L'Ardente
Italian restaurant · Downtown ·
Glam Italian restaurant featuring a gold-plated pizza oven and 40-layer lasagna.
Glam Italian restaurant featuring a gold-plated pizza oven and 40-layer lasagna.
"Downtown dessert drama peaks when espresso‑soaked ladyfingers, mascarpone, and passion fruit are enclosed in a golden chocolate dome that’s theatrically melted tableside to reveal the tiramisu within." - Adele Chapin
"L’Ardente will be open noon to 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving, serving its regular a la carte menu (including the famous 40-layer lasagna) alongside holiday specials like roast turkey with marsala gravy, mushroom stuffing, and patate al forno, plus crostata di mele (Italian apple tart). For at-home celebrations, pick up a Thanksgiving wine trio ($75) curated by wine director Kendrick Lindsey, featuring sparkling, white, and red selections with pairing notes. Place orders by Thursday, November 20, for pickup November 22 to 27." - Vinciane Ngomsi
"L’Ardente is one of DC’s poshest restaurants, so naturally, securing a reservation at the Italian spot in the East End is hard. But you won’t regret hunting on Resy two weeks in advance once you taste their 40-layer lasagna. Slide into a teal booth seat in the gold and white dining room with floor-to-very-high-ceiling windows, and order the buttery dish, rich in truffle and cheese, and full of tender short ribs. If lasagna’s not your thing, get the zucca: little bell pepper-shaped pasta served with a spicy sausage ragu with a generous meat-to-pasta ratio. Finish your evening with dessert—and the fire presentation that comes with the tiramisu. Don’t say we didn't warn you." - omnia saed, allison robicelli, mekita rivas
"Strong Lady & The Tramp vibes are in your anniversary future at L’Ardente, an Italian restaurant in East End. Slide into a teal booth seat in the gold and white dining room with floor-to-very-high-ceiling windows. Get the Zucca, little bell-pepper-shaped pasta served with a spicy sausage ragu and fennel pollen that has a generous meat to pasta ratio. And if you tell them you’re here celebrating, there might even be a sparkler in your future." - tristiana hinton, omnia saed, mekita rivas, allison robicelli
"During brunch and dinner on Easter Sunday, L’Ardente will serve porchetta ($44), a Berkshire Porcelet belly rubbed with a spice mix of Calabrian chili, orange zest, fennel, and mustard powder. The pork gets roasted, sliced and is served with creamy polenta alongside parmesan and espelette pepper, plus roasted carrots, Granny Smith apples, and an agrodolce sauce." - Vinciane Ngomsi