Restaurant Finder

Locanda

Cuisine: Italian Neighborhood: Capitol Hill

Based on 4 reviews.

Address	633 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, DC
Phone	(202) 547-0002

Rater Comments

These comments express the opinions of individual Restaurant Raters, not those of Washington City Paper.

Review by Sue on December 19, 2007

I’m not sure whether it’s better to know or not to know in advance that you’re about to put down an easy $50 per person (not including wine) to eat at Locanda. Or whether it’s better to play the dice that Locanda is – excellent in some respects; some kinks to work out in others. When we arrive for our 8 pm reservation, our table is in the back, adjacent to the bar, and about 30 people (an office party?) are hovering around us with cocktails while we sit – arms banging against my head, an incredible amount of noise, and a general feeling of claustrophobia. When the group finally sits for dinner, I expect we’ll get better service, but I still have to ask for water and no one refills our tiny plate of olive oil or bread basket. Despite these hiccups, the food is outstanding, and the only area Locanda needs to even out in this category is providing enough: a nearly empty plate with only six fresh-made gnocchi is considered an entrée, for $17, compared to an entire grilled branzino, which is another option (for $26). My appetizer of roasted beets with goat cheese and arugula ($11) is as good as anywhere in the city that serves this popular combination, and my entrée of scialatielli pasta with cauliflower and Swiss chard with garlic and peperoncini ($15) is the perfect combination of buttery, salty, veggie carbs. Our waitress was right-on when she recommended the dulce de leche gelato; I didn’t take her advice and rather ordered the panna cotta, which was creamy and sumptuous, but my friend complied with the tip, and I must say, that gelato is the best dessert going on in the city right now—-though my first remark was that it tasted just like Oyamel’s traditional Mexican sweet caramel made from goat’s milk.

Review by saraindc on October 26, 2007

We had to wait 30 minutes on a Saturday night 9pm reservation. That said, we enjoyed the wine we had while waiting at the bar. Our server was lovely and friendly and generous with suggestions. The food was all pretty good, though the grain that came with the sardine appetizer was pretty chewy and the portion size of my dish was pretty small. The sweet potato and praline gelatto described by our waitress as "awesome" was surprisingly good. The rest of the food was solid but not astonishing. The menu we were given is not the one up on their under construction website.

Review by eguertin on September 21, 2007

Our food was delicious. Two in our party ordered the whole branzino and were raving about it. The salumi platters were very impressive -- no "slabs of cold cuts" about them, the meats were unique, tender, and delicious. I was disappointed in waiting over a half-hour for a table, when we made a reservation a few days in advance. The restaurant is new and much needed on the Hill, so was very crowded, also very loud. I hear they're talking about installing sound-absorption panels, which would help the ambiance of the place. The food is what matter most, of course, and we were all happily satisfied with our choices.

Review by akd on July 26, 2007

Locanda just opened on the hill and has been packed ever since. We went two days after the opening, and the service was a bit slow - they didn't have enough wait staff to cover the tables well. The food was good - the starters in particular are inventive. The entrees are a little overpriced for what they are - particularly the pasta dishes.

The wine list was great - many choices and very reasonable prices, and knowledgable staff to help with the choosing.

My husband had the steak - which was very well seasoned and nicely cooked rare. I had the pork chop which was a bit dry/overcooked and not seasoned well.

I think with a little more time Locanda will be a great neighborhood restaurant that we will love to frequent.