Filomena Ristorante — Restaurant in Washington

I decided to celebrate a very special friend's birthday this past Sunday, and dining at Filomena's was a "no-brainer".

While trying to decide where we wanted to be seated for dinner, since they were packed for dinner our table was in the middle of the dining floor. We made the best of it despite this. Our sever Elena was the highlight of the evening, and is the sole reason why our dining experience wasn't completely ruined. With that being said the following reasons will attest to the fact that I will not be returning to this establishment and not recommending this restaurant to anyone anymore.

There was another guest who was seated behind me that knew one of the servers. And decided that she would ignore the fact that another guest was seated behind her while she proceeded to hug this gentleman all the while rudely leaning against me. As I politely asked if she could allow me some space, the hug continued and I was forced to wait for their embrace to be done so that I could resume my personal space.

My friend asked if her cocktail could be a little less sweet for her second cocktail, when our next round of cocktails were brought out the stem of the glasses was sticky. Rather than the bartender cleaning the glass before giving it to our server, we were brought cocktails in sticky glassware.

There was a wooden vase partitioned between our table and another guest's table, which was an eyesore and a potential accident waiting to happen. The woman at the table on the other side of this vase moved her chair back, almost causing the vase to fall on my friend. When we both tried to bring it to her attention we were ignored. I then brought it to their server's attention and asked if the vase could be moved. His response was: "Oh they will be leaving shortly", rather than moving it out of the way. It wasn't until I expressed to him that this vase could fall on our table or worse on one of us, is when he moved the vase with much evident disdain.

This REASON was the last straw for us. Just as my friend and I were trying to salvage our dining experience due to the events that I previously mentioned. A busser walks up to our table with not as much as a "hello", and decides to walk to our table and pick up our bag of food that our sever packed for us and placed on a chair next to our table. He was going to place our bag of food on the floor just to free up a chair that wasn't needed elsewhere or for another guest. When we let him know that our server placed it there for us, he still wouldn't let up. Eventually, he placed the bag back on the chair and left us. My friend and I were flabbergasted at the fact that this busser would have the gall to attempt to place a patron's food on the floor all for the sake of a chair that no one needed. My friend then mentioned to me that this busser had been making her feel uncomfortable the entire evening, but didn't want to ruin our dinner by mentioning it. So when this incident happened it further frustrated her, so much so that she had to excuse herself from the table to compose herself.

When I brought this to the attention of our server she said she would bring it up to her manager. Being that my friend and I both work in the service/hospitality industry by trade, we were expecting the manager to come to our table and apologize for her employee's rude and unprofessional conduct. Sadly to say that never happened, no one came to apologize for our bad dining experience. At this point, my friend and I decided to chalk it up to bad manners, paid our bill, and left.

Several reasons come to mind as to why our dining experience was so distasteful. Was seeing two women of color together engaging in a non-platonic manner too much for them? Or could it be that they believed that we shouldn't be dining at this restaurant at all? Whatever the reasoning may be for making any guest feel out of place and be treated differently than any other guest, was beyond upsetting....

Unexpectedly, I managed to get a table during peak dining hours, so I quickly grabbed the spot and went with high expectations. Now, I’m sitting on my bed feeling nauseous, absolutely regretting my decision.

This is the first time I’ve ever wanted to cry after a meal.

First, the complimentary bread 🥖:

Paired with oil and balsamic vinegar, it was absolutely delicious. The acidity was well-balanced, and the parsley’s aroma was just right, adding depth without being overpowering. The bread itself was dense, satisfying, and pleasantly soft.

When I had the bread before the meal, I was overjoyed. In my mind, this bread with balsamic could easily rival the Texas Roadhouse rolls as the best bread I’ve ever had. Little did I know, this would be the only edible thing for the night. 🥲🥲🥲

We ordered two main dishes:

Misto Di Mare Filomena (Tomato Seafood Pasta) – highly recommended on Xiaohongshu

This was the worst pasta I’ve ever had. The absolute worst.

The tomato sauce tasted like Heinz canned sauce, lacking any unique flavor. The seafood wasn’t fresh or sweet, and it had zero seasoning—it felt like they just boiled it in water and threw it on the plate with some sauce. The pasta itself had no texture at all.

The shrimp was big, sure, but the seasoning was only on the surface. To be specific, it felt like I was eating a bite of tomato sauce, then separately a bite of mussel, then a bite of pasta. These three ingredients didn’t blend at all—they weren’t even remotely related.

The lamb chops – a complete disaster

The sauce smeared on the plate convinced me that the restaurant knows how to season food, but can someone explain why the lamb itself was completely flavorless? The Maillard reaction was practically nonexistent.

The risotto relied entirely on cheese for flavor. One bite was okay, but by the second bite, it was unbearably greasy. The asparagus? Another disaster—overcooked, flavorless, and they didn’t even bother trimming the tough ends.

The side dish: sautéed spinach

I cannot understand how spinach stir-fried with garlic could be this tasteless. At one point, I seriously thought I had lost my sense of taste. If it weren’t for the red wine I ordered, I wouldn’t have been able to take more than a few bites.

I genuinely feel depressed after this meal. Don’t believe the...

Incredible dining experience!

I judged this place incorrectly. After reading the menu, everything all sounds amazing but you have to understand. It sounds like a typical red sauce Italian restaurant thats peppered all over New York City. After dining here, it all came together. Boston’s North End, they all use box pasta and slap sauce on a plate. This was not what I expected.

I made an early reservation on Monday night. I walked from my hotel in Arlington to here, over a mile easily. When I arrived at the front door, I saw Nonna making pasta?? Be still my heart.

The restaurant is dark but comfortable. I see rabbits everywhere, I’m assuming it’s Easter decorations? I’m given a wine list and chose a Super Tuscan to get the party started.

I ordered an appetizer & main course. Appetizer - Lobster Arancini Two balls for $18 bucks? Surely you can’t be serious. But then I took a bite and hit lobster meat. They aren’t huge chunks but nevertheless, every bite was lobster. It was also stuffed which warms my heart. Something I had as a kid for Sunday dinner back in the day? Absolutely

Entree - La Familia This portion is huge! The La Familia has homemade fusilli pasta and is served with 2 Meatballs, 2 Sausage and Pork. Here’s why this is an amazing dish. Someone took the time and let this slowly cook to perfection. It’s something my grandmother would have made her family for Sunday dinner. The meatballs were very good with a nice cut of beef. No fillers needed. The homemade sausage, I wish it were a little spicier but it was a welcomed addition. The pork was the cheapest and thinnest cut but that gives the sauce body and flavor.

I didn’t finish this dish, no one could. I did stop at a rest stop on i95 then next day and had it for lunch ;)

You aren’t going to find squid ink pasta topped with lobster foam being served at Filomena. You will have an incredible dining experience with the freshest home made...