Perhaps no chef has made an impact as profound as Michael Rafidi in the DC dining scene in recent years. His flagship restaurant Albi in Navy Yard has long been one of our favorite places in the city, and his new project in Union Market, La’ Shukran, was also a worthy dining destination. Aside from his restaurants, chef Rafidi also has a couple of Levantine cafes, each in Georgetown and Union Market. Both offer various baked goods during daytimes but transform during the evening into restaurants that offer sit-down dining options. The one in Georgetown, called YELLOW (not) pizza, features sourdough pies that have striking resemblances to pizzas (but as the name of the place clearly indicates, the restaurant refuses to call them as such). We have finally visited YELLOW recently, and not surprising coming from a sister project to Albi, we greatly enjoyed everything from our dinner.

While the “(not) pizza” section is the centerpiece of the menu, YELLOW offers so much more. Before you would like to try a few appetizers to get you going before indulging on the pies, there are some really good options in the mezze section. We both really liked the fattoush salad with tomato, feta and crunchy pita for all the freshness of the ingredients, and Jun had a very high praise for the smoked lamb ribs which came wonderfully soft in texture. Of course, we couldn’t skip a hummus dish given all the wonderful hummus we’d tried from Albi, and the lamb awarma hummus was spot-on. If you are planning to order a pie at YELLOW, don’t bother ordering an extra pita to dip on the hummus; the doughs from the pie will more than adequately do the job for dipping. We ended up with smoked oyster mushroom pie (accompanied by lemon ricotta and pickled beech mushroom), and it was one of the best pizzas I remembered having in the DC Metro area. The smoky flavor from the mushroom was quite memorable, and the extra chewy dough was addictive as well, especially with the hummus. Jun and I both knew we were starting to get overloaded with carbs, but we couldn’t stop until the pie disappeared! For dessert, our server highly recommended a soft serve with Concord grape flavor, and it turned out to be a wise choice, especially with candied pistachio that offered wonderful crunchy texture to match the soft serve.

Getting a reservation at YELLOW, as with all other restaurants from chef Rafidi, is not easy to get, and the relatively modest dining space was nearly packed during our dinner. The good news is that the turnover at the tables is relatively quick as well, so you might have some luck with walk-in if you avoid prime time dinner windows. The restaurant also has some really unique natural wine options from various corners of the Middle East (not surprising given Albi’s fabulous wine list, especially from the Levantine region), as well as cocktails and beers, to complement the food well. The casual café vibe of the dining space makes it an ideal place for a gathering with friends and family to try as many dishes as possible. It took us a while to check out YELLOW, and Jun told me on our way home she is already looking forward to the next trip to the restaurant. We plan to visit the YELLOW café in Union Market, which, unlike the Georgetown location, focuses on kebabs, in the near future.  

KenScale: 8.0/10 (Jun’s Score: 8.0/10)

Address: 1524 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

Website: https://www.yellowthecafe.com/georgetown

Reservation via Resy