We came here with a reservation for two and we were seated immediately. We started with anti pasta: Soft shell crab and octopus. The soft shell crab was expertly cooked- lightly battered - simply beautiful. The octopus was tender. I also ordered pasta: corn and ricotta raviolini. Hands down the best dish during this dining experience. Corn flavor really shines through and truly an ode to this wonderful summer. read more

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The portions are a little small, but the pasta is so fresh. I had the charcoal/mushroom tagliatelle and the green onion/rhubarb/strawberry pappardelle and they were both good. Would've loved a veggie red sauce option but always appreciate the seasonal ingredients! read more

I visited Centrolina few days ago and it was good but not great. We were interested in most of the menu, so it was hard to narrow it down. Ultimately, we picked two pastas and an entree: pappardelle pasta with white bolognese ($30), rossi pasta with truffle and mushroom ($36), and razza skate wing with beans and greens ($30). We also got a bottle of red wine ($55), TBH the cheapest on the menu. The prices are on par with other trendy, higher-end Italian spots in DC like Reveler's Hour (which I also recently visited). The food was good and solid, but not amazing or impressive. We were pleased by the portion sizes, which we found appropriate and not too small. The atmosphere is a little plain and boring. Service was okay, friendly if a bit slow. Overall, and good meal but not a great one. read more

Centrolina - Pappardelle (top) and Rossi pastas - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Was here for a business dinner and overall, a nice dining experience. Our server was patient and mindful of our various dining restrictions throughout the courses. That was a huge plus- attentiveness! Our group as a whole enjoyed our dishes though there was a range from "loved it" to "just okay." Spice is the variety of life! I included photos, though I forgot the names of the dishes. Fail, I know. If you're perusing a menu and reading this review, then hopefully the photos will help you match it to the menu! I tried y'all ;-) The space is conducive for groups (think corporate) and also more intimate dining. An option that fits City Center's aesthetic and vibe. read more

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We stopped by Centrolina while on a work trip to DC. We were recommended this place by a local friend and we ended up having a very nice meal here. Centrolina is located in a busy, modern part of town (from what I can tell as an outsider. Don't come for me, locals!) and the vibes of this place really match that energy. If you can picture a sleek, Instagram-able Italian food place, this is it. Definitely date-night, business dinner, and special occasion approved! The food at Centrolina was very good! I thoroughly enjoyed all of the dishes we tried. I know the menu changes frequently, so I won't go into too much depth. The Cavolo was SO flavorful I almost forgot I was just eating a chunk of cabbage! I really enjoyed my gnocchi. I typically enjoy my gnocchi to be a bit more dense. These ones were quite light and fluffy, however the heaviness of the butternut squash was a nice complement, so overall I thought the dish was great! Now here's the thing. This place is pricey. There's a line between "this place is fancy" and actual fine dining and Centrolina is toying with that line, in my opinion. This was, by far, our most expensive meal in DC and I'm not really sure this place lives up to its price point. As I mentioned above, I really did like the food. However, most of their dishes are fairly traditional in their construction and I think that the prices should reflect that. Overall, I would definitely recommend this place, but beware that you're definitely paying more for aesthetics than actual substance. read more

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It's one of my favorite restaurants in DC. The food is always fresh and attentively prepared. I'm slowly making my way back to my old favorites post Pandemic. It's located in downtown DC's ritzy city center. There are many high-end shopping and dining venues. City Center's decorations change with each season. Always colorful and upbeat with good taste! The service was polite and courteous. The food was as great as always. But I can't give it 5* because there was a slight tension in the air. It's hard to explain, but it seemed that the hostess conveyed a bit of the nose in the air attitude, too prideful - somehow the customers are not worthy of this fine establishment. Although we were the first diners there for lunch, we were still seated at a less desirable table in the back rather than window tables. It was a bit annoying. We ordered: 4*Paillard-grilled chicken from a wood fired oven had a slight bitter taste. It was served with barley and fresh greens. The chicken was huge and it was hard to finish.The lemon, garlic, and rosemary sauce was light, healthy and tasty. It was a great dish. 5*Cavatelli: pasta with lump crab, cod, corn, jalapeño, and lemon butter. The portion was small comparing with the chicken dish. It was very fresh and delicious. It was genius to add jalapeño, which gave a lingering mild spicy taste. Perfect and I highly recommend it. read more

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Never a bad experience. Food and service is always 100%. And it's just a nice alternative to the plethora of steakhouses in DC. Fresh and seasonal. read more

Centrolina - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The service at Centrolina was amazing! I came on a busy Thursday night without a reservation and we were quickly accommodated. Once seated our waiter was warm and welcoming. He provided great recommendations and continued to check on us throughout our meal. Every bite was amazing and they had a great selection of mocktails. The vibe was buzzy but not to loud to enjoy a conversation at the table. Definitely a spot I will visit again. read more

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Centrolina is the rare kind of restaurant where I can enjoy a great casual meal at the bar, and then run into a friend having a work dinner in a suit and tie. The food, service, and ambiance are all great. read more

The pasta was good don't get me wrong. The portions were SO SMALL!!! It was way too expensive for what you get. I got an appetizer and pasta and bread and licked the plate and paid a lot and then walked to McDonalds for second dinner to fill me up. Tasty but not worth it at all read more

As a general rule, D.C.'s City Center is low on great food, BUT if there's one place you should visit it's Centrolina. It's an Italian restaurant open for lunch and dinner with a market. After meeting a friend for a Friday lunch, here's my experience: 1) Food: The restaurant sources local ingredients. (There's a list of where on the back of the menu.) My friend and I split a salad, bread basket and both had the tagliolini with a fried egg on top. Each dish was well prepared and worth the money. The bread basket comes with thin bread sticks, white bread and cheese focaccia. 2) Drinks: We each had two glasses of refreshing prosecco. They have a full wine list too! 3) Service: It's a it more fancy so the service is on point and very polite. Our server also did a great job of upselling us. Originally, my friend ordered a salad and I the bread basket. He convinced us to split both adding to our bill's total. He also suggested prosecco, which wasn't on our radar. 4) Space: It's simple elegant with minimalist design, but striking. With big windows, the light pours into the space. Two uni-sex bathrooms are in the back near a private room for group dining. A bar is in the center of the restaurant. 5) Price: The only complaint is the price point, but that's to be expected in City Center. Splitting bread, a salad and each ordering two glasses of prosecco and the tagliolini, our bill was $180+ with a 20% tip. read more

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I understand being short staffed. I was in town for business and I understand city center restaurants are never going to be the best of the city (I used to live here for 5 years) but wow was I disappointed. I walked in for a solo dinner at the bar. The bar seats were horrifically uncomfortable. The bartender didn't greet me or give me a menu for at least 7 minutes. I was 26 minutes in when I received the one drink I ordered and it was a cocktail in a wine tasting glass. I could see other people around me were waiting a long time for food and drinks, so I just asked to close out and left. He seemed surprised for some reason. I'm sure the food was good but my god can we get some barbacks if we're charging $18/cocktail plus a 5% service fee? read more

Cold, underseasoned food. We ordered the butternut squash soup, yellowtail sashimi, broccolini, orecchiette, and ravioli. Soup was barely warm, 90 percent heavy cream. Nothing to write home about. Sashimi was bland and boring, sauce was barely drizzled on and needed salt. Broccolini was cold and swimming in honey. Orecchiette was bland but warm. Ravioli presentation was nice, but was sitting out for at least 30 minutes and was swimming in honey. I suspected it was refrigerated. It was essentially a cold dessert. I'm not sure when it became a trend to douse savory dishes in "flavored" honey, but it is exhausting and unoriginal. I am begging for a good pan sauce! Service was fine. Hostess was rude. Would not return. Overpriced. read more

First, the service was good! No complaints. The ambiance was also pretty good, but the doors were actually really hard to use to exit the restaurant since it was windy. I also like the food! First we got some bread, which would have been amazing if it was free (it's not!) then we got scallop carpaccio, and it was surprisingly good. I also got branzino. I loved the fish in the branzino dish. I wasn't obsessed with the potatoes underneath, but they were good too. Overall it was a good lunch portion and I had a nice time. read more

Centrolina - Branzino - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This is now one of my go to places while working in DC. The food, service, and ambiance are spot on each visit. Menus change often to mix it up and the bar mixes up some fantastic cocktails. Definitely a must try. If you feel like a night at home is needed they have a fully stocked market as well. Fresh made pasta? "Yes Please" read more

Centrolina - Tonight's desert - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I always come here with my girl friends after shopping in the area. Sometimes drinks only, sometimes for dinner. No reservations needed if you come early like around 6. We love the atmosphere and drinks, although I feel like some food items are overpriced for what it is. Overall nice and convenience place to hangout after shopping. read more

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Good food, terrible value for dollars. There is just no reason a negroni should cost $19. Bread and olive oil should not cost $8. The pastas are genuinely good, but if I pay $26, I should not receive 6 ravioli. That is not a meal. That is an appetizer. Yes yes, farm to table, carbon neutral, yada yada. Feed me dammit. read more

This is a great neighborhood spot! Very good food and consistently a great vibe, but tonight at the bar we were completely ignored the entire night. We had three rounds of drinks and food. We had to flag the bartender down every time to get refill wine and water (hate doing this!); Moreover, the manger came over and asked us about our experience--and when we told him that it was just ok (we weren't negative b/c we are in the neighborhood and love the place), but he did nothing!! ? like why ask us?? Overall it's still an amazing spot in DC--and we love it! but tonight was just a really poor bar experience (and it wasn't busy at all). the bartender was engaging with a group of men at end of bar most of the time--so their customer experience was probably great! but we were just two women. read more

Food is just ok, but not even close to being worth the price. Weird combinations - grapefruit buerre blanc was not harmonious with the pasta it accompanied. I ordered the pork steak, anticipating that I would take some home, but when the to-go bag arrived at the table, I saw a roach crawling out of the bag, effectively ruining about $50 worth of food that was now contaminated by said roach. The staff did not seem to care or offer to replace the contaminated food or in any way attempt to rectify the situation - they blew it off like it was nothing. Will not return. read more

Had a couples' date with close friends last night. I sooo wanted to love Centrolina. Our server was friendly and engaging, the tables were socially-distanced and the restaurant had a nice ambience. Unfortunately, the service was soooo slow. Lately when I've made dinner reservations, there is always the caveat that you have the table for 1.5 hrs. Unfortunately after 1.5 hrs we had yet to receive our main course. After they take away the plates from the previous course, servers would wipe the table or use a table crumber in a fine dining restaurant. That was not the case here. As for the food, we shared the polpo which was good, the cavatelli and fettuccine were excellent, as starters. Though the cavatelli came 30 min after the polpo and fetuccine. For the main course, the steak was excellent, the Sea bass was ok, the Mare was a mixed bag of undercooked beans, overcooked fish, and ok shrimp, octopus and scallop. We ordered dessert and coffee with the coffee arriving 15 min after the dessert. That was $400, disappointingly spent minus the 20% tip we were happy to leave our awesome server as he remembered our friend's birthday and gave him a candlelit plate of cookies). read more

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Amazing meal! We ended our DC Summerlong Supper Club with Centrolina and were super pleased. The first course was an absolute delight - carrots four ways. The carrots were roasted, pickled, shaved and fried and on a bed of herbed yogurt and a fresh salad. It was fun to experience the different textural contrasts of the carrots and how they could take on such different flavor profiles. I would love to munch on the fried carrots by themselves, though the roasted carrots were my fave. A whimsical and thoughtful dish to highlight the wondrous carrot! Onto the main entree - the duck confit! Yes yes yes. My first bite was a shattering skin and a super juicy and delicious duck. It was just scrumptious and I loved the sweet rhubarb and friseline to provide an acidic and fresh contrast. Finally, the torta della nonna! Oh my gosh, such an abundance of pine nuts with a beautiful tart and seasonal fruit compote. We gobbled up our dinner, and I can't wait to visit in person! read more

Centrolina - Duck confit - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I came here with a friend. The restaurant has a nice ambience, with relatively dim lighting. They were also doing social distancing at the tables. The mushroom appetizer was rich and flavorful--my friend and I both agreed it was the best part of the mea. The duck was unusually chewy for me, although I think the cook on it was right. She had the swordfish and thought it was OK but not amazing. I'm not sure either of us would return for the entrees but maybe or the appetizers. Service, with a friendly gentleman, was just right. read more

Def a fan of this place. We came for a work dinner and it is in a shopping street/area, and walking distance from the Conrad, one of my fav places to stay in DC. I ordered sea scallops, which I think could have been ordered anywhere, but I can't wait to go back to try their mushroom pasta. The service is excellent, and they have great wine options! They also have a small private dining room inside a a very comfortable lovely square bar. The appetizers, including their cheese mushroom brûlée and octopus were delicious. They have an assortment of Italian desserts. Can't wait to go back! read more

Sommelier was amazing, food was excellent, will come again! Service was spot on throughout the evening.

I went here with extended family in town. It's the perfect place for dinner after some shopping at City Center. The food was delicious but the restaurant was quite crowded so on the louder side. read more

Centrolina - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

They get their ingredients from local farms and change their menu often based on what's in season. We ordered paccheri with braised octopus and charred chicken pallard. Both dishes were excellent. The braised octopus was juicy and tender and the chicken was very flavorful. The restaurant is a bit on the smaller size, which gives a cozy and intimate vibe. I have nothing to complain about services. Overall, we had a pleasant experience here and would definitely go back. read more

Centrolina - Chicken - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I made a mix up with the time change and showed up an hour early for my reservation, and did not realize it until the next day when I checked my calendar. But staff very graciously never said a word and just seated me when I showed up. That is pretty impressive! The swordfish was amazing, as well as the dessert. Service was great and staff was attentive and gracious. When I return to DC, I will come back here for sure! read more

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Good food and great ambience. They have a good wine selection including Barolo. The food portion is small. The pasta for example is good as an appetizer for one person. My husband had the branzino. It was well-cooked but we thought it had too much rosemary in it so rosemary was the strongest flavor profile. We also had dessert: pistachio cake. It was really good. While our server is very attentive but the food took forever to come out. Overall the experience was fine. read more

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The ambiance made me feel comfortable as an outsider. The food and drink were some of the best I've ever had--I got a cocktail and the Polpo. The bartender, Thomas, was amicable and very good at what he does. 10/10 experience. read more

Set right in the middle of City Center, place was pretty and service very good but in my opinion the food (which is the most important thing to me) was underwhelming. And given the prices and all of the other dining options in NW, some not more than a block or two away, I am not anxious to return. Sorry, but that is my honest opinion. The charcuterie app was eehh, the NY strip I had for my entree was okay but not great (and portion was small), and the desserts we had were just okay. read more

It's casual yet expensive for the value.Portions small.Food is either very good-the fish dishes like the Bronzino,Halibut and soup are excellent yet the bread apps and deserts are average at best. $50 corkage and expensive wine list are not worth it.Service was exceptional however. Bathrooms are filthy.No tissues ,toilet paper and the garbage was overflowing. The hostess was too busy texting on her phone to say thank you and good night. At $600 for four we expect better. read more

Restaurant was pretty busy when we arrived. Food was meh in my opinion. The reginette was very seafood-y. The portion was pretty small for the price - only 3 pieces, but a decent amount of crab meat. I didn't really like the gnocchi as it was slightly bitter and I wasn't not sure why. Also no filling inside the gnocchi. The bread appetizer was pretty normal. read more

Centrolina - Pane - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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The service and the atmosphere was nice. It's located in CityCenter so the location is very attractive. We ordered two appetizers, the Yellowtail crudo, and mushrooms, and two pasta's. I got the white bolognese and my wife ordered the squid ink pasta. The taste of all of our food was very good, but nothing left a lasting impression. For the price of what you pay, I would have expected a little more food as well. After spending around 60$ per person, I would expect to at least leave full. Which I did not. read more

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Came here for my birthday and it was wonderful! Our favorite from dinner definitely had to be the white bolognese tagliatelle. Perfectly al dente and just big enough to share. The host was also so accommodating with complimentary coat check. Only con was parking but like most of DC, Uber or public transit I'd probably the way to go. read more

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Eat before you come or plan to eat a second meal when you get home. Everything' is a small plate and unless you are on ozempic, you'll still be hungry when you leave. read more

I couldn't get any pictures because I was here for a business dinner, but everything was very tasty. We started with the bread, the crispy eggplant, and a salad dish that I see is not in the menu anymore. We each had an artichoke lemony pasta - very good! The service was good and the restaurant is so well located. I stopped into the market attached and picked up some great Italian pantry items (pasta/risotto mix/ some granola from piccolina)! I'd recommend if you're in the area. read more

Centrolina is fantastic - we've been there a few times and absolutely loved the food and environment. Food 5/5: standouts include the branzino, the fried eggplant and the uni pasta. Environment 5/5: we love the open kitchen! The restaurant is intimate, not too loud and beautiful. Service 5/5: servers go above and beyond. read more

Centrolina - Fried eggplant and branzino - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I've been here a few times but when I went a few days ago, it had been a few years so I wasn't sure what to expect. In the beginning, service was a little shotty. There was no host there and the rest of the staff didn't seem to be quite sure how to greet me. Eventually, after about 10 or so minutes, the host made her way over to seat me. I considered changing my outdoor reservation to an indoor one but changed my mind when she seemed a little bit exasperated at trying to figure out how to do that (it worked out in the end, the weather was nice and there was a sufficient amount of space between the pedestrian walkway and diners which I was worried about). Once I was seated, everything went perfectly. The waitress introduced herself and got my drink ordered in promptly. The nebia rosa was very refreshing, not as strong as I was expecting but I didn't mind. The table bread was delicious, as expected and the waitress actually offered me a half order ahead of time which I appreciated as a solo diner. My main was the papradelle pasta which absolutely hit the spot. Definitely the comfort food I needed. Perfectly cooked and the right portion. I also had one of their crudos which though expensive, was also delicious. The waitress also recommended a red wine that I loved while I was there called the Tua Rosa super Tuscan. It was exactly what I was looking for when I asked for a wine that was strong and dry. Definitely ask the price before they bring it out when taking a recommendation though or you may get a few surprises (like a drink nearly as expensive as your entree). Over all, I had a great time and would definitely recommend going (and plan on going again, probably in another few years) read more

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Pasta is fresh and delicious. Drinks are amazing. If you want Italian, go here! It was the first but best dinner of my few days in DC. read more

Centrolina - Funghi - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Great food and drinks but portion sizes are soo small! I got the duck and it had 5 nuggets and some carrots...