Big news on the pizza front, Bitches. Bidwell, the sustainable restaurant in Union Market, just got a brick pizza oven. If that doesn’t excite you—just move along, we are no longer friends.

Naturally, Chef John Mooney threw a pizza luau to celebrate. We started with tiki rum drinks in real pineapples (messier than expected) and poke nachos (incredible) as we scoped out the new menu.

The Clam Jam was the first to catch my eye. With top neck clams, kale, and Benton’s bacon, the pizza was definitely not your usual pie.  Unfortunately, it was hard to eat since you have to pull the clams off the top, and the juices left the pizza quite salty.

In you’re a fan of Chicago-style pizza, but not deep dish, try the Moonpie. With Chicago Italian sausage, pepperoni, and mushrooms on top, it was full of flavor.

I’m a big fan of margarita pizzas. There’s nothing like fresh mozzarella, basil, oregano, and lemon zest on a thin crust. I ate more than my fair share of slices. Another version of this is the sprouts pizza which has sprouts, tomato, and mozzarella but on a cauliflower crust.

Another pretty pizza was the Garden of Eden. With an herb and cauliflower crust, pesto, mozzarella, corn, cherry tomato, arugula, and nasturtium, it’s both vegetarian-friendly and gluten free. I was a little skeptical about the herb and cauliflower crust but it was crunchy and delicious!

My personal favorite was the Hawaiian pizza, Kakele. The speck and grilled pineapple had me feeling the luau vibes.

You won’t find much sauce on these pizzas—they’re really just flatbreads with veggies and cheese. However, Bidwell is great spot to grab a slice with your friends with dietary restrictions.

It offers several different types of crusts. The regular crust is made with special, DOUBLE ZERO flour, which has a lower gluten content than most flours. The gluten free crust is made of chicken peas and rice flour. The veggie crust, made of herbs and veggies, is also gluten free. I was also impressed with the charcoal dough crust.  The charcoal gives the pizza a nice, extra grilled-flavor and the charcoal aids in digestion.

And because Bidwell is a sustainable restaurant, Chef Mooney grows all his own vegetables on the roof of Union Market. He gave us a tour of the garden, which has an incredible view of D.C., and lots of leafy greens growing. You can try those ultra-fresh veggies and herbs at brunch as well. Read our brunch review here.

Bidwell at Union Market
1309 5th St NE
Washington, DC 20002