Bethesda
Published September 4, 2025 at 9:02AM
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Updated September 4, 2025 at 12:05PM
Courtesy @PinesOfRome_Restaurant on Instagram
The annual Washington Parent Picks awards, hosted by Washington Parent magazine, highlight top businesses, services, and attractions across the DC metro area based on votes from local families. 53-year-old Bethesda institution Pines of Rome tops the pizza category in 2025.
Pines of Rome, founded in 1972, has been serving Italian-American dishes for more than five decades. Originally located just off Wisconsin Avenue, the restaurant relocated to its current space on Cordell Avenue in 2017. Known for its old-school charm, wood-paneled walls, and checkered tablecloths, the restaurant has maintained a reputation for freshness, with every dish made to order.
The restaurant’s signature white pizza, topped with fontina cheese, has long been a customer favorite. While Pines of Rome briefly operated a takeout-focused Express location in Rockville, which closed earlier this year, its flagship Bethesda location continues to serve the community as a family-run operation.
Per the Pines of Rome website, “At Pines of Rome, owner Chef Marco Troiano brings together a unique set of offerings from the small, peasant town in southern Italy where he grew up and from the many different Italian restaurants he worked in across Europe and the USA as a young man.”
Dining and Cooking