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The Pizza Prize



I promised myself that, if I got my piece on the Talbott Springs Pool written and posted, I would treat myself to some local pizza from a place I had never tried before. And I did.


Last Thursday’s lunch from Pupatella


I was driving home from a friend’s house and had the idea. I stopped at the Giant Palace 9 parking lot, perused the menu at nearby Pupatella on my phone, and placed an order. By the time I drove down 108 to the restaurant, my order was just about ready.

Wowza.

Pupatella has 11 locations in Maryland, D.C., and Virginia. They specialize in authentic Neapolitan pizza. “It’s chewier,” the woman at the restaurant hastened to inform me when I came in to get my order. (I wonder if this means that some folks don’t understand differing styles of pizza and expect it to be something else.)

The service was friendly and welcoming and I would definitely feel positive about coming back another day to eat-in. (At an uncrowded time, of course.) I wasn’t there long enough to take in how the space is different from the venerable Pizza Hut that preceded it. Overall impression: it’s lovely and feels open.

My meal:



I had intended to order nothing but pizza, but they have a lunch-sized pizza that comes with a salad and it was a perfect choice. I chose a ham and mushroom pizza. The flavors were deep and true, a reminder that mushrooms are not some sad thing to be thrown on willynilly for looks or texture. 

The difference I noticed most was not chewiness but that the tomato sauce was less aggressive than most pizzas I have eaten. It’s a part of the whole overall flavor and doesn’t dominate. That wasn’t a bad thing, just different. The salad was fresh and full of all the items in the menu description. No lower cost substitutions. 

The total for food, tax, and tip: 17.32.



It was a fun splurge and the perfect reward after completing the post that absolutely, positively would not write itself.

Pupatella is in Columbia on Route 108 where the old Pizza Hut used to be. Worth a try.



Pupatella images from Instagram 


Bonus cool points to the manager who exclaimed, “I like your hair!” on a day when I hadn’t done a thing with it. It’s the little things, you know?

Have you tried Pupatella? Any particular menu items you would recommend?


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  1. Julia A. McCreadyFebruary 16, 2026 at 5:52 AM

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