Acqua Al 2

On a recent trip to DC, this place was highly recommended, and I can see why… this place is wonderful! The décor was beautiful. The staff was great. We sat outside and enjoyed the neighborhood atmosphere. I had the Fusilli Corti ai Carciofi and it was delicious. We also sampled the cheeses and we sampled the desserts which made my tastebuds sing with delight. I will definitely dine here when I am back in DC. Delizioso!

I was skeptical at first about how good it would be since the original is in Florence. But it is fantastic! Great place for a relaxed and enjoyable ambiance. The interior really does remind you of Italy.
For food, the peach burrata appetizer is amazing. The peaches and bread were perfectly roasted and the cheese was solid enough that it did not make a mess. The honey in this dish adds to the overall flavor as well. For first course, I ordered the ragu fusilli which was a bit sweeter than expected, but still very good.
Only downside was that entrée, the peppered steak, was not to the right temperature when served. Not hot enough. Besides that, cocktails were tasty & balanced. And of course, a Chianti wine is a must!

Certainly rustic contemporary Italian. Beautiful décor. Lovely staff. I only wish the bran menu was not soo limited. Great bloody Mary’s. You can take a break way from shopping during eastern market days. Saturday and Sunday.

Again fantastic. Ate here to celebrate youngest daughter’s college graduation. Had 3-​salad course and halibut served over broccoli rabe. Others had pastas and a burrata appetizer.

Acqua Al 2 is delicious! I took my boyfriend here for dinner after he landed a new job to celebrate (this is not what we would typically pay for a meal and instead is reserved for celebrations). It’s been awhile since we have been here, so forgive me for not remembering the names, but the steak (filet, maybe?) with blueberries is to die for! Everything we ordered was extremely delicious, but that stuck out more than anything because it was unique and more delicious than I had anticipated.
I love to cook, so we will have to find a reason to celebrate again soon because I would love a reminder of the flavors in order to try to recreate my own version at home.
The service and atmosphere were both great. I can’t stress enough how much my boyfriend and I love this place! Amazing food, wine, atmosphere, and service.

Lovvvved this place ! Our first visit here was for dinner yesterday and we were absolutely bowled over by the prompt and courteous staff. Whitney greeted us warmly and made us feel very welcome right away.
The atmosphere is charming and cozy. Being a Friday night, the place was packed and so pretty noisy but it did not take away from the ambience.
We went to the bar while our table was being readied. Byron — at the bar was friendly and quite informative about the wine selection and helped us choose a bottle.
The waitstaff in total were very polite, friendly and attentive. The water and complimentary bread basket was constantly refilled and our empty plates were whisked away immediately, Special mention is to be made for Grant who was our waitstaff — he was very friendly and a big help with our menu selection. Very very courteous and prompt in service too.
The food is simply out of this world. I am a vegetarian and found myself overwhelmed with choices which is very welcome, for, in most restaurants, being a vegetrian means you have to settle for a salad or a veggie burger.
Acqua rocks a tasteful vegetarian selection and what is perfect is that they offer samplers of everything. We ordered the fig n cheese recommended by Grant and were in heaven ! The red pepper soup was vegan yet hearty and oh-​so-​delicious ! The gnocci was both incredibly tasty and filling. Also ordered the spinach and ricotta ravioli but regrettably were too full to finish it for it was bursting with flavor ! The dessert sampler is scrumptious… All in all a treat for your tastebuds. Kudos to the chefs for a fantastic meal.
This was our twentieth anniversary dinner and everyone at Acqua made it extra special.
Thanks !

Make a reservation now! One of the best meals of my life! Quaint, charming restaurant and excellent service. We had the pasta trio sampler — every dish delivered fresh perfect flavor a– gnocchi was simply the lightest perfect clouds. The trio of steaks was perfection — every order was cooked exactly as ordered and seasoning and sauces were amazing. Ordered a sampler of desserts– wonderful! Our server, Ito was so warm and attentive. 5 diners and we all declared this was one of the best meals we have ever experienced. We are ready to go to their other location in Florence!

As usual, the food and service do not disappoint. The food is fresh and simple as good Italian food usually us. They’re constantly refilling the bread basket with light, cloudy bread. I also like that they have the tasting options for food and they’ll let you taste a variety of cheeses, steaks, pastas, etc. so you don’t go food FOMO.
We had this special of burrata mozzarella with fresh figs. I wish I could eat this over and over again. Also recommend the handmade pastas, as they’re also light with great sauce.

My boyfriend and I were walking around Eastern Market one Thursday evening and decided to try Acqua Al 2 for dinner. They were fully committed but were able to squeeze us into two bar seats facing outside — which was perfect.
They were pretty busy so we weren’t able to catch the names of the server, bartender, or manager that were taking care of us but the service was perfect. They were very informative, patient, and hospitable. Bravo.
The food was amazing — we started with a baked ricotta and spinach appetizer that was so flavorful I almost ordered another. We split two pasta dishes, I got a mushroom marscapone dish and my boyfriend got a parsley basil gnocchi. We devoured both.
Lastly for dessert, we got the homemade cheesecake and I ordered the chamomile tea. So delicious!
I overheard many people say they were regulars here and I can see why. I can’t wait to come back!

Soooo good. Always try to get the Burrata even if you don’t see it on the menu. We come here every year for when we hit our annual conference. All items on the menu are delicious. Make sure you call or check ahead of time to make sure they are open and have availability.

5 stars! Absolutely amazing experience!
For starters we had the Greek salad and a special which was spaghetti squash and fresh mozzarella cheese… both of which were very tasty.
For an entrée our waiter recommended the Blueberry steak which is their «must have» item partly because of its uniqueness. Definitely was worth ordering… the sauce was delicious and the quality of meat was fantastic.
We also ordered the corkscrew pasta with mushrooms. At first I thought it was weird there weren’t really any pastas with meat. I even asked the waiter if we could add meat and he said the chef does not do substitutions. Initially I thought it was odd, but after a few seconds found a respect for it. The mushroom pasta may have been the best pasta I’ve ever had! The noodles were PERFECTLY cooked and the sauce was out of this world! I have attached a picture below.
Overall– great service, amazing food and reasonably priced for a restaurant of that caliber. Highly recommend!

Amazing food, service and ambiance!
I ate way too much here because I couldn’t stop stuffing my face full of the delicious food here. Everything was delicious from the bread to the cheesecake.
I had the green salad to start. It was very good. Fresh greens and a light olive oil dressing. My next plate was rigatoni with eggplant and cheese in a very nice but light red sauce. More orange than red actually but very tasty. My main course was the filet done in a balsamic reduction sauce that was beyond what I could describe other than delicious. Perfectly cooked medium rare as requested with potatoes and spinach as sides. I ended this perfect meal with what was one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever had!
In summary, give this spot a try. You will not be disappointed. Especially if you have what I did

What a cute little spot in Eastern Market!
I came here for dinner and was pleasantly surprised at the immediate friendliness and attentiveness of the staff. They even provided coat check, which is such an underutilized device in DC!
Our server was incredibly knowledgable about the menu. We started off with the appetizer special of the evening, the Burrata. It was perfect consistency and came accompanied with two thin slices of tomato and two small toasted pieces of bread. It’s a hearty serving size and I found myself wishing they had provided a bit more tomato. There was also I think grilled zucchini they served with it– it was delicious.
For dinner, I ordered the pasta special, which was a linguine served with clams. It had very good flavor and I was pleased that the natural saltiness of the clams didn’t overpower the dish. I was a little disappointed in the linguine itself– correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t believe it was house made. I’m a sucker for fresh pasta.
My boyfriend ordered his favorite dish here: the «Filetto al Mirtillo.» It’s a filet mignonette cooked to order covered in a blueberry reduction sauce. We both gobbled that up. It’s amazing– the blueberries are perfect with the filet– you would never guess to combine the two but I strongly recommend trying it!
We also had the sautéed spinach, which was excellent.
For dessert we shared the dessert sampler. It’s a perfect portion of four of their best house made desserts. Their tiramisu and cheesecake were divine.
Good wine list too! I would definitely come back here again. My only wish is that they made fresh pasta in house.

There is an extensive tasting menu, but unlike other restaurants, you can choose only parts of it. We skipped the three salad part since I had salad for lunch, and started with the five pasta tasting menu as an appetizer. After viewing the numerous pasta dishes, there were some we obviously would not like and others we would want. She said we could request one and mention ingredients we do not like. We indicated no bell pepper (there were two pasta dishes with that) and no goat cheese
Our one request was the Fusilli with artichoke. It came out first. We were dead on because it was creamy and delicious. I could just order that in the future and be content.
The second pasta was a pumpkin Sauce and was good. The third was a Gnocchi with Gorgonzola sauce.
This was my second favorite and it melted in my mouth. The third was an eggplant with tubular pasta. Good. And lastly a vegetarian in a red sauce. Also good.
For my main dish, I got their signature filet mignon with blueberry sauce. This was to die for. It cut so easily and the sauce so flavorful. I highly recommend it! I also got a side of beans which were tasty.
We finished with the tasting of desserts. It included four different delicacies. In order of deliciousness: the tiramisu– it was classic and worth every calorie. The coffee soaked lady fingers and creamy marscapine shined through. Second best was the panna cotta. So thick yet creamy yet tart enough to satisfy the dessert craving. The last two were forgettable. The chocolate flourless cake was boring and the cheesecake had an off taste.
The tables are close together and the atmosphere cozy. I liked the low lighting.

I decided to come to Acqua Al 2 with some friends after hearing some coworkers talk about it. I’d say Italian is probably my 4^th or 5^th favorite type of cuisine so I’m not someone who craves it all the time or needs the highest quality Italian when I eat it.
Acqua Al 2 is definitely high quality Italian cuisine. We were able to get a reservation on a Sunday evening for a party of 4. The restaurant is dimly lit and pretty classy. We were given a table originally but the servers allowed us to switch to a booth where we were more comfortable.
The server we had was really knowledgeable of the menu and was able to help us select wines that went well with the dishes we wanted to order.
We started off with bread and olive oil that was brought out before the meal and it was a great start. They bring multiple refills of it also if you ask which is nice.
I had the Gorgonzola gnocchi to start and it was a hell of a dish. It was definitely the second best gnocchi I’ve ever had (behind Mike Isabella’s Pork Ragu gnocchi at Graffiato) and it didn’t even have a protein in it so I was very impressed with it. The sauce was packed with flavor and each and every potato dumpling was super soft.
I had heard about the blueberry filet mignon from some coworkers so I ordered the steak trio as my main course and was not disappointed.
The three steaks are the filet with blueberry sauce, balsamic vinegar glaze, and one that tasted more just like salt and peppered and grilled traditionally. Surprisingly, my favorite steak was the balsamic glaze one. Each filet was grilled perfectly though to the medium rare that I enjoy.
We all split the dessert sampler that comes with four Italian desserts and we enjoyed it as a nice capper for the meal.
SIDE NOTE: I would be remiss if I did not give a special shoutout to the Pollo al Porto. My friend got it for his main dish and it will legitimately make me think about ordering chicken at restaurants from now on. It had sooooo much flavor and is up there with the best chicken I’ve ever tasted.
The only thing I was kind of bummed about for this place was the way dishes are presented. It is «traditional Tuscan» so you have courses separated a.k.a. no meat in your pasta. They wouldn’t let us add meat to our pasta either. Not a huge deal but something to think about if that’s something you really enjoy. The server was patient with all of our questions though which made it a little better.
Acqua Al 2 cost a pretty penny but to me it was worth it to enjoy some legit Italian food. I would recommend it to any Italian lover and will probably be back myself sometime for more gnocchi and steak!

After dining here over the weekend, I understand why not only the restaurant was packed to the brim, but also the outside dining area– on a 40-​something degree night– had tables outside, congregating under the heat lamps for warmth. While I would have not gone that far in my quest to dine here without a reservation, I now understand why someone would endure the cold for the food here. It’s just that good (and it’s conveniently located near the eastern Market metro stop meaning you can imbibe at your own leisure too).
We had a reservation for 5 at 6:15pm on a Saturday night. We arrived right on time, and were seated momentarily after arriving. The front area near the host stand was quite chaotic, however, they seem to have their formula down to a science, because, despite the multiple other tables checking in at the same time we were, each one of us were seated quickly. We began with a bottle of wine for the table. All of the wines offered are Italian, naturally, and when we had specific questions regarding two different bottles, our sever was extremely knowledgeable and detailed. She guided us towards a delightful red that was bold yet light and had nice hints of blueberry, blackberry, and plum. Considering the other bottles available, this was priced well at $ 48. We enjoyed two bottles of this throughout our meal.
While we were perusing the menu, bread and oil was brought to our table. I would suggest holding on to bread for later use with dinner as it is perfect for soaking up extra sauce, but alone, was merely a filler. I had read on Unilocal that the burrata was a «must-​order» if available, so when our server named it as one of the specials for the evening, I insisted we order it. Served with spaghetti squash and pomegranate seeds, this whet our appetites superbly. The bit of saltiness was complimented well with the sweetness of the pomegranate and the spaghetti squash added a unique texture to the dish as a whole. Entrees are served Tuscan style — no accompaniments– with the intention each table orders pasta between the appetizer and main dishes. Our table ordered the farfalline ai funghi (bowtie pasta with porcini mushrooms, garlic, parsley, and a touch of tomato sauce and parmigiano) and the orecchiette ai broccoli (orecchiette pasta with broccoli in a light cream sauce with parmigiano). The clear favorite at the table was the farfalline ai funghi. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente, the mushrooms were large and succulent, the sauce was light and flavorful. The orecchiette ai broccoli was generally tasty, but the pasta was undercooked and the cream sauce lacked the powerful flavor that our other pasta dish exuded. I would have loved to order the gnocchi with gorgonzola, however, I was overruled. That does provide me a reason to return soon though-​win/​win situation.
For entrees, the five of us each ordered a different dish. My mother ordered the sea bass special which was prepared over vegetables in what appeared to be a light cream sauce. She was the only one who wasn’t thrilled with their meal. I tried a piece and thought it was tasty, however, I already knew what I wanted to order before even stepping foot in the door-​the filet cooked in a blueberry reduction sauce. I ordered it medium rare, and it was cooked to perfection! It melted in my mouth with each bite and the blueberry sauce was the perfect complement –so glad there was plenty of it available for my steak. This was the part too where it was nice to have a little extra bread leftover for scooping up the remaining sauce. My father ordered the balsamic filet and enjoyed it immensely as did my brother with his NY strip topped with porcini mushrooms. My boyfriend ordered the chicken with the port wine reduction sauce. He absolutely loved it, proving that one does not need to order steak here to enjoy their meal. I sampled a bite and can concur that it was excellent-​I could have drank the sauce in a cup alone! We also ordered a side of asparagus for the table which was nicely topped with shaved parmigiano. The side was large enough to allow all 5 of us to have a few spears. We did not have dessert from the restaurant, however, we did bring a cake with us which they served-​lighted candles and all. They packaged up the leftovers which was nice too. I really enjoyed my birthday dinner at Aqua Al 2, and would highly recommend anyone celebrating a special occasion-​or anyone whom just wants a nice evening out– to choose this restaurant!

I experienced the worst service of my life at Acqua Al 2. Based on my server alone, I would give it one star, but because the food and other people working at the restaurant were fine, I’m bumping it up to two. In all my Unilocaling life, never before have I felt like I was being discriminated against based on my race, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.
I was able to snag a reservation for my friend’s birthday on a Saturday night. The place was booked solid, so I went in with the understanding that service wouldn’t necessarily be fast or friendly or particularly attentive or polite, but we hoped it would be worth it for some great Italian food. We were mistaken.
We got there just in time for our 8:15 reservation, and the bar and restaurant were packed. The host was really nice and seated us within five minutes. He was also really accurate about how long we should expect to wait for our table, which I appreciated.
Our server, an older guy with a thick mustache and Italian accent, gave us high hopes right off the bat. I had been looking over the menu earlier in the day and was eager to try some cocktails. Unfortunately, we didn’t see our server very often. Well, that’s not totally accurate. We actually saw him a ton, helping the table next to us, he just acted like my table didn’t exist for the most part.
When we were seated, the table next to us was cashing out. A new table was seated there, and they got their drink menus, had their drinks brought to them, and the server pleasantly and enthusiastically explained the menu to them and offered recommendations. They ordered appetizers, had their appetizers brought out to them, and the server actually served them individually, scooping the appetizer out of the communal dish.
All this happened before he stopped by our table, roughly 12 inches away, to give us our drink menus. As the table next to us was finishing up their appetizers, my friend and I finally ordered some cocktails, a capriola amara and zucca lanterna. I liked my capriola OK, but neither of us liked the zucca lanterna. I would have sent it back and asked for something else had the server ever asked us how they were.
We ordered an eggplant appetizer and some pasta. I wanted a recommendation on which pasta to order, but the server seemed so annoyed with us that I just ordered the gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce, merely asking him whether he thought it was a good choice. «It has gorgonzola. It’s a cheese. If you can eat cheese, you can eat it.» Yes, I know gorgonzola is a cheese and that I“m physically capable of eating it. Ugh.
The appetizer and pasta were fine. They weren’t good enough for me to justify coming back and dealing with the upsetting service, but they were fine.
We ordered a second round of cocktails, the Fuoco d’Etna, a spicy blood orange concoction. This one was better than the first round, but my friend wanted his a bit sweeter, so he asked our server if they could add a bit more juice to it. Angrily, the server complied. When my friend asked for a little bit more juice, the server stormed off with the drink. A few minutes later, a guy who appeared to be the bartender came back with the drink, and wordlessly and without looking at us, he slammed the drink on our table and stomped away.
We weren’t going to deal with this nonsense long enough to get dessert, so we cashed out after that. Being two of what appeared to be three minorities in the restaurant, we certainly felt that race might be a reason why we were treated so poorly. We’re not particularly young and we spent quite a bit on cocktails and food, so it couldn’t be that the server didn’t think he was going to make any money off us. I think I’m more understanding of bad service than most people, but it was infuriating to see our server treat the table next to us so well and be so incredibly rude to us.

Very delicious and apparently authentic Italian food! A friend and I visited for lunch on a Sunday and sat outside (it was a beautiful day). The service was fantastic throughout and they accommodated us well.
My friend, having recently been to Italy, opted for the gnocchi. A wise choice, as it looked delicious! I opted for the Assagio d’Insalate trio salad, which came with three types of salads: Caprese Salad (sliced tomato and imported buffalo mozzarella, topped with basil and drizzled with olive oil, salt, and pepper), Insalate Mista (spring mix, cherry tomatoes, raddichio, and walnuts), and Insalate Finnochio (shaved fennel with pine nuts, radicchio, parmigiano olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper). All 3 salads were delicious, though they were a bit on the smaller side and weren’t quite as filling as I’d hoped for. I did love how authentic that buffalo mozzarella tasted.
The restaurant is very close to the the market area of Eastern Market, so my friend and I were able to wander around the outdoor and indoor market after our meal.
Overall, very lovely! Great atmosphere, décor, neighborhood, and food. I’d highly recommend it for lunch.

My husband and I were visiting DC from Chicago and were told to check this restaurant out. We actually went to Italy last summer and never made it to the Florence location, but had been told wonderful things. We made reservations on Open Table for 6:30pm. The restaurant was pretty full at 6:30 so I knew it was going to be a great meal. To start, we ordered the risotto and spinach balls and also ordered the charcuterie meat plate (I mean, go big or go home, right?!?) Anyways, we hadn’t eaten lunch that day because we were traveling on a plane so we were starving!!! Nonetheless, we weren’t disappointed. We cleared the appetizers no problemo! My husband doesn’t really eat anything spinach related and he loved it! The sauce is amazing and so fresh. The charcuterie plate was nostalgic; we felt like we were back in Italy! Yum.
My husband ordered Chilean Sea Bass (the special) and I ordered the filet mignon (dressed in blueberry sauce). My husband’s Sea Bass was tender and delicious. It was cooked over vegetables and it was extremely tasty. I don’t even like Sea Bass and I would order it next time! My friend wasn’t kidding when she told me to expect an amazing steak. I ordered the steak medium and it was cooked a little longer than I liked. It came out more medium/​well but I thought it was still delicious. We both licked our plates clean! I
Originally, we weren’t going to get dessert (we were stuffed), but we decided to walk back to our hotel after our meal was finished so we indulged! We ordered the caramel mousse and OMG, it was to-​die-​for. Every bite was amazing and the dessert was made to perfection! The dessert was small, so sharing with my husband didn’t seem too bad after all:)
You won’t be disappointed! Excellent dinner.

3.75 stars from this hungry Unilocaler!
The single best thing I’ve tried on this menu is their grapefruit and burrata salad. It’s big enough to share, but frankly you won’t want to. Segmented red grapefruit (which means only the inside membrane /​pulpy parts are sliced) surround a generous mound of delightfully creamy burrata (think mozzarella cheese with a creamy center). They drizzle the whole thing with a touch of honey and dot the plate with pine nuts.
The entire thing is heavenly.
Their pastas and entrees are like Hungry Man Italian meals. They’re delicious in taste, but boy can they get heavy. For this reason, I suggest you order a variety of things and share amongst your table.
There is often a wait due to the popularity among locals, so reservations are strongly encouraged. The last time I tried walking in, we had to sit at the bar which due to their really small and wobbly stools wasn’t a great experience.