Armand’s Pizzeria and Grille, located at 190 Halpine Road in Rockville, has been voted as the favorite in WTOP’s ‘2022 Best Pizza’ list. Armand’s once had over 25 DMV locations with multiple restaurants right here in Montgomery County. The once-mighty local chain is now down to two family-owned locations with just the Rockville location remaining in the area and “Armand’s By the Sea” located in Bethany Beach, DE. In January of 2021, Armand’s Pizza won Taste MoCo’s tournament of 64 Montgomery County restaurants that offer pizza.
Founder Lew Newmyer opened the first Armand’s back in 1975 at Veazey Street and Wisconsin Avenue NW near Tenley Circle in Washington, D.C., after tasting deep-dish pizza during a visit to Chicago. The Newmyer family, residents of Montgomery County, owned and operated several Armand’s location, closing the last of their restaurants in 2018 when the Silver Spring location closed. The two remaining restaurants are franchised locations that still use the original recipe and cooking style Armand’s is known for. Lew, who was a Silver Spring resident, passed away in 2015 at the age of 92.
The story of how Armand’s got started may show that the pizza is a little more authentic than many believe. According to Lew Newmyer’s obituary, published in The Washington Post, Armand’s began when “Mr. Newmyer took some uneaten Uno pizza with him, then returned to the restaurant after closing time on a cold January night. Armed with a flashlight, he “went through the garbage dumpster retrieving the labels off the flour, yeast and tomato packages,” his son recounted in an e-mail. From this caper came the the formula and ingredients for the pizzas at Armand’s in Washington.”
Pizza from Armand’s in Rockville.
One of two remaining locations anywhere and the last one in MoCo. pic.twitter.com/H5usQSWT5x
— Taste MoCo (@TasteMoCo) August 2, 2020
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