Officina

Went for drag brunch yesterday. My review will focus on the food and ambiance.

For the music the speaker in the northwest corner of the third level (by the bar) was blown out and did not hold up well. It spat out loud crackle that was perhaps louder than the music itself.

The chicken burger was pretty good. The bloody Mary's were also quite nice. Service was a bit slow due to the crowd and the operating conditions: it isn't easy delivering food with performers also in the same space. Expect delays and difficulty communicating with the waitstaff when it's loud.

Parking tip: park off the wharf at the portals; flat 15 on weekends instead of 10/hr

I went to Officina and sat at the bar. I started with a glass of Sangiovese. I usually order a Cabernet Sauvignon, but I have to admit the glass of wine was really good!

I had the Polpette, and it was okay. The polenta had a nice creamy texture, the meatballs had a very distinct taste, maybe veal, which was really nice, and the tomato sauce was okay. Something had too much salt; I'm not sure if it was the polenta, meatball, or tomato sauce.

I ordered tiramisu for dessert, and it was okay. It wasn't the worst, but it wasn't the best I have had.

The service at the bar had either very high points or very low points. It wasn't consistent until a new bartender showed up. She was on point and did a great job!

Average experience for brunch. I tried the Officinia Burger. Although I understand that they didn't have BBQ sauce, it was still lacking something. Fries had some nice seasoning on them but came out somewhat cold. Service was OK. I definitely wouldn't drive across town but if you are on the Wharf looking for a bite, this is an ok option.

Oh, the brunch menu outside is the only option while inside also has the full menu.

HAPPY HOUR REVIEW:
Great happy hour until 7pm weekdays. Bar only. Based on the food we tried, I wouldn't come back and pay full price for dinner but for the deals we got, it was good. The server was super friendly and helpful.

My friend and I went to Officina for DC's restaurant week. Their brunch menu was $25 for 3 courses.

When we got there, there were only a few tables seated but the staff looked so stressed out and chaotic. We tried to act overly calm to reassure our waitress the whole time because everytime she came to check in on us, she looked so worried! (the service was great)

Food wise, my friend and I had their meatball with bread crumbs and a grits-like mashed potato. The dish was on the salty side and a little grainy, but the meatball was fresh and filled with flavor.

I definitely enjoyed my steak more. The sauce complimented the dish so well & the potatoes were perfectly roasted and salted. My friend's carbonara was a little disappointing, unfortunately. The sauce was a little thick and the noodle choice was a little questionable (a little too thick). However, for $25, we really can't complain!

To finish the meal off, we enjoyed their tiramisu and cannoli. Both desserts were solid...nothing exceptional, but tasty!

You really can't beat a 3-course brunch for $25, especially nowadays. I was happy I got to experience Officina for my first time through their deal.

Poor service and disappointing bread overshadow a nice ambiance and solid food, especially for its price point and expectations.

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A good friend and I came here on a Thursday night for Winter Restaurant Week. Masseria is still on my bucket list, but I was eager to try this offering on The Wharf by Chef Stefanelli. While I appreciate the relative financial value and deals during Restaurant Week, I also understand they are typically more crowded and service may be a bit slower than normal.

The interior of the two-story restaurant is very nice, and the large interior windows allow you to look outside to the river for a scenic view while you eat on the second floor.

The service, however, was very rough. While the greeting and seating was smooth, the rest of the night had several unfortunate incidents. Our server took our order for the 3-courses, and we each got a drink pairing (I went with the wine, my friends with the cocktails). The tl'dr is that although the restaurant was a bit busy, they were not understaffed. It just seemed like they were not well managed or good at remembering orders... I'll speak in detail to the service by course before getting to the food itself.

For the first-course, all our food came out at separate times. The meatballs I ordered and our drinks came out first, and then shortly after the complimentary bread. I was given the wrong wine to pair with the meatball, but was fine as it technically paired with the bread my friend had ordered. After we had finished the meatballs the waitress asked if we had ordered all out food (we said no), and then had to ask us for our entire order again. She came back 15 minutes later to confirm it again. For the entrees, the food came out together and promptly. However, we did not get our drinks for at least 15 minutes. We couldn't grab out waitresses attention, but there were several employees hanging out at the bar, so we called one over and asked for our drinks. They then eventually came. Dessert course was fine, although drink pairing did come about 5 minutes after the food.

Because I talked too much on service, I'll rapid fire on food:
- The complimentary bread was dry and plain - very disappointing
- The meatballs as an appetizer were good, although simple
- The sourdough with ricotta was OK, again the bread seemed a bit plain
- My entree of Rigatoni w/ Goat Rogu was good, although not out of this world. Certainly did not make up for the poor service. The wine pairing with it was OK - although not a must-have by any means.
- The tiramisu was good, and paired well with the lambrusco to end the night.

I was torn between giving this review a 2 or a 3. For the food and atmosphere this is likely a 3-4 range. But for the service, and the expectation that comes with the price-point this restaurant comes with (~$100+ per person), I decided to bump this to a 2. There are many great Italian restaurants in the area at lower price points where I don't feel compelled to come here again.

First time at Officina but not our last! We had an early reservation at 5:30 to make our 7pm show at the Anthem. The space had a cool, sophisticated vibe without being stuffy. Light, open and airy!

We were seated promptly and our server, Dora came to greet us. She was fantastic, friendly, attentive! Couldn't have asked for a better server.

We ordered some drinks first while we looked at the menu. Trying to watch what we eat so we decided to order some things to split and made it a tapas night for ourselves.

We ordered the arancino which came with 2 large portions. Absolutely delicious, hot, and cooked perfectly. We ordered the Polpette which was 3 meatballs over polenta. So good! We did a charcuterie with 2 meats and 2 cheeses. Highly recommend the whipped ricotta! This was really enough for us but we had ordered the tagalatelle bolognese. We were delighted to see it was a small portion we could easily split.

All of the food was delicious. We skipped dessert not only bc we were full, but we had a show to get to. We will definitely be back!

Ofificina is located right when you enter the wharf and has a main level as well as a gorgeous upstairs that overlooks the water. We came here for restaurant week brunch which was $25 for 3 courses. We started off sharing the polpette which on their regular menu and was incredibly delicious. We also split the crostini which was good. We had the rigatoni carbonara which is not on their regular menu but showcased their house made pasta. Cannoli for dessert were delicious as well.
The service was incredible and our waitress explained everything on the menu in great detail as well as offering additional information about the dishes and how they are made. Our water glasses were never empty and dirty dishes were cleared off quickly. Servers clearly work together as a team.
Service fee of 20% and a 3.5% initiative 82 fee are included on your bill but both were listed on the menu.
We will certainly be back!

We ate here for the first time for brunch during restaurant week, and the entire experience was great. The service here was really a stand out. Our waitress walked us through the entire food and drink menu. Also our water glasses were always full. The staff was working hard, it definitely had an a very upscale vibe.

The food that we had was incredible. They start you off with a free homemade bread basket that was so good, I should have asked for more. They also make their pasta fresh in house and you could tell. Since it was restaurant week, they had a three course brunch menu that we tried. We started with the polpette and crostini. I personally loved the polpette, the meatballs were delicious and the sauce on top was the perfect addition. I would go back just to eat the polpette. For the entree I had the rigatoni carbonara which was very good. I think I personally learned that I'm not a big carbonara fan but theirs was very good and the egg on top was a good enhancement to the dish. Finally I got a cannoli for dessert. The shell was crunchy and the ricotta was creamy and sweet, but it was so small. You got like two bites out of the cannoli. I also ordered the espresso martini to drink which was pricey but delicious. The had a huge cocktail menu, so you can find something you would like.

This location is on the wharf and has a great view of the water. It looked like the outdoor seating was nice but it was too cold for that the day we visited. The inside seating was great though, it was very pretty inside.

This places has warm, industrial vibe to it. I was here for a group birthday dinner in a private dining room. It was reasonably priced as we paid ahead of time. It was family style which made serving easy, with a preset menus discussed beforehand. They were very organised and our server was good vibes.

As out of towners, this was a great D.C. hangout. I highly recommend. It's also more upscale than casual so dress UP! It's good for dates as well!