7th Hill

Continuing with the tour around Washington D. C., the city that I currently live in, I am now going to talk to you about 7th Hill, a pizzeria at Eastern Market situated in the Capitol Hill neighbourhood.

It was actually the first pizzeria that I went to, and I have since been back on numerous occasions.

7th Hill's menu is divided into starters, salads, pizzas, sandwiches and desserts:

• Starters: you can choose from the soup of the day, focaccia, rocket salad and green salad. I have tried the focaccia and I love it, although it is nothing like the one that I tried in Milan.
• Salads: there are six different types of salad on the menu - tuna, ham, chicken, turkey, Italian, and vegetable.
• Pizzas: the pizzas are the restaurant's star dish, and it's what it is really known for. There are 15 different types of pizza, all of which are named after places in Washington D. C. , like Potomac Avenue, Stanton Park, Union Station and Eastern Market, amongst others. The prices are around $13 per pizza, and the size of them is normal - they are definitely big enough for one person, but a bit small to share.

Personally, I have tried the Garfield Park (tomato and mozzarella) and the 7th Street (tomato, mozzarella, ham, Parmesan and roasted red pepper).



• Sandwiches: again, there are several options to choose from. The stand outs are the vegetable, ham, chicken and tuna varieties.
• Desserts: there are only two desserts to choose from, but they do look really good. However, I would bear in mind that they are somewhat expensive ($7. 50 each). You can choose from the Nutella calzone and the chocolate mousse.

The service is average - I would say that the staff are friendly. You have to order and pay for your meal at the counter, as well as the tip upfront, which seems unfair to me. In the US, you usually tip in accordance with the service that they have given you, but, from what I am seeing, it seems like every restaurant has their own policy towards tipping. They give you a free glass of water with ice, which is great for those of us on a budget, as it means that we don't have to forego drinking anything whilst we eat dinner. Then, you just simply sit and wait until they bring over your food, or if you have ordered it to take away, they give it to you and that's that.

By the way, the restaurant also has a nice outdoor seating area that you can eat in. Up until now, I haven't been able to do so because it has been snowing, but with spring finally on the horizon, I am sure that you will see me there enjoying the atmosphere of the Eastern Market community.

The prices are fairly normal, but it's definitely not expensive to dine there. Besides, I'm sure that you will be able to find some discounts, or you could equally take advantage of Happy Hour. The first time that I went, the pizza was cost me half of the price that was listed on the menu, which was a very welcome surprise. However, the surprise didn't extend over onto my next visit, as I had to pay full price for it.

7th Hill's opening hours are as follows:

• Tuesday to Friday: 11:30am until 2:30pm and 5pm until 10pm
• Saturday: 11:30am until 11pm
• Sunday: 12 midday until 9pm
• Monday: closed

To get to 7th Hill, the best thing to do would be to take the metro and alight at the stop, "Eastern Market", which is served by the blue, silver and orange lines. You will see the pizzeria just after exiting the station, with the Capitol Building in the background.