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Pizza CS (2011-2020), Owners Jonathan Allen and Ankur Rajpara's Fantastic Pizza in Rockville - Closing in 2020


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Excellent pizza here the other night. They were slammed--absolutely packed--which was nice to see. We had three pizzas between the three of us--a margarita, a CS sausage, and a third whose name escapes me--and really enjoyed them. In a lot of ways, I think that this place has really hit its stride.

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Oh my, another great pizza at CS last night.

So, why is this post-worthy?

Neither Jonathan nor Ankur were involved. Sure, Ankur was in the back -- but, for me, this means they've surmounted the hurdle that trips-up others. They've trained a great staff to follow their passion and deliver -> sustainability.

post-226-0-06888100-1402577474_thumb.jpg

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Oh my, another great pizza at CS last night.

So, why is this post-worthy?

Neither Jonathan nor Ankur were involved. Sure, Ankur was in the back -- but, for me, this means they've surmounted the hurdle that trips-up others. They've trained a great staff to follow their passion and deliver -> sustainability.

That looks like the Moto--such a nice pizza!

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Went here for dinner tonight after having read good things here at DR.  Everyone was happy.  Wife, daughter, and me.  Daughter (3 year old) had the kid pizza and she ate almost the whole thing.  Wife and I split a Margheretia and Papi.  Both were cooked perfectly, nice amount of char, chewy the way it should be.  Ingredients in balance, etc.  What I like about the pizza here  is that you don't feel gross after devouring a pizza.  Will definitely put this place into our rotation.

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Another sure sign that summer's almost over - Pizza CS announces their vacation closure:

So it's that time of year: Vacation. We will be closed starting Sunday 8/31 through 9/8. Thanks for your support and we"ll see you back on September 9th!

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We were here tonight, and it was as great as usual. The pizza menu has expanded a bit--maybe 4 new pies? The Bruno, a white pizza with sausage, was a great combination. The Cotto was sweet peppers, ham, artichoke, and good. These guys continue to crank out solid pies a few years in, with no sign of drop off whatsoever.

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side note for anyone who doesn't drive (or just avoids the Pike): I was surprised and delighted to discover just how close CS is to the Twinbrook Metro station.  Confronted with an upholstery errand this summer, I found myself crossing the blazing hot pavement of various parking lots to reach the furniture store in question.  What kept me going was that, very near the beginning of the trip, I passed CS and knew there would be a great lunch waiting for me once I was done.  And the trip home (to Friendship Heights in my case) seemed much quicker than our usual drive back. 

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Was great to stop in with the family last night after taking too long between visits. Especially enjoyed starting with the Arugula Prosciutto Salad with a bright vinaigrette. Little ones nicely made kids Cheese Pizza was enjoyed by both girls. Got two family standards, Encore (crumbled sausage, red onion) and Soprasetta (red sauce pie, fresh mozz, eponymous) - perfectly cooked with that right balance of firmness, elasticity, char. Couple bottles of table Sangiovese went well with the meal and you can't beat $20 a bottle. Then a couple scoops of ice cream. For me, this has to be one of the three best places to eat in Montgomery County, wonderful spot. And full at 6:30 on a Sunday.

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On 7/15/2016 at 2:39 PM, MC Horoscope said:

Good review:

"Pizza CS Review: A Salute to Naples on Rockville Pike" by Tim Carman on washingtonpost.com

For me currently I like the flavor of their crust the best out of 2Amys, Comet PingPong, and Pizzeria Inferno. Best tomato sauce for me is currently at Pizzeria Inferno. We have some good pizzas to choose from!

In his review, Tim mentions key ingredients in one of Ankur's creations:

Quote

In fact, the CS Margherita Extra on the specials menu — a pie topped with little blackened orbs of Piennolo cherry tomatoes grown on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius — popped with a mineral sweetness.
<snip>
The Soppressata arrives looking like a round of bubbling lava. Its looks are not deceiving: Topped with hot soppressata salami and chili flakes, the pie will burn your house down. 

The Picca's been on their specials menu for a few weeks and is a blast furnace compared to the Soppressata. 

If you've had a great Szechuan meal including a dish that almost made you shed tears of delicious pain, but kept you going back for more -- just try the Picca. It is a wondrous combination of sweet, salty, creamy, chewy, and hot, hot, hot. However, please note there is no merciful, anesthetic numbing pepper involved -  your tastebuds are naked and sober. The ricotta is a mirage and will not save you. If I'm going to burn, my only request is for more char on the crust. 

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I don't post about it enough, but we are here all the time. Ingredients remain high quality across the board, Ankur, Jon and the staff continue to crank out great pies, everyone is super friendly, and the prices are very reasonable.

And without spilling too much of the news, if you drive slowly north on Rockville Pike, and look in the strip centers on the right, there's a pretty unmistakable sign about a mile north of the joint...

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On 7/30/2013 at 10:17 AM, mnnchas said:

I heard (from an employee during a recent visit) that the shopping center is slated for redevelopment in about a year.  Has anyone else heard about this?  It wasn't clear if this would be the type of redevelopment that the restaurant could operate through or if relocation would be necessary.

On 7/30/2013 at 11:33 PM, seanvtaylor said:

Yes, Jonathan mentioned this to us about 8 months ago. It sounded like a relocation was in the cards (or at least appeared to be, when he mentioned it). i think they've done great in that location, but I'm also confident that they could do well in a number of places around Rockville.

On 7/30/2013 at 11:56 PM, rockcreek said:

Pizza CS is located squarely in the highest-development segment of the Rockville Pike Master Plan (known as "South Pike.") Quoth the Master Plan (emphasis mine):

"The South Pike has the greatest potential to receive the bulk of the population growth within the corridor, as well as a significant portion of the City's population growth, over the next few decades. This area also has the most potential to transform from a commercial suburban development pattern into an urban center, complementing Rockville Town Square to the north. Much of the growth and increased density in the South Pike is expected to be east of Rockville Pike for the near future."

So what do you know: them boys can pick 'em! 🙂

They have (imho) a good product, and they do a good job. Let's hope the moving costs don't rake them over and more people find out about them.

Master Plan is here: http://www.rockvillemd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1428

It'll be reported elsewhere on this board: yesterday, the new Twinbrook Quarter development announced their anchor tenant will be Wegmans.The parcel starts a block north of the Twinbrook Metro (where Pizza CS is located), past Congressional Lane and continues north-ish to include the building currently housing Joe's Noodle. This area totals 18 acres and is less than half the size of the White Flint parcel (44 acres) under consideration for Amazon's HQ2, but wow.

From the April 11th Rockville City Planning Commission briefing (starts on page 110):

TwinbrookQuarterSiteMap_p113_RocvillePlanningCommissionBrief_11APR2018 - Copy.jpg

No timeline yet, but Bethesda Magazine has additional information in an article by Andrew Metcalf.

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10 hours ago, rockcreek said:

Pretty exciting stuff!

We gotta have our Sunday night post-youth baseball pizza, so hopefully any disruptions are minimal.

Um, if by disruptions you mean that the building they are in is going to be razed, then yes there will be a disruption.

Hopefully they will find a nearby spot to move the business.

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Well duh - I was positing it globally. 😁

I think we're talking about the same thing. When I talked to Jon after this whole "plan" came out, he seemed to have a pretty good understanding of the future terrain. I wouldn't be surprised to find out they have a short downtime contingency in place. (Maybe that's why CSNY is here?)

Anyway, we're all agreed; develop the space, and please continue the business.

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1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

Incidentally, I went to Pizza CS two weeks ago, and have raised that to the #1 restaurant in South Rockville - the pizza was as good as any I've had lately in the DC area (if there's currently any better pizza than this in town, please let me know).

Interestingly, the best pizzas right now are coming out of Maryland - that was never the case until recently.

Mine too. I've been dozens of times since they've opened and the pies are always great, every trip. 

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Yesterday, Pizza CS hosted their first pizza and wine tasting featuring Davide Megna from Impero wine distributors. About 25 diners went through a slice and taste of five pizzas and Italian wine pairing. It was a good group, recruited via FB, and we tasted a variety of pizzas from their menu while Mr. Megna provided tasting notes on the wines. As I left, I thanked Ankur and mentioned this felt like a fun DR group Dim Sum meal. Pizzas we ate (wine paring):

 

Poppi (Grigio Trebbiano, Impero) - Parmesan Cream, Ricotta, Mozzarella, Spinach, Artichoke, Roasted Peppers

 

Encore (Gragnano, Tenuda Matilde Zasso) - Tomato, Smoked mozzarella, Sausage, Red Onion, Oregano

  

Margherita (Sangiovese, Impero) - Tomato, Buffalo mozzarella, Basil

 

Capri (Nero D’Avola, Montani) - Tomato, Ham, Mushroom, Olive, Artichoke, Basil

 

Quattro (Roma Rosso, San Marco) - Mozzarella, Smoked Mozzarella, Ricotta, Gorgonzola, Garlic, Oregano

 

The wines were well paired with the Pinot Grigio/Trebbiano blend being the biggest surprise. After having avoided Pinot Grigio for years, this blend had enough body to support the light, white Poppi pizza. To me, Gragnano is usually just fizzy and plain. My table commented that this one was a winner and several thought they’d purchase a bottle later. Nero D’Avola sometimes resembles a peppery Zin, but this one was smoother and more like a Rhone wine. Mr. Megna helpfully mentioned the newly opened Rockville Pike Craft Beer store just south of CS carried his wines.

 

It would be great if we could muster a DR group and replicate this.

PizzaCS_tasting26FEB.jpeg.e919819b3272bc95e6747fa8358bc26b.jpeg

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12 hours ago, pras said:

According to the Store Reporter, they are unfortunately closing sometime in early 2020.

I might be wrong with both of these statements, but I know I'm not wrong with the third:

* This may be one of the biggest recent restaurant closing announcements in the DMV.

* This is my favorite pizza in the entire DMV right now.

* This makes me incredibly sad.

Pizza CS is currently ranked as the #1 restaurant in South Rockville in the Maryland Dining Guide.

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Quote

I might be wrong with both of these statements, but I know I'm not wrong with the third:

I wholeheartedly agree with all three. When they close, they will be sorely, sorely missed by many. 8 years is a long run, and I could understand how exhausting that was and the need they have for a break. Here's to hoping that they take some time, find a new location (maybe one only 5 minutes from my house!), and come back with more Neapolitan-style pizzas. 

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Paid a visit to Pizza CS this week.  Here is my Margherita pizza with pepperoni.  Loved it.  Rich tomato and a fantastic crust.  Paired with a Jailbreak hefeweizen.  There are no two words more delicious to say together than 'pepperoni cups.'  I hope there are more pies like this in my future

 

Pizza_CS.png.11f1f4bfd5fc1b9863f6be1e8fbde0e7.png

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5 minutes ago, DanielK said:

Any pie at Inferno in Gaithersburg, or the Sicilian at CS New York in Rockville. 

I actually forgot about Pizza CS until you just reminded me - I was there once last year, and it was the best pizza I've had in quite awhile. (And I know you're talking about CS New York, but I'm talking about regular old CS.)

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On 12/3/2019 at 10:53 AM, DanielK said:

Jonny told me the other day that, while they weren't ready to share a date, "you'll be wearing shorts."

I told Jonny and Ankur that I would arrange a DR gathering as the date gets closer. We can pack the place, right?

Sunday, June 14th according to Store Reporter. I'll talk with them soon about a DR gathering.

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