Clarendon · Italian
Arlington
Handmade pasta, old-school New York, on Wilson Boulevard.
“Rated Best New Restaurant”One of Yelp's Top 25 Best New Restaurants in the country- Telephone
- (703) 721-3905
- Hours
- Mon – Fri11:30am – 10pmSat – Sun12 noon – 10pm
- Reservations
- ResyHappy hour Mon – Fri 2:30pm – 5:30pm · bar only
- Every week
- Fri – SatLive music7pm – 10pmWednesdayWine Wednesday$35 Cordero Wines bottle — red blend or sauvignon blanc
From the pass
What comes out of the kitchen
Short films from the Wilson Boulevard room — the pasta going through the roller, the parm coming off the pass, and the night Yelp called.
Chef Mike on Yelp naming Carbonara one of the Top 25 Best New Restaurants in the country
A sheet of fresh pasta coming off the roller
Chicken parmigiana alla vodka, plated
Stuffed shells finished in the pan
Lobster and shrimp tagliatelle
Rolling pasta at the counter
Outside the Wilson Boulevard room, under the awning
Hungry yet
Tables at Arlington are on Resy.
Reserve a tableSee the menus
45years behind the stoveChef & owner
Mike Cordero
Carbonara is the Cordero family’s cooking, carried down from New York City and set down in Virginia — handmade pasta, a forty-year-old meatball recipe, and old-school Italian technique practised rather than remembered.
Chef Cordero has forty-five years behind the stove and a reputation in the DMV as a trailblazer. His cooking has been written up in the Washington Times, the Washington Post and USA Today.
Clarendon, Arlington
Forty-five years
in one kitchen
Carbonara is a tribute to authentic Italian cooking, carried down through the Cordero family from New York City. The kitchen is built around handmade pasta and the practice of old-school Italian technique — Clams Oreganata, Chicken Cutlet Parmigiana, Gnocchi della Mamma, Shrimp Scampi.
The room borrows from the Italian restaurants of old New York: rustic at the edges, contemporary in the middle, loud in the right way. An exquisite wine bar sits alongside it, curated to hold up to the food rather than sit politely beside it.
Chef Mike Cordero has forty-five years behind the stove and a reputation in the DMV as a trailblazer. His cooking at Carbonara has been written up in the Washington Times, the Washington Post and USA Today.
Dinner was absolutely incredible. Our server, Edin/Eduin (sorry if I spelled the name wrong!) was AMAZING! he kept us laughing the entire time and made recommendations what we should get. We had stuffed mushrooms- which was unreal and my sister and I got pasta dishes- chicken parm and carbonara, both dishes were incredible. We couldn’t decide which one we liked best. We were so full from dinner that we got dessert to go and we really wanted to try the chocolate lava cake (next time!) but instead got the cheesecake, which was amazing! Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. We will be back! We are so thankful that we had an amazing experience and will try something new next time!
I had been wanting to visit Carbonnara for a while and it definitely lived up to the hype. The chicken parm is just as good as it looks in all the pictures and videos you've seen. The arrancini was also incredible. We finished up with the table side tiramisu which was delicious. Our server, Julia, was outstanding and very attentive and pleasant. I'll definitely be coming back.
Came here to celebrate my friend's birthday and finally try some of the viral dishes. The table side carbonara was such a lovely experience! Def recommend for the flare and taste. Everything we had was delicious—including the dessert. Greg, our waiter, was attentive and helpful. Kyle, the assistant manager, was kind enough to move us inside before the rain started (which we definitely underestimated 😅). We really appreciated that extra thoughtfulness! 🥰 Great food and great service. I'm looking forward to checking out the Gainesville location when it opens and trying more dishes!
I’ve been waiting to try this place for months and it lived up to the expectations. Phenomenal food and service across the board. Our server Margarita was amazing extremely knowledgeable about the different appetizers and entrees. Once she realized it was our first time she had a list of recommendations. She learned we were celebrating what would have been my mom’s 80th. She immediately said no worries y'all will be taken care of and she wasn’t wrong. Someone next to us was getting the cheese wheel and my dad had never seen it so she explained to him the whole process. Other servers came by checking on us for water or answering any questions we had. The food was amazing my dad loved the spaghetti and meatballs. I tried the famous chicken Parmesan & vodka
Food was excellent! The presentation stand out more than any other Italian restaurant and the taste was immaculate. Taylor, our host, was one of the best hosts I’ve ever had and I’ll remember his hospitality for a long time.
Reservations
Book a table
Reserve at Carbonara Arlington on Resy. Parties of ten and over are handled by our events team.
Booking is handled by Resy. Open the Resy page for Arlington.
The room
Inside Arlington
The dining room at Carbonara Arlington, laid for service beneath two gold pendants
The wine wall at Carbonara Arlington — bottles racked floor to ceiling beside the banquette
The bar at Carbonara Arlington, under a suspended brass rack of wine bottles
An espresso martini being finished with a spray from above
Clams on the half shell in a saffron-coloured sauce, on a rose-patterned plate
A tall cocktail with mint and a dried citrus wheel on a marble bar
The patio at Carbonara Arlington — bistro chairs and a red umbrella under the awning
The long centre table at Carbonara Arlington, with the meat slicer on the counter beside it
Private dining
Take the room
From a table of ten to the whole restaurant. Tailored evenings rooted in old-school Italian hospitality.
Off-Site Catering · Minimum 15 guests
Private Buy-Out · Minimum 30 guests
Large Parties · 10 – 29 guests