Best Pizza, Best Bar Food, Best Wings, Best Kid-friendly Restaurant, Best Happy Hour, Best Beer Selection on Tap, Best Bar Staff, Best Bartender (Daniel Glazier)
Cuginis Restaurant & Bar is a family staple off of Route 28 in Poolesville, where customers can choose from pizza, pastas, subs and salads made in house.
“We make [our pizza sauce and dough] homemade from scratch; everything is fresh,” Barbara Stull, the owner of Cuginis, says.
The restaurant offers traditional as well as unique appetizers for a pizza joint, including egg rolls, chicken wings, fried pickles, quesadillas, cheese fries, pesto flatbread and giant Bavarian pretzel sticks with a beer cheese sauce. Pizzas come in six sizes ranging from “mini” to “giant.”
Why is Cuginis a local favorite? Stull says it’s the “really great deals and the best wings around.”
Stull took over the restaurant in 2012 when it was relatively new. Although most of the business at Cuginis is carry-out, local families celebrate and host parties there—perhaps why Cugini’s was voted Best Kid-friendly Restaurant.
“We’re your local neighborhood place. People feel comfortable bringing their families here. People have celebrations here; it’s just become part of their family,” Stull says, adding that families come to celebrate their kids’ sporting events.
For the adults, there’s more on the menu, including Tuesday trivia nights, a draft list, “lots of IPAs” and more than 60 craft bottles. IPAs are two dollars off during happy hour: all day Sunday and 4 to 7 p.m. on weekdays.
Daniel Glazier, the bartender at Cuginis, was voted Best Bartender for his expertise and ability to connect with customers. He has worked as a manager at the restaurant since 2009.
“Danny just has a passion. He has a passion for beer; he has a passion for people,” Stull says. “He loves what he does and he’s very informed, and people just appreciate that about him. You can name any beer or liquor, and he can tell you about it and its flavor profile.”
The homey atmosphere and fresh ingredients keep customers coming back.
“[Poolesville is] just a small town and [Cuginis is] a small restaurant, and everybody’s a family,” Stull says.
