Alatri Bros. opened in 2017, inhabiting the sacred space once occupied by Mia’s Pizza, established in 2006, Bethesda’s first wood-fired pizzeria. Alatri Bros. is owned by the Pietrobono family, who also own Olazzo, around the corner on Norfolk Ave. The two owners, brothers Roberto and Riccardo Pietrobono, named the restaurant after their family’s ancestral roots in the town of Alatri, southeast of Rome.
The acquisitive Pietrobono family also opened Gringos & Mariachis in 2014, which shares a patio with Alatri Bros. A group of diners could conceivably sit on the patio, some ordering from Alatri Bros. and some ordering from Gringos & Mariachis, like a high-end food court.1
Not to be outdone by Wimbledon’s Centre Court or the SoFi Stadium, the Alatri/Gringos patio has a retractable roof with fans for the heat and heaters for the cold. The versatile outdoor space expands both small restaurants’ indoor space year-round. The patio also has an outdoor bar.
The interesting aspect of Alatri Bros. pizza is its sauce. Unlike most wood-fired pizzas, Alatri’s sauce isn’t straight San Marzano. While the tomatoes may come from San Marzano, the sauce is garlicky and tangy. The sauce isn’t world-class, but its deviation from the bland norm earns points in DishingPizza‘s book.
Alatri Bros. likely uses Mia’s brick, wood-burning oven to produce its unconventionally-sized 11″ pies2. Like many other wood-fired pizzas, Alatri’s requires two hands to eat — one to hold the edge and the other to support the floppy center. Full disclosure: DishingPizza carried out its Alatri Bros. pizza, which is suboptimal for delicate wood-fired pies. Thankfully, the crust isn’t wet on the bottom, and it reheats surprisingly well. The mozzarella is sparingly applied and unremarkable.
Located on Cordell Avenue, one of downtown Bethesda’s premier streets, the lovely Alatri/Gringos patio provides an urban oasis without patrons having to dine on the sidewalk. The Pietrobono family deserves praise for creating unique, non-chain establishments in a competitive and expensive restaurant landscape.
Alatri Bros.
4926 Cordell Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814
Style: Wood-fired
Pizza quality: 🍕🍕
Overall experience: ⭐⭐⭐
Pie (11″): $15.00
Pie price per square inch: $0.16
I appreciate the yeoman’s work you are doing to improve the collective knowledge base for pizza joints in the DMV. For those of us who love pizza (but maybe not enough to eat it more than once a week–or month), your reviews are invaluable (and entertaining). Is it possible that you could additionally slice the data with a comparison chart or spreadsheet—taste, cost, ambiance, etc.? It’s tough to reread all of your reviews to try to narrow down my options. Having all of the data in one place would enable me and your other readers to see the full picture before choosing a place to commit to, at least for one evening!