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    Acqua Al 2

    4.2 (791 reviews)
    Closed 4:30 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)
    Updated 3 months ago

    Acqua Al 2 Photos

    Business Info

    ACQUA AL 2 ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Romantic
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Acqua Al 2

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    Sydney G.

    Wow. Just wow. I totally understand why this place is consistently popular because the food really is that good. We came for restaurant week which was a great intro to everything the restaurant had to offer. Normally I find RW desserts to be a little lackluster, but the chocolate hazelnut crunch bar was absolutely divine. The whole table fell silent as we each devoured it and practically licked the plates clean. The pasta was exceptional. We ordered a few and shared amongst ourselves and each bite was better than the last. I truly can't wait to come back here and eat the whole menu.

    Mike L.

    I went as part of a private event here. I can't comment on the pricing, which I'm sure was pretty big, but the meal was very good. We had a private room for 20 people. There was a multi course set menu, with a good bread basket, and wine to go with it. I was really impressed with the quality of the meal. I was on a vegetarian kick during that meal and was happy with it, although I was drooling at the meat options that folks had.

    Insalata
    Brent B.

    4 stars for a spot with some tasty and interesting food. I stopped by Acqual Al 2, located on 7th Street across from Eastern Market, to grab some lunch (about a 5 minute walk from the Eastern Market metro). The venue is a well-known political hot spot that isn't super fancy, so I wanted to stop by and check it out. I walked in and grabbed a seat at the bar on the right. The place has a cute small Tuscan restaurant look. The bartender came up to me and asked if I wanted anything to drink. I decided to get a wine flight based on the cute sign of chalkboard wines on the wall to the left. The wines come out of those wine dispensing machines which is kind of fun. I like the Amarone wine the best. In terms of food, I decided to go with their lunch special option (salad, entree, and dessert for something like $20). The insalata came out pretty quickly and was your fairly standard salad. I then had to wait a little while for my entree, which was a blueberry steak (aka the real reason I wanted to try this spot), but it was mostly worth the wait. The entree wasn't as mind blowing I was hoping (mainly because the steak underneath was pretty tough to cut), but the blueberry steak combo was pretty tasty (and messy) and fun for the price. My meal ended with the Barretta di Gianduja dessert, which was beautifully designed and a tasty way to end my meal. Overall, Acqua Al 2 provided me with a nice little lunch. While it is a little out of the way for me, I wouldn't mind stopping by here again for lunch or dinner sometime.

    Melanie Y.

    I brought le boyfriend here for a nice restaurant week meal after hearing such great things from a coworker. This is the second location in the states-the original one being in Italy. You can't get more authentic than that. My coworker raved about the filet with blueberry reduction sauce so since I don't eat meat, I had my boyfriend order that too. Although the filet was delicious according to him, he'd much prefer to try it with a more savory sauce since that was more to his liking. FIY-for restaurant week, you would need to pay additional $10 to get the filet. I ordered the fish that was on the menu which was so flaky and tasty. We also ordered potatoes and asparagus for the sides. Overall, I was happy with the service and the dishes we ordered and would definitely come back again.

    Assaggio di Primi (3)
    Nancy C.

    Acqua Al 2 is a really cozy, rustic restaurant in Eastern Market. They have truly outstanding service and a real Italian feel to the place. I ordered the salad tasting and the pasta tasting for my meal. I really enjoyed the salads that they made each with its own individual flavor and aspects. I wish I enjoyed the pasta tasting more, but I think I built up a lot of expectations for the experience. I only really thought 2 out of the 5 pastas were tasty and unique. (Sorry not all pastas were featured in my pictures) I felt that the other pastas that disappointed me were not well thought out in flavor or execution.

    Stewart C.

    LOVE this place and can't believe that I hadn't been before. A friend of mine was in town for a medical conference and ended up suggesting that we come here for dinner. She had previously been to the original one in Italy and loved it, so she insisted we come. And I'm so glad we did!! The atmosphere was great (good music, appropriate noise level, nice lighting that allowed for friends to see each other, while still providing a romantic environment for those looking for that.) I was impressed by the service, but ultimately what made this one of my new favorite restaurants was the food. It was simply amazing and it reminded me of the quality I found in small family restaurants in Italy. I Highly recommend!!

    L'Antipasto Toscano $24 Assortment of cured Italian meats, 1 cheese, bruschetta, and crostini al ragú *SAVE YOUR MONEY*
    Amanda M.

    Made a reservation on OpenTable about a week ago, heard really great things about this restaurant. First visit, food was fairly average, unlikely I return. Overall 2.5 stars. L'Antipasto Toscano 24 Assortment of cured Italian meats, 1 cheese, bruschetta, and crostini al ragú **Finocchiona, proscuitto, salame and I believe it was bresaola (4 slices each of the cured meats), 2 tiny and I mean tiny pieces of white truffled cheese, ONE bruschetta and ONE crostini al ragu and no bread served with the assortment. Really confused by the fact no bread or crackers came with it and I had to cut these really small crostinis in half so that we could split it. $24 for this was a terrible value! I also was hoping for mustard, quince paste, honey, something? I would not recommend getting this. I saw A LOT of people ordering burrata and it looked beautiful with the heirloom tomatoes. Rigatoni alle Melanzane 15 Tube shaped pasta with a tomato and eggplant sauce, mozzarella, and parmigiano **Rigatoni pasta tasted like it came out of a box, I don't think this particular pasta is homemade. The tubes were perfectly cut with no variance and it was much too al dente with a box finish. The tomato sauce and eggplant was delicious and honestly I would ask to substitute with a different pasta. The rigatoni doesn't grab the sauce so well. Tagliatelle al Ragú Toscano 22 House-made ribbon pasta tossed in a Tuscan beef ragú with parmigiano **Texture of the pasta was really great, egg-like noodle with a great chew, everything you want in a homemade pasta. So the beef ragu was fairly bland and honestly very muddled, as in you couldn't quite distinguish the type of meat that was used. Tiramisu 8 Ladyfingers soaked in espresso, layered with whipped mascarpone and dusted with cocoa powder **This was the star of the night. The tiramisu is everything that you want. Moist, creamy and delicious.

    Filet mignon with blueberry sauce
    Camille S.

    Delicious Italian food at Capitol Hill! Their sister restaurant is in Florence, and they serve homemade pastas. We had a selection of salads, including an amazing burrata. I then had the steak filet with blueberry sauce, and it was magical. I never would've thought to do blueberries with steak, but they executed it very well. And to finish, I had a taste of their panna cotta, which was just sweet enough I'm excited to come back to try more of their menu!

    Cat C.

    Overall: good value for money and yummy food Ambience: we sat outside and it was a beautiful day to eat and have a nice glass of wine Service: waitress was very attentive. Food The spinach risotto balls were amazing! Nice consistency and the red sauce had a lot of flavor Complimentary Bread and olive oil both delicious Pasta tasting menu Highly recommend! Every dish was absolutely delicious...good mix of white sauce and red sauce Dessert tasting menu What a great way to end a meal...Cheesecake, tiramisu, panacotte, and chocolate cake

    Burrata with turnips and pine nuts
    Aarti B.

    Hands down my favorite Italian restaurant in DC! While RPM and Graffiato get the hype in Chinatown, Acqua Al 2 is the real hidden gem tucked away in Eastern Market. From the staff to the savory food, the experience is truly authentic. My experiences at Italian restaurants have been dismal with slim pickings for vegetarians pastas besides the token ravioli - marinara or sage brown butter, not the healthiest food with lots of carbs doused in sauce and loaded with cheese in a whopping entree, disappointing experiences at upscale restaurants like RPM and Graffiato that are overhyped, overpriced, and underwhelming with flavor. Acqua Al 2 proved me wrong across all fronts! As I'm going to Italy for my honeymoon and trying to expand my palette beyond basic Italian dishes, I wanted to sample some Italian dishes and came here for my anniversary. The vegetarian sampler was perfect! It was nice to try different types of pasta without having to commit to a particular dish. I was impressed by the variety of the 5 pastas and sauces that came in the sampler, luckily no raviolis were featured! Each dish was a healthy portion size, bursting with flavor, and best of all...cooked "al dente". A stellar deal for $16/person, 2 person minimum. Vegetarian pasta sampler includes: Fusilli with spinach in cream sauce, Fusilli with Eggplant Marinara (my favorite!), Butternut Squash Farfalle, Creamy Orecchiette with broccoli, and Penne in marinara sauce. I thoroughly enjoyed the Burrata, it was imported from Sicily. The turnips and pine nuts really elevated the flavor. Typically, I'm not a fan of a big glob of cheese, but the freshness, soft texture, and flavor was so impressive that I devoured it. My fiancee really enjoyed the steak sampler with blueberry reduction sauce. The only dishes I didn't care for was the eggplant parmesan and the dessert sampler. The eggplant parmesan had a weird flavor (it even looks funky from the pic), which the waiter kindly comped. The desserts were quite bland and not as rich as I had hoped for. The only dessert that I enjoyed was the creme brulee. I would skip the dessert and make more room for the pastas next time! The waiter, Anthony, was very attentive and friendly. He made great recommendations on red wine pairings with our meal, which further enhanced our dinner. After dropping over $200 on dinner, I had a great meal that was bursting with flavor and a delightful ambiance and outstanding service. Worth every penny.

    Decorating a plate!
    Lauren P.

    My fiance and I went to Acqua Al 2 for our engagement celebration dinner with another couple. I liked the intimate feel of the restaurant--it definitely has a date-night feel. Having not eaten there before, our friends guided us through the menu and made recommendations. We ordered the Strozzapreti al Pomodoro, the salad special, and the Fagioli Marinati. I was so surprised at how big the appetizer portions were! You could easily order one of the appetizers as your main course if you wanted to. The marinated white beans were delicious and I highly recommend them. My fiance and friend ordered the vegetarian pasta sampler (of 5 types). I ordered the linguine with clams, since I can't really eat a lot of cheese. My dish was very good and a little bit spicy. There were a ton of clams and could not actually finish them all. I tried a few bites from the vegetarian sampler and they were all quite nice. My only complaint would be that the pastas were a little salty for my taste, but overall they were great. We also shared the tiramisu which was *chef's kiss.* Lastly! Our friend joked with the server about letting my fiance and I decorate one of the dinner plates that go on display all around the restaurant. At the end of the meal, she brought a plate and set of colored Sharpies for us to decorate one! Our friends were blown away, and it was super fun to decorate and know that it will potentially be displayed on the walls of Aqua Al 2.

    Topini al Gorgonzola (Gorgonzola Gnocchi)... $17

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    Haven't eaten in DC for a while, but I've been to their locations in Annapolis and Florence, Italy. Great great food!

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    Ask the Community - Acqua Al 2

    Do they have a corkage fee on bottles of wine/champagne?

    What does corkage fee mean? I don't think so...

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    Acqua Al 2 - italian - Updated May 2026

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