Weirdly, I was just walking past All Purpose in September and telling my mom how delicious it was when a completely random man stopped to say that their pizza was trash and I should go to Etto or Timber instead.

I’m sure those are both fine restaurants, but this Opinionated Stranger was wrong. All Purpose makes great pizza.

All Purpose Pizza
1250 9th St NW

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I didn’t make a reservation for All Purpose, and that was stupid. This place is good sized but even on a weeknight it was jam-packed. We found a spot technically in the bar area – but more like squished between the bar and the hostess stand – that I do not believe was intended as a dining space. Fortunately they agreed to bring us pizzas there.

I went with two vegetarians, which was something of a tactical error because I didn’t want a veggie pie and that meant I couldn’t in good conscience demand a slice exchange. Still, my pizza was so good I’m not sure I could have given any of it away.

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yes that’s pickled cauliflower

It’s been long enough (six months) that their menu has changed but the Duke #7 is still on the list – and for good reason. The ‘nudja (a loose, spicy Italian pork sausage) combined with a pickled pepper relish known as giardiniera makes a fantastic riff on the classic sausage’n’peppers. The cheese was generous and the spice level was perfect. I ate every bite and mourned its passing.

I can’t remember quite which pies my companions ordered – I have much less of a memory for food that I didn’t eat – but at the time they had multiple vegetarian options available including one that was heavy on the mushrooms if that’s your thing. They also have a make-your-own option if the specialty pies aren’t to your taste.

Unfortunately, a quick glance shows fewer vegetarian choices now. Their current menu has one mex-ish vegetarian pie (cotija, corn, cilantro, fresno chilis – somewhat confusingly named The Salem?? I assure you Massachusetts is not the place for Mexican food), and one with four cheeses, but the other six all have pork or anchovy.    Hopefully they’ll mix things up going forward for those with dietary restrictions who want something more interesting than a cheese pizza.