D.C.’s recently opened Cafe Fiorello and sibling Fiorella Italian Kitchen & Pizzeria are both closing this month. The former opened in May 2025 and the latter debuted in National Harbor in 2011.
Cafe Fiorello, NYC’s iconic Italian chophouse across from
theLincoln Center since 1974,opened last year in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol (1001 Pennsylvania Avenue NW) — markingthe first time the flagship of restaurateur Shelly Fireman’s hospitality group grew beyond its Big Apple roots. And now, just 17 months later, it’s closing for good. The cause? Its new owner doesn’t want it.
Landry’s Inc., the massive hospitality group run by Texas mega-billionaire restaurateur (and NBA Houston Rockets owner) Tilman Fertitta,is taking over bankrupt Fireman Hospitality Group’s three biggest money-making Manhattan restaurants — Trattoria dell’ Arte, Fiorello’s and Bond 45 — as part of a newly announced $22 million purchase in conjunction with Ciao Hospitality Group, which will act as the new operator, per the NY Post.
Café Fiorello DC will be permanently closing after service on Wednesday, October 28, sources tell Eater on Wednesday. Its OpenTable reservation portal also confirms the news: ‘We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding. Thank you for considering Café Fiorello DC, and we’re sorry we won’t have the opportunity to welcome you.“ Over at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, Fireman’sFiorella Italian Kitchen will also be closing on Thursday, October 29.
Fertitta’s Titanic-sized restaurant portfolio includes steakhouse chains Morton’s, Mastro’s, Del Frisco’s, Strip House; Mexican cafe chain Dos Caminos; and sushi bar Blue Fin, all of which have a NYC presence (and some in D.C.). He’s also a part owner of New York’s Catch Group, which includes sceney spots like Corner Store, the 86, Do’resh, and Keen’s Steakhouse. He shows no signs of slowing down in the restaurant world — despite juggling his time as President Donald Trump’s appointed ambassador to Italy (and parking his superyacht in D.C.).
Ciao CEO Jeff Crivello tells the Post he co-bid on the Fireman empire together with Landry’s and will also operate Fireman’s other venues: Paris Bar in the Le Meridien Central Park Hotel, hotel rooftop lounge Le Jardin, Brooklyn Delicatessen, and two Manhattan outposts of Brooklyn Diner. Fireman’s group started showing wear and tear after COVID-19, and the death of its cherished founder Shelly Fireman last fall at 93 didn’t help, notes the Post, leaving the company with nearly $10 million in secured claims. Its RedEye Grill, “home of the famous dancing shrimp,” closed this summer across from Carnegie Hall after three decades, and National Harbor’s Italian kitchen Bond 45 closed earlier this year.
Cafe Fiorello’s marquee real estate along Pennsylvania Avenue NW has seen its fair share of restaurants come and go; the 6,500-square-foot corner formerly housed San Francisco’s short-lived Tadich Grill and longtime local fixture TenPenh before that.
Along with its thin-crust pizza that helped make the NY original famous, there’s a destination antipasto bar showcased upon entry, lobster carbonara, seasonal specials like an open-faced lasagna for two, a flame-kissed Black Label burger, and branzino al Forno that made use of its wood-burning oven. Months after opening, Eater spottedpolarizing Georgia politician Marjorie Taylor Greene having dinner here in a well-tailored red suit right before she hung up her Republican congresswoman hat.
The neighborhood near the Capitol is seeing a resurgence of power spots as of late, with the arrival of flashy surf-and-turf spot Chandelier on Pennsylvania Avenue this fall, and Atlas Restaurant Group is completely gutting the old Charlie Palmer Steak in preparation for a 2027 opening inside.
