Coastal Italian Restaurant Opens at D.C. Wharf

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A new coastal Italian restaurant called Capitano has opened at the Wharf in Southwest D.C., marking the first major restaurant opening in the area in a while. The restaurant features Neapolitan-style pizzas, seafood, pastas, and other Southern Italian fare, along with a bar focused on spritzes and Italian wines. Meanwhile, other new restaurants have debuted across the D.C. region, including an expansion of the popular Commodore bar to Old Town Alexandria, a new Venezuelan spot in Columbia Heights, and more.

Why it matters

The opening of Capitano at the Wharf is significant as it represents the first major restaurant debut in the area in some time, signaling a potential resurgence of dining options in the popular Southwest D.C. waterfront neighborhood. The variety of new restaurants across the region also highlights the continued evolution and diversification of the D.C. dining scene.

The details

Capitano, the new coastal Italian restaurant, opened on March 6 inside the Canopy by Hilton hotel at the Wharf. The restaurant features a domed pizza oven where chefs can be seen flipping dough, and the menu showcases Neapolitan-style pizzas, seafood, house-made pastas, crudo, and salads. There is also a bar dedicated to spritzes and Italian wines, and the dining room is wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows, ceramic tiles, and potted plants, with a wraparound patio overlooking the waterfront. Elsewhere, the Commodore bar expanded to a second location in Old Town Alexandria, bringing its Chicago-style pizza, pastas, and other pub fare to the area. New Venezuelan restaurant DC Al Toque also opened in Columbia Heights, offering arepas, pastries, and braided cheese bread.

• Capitano opened on March 6, 2026.
• The Commodore's Old Town Alexandria location opened on March 12, 2026.
• DC Al Toque opened in Columbia Heights on March 9, 2026.