Ristorante La Perla of Washington

The service is so terrible it's laughable. Waited 90 minutes for a table even with a reservation. Another 25 minutes for bread, never received our wine (we wanted cocktails but were told they weren't serving cocktails tonight and then we saw a waiter make a handful of cocktails several minutes later). And the food never came. Had to leave after being there for over two hours with only bread we had to ask for.

We ordered a bottle of light red wine which was an excellent choice from their wine list. Started with a delicious fresh Insalata Dell'Orto which had arugula, radicchio, endives, tomatoes and green olives. It was wonderful. They brought us hot Italian small loaves of bread with butter. We shared a wonderful Calamari Fritti. My main course was a mixed broiled seafood - Grigliata di Pesce - which was delicious and it came with a side of linguini aglio olio. Everything including the service was excellent. We even had a spare room for dessert as I selected a tart from the great display of many of the choices of decadent cheesecakes and other cakes. Fresh hot Coffee was also a treat so I could try to stay awake on the ride home. A lovely and enjoyable dining experience! Thank you and looking forward to coming back again!

We had a very nice dinner. The owner stopped by our table and he was very nice to us. The restaurant and menu is a bit dated though.

One star off only because some of the prices are too high. A kinda small Aperol spritz was $16, and spaghetti with vodka sauce or pesto was $30 (no meat or anything). However the service was impeccable and attentive and the food was great. I also got a good pour of wine. The lobster ravioli, spaghetti a la vodka, and seafood lasagna were all delicious. Good portion sizes for a woman but probably not enough for a hungry man :p the house made bread was amazing too! The desserts looked great and I need to try them next time.

I came here while visiting DC on 4th of July weekend. The service is great at this restaurant, I wish I could say the same for the meal. I really wanted to like this place but I realized it was a "has been" type of place. The location is great the interior is very old school (could use an update), great service, and just needs to work on the food.

It's been years since I've written a Yelp review, but I was so happy with this place, I feel I have to write something.First, since moving to DC, I've been consistently disappointed by the restaurants here compared to New Orleans. This did not at all fit that pattern. The food was a solid 5. Based on taste alone, it's my new favorite place in DC for Italian food. I had the CHICKEN MEDALLION SINATRA and my wife had the PAPPARDELLE DEL PRESIDENTE. Both were truly excellent.Second, the service was incredible. We brought our little Chihuahua with us and sat at one of the two tables out front. Multiple employees came out to say hi to our dog, which is always great because he loves meeting people, but the biggest surprise was when the owner Chef Vittorio Testa came out to say hi to him too, and instructed the kitchen to lightly pan fry him some chicken without seasoning. So our dog ended up having what is likely his #1 favorite dinner he's ever had in DC too.Third, I love places that have this kind of feel to it. We didn't eat inside so I can't speak to the ambiance in there, but the whole experience just felt like something where everyone involved just simply cares. This isn't some Instagram trap where the food and service is garbage but you get some pretty content for your shallow online existence.This is a place with real food crafted by people who actually care about the food they're serving. And it's for people who enjoy real food more than they feel the need to be seen at whatever place is new and trendy before they go out of business to make way for the next TikTok-driven food trend.Finally, I have to include what was among the weirdest experiences ever, albeit highly entertaining, which was the couple at the other table out front who was FaceTiming the guy's mom from the moment they sat down until after they'd finished eating. Who does that? Apparently someone from a wealthy family who works as a senior intelligence analyst who believes atheists and lesbians are ruining the country and that Democrats have rigged the elections against Trump, and something something about genetic purity.But hey, isn't that cool how an atheist like me and a Christian nationalist like him can enjoy a lovely meal at the same place?It's restaurants like this that truly make America great and always have.

this was an experience with 5.0 food and closer to 1.0 for almost everything else, hence the 3.0 rating.the food is exceptional. delicious and perfectly prepared in every aspect. the lumache smarrite was flavorful and sweet. the antipasti La Perla was perfect. awesome white sauce. lovely. the pappardelle and rigatoni imperiale were likewise exquisite - Chef Testa produces some amazing sauces.the service varied between lackluster and quite poor. we dropped in nearly an hour before our reservation because we'd finished our museum tour early enough. we sat at the bar for drinks and headed to the table slightly early for our reservation, with over 2.5 hours to go until the NSO started. we managed to get out with barely enough time to get to Kennedy Center and to our seats before the performance began. everything was awfully slow. our server seemed to vanish for extended periods. at one point he spent a substantial bit of time helping Chef Testa rearrange the pastry display up front while we were waiting on food. not great.the time we spent at the bar up front was pleasant, but they desperately need an actual bartender. I asked what they used for a house Manhattan, and the waiter who tended bar for us replied Tanqeray (a gin, and not part of that cocktail, in case you don't know cocktails). with that as we each ordered a cocktail by giving explicit build instructions and they were ok. they did have an interesting collection of amaros and liqueurs, but no one who knew anything about them. we each ordered a digestif after dinner with our dessert (Ebo Lebo amaro and Nocello walnut liqueur), and they were served in coupe glasses as a full sized several ounce drink. like I said, they desperately need a bartender/beverage manager.the interior is colorful and features Italian artifacts, flags, and a large tile panel. looks great, but I was wondering why I didn't seem to find anything Sicilian - our family has Sicilian heritage, so I always look for it.overall, we liked the meal, but it was a less than successful experience because of the drawbacks.

Absolutely my favorite Italian restaurant!!! Period. Great food! Great atmosphere! Absolutely great service! I eat here throughout the year but it has become a Christmas Eve tradition. It feels like family every time

I posted this on google and I know the restaurant had this deleted (shocker) based on what I wrote below.My review that I left previously is below:I don't usually write negative reviews but felt obligated to do so. Feel free to look at my profile, every other review I have left is 5 stars.I placed a phone order at La Perla at 7:43 PM and was told the food would be ready in 15-20 minutes. I arrived at 8:10 PM--about 30 minutes after placing the order--and was told it would be another 5 minutes. I waited an additional 10 minutes and was informed it would take another 5-10 minutes. Ultimately, it took nearly an hour for my food to be ready.When I received the bill, the total was $97, despite the online menu showing the prices would amount to about $60. I pointed this out to the staff member working at the counter, who responded, "We haven't updated our online menu yet." I mentioned that the discrepancy didn't seem right, but she said that was the price. Frustrated after waiting so long, I paid the bill instead of leaving to find another place for dinner.To clarify, I have no issue paying $97 for dinner--this is DC, after all. My frustration lies with the inaccurate pricing on their website, the lack of accommodations, and the poor handling of the situation. After leaving, I spoke with my boyfriend, and we decided to call the restaurant to request a reduction to reflect the online prices or proceed with disputing the charge with my credit card company.When I called, I was met with hostility. Despite being polite and simply asking for the charges to be adjusted to the listed prices, I was interrupted, shouted at, and told there was nothing they could do. The staff member even claimed I wasn't "allowed" to dispute the charges and then hung up on me.Moments later, I received a call back. This time, the staff member was yelling at me, calling me a scammer, and put the owner on the phone. The chef continued the verbal assault, accusing me of being dishonest and telling me to "go to McDonald's" if I didn't want to pay their prices. He then hung up on me too as I was trying to explain that I just wanted the price to be adjusted.This experience was deeply upsetting. I have never encountered customer service where I was berated, yelled at, and called a scammer simply for asking that the listed menu prices be honored. The whole ordeal, from the extended wait time to the inaccurate pricing and subsequent verbal abuse, was completely unacceptable. As someone who has worked in the service industry before, I know that if I had spoken to a customer the way the employee and chef spoke to me, I would have been terminated immediately. At any other restaurant, such behavior would unquestionably lead to immediate dismissal.I have attached photos below of their online menu, my receipt, and DoorDash, which also reflects the prices listed on their site. Essentially, if I had placed the order through DoorDash instead of calling it in, I would have paid the lower price as shown online.

Food was amazing! The chef greeted us at our table and the hospitality was out of this world. The entree was authentic as well. Bursts of flavor and made fresh upon order.