As I entered No Regrets Pizza, the smell of fresh dough and sauce coupled with the sight of comfortable looking seating and pizza themed decor signaled that I was in for a treat.
Owner Richard Weiner started baking and serving drinks as a teenager, and having never gone to culinary school, opened a pizza shop on the third floor of his house at the age of 17. Now, he has put $1.2 million into “No Regrets Pizza,” located on Nicholson Lane in North Bethesda. The name is a response to the number of people who told him he would regret it when he decided to open it.
Weiner said everything in his restaurant is homemade. The pizza dough sits for up to four days before being made into pizza in order to maximize the amount of sugars and carbohydrates the dough absorbs before being baked. Weiner said that everything in his restaurant is served fresh and “the pasta has never seen a fridge.”
I started my meal with the Caesar salad ($13), topped with small homemade croutons that gave each bite a delicious crunch. I also got a caprese salad ($14) drizzled with a sweet balsamic dressing. Both of these dishes disappeared quickly and left me and my family eagerly awaiting the pizza we had ordered.
No Regrets Pizza has three types of pizza doughs: a rectangular fluffy yet crispy Roman pizza crust, a round and thin New York style pizza and a soft crusted but toasted Neapolitan pizza. During my visit to the restaurant, I tried all three types. However my favorite was by far the Roman style.
The first two pizzas that arrived at our table were white Roman style pizzas, meaning they had cheese but no sauce. The first, the mashed potato pizza ($21), had soft and warm mashed potatoes sandwiched between the dough and the cheese. The second, the mushroom pizza ($21), was topped with tasty and fresh mushrooms, whose softness complemented the slightly crunchy crust. The rectangular and fluffy dough was in perfect proportion to each flavorful topping and was deliciously paired with the crispy cheese melted on top.
The next two pizzas we ordered were two completely different styles, but looked equally as inviting. The first was a large New York margherita ($27), which was a more traditional pizza with red sauce and aged parmesan. The second was a simpler white artisanal/neapolitan pizza ($23) which had a perfect crust to cheese ratio, and was a favorite among my family members.
These pizzas are large enough to be shared by two people. While the prices are on the higher end, averaging around $10-$15 a person, the taste makes it all worth it.
We finished out the meal with an order of three cannolis ($6), which had a sweet mascarpone cheese filling inside of the curved and crunchy dough. As we packed up our leftover pizza, Weiner guided us on the best ways to reheat the pizza and told us a little bit about himself and his restaurant, including the origin of the restaurant name.
After enjoying two appetizers, four pizzas and a desert at No Regrets Pizza, I can confidently recommend the restaurant to any pizza or Italian food lover in need of a nice sit down or take out meal. I can’t wait to go back myself and discover more delicious food.
