“Our little cozy narrow restaurant feels very empty these days, and we are approaching a breaking point.”

1316 9th Street, NW

From San Lorenzo:

“Amici miei / My friends,

Twenty years after arriving to Washington DC from Tuscany, the opening of San Lorenzo – my first very own restaurant – two years ago was one of my biggest personal accomplishments, and definitely something that I cherish as one of my best achievements as a man and as a chef.

Sadly, for as good as the memories that I had when I opened this restaurant, things have changed a lot for me as a chef and a restaurant owner as of March 2020.

Since the initial days of the COVID19 shutdown, we very much wanted to give back to first responders in the best way that we could, so we made meals for our local DC Fire House and healthcare workers at GWU Hospital. In the months that followed and up until the present day, we’ve continued to make meals for frontline staff at Children’s and GWU Hospitals, as it also keeps our own spirits up.

But times have also been very tough for us. It began with the shutdown that kept us from having customers inside the restaurant at all and forced us to sell our Tuscan delicacies and pantry items to-go so that we could stay alive. Now, with the partial re-opening at 50% capacity, things have not gotten much better; the number of customers that we serve daily is barely in double digits.

Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of having a patio and we can’t accommodate people outside on our 9th St. sidewalk. Our little cozy narrow restaurant feels very empty these days, and we are approaching a breaking point. We really need to have customers come out to support us so that we can stay alive.

Having been used to cooking for and serving more than 100 people a night, our waiters (all of whom are still working for us!) are eager to show their mask-covered smiles as they serve you.

Because there’s one thing that San Lorenzo has not lost, and that’s our passion for cooking and hospitality!

That passion is still 100% in us and in me! When we opened, I pledged to my son Lorenzo that I would be making my Pappardelle with Rabbit Ragu and Tortelli with Robiola & Black Truffles in the restaurant named after him until the day that I couldn’t cook anymore. I plan to keep that promise, but without your help, it’s really hard for me to keep my word.

Please come join us for a meal at San Lorenzo to let us remind you how good we can be, show you our Italian charm, and my immense charisma as a chef and Italian man!

In the event you don’t feel like you can come in, please don’t forget that we are also doing takeout/delivery, and we are more than happy to cater special meals in your home.

Grazie mille, Massimo Fabbri”