PLEASE BRING BACK THE OXTAIL LASAGNA. I'm begging you. It was the best meal on the menu and my family was so disappointed that the oxtail has been switched with beef. So tragic. read more

We had heard a lot of good things about this place online, and while it was lively and packed on a Saturday night, Retrobottega was regrettably disappointing. The service was good despite being very busy; things came out quickly and staff were attentive enough. But the food was just... lacking seasoning? And I'm usually pretty easy to please at these nice restaurants. The bucatini had a carbonara sauce that was begging for black pepper -- it was as if they forgot to add it. And the short rib pappardelle was begging for salt; both the sauce and the short rib. I will say that the portion of short rib they gave us was massive though! Other than that, free bread is a nice plus these days, and the arancini was good but we didn't really taste/see much meat at all. Worth $10 tho. Let me be clear, the food was not bad by any means, and I ate every bite. But I've never gone out in DC and thought the food was lacking salt and black pepper. Between all the other great Italian spots in DC, I unfortunately am unlikely to return here. read more

We came for dinner about 8pm on a Saturday night with crowds on the street. We were staying nearby on our vacation and decided to walk over after walking past dozens of restaurants. It was full inside but had outside seating which we took since no reservations. We ordered the artichoke appetizer along with the gnocchi and spaghetti with clams. They started us with bread, oil & balsamic and our food arrived quickly. Everything was delicious and servers were friendly. We ended up enjoying the tiramisu to end our meal. read more

I loved everything about my experience here! The service was fantastic; our server was Ariana and she was the best, so sweet & checked in with us a lot & made great suggestions for us! The drinks, apps & entrees were delicious. Everything came out in a reasonable time frame (not too quick, not too long). The wait staff kept our water glasses full & even continually dropped off glasses of ice because we asked for it at the beginning of dinner! They also played several TTPD songs which was so fun! :) read more

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The food here is absolutely delicious and the staff is very welcoming. The vibe is very chill, and there's great lighting...low enough to be intimate and bright enough to read a book. I had the charred octopus, and it was fantastic. For my entree, I had the spaghetti with clams and it was so good. I'll definitely become a regular at this place: it's giving too 3 Italian spots in D.C. read more

Retrobottega - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Delicious food and drinks! During my visit my party had the aracini, bruschetta, agnello, lasagna, rigatoni, ravioli, tiramisu and passion spritz as drinks. All was delicious! My favorites were the agnello (lamb entree) and I got rigatoni with burrata added which was amazing. Our server was kind, knowledgeable, and helpful as we had a birthday at the table as well. Bathrooms were also clean and which is something often overlooked especially in a space like this one. Overall great experience, only thing I will say is if you are driving here expect to either pay for garage parking or spend time looking for street parking (nothing abnormal for a DC restaurant) . read more

Retrobottega is absolutely delightful!! This is a smaller restaurant, and quite popular, so RSVP ahead if possible. We were sat almost immediately, and enjoyed our spot out on the patio. We made it in time for happy hour, and enjoyed our wine for 8$ (and heavy pours). We had a few appetizers, like the burrata caprese (so good, with fresh pesto at the bottom) and arancini (only two but large and filling). We did order the calamari- FYI it is NOT fried, but they are pretty clear on the menu about this. We also tore through a few baskets of the fresh bread. For dinner, I had the Pappardelle short rib. WOW. The meat fell right off the bone, and the sauce was rich. It was a generous portion and I honestly don't know if I could bring myself to order anything else off the menu in the future, since I loved it so much! I love this quaint little Italian spot and can't wait to come back. read more

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Waitress was brusque and rather unkind. Food was middling. Small amount of octopus for the price; strangely seasoned; potatoes poorly seasoned; boring pasta; good fried artichokes. read more

Loved our experience here tonight! Service, food, and ambiance were all 5/5. We started out with free focaccia bread that was soft and warm. For my entree I ordered the seafood pasta that came with plenty of fresh seafood and delicious squid ink pasta. It was flavorful without being overly salty or oily. The service was great as well. Our food came out quickly and our server always made sure our waters were filled. Would definitely return. read more

Retrobottega - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Pastas are yummy here! Came here on a Saturday night and ordered three pastas to be split between 2 people. We weren't crazy hungry but im here for the variety/pasta sampler. Portion sizes are decent so you don't need to order more than one pasta per person i just really enjoy pasta and can take down a lot of it. You can get the cicchetti or like the small snack apps for other food. We got the taglierini, cavatelli with rabbit, and the papparadelle with mushrooms. Originally i was set on doing spaghetti with clams and papparadelle with third one as wild card but switched after seeing another table's order. I wanted a red sauce but the lighter/brighter color like the way the ravioli sauce looked. The gnocchi dish looked good but that red sauce is darker. Our server said the taglierini was a house special/classic and it had red wine but was still lighter and he did not steer us wrong. That ended up being my favorite/the cavatelli. Normally im not a short pasta person but the other table got it and it looked really good and when i asked server what i should get between oxtail lasagna, spaghetti with clams, and cavatelli he said the cavatelli. Again a good choice! I hate when servers are like well those are really different so depends what you're in the mood for like DECIDE FOR ME, and i will judge you if your choice is bad baha jk on last one I'm indecisive and accept the consequences!!! Pastas all had great texture. Really liked flavor of taglierini and cavatelli and they come out nice and steaming hot! Was fun to people watch and see admo bustling again with lots of patio and outdoor seating! read more

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AMAZING spot for drinks and food! We spilt a bottle of wine and shared 2 apps and an entree. The service was also great and we enjoyed the vibes of the whole place. 100% would eat here again. read more

Retrobottega - Gnocchi - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Loved this quaint Italian restaurant! We were running quite late to our reservation and called to inform the restaurant and they kindly held our table for us, which we really appreciated. It is a pretty small space but it is charming and our server was wonderful. My friend and I each got a glass of the house red wine which was a generous pour for the price. For entrees we had the short rib beef Pappardelle and the Strozzapreti (pesto, tomato, shrimp based dish). The pasta I believe is all homemade in house at the restaurant and you can definitely tell. Both entrees were delicious and I absolutely LOVED the short rib Pappardelle. It was a pretty generous portion as well - a ton of meat, right on the bone. I enjoyed it so much that it would be hard choosing another pasta dish next time, but I don't think you can go wrong with any of the pastas. Definitely a solid spot and would for sure return again! read more

Retrobottega - Strozzapreti - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Amazingly fresh pasta made by hand. The restaurant is a bit small and cramped but the food here is delicious. I really liked the short rib pasta and my friends liked the squid ink pasta and clam pasta. read more

Retrobottega - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Service- 5/5 Food- 4/5 Ambiance -4/5 The only reason I didn't give the food a 5/5 was because the desserts were awful! They only had 2 options and we got both of them. The tiramisu was mushy and tasted just like whipped cream- not authentic at all, and Nutella mousse was grainy and lacked Nutella flavor- I was so disappointed because I had high hopes especially after everything we had eaten prior. I truly hope they improve their desserts here because the food was phenomenal and service was great! read more

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First time at this restaurant tonight and glad we went!! I can't remember where I found this restaurant but highly recommend. First off, the food was amazing. Every dish we ordered was delicious. Starting with their complimentary focaccia bread they serve with olive oil/balsamic vinegar. We ordered the caprese, carpaccio, and arancini. The creamy burrata on top of pesto with sweet cherry tomatoes with the hint of salt was great eating alone or on top of the focaccia. The beef carpaccio was perfectly rare with the balance of the arugula, fennel, cheese and capers. The arancini had a very light marinara with a nice crispy exterior. For the pastas, we had the lasagna, seafood chitarra, bucatini (carbonara), parpadelle mushroom, rigatoni (bolognese- but switched with parpadelle noodles). We thoroughly enjoyed each dish as the noodles were probably freshly made. We ate every inch of the plate to the point couple of our dishes were wiped clean with the remaining focaccia. The neighborhood was eclectic and made it a fun stroll back to our hotel. Highly recommend when coming to DC! read more

I had checked out another place in Adams Morgan first but it just didn't seem to have the right vibe that I was looking for, so I left. I stopped into Retrobottega next and ended up staying, sitting at the bar. I had the Burrata with the bread and olive oil - not a big meal but I really just wanted a light bite so this fit the bill. The bartender was very warm and friendly and they were playing lively music by ABBA and Queen. Perfect place for my last night in DC. I'll have to stop back in the next time I visit! read more

Service was good. Entrees were decent - but do not order molten lava cake. No molten lava and dry. Absolutely NOT worth the cash/calories.

3.5 Hubby was looking for Italian, so I figured we give this Yelp favorite s try. The restaurant is in the heart of 18th street, the quirky/funky main drag in Adams Morgan. If you walk up the block of townhomes converted to storefronts will probably miss the place. We found it, sandwiched between an Indian restaurant under renovation and a psychic joint-where the psychics were out trying to get customers finishing their meals. Atmosphere- we out outside which was a nice, albeit tight space. The service- the waiter and other staff were nice. Waiter didn't come to the table quite as often as I wanted him to, but he was accurate and wanted to please. He came to give us the check but forgot to ask if we wanted dessert-tiramisu. When we asked he smiled and brought it promptly. It was a good, smallish slice. The food-my sea bass was excellent! Great flavor and very well grilled. Came on a bed of yummy risotto. Hubby ravioli was okay, but nothing to rave about. He should have opted for the parpardelle-which I noticed many people order. Looking around at others plates- squid dish looked great, short rib looked awesome, fried mozzarella appeared crisp and hot! Wine list was okay, not extensive. Didn't try any cocktails. Hubby ordered a regular coffee with dessert, but didn't realize it was going to be espresso. It was strong, with very good flavor, but you don't get much. The owner or manager takes pride in his place you can tell. Overall a solid experience. Points down for the ravioli, the construction right next to us, and the women trying to read our palms. If in the area, I would come again for that sea bass! read more

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Food was great! Asked for recommendations and they were helpful. Only downside is that it started to feel like rushed service to leave after 9:30pm. I really liked the food and the drinks as well as the ambiance. read more

Retrobottega - Tequila, espresso, martini and bruschetta - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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One of my favorite Italian restaurants in the city. They have a great short rib pasta I almost always get and delicious ravioli with vodka sauce. I have a friend that grew up in Italy and she thinks it's the most authentic in the city she's tried. Would recommend read more

3.5 stars. Overall had a good experience, nothing to rave or complain about just a good solid meal. I had the retro spritz which was essentially an aperol spritz so can't go wrong there. They serve bread before your meal with olive oil and balsamic which was really good. I had lasagne for my entree and was overall happy. It's a good sized portion and tasty. It's a bit different in that it's oxtail lasagne so it's definitely heavier on the meat than your typical lasagne. I think I prefer a more traditional lasagne but was happy with what I got -- really tasty and filling. Topped off the meal with tiramusu and an espresso martini. The tiramusu was super delicious. The espresso martini wasn't bad but I wouldn't recommend it. They also serve a little digestif after dinner which was nice. Our server was really friendly though as the place picked up we saw him less often since I think he was the only person in the section but overall good and friendly service. The atmosphere of the place is very cute, very dimly lit and small so a great place for a date. I don't think I would go out of my way to come back but would be happy to try some other things on the menu. read more

This is our favorite go-to spot in Adams Morgan! The food is always excellent, and Mariana is the best!

Nice sized portions and very tasty. Good ambiance. This is the only Italian restaurant in the AdMo/Dupont Circle area I've enjoyed

Thank God, finally a great Italian spot! A friend and I came here on my birthday for an early meal. We made a reservation ahead of time to ensure we'd get a spot outside, and so glad we did. The outdoor seating area is a great place to eat and drink on a nice day. The servers are very attentive - but not in an annoying way. The wine list is *chef's kiss* perfect. I started with a delightful rosé to pair with my appetizer - fried mozzarella with truffle oil. I mean, it's a fancy adult cheese stick and it's delicious. For dinner, I had the manicotti. You can tell the pasta is homemade. It's in a red sauce that's robust and thick. Sometimes red sauce makes me feel sick, this one did not. I also tried the ravioli in vodka sauce with burrata filling. This was like "buttah." So creamy and effortless. Such a great dish. This is great place for wine and food. There's also happy hour pricing as well. So, definitely check it out. read more

Retrobottega - Short rib and manicotti - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

We had an excellent meal! Try the pappardelle beef short ribs and ravioli. Great service!

What a stunner! From the moment we walked in we were impressed with the look of this place. It has a modern yet old timey classic vibe. It's a shotgun style restaurant with a bar up front with a few tables and then more tables for dining upstairs near the open concept kitchen. I made a reservation and so we were promptly seated-which, to be fair, we were the only people in there at 6PM on a Sunday. We placed our drink orders and I felt my cocktail was a great value and presented well. Service was very prompt at first when we were the only customers, about 45 minutes into our meal with an additional 4-5 tables seated, it became impossible to get our waiter's attention. He disappeared from where everyone was seated. Kind of strange, since we weren't the only table looking for him but it took me about 15 minutes to get a to go container. This is why I docked them a star. Otherwise, the food here was delicious! I felt my entree of the oxtail lasagna was the best dish at our table followed closely by the meatballs and the fried mozzarella. I actually cut the lasagna in half and ate the rest for lunch the following day. The arancini wasn't bad, but not the best. Additionally, Two of us were interested in the chicken Florentine, but alas they were out. Bottom line: I'd go back again to sample more cocktails and have the lasagna again! read more

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All the food was fantastic, the atmosphere was warm and very cozy. I would definitely recommend trying this place out for a girls night or a date! The wait staff was very kind and helpful and even gave us dessert on the house. read more

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Amazing service! Pappardelle was amazing!! Must Try. Arancini and Fried Mozarella Balls were great too. We also had the Duck and Bucatini. Bucatini was a little salty, but a great experience. We asked for a box to pack the Foccacia, and they gave us EVEN MORE to take home! Loved this place and the friendly servers!! read more

Retrobottega - Pappardelle - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Food was delicious and authentic. Free focaccia to start. Arancini was fantastic. I got the pappardelle short rib and my boyfriend got the lasagna. Both were amazing. The meat fell off the rib. Our server, Kate, was fantastic and gave us extra focaccia to take home since they had leftover. Super affordable too. Will absolutely be back! read more

I almost walked past this on first glance, but I'm so glad I stopped! It was super easy to make a reservation and it was very crowded inside. It felt like a neighborhood spot and the waiters clearly knew a lot of people that arrived. On to the food! We started off with the fried mozzarella and arancini, which were both super flavorful and not too too dense. Our waiter, Nando, was super accommodating and made sure that the mushroom paparadelle was dairy free for my friend. I shared the short rib paparadelle with my other friend. They were super great and split it into two plates before it came to us. The short rib was perfectly cooked and plentiful for both our plates. The cheesecake for dessert had a wonderful flavor but an oddly crumbly texture, so keep that in mind if you order it. I will definitely be returning and enjoying the red wine and cozy vibe! read more

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Probably some of the best Italian food I have had in a while. Started off with focaccia bread and it was warm and fluffy. The olive oil was nicely flavored. The fried mozzarella was equally delicious. Warm and fresh and underneath was a tangly tomato sauce. The manicotti was fine. The spinach and ricotta stuffy was smooth and flavorful. The waiter was very nicely and adjusted to our dietary restrictions. Plenty of seating, good music and well lit. read more

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Had the pasta with rabbit. Really delicious. It had a really unique flavor. We sat outside and it was a little cold, but they brought us a heater. read more

If you're in the area and looking for solid Italian food, Retrobottega is a great choice. I liked being able to make reservations online, even in the fully enclosed street tables too. Our waiter was courteous and accommodating, and made good recommendations. He was very familiar with the menu as well, and never seemed to judge me *too* hard for ordering multiple waves of their delicious house focaccia bread and olive oil. We started with several cheeses, which are a flat rate of $7 each. You get quite a bit of cheese, which is delicious spread on crostini or the house bread. When it was time to order entrees, I went with the pappardelle with beef short rib. It was both visually stunning -- with it's large bone-in short rib -- and delicious. read more

Retrobottega - Pappardelle pasta with beef short rib. Tender and fell right off the bone. - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I came here with work colleagues tonight and everyone agreed it was a delicious dinner! We thought the bruschetta appetizer was very tasty. I had the scallops risotto for dinner and the risotto was perfectly cooked. The space was nice and the server was friendly. Oh, and everyone enjoyed their drinks as well! read more

Retrobottega - Scallop Risotto - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Retrobottega never misses!! I brought my parents who were visiting from out of town and they loved it. My mom loved her Negroni to start and I enjoyed a really yummy pineapple mocktail (dry January probs). Always get the Arancini for an appetizer. I had the spaghetti with the garlic sauce and clams and it was incredible. My mom had the ravioli which is filled with burratta- insanely good. My dad had the Strozzapreti which is a thicker noodle with a pesto type sauce. He liked it, but preferred the spaghetti and ravioli over his meal. The short rib pappardelle is an all time fave of mine, but I'm so glad I tried something new this time! Can't wait to come back to this fantastic spot in AdMo!! read more

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So great for dinner! I made a reservation for Retrobottega (through Resy) about 5 days in advance, and already many time slots were unavailable, so I highly recommend reserving. The restaurant had cool decor and felt very cozy. The three of us ordered wine (loved the Primitivo) and had a hard time choosing off the dinner menu, since so many options looked delicious and unique. I ended up getting the Ravioli with Burrata filling and creamy vodka sauce, and I'm so glad I did. The pasta itself was perfectly al dente and the filling was incredible. The portion sizes here are not massive, but you will not leave hungry. My friends also loved their Chitarra Squid ink pasta and Burrata Caprese. Would absolutely eat here again! read more

Everything was delicious. That focaccia bread basket?! In love. Only critique was that the wait time between food and appetizer was a bit long. Will definitely be back. read more

So good. Great service and great food. We had small plates and entrees and charcuterie. Everything was excellent. Service was outstanding and the atmosphere was nice. Can't wait to return. read more

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Great ambiance eating on the patio on a Saturday night. Not too noisy but a great ambience! The food was delicious and reasonably priced as well. The staff were all considerate and friendly! read more

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I had very high hopes for this restaurant, enough to reserve a table for 8 people for my birthday. I had friends flying in to visit me and we were all very excited to try out this place. I made sure to reserve online and to also confirm our party via phone prior to the reservation. When we walked into the restaurant at our reservation time, no one greeted us. It took around 15 minutes for us to get seated and another 30 minutes before we had enough chairs for everyone to sit down. 3 of us were standing around, waiting for chairs and we asked the waiters around 3 times for our chairs before anyone addressed the issue. In addition to that, we weren't checked on for the first 45 minutes. We didn't have any water and we weren't able to order any drinks or food, not until we quite literally chased down the waiter. Once we ordered our drinks and food, we had expected the drinks to be on the house, as we were very upset at the whole situation. We talked to the manager and he agreed that drinks would be on the house. Little did we know, we paid for all of our drinks and our food, with no apology whatsoever on the whole situation. The food was okay. It was okay for the price point, but I wouldn't necessarily come back for the food. And I certainly would not come back due to the lack of service. Lastly, I thought that given the ambience and the price point of this place, they would have at least offered something for my birthday. I've had plenty of restaurants offer a small dessert or a drink if you reserve for a birthday, but this place just handed us our check as soon as we finished eating. The receipt was also non-itemized so we had difficulties splitting the bill afterwards. We broke down the bill using the prices on the menu and we were definitely charged for the drinks that were previously said to be on the house. Overall, I am just very disappointed with this whole experience. What a way to start off your birthday night! read more