Reviewing Andy’s Pizza: Taste authentic New York-style pizza in Alexandria, VA. 

Let’s be honest – you just can’t find good pizza outside of the New York area. Call me a snob if you must, but this snob is not interested in eating anything that comes up short of the real deal. Having moved to DC eleven years ago, my husband and I still regularly bring whole pies back with us to freeze when visiting our family and friends in New York. But recently, I noticed some buzz around a local chain that had opened its newest location in Old Town, Alexandria. Several people took to local social media groups to proclaim that they – former New Yorkers and self-proclaimed pizza snobs – had finally found an acceptable slice of pizza here in the DC area. 

I was skeptical, but then something else caught my eye about Andy’s Pizza. You can walk in off the street and order a slice at the counter. A single slice – like a real pizza place! Unlike the pizza parlors back home, where this is the norm, the local places in DC don’t typically offer pizza by the slice. So, with that information in mind, I had to find out for myself if this could be for real.

And as it turns out, this buzz finally reunited me with real NY-style pizza here in Alexandria.  

Everything about Andy’s Pizza hits the nail on the head. The crust is thick and doughy along the edges, but thin and chewy throughout the rest of the pie. The pizza is topped with a sweet sauce and melted cheese that entirely coats the slice, doesn’t slide off in one lump, and melds together when you bite it. The slices are the right size – big enough to pick up and fold in half when eating. And the flavor – the traditional New York correct combination of sauce-cheese-dough-spices, you know it when you taste it flavor, is there.  

We stopped into Andy’s Pizza on a Thursday night. They’d just received their liquor license, and had an awesome deal running to celebrate – buy any bottle of wine and receive a cheese pie for free. As you might expect, the store was hopping. A pretty large selection of wines for a pizza shop was on offer, and the prices ranged from the teens up, offering something for everyone. We selected our bottle and paid at the counter, ordering our pie to go.  

While we waited, we also grabbed two individual slices (!!). The pepperoni slice is an enhancement on their cheese pie, with small, thick slices of pepperoni that curl and crisp up on the edges when baked. We also tried a buffalo chicken slice, which has a generous topping of buttermilk-fried chicken. The traditional blue cheese is swapped out for an onion cream and a three-cheese blend, with buffalo sauce drizzled on top. It’s good, but not quite spicy enough for this heat-lover. 

As we ate our slices and waited on our pie, we met Andy – the owner of Andy’s Pizza – who flitted about helping customers choose wines and introducing himself to those in the dining room. He explained to one customer who was deciding on a bottle that he’d like to be known for both great pizza and a spot to get a great bottle of wine – something not usually associated with a pizza place. He’s purposefully priced his selections better than other local big-name stores, and was reciting recommendations from sweet to bold without missing a beat.  

Andy’s Pizza is a breath of fresh-air for this pizza-starved former New Yorker. You can stop in for a slice or a whole pie; eat-in or take-out; order delivery or pick-up. The dining room is designed in a traditional pizza parlor meets minimalist space, with black fixtures, long communal tables, and private booths. Sketches of the owner’s favorite New York pizzerias line the walls alongside more modern pieces. If you do eat-in, you can enjoy wines by the bottle or the glass, along with a couple of cocktail selections and a wide array of interesting beer choices. It’s taken years, but we finally have a place where we can scratch the pizza itch whenever we want. Take my (snobbish) word for it – this is good pizza.