Al Dente

Name: Al Dente
Address: 3201 New Mexico Ave. Suite E NW, Washington, DC, United States, 20016
Telephone: (202) 244-2223
Price range: $30 and under
Rating: 4.4

4.4 (1328)

$30 and under

Italian

3201 New Mexico Ave. Suite E NW, Washington, DC 20016

Make a reservation

2 people

Jul 3, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 4 times today

About this restaurant

Neighborhood gem
Great for outdoor dining
Great for happy hour

Guests can enjoy fresh house-made pasta, fresh fish and meat offerings along with Italian desserts. Al Dente also showcases Neapolitan pizza from the restaurant’s centerpiece oven.

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Italian
Hours of operation
Mon–Thu, Sun 11:30 am–8:30 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–9:30 pm
Phone number
(202) 244-2223
Website
http://www.aldentedc.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Catering
Catering is by request

Location
3201 New Mexico Ave. Suite E NW, Washington, DC 20016
Neighborhood
Tenleytown
Parking details
Free parking weeknights after 5:00PM and all day Saturday & Sunday. 50% OFF weekdays before 5:00PM with validation
Public transit
Tenleytown/American University metro stop on the red line and the N2/N4/N6 bus lines.
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Popular dishes

Insalata Romana$7.00
Romaine lettuce tossed with Caesar dressing and anchovies
Insalata di Rucola$11.00
Arugula and parmesan dressed with mustard dressing
Calamari Fritti con Parmigiano$11.00
Fried squid rings, tentacles, and hot pepper slices, served with tomato sauce and lemon
Polpette al Dente$7.00
Two “al Dente Style” meatballs, simmered in tomato sauce and parmigano
Lentil Soup$7.00
Parmesan cheese and olive oil

Large Plates

Penne All’ Arrabiata$12.00
Spicy tomato sauce and parmigiana
Fettucine Alfredo$12.00
Creamy Alfredo with Chicken
Calamarata Pasta$16.00
Squid, shrimp, mussels, clams, spicy cherry tomato sauce
al Dente Burger$8.00
angus ground beef patty, cheese, sliced tomato, lettuce, tomato mayo, brioche bun

What 1,328 people are saying

Al Dente reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.4

4.4 based on recent ratings

4.3Food
4.4Service
4.1Ambience
4.0Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Al Dente boasts "excellent food and outstanding service" with a delightful Happy Hour, offering "great pizza" and "wonderful local Italian" cuisine. The atmosphere is welcoming, accommodating both romantic dates and large gatherings, with "service well worth the tip." Despite some minor critiques, it's a neighborhood "gem."

1,328 Reviews

B
Bill VIP
Washington, D.C. Area49 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 25, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Grilled Branzino was excellent, as were the pasta Bolognese, arugula salad & meatballs. The daily Happy Hour is a bargain. Nicole provided great service.
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K
Kate VIP
Washington, D.C. Area9 reviews
1.0
Dined on June 20, 2025
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
I think the salmon dinner was the was the worst meal I’ve ever been served. The potatoes with crabmeat looked like leftovers that were discovered in the back of the refrigerator and then someone said, “oh, let’s mix these together so we can clear the refrigerator of old food”. Looked and tasted like prison food.
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J
Jonathan
Washington, D.C. Area1 review
5.0
Dined on June 15, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
The pizzas were excellent. My wife is GF and she loved the linguini. The wine pairing worked well, too. Be aware that a 20% gratuity is included in the bill. That's no problem for us because we always tip at least that much, but we haven't seen that before for a small party and had to check. The service was certainly well worth the tip, though, and we will be returning to try more menu items.
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S
Shawny
Washington, D.C. Area3 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 7, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Al Dente is one of our favorite restaurants. We enjoyed a big family lunch and had great service and delicious food!
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N
Nancy VIP
Washington, D.C. Area6 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 29, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
Service and food is always consistent and really good. The only complaint is about the over whelming bleach, fake floral smell inside the restaurant always.
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e
earl francisco VIP
Washington, D.C. Area18 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 27, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Always consistent and good. A bit pricey but great food.
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K
Kendall
Washington, D.C. Area60 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 23, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
What a great spot!? I came here for an early happy hour. The pizzas are on that HH list. You don’t usually have happy hour on pizzas, so count me in. The fromaggi was delightful. Their mixed drinks and white sangria were also so amazing. Our server, Marlo, was speedy and professional. Everything from the timeliness, food, seating, service, and dranks were all superb.
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B
Bri
Phoenix / Arizona2 reviews
4.0
Dined on April 22, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
The food was super good and they have a great happy hour. The owner was smoking at the table by us despite there being a no smoking sign. We were forced to pay a 20% service fee. I asked to have to removed but the server said he couldn’t. I have never seen a service fee that high.
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A
Anne Marie
Washington, D.C. Area23 reviews
5.0
Dined on April 19, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Love the pizza and cannoli!!! Great place for a romantic date or just for low key happy hour.
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L
Lisa
Greater Boston1 review
4.0
Dined on April 18, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
Smaller portions than expected. Spinach salad very salty. Pizza good
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FAQs

Al Dente does offer delivery in partnership with Uber Eats. Al Dente also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (202) 244-2223.

Al Dente is rated 4.4 stars by 1328 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Jul 3, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 4 times today

3201 New Mexico Ave. Suite E NW, Washington, DC 20016

Additional information

Neighborhood
Tenleytown
Hours of operation
Mon–Thu, Sun 11:30 am–8:30 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–9:30 pm
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Italian
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Free parking weeknights after 5:00PM and all day Saturday & Sunday. 50% OFF weekdays before 5:00PM with validation
Public transit
Tenleytown/American University metro stop on the red line and the N2/N4/N6 bus lines.
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.aldentedc.com/
Phone number
(202) 244-2223
Catering
Catering is by request

Al Dente

Make a reservation

About this restaurant

Additional information

Popular dishes

Pepperoni

Margherita DOC

Napoletana

Menu

Drinks

Mojito Monday$19.00

Beer$5.00

Wine$6.00

Rail Cocktails $7.00

Small Plates

Insalata Romana$7.00

Insalata di Rucola$11.00

Calamari Fritti con Parmigiano$11.00

Polpette al Dente$7.00

Lentil Soup$7.00

Large Plates

Penne All’ Arrabiata$12.00

Fettucine Alfredo$12.00

Calamarata Pasta$16.00

al Dente Burger$8.00

What 1,328 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Review summary

FAQs

Does Al Dente offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Al Dente restaurant rated?

Is Al Dente currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information