Paisano's Pizza opening Bethesda location

You wouldn't know it from walking past the empty space, but pizza is coming back to the vacant 4914 Del Ray Avenue storefront formerly home to Naked Pizza. After apparently generating more headlines than customers, Naked Pizza closed last September.

A solid source tells me the new tenant is Paisano's Pizza, a popular DC-area chain now expanding into Montgomery County. They already have restaurants in Gaithersburg and Rockville.

Paisano's Pizza was voted the best in the DC area by WTOP FM listeners in recent years. Paisano's uses Grande Cheese on their pizzas, "the finest Italian cheeses money can buy." Overall, this sounds like good news for Woodmont Triangle residents who like pizza.

NAKED PIZZA CAN'T COVER UP ANY LONGER: THEY'RE CLOSED, SPACE FOR LEASE IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

The odd, indefinite closure of Naked Pizza on Del Ray Avenue in Bethesda got a lot of people wondering what the story was. Certainly, the chain was not saying, only redirecting customers to other area locations. But finally, the mystery is solved.

The Naked Truth: Rather than the promised "improvements," the restaurant is actually closed, and the space is up for lease.

Last evening, I spotted a crumpled sign on the floor inside which appeared to say "For Lease." The phone number led to confirmation that the Naked Pizza space is indeed for lease. I also found a Loopnet listing for the space, which describes it as a "former pizza delivery location," suggesting we've seen the last of Naked Pizza at this particular address. The chain has several Northern Virginia locations that are still open.

For Lease banner inside
Naked Pizza

LoopNet property listing
for the (former) Naked Pizza

NAKED PIZZA CLOSES FOR RENOVATIONS (PHOTO)

Naked Pizza is the latest Bethesda business to temporarily close for interior renovations. They are directing customers to their other locations, although none of them are convenient to Bethesda (McLean, Reston, Pentagon Row and Ballston. No reopening date has been given at this point.

Naked Pizza

4914 Del Ray Avenue

NAKED PIZZA INTRODUCES NAKED SALADS IN BETHESDA

Naked Pizza on Del Ray Avenue already had healthy pizza.

Now it is introducing a new Naked Salads lineup, featuring the following varieties: Spinach and goat cheese, Caesar with Naked croutons, Mediterranean, and Greek.