Papa Razzi

How I heard of this place: After a touristy day in Washington, DC, we sat down at this modern Italian trattoria to wind down over conversation, laughter and a deliciously decadent meal!
Type of cuisine: «At Papa Razzi, guests will enjoy a taste of Italy without the airfare! Our modern Italian trattoria features made-​to-​order signature pasta dishes, ultra thin-​crust pizzas, seafood specials along with our mouth-​watering desserts. Guests will also enjoy a Tuscan-​inspired Sunday brunch like no other. Whether it be a casual business lunch, cozy dinner for two, family gathering…» A family-​friendly, yet romantic date spot, «Papa Razzi brings Italian cuisine to life with an eclectic mix of classic Italian dishes and signature specials. All the dishes are made-​to-​order using only the freshest ingredients available, including the best cheeses, olive oil, vegetables, meats and seafood.»
Ambiance: A large establishment, where a well-​dressed host takes your name from behind his podium in the dimly lit — with lights continually dimming as the evening progresses — space. Patrons may choose bar seating, or dining at green-​backed booths, or table and chair settings throughout the restaurant, including the loft-​like upstairs, bordered by wrought iron railings. Baskets of flowers line the ledges of waist-​height wall that separate dining areas, interspersed between square-​shaped pillars decorated in vibrant colors and shapes that seem reminiscent of a sports bar, rather than a fancy Italian restaurant. Yet, somehow, in the dim lighting, they seem to somewhat blend in with the rest of the space. A bustling environment, Papa Razzi is full of happy diners, drinkers and waitstaff, moving between tables, down the grand staircase to the facilities and up to the seating area in the loft-​balcony.
What I ordered: Greeted with warm foccaccia bread and house-​made, hand-​rolled grissini baked fresh daily, a container of red-​chili-​flake-​infused olive oil at the table, we placed our beverage orders: a house-​made daily lemonade ($ 2.99), a cranberry juice ($ 2.75), a glass of Cabernet Savignon Coppola ($ 10.00). Our appetizer, Calamari Fritti ($ 9.99) arrived just-​fried, tender, crispy calamari accompanied by softly battered and fried hot peppers, served with a lemon wedge and arrabbiata sauce on the side. For dinner, Osso Buco ($ 25.99), slowly braised veal shank simmered in a pinot noir demi-​glacé and served with Parmigiano risotto; the Lombatina di Vitello ($ 30.99), bone-​in center cut 14 oz. veal chop grilled with wild mushrooms, marsala and fresh vegetables (a large florette of crispy broccoli and rosemary-​dusted oven roasted red potatoes); the Pasta DiMare ($ 20.50), fettuccine served with a glimmering of red sauce, shrimp, scallops and muscles; and the Pollo alla Valdostana ($ 16.99) at the waiters recommendation, grilled boneless chicken breast topped with prosciutto, fontina cheese, and a marsala sauce with wild mushrooms, served alongside the same fresh vegetables that accompanied the veal chop. To end the meal, one Espresso ($ 2.75) and one Caffe Latte ($ 3.95).
What I loved: While it was unanimous that the risotto lacked flavor and needed much more cheese to be considered such, we all agreed that the Osso Buco was tender, juicy and delicately flavored. The meat, literally, fell off of the bone and went down smoothly and easily. The veal chop, too, was delicate, tender and light. The pasta, a portion-​perfect meal, was beautifully dressed, with minimal sauce, yet enough to grant an abundance of tomato flavor to each bite. My favorite: chicken with marsala sauce and mushrooms. The lightly pungent fontina cheese, creamy atop the thin slice of prosciutto and grilled chicken, slightly crispy on the outside, as if it had been briefly pan-​seared before grilling. The fried peppers in our appetizer were a surprising addition to the calamari and the arrabiata sauce spicy and tangy!
Why I loved it: The space is beautiful and large, with plenty of seating for our small party. The food is good and the service friendly. The staff accommodated us immediately, after being told we had a 30 minute wait, due to a last-​minute cancellation. The foccaccia bread warm, buttery and soft. From beginning to end, we were comfortable, never rushed, checked on by our server and completely satisfied!
Cost: Average to high ($ 20 — $ 35 per dinner entrée)

Dinner at Papa Razzi hit the spot. I ate and ate until I was stuffed. My friend and I started with a salad which we shared. It was huge — and I am glad we split it. Then I ordered the ravioli, which was freshly made and quite good.
I really enjoyed the atmosphere at this restaurant. I would call it upscale casual — it is nice without being fancy. Definitely a great place to take a date. There is a little bit of a college vibe because of the location.
I thought that the service was great. The servers with friendly, knowledgeable and attentive.

The food was unfortunately, forgettable, but the wait staff was friendly and accommodating, so I’ll give this place 3 stars instead of 2.
Don’t let the Georgetown location fool you, this place is just a few steps above Olive Garden (or some other major Italian chain restaurant). The overall Unilocal rating for Papa Razzi is 3 stars for a reason.
With the plethora of choices in Georgetown and other neighborhoods of DC, my suggestion would be to skip this place and go somewhere else for Italian food.

This place was okay. I wasn’t overly impressed, but it wasn’t terrible either.
The bread was delicious. I just bumped from 2 to 3 stars just for that, actually.
I got the Gnocchi di Sorrento. It wasn’t bad, but I’ve had better gnocchi many times at many other restaurants.
I had a glass of Pinot Grigio. It was bland and watery.
A pen hit me on the head midway through dinner, which did not feel very good. Apparently it rolled off a table upstairs. Ouch.
With all of the other dining options in Georgetown and greater DC, I doubt I’ll be back to Papa Razzi.

If i could i would give it a 2.5 but i decided to round it up considering how much i used to love this place. Every time my family would have a reason to get dolled up and go up to Georgetown we would go here.
With that said it was my graduation dinner and we haven’t been here in awhile. Keeping that in mind, i was beyond excited for their veal chop. A big piece of veal chop drenched in their mushroom sauce and roasted potatoes. What i got was a small veal chop lacking the mushroom sauce. From what i could remember the portions used to be huge but now? They surely did cut back due to the recession. But then again, they even raised the price?
Other then that disappointing realization that all good things come to an end, this place turns out to be an other overpriced «modern» Italian restaurant.

Did I just read a review of this place that called it «Awesome»? Seriously? Me thinks not. Someone wise once said that Papa Razzi is Georgetown’s overpriced Olive Garden, and damn did they know what they were talking about. If you like Disney World, go here.
Service is rough at best, bread is so salty you’ll die, tap water is sucky, pasta tastes frozen (stay away from the lobster ravioli!), and the place smells and feels like a mall chain.
Never again!

I had a limited portion of this menu, and for what we ordered during a lunch meeting there the other day, it was quite impressive.
Specifically the quattro formaggio pizza and the cappuccino gelato. Delicious. Plus, the staff there was very accommodating with our party of 9 people.

We came in on a rainy afternoon on our first day of vacation in DC. We are absolutely starving and the pizza here hit the spot!
We sat at the bar as usual and enjoyed some frosty Coors Light while we waited for our pies. The bartender was just talkative enough and kept our beers fresh, couldn’t ask for more.
I ordered a simple cheese pizza which was cooked perfectly, and let me tell you I am picky about how my crust is cooked! Any little sign of it being burnt and I am totally turned off, but theirs was perfectly crisp. The hus had a meat pizza of some sort which he enjoyed as well. In fact I think that we both at our entire pizzas (which are probably meant for 2 to share).
Overall a perfect spot for a quick & affordable lunch, if we lived here we would definitely be coming back for dinner!

Enjoyed dinner on the upstairs terrace — nice location in Georgetown. The food was good, with average sized portions. The lobster ravioli was excellent. The flatbread served was also good. We did not have dessert, but overall enjoyed the dinner and service.

Love the ambiance of this restaurant, but not so much the food. This is just a mediocre Italian restaurant alongside with most of its’ neighboring Italian restaurants in Georgetown.
The service here is something I value most. Their recommendations and elaboration of the menu made the experience much better. However, I would like to come back to try more of their dishes. I will update.

I have to admit, I’m kind of surprised at the amount of people who were dissatisfied with Papa Razzi. I went there last weekend for a late lunch, and was pleasantly surprised.
Well truth be told, we were seated and then ignored for 10 minutes, but then our waiter came over and was sweet and helpful, and definitely cute looking! (He explained that there was some crisis with a table leaving without paying…)
They make the food fresh, or so they say, you you can add and subtract ingredients as you please. My salmon farfalle was changed to linguine and I added some peas to my pasta. The dish was delicious and the pasta was cooked perfectly. The waiter even ran over with a spoon to assist with my linguine cutting and twirling technique and was quick to refill our sodas many, many times.
Free bread sticks and delicious bread is an added bonus.
Bathroom was sparkling clean.
I will say the dude in the front is very grouchy looking.
I’ll be back, I don’t have anything bad to say about good good and EXCELLENT service.

I was looking for a place to have a quick bite to eat in the famous busy area of Georgetown. I know Papa Razzi very well from other occasions for dinner. Moreover, I am not a fan of «Happy Hours» anymore. It’s too loud and too happy! (pun) I was looking for a spot that I could have a conversation and a nice meal. Although we ordered pizza (short on time) our waiter (Nabil) was very courtesy and kind. He didn’t bug us every minute to ask how was the food. We ordered pizza and when we received the pizza the taste and presentation took me back to my experience in Italy without the scenery. I’m a fan and would like to encourage anyone to visit Papa Razzi for good food, clean environment and friendly service. A star for service, 2 stars for ambiance, 3 stars for food and 4 stars for overall. I gave a nice tip for a $ 25.00 meal.
Italian Restaurants
Papa Razzi is rated #1
Timpani #2
Macaronni Grill #3
Maggianos #4
Andiamo amicos!
JC

Good food, good wine list. Their Pollo Alla Cacciatora on Tuesdays is pretty darn good!

This place is so so. It’s right on M Street so it’s convenient if you want a sit down restaurant. We were in the mood for pasta and found this place via Unilocal.
So we ordered the beef carpaccio (lacked flavor & piled with way too many slices of parmesan cheese), caesar salad (AGAIN, piled with too much parmesan cheese?!?) and the calamari was salty. My pasta dish was just okay but my friend seemed to enjoy her raviolis. I would go back again and maybe order something different.
The only thing worth mentioning is the ambiance, location, décor and bread they serve with olive oil.

what’s better than being told to wait 45 minutes? coming back after 45 minutes, getting handed a beeper, waiting another 15 minutes, and then having the hostess realize the beeper she gave you was never activated and they were about to cross your name off the list.
i guess the real question is. was the wait worth it? yes and no.
1 point for having an amazing montepulciano wine by the glass.
1 point for the super delicious melanzana fritta appetizer: lightly breaded and sautéed eggplant topped with ricotta cheese, garlicky tomatoes, and fresh greens.
1 point for the best focaccia bread i have ever consumed. no lie.
1 point for the show-​stopping apple walnut dessert. hot, cinnamony, nutty goodness. topped with vanilla gelato. (so i guess that should be 2 points.)
but the actual pastas? meh. i got the rigatoni con luganega (sausage, mushrooms, crushed tomatoes and caramelized onions with a touch of cream) and my dining companion got the spaghetti alla bolognese (pancetta, ground veal, and mushrooms in a light tomato sauce with a touch of cream). while good, they weren’t mindblowing, like the pre-​and-​post entrée foods. i had to wait a long time for water refills, and that’s always annoying, but i’ll definitely be back, and with a reservation.

I was pretty excited about this place when I walked inside. Its a very large and open space, but we actually walked through it all to eat outside on the upper patio that faces the Patagonia store, which is, lets face it — a great view! It felt much smaller and it was very pleasant. The menu had a lot of great sounding pastas and I opted for the seafood risotto special. I dont believe we got an appetizer, which you really dont need to — because the foccacia bread that they give you before your meal comes is amazing and honestly, I have to say, the best part of the dining experience! My meal wasnt that great — it was good, but nothing I would order again. My date really enjoyed his meal and is excited to go back — so take that for what you will.
Overall the food was fine, the foccacia bread was great (even though I dont know how to spell it), the service was good, and the outdoor area was really cute. Not the best italian for your money in Georgetown though for sure!

Came here late on a Saturday night, and after hearing that there was no wait for our party, we decided why not.
Atmosphere was nice, looked pretty upscale. I ordered the penne con pollo. Nothing fancy at all. My penne pasta was undercooked, the chicken had no flavor, and it was pretty runny.
Eh, wish I opted to wait an hour for the pizza place down the street. This place was nothing special to me.
Oh, the bread they give you in the beginning was pretty tasty, and their spicy oil to dip in was good. Other than that, if you are looking for good Italian food, skip this place please.

I have to say I liked the atmosphere more than the food here– high ceilings, ample seating, and a classic mix of Sinatra and Dean Martin songs playing in the background.
I started off with the Antipasto Della Casai, which came with a variety of goodies– prosciutto, mozzarella, eggplant, tomatoes, and olives– all of which tasted fresh and healthy. Their Pollo Al Pomodoro pizza was decently sized for one person and quite delicious! My mom ordered the Pollo Panini which I took a bite out of and I bit into a hard piece of tasteless mozzarella cheese and eggplant together. Not good! Something was definitely missing in that panini and the side salad looked really limp and boring. My sister ordered the Papa Burger which came with really greasy (so greasy almost looked brown) fries and «buns» which looked like the same type of bread they gave us for free in the beginning of our meal.
Papa Razzi is definitely a good place to come with your family but not romantic enough to bring your date/​boyfriend/​girlfriend.

Much less delicious than I had remembered. Very disappointing.
I’m not sure if I’ve been spoiled by the Italian food in Boston’s North End and San Francisco’s North Beach, or if I was spoiled by dating an Italian, but either way, I was hugely disappointed by both the menu tonight, as well as my entrée. After deciding the potato Gnocchi in pink pomodoro sauce with mozzarella looked rather dull, I ordered the Tagliatelle con Gamberi. Unfortunately, this was basically a heap of noodles with a few shrimp on the side. I wasn’t pleased, as it was rather bland.
I started thinking «gosh, this really seems like a chain, lacking character and the like». And I’m not sure how I didn’t notice before whilst living in DC, but this IS a chain. Not that I have anything against restaurants with multiple locations that maintain their character & charm (I love La Boulange in SF), but Papa Razzi has become more like an Olive Garden to me. Not impressed.

My coworkers & I came to Papa Razzi exactly eight times this year. Our office hosted weekend-​long overnights for high schoolers, and this restaurant became our staff getaway when the kids were shopping in Georgetown on Saturday nights, as it was our go-​to place for a party of 20. The staff began to recognize us – and our penchant for ordering their gnocchi!
The place has a nice feel, very high ceilings, dark, with a lofted second floor. It can be a little cold sometimes, especially on the loft, where the air grates blow directly on your table, but otherwise, the palce has a nice feel to it. Very typically Georgetown.
Frankly, the food at Papa Razzi is nothing too over-​the-​top. I think this restaurant thinks it’s a little bit ritzier than it actually is, charging sometimes-​absurd prices for just-​at-​par food. That said, thought, I’ve never had a bad dish here — and because I was here so often with so many, I tasted a LOT of dishes! Our favorite, as I mentioned, was the gnocchi, although there’s not very much of it. It’s cheesy, tomatoey, creamy, delicious. My mouth waters at the memory of Para Razzi potato gnocchi. Mmm.
Other favorites include the pollo piccata, the porcini tortelloni & the ravioli al pomodoro. If you go on a night when they’ve got some sort of risotto special, take them up on — it’s a little pricey, but always great!
One note: If you want to split a pasta dish with a fellow diner, don’t ask the waiter to split it; they pre-​split for you & you end up getting SO much less pasta than you would if it all came one one plate. Just ask for a second plate once it comes.
Also: Papa Razzi is NOT AT ALL handicap accessible.