Giovanni's was great! All of the food was delicious and all of the pasta dishes tasted very fresh! Our server was attentive and helpful. The restaurant is a cute hole in the wall that has obviously been there for a long time. You do have to walk down some stairs to enter the restaurant's main entrance. I did not see an accessible entrance, but there may be one in the back. read more

See all

The location was fine and the service was adequate, but what should have been easy and tasty -- the soup of the day and a Chicken Ceasar was just blah! Not much flavor, not enough cheese on salad and chicken strips were. It flavorful. Should have probably ordered a pasta dish. Maybe it would have been better. Restaurant was attractive enough. read more

Giovanni's Trattu - Outside - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Came here for an associate's birthday dinner and was disappointed. Although some servers were friendly, they were forgot my entire second entree. Even after asking about it again, it was not brought out. Im not sure if they were overwhelmed but my colleague arranged the dinner ahead of time (3 large long tables) so they should have been prepared. I'm glad I did not have to pay for this dinner because had I been I would been highly upset. Also, I'm not a big fan of basement restaurant because of the smell sometimes and unfortunately it was a bit musty here. I won't return and I don't recommend. read more

I really wanted to love this place after all of the great reviews but I just couldn't. This is a very old restaurant and it definitely shows its age but I guess that's part of the charm. I am sensitive to smells and I could not get over the smell of this restaurant, it smelled old, musty and sewer-ish. The food was blah at best. I ordered the lasagna which was flavorless and the noodles were overcooked, I felt as if I were eating mush. I also had the caprese salad and that was mid at best. My two servers were warm and pleasant, they were horns of the best thing about this restaurant. Overall I could not finish my meal, I had to just eat what I could and then leave. read more

Giovanni's Trattu - Caprese Salad - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

This is a little Italian place. Inside is so cute.Everything is great!!! Our server he is a such a nice person!

I wanted to like this restaurant so bad, but I did not have a great experience here - no limoncello, no bread, gnocchi very overcooked.

molto bene! Just a delightful meal at this DC eatery. A couple generations of wonderful food and service. I was looking for simple and I received a meal that was sublime.maybe even "profunda"! Enrico and his team have continued the tradition of hospitality and quality at this small and intimate spot on Jefferson near DuPont circle. You will feel like family eating here and the food, music and setting will certainly deliver. This time I had the asparagus soup, insalata romana and rigatoni salciccia. The sauce was complex and spicy, not like you make at home but just like you want it when you are out for a meal after a long day. All enjoyed with a glass of house Chianti and finished with lemon sorbetto. Bellisima read more

Giovanni's Trattu - Entrance on Jefferson - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Friday night party of 13 1 server Bartender was also the chef / cook As one other reviewer noted, I too smelled a slight sewer smell when we first arrived Only 1 couple in the restaurant when we arrived at 6:30pm Terrible experience ! read more

Two of us had been to Giovanni's in the past and enjoyed our meal, so we took 4 family members for a Valentine's dinner at 6 PM while we were in DC as tourists. Our experience was terrible this time around. There was one wait staff member trying to do it all with the help of two others who cleared and served water. We waited over 30 minutes for our drinks, and when they finally came we were told that they didn't have the limoncello spritz that was ordered. We asked for bread for the table, and again, they were out of bread!!! (What kind of "Venetian" inspired restaurant has no bread?!?!)We asked for a red sauce with one of the pastas instead of pesto and were told they were too busy to accommodate that change. The Caesar salad dressing was diluted to the point of being flavorless. The pasta with shellfish came with mussels that were not open, and therefore not safe to eat. The veal saltimbocca two of us ordered was too thick, undercooked, and in a weirdly sweet and gummy sauce. Inedible. The ladies' rest room is back a tiny, busy corridor near the kitchen and was dirty with no soap or paper towels. The restaurant itself smelled oddly of cigarette smoke and peanut butter. Desserts were OK, probably because they were not made in house. I would never recommend this restaurant. read more

I was so disappointed in our dinner last night, Giovannis used to be my favorite Italian restaurant in DC but it was apparently sold to new owners who are trading off the name. The place smelled moldy, the menu was limited and the food was mediocre at best. read more

Five of us dined at Giovanni's Trattu, and we had an incredible experience from start to finish. The restaurant had a warm, cozy vibe that made us feel right at home. It definitely had an authentic Italian feel--everything from the decor to the delicious food. Our server was friendly, attentive, and really helpful in guiding us through the menu. The best part? The food came out super fast and, most importantly, HOT--nothing beats that fresh, flavorful Italian meal when it's served piping hot! All of the dishes we ordered were absolutely fantastic. The pasta was cooked to perfection. Everything was perfectly seasoned and felt like it came straight from a small trattoria in Italy. The whole experience was smooth, delicious, and really satisfying. Whether you're dining in or grabbing carryout, Giovanni's Trattu is a gem in DC. Can't wait to go back! read more

Not great, not awful. Kind of a cellar-like eating space. Although the owner is Italian the dishes don't keep fidelity with 'true' Italian cuisine. It's a very tired looking place and does not have the friendly, effusive warmth Italians are known for. Not memorable. read more

Giovanni's Trattu - Spaghetti Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I will not take away the food quality. Because it was great flavor, fresh, saucy and portion size was great. However, I left a little unsatisfied because of the service. Me and my partner waited for food for so long. Food came out like 20mins before closing and we were there 1hr 30mins before. Had to keep asking other waiters for water. Then found out they forgot to put our food in because we saw others getting their food before us even though we were there before them. Now, I would return but it was frustrating. This is a place that does reservations. It's pretty narrow, a little loud and small. I recommend doing an early dinner. read more

Giovanni's Trattu - Carbonara with chicken. Excellent. - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The complimentary bread sent to the table came out cold - had to ask for the bread warmed. The food was okay - a lot of it tasted was if they were something someone could make at home (assuming there are good home cooks). Linguini Fruitti di Mare has rubbery shrimp, mussels smelling a bit fishy, but the clams were okay. The flavor of the sauce was good and the pasta was al dente. The lasagna was good but on the small side. The spaghetti carbonara was good also. The prices were a bit on the high side for the quality of the food in my opinion, however the lunch prices are much more reasonable. If you're looking for Italian in a pinch during lunch time, and are already in the area and not walking to walk much farther away, this is probably a good spot to go. The service was great and, for me, was the best part of the dinner meal. The location is great and is off the beaten path. read more

Had a lovely dinner at this cozy restaurant. Chose this place for the gluten free pasta and it's location. The service was friendly and helpful. We were there with an elderly couple who had some trouble navigating the entrance steps and thought it was too loud but I thoroughly enjoyed it. read more

Giovanni's Trattu - Seated at a table in the back of the restaurant - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

This place was a wonderful environment and is such a good small Italian place that people do not know about. My friend and I went there to get dessert for the first time. We ended up coming back to try the food and now keep coming back. The servers are wonderful and accommodating to various dietary restrictions. Definitely come for a great time! read more

My wife and I went here for dinner. We were looking for Italian food after an extremely hot day checking out DC landmarks. Giovanni's was a 5 minute walk from our hotel. We were immediately greeted warmly by the staff and then seated. We started with bottled water and the garlic bread with Gorgonzola. I highly recommend this starter. My wife ordered the Rigatoni Con Salciccia which she raved about the sauce being perfect. I had the Gnocci di Patate della Nona with meat sauce and added Italian sausage, soooo good. We ended the meal with chocolate mousse and a lemon sorbet. Very tasty. The service was excellent and our server was engaging. This restaurant has a small neighborhood feel in the middle of the city. Make sure to stop in for a bite to eat at Giovanni's Trattú, you won't regret it. read more

I want to get straight to the point. The portion size was too small. It didn't make any sense. I was extremely disappointed and I told them but they pretty much said they couldn't do anything about it. It was lacking Alfredo also. It almost taste like just oil and fettuccine. The chicken was good though. I left disappointed and unsatisfied. 2 1/2 stars for the food and 1/2 a star for the ambiance. read more

Giovanni's Trattu - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I sure wish I had known about this place sooner! It's a favorite of a couple of my friends and I loved it too. The place is super cute inside and the service is excellent. You get a free bread basket and olive oil. Cocktails were $11, which is a great deal this day and age. I had the house agnolotti topped with cream sauce and mushrooms, and it was so amazing. It was my friend's birthday so we got a complementary tiramisu and it was really fantastic. Also, everyone loved their food, and they even have gluten-free pasta. I highly recommend!. read more

See all

This place was absolutely delicious. It is a little hidden down a side street in downtown DC, located in a basement area with a very cozy feel and smaller dining area. The food was amazing, some of the best pasta and desserts we have ever had. Our server was great and friendly. Definitely has a more authentic feel to it, highly recommend trying this spot if you want some real Italian in the area! read more

See all

Wonderful old school Italian, this time focusing on Venice, but you'll find all of your favorites here. It's a tiny restaurant next to the size of the downtown steakhouses, but the staff are warm and welcoming and the surroundings cozy and comfortable. Plates come w sensible portions and the desserts don't disappoint. (No big shopping bags of leftovers to take home.) There are a few steps down so call ahead if you have limited mobility, I'm sure they have an elevator but do ask. Make a reservation bec they've been around a long time and have regulars and fans. read more

I really hate to give a 3 star The restaurant is very quaint and cute. There's only 10 tables. Frank and Dean music playing in the background. Very nice comfortable atmosphere. Service was great. Both ladies were friendly, Started with the bruschetta and stuffed eggplant which were both really good. Eggplant was very flavorful stuffed with spinach. Now onto dinners. The spaghetti carbonara was average. Linguini with clams in white wine sauce was good but a bit gritty which was surprising. Could have used a bit more flavor too. Angel hair with garlic and olive oil had no garlic flavor at all ( which wasn't bad but you want a little garlic flavor when that's what you order), Tiramisu was good. Even though I gave it a 3 .... I would like to go back and try again. read more

See all

What a fun find -- reasonable prices, friendly service and family-style ambience in DuPont Circle area! The food was a 3 or 4 / 5 for flavor (the bread in particular was cold, hard, nothing special), but the value bumps it up another star. Portion sizes aren't huge so go for the appetizer or dessert. read more

Giovanni's Trattu - Veal stuffed pasta - Tortellini della Zia - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

Every once in a while, one of the old standard places - you know them, the places you tend to go back to many times because of good food or good location - makes a change and it actually becomes better. Well, that is exactly what has happened with Giovanni's Trattu. This old neighborhood place - which always delivered solid food without a wait or need for a reservation - has stepped it up in a very solid way lately, at least if my last visit there is any indication. I got the fettucine with Bolognese sauce and it was excellent. The sauce was stick to your ribs thick and a bit creamy. Really well done. My spouse got the chicken park, one of his favorites, and it was CRAZY GOOD!!! The chicken was so moist and juicy and the serving was huge. I almost resented my fettucine with Bolognese sauce. Seriously, I am definitely getting the chicken parm next time. But the real change was in the management and ambience of the place. Angela and Josh were GREAT staff members. Friendly, funny, knowledgeable and helpful! They are both new to Giovanni's and they are excellent representatives of the place. I understand that Angela is the new owner in fact. Both she and Josh have won me over at a place that I have been eating at happily for years! Bravo to the new and improved Giovanni's Trattu. I did not even think it needed improvement but I am glad of the changes!!! read more

The menu was very different than what was on the website. Disappointed, as the dish I wanted was not offered. They have a small selection of Italian reds, 4 to be exact, and the one I wanted they did not have. My husband and I both ordered veal dishes, great presentation but the veal was undercooked. The owner took it back and returned it , cooked but the meal did not have the finishes, peppers mushrooms etc that it originally came with. It did arrive later, but meal was cold by then. The owner did take the wine off the bill for all the trouble, which was very nice. I feel they have good potential but we were underwhelmed. read more

This place is intimate and cute. Great for casual family dinner and would make a great date spot. The food is very tasty. The portion size is fine, and worth the price. However when someone asked about the dessert, the server said they're not "American size portions." I still thought it was a perfectly fine portion of tiramisu and one of the best I've eaten. Service was kind of slow but we also had a group of 20 people for a restaurant that only holds 30 so we probably overwhelmed them. It's cool that they have names on the walls of the regulars customers. read more

See all

If you are from the northeast or are simply looking for an authentic Italian restaurant in Washington DC look no further! Giovanni's is a warm, friendly, fun restaurant with excellent food. Whether you're in the mood for pasta, veal, chicken, or fish they have it all! Doesn't matter if you're looking for a nice date spot or a fun place to go with a group Giovanni's is your place. Enrico, Angela, and Josh will take care of you and make sure you have a great evening. I've been in Washington for nearly a decade and this is just the place I've been looking for. Run, don't walk to Giovanni's! read more

Giovanni's Trattu - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Giovanni's is really my sweet spot of mid-tier italian places. It's not trendy or hard to get a table and they'll take add ons/adjustments to orders! The interior is a little eclectic--there are masks and a plastic fish on the wall and worn-looking crushed velvet on seats facing the wall. To me it had almost an Eastern Europe/Russian vibe. They give you free bread which is aight. Our server was named Katya and she was great! My husband and I were deciding on appetizers. I wanted seafood and he wanted a salad so she said that she would just have the chef make us this mussel salad. We were like, "sure," and she recommended the baked eggplant thing so we got that too. I had seen some of the yelp reviews that said the pasta portions were small so I asked it I could get an extra portion of pasta and katya said that was fine. Then she asked my husband if he wanted extra pasta for his bucatini and he said okay. I respect her hustle. We got a bottle of wine--the falanghina. I love a large portion of seafood pasta (got it with white wine). And with my pasta add on this was great portion size. I still crushed whole thing with apps so I'm glad I got extra. read more

See all

I am from out of town and stopped here by myself for dinner. I love this place! Small, but creatively decorated. Food was terrific. I had chicken parm but this was no ordinary chicken parm. Delicious. Wine list was small but thoughtfully curated. I had a delicious montepulciano. Service was wonderful. Friendly and attentive but not obsequious. If you have a large group of people it might get a bit too noisy to hear each other. Highly recommended. I'll be back when I am in town. read more

Excellent, friendly service from Trattu with delicious food. It's very classic -- they aren't trying to be snazzy or trendy. Instead, they're making tried and true Italian food. You won't get fleeting fusion here, you'll get well-executed dishes that have been around for a long time. I enjoyed the white wine sauce and recommend any pasta entre with that -- like the linguini with clams or the mixed seafood pasta with scallops, shrimp, mussels. Tiramisu was so heavenly and light and melty. They told us that they were under construction for a while due to a new landlord imposing different standards so they needed to redo their kitchen. So glad they have reopened! read more

Excellent Italian food, we had the linguini and clams and lasagna. You need to make reservations, since this a small restaurant and intimate. read more

The service was A1. Garlic bread was DELICIOUS. 10/10 Bruschetta as well: 8.5/10 Rigatoni with sausage!!! Best rigatoni I've ever had and I'm Italian! : 10/10 Finally.....the tiramisu! Do yourself a favor and get this for dessert: 10/10 read more

Outstanding food and service. I would recommend you get a reservation. Great ambience created by the servers, who are very attentive to maximizing your experience. read more

Came here for a friends birthday dinner a couple of weeks ago on a Saturday night (had reservations made a week before). The place is extremely small (like the size of a single home living room area small). We had a large group of 15 and they were able to fit us in/were very accommodating, and service was great throughout the whole time. I honestly don't know what everyone ordered but everyone enjoyed their meal/had no huge complaints. I ordered the Crostone Misto Delizia (mixed bruschetta 1/5) and did not enjoy this one bit. The bread tasted stale (or they toasted it too fast and then brought it out), and all of the different toppings did not taste good or had any flavor (cooked spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes). Extremely disappointed in my appetizer. I would not recommend ordering this. However, thankfully my entree was great. I ordered the Gnocchi Di Patate Della Nonna (in meat sauce). Portion wise it's not an obnoxiously large portion of pasta like some Italian places. If you were really hungry and didn't order an appetizer, you would be able to finish this dish (pro/con to some). Overall a very hole in the wall Italian restaurant (I honestly couldn't find it at first) located right off the main Dupont strip. The service was great, very cozy and intimate atmosphere (our group was the largest inside the restaurant/way too loud at times), and for the most part, the food was good (friends ordered the Garlic Bread with Gorgonzola Cheese 4/5, and the Calamari Fritti 4/5). I gave Giovanni's a 3/5 because it was so freaking hot inside the restaurant the whole time we were there. Could not enjoy my meal because I had to keep fanning myself... I don't know if their AC was broken or it's usually like that, but they need to fix it. Just was not a comfortable dining experience. read more

We were welcomed warmly by the host/server. We ate the fried calamari and the escargots. They were delicious. My wife and daughter had the pasta with clams with tomato sauce. They said the pasta and sauce was delicious and not salty from the clams at all. The eggplant parmigiana was very good. You got to get terami su. That was so good. read more

See all

Authentic Italian food from an authentic Italian family... best of northern and southern Italy

Took my team here for lunch. It is a hidden gem that did not disappointswith all of the classics done extremely well. The front of the house personalities augment the incredible cuisine. Give it a try, You'll be back! read more

This is a good authentic place. I would consider it one of my neighborhood favorites. Sauces are great and service is good too!

I am not one to leave reviews, especially if its a negative so here goes. This was our 2nd time here. 1st experience made us return for the 2nd time to celebrate our 32nd Wedding Anniversary. It was a huge disappointment. We were seated at a nice table for 2. Then there was a patron that came in with a Service Dog and I Love animals and I completely understand the need for service animals but this dog smelled sooooo bad!!! We kindly asked to be moved to another table, which they accommodated. The food: Calamari was cooked well and very tender. The garlic cheese bread was great. The entrees were thee huge disappointment. Eggplant Parmesan which is my ultimate favorite and my go to, was not fresh - tasted as if it was frozen, thawed and cheese placed on top, which was burnt/chewy and it came out just warm as if it had been sitting. The pasta that came with was hot and tasty so l was very confused. Hubby ordered the Veal and it was covered in a brown sauce that tasted like bland flour and was not hot. The pasta that came with was hot and tasty as with the eggplant dish. The staff was very apologetic and asked if i wanted something else in place of the eggplant dish, but i declined as we were leisurely dining and had spent quite a bit of time as it were. They tried to make up for the terrible meal experience by giving us 2 glasses of bubbly and a dessert with a candle, which was thoughtful. I thought this was going to be our special Italian Gem after our 1st time, but we will probably not be returning. The whole vibe and experience was very off putting and disheartening. read more

Highly personalized experience. Authentic Italian cuisine. The owner of the restaurant is very kind and attentive.