Like a movie with a great reviews, it had a lot to live up to and I think that was my biggest issue with the place. I thought it was very good, but not Best Picture (that might be Red Hen for me in terms of new restaurants). Didn't love the wines by the glass, but I'm sure they've got good options by the bottle...and to be honest I'm not a huge italian wine fan. Small plates were all really good: meats/cheeses/olives/breads. We went with a slightly strange pizza and didn't love the sausage that was on it. But the ingredients were very fresh & i'd like to go back to try the margherita, as i bet it'd be delicious and have seen other good reviews. Great atmosphere, very cozy and low-key...feels authentic. Right in the heart of 14th, so you couldn't ask for a better spot. Good date spot. Will be back, but most likely for drinks and light food. read more

I've been here before and this is the first place I recommend when a friend asks me to meet up for bar foods and snacks, as well as fresh oven fired pizza. I really like how the menu changes everyday. Additionally, the food is extremely fresh. read more

Etto - Nice neighbors hanging - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Excellent, friendly service and complex, savory food. The burrata was one of the most amazing cheeses I've ever tasted and the salami was nuanced and fresh. A bit tight on seating, but lovely for an intimate dinner. read more

Etto - Burrata, salumi, and bread - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Really great service, great happy hour food and drink menu (goes til 10 PM Sunday and Monday nights) Service was good--a nice night on the whole. read more

Decided to try again and still had a mediocre experience: - Pizzas skimp on the cheese. I know everything nowadays overdoes it on the cheese but here each slice only had a little smidgen. - Food for three of our party of four were brought at simultaneously, with the fourth delayed awkwardly by about two minutes. (Happened again at dessert.) The server then brought a cauliflower pizza instead of the ordered cauliflower salad. She was apologetic and offered to fix it but we stuck with it. - Interestingly, she explained both the salad and the pizza have anchovies - the salad has them mixed into the dressing and that fact is not mentioned on the menu. Vegetarians might be in for a surprise for what seems like their designated dish. - Mint chocolate chip ice cream was unexpectedly salty and sour, instead of sweet. We left it after one bite. - Burrata appetizer was good. Had to ask for oil for the bread, which she brought but she didn't bring the vinegar right next to it on the display stand. - Drinks were weak. read more

I went to Etto few days ago with my girlfriend. Premise: I'm Italian and I can say I might have on average a good reference for how well made a "good pizza" should be. Not only the pizza was doughy, too oily on the bottom and tasteless but was also pricy compared to other restaurants in DC and even Bethesda (red rocks or da Marco are way way better and even cheaper). I paid 17 dollars for a badly cooked pizza (the crust was also burned all around!!!). Icing on the cake: whenever I was talking to a server to order or simply say "thank you" for the service, all the 3 waitresses we have been served by looked always at my girlfriend even if I was the one talking. I know this might sound very inappropriate and rude, specially in these days (and maybe unrelated to the pizza quality) but honestly I wondered if they had an issue with guys/men, because that's how it looked like. Overall the experience was so poor that we just left right away after paying the check (54 for 2 pizzas and bad service??). read more

Love this place. If you're looking for a good, solid Italian place, this is it. The pizza is very good, with a beautiful thin crust and simple but thoughtful toppings and their selection of small plates is not only delicious, it's quite interesting and original too. The pizza was great but it's the Sicilian orange and anchovy salad that was the star of my meal. I feel like Etto gets unfairly overlooked because it's next to Le Diplomate and across the street from Ghibellina, both of which are overrated and overhyped. read more

This was my first time at Etto. I've been to Two Amy's but had yet to try this spot -- probably because it's always crowded and the night I went was no exception. Clearly they are doing something right! We arrived in time to grab a spot at the bar while we waited. Can't go wrong with red wine on tap :) For the meal, we went with the Calabrese Salami pizza and the fried artichokes -- both excellent choices! I normally like my pizza dough a bit crispier, but it was still a solid pie. I'd definitely come here again to give a few other items on the menu a try. read more

Picked up for a family dinner on a Friday night. From order to pickup was less than 30 minutes. Service was friendly and online ordering was super easy. The food as always was delicious - both a margherita with olives and the salumi pizza were great - crispy AND chewy crust, fresh flavorful toppings. The eggplant parm was everything I've been dreaming of since my partner doesn't let me make it at home (she's allergic). The kale salad with golden raisins was divine. And we started with some amazing prosciutto and burrata. Will definitely order again with cocktails, next time. read more

I was looking forward to my meatballs and pizza. The latter was good but they made the meatballs sweet (full of cinnamon)...I felt like I was eating Cinnamon Toast Crunch instead of savory meatballs. They totally could have done awesome if they didn't put so much damn cinnamon in the meatballs. The staff was great...chef hold the cinnamon in the meatballs read more

Etto is great! My boyfriend and I visited on a Friday night and were able to grab two seats at the bar. The staff are friendly and laid back, and we able to take in the buzz of the restaurant while having enough space to chat. We shared a cauliflower starter and the margarita and broccoli rabe/sausage pizzas. The margarita was definitely our favorite, but all of the dishes were flavorful and balanced. The olive oil and red pepper served on the side elevated the already delicious pizza crust. It was refreshing to dine at a 14th street restaurant that felt authentic and without pretense. Can't wait to visit again soon! read more

Best crust I've had in DC. It's razer thin (fork and knife required) and leads off to ends that are pleasantly chewy and have the delicious burnt bits from an insanely hot oven. Shared two red pizzas on the patio, one sausage and a potato one. Sauce was chunky and flavorful and toppings were high quality, notable mention to the fresh moz and the sausage. We had no wait for the patio around 9pm on a Wednesday, and had a leisurely and casual night sharing some drinks and pizza. My one qualm is that I wish the middle of the pies were slightly less soggy. Maybe it was the combination of ingredients on the pies. Will be back! read more

Really a 2.5. Ordered a cocktail, beer, chic peas, cauliflower salad, olive anchovies skewers, and regular cheese pizza. Everything was overpriced by about 10-20 percent for the size and quality. Our pizza didn't have cheese on each slice and was too burnt. If dinner was 55 instead of 75 would have been much happier and would consider going back. Go for yourself, make your own decision. read more

Super yummy pizza and the space has a cool vibe. We did not have reservations but found a seat at the counter without a problem. Beer and wine only. read more

The staff here is incredible. The food was different from your normal DC line up but still amazing. The place is small and has such a nice feel to it. It never feels too busy or too crowded; just the right amount of people for a nice and calm evening out. The service was wonderful and the people of Etto are so full of positive energy and authenticity. read more

Nice intimate spot, great bartender and had an excellent app, pizza and wine at the bar without any service issues despite being busy. Very attentive with great food. read more

Etto - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This venue promises a lot and falls far too short on delivery. Service is friendly and attentive, but the menu and venue just doesn't deliver on value for the money. Ambiance: furniture is cheap and basic, reminiscent of Ikea. Pix of Italian salumi on the walls is kitsch. Menus on a cheap print-outs, though ostensibly helpful for the daily variation. Bar- eats: you can order bar-eats from your table, though beware: these are bite-sized. For $3.50, you will get two - yes, two- crackers with something on top. Not worth it. For $11. I ordered a plate of two types of salumi. That scored me about 12 thin slices of meat. For this I also received 3 pieces of bread. There was zero presentation. I think a stick of spicy Calabria at Trader Joe's would have been a better choice. Pizza: For a venue opened by the owners of Two Amie's, I expected better. I ordered two pizza's - both were so burnt and beyond edible that I was surprised they were brought to the table at all. We were at a centrally located table and all who passed gave shocked glances at our pizza. The waitress was kind and said, "we use open fire ovens so the pizzas sometimes burn." Hmmmm...well, that may be true, I expect the kitchen staff are well-versed in how to optimally use the oven and when the occasional burn occurs, they discard it out of respect for their clients and their reputations. Needless to say, the pizza was not edible expect for the center. After an uncomfortable consultation with the manager, the waitress took the price of the ice-cream off the bill. Really, the pizzas should have been on the house. Ice-cream: $7.50 for the ice-cream with prosciutto. Not worth it. It was rich vanilla with pistachios. I much enjoyed my conversation during dinner though that had nothing to do with Etto's offering. Much-disappointed Italian. read more

Nice little place with great pizza and other Italian foods. This place feels very authentically Italian.

Been to many pizza places in the DMV. Bottom line, the margherita was a 4.5/5, the service was a 1. The ambiance (my third checkbox) was about a 2.5. Had high hopes for this place, sat outside, and it sprinkled a bit tonight. I'm cool with that, but our waitress was lame. She took our drink orders and took 15 minutes to bring them, and another 15 to take our orders. For context, we got right in and we're seated immediately. My date made polite eye contact with our waitress about 6-8 times before she took our food order and she both took the food order and served a group seated after us before she took our food order. NO BUENO. read more

The first thing I felt walking into Etto's cozy but light-filled space was pleasant surprise: the place IS just as small as it looks from the outside, but it doesn't feel cramped, rushed, loud or stressful the way I'd imagined it might. The bar, laid out with colorful, olive-oil soaked antipasti and extremely tempting hunks of cured meat is tiny but welcoming, and the space is laid out gracefully with plenty of elbow room for guests. Arriving at 6:30 on a Friday evening, we only had to wait a few minutes at the bar for a table while sampling some of the excellent salumi and the interesting (but very expensive) beer and wine list. But the stars at Etto are the colorful antipasti (we tried the artichoke, which was a revelation, and the cauliflower, which was also delicious but less of a standout) and the pizza. The crust on the pizza was perfect, and transported me to Italy for a few blissful moments. The pie is so thin that it probably wouldn't last long as a take-out option, but also filling enough that with an antipasto or two and some salumi, it serves as a fairly satisfying meal for two. Our servers at the bar and at our table were both sweet, knowledgeable and obliging. The only thing holding me back from a five-star review is the overall price for such a casual meal-- $9 for a handful of cauliflower florettes and $17 for a delicious but light pizza... add in a few drinks (wine by the glass starts at $9 a pour), and you're looking at a substantial bill. I'm looking forward to a return visit, but the high price point keeps this from being the go-to neighborhood joint it could be. read more

Gotta love a delicious pizza on a beautiful day on the patio. Delicious toppings, good crust!

I'm convinced that the negative reviews on here are coming from people who don't want Etto to get any more crowded than it already is. That seems like some good thinking right there. But my dinner at Etto was so good that I just want to tell everybody - I want to scream it from the mountaintops. "Hear ye, hear ye, my mackerel, olive and roasted pepper salad was friggin' RIDICULOUUUUS!" What I especially appreciated is that their pizza has some of the best aspects of Neapolitan-style pizza (crisp, lightly-charred, thin crust, high-quality toppings), but with a key difference: a unique, slightly-sweet tang to the dough. It's really something. Maybe I'm wrong, but a crust this memorable makes me think that Etto deserves a big pat on the back for not being slaves to the authenticity police. It's not your same-old same-old 00 Neapolitan - it's better. read more

"You can't go wrong with a Margherita pizza." Well, apparently you can at Etto. Since Etto's opening this past year, I have avoid eating at this establishment in protest of their unethical choice to include rabbit, the third most popular pet in the US, on their menu; while some may find eating rabbit to be "trendy," I find it abhorrent. However, on Friday night I saw that rabbit was not on the menu, so I decided to finally give this restaurant a try. We were fortunate enough to only have to wait 30 minutes for outdoor seating, which ended up being the most pleasant part of this dining experience. Noticing there were few vegetarian items on the menu, we asked our waitress what she would recommend for us to order. She said the quote I wrote at the top of my review, "you can't go wrong with a Margherita pizza;" trusting her advice, we order the Margherita, kale salad, eggplant parmesan, and the French breakfast radishes. The radishes were meager but fine, however the bread they were served with tasted plain gross (perhaps I am jaded because I was expecting this dish to match the excellent radish crudite from Etto's neighbor Le Diplomate). The eggplant parmesan was okay -- burnt and bland are the first adjectives that come to mind now as I write this review. The kale salad was a disappointment; the kale was DRENCHED in their dressing -- normally I would have found this inedible, but I was so hungry at the time that I powered through eating this soggy mess of a salad. After three unsatisfactory dishes, we were eagerly anticipating the arrival of our pizza, figuring there's no way a pizzeria would have bad pizza. As it turns out, we were wrong. The Margherita pizza had the absolute thinest crust of a pizza I had ever seen, and this was matched by an even thinner layer of tomato paste. Six pieces of mozzarella were unevenly sprinkled throughout the pizza, resulting in some slices that literally had no cheese. As I carefully picked up my first slice, the mozzarella and paste immediately went flying off the pizza and fell on my plate; after scooping these contents back on, I took a bite of my pizza and realized this was the worst dish of the entire menu. The crust of the pizza was burnt and tasted like charcoal, however the rest of the dough was soggy and wet. I don't know how Etto achieved this mismatch in disgustingness, however, they were successful. If we weren't so hungry, I can't imagine we would be able to finish this pizza, but we did and after four dishes we were still hungry; learning from our mistakes, we knew it would be smartest just to ask for the check and get out of there. After paying the overpriced bill we left and said to each other, "At least we got to eat outside on this beautiful night..." Finally, food issues aside, the tap water at Etto had a gross flavor as well, so much to the point that after half a glass I forced myself to stop drinking it. All of this being said, there was nothing redeeming about my meal at Etto and this restaurant now officially ranks to me as the worst restaurant on 14th Street. read more

High quality ingredients, simple but creative small plates, amazing dough, unpretentious atmosphere...Etto is my favorite restaurant in DC. It's the kind of place I could eat at every night. The staff are knowledgeable and obviously love food. I'm particularly fond of the bartender, who makes yummy (not too sweet!) cocktails and is very helpful in choosing a wine and food. I do love the wine list - Sicilian focused with lots of bottle (like ones from Occhipinti) that are difficult to find at retail. They also have a fabulous amaro selection with housemade concoctions and rare labels. In terms of food, it's hard to beat sharing the cured wild boar, the cauliflower with pine nuts and saffron, a margherita pizza, and the san daniele gelato. This is as authentic as it gets in DC (and most cities in the US) in terms of a casual trattoria/ enoteca style Italian restaurant. The photos on this board complaining about "burnt" pizza look like authentically well done neapolitan style pies. If folks are looking for an Italian-American place offering undercooked big greasy pizzas topped with oily cheap mozzarella and sweet processed sauce, then don't come here. read more

The drinks and service were great. The pizza was pretty good but unfortunately when you ask for the crust to be crispy it simply just gets burnt. read more

Amazing food served in an elegantly functional space. Everything cooked is made in the fireplace. And in the back of the restaurant is an interesting looking wooden machine that is the actual mill -- used to grind the flour for all of the bread and pizza! As you walk in, you can look at daily specials on the counter. Seasonal food -- made from scratch. Kale with faro was delicious -- as was the boar and other salami and the salty anchovies with green sauce. Interesting food with friendly helpful service. read more

I'm a huge fan of Two Amy's and Etto was very disappointing. The hostess quoted a 35-minute wait time, which in reality, was more like 75 minutes. Had we known that we were going to be waiting for over an hour for bad pizza, we would have gone somewhere else. The pizzas were tasteless, burnt, and inedible. Not worth the time or the money. read more

I don't understand the mixed reviews for Etto at all. It's a rarity to find a restaurant composed of such a caring, sweet and knowledgeable staff. Combine that with the best ingredients and a crazy talented kitchen staff that makes everything from scratch and even mills their own flour to make the pizza dough-- this is a no brainer. Do yourself a favor and go eat there! The owners and management are awesome and some of the most caring individuals that I've ever met. I will never be able to say enough positive things about this restaurant... if only they'd make an Etto in Seattle I'd be in foodie heaven all the time! Gosh I miss this place. read more

So I met an Italian man and he took me to Etto. We popped a bottle of white wine (ahh summertime refreshment!) and Molly the lovely waitress kept it on ice for us at the back and made sure our glasses were always full (Thanks Molly!). In good Italian fashion we ordered the sausage and friarelli pizze with rapini and mozzarella to start to quell our hungry while we continued to peruse the menu. The rapini gave it a unique bitter taste and added a dose of vegetables to the freshly ground wheat and wood-oven pie. We also feasted on salumi and the carciofi alla giudia (artichokes, a Roman delicacy). Unfortunately the artichokes were quite small and completely smothered with mint. They were also served cold which was out of character for the dish and also robbed it of its true tastiness potential. The menu is seasonal like many of the topnotch DC spots so you'll always be surprised by the new and exciting. The food was certainly tasty but not toppest notch. For me the intoxication of the warm summer night and the white wine were more compelling. Etto is a relatively new joint and was definitely bustling on a Thursday with a warm, relaxed vibe. It also seemed to have a diverse clientele ranging from loungey couples, awkward first dates, and groups of rolicking best friends. A wonderful medley to dine with indeed. We sat at the bar facing the street which was just perfect for people-watching all the lively action on 14th street. I had a fantastic experience. Three cheers and salut! read more

We popped in early for a few bites and enjoyed the earnestness of the place. I'm all about comfort / peasant food, so we ordered the fava bean spread on crackers, the cauliflower (bonus points for it being romanesco), and the octopus with gigante beans. My only complaint was that the oil was a bit much in the tomato caper sauce that came with the cauliflower, but the octopus had an amazing texture -- like biting into haloumi cheese or something. I always love a place that picks good ingredients and then treats them with respect. Nicely done, Etto. read more

This is the most pretentious pizza place I have ever seen. The hosts and servers have attitudes, and the prices are a joke. They aim to be "authentic" but I doubt any pizza restaurants in Italy approach this level of pomposity. When I was there, the beers on the menu were $24 (for a 12-ounce bottle) and they were offering tiny cups of punch (in glasses that looked like they were made for a third grader's party). I also was offended that they served bunny rabbit. As the owner of a pet bunny, I avoid french places for this reason, but would never have expected to see this at a pizza place. Not really sure when eating bunny rabbits became trendy. Are dogs and cats next? Save yourself $75 or so and go to Matchbox up the street. read more

TL;DR: Go with a pal, share a bottle of wine, some salumi, a couple of small plates and a pizza. Desert and an amaro if you want. Pow!--as good as any meal on 14th street. I'm a regular here--it's a go-to spot on 14th street. And what's not to like? A restaurant on 14th st that feels like a neighborhood joint and not a scene. With the patio open, there's usually not that much of a wait even on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night. When the patio's closed, it can get crowded inside. (If you can make it before 6:30, there's not much of a wait, if any, unless you have a large party.) Nevertheless, the atmosphere never feels rushed; the staff is great; friendly and knowledgable, they will let you enjoy your meal at your own pace. The bartender really knows her stuff. The cocktails are always good, and she's super helpful when it comes to choosing a wine. The fun wine list focuses on southern Italy, but has other European selections. Not a lot of US wines, although I've had cali wines on tap before. Great for finding something new as the markups over retail are always reasonable. The handful of beers on tap are well-curated and go great with a pie. The rotating selection of small plates are always fresh and creative. They cure their own meat, and I love their selection of salumi (the venison is probably my favorite). Awesome authentic Neapolitan-style pizzas.The specials can get a bit pricey (more than $20 is a bit much), although they always sound good. I tend to stick with the "regular" pies-- calabria, margherita and alla romana are my favorites. Dessert is always good; the tarts I've had were are divine, ditto for the gelati. Chocolate salumi is great for sharing. The bar has a awesome selection of amari. Staff in my experience are well-trained and can help guide your amaro choice, which can be a bit daunting if you are new to amari. They're now open for brunch on weekends, but I haven't been. read more

Low-key ambience. Delicious, fresh drinks created by their talented, detail-oriented staff. While we didn't have any food, we salivated over the cured pig leg behind the counter and we watched them create phenomenal dishes. I will definitely be coming back for a dinner here. read more

I almost didn't post a review for this place because I don't want more people to come here! We had dinner at Etto last night and it was awesome. Its a small space- probably only 15 tables and they have a tiny bar with 3 or 4 stools. My husband ordered a negroni and I had a "saint gennaro" cocktail to start. My cocktail was really refreshing and subtly sweet. For dinner we shared a bunch of small plates and a pizza. We had the burrata cheese which just melts in your mouth- everyone should order this! We also had the celery, walnut and pecorino salad which was really nice and light- and the braised artichokes, which were out of this world. We also had a margherita pizza. The crust was so thin and chewy- it was delicious. Very similar to pizzas we've had at 2Amys. What I really loved about this place though was that they let you take your time with your meal and don't rush you out of the place- which makes you feel like you are in Italy. We probably sat there for 2 hours and enjoyed our cocktails and food- it was a great night. read more

Heard about this for a while and finally went. Had a great time and the food was excellent. Friendly, bustling, neighborhood place kind of feel. The friends I went with know the place well and took the lead on ordering. We shared a number of appetizers...a sampling of house-cured salamis, mozzarella di buffalo, tuna belly, a crispy cod dish...all delicious. The tuna belly was a stand-out, as were the salamis. Then we shared a salad and pizza. Everything was delicious. The pizza was perfect...crust was a little crispy but not overdone, aka just right. Service was great...attentive without being overbearing or feeling rushed. Great for a fun, casual dinner with great food. read more

Great service and great pizza. I lived in Italy and prefer the more authentic Italian style pizzas.

Horrible customer service. Food was fine but other guests were extremely rude and the manager was less than helpful.

Fluffy crust, charred edges, stop two on our pizza tour of dc, have to say it was a bit tastier than all purpose, although it was very different and we enjoyed both. Etto mezzo with prosciutto and wild boar was amazing as was the freshly squeezed grapefruit juice! read more

Walked in around 7 pm on a Friday night with my girlfriend and the wait was over an hour, which turned out to be an underestimate. While we waited, we stood at the bar and had a drink. The bartender was attentive and very nice. My gf enjoyed the rose on tap and my kolsch was great too. We ordered the prosciutto and burrata to start and then decided to order the pizza cotechino with egg as our entree. The prosciutto was our absolute favorite but the pizza's crust was nice and fluffy and crunchy. In my opinion, the pizza crust here was better than at ghibbelinas across the street. Overall very tasty place;tiny space though so need to get there early or later after the crowd rush to get a table. read more

The pizzas were tasteless, burnt, and inedible. Not worth the time or the money. It's a shame because the outdoor patio is lovely