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    Cafe Aria

    3.5 (65 reviews)
    InexpensiveCafes, Pizza, Sandwiches
    Open 7:00 am - 3:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

    Cafe Aria Photos

    Business Info

    CAFE ARIA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Cafe Aria

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    the entrance to the cafe aria
    Tyler C.

    Perfect stop if your by the White House or State Dept. Fast, efficient, friendly and good. Bagels are well roasted. Cream cheese is melted. Coffee comes regular or dark.

    Spotted bananas
    Rumit P.

    This is a no-frills quick eats place with sandwiches, strombolis, and pizzas and various breakfast, lunch, and dinner combos. Food is served on a paper plate and plastic utensils are readily available next to the fountain drink machine. Dined for lunch and spent about $7. For $4.99 for a plain cheese pizza, the price cannot be beat. I added pineapple and jalapeños to give it a sweet & spicy kick (80 cents more per topping). The taste was fantastic. Freshly made in 10 minutes, piping hot, generous spread of toppings, and a thick crust. The pizza had very little marinara sauce, but we were politely given a container full of sauce upon asking a team member. There's a one-hour dining limit, an extra charge for coffee refills, and a charge for small/medium/large cups of ice. There's indoor and outdoor seating as well. The atmosphere is mediocre but because of convenience and quality of food, this place gets a solid 4.

    Rachel C.

    Support your local businesses!!!!!! This place seems like it would be some big fancy chain, but it's actually a mom and pop shop. The food is always on point, especially their pizzas and breakfast sandwiches. Even their leftovers were so good!!! Friendly efficient workers, delicious and quick food. What else could you ask for???

    Bulgogi Rice Bowl
    Michael L.

    I venture out around this area once a month (mainly to visit the client) and heard from the townies this is the place to go to eat. The one day I "forgot" to bring my lunch, I convinced my co worker to come with me to try this place out. Muahaha From the outside, it seems like a regular fast sub joint, however walking in, the place is pretty modern. I thought the place was pretty small since how you ordered was from the bar. But when I went to pay for my order, the place opened up to a decent dining area. Service was fast, however, it may be that I felt a little rushed. Maybe it was when they asked me 5 times for what I wanted to order, even when there was only 4 people in the establishment. What we ordered: -Bulgogi Rice Bowl - I wanted the bibimbap (korean for "mixed rice"), however one of the staff said to grab a veggie bowl from the fridge next to me. I said I wanted rice and not veggies, which they said it'll be an extra $1.00. What?! Bibimbap is always served with rice hence the name! I would've let it go if the food was delicious, however when I sat down to eat the beef, it was super sweet. I think I got a cavity from how sweet it was. Rice was cooked very well though. Not worth the $10.99 price tag. -Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl - This is what my co-worker ordered and she said it was super sweet as well. I'm not sure if there was a sugar dump in the sauces, but it seemed pretty consistent between the meals Also what I thought was tacky was when I requested for the sriracha sauce, I saw that one of the employees was squeezing a new bottle of sriracha into an older bottle and then handed it to me! Why not just use the new bottle?? Tip: Only go here if you "forget" to bring your lunch

    Bibimbap w chicken and brown rice.
    Nancy C.

    Came here today and got the chicken bibimbap bowl. For about $9 it is a good deal for lunch around the area that incorporates a lot of healthy vegetables. Bibimbap had a healthy serving of carrots, kimchi radish, bean sprouts, lettuce, cucumbers, and spinach, all ingredients were fresh and tasty. . The bowl came with the standard Korean side veggies and I was happy to see that they offered brown rice and white rice. The veggies for it are in the fridge to the left of the ordering counter and they put your beef, chicken or tofu on top. The chicken was just plain grilled chicken since they use it for all their other offerings as well, next time I'll have to try their beef. Perhaps the beef will come from the bulgogi and will match up better to my bibimbap bowl. They give you the rice with a fried egg on top and a container of the miso sauce at th register and you're all set to put it together for a light healthy lunch. I'll be back here for this bowl when I need my Korean bibimbap fix! The other items that it seems most go in for are the sandwhiches, calzones and pizza. They have a nice sized sitting area outside and inside as well. The sun hits about half the outdoor sitting area, which is nice for days you need your vitamin C too!

    Wren O.

    I've been here dozens of times, but only just thought to review the place. Cafe Aria is the perfect place for a weekday lunch, period. They serve everything from little $4/5 personal pizzas (which are great) to the best tuna salad in Foggy to bimbimbap and rice bowls. Everything I've had has been good, service is always quick, and the employees are always very nice. Shoutout to the younger guy who always works the pizzas, he's great. Beyond prepared foods, they have a really wide range of snacks and candies on sale for not-overinflated prices for this kind of place. The location's great for anybody working in this section of town. To-go is easy to get, but when you don't, the seating area is clean, well-stocked, and straightforward. The smooth jazz doesn't hurt, either. It's not particularly unique or special but this place very well serves every purpose that it's meant to, and I'm a fan.

    Chicken teriyaki w/ brown rice $10.99

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    12 years ago

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    8 years ago

    Good food. Long lines at lunch time but they move quickly. Nice variety of options. We'd definitely return again if in the area.

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    12 years ago

    Best sandwich I've had in a really long time. Completely unexpected while looking for a place near the national mall.

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    11 years ago

    Stopped by after a day of visiting the memorials and museums. Had bibimbap which was good and filling. Very reasonably priced.

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    11 years ago

    Food was good and great location but they had NO AIR CONDITIONING!!!! It is August and this place is hot! Get it fixed ASAP!

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    12 years ago

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - Cafe Aria

    Review Highlights - Cafe Aria

    This is a no-frills quick eats place with sandwiches, strombolis, and pizzas and various breakfast, lunch, and dinner combos.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Wiseguy Pizza

    4.2(1.5k reviews)
    1.5 mi
    $
    Kid friendly
    Locally owned & operated

    It's a nice small location. It's fairly small inside but there's also outdoor seating outside. We…read morecame at night, all the lights were lit up so it looks so pretty. I got buffalo chicken wings - pretty good actually Got 4 slices of pizza: we like them all!! Korean chicken - too sweet for me but hubby like it Chicken Paneer Chicken Parmesan Chicken Bacon Ranch - my favorite! I was satisfied Best part is definitely the thin crispy crust. Service: can't say much because it's a pizza place and we only order and take our food. Staff read welcoming and easy to talk to ( male cashier); female staff who took my order and hear up my food my me seems a little mean but it's probably because of the loud noises so it was hard to hear each other....some miscommunication/understanding both ways. Go try some pizza!!

    Onto the letter W on my alphabet series, representing prior to 2018, W is for Wiseguy Pizza. The…read morefirst time I ever went to Wiseguy Pizza was in August 2014. That month I had started Uber driving, was in this area of DC, had heard good things about Wiseguy, and decided to eat here. Although I don't like paying to park just to simply eat a meal, I sometimes will make an exception for convenience and/or if it's a place I really want to go. But for the most part, I'll go to restaurant where they have free parking or at least I can find free parking near the restaurant. I remembered getting a parking spot very close and feel like I feed the meter like 50 cents in 2014 parking prices for a quick 30 minute meal. They have all kinds of varieties of slices from the standard toppings or just cheese to fancy ones. Although the pizza is fairly thin, but average for New York style pizza. I tried Andy's Pizza 11 years later in 2025, and while it was solid although not as good as Wiseguy, my real complaint with Andy's was that the pizza is very thin, where I was hungry very soon later; so a much worse value as pricing is comparable to Wiseguy. Wiseguy slices are big, and the pizza is top notch New York style. I went to this location a couple of more times after my initial August 2014 visit as I loved the pizza. Then, they opened up other locations. I went to Navy Yard one at least twice, once after a Nationals baseball game after a disappointing loss for my 4th favorite baseball team, Texas Rangers. Sorry Nats fans, but Nats are in my bottom 10 teams. I also went to Rosslyn & Pentagon City location, where parking isn't quite as bad. They even had a Wheaton Mall food court location, which I got to experience once, but they sadly closed. Every experience with Wiseguy has been positive.

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    Wiseguy Pizza
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    Timber Pizza - Petworth

    Timber Pizza - Petworth

    4.5(626 reviews)
    3.3 miPetworth
    $$

    Was so hungry the last time we went in, we forgot to take pictures of the pizza…read more This pizza is so yummy but their salads are also so good you almost forget you're eating a salad. They usually rotate a seasonal selection of salads so you know what you're getting is fresh and in season. For pizza, it's always so hard to just choose one or two kinds. But no matter what you decide on, you won't be disappointed. Personally, I'm a one pizza per person kinda gal, but these are for sure shareable and the ambiance is very relaxed and the staff is very nice and willing to make recommendations. A great staple in this area!

    Cute little place that was all decorated for the season…read more This was our first time here & we had heard a good buzz about the place so we were excited to try it out & hankering for some good pizza. We arrived 20 minutes to closing, not realizing their hours, but they were open & it's pizza & cooks fast. Yet it was abundantly clear they were hoping no one walked in & we were told they were closing so we asked if we could order and they hesitated. We were about to leave when they said yes. We were a party of three & ordered three pizzas to share & try. They were decent and the other two really liked the dough but I actually did not care for it. They staff cleaned around us including at our table & had their music going. Then they sat on the counter and watched us, lol. Not a fun experience & we would not have bothered them had we known. If you are open then you are open, otherwise close up early. No real desire to go back!

    Photos
    Timber Pizza - Petworth - Bar

    Bar

    Timber Pizza - Petworth
    Timber Pizza - Petworth

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    Protest Pizza + Bar - Cheese Pizza

    Protest Pizza + Bar

    4.6(31 reviews)
    0.9 miDupont Circle, Downtown

    I experienced the worst service here. When I arrived, my…read moreparty and I sat at the bar. We were never greeted so we thought we should order in line. I sat at the bar for over 10 mins and watched as the bar tender took orders from parties on either side of me. He never once offered to share the drink menu. I had to ask after sitting idly waiting for the pizzas. That bar tender never checked on us, but repeatedly tended to the people on either side of us. We were astonished to see him welcome people through the door as well. Overall, this was a very uncomfortable experience. The pizzas were fine, but for an inclusive space, we felt Protest Pizza was only inclusive to people of a certain hue.

    Protest Pizza has become a weekly weekend stop for me. It's a cheerful and welcoming place with…read moreconsistently excellent pizza. Located beneath DCVegan and Pea Street Yoga, you might accidentally miss it. It has 3 inside tables but ample bar and seating outdoors. There is fantastic playlist with a mix of different genres going at all times of the day. The disco ball window seats are my favorite because you can't possibly have a bad day after eating a slice under disco ball lights LOL. Protest is very popular but even when packed you can get a slices easily because they have pies pre-sliced and ready to go at the pizza bar. A whole pie order takes about 15 minutes. Their vegetarian choices are great and often named after something local. Today, I had a "Green Line" slice which had a pesto sauce instead of a tomato sauce, red pepper and spinach. The salads are tasty and made from fresh ingredients. These are not premade so you may get your salad after your slices are finished being heated up. Drinks and FroYo- this is a great combo and especially fun to have on a lazy weekend afternoon. I haven't tried their happy hour yet, but with summer on its way, I am sure I'll be back at Protest Pizza soon!

    Photos
    Protest Pizza + Bar - Açaï- Tart Yogurt froyo with mango & coconut crunch topping

    Açaï- Tart Yogurt froyo with mango & coconut crunch topping

    Protest Pizza + Bar - Hawaiian, pepperoni pizza

    Hawaiian, pepperoni pizza

    Protest Pizza + Bar

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    Tatiana Pizza - Unique jumbo slice

    Tatiana Pizza

    4.4(104 reviews)
    1.1 mi

    Pizza.slices were fantastic. Bigger than NY and the flavor was so good…read more Customer was great too. 32 or 34 inch pizza was super impressive as well.

    We chose this spot because it was just a very short walk from the Hilton DC where we were staying…read morefor National Police Week. When we first walked in, the cashier immediately apologized for the long wait times, thanked everyone for their patience, and let us know they were incredibly short staffed with only two people working. Because the tiny interior was already packed, we decided to leave and do some sightseeing first. However, seeing how good the pizza looked we knew we had to come back later that afternoon. There's no negative details in my review. Nothing but positive things and a small recommendation. 1. Staff and Service I really appreciated the cashier's honesty about running behind right off the bat. That allowed us to make an informed choice rather than get frustrated by a long wait. More businesses could learn from this! 2. Restaurant's Layout The inside is a bit tight and busy, but it's located in a smaller older building, so they have no other options. Since they can't expand the inside adding an outdoor pub height counter for eating, a bench or some seating out front would be a great way to give waiting patrons a place to sit. Also a place to eat. 3. The Pizza -The Veggie Pizza: My nephew and I both ordered this, and the slices were massive you'll see in my pics! They were honestly the largest slices I have ever seen! I love pizza and have eaten it in New York and Chicago, and my slice here held its own. It was loaded with a huge variety of vegetables. I requested to put mine through the oven twice to get the veggies warm and cooked because I noticed my nephew's slice looked like a warm salad on crust. So happy I did because it was delicious! The jalapeños were intensely spicy which is on me, since I'm a bit of a lightweight with spice! -The Meat Options: My son got the pepperoni and thought it was really good, and my husband got a supreme slice which he also said was good . 4. Price and pizza size- they're more expensive than a typical slice, but once you see those big ole slices in my pics you'll understand why. They can't even fit on a plate. They had to serve them to you in an actual pizza box! After reading my long review you're trying to find out if I would go back huh? Absolutely! If I ever in the area or stay at the Hilton DC again, I would definitely walk right on over and get a slice. You can feed a family of three on one slice! Adult and two small children!

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    Tatiana Pizza - Size of pizza/prices

    Size of pizza/prices

    Tatiana Pizza - Toppings on top of toppings!

    Toppings on top of toppings!

    Tatiana Pizza - Made a normal slice from my gargantuan slice

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    Made a normal slice from my gargantuan slice

    Cafe Aria - cafes - Updated June 2026

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