Washington’s Levantine-inspired pizza nights are moving toward a more permanent address. Chef Michael Rafidi and the team behind Albi, Yellow and La’ Shukran are preparing to open Bizzeria in Georgetown, giving the wood-fired pies previously served at Yellow their own full-service restaurant. The announced location is 3246 Prospect St. NW, with a menu that extends beyond pizza to raw dishes, mezze, charcuterie, and seasonal specialties.
The latest specific opening target in the reporting reviewed here is November, listed in Bon Appétit’s September preview of anticipated fall openings. Earlier coverage described a broader fall debut, and the available reports do not establish finalized hours, reservation procedures or menu prices. For now, the verified story is an upcoming restaurant, not a place diners can assume is already serving.
Yellow’s “Not Pizzas” Are Getting Their Own Stage
Bizzeria grows out of Yellow’s Georgetown evening service, where Rafidi’s team served rounds it playfully called “(not) pizzas.” The dinner offering began in February 2023, adding wood-fired pies, dips, and mezze to a café already known for pastries, coffee, and pita sandwiches. By April 2026, Washingtonian reported that the pizza service was ending as the team prepared to give it a dedicated restaurant.
The distinction is important: Bizzeria is not simply another Yellow café with a few pizzas added to the counter. It is a full-service spinoff built around that evening menu’s central idea. Yellow’s Georgetown location remains a separate business, with its daytime identity intact. The move gives the pizza concept its own name and setting, rather than forcing it to share the café’s daily rhythm.
The original menu made it clear why the team resisted calling the food conventional pizza. In 2023, the wood-fired rounds were brushed with garlic,Lebanese olive oil and za’atar. Offerings included “That’s Not a Shawarma Wrap,” topped with spiced chicken, labne and smoked mozzarella, and “Lamachun Lovers,” with toum, Palestinian olives and torn herbs. Those are examples from Yellow’s earlier menu, not Bizzeria’s confirmed opening-day lineup.
That history explains the anticipation without requiring an unsupported claim that every D.C. diner has been clamoring for a table. Bon Appétit identified the pop-up’s popularity as a reason for the dedicated restaurant, while The Washington Post’s October dining guide recalled Yellow’s nighttime transformation as “buzzy and very good.” These are documented expressions of enthusiasm, not attendance figures or evidence that reservations are already available.
A 48-Hour Crust Meets Lamb, Eggplant and Housemade Cheese
Pastry chef Alicia Wang developed the 48-hour-fermented sourdough crust that will anchor Bizzeria’s wood-fired pies. Housemade cheese is also part of the announced approach. Those details give the restaurant a clear foundation: the dough and cheese are not incidental backdrops for an unusual topping list. They are among the specific preparations the team has identified before opening.
Reported topping combinations include spiced lamb and peppers, as well as burnt eggplant with Urfa chili crisp. Bon Appétit also highlights housemade cheese alongside the lamb and eggplant preparations. These examples point to the restaurant’s Levantine-inspired direction, but they shouldn’t be stretched into a complete menu or a promise that every previously offered pie will return. The final opening selection has not been established in the cited coverage.
The name carries the same playful sensibility as Yellow’s “not pizza” language. Washingtonian explains that “Bizzeria” substitutes a “b” because Arabic does not have a native “p” sound. It compactly expresses the project’s identity: a familiar restaurant format approached through Rafidi’s culinary perspective. The name signals that connection without forcing the pies into a single traditional pizza category.
Nor will the kitchen stop at dough. The announced menu includes raw preparations, mezze, and charcuterie, alongside other seasonal dishes that highlight Mid-Atlantic farms. The reports reviewed here don’t list specific farms or a complete menu. Still, the breadth matters: Bizzeria is being presented as somewhere to assemble a full dinner, not merely collect a pie and leave.
Related: Pizza Guys Is Expanding in Texas With a New Fort Worth Location
The Wine, and the Opening Details, Deserve Attention Too
Wine director William Simons, responsible for the lists at Albi and La’ Shukran, is developing Bizzeria’s wine program. Washingtonian describes an eclectic selection focused on family-owned producers from a broad range of regions; Eater’s fall preview also points to natural wines. Those descriptions establish the direction, but not individual bottles, glass prices, or a definitive list. The wine program is an announced part of the restaurant, not yet a published buying guide.
The project also arrives with experience beyond a single café pop-up. Rafidi and his collaborators are behind Albi and La’ Shukran, and Wang and Simons each bring a defined specialty to the new restaurant. Those roles matter: the crust, broader menu, and wine list come from a team, not the chef’s name alone. Bizzeria’s identity rests on that combination of kitchen and beverage work.
Rafidi has previously spoken about the practical pressures of operating multiple concepts together. When Yellow’s original Navy Yard café closed in 2023, he told Washingtonian, “It’s really for the team, not to operate two restaurants in one. It’s just not a sustainable way to operate.” That comment concerned the earlier Navy Yard arrangement, not Bizzeria’s current business plan, but it offers relevant background on the challenge of combining distinct services under one roof.
For prospective diners, the useful takeaway is to keep the November target separate from a confirmed launch. Restaurant opening dates can move, as Bon Appétit explicitly cautions, so don’t make an unverified trip based on a published projection. What is firmly announced is the destination and direction: Georgetown, wood-fired sourdough pies, Levantine-inspired toppings and a broader dinner menu. D.C.’s “not pizzas” are preparing to become permanent, and this time, they get the marquee.
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