Ava’s Pizzeria & Wine Bar

St. Michaels, United States

4.3

Open now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 410-745-3081
Website:
www.avaspizzeria.com
Address:
409 S Talbot St, St. Michaels, MD, 21663
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Dinner
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
No
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Good For Dancing
No
Alcohol
Full Bar
Happy Hour
Yes
Best Nights
Sat
Coat Check
No
Smoking
No
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
Yes
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
No

Today

Today 11:30 am – 9:30 pm
Open now
Local time (St. Michaels) 15:30 Friday, 30 May 2025

Business hours

Monday 11:30 am – 9:00 pm
Tuesday 11:30 am – 9:00 pm
Wednesday 11:30 am – 9:00 pm
Thursday 11:30 am – 9:00 pm
Friday 11:30 am – 9:30 pm
Saturday 11:30 am – 9:30 pm
Sunday 11:30 am – 9:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Ava’s uses the freshest ingredients possible. We use the finest cold press extra virgin olive oil, cook our potato chips to order, make our own dough and fresh mozzarella. Everything is made in house…

History

Established in 2008.

Chris Agharabi and Chris Fazio were in the same graduating class at Le’Academie de Cuisine in Washington DC. Executive Chef Chris Fazio came to St. Michaels after working as Sous-​Chef at Central Michel Richard in Washington, D.C., the 2008 James Beard Award Winner for Best New Restaurant. Owner and Chef Chris Agharabi worked the at Persimmon under the tutelage of Chef Damian Salvatore. Persimmon is continuously recognized as one of «Bethesda’s Best» restaurants.

In 2008 Chris and his wife decided to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and open Ava’s Pizzeria and Wine Bar, named after their daughter. With the additional talents of Chris Fazio, Ava’s serves a staple of gourmet pizzas featuring locally produced fresh ingredients where possible. An ever-​changing mix of entrées and sandwiches are fired in the brick oven on display in the main dining area. Ava’s also features a diverse wine and international beer selection.

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Nearby

Browse nearby places:
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20 reviews of Ava’s Pizzeria & Wine Bar

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Lansdale, PA
Pizza menu was strong. Our two pizzas did NOT dissapoint. They seemed to have a good wine selection. Service was very friendly.
Place rating: 5
Salem, MA
Delicious pizza, really great and friendly service and the best cupcake I’ve ever had!
Place rating: 2
Easton, MD
I have to say this tough to give this review because this has always been our «go to» restaurant over the years in St Michaels… but something has changed.
The service is always great and friendly but the food has really slipped. The bread is dry and my favorite chicken parm is just gotten to be very small portion and again dry and overcooked. Like and appetizer size. Small plate special?
Now I am sure your saying that this is just a fluke, try them again. well that is why I am writing this review. They still are a good place to get something to eat… but no longer the great place to get something to eat.
The last time my wife went here with her mom for lunch their pasta was so salty they just couldn’t eat it. When they said something to their waiter (they never complain). He told them that the chef must have used some of the water from the pasta in the sauce to thin it out ?? We were not talking a little salty but in edible salty.
The last two times we have gone the food has just been okay… what has happened?
Yes I will try again but the management must know what they are doing and they need to know… it is noticeable !!!
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
Ducking amazing! Seriously incredible pizza and the crust is phenomenal!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhggghhhhhhhhhhhhgghghg­ghghgghghghgghfghgggghgghgggghggh!!! It’s so good!
Place rating: 4
Baltimore, MD
Major point for having vegan/​vegetarian options in a place where you have to search high and low for anything! The place was busy, we sat outside and loved the beer tap fountain. We got drinks, pizza and dinner and were very pleased. Great place!
Place rating: 3
Philadelphia, PA
Spent MDW in St. Michaels and Ava’s was out first stop. We had lunch on the outdoor patio. The meatball sliders and margarita pizza w/​pepperoni were plenty for two people to share. I really enjoyed the sliders. they were a nice hearty appetizer. The pizza was good, but on the greasy side (to the point we let the grease just drip off each slice before eating it). Solid beer and wine list, as well. Based on our one visit, I’d give them 3.5 stars.
Place rating: 5
Alexandria, VA
One of my favorite places in St. Michael’s. I love their pizza, great crust, and the staff is always friendly and fast.
Place rating: 5
Chevy Chase, MD
When planning the weekend at St. Michael’s, my friends immediately recommended Ava’s. Even when I wasn’t looking for pizza, I am glad we had a taste of Ava’s. They have some other choices that don’t include pasta/​pizza on just a single-​sided menu. Perfect. Also, Peter, our server, was cheerful, fun and timely.
Place rating: 5
Boyne City, MI
This restaurant was recommended by the marina staff. We had lunch, sat outside on the back patio with our dog and enjoyed 3 different pizzas. All of them were outstanding, as was the wait staff. The beer tap water fountain was very cool.
Place rating: 5
Saint Michaels, MD
Best pizza ever! Recommended. I’ve been to ava’s a few time, service was always excellent.
Place rating: 2
Fairfax, VA
The hostess and wait staff at this place are miserable people. I mean, I get that working sucks sometimes, but to have 3 out of 4 people that you interact with obviously hating life doesn’t inspire a good mood when I’m paying to be someplace. As an example, we asked to change tables soon after arriving. The server said that would be fine, and just walked away without saying anything about where we could go, who to talk to, etc. We took our menus and silverware inside, and stood by the hostess stand for a couple of minutes, with multiple employees just staring at us like we had three heads. Finally someone said «oh you can sit there» and pointed at a table near the bar.
The pizza was very good (I had the meat one), but at $ 19 was a complete rip-​off. Beach town or not, that’s a bit much for a personal sized pie. I’d probably never return, just based on the price of the food. Not good value for my money.
Place rating: 4
Baltimore, MD
To start, we had a market salad with balsamic reduction, and the combination of creamy goat cheese and tangy balsamic was great! For the main entrees, we had the onion tart pizza and fettucine & roasted vegetables. The onion tart pizza, with gruyère and sour cream, was sweet, creamy, and tasty. My only negative comment about the food is that the fettucine was undersalted.
Though the wait was a bit long, kudos to the management for texting customers about table availability. Also, the place is dog friendly. Finally, the back sunroom has a beer-​tap water fountain, which was a pretty cool feature, and has area heaters that kept us warm while still being able to enjoy the outside scenery.
Overall, not a bad choice for lunch during a nice daytime stroll through St. Michaels.
Place rating: 3
Ellicott City, MD
Swung by here for a late lunch in May. We were taken to the back which had a really cool beer tap water feature on one wall and a mosaic mural on the opposite wall. The place is also dog friendly so we were sitting next to a table with a doggie who sat quietly giving me sad puppy dog eyes as I shamefully ate my pizza.
Definitely try the boardwalk fries, as Baltimore people we got Old Bay seasoning. Big plate of heaping fries that’s easy on the wallet. What’s not cheap is the pizza. For 12 inches of pizza it’s $ 17 to $ 19 bucks a pie! We had the Vegan and Mediterranean and both of us liked the medtiterranean the best. Since it is wood fired pizza the crust was thin and crispy in parts making a nice texture balance. Our waitress looked bored outta her mind and had a smile that never reached her eyes but she was super efficient! Spot on with refills and bringing vinegar and ketchup for fries before we even knew we needed anything. Loved everything about the pizza except for a little over flouring in spots and the price.
Place rating: 4
Alexandria, VA
We chose Ava’s for our first meal in St Michaels and it was a good choice. We showed up 30 minutes before they closed and everyone was accomodating, it was great.
I totally recommend the house fries– got it with all three toppings– old bay, Bleu cheese and parmesean.
We had half and half pizza, meat on margarita, it was delicious. Comes to wine it’s better to order bottle. Cabernet sauvignon from Alexander valley suited the meal perfectly .
They have a heated patio, lot better than inside.
Our server was great, very friendly and helpful guy .
Only reason I am giving 4 is because of a lady who served our appetizer, she was rude and cold. Made no connection, literally she dropped of on our table and walked away .
I totally recommend this place.
Place rating: 4
Philadelphia, PA
After a long day consisting of the Oyster Festival, a stop at the distillery, winery and brewery; my friends and I went to dinner at Ava’s Pizzeria. We were able to call ahead and put our name on the waiting list, though we could not make a formal reservation. When we arrived, we had to wait about 10 additional minutes. The bar area was crowded and the bartender seemed overwhelmed, by the time we ordered drinks, our table was ready.
We shared the meatball sliders as an appetizer. They were presented on a lighter focaccia-​type of roll. The balls themselves were big, moist and the sauce was flavorful — can’t go wrong. I had the arugula and fennel salad dressed in a vinegarette; it was also a large portion but very light. My friend and I shared the vegan pizza with mozzarella. I thin crust was loaded with vegetables and was a delightful end to our day.
Place rating: 5
Lewes, DE
Order the pizza. Order a special pizza. Cooked perfectly. Flavorful. Every bite a delight.
We sat out back. Nice
Great service.
Place rating: 4
Washington, DC
Hidden in this sleepy little coastal Maryland town is some QUALITY pizza. Ava’s is the best dinner in town and they don’t take reservations, but you can call ahead an hour before you want to eat, and put your name down. We arrived at the appointed time and only had to wait 15 minutes; calling that a win!
The other reviewers aren’t wrong — the meatballs here are fantastic. Flavorful, soft yet chewy, and surrounded by tangy-​sweet marinara. Go for the sliders if you want to share, or order the single meatball for $ 4 as your appetizer.
And the pizza! I had the special: a white pizza with duck confit, arugula, figs, caramelized onions, and drizzled with a red wine reduction. Okay. It was just as good as you’d expect. My male companions went for the Meat Meat Meat, which was… a vegetarian pizza! Kidding. It was a meat-lover’s dream, topped with some of those amazing meatballs.
Cocktails are solid, beer list is long, and the staff is friendly. What more could you want?
Place rating: 5
Alexandria, VA
Sit. at. the. bar.
Just love this place. Labor Day weekend. After a 40 mile bike ride. Hungry & thirsty.
Got there at 3 pm. Stalked out two seats at the bar and within 15 minutes, we were butts in seats and ready to order!
Crazy busy as all top restaurants would be.
Crabby rude people need to go down the street to the non-​busy Marcoritaville (#23 in Unilocal) and eat there.
Ava’s (and their sister Theo’s, where we had dinner on Sunday night-​right next door) is a treat.
Great pizza, killer Bloody Mary’s and an attentive staff.
Pizza!!!
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
If you like pizza that’s thin & flavorful, this is the place for you! The edges are baked crisp, too – which makes it perfect in our book!
We sat outside on the deck behind the restaurant & it was pleasant, though not as great as sitting on the water.
Our waitress was attentive & efficient.
We’ll definitely head back here the next time we want great pizza!
Place rating: 5
Neavitt, MD
This was my second time visiting Ava’s and I was once again blown away. The brick oven pizza was thin and crispy while the house made mozzarella, savory.
The restaurant is set up with a bar on one side that has a sports bar vibe while the other side a bit more serine with views of the brick oven.
I highly recommend for a quick romantic dinner or a first date.