Officina Cafe - Downtown

Situated in the heart of downtown, Officina is the perfect spot for a tasty, relatively speedy business lunch. I've visited a few times over the last few years for team / work lunches, and I've been consistently impressed by the consistency of their food and efficiency of their service. I usually opt for their power lunch, which, at $31 per person for three courses, is a solid deal. The meal includes a soup or salad appetizer, sandwich or pasta entrée (or roasted salmon for an additional $5), and small baggie of cookies to go. For the appetizer, I'm obsessed with their insalata di rucola -- it's remarkably simple, but the slight bite from the fresh arugula pairs wonderfully with the salty, earthy parmaigiano and the brightness from the lemon. Then, the drizzle of olive oil helps to bind everything together into the perfect simple plate to start your meal. After the salad, I usually opt for the roasted salmon -- the skin is perfectly crispy and the fish a phenomenal medium to medium rare. They switch up the accompanying vegetables depending on the season, but the salmon goes beautifully with each choice. My favorite has to be their summer veggie selection -- grilled mini zucchinis with tomatoes and a squash puree -- but I'm also obsessed with their winter choice of yam puree and roasted brussels sprouts. What makes Officina truly shine (beyond the amazing food, of course) is their service. Every person I've talked to at Officina has been remarkably kind and friendly, and they're always willing and able to answer our group's questions about the menu or accommodate dietary restrictions. They're also remarkably efficient -- despite having three courses, meals at Officina can take as little as 45 min. from initial seating to paying the check, even with a decently sized group. The speed is especially ideal for a mid-workday lunch, and the shortbread cookies make a great afternoon pick-me-up.

Cute Italian bistro café in downtown DC, stylish, delicious, and delightful. Went just for coffee, ended up having a light lunch after falling in love w their decor. Glad we found this spot.

Me and my family arrive a little bit after breakfast but they were so kind and made some pancakes and breakfast dishes for us. Food is very delicious and the service was outstanding. Highly recommend if you want some really delicious breakfast or Italian food.

I stopped by this afternoon to get a few cannoli. Yesterday I had looked on their website and only saw their cannoli as part of their menu and not their take away counter. I asked the hostess is it was possible to get some cannoli to go ans she said yes! She rang me up at the hostess station and then asked me if I wanted to wait at the bar. They took a bit longer than I thought but since they fill the shells to order they stay crisp longer. I really enjoyed the cannolo I ate and was happy they dipped one side in postal and one side in chocolate so I did t have to choose lol.

Went for happy hour and was quite impressed. Nice cocktails (I was drinking an Alto Spritz), great happy hour menu. Roman style menu was delicious. The polopette sliders and aracını were very good, and the pizza was tasty. Even the simple welcome snack of chips and dip was good. Definitely will be going back.

The service and food are good. But it is incredibly noisy. If you want to be able to talk to your dining companions, go elsewhere. We were there for a weekday lunch so not even at a time when people were rowdy or drinking.

The food was delicious and reasonably priced. Cool atmosphere and patio. Service was a little slow, but I'll put that on the lunch rush. I would definitely return again.

I hosted a group for happy hour here, and we all enjoyed the experience! Service was great, drinks came out fast, and the food was tasty. Everyone was a fan of the sliders and the manager even provided a few complimentary appetizers on the house. I’d describe the ambience as upscale yet very approachable. Not stuffy at all. It was quiet—almost unusually so—but great for conversation.