Margherita Pizza.
Pure simplicity.
Fresh mozzarella, hand-torn basil, San Marzano-style sauce, and extra-virgin olive oil -- baked at 800 degrees on hand-stretched dough.
What Makes Our Margherita
Pizza Different
Fresh Mozzarella
Whole-milk mozzarella pulled and placed by hand. Not the pre-shredded, low-moisture product from a bag. It melts into creamy, stretchy pools with natural browning.
San Marzano-Style Sauce
Bright, balanced tomato sauce made in-house with garlic and olive oil. Applied thin so it enhances the cheese and crust without making the center soggy.
Fragrant Fresh Basil
Hand-torn basil leaves that wilt gently in the 800-degree oven, releasing aromatic oils that perfume every bite of the finished pizza.
Stone-Oven Char
800 degrees creates the leopard-spotted char on the bottom and blistered bubbles on the crust. This is the texture and flavor that define real wood-fired pizza.
Hand-Stretched Dough
Made fresh every morning and shaped by hand to order. No rolling pins, no machines, no frozen dough. The result is an airy, open crumb with real chew.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
A finishing drizzle of high-quality extra-virgin olive oil adds richness and ties together the tomato, mozzarella, and basil into a cohesive whole.
100% Halal Margherita Pizza -- Vegetarian Friendly
Every single item at Forni is 100% Halal. Not a section. Not a special request. The entire kitchen — every protein, every sauce, every topping — meets strict Halal standards.
Order the All Meat pizza, the Gyro Panini, or any specialty pie with complete confidence. Families, mosques, and communities across Northern Virginia trust Forni because there is never a question about what's in the food.
The Margherita
Pizza
Tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil & olive oil. The Margherita is the pizza that started it all -- named after Queen Margherita of Italy and built on three ingredients that mirror the Italian flag: red tomato, white mozzarella, and green basil.
At Forni, we honor that tradition with fresh whole-milk mozzarella torn by hand, a bright San Marzano-style sauce, fragrant basil, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. The 800-degree stone oven does the rest -- charring the crust, blistering the cheese, and releasing the basil oils in roughly 90 seconds. This is not a pizza that hides behind toppings. Every ingredient earns its place.
How We Make It
Six steps. Four ingredients. One 800-degree stone oven.
Fresh Dough
Made from scratch every morning with premium flour and a slow fermentation process that develops complex, slightly tangy flavor.
House Tomato Sauce
San Marzano-style tomatoes blended with garlic and a touch of olive oil. Applied sparingly so the crust stays crisp and the cheese shines.
Fresh Mozzarella
Whole-milk mozzarella, torn by hand and placed in generous clusters. Melts into rich, stretchy pools with golden-brown edges.
Hand-Torn Basil
Fresh basil leaves, torn rather than chopped to preserve their oils and fragrance. Added just before the oven so they wilt without burning.
800-Degree Stone Oven
Slid onto the stone floor of our custom oven. The radiant heat hits from all sides, charring the crust in seconds.
Olive Oil Finish
Out of the oven with leopard spots and bubbling cheese. A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil completes the Margherita.
Margherita Pizza Near You
Forni serves wood-fired Margherita pizza to customers across Northern Virginia. Order online for pickup or delivery.
Beyond Margherita
Our full menu has something for everyone -- pizzas, paninis, salads, starters, and fresh juices.
Artisan Panini
- Gyro Panini
- Pesto Chicken Panini
- Chicken & Cheese Panini
- Steak & Cheese Panini
- Tuna Panini
Fresh Salads
- Goat Cheese & Spinach Salad
- Caesar Salad
- Caprese Salad
Starters & Juices
- French Fries
- Garlic Bread
- Berry Smash
- Kiwi Twist
- Avocado Nut
- Royal Juice
- Mango Breeze
Margherita Pizza FAQ
Yes. Every Margherita pizza at Forni is baked in our custom-built stone oven at 800 degrees. The extreme heat chars the crust, melts the fresh mozzarella into creamy pools, and wilts the basil just enough to release its oils -- all in about 90 seconds.
Our Margherita pizza features house-made tomato sauce, fresh whole-milk mozzarella, hand-torn basil leaves, and a finishing drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil on hand-stretched dough. Four ingredients, zero shortcuts.
Our Margherita pizza is a long wood-fired pie -- one generous size that works perfectly for one person or for sharing alongside other items from our menu.
Check our menu page for the latest pricing. The Margherita is one of our signature pies and offers outstanding value for the quality of ingredients we use.
Yes. The Margherita pizza is fully vegetarian. It contains tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese, basil, and olive oil. No meat of any kind. It is also 100% halal.
Forni offers convenient online ordering for pickup. For delivery, check your preferred delivery app for current coverage in your area.
You can, though many customers prefer the Margherita as-is for its simplicity. If you want additional toppings, you can also use our Make Your Own Pizza option to build a custom pie starting with a Margherita base.
A great Margherita depends entirely on ingredient quality and oven technique. There is nowhere to hide with only four ingredients. The tomato sauce must be bright and balanced. The mozzarella must be fresh, not pre-shredded. The basil must be fragrant. And the oven must run hot enough -- 800 degrees -- to char the crust and melt the cheese before the dough dries out.
Yes. Contact us at (703) 485-8313 or hello@fornioven.com to arrange large orders or catering. We can prepare multiple Margherita pizzas for events, parties, and office lunches.
Finding Great Margherita Pizza Near You in Northern Virginia
The Margherita pizza is the original. Created in Naples in 1889 and named after Queen Margherita of Savoy, it was designed to showcase three ingredients in the colors of the Italian flag: red tomato, white mozzarella, and green basil. More than a century later, it remains the benchmark by which serious pizzerias are judged -- because when a pizza has only four components, there is no room to hide behind complexity.
At Forni Pizza & Sandwich in Falls Church, Virginia, our Margherita pizza is built on that same principle: extraordinary ingredients, precise technique, and an 800-degree stone oven that transforms simple components into something remarkable.
Why Fresh Mozzarella Matters
The difference between fresh whole-milk mozzarella and the pre-shredded product that comes in bags is not subtle. Fresh mozzarella has a higher moisture content, a creamier texture, and a clean, milky flavor that the low-moisture alternative cannot match. When it hits 800 degrees, fresh mozzarella melts into irregular pools -- some areas golden and bubbling, others still white and stretchy. That variation in texture and color is a hallmark of great Margherita pizza.
Pre-shredded mozzarella, by contrast, is coated in anti-caking agents like cellulose and potato starch. It melts into a uniform, rubbery layer that browns evenly but lacks the creamy richness and visual character of the real thing. For a Margherita pizza, where the cheese is one of only four ingredients, this distinction matters enormously.
The Role of the Stone Oven
A conventional pizza oven tops out around 500 degrees. Our custom-built stone oven reaches 800. At that temperature, the pizza bakes in roughly 90 seconds. The bottom of the crust develops leopard-spotted char marks from direct contact with the stone floor, while the top blisters and puffs from the radiant heat above. The speed of the bake means the interior stays moist and tender rather than drying out.
For a Margherita specifically, the extreme heat is essential. It chars the edges of the crust to create a contrast between the crispy exterior and the soft, pillowy center. It browns the mozzarella in patches without overcooking it. And it wilts the fresh basil just enough to release its aromatic oils without turning it black and bitter.
Simplicity Is the Hardest Thing to Get Right
A loaded pizza with eight toppings can compensate for mediocre dough or underwhelming sauce. A Margherita cannot. If the tomato sauce is too sweet, too acidic, or too abundant, the whole pizza suffers. If the dough is dense or flavorless, there is nothing to distract from it. If the basil is old or the olive oil is low-quality, you taste it immediately.
That is why the Margherita has always been the truest test of a pizzeria's craft. At Forni, we make our dough fresh every morning with premium flour and a carefully managed fermentation that develops a slightly tangy, complex flavor. Our tomato sauce is house-made with San Marzano-style tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil -- applied sparingly so the crust stays crisp. The basil is fresh and fragrant, torn by hand to preserve its oils.
A Full Menu Beyond the Margherita
The Margherita is our purest expression of wood-fired pizza, but Forni's menu extends well beyond a single pie. We offer ten signature pizzas -- from the bold Pepperoni with thick-cut, crispy-cupped slices to the rich Four Cheese to the hearty All Meat with pepperoni, sausage, and gyro. Our artisan paninis, fresh salads, wood-fired starters, and hand-crafted juices round out a menu built for variety. Every item is 100% halal.
Forni is located at 5800 Seminary Rd, Unit B, Falls Church, VA 22041, serving Falls Church, Arlington, Tysons Corner, McLean, Fairfax, Seven Corners, Merrifield, Vienna, and surrounding Northern Virginia. Open seven days a week. Order online for pickup or through our delivery partners.
Visit Forni
Ready for the Best
Margherita Pizza?
Fresh mozzarella, fragrant basil, 800-degree stone oven, hand-stretched dough. Order online for pickup or call us directly.