About Restaurant Openings Around DC
A guide to the newest places to eat and drink.
More and more restaurants are opening—and reopening—in downtown DC after a long period of pandemic inactivity. The latest: Officina by chef Nicholas Stefanelli, an airy all-day Italian cafe that debuts today at 1615 L Street, Northwest. Stefanelli also operates Michelin-starred Italian restaurant Masseria near Union Market as well as his flagship Officina, a three-story Italian emporium, at the Wharf. He’s also currently popping up in Georgetown with another Officina cafe/market.
![Officina downtown - Washingtonian](https://www.washingtonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Officina1.jpg)
This third Officina was designed with a downtown office, local, and tourist crowd in mind. Breakfast, which will begin after Labor Day, stars espresso drinks, Teaism teas, and fresh-baked Italian pastries. Diners can drop by for grab-and-go items at lunch like panini, Roman-style square pizza, and homemade gelato. The all-day lunch/dinner menu also boasts dishes worth lingering over, like homemade sweet-corn ravioli; steak and panzanella salad; or head-on shrimp with escarole, broccolini, and chickpeas. The bar specializes in Italian cocktails, so you’ll find negronis and vodka-spiked Sicilian lemonade, as well as Italian wines and beers, which you can match with cheese and salumi boards.
![Officina3 - Washingtonian](https://www.washingtonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Officina3.jpg)
Officina is Stefanelli’s first downtown DC concept, but it won’t be his last. Philotimo, a splashy Greek restaurant that plays to his Mediterranean heritage, is slated to open this fall after a long pandemic delay.
Officina Downtown. 1615 L St., NW.