Al Tiramisu

I cannot believe that anyone would give Al Tiramisu anything less than 5 stars. It is as near to perfect as a restaurant can get.The food is memorable, inventive and delicious. I had the verde risotto with fresh mozzarella and capers. Where have you EVER heard of that dish before??? I will answer for you - NOWHERE!!! Incredibly delicious, luxurious even. The punch of briny saltiness from the capers was inspired especially against the creamy fresh mozzarella.The service is top notch. Everyone who works there is perfection! Luigi is a saint; Nadja is a doll. And the entire wait staff is fantastic!The dining room is small, intimate and crowded. Always crowded! This is the sort of restaurant you go to when you want to impress someone - especially if that someone is yourself!Seriously, I feel so lucky that I found Al Tiramisu and that it is walking distance from my house!!!

My friends love this place and hit it every time they are in DC. I can see why! The featured cocktail was interesting and great- i had the lobster pasta which was also a special. It was SO good! Lots of lobster and flavorful sauce. Highly recommendService outstanding. Hit this place up- it's affordable and equally as good as the "fancy" DC Italian places

We have been before but quality has gone down hill. Other better quality places for the price point. Service was nice and it's a quaint place but the food just didn't measure up. Went two years ago and it was better but not great back then but thought we would give it another shot. We paid 240 with taxes and tip for dinner of 4- no alcohol and just 4 entrees (2 pastas, 1 calamari, a chicken dish), one expresso, one cheesecake sice and a coke) . They also charge 3 % credit card fee which is kind of ridiculous with their high prices already. The seafood ravioli in lobster sauce was salty ad for 42 dollars, not stuffed very much. The calamari entree had 5 calamari's, 3 zuccini slices and 3 carrot slices for $32 dollars. Cheesecake was crumbly and not smooth but flavor was good. We enjoyed the service and bread but just would not come back again .

I booked a table for two via Open Table last weekend during our staycation in Dupont Circle! We had such an amazing dinner. I can't believe I didn't know about this place before. It's so cozy and very romantic. I'm definitely planning to come back soon. They have happy hour. Everyone was so welcoming - from the hostess to our waiter. The food was great! The complimentary bread was delicious. It comes with anchovies - we asked for butter instead. I had the laganelle pasta - so yummy and filling. There's great wine and cocktail options. Now let's talk about the dessert menu! Just wow! I'm not even big into sweets, but the desserts here are worth it. Get the tiramisu!

My boyfriend and I love going out to eat and have pretty high standards. Al Tiramisu is officially our favorite dinner in DC. Everything from the intimate dining room, the food, and the staff were perfect. We will definitely be back!

I hesitate to rate this restaurant since it will be crazy if more people come, but it's too good to not say anything. The pasta here is number one. Most are amazing. The mushroom laganelle (very amazing vegetarian), the veal fettuccine is also a meaty option, and the clam pasta is nice and light while being fulfilling. There are so many more, but we'd be here all day if I had to list them all. One of the most amazing ones is the truffle pasta, which is available in winter. The mushroom risotto is also a stellar hit. For meatier options, their steak is well done. Cooked expertly to a nice rare or medium rare, with simple seasonings but a perfect char. Branzino is a nice fish option as someone who dislikes fish. The branzino is flaky and buttery and the accompanying vegetables go well. The servers and the front of house and the chef are always so kind and sweet. Service is lovely and attentive. As for the ambiance, it's a quaint, small restaurant with touches of Italy and it's perfectly quiet for a nicer dinner.

Al Tiramisu is an old stalwart of the DC dining scene, and I think it's a very good restaurant, but you might in for some sticker shock.We were a party of four, and we started with cocktails (about $20 each, all very good). For appetizer, we each had an off-menu sampler which had delicious house-smoked duck, grilled calamari, rolled eggplant, and piece of a portobello mushroom, and a wedge of burrata. I loved everything except for the mushroom which was a bit blah. It was a yummy start, but at $25 a head, felt about $10/portion more than it should have been. We found a good bottle of red wine for $120, which was one of the cheaper bottles on the wine list.While not mentioned on the menu, all the pastas are available as half portions which was a pleasant surprise. I absolutely loved my tagliatelle with wild mushrooms; it was fantastic. So was the ricotta gnocchi in cacio e pepe - pillowy, rich, and divine. The lobster pasta, a signature dish, was good but perhaps not a showstopper. Also enjoyed by our table was a delightful ravioli with crab meat. Our "secondi" were the weakest part of the meal. I loved my lamb shank ossobuco which, if anything, was too big, but it was delicious with its creamy polenta and stewed tomato sauce. The ribeye steak, however, was overwhelmed by the truffle butter and not as buttery and tender as was hoped for the price ($48). The branzino was perfectly nice, but could have had a bit more flair. Desserts were awesome. Creamy pistachio gelato, chocolate tartufo, and cheesecake...all very nice.All in all, $850 with tax and tip...mighty pricey for dinner for four. I had a similarly good meal in a very upmarket Milan restaurant last month for about a third of the price. Yes, I know we aren't in Italy, but even by DC standards, this very good restaurant just didn't exactly feel like it was worth every penny.

While in Dupont Circle on a weeknight, I grabbed happy hour at Al Tiramisu. The last time I was at Al Tiramisu was 11 years ago for SideTour: Share the Secrets of Making Sure-Fire Fabulous Italian Desserts with Chef Amy Riolo and Chef Luigi Diotaiuti. Happy Hour is offered on weeknights from 5pm to 7pm in sidewalk cafe and bar. It was a bit too humid / hot to sit outside, so I sat at the bar. After ordering, I told the staff that I was tight on time. I enjoyed a Limoncello Martini, Eggplant Involtini, and Grilled Lamb Chop Roasted Potato. I look forward to returning for a date night in the near future.

We arrived for an early dinner after a show at the Kennedy Center, the place had just opened but we were greeted right away. We were taken to our table and helped with water right away. When you walk in it has the style of an old small Italian restaurant in NYC. The wall of pictures of famous people eating there hits you right away and has some cool pictures of movie stars. Kinda fun display. Once seated they took our drink order and I went with an old fashioned, shocker lol. I asked for it to be less sweet and it hit the spot. Just enough bitters to cut the sweetness. Also love the full size cocktail ice cube. We then received a very well explained fresh fish of the day presentation. For an appetizer we ordered burrata which came with local honey and truffle "bits". It was very good, extra moist and the add ons were great. The local honey had some salt and spices mixed in which was a great surprise. My entree was the veal fettuccine, the pasta was house made and fresh. The pasta was great and the souse was even better. The ground veal popped with flavor adding a richness to the dish. The sauce was a red sauce like marinara based with a touch of sweetness. Dessert was on its way and we shared mascarpone cheesecake and the, you guessed it, tiramisu. The tiramisu was very good, the flavors were good but I was missing more of the rum flavor. The texture of the top was slightly off, still good but not the best I've had. The cheesecake was very different and good in its own right. It's much lighter than normal cheesecake and had great flavor. It was a little dry so adding a side spice could have helped this dish. Overall this restaurant was awesome, great food, great service, and great ambiance! Cheers!!

Mediocre. We got the lobster pasta, which was expensive (as to be expected), but did not have much lobster taste. Carpaccio was fine. Service and ambiance are nice -- we did street-side dining -- but cannot recommend due to food.