Floriana brings handmade Northern Italian pasta to Alexandria

Floriana was set to open its first Virginia restaurant by the end of July at 277 S. Washington St. in The Atrium, bringing handmade Northern Italian pasta to Old Town Alexandria. The new outpost was planned as a much bigger bet than a simple dinner room, with all-day service built around breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner.

That pasta-first pitch matters because Floriana has made its name on fresh dough and classic Italian cooking. The kitchen said it makes pasta fresh daily from scratch and by hand, a detail that puts technique at the center of the menu instead of burying it behind heavier red-sauce staples. For Alexandria diners, that means a Northern Italian option with a sharper focus on craft, not just another broad Italian-American menu.

The menu leaned into that approach with dishes that matched comfort with more polished execution. Northern-style lasagna comes layered with fresh ground beef, béchamel sauce and house-made mozzarella. Other listed plates included fresh crusty bread with walnut pesto, crispy fried calamari with chunky tomato sauce, pan-seared chicken with cannellini beans, escarole and chicken jus, and seared branzino with sunchoke, olive tapenade and cherry tomatoes. Brunch was also part of the plan, with Uovo Purgatorio, Banana Foster French Toast, benedicts and biscuits among the draws.

The Alexandria restaurant was described as about 5,800 square feet, with seating for roughly 140 to 160 guests across an outdoor patio and an atrium area. The space had previously been home to Virginia’s Darling and Mae’s Market, giving Floriana a prominent Old Town address in a building that already had neighborhood traffic. The lease was arranged with Cushman & Wakefield representing Floriana and Rappaport representing the landlord, W.C. and A.N. Miller Development Company.

Floriana’s move extends a brand that dates back to 1979 and already includes a Dupont Circle location at 1602 17th St. NW in Washington, D.C. The District restaurant is known for handmade pastas and is open for dinner daily with brunch on Sundays, while the Alexandria opening was expected to become the concept’s all-day counterpart in Northern Virginia. With its pasta focus, larger footprint and first Virginia location, Floriana is aiming for something more durable than a passing opening in Old Town.