Two beloved American pastimes collide this week: March Madness and eating pizza. Loudoun has its venerable pizza spots but a host of new parlors have opened across the county in recent years, upping Loudoun's pie game. Without much further ado, check out these new pizza joints for artisanal pies to enjoy during the big games.
Knead Wine, Purcellville and Middleburg
Master sommelier Jarad Slipp debuted his unique wine and take-out pizza spot in Middleburg in 2022. His pies — non-traditional American riffs on Neapolitan pizza — were so popular a second Knead opened in Purcellville two years later, this one with table seating. A music buff, Slipp names the pies after bands and rock stars: the Zappa (tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil), the Hendrix (shiitake mushrooms, fennel sausage), the Django (bacon, potato, garlic confit, onion, taleggio) and many more.
Market in the Gap, Hillsboro
Loudoun restaurant legend Andy Ghuzlan, famous for Andy's Mediterranean restaurant in Lovettsville (and formerly Leesburg), is the genius behind this wood-fired pizza spot in a restored spring house across the street from the Old Stone School in Hillsboro. Superb craft pizzas are baked right in front of you in the tiny stone space and run the gamut from the Greek (feta, kalamata olives, arugula) and the Artichoke (olives, olive oil, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts) to Hawaiian (prosciutto and pineapple). The menu also offers pastas and salads and the shop doubles as a mini market, so you can also order bread, beer, wine, sodas and tasty s'mores.
Solo NY Pizza, Leesburg
Another Loudoun restaurant legend, Said Mehenni, is behind this authentic family favorite in a quiet neighborhood of north Leesburg. Solo specializes in hand-crafted Sicilian, New York and calzone-style pies paired with a range of fresh toppings. The Speciale on the Sicilian section — tomato sauce, pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions and green peppers with mozzarella cheese — is a standout, as is the Pesto Margarita topped with pesto sauce, sliced plum tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. The restaurant also does salads, pastas, subs, burgers and desserts for dine-in or takeout.
Dough Baby, Hamilton
In a cozy stand-alone building in Hamilton, Dough Baby is the craft bakery and pizzeria of celebrated baker and cookbook author Tara Jensen and fellow young moms Meredith Brown and Abbie Whitehurst, owners of the local health and produce store The Hamilton Mercantile. The concept: locally sourced, freshly milled, stone-ground flour naturally leavened for the pizza dough, cakes and breads, with fresh toppings — mushrooms, greens, pickles — from local farms and suppliers. Pies are all 14 inches and while the menu is small, the flavors are big. Choose from cheese, pepperoni, mushroom and specials such as the Fun Guy: garlic oil base, mozzarella, provolone, fresh parsley, shaved parmesan and Italian oyster and chestnut mushrooms from Loudoun's veteran-owned Three Cap Farm. For sweet-tooths, add a batch of Jensen's cookies or King Cake to your order.
Teddy's Pizza, Middleburg
While not as new as the others, Teddy's — tucked away on quiet Federal Street in Middleburg — is so good and so under-the-radar it has to be included. Owner Teddy Vicidomini comes from a long line of Italian New Yorkers and his father Lenny had a pie shop in Brooklyn where Sylvester Stallone was a regular. Teddy continues his father's secrets here: thin, crisp crust, sweet sauce, ample cheese, jars of oregano and red pepper to sprinkle on top. Order several large ones and make like a New Yorker by folding your slice in half when you eat.
