L'Ardente is a really great spot for a special occasion! It's not a traditional Italian restaurant menu, but their takes on the classics are impressive. The 40-layer lasagna is truly the star and not just hyped on social media. The meat is a perfect ragu and the entire dish is fairly light as it's made of thin and very fresh pasta layers and not too much cheese or sauce. The quality of the ingredients and preparation really shines through. While I was less impressed with other pastas and pizzas here, both the Caesar salad and cauliflower were incredible. The tiramisu is a show and also delicious and the seasonal blueberry cake was also so well done (again, fresh ingredients make the difference here). The service is as impressive as the food! Overall, a great place to celebrate and enjoy a nice meal!

Everything i had from the naked, famous and frozen cocktail, to the pasta was delish! I was in town visiting and wanted to try their famous lasagna, but it's only available for dinner so I'll have to try it the next time in town. The restaurant definitely gives Italian glam and opulence! It's so beautiful inside. I was alone so I grabbed a seat at the bar and it's full service. The bartender was very knowledgeable of the menu and gave great recommendations

I was super excited to try this place for our anniversary and we were able to make a reservation for a Monday. We sat in the bar are a which was nice as it was quieter but the vibe seemed cooler in the dining room area. Our waiter was a bit shy and quiet (maybe he was new?) but we got water and food ordered fast. They want the whole order at once, I assume to speed things up? We tried the polpetta and the fried cauliflower- both absolutely fantastic and the star of the shows. We also ordered a bottle of wine and it took a while for them to bring by. Dinner wise we tried the zucca pasta and the famous lasagna. The lasagna was definitely unique with the truffle taste but even though it sounds large it's not that large of a portion. The zucca pasta was ok- not bad but not something I'd order again. For dessert we tried both digestive cocktails (old fashion and espresso martini). The espresso martini or if that was the vibe, was ok but not the typical espresso martini. The blueberry cake was really tasty - another thing worth it. For our anniversary I guess I thought we'd get a free scoop of ice cream or something but other than a candle and a card, a fancy place like this didn't comp anything (oh well). Definitely a trendy vibe and we would definitely go back but not the best pasta ever.

I don't even know where to start this review but here goes OH MY GAWWWDDDDDD!!!! I first heard about this restaurant through one of my favorite podcasts, Gettin' Grown (check it out) and one of the host raved about this restaurant and how amazing it was, and that led me to immediately adding it onto my list of restaurants to visit when I would be back in DC. OK, so boom fast-forward I made it to DC and this was an absolute must for dinner. I didn't have a reservation and I was able to get seated at the bar. I wasn't stressed about it as I was there for the food and the dessert. DOUG was our waiter/bartender at the bar seating and we kicked it off IMMEDIATELY. He offered recommendations and when I tell you, none of his recommendations failed in. NONE of them failed for our appetizer. We had the duck ravioli, which was in like a truffle sauce. OMG delicious for our main course. we had seafood pasta (Fruttii de mare) and 40 layer lasagna (because WTH thought of that?! GENIUS) I've never tasted anything like this in my life before!!!!! I can still taste flavors in my mouth as I write this review The portions were perfect, which were also coupled by cocktails and some wine. The vibe in the restaurant was PHENOMENAL!!!! Perfect location for a date night or special event. To end our meal, we ordered the in-house soft serve ice cream, which I couldn't even even finish because it was so much in. BUT the real dessert was my boyfriend proposing to me and having all of the stuff involved in it that was the real icing on the cake they did such a phenomenal job of putting it all together and having , such a special moment for us and truly a wonderful surprise. Doug and Julio (hope got your mame right) and all other staff that evening If you ever get to read this, you are amazing thank you for being a part of our special moment that will forever live rent free in my head. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect location, followed by such an exquisite, delectable, and excellent meal and service We definitely will be visiting back and I cannot wait to try other things on the menu if I was staying longer I would've definitely ordered in as the restaurants menu is available on Uber eats . if you don't care to sit at the bar, you should definitely make a recommend a reservation as it was really packed and this was a Tuesday night around 9 PM. The menu is a bit pricey as a heads up, but worth every penny in my book.

We had an excellent time at L'ardente - would highly recommend stopping by for the signature lasagna and delicious focaccia if you have the time. Reasonably priced, beautifully presented dishes served in an elevated, classy dining space, with attentive service staff creating a pleasant experience. == Excellent 5/5 - Will be dreaming of this == * App - Duck Hunt | Firstly, the presentation of this dish was SO CUTE. I was already sold by the name which harkens back to my youth playing Duck Hunt on the NES, and then they had to throw in cute little Duck feet in a cup? Stop. But more importantly this was delicious. Perfect amounts of frothy truffle goodness accompanied by a tiny pocket of a duck ravioli. HIGHLY recommend. Comes with 4 cups * App - Focaccia | Be still my beating heart. Fluffy, crispy, with the gentle but unmissable kiss of rosemary. Already impossibly delicious naked, but paired with tomato tapenade makes *chef's kiss*. You MUST get this * Pasta - Lasagna | I'll preface this by saying I dislike most lasagnas - I typically see them as sloppy, meaty, oily messes. And my husband loves all lasagnas, the meatier the better. And this lasagna made us both happy. This lasagna is the Lady M of lasagnas - she is refined and elegant, but she is also a dish of many layers and packs a flavorful punch. Each pasta sheet was cooked perfectly, so delicately chewy it was almost crispy. Still quite meaty, but never too salty, with the perfect amount of truffle. This 40 layer lasagna has lived up to the hype - well done! == Good 4/5 - would get again == * Cocktail - Bergamot Sidecar | This was nice.... But having had Zaytinya's Sidecar concoction (which is now my favorite rendition of the drink) just the day prior, I felt this was lacking by comparison. A little too alcohol forward, but a pleasant drink in its own right * App - Cavolfiori | A crispy but still juicy cauliflower. Enjoyable with or without the garlic aioli == Fine - Good but personally wouldn't get it again == * Dessert - Gianduja S'More | If you want a chocolate mousse cake with a touch of caramel, this would be an excellent choice. I was personally looking for more s'more-y notes and was sadly disappointed, but this is honestly a great dessert otherwise * Pasta - Zucca | Great if you want a meat forward, mildly spicy, very aldente dish. Slightly too salty for my preference * App - Scallop "Gnocchi" | Good for sharing. The first few bites of this were quite nice, brighter than expected with the touch of lemon. After a few bites however the butter became a bit overwhelming * Cocktail - Espresso Torino | Strong espresso "watered down" by mostly tasteless spirits. Not a particularly interesting interpretation of this classic cocktail, but certainly drinkable == Disappointing == * Pizza - Margherita | Considering that the woodfire oven was front and center to this kitchen, we were extremely underwhelmed by the Margherita. I love Margheritas and pizzas in general... and I could barely finish my slice. It was too salty, the cheese was overcooked and too chewy, and the dough was lacking in flavor despite being so salty. Mouthfeel was alright - the undercarriage was supportive despite being so thin, but there was no real pleasant chew, not even in the crust. A bit shocking in comparison to how good the focaccia was Other notes - Classy atmosphere which belies the very reasonably priced dishes. Would be a nice place to dress up. No real dress code tho - eg men in nice shorts are fine - Open kitchen - Bathroom sign made me laugh

I seriously think this is my #1 place to get a lasagna! I was intrigued by the 40 layer lasagna even though it sounds gimmicky but I was seriously impressed. It had this reduced short rib sauce on the bottom, infused with a hint of truffle and it was literally perfect. The sauce was really robust and flavorful and the truffle didn't overpower the meat sauce. The pasta was perfectly cooked, a little bit over al dente so it was soft but not mushy. The shaved cheese on the side really hit the spot and added a little saltiness to the dish. With our meal, we also got the verde salad with butter lettuce, cucumber, orange, avocado and lemon dressing. The salad was lightly dressed and extremely fresh, light and crisp with every bite. We also got the Venetian "risotto" made with riced calamari. It's risotto like because it's creamed but the risotto part is actually made with calamari which is soooo good!! The dish was super seafood-y and the calamari gave it some really good texture along with the creaminess of the cream. The king crab on top was super sweet and went perfectly with the risotto. Make sure to make a reservation because it does fill up, even at 5pm on a weekday!

Came for dinner while visiting my brother. Everything about this meal was amazing... I wish I had a second stomach! To start off, definitely get the focaccia and the duck hunt. I don't usually go for dishes with truffle, but this was an unbelievable umami bomb! The espresso martini was great to start off with. My boyfriend got the Negroni and enjoyed it. You really can't go wrong with any of the pasta dishes. I got the gemelli pesto which seems like it was the hidden gem of the menu when next to things like carbonara, truffle lasagna, and cacio e pepe. The GM, Jack, even came over to ask about our meal and our trip so far. I can see why this place is Michelin Guided!

This is now my favorite Italian restaurant in DC. It's expensive and definitely a special occasion type of place. But the lasagna is worth the hype, and the ravioli appetizer was one of the best appetizers I've had anywhere this year. We brought wine and will note that the corkage fee is a little ridiculous--$40. Definitely make a reservation as this has quickly become a popular spot.

very good service nice environment for friends chatting. The Italian food really left a deep impression on me