Be sure to check out our lunch menu, featuring delicious paninis made with our fresh bread baked instantly in our wood fire brick oven and four new pasta items. Our happy hour, from 3-6 pm Monday-Friday, features all drinks at 1/2 price! (Happy Hour restricted to bar area).
Coming down from M Street, il Canale is the 2nd restaurant on the left.
Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitised between seatings
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitised menu provided
- Sanitiser or wipes provided for customers
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables
- Waiting staff wear masks
- Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
Popular dishes
Lobster Ravioli
Fresh home made ravioli filled with lobster meat, served in a shallot tomato cream sauce
25 reviews
Pasta
13 reviews
Margherita
Tomato sauce, imported buffalo mozzarella, Parmesan, olive oil, basil
10 reviews
Menu
Best pizza in USA
The best restaurant in DC! The service is unmatched and the food is incredible. They will make you feel like family!
Great experience. Our server read us perfectly and provided the ideal balance of attention and privacy. the calamari was average, but the white truffle pizza was so good, we didn't notice. we will be back again for sure.
It was my husbands birthday and although we were a bit late for the reservation Aldo’s service was excellent. We will definitely come back for the delicious food and the Aldo experience.
Great service and food. Staff overall were quite pleasant to deal with. If plan to sit outdoors-despite heaters, be sure to bring some layers. Ideal place for sharing dishes. Enjoyed meat lovers pizza and lobster ravioli when there. Calamari also proved tasty without too much oil as evidenced by lack of considerable oil on plate. Bit bland tasting without sauce so only item ordered would not overly recommend.
Todo ha sido fantástico. Muy buena atención
Was a great date night restaurant! Would highly recommend!
Food and service are always outstanding. Good Covid-19 protocols in place as well.
Super nice people and outstanding food
As always. Amazing experience at Il Cáñale. Combining a cozy environment and delicious food
Where do I begin. Not only did we have the kindest server (Michele), but he made us feel like we were dining in Italy. From speaking Italian, to checking in often, and the complimentary connoli. In addition we had the special pizza with white truffle. The truffle was walked over to the table and grated directly onto our pizza (wow). My boyfriend is from Florence and expressed that this was the best pizza he has had in the United States. Must try!
The service was horrible!! We were literally asking for water 15x and no one gave us water until after dinner!!! No discount or anything offered! Horrible mgmt
Food was great.
I am a regular but I came this time to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday. The service is always exceptional but they went above and beyond for us with a surprise dessert! Friendly staff, great wine list, authentic food, this place never disappoints.
As always a dining experience with the best waitress, Dee. The white truffle was so delicious on the pasta we ordered more on pizza. A true delicacy.
came here for my boyfriends birthday dinner and we had the best dinner experience. amazing food, great wine, amazing service. rooftop seating made it even better. days after we were still talking about the food! will be back
This place is amazing. The rooftop is gorgeous, the pizza is unbelievable, and the service is top notch. Highly, highly recommend.
Food is always outstanding; service excellent; love that they have heaters to accommodate outdoor dining
Love the food!! The service personnel were very professional!
Best Italian restaurant in Washington, DC. Great food and service.
Probably the best pasta I’ve ever had EVER. Fresh shaved truffle on top of our pasta and great service from Aldo. They also have my favorite wine, a Chianti. Will definitely be back.
This was probably the best meal I’ve had in DC! We loved everything from our Italian server to the food. We had truffle pasta and they weighed it at our table. The wine was perfect and the service was excellent. Cannot wait to return.
Micaele was an amazing waiter and overall great experience! Will definitely return!
Pizza here is always amazing, and the prosciutto with burrata was fantastic too. Server was Italian and charming :-)
An outstanding and truly authentic Italian restaurant. Very unique place with true Italian dishes, impeccable service and enjoyable ambiance. I absolutely highly recommend this place. Your experience of Italian cousin will not be complete without visiting Il Canale!
The food is fantastic. I had the mushroom and truffle Ravioli and highly recommend it.
Food was great, wine was great and the service was amazing!
Appreciated Goran's service. Food was great as always. Restaurant was quite lively in these times of trouble for restaurants, which was nice
Our server was spirited and engaging, which made the entire experience incredibly enjoyable. Per usual, the food was delicious and the cocktails were sublime.
Beautiful restaurant, amazing food and outstanding service. I would go back again to celebrate a special occasion.
It was amazing, as always. Great atmosphere and even better food !
Best Italian restaurant in DC! Great service and delicious pizzas.
Excellent service, food is so fresh and worth finding parking for.
Micaele, our server, made the meal perfection. Absolutely request him on your next visit. The food is beyond amazing- very authentic Italian, not American-ized.
The fresh pasta, salads, lamb chops & wine were terrific! We had a wonderful night celebrating a birthday.
Food was delicious and service was friendly. Only negative aspects were things that were realistically outside the restaurants control.
Cons included outdoor seating that was on a closed street near construction site (due to COVID restrictions) and initially they were unable to find the reservation I made through Open Table. This was an “inconvenience” (their words) which they awkwardly attempted to make up for by delaying the return of our bill at the end so they could present us with complimentary dessert (which was delicious). Also one of the wine glasses came out in a glass that still had lipstick residue on it. The staff promptly remedied this. (I don’t count this against the restaurant as the issue was promptly fixed and I know lipstick doesn’t always come off in commercial dishwashers used by restaurants)
TLDR: Great restaurant, great food, good service. Minor “inconveniences” outside of restaurants control were quickly addressed. 10/10 would recommend.
The service, food and ambiance was outstanding. Thank you Alfonso for exceptional customer service!
Authentic Italian food - delicious. It has not been Americanised at all - thank goodness.
Delicious! Excellent service, and excellent food. Thank you!
Wonderful evening out with friends. Ordered 3 pizzas and sea food pasta, cannolis for dessert. Our server was super attentive. The place has seen its share of celebrities. Outdoor seating was available as well but it was too chilly.
Will definitely be back.
FAQs
You can order delivery directly from Il Canale using the Order Online button. Il Canale also offers delivery in partnership with Caviar and Uber Eats. Il Canale also offers takeaway which you can order by calling the restaurant at (202) 337-4444.
Il Canale is rated 4.7 stars by 2844 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.
