Fire Works Pizza

Been here numerous times.
Food is good to excellent. Common items ordered… house-​made chips (5 stars), garlic knots, veggie burger, classic salad, fingerling potatoes, pizza (4 – 5 stars depending on the day). Good beer selection. Service is hit or miss… mostly good. There’s one male crank who you just know loves his job… not. He’s efficient enough… just perpetually seemingly barely tolerating you. I imagine he has a cigarette to smoke somewhere while reading some dystopian tome, so I forgive him.

The best Monday I had in a LONG time! I was so pleasantly surprised when we ended up here to fill our belly’s.
The drinks were good and they have a great happy hour. The bartender was pleasant and extremely helpful with recommendations.
We ordered the $ 5 mussels (a huge bowl) that three of us split! The mussels are beyond delicious. I ordered the Siciliana vegetarian with red sauce personal pizza — I absolutely thought the world of it. I ate the entire pizza minus one slice for the bf and I have no regrets.
The best part was when our bartender recommended dipping the pizza/​crust into the mussel sauce and I thought ‘this is what heaven tastes like’
I recommend any pizza but I absolutely recommend the mussels and hold onto that mussel sauce for dear life and dip away — you will be pleasantly surprised! This will now be our regular Monday night pizza party!
Enjoy :)

It’s convenient, decent pizza, and generally a good beer selection.
First time I went was around when they first opened, and I thought the service was terrible, and the food was mediocre.
Waited probably 6 months to a year before trying it again, and it’s been more consistent and decent those times. (Seems like there are more options nowadays on the menu… but not overwhelming).
Pizza is pretty good, and I’ve tried a number of the pre-​configured options.
Seating if you’re waiting for a table can take a while… if there are any sports on tv, same thing with the bar. Also, the most likely open seats in front of the oven are open because it’s like 120 degrees in that area (so stay hydrated if you attempt sitting there).
Beer — they’ve usually got a pretty decent selection going. Which is definitely a positive.
Service — most of the bartenders are pretty good, and know about the beers they’re serving. They also seem fairly attentive. (Guess that also comes from how you treat them as a customer)
Negative — the wait. Scope out the bar area as they’re first come. Also, one thing that left a negative impact was that we were sitting at the bar watching the Capitals. One of the servers decided he wanted to watch basketball instead, and just changed the channel that a number of people were watching. Sorry, but you should probably ask the customers that were sitting right there if they were watching the game… and you’re supposed to be taking care of customers not standing there watching basketball. Because of that, we didn’t stick around to have another round.
Overall, it’s good.

Good pizza but not great. Their drinks and salads are actually my favorite things here. The prices are a little high for what it is.
Overall a good standard place for a work or personal meal, with reasonable prices and good service.

We visited for dinner with another couple on a Friday night. The wait was made more tolerable by the fantastic beer list, but a larger waiting area would have been greatly appreciated. It was a tight fit at the bar with lots of traffic and the area by the door and hostess station was packer. I imagine that many people wait outside in the summer, and there was a fire pit outside if you wanted more space but to still be warm.
Service was friendly and very quick. We ordered the mixed green salad, rt pizza, Barcelona pizza, and a side of carrots and shallots. The mixed green salad was on the small side for the price, but was really good. The peppercorn dressing was nicely spicy and I loved the corn in the salad.
The rt pizza was greatly enjoyed as was the Barcelona pizza. And the carrots were fantastic. I cant wait to try to recreate them at home.
No one saved room for dessert so I can’t comment on that, but all in all a very enjoyable experience.

It gets no better. I’ve been coming here for 5 years and this has been a neighborhood go to for me to the point where I bring out of towners here because they never seem to disappoint. Having tried most of the menu, here is my pizza rankings.
Best of the best: smokey blue, RT, black sheep
Damn good: Siciliana, segundo, barcelona, the fire works
Very good: quattro carne, fire cracker, virginia Luau, sopranoes, bianco
Never tried: marisco, margherita, cheese/​herb, tartufo.
I had one bad pizza, it was a potato and cheese weekly special, this was two years ago and I havent seen it as an item ever. Their mussels are good (were half price on mondays at one point). They have a great draft selection, never tried the wine but Aubs liked it. For desert, the cookie sundae cant be beat.

Came here for lunch during a conference and got the beet and goat cheese salad. I’m obsessed with beets (don’t judge) and loved them in this salad. The greens were nice and fresh, the spiced pecans were a nice flavor and texture addition, and the dressing was tasty. The one thing that was disappointing was the battered and fried goat cheese. It just didn’t have the creaminess and the strong flavor I prefer in my goat cheese. Sigh.
Also, the service was definitely off. Our originally server disappeared even after my teammate said he was ready to order. I think she was prepared for us to say we needed more time — and just heard that in her head and walked away. Then she was gone — for a while — and another server finally came to take our order.
After that, things were on track with drinks refills and such. The original server came back and gave us one check and we told her we needed separate ones, she redeemed herself and came back with the separate checks quickly and pleasantly.
So, am I going out of my way to eat here? No. But if I’m in the area, it’s a great space which would seem amazing for happy hour, and has a decent amount of standard food choices.

My wife said she heard this had some of the best pizza in the area and she was right. The flavors, quality and beer selection was all perfect. Decently priced for everything and a great place to go for a quick lunch or a fancy dinner.

I don’t explore Rosslyn enough. Mainly because I feel like there are so many places in the area but I should give all neighborhoods a chance. So we headed to Rosslyn for an impromptu date night. My husband (still getting used to writing/​saying that) suggested Fire Works after having gone there with his friends. Can’t go wrong with pizza so that’s where we went.
Fire Works was hopping which surprised me because it was almost 9 when we went. The bar area was full and so was there patio area. Luckily we were seated immediately in a cozy booth. First decision– what to drink besides water. Fire Works has an extensive beer list, plus wine and cocktails. I decided on the blackberry sangria and my husband ordered a Houblon. Then we ordered our pizza (after much deliberating on my part): I ordered the bianco and he ordered the quattro carne. Both our food and drinks came out quickly which was impressive considering how busy they were. The drinks were strong. Their bartenders know how to mix a good cocktail. My husband enjoyed his beer too. Then came our pizza; nice and hot, cheese melted, and toppings just ready for us to eat. I liked my bianco– it had spinach, peppers, and mozzarella. Yum. The quattro carne was a meat lovers dream with Italian sausage, meatballs, pepperoni, and salami. He was happy.
The restaurant itself has a cool vibe, especially the patio area. They have a classy fire pit too. Prices are about average for the area. Overall, a good experience and one that I’m glad is not far away.

The pizza we ordered was a Fire «Works» pizza, interesting name. It was a little thicker than a thin crust, but not quite a traditional crust. The edge was more of a traditional crust and nice and chewy.
The toppings were nice big cut vegi’s and everything about the pizza was pretty good. We tried the garlic dough knots and they were OK. I wouldn’t get them if I was ever there again, but I would for sure go back for the pizza.
On the random chance that someone reading this plays Ingress, there are 2 portals that you are in reach of while inside eating. :-)

Fire Works is definitely a place to keep in the Rolodex for quality places to eat around the Courthouse area.
As far as the setting and atmosphere goes, Fire Works is definitely a fun place to be and offers a lively setting to enjoy a meal or even just a quick drink. They’ve got the works (pun intended, I guess) when it comes to a fully stocked bar and a pretty extensive wine list, and they’ve got more than just pizza to offer on their menus. The serving staff is friendly and fun and are good sports about pretty much anything, which is one of the underappreciated elements that separates the wheat from the chaff in DC’s dining establishments.
As far as the pizza is concerned, it’s pretty darn good. I wouldn’t say it’s really anywhere near the best I’ve ever had, but it is a high quality pie and definitely some of the best you’d find in a 5 mile radius of the place. Granted, I’m a little biased towards the art of really thin crust borderline crispy pizzas made in the wood fired oven, but the pizzas here with their slightly thicker crusts are totally good too. The main winner with their pizzas for me personally, though, lies in the toppings. Get some topping-​laden pizza like one of my favorites — the Fire «Works» — and you’re in for a treat. It’s a great balance between all sorts of flavor profiles that just works.
If I had to find a minute detail or two about the place that really didn’t do it for me, it’s got to be the neon lighting nearby the bar area that dominates the room around dinner time. Yes, this is really just me splitting hairs by now — and this is by no means a dealbreaker for dining here at all — but I’m just not a big fan of spending a dinner out basking in the glow of a bright neon hue.
Regardless of my nitpicking, Fire Works is definitely a fun and great place to check out, and I’d definitely recommend it if you’re in the area.

I really wanted to love this place. We live right near it, they have a phenomenal patio, and I love Italian food. However, the service really ruined our experience.
Service:
We were seated outside on an empty patio and were immediately served water and we quickly ordered an app we had been eyeing on the menu. Then we didn’t see the waiter again. About 15 minutes later, we had to stop a guy to ask if we could order. Five minutes later another guy came by with the appetizer. Then we finally had a nice guy come by and take our order. (Pizza) During the time the patio started to fill up. Everyone else around us ordered and received their food. Ours just never came… and our waters were never refilled. FINALLY our pizza came and we asked for water and parmesan when it was delivered. That never came until we tracked our waiter down as he was serving someone else and asked again.
Food:
Goat Cheese Lamb Meatballs: Very good, but nothing extraordinary. Not a whole lot of goat cheese, and only 3 meat balls in an average marinara sauce.
Fire «The Works» Pizza: Excellent! Loved their crust.

I love this place. Nice patio to sit outside, great wine and pizzas. I’ve been here a few times and it’s always great.

4.5 Stars
A Courthouse gem. Decent beer selection, delicious appetizers, and a solid pizza menu. The calamari is standard and comes with a unique sriracha tartar sauce though I probably still prefer the standard marinara. The reason for the high rating is I found one of my most favorite pizzas here: the Black Sheep. I’m pretty indecisive about toppings and was overjoyed to find one that combined all of my favorite things: organic tomato sauce, feta, Virginia lamb sausage, roma tomatoes, spinach, red onion, balsamic glaze, and cheese. The balsamic glaze makes the pizza as it adds a sweetness to balance the tangy feta and tomatoes.
The service could be better here, I feel. I’d still return for the aforementioned pizza.

Great spot for some good pizza with a cool atmosphere. If you live in the area it’s good place to walk to to grab a bite! I’ve been here on multiple occasions and usually do the self seating in the bar area. The service is always pretty quick and my boyfriend and I somehow always find an open seat. It’s a good spot to sit too if there’s a game on that you want to watch because they have many tv’s. Their outside area by the fire pit looks cool too.
No one can really go wrong with any of the pizzas you order. Recently I ordered the fireworks pizza with my boyfriend and we added some other toppings on to it and they didn’t make a big deal over it with the changes which was nice. I must also add that we ordered their Greek salad and I loved it! It is not your traditional Greek salad that I usually eat so I was nervous when my boyfriend ordered it however, I was pleasantly surprised when it was brought out and how good it was! Very light and a good salad to start with. We also have ordered their wings many times and they are sooo good! Covered in buffalo dressing and just pure amazingness (don’t think that’s a word but oh well).
Fireworks is a nice spot with tasty food and good service. I like that they are open pretty late so if I am hungry late at night I can walk over here and order something. This place is always busy so that’s a good sign!

I visited Fire Works with a friend without a reservation at 6pm on a Friday evening, and while the place was quite crowded already, we thankfully got seated almost immediately. I liked the general ambiance and how much space this restaurant has. It felt airy and open with all the large panel windows. What I didn’t like about the atmosphere was how close tables were together. We were practically squeezed up against other guests and it wasn’t the most comfortable feeling.
I enjoyed the food a lot — I ordered the Quattro Carne off the Signature Pizzas menu and it came with tons of meat — pepperoni, meatballs, Italian sausage, and salami over an organic tomato sauce and cheese. So delicious! I finished my entire 10″ pizza ($ 13) in one sitting. You can also order a customized pizza, which is what my friend did. Very great prices for a very good deal, especially considering its location in Courthouse /​Clarendon.
Service was good too — efficient and friendly.
I would certainly visit again!

Unlike most other reviews, I had a rather wretched experience at Fire Works. We got there around 8:30 on a Thursday evening and there was about a 15 – 20 minute wait for a table, which was no biggie. We ordered a drink at the bar, and by the time we got the drinks we were being seated. Not because we were seated so quickly, but because it took that long at the bar. But the bar was busy, so okay.
After we were seated by the hostess, the waiter comes by and I thought rather strangely asked us, «Soooo…can I help you?» Usually I’m asked, «What can I get you?» or «Something to drink?» or «Any questions about the menu?», whereas this guy’s wording made it seem like he was confused as to why we were there. We had a few questions as to the size of the pies (would 1 be adequate for 2 people or should we get a couple), recommendations, ordered an app and a bottle of wine and asked for a minute to finish looking over the menu.
After quite a while the app hadn’t come out, and when we flagged him down, he told us he forgot to put it in and apologized and asked if we wanted it comped or wanted a dessert comped instead or what. Before we had time to answer, he was like, «You know what, I’ll just send my manager over.» Okay, cool. Mistakes happen, we get it. Though we were really looking forward to the app, we decided on dessert instead. The pizzas and kids meal were delivered, but no plates which we ask for and get. The manager swings by and offers to comp a dessert so we thank him. He asks if we need anything else, and we say that yes, we’d like to order more drinks. A good manager would take care of that request then and there, but instead he tells us he’ll send our waiter back. Eventually, our waiter meanders back to take our drink order as we are almost done with our food.
Our drinks come, we finish our pizza and he asks if we are ready for the check and we remind him that we’d like to look over the dessert menu. We end up ordering 2 desserts and when a different server delivers them, she has to make room on our table because it hasn’t been bussed. She doesn’t make room by bussing the finished dishes, she just moves things aside. At this point, my boyfriend is pretty fed up and clears the table himself and give the dishes to the next employee he sees walking by. When the waiter drops off the check, he asks how everything was and we mention that we had to bus our own table. I think he mumbled a weak apology.
The food was decent, but overall the experience was pretty bad. I’m not super demanding, but the level of apathy was awful. The server made an honest mistake by not putting the app in, but after that he didn’t seem to make any effort to up the game. He continued to half-​ass it. The manager comped a dessert, but didn’t ensure that we got our 2^nd round of drinks in a timely manner. I’d rather not be comped anything and have attentive service with correct orders, timely refills, and a bussed table.

Their open woodfired oven is on full display, and the man who tends the fire is a master of shifting the pizzas around the floor of the oven to bake them JUST RIGHT.
This place consistently makes excellent napolitano style pizza. Their ingredients are prepped and flavored just right. Great balance of tastes yet unafraid to offer quirky combinations. Their tomatoes with a balsamic dressing on the pizza are luscious. Their locally-​sourced Virginia lamb is sweet and robust (Black sheep pizza is a MUST TRY). I have gone through nearly all of their pizzas. Crust always crispy, not too thick, perfectly complementing the toppings both in texture and weight.
I can’t think of a bad pizza I have eaten here, and I am not a pizza girl. Service is really fast. Even when busy, they have a great system of preparing and cooking pizzas in that massive oven.
Try sitting at the bar where you can feel the heat of the oven and watch the man baking pizzas — it is a treat!
Once you’ve chosen your pizza, indulge in the well curated list of wines and beers they offer. They are seasonally rotated. Their wines are selected to pair well with their pizza. Local breweries are featured.
Desserts are decadent and on the odd occasion I have indulged, quite delicious.
I reserve the five stars for a no-​reservations thumbs up. I give it to this place.
This is far far far far far better than Two Amys, service incredibly efficient and seamless. I can’t say enough good things about this place. Find it conveniently located near the Courthouse Metro station in Arlington. If you’re choosing between this and Pupatella I’d say it’s much easier too get seating here. The interior here is so well appointed and stylish you feel good here and the accessibility can’t be beat. I also think this is the best pizza in the area.

A rare 5-​star review! It’s only appropriate that the first review of mine after a hiatus is for delicious pizza.
For years I have touted District of Pi as the best pizza in the area. Well, no more! Fire Works beats it by a mile. I got a personal «The Fire Works Pizza» and I had all of it, except for the crust (I know, judge me). The server was super-​nice and helped me out with conveying less cheese («easy on the cheese»). What I got was my perfect, ideal pizza. The crust is so thin and delicious, the sauce just sweet enough, and the toppings super-​fresh. This place brought out my inner pizza fiend.
The location is pretty convenient as well (I walked from an Irish bar/​pub about 3 blocks away after a holiday party) and was floored by how nice the interior is. They also have these handy hooks on each booth, which were helpful for our fat winter jackets. I would definitely come here again if I’m in the area — I rarely head out to NoVA on the weekends, but I may have to make an exception to introduce people to the wonderful pizza that is Fire Works.

Flatbreads and $ 4 sangria for happy hour? Sign me up!
This is a great location for happy hour. Keep in mind, the only way to get happy hour prices is at the bar which includes the lounge area around the bar. The lounge area isn’t too big, but the prices are pretty legit for happy hour!
I can’t wait to come back on a Sunday – they offer happy hour all day!