Giovanni’s Trattu

Wonderful place. You feel like a member of the family here. Small and intimate we sat in the downstairs dinning room. Everything we ate was fresh and wonderful. Will definitely be back when we are in the area again.

Outstanding service, reliable fare and a perfect ambiance for a quiet meal. Thanks again!

I wish I could have tried one of every item on the menu! What we had was very good, Crostone Misto Delizia, Insalata Romana, Bucatini Alla Matriciana, Fettucini Porcini & Tiramisu. The fresh bread served before the meal was also fresh and delicious.
Appetizers: Crostone Misto Delizia aka mixed bruschette. Six crostinis with two of each: mushroom, tomato & spinach. I think the spinach was both my and my husband’s favorite of the different kinds. The Insalata Romana was probably the best caesar I had while in DC. Very good dressing.
Entrees: Bucatini Alla Matriciana had a somewhat heavy red sauce with a little more spice than your normal bolognese. The pasta was cooked perfectly and dressed with just the right amount of sauce. Fettucini Porcini had a very strong mushroom flavor, so I would not suggest it if you just wanted a hint of earthiness. We love the flavor of mushrooms, so it was not a problem for us.
Dessert: Tiramisu was homemade and served with fresh strawberry slices and whipped cream. The flavor was wonderful, however it had either been sitting out too long or had not been refrigerated long enough because it was a little runny.
Atmosphere and service: the dining room was a little tight as far as seating went and when my husband went to pull his chair in when sitting down he cut his finger on a nail sticking out of the chair. Service was fair, although my empty glass was ignored but my husband was asked multiple times if he would like another beverage. It seemed a little rude to me.
Overall, I would come back to this place because the food was good. Next time I might request a table in the corner on our reservation.

Went here for a business lunch this week and had some pasta dish (with mushroom filling) in a cream sauce. Worst dish I have had in a long time. Seriously. I don’t even know if the filling had any mushrooms, if anything it had the sources of canned mushrooms but I doubt that this pasta was home made. I highly recommend to never set foot into this establishment.

Came here this week with my mom for a nice authentic Italian dinner. We were very impressed!
We started with the fried mozzarella which was heavenly with the tomato sauce. Nice and crispy and gooey. Yum.
For dinner, I had the gnocchi with meat sauce and mom had the chicken marsala. The gnocchi was incredible. The perfect consistency. The sauce was delicious, my only complaint is there wasn’t so much meat in the meat sauce. I ate almost the entire bowl and the portion was large. Mom loved her chicken marsala. The chicken was very tender and the sauce was great flavored. It came with a side of spinach and Angel hair pasta. She also finished her whole meal. We were stuffed after that but had to try their desserts.
Mom ordered a cappuccino and a cannoli. It came with 2 small cannolis which she really enjoyed. The cappuccino was perfectly foamy. True Italian style.
I had the tiramisu and a cup of black coffee. I really recommend the tiramisu! It was amazing. So soft and creamy and delicioussss. And perfect with a cup of strong black coffee. It was just heaven. You should come just for that.

Not bad. Walked all the way from Georgetown to there in 40s weather… was not worth the walk.

5 stars for sure! I love this little hidden gem! I just went here last night for my birthday, and I love the whole experience this place offered. It was very authentic with delicious food and they accommodated my party of 10 so well. Everyone who worked here was extremely friendly, offered great advice for my friend who is gluten-​free, taught me some Italian for my upcoming trip, and then did a surprise really fun birthday treat at the end. Places like this are hard to find in DC and I totally recommend it. I came here on a lark and I’m so glad I did. The food was delicious and had a wonderful northern Italian variety, great service and totally affordable for everyone. I will be back here for sure– thanks for an amazing evening!

Giovanni’s is in the basement of a house, so it’s not really large and is rather narrow and goes back to where the kitchen is. Very, very friendly staff. Sitting near us were two groups that were also from out of town. I figured it to be a good thing that they also identified Giovanni’s as being a good place to eat. By the time we left every table was full and it was quite bustling. Our meals were very good. I had POLLO ROLLATO ALLA BIONDA, and my dining partners had BUCATINI ALLA MATRICIANA, and AGNOLOTTI DI CASA MIA. All three meals were really good. So was the Tirami Su we had for dessert. I would come back here again!

Tucked away in a basement .Keep your eyes open. The inside is really quaint, small and intimate. Old fashioned old style with pictures of famous people. Its quite and clean. The staff is wonderful friendly and efficient. The food on the other hand is not impressive. Bland, bland, bland nothing wow to it. Ordered the mussels nothing but tomato sauce the mussels were plentiful, huge and plum but tasteless. Then next we ordered the seafood salad. Great presentation however it was bland you could taste the celery. Perfect place for first date. Not so clean bathrooms!

I stopped in for lunch and had a very good meal and very good service. The place is hard to find and down the stairs once you find it. But it is worth the trouble. If there is a reason for less than 5 stars it is because of the small dining area you might have to hear what the people across the room are talking about, as the room is not very big. However for some this very small environment is likely part of its charm (just not today, for me, what with the loud talker patrons).

Looking for a low-​key, intimate setting and good Italian food, my fiancé and I headed here for Valentine’s Day. As many have mentioned, it’s easy to miss, as it’s in an English basement and doesn’t have any particularly noticeable signage. When we headed in, it was small and cozy, and perfect for the vibe we were going for.
We were quickly given bread and butter as we looked over their menu, which offered many many options. Choosing an appetizer was pretty difficult since everything seemed appetizing (pun intended), but we went with the garlic bread with Gorgonzola cheese, as well as the mussels, which were prepared in white wine, herbs, onions and garlic. Both appetizers blew us away. They were flavorful and satisfying, but not overly filling, and a perfect setup for what we really came for… great entrées.
Unfortunately, the great entrées never came. My fiancé ordered the tortellini with cream sauce, while I ordered the gnocchi with pesto sauce. My dish had zero flavor. None. I thought maybe I just made a poor choice, but my fiancé felt similarly about his selection. Needless to say, this was pretty disappointing considering that the appetizers were so good. We would probably return and just order more of those to share along with wine, but nothing beyond that.
As far as pricing, our dinner for two (two appetizers, two entrees and a bottle of wine) was less than $ 120, which would have been a great deal had we liked all of our food. Additionally, service was quick and the staff was friendly.

Loved this place! Classic little homey Italian place with great service and hand crafted food that only comes from pride of ownership. The owner selected a great red to go with the «Veal McCoy” — sounds corny but it was fabulous! Great meal followed by the tiramisu, which was a tough decision as all desserts are made in house.
Great food, attentive service, pleasant atmosphere, without the pretentiousness so common in this town. What more can you ask for?

My fiancé and I stopped by here last weekend. I had the pollo parmigiana and she the pollo Marsala. Absolutely outstanding the wait staff were friendly. The food was well presented and incredibly tasteful. I plan on returning whenever I am traveling in DC. Food was a little pricey but that’s DC.

Went here for Valentine’s day 2016 based on the Unilocal reviews. The place is small, cute and cozie. The bread offered was cold, not cut well and not tasty. However they did have good olive oil. Salad was flavorless and lobster bisque was not thick and creamy, more on the watery side. First dish was a 3 pasta dish, tortillini, penne and a layer of flat pasta over fish. Out of the 3, I only liked the penne. Main entrée was the grouper, just ok. My fiancé had a chicken entrée that was amazing. Ordered bellini’s for drinks and those were good. As far as service, there was one sourpus faced waitress that was not pleasant to watch. Overall not the best food experience especially for Valentine’s day.

Went here for dinner to celebrate Valentines Day. My girlfriend and I really enjoyed our overall experience. Service was great, food was delicious, and the atmosphere was good for a date. My only complaint is that the wine is way over priced, we had to pay $ 34 for a bottle of pinot grigio that was actually worth $ 12. I would recommend this restaurant to someone looking for a quiet place to go on a date in DC and especially if you aren’t a wine drinker.

As others have mentioned, this is a hole in the wall place serving good Italian food. This place is easy to miss if you don’t pay attention, and then you have to step down to get to the restaurant.
It is a tiny place compared to other restaurants in the neighborhood and generally more than half the tables are occupied.
They have a decent selection of real Italian dishes. The dishes here are not overly cheesy nor buttery — and pasta is cooked perfectly — al dente!
I generally get the rigatoni with Italian sausage, or the linguine with mussels, or the fettuccini.
They do have a good selection of dessert but I never have any place in my stomach for it as the main dish is generous enough for my appetite!
Service is good too and that goes well with the food :)
Nice little gem in the area :)

It’s a very pleasant small setting below ground, in a very central and accessible area. The menu is limited in scope, vegetarian-​friendly enough but heavy on wheat and dairy as any Italian tends to be if those things are problematic to you.
Given that, the garlic bread with gorgonzola was quite fantastic, and I enjoyed the baked pasta that I ordered. It gets a little downtown-​y as far as price and clientele are concerned. Certainly, I enjoyed it and it served a mixed group well, but I’m more like to search of the beaten path for my Italian meals (and pay less).

Recommended by a gentlemen who works at the Mayflower and my Italian Godmother was impressed… that’s saying A LOT as she’s NEVER impressed with Italian cuisine. Great service, clean bathroom and delicious food.

I’m really giving this 2.5 stars. I went with 3 instead of two solely because I feel sorry for the wait staff. They were attentive and pleasant. HOWEVER, my food was horrible, overpriced and not nearly enough for anyone over 5. I had chicken marsala which included one small cutlet a dollop of spinach (two forkfulls) and an equal amount of clunky pasta. No flavor. My gf had lasagna which tasted like a mixture of fresh made food and chef boy r d raviolli. Cosmetically it was a little off. I read people saying it was empty which is a good thing because it’s cramped. I did like my cannoli and my gf’s tiramisu was decent.
Bottom line a waste if $ 100 and will not be back.

Loved this place from the minute I walked up to the front door. It is on a quiet side street off of 19^th, and when we walked, felt like we were in a real old school Italian restaurant. My family is Italian, so I’m a bit picky when it comes to eating at Italian restaurants.
We had literally the best garlic bread I’ve ever tasted. Ever. Everyone tends to overcook/​burn garlic bread — and when it starts to cool it immediately gels or becomes mushy. This was perfectly cooked and retained its original consistency even as it cooled.
As an appetizer, we shared the prosciutto and mozzarella — delicious. And, true to Italian style, it was not a HUGE plate. Perfect for two people to share. Their olive oil was excellent.
For pasta, one of us got the bolognese and I got the alla matriciana. I didn’t try the bolognese, but my partner really enjoyed it. I loved the alla matriciana sauce; they put a little spice in there and I don’t remember having had it at other places where there’s a kick to it, and I really enjoyed it.
The other thing I appreciated is the portion sizes. I think there’s a stereotype that Italians eat huge portions of pasta — that’s actually the Americanization of Italian (and all) food. Each dish was the exact right size, and we were definitely sated when we left — and it was very reasonably priced.
We were greeted so cordially, and treated the same throughout the dinner.
We went on a Friday night (but a holiday weekend so much quieter in town). We had a reservation, but it was quiet when we showed up, which was nice, so I didn’t get a real sense of whether we needed one. Shortly after, additional people started coming in, so it seems to pick up around 7:30 for dinner. It’s not a large place, so I’d recommend reservations. I only wish I’d brought more people so I could have tasted more dishes! We will definitely be going back.