Custom Fuel Pizza

Love this place! I have been several times and it NEVER disappoints. Personal favorite: the buffalo chicken pizza. I could eat the whole thing alone so I would recommend maybe getting a salad as well if your sharing, or another pizza! Also good is the cipollini onion chicken and sausage pizza.
I have tried the BBQ chicken, which was good, but I prefer the buffalo chicken. Once the pizza is ready there are a few extra toppings u may add. For a buffalo chicken pizza I always add cheese and arugula leaves, sometimes even crumbled potato chips! But these are optional and subject to taste. With or without additional toppings your guaranteed an amazing quick pizza!

Blerg. Too many upsales here. Tried to get a basic one topping pizza to go, ended up paying nearly $ 9. Not terribly straightforward, ingredients don’t taste wonderfully fresh. Probably not going back.

We had just parked the car and started to browse the neighborhood when I forgot something in the car. My hubby and I ventured back to the car and we told his brother to go inside Fuel to stay warm. When we came back, my brother in law had ordered some sort of pizza special. WOW. I can’t stress enough how delicious this pizza was. It came out piping hot, w/​a crispy crust, and melty ooey gooey cheesy goodness! I have recently become a cheese pizza liker (lover is a strong word) and this totally tops the list. I think he paid $ 5 or $ 6 for this glorious delight.
I would definitely come back again if I ever see any Custom Fuel Pizza joint near by. Bravo!

The woman who made my pizza was so sweet, attentive, and patient. It’s really run to customize your own pizza. I’ve done a different combination each time and I’ve never been disappointed. Great food, soooo affordable. And fun! Wonderful place to go with friends when you’re out and about in DuPont. :)

Love the service. First time here and the young lady was so nice and she helped me make a decision. Im a vegetarian and the pizza is BOMB. Very clean atmosphere and I love the mixture of music, especially the R&B. This is probably gonna be my new spot.

Went here with some friends, and the staf was awful. Unfriendly, and disinterested in being kind and or helpful. With no one else in the place we felt rushed and like we were a bother. As a business owner, I would never keep such rude and unhelpful staff. The pizza was just average, and the space was kind cute. I don’t believe that with my experience here that this place will last very long.

Custom Fuel appears to be Fuel Pizza’s answer to &pizza. After seeing that they have (1) gluten-​free crusts available (for a $ 2.50 surcharge) (2) Daiya vegan cheese available (again, for a surcharge) and (3) a vegan tomato sauce that doesn’t have cheese in it (I never even thought that their tomato sauce had cheese in it, but here we are), I was excited to try it. I walked away not very impressed.
The gluten-​free crust was fine, but the surcharge turned what might have been a decently priced meal into something that was not a very good value. Our pizzas were more than $ 12.50 each. I can have a much better vegan, gluten free casual meal at other places in the city for $ 12.50. The vegan tomato sauce was kind of bland. It was fine. We were hungry. They’re open late, so if you need food after 9pm, you’ll be grateful they’re in the neighborhood. But I definitely would not go out of my way for this place.
The thing that really annoyed me is that on their menu it says you can have a Margarita or a Rum Punch for $ 4, or $ 3 during happy hour (4−7pm daily). So I tried to order one, and they offered me a large for $ 8 and change, or a regular for $ 4.80. Not $ 4 plus 10% tax, but $ 4.80 before tax. And I pointed to the menu and they said «No the price is different. That’s only during a half hour every day.» When I pointed out that the menu said the price was $ 3 for three hours every day for «happy hour,» they just told me «No, the price is different.» It was stupid. So I just didn’t order their cheap frozen margarita, which is probably more frozen mix than bottom shelf tequila.

The food was decent but the male manager seemed to have zero patience or respect for female customers choosing from the appealing variety of toppings. He spoke with frustration and dictated what the customers could or couldn’t have as a toppings, rather than letting them choose freely. He didnt seem to care at all about customer lifetime value. I would advise replacing the manager before this newer establishment develops a bad reputation from insulted customers and unsatisfied/​uncomfortable employees.

Sigh– another failed delivery experience! We got home from a road trip and just wanted something tasty and fast delivered to our door for dinner. I ordered 2 custom pizzas and a side salad. Everything arrived in about an hour but my pizza was totally wrong (it had an alfredo sauce instead of tomato sauce and some additional toppings I didn’t order) and the driver must have chucked it into the back seat because all the toppings and cheese had slid off to the side. So I called to complain and they apologized and said they’d rush me another pizza– which arrived about 20 minutes later– very quick. Sadly the pizza was just ok… the crust was flat and undercooked, not light, crispy and chewy as pizza should be– and their caramelized onions were just chunks of barely cooked red onion. So disappointing– but I was tired and hungry and had no other choice but to eat at least some of it.
I don’t think its out there– but I’m on a quest to find a delivery option that has great food, delivers relatively on time and doesn’t botch the order. Oh– and a place that delivers all the way to my apartment door and doesn’t make me come down 7 floors to pick it up. A girl can dream right???

So I was familiar with Fuel pizza and wasn’t sure what the difference is since this is Custom Fuel. I had Fuel pizza once before and thought it was just OK, but the husband I were walking home and wanted to give it a chance.
It was mid week and about 6pm so it was fairly quiet. We were greeted by a very enthusiastic staffer who walked us to the counter with flair — it was funny. We perused the menus and both decided to order custom pizzas.
I ordered a pizza with whole wheat crust, tomato sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, olives, pineapple and roasted peppers. Normally I am a simple cheese pizza person, but decided go for something different.
We got them to go and left. We also got two orders of garlic knots. We got home and both enjoyed our pizzas — they were good. Not extraordinary (granted I’m from NY and it’s hard to impress me with pizza) but they had good flavor, a nice balance of cheese, sauce and toppings and were satisfying.
One of our order of garlic knots ended up being cinnamon knots and neither were very impressive. They tasted like dough balls with a smack of garlic/​cinnamon. (like hot ham water — water with a smack of ham!)
For the price we paid, it was not bad at all and I would probably go back again and give it another try.
Can’t speak to what it is like during the day when it’s crowded but seems to be a good choice if you are not in a rush!

Actually wish I could give half stars, because I think 3.5 stars would be more appropriate!
Pretty much Chipotle for pizza-​choose dough, sauce, toppings, make it a combo or not. Which is kinda neat, because there has been talk about Chipotle wanting to going into the pizzasphere so they should watch Custom Fuel!
I didn’t even think I wanted pizza since I get pizza at work every Friday for lunch… but heading back towards the Metro, the signs for custom made pizza (and the fact that I’d never seen the place before) intrigued me enough that I wanted pizza again for dinner.
Was a fan of the décor-​it was small/​medium sized but definitely had a sort of casual laid back racecar kinda vibe which was nice.
Rather than customizing my own, I ended up going w the Brooklyn Bridge pizza which was pretty good. Nothing out of this world, but nice crispy thin crust and tasty. Hard to say if it’s bang for your buck… for $ 8.50, I could get very full off a burrito from Chipotle, but all in all, a good place to go for getting a customized individual pizza on the go

New to the area, but a known brand, Fuel, with a twist.
Seeing they offered salads, we were drawn inside, already familiar with the known «Fuel» logo, but unsure what’d been changed. Given we both ordered salads, this review won’t discuss their more-​popular pizza products.
In brief – pleasant, but unsure service staff, quirky service & dining lay-​out, unique salads priced on-​par with nearby competition.
Service:
While I know they’ve only been open for some weeks, I confess amusement at the staffer consulting an ingredients chart to construct our salads. What I want to warn folks is that first-​in doesn’t mean first-​out. A pizza order ahead of us coming out of the oven stopped preparation on our salads, and it appeared that preparation of another pizza behind our orders again stopped production of our salads. Yet there were two staffers – could not one have produced pizzas while the other tossed salads? I think we maybe waited 10 minutes for our freshly-​made meals, which included toasted pizza dough corners with a garlic-​butter sauce. If mentioned on the menu, I didn’t see that pleasant addition. While I’ve never had my salad served mounded on a small cookie sheet before, I thought it wasteful that a take-​out bowl was used to shape that mound, and was probably tossed, and I doubt tossed into a recycling bin.
Lay-​out:
They’ve adapted what was there (formerly a Potbelly’s), adding whatever kitsch Fuel’s famous for. Local fraternities may lust after the Firestone Tire sign running the full length of one wall. Wish it was still lighted! While the ordering line should move easily, the problem starts with patrons lingering/​hovering while waiting for their custom-​topped pizzas. They must re-​enter the line moving towards the register. We also noted immediately the seating/​service problem (narrow space) between the iced tea dispensers and the adjacent tables.
The Food:
My Old Bay Shrimp Salad featured plenty of steamed shrimp, mixed greens, and flavorings including diced cilantro and caramelized onions. Tasty, filling, and different. My companion chose a Cobb Salad, with diced chicken, gorgonzola cheese, and bacon, the last two which needed to be sought out to be enjoyed – the allocations must be measured in teaspoons. But, there were definitely enough greens and protein to make for a satisfying lunch.
SweetGreen now has a bit of competition for our salad-​seeking patronage. Upon returning, if the service issues are worked out, I’ll be glad to upgrade to a 4-​star experience.

I ate here back when this location first opened. The staff was very friendly and helpful, and I had a fig arugula and gorgonzola pizza. It was quick and delicious. For a quick pizza, the toppings were great and while its no brick oven style, it was perfect for a quick dinner.

This review deals specifically with the salad offering.
I work in Dupont Circle and eat a salad for lunch nearly every day. As such, I’m always on the lookout for new places with a salad option on the menu to add a touch of variety to my daily routine.
When a brand new place opened up across from my office with the word ‘Salad’ right on the sign, I was excited to try it.
Unfortunately the overall experience at Custom Fuel was the very definition of ‘meh.‘
The Service:
I want to be a bit lenient on the service because I know this location hasn’t been open for long, but for some reason my salad took like 7 minutes to prepare, even though I was the only one in the restaurant. Nothing had to be cooked or chopped. Just dumped in a bowl and tossed with some dressing. It was truly baffling.
They may have been still training the staff on how to toss the salads? I’m not sure. Hopefully they can improve the rate of salad delivery as they go.
The Food:
The salad itself was… fine? Not-​quite-​enough cubes of pre-​sauced «Buffalo Chicken,» sans much discernable Buffalo flavor, a scoop of Gorgonzola, and some diced tomatoes (all swimming in an endless see of Romaine and coated lightly with a not-​particularly-​flavorful bleu cheese dressing). It was certainly better than a salad from Subway, but not as good as any other lunch time salad option in the area. The lettuce and tomato were fresh, at least, but in the end I paid $ 9.50 (!!!) for a bowl full of lettuce that lacked much substance or flavor other than the bites that had Gorgonzola in them, which tasted like Gorgonzola, which, you know, is a pretty good cheese. The menu said there was supposed to be cilantro in the salad, as well, but I didn’t detect any.
The odds that I go back here are very low, when Chipotle, BGR, Shop House, Smash Burger, Chop’t, Sweet Green, and the Brookings Institution Cafeteria all offer drastically better, faster salad offerings for equal or lesser prices.
On the plus side, the toasted bread they included with the salad was pretty tasty – crispy and warm – so maybe the pizza is good?

We ate here on a Thursday evening of their grand opening week. The place was pretty deserted. We ordered the meatball parm pizza, a side salad, and a drink. Here’s the run down:
pros
+ the pizza was pretty good
+ the salad was fresh and right sized for the prices (3 bucks for the salad and drink)
+ does not have a distinctively awful smell emanating from the store, like u&pizza
cons
— the choices were not as exciting as u&pizza, and they don’t have a fixed price for all of the toppings you want
— maybe they’re still working out the kinks, but they music was WAY TOO LOUD
— they must have been chopping a boatload of onions, because both my girlfriend’s and my eyes were tearing up by the time we were half way done eating
— the staff was chipper, but not attentive. They didn’t remember what we ordered, which is odd since there were only two customers in the place
Overall, this place is okay. The location seems like a bad choice. They may get some of the DuPont lunch crowd, but they miss out on all the drunk kids on U St.

This is really three and a half stars for now… the pizza is tasty and fast and I’m impressed by their array of fresh toppings. They are still working out the kinks on the whole order/​pay/​wait system… the issue is the bottleneck created by the wait for pizza then the optional additional toppings… it may be cost prohibitive, but those extra toppings should be set elsewhere and self-serve…as it stands now, hovering around waiting for that step makes things at the register and drink machine a bit chaotic. But they are new and I think they’ll work it out. I tried buffalo chicken salad, which comes chopped style, and it was decent… a little skimpy seeming on the chicken. And the pizza crust strips don’t add much to the meal. I will be returning to try different pizza combos because of their ingredients.

Stopped in hear for lunch one day after deciding I was tired of sweet green and chipotle. Got a salad with the garlic knot/​drink combo. Place was pretty empty for lunch in DC but I didn’t mind. The salad was a decent size and pretty delicious. So were the garlic knots. However I asked for my dressing on the side and they still mixed it in. Also there was only 2 knots. I feel like I should’ve gotten at least 3 – 4 for their size or they should’ve been larger.
The soda machine should probably be moved as it’s hard to get to it with people waiting for their orders up.
I would probably come back here again and try their pizza. It’s quick, good, and decently priced which is pretty much all I’m asking for in lunch place.

Despite its claim this is not the best pizza in Washington DC. That said, this review is less about the food and more about how the business is being run at least at this location.
My first experience at Fuel was shortly after the Connecticut Ave NW location opened. Prominent signs promote their combo meals. Add this much and get a salad and a drink, this this other amount and get knots and a drink. When I inquired if I could get two knots, the smallest unit of issue and priced ala-​carte at $.97, instead of the drink (Fuel offers only sodas and high sugar content lemonade at their fountain) I was told no. I declined to upgrade to a combo.
On my next visit to Fuel I wanted to order a side salad ($ 2.97) and 2 garlic knots ($.97) When I got to the cashier she handed me a beverage cup. I told her I didn’t order a beverage. She said the salad and knots comes with a beverage. It wasn’t until I returned to my office I realized I had been charged $ 1.73 for a beverage I did not want. The order taker had up-​sold me on a combo without asking. This is completely unacceptable.
This location is disorganized and loud. It’s virtually impossible to hear what the people behind the counter are saying.
Additionally, customers are forced to hover over the «extra toppings» area to see what is available after their pizza has emerged from the «oven.» Not only does this cause a pile-​up of customers waiting for their orders it’s also highly unsanitary.
I won’t be returning to Fuel.