La Merna debuts in Dupont with promising toasts, pastas, and salads — but the real show-stopper is the crisp Midwest pizza
D.C. has become more of a pizza town over the last few years. There are way more options than just the ubiquitous late-night jumbo slice, from plenty of Detroit-style pizzerias to one of the best slice shops in the country expanding across the city. But what’s been missing in the city’s diverse pie options is a good Chicago tavern-style pizza. That is, until now.
La Merna is opening at 2153 P Street NW in Dupont Circle on Thursday, August 13, boasting those extremely thin-crust pies cut into one-bite squares.
Chicago transplants and husband-wife duo Bradley Shorten and Meg Schmitt opened La Merna in the old Duffy’s Irish Pub space just a few blocks off the circle. The two hope to not only fill that hole in D.C.‘s pizza scene, but serve fresh takes on classic Italian dishes. It’s led by a standout pizzaiolo who runs a shoe-box-sized popular pizza shop in a Chicago suburb, Kim’s Uncle Pizza, known for its gloriously crispy, cracker-like pizza crust…