Disappointing overall. Came in on a slow Monday night. (My second time here.) Service & pizza were borderline decent. There are hardly any options and they aren't very accommodating. Bartending manager isn't interested in altering any drinks and if you want a half/half pizza the cheese and sauce have to be the same. They were also out of the 9" personal pizzas and the drink menu wasn't updated when we came. There were a couple managers around, but they were just hanging out on their phones. The strangest thing that happened is that we asked for extra cheese and it had the exact amount of cheese as a regular pizza. The waitress waited 10+ minutes to check back on us and we couldn't ask about the cheese until then. She (Sean - not sure if I spelled her name correctly) said, "Yeah, we just go really light on our cheese." If that's the case, then I'm not really sure what the point of ordering extra cheese is. It took awhile for her to come back so we couldn't really do anything about being unsatisfied with it. The toppings aren't very generous for what you pay. ($0.75 for just half the pizza and $1.50 for the whole) They also have no desserts and their only non-alcoholic drinks are Pepsi products and Minute Maid lemonade. (Pepsi, Seirra Mist, Root Beer...) It's just lacking overall, but it's not terrible. If you're hungry and you don't have too discerning of an eye, you'll probably enjoy it. read more

Coal Fire - They go light on the cheese, even when you ask for extra. Mushrooms and roasted onions pictured here. - Pizza Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

(This review is from when we ordered delivery from Grape Escape). We ordered the Margherita Pizza & Pesto Pasta w/ Shrimp. I would say the pizza was very good but the pesto was like a less tasty version of Red Lobster's Shrimp Alfredo Pasta. It was about $36 (without tip), so I would say I thought the food was ok but I'm glad I didn't physically go there to eat. read more

I came twice during lunch with a rather large party and surprisingly on both occasions we were seated fairly quickly. I ordered the Ring of Fire with banana peppers and sausage and I've also tried the custom pizza with signature sauce and sausages. The ring of fire sauce definitely has a kick to it which can get overwhelming at times. The signature sauce and by far my favorite sauce is sweeter than most but is full bodied and quite tasty. The pizza can become quite pricy depending on the amount of toppings you choose to add. Service was great and definitely on top of things. Plates and utensils were passed out immediately and our drinks were never empty. When asked for separate checks the waitress refused :( boo! read more

Chloe was absolutely amazing! I'm visiting from out of town and she was so friendly and attentive with my whole family. Will be back again.

Since I've been craving artisan-style pizza every other night, we gave Coal Fire a go, and we are so glad we did. Although we have a different place that we like for pizza to-go, this is probably going to be our sit-down pizza place. We actually tried to get into Coal Fire a while back, but it was so busy, and we were starving, we ended up somewhere else. We came either ridiculously early or really late, I can't really remember, but this time we didn't have to wait. The dining area is actually pretty small, and it seems like 50% of the place is taken up by the bar area, which is on the other side of the kitchen. The bar area is the section that gets pretty rowdy. Seems like mainly middle-aged locals. We had the "onion rings" to start, and they were good, but I think this was mainly because we were starving---nothing makes food taste as good as hunger. The "rings" were shoestring style, and were pretty greasy. I prefer a good, crunchy ring. I somehow talked Scott into getting the Margherita pizza with the Signature sauce, he's usually a meat kind of guy. The sauce completely made this pizza, it is freakin' delicious! I wouldn't order the Margherita again, partly because I'm sure Scott won't let me, but also because I like fresh basil on top. Well, this was fresh (as in not dried), but it had been cut long before my pizza was made--the edges of the basil leaves were all brown, and the basil was spotty....looked kind of old actually. All that aside, the sauce is great, and I'm looking forward to trying other pizzas at Coalfire. 2/20/2011 Update: The grilled Caesar salad is AWESOME. They grill the romaine lettuce, and it is super smokey and delicious. read more

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The pizza, while not even close to Pizza CS in Rockville, was decent. Pros: -Service was friendly and prompt. We told our waiter we were in a hurry and he really went out of his way to help expedite our pizzas. -The toppings were generous. At over $1 per topping, I'm glad that was the case! -The crust was chewy, and fairly thin. -The restaurant was clean. Cons: -I ordered the Spicy sauce and a) it barely had heat and b) was super sweet. They add honey to their sauce (vegans, beware) which for me was completely unnecessary. -At about $12-15 for a small 2-topping pizza and soda, it seemed overpriced If you're in the Gaithersburg area and are dying for pizza, this place will do, but don't drive out of your way for it. read more

Coal Fire - Personal pizza (9" diameter) w/ mushrooms and olives - Pizza Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

I was a big fan of the Gaithersburg Coal Fire when it first opened. I no longer drive, so I was excited to see them on the GrubHub delivery service. The first time I ordered, the pizza was very good, and the sub was okay. The second time I ordered, the pizza had a soggy, oil soaked crust, that was pasty and doughy all of the way through, and was not cooked through. It was beige in color, and so unpalatable that I could not eat it. The toppings, however, were nearly burnt. The management should be ashamed this pizza left their kitchen; it should have been caught in QA as the beige crust color was very off putting. The spaghetti bolognaise was made with what seemed like plain unseasoned chunks of ground beef, in a sauce so overly laden with cream that it was a gloopy, unpleasant mess. I threw away over half. Of course, with delivery you cannot send anything back. The consistency was very disappointing. I will not be ordering from Coal Fire again for a very long time. read more

If you were unable to attend your high school homecoming, this is the place for you. The entire staff appeared to make up the class of 2022. Service was slow (due to all the sideline flirting) and we didn't receive our drinks until we were almost done with our appetizer. The pizza had so much potential but was completely ruined due to the diabetic coma they call "sauce;" I have seriously never had such a sweet pizza. I wanted to ask if this was normal or if someone mistook salt for sugar. It was pretty much inedible. Aside from that, we had to ask for plates, ketchup, vinegar (twice), and refills. I get that the world has changed, but it was a relatively quiet Wednesday night with a full "staff." Try harder. read more

This is a cool place, good ambiance, and the fact they offer gluten free pizza and dairy free cheese makes them a near Lone Ranger in the local market for vegan pizza. Management is also always on top of it and friendly. That said everything is more or less just okay. The wings...the wings...if you're a pizzeria and you offer wings (rightfully so!) they gotta be good. Real good. The wings they serve as of this writing are slathered in fried onion and served with blue cheese. It's strange. I've only ever known spicy wings in buffalo sauce, and this tasted bland and strange. They're also not available under the "extras" section, which is really just appetizers, which are on the bottom back side of the menu. I didn't notice them until my wife ordered them. There is a gnat issue currently which is a huge burden I'm sympathetic to but there are several ways to eliminate that problem and that should be addressed overnight when they're closed. The pizzas are good, not great. The signature marina is really good. The dough could be better, as could the toppings. Also the waiter alluded to that they had truffle oil when I asked, but then said they were out of stock. Truffle oil is the secret pack-a-punch to any pizzeria menu, and the smell carries through the restaurant in a great way (people go nuts for it). Highly recommend they add it. The beers on top are not on the menu, which is annoying. Honestly I think it's lazy. It's easy to reprint menus when the beers on tap change. When we went yesterday my first three beer choices were "86'd", out of stock. Adding a German ale to the menu would be nice! Again, they get huge bonus points for gluten and dairy free options. Very few restaurants offer this. Check it out, you might love it! I see room for improvement. read more

This is closer to Italian style pizza - thin crust, cooked in a very hot oven so the crust gets charred in parts (just like their box says). We ordered two for lunch at work; a classic margharita (tons of shredded basil on top) and a meaty one with pepperoni and two kinds of sausage. Both were good - I especially liked the large flat sausage (vs the normal small round sausage that was also on the pizza). Good sauce too. read more

This is an upscale decent brick oven thin crust pizza place. I ordered the large ring of fire pizza which has spicy sauce, banana peppers and sausage. I thought they put a little too much banana peppers and not enough mozarella and sausage but it tasted ok. The wings are baked and come with pizza dough and carmelized onion and I thought it was just ok. The french fries were also average and came out a little cold. They have happy hour specials and on Fri-Sat from 9pm-12am, they offer half price pizza and $1 off beers if you sit at the bar. I'd come back since it's close to where I live but it's just ok for me. read more

I only had their gluten free pizzas but am happy i got them on a groupon. Its an okay gluten free pizza. J loved the fresh mozzerella but was not a fan of the sauce or crust. read more

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Steak Sandwich is so delicious that my kids ate it in a blink of an eye!!! Angus Burger is also fantastic!!! Great service and children friendly!!! read more

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Curb side delivery during corvid19 was fast and efficient. Unfortunately the pizza and pasta was underwhelming.

Delicious. Bbq chicken pizza without chicken is my fav. Reminds me of Matchbox pizza but way better. This has been our go to during quarantine. Our pizza is always ready in 15 min and ready for pick up. Thanks for the wonderful service. read more

Was staying in Gaithersburg for a couple days so had a hard time deciding on what to eat with so many choices but settled on coal fire on tuesday and I'm pretty happy with our decision. We walked in around 8 and it wasnt too packed so we were seated immediately. The waitress was pretty friendly and attentive the whole time. They were out of a couple drinks we wanted which was a slight annoyance. Once we found out what they did and didnt have my boyfriend got the white russian spinoff they had and I got the apple cider sangria. Both were good, his a little better than mine. We started out with some of the wings. Yes they arent like regular fried buffalo wings but I like them. Its a nice change of pace from the regular type of wing and they were tasty. On to our pizza we ordered a 12 inch with the spicy sauce and pepperoni, banana peppers, and mushrooms. The pizza was good, my boyfriend and I both really enjoyed it. Upon reading some reviews I noted everyone saying how sweet the sauce was. It definitely is on the sweeter side. The spicy was good but I could imagine how the regular might be a little too sweet. If ever around the area I would come back again. read more

Coal Fire - Spicy with pepperoni, banana peppers, and mushroom - Pizza Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

HORRIBLE customer service. Sat at the bar and people who came in after got served before me. Don't know what the food is like because I'm typing this while i'm being ignored by the bartender. Walking out as soon as I finish typing. Never returning. read more

The Coal Fire gluten free crust is the best gluten free pizza I've ever had. Granted still warning for those who are severely allergic or celiac that there is still the chance for cross contamination since they serve regular flour pizza too but if you are just sensitive it is perfect and didn't bother my belly one bit! I had the gluten free crust, white pizza sauce, fresh tomato and spinach. It was fabulous fresh and hot out of the oven and just as good as cold pizza leftovers the next day. read more

Coal Fire - Pizza Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Friendly but painfully slow service. Eggplant parm was poor and overpriced for what was served. Won't return read more

Coal Fire - Pizza Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Always consistent with their pizza!! Great pizza ! We had pizza 16 inch black olives roasted onion green peppers And we started with drinks and calamari... waitress was great and we had the best customer service tonight! This young lady should be rewarded with promotion she has a lot of talent and patience Thanks read more

We went to Coal Fire because some friends suggested it. The pizza was good. My wife and I ordered a sausage and pepperoni pizza with the sweet sauce. We also got and order of the French fries. I loved those little shoestring potatoes! The only downside is the waitress was hardly around for the dining experience. We have to wait for long periods in between before she would come back around. read more

We have ordered pizza from Coal Fire multiple times and every time it is excellent. The BBQ Chicken Pizza is the best I have ever had and the crust is perfect. read more

best pizza ever, i love pizza hut but this pizza i adored! Took 25 minutes to pick it up and they had it in a togo heated box!!!! that was so amazing, i was able to eat my HOT yummy pizza! read more

This is a convenient place to go for a quick meal. But, the last two times I've gone, I have been disappointed with the pizza sauce. They have a couple of pizza sauce options. Both are sweet. Pizza is a food item that I not only love but have eaten regularly since in the early 90s. My first job was in one of the best pizzerias in northern Virginia. My cousins all started out working at pizza hut. Our fridge always had pizza in it. Furthermore, I've had NY pizza, Chicago style pizza, beach pizza, pizza in Italy, etc. Thus, if there is one food I know its pizza. And, I cannot tell you how much I abhor sweet pizza sauce. I have not tried anything else off the menu, so I cant honestly grade them on that. read more

Middle of the road pizza. Thin crust cooked quickly for a crispy edge and slightly chewy center. Did a blend of the spicy and regular sauce for a little kick, as the regular sauce was too sweet and yet also a little bland for out tastes. Did sausage, pepperoni, and red onions. The red onions were pickled instead of fresh. Menu did not specify the distinction and it was not the flavor or texture we were hoping for. Table and menus were sticky which is just a turn-off. The coal oven is a combination oven of coal and natural gas which was not what was expected. The coal is more for flavor which really doesn't come through, so ultimately more for shtick. read more

Coal Fire - Pizza Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

I came here to watch a hockey game. The pizza is very very good. The pepperoni is more sweet than I am used to but I still enjoyed it very much. The cocktail and beer selection is good. I knocked off a star because of the dirty wine glass. It was sticky and thick with stains. I'm not fussy, but a clean glass for a glass of Cabernet is not asking much. read more

Coal Fire - Pepperoni and basil.... pizza two: sweet pepper and mushroom - Pizza Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

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Great food, great crushes and off the chain service. Jackie and crew are simply the best, me and our running crew highly recommend, you won't be disappointed! read more

Really like the pizza here, service was good, one of our pizzas was incorrect and we had to wait for the correct one to come out by then everyone else in our party was finished but the manager apologized and comped the pizza. The manger went out of his way to make sure we were happy. Will be back. read more

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We were in the area doing some furniture shopping and it was getting late... decided to stop by coal fire since it's in the same complex. We were led to our booth and given our water. My husband ordered calamari to start, and an 8inch Rueben as his main dish. I had the meatballs with angel hair pasta. We were wondering why the calmari had no dipping sauce, and after we tasted it...we both nodded to each other that it's cos it was tasty- it didn't need any sauce! Calamari was delicious. My pasta came with a Caesar salad, and I always like it when an entree comes with a salad! Caesar salad was basic, but good! He enjoyed his sandwich, and I enjoyed my meatballs and pasta! It was a generous serving with 4 meatballs...reminded me of childhood when I was happy with my spaghetti and meatballs. Our server was very good too. She knew what we needed without having to ask too many questions. We had a good dinner! Will be back. read more

Coal Fire uses very good quality products. The problem is their food lacks flavor. They need to add some more salt, onion powder, garlic, paprika...whatever is needed to get more flavor in their food. The foundation is there, but the food falls flat due to the lack of flavor. Prices are decent and the portion sizes are good. I really their pizza; they put a good amount of cheese and the dough taste good. Just add some seasoning to your food! read more

Omg best pizza ever! Husband and 8 yr old agree too! We always go for the 16 inch pizza w signature sauce, sweet peppers, sausage, pepperoni, crumbled meatballs. Delicious!! Never ever disappointed! And I have tried the same pizza at three coal fire locations so far and the taste is pretty consistent. Go! You will not be disappointed!! read more

Mmmmm pizzaaaa. I love starchy/carby foods (go figure) and my crust of choice is deep dish. However, I love a thin crusted pizza just as much if it's made well. I've been to Coal Fire numerous times and the overall consistency of the pizza varies. 4 stars when the pizzas are made right, but 2 stars when they're not. I usually order the Margherita and/or the Ricotta Infusion, but have tried many of the other ones, as well. The crust -- sometimes super thin -- must be turned at the appropriate time or it risks the bottom getting too burnt. And even though I love burnt pizza, (I was the kid in school that asked the lunch lady to give me the burnt slice), a black crust just isn't good. The Margherita is my favorite. When it's made right, there's the perfect ratio of sauce, mozz and basil. When it's not? Too burnt, not enough cheese or too DRY! And asking for marinara on the side to offset the dryness? That's fine, but they'll charge you for it AND it comes cold. :( The Ricotta Infusion... so good but really greasy. Sometimes with just the right amount of garlic and sometimes a tad too much. The real winner though? THE FRIES. Yes, fries at a pizza place. They're thin but fried soooo perfectly. We always get a basket of fries to share and I find myself filling up with the fries more than with the pizza! :D I would've given the review 3 stars, but added the extra strictly for the fries. read more

The first time I had pizza was at a friends house. He ordered a classic margarita pizza. It was so excellent I had to track down where it was from. The next week, I went to the store and ordered the same thing, 5 star tastes. It goes downhill from there. I went back to the same place two weeks ago to order the same margarita pizza. The pizza came out and literally only half were covered with cheese. I asked for more them to cover the rest of pizza with cheese but they said "that's how it is, you'll have to order extra cheese next time." I went back for the third time this week and this time ordered an extra cheese margarita pizza with pepperoni. And wings. The pizza came out with no basil and the staff (very friendly) gave me fresh basil to sprinkle on top. The pizza was almost tasteless, either my taste buds aged 30 years or what, but it was nothing compared to what I had last year. The basil needs to be cooked into the pizza for flavoring. The wings are horrible. Stiff, tasteless and was charged $1.50 for hot sauce! I do have to say the staffs are wonderful and polite but the pizza qualities are just no good compared to last year. and the guys who do pizzas looks very hard at work. Very disappointed. read more

My son and I were bored - so we went out for some pizza. It was nice out, so we asked to be seated outside. Turns out that none of the tables outside were in use, but none of them were clean either. Some had old dirty dishes, others had crumbs and papers and old beer. The waitress seated us at one that was a little bit clean, but then didn't offer to wipe the table off. No one came out to serve us for a while - so we went back inside. We ordered pizza with meatballs, onions and mushrooms. The pizza has a great crust - but they really go light on the toppings. Did they break up one meatball on the entire pizza? Pizza had just a dusting of sauce and cheese and mushrooms. No flavor. There are lots of great pizza places in town. I wont likely return to Coal Fire. read more

I call in for pick up for carry out from the cold fire in kentlands. A young woMAN by the name of Handsa answered. She was very helpful in taking my order and offered suggestions for my volgonese. I really appreciate that. When I went in to pick up my Boulogne, I was greeted by Handsa at the pickup counter. She had a bubbly personality that made me perk up. I recommend coming here after a long, hard day. Very good food. The bolonese was excellent, a thumbs up from me. read more

Great neighborhood family pizza joint. There's a mix of date night folks and families enjoying the paper thin crust pizzas hot out of the coal fired oven. Their salads are also top notch, fresh and very tasty. I've had a few sides and have been happy with all of them. They offer three sauces for their pizzas, the original is a bit too sweet to me, the spicy is too much for the kids, so we typically settle on the signature sauce. Prices are reasonable, service is hit or miss. The manager works harder than his wait staff. There's also a bar side and the bartender is really great, there's several televisions, it's really a nice place to hang out. Try it, you'll like it. read more

I still think there's no truly stellar pizza in Maryland. Coal Fire is decent. Service can be hit or very very miss. You can walk into an empty restaurant and barely been seen, or it can be bustling and your pizza will be out in 10 minutes. Pizza is decent. Not great. Crust is lightly charred, which I like. Fairly chewy, which I also like. Spicy sauce isn't very spicy and the signature sauce is too sweet for my liking. Options for toppings are typical, I think a little pricey but I don't typically like a loaded pizza. Wings were a miss. Bland, bland, bland. They oughta have some options for either sauces or rubs on them. Salad is decent. But, uninspired. Bottom line: This isn't pizza I would crave, but it's it's a nice day they have some pretty good outdoor seating and I can walk there, so it'll do. read more

Came here on a Saturday night around 10pm. It wasn't crowded at all. Very nice atmosphere. It's not a huge place but since it wasn't crowded, didn't really make a difference. We ordered pizza and wings. The wings there are different. It's not deep fried. it's baked and put on top of bread which almost taste like pita bread. In any case, the wings were ok. But definitely something you can probably make at home. We got their signature "Ring of fire" pizza... banana peppers, italian sausage and their spicy sauce on a thin crust pie... not bad. I like the thin crust, but I guess the sauce wasn't really that spicy and the sausage not that tasty. It wasn't bad though. I wish there were more mozzarella on top. Anyways, this is not the place to go to satisfy a wings craving... but their fries weren't bad. think long pieces of savory fries... glad they didn't go wrong on that one. Bottom line: fries cravings? ok.. pizza? fine... wings? nope read more

Love love love this place! This is my first time here Yana was an absolutely awesome server. And the wings are phenomenal and the pizza was by far the best I've have since I moved here!!!! read more

It's a fairly straightforward no frills place, but I'd probably go for about 2 and a half stars overall rating. It's way out in the suburbs, lots of kids and families as to be expected. The menu is quite simple and basic, and well you really are coming here to have pizza so no worries there. Beer and wine selection is adequate, although definitely some items are better than others. The Bon Non standard red wine by the glass is pure plonk and a syrup rush, while some of the beer items that are interesting (Kostritzer) were 86d. Unfortunately there are some duds. Coal Fire salad contains hardly any tomatoes, and is heavily loaded on the sugar. It's like eating a bowl of Saturday morning breakfast cereal frosted flakes or something. The coal fired wings are just flat out gross. I thought it sounded a little interesting, but it's an odd concoction of rotisserie bland baked wings that get soaked on oil greased pita bread with onions thrown on top. Worse, the chicken was old, I mean it stunk and tasted awful. Just stick to basic wings in sauce it's a pizza place come on it's not that hard. As for the pizza it's passable. A little goopy and at times light on the cheese, but the mushrooms, sausage, and peppers are all flavorful. Pizza is also nicely thin which is good. Sauce lends to a bit of sweetness as well (classic), so pick accordingly. While the pizza is fine, it's nothing to rave about or knock down doors to come here. The best thing though that stands out here is the service, highly attentive, congenial and not pushy either. Still the idea that this place makes special pie (coal fired) it only comes out like store bought regardless. There is no reason for me to go back or recommend this place, but I certainly would know what to order next time around and more importantly steer clear of. read more