A longtime Italian restaurant from across the Potomac has its sights set on Old Town, according to the Washington Business Journal.
Floriana has reportedly leased a ground-floor space in the Atrium Building at 277 S. Washington Street. It’s aiming to replace a 5,800-square-foot vacancy left by Virginia’s Darling and Mae’s Market as early as June.
The new spot would be Floriana’s second D.C.-area spot, joining the original 1979 location at 17th and Q Streets NW in the District. It’s led by an affiliate of owner Jamie Branda and co-owner Dino Tapper, son of restaurant founder Floriana Nestore.
“There’s great restaurants there, great people, and you’ve got a good mix of residents and tourists,” Branda told WBJ.
The Northern Italian restaurant’s D.C. dinner menu features a variety of pastas, such as a duck pappardelle and a scallop and shrimp risotto, in addition to dishes like a branzino with lemon oil, tomato, capers and olives.
In Old Town, Branda hopes to offer an expanded menu that includes new breakfast service, happy hour specials and a raw bar.
“The menu will feature some dishes served up at the D.C. restaurant, such as lasagna and possibly lamb gnocchi, along with new offerings including pizza, thanks to a large pizza oven left from Virginia’s Darling,” WBJ reported.
Renovations in Old Town are estimated to range between $500,000 to $800,000. Property owners, affiliates of W.C. & A.N. Miller Development Co., believe Floriana’s presence will “appeal to the building’s office tenants as well as the surrounding neighborhood,” according to WBJ.
“It’s just a classic neighborhood place people go to two, three times a month,” Bill Dickinson of Rappaport told WBJ. “It’s a very elegant restaurant that also is very approachable.”
The new restaurant is reportedly “part of a larger expansion plan” for Floriana that includes a new outpost in Huntsville, Alabama. It also opened a location in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 2020.
