Martha Dear

I grew up in Mt. Pleasant and even went to elementary school here. I moved out during college, and when I came back to the area, I noticed Martha Dear was new. I usually go upstairs to Mt. Desert for ice cream, but my sister and my mom’s friend encouraged me to try this spot. When we arrived (around 5pm), there were open tables, but we were told we had to be finished by 7pm due to pending reservations which was completely fine. In total, we ordered four drinks, two pizzas, olives, and a Caesar salad. The Caesar salad was excellent fresh and flavorful and the drinks were also very good. The olives were okay. The pizza, however, was a bit underwhelming compared to our expectations. Unfortunately, the service was the key part of our experience. While other staff members were friendly, our

Loved our first time visiting. Nice neighborhood spot with very friendly service and delicious pizza. We tried the Concord grape, sausage, and kale pizza and the marinara so we could try a complex pie and a more simple one. Both were extremely flavorful. The Concord grape was definitely on the heavier (and delicious) side and the marinara was amazingly garlicky and lighter. You can really taste the sourdough in the crust! The dill dip on the side was a great choice as well. This is also probably our favorite Caesar salad we’ve had in DC. Would definitely come back.

Tonight wasn’t just dinner, it felt like a pilgrimage all to familiar. Every trip to DC we eat here. We showed up a little early, before the doors opened, and got to watch the kind of quiet choreography that tells you a place takes its craft seriously. Fresh ingredients laid out with care. Stations wiped down until they shined. Someone even came outside to polish the windows, as if preparing a stage before the lights come up. You can’t teach that sort of devotion, it comes from pride. Our reservation had been booked well in advance, and for good reason. Martha Dear is tiny, intimate, the sort of neighborhood spot where each plate feels personal. We started with the Broccoli + Bagna Càuda, mini broccoli bathed in anchovy and butter, topped with a garlic crisp that hits like a soft crash

Was really excited to try this spot, I have followed on socials for a while and really loved what I saw, especially when it came to the creativity with the Mediterranean flavors and pizza. I have to say the pizza was SO good, and was the best part of the meal. Everything else generally though was just fine, nothing exciting or jazzy, but also didn't really feel like the traditional comforting Greek flavors I was expecting.

Delicious pizzas! We were a group of 3 and shared an app and 2 pizzas which was the perfect amount of food. We started with the whipped feta which was delicious. We shared 2 pizzas; classic cheese and halloumi. Both were really good and well made. Service was quick, but we did feel a bit rushed to finish our dishes and quickly clear plates at times. Nothing major but it didn’t seem busy enough where someone was waiting for a table. Outside of that we had a great experience.