<<EDIT #2 4:39 PM 7/8/10 –As reported elsewhere (including Tim Carman’s Young & Hungry post), the opening has been pushed back a week and is now slated for Monday, July 19th. Stay hungry!>>
<<EDIT 11:29 AM 7/7/10 – Official word from We the Pizza is that they’re planning for a Monday opening. They’ve been working ’round the clock to finish everything up and, in Mike Colletti’s words, “Everything’s great…but I’m tired!”>>
Brace yourselves.
Better yet, Capitol Hill, break out your fat pants.
In just a few days, Spike Mendelsohn (along with his family and friends) will be opening We, the Pizza in the space that used to be Zack’s Taverna. Consider it the polar opposite to the new SweetGreen – the menu consists of pizzas, wings, sandwiches and gelati all washed down with ice-cold beers and hand-flavored Italian fountain sodas.
The opening party is tonight, and they’ll be turning out pies to the public as early as Friday.
Can’t wait that long? Check out the menu on their already-live website.
Better yet, check out the following photos to get a feel for the place. We were lucky enough to get in for a first look yesterday, and it’s clear that Spike, Mike Colletti and Brian Lacayo are ready to have some fun with their new concept.
More photos after the jump.
One of the most interesting decoration aspects is the art on the wall by the first four booths upstairs. Each represents a local charity or initiative that Spike and his team have partnered with – a way of showing that the “We” in “We, the Pizza” is more than just a concept.
The overall decor reminds us of a classic neighborhood pizza joint with its black-and-white tile and its booths, but the use of pizza plates, heavy marble countertops and big graphics give it an updated look and feel.
We, the Pizza will keep identical hours to Good Stuff Eatery – open from 11:30 AM to 11 PM Monday through Saturday, closed on Sundays.
We, the Pizza
305 Pennsylvania Ave., SE
Washington, DC
Capital Spice 
July 8, 2010 at 9:37 am
Wow, color my jealous! That looks like a great place to eat and hang out.
July 8, 2010 at 9:40 am
[…] and old-school fountain sodas in an updated version of the classic neighborhood pizza joint. We took a first look at the space yesterday and can’t wait for it to […]
July 8, 2010 at 4:58 pm
Let’s hope they can get the pizzas out faster than they do the burgers & fries. Just waited at least 20 mins. in the middle of the afternoon to get a single burger w/small fries. BGR & Sweetgreen seem to manage orders in a timely fashion, why can’t they?
July 9, 2010 at 1:28 am
Was there much of a line in front of you? Considering the fact that they grill your burger fresh to order on that flattop behind the counter, I can understand a wait of 8-10 minutes. 20 seems a bit long.
I don’t think it’s fair to compare what they’re doing to what the folks at SweetGreen are doing, though. No cooking involved there…just assembly.
July 23, 2010 at 3:24 pm
Also BGR is not nearly as good as Goodstuff so even if it takes them a bit longer it is well worth it. Also Sweetgreen is mainly a froyo place even if they do some other stuff, I mean really there is no comparison.
July 9, 2010 at 7:43 pm
Looks like an amazing pizza place, can’t wait for that Monday the 19th opening… so close yet so far!
July 10, 2010 at 12:21 pm
[…] joint from Spike Mendelsohn, who also owns the neighboring burger business, Good Stuff Eatery. Capital Spice got in there to snap some pictures, and the menu is online (we’ll take an order of spicy wings, a […]
July 18, 2010 at 9:57 pm
[…] can read more about We, the Pizza at Capital Spice, Capital Cooking, and Urban […]
July 19, 2010 at 9:53 am
[…] | Leave a Comment If the number of visitors to Capital Spice who have been checking out our first look at We the Pizza is any indication, there will be lines for days as soon as they’re […]
July 20, 2010 at 5:41 pm
It would be nice for the many thousands of people who actually live on Capitol Hill if Spike’s restaurants could be open on Sundays. But like alot of other hill restaurants, he’s not really catering to the residents, just the tourists and hill staff. I think he’d have a much more successful restaurant if he would recognize the Hill residents as a legitimate market. Other restaurants outside of the central business district stay open on Sundays and welcome residents with specials. Why not here?
July 21, 2010 at 1:46 pm
I know where you’re coming from, Gina, and I would think that there would be a pretty decent volume of foot traffic on Sundays that would make it worthwhile for Good Stuff and We, the Pizza to be open. It doesn’t seem like they’re hurting, though.
I can understand a desire on the part of the Mendelsohns to have a day off each week and Sunday is probably the slowest day out of the seven.
I look at it like Chik-Fil-A. As much as it makes me mad when I’m craving it on a Sunday, that’s just their business model. I also cut them some slack because Good Stuff is family owned and operated, and I can tell you the family is there pretty much whenever the restaurant is open.
They have evening hours every weekday and are open all day on Saturdays, so they’re hardly excluding the local residents. It’s not like those large stretches of downtown where everything closes for good at 5PM (some as early as 3).
July 27, 2010 at 4:51 pm
JimmyJam thinks Spice = Spike or Spike’s SPIN PR Guru. I had the super greasy Pepp/Sausage pie slice that seems like you took one of those teeny tiny “fresh” burgers from GoodStuff and squeezed all of the 4oz of GREASE on to my “fresh” We, The Pizza, PIZZA!
If you’re gonna SPIKE MY CHOLESTROL DO IT WITH YOUR FATTENING MILKSHAKES from GOODSTUFFED!
No matter how you “SLICE” it, WE, THE PIZZA is just another greasy pizza joint helping the Nation’s Capital get fatter on the HILL!
Also Italian sodas? WTF – that’s old hat already!
Piece Out!
JJ
July 27, 2010 at 10:58 pm
Thanks for stopping by, JimmyJam. I hope you’ll also check back for this response.
I can only assume you’re not a regular visitor to the blog, as we frequently do these “First Look” type posts for new restaurants before they open. In each case we take photos of the interior and write about the concept, menu and what to expect once they’re open.
Sorry to hear you didn’t like your pizza…we haven’t tried the pies yet, so we can’t agree or disagree with your assessment.
But I’m curious where else you’ve found old-fashioned fountain sodas recently. I like the concept, so I’d be eager to visit any of the other places you’re aware of that make it “old hat.”
You’ve got a choice of where to eat when you’re on the Hill – we all do. And now that places like SweetGreen, We the Pizza and Ted’s Bulletin (Barracks Row) are opening, that choice just got a LOT better. No more Burrito Brothers vs. Cosi day after day for Hill staffers.
If the new places aren’t any good, I’ll bet people figure it out pretty quickly. For now, as someone who has lived and worked on the Hill for a decade now, I’m just happy to see them.
July 28, 2010 at 8:15 am
My husband and I went to “We the Pizza” for lunch yesterday and we absolutely loved it. I love the atmosphere and the decor. The staff and the pizza was great. It was very crowded and we waited in line for about 20 mins before we got our pizza. They gave my husband the wrong pizza and we had to wait another 15 mins to get another one. Overall I think it was worth the wait and I definitely will be going back.
September 11, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Like most places in DC, the crust sucks. Besides, what kind of pizza place doesn’t deliver? Better luck next time, Spike.
September 11, 2010 at 5:38 pm
The crust is definitely a bit dense, but it’s got good flavor relative to many of its competitors.
As for the lack of delivery, I’d point to 2 Amy’s, Pizzeria Paradiso, Red Rocks and 7th Hill. None of them deliver, either. Do you feel the same way about them?
We’ve been pretty impressed with We the Pizza when we’ve eaten there, and they seem to be steadily improving.