The Red Hen - Washington, D.C.

Walked in without a reservation but was pleasantly let in. Ordered 2 appetisers, 2 pastas, 1 dessert which was a total of 110~ Great service! The appetisers were absolutely on point. The ricotta toast and octopus were a really great combination to start with. The toast is light, sweet and savoury. The octopus is grilled perfectly. The pastas are good effort. Have definitely eaten better ones. However, what is notable is that they are generous with the ingredients which makes up for what I found lacking in mind-blowing taste profile. Overall enjoyed ourselves very much and would recommend to head over to the Red Hen.

It's a great restaurant. It has kind of a rustic feel, while having a table setup that's still intimate. The bar in the middle is open seating, but you'll be standing for a while before a seat opens up. It is best to make a reservation for one of the tables mentioned earlier. The food was excellent, and it's not easy to find good squid ink pasta. Parking is tough, as per the usual in DC, and there are only 2 bathrooms, and both are gender neutral.

The best pasta in DC, that I’ve tried. As an Italian, I rarely seek out Italian food in the states. I’m usually disappointed. HOWEVER, The Red Hen makes their pasta dishes perfectly al dente, and the sauces are intensely flavorful! I left so happy that I could experience a taste of Italia from here.

Definitely an Italian staple in DC. Service and atmosphere were top notch as expected, went with a small group on a Tuesday night and it was absolutely packed — always a great sign. Would recommend the whipped ricotta antipasti, arancini, and the scallops as a main. Delicious food, albeit somewhat small portions as expected. Would definitely come back in the future. Very very cozy meal.

We had an amazing experience for 6 at Red Hen on a Friday night!! The food was delicious. Loved the arancini, whipped ricotta with truffle, the rigatoni, and the sticky toffee pudding as dessert. Our server David was incredible and friendly and the staff was so attentive to all of our needs. We never had to ask for anything, they read our minds lol. As someone who's worked in restaurants and also just been a normal patron in DC I haven't experienced a friendly waitstaff like this in a while. We were celebrating a going-away and they treated us to bubbles at the end which was so sweet. Would highly recommend!!