Photos: Flippin' close to the finish. Credit: J. Deseo/SSP.
UPDATE — On one end of downtown Silver Spring, a franchise pizzeria is poised to fling open its doors and sling a few pies into its ovens. At the other end, a locally owned parlor sprouts slowly from scratch. It’s the tale of two pizzerias on different tracks of development.
On Colesville Road near Ramsey Avenue, Flippin’ Pizza promises to deliver “a slice of New York” to Discovery HQ employees and other area office workers. A quick visual inspection Friday revealed workers adding final touches to the small restaurant’s lighting. An exposed-brick wall framed posters of the Brooklyn Bridge (holler!) and the New York skyline. Two wide wooden paddles hung on a wall behind the counter, next to flat, stacked pizza ovens.
A brief glimpse on Monday morning showed an orange ladder leaning against Flippin’ Pizza’s dining room wall.
Electrical workers inside the restaurant said on Oct 28 that the place would open for business the following week. Almost three weeks later, the place still isn’t open. However, Penguin ninja and Twitter buddy @joshourisman reported seeing employee training inside the place last week.
Photo: A work in progress. Credit: J. Deseo/SSP.
Towards downtown’s southern end — Georgia near Sligo Avenues — Pacci’s Pizza is evolving from a beat-up, two-story former Polish deli in the shadow of the World Building. The building’s northern wall was partially demolished to make room for a brick appendage that’ll house the pizza oven, owner Spiro Gioldasis emailed The Penguin.
Though the restaurant already has its liquor license (YES!), uber-extensive renovations are ongoing, Gioldasis wrote. The building’s facade is a patchwork of plywood awaiting new windows, and its interior is more construction site than dining room.
(Incidentally, that dining room will take its cues from the rustic European vibe of the Wine Press at Mrs K’s Toll House, which Gioldasis’s family runs on Colesville Road and Dale Drive. However, the pizzeria will have a more casual feel to it, Gioldasis mentioned.)
It’s unclear when Pacci’s Pizza will open for business.
Both pizzerias join Z-Pizza, Manny and Olga’s, Boli’s, Mamma Lucia, Romano’s Macaroni Grill , Vicino’s and Da Marco in downtown Silver Spring’s pizza market.
Updated Nov 17, 2009, to include Mamma Lucia, Vicino’s and Da Marco in Silver Spring’s pizza mix. — JD
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You forgot Vicino’s on Sligo Ave, which does an excellent, authentic pizza. Love their White Pizza appetizer.
I’m hearing great things about Rosco’s in TP and a new pizza place on Geogia Ave in DC near Walter Reed (names escapes me – Ambrosia, maybe?).
Thanks for the update on the pie palaces! I was particularly interested to read that the owner of Pacci’s is using Mrs K’s wine cellar as a rough model for the look and feel of the place – good call, as the wine cellar has one of the best vibes in the area (although I doubt he’ll be ploughing $1million into it the way Mrs K’s did!). Any word of whether either of the new places will do delivery?
My own view is that currently Z-Pizza is probably the best quality pie in SS, although it don’t come cheap so I definitely welcome the competition.
A quick note on Roscoes in Takoma Park – I like the look and feel of the place (almost 2Amys in concept) but the pizza was just ok. Despite that, and despite the overly harsh critique by Tom Sietsma the other week, I think it’s a good addition to what is largely a restaurant wasteland in TP.
Add a decent bagel joint to the downtown landscape and maybe my stomach will stop crying the whole was down I-95 from trips back home!
Z-Pizza: The food is really good but the service and decor are horrible. Whenever I go into this establishment, it seems like a bunch of high school kids are running the place. There is absolutely no management presence. They need to show a small hint of class.
Forgot to mention Da Marco’s Italian restaurant, though they do pizza on Tuesdays only.
JAR, don’t take this personally, but I haven’t encountered bad service at Z Pizza. I’m a Sunday night regular, so maybe the crew there is different from the rest of the week (I only go on Sundays), or I exude such a combination or charm and authority that they treat me right. In any event, I haven’t shared your bad experience.
On a related note: Z Pizza’s new vegan cheese is pretty darn good!
Hey, Steve, Takoma Park is NOT a restaurant wasteland! Mark’s Kitchen has some of the tastiest, healthiest food anywhere. OK, it is small, and noisy. But dining there is very energizing. They have lots of veggie options, and their vegan cakes are delicious. Everyday Gourmet is a great place for breakfast, lunch or coffee. Around holidays, they make the most amazing iced cookies – yup, they make them right there!
The Takoma Voice had a long, sad story about an effort to open a restaurant in the space formerly occupied by Taliano’s.
PS, Summer Delights is an indie ice cream shop!
PPS-there is also Savory down the street, a beloved local indie coffeehouse. On the edge of Takoma Park, on Flower Ave, is El Golfo. The food is a bit heavy, but it is the perfect place to dine with friends. You can actually eat and talk.
Hi LuvMyHood – yes, Mark’s Kitchen has been a mainstay of the Takoma Park restaurant scene for a while now, but I think I rest my case by saying that it’s pretty much the only other proper sit-down restaurant you can think of in town (Everyday Gourmet doesn’t really qualify as a restaurant – more of a bakery). In terms of restaurants per capita, TP has to have a ridiculously small ratio.
Re Z-Pizza: I can’t say that I’ve ever eaten inside, I’ve always done pick-up. The pies have always been good quality and if you’re buying more than $20 worth of pizza you can use a restaurant.com discounted gift certificate to make it more affordable.
LuvMH – Savory in TP is now closed. Though I think their DC outpost by the TO metro may still be open.
Agreed with others on the poor service at Z-pizza.
Who has ever gotten a pizza at Macaroni Grill? I have never ordered it there nor seen anyone order it — curious to hear how it is.
Can’t wait for Pacci’s–sounds like it is going to be great–it’s much closer than driving over to Takoma Park to Roscoe’s (see below).
I agree with Steve re: Roscoes–very nice atmosphere, certainly the nicest in Takoma Park. We ate there on Saturday night and had two salads and a pizza. The salad (forgot which kind) was delicious but the pizza was just “not bad”…certainly not memorable. If the owner improves his pizza, Roscoe’s has enormous potential to draw customers from a wide area looking for that 2 Amy’s fix.
KathyJ, are you sure about Savory? The Website seems active.
http://savorycafe.com/Infos.htm
I just called, got a recording giving the hours of operation.
I thought they sold the outpost near the Takoma Metro several months ago.
Yes, I’m sure about Savory — I first heard from a FOSC announcement and it has been the talk of both the North Takoma discussion list for more than a week now. Sign in window and owner confirmed it. Landlord looking for a quick turn-over.
Have no info on the DC outpost except that it is still open as of today. May be under different owners/management but has the same name.
Also gone now in TP is The Drifting Nomad.
Hearing rumors of 2 others about to close in TP downtown.
Folks get out and support your fave local places – things are looking harsh out there this winter.
Kathy, I thought the Drifting Nomad was in the spot where Savory’s outpost used to be, next to Blue Lotus.
Are you saying Savory has another outpost in the area?
Was there a rapid rent increase or what?
You are absolutely right about the need to support our local businesses.
We were walking home from downtown SS the other day and we ran into the owner of Pacci’s. He said that it’s going to seat about 70 people and that there would be an Espresso bar with breakfast pastries in the morning. It sounded like a pretty cool vibe. He told us that he was hoping it have it open before X-mas. We’re really looking forward to it opening.
With regards to Roscoe’s, we ate there a few weeks ago and thought the pizza was really good. Great atmosphere as well!
I’m surprised to hear the positive comments about Z-pizza. The wife and I stopped by, took a look at the pizza, and then promptly walked right out. It didn’t look appetizing and I agree with another poster who mentioned the decor. I think we’ll give them a second try.
As for TP, they should probably do something about the taxes if they want business owners to move into the hood. I really like TP and looked at a few houses before purchasing in SS. I don’t like paying for county services twice.
Mr. Gobbles
1. Z-Pizza is mediocre.
2. So is Roscoe’s.
3. This post should mention Armand’s up in Woodside. Hello $8 pizza buffet every Tuesday!
4. And Ledo Pizza just across the border on Georgia.
5. If we consider only pizza within a lazy person’s walking distance of the Metro, I’ll take Mama Lucia’s, with the caveat that I have not yet sampled Da Marco’s fresh pies.
Editor’s note: This article does not mention pizzerias in Woodside or The District because The Penguin’s general coverage area is Silver Spring’s central business district. However, feel free to shout out your favorite pizza joints in the comments section. — JD (Nov 17, 2009)
I agree with Lindemann, Z Pizza is not very good (and the service is definitely horrible, even pickup seems to take an hour most times), and Roscoe’s was surprisingly not that great considering all of the hype. I’ve heard promising things about Flippin Pizza, looking forward to trying it soon.
Luv – have asked for “why” all the TP closings – no one mentioned rent rate or taxes – only speculation at this point.
Sorry to hear about Savory closing, I’ll miss it!
I’ve been to Roscoe’s a couple times now; the food isn’t the best I’ve ever had but I enjoy the atmosphere there.
Most of my Takoma Park restaurant dollars these days are going to the Olive Bar, hopefully they’re not going anywhere…
Mr. Gobbles (great screen name!) I think the people of Takoma Park get what they pay for. So far, they have fended off efforts to bulldoze much of the city & replace it with hi-rises, bulldoze much of the city & replace it with a freeway, and take front yards/trees/porches & some houses for the Purple Line. A city has more clout than a neighborhood.
Mr Gobbles ranks up there with Sticky McBisuit for best screen names on The Penguin.
I definitely agree with LuvMyHood in that TP residents have managed to avoid a lot of the bad development that plagued Silver Spring for many years (I think SS has done a better job in recent years, although it still needs improvement). But TP’s stand against development has also meant that restaurants, stores, etc have been very cautious about moving there (not sure how Subway got in there). The result has been a town that I think has some nice neighborhood streets but a main street that doesn’t really draw people to it the way it should. I think the Del Ray neighborhood in Alexandria might be a good model for how a town can preserve its look and feel and yet still accomodate new restaurants and stores.
I’d like to give Da Marco’s pizza a try sometime, never been disappointed with their pasta, or the service.
Not sure how to interpret the disparity regarding service at Z-Pizza. I’ve only been there a handful of times (love the gorgonzola/pear piz) and the service has been pretty quick, if not particularly exciting or warming. But never had anything near a one hour wait. If I did have a one hour wait, I doubt I’d ever return – it’s not -that- good…
Anyone notice how a Boli’s pie tastes different from restaurant to restaurant? I really like the Boli’s in DC near Catholic U, and the one at Adams Morgan ain’t bad, but the SIlver Spring Boli’s lacks both flavor and texture! Bummer…
I’m a fan of DaMarco’s pizza. Just know that you can only get it there on Tuesday nights. Z Pizza doesn’t really do it for me either. In fact, I actually prefer the pizza they’re serving now at Whole Foods to Z Pizza. Really disappointed that Alberto’s decided not to open in SS.
All this pizza talk is making me hungry! Think I’ll grab a slice on the way to the gun range this afternoon. It’ll be nice to get that sought after cave-like atmosphere in Pacci’s, but for a slice on-the-run, Mani&Olga’s rocks: best consumed on a bench in front of the Greyhound bus station…
FYI – I didn’t try it, but when I walked by Flippin’ Pizza tonight it was open.