Johnna Knows Good Food
+3.5
How do you say delicious food in Italian? Cibo Delizioso! That is what you will be saying after visiting Nonna’s Kitchen. Nonna’s Kitchen is conveniently located on U St. NW. The restaurant offers a cozy environment where all patrons have a clear view of the open kitchen. This allows you to truly appreciate the aroma of fresh Italian cooking and watch the chef masters as they prepare all ingredients from scratch. It has also been voted one of the Best 10 Restaurants on the U Street Corridor by Yelp.
“Nonna”, an Italian term for Grandmother (or as an Urban Dictionary entry says, “An old Italian woman (generally the age of 50+) that is cute and can cook up the most delicious food that you can ever think of.”), and we think Frank must have channeled every Italian grandmother he’s ever come into contact with. Between the small interior only capable of seating 22 people at a time, the tchotchkies decorating the front of the chef’s counter, and a displayed book titled “Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef”, to the mismatched plates meticulously selected and purchased in sets of 4 off of Ebay, flatware with floral motifs, and the handwritten menu, one feels transported directly into the kitchen of the grandmother we never had. It was in this moment we knew this would be one of our once-in-a-lifetime experiences. This is something special. A moment. A memory.
Absolutely delicious!! The Chef is incredibly talented, and I highly recommend the 7 course Chef's tasting menu with wine paring. The Sommelier suggested that I try a very nice red wine from Sardinia, which is now one of my favorites. Everything is fresh and made daily...just like Italy. Make sure you're very hungry before you go because I always leave stuffed. Very small and intimate atmosphere, which would be great for a first date. Staff are very professional and friendly. Whether you live in DC or you're just visiting, Nonna's Kitchen should be on your to-do list!
One of my top restaurants in DC now. It's perfect for dates, families, or just a great meal. Very intimate, amazing staff, and mind blowing food.
The wine list is exceptional (and affordable). Also, the chef prepared a popcorn flavored gelato that words do no justice. My companion and I had the gnocchi and papardelle and both were incredible.
You absolutely MUST try this place.
We celebrated a birthday at Nonna's Kitchen with friends from New York City, and it was our first time at the restaurant. We were pleasantly surprised by the convivial yet intimate space. The food was absolutely excellent, and the service was great. We would return again.
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A tale of two dinners. My girlfriends dinner 3 star rating for food, for value it would be a 2. My dinner 4 star for food, 2 star for value. Let me explain.
I really wanted to like this place and have given them a 4 star rating because I think they will eventually figure it out. But currently I don't really get it. You can order two ways, prix fix- 2,4, or 6 course + dessert or a la carte. The website mentions no pricing for any of these options, though if you book through open table you can use the menu function to figure it out. The kinda off putting part is, no prices even appear on the restaurant menu upon sitting down, for a la carte. With a little research you will find this restaurant is priced similar to some of the top ones in the city, not wholly consistent with the meal served.
My girlfriend ordered the following:
burrata which had not much taste
Ravioli, again not much taste
Scallops, over done, chewy texture and not much taste
She was quite disappointed as she loves evening star and was really looking forward to this place
My meal:
Polenta-really good, giving bites to my girlfriend and having her melt pretty funny,especially cause she was on the bland burrata at the time, satisfying on multiple fronts haha
Gnocchi- again just really tasty, though it could have used some balance to soften the gameyness of the neck,perhaps some cinnamon but what do I know
New York strip- very good as well, though for $42 I should probably receive more than a 4oz cut
Overall the table was let down by the experiece. I am sure they will figure it out,and I hope they do as I plan to return. I wish they would offer some cocktail options,this is a young city,not everyone drinks wine exclusively though I do realize it's Italian fare and pairs quite well with wine. Please post your pricing structure, every restaurant does no matter their exclusivity, i.e. Marcel's, Komi, Fiola Mare etc....
High-end Italian that is extremely fresh. One nice touch is that all food is served on porcelain plates.
Best meal I've had in years thanks
Chef Will Artley
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