Clearly relying on its popular and convenient location, this eatery places little importance on staff training--both on the floor and in the kitchen. Perhaps both owners and management are counting on that after a few drinks, mediocre food and poor service can be overlooked. There are far better options close by...Recommendation is simply to avoid...or enjoy the drinks...

We tried Matchbox Capitol Hill this week and all I can say is....what a joke...what a shame! This place is NOT "vintage", "east coast" or "west coast pizza". The service, or lack of starts at the door, the bar, and throughout your meal. Prepare yourself for a LOOOONG wait at the door, or the over crowded narrow bar, and a LOT of attitude beginning with the many staff at the door not knowing their left from right. The staff lacks any common sense or common courtesy. The pizza BELOW average and over priced. This was one frustrating and disappointing experience not to ever to be had again. Careful of the other reviewers...word has it the posting are the restaurant staff and management.

awesome food: Everything on the menu is great. Pizza is to die for. Beer selection is the best I've found in the city. Hot hot hot asian bartender.

There were pros and cons to Matchbox when I went. First con is the wait. We had to wait for about 2 hours to get a table. No embellishment on the time. 2 hours!!! lol Second con is the pizza wasn't great. At least the pizza that I ordered and the person I was with ordered. I ordered some kinda chicken pizza. The chicken on the pizza tasted sooo funny. It wasn't seasoned at all. It was bland and it tasted like they boiled it or something. It was the wierdest tasting chicken pizza I've ever had and I usually love chicken pizza. The person I was with got a Mushroom and Cheese Pizza and they didn't like theirs either. Ok ok now to the Pros...the interior of the actual restaurant was really nice, more like a "before the nightclub" type of vibe. They even had the techno music playing the whole time. (the techno music fits under cons tho lol) Also, the appetizers were REALLY GOOD. We got the sliders and crabcake plate. It was super good, I wish I could have said the same for the pizza.

This place is great. Excellent pizza, great appetizers and the atmosphere tops it off. The food is amazing. The service is on point as well.

Matchbox Is wonderful!: My boyfriend and I tried Matchbox last month and loved it. The food is excellent and filling. If your guy is the type that wants a BIG meal, there open face sandwiches will do the trick. The pizza is really good. The only thing is that it can get a bit crowded but what can you expect. Anyone in the chinatown area should try Matchbox.

fantastic: recently remodeled and their pizza is better than ever. They use a hard wood, brick oven so their pizza crust comes out prefect.

Can't Wait To Go Back!!!: Very small but cozy and the food is excellent. The pizza, crabcakes, salmon just delicious. The mini burgers or like homemade. I would recommend this place. Nice for a date, hanging out with friends and family.

An adorable lil secret!: Cute spot. The pizza selection is terrific if you like gourmet. Atmosphere is cozy with a view of exposed brick, which also features the oven and swift chefs preparing your meal.

Matchbox has the bes...: Matchbox has the best Mini-burgers and Crabcake Sandwich in DC.

We went to Matchbox on a rainy night at 7pm on a Wednesday and had to wait 45 minutes before we could get a table. That should have sent a signal of how popular this place was. We enjoyed a couple of beers at the bar as we waited for our table. Then we were taken to the third floor to enjoy a great meal. My girlfriend and I ordered the 3.6.9 mini burgers as an appetizer. The fried onion straws were delicious. I had never had onion straws and they were addicting. The mini burgers were about the size of a females fist. These were Angus beef in a brioche roll and were spectacular. For our meal we shared a small Prosciutto White pizza. Believe me this was enough food and I am a big guy. I enjoyed the ambiance and crowd that was at Matchbox. It seemed like a place for young professionals to hang out. I would describe Matchbox like a lounge with a restaurant above the bar area. I would not recommend coming here on an empty stomach since your wait time may be longer. I do recommend enjoying a drink at the bar as you wait to be seated.

Best Pizza in DC. Great place to grab a bite before or after a Verizon Center Event. The Tuna Tartare and mini burgers are a must try! I heard they're finally opening a second location (Capitol Hill)

Convenient and a great place to eat: Just about everything here is good. Whether you order mini burgers, pizza or filet mignon you will likely be happy with your choice. The menu is broad enough to offer something for anyone's palate. This is a great place to meet friends, have a drink and eat. But, be prepared to wait becuase everyone else is doing the same thing (it is more fun than quiet). There is an expansion occuring that will shorten the wait, but just as likely to draw additional people. Great mixed drinks and the wine list also has a few suprises - there is a white from Africa which is very good.

Good ol' American Comfort: The food here is awesome! Matchbox is nothing less than wonderful. Try the ol' fashion mini burgers, one of my favs, they come in orders of 3/7/12 the burger is placed between a mini brichoe bun topped w/ a sliced dill pickle and cheese, sided w/ a mile highof crunchy, sweet onion straws. YUMMIE! Located in the heart of Chinatown its small, constantly busy but it's definitely worth the wait!

Amazing burgers and great beer!: Brioche, brie - do these things belong in a burger? YES, and Matchbox shows you how to do it right. Their burgers are amazing, including their miniburgers that they offer as appetizers. Additionally, they have Young's Double Chocolate Stout on tap, which is a rarity in this city. So have some good beer and good burgers at Matchbox, and walk away smiling

i mean i have been eating at alot of restaurant and let me tell you match box has really great services. the bar girl (laila) was excellent making really nice drinks and recommeded the best tuna tartar.. i was reading one complain by 1mile who said the services was slow.. and hated to wait for a table. i just wanted to let 1mile know that if you can't wait for 15mins for a table you probably never gone to a good restaraunt before... also i think that nice restaurant deserve calm and patients customers.. unlike 1mile you wanted to be seated right away and have to food come real quick.. you know right about next block of China Town DC lies MacDonals. so i really think that you can go there and get ur seat in seconds you can actually sit anywhere and your food will be there within minutes .. lastly i think u will get your change really quick because the cash register is right there... sorry you might have to check if they take Travelers check... cuz i do not think it is a convience to people the restaurant.. p.s i think if you went to macdonals or KFC you'll be more happy with that kinda of uneducated and cheap attitude

Super good pizza, great sliders!! Also, yummy tuna salad! Awesome service! Real nice design also.

This Pizza is the best: Ok so its a bit more upscale than you expect and the wait can be long, but the pizza is worth it. Try the mini burger appetizer and the White Prociutto Pizza. Yummy

Great pizza!: Delicious gourmet pizza with fresh, tasty ingredients. Friendly service and good beer selection. Can be a little noisy, but great for dates or for eating with friends. i would eat there all the time if I could afford it. And the miniburgers and onion rings are amazing!

good food...worse service ever: i was in a party of 4 people. we arrived at the eatery at around 4:15pm...i don't remember the day. there was all but 4 people in the entire place eating. we were told that "they would check to see if they could seat us." they came back some 15 minutes later and seated us. we ordered soon enough but shortly our waitress informed us that a different guy was taking over. this is the problem. he was training a kid as well. a few more people filed in. we waited some 30 minutes for our food for 4 people. our waiter disappeared. came back once to check on drinks. it was probably 20 minutes after we finished eating that the waiter finally came back and asked if we wanted desert. we said yes and he was gone. he came back 20 minutes later with the desert menus and disappeared for some 15 minutes. after we ordered it took another 15-20 minutes to get a piece of cheesecake and a piece of chocolate cake! we wanted to pay and leave but we it took another 15 minutes to get our bill and another 10 minutes of watching our travelers check change hands no less than 3 times before we finally got our change back. we finally got out of the place at 7:30pm. nearly 3 hours after we first arrived and were seated. this is NOT the place to eat if you want good fast service.

Best brick-oven pizzas in town: Unpretentious, friendly staff, especially Shawn-bartender ;) Great value! The only downside is that the Chinatown bus stop is a couple of feet from their front door and not the best crowd tends to "loiter" around the entrance.

Matchbox Rest.: Excellent food &quality top knotch service with a friendly smile...Primo

This review is for Matchbox Capitol Hill Let me start by saying prepare yourself for a LONG wai, if they say 45 minutes, it's two hours. They seat according to the hostess preference. No reservations accepted either. The narrow small bar is packed all the time since opening, they have everyone packed in by the door to show "how busy they are". The staff has more attitude than anything Capitol Hill is used to. We are local Capitol Hill residents and tried getting in a few times...A complete waste and a lot of hype. Finally in one weeknight evening and tried their pizza...We ordered a bunch of different pizzas for variety...every single one was burnt (they sell it as "because it's oven brick, I'm from NYC & Chicago...the oven has nothing to do with it", the toppings listed was not what we got and very skimy and below average in flavor or creativity. They are not sure what type of pizza they want to serve. We've seen all be advertised..."vintage bistro, East Coast Pizza, West coast Pizza". Bottom line...over priced below average pizza, poor service, a lot of attitude. We have also been to the downtown location but did not return back there either. Better pizza,and good time to be offered MANY other places for a fun night out with friends and family.

It's a cool place to be in chinatown!: The pizza is great here, the people can get a little loud, but who could blame them. Being there with your friends, having a good time, and eating great pizza is a recipe for some loud fun!!!

A Definite Stop in the World of Cuisine: Matchbox is a unique dining experience -- the wood fired pizza is delicious (have never had a bad one) and the mini-burgers with onion straws are excellent. Though you might have to wait for seating, arriving early can make that wait a lot shorter. Highly recommend this as one of the "must stop" places on everyone's culinary tour of Washington DC -- inexpensive, great atmosphere -- and good food. What a combo....

Great little place: This is the best place we ate on a recent trip to DC. Very cool, great food.

We went for a Friday night dinner when there was nearly an hour wait for a table.... more2/7/2010 12:00:00 AMYelp.com

Matchbox: Great PiZZA and cocktails! The mini burgers with the delicate deep fried onion straws are amazing! You can watch us make it all on the show with the help of Chef Jon McArthur. Get there early because there is sometimes a wait but...

MatchBox resturant (located next to BBQ place and subway) is my favorite place in china town. Pizzas are pretty good. The best is their mini burgers served on brioche are the best burgers in DC (IMHO). Instead of the shoe string fried...

It came topped with tiny pepperoni bacon and a spicy Italian sausage. While the toppings were fresh and flavorful I wasn't all too crazy about the crust which was weak and bland. Pizza for me at least is all about the crust. If the...

It's great casual food and perfect for even the pickiest of eaters. The whole area around it is definitely an up and coming so leave time to pop into the shops or grab a drink one of the hip bars in the area.

The entrees don't fall far behind either the the Chef's new duck dish is awesome! If you have some time check this place out--they don't take reservations so you might have to wait a bit.

This place is a gem. A rare find in DC. Especially the service end of it. The staff is knowledgable and courteous and the wine drink and beer list is quite respectable. I recommend it to all!.

I love the mini burgers with onion straws!

One of the first things I heard about Matchbox before I ate there was that the pizza was AMAZING. So I went there expecting some life-changing revelatory pizza and of course I was kind of let down. It's pretty darn good pizza definitely. But I have a feeling there's probably another spot somewhere in DC where the pizza is even better. I do like their spicy sausage peppers and onions pizza. And their shrimp and grits is excellent - you don't get many shrimp but it is just an appetizer. I am huge fan of their desserts - they have this cookie sandwich concoction that's just decadent and I loved their doughnuts with espresso-kahlua creme dipping sauce. So if you go to Matchbox try to save room for dessert.

Hard to get a reservation. Pizza was not good (dry and tasteless)- there are hell of a lot of better options in the city. Service was spotty.

Along with my miniburgers I ordered a small pear apple Gorgonzola salad with sweet candied pecans. The balsamic vinaigrette was perfectly sweet and tart. The candied pecans were delicious; they added a sweet crunch to each bite. The...

My husband and I also shared the spinach salad with fresh basil / roasted pear tomatoes / candied walnuts / warm apple smoked bacon vinaigrette and smaller prosciutto white brick-oven pizza with kalamata olives and fresh garlic. Very good!

Gourmet pizza tasty sliders. This is a

When I finally did eat there I was super impressed with the sliders the pizza was ok and the atmosphere was really nice. I would definitely recommend this place.

We started with shared appetizers: a plate of the mini burgers and the Mozzi Carozzi - a fried dish of an Italian bread and mozzeralla cheese. The burgers are served around a mound of shoestring onions crisps and a side dish of ketchup...

The nearby Matchbox (713 H St. NW; 202/289-4441; www.matchboxdc.com; $$) specializes in spectacular wood-fired pizzas but its far-ranging menu also includes sandwiches salads solid seafood and mini hand-pattied Angus beef burgers...

Matchbox (713 H St. NW; 202-289-4441). The only way to bypass the first-come first-served policy-and long waits-at this popular restaurant is to arrive with a large party. Sunday through Thursday groups of 6 to 12 can make reservations...

I always go for the stromboli-like roll of goat cheese chorizo asparagus and scrambled eggs; a zippy chipotle sour cream brightens the dish.

Apple/Pear Salad (Mixed Greens / Candied Pecans / Gorgonzola / Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette) - A little heavy on the sauce. Sorta drowns out the salad. The pecans and the gorgonzola went well with the apples and pears. The endive's...

This Capitol Hill restaurant brings pizza cooked in a wood fired oven to the tables of its customers. Those wanting something as little more up scale could try the entree offerings like steak scallops and grilled salmon.