Ama

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Love, Liguria, and the Navy Yard

The name says it all. Ama means "love" in Italian, drawn from a poem about living with love and intention — and that philosophy runs through every corner of this all-day destination on New Jersey Avenue SE. Led by wife-and-husband duo Johanna Hellrigl and Micah Wilder, Ama is one of Washington DC's most distinctly focused restaurants: a genuine celebration of Northern Italian, and specifically Ligurian, food culture, from the first espresso of the morning to the last glass of the night.

A Day in Three Acts

The rhythm here is part of the appeal. Mornings open as an indoor-outdoor caffè and Genovese-style focacceria, serving Caffè Vergnano espresso — from Italy's oldest coffee roaster, founded in 1882 — alongside classic Italian cornetti made with organic spelt flour, savory frittate with pasture-raised eggs, and the signature Ligurian focaccia Genovese in classic, onion, or pizzata slices. The caffè menu is notably thoughtful: no refined sugar anywhere, with Sucanat, date syrup, or raw honey as sweeteners, and organic A2 grass-fed whole milk as the default.

By afternoon, Ama shifts into aperitivo mode. Come evening, the room becomes a proper ristorante, and the Ligurian kitchen comes fully into its own.

What's on the Plate

The dinner menu is rooted in the Italian northwest but travels with curiosity. Focaccia di Formaggio — a very thin, layered focaccia filled with crescenza cheese — and farinata, the Ligurian chickpea pancake baked in extra virgin olive oil, anchor the bread section. Among the starters, a Fritto Misto of anchovies, prawns, and calamari and a Vitello Tonnato of milk-fed veal with Pantelleria capers speak directly to the Ligurian and Piedmontese traditions.

Pasta is taken seriously: Gnocchi di Castagne al Pesto are made with chestnut flour and finished in a traditional Tigullio basil pesto; Raviolini al Tocco are filled with braised pasture-raised beef and escarole, served in meat jus; and the Schlutzkraften — rye half-moon ravioli with spinach and fresh cheese — nod to the Tyrolean border country. For secondi, the Coniglio is a braised free-range rabbit stew with fennel, tomato, and Ligurian Riviera olives, served with housemade sourdough for the scarpetta.

The menu changes frequently with seasonality and farmer availability — a commitment that runs through every sourcing decision, from Seatopia-raised branzino from regenerative aquaculture near Cádiz to local pasture-raised grassfed beef.

Mission-Driven, Genuinely

Ama describes itself as mission-driven, and the evidence is in the details: a transparent 3.85% health and wellness charge that funds medical, dental, vision, and mental wellness benefits for the team; regenerative and organic sourcing throughout; and an accessibility commitment that extends to full wheelchair access across the space. Recognized by Gambero Rosso — Italy's most authoritative food guide — Ama earns its place on any serious list of Washington's best Italian tables. It is a community anchor, as the team puts it, built for every mood and moment.