Pupatella Neapolitan Pizza to open Sept. 15 in Old Town North

News

Published September 8, 2025 at 2:30PM

Pupatella at 700 Slaters Lane in Old Town North (staff photo by James Cullum)

After more than two years of planning and redevelopment, Pupatella Neapolitan Pizza has revealed its opening date to ALXnow.

After an extensive renovation, the pizza chain will open at 700 Slaters Lane on Monday, Sept. 15.

The location is the former longtime home to Sam’s Custom Cleaners, which shut down a month after the death of owner Tony Tran in 2022. Tran’s nephew Thien Ung is now the owner of the property.

The future home of Pupatella Neapolitan Pizza at 700 Slaters Lane in Old Town North (staff photo by James Cullum)

Enzo Algarme, a native of Naples, Italy, founded Pupatella Neapolitan Pizza in a food truck in Ballston, Virginia, in 2007. Pupatella is his grandmother’s nickname, and it means “little doll.”

Pupatella at 700 Slaters Lane in Old Town North (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria location marks the 12th for the company, which has nine in Virginia, one in Maryland, and two in Washington, D.C.

A grand opening event for the new Alexandria location has not been set.

Pupatella at 700 Slaters Lane in Old Town North (staff photo by James Cullum)

Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He’s covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.