"Gemini is a natural wine shop serving some of DC’s most exciting Italian food. If you want to sit down to eat, you’ll need to grab one of the small tables that occupy the former street parking spot out front—perfect for pizza night with the kids—which fill up almost immediately after it opens at 5pm. Pasta has to be eaten inside, where there are a few tall tables and counters but no seats. And while eating pasta in an upright position might not be comfortable, it’s worth it at Gemini. Made in-house and cooked just shy of al dente, they come cloaked in sauces that have been taken very, very seriously. There’s also an ice cream cart on the sidewalk, in case you’re not in the mood to enter a building at all. It’s an odd place with odd rules, which only adds to the magic." - omnia saed, allison robicelli, mekita rivas