Filomena Ristorante

Filomena is in my holy grail of DC Italian restaurants. In fact, I need their food at least once a quarter - I dream of the Rigatoni Con Salcicce!

Filomena Restaurante, an authentic Italian gem, is a few blocks off Georgetown's main strip. From the street level entrance you'll see a staff member making fresh pasta inside a glass enclosed room. This sight sets the stage for the quality experience to follow.

Entering the restaurant by descending on the stairs, you'll immediately be taken aback by the flashy seasonal decor and lighting. Incredible service is a hallmark of the experience. I recommend starting with the Calamari Fritti, Polpetti Classico (Meatballs), or Salciccia Della Casa. The soft and flarful consistency of the meatballs is particularly memorable.

The Rigatoni Con Salcicce is phenomenal. Perfect rigatoni al dente, creamy and rich sauce, and savory sausage lead to a well balanced meal. Other favs include the Linguini Cardinale and Tortelloni Di Michele. Celebrities, politicians, DC natives, and travelers alike all love Filomena, and you will too.

The prices may seem high at first glance, but consider that Filomena serves very large portions. One dinner portion pasta can easily feed 2-3 people.

Super authentic Italian restaurant tucked away in central Georgetown! The decor is very eccentric--picture a very traditional Italian Nona's house. Complete with oil paintings, sculptures and fresh cut flowers.

The food was good--all pasta is made in house and there are a variety of dishes (meat, veggie, fish, etc.) Portions were also good--you won't leave here hungry! The dessert selection was incredible--we had three (to go) and each one was delicious. (My favorite was the cheesecake! )

Incredible service--super attentive to all the tables' needs (topping off water, changing out cutlery, etc.)

The one negative is the pricing--I get that it's famous and hand made pasta but dishes that START at $40 makes it a bit on the pricey side. For our family of 4 it was a little over $400 with tip. That's quite a bit for a pasta dinner.

All in all, I would recommend this stop for those in the Georgetown area.

I was able to try some amazing pasta from this restaurant by chance when I was visiting DC a year ago, and had been thinking about it ever since. For that reason, this was the first stop I made when returning to DC earlier this week.

I was immediately greeted with an explosion of Easter decorations and a lovely woman kneading dough in sectioned-off room when I walked in. I ate here on my first night in DC by myself, and had such a good experience that my friend and I decided to order some food from here AGAIN the next day. Over those two nights I was able to try:

- Arancini: 4/5, crispy, delicious, and well filled with bolognese
- Gnocchi Della Mamma: 5/5, the pasta dish I had last year that I couldn't stop thinking about that I had to order it again this year. Beautiful gnocchi texture and flavorful sauce
- Tortelloni di Michele: 6/5, a decadent brisket tortelloni with a savory sauce that I'm going to be thinking about for another year
- Linguini Cardinale: 4/5, creamy with a strong lobster flavor

The ambiance and architecture of this restaurant is so unique, you need to dine in at least once if you're ever in the Georgetown area. This place is popular for a reason, so make sure you have a reservation!

They definitely don't do things by half measures here, this place is flamboyant in the best way. Huge portion sizes, huge amount of decorations, huge hospitality. We went during spring and they had Easter decorations EVERYWHERE. Started off with their meatballs, which were tender and flavorful (loved the marinara sauce they used). I ordered the lobster cardinale, which was like if you married a really good lobster bisque together with pasta. It's pricey but they don't skimp on the quality of the ingredients (has giant chunks of perfectly cooked lobster). Definitely recommend. My sister had the sausage rigatoni, which was also very good, although didn't stand out to me as much. For dessert, we got the hazelnut cake, and our waiter even gave us some complimentary amaretto, which was a really nice way to finish the meal.

Didn't realize I've never reviewed Filomena's! This place is a DC classic. At the right times you can walk in and see the freah pasta being made. Then you walk downstairs into a cozy and decorated area (especially around holidays, it's like Valentine's or Halloween overload).

Great pastas, and the cakes are AMAZING. They have a lot of mousse-based cakes which are super decadent and not overly sweet. Portions for all food are ridiculously large.

Caution: you will go into a food coma afterwards.

Seriously this place is an experience. Food is just fantastic and authentic Italian dishes. We had a party of 8 and we had the best time. Service was amazing. Wait staff right on it for service of food, drinks, dessert, and creating a truly one of a kind experience. Thank you so much. Lasagna was fantastic. Portions large so bring your appetite.

The pasta here was delicious. I really enjoyed my ravioli. I also liked my wine and the bread they gave. The service was great and the waiter seemed knowledgeable about the menu. The restaurant had a nice ambiance but it was also very busy and crowded. The tables were very close to each other. But overall I had a nice experience and would want to come back to try the other pastas on the menu.

A Georgetown classic that's totally worth it! Came in for a DC Restaurant Week lunch and was really blown away! I still can't believe how big the portions were and how tasty everything was.

First: They start you off with basically a loaf of warm bread, herbs, and olive oil; good luck not finishing that and then wondering how you're going to get through the next 3 courses.

Next: Meatball and arancini - both great

Main: Pollo Alla Parmigiana (HUGE) and Rigatoni con Salsicce. We were torn on which one was our favorite. If you're really hungry go with the parmigiana.

Dessert: Dark chocolate and Cookies n Cream Mousse - This was a great way to end the meal. They were so rich and filled in any cracks. Cookies and cream was the winner.

Great service, unique vibe (they decorate for different holidays), and good place to go with family or for celebrating something special.

One of my favorite Italian restaurants in the area.
The service is quick and prompt, and they even give you little coffee beans to snack on at the end with a drink. My friend and I received complimentary drinks at the end of our meal and that was a nice little experience. Thank you ~ the ambiance is very cozy and romantic. It is more on the dim dark side than light and bright but I love the vibes here. Very colorful. Kind of reminds me of restaurant meets little museum. They also have a nice selection of desserts to try out.

@filomenaristorante is a Georgetown, DC classic for a reason & this lunch did not miss my mom, sister and I had their lunch @ramwdc menu + a few extras:
- one of the BEST bread baskets in the city
- MOZZARELLA IN CARROZZA
- INSALATA DI STAGIONE
- LINGUINI CARDINALE *personal favorite*
- POLLO ALLA PARMIGIANA
- COOKIES n' CREAM