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1414 U St. NW
(202) 319-7773
Hours of Operation and Prices
Dinner: M-Th 5-midnight, F-Sat 5-1am, Sun 5-11 pm
Entrees: $7-$11.50
Other Information
• All major credit cards
• No Reservations
• Dress: casual
• Nearest Metro: U Street-Cardozo
• Free parking after 8 at Reeves Center
• Handicapped accessible
• For the Cleveland Park branch, which also has added an $8.50-$10 brunch on Saturday and Sunday: Coppi's Vigorelli, 3421 Connecticut Ave. NW, (202) 244-6437.
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Something's always just opening at the New U, which is one reason the neighborhood reminds me of Adams-Morgan a decade or two ago. The difference is that Adams-Morgan's restaurants have tended to be ethnic, while U Street's are more trendy and pseudo-ethnic. Most have been disappointments. Thus I return to Coppi's, even though it is too noisy and neglectful of its customers when it's crowded. Moreover, the prices are higher than this spare pizza parlor warrants, and a few of the dishes are perennial disappointments.
What I like are the pizzas and calzones, with their chewy, slightly grainy dough blistered from the wood-burning oven. The fillings and toppings use high-quality ingredients (pancetta, Westphalian ham, portobello mushrooms, fresh vegetables and imported cheeses), generously applied. Combinations are well chosen - I particularly like the ham, basil, mozzarella, diced tomato and portobello, and the Nutella dessert calzone. And the list of antipasti is unique, especially the mustardy salads of cauliflower with salami or jicama and pancetta.
Coppi's has added some interesting dishes from Liguria, all of them cooked in the wood-burning oven. Smoked risotto is the star here, reeking of garlic and stringy with melted cheese. Skip the bland shrimp, and investigate something more seasonal. And hope for a quiet evening or opt for carryout. Coppi's also has a larger location on Connecticut Avenue in Cleveland Park. Unlike the original, it has two ovens, so it can handle a larger menu that includes fresh pastas and fish entrees.
© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company
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