Stellina Pizzeria is bringing its “neo-Neapolitan” pizza and focus on Italian street food to a third location in the D.C. area — and it pays homage to bit of D.C.’s restaurant history.
The new restaurant, at 508 K St. in Mt. Vernon Triangle, opens May 3.
The restaurant incorporates original elements from The Waffle Shop, a greasy spoon that once stood on nearby 10th Street Northwest, including its original sign and other elements brought in by the landlord marketing the space.
The 2,900-square-foot Stellina Pizza has two distinct dining areas and two entrances. The bar area revives the Waffle Shop’s M-shaped laminate counter with bar stools. A second dining room has hand-painted murals of Italian film stars by local artist Red Swan.
While the menu will be almost entirely identical to Stellina’s other locations, it will also include a waffle panini with mortadella as a nod to the Waffle Shop.
In addition to its neo-Neapolitan pizzas, which use creative toppings and fermented dough, Stellina’s serves sandwiches served on pizza dough, handmade pastas and salads, Southern Italian fare such as Cuoppo seafood and vegetables served in paper cones, and Italian wines, beers and spirits.
“When we saw the Waffle House space, we knew we couldn’t pass it up as a third location,” said Antonio Matarazzo, who cofounded Stellina with longtime friend chef Matteo Venini, both native Italians. “It provided all the vibes of a classic pizza counter allowing us to mix it with our modern interpretation.”
Stellina’s original location is at Union Market, which opened in 2019. There is a second in Arlington’s Shirlington neighborhood. This fall it opens a fourth pizzeria in Tysons, at Capital One Center.
Stellina Pizzeria received Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand awards in both 2020 and 2021, and was named on of the 10 best pizzas in D.C. by The Washington Post for its cacio e pepe pizza.
