Officina Cafe - Downtown

4.3

34 Reviews

$30 and under

Italian

Good for business meals
Neighbourhood gem
Lively

Chef Nicholas Stefanelli brings his Italian-inspired culinary collective to the heart of downtown DC. Located in The Hub. Stefanelli has reinvented the typical weekday dining experience by bringing chef-driven cuisine to returning office workers.

From breakfast through happy hour, guests can enjoy takeaway coffee, sit-down-worthy cheese, and charcuterie platters, to-go salads, panini, Roman-style pizza, handmade pasta, pastries, gelato, and cocktails.

Inspired by the lively streets of Italy, Officina Cafe—with DC locations at The Wharf and Downtown—is a culinary destination designed for effortless meals any time of the day.

Permanently Closed

This restaurant is permanently closed.

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Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Italian, Café, Contemporary Italian
Hours of Operation
Lunch Mon–Fri 11:00 am–3:00 pm Dinner Mon–Fri 3:00 pm–9:00 pm
Phone number
(202) 747-5252
Website
https://www.officinadc.com/cafe-downtown
Dress code
Business Casual
Executive Chef
Nicholas Stefanelli
Catering
Let us curate your next social or corporate event. We offer complete breakfast and lunch options designed for individuals or groups. Our personalized services will help you plan the perfect event.
Private party facilities
Located downtown, we provide the ideal setting for intimate gatherings, we are the perfect location for business and social events of all kinds.

Location
1615 L St NW, Washington, DC 20036
Area
Downtown
Cross Street
Off Connecticut Avenue and K Street
Parking details
Street Parking
Public transit
Near Farragut North, Farragut West, and McPherson Square
Additional
Wine

What 34 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

4.3

4.3 based on recent ratings

4.3Food
4.5Service
4.2Ambience
4Value

Noise • Moderate

34 Reviews

R
Rachel
VIP
Baltimore
14 reviews
4.0
14 reviews
Dined on 6 November 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Loved the burrata with prosciutto! Asked for bread and that was delicious with the burrata.
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G
Grace
New Orleans
14 reviews
4.0
14 reviews
Dined on 2 October 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
My colleagues and I had a nice dinner. We arrived during happy hour and order the shrimp, and muscles from that menu. The shrimp was a nice side and the cocktail sauce was really good. The pasta that we order was delicious as well as the lobster sandwich. The service was great and the staff were very friendly.
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E
Eri
Washington DC
50 reviews
2.0
50 reviews
Dined on 9 September 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 1
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
I am a fan of Offina-The Wharf. Superb service, great food. Officina Cafe left a lot to be desired. Serivce was perfect. Food: different story. 1. bread felt... not quite right... did you change the flour? 2. carbonara: did it sit under the light too long? The pasta had all congealed together, and the carbonara had separated. This was unacceptable. Unacceptable at a mass chain restaurant, absolutely unacceptable for Officina standards. Why did I not ask the waiter to take it back--I was with a guest and I wasn;t about to do that. PLUS, the larger issue is that at Officina, that plate should have never left the pass. 3. Item I wanted to order was not ready. We sat at 12:00 and placed the order around 12:10. IF a dish is not ready, AT OFFICINA, the waiters need to be told to advise the diners that specific items are not available today. So... knowing what Officina The Wharf is capable of, the performance TODAY at Officina Cafe was subpar if not bad. I respect the establishment too much not to be honest. Thank you. To reiterate, the service itself was great (if the waiter didn't know that a certain item was unavailable, I have to place that issue on the MOD or the Chef for not having updated the staff prior to opening).
1 person found this helpful
J
Joyce
Washington DC
3 reviews
3.0
3 reviews
Dined on 20 August 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
I really like this restaurant because it has nice outdoor seating, and the staff is very attentive. The food is also good, although I wish there were more variety for vegetarians. But it is very expensive for what you get -- an entree (gnocchi) with a side salad and a soft drink cost me more than $40 with a tip last time! On my most recent visit, I was more cost-conscious and just ordered the entrée -- no salad, and water to drink -- so I limited the bill to $30. But I left hungry! Plus for some reason, they didn't bring any of their bread (which is delicious) to us on this last visit; I'm not sure why and I really missed it. I hope they can increase the variety of their lunch offerings and make them more affordable.
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K
Ken
VIP
Washington DC
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on 6 August 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
I've been to the Wharf location and was excited to find this option downtown. The portion sizes on the lunch menu are incredibly small. We both ordered the chopped Italian salad and it would barely pass for an appetizer at most restaurants. The food was good, but be prepared to order more than once dish or get the power lunch if you want to leave not hungry.
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D
Dannielle
VIP
Philadelphia
6 reviews
4.0
6 reviews
Dined on 6 August 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
There was a large party so seating was limited to high tops which is fairly inaccessible. The host and server provided great service, but it’s important to note that some areas, including the restrooms are only accessible via steps.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Seattle
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on 23 July 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Delicious food and attentive staff. Delicious food and attentive staff.
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AP
AndrewP
Washington DC
36 reviews
5.0
36 reviews
Dined on 10 July 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great food at an affordable price. Service was also fantastic.
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LJ
LauraJ
Washington DC
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on 13 May 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
The lovely day was made better with a nice meal on their patio. Our business express lunch included a generous salad and sandwich. The biscotti cookies "to go" were nice, but it made me feel like they wanted us to leave before I was ready.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Chiba
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 28 March 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
All dishes were delicious for lunch especially the Burrata. Would dine here again.
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FAQs

Officina Cafe - Downtown is rated 4.3 stars by 34 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Permanently Closed

This restaurant is permanently closed.

1615 L St NW, Washington, DC 20036

Additional information

Cross Street
Off Connecticut Avenue and K Street
Area
Downtown
Hours of Operation
Lunch Mon–Fri 11:00 am–3:00 pm Dinner Mon–Fri 3:00 pm–9:00 pm
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Italian, Café, Contemporary Italian
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Business Casual
Parking details
Street Parking
Public transit
Near Farragut North, Farragut West, and McPherson Square
Executive Chef
Nicholas Stefanelli
Additional
Wine

Website
https://www.officinadc.com/cafe-downtown
Phone number
(202) 747-5252
Catering
Let us curate your next social or corporate event. We offer complete breakfast and lunch options designed for individuals or groups. Our personalized services will help you plan the perfect event.
Private party facilities
Located downtown, we provide the ideal setting for intimate gatherings, we are the perfect location for business and social events of all kinds.

Officina Cafe - Downtown

Permanently Closed

There’s more to explore

Additional information

Menu

What 34 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

FAQs

How is Officina Cafe - Downtown restaurant rated?

Is Officina Cafe - Downtown currently accepting bookings?

Permanently Closed

Additional information