Toscana Cafe

My Dad and I were looking around for a nice Italian meal, when we came across this on Unilocal.The food was delicious as I had the chicken Marsala and my dad had the fettuccine with sausage. It was all very good and we even enjoyed the appetizer which were fried risotto balls.

Very, very disappointing. Like other people, we had walked by this restaurant a million times as residents of the hill. We decided to try the takeout on a Friday night (so I cannot review their tableside service).
We showed up after waiting the requisite 20 minutes after placing a phone order. The lasagna was missing from our order. We waited an additional 5 or so minutes for them to locate our entrée somewhere in the back of the kitchen.
The food was terrible. We ordered two entrees (the lasagna and the ravioli) and the caprese salad. The pasta in both entrees tasted like soggy, store-​bought, frozen pasta. We could have walked to giant and bought a bag of frozen ravioli for a third of the cost. The ravioli had a thin, watery sauce with it, complete with artichoke pieces floating. The caprese salad leaves looked and tasted old, and the tomato was definitely old (it had that grainy texture on the skin). The cheese was not fresh. The lasagna looked at tasted like it came out of a Stouffer’s box.
For $ 46, I expected a LOT more. We will definitely NOT be returning.

Wow!
I’ve walked by Toscana a million times and I’ve always said, «we should go there.» Big porch, wonderful people watching, and pasta you can smell in passing. I finally bit the bullet and got a porch seat and was only disappointed in myself for not trying it sooner.
The Grub:
BRUSCHETTA ($ 10): B+
Four Bruschetta dense bread slices with an incredible handmade vinaigrette, fresh tomatoes, and a pinch of basil. Really good for fans of tomato but it left me wanting a little more basil in the mix.
LASAGNA NOPOLTANA ($ 16): A
Not only an incredible Lasagna, but an interesting twist with small meatballs layered with expected incidents. And the sauce and cheese is something you have to seek out special from an Italian Market to get close to this homemade version.
TAGLIATELLA ALLA BOSCAIOLA ($ 17): A (+)
Simply incredible mushroom pasta sauce mixed with cheese and black pepper, this is something that satisfies the pallet and challenges it. Wide buttery noodles layer with cheese and spicy Italian sausage. I liked it so much that I didn’t want it to end.
I won’t keep passing this place up.

Great Italian food and service at this restaurant! I highly recommend everyone stops by, my family and I enjoyed dinner here. We tried a variety of pastas, salads and chicken, which we really liked. The garlic bread and cappuccino were amazing. Food was all well cooked and came nice and hot. The outdoor seating was beautiful and the lights created beautiful view.

Me and a coworker decided to go here for lunch. They have a very good and simple menu. The have alot of lunch specials which are reasonably priced. I ordered a greek salad which was absolutely amazing. I also ordered the 10inch pizza with ham, sausage and bacon for $ 7. Well the server put in the wrong order and ordered me a calzone stuffed with ham and cheese. He was very apologetic and told me I go have the calzone until my pizza wsd ready. As soon as I cut in to the calzone it was full of grease and oil and run all over the plate and soaked the chips on my plate. The taste was good but no all that great. I put it to the side to wait for my order. When my pizza arrived it also had a pool of oil and grease sitting on top of it. I had to pick up each slice and let the grease run off of it. The pizza was good but was very greasy. Overall the customer service was ok, the greek salad was excellent but the food was too greasy. I may just go back for a greek salad at lunch especially because it was $ 5.

Toscana Café is hands down one of the best authentic Italian restaurants in the Washington, DC area. I had a great dining experience last summer. If I had to choose two words to describe my experience, fresh and charming. Toscana Café was my shortest trip to Italy without a passport from the fresh, tasty homemade pastas and organic vegetables to the authentically Italian late dining hours and charming staff. Bella, what are you talking!!! You will love it.

Been here 3 times. I like the lasagna, which they’ve run out of, and the chicken parm. Good food & the outdoors seating is nice. The waiter, clearly experienced, seemed in a rush, tho there was hardly anyone there. He was perfunctory, not friendly at all, a minimalist at best. And it wasn’t close to closing. I would return, but I’m not impressed.

I’m surprised by the reviews complaining about the food, because my friends and I had a great experience here. The outdoor seating is delightful, with globe lights, picnic benches, and umbrellas next to a quaint residential neighborhood (which makes street parking a bit easier than in DC’s financial districts). Honestly, I would come here for the outdoor seating alone.
The happy hour menu is great — everything is half off from 4−7PM, so I managed to snag a 10″ thin crust pizza for $ 7 and my friends ordered stuffed figs (3 pieces) and arancini (2 pieces) for $ 4.50 each. (Yes, the pizza is a better deal.) I thoroughly enjoyed the pizza, my friend loved the arancini, and the figs were decent.

This place is great! I had a hard time finding information about the happy hour, so for people like me: Sangria is $ 3.50 per full glass and they have a range of super yummy appetizers for $ 4.50 and pizzas for about $ 7. A pretty great deal for the area.
The food and pricing was great, my only complaint was that the service was extremely slow for not being that busy. Our server walked by our empty glasses several times, even looked at our table, without coming over. That was a little irritating. Aside from that, I will absolutely be returning for the happy hour.

3.5 stars. I really scoped out this place before ordering. I called, asked for specials and recommendations. The first batch of recommendations were «pizza and sandwiches». I said «no no, like other food.» I then ended up ordering the stuffed figs, arancini and the lamb ragu. I wanted Italian. After all, the dude is from Italy.
I did the takeout so the food was obviously cold but that’s why they invented the microwave. Still, it all tasted a little less than restaurant and a little more like takeout. It wasn’t as refined as I’d hoped. But the flavor was there. All three orders were good. The figs didn’t have as much or any goat cheese like I thought (I don’t like goat cheese so this was good but…). The arancini were crisp and filled with ooey goodness. The lamb ragu was also good. Perfectly cooked lamb and al dente noodles. That was probably my favorite.
Atmosphere of the restaurant felt like takeout for sure, even though there is inside and outside seating. Might come back and try their recommendations aka «pizza and sandwiches.»

A quick dinner with friend. Nice, cozy place for friendly gathering and meal, right next to Union Station. Service was warm and friendly. Had a meatball appetizer, a roast beef Bolognese and a Chicken Masala. Food was served quick and volume was quite good for the price. Recommended for any quick-​bite seekers in Union Station DC.

Sorry-​I wanted this to be epic but my lasagna was cold. When I sent it back, it was replaced with sauce, cheese, and meat (no noodles). And to make matters worse, I’ve been up for several hours with food poisoning.

Came here with some friends for dinner since it’s conveniently located across from Ebenezers Coffeehouse. Its a cozy spot with a covered and heated patio area. The owner is incredibly nice and has a sense of humor and the staff was attentive. I can definitely appreciate the personal attention he has to his customers! They have a great happy hour menu with a decent selection of drinks, regular appetizers (at half price) AND a special pizza menu. The calamari was delicious and I highly recommend going during happy hour since you get so much to choose from.

Yum. I met a friend that was in town for a business meeting and was taking the last Acela back home. Toscana is a very safe, one-​block-​walk away from Union Station. We happened to walk in for happy hour, which was a blessing. We ended up getting a caprese, and a pizza to split and she also got some rice ball/​meat combo. I don’t think that I’ve ever spent so little on such decent food for two people. Our bill was ~$ 25 and we were both stuffed.
The formaggi pizza was good– nothing special-​but solidly good. The caprese was perfectly spiced and fresh. My girl loved her rice balls. The atmosphere is perfect for relatively casual dinner. The service was attentive without being intrusive. I will definitely use this as my alternative pre-​travel or meeting traveler’s spot rather than Irish Times or that other greasy tavern a block west of the station.

Best chicken parm sandwich I ever had!
Came here with my colleagues for a quick grab-​and-​go lunch and was blown away by how delicious it was. The chicken was served in between two pieces of herbed focaccia bread, which gave it a unique twist on an old favorite.
The service was quick and friendly and each of us was thoroughly satisfied with what we ordered.
Can’t wait to bring the boyfriend and check out their happy hour.

Was our last meal in DC before heading home, couldn’t have picked a better end to our trip. Toscana, the yellow restaurant down the block from Union Station, was all around amazing! Unfortunately we didn’t get to sit outside as planned, but the upstairs where we ate was adorable and a bottle of wine conveniently already on the table! ;) our waitress was so sweet and personable. Food took a little long, she was apologetic and got us extra bread, twice, it was soooo amazing! We were impressed by the entrees but kept it simple with cheese stuffed
Pasta and ravioli, Wish we would’ve gotten dessert!

Mateo is a great chef. He is a part of the changes the new owners have brought to this Resturant. To start with the antipasti was good. But the mushroom Risotto was the best dish. It was not runny and the rice was just right. The rice was from the Po valley. If risotto is over cooked it becomes mushy and this was just perfect. The pizza crust was excellent. I think it had a hint of honey. All the pasta is homage. Save room for the dessert. The tiramisu was home made and very tasty.
Would come back again.

Toscana is conveniently situated close to Union Station in an area that’s lacking in a lot of lunch/​dinner options. I came here for a weekday lunch and had the Genovese sandwich ($ 8.64). The bread was particularly good, but the rest of it was pretty average. My sandwich came with pesto, but I couldn’t taste any of it. I thought it was pricey for the size and for the scant amount of potato chips that came with the sandwich. I am interested in trying the pasta and pizza someday (maybe during the happy hour special — $ 5 pizzas sound promising), but I wouldn’t go out of my way to come back here.
The immediate entrance is a little dingy and has a hole-​in-​the-​wall appearance, but there’s a nice outdoor patio space and some cozy seating upstairs. Also, I was a little confused by other reviews about table service, as there is none during lunch. You order at the counter right when you walk in and take your food to wherever you want to sit.

Great informal place — my experience is limited to ordering takeout from the counter for lunch but they do have a very nice outdoor patio for a nice sit-​down meal. However, not sure if they have table service — will check next time!
We have had pizza slices and hot veggie sandwiches from here. Pizza slices were Ok but they do make very good hot veggie sandwiches. Grilled veggies were fresh and crunchy. Hey, I even liked their broccoli in the mix! Onions were perfectly caramelized and grilled red pepper was yummy (and sweet). Nicely charred bread and melted cheese — can’t ask more for a stop-​n-​go carry out lunch!

Great focaccia sammiches at lunch, $ 8.50 for a hot combo of cheese, veg and/​or protein on nice fresh soft flatbread, it’s enough to split with a friend. Tried the Vegetariano which was loaded with eggplant, mozzarella, peppers, tomato slices and broccoli rabe, plus a generous dose of balsamic, excellent! But the take-​out salads had all been taken today by 12:30, hmm.
Happy hour 4−7pm, $ 4 draft choices are Peroni, Peroni and Peroni :). Outdoor patio too.