Food at Spezie made me think of one word ‘Superficial’. Everything looked good at first but after having one bite, I knew it was just pretty-face without any quality. Complimentary bread looked very good in the basket but all taste old and greasy. Ricotta Gnocchi: It was supposed to be fluffier and lighter than regular potato gnocchi if it was done right but Spezie’s gnocchi was dense and chewy. I was wondering if it was store-bought and left in the freezer for long time and just got boiled to be served. Terrible gnocchi. Ricotta cheesecake: Again. very nice presentation but it tastes nothing like a real ricotta cheesecake, lighter but milkier than NY cheesecake. Total disappoinment. Will NOT return.
Hit U.
Tu valoración: 5 New York, NY
Very friendly service. Absolutely expensive, but probably the best pasta I’ve had in ages. Nice collection of wine.
Elise D.
Tu valoración: 4 Oakland, CA
Went for an early dinner and had spaghetti with meat sauce, which was great. My friend had the veal ravioli and really liked his well. Service was a little slow, but generally a good experienc.
Lindsay G.
Tu valoración: 3 Moss Beach, CA
I liked Spezie. I would have given it four stars if it weren’t for our main courses. The owner(I think) was funny and very welcoming. I liked that. Our waiter was sort of awkward and cold, but I think that’s just him. We sat at the bar until our table was ready and I had ordered a glass of wine, drinking slowly because it was kinda early. He never brought me another one, yet my date had a beer and two glasses of wine. I sat through my entire meal with an empty glass of wine in front of me. Weird. The gnocchi and little chef special they brought out were very tasty — 4 stars. But then the main courses: He had handmade veal ravioli — pretty bland. He was unimpressed, I liked it better than he did. Granted it should definitely not have cost what it did. I had the sea bass. There was so much going on on the plate I don’t even know where to start. Just a ton of conflicting flavors. Almost confusing. I ended up eating most of it because I was just so confused with what was going on on my plate. Unimpressed. The desert was awesome, but it sounds like from another review(whoever’s was frozen) that my kudos should be going elsewhere. Spezie felt like a new restaurant that hasn’t sorted out it’s menu or wait staff. But it’s not! Maybe they’re just stuck in their ways and don’t care what I think. Yeah, that’s probably it. Oh their three and four course menus are a really good deal though!
Nancy M.
Tu valoración: 4 Washington, DC
Spezie seems to be geared to the corporate crowd, which could explain the prices. It is not to be overlooked though. The dishes are quite good, it is obvious that they have real Italian influence in the kitchen and have not allowed themselves to be totally Americanized. The pasta is delicious, as are the entrees. I have never been there for lunch, but I imagine it is different than the relaxed dinner atmosphere. Located just a couple of blocks from Dupont Circle, I am surprised that does not attract a larger dinner crowd. The restaurant is warm and comfortable, with a spacious and engaging bar area, as well as a roomy dining room that offers a certain level of privacy to its guests that most of Dupont’s crowded little places fail to do. The service could be a little better informed of the menu. The thing I enjoyed most about Spezie was the feeling of real Italian influence in its offerings, and not some corporate sellout pasta-with-chicken menu. Prices are high, but I think its worth it.
Liz s.
Tu valoración: 3 Washington, DC
New Years Eve dinner! Lovely to spend my last meal of the decade with BF. We did the tasting menu with wine. As each course was presented, I expected the accompanying wine at the same time. Wine was lagging. Also, it would have been nice for the wine to be listed on the menu with each course, or at least the server could have told us what we were drinking. No worries. I wanted to get a head start on my 2010 resolutions(#8 Be a grown up) and selected the squab entrée. Sounds grown up. I didn’t even know what kind of bird it was. Feels adventurous. BIGMISTAKEOLDGIRL Ugh. Hated it. Left an aftertaste. Maybe it was just Spezie’s preparation, maybe grown ups should not eat baby pigeons. BF’s meal was good. The plate presentation was good too. Bread basket was good. Staff was friendly.
Lemon C.
Tu valoración: 4 Washington, DC
The pasta here is delicious! You get a hardy serving size! Not 5 pieces of ravioli like at other restaurants. Your table gets delicious bread and an olive spread. The service does have something to be desired though.
Laura H.
Tu valoración: 2 Arlington, VA
Maybe I’m just extremely picky, maybe my expectations were too high. But I was very unimpressed by this restaurant and will not be returning. The atmosphere was alright, nothing particularly special but it was tasteful and pleasant. It was very hot though, they needed to make better use of their AC. The waiters were a little awkward and neglectful. If you wanted something beyond the basics or needed something extra – good luck! There was also a huge problem with splitting the check(I was there with a group of girlfriends) they claimed they couldn’t do it. How come every other restaurant I’ve been to can? This created problems. Customer service left something to be desired. And then comes the most important part, the food. Spending about $ 30 for one person on a dinner in DC isn’t that unusual, but you expect a certain level of quality. At least I do – if that restaurant ever wants to see me again. I’m a teacher, with student loans, I don’t exactly have a lot of money to throw at mediocre pasta dinners(Olive Garden anyone?) The pasta was overcooked and sticky(I like mine al dente). The sauces were fairly good, but didn’t taste very fresh. At least they weren’t sweet(a pet peeve) I has a tomato/eggplant sauce first. It was a little bland. For my main course I had a sort of rabbit Alfredo. Where the tomato was bland, this sauce overcompensated. The first bite was great, every bite after that was sickeningly over salted and over seasoned. There’s a reason this place was largely empty during Restaurant Week. At least the wine list was great. I guess if you drink enough you wont mind the poorly seasoned, over cooked and over priced pasta.
Leslie W.
Tu valoración: 4 Vienna, VA
I first visited Spezie with friends for drinks after work. I cringed as we approached as it appeared to be just another DC restaurant with over priced drinks, so-so food and bad music passing as ambiance. Not so, with Spezie. The drinks were delish and they did not skimp on the alcohol! The food was good(the calimari and peppers were the best!) but we almost didn’t get to it because the bread was so good. The focaccia with caramelized onions were addictive! The bread comes with this interesting dressing/butter. It wasn’t my cup of tea, but everyone else at the table really seemed to enjoy it. There are two factors that hold me back from giving Spezie five stars. 1.) the atmosphere is a bit DC cookie cutter. Orange walls, light wood seats, mirrored bar, dim lighting. 2.) The prices were rather high. Two drinks per person plus two appetizers for the table, split, came out to $ 50/person. If you’re in the area and don’t mind the prices, then Spezie is a great place!
Mike M.
Tu valoración: 5 West Palm Beach, FL
During my visits to DC, I’ve always ventured to other parts of town, such as Adams Morgan or Georgetown, for a great restaurant. My friend recommended Spezie, stating it as his favorite Italian restaurant in DC. Being near downtown and only a few blocks from the White House, I was skeptical, but I was holding him to his word. I ate my words later, not to mention all of the other things I ate. While there isn’t outdoor seating, the large front windows open fully to bring the restaurant to the street. We sat at these windows during a thunderstorm, which made for an awesome dinner. The ambiance was comfortable and classy. Bathrooms were nice too. We totally feasted! Calamari, prosciutto di parma over canteloupe, and gnocci for appetizers. All were great, especially the prosciutto. I had the rack of lamb special, which was amazing. Dessert was an awesome raspberry cobbler special and a great espresso. The bartender was great, as he was also our waiter. He attended to our every need and mixed a great drink. He was tipped appropriately. The manager also came to check up on us, which, imho, is always a sign of a quality establishment. The menu is diverse with many specials available. If you’ve never been, don’t hesitate to ask your server for recommendations. You won’t be disappointed. I must say that expectations were met and exceeded. The food was wonderful and the service amazing. For a Saturday night, it was not crowded. I expect they do more business for lunch or dinner on weeknights. I’m looking forward to going back during my next DC adventure.
Deb G.
Tu valoración: 4 Port St. Lucie, FL
Another DC work dinner, another DC restaurant. But I have to say, I really enjoyed Spezie. They treated my party of 10 quite well, including getting us a private room and a knowledgeable waiter with good service. May I just say that bread really sets the tone of a restaurant with me? OK, so their focaccia was insanely good — topped with onions, it didn’t even begin to need the olive oil or olive tapenade accompaniment, I started with the caprese salad — the mozzarella was fresh as was the tomato, the basil was perfect, and the whole thing was laced with abasil drizzle that provided the needed salt and a kick of flavor. A great starter. My entrée choice was the fresh pasta twists with eggplant and smoked mozzarella. Everyone else liked their dinners, but may I just say, «oh yeah». This was so good — hearty and filling, and the fresh pasta was so nice. I also heard good things about the ricotta gnocchi. My dessert was a strawberry rhubarb cobbler with vanilla gelato. It was so rich I couldn’t finish it, but it was lovely. I tasted the tiramisu, which was good but nowhere near as lovely as the cobbler. Overall, it was a very good meal that my colleagues and I enjoyed. Perfect for when you need to take people out that don’t have adventurous palates.
Rachel B.
Tu valoración: 1 Washington, DC
Went to Spezie on Valentines Day with my boyfriend who made a 9:30 pm reservation; still took 20 mins to be seated even though two couples who walked in after us, also with 9:30 reservations were seated first. We didn’t see our waiter for 15 minutes when finally seated. Then it took another 10 to bring us water. Salads were horrific; — tasteless and poorly presented. Pasta was under-cooked; fish was over-cooked. Overall, we liked the ambiance of the restaurant but were not impressed by the service nor the food. Pricing seemed somewhat reasonable for this kind of plcae if any of the above had been good.
Giin l.
Tu valoración: 3 Washington, DC
great pasta is a hard find in DC. spezie does a decent job. i’ve liked this spot ever since it opened ages ago. good business lunch joint. may i rant a bit here? restaurateurs, listen here and listen good — there is a mid-price market that needs to be filled in DC. in all the other cities worth mentioning — NY/LA/SF — there are great, excellent restaurants for all the price points: $ 40+ entrees, $ 30 – 40 entrees, etc. here, in DC, no great restaurants in the $ 10 – 20 price point. lunch shouldn’t be limited to sandwiches or power lunches. so tired of $ 80 lunches for two. here is a great case in point: spezie? taste-wise, this is a $ 10 – 15 entrée spot. the menu prices are overconfident. i wouldn’t venture beyond the pastas.
Christine G.
Tu valoración: 2 Washington, DC
I indulged in Spezie, which I’d hoped to try for a long time, for lunch because it was restaurant week. I have no idea what their prices are during non-restaurant week, but I give them props for not limiting the selection dramatically because it was restaurant week. They had a huge range of choices. I had the ricotta gnocci for the first course, glazed salmon for second course, and the strawberry crostata for dessert. I definitely felt I got a bang for my buck. The food was very good. Service was good and OK, but nothing out of the ordinary. I would have given the place 4 stars, but I knocked off major points because the top of my crostata was still frozen. I’m sure many restaurants use frozen desserts, but at least make sure it’s thawed before bringing it to the table. If you could score a table by the open window in front on a nice day to enjoy drinks and an appetizer, I think that would be your best bet! Update: 8/20/08 – Second time at Spezie in 2 weeks! This time, I stuck w/the chicken salad. Even though I was expecting more of a «chicken on a salad» kind of salad than«chicken salad,» I thought it was a good combination of creamy mayo plus a little sweetness(golden raisins), tangy tomatoes, greens, and glazed walnuts. I love their foccacia bread. Again, score a seat by the window – very enjoyable breeze! Okay, my third trip to Spezie was for a happy hour – with about 10 or so Italian-American young professionals(of which I am one). This was a little while ago, but basically, in the end, we felt fairly unwelcome. We sat in the bar area, and spent money on food and drinks, and paid, so I can’t quite understand what the problem was, but a man, presumably the owner, circled us and not in a genial manner. I smiled at him and he literally scowled. The waiter, however, was very nice. Though I know«my people» can be loud at times, we weren’t being raucous or anything, and the place was nearly dead(though not entirely… so it’s not as if they were trying to close) so you’d think they’d want the money. I don’t know – it soured me on Spezie.
Rebecca M.
Tu valoración: 3 Washington, DC
I went to this place the other night with my Boyfriend and another couple, and proceeded to imbibe heavily and gorge myself on tasty food. Typically I would give a place like this 5 stars, especially given the phenomenal service. However, I felt it was a bit overpriced and the ambiance was a little too corporate for me. First off the bar area is awesome. Their wine list is impressive and they have this fantastic basil liquor that the owner brews himself. The bartender was incredibly attentive and the Manager himself was extremely accommodating. In fact, even the chef introduced himself. However, once I opened the menu I had a bit of sticker shock.(Most plates were ~$ 22+). I had the lobster pasta, which was probably one of the more expensive en trees at $ 36. However, there were other pasta dishes that looked appetizing in the $ 24 price range. Their fried seafood appetizer was also very good and not overdone. I can see this place being the perfect place for a client lunch, however, if they want to attract an evening crowd I think a face lift of the décor and a re-evaluation of the menu is in order.
Kara B.
Tu valoración: 3 Oakland, CA
I’ve been here a few times for lunch, mostly for work related stuff. We often get seated in the private dining room which is a nice touch. The restaurant is so-so — considering the price. I’ve had the hollow spaghetti, which was extremely bland. The other dish I had was a lunch special — baby octopus. It was grilled, but overcooked and almost tasted burned. Overall, not the best Italian food I’ve had, but a good atmosphere to dine.
J C.
Tu valoración: 4 Arlington, VA
Sometimes you gotta savor the small joys in life. Finding $ 10 in a jacket you haven’t worn for a year. Porn with a good-looking cast and a plot that doesn’t make you cringe. Having someone take you out for lunch when you weren’t expecting it. As it turns out, we had an international crime summit yesterday, and my executive director and coworker made a bet on our attendance level. If my coworker won, the ED would take her out to eat. If the ED won, she’d have to wear a Yankees ballcap around the office(the ED, me, my coworker, and about half the staff are diehard Red Sox fans, so to most of us, this’d be the height of comedy). She won, so while we weren’t treated to a comedy show, my unit did get a free meal out of it. Spezie remodeled recently and they seem to be going for a Eurochic/Eurosleek vibe. Everything’s polished and roomy, and even though they were half full, there was a really good mood to the place. The bar area was definitely seeing some action, which I’m taking to be a good sign. DC’s funny that way: people seem absolutely mortified to have a drink during lunch here, which is funny seeing as how about 80% of DC seems to be functional alcoholics. I guess that means the wines here are good enough to risk ostracism from the workaday teetotaler/5:01pm alkie crowd. But I digress… Lunch for me consisted of the fruti mare, a seafood salad of calimari, clams and scallops served with cherry tomatoes, olive oil, and seasonings. For a lunch portion it was very filling and the price($ 12) can’t be beat. My coworkers stuck to traditional Italian pasta dishes. I found their portions to look filling without being overwhelming. I’m guessing the dinner portions would be a little larger. They also had this incredible bread with a minced black olive spread. Damn, that was almost as good as the meal! I’m giving Spezie four stars for two reasons: the first is that while my coworkers seemed to enjoy their meal, they weren’t raving about it nonstop either. Also, I saw the waiter visibly roll his eyes while trying to go over the dessert specials and a few of my coworkers were still talking. I’m sure it wasn’t intentional, but dude, it’s the gelato menu. You’re not doing a one-man interpretive dance recital of Peyton F*cking Place. The verdict: this would definitely be a good lunchtime date place or a good business lunch place for that matter. I’ll probably be back again just to quaff a wine or two after work sometime.
Jaye V.
Tu valoración: 2 Alexandria, VA
2.5 Stars I organized a birthday dinner here a couple of years ago based on the great reviews I had read from various sources. While our service was fantastic, the food was better sounding on the menu than tasting. None of the flavors really popped in any of the dishes, except for maybe the antipasti we ordered for the table — but those were pretty much made up of straight-up good ingredients, so you couldn’t go wrong. Unfortunately, it was worth nowhere near the money it cost. But we had a good time at dinner anyway.
Matt P.
Tu valoración: 4 Washington, DC
I frequent Spezie mainly for drinks after work. Its not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, but I appreciate the service and the selection. No beer on tap, but they can make anything in the bar. One complaint, I asked for an Old Fashion and they didn’t have bitters. The apologized and tried their best. The next week, however, the remembered me and made is just perfect. The bar tenders and owner are very nice. They greet you at every stop and remember your drink orders. I hear the food is amazing, but haven’t had the chance to order anything yet.
Silvio D.
Tu valoración: 4 New York, NY
I went here with my family for dinner and every one loved it. I would consider the cuisine to be more contemporary italian rather than traditional. The carpaccio and calamari were great appetizers. I recommend Maltagliati al Sugo(homemade pasta in a veal Bolognese sauce). Sirloin steak served with gorgonzola red pepper sauce and roasted potatoes also receieved rave reviews. The portions here are small, so I would suggest ordering an appetizer or salad to start. The waitstaff was attentive, and the host also came by to help with the wine selection.