The sign still says "Stoners Pizza", but the business has changed for the better. Hats off to the old Stoner's. I appreciated y'all, especially when you were working under difficult conditions.
Now, It's Ubuntu African Slices. Ubuntu comes from Zulu and Xhosa languages and literally means "humanity". It's also interpreted to mean "I am because we are." It's a good community-foward name, and as one who grew up here, I'm all for it.
If you're concerned that Georgetown's convenient pizza joint is gone, not to worry. The pizza is back! I got a "small" Meat Lover's pizza that is more like a medium than a personal pizza, and a good buy at $15. The toppings must come from the same supplier; the ham is still diced small, the sauce -- one of my favorites -- still has nice balance without too much sweetness, and the sausage has that yummy fennel-heavy taste that I like.
Now, I love a brick-oven fired pizza, with all of their giant, crispy dough bubbles in the crust and the delectable char from fast, hot cooking. This ain't that. But it's a well-made pie that is just a few tenths of a mile away from most folks in King's Grant, that gated cove community, and the apartments and condos along King George Blvd. No word on if they do or will deliver. I always pick up.
I also ordered a vegetable plate with steamed cabbage, collard greens, beans, and jollof rice, which tasted a lot like Savannah red rice. There are West African dishes on the menu, but if you're not ready to jump in to an new-to-you cuisine, you'll find many of the dishes are familiar, like beef stew, oxtails, curry chicken, tilapia (sometimes known as African Perch), red snapper, kidney beans, collard greens, and cabbage. For a more Nigerian/Ghanaian vibe, there's fufu, curry goat, egusi spinach, suya, and peanut soup. Brief descriptions on the menu would be helpful to those of us new to some of these dishes.
I'm not a big fan of kidney beans, but they were well cooked without being at all mushy. The greens -- which were stewed and seasoned Sunday-dinner style -- and the beans were a little too salty in spots, but the flavorful cabbage and jollof rice balanced things out. I just noticed that I didn't get the plantains that were supposed to be included. They're working out a few kinks. That's what soft openings are for.
The whole place has gotten a nice scrubdown and a little paint, and with new tables and chairs it looks more like a restaurant than a dance floor now. However, it was hard not to dance to the Afrobeats music videos playing on a few of the TV screens. Two people who were there before I arrived praised their meal and said they'd be back.
The counter service was a little shy, but very attentive. And I was greeted warmly, even when I just went in for a menu.
I recommended it to my sister and her husband for date night. Ubuntu showing well it its first few weeks. Welcome to the neighborhood! read more