Ristorante La Perla of Washington

I have been to the restaurant several times and noticed it drop in the quality of its dishes over the past year. Food was a bit on the disappointing side. The flavor and preparations of the linguine and pasta is no better than what I used from the grocery store. Definitely does not deserve to be rated high. V Co

Truly a special and outstanding place in DC. Your pleasant experience starts with a very warm welcome at the entrance. Atmosphere in the restaurant is Great. The food is absolutely delicious. They are Chef Vittorio Tesla’s creations and very tasty. And he personally greets you at your table which is very kind of him. All the servers are very kind and very professional. You always want to go back there.

Took my adult daughter to La Perla for her birthday. The service was very slow. The food was “ok”, but for the very high price, it wasn’t worth it. My daughter ordered a pasta dish with seafood, including shrimp. The 2 large shrimp were so overcooked she could barely cut into them. Someone who was dressed like a chef, but didn’t identify himself, had 2 new shrimp brought out, they were cooked much better. The waitstaff was courteous and friendly, just very slow.
For the high price, I will not go back to this restaurant. It wasn’t the high price that turned me off, I knew that going in. There are way to many good restaurants in DC that are so much better.

As always, wonderful dinner, great service, and of course, a visit from our favorite chef!

Utterly does not understand allergies. I was given a meal covered in something I specifically asked not to have. When I asked them to just cancel the order, they remade it anyway and the chef stood over me to make sure I ate it. I still got sick from it. It was also horribly overpriced and the wait staff were talking behind my back about me and provided pretty terrible service.

Food was mediocre at best. Expensive.

It is a wonderful, old-world, elegant yet relaxed restaurant. Small but excellent wine list, great service. The only negative for me is that the seafood lasagna I ordered was a bit salty. So much so that I could still taste it the next morning. Still, I would recommend this restaurant highly and perhaps order something other than pasta next time.

We were seated promptly, drinks ordered w/in 5 minutes of being seated. From start to finish, we were attended to but never in a bad way. It was a wonderful, leisurely 2 hours of pure dining pleasure.

The oysters on the half shell melted in your mouth. The soups were hearty and tasty. The pasta was cooked to perfection and the sauces seasoned beautifully. Salads were delicious.

Some comments were made about the price but we found the prices to be very fair. Service was not slow, it was a chance to relax over good food and drinks. We will be back.

We have been going here for years. Never have we had a bad experience until this visit. Our food took over an hour to arrive at our table. The food and the staff are amazing as always but they gave a nondescript explanation for the delay. However, they did comp our wine for the inconvenience. Next time, we will be sure to get ahead of the delays if any.

Service was very slow. I ordered a veal picata and was served a veal parmagena

Authentic Italian Cuisine and extensive menu. Chef Vittorio and wait staff paid attention to every detail. Decent wine list. Quiet atmosphere even on a Saturday evening. Zuppa Di Pesce is a great choice if you like seafood - be sure to ask them to spice it up.

Service was excellent. Food was horrible for the price.

As always a wonderful experience

A dining experience I look forward to when visiting DC

Wow! Absolutely one of the best Italian places I’ve ever eaten(and I’ve eaten at quite a few!). Old school ambiance and very authentic Italian cuisine. A must visit!

I felt the care and pride. Lovely time catching up with a friend.

La Perla was a great experience- amazing food!

My wife and I had an amazing time. We welcomed with grace. The ambiance was exquisite, the service pumpous, and the food was great. Yet again the owner of the Restaurant stopped by our table to check on us as he did with everyone who was dinning. That is class and service rarely seen. It was a memorable night.

Dinner with friends after Patriot’s game. Perfect!!!

Excellent food, 5 star atmosphere! Fine dining at its finest!

The very attentive and professional service staff, and the decor - plus their lovely outdoor patio, overlooking a small park - are the takeaways from our first visit to La Perla. Food was very good, especially the lighter veal dishes. Gnocchi was excellent, but might have been improved with the substitution of a veal ragu vs. the bolognese which was offered. Marinara was very subtle and finely done. Tiramisu was heavenly - could easily have had a second piece!

A refined, and maybe preferred if you're feeling that way, alternative to Filomena's in the Georgetown area - we'll definitely be back!

It was a mediocre experience that cost a lot of money. 1. We ordered the burrata special and it was off. We sent it back and were still charged and the manager never came over. 2. Ordered a dirty martini after being inspired by the table next to us because it looked delicious. When we received it it looked totally different, read: it was clear, even after confirming with the waiter, it was not dirty. Sent back for more olive juice. Pasta dishes were much better. 3. Waiter was very much a newbie, or at least seemed like it, and it couldn’t help direct throughout the menu, hard to articulate the qualities of a dish, etc. For how expensive it was, I would definitely go elsewhere. Also, we were the youngest people there by 30 years.

The service and food are great!

One of the most memorable evenings we had in DC. The food was outstanding as was the service. The wine list was one of the best price points in the city. Excellent list at very reasonable prices. The hot seafood appetizer and the seafood risotto were outstanding. We asked for an order of sausage and peppers (not on the menu) which was one of the finest we ever had.

The four of us truly had an exceptional dining experience! Service was top notch, wine list extensive, with some real bargain buys if you know your wines. Lentil soup was perfect like it was prepared in Naples that evening! My entrée, pasta with veal and eggplant is an extremely a unique menu item and truly has that old world taste. Chef Testa is the best!

A traditional upscale Italian restaurant with a fairly ornate decor and a very extensive menu. The waiters were very gracious and accommodated our desire to share 1 eggplant parmesan, as my wife did not want to order a meal due to the fact that we had just attended a reception with lots of hors d'hoeuvres. The eggplant was very tasty, as was our cheesecake desert.

We dined at La Perla for our anniversary because it is our favorite restaurant in Washington. Authentic Italian food reminiscent of Capri and Naples. Vittorio, the chef and owner, is wonderful and always makes us feel special.

Awesome food and atmosphere

While the food was very good, unfortunately the service was slow, non-attentive and forgetful. Forgetful in that ‘they’ misplaced our to-go that we requested after our dinner. It’s a bit crowded and expect a long wait.

From the West Coast and seeking a nice Italian dinner prior to an early flight home in the morning, we were delighted with an exceptional dining experience which we hope to repeat on our next trip back.

Be smart, order a pasta dish. The chicken was small and overcooked...I went away hungry because I do not eat bread.

We dined at La Perla last year when I was in D.C. on business. It was so good we had to come back again this year, and we will keep coming back as long as Chef Victor is in charge here! He is an amazing chef, and so nice to his guests! He asked my 10-year old son last year why he was eating buttered noodles for dinner. My son said he didn't like sauces. Chef Victor told my son he must try his sauces and then he proceeded to make a great sauce right at our table that my son loved!! He came out to see us this year when we were ordering and remembered us from last year. My son asked him if he'd make the same sauce for him again and of course he was happy to do that! So we had another amazing dinner and conversation with Chef Victor and his staff. The food is awesome and so is everyone who works there!!!

Anniversary and birthday

Wonderful food, staff and owner!

Outstanding as usual. The food is unbelievably good. The service is top notch this place is awesome.

Took the GF here for our anniversary and it was easily one of the best italian restraunts I've ever been too. The service was amazing from sitting down all the way until the check. The best Raspberry White Chocolate and tiramisu ever!

I have been dining at Ristorante La Perla for the past 20 years and each time it is like my first - I can't get enough of the fine dining! The food and service is excellent, the décor of the restaurant is so beautiful and homely, not to mention the ladies restroom - yes - it is super beautiful, clean and classy! The staff all so friendly and responsive and the Chef is very personable - he meets and greets the guests to ensure satisfaction. Ristorante La Perla is one of the best Italian cuisine in DC, if not, the best. Christmas time is so cheerful and happy - the place is fantastically pretty and the music is soothing - the food is scrumptious and overall it just a wonderful experience to dine at La Perla!

Food was great, service was above average. A bit pricy for alcohol. Highly recommend La Perla.

What a wonderful meal! Everyone was so friendly and our waiter was very attentive! We all loved our meals and, if ever in DC again, will definitely be coming back!

Best Italian we have had the pleasure of dining at. Everything is freshly made, flavours are outstanding and service excellent. The owner and head chef still comes out to talk to his guest which is great.