Napoli Salumeria Gives Arlington a New Italian Deli With Decorative Plates for Sale

Napoli Pasta Bar, the Bib Gourmand-designated Italian restaurant in Columbia Heights, expands its footprint into Northern Virginia this week by opening a deli that sells pizza and subs full of imported meats and cheeses.

Napoli Salumeria (1301 South Joyce Street) is scheduled to open on Arlington’s Pentagon Row on Tuesday, November 10. It will open at 11 a.m. six days a week (closed Mondays) with a 9 p.m. closing time on weeknights and a 10 p.m. close on Friday and Saturday.

Executive chef Andy Clark, an alum of Fiola, Red Hen and San Lorenzo, tops Napoli’s new pizzas with ingredients such as spicy Italian honey, black truffle, sausage, broccoli rabe, and artichokes. An opening lineup of 10 panini include a meaty “Mimi” (prosciutto, coppa, genoa salami, mortadella, and provolone on a sesame roll) and a pork and beef meatball grinder with house marinara, mozzarella, and basil.

Napoli [official]

The 40-seat setup, splashed with an aquamarine blue paint job reminiscent of the original in Columbia Heights, will operate on a grab-and-go basis to start.

Starting this weekend, an outdoor seating area at Pentagon Row’s nearby ice rink invites customers to order from their phones and wait for Napoli staff to drop off dishes.

For carryout, patrons will be able to pre-order online via Toast or get delivery using third-party apps. A beer and wine license is still pending.

A short list of pastas available at the deli includes gnocchi, pumpkin crema lasagna, and rigatoni with Neapolitan beef ragu. Best sellers from Napoli’s antipasti menu in D.C. will make the move, including potato and salt cod fritters and eggplant Parmesan.

There’s also gelato from Dolci Gelati sold by the half or full pint, and a Lavazza coffee program.

Napoli’s popular plates, made by artists on the Amalfi Coast, can be painted-to-order with various colors and designs. A retail corner will also sell flower vases, imported olive oils, and coffee mugs. Customers can stock up on fresh pastas and sauces, cured meats, cheeses, and focaccia.

Napoli/official photo

Napoli Pasta Bar owner Antonio Ferarro, who came to D.C. from Naples in 2006, says the new location hopes to capitalize on free mall parking and a concentration of apartment buildings near the Metro station.

Clark, who was tapped to lead the kitchen in February, earned early praise from Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema in a review written just before COVID-19 wreaked havoc on Washington.

In a few weeks, the deli menu is expected to make its way to Napoli Pasta Bar for pickup at lunch. Napoli Pasta Bar functions as a daytime ghost kitchen of sorts for the two-state enterprise.

• Arlington Is Getting a New Italian Deli From the Owner of Napoli Pasta Bar [EDC]