Bibiana

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Address:
1100 New York Avenue, NW (Corner of 12th and H St)
The corner of H St. and 12th
Washington, DC 20005

Neighborhood:
Downtown

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Cuisine:
Italian

Price: $30 and under

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Bibiana Details

Dining Style: Casual Elegant
Website: http://www.bibianadc.com
Phone: (202) 216-9550
Hours of Operation: Lunch: Monday - Friday: 11:30am - 2:30pm; All Day Menu: Monday - Friday: 2:30pm - 5:00pm; Dinner: Monday - Wednesday: 5:30pm - 10:30pm, Thursday - Saturday: 5:30pm - 11:00pm; Late Night Menu: Friday & Saturday: 11:00pm - 12:00am
Payment Options: AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
Cuisine: Italian
Executive Chef: Nicholas Steffanelli
Dress Code: Smart Casual
Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
Additional Details: Banquet/Private Rooms, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Counter Seating, Farm to Table, Full Bar, Gluten-free Menu, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking Area, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Personal wines welcome, Personal wines welcome (corkage fee applies), Private Room, Smoking Area, Smoking Area (patio only), Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine, Wine Bar

Getting there

Cross Street: 12th and H street
Public Transit: Metro Center is the closest metro stop, it is located at 12th and G street and our front door is one block away at the corner of 12th and H street.
Parking: Valet
Parking Details: We offer Valet parking for dinner only.

A word from Bibiana

Upon opening in September 2009, Bibiana instantly became one of Washington’s most popular hot spots.

Nick Stefanelli’s regional Italian fare features a variety of well executed small plates, antipasti and standouts including his whole roasted fish.

His cuisine helped earn Bibiana a glowing… review and two-and-a-half stars from food critic Tom Sietsema of The Washington Post, and four stars from DC Modern Luxury critics. It also secured a place on Washingtonian’s list of the top one hundred restaurants in the nation’s capital. In June 2010 Bibiana was a finalist for “Best New Restaurant” and Nick Stefanelli won the “Rising Star Chef” from The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. In October 2010, Stefanelli was also announced as the winner of StarChefs.com “Rising Star” award and Bibiana was named to Esquire’s exclusive list of 20 “Best New Restaurants 2010.”Continued

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Diner Reviews

"Branzino was Cod but waiter made up elaborate fiction as to why it was so thick and huge,he said they buy very big . Food Food not as wonderful as expected, fava beans served in their fibrous shells, inedible. Cod disguised as Branzino. Service was missing. I ordered espresso, not decaf, decaf arrived and waiter served me the same cup seconds later. Bait and switch!!!!"
Dined on 4/16/2014
"First time dining here. Service was impeccable. Food was very good. "
Dined on 4/15/2014
"My previous experience at Bibiana a year ago was very good; good food, good martinis, good service. This trip was a bit disappointing. The food took a very long time and was mediocre at best, my martini was served in a wine glass and the service was very slow. Not sure if this was just a bad night but disappointing all around."
Dined on 4/12/2014
"Attentive, witty service to go with excellent true italian cooking. The wine list is impressive. Will be back!"
Dined on 4/12/2014
"Great food, elegant atmosphere, impeccable service."
Dined on 4/12/2014
"I travel to Italy quite a bit, and have family there so I am a discriminating diner when at an Italian restaurant. This is one of the few places that meets the test of being as good as what I could have in Italy at a fine restaurant, and still seem relaxed and authentic. This time I dined alone just for a quick fix, and I was made to feel welcome and was well cared for. It made my day,"
Dined on 4/8/2014
"Loved the Fried artichokes (kind of Bibiana's answer to the fried spinach at Rasika). Chef kindly substituted for the clams in the Stone Bass dish... and that bass was moist, flaked apart and was luscious. Good by the glass wines choices. The Puntarelle appetizer is a comfort food with delightful contrasts in flavors - next time I'll order as a main. Service is prompt, knowledgable. The tables are crowded together just enough to make the service kind of a tucked-in-ballet. the restaurant is a bit loud-- not as loud as Rasika, but you'll have to lean over the table a bit. And you will likely overhear your neighbors (this is not the Oval Room). Bibiana is another reliably always GOOD Bajaj restaurant."
Dined on 4/5/2014
"A very good meal with good service, great food, and exciting ambiance."
Dined on 4/5/2014
"Bibiana will give date night an upgrade. Service is excellent. Waiters are attentive, but not trenched table side. Entrees are well spaced between appetizers and desserts. Menu items are slightly different from "standard" Italian fare, but nothing so unusual that a diner would hesitate to order anything offered. Outstanding seafood is not overwhelmed by sauce or seasoning, and highlighted with a vegetable. Desserts range from scoops of hand-spun gelato to more elaborate items that will sweetly end the meal. Date night deserves an upgrade - start the night with a wonderful meal at Bibiana."
Dined on 4/5/2014
"Our server Will was amazing. He takes passion in the wine and food that he serves and he ensures that you have just as passionate an experience! They went above and beyond to accommodate my dietary needs while ensuring the taste and quality of food was not compromised ! Highly recommend"
Dined on 4/4/2014
"While the restaurant was one in which dressing in more than blue jeans is preferred we walked in with just that our blue jeans after a day of sightseeing and enjoyed the best service and dining experience...........food was fabulous!!!"
Dined on 4/3/2014
"Great location for business lunch in the heart of Metro Center."
Dined on 4/2/2014
"A few years back I was in town for work and happened upon Bibiana. My friends and I had an excellent meal with excellent service. I recently moved to the DC area and rediscovered Bibiana, and the food and service were even better than I remembered. Now this is my go to Italian restaurant in the area and, despite my high expectations, always walk out impressed with the food and the service."
Dined on 4/2/2014
"The food here is awesome! Fish (a tuna and a skate) are succulent, perfectly cooked and beautifully presented with tasty sides. Black truffle risotto perhaps best risotto I have ever had- just the right balance of creamy and chewy. Barolo (a serious 2008) was perfect accompaniment. Don't miss heavenly chocolate torta - this chocolate snob was in heaven by its baked chocolate mousse! Eat here!"
Dined on 4/1/2014
"Love the service. It was my husbands birthday and they spoiled him. Highly recommended."
Dined on 3/29/2014
"Bibiana is excellent in all respects. It's a significant addition to Washington's comparatively under-represented Italian restaurant selection and could hold its own in any environment."
Dined on 3/29/2014
"This was our first visit to Bibiana, and we will return. First, the service was excellent, with an attentive waiter and staff, which is especially appreciated before theater. The food was very good, bordering on excellent. The only drawback was the 'crispy' skin duck could have been more crispy, but perhaps hard to do when ordering the duck medium-rare. When my dining partner ordered a half-portion of linguine, the waiter took it without the kind of double-take that has become too frequent in some upscale Italian restaurants. Altogether a very pleasant experience all around."
Dined on 3/29/2014
"My fiance' and I were looking for a place to grab dinner after a film during the Environmental Film Festival. We found Bibiana via open table and couldn't have been happier. Our meal was cooked to perfection, and desert was even better. Service was top notch, and the wines were also excellent. It's definitely one of the best restaurants I've been to in DC and would recommend it to anyone."
Dined on 3/25/2014
"Food was OK. I was expecting more due to hype of this restaurant. Nothing memorable. One more of the pack."
Dined on 3/26/2014
"I had the duck and it literally may have been the best thing I ever had. Chef Nick is absolutely amazing and took great care of us."
Dined on 3/22/2014
"Bibiana was fine for lunch. Priced moderately and food was good enough."
Dined on 3/20/2014
"Mediocre service - expected better of a nice restaurant."
Dined on 3/21/2014
"Food was delicious and service was welcoming and professional, will dine there again."
Dined on 3/19/2014
"Been here several times. Food is always good, but service this time was atrocious. Had to wait 20 minutes for table even though had reservations. Table service was horrible. Had to wait 20 min or more for almost everything, even when I got the waiters attention he went off to help another table. Almost every waiter was focused on a large table in a private dining area leaving every other table in the main dining room to fend for themselves. At one point had to get up and speak to host in order to get any attention. All of the wait staff was singularly focused on the private diners. No doubt the worst service I've experienced at any restaurant in a long time. I will think twice before dining here again."
Dined on 3/15/2014
"The evening was very nice. Waiter had great knowledge of menu and wine list. Very attenive and knowledgable."
Dined on 3/13/2014
"Wonderful to have a place downtown with real Italian food. Excellent mushroom salad and beet salad. My only suggestion is that you use less chili in the pasta with shrimp -- it was too hot. Great service."
Dined on 3/12/2014
"The was very very good,.. but the service was spot on."
Dined on 3/12/2014
"I tried Bibiana for the first time over 2014 winter Restaurant Week. The service was friendly and the ambiance is standard for a downtown DC restaurant of Bibiana's ilk. Wine selection was extensive and reasonably priced, but the food was completely substandard, especially given the positive professional reviews the restaurant has received. Perhaps the quality was toned down for restaurant week, but my pork entree was rubbery and almost inedible. For dessert, my date ordered the panna cotta, which was extremely tart and was reminiscent of the Jello cups I would eat as a kid. Our bitter-faced reaction to the dessert was shared by several tables nearby. Very disappointed in my experience and would not offer recommendation."
Dined on 1/14/2014
"Bibiana's is fantastic! My mother was very impressed with both the meal and the ambiance. From my perspective, it was great to finally find a restaurant where they understood my aversion to dry wines. Bibiana's has a perfect mildly sweet rose that was absolute bliss to drink. The only thing better than the meal was dessert. The chocolate torta was sublime! I highly recommend Bibiana's for foodies. Be sure to look up so that you won't miss the spectacular chandeliers; they are truly works of art."
Dined on 3/7/2014
"As an IATA member, I visit lots of restaurants for possible recomendations to our clients, and I found Bibiana one of the best. Joe"
Dined on 3/8/2014
"We loved this place! It was a dining experience! Exceptional food, service and atmosphere. We will visit it again the next time we are in town."
Dined on 3/6/2014
"We got fast service but were not pushed out. My colleague ordered a salad and was able to only eat half. I finished it and it was excellent (fresh lettuces and tangy fruit). The tartar and it was terrific. For our entrees, she ordered tonno and I ordered the linguini and both were terrific. The shrimp were fresh and the pasta was as good as you would get in Tuscany (and had a spicy sauce that reminded me of a Calabrian kitchen). I finished with a cappuccino and the semifreddo. I think the food was superior but wished that they had a few more entree choices. Our vegetable side (cauliflower) did not arrive with our entrees but did a few minutes later; the waiter was very apologetic and insisted that he would remove it from the bill."
Dined on 3/7/2014
"Dinner here was incredible. The bread was good to start, as was the mushroom appetizer. We both got pastas off of the monthly specials list, which were incredible, although unfortunately by that point we were too full for dessert! Wine selection was great, and I really liked that you had four different options for wine size. One thing was that the table we got seated by was kind of awkward and service seemed a little confused between three different waiters."
Dined on 3/1/2014
"Bibiana is a very nice Italian restaurant near the convention center. The food and service are excellent. The food preparations are not what you would find at a typical Italian restaurant. They are interesting and delicious, but the portions are somewhat small. The desserts are excellent, too."
Dined on 2/26/2014
"Food was good: arugula salad was uninspired but still tasty; veal cheeks were delicious but minuscule ( how big is a veal cheek?). We dined early and the place was empty, but by the time we left every table was filled. Very close to the Hyatt and in the general vicinity of the Convention Center for visitors. The only real issue was our server. His manner was zombie -like and he reeked of cigarette smoke: even my dining partner who is a cigar smoker commented on the rather unpleasant odor. I don't think the server cracked a smile once during our time at table...he floated by and glanced at us and spoke in a sepulchral monotone....almost creepy. Granted, he was attentive and refilled wine and water, but no enthusiasm was evident."
Dined on 2/27/2014
"Food was good, not exceptional, but service was outstanding. My favorite two things here: Vin Brule (awesome warm wine drink) and their chocolate dessert. Both deserve 5 stars."
Dined on 2/15/2014
"Skillful and authentic cuisine, great dining room energy, fun downtown restaurant with thoughtful food choices."
Dined on 2/22/2014
"We had a real good time. Food was delicious service was great"
Dined on 12/23/2013
"My friend and lunch partner suggested a restaurant close to his office, so I had no idea what to expect. Got there late and my guests were seated. First impression walking in a new restaurant for the first time was quite favorable. Service was spot on, accommodating but not annoying as we immediatedly became engaged in conversation. Everything about food, presentation, flavor, serving size was excellent. My dish especially was a non menu item I requested and chef did a marvelously. Creative job. Only slight negative was it was a bit pricey, but experience was worth it."
Dined on 2/20/2014
"The food, wine, and service were all very good at Bibiana. It is relatively expensive, but to be expected for an upscale restaurant in Washington DC. They accommodated a changed group size at the last minute as well even though they were busy. The noise level was a little too loud for reasonable conversation across a table of 6 however and I likely would not recommend the restaurant for a working dinner. All of the meal was wonderful - the small beet salad was really extraordinary."
Dined on 2/19/2014

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