&pizza, the popular local chain, will open its sixth restaurant downtown, at 1005 E St NW.
The restaurant is known for its modern interiors,
sign-language-fluent employees, and of course its oblong pizzas with toppings like fig marsala, housemade mozzarella, and (on the "Farmer's Daughter") whole eggs.
The new outpost will be nicknamed E&pizza and will open in the spring, co-owner Steve Salis says. The 1350-square-foot space is being designed to be "representative of the neighborhood...with respect to Ford's Theatre [around the corner] and the E Street Cinema [down the block], we really look to incorporate those things in the design."
"There's a tremendous amount of history," Salis adds.
The E street &pizza location came about because of customer feedback, he says. "A lot of our guests have come to us and said, 'Hey, we'd love to have you in Penn Quarter.' There happened to be that opportunity...we think we're well positioned," he says. Not only is the new store around the corner from Ford's Theatre, it's also a block from Pennsylvania Avenue and half a block from the Washington Welcome Center. "Hopefully we can become a part of the D.C. experience" for visiting tourists, he says.
&pizza opened its first location on H Street NE two years ago. It has since expanded to a second location on U Street and
will open its third, fourth and fifth spots in Brookland, in Bethesda, and in Germantown, Md.