Image: Not grandma’s eggplant parm.

Last Updated: May 2022

Current Status: Open for Dine-in service, with indoor and outdoor seating.

Overview:

Quattro Osteria occupies a three-sided space in where Florida crosses Sixth in Shaw.  The neighborhood would suggest a simple pasta joint, but Quattro is going more serious. With some dishes, it can even border on the precious, especially when the food arrives on old-fashioned plates that look like they come from an antique store. The eggplant parmigiana is more like finger sandwiches than a bubbling heap. The pasta portions are not overwhelming and the mains are well-composed.  The signature tiramisu comes in re-purposed mini-coffee pot.  The menu is relatively stable but changes with seasonal adjustments.

The restaurant has ties to El Techo that sits nearby and borrowed the head bartender to construct the bar program.  The wine list goes deep on Italian and is more variety than you might expect especially for a newly-opened restaurant.  The team behind the spot has worked in Italy and the States.  They bring a level of confidence and capability right out of the gate. 

The space is cute and divided into various sections, which can be specified on Resy as outdoors, the terrace/bar area or the main dining room. The hard floors and exposed brick walls make sounds bounce and the doors that open to Florida Ave. bring in the noise of the street.  While cute, it is far from contemplative.

It cedes little to the other casual spots with serious Italian cooking that are in the general area like Red Hen and San Lorenzo. It is an unexpected treasure, and like those others spots it is worth going a little out of your way to have something notably better.

Summary:

Cuisine: Italian
Neighborhood: Shaw
Address: 600 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001
Website: https://www.quattroosteria.com/
Reservations: Resy

Other Critics/Voices:

Washington Post: Tom was a bit smitten out of the gate.

Washingtonian: No coverage yet

DonRockwell.com – no thread yet