Retrobottega

“Good food, fun vibes and excellent menu options to gluten and dairy sensitivity. Any pasta dish can be converted into a gluten-free and/or dairy free option (just ask the server about dietary options). Had dinner here with a friend who is a vegetarian and we were both able to find something to love on the menu. I enjoyed a GF taglierini and my friend loved every bite of the ravioli. We came on a Friday evening; I had called about 10 minutes ahead of time to place a reservation for a table and had no wait time upon arrival. The staff were incredibly friendly (shout out to our fantastic server Mariana A -she deserves a raise!) and the service was prompt and timely. We were seated upstairs. I will say that, when crowded, that portion of the restaurant seems to echo pretty loudly; the volume reached a level where we weren’t able to really hear each other speak (but that was towards the very end of our meal). The downstairs was notably quieter and seemed like a good option if you’re more sensitive to noise. You do need to navigate stairs to access the bathrooms but they were clean and well maintained.”

“We had reservations for a Saturday night and it wasn’t too crowded, which was good. For drinks we ordered Hugo spritz, and for appetizers we ordered the artichokes and bruschetta. Both very tasty! For dinner we ordered the carbonara, tortellini, and the ravioli. Service was good and things looked clean. My only complaint is that we set upstairs near the kitchen with all of the ceiling fans, so it was a bit cold.”

“We were in town for the Cherry Blossoms and came up to Adams Morgan to get dinner. We weren’t sure what we wanted and stumbled upon Retrobottega. We sat at the bar, and the bartender was great. They have a nice whiskey selection, I had Redemption Rye, my wife had a Basil Gin & Tonic (very nice). She had the rigatoni bolognese, and I had two items off the all-day happy hour: Lamp Skewers and Arancini, all of which were delicious. The decor is cool, and it feels like the kind of place we’d frequent if we lived in DC.”

“Loved the food - contemporary Italian style food cooked at a small but check homestyle restaurant. Try their range of pastas with seafood and paired with their house wine. Any visit here is sure to be a delight”

“Very great authentic Italian food. Highly recommend pasta and secondi dish. Everything tasted like it would in Italy. Truly blown away by the freshness and flavor of the carbonara, carciofi (crazy they have this super regional Roman dish) and tiramisu. Absolutely would come back many times Only room for improvement was the staff. I asked my server if the pasta was big or if I should order seconds and she didn’t seem to understand the reasoning. She said to just order pasta and it was definitely not big enough by itself. Also I asked for an Italian bottle of wine and she brought a Argentinian one. Water didn’t get refilled much either. Definitely needs to train staff better.”