Piccolina da Centrolina
Restaurant · Downtown
963 Palmer Alley NW, Washington, DC 20001
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22456018/untitled_8666__1_.jpg "Piccolina da Centrolina by Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.")
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69198121/untitled_8824__1_.0.jpg "Piccolina da Centrolina by Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.")
Highlights
Wood-fired Italian fare, artisanal pizzas, and customizable cannoli.
Wood-fired Italian fare, artisanal pizzas, and customizable cannoli.
"Piccolina is a toned down version of its sister restaurant, Centrolina, in every way: the atmosphere is a little more casual, the check totals are lower, and the food isn’t nearly as good. Still, it’s a solid option for affordable Italian downtown, especially during the daytime. The espresso program is excellent, as are the bread and pastries, which are baked in-house in full view of the dining room. You can’t go wrong grabbing a scone with your to-go coffee, but treating yourself to a custom cannoli would be a sweeter choice in more ways than one. The all-day menu is ideal for sharing, with pizzas that come out of the wood-fired oven beautifully blistered without overly blackening, and sandwiches that can easily satiate the hangry with just a half. While it’s nice to enjoy Piccolina with company, we suggest keeping the sandwiches all to yourself, enjoying half right away and saving the rest for later, particularly the porchetta, which gets better as it sits." - Allison Robicelli
"Amy Brandwein focuses on casual, contemporary Italian dishes at this cafe in City Center, open Mondays (her other restaurant in the development across the street, Centrolina, also is open Mondays)." - Missy Frederick
"A wood-burning oven imported from France is the workhorse inside Amy Brandwein’s Italian cafe in CityCenter, an everyday alternative to Centrolina, her dressier osteria across the street. Two summers ago, the five-time James Beard Award finalist added twice as many seats, seasonal spritzes, and more wood-fired capabilities to roast all kinds of vegetables, seafoods, and meats like ribs and pork and lamb sausages. A daily pastry program produces quiche and phenomenal focaccia, and the 10-layer eggplant Parmesan remains a best-selling showstopper. Eating light is painless, too, from charred Napa cabbage to a carrot-and-bulgur wheat bowl with cauliflower, raisin, and pistachio. Order takeout online or get delivery via Caviar from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily." - Tierney Plumb, Eater Staff
"Five-time James Beard nominee Amy Brandwein offers a seasonal “zuppa” on her rotating four- course menus that celebrate northern Italian cuisine. The current soup is a honey-spiced butternut squash soup with amaretti and chives ($14)." - Tierney Plumb
"A wood-burning oven imported from France is the workhorse inside Amy Brandwein’s Italian cafe in CityCenter, an everyday alternative to Centrolina, her dressier osteria across the street. Last summer, the five-time James Beard Award finalist added twice as many seats, seasonal spritzes, and more wood-fired capabilities to roast all kinds of vegetables, seafoods, and meats like ribs and pork and lamb sausages. A daily pastry program produces quiche and phenomenal focaccia, and the 10-layer eggplant Parmesan remains a best-selling showstopper. Eating light is painless, too, from charred Napa cabbage to a carrot-and-bulgur wheat bowl with cauliflower, raisin, and pistachio. Order takeout online or get delivery via Caviar from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily." - Tierney Plumb, Eater Staff
