Nearly a decade after Fabio and Maria Trabocchi opened the first Sfoglina in Van Ness, the handmade pasta house has grown into three DC-area restaurants built around the same Italian tradition.
A Tribute to the Women Who Roll Pasta by Hand
Fabio and Maria Trabocchi opened the original Sfoglina on Connecticut Avenue in December 2016, following their Washington reputation built on Fiola and Fiola Mare, according to Washingtonian.
A ‘sfoglina’ is traditionally a woman who rolls and shapes fresh pasta by hand, and the restaurant was designed as a tribute to those pasta makers, a lineage that still shows up in the pasta rooms at each location, according to The Washington Post.
Three Locations Share One Menu Built Around Pasta
Sfoglina now operates three restaurants, the original in Van Ness at 4445 Connecticut Avenue NW, a Downtown location at 1099 New York Avenue NW, and Sfoglina Rosslyn at 1100 Wilson Boulevard in Arlington, per Fabio Trabocchi Restaurants.
The all-day menu centers on handmade pasta and Italian regional dishes, extending into a mozzarella bar, burrata and prosciutto, salads, seafood, steaks, chicken Parmesan and desserts including tiramisu and gianduja, with menus that change frequently and vary by location.
Each location also offers a weekday express three-course lunch and an extensive happy hour built around small plates, Italian wine, spritzes and classic cocktails.
Brunch Leans Into Italy at Two Locations
Brunch belongs mainly to Van Ness and Rosslyn. Van Ness serves it Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., while Rosslyn serves it on Saturdays.
The menu pulls familiar brunch dishes toward Italy, with a cacio e pepe omelet, Neapolitan shakshuka, a polenta waffle with mushrooms and poached eggs, Tuscan breakfast, smoked salmon Benedict and a pancetta-based PLT roll.
Sfoglina has three locations, at 4445 Connecticut Avenue NW in Van Ness, 1099 New York Avenue NW downtown, and 1100 Wilson Boulevard in Arlington. Pricing varies by location and dish, and reservations are recommended for dinner and weekend brunch.
Sfoglina’s Instagram tends to preview seasonal menu changes first, and readers can follow The Washington Lobbyist for more of the restaurants shaping how DC eats.
