A New York City legend is making D.C. its second home. The venerable Cafe Fiorello, which first opened its doors in Manhattan over five decades ago, lands in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 21 (1001 Pennsylvania Avenue NW). This marks the first time the flagship of restaurateur Shelly Fireman’s hospitality group grows beyond its Big Apple roots.

Fireman Hospitality Group already maintains a 15-year presence in the D.C. area with Bond 45 and Fiorella Italian Kitchen in Maryland’s National Harbor. “Shelly and I have always known that if we were to bring our flagship somewhere else, the nation’s capital was at the top of the list,” CEO Ben Grossman tells Eater. And with Cafe Fiorello celebrating its 50th anniversary last year, the time felt right to expand. The NYC fixture, situated across the street from Lincoln Center since 1974, continues to lure theater-goers with its reliable Italian fare and a destination antipasti bar overflowing with vegetables and seafood.

At the heart of the new 6,500-square-foot corner space — which housed short-lived power spot Tadich Grill until 2018 — is a wood-burning oven, a unique feature for D.C. that gets its own special section on the menu. For example, the branzino al Forno comes fire-roasted alongside peppers, onions, and olives, while a center-cut veal chop also boasts a distinctive wood-grilled flavor profile. And don’t miss out on the flame-kissed cheeseburger, served with Tillamook cheddar and cacio e pepe fries.

But other than the live fire grill, don’t expect too many menu differences between the New York original and D.C. That, Grossman says, is on purpose. “These are dishes that we’ve been executing for a long time that have stood the test of time,” he notes, referencing a range of daily home-made pastas and sauces that have made Cafe Fiorello famous.

A classic plate of spaghetti and meatballs stands out with pomodoro sauce and short rib-and-bone marrow meatballs for a truly melt-in-your-mouth finish. Carbonara gets an upgrade with Fiorello’s lobster carbonara, served with classic guanciale and pecorino Romano. A beautiful linguine and clams is finished with a traditional white wine clam sauce, and of course, there’s rigatoni alla vodka for the old-school Italian lovers.

Also starring on the menu are Cafe Fiorello’s thin-crust pizzas, topped with ingredients including sweet fennel sausage and peppers, a lot of pepperoni, or prosciutto di Parma. And lest you forget about your vegetables, the restaurant boasts an impressive antipasto bar featuring a consistent selection of eight roasted and pickled vegetables, plus four offerings that rotate seasonally. Not to be missed are the fire-roasted red and yellow peppers and the crispy cauliflower Milanese served with a cauliflower coulis and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

To complement its best-selling dishes, Cafe Fiorello also developed a unique bar program for its new D.C. home. “We’ve always thought of ourselves as an Italian playground where people can get the classics they love, with a twist,” Grossman says. As such, classic Italian cocktails see multiple variations in D.C. Try a banana-flavored Negroni, featuring bourbon and creme de banane, or the Cafe Fiorello Grand Spritz, which adds passionfruit and lime to the classic Aperol-and-prosecco combination.

“We’re not only focused on the food at Cafe Fiorello — it’s really about the guest experience and making you feel at home the second you walk in the door,” says Grossman. And while the newly renovated restaurant is large, there are homey touches, starting from the warm millwork and classic Italian furniture, to Shelly Fireman’s personal art collection adorning the walls. “Shelly always says that we’re huggers, and that’s what we want folks to feel when they come to eat with us,” says Grossman.