Al Dente

Had a great experience here. My mezzi rigatoni was a 12/10 (the pic shown here doesn’t feature the fried leeks, which is part of what made it exceptional for me.) The folks I was dining with both got pizzas and loved them and they looked good. Service was solid as well.

We recently hosted a social/networking event at Al Dente and were very impressed with our experience there. The management was helpful and accommodating for our large party. The food selection was a fan favorite, especially the zucchini flowers. Our guests were also very happy with Al Dente!! We would consider this spot for future events and visits!

Al dente was a great experience from start to finish! The ambience in there is lovely! Nice and romantic so great for a date night! I was able to park with ease. Food- I cannot complain! I got the lasagna and cauliflower, and my friend got one of the pasta and I believe fried zucchini. I forget the cocktails we got both both were fantastic! I would definitely go back again! Server was kind as well and they were always clearing off the dirty dishes. I also love a place that comes with bread :)

Really tasty - couldn’t decide so we ended up with the Italian family feast. We got the fettuccine bolognese, Cesar salad, cacio e peppe, pepperoni and sausage and broccoli rabe pizza. The fettuccine bolognese was delicious. Massive portions of everything, the rigatoni was rich and creamy smothered in cheese. Pizza was solid - had to tap out after the pepperoni slice since so much food. Overall delivery was solid and we will hopefully be able to go in person.

Can’t really go wrong with a $10 pizza at happy hour. Went on a Sunday at like 4 so was kinda dead but was just there for the affordable eats.

Not bad! The venue is really nice (plenty of indoor seating along with some outdoor tables) and clean. Food took a bit too long to arrive, though. The zucchini blossoms were excellent and the salads looked good. I ordered homemade pasta that was good, texture wise, but quite salty.

Our Italian friend and we had no problem arranging a 7:15pm reservation. Seated at a very comfortable window table, the service was attentive, very skilled, and allowed us to linger and catch up. We started with a lovely bottle of red piedomnte wine - B arbera d’Alba. The polpette in the calzone made this a must pick for me. I enjoyed but it is of course a good deal if crust. Still I was happy. Spouse had a special pizza with ham, artichoke hearts and green olives. And our mate had the veal scallopini. We had a lovely time.

My wife and I dropped by for pizza one evening. The pizza took close to 40 minutes to finally make it to our table. The owner or manager saw that we were waiting while everyone else that came after us was being served and said nothing. Not even a simple, "Sorry for the delay." The pizza wasn't worth the wait. Haven't been and won't be back.

I went here for restaurant week. It's tucked away on this cool patio are near AU's campus. Overall, I'd highly recommend! It was $25 for a three course meal. We started with some bread for the table (included) and some olive oil to dip it in. For the appetizer, I got smoked salmon with capers and arugula. For the entree, I got the mezzi rigatoni (GET THIS FRFR ITS THE SHIT). For dessert, I rounded out third and finished with a scoop of vanilla gelato. Overall a great experience. The water was flowing, the food was great, and it was a great deal with RW!

Today, my family and I had lunch at Al Dente, an Italian restaurant near American University. It was such a nice day to sit on the patio. I liked how each table had an orange-colored umbrella. For drinks, my mom and I enjoyed Arnold Palmer's, which was made with a lavender tea. We shared two appetizers (e.g., Baked Eggplant Parmesan and Fried Zucchini Flowers), two salads (e.g., Roasted Beets and Spinach), and a Formaggi pizza (without Oregano). Between the two appetizers, I enjoyed the Baked Eggplant Parmesan more. I liked how it was gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly. Unlike most Baked Eggplant Parmesan I've had, it resembled a gratin, which was a plus! The Fried Zucchini Flowers consisted of three fried zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta and mint and fried zucchini sticks served with lemon. It tasted like a flower and there was too much cheese in it. I enjoyed dipping them into leftover marinara sauce. I liked how the Roasted Beets Salad and Spinach Salad contained a combination of fresh ingredients and dressed evenly. The Formaggi Pizza had great herb and garlic flavor as well as a nice blend of cheeses (including mozzarella, provolone, parmigiano reggiano, and smoked mozzarella.

I placed an order for pickup via DoorDash during a late afternoon lunch period. The order was ready upon arrival and the pickup process was a breeze. I loved the sauce used for the gnocchi. I would have given a 4/5 stars if it wasn't that the actual gnocchi itself was extremely mushy and gummy. It had the texture and consistency of a soaked bread. Oddly spongy and plain old gross. My friend loves eating at Al Dente so I wouldn't mind trying other items. Perhaps ordering in person would render better tasting results.

We went for the happy hour, which is honestly one of the BEST deals out there in the DMV area!!! Pizza is 50% off, and they boast quite a few delicious other menu items and drinks on the happy hour menu! The calamari as an appetizer was AMAZING, such a lightly coated breading and tons of squid, jalapeños. The marinara sauce wasn't as flavorful as I would've wanted for the calamari! The veal was delicious and had a thick red wine reduction sauce. It also came with portobello mushrooms! We tried two pizzas, both had a great dough and chewy crust - cheese amount was perfection. The star of the dinner was the Farro Tagliatelle Pasta!!! What a lovely homemade sauce, and you could tell the pasta was made fresh! Lots of seafood as well. For parking, there is a garage right next door and street parking. Both indoor and outdoor seating is available! There's also seating around the bar! Service was exceptional, and it wasn't crowded either!

Al dente was a great experience from start to finish! The ambience in there is lovely! Nice and romantic so great for a date night! I was able to park with ease. Food- I cannot complain! I got the lasagna and cauliflower, and my friend got one of the pasta and I believe fried zucchini. I forget the cocktails we got both both were fantastic! I would definitely go back again! Server was kind as well and they were always clearing off the dirty dishes. I also love a place that comes with bread :)

Service was acceptable and good enough. Outdoor was nice and quiet, price reasonable. Most food was great. Desserts were only different flavors of ice-creams. It's not worth it. Dishes we tried and ratings I gave: Appetizers: 5*Fried calamari: mixed with fried zucchini, jalapeno, red pepper, and red spicy sauce. Fried Calamari crispy and amazing. 5*Prosciutto di Parma: fresh and delicious. 4*Roasted beets : fresh, clean and healthy 3*Romaine: the usual salad, nothing special. Second course: 4*Calamarta: Seafood was per average, enhanced by the great authentic sauce. 4*Salmon: tender inside and crispy outside, an excellent and healthy dish. 4*Grilled Branzino filet: very tender, came with spinach. excellent and healthy. 3*Duck agnolotti with mushroom sauce: gravy was on the salty and heavy side, otherwise was a good dish.

We went on a Tuesday evening at 8 (during restaurant week), after it rained, so it wasn't very busy. Service was great, server was super attentive and quick. For $35 pp we got an appetizer, entree, and one flavor of gelato. Me and my friend both chose this special and added some extra. It's not very expensive overall had we chose not to do the rw menu. Our Order: I had the Caprese to start, cacio e pepe, and the mango gelato. We also ordered the salmon entree to share because we were stuck on what to order (and our eyes were bigger than our stomachs) My friend had the prosciutto di Parma to start, Fettucine allá bolognese, and chocolate gelato. She also added the eggplant parm appetizer. They also bring bread to the table with olive oil. Thoughts: Both of our pasta dishes were wonderful. You can taste that the pasta is fresh. Everything seemed pretty fresh but I know they have to make the pasta in house, it was so good! The prosciutto appetizer, you get a really great amount of prosciutto, fresh, and yummy. The only item I would not recommend is the herb roasted salmon. It was kind of bland and the potatoes needed some seasoning as well. Lastly the gelato was to die for! A perfect dessert for the end of this meal. I would go back for the pasta for sure. We didn't have any pizza but the pizzas are made fresh as well because you could see the gentleman hand tossing them at the bar before putting them to cook. Maybe I'll try some.

I come here a lot and the food is pretty good. The staff are friendly and very helpful. Everything is fresh. The restaurant is clean. Covid wise tables are a little close but other than that the protocols are great. 5-15-21: We had the: Salsiccia e Rapini pizza which was very tasty but fell apart. Prosciutto Arugula pizza which was very nice and fresh Mezzi Rigatoni which is very nice and has a great truffle taste.

We had a very lovely experience and recommend this place to everyone who visits Washington. The staff was extremely welcoming and attentive. We had the table completely covered with food and Wine. I love this restaurant. Everything is nice, neat and the staff was very friendly. Food quality and the ambiance was amazing which is very rear both together. We are definitely going back. I can suggest it to all my friends.

Had dinner on a busy Friday in September, soon after the start of American University's academic semester. This pizzeria is stylish and convenient to campus with easy parking which is free. We went on a busy night and caught the end of their happy hour. It was a cool evening so we sat indoors. We should have sat outside because inside was packed and it was very difficult to hear the conversation at our table. We ordered a $5 beer (Sam Adams), a $6 glass of Pinot Grigio (house brand, don't do it) and two appetizers: calamari and meatballs. The meatballs were excellent and I recommend them. The calamari was fried nicely with a light coating , but it was mostly fried peppers (jalapeño and red) and tiny pieces of calamari. We were unimpressed. When we placed our drink and appetizer order we also ordered two pizzas and a pasta. We were concerned our food would all arrive at the same time, but it didn't. In fact, the pizzas and pasta didn't find our table for 75 minutes, and when they did, the pizzas were wet and soupy in the middle. I jiggled my plate and asked the server if it was cooked enough because the inner half of the pizza was splashing around and she insisted it was. They had already comped our pizzas so we accepted them, but we should have sent them back. The pasta dish also had issues as it was way too cheesy. Such a disappointment. Our waitress wasn't helpful either. After taking our order and serving drinks and appetizers she disappeared. Wife had to go to the bar to order another beer. Waitress brought it to our table and asked if we wanted other drinks and when we said no she grabbed my empty glass and turned to leave. Had to stop her to get her to clear the dirty appetizer plates and serving dishes. The happy hour specials are tempting, but there was nothing special about our experience. Well, the parking was free and convenient, but otherwise Al Dente was a big disappointment. Chef Geoff is next door and we've had good meals there. Their patio also has lighting and looks like a much nicer experience.

Feeling a little bit pushed around by Al Dente on New Mexico. I ordered 2 pizzas to go tonight after work. They told me 20 minutes, I came 25 minutes later and they hadn't even started my pizzas. This is the 3rd time this has happened this year. Next, they gave me my check and it included a 20% service fee. When I asked about it, they told me I had to pay it and that they have it on the website and menu to compensate their minimum wage increase. I'm pretty shocked that I'm being charged a 20% service fee for take out and horrible service. Honestly, if you need to offset wage increases, why don't you charge more for the food, not a service fee that the servers will never see.

This restaurant has really gone downhill. The food quality and service are subpar. I ordered salmon and asked for no crab explaining to the waiter I'm allergic to crab. I don't think he picked up and I should be more weary. It didn't have crab on but it must have had crab on it at some point as I had an allergic reaction. I do need to be more cautious but I also expect a restaurant to be more responsible. Plus the salmon just wasn't that good. And adding insult to injury the check includes gratuity at 20%!

The room is lovely. Beautifully designed space. Centered with the huge hearth pizza oven that was getting warmed as I arrived about 11:45. abut fifteen minutes early for a twelve noon lunch date. My lunch partner chose this restaurant as it was convenient to her work at American University. There were no other diners and I suppose they open at noon because they seemed to still be doing some side work. I was greeted warmly and given two menus. I looked mine over waiting for my lunch partner to arrive. And it became instantly clear. The cash in strategy. The approach here is to "a la carte" you out of more dollars per item. Like what supermarkets are doing with green peppers. In the old days any visit to anyone Italian restaurant is to come to a table of bounty. Instant warm bread for example - I had to ask for that and olive oil plus balsamic as it wasn't automatically offered. They brought me small warm rolls that were delicious, if small, and only four in the basket. Eventually my friend arrived and we each ordered a glass of red wine. My partner knew what she wanted and ordered it. As for me it was the Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken. The only way it comes if you want protein. To cut to the chase. When my dish arrived it was almost soupy, not creamy and sticky to large noodles as the classic white sauce is prepared with Parmesan and cream. These noodles seemed smaller and weren't "al dente" at all. Overcooked, and the water from the pasta must have thinned the cheese based sauce. Because it was liquidy not thick. Beyond that the chicken seemed like pieces taken from a can of Kirkland chicken from Costco ground into little tiny nuggets. The waiter didn't offer to sprinkle more fresh Parmesan nor fresh cracked pepper as is customary when serving this dish at a fine Italian eatery. And again, those disappointing "modern" bread rolls designed for little elves not Italian men mopping up the fettuccini sauce after lunch with. Or with olive oil and balsamic upon seating. I literally decided to refuse the dish. I'm done being given poor substandard quality while paying a stiff price. This place is not $$ as shown here, but more like $$$$. If your dropping ten bucks for their glass of the cheapest house red, and an additional 10.95 if you dare want a portion of salad greens with your entree. The larger is like 12.95, I think. Either way that would make the 18.95 "fettuccini Alfredo" with salad 10.95 (30 already) and add a glass of wine and youre at 40 bucks for a basic lunch. I got the pock eye from management when I returned the dish but I didn't much worry. I will not be back.

Oh my! Roberta Donna we miss you. Haven't been here for some time but after the pizza tonight I'll not return. So many changes, inexperienced staff, and especially the food changes. The pizza before was crisp, light and a light application of ingredients. Such a perfect pizza. Tonight was loaded down with ingredients that made a heavy, soggy mess. This is Not pizza! The staff seemed disinterested in my satisfaction - maybe because they hear it so much? A neighborhood gem that has lost its luster.

I have seen a lot of rave about Al Dente online over the past few months so I've been wanting to check it out. Me and my wife decided to book a reservation for Valentine's Day and try it out! My first impression was a very casual alternative looking place, I thought the black chandeliers were pretty cool and different. We started with some drinks and 2 apps. My wife got the Flirtini which was a pineapple esq flavor martini and I had a glass of pinot Grigio, both the drinks I would recommend. The cocktail menu is pretty small but they do have a bar if you want to curate your own. Our apps we got the calamari and the fried zucchini flower. The calamari was good but it didn't come with a tartar sauce, it came with what seemed to be a spicy marinara. The fried zucchini flowers were very mediocre, they are supposed to be stuffed with ricotta but the majority of the pieces we had was just fried zucchini. We have had this app before at other Italian places and I wouldn't recommend it here. Now for our dinners. I got the Quattro Stagioni Pizza and replaced the ham with sausage, and the pizza was really good, toppings tasted fresh, and the bread was excellent, but the oddest thing happened, each topping was separated to its own side. I found this very odd and not sure if it was intentionally or they were just busy and sprayed them on. Regardless pizza was bomb! As for my wife's pasta, she had the Calamarata but with gluten free noodles. The gluten free noodles were a fettuccini style noodle but were pretty hard, I would recommend this pasta with regular noodles. All in all, we came for the hype but we were a bit disappointed, if we came again we would probably both get pizzas!

We love a good pizza moment. Al Dente's pepperoni pizza was delicious! Simple, classic, yummy.

Great location with really convenient parking and has both indoor and outdoor seating. Right across from Chef Geoff's and beside Wagshalls, all of whom have outdoor seating with umbrellas and heaters. We ordered the table during happy hour and sat indoors in the high seats. This was not our original plan but the weather wasn't cooperating so they moved us indoors and the waiter told us there was going to be a lot of noise from a big party on the far side of the restaurant so recommended staying closer to the kitchen/front door entrance which was fine. Asked about the Happy Hour menu and was it still on - were told yes still on - no menu came. Lost the "happy" from that hour! A couple of issues on our visit - let's start with..... wickedly slow. We were left waiting over 1.5 hours for our pizzas. We ordered drinks quickly to get going and those came in a timely fashion. We put in our orders - not complicated 2 standard pizzas. 1 hour later nothing had arrived and our drinks were gone. We called the waitress for the 2nd round of drinks and update on our pizzas - she said she had no idea what was taking so long. I asked the waitress could she get us some breadsticks to nibble on (more flavorsome than the table we were looking at chewing on!!. She said she'd get us one - she never did - over 30 minutes later the pizzas arrived so in all it was well over 1hr 30/40. Absent of any explanation. Got one apology but no real explanation. When the pizzas came both were only tepid warm as if they had been sitting around somewhere (and not the oven) for quite a time. We were that hungry we elected to get on with eating or it could take another hour! I'd have eaten a rubber chicken at that stage. Not sure I'd go there again and would now be even nervous to order take out as I can't figure out why the delay was so long - were other guests in bigger groups getting priority? Hard to know but you don't feel valued or a priority. I was personally disappointed as I live down the road and my friend from work drove over here and loves Pizzas/Italian. Normally I go to Chef Geoffs as it has a good variety and can satisfy different tastes. I switched to Al Dente given I know she loved Italian pizzas however, this experience put me off. I will concede that the pizzas had a nice flavor but wanted mine hot!. Might consider it for pizza takeout at a less busy time of day as it's clear the food and flavors are there -- if you get it on time! Our bill was somewhere around $70 so not a "cheap eat" where your expectations are aligned with a low cost. I tipped as that's how I roll but service was a bit lacking too and low energy/interest in us as guests. However, I know it's been a rough two years for those working in restaurants, and don't want to make it worse by being a tight git!! Not a good overall experience and I can tell my work colleague wasn't impressed. Hope it was just a one off bad luck night for us!

This place was probably the worst dining experience I've had this year. I was traveling with friends in DC for Thanksgiving, and was delighted at first to know that this place offers Thanksgiving meal. To my dismay, the food was terrible. The bread was tough, the ricotta cheese with olive oil was underwhelming. The Thanksgiving meal they offered had 4 courses. The first course, butternut squash soup was way too salty, to the point of inedible. Another couple next to my friends and I also remarked on how salty it was. My girlfriend got a spinach salad and it was all mushed and slimy. The next course was cannelloni with sausage stuffing was decent, but was served cold. The third course, the main entree, was the Thanksgiving meal. The brussel sprouts were badly burnt, the stuffing was hard and tasted frozen.. The meat was ok.. nothing to write home about. The portion size was so little that I was honestly shocked at first. What Thanksgiving meal has 2 tiny slices of white meat and 2 slices of dark meat?!? The last course, the dessert, was tiramisu with hot fudge. I'm not kidding you, but the cake was literally frozen. FROZEN!!! What did they expect me to do? Melt that frozen tiramisu with the hot fudge? Asides from the failed microwaved meals, the customer service was subpar at best. My girlfriend had ordered a different dessert, and it took us talking to 3 different waiters/waitresses to change the order (10 minutes after ordering). We got responses like "Oh it's too late to change the order now, they already are working on your dessert." You don't have time to change my order because you were planning to offer frozen tiramisu? Are you f*ing kidding me?! I could understand that because they only make this meal once a year, it's possible they don't have as much experience making these. I was quickly helped by my friends that if they weren't confident and that these meals aren't reflective of the redtaurant's quality, they would have not chosen to offer this Thanksgiving meal to their customers. And now I wish I hadn't spent $40 on a meal that is honestly baffling to comprehend how appalling and abysmal the meal was. I'd never visit this restaurant again and could not on a good conscience recommend this place to anybody.

Me and my friends first time here. We definitely come back! Our server Addi was great, she helped a lot. I recommend quattro pizza and calamarata. this food took me to Italy :) Special thanks for the restaurant manager David, he is so kind. See you again guys.

Carry-out: Failed to include the beef in my beef salad. Unfortuantely, not discovered until it was too late after arriving home. Mistakes happen, so maybe that's a one-off. What isn't a one-off is the mandatory 20% gratuity charged for handing you the carry-out bag. Even more unfair is that it's not disclosed anywhere on the website. We ended up with a $34 gratuity charge on carry-out.

Just visited, Al Dente tonight with a friend visiting from out of town for a girl's night. I'm local but, never dined here before. We had a great time!! Food was amazing!! I had the Ravioli Del Plin and the Nutella Calzone for dessert both portions were very generous. ( Which is awesome cause I love bringing home doggie bags..it's like an extra treat ) Service was impeccable, made sure all of our needs were met. Staff was friendly and attentive. We dined later in the evening around 7pm so crowd was decent but, minimal. I believe they close at 8:30 on Thursday's (which we definitely stayed after that!) Staff never made us feel rushed or that we had to leave; which is the main reason I will definitely be back! Dress was very casual! Seating inside seemed to have wall backed (possibly cushioned) chairs with tables around the restaurant walls, a center wrap around bar with seating, with an array of tables and chairs filling the open space between the bar and wall seating. Still had plenty of room for mobility aids to get through. Bathrooms with a handicap accessible stall (only saw the women's room and they only have two stalls ) Bathroom door entrance was a push very large handle pull open. I parked in the parking garage and walked up the same side way of the parking garage..and to be honest did not pay attention to access to wheelchair ramps (as I went up the steps maybe 7/8 total which were longer stairs.) ...it did seem as if there may of been a ramp present to the left of the building (and will follow up on that soon). Definitely recommend and alls easy to get to when visiting American University East Campus.

Food was horrible. Bland. Ingredients were frozen and probably old. Almost inedible. Service was nonexistent and the vibe was fast food restaurant in need of cleaning. Sauce on the agnolotti was questionable and way too salty. Chicken parm was tasteless.

It was okay- a bit overpriced for decent food, even just for an arugula salad. The breakfast pizza was good but everything else, inuding steak and eggs and the salad were pretty mediocre. I ordered the Nutella calzone for dessert and we enjoyed it. It's definitely enough for three people.

My brunch for 2 was a great experience. Service was swift, atmosphere was relaxed but vibrant and the food was DELICIOUS! I loved everything I had. The meatballs were good the marinara is a bit on the sweeter side with some Kick at the end. I didn't mind either. I would certainly recommend and I'll certainly be going back.

This restaurant is just not good. Our server did not look like she wanted to be there. I ordered a salad, my friend didn't. The caesar salad was delivered by the most apathetic guy in the history of the world. It was mediocre. I ordered the cacio e pepe, my friend ordered a pizza. We waited approximately 25 minutes. Nobody came to check on us. No servers were even in our vicinity to flag down and ask for an update. The restaurant was nearly empty. The pizza was delivered. It was fine, but the sauce was very watery, which made the crust ... very watery. But still, no pasta. The food runner asked if we wanted two plates. I said yes, and we were waiting on a second dish. He returned with two plates. I asked about the pasta. He said, "You ordered a pasta?" Yeah, that's why I said we were waiting on a second dish (((sigh))). A solid ten minutes passed. FINALLY!! our server made an appearance and asked if everything was okay. I said we were still waiting on the pasta. She left and came back literally 10 seconds later with a plate so hot, the cheese burnt onto the bottom AND the pasta was essentially mush. It had been sitting under a lamp for ... quite a while. It was also just not good. And it wasn't cacio e pepe. It was like alfredo with a pile of parmesan. No pepper except for a stupid garnish around the side of the plate. I took two bites. Straight into the trash. Taco Bell is better. Not going back.

Went here for dinner. The staff were friendly and timely. I ordered the focaccia along with the lasagnette. The bread was warm, fresh and had just the right of rosemary. The lasagnette was ok...more cheese please. I also wish the dish had ricotta and more tomato than bolognese. However, the actual pasta noodles were good. I may visit again to try the pizza but probably not for the entrees.

The lasagna was made to order. It was 6 layers of noodles and very little meat sauce. The cheese on top was burnt and not edible. The meatballs were amazing. Calamari was undercooked. Service was great. We live across the street but probably won't be a return customer.

It took them 45 minutes to serve our table of 3. That was made worse by them not providing any updates, even when asked. They didn't bother to explain or apologize. The food itself was mixed. The calzone arrived cold.

Nice staff, beautiful setting, not great food. A beet salad had a few tiny cubed beets that tasted like they were canned. I ordered it with shrimp on top, very disappointing, tiny and over cooked. High priced for what was delivered.

A bit pricey but fits area prices. The space was pretty empty for a weekday lunch and relatively quiet. Our waitress was attentive. They have a short tasting menu with 3 courses, if that suits your fancy. There are three salads (one you can protein to), about 6 paninis, and various starters and pastas. The pastas were all over $20, which was astonishing for lunch, so I didn't even peruse that part of the menu. I ended up getting the arugula salad ($12.95), which was huge and had a nice, light dressing with lemon and a little bit of grainy mustard. It is truly a generous portion. I also got an eggplant parm ($9.95), which came out in a small cast iron pan. So cute! Very cheesy and tasty, but I would have preferred a bit more eggplant. The bench I was sitting on was clearly worn. It doesn't really fit the classiness of the space and could be replaced.

Went here for brunch and the potatoes, pancakes and Nutella calzone were all delicious. Service was good and it's a very nice place to eat not only for brunch but also for dinner.

Their pizza selection are amazing ! We love the Quattro Stagioni Pizza savory and meaty. The meatball are juicy and flavorful, great to share and pair well with pasta as a side dish. If you're vegan like my friend, get the Formaggi pizza, very cheesy and creamy.

Al Dente is an Italian restaurant owned by Chef Roberto Donna that offers house-made pastas, fresh fish/meat entrees, Neapolitan pizzas, and Italian desserts. My friends and I ordered pizzas for take-out from here, and we had: the Margherita D.O.C. (with tomatoes, mozzarella Fior di Latte, and basil), the Sasiccia e Rapini (with house-made pork sausage, broccoli rabe, tomatoes, smoked mozzarella, and garlic; I really liked the pork sausage crumbles, as they were nice and salty and full of flavor; the broccoli rabe was way too bitter, though), and the Formaggi (with mozzarella Fior di Latte, provolone, parmesan, smoked mozzarella, and garlic; this was super cheesy and delicious, and even better with a sprinkle of the hot chili flakes!). The crust had a slight chew to it, but it wasn't too much, and I liked that there were more spreading of the toppings rather than more crust. The place does get super packed during the weekends, so picking up take-out is also a longer process. Staff are friendly, though! I'd love to come back and try out their other pizzas as well as their Italian entrees. Metered parking along New Mexico. +Neapolitan pizzas +take-out available +friendly staff +metered parking along New Mexico

So so amazing to have this local restaurant... yummy fire stove right next to me ... great food and great service. Take out is great too !!

Disappointed. Use to be much better and seems to have lost management focus. Nothing special.

This place gets 5 stars for their awesome happy hour deals! The pizza and wine are 50% off, as well as several other appetizers and pasta dishes that are half off. Great deal and we enjoyed the pizza. I would return!

Great experience again. Loved every minute of dinner here. Service and food were top notch. We had the zucchini flowers, the burrata and the focaccia as starters. All of them excellent and highly recommended. I had the gnocchi with pork ragú. Amazing! My husband had the calzone, he liked it but he kept dying my gnocchi. We had the tiramisu for desert. Excellent. It comes with dark Chocolate sauce that gives it a touch (of heaven!). Will be coming back.

Great service great food good atmosphere. Socially distanced and the staff was very thorough with sanity. Tables were far apart and occupancy was low. Owner was very nice as well.

Went here with a larger group and was seated pretty quickly. Service left much to be desired however, took forever to get drinks and anytime a water was empty it took another 20 minutes to get refilled. Now I understand it was busy however it took over an hour for our food to arrive and when it did my dish was severely undercooked and under seasoned. Best part of the meal was the side spinach that is a must if you go. Overall not worth the price especially when there are much better Italian restaurants at the same price point just a metro stop away.

Literally don't bother coming here for brunch. Got here at 11:35 and didn't get food until 1:15. Half the toast at the table was burnt and the other half was raw. Some food came out at 1 and the rest came out 20 minutes later. Half our party had to leave early because of other plans and didn't even get to eat. The manager didn't even talk to us until we asked for him at the end. Don't go there's other Italian places in dc. But the service was amazing, our server was a great person and did fabulously!

do not come here with a large group, or here period. first of all, it took over an hour to get the first meal. there was at least a 20 minute interval between all of our meals (7 people in total). the pizza was greasy, one piece of toast was burnt and the other wasn't cooked. they wouldn't let us split the table for bottomless mimosas (because some of us don't drink). the manager only came to us AFTER we asked for him, we've been here for over 2 hours. they gave us less than a 50% discount off our bill. they also added 2 extra drinks. shoutout to the waiters and waitresses though. oh also there was only one chef when we first got here. not a pleasant experience, i feel like a medieval homeless child during the plague here on God.

Great place for happy hour drinks and food. However, the gluten free pasta is not included on the happy hour which is very disappointing considering the deals that are offered. The food is amazing though!

This is my favorite neighborhood restaurant hands down! We caught them for happy hour (4-7pm) whereby all appetizers and pizzas (plus additional pasta dishes) were HALF OFF! We ordered the melanzane pizza stacked with vegetables and grilled eggplant, plus the caccio e Pepe pasta dish (al dente). They have outdoor seating which makes the setting lovely for a summer evening. The service is excellent and very friendly. A+++!

I loved my Restaurant Week brunch I had at Al Dente yesterday! I had the fried calamari, Mezzi Rigatoni, and the strawberry gelato--all for $22! A really amazing deal. I drank the flirtini and the sparkling rose and they both were delicious. Great service, socially distanced patio seating and all in all great time!

We go here often and the food and service is good, but recently the restaurant called to cancel our Mother's Day reservation with less than 2 days notice. Such a bummer!

AL DENTE New Mexico Avenue / Friday october 1st, around 6;30-6:45 Happy hour time at Al Dente. Inside, there was a packed crowd, almost shoulder against shoulder. The majority of patrons non masked. Loud and stiffling. Breeding ground for viruses. Women Restrooms: One of the two restrooms was out of service with the toilet bowl wrapped in black plastic. In the other restroom: Toilet paper strewn about the floor. Door lock not working, so that someone pushed the door open while I was there washing my hands. Outside: chairs and tables cramped together. Our nice waiter was not masked. (His colleagues were masked.) Pizza was served after one hour of wait. Tasty but soggy in some parts.

Miracles happen. Al Dente serves some of the best Italian fare you'll find anywhere. Likewise the pizzas at very reasonable prices. But the pastas.....OMG they are devine. Worth a trip.

Service here is usually not great BUT they have happy hour everyday with great deals. On this occasion, I had a mushroom and sausage pizza for $6 and my husband had the meatball calzone, also for $6. Deals that great are worth putting up with the mediocre service in my opinion and I live in the area. Food is above average in taste too. They got rid of my favorite pizza though from the menu but there are still many options.

Save your time and money. This restaurant serves food that's barely edible. Ordered the grilled salmon for lunch. It was so dry and tasteless that I sent it back. The eggplant parmesan appetizer wasn't awful--but it wasn't good. Too bad because the Wesley Heights neighborhood could use a good Italian restaurant.

I like this place because they are one of the only places in DC that serve stuffed squash blossoms on the menu in the summer! They serve 3 blossoms per order with a side of fried zucchini. I wish they served it with a side of marinara, I'll have to ask for it next time. I ordered out so I didn't notice until I got home. They also have homemade pasta! The pasta was delicious, it did soak up the sauce, again a function of my picking up the pasta. Next time I'll ask for the sauce on the side. I ordered the fettuccine bolognese, and my husband ordered the truffle rigatoni. Both were amazing enough that we want to make our way out to Al Dente again!