Primi Piatti

Overly priced menu, especially the salads. Literally the appetizer salads were $ 16. Entrée was nothing special.

Is I do quite often, I suggested Primi Piatti as the restaurant for today’s business lunch. As my office is right around the corner, this tends to be a very good location and food is normally to everyone’s satisfaction. Today, I ordered the Scallop and shrimp specials. It was flavorful but the Scallops were brown and chewy. Completely overcooked. As I was with clients, I did not want to return the food and be «that person» but everyone at the tables noticed how overcooked they were and told me I had to return it. I did. The waiter took it away, with a strong insult expression on his face. Minute later the owner comes to me and says that they are NOT overcooked at all and that that is the way they do them. Asks if I want them raw? I politely tell him that I want scallops that are cooked the right way. He continues to basically tell me how I don’t know what I am ordering and that I should have asked for raw scallops in the first place. He was extremely disrespectful and defensive even if everyone at the table knew they were overcooked but only him was doing all the talking. It was very unpleasant for everyone and very impolite. Will not be taking clients or recommending this restaurant from now on.

OK italian food. They don’t try too hard because they know tourists will stop there to eat anyway, since they don’t know the area very well (my case). But it was overall a pleasant experience. Wouldn’t come back though. And it’s EXTREMELY overpriced for what they offer!!!

Hosted a corporate group dinner here. The management was great about customizing a menu for us. We had salad, caprese and calamari for appetizers. A coworker and I shared the agnolotti and corvina (white fish). The pistachio cream sauce on the agnolotti was yummy but the texture of the agnolotti was oddly chewy, like mochi. The corvina was surprisingly very delicious. I liked the flavor and softness of the fish and the olives and capers made it even better. We had cannoli for dessert but the shells were a bit stale. Food is okay, a nice place to host large groups.

Never again. I attended a group dinner at this restaurant expecting an incredible experience and unbelievable food. Not only was the waiter disgustingly rude, he treated my group as idiots and charged every single guest a different price than the menu stated. The food was less than mediocre, and the service was horrible. When we confronted the waiters about the ridiculous prices they charged us all, one said «oh the computer had a hiccup.» never again…

Had a very relaxing dinner here tonight. The wait staff were very observant and the menu had a variety of choices. I had the Rockfish special which was excellent. The calamari appetizer was good. The Caesar salad was average. Overall a very nice evening with a nice atmosphere.

Not too impressed with their food, I’ve had their veal chop on spaghetti, squid ink linguini, and lamb stew in the past; they were decent, but nothing more. Past the specialty items that can’t be found at lower-​end Italian restaurants, I’d say I probably can’t tell the difference between it and Macaroni Grill on a blind-​tasting test.

I have just come back from having dinner here. The evening started well. Waiter was friendly and up for a joke. No tablecloth on our table. I had to ask for bread half way through our soup course. The soup was advertised as having pancetta but if it was there I couldn’t see it or taste it. Waiter took my empty plate away whilst my partner was still eating. Main course arrived about 2 minutes later. Way too soon. I had ordered the veal chop, which had no price advertised. This was an expensive $ 49. It was very tender but the mash and veggie servings very small. Didn’t want dessert and said we would order coffee in a while. Well, we never saw the waiter again. Eventually the man behind the bar asked if we wanted dessert and we said just coffee. I asked where our waiter was and he said he had gone home! The bill arrived. $ 229 for 2 people. They had included a 20% gratuity. I was not in the mood to argue as it is our last night in DC but if we ever return I shall not be eating here again.

We went here on our last night in DC for my daughter’s birthday. We had a very charming, attentive waiter, and the food was quite good and fresh. My main complaint is that it was quite overpriced for what was served — the sides with the meat were minimal, and for $ 36 I expect more for sure!

I’m surprised the reviews aren’t a bit better? We were touring Washington and wanted pizza and Italian. Pretty much what I would have expected from an upscale Italian restaurant — good food, good service. Not cheap, but significantly cheaper than, for example, The Source for three people with tip ($ 130 v. $ 190). [I had one Stella Artois at Piatti, no alcohol at The Source.] We would go back.

First time here and went after hearing others attending for some events. The food was good, service was decent, but I’m docking it a few stars because of some slightly questionable unethical billing behavior.
I entered the door telling the host or server that I’d be handling the check since we were treating a guest. While the service was apparently not a place to eat in a hurry, the check was quickly paid for without fully checking the details (and not wanting to prolong the payment process in front of the guest) — when calling the restaurant afterwards due to a suspiciously high bill, it turned out the server had automatically added «average 20%» gratuity for a table of 3, and after checking with a colleague — seemed like they added an additional bottle of water for the table. I was once a server and I understand tipping well, but it was not a party and apparently not normal procedure for automatic gratuity for all small tables.
Yes they have good food, and service is nice, but just be sure to check the bill especially if you let them know in advance that you’re picking up the tab.

Better than the reviews give it. Upscale, trendy, and outstanding service. Selected a $ 56 bottle of Barolo and couldn’t be happier with the choice. For appetizers went with the carpaccio and grilled octopus. Delicious! I had a seafood penne dish for the entre and my friend the risotto. Enjoyed the penne but I thought the risotto tasted too much of plain tomato. I’ll stick with my wife’s risotto thank-​you very much.

The wait staff was quite patient with me as I explained my grain and allium allergies, but when the food came out, I found it was tasteless. No herbs, spices, anything. In this rating, I was torn between my gratitude to the staff for making sure the kitchen was safe for me and a slight irritation that I spent a lot of money for such a bland meal.

What a pleasant surprise in this all biz, all bank area. That is how I got here though, lunch date with a Worldbank Buddy.
The good-​feel-​vibe is there as soon as you walk in. The tweed coat gentleman host (manager, owner?) is all smiles and buongiornos.
Barman makes some perfect negronis (do put that orange slice in though !)…
Get seated at the preferred table near the street side floor to ceiling window.
Can we share a pasta starter… sure ! The fettuccini al Nero were awesome (just a tad overpowering on the shrimp part)…
Our waiter walks over to put our main in. I had read up and learned that their veal chop is up there. Buddy and I both go for it (Most steakhouses have now abandoned veal chops from their menus, because the milk fed version has become an expensive rarity). Well the dish went beyond expectation !
Definitely no vacancy for desert after this, so ordered espressos. No split second later after we dropped the coffee order, are we offered a digestivo on the house… I truly felt like I were in the old world again.
Primi Piatti, you’re getting 5 stars from me… you nailed the ‘experience’

I’ve been here twice with my grandfather. The food, specifically the fish is always incredibly fresh. Nothing is ever too salty and the specials are always the way to go. The staff is incredibly friendly too. The waiters are not overbearing or inattentive, they are right in the middle.
Overall my visits here have been very satisfying both in terms of food and atmosphere. It gets busy around the lunch hour so reservations should be made.
Everything is prepared fresh and this is one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve ever been to!
Two thumbs up!

Service was good, food was decent but nothing special.
There are probably better choices in the area at this price point.

We had a fantastic time with Primi Piatti. The world of food & beverage is pretty damn hypercompetitive. But Savino Recine, owner and magician (literally), has found a way to provide a novel and unique experience. The food and service alone were enjoyable; but coupled with his magic show, it was amazing
At first, I was a little worried. His stage entrance included a thundering sound and his first magic trick started kind of slow. I thought, «Oh, this is cute. The restaurant owner has a hobby that he thinks he’s really good at… but he isn’t.» [Insert buzzer noise here]. WRONG. He then went on to astound pretty much all of us. He performs at a very professional level. It’s beyond amateur, and beyond a hobby. Whether making goldfish magically appear, specific cards emerge out of sealed lemons, or cards move from sealed envelopes held by patrons, Savino greatly impressed us with his excellent skills.
The food was very tasty, too. We especially enjoyed the Rollatini di Melanzana (sliced eggplant rolled w/​provolone cheese mousse and baked w/​tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese), Salmon con Lenticchie (salmon over Lentils w/​port reduction), and Abbacchio alla Romana (roasted lamb w/​rosemary, anchovies, mint leaves chiffonade, and roasted Potatoes).
Hopefully, we’ll be back for his New Year’s Eve show! (
)

The fun and attentive staff couldn’t make up for mediocre food at Primi Piatti.
The salad and calamari appetizers were drab in appearance and not any better in taste. The lamb was tender, but missing in flavor, and sadly the presentation reminiscent of cafeteria food really turned me off. A sprig of something, rather than a slop-​like scoop of stew could have made a difference.
I’m not a huge fan of tiramisu on an ordinary day, and their version didn’t do anything to change my mind. The strawberry sorbet and the wines were the only highlights of the dinner.

As usual, great. Cozy, great service, the linen and silver tables and a nice but not bulging menu. And you can ask for something you like and they very might be able to do it for you.
Primi Piatti is next door to the Lombardy Hotel, a classic hotel in Foggy Bottom, on Pennsylvania Ave. So is super convenient for the four of us doing work in the area. I would say it was like dining in someone’s home, given the service, but it would have to be a pretty ritzy home given the location and ambiance of this rather large bar restaurant.
Bar is very good and there are nightly specials.
In the warmer weather it is like Europe to sit outside on the sidewalk tables to eat, drink and chat.
You are with the insiders at the Lombardy and so with Primi Piatti, but there is no gawking or whispering about autographs in these places. Everyone respects the privacy of others, with maybe just a nod on the way in or out.

I attended a magic show and 3 course dinner here, yesterday. It is a very welcoming restaurant and the owner is extremely friendly. I purchased the tickets for the event on living social. I had to make a reservation with the restaurant after I purchased it and I could see why, as the place got pretty packed before the show even started. They even recommended coming 15 – 30 mins early for first come, first serve seating.
The magic show was done by the owner and it was beyond entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was amazed and confused on more than one occasion… And I loved every minute of it lol.
The food… I had the Caesar salad, pollo parmigiana and chocolate hazelnut cake. The salad was great, very authentic dressing, no mayo dressing here. Whew! The pollo parmigiana, though, left much to be desired. I only took off one star because I understand that there were a lot of people and the food was prepared ahead of time, but the chicken was dry and bland. There were about two drops of Parmesan cheese and a dash of sauce. Luckily it came with a side of spaghetti that was mind-​blowing. I could have eaten a heaping plate of that and been a happy camper.
Btw, my date got the eggplant roll ups and they were very tasty. He also got the lamb and thought it was great.
I took my dessert to go and the sauce melted everywhere making it inedible, but it looked amazing. That was merely my fault and not there’s.
All in all, I had a great evening. I will be back to try the pasta and a few other menu options.

Très ordinaire et Cher pour des pâtes!
Service moyen et pas forcément très souriant… Café commandé mais jamais reçu … Mieux vaut trouver un autre italien ou né pas prendre les spaghettis!