Twelve months ago, Roberto Broglia wondered if Pasta Mia might be finished, its more than 20-year run in Adams Morgan ended by a dispute over the rent. A new landlord wanted a long-term lease; Broglia, 74 at the time, wasn’t sure he could commit for longer than six months at his restaurant.
Luckily for fans of the red-sauce institution and its mammoth portions of pasta, Broglia says he and his landlord have now come to terms.
“We just signed a lease for ten years,” says Broglia. And the air conditioning—long-broken and a point of contention last year—”is working perfectly.”
“We had long talks, and he’s going to take care of me,” says the restaurateur.
Will Broglia still be running Pasta Mia ten years from now? “Well, maybe not me,” he says with a laugh. “But somebody will. I can’t predict the future, my friend.”
Unfortunately, fellow Adams Morgan restaurant Casa Oaxaca didn’t have similar success with its lease. The eight-year-old Mexican restaurant will close on Friday due to increases in rent.
Pasta Mia. 1790 Columbia Rd., NW; 202-328-9114.
Harrison Smith (@harrisondsmith on Twitter) has contributed to the Washington Post and Chicago magazine. He can be reached at [email protected].
