Lingering on the Palate: Roma’s (1920 - 1997)
Roma’s was famous for its traditional Italian fare, including spaghetti and meatballs. The restaurant itself always drew a crowd, and patrons could even stomp on grapes in a large vat!
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The early twentieth century brought on an influx of Italian immigrants who sought to recreate the taste of home in a new country. One of the earliest Italian restaurants to grace Washington, DC, was Roma’s.
Roma’s was first opened by Frank Abbo on F Street NW in 1920. It then moved to 3419 Connecticut Avenue NW in Cleveland Park in 1932, where it expanded to five storefronts. The space included the main dining room, a second dining room for overflow, another room for banquets, a “raw bar,” and a bar called Poor Robert’s Tavern, named for Abbo’s son, Bobby.
Frank, a Genovese immigrant, arrived in the US in 1908 and earned his living as a coal miner. Other jobs that he held in his youth included serving in World War I as a cook and then as a cook at the famous Willard Hotel. The prime clientele for Roma’s ranged from bookies to senators and even Vice President George H.W. Bush, who was said to be partial to the linguini with clam sauce. Roma’s was described as “shabby,” but that was part of the charm, as it included a cocktail pianist and a lounge singer. A garden in the rear included grapes that were “so sweet you could pluck and eat them.”
Someone might not be overly impressed with the menu now, which included spaghetti, meatballs, red sauce, and cheap wine, but it was viewed by patrons at the time to be “authentic.” The menu included other "traditional Italian fare, such as its signature homemade manicotti stuffed with prosciutto and ricotta, which might be served three or four hundred times on a busy day.” Additionally, it was credited with being “consistent.” Every September, Roma’s held a wine festival, where grapes in the garden were stomped on by guests and the wine was barrelled.
In 1970, Frank went out to answer a phone call and was struck by an oncoming vehicle. He passed shortly thereafter. The restaurant’s operations were then managed by his widow, Anna, who ran Roma’s with her son Robert until her death in 1995. Robert closed the institution only two years later.
This is a stop on the Lingering on the Palate: the Ghosts of the DC Food Scene Tour.
