Cafe Italia

Dive Bar Owner Works to Revive Nostalgic Italian Restaurant | Eater DC

"A 40-year-old neighborhood eatery known for its red-checked tablecloths and classic Italian dishes, Cafe Italia closed in April because it couldn’t keep up with rising rents; Freddie Lutz sealed the sale on May 21 and plans to renovate the aging space while maintaining the restaurant’s 'basic skeleton and soul,' and he’s bringing on longtime Cafe Italia vets Adolfo and Birtillo Urrutia (brothers who served there as a busboy and chef) to help reopen it as 'Freddie’s Italian Cafe,' though no reopening date has been announced." - Warren Rojas