Columbia Heights Pasta Parlor Napoli Just Doubled In Size | Eater DC

"After bringing coastal Italian vibes and Neapolitan cuisine to Columbia Heights a year ago, I watched Napoli Pasta Bar double its capacity by growing into the upstairs space; the brick-lined second floor—already built out when a nonprofit vacated—opened last week with 38 seafoam-green and light-gray chairs to accommodate private parties and overflow during dinner and Sunday brunch. Now it plans to debut a daytime café across both floors and the patio around mid-June, serving sandwiches, salads, a small selection of its pastas, and coffee starting at 10 a.m. before flipping to regular dinner service at 4:30 p.m.; owner Antonio Ferraro says people can hang out upstairs with their laptop or for a phone call. Ferraro, who came to D.C. from Naples in 2006 and is an alum of Café Milano and Lupo Verde, sprinkled authentic touches such as hand-painted Amalfi Coast tiles with bright yellow lemon designs on the tables and has brought on a chef from Naples as the restaurant tries to be as original as possible. Expect rotating dishes alongside the existing apps and house-made pastas, Italian wines, and Aperol spritzes—examples include a new veggie lasagna with artichokes, smoked mozzarella, black olives, and béchamel, and a late-spring starter of fresh salmon tartare with strawberries, mozzarella, and fresh mint—and I noted Napoli made Michelin’s 2019 Bib Gourmand list." - Tierney Plumb