Restaurants

Locations in Friendship Heights, Rockville, Potomac and Kentlands. Subs and pizza $6.79-$21.99; entrees $8.99-$12.99.

At last: a fat-free pizza you can really eat. The crust is tasty, the mozzarella a great leap beyond the rubbery synthetics of a few years ago and you can pile on the (grilled) vegetables. The "guilt-free" is cheese-less to boot, which might sound dull but, thanks again to good, fresh veggies, is like a thin-crust focaccia. And if your special interest is "green" harvest methods, get the grilled tuna sub, made with "dolphin-safe" meat and your choice of wraps or breads.

Vapiano

Locations in downtown, Ballston and Dulles Town Center. Entrees $7.25-$10.25.

A slick and surprisingly likable hybrid of Italian concept and German engineering, these spiffy pizza and pasta bars manage to produce, as the slogan goes, fresh fast food. Choose pizza toppings or pastas (house-made) and sauces from four bargain price points, and the chef whips them out in just a couple of minutes. And although a couple of combos may seem odd (fig, prosciutto and honey pizza), remember that this culinary coupe has been driving in the fast lane in Germany for five years -- and that's a coup.

Zio's

9083 Gaither Rd., Gaithersburg; 301-977-6300. Entree $10.25-$15.95; pizzas $5.75-$15.95

Inexpensive and filling Italian food is easy to find these days (although it's more often franchise fare), but a really good family-recipe pizza may be harder to find than ever. The pizza dough here, made from Mama Pappano's family recipe, is like the best fresh bread you've had in weeks, and even if the pasta isn't as consistently fine, it will keep the family happy. Pizza, garlic bread, thick wine glasses, salad bar -- Zio's is just like the old days.