A bright new beacon for Italian cuisine is giving D.C. what it wants, one quick pasta fix at a time. Situated in the center of Western Market food hall (2000 Pennsylvania Avenue NW), week-old Gigi’s Pasta specializes in sizable bowls (buckets, really) of pasta in all sorts of shapes and flavor combos.
Last Tuesday evening, a steady stream of locals craving carbs – everyone from George Washington University students in sweats ready to cram to off-the-clock suits from World Bank – lined up in droves to the walk-up counter. Gigi’s did so well on opening day – some 300 orders by dinnertime – the owners quickly realized they’d have to buy a second noodle-making machine to keep up with demand.
Gigi’s Pasta comes from longtime D.C. residents Stephanos and Constantina Andreou, a Greek couple who spent significant travel time in their neighboring country of Italy and fell in love with the food along the way (Constantina studied abroad there, as well). Stephanos is a D.C. nightlife vet behind Barcode and Sakerum, which have both closed, and still runs Dupont’s Tokyo Pearl today. But with a toddler now in tow, the timing felt right for the duo to do a takeout-friendly pasta venture fit for all ages. Their “fine casual” pasta stop is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Circular containers wrapped in yellow and white stripes open up to reveal a steaming treasure trove of pick-your-own pasta (radiatori, spaghetti, rigatoni, gigli), proteins (meatballs, fennel sausage, and herb-marinated chicken), and sauces (marinara, basil pesto, and arrabbiata) starting at $12 and up.
By design, Gigi’s is the sort of create-your-own menu model that D.C.’s dearly missed ever since Vapiano pulled out of the market. For 20-somethings too young to know, the affordable pasta magnet for millennials was a wildly successful chain, that was, until its last-remaining D.C. location in Chinatown closed five years ago at the dawn of the pandemic. Gigi’s is more polished, but also has the legs to copy-and-expand elsewhere, including more standalone locations or even inside airports. Free focaccia with every order is also a welcome perk in this tight economy.
Every ingredient is sourced directly from Italy, and every strand of pasta is rolled fresh daily on a ceramic table that was made in the idyllic seaside town of Vietri sul Mare. Imported glass bottles of bright-orange Aperol spritzes and nonalcoholic Crodino aperitifs, rare sightings in D.C., are part of the opening lineup.
The cheery space, dressed in a canopy of lemon groves, fringed lampshades, floral patterns, vintage tiles, and pops of Mediterranean blue, is reminiscent of a sunny afternoon along the Amalfi Coast. So much so, it looks like Sophia Loren might spring out on a Vespa at any given time.
Dining and Cooking