A longtime D.C. Italian restaurant, Floriana, is making plans to open a location in Old Town Alexandria, possibly in June, according to a report by Washington Business Journal.
The Dupont Circle-area restaurant in business since 1979, has leased space in Alexandria at 277 S. Washington St., WBJ reported. It will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. The DC restaurant known for its house-made pastas, serves dinner and brunch on Sundays; you can peruse their menu here.
A little back story about the name of the restaurant, from Floriana’s Facebook page: “Restaurant founder Floriana Nestore was born to a Southern Italian father and a Northern Italian mother. As an apprentice just outside Piacenza, she learned to blend the robust flavors of the north with the beloved techniques of Southern Italian cuisine. In 1978, Floriana ventured to the United States and honed her culinary skills at Tony’s Italian, a renowned DC landmark. She soon opened her namesake eatery on Wisconsin Avenue. With a steadfast commitment to handcrafted dishes, a few locations and a couple of zip codes later, Floriana’s legacy continues to thrive.”
The Alexandria location will be the fourth Floriana; the owners opened a location in North Carolina in 2020 and is planning a Huntsville, Ala. location in 2026.
OpenTable reviewers (3,967) give the DC location 4.7 stars out of 5.
Read the entire Washington Business Journal story here.
The Alexandria location at 277 S. Washington St. formerly housed Mae’s Market and Café and Virginia’s Darling, which closed last year.
“It is with a heavy heart that I am sharing the difficult news that both Virginia’s Darling and Mae’s Market and Café in Alexandria will be closing for business due to the inability to reach favorable lease terms with our landlord. Our relationship has been nothing but favorable; we simply were unable to make the economics work for both parties,” wrote owner Nicole Jones in a Facebook post.
The last day of business for Virginia’s Darling was last year on Dec. 29, and Mae’s was Jan. 19.
Mae’s Market and Café opened in August 2021. Virginia’s Darling, a companion wine bar, opened in 2022 to wide praise, including from Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema.
Dec. 03, 2025
9:19 p.m.
Dining and Cooking