We clown DC’s pizza game often, so when we find a pizza spot that we’d choose over almost every restaurant in town, it means something. Alfreda, a walk-in shop in Dupont Circle, serves the best pizza in DC—and it’s not close.

You can smell the oregano the minute you walk through the door. Friends and partners catch up in the tiny, casual dining room over pizzas that no one is sharing and bottles of wine plucked straight from the main wall. Coworkers gossip as they sip $8 Happy Hour spritzes at the bar while elevator-style pop music plays softly in the background. 

The menu is short and sweet: a handful of small plates, two salads, and eight pizzas. And while everything is delicious, what sets Alfreda apart is the crispy, yeasty sourdough pie crust. It’s always perfectly cooked, with a nice brown finish, and a crunchy bite. Topped with gooey mozzarella and a slightly acidic tomato sauce, even the plain pizza is leagues ahead of most competitors.