Cafe Fiorello DC
Restaurant · Downtown ·
Italian restaurant with thin-crust pizza & antipasto bar
Italian restaurant with thin-crust pizza & antipasto bar
"A Penn Quarter newcomer from NYC, this 50-year Italian institution has reanimated the prominent Pennsylvania Avenue corner with a full-on scene; on a recent weekday evening I saw a packed house ranging from birthday groups to a no-Fs-given Marjorie Taylor Greene seated smack-dab in the center of the dining room, yet despite the Capitol-adjacent address the focus stayed squarely on service and food. I’d start at the destination antipasto bar showcased at the entrance — vegetables come in 3- or 5-count portions ($26; $34), and toothsome mushrooms of all kinds, squash carvings, and lemon spinach played well together on one plate — then move to the open-faced lasagna for two (or more), a deconstructed, oblong pie whose baked noodle sheets curl into crisp edges. The flame-kissed Black Label burger lands with a metal vase of cacio e pepe fries ($28), and the thin-crust pizzas that built its New York reputation are essential; even the margherita is anything but boring ($19). The space isn’t a copy-paste: a personal art collection from the late owner Shelly Fireman presides over classic Italian furniture in a sprawling room, and the gregarious manager, John — newly arrived from New York — makes the rounds with a tray of mini chocolate chip cookies, a sweet house tradition." - Tierney Plumb
"A venerable Manhattan institution of more than five decades (and the first time the flagship grows beyond its Big Apple roots), this new outpost from Shelly Fireman’s hospitality group sticks to the reliable Italian fare the brand is known for: famous thin-crusted pizza and an antipasti bar overflowing with vegetables and seafood. A new wood-fired oven produces distinctly smoky mains including branzino al Forno, a center-cut veal chop, and a flame-kissed cheeseburger, alongside other traditional Italian offerings." - Tierney Plumb
"Opening May 21 at 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, this New York City institution — which first opened in Manhattan over five decades ago, has been situated across the street from Lincoln Center since 1974, and celebrated its 50th anniversary last year — makes D.C. its second home as the flagship of Shelly Fireman’s hospitality group expanding beyond the Big Apple; "Shelly and I have always known that if we were to bring our flagship somewhere else, the nation’s capital was at the top of the list," CEO Ben Grossman tells Eater. The new 6,500-square-foot corner space previously housed Tadich Grill until 2018, and at its heart is a wood-burning oven, a unique feature for D.C. that gets its own special section on the menu: the branzino al Forno comes fire-roasted alongside peppers, onions, and olives, a center-cut veal chop boasts a distinctive wood-grilled flavor profile, and there's a flame-kissed cheeseburger served with Tillamook cheddar and cacio e pepe fries. Otherwise the menu intentionally mirrors longtime favorites — "These are dishes that we’ve been executing for a long time that have stood the test of time," Grossman notes — highlighting daily homemade pastas and sauces such as a classic plate of spaghetti and meatballs with pomodoro sauce and short rib-and-bone marrow meatballs, lobster carbonara served with classic guanciale and pecorino Romano, linguine and clams finished with a traditional white wine clam sauce, and rigatoni alla vodka. Thin-crust pizzas feature toppings like sweet fennel sausage and peppers, extra pepperoni, or prosciutto di Parma, and an impressive antipasto bar offers a consistent selection of eight roasted and pickled vegetables plus four seasonal rotations — standouts include fire-roasted red and yellow peppers and a crispy cauliflower Milanese with cauliflower coulis and Parmigiano-Reggiano. A tailored bar program riffs on Italian classics — "We’ve always thought of ourselves as an Italian playground where people can get the classics they love, with a twist," Grossman says — like a banana-flavored Negroni (bourbon and creme de banane) and a Grand Spritz that adds passionfruit and lime to the Aperol-and-prosecco template. The dining room aims for a hospitable, homey feel with warm millwork, classic Italian furniture, and Shelly Fireman’s personal art collection on the walls; "Shelly always says that we’re huggers, and that’s what we want folks to feel when they come to eat with us," says Grossman." - Lulu Chang
"Cafe Fiorello is a New York-based Italian-American spot open since 1974. The DC location, now open Downtown, is their first outpost. As at their Lincoln Center location, DC's Fiorello is playing the hits, like thin-crust pizza, rigatoni alla vodka with bacon, chicken parm, short rib meatballs, and burrata ravioli. There's also an antipasti bar. We haven’t been here yet, but want you to know this spot exists." - Omnia Saed
"I’m intrigued that Cafe Fiorello’s first foray outside Manhattan will reactivate a prime downtown D.C. corner that’s been empty since 2018; the new location at 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue NW aims to mirror the NYC fixture (situated across the street from Lincoln Center since 1974) with reliable Italian fare, a destination antipasti bar overflowing with vegetables and seafood, and many familiar favorites. I’m looking forward to bouncy calamari, creamy rigatoni alla vodka studded with smoky bacon, short rib meatballs over open-faced lasagna, burrata ravioli, dover sole dressed with lemon beurre blanc, various beef cuts, veal chops prepared three ways, thin-crust pizzas, and fluffy tiramisu; weekend brunch will bring smoked salmon bagel boards and artichoke frittatas. I also note the D.C. outpost plans a daily cafe to serve coffee, espresso, teas, breakfast sandwiches, pizza, and pastries for tourists, politicos, and theater-goers at nearby Warner and Ford’s theaters, with an expected opening this fall ahead of the 2024 presidential election." - Tierney Plumb
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