Informal Lunch Spots and Pizza Joints
In addition to the restaurants I reviewed, several cafeteria-style spots and pizza joints have opened since the beginning of 2010.
My favorites:
Brooklyn’s Pizzeria: This place makes good, old-fashioned pizza, the kind that was popular in the days before pesto and arugula starting showing up. Brooklyn’s pies have a thick blanket of melted mozzarella, with a crust that’s sturdy enough to support it (and the tomato sauce) without getting soggy. It’s a great value: A large, plain cheese pie is only $9.99, and it’ll feed three people (so long as they’re not teenagers). The lasagna isn’t bad, and the delivery was on time, too.
7812 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, 301-986-8085, www.brooklynpizzeriamd.com
Mixt Greens: A livelier reincarnation of Organic to Go, which closed on Bethesda Avenue and reopened in the Wildwood Shopping Center under the new name. Mixt Greens is a perfect addition to the upscale shopping strip, which needed a quick place for salad with coriander-crusted seared ahi tuna. A lot of that salad is butter lettuce, but I got in my green veggies for the day.
10217 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, 301-493-4361, www.mixtgreens.com
Pizza Tempo: Pizza with a twist, from Turkish-born owner Ugur Altintas. The Tempo Special—loaded with sucuk (spicy Turkish sausage), fresh tomatoes, artichokes, olives, tomato sauce and mozzarella—has a lot going on, and it all worked for me. The place also sells pides, boat-shaped pizzas.
8021 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda. 240-497-0003, www.pizzatempo.us
