In a town high on pretension and low on authenticity, Vace is an odd duck. Vace’s storefront isn’t exactly dingy, but this Italian specialty carryout, with freezer cases filled with fresh-frozen ravioli, manicotti, lasagna, and tortellini, lacks the polish and glamour of just about every other business in tony Bethesda.
Slices are unpretentiously arrayed within a smudged warming case. It’s impossible to tell if the pizza has been sitting there for five minutes or five hours. That said, the joint is popular, and it’s unlikely the pizza sits around long enough to get cold — it’s that good. If you want to eat the pizza right away and ask if it’s hot, the server will shrug and let you feel the slice after it’s wrapped in aluminum foil, and heat it if you want.
Vace applies the sauce on top of the cheese, creating a firm crust. If you’re looking for a slice that you can fold over and eat New York style¹, you’re barking up the wrong tree with Vace.
For New York-style pizza with a thin-ish crust, Vace’s sauce-on-top iconoclasm is perplexing. Dishing Pizza suspects the pizza cooks at a higher-than-normal heat, and the sauce prevents the cheese from burning. The sauce acts as a moisture barrier and also adds a distinct flavor profile by being the first thing to hit the palate. The downside is pizza that’s slightly messier than the traditional cheese-on-top.
Vace is Dishing Pizza’s go-to Bethesda pizza. The sauce is fresh, lightly seasoned, and has a homemade taste. The cheese is high quality, flavorful, and not greasy. To clear up any confusion, the aforementioned crust is baked perfectly and is not hard like a cracker.
At $2.50 a slice, the old-world Vace has old-world prices. What’s not to love about this stellar pizza?
¹ Dishing Pizza finds nothing appealing about pizza so floppy that one would even consider folding it, which is also an abomination.
Vace Italian Delicatessen
4705 Miller Ave.
Bethesda MD 20814
3315 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington DC 20008
Pizza quality: 🍕🍕🍕🍕
Overall experience: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Slice: $2.50
Slice price per square inch: $0.10
Slice greed factor: 🤑
Pie: $16
Pie price per square inch: $0.08