurant, giving diners the comfortable feeling of eating at a friend's house.

Regulars recommend the Atomica, which comes with tomato, salami, Kalamata olives, hot red pepper flakes, and mozzarella. The Bosco pizza is another favorite, wihch includes tomato, spinach, mushrooms, red onion, and mozzarella. You also can't go wrong with the classic margherita, with tomato, basil, and mozzarella.

Pizzeria Paradiso has 14 craft beers on tap, dozens more in bottles, and a strong wine list. This restaurant doesn't take reservations, which means you might be in for a bit of a wait, especially on weekend nights.

Pizzeria Paradiso
124 King St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 837-1245
eatyourpizza.com
Read the reviews on Yelp.

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/reivax