Us College Park residents are no strangers to pizza. We have Blaze and Lotsa when we want something specific, Pizza Kingdom for those late nights and Dominos for when are too tired to leave the house.
But what about when you want to meet your mom for lunch, have a nice dinner with your best friends or go on a cute, casual date. There is a new pizza place in town, called Pizzeria Paradiso and you have to check it out!
Located in Hyattsville, it is a short drive away from the UMD campus and it is well worth it. The indoor-outdoor setup makes it a perfect spot for beautiful days and breezy evenings.
The menu itself is filled with salads, paninis and fresh cheeses, but we came for the pizza. We sat outside because it was a gorgeous evening. We looked at all of the authentic choices in the menu in front of us. Everything looked amazing, so we did not know where to even start.
Our Order
We started with two glasses of their sparkling lemonade and some snacking olives. As a person who only orders water typically, it was such a refreshing beginning to the meal.
Not knowing what to order, we asked the very friendly staff what they recommend. We got four recommendations that all sounded very tempting, but Tianxin and I knew we could not eat four pizzas. Lucky for us, we learned that they are able to make any pizza a half and half, including their smaller personal pizzas.
Pizza #1: The Bosco
The first pizza we tried was the Bosco. This was a vegetarian pizza with tomato sauce, spinach, mushrooms, red onions and fresh mozzarella. My favorite part of this pizza is that the fresh vegetables took center stage rather than mountains of cheese and sauce. The roasted mushrooms were incredible, as you could definitely taste the difference in flavor and the fresh mozzarella was the perfect complement to the toppings. This piece of pizza felt very light and the combination of vegetables chosen were perfect.
Pizza #2: The Spring Special
The second pizza we tried was their spring special. This pizza had cherry tomatoes and asparagus as a topping. Before this pizza, I had never had asparagus as a topping so I was excited to see how this would taste.
The flavor immediately reminded me of a dish my mom used to make as a child. She made asparagus wrapped in slices of ham then baked it in a béchamel sauce. This combination of pizza definitely worked.
Not only was the combination of cheese creamy and delightful, but the cherry tomatoes created a fun pop of sweetness that complemented the asparagus perfectly. Like the Bosco, this pizza also had a certain lightness to it that many pizzas lacks.
Pizza #3: The Paesana
The third pizza we had, and my personal favorite, was the Paesana. This pizza was loaded with chicken sausage, sweet red peppers, broccoli rabe, roasted escarole, mozzarella, ricotta, tomato sauce and a spicy garlic pesto. Best. Pizza. Ever.
Everything just blended so seamlessly and the ricotta provided a creaminess to every bite that can not even be explained. Even just the seasoning on the crust of this pizza provided the perfect amount of spice to complement the toppings. I would definitely recommend every person who dines here gives this one a try.
Pizza #4: The Macellaio
The last pizza we had was the Macellaio. This meat lover’s pizza with tomato sauce, pork sausage, pepperoni, red onions and mozzarella tasted like home. It was comfortable and tasty but still managed to keep the lightness of their other variations. After trying toppings that we had never had on pizza, this pizza was like the familiar face you come home to. What a great ending to our flavor experience.
In Conclusion
Overall Pizzeria Paradiso was so delicious because everything tasted fresh, the thin crust was beautifully seasoned and each type of pizza had it’s own personality to it. I think I just found my favorite pizza place in the area. Pizzeria Paradiso is a must try for your pizza bucket list.
A good time to check it out is on May 12th for their beer festival. They are also known for a wide international beer selection to complement your pizza dreams.