Stellina Pizzeria is such a high quality restaurant in the busy district of Union Market that I don't know how it makes any money. Everything there is pretty spot on to more authentic Italian cooking, and I mean everything. Stellina seems to be crowded at night and weekends so maybe an earlier dinner is the best choice, reservations were easy online so no trouble there. The service here is way faster than expected, and extremely tentative. They'll fill your water actively and wipe tables in between plates, switch out silverware, and food comes out quick! The appetizers came out in about 10 minutes after ordering. For appetizers we ordered the Cuoppo Misto(mixed fried platter) & the Polpette Della Nonna(Meatballs). The Misto comes with shrimp, calamari, couple octopus pieces, onions, bell peppers and chips, a good mix. There were a ton of chips but that makes sense since they're the cheapest on the plate, but there was more than enough shrimp and calamari. The shrimp comes whole, head-on and all, so for those that like it, it's great. I wish there was slightly more octopus but that's about it. Everything there was fried perfectly, calamari is tender but not chewy, onions are sweet, bell peppers are fragrant, the chips were light and nothing was oily for us. The Meatballs were super tender, little on the blonder side so they likely just stewed in the tomato sauce which makes sense because the tomato sauce was SUPER meaty. I also like that it's served with pizza bread & burrata cheese. The bread is crispier and crunchier than just a crust since there's no toppings and it's great to mop up the sauce and cheese. The burrata adds a great soft creamy cold temperature and texture contrast, also flavor with the really milky clean taste on top. I would heavily recommend getting both dishes. For the mains, we shared a Margherita Pizza, the Chitarra Di Pesce & Lasagna Classica. I think Neapolitan Pizza should be eaten in-house right away because they're best when they're a literal minute out of the oven, that's definitely the case here. A solid Margherita pie, super chewy mozzarella, light naturally sweet tomato sauce, aroma dense olive oil and my favorite part: the basil. The basil here is for some reason more aromatic than other Neapolitan pies I've had. But, the pizza was probably my least favorite entree because the two pasta dishes were just that great! The Chitarra Di Pesce is a perfectly al dente squid ink pasta tossed in a seafood based tomato sauce. Gotta say, amazing deal with how much squid, shrimp and octopus is in the dish and they're all cooked perfectly! The sauce has the seafood brininess but not overpoweringly so and just amazingly balanced. The lasagna is super tender, can literally be cut with a spoon and still holds it's shape well. The meat sauce is super deep and rich with the tomato acidity pairing nicely, the pasta is tender to be cut easily but still toothsome and super cheesy sauce. I love the crispy edges on the lasagna. The two pastas are a must get and the pizza really is good, but in this case, just outshined by the pasta. Overall, 100% would return to Stellina if I was in the mood for a solid Neapolitan style pizza or even better pasta. I think they're able to shine more in cooking and service if you just take the time to sit inside rather than get take out. Definitely worth going if you're a DC local.

The pizza was good here and it comes out fast and hot with burnt spots on the crust. Really enjoyed the cacio y pepi pizza. The pepper with the delicious gooey cheese was a hit. The ambiance is a bit lacking inside and somehow we had a reservation but were seated at a dirty table. The staff, however, were very friendly. I would recommend their outside patio.

Solid, consistent casual spot for napoli-style pizza. The lunch deal was great - we each had a personal pizza, fresh potato chips, arancini, a mozzarella stick AND. a massive cannoli. Safe to say their were leftovers. Not much ambience but good for a quick lunch bite for a casual first date.

Updated from 2 to 4 stars. Spoke with a manager and was offered a fresh pizza to make it right. Got the picante pizza which was delicious! Of course it was hot since I ordered it in store. My main issue that's stopping me from giving it a 5 star is the crust. I just don't understand why they are choosing to make it paper thin, as it doesn't hold its texture or shape. First time going. I live in one of the buildings on the same block (it's a 30 second walk to the entrance). I went as soon as I got the notification to pick up my pizza. The pizza was cold and wasn't even sliced. For $19, that's pretty unacceptable. Not to mention that because it was cold, so clearly has been sitting for too long between when it was completed to when I was notified, the crust was completely soggy. I like thin crust, but this was literally paper thin, and so it had 0 texture. Other than that, the flavor wasn't bad, but everything else just make it a really bad first experience.

Fried calamari and shrimp mix was good. I like the homemade potato chips, but they outnumbered the seafood 10:1. Margarita Pizza was also good, But it was not off the charts amazing. A little bit chewy. Could have been a little dryer and crispier on the bottom. But the taste was 8 out of 10 I would say. Service exceeded expectations. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Bathroom could have been cleaner.

I used to live in NoMA and got to experience when Stellina first opened near Trader Joe's. They recently took over the space next door (previously owned by Shouk) ask they have double the space AND are now offering brunch. Glad we came - we got the Cacio & Pepe and Pepperoni pies. There was a mistake with the order so our waitress asked if we wanted to try the Piccante pie for free (yes please!) - the sausage and sopressata had a good spice so we'll add it to our rotation. Glad to see their success!

Nelvy welcomed my guest and I with open arms and was very informative of choices and flavor profiles of the drinks and the food items.Nelvy also shared the best drinks and the drinks were super cute, not too overbearing with liquor and sweet. Just how I like it! My pizza was immaculately delicious & the lasagna made me really feel like i was in Italy. I loved that the pizza crust was very authentic and not super thick and bready. The arugula salad was so light and airy and the red onion paired perfectly with it. I love that there's so much natural sunlight present and elevated seating! The space is beautiful and has a nice wine selection to pair with your meal too. Liliana was the manager there and was so sweet to go to Trader Joe's next door to get change for me to leave a tip!!! Now that's top tier customer service. Offering to get change for your guest! I highly recommend and will be back soon.

DC's own Stellina Pizzeria was recently given an award, rating them as one of the 50 Top World Artisan Pizza Chains for 2024! Big congrats to them, ever since my recent trip to NYC, I've been interested in finding good pizza in the DMV, and Stellina definitely is a player in the game here to check out~ Here's all that we got: Arancini Di Riso Napulella Pizza Gnocchi Funghi Porcini Tiramisu Bomboloni The crust on the artisan pizzas are really solid, so crispy with a delicious char flavor, combined with fresh toppings ~ Don't sleep on the apps, pastas, and desserts either, arancini is one of my all time favorite Italian appetizers, and this was super cheesy and flavorful the tiramisu was also light, airy, and a delicious way to top off the meal!