Bugsy’s Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar

First time visiting Bugsy’s. I have heard good things so I wanted to check it out for myself. We went on a Friday night around 7pm. For a restaurant on a weekend night in Old Town, I was pretty surprised when it was so empty when we walked in. There were only three of us and we were seated immediately.
The vibe of the restaurant is definitely very casual. The restaurant is downstairs, and there is a sports bar located on the second floor. The furniture and establishment itself seems pretty old and run down… they could use a makeover.
We ordered bruschetta and a large thin crust Farmer’s Market pizza. As a whole I felt like the bread on the bruschetta and the crust of the pizza was fairly dry. The bruschetta was okay, they used fresh mozzarella which was nice, but for four pieces of an adequate appetizer I felt that it was definitely overpriced. We ordered the Farmer’s Market pizza because it was pretty much the only veggie option that didn’t seem like it had a large amount of garlic on it. The pizza was pizza. Nothing too special about it, but didn’t have many other complaints about it. But like the bruschetta, I felt like the pizza was not worth the price.
Our waiter was really friendly. He was attentive to when we needed more water or wanted to make any additional orders. Also, he was very patient with us because it did take us a long time to order, which I appreciated.
I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to visit Bugsy’s pizza again. Maybe if I tried the deep dish variety I would feel differently, but for now bugsy’s is just ight. nothing really special about it.

Great deep dish pizza. Fast, friendly service. Went on a weekday night, and it was not very crowded.

Bugsy’s is an institution in Old Town and has credibility to back it up. I’ve dined here for over 20 years (including its time when everyone knew it at Armand’s) and have seen ups and downs along the way. The décor inside hasn’t changed and neither has the food. If you’re looking for a solid pizza in Alexandria and can deal with a little divey atmosphere, Bugsy’s is the place for you.
Their pizza is legit. Businesses can advertise Chicago deep dish or New York thin crust but outside of those cities, you aren’t going to find an exact duplicate. Don’t expect to transported to the Miracle Mile when you take a bite of Bugsy’s pizza, but do expect the best deep dish pie in Alexandria. Prices are a little expensive, but you are also paying for the ambiance of waterfront Old Town Alexandria.
Come here during the day for a great lunch buffet including their famous pizza.
A big drawback is the location of their restrooms. Expect to climb a flight of steps to the attic to use the commodes. The bar, which can get a little raucous, is located on the top floor by the restrooms.
Don’t pass up a chance to eat here. Not the fanciest place in Old Town, but definitely one of the more consistent faces on King Street.

Bugsy’s has been my go-​to pizza delivery place for years, but I’ve had a couple very bad experiences recently. Very slow delivery, pizza is often cold when it arrives, and recently I ordered chicken tenders and what arrived was burned, shriveled, and inedible.

This is my favorite casual spot in Old Town. The food is fabulous and inexpensive given the location. I always come here to watch games and bring family and friends when they’re visiting! Definitely don’t pass up the pizza here — your whole family will love it!

Went in late (about 8pm) on a Saturday in December. Not too crowded, and they were able to accommodate a large group (of 7 for me) just fine. Also not too loud. Pizza was good, we had deep dish, a medium is fine for two people. They also have pastas, my friends had the shrimp linguine, which was good. I’d go back to eat there if I was looking for pizza on King St, but there’s so many restaurants it’d be hard to not give others a try. It’s also close to a couple of ice cream shops (one each side of King), and a Ben Jerry’s around the corner on Union St. for after dinner dessert.
As you drive in down King St and see all the Christmas lights on the trees lining the streets, most surface parking lots are $ 8, but near the intersection of Prince and Strand St right at the waterfront, there’s a lot of $ 6 parking.

I have went here a couple times before and each time the food was great ! Yesterday i got the seafood alfredo, it was delicious and hit sure did hit the spot lol. The only bad thing about this place is the extra small tables! It was very uncomfortable having my legs touch everyone elses at the table, and feeling like my food was a mile away from my mouth. Oh well iguess
Since the food was so good and i found out they deliver I can put the child size tables aside and still eat here.

why does every deep dish pizza *have* to be compared to chicago style? bugsy’s has never claimed to be a chicago style pizzeria. its just a casual sports bar that serves thick crust pizza, for pete’s sake!
and they do a darn good job. sure, there’s a bit of nostalgia for me (celebrated my 16^th birthday there, always begged my parents to take us there for dinner) but there are plenty of things i liked as a teen that i dont like anymore because i eventually realized that they werent very good.
not the case with bugsy’s. it’s still my favorite pizza in the dc area. there’s something very distinctive about the sauce and cheese they use. it is delicious. im also a sucker for thick crust. the recipe hasnt changed from the days when it was an armand’s. btw, if you’re sad about armand’s departure from tenleytown, this is where you need to go to get your dc-​style thick crust fix.
it makes me sad when i go there and see the dining room pretty empty on weeknights. i hope this place will continue to survive the high rents of king street. its so great to see the same faces working there year after year. feels like a bit of home.

Pretty damn good pizza and the place is great anytime. Pretty much always busy as it is on the Waterfront. Or decently close to it anyway. Can’t go wrong here.

My family and I eat here all the time. They are family friendly and owned. Every five minutes a new restaurant opens in Old Town. Most last about a year. Bugys has been around since I was a kid and now I take my kids there. There is a reason they have lasted. Good food, no frills at a reasonable price.
Rick F.

Looking for a pizza for carryout on Friday night, the name «Bugsy’s» popped into my head for some reason. The last time I set foot in Bugsy’s was circa 1982. I was in the 9^th grade and were in Old Town with some friends and figured we’d have some pizza. Across that ocean of time, I can’t rightly say what that pizza tasted like. I just remember the crust was thick and it was cheap. Fast forward 33 years and the pizza is still relatively cheap, the crust is definitely thick, but taste-​wise, the stuff really doesn’t have much going for it.
If you’ve had Chicago deep dish, this stuff is like bland deep dish. The dough is incredibly doughy; either they don’t add any oil to the dough or don’t oil their pans because the crust itself never gets crisp. It just stays doughy, and it’s not biscuity like Ledos pizza. If you’re the kinda person who likes to gorge themselves on breadsticks, this is the pizza for your. Also, if you’re carbo loading for a race, the carb-​to-​dollar ratio here is pretty high. And if eating a bunch of inoffensive food cheaply is the name of your game, you could probably kill yourself here for $ 10. But if you’re looking for a tasty pizza, you’re probably better off paying the extra couple bucks for Pizzeria Paradiso or Red Rocks or Faccia Luna. If you’re set on Chicago deep dish, order one from Lou Malnati’s online. At least it will taste like something.

Have been here once and have ordered pizza for delivery, probably the best pizza I’ve had since moving to Virginia in the past few months from Connecticut. Being from the tri-​state area and having the BEST pizza from Pepe’s, Bugsy’s in my opinion maybe the best pizza in Old Town for deep dish! YUMM that is all i can say to their sausage pizza!

Hold up! Best pizza?! According to who?! Not me the DMV pizza lady! Whatever you do please don’t pay $ 20 for a large pizza here. I’ve been here several times so this review reflects a few visits. I hate to say it but the staff sucks. Rarely do we get napkins or utensils. Instead we have to ASK for them. Last time I checked that was your job. Customers shouldn’t have to go out of their way for a fork. Waiters act like they couldn’t get us out of here quicker. It’s the non-​stop waiter hover. Gross.
Should you actually dine here, the buffet is the best bang for your buck (which also includes unlimited salad bar should you call it that) and is available on weekends from 11:30 — 3:30 and after 9pm. On weekdays it’s available from 11:30 — 2:30. The pizza is worthy of the buffet but not something I’d ever pay regular price for. Unless you grab a slice right when it comes out it’s not warmed up. Instead it’s gross and hard crusty pizza with all of the toppings you don’t want. Marrying into a family from Chicago I can officially say I know GOOD thick crust quality Chicago style pizza. This ain’t it!
On top of that, oddly, every appetizer is $ 8.75 aside from fries, onion rings and garlic bread. Nearly every sandwich is $ 9.25. Ironic that almost every APPETIZER is 50 cents away from the SANDWICH price point! BOO ON YOU BUGSY’S! Appetizers shouldn’t be priced like entrees! On top of that a small cheese pizza is $ 10. Wait your appetizers are $ 8.75 yet I could get a whole pizza for just $ 1.25 more?! Wake up. They lock you in here with crappy food around the same price point regardless of what you order. The food is so bad they hope to get close to the same price regardless of what you order. Apps should be cheaper and encourage customers to get something in ADDITION to an entrée or pizza. Instead they practically level all the prices together to guarantee that they make a profit regardless. The food is so not worth it! Mozzarella sticks for $ 8.75 and a Veggie Sandwich is $ 8.50?! Last time I checked you dunk pre-​made mozz sticks into the fryer. Only in lala land should they cost more than a sandwich!
On a final note, the previous owner played hockey for a plethora of teams including the CAPS. Ownership changed and he is no longer the owner. Why are they still acting like a hockey pro who played for a million teams still owns this place? He doesn’t own the place anymore and they show a picture of him on the website in a jersey from another team. He played for the Caps. He doesn’t own the place anymore so if you’re going to show a pic like he does at least include local pics from our team. Peace out Bugsy’s. You lost.

Before getting into this review I have to note that Bugsy’s averages out to a 3, but that’s the result of a 4-​star Happy Hour being dragged down by a 2-​star pizza buffet. Do go for the happy hour specials or order a pizza off the menu, but skip the buffet.
Let’s start off with the bad — the pizza buffet. It’s unlimited salad bar plus pizza. The salad bar has a mixed greens plus a selection of other veggies and a few dressings. Nothing particularly amazing, but adequate for a salad bar. The buffet-​pizza (not to be confused with the ordered pizza, see below) is pretty terrible. The only time I’ve done it, they put out a rotating selection of 3 pizzas on a warmer. The thick crust ones were alright, while we were eating there was a sausage one and a tomato + basil one that were decent. The pizza quality you get here is not the best, though I don’t really expect that from a $ 9 all-​you-​can-​eat buffet. The main problem was the selection — having only 3 options available at a time is kind of a letdown, and it seemed like every other pie they brought out was a pepperoni pizza. Another disappointment was that the pizzas were really basic. Everything they brought out was limited to one or two toppings, which is a shame when they have so many cool options on the menu.
Anyway, moving on from the buffet, the Happy Hour and regular menu at Bugsy’s is much better. I have ordered pizza off their regular menu during other visits and thought it was a much higher quality. I’m not sure if it was a freshness issue or if they actually use different preparations, but they tasted much better, not to mention having a much higher ingredient density. And although the regular prices are a bit high for what you get, the happy hour specials at Bugsy’s are great. Cheap apps and good drink specials, not to mention a great pizza + beer special, if you’re in the mood for that.

My husband and I stopped in here late on a Sunday night. We were quite hungry, and of the other restaurants on King St. that were open, they seemed to be fancy-​ish. So we settled for Bugsy’s.
The menu is quite large, almost too large. We had been walking around in DC all day so i was FAMISHED. Trying to decide what to get with such a large menu was almost difficult for me. However, I settled on a pasta with a tomato cream sauce. My husband got a calzone. The service did take a while, which was surprising and annoying because the restaurant was nearly empty. I was pleased with my food. The pasta came with garlic bread that I really enjoyed and the portion was large. The calzone looked good, and he seemed happy.
The waiter walked by a few times to deliver food to other people. I saw a few pizzas go by and boy did they look delicious! That was very surprising because I rarely like the looks of pizzas outside of NY/​NJ/​the northeast in general. The prices were fair. We didn’t have a bad experience here, but there was nothing that particularly stood out, either. If you’re in a pinch, I’d recommend it, but there are definitely better places to grab a bite to eat in Old Town.

Their water tastes dirty.
I ordered the cheesesteak with grilled onions.
Bland meat. Could be juicier and more flavorful. Hot peppers were like… Canned or something.
The put way too much cheese one the pizza.
Staff seemed exhausted. I felt bad for them.

***This is a review of the downstairs restaurant***
Bugsy’s has a great location and that’s about all. The menu is standard cheap Italian fare done poorly. My son’s chicken tenders were overcooked and tasted like cardboard. My meatball sub amounted to a few lumps of bland mystery meat hidden under luke warm cheese. Aside from that, the dingy surroundings were highlighted by a strange stickiness to the tables and floors. As if it wasn’t bad enough, the broken stereo system belted out echoing versions of semi-​contemporary music that added to the ambiance of a place that the health inspector just hasn’t made it to in the last few years. Hopefully someone will buy this place and install a nice family restaurant befitting the prime location.

I stopped by here with my girlfriend on a busy Sunday night. We ate inside on their main level and well, this place isn’t anything special. The food was good and fairly priced, but I feel like the place could use some new décor/​furniture. I sat on a wooden bench, my girlfriend in a chair. The bench had a flimsy cushion and after about 5 minutes started getting uncomfortable to sit. The waiter wasn’t attentive and while the area itself was busy, this restaurant wasn’t. I expected some decent service and he pretty much took our orders, brought them out after 20 minutes, and never checked on us again. Even getting the bill took awhile. I’ll probably eat elsewhere next time I’m in the area.

Visiting Old Town on a brisk Sunday morning was a great time. After walking the 15 blocks or so, 11am turned around and I stopped in.
They have a Sunday pizza and salad buffet for $ 8 (which is less than a single pizza). The buffet had only pepperoni, cheese, and spinach pizzas. All were deep dish with a thin crust cheese brought out during my visit. The family restaurant is downstairs, with the sports bar upstairs. I sat upstairs to watch the SEC games but still got the buffet. You have to go up and down the stairs to refill (which was fine for me). I have to say the pepperoni was not the best, however, the spinach pizza was delicious. I enjoyed the place and different style pizza (not a deep dish fan usually). I also ordered a cup of the clam chowder. It was great (though it was more brown than white).
The woman behind the bar was quite friendly and chatty and did a great job. Great place to watch a game.

If you’re in the mood for a super casual place for some drinks and pretty standard, but good, appetizers and pizza, this upstairs area is the place for you.
The wings are fried well with good sauce, the fries are fries (nothing special but, hello, they’re fries and are plenty), and pizza that’s ok — it’s got thick, bready crust with ok ingredients. So, Bugsy’s tends to be the last stop after going other places first — you get the idea. The crowd is casual too. I don’t know how to explain it, but it is. The bartenders are chill and are on top of things. So, go hang out other places first and make this your last stop to grub and go.