Food Is Meh, Dcor Is Bland, Parking Nonexistent: Must Be D.C.'s Most-Exclusive Restaurant

WASHINGTON—The pizza is described by one restaurant critic as dull, the lobster pasta as overcooked. The décor, bland. Street parking? Not so easy. But here, like at Cheers, everybody knows your name—if your name is worth knowing. In a town that thrives on serving the powerful, Cafe Milano is Washington’s most sought-after restaurant.

On any given evening, the place is jammed with the politically influential and those who desire to be near them. Its list of regulars includes so many prominent Democrats and Republicans that in an era of fierce political divides, owner Franco Nuschese describes this neutral turf as “Switzerland.” The bipartisan appeal stands out at a time when most Americans believe the country is hopelessly polarized. At Cafe Milano, the two sides of the country’s ideological chasm find themselves side-by-side. Hugs and air kisses, sincere or not, supplant mean tweets.

President Biden directed his motorcade to the Georgetown neighborhood one Sunday in June for a meal with his granddaughter and her new husband. Settling into a seat at the white-cloth-covered table 100, the same one he chose when he visited as vice president, he ordered a fan favorite: Capellini Ann Hand ($23), angel hair pasta with tomatoes and basil named after the Washington jeweler whose designs featuring symbols of federal power are worn by Nancy Pelosi, among others.

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Celebrity sightings at the restaurant routinely get written up in Politico’s Playbook, the buzzy Washington newsletter... Washington insiders describe the appeal as similar to a country club without the tennis, pool or initiation fee. It’s been compared to Rick’s Cafe, the watering hole from “Casablanca,” and called a “second White House cafeteria.”

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