College Park Can Expect a New Family Restaurant

Although it will inhabit a corner of a student housing complex near a bar, Hakan Ilhan said his Pizza Autentica will target families when it opens this summer.

At Tuesday's work session, the City Council posed no opposition against the transfer of a beer and wine license for the new establishment, to be located at 8300 Baltimore Ave.

Council members did first question Ilhan about the atmosphere he intends for Pizza Autentica.

"A pizza place is not a place you want to go and get drunk," he said, which will be equipped with security cameras. He envisions the restaurant to be "local friendly" with a European-esue ambiance.

Though it's not final, the restaurant will probably close by 2 a.m., just before the nearby bar closes, he said. Ilhan said he expects the "bar crowd" that could potentially spill into his establishment would be more trouble than a benefit.

The restaurant will not only offer pizza, but also made-to-order pasta and gelato, what Ilhan said is different from the handful of other Pizza Autenticas he operates in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

"We are really experimenting a new concept here," he said.

For example, unlike the Pizza Autentica located at 300 7th Street in southwest D.C., where food is delivered at the counter, orders will be brought out to customers in the seating area.

The restaurant will accommodate 90 people, and free parking will also be available. A tentative menu is at the right of this article.

“College Park is a unique area for your type of business," said Councilman John Perry (Dist. 2) at the work session. "It’s going to be a challenge, and the location you have selected is going to be very much a challenge and we wish you the best of luck."

The beer and liquor license will go before the county's Board of License Commissioners for a hearing on July 26.

Ilhan said he hopes to open the restaurant in August.