Nostra Cucina

Very small restaurant 10 min walking from the Capitol Hill. Food was very good, waiter was very nice but I would not recommend this place. It took us 40 min for a bruschetta and 1:10h for the main dishes. This is not acceptable. If they were short on staff, which I don't think was the case, they should let people know in advance. We lost our tour at the Capitol Hill.

I brought a large group here and they were so wonderful and so accommodating despite the fact that we took up more than half of the indoor space and the food was excellent. Some people in the party said it was the best chicken parm they ever had. The inside is small but cozy and they have a great space outside for when the weather cooperates. Service was excellent and we are so appreciative of how accommodating they were. While it was great, just a heads up the tiramisu was not your traditional tiramisu. Can’t wait to come back and try out more dishes!

This family-owned quaint little Italian restaurant is located in Capitol Hill off the beaten path. They make the pasta and marinara sauce homemade from scratch, and their meatballs are all beef. The food was ok, not the kind of hole-in-the-wall little Italy type quality I was expecting when I saw it and read that everything was made there. I tasted a lot of salt. My test dish for any Italian restaurant is eggplant parm, and this particular one was so salty I could have been eating fish. It must have been a mistake it was so bad I couldn't even fake it and politely swallow. The side of pasta was good, so I ordered something else. The server/management was extremely apologetic and accommodating. The meatballs were good, but again, not the hole-in-the-wall quality I was expecting, so even though they were good, I was still a little disappointed. I also had a side of vegetables as well, and those were delicious. Whatever seasoning was on them was quite tasty. Ceasar salad and cannoli were satisfactory, too, and my guest and I polished the rest of the food off. This place is busy and gets packed fast, but they do a good job of seating folks at the bar and keeping tables rolling without feeling rushed. They had a steady stream of take out orders, so they are clearly a local favorite.

First time here and I can say it was great from food to service atmosphere small but just right you have to try the dessert (LEMONCELLO CAKE). Perfect amount for a guy like me!!!

Shared a delicious meal here with a good friend. We tried 4 entrees and succeeded in stuffing ourselves - amazing comfort food with a great red sauce base with the exception of the chicken piccata which was light and perfectly zesty. Our server gave us solid recs for wine and desserts. I’m not a big dessert fan but the tiramisu and cannoli were noteworthy… so much so that we finished both on top of the 4 entrees. I would eat here once a week, just not as much as this most recent special occasion.

I recently dined at Nostra Cucina, and I have to say, "Try the veal, it's the best in the city." The atmosphere was warm and inviting, and the staff were incredibly attentive and friendly. The highlight of the evening was indeed the veal. It was perfectly cooked, tender, and bursting with flavor, it exceeded all my expectations. The presentation was also top-notch, showing great attention to detail. If you're looking for a place that offers exquisite dishes and a delightful dining experience, Nostra Cucina is the place to go. Highly recommended!

Fantastic food! The red sauces and the Alfredo sauce are very good, and a lot of the pasta options are made fresh. Great service, and a neat small dining room with a neighborhood atmosphere.

Amazing food and great service. The calamari were the best we’ve tried in the US, the eggplant parmigiana sandwich was to die for and the last surprise came with the desert which as a classing cannoli but with a cinnamon twist in the crust. They even accommodated my little sister who only eats plain pasta.

Very small place, but the food was bomb. We dined outdoors on the sidewalk and thankfully the weather cooperated though looked menacing as there were no umbrellas. I got the grilled chicken fettuccine Alfredo and my partner got the chicken parm sandwich & fries. We tried a cup of the soup as well. I got the wedding and him the minestrone. Both good (we sampled each other's). The Alfredo was super rich and filling and hit all the right notes for me. I wanted comfort food that night and I definitely got it. The pasta was light and delicate. I swear they used a whole quart of cream on the sauce. We had enough food leftover to take back to the hotel with us. Service was a little slow, but they were packed that night so it was to be expected, but other than that I recommend giving it a go.

The best part of this restaurant is the service. My family came here starving after our flight to DC from Seattle so we were all a little hangry. We were seated immediately and our server was friendly and attentive. Our drinks and food came out pretty quickly after we ordered which we appreciated. The Caesar salad was large, but only had about ten croutons grouped together on one side of the salad like it hadn't been tossed. Because we are a family of four, it was definitely a battle to get croutons. My mom was happy the salad dressing was on the side, but my sister thought it was a little too acidic tasting. The pizza was definitely my favourite. I've always been someone to save the best part of the food for last which usually means eating my pizza crusts first, but I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious the pizza crust was. The toppings were generous and everyone in my family thought the pizza was a hit. My sister wanted butter pasta and salmon and she loved it. The salmon was breaded perfectly and when I tried a bite, I enjoyed the creamy pasta sauce and perfectly dense noodles. The tiramisu was probably our biggest disappointment. My parents love tiramisu and my dad especially was really looking forward to it. While the dessert they served us was good, it definitely was not tiramisu, but rather layered yellow cake. It's strange that an Italian restaurant would serve fake tiramisu. Overall we had a great time. The restaurant thankfully wasn't too busy because my sister complained multiple times about it being too small. Definitely great for a date because of the cozy atmosphere and chill vibes.

Small, neighborhood spot worth checking out. I stopped in here after a long day hoping to grab a seat at the bar and enjoy a beer and order food to-go. Unfortunately the bar only has 3 seats. I grabbed the third and felt like I was actually on the date WITH the couple next to me - it was cramped. There was a reservation book or something in the bar in front of me so I was left with virtually no bar too space, but since I was ordering to go, I just went with it. I chatted with the bartender and he recommended their seasonal beer for me, which was excellent. It doesn't appear they have beer on tap, though. My food came out before I finished the beer. I brought the pasta home and it was pretty good. It had a great amount of shrimp and tasted fresh, but it wasn't out-of-this world by any means. I may come back to dine-in and try something else, as I did enjoy the food and the staff were nice!

I don't know why restaurants try to exceed their reach and accommodate customers for which they have no hope of serving like tonight when the server forgot to place my order when he placed my friend's! He served my friend her meal, but where was mine? No word. He cleaned up adjacent tables and answered questions from customers waiting and said nothing about my order. Only when I approached management after 15 mins. did I learn the order was never placed. Unbelievable! I can't comment on food quality since I received none, but the service? What would you call it?

Despite living literally one block away from this place the past 3 years, this was my first time trying Nostra Cucina! Some friends and I made a last minute reservation (over the phone) on a very cold Saturday night here. Thankfully they had room for us. It is definitely family run because the restaurant itself is housed inside of a row home. No frills. Service was good nothing special. Now the food though, it was amazing!! The food tasted homemade and authentic! Tasted like it was prepared by someone's grandmother with so much love. Everyone was very happy! Will definitely be back!!

It's a small location with several small tables and a couple large tables. They also had a few tables outside. It seems like takeout is very popular here. Our food took quite awhile to come out and they forgot the drink we ordered but the food was wonderful! We ordered the Spaghetti Bolognese and the Fettuccini Alfredo. The noodles were a softer Al dente and the bolognese was full of beef and flavor. The Alfredo came with plenty of sauce and was very think and creamy. It didn't have a super distinct taste like garlic or anything but it did not taste bland or plain like other disappointing Alfredo's. My husband said they were this was the best of both dishes he has found! Overall it makes for a great date night!

Nostra Cucina is a Capitol Hill neighborhood gem. Although a small restaurant by seating capacity, their food packs a hefty punch of flavor. You'll immediately feel welcome by their friendly staff, usually including the owner and manager. The ordering experience is a conversation - you'll talk about your preferences and experiences with Italian food and the waiter will advise you. I recommend starting with the fried calamari appetizer, featuring a delectable homemade marinara sauce, followed by chicken parm, eggplant parm, or chicken piccata. The chicken and eggplant parms comes with freshmade pasta, of which I recommend the spaghetti. As a NE DC resident, I've tried most of the menu and can say confidently that everything hits at Nostra Cucina - except some of the pizzas. If you're looking for a casual, no frills, Italian restaurant in DC, Nostra Cucina should absolutely be at the top of your list.

The food was mid and the service was worse. The manager seemed uninterested and unhelpful making the singular waitress serve the entire restaurant rather than helping.

We had lunch. The vegetable lasagna was delicious and served piping hot. The wait staff was attentive and unobtrusive. We ate early so there was no crowd.

I googled this place for me and a friend were in love with this place real authentic food service was great I got the salmon Alfredo. So good

Excellent chicken piccata Decent wine by the glass! Around the corner You should visit

If you are in DC area this is an absolute must for great chicken Parmesean, lasagna with meat sauce and house made fettuccine Alfredo. Not pictured is phenomenal olive bruschetta and a very nice Chianti. The food very much outweighs the service but that was not bad. Our server was great but the other servers could use some polishing. Nice neighborhood. Quiet

No chance to eat... Supposedly they're open but they're not. How hard is it to update people? How about a little sign in the window to explain why you're not open when you're supposed to be. Just sucks, but on the other hand, I want to listen to call every place before you go.

For Capitol Hill residents, Nostra Cucina is a favorite. Behind beloved Schneider's of Capitol Hill, it's in a small building on a residential block. Before the pandemic, the small space had dining tables, but now it's a takeout only place during the pandemic. Here's our experience ordering pick up on a Friday evening: 1) Food: Being an Italian spot, they have all the usual favorites from pasta to pizza to caprese salad to canolli. To feed five of us, we ordered the chicken parm, baked cheese tortillini, caprese salad, meatball sub and chicken parm sub. We had way too much food as portions are huge for D.C. The standouts were the Caesar side salads that came with the subs and the chicken parm. The other items were good too, but not life changing. 2) Service: Super nice staff who have 20 years experience of cooking Italian food. Pickup was easy. If you want comfort Italian food, go here!

Luis. LUIS J ! If you're looking for the best customer service, go see Luis. He will give you an EXPERIENCE. Best customer service, great food, top tier care. I encourage you to come so much that I INSIST. Come see Luis. And the food is chef's kiss.

Cheese tortellini with creamy marinara was out of this world. 10/10 - could not more recommend more highly. Will absolutely be back.

As the adage goes - "better ruins everything." I have a real skepticism of Italian food simply because when I was a kid, Italian was "box pasta and a jar of generic ragu." I grew up in the suburbs too - so "good" Italian usually meant Olive Garden. Nostra Cucina is the closing argument. This place is tucked away amongst some brownstones outside of the capitol. It has white linen tablecloths and exposed brick. It looks - to be fair, pretentious. But there is no host to impolitely dismiss you from the premises (Hello Cafe Berlin around the corner). There's some guy who looks like Chumlee from "Pawn Stars" who says "sure, sit where you would like" and then proceeds to come to your table and hand you menus and answer questions unassumingly, confidently, and helpfully. He's not wearing anything but a tee that says "Nostra Cucina" on it. I'm from Boston originally and these guys look like they run a "House of Pizza" but... They serve ridiculous food. The garlic bread is hands down the best garlic bread I ever have had. The butter doesn't overwhelm the sweetness of the bread, the garlic isn't acidic. Add in some mozzarella and some marinara and it's like a reperfected bruschetta. We ordered the tortellini and we asked for the meat marinara. That was when I learned that their "regular" marinara was cooked on pancetta base but we could also have the ragu that was cooked the same but with pork and beef added in. Great inside baseball and that sauce was the best I've had. Italian cooking is pretty simple if you know how to cook, and people who know how to cook can do incredible Italian. Add in excellent service and a welcoming venue - save yourself some trouble and enjoy a meal here.

Hands down the best Italian food I have had outside of Italy. Absolutely excellent. It's a small space, but in that lovely neighborhood family restaurant kind of way.

Excellent food, good portions, and the staff is friendly! I cove all there foods, especially the chicken Caesar salad along with an aperol spritz. AMA place!

Small local family restaurant. Maybe a dozen indoor tables, not clear if outdoor is open, but some tables outside. Cesar salad was fresh/crunchy but pretty basic. Baked ziti (no meat) was a huge portion, had a nice (maybe vodka sauce or cream/tomato) sweetness to it. Calamari were well-seasoned but didn't travel that well (user error!)

Extraordinary meal! After a crazy day at the Capital, arrived starving midafternoon. Pleasantly surprised by the attentive, welcoming team at a time when focus is usually on prepping for evening service. Calamari was tender and marinara, flavor punched. Wedding soup was classic and delicious. Manicotti was beyond extraordinary. Packed with flavor, creamy texture, beautiful pasta. Cozy space. Highly recommend

4.5 stars What a lovely surprise! After their revamp, Nostra Cucina is back with high quality, homemade pasta and pizza on the Hill. They are still carryout only, although they have limited outdoor dining (no waiter service) where you can drink and eat. The caesar salad was fresh and largely portioned (and the dressing is on the side and vegetarian, no anchovies), the eggplant parm was exceptional, and the fettucine alfredo was also good. You can really tell that the pasta is homemade and cooked perfectly. The desserts were pretty good, but the weakest of all of the things we ordered. The tiramisu was more cake like and not soaked, and I found the limoncello cake to be nothing exciting. I'm not a cannoli person, but I can appreciate that they had a solidly authentic one. I was eating with vegetarians, so I'll have to come back to try the chicken parmigiana and the lasagna (my usual go tos). Overall, I'm happy to have another reliable neighborhood spot!

Lasagna with meat sauce. Hot, good sauce, cheesy will order again. Bolognese and wedding soup good. Parking difficult to find d. Will revisit. Servers pleasant.

Our meal was terrific; the Veal Marsala had great flavor. Enjoyed the outdoor dining.

Great red-sauce Italian food! Simple, unpretentious and totally delicious! Excellent service and relaxed comfortable atmosphere!

Food was amazing, prime location and ambiance. Service was good and attentive. Would recommend

Kind of disappointing!! Food took a long time because there was only one person there and they had a catering order, but they did warn us. We went and got a drink somewhere else while we waited (they have a limited drink selection and no happy hour)...they called us when food was ready. There's no table service so they pack it to go and you can eat outside. The calamari was soggy and covered with old bay seasoning (I was VERY disappointed with that). The chicken parm was pretty good though. I think there's some other spots that I prefer over this one so won't be back.

This restaurant is a small place, and it felt very intimate. The food was great; the service was even better. I like these guys! We will be back!

Great food and ambiance! It's an old school neighborhood Italian restaurant. Super cozy and classic dishes done well. I want to keep going back.

We got the veal parmesan and the meat lovers pizza. Both were very flavorful and sizable portions. The veal parmesan was a new rendition to me but I really liked it. The setting is also very quaint and cute. Would highly recommend :)

Great no-frills Italian spot. Pasta was great, service was wonderful and everything felt homey and warm. Would recommend.

The food was really bad. The sandwich was bland and uninspired. The veal Marsala was very salty, I couldn't take more than a few bites. The spaghetti that came with it was overcooked, and did not taste like fresh made pasta. The only thing that was good was the cannoli. I recommend to avoid this place.

Great Italian spot in Capitol Hill. The staff is very accommodating and the food is exceptional.

My boyfriend and I happened upon this place after braving the cold to see the popular DC sights. The ambience was welcoming and the playlist they had going was the cherry on top. Our waiter was one of the owners and was very personable. When our order was forgotten, the owner brought us out complementary garlic bread and then went so far as to only charge us for one meal despite us ordering drinks and dessert! It was so unnecessary of him, but goes to show what kind of person the owner is. I wished we lived in DC so we could come by more often! Food was fantastic and so was the wine!

A tiny place that makes really good Italian food. Nothing fancy but that's OK because sometimes good Italian food is just simple and delicious.

Nostra Cucina, Nostra Cucina... Okay.... I actually came here on a whim. I had uncertain plans with a friend I flew to DC to visit, so I basically waited all day to eat. I planned for he and I to get pizza from a downtown eatery, but I couldn't really wait anymore. So I hastily found and contacted Nostra Cucina for the Fettuccine Alfredo I was craving. I ordered it with salmon, coming up to around $30. I've been to Washington twice before, neither time deep in the District, and neither time as an adult. So I'm seeing that so many of these really great establishments are in neighborhoods, with outdoor dining and everyone happily doing their own thing. Nostra Cucina is exactly that: an Italian eatery nestled in a quiet neighborhood with patio seating. The restaurant was unusually busy, per the guy on the phone, so it took my order about an hour to finish. He called me back to let me know it was ready, and I took the two-mile, twenty-minute drive up the street to pick it up. The place was clean, the service friendly. I dug into it coming back to my Airbnb, getting full just in time for my friend to make it into the city after being stuck in traffic all day on I-95. I got our pizzas downtown about 30 minutes later, but I continued my pasta the next morning while getting ready for my flight back home to Houston. The pasta was still rich and creamy, the grilled salmon with the perfect hint of lemon. It also came with complimentary garlic bread. I highly, highly recommend Nostra Cucina. Given the rather reclusive person I am, the peaceful outdoor seating would make a perfect date night.

Very nice small restaurant on D st, however, the food were delicious. Little bit long wait for our main entree but worth it. Nice friendly staff. Tried for garlic breads, you won't be disappointed!

Almost tastes like your mom, if you had an Italian mom, is in the back cooking this food for you. We shared a small supreme pizza and what I loved most was the cracker thin crust. You don't immediately feel like you've gained 20 lbs after eating pizza. We also shared the pasta Bolognese which was very rich and delicious. Their aperol Spritz was surprisingly delicious because they use a small amount of lime juice which really adds to the flavor. This is a tiny spot with maybe a dozen tables. Great little intimate neighborhood spot.

First time here we did wait a long time but probably because of low staff. The bar was about half stocked so I couldn't order a margarita or a Moscow mule but the food was delicious. I'd definitely come back and probably pick up the food instead of sitting outside. The aperol spritz was tasty and light got me just right. All the noodles were fresh and chewy. I loved loved loved the pasta. I know I will be ordering from here agai.

Such a FABULOUS find!!! The food, service and prices were perfect. We are from NYC Metro and very critical when it comes to Italian food. This place could open in my neighborhood and I would be eating there frequently. The homemade fettuccini with Pesto was over-the-top delish. The Chicken Parm melted in your mouth. So tender. And the manicotti was generously stuffed with ricotta and some spinach. Yum! I will be back and so will my friends if we are back in DC.

The wait was insanely long for food on a Friday night... I'm talking 45 min to get any drinks, or our appetizer. We debated leaving but the staff was so nice and just really overwhelmed by all the to-go orders. By the time our entrees arrived, we had already been there TWO hours -- and no one even came to check on our drinks for refills. Lovely food and great leftovers, just super short staffed when we went on March 31. Would only recommend eating here if you're not in a rush to be somewhere shortly after. Very cute place, and again the food is yummy -- but not worth the crazy long wait. 2 hours is a long time for dinner, without any drink refills or ordering dessert.

The food never disappoints! I've been here several times and always enjoy it! A family run place, it's a neighborhood gem! Great pizza and great pasta!

We went here last night & had a lovely time. I had the spaghetti Bolognese & liked it very much. My husband had the cannelloni & was very happy too. We shared the fried calamari appetizer & had slightly different reactions. I thought it was OK but sort of rubbery, while Tom was a big fan. One concern is that the restaurant is so small that the experience can change dramatically depending on how many people are there. Last night was great because there weren't a lot of folks. If that one big table had been filled, though, things could have gotten loud very quickly.

Very good food, but in sharp contrast to several prior experiences I had in 2017 and 2018, the service has gone seriously downhill. After waiting 20 minutes for a menu on a Thursday night in October, the heavyset guy serving as our waiter (who I believe is also a co-owner) asked us unprompted if we were "ready to order, because we're busy". I think this rudeness was more clumsy and inadvertent than intentional, but together with the cramped seating and lack of any beer selection (not even Peroni - although Moretti would be better), there are much better reasonably priced Italian joints in DC. Unless you're doing takeout, avoid.

Great food but really odd experience. Things were great until randomly our waiter started ignoring us, and those around us got their food before us despite arriving after us. When we asked we were told we were the next plates, which wasn't true, and we never saw our waiter again - no check ins to make sure the food came out well, asking if we wanted dessert, nothing. We ultimately flagged him down and he pulled out the check immediately. They seem to prioritize take out orders over dine-in, so I'd recommend take out.

What a great dinner we had tonight! It's a small, quaint neighborhood spot filled with lots of locals but these tourists were glad we found it. The food was so fresh and you could tell it was homemade. We weren't rushed through our meal and the service we received was excellent--such friendly staff! The baked ziti and caprese salad were our favorites. We'd definitely recommend this spot for either dine in or carry out. It's awesome!

We happened upon this fabulous little gem while staying at an Airbnb a few blocks away... first impression that it is very quaint with cute tables with white tablecloths, and a clean, modern feel. Two brothers own the restaurant, and one of them was one of our servers, and he was very helpful and very kind. My son and I were dining alone and he was explaining to us that it is family dining, so the portions are rather big... We assured him that we were staying in an Airbnb with a fridge so we would be happy to take the leftovers and live on them for the next few days. We shared a delicious caprese salad. My son had the manicotti, which was fantastic, and the homemade marinara was off the hook. I had a chicken marsala... Sauce was perfection, and all of their pasta is homemade on the spot... I'm not eating pasta right now, but I couldn't help myself and ate most of it. We finished out the delightful meal with the lemonocello cake. It was sensational. Can't recommend enough.

It's such a difficult time right now with everything that's going on. So I'm keeping that in mind instead of the fact that it took two hours, two phone calls to get our rather expensive meal. I get it, it's busy and not enough employees and then third party companies are out there making things harder for restaurants. This review then is strictly with the quality of the food and I found it very average. I've been wanting to come here for a long time so when we finally got our food, I felt pretty disappointed. I ordered chicken parm, chicken alfredo and calamari. The calamari was all soggy because it was placed in a foil and plastic container. The chicken parm was a large portion, but the tomato sauce tasted salty and bitter and almost tasted like tomato paste. The pasta that came with it was way overdone. The only decent item was the chicken alfredo, which is something I typically wouldn't get, but the chicken was tender and it was easily the best part of the meal. I'll give them another chance in the event that they were having a really off night.

We saw this online and was instantly excited for a new Italian spot closer to home. I ordered for pick-up to bring home, and food was packed nicely. The bread that came with our meals with hard like it was old. Our meals were just okay- lacked a lot of seasoning and that authentic Italian taste. The kicker was the cannoli, which was empty in the middle and bland. Sadly, this will be our first and last time there.