Wiseguy NY Pizza

Good pizza is hard to come by in DC. While in other places it might be more like 4 stars, for dc it is 5. I had the supreme slice, and it had a nice crispness to the crust while still being chewy.
The décor is a little strange, and it seems they are trying too hard to be hip. However, if you’re looking for a slice, look no further.

This place serves up a darn fine slice, is open into the wee hours of the morning, and unlike pizza snobs, is wholly unpretentious. I’ve been wanting to try this place for some time, and I finally got the chance after enjoying a strong cocktail and needing to grub up before more drinks. I didn’t want to be stuffed, so I just ordered one slice of the meatball variety. Slices of tender, flavorful meatballs, big lumps of creamy ricotta, and a nice crispy and thin crust. This is pizza, people! Eat the pizza, don’t write an essay about it!

Here’s the bottom line:
This is good pizza. Pretty objectively. It’s thin. It’s greasy. It’s crispy. There’s plenty of cheese.
It’s also a pizza spot in downtown DC. That means that, if you’re from NYC, and used to excellent pizza at cheap prices, you will be upset. If you’re not in that category, you will take your two slices for $ 6 – 9 and be happy.
I’ve lived in NYC but am from the District, so can identify with both camps. For me, it boils down to this place being a good option for when you have a hankering for good pizza.
Pro-​tip: try the garlic knots!

Despite the good word I got from people, I gave this place a try, because I like pizza, and I like really good pizza. The pizza alone is 3.5÷5, which isn’t bad, so I’ll get the BLUF out of the way by stating I will come back here.
I got two slices of pizza, a plain slice, and a meatball slice. I also got the 3 garlic knots for $ 2.49. The staff was easy going and made it very easy for me to change my mind (I initially had the Supreme, but elected to change it after seeing what was on it). Food came quick and put together nicely.
Yes, the pizza is what it is. It is decent, not wow, but not terrible. The crust is not very NY like, but the slices are thick, and the meatballs on the meatball slice were plentiful, hot, as well as spicy. Plus I think they put in some nice cheese on there. The two slices alone are good for lunch. However, the garlic knots were a different story. Burnt, greasy, and overall a mess. The dipping sauce they provide with it didn’t make it taste any better in my eyes, but for $ 2.50, three of these isn’t too bad, but based on this time I don’t think I’ll be getting them again.
It was a nice way to find a new place that I hadn’t been to before, but now I know.

My first trip was great but I’ve been back twice and it hasn’t been as good. The first time in I ordered an entire pizza. My 2^nd and 3^rd time l came in for slices and they just didn’t have the same flavor and texture. They don’t reheat as good. And that goes for just about any slice if it isn’t fresh and hot out of the oven.
My tip is to just order an entire pie and share it.

Born and Bred in BK.
If you’re not from NYC, this pizza is the bee’s knees. Tell a friend. It can get crowded and there’s no parking, but everything is coming up Milhouse @ Wiseguy.
But if you are from NYC, the main problem with this pizza is the crust.
Either they don’t let the dough rise, or it’s too humid in dc, or they need to add more water — but there isn’t enough carbon dioxide in the dough to make a decent crust.
There’s hardly any puff in the cornicione.
The undercarriage is bready.
In proper fold, the tip sags horribly.
Pizza making is hard as hell. You don’t have laboratory conditions, and there are dozens of factors that go into making good dough.
I’m not at all surprised by any of the things i’ve found. I actually have to thank Wiseguy for making me dig deeper and comparing pizza that I know is good with their product.
Visually, you can look at the top of the cornicione and the cross sections of the slice to see how «bready» and dense the dough is. From up above, the cornicione is for the most part flat. In a good crust, it’s mountainous.
Other things
— Way too much on the pizza. I don’t mean the meatlover’s or some other pagan concoction meant for transplants and tourist, I mean there’s too much cheese or sauce on the plain slice — so that as it heats up the moisture finds its way into the crust.
— The average reheat is too short. You can’t make a good nyc slice by blasting it in the oven, but you can make a mall slice into something edible.
If some New Yorker says this is authentic, it just might be. NYC has fallen off. But it also means that NYC’er has not actually had a really good corner slice.

Thank you Wiseguy’s for being open until the wee hours of the early morning on weekends. Although this is often thought of as a place for drunkies to come and get their fix in over the weekend, it is actually a great pizza shop. Having been thoroughly disappointed that there have been almost no decent NY style pizza in D.C., I had given up any hope I would discover any new joints to satisfy my cravings.
Then my friend recommended I check out Wiseguy’s. He was raving about it and was telling me how he comes probably three times a week at like 1 am when he gets the munchies. I told him he was crazy and that everything tastes better at midnight. Either way, I was intriuged enough to come by late on a Friday night to check out what all the hype was about. To my shock, there was a pretty long line that went out the door at such a late hour. They shuffle you through real quick though so I got my pizza in a matter of minutes.
Basically, they are either baking fresh pies or have different flavors sitting in the window for you to choose. Once you choose, they throw it in the oven for a quick reheat. I got the meat lovers and chicken bacon ranch and was blown away. The cheese is cheesy and significant (I’ve had NY pizzas that have basically had no cheese), the dough is real chewy and flavorful, and there’s just enough oil and greasiness where you know it’s a genuine NY style pizza. Even better was that the texture had a great crunch while still retaining chewiness. I am now a big fan.
Coming here for pizza may make you a Wiseguy (eh eh pun intended), but I certainly cannot say the same for your wallet. Slices do end up being around $ 5 and it can add up quick with a drink and garlic knots. Nothing beats those $ 1 slices on the streets of Manhattan…

They hubby decided to treat me and our little princess to a ride into the city for some good olé New York tasting pizza. There is a good amount of street parking here in the evening, so you should be ok if you want to drive in. The line was a little long but hey we had no where to go. We wanted to order a whole pie, and there is supposedly a separate line for ordering a whole pie (even though I felt like it was cutting). When we asked to order a whole pizza, the gentlemen informed us it would be a 50 minute wait. I though this was weird because the 5 minutes I stood in line I watched them pop multiple pies in and out of the stove, plus we were not asking them to deliver it. Oh well, back to the end of the line for us, as we decided not to wait and just get separate slices. The labeling for each pizza on the mirror kind of confused me– I guess because there were so many options. We finally placed an order for 6 slices, 2 garlic knots, and one soda that totaled $ 28 dollars. We would have been better off just waiting for the whole pizza I guess. The seating in here is slim, as with most DC places, but we ended up sitting along the booth of the wall to stare out the window. I felt it took a while for them to process our full order. However, the pizza ended up being delicious and I really enjoyed each slice. I ordered a veggie pizza and chicken. I also tasted my daughters Pepperoni– which was good too. And I really enjoyed the garlic knots as well. I feel each slice was a little pricey but hey that’s DC.

There aren’t many options for pizza slices at night, so this pizza can hit the spot. It appears people flock here from all over DC during the wee hours of the morning.
During the night or off hours in the afternoon, the pizza options are limited. It is not unusual to see multiple slots that should hold these yeast creations be empty. Barren. When all you want is a slice of margherita pizza and it’s not there. You ask if there is one in the oven and are told «no.» Well why not? Clearly it is a pizza in high demand.

Perfect late night grub. I’m not sure I can say this is definitely NY pizza… But it’s still pretty damn good, especially at 1am when all you really want is a cheesy slice to the face.
The location is also perfect. It’s clean inside, décor is nice and it’s a place where you wouldn’t feel weird going to during the day. I’m not sure I understand their hours during the week, as I once tried to get pizza here on a Tuesday and they were closed much earlier than normal… Some nights it seems like they are just open forever.
Anyway, I am glad to have this option right down the block. Prices are also good. $ 1 garlic knots. Buff chick za also available.

I have stopped in for pizza many times since my last review. I’ll admit, it’s mostly been out of convenience, but the pizza has generally been good enough to keep me coming back.
Firstly, the flavor of the homemade sauce is actually memorable. I’ve come to crave it from time to time despite not being much of a pizza person. **Secondly, I have never had another cold slice of pizza! I believe that problem has been rectified. The hearth oven pizza crust is yummy as well. I enjoy the quality ingredients (real mozzarella, fresh herbs, fresh Parmesan, etc) most of all. Also, I’d recommend trying their cake. You’ll have to ask for it though. They usually have three types — carrot, velvet and cheesecake, but they’re refrigerated and hard to see without already knowing they’re there.
The bad news is that quality control here is lacking. The place is often far busier than the staff and ovens can accommodate. If things are busy and hectic, pizza crust and cookies might be burned, the lettuce and basil might be wilted, or the mozzarella could be clumped in large balls falling off of your pizza. OR, maybe none of that will happen at all and you’ll love every bite of your food! Unfortunately, it’s a crap shoot sometimes.
My worst criticism is that the staff can be rude and abrupt. Since the majority of the workers are non-​English speaking, it’s also sometimes very difficult to communicate with about even the most basic of food-​related requests. (I wish I spoke additional languages fluently, but I’m like many Americans, and limited to mostly English.)
So, I’d say give the place a try. I’ve had excellent experiences, but I’m not promising anything.

This pizza is OK, but it’s not the style you’d find in NY. The crust is too thick. The cheese is not chewy enough, and the sauce is a bit too sweet. I suppose the Mall area in DC is a bit of an affordable-​food desert, so this might be your best bet. The service was friendly and quick. It’s not terrible pizza. I just really love a good NY style slice of pie, and these guys are just not hitting the spot.

My husband and I stopped in for slices, and the guy serving us picked out the largest ones on the tray! So nice!
I had a cheese and a margherita, and could only finish the cheese because it was ginormous. The crust was crispy on the bottom, and chewy. Perfect amount of sauce which was fresh and tomato-​y and not overpowering, and delicious, stretchy mozzarella cheese!
Husband had the meatball pizza, and loved it!
To top it off, they have Mexican bottled Coke, which is so very tasty.
Good experience. Would definitely come back if we lived in the area!

Not Joes, not Lombardi’s, but pretty darn close! If there’s one food I miss after moving back down from NYC, it’s the pizza. Wiseguy comes pretty close. It’s comparable to a good NYC pizza place. But…
There are awesome NYC pizzas! And it’s a step behind those. On the plus side, they have really good soda from the fountain, Boylan I think, and you can’t get that in NYC.
But, that doesn’t make up for it. Really, I’m reaching for something to make this place as good as the New York pizzas so I don’t have to take the 4 – 5 hour bus back up…

Omg, how often do you find a pizza place that makes you regret not finding it earlier?
This place really delivers the best authentic NY pizza, and it has several options to choose from. It is great for picking up a slice on the way home or to get a whole pizza for a group gathering. Its also got a fun theme inside with the brick walls and vintage pictures.
Definitely worth walking the extra distance to get a slice here!

(3.5 stars) Eh really not too crazy about this pizza joint. Yea it’s nice to finally try a decent place that offers pizza by the slice but I think my expectations were a bit high. The chicken parm slice was disappointing, actually less enjoyable than just plain cheese. The cheese slices were fine and definitely solid after a few drinks but nothing to run home about. But then again, for DC, it’s one of the better options.
The best thing they had was the garlic knots hands down. Yea they’re ridiculously overpriced at pretty much a dollar each because really, who only gets one or two. But that said, you should get some. They aren’t just bread in knot form sprinkled with some seasoning. They’re doused in garlic and although a bit oily, are pretty solid.

Since everyone else is putting it out there, I too spent part of my adolescence in the tri-​state area (which, last time I checked, included Connecticut but not Pennsylvania), so I think I’m a pretty good judge of the style, and yes, Wiseguy NY Pizza is good pizza by the slice, but I’m not swooning over it like some of the New York crowd. Does it beat the pants off of Jumbo Slice? Absolutely, but that’s a pretty low bar. Personally, I was a fan of Palisades Pizza (RIP), but it never seemed to get much love, maybe due to it’s distance from the center of town.
But back to the restaurant at hand: Wiseguy’s. They only offer counter service (I have no problem with that), but unlike Palisades Pizza, they do not offer not adult beverages, and personally, when I think pizza, I think beer, so maybe this is better «to go» option than an «eat-​in» place. As for the pies, my personal favorite is something you’re unlikely to find in a New York neighborhood joint: truffle-​mushroom pizza (mushrooms, fresh basil, truffle oil, fontinella, goat cheese, mozzarella, and parmigian); this is a pizza crying out for a glass of red to accompany it.

This is totally legit New York style pizza. The name definitely lives up to the pizza or would it be the other way around? A slice is a very reasonable price (see attached photo). They have a great selection of cold bottled soda including my fav, Mexican Coke! If you are looking for a quick slice or a whole pie this is definitely a place to check out. If you are a pizza snob, see my previous reviews, you will not be disappointed?
What did I learn today? The Godfather has ham on it. Ham does not belong on pizza.

This is not New York quality pizza. Stop giving people false hope, Wiseguy’s Pizza.
The pizza was only passable. I ordered cheese and while it was fine, I wouldn’t come back here. I also ordered garlic knots. Half of the order was burnt and the other half cold. Not so impressed.
There was complete and utter chaos and confusion behind the lunch counter. I ordered a single slice of cheese pizza and a single garlic knot. I ended up with four garlic knots and a slice of cheese, for less than Sophia H.‘s single slice of Buffalo Chicken pizza. I kept trying to explain, but the guys working the counter were so confused. Oh, well.
Maybe this is good pizza in DC? I thought it was just OK.

«This pizza is legit» — so says my NYC born and raised mate. I’m from the DMV, so I’m not a pizza snob, but I agree that the pizza is on point! The crisp crust, the piping hot cheese and sauce, and the availability of garlic salt, red pepper flakes, and fresh Parmesan (ask for the grater) did it for me.
There are multiple types of pizza to chose from, so bring your appetite and try a few! If you’re eating in, get one slice at a time for that «fresh out of the oven» taste. But don’t be fooled, the pizza slices stay hot even if you order two. And this is coming from a slow eater…
I haven’t tried them yet, but the desserts look insane! I want to try the Devils food cheesecake, but I’m trying to limit my vices.