Munch on Some Za

By District Eats

by jake rake


Remember those carefree afternoons meeting the ol’ gang at the local pizzaria for a soda and a slice after school? Probably not, because if you’re anything like me, your upbringing involved much more time spent in tears than the idyllic youth of lore. Any way, if that halcyon adolescence did in fact exist, Stromboli’s Restaurant in Bethesda would serve as an appropriate setting.

If you’ve ever seen a sitcom where the characters eat at a pizza place, you know what Stromboli’s looks like: red vinyl booths line the walls of a dining room adorned with images of Christobal Columbo, cartoon maps of Italy and photographs of Redskins teams past, while the sweet smell of grease and dough emanates past the first video game machine ever built into the street. The staff is perfectly indifferent to suit the eatery’s decorum and the beer selection is lackluster and often flat. However, that’s exactly what you want from your local dump; If the service was great and the libations interesting, an entire family wouldn’t be able to eat for $45 and the place would be crawling with people you’ve never seen before.

The real draw to Stromboli’s, which first opened it’s doors Wisconsin Ave. in the last year of the Carter Administration, is the food, which can best be described as Italian-American comfort food. The menu is predictably carb-dominant, with pizzas, calzones, and the usual array of pastas complimenting the titular stromboli. Standouts include the Sicilian Stromboli, with broccoli, pepperoni, fontina and mozzarella, the steak & cheese sub, served DC style with lettuce, tomato and mayo, and the classic mozzarella sticks, which are obviously served in a red plastic basket at approximately the temperature of Venus with a side of marinara sauce.

For deep-fried, vaguely Italian familiarity at its most comfortable, check out Stromboli’s. If you’re disappointed, it’s your own fault.
Check out Stromboli here