Sfoglina - Downtown

I cannot say enough good things about Sfoglina Downtown!! We have been loyal customers of Fiola and Fiola Mare for years. Now, we're big fans of Sfoglina too. (Despite still having trouble saying the name - lol). We had a lovely dinner for my 40th birthday in one of their private rooms last night. The room was decorated nicely, with a comfortable table for the 14 of us. We had an amazing 4 course meal - starting with their tender, flavorful meatballs, delicate salad with goat cheese and tomatoes and their rosemary bread with whipped ricotta. Everything was served family style which was super fun and interactive. Then came the pasta course - with cheesy and peppery cacio e pepe and short rib filled Agnolotti with the most amazing truffle sauce. Everyone at the table was commenting on how perfectly cooked the pasta was and how good they were. I agree!! Then we moved onto our segundi - branzino with a puttanesca sauce and hangar steak. Again, the fish was cooked perfectly and the sauce was so flavorful! Finally, we had their luscious tiramisu with the most delicious layers and cream. Probably best I've ever had (but it kept me up ALL night - true to its name, pick me up!). The service was impeccable - the servers so attentive and helpful. The waters were always filled, the plates cleared and courses served at the perfect times. Grazie mille, Sfoglina for a truly special birthday and perfect evening!

Sfoglina is always a good time! This visit, I stopped by for dinner with friends and we had a lovely experience. The atmosphere is warm, intimate and inviting - perfect for catching up with friends or for a nice date night. Our server was on point, providing great service with plenty of charm and humor, making sure sure we had everything we needed and offering great suggestions throughout our meal. As always, the food did not disappoint. I started with the Tuscan tomato soup - it was lovely! The warm rosemary bread with whipped ricotta perfectly complemented it. For my main dish I had the ravioli which was pretty good. The desert was delicious (I can't remember the name but I took a picture below!) Also the drinks are really good! Sfolgina is a go-to spot in the city for good Italian food and great drinks. I will definitely return for more good times and to explore more of the menu.

Overall, a delightful (albeit pricey) experience. We started w the mozzarella trio, which in hindsight was way too much for two. I liked two of the cheeses - can't recall the one that was meh. I also wish they had more basil on the plate- it was fresh and delicious. The Tagliere di Salumi was a nice accompaniment, albeit some of the pieces were a bit salty. The rosemary bread was some of the best bread I've had in my entire life. Full stop. If that was the only thing I could eat for the rest of my life, I'd be ok with it. For mains, I had the braised beef agnolotti - good but just a touch too salty. My friend had squid ink pasta and really enjoyed it. The service was great. Not bougie fold your napkin while you're in the restroom bougie but perfect hand offs and plate clearing, and "we'll box this for you and put it out of sight by the host stand and give you a coat check ticket so you can pick it up on your way out" bougie. And they had a coat check 10/10. The one downside- y'all have lost your minds w the cost of drinks. Seriously. Please examine that menu. $80 for a bottle of Sauvignon blanc that I can pick up at Total Wine for $22? Please. Also, the fact that the place was only 60% full at best on a Friday night (we were there from 6-9 pm so I'm confident in my assessment) tells you something and the food is not the issue.

We visited Sfoglina during the week and had a good dining experience for the most part. We were able to get reservations at the downtown DC location (they have several locations around the district). We were immediately seated once we arrived for our reservation, which was nice. The ambiance was really cool and the menus added so much character. Not to mention the food smelled delicious! We didn't have long to wait before we were greeted by our waiter, Amond. Now, this is where I began to have an issue. We clearly didn't know how to navigate as it was our first time dining there. He immediately asked us if we wanted to order drinks (immediately after sitting). There was no acknowledgment or time for us to even browse so we asked for a moment. When he returned, my friend said that she wanted a sweeter wine in which he recommended the Falanghina. I felt rushed so I just ordered the same. We received our drinks and the menu was explained to us regarding the restaurant week options and that we could order those along with regular menu items. We went during winter restaurant week so we were pleased that it was still an option. When the waiter came back, he asked immediately what we wanted to eat. There was no Intro into the menu, he didn't ask about food allergies nor did he read the room on us still trying to figure things out. At that time, I advised him to slow down, advised him of my friend's peanut allergy and my pork restriction, advised him that this was our very first time dining there and asked for food recommendations. It was only THEN that he engaged with us to recommend items off of the menu. We ordered the rosemary bread with whipped ricotta, Caesar salads, the short rib agnolotti and the Radiatore cacio de Pepe with chicken. The bread was 10/10. The salad was 8.5/10 (could have used less Caesar) and the pasta was 9/10. Overall, we really enjoyed our food. The dining experience was honestly really good. The reason for my review is for the service. I will give the overall score a 3.5 star because of that. I really did not appreciate being rushed by the waiter and we both agreed that our experience likely would have been a tad different had he just slowed down a bit and offered a more friendly approach. It was a busy night but not busy enough to rush your patrons. He warmed up to us towards the end of the night but by that time my dining experience was done. Service means everything to me and I hope this feedback provides a constructive moment of feedback because it really could have been a 5 star experience!

Cute spot with amazing handmade pasta - I loved the takeout container the pasta came in and that I was able to order a half portion! The tiramisu looked beautiful, but was just okay. I don't think the container did it any favors, so restaurant served version may be better! Caesar was fantastic and comes with fried capers (which aren't my fave, but really did the trick here). The $28 express lunch also caught my interest and will be happy to try when I'm back in the DC area!

I went to Sfoglina for a birthday dinner and had high hopes. The food itself was good - the beef short rib stood out as the best dish of the night, and I also enjoyed the garlic bread and dessert.The issue? Even after a three-course meal, I left hungry. The portions are incredibly small for the price, which was disappointing. I'm used to Italian restaurants being more generous, offering hearty, family-style meals that leave you satisfied.The food quality is there, but for the cost and portion sizes, it's hard to justify a return visit.

I went here a few days ago and the ambiance was cozy, the waiter was amazingly nice and knowledgeable of the menu. He gave great service. I ordered the garlic bread and grilled octopus as the appetizer. The grilled octopus was flavorful but it was still on the chewy side, I almost broke a nail cutting it. The garlic bread came with a dipping sauce and it was very tasty. For the main course I had the Pappadella with a glass of white wine and mocktail. The dish was under seasoned and got cold pretty quickly. Overall the experience was okay.

Sfoglina - A Birthday Dinner with Flavors That Left Us Wanting More!I recently joined a group of friends to celebrate a birthday at Sfoglina, and it was a night to remember. We were a party of nine, arriving on a Friday night around 6:30, and got a fantastic spot right near the kitchen, giving us this almost private dining vibe. It felt like a front-row seat to the culinary action!We kicked things off with the grilled Spanish octopus -- tender, smoky, and packed with flavor. Then came the special Canary Island Branzino, beautifully cooked and flaky, and the Tagliatelle ai Fruitti de Mare, which was brimming with seafood goodness. But the real standout? Fabio's Ravioli San Leo. These little pockets were bursting with rich, creamy flavor, leaving me wishing for just one more bite! To top it off, the birthday girl ordered an espresso martini, which paired perfectly with everything and kept the energy high. Our server, Oscar, was excellent -- super knowledgeable, handled our questions with ease, and kept the night flowing smoothly, even with a group our size.By the end, we paired everything with a bottle of wine, and between the food, drinks, and company, it felt like the perfect celebration. Sfoglina has that charm and flavor that'll make you want to come back, again and again. If you're looking for a place that nails Italian with a cozy, intimate vibe, you need to try it out.

Came here for a friend's birthday recently and had a very good experience. To begin, I have extensive allergies and the restaurant was able to confirm that the ingredients to the pasta were safe for me! The waitstaff was great and even brought my friend a birthday dessert. The food was good and I would gladly return.

When our original dinner plans fell through, we spontaneously found Sfoglina and it turned out to be a great pick. This is more of an upscale Italian restaurant and it appeared to be pretty popular with the after-work crowd as most customers arrived in business-casual attire.Service was terrific from the beginning. Our waiter welcomed us and kindly described the menu's specials in detail, while also mentioning his top 3 dishes, which definitely influenced us! Throughout dinner, our waters were refilled countless times and we appreciated the staff's attentiveness. Our group of four decided on the "Pasta Tasting of 3", which includes three pastas of your choosing to share family-style for $85. If we each purchased a pasta individually, it would have exceeded that price, so this is a fair deal if you are dining with others. 1) PAPPARDELLE: My favorite of the three, the al dente pasta was fully covered in a hearty Ragu Bolognese sauce that I believe contained a mix of beef and pork. While a tad salty, I still really enjoyed it and the flavor of the tomato sauce shined. 2) SPICY SQUID INK TAGLIATELLE: Squid ink pasta was tossed in garlic and olive oil, served with Gulf Shrimp and topped with Burricotta cheese & crumbles of fried bread. Despite its nice presentation, I was underwhelmed by this dish since I didn't find it spicy at all and didn't taste any garlic either. We mixed the Burricotta cheese around to coat the pasta, which added a nice creaminess, but overall, I just felt that something was missing. 3) STUFFED FARFALLE (menu special): Ricotta-stuffed bowtie pasta was swimming in a black truffle and "spring sage" sauce, topped with pine nut gremolata. The menu doesn't state this, but the sauce surprisingly had a strong lemon flavor. I am not a fan of citrus, so I had only a taste of this one, but my dinner companions enjoyed it. + SAUTEED BROCCOLINI ($14): I loved this! The broccolini was tender and tossed in garlic, olive oil and Calabrian chili. It was delicious on its own, but enhanced by a super fresh and herby pesto which also had a subtle heat. + PISTACHIO CAKE ($16): Delicious and can be easily shared between at least two people. The cake was moist with a silky pistachio mousse piped on top. The middle had a layer of tart raspberry jam. So good and the perfect level of sweetness. + SFOGLINA TIRAMISU ($16): The coffee-soaked sponge cake had a good strength to it, which balanced well with the layer of Mascarpone and huge dollop of whipped cream on top. It was light and definitely a memorable tiramisu.Despite this being a splurge, we were pleased with our dining experience as a whole. While I personally would have chosen a couple different pastas, our selection was a combination of preferences among my group. Make sure you order dessert!