Emilio’s Brick-Oven Gourmet Pizza, a longtime staple in the Sterling area, is a family-friendly stop just off Route 28. Serving pizza, wings, subs, and stromboli, Emilio’s takes a classic approach to Italian fare that tastes as if it’s fresh from Rome.

Dubbed “heaven for the serious eater” by The Washington Post, Emilio’s pizza, cooked in a brick oven, is named consistently among Virginia’s best. Their most popular pizzas, the Julian (with Italian sausage, pepperoni, red onions, and marinated tomatoes) and the Roma (with portabella mushrooms, Italian sausage, pepperoni, and tomatoes) each come cut into twelve slices.

Another hit among Emilio’s family-based clientele are its chicken wings, which come coated in a buffalo-like sauce with carrot sticks and celery on the side. An Emilio’s visitor cannot go wrong with the Oven Gold Turkey Breast or pepperoni ‘panino’ sandwiches either, which come in either 8-inch or 12-inch versions.

A staple of the Emilio’s experience is trying their ‘special crust,’ which comes in a variety of forms. All subs, pizzas, and appetizer rolls (available only by request) come made with Emilio’s homestyle dough.

Though service is slow, the wait for Emilio’s pizza is worth every minute. Emilio’s Brick-Oven Gourmet Pizza, an entirely family-owned and operated business, is one of Northern Virginia’s hidden gems and definitely worth a try.