40 March 27 , 2022
I
f you want to know the secret behind the long run of a
pioneering restaurant that opened shortly after 9/11, find a
seat at the wine bar of 2 Amys Neapolitan Pizzeria, strike up
a conversation with whoever occupies the stool next to you, and
ask for some charcuterie.
The last time I did that, I got some hot tips on where to eat in
Rome from a woman who used to live there and a happy-
making plate arranged with pale pink slices of a Bologna
specialty.
“I make the mortadella,” an attendant says as he hands over
some of the most sublime pork sausage in recent memory. The
crusty brown bread that accompanies the meat, seasoned with
coriander seed and dotted with circles of fat, is its equal. Does 2
Amys bake its own bread? “Yes, and we mill our own flour,” says
the same man, from behind a wood counter that is as much
cooking station as bar.
As if on cue, owner Peter Pastan opens the swinging kitchen
door to take the temperature of one of the most beloved
restaurants in Washington. True to form, the shy chef with the
big talent (remember his delicious reign at Obelisk in Dupont
Circle?) remains half inside the kitchen.
From the time it opened near Washington National
Cathedral, 2 Amys was an early champion of Neapolitan pizza,
a style defined by the strict standards set by the Verace Pizza
Napoletana Association. Pastan volunteers that he’s a bit of aDiningwith Tom Sietsema
There are
so many
reasons
2 Amys is
still so good
Pozzuoli pizza dressed with housemade pork sausage, grilled peppers, fontina and more at 2 Amys Neapolitan Pizzeria.
photos: Deb LindseyUnrated during the
pandemic2 Amys
Neapolitan
Pizzeria
3715 Macomb St.
NW. 202-885-5700.
2amyspizza.com.
Open: Indoor and
outdoor dining and
takeout 5 to 9 p.m.
Monday through
Friday and 11 a.m. to
9 p.m. Saturday and
Sunday. Prices:
Appetizers $8 to $15,
pizza $12.75 to
$19.75. (Specials
may be higher.)
Sound check: 82
decibels/Extremely
loud. Accessibility: A
ramp leads to the
entrance; one
restroom is ADA-
compliant. Pandemic
protocols: Diners 12
years and older are
asked for proof of
vaccination and
identification at the
door; all staff are
masked and
vaccinated.