Inferno is a funny name for a place that represents a decorated chef’s departure from the heat of fine-dining kitchens to the relative comfort of a suburban strip mall. Tony Conte, a former sous chef at Jean-Georges who went on to lead the Oval Room, was named a semifinalist for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic by the James Beard Foundation last year for his Neapolitan pies at this out-of-the way restaurant near Gaithersburg that persistently draws praise from critics in D.C.

A cult classic, Ledo in College Park serves rectangular pies with cracker-thin crusts. The chain has expanded since its early days, but no pizza matches the one made at the original location. A new one is headed for the District along H Street NE.

Perfect for a date night or an outing with the whole Little League team, Comet’s menu of wood-fired pizzas always has a few seasonal specialities — think soft-shell crab pizza — to go with classics like the Smoky (mushrooms, bacon, smoked mozzarella) and the Hottie (pepperoni and raw jalapeno). The lemon-packed chickpea salad has a following in its own right, and the house ranch dressing is the perfect dip for pizza crusts.

Pete’s has shrunken its reach recently, closing its locations in Columbia Heights and Silver Spring last year. But the Friendship Heights and Clarendon venues remain, giving D.C. and Northern Virginia an option for pizzas that feature a chewy crust and a wide range of specialty toppings from whole roasted garlic to roasted pork and pancetta.

Former Eater Young Gun Daniela Moreira works wonders with her wood-fired oven in the close quarters of this neighborhood spot in Petworth, producing specialty pies with ingredients like cured chorizo, beef bolognese, roasted sweet potatoes, and kale. A new Timber is headed to Ballston’s Quarter Market food hall this year.

This longtime Italian market in Cleveland Park draws a following for its simple New York-style pizza, which is sold by the slice or whole. Some take the dough home to try making pizza themselves, but it’s a tall order to replicate the slices that come wrapped in foil at the store.

Many chefs frequent 2 Amys on their days off, endorsing an unpretentious family restaurant that remains the standard for Neapolitan pizza in the District. The visibly scorched, wood-fired pies have attracted obsessives for nearly 20 years.

The small, homey Neapolitan place in Brookland sources ingredients from the Campania region of Italy and boasts a crust that sets the bar for elasticity in D.C. The dough doubles as the bread for wood-fired panuozzo sandwiches full of Italian cured meats and fresh mayonnaise.

Courtesy of Eater's pseudo-scientific taste test, this Adams Morgan standby for delivery and late-night eats has been decreed the best place to find D.C.’s iconic jumbo slice.

The warm glow of a wood-burning oven and dark hues of wood and brick make this Italian gastropub feel inviting, at least until the marble bar gets packed for happy hour. Finding a seat during the daily discount period — 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Monday through Thursday and 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday — is a smart bet because all of the personal Neapolitan pizzas are $10. Wield a pair of scissors and divvy up slices of a salsiccia e cipolla, sausage and roasted onions with provolone and grana padano).

Flavors from chef Mike Friedman’s New Jersey childhood take on new life on heavy-duty crusts topped with ingredients spanning from hen-of-the-woods mushrooms to ‘nduja and capicola bacon. The original can be found in Shaw, and its waterfront sibling is in Navy Yard. Start with the baked eggplant parm and save half of your pizza for later.

This longtime haven for gourmet pizzas and craft beer, founded by chef Ruth Gresser in 1991, is now up to five locations. The latest recently opened in Spring Valley, following an expansion into Maryland and a renovation in Georgetown that included a new downstairs game room.

This Georgetown restaurant serves Neapolitan pizza certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napolentana. The requirements include using a wood-burning dome oven that reaches a temperature of around 900 degrees, hand-formed dough (no rolling pins allowed!), "00" wheat flour, Italian tomatoes, certified buffalo mozzarella, and more.

Some pizza aficionados argue that this is the closest thing D.C. can get to a true New York-style pizzeria. The local chain serves thin crust slices, potent garlic knots, chicken rolls, and even Sicilian pies. The Chinatown location is open until 4 a.m. on Thursday nights and 5 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

We the Pizza was Top Chef alum Spike Mendelsohn's second restaurant to debut in D.C. Pizza-makers can be seen stretching dough and piling on toppings through the storefront window down the block from Mendelshon’s burger joint, Good Stuff Eatery, in Capitol Hill. We the Pizza has since expanded to Arlington. Pie options range from spicy Buffalo chicken to a medley of Mediterranean toppings.

Under the direction of 2941's executive chef Bertrand Chemel, Pizzeria Orso continues to supply Falls Church diners with gourmet brick-oven pies. The neighborhood eatery is known for its generous specials, salads, and unique pies like the Uovo Fritto, featuring fingerling potatoes, bacon and eggs.

Pupatella may have humble roots — it started out as a food cart in neighboring Ballston — but its reputation as a source for Neapolitan-style pies has only grown since. The local company recently expanded to the Richmond area and may grow around D.C. as well.