I don’t eat as much pizza as I used to when I first started this blog. I blame some stellar gluten-free pizza experiences for this because once you’ve had a good gluten-free pizza, it’s hard to settle for an often overpriced, cardboard-tasting pathetic pizza. 


After hearing positive reviews about Washington D.C.’s Pi Pizzeria, I decided to pay them a visit, lured by the promise of delicious pizza prepared safely. Even President Obama has sung the praises of this pizzeria!


Located in the heart of downtown D.C., Pi Pizzeria is conveniently located just a few steps from Ford’s Theatre, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the White House- not a bad place to be when you want to stop for a slice between sightseeing. As I was soon to discover, their great location was only the start of a great experience. 


Pi Pizzeria’s menu is coded to indicate gluten-free options, which include appetizers, salads, and pizzas. While the first two were okay, of course I was there entirely for their pizza. The crust Pi Pizzeria uses comes in one size- a generous 12″ that could feed two people- and is dairy-free but not vegan because it contains eggs. Ordering it means your specialty pizza or pick-your-own pie will be $1 more, but that’s well below surcharges I have seen at other restaurants.

Pi Pizzeria is by no means a dedicated gluten-free restaurant, but they do a good job of acknowledging that and making an effort to keep their gluten-free pizzas as free from gluten as possible through using dedicated utensils and precautions in the kitchen. When I let my server know, he was super accommodating, and let me know that he would mark the order as an allergy order for the kitchen. 

I ended up ordering the Berkeley Pizza, which comes loaded with zucchini, red pepper, onion, mushrooms, kalamata olives, and garlic over a robust tomato sauce base. I added grilled chicken for extra protein. Usually when I order cheese-less pizza, the toppings seem sparse without a blanket of cheese but instead this pizza was fully loaded, and absolutely stunning when it was presented.


The crust is delicious, thicker than I was expecting and easily able to withstand the weight of the toppings. The crust has an incredibly satisfying crunch. All of the vegetables were fresh and flavorful, and the tomato sauce was a showstopper in it of itself- you could definitely tell it was made in-house and did not play second fiddle at all. The chicken was generously portioned and had a nice grill flavor. With notes of saltiness (from the olives), sweetness (from the peppers) and garlic, this pizza hit all the right notes for me to be totally impressed. 


Because it was so massive, I ended up taking half to my hotel for a later meal. Even several hours old, the crust and toppings held up flavor and texture-wise, a true testament to a quality gluten-free pizza.

Although my pizza rang in at $21.95, I had no issues with the price because the generous portioning and top-notch ingredients totally were worth it. I was not expecting to be as impressed as I was, and I definitely regret not stopping by sooner. My waiter- Finis- was super cool and super accommodating with my dietary restrictions, and definitely made my experience better. 


Pi Pizzeria has other locations in Bethesda, MD and St Louis, MO. 

Disclaimer: This review is based upon the information I have at the time of the review and does not reflect changes in ingredients or availability of items. Please contact the restaurant directly for up-to-date information and feel free to contact me with any questions or comments. I was not compensated for this review and it is a reflection of my personal opinion.