LENA’S WOOD-FIRED PIZZA & TAP
ADDRESS: 401 E Braddock Road, Alexandria, VA 22301
WEBSITE: https://www.lenaswoodfire.com/
For the last night of my DC trip before I headed back to California, I had made plans to meet up with my friend Mark, who I hadn’t seen since my last trip to the area back in 2019. We were tossing around ideas about places to hit up near where I was staying by National Airport, and pizza sounded pretty good. I had remembered a place called Lena’s Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap that I had always seen when we were driving back from the Braddock Road Metro station. After checking out their menu, we decided to head on over there.
The parking situation was a little rough, as the small parking area behind the restaurant was completely full and we ended up parking down the street before walking over. From what I understand, there are three areas that the restaurant has for seating: the downstairs area (tap room & bar), the Loft (upstairs area that rotates through different themes), and the beer garden (outdoors). Since it was a Monday night with less of a crowd, I’m pretty sure only their main downstairs area was open, which is where we ended up getting seated.
Even though the wood-fired pizzas were one of their specialties, their menu also featured a number of other Italian pastas and entrées, along with salads, soups, and a burger option as well. There was a lot that sounded good, with Mark and I both going back and forth on which pizzas we wanted to split. He was really feeling the Mushroom (béchamel, wood roasted wild mushrooms, mozzarella, and truffle oil), with a half-half split to substitute out for feta cheese for me. My eyes were drawn to the Diavola (spicy sopressata salami, topped with fried kale and Calabrian chili hot honey), also with a substitute for feta. Of course, when I saw calamari on the appetizers list, I had to make the suggestion for us to split that as well.
The dining area was nice and spacious, featuring a full bar along with a nice mix between high-tops, tables, and booths. Right next to the bar is also where you can see their wood-fired oven, burning at 900°F, cooking up all of the pizzas. There were also a number of different light fixtures that helped to provide a nice aesthetic as well, such as the giant lightbulbs that were hanging over the long tables. The space as a whole definitely seemed like a welcoming place to sit down and hang out.
It wasn’t long before our order of fried calamari came out to the table. I do have to say that while this calamari was still good, I think that the other two I had on the trip that were breaded with semolina flour were better. I liked that coarse texture of the crunch that the semolina gave. But don’t get me wrong, this plate of calamari was still really good. Flash-fried to just the right crispiness, the squid was also accompanied with cherry pepper pieces as well.
Both pizzas came out to us piping hot, and they both looked and smelled amazing. We went in for the Diavola first, which was piled high with the fried kale on top. I wasn’t expecting it to be that much kale, and it definitely made for interesting bites trying to make sure none of it fell off. (I can say that I wasn’t very successful at that.) The spicy salami combined well with the spicy red sauce to give things a kick, and then the hot honey also added that sweet heat element to things as well. The ingredient listing on the menu got me curious, and I’m glad that the combination ended up working out.
Next up was the Mushroom, with the rich creaminess of the béchamel sauce base combined with the earthiness of the wild mushrooms. The cheese helped to add another layer of creaminess to each bite as well. I wouldn’t say that the flavor combination was as dynamic as the Diavola, but this pizza focused more on the richness of the flavors rather than each one standing apart. I liked the fact that each of the pizzas was distinct from each other, which helped provide some flavor diversity when jumping between slices of the two.
Lena’s is definitely a really solid spot to stop in and pick up some pizza. Located within walking distance of the Braddock Road Metro station, the restaurant is situated well if you want to stop by on your commute home from work, or if you’re within walking distance from some of the nearby apartments. The atmosphere is nice, the food quality is really good, and the portions are pretty good for what you pay for. If you’re looking for a place to get some solid Italian food during your next outing, definitely stop into Lena’s to check it out.
Let’s now take a look at the Lena’s Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap Dish Spotlight. Asterisks (*) below mark my recommended dishes.
** Calamari **
Breaded and flash-fried with cherry peppers, served with spicy marinara for dipping.
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** Mushroom Pizza **
Béchamel sauce base topped with wood roasted wild mushrooms and truffle oil. Pictured at the 14″ size with half mozzarella, half feta.
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** Diavola Pizza **
Spicy sopressata salami on a spicy marinara sauce base, topped with fried kale and Calabrian chili hot honey. Pictured at the 14″ size with feta.
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And finally, here are my rankings for Lena’s Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap:
Food: 4.75 / 5
With eight different types of pizza to choose from, along with a variety of other Italian entrée, pasta, and salad options, you’re bound to find something you’re in the mood for. Food quality is excellent and tastes great as well.
Atmosphere: 4.75 / 5
The layout of the dining area is spacious, with the variety of different seating types beneficial depending on how big (or small) of a party you’re with. The décor felt very modern, and the vibe was very welcoming as a whole.
Service: 4.25 / 5
Our waitress did a good job with answering the questions that we had about the menu and making some recommendations to us as well. The food was also making its way out to us from the kitchen in a very quick manner.
Price: 4.5 / 5
For the 14″ pizzas, they range anywhere from $20 – $29. But with the higher quality ingredients and the different flavor combinations, I thought that it was well worth paying for.
Overall:
18.25 / 20
(91%)
Categories: Restaurants, Virginia
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