by Daniella Gibbs Leger
This Saturday I had the pleasure of dining at our newest eatery, Menomale. For weeks I’ve been eagerly waiting what they describe as “pizza the way it was historically intended”. As some of you know, I’m originally from New Jersey and know a thing or two about good pizza. It’s been a long standing desire to get a quality pizza place that wasn’t a 15 minute drive.
I’m happy to report that we now have one. Menomale just had their soft opening, so please be aware that they are still working out their kinks. Our waitress, lovely as she was, clearly was still learning the ropes. But none of that bothered us. My husband and I showed up at 5pm when they opened because friends noted that the wait was very long the night before, and I can see why. It’s a very small place, but my is it beautiful inside. The first thing you’ll notice is their great big oven. You’re then led into the next room where a small bar (maybe 8 seats) and about 6-7 tables reside.
I won’t go into menu details – you can see them here. I will say that both of our pizzas were so delicious that I forgot to take a picture of them. I could eat the tomato sauce they use out of a jar (they make their own). They also have an extensive craft beer menu, which for me is as exciting as the pizza. They will let you try a beer first if you’re not sure you’ll like it, which I always appreciate. For dessert, my husband had the rum cake and I had the pizza dough-wrapped nutella.
All in all, I give this place 10 stars, even with the slightly shaky service. I know that the service will get better with time and I’m not sure the food can improve upon perfection. I cannot wait to go back or order take out to try their other pizzas.
I hope all you other potential businesses are paying attention to what’s going on here in our little neck of the woods. If you build it (“it” being quality food), they will come, and they will wait for 45 minutes for a table.
rhodeislandavene.com 
Awesome! I can’t wait to try them out.
Had a pizza and a calzone from menomale last night- fantastic!
Daniella,
Thanks for the update! I’ll try it after the grand opening. Even Flip-it had shaky service when it first started. So, not surprised.
Glad to see more diversity coming to this area. Has anyone tried the new Pho Restaurant at Bladensburg & New York Avenue? It just recently opened. I went about a week ago. Although they got my order totally wrong, they were willing to correct it. The food was fine. It’s attached to the Days Inn on New York Avenue.
Hi Woodie. I haven’t been to the new pho place, but a friend of mine went and said they liked it!
I went last night and it was delicious! I had the Diavola (SPICY!) and my mother in law had the Bianca white pizza, which was equally delicious. We waited about 45 minutes at 8:30 pm, but it was worth the wait. We had absolutely no issues with service and they graciously accommodated a few abnormal food alteration requests. We will definitely be back soon!
Hey Sara. It’s good to know they won’t mind some food alterations…I’d love the white pizza, but I don’t eat pork. I think that will be the next pie I get!
Now I want to eat pizza.
When a group of friends ate at Menomale, we noticed that the parts of crust covered in sauce/toppings were super soggy. The taste was otherwise delicious, but I’m curious if we just got a bad batch (first seating on an incredibly busy friday night) or if, perhaps, Neapolitan pizza is supposed to be like that. I hope not, and am planning on going back to try again soon!
Hi JMC. My crust was a little soggy in the middle, but that’s typically been the case with other pizza of that style, and I don’t mind it all. I bet if you asked them about it maybe they’d keep it in the oven a bit longer for you. They’re super accommodating.
going to be calling in an order tonight for carry out and was wondering how big these pizzas are? can anyone give me an idea?
Hmmm. Have you been to Red Rocks? It’s about that size. I am not good at guessing an actual numeric size 🙂
i have not been to Red Rocks. Are the Matchbox sized?
Mark, I *think* so. I haven’t been to matchbox in years. It’s about enough for 1 very hungry person (which I was as I ate my entire pie).
FYI, when I was there the other night and we had a 45 minute wait, we considered ordering it to go. They said that since they were so busy, the pizzas were being cooked in the order placed, so we would still have to wait about 45 minutes.
thanks for the tip. ill be sure to call in the order way ahead of time.
Mark: I would say that they can feed 1.5 normally hungry people. Let me put in a plug for the sandwiches though. My hubby and I had a sandwich and a pizza takeout on Sunday evening, and there were tons of leftovers. Sandwich even better than Taylor Gourmet, and that’s a lot coming from me!
the sandwiches dont come on that rock hard bread like Taylor’s sandwiches do, do they?
Went to Menomale on Wed night with my wife and son for the first time. I was impressed with the pizza (I love the smell of fresh basil and prosciutto!), the intimacy of the place! What struck me though was how many other people were there with there children which is something that I haven’t seen very much of while out and about in the city. There must of been five other families in there. But the place was so small that several of us had to sit on the floor with our children to eat our pizza!