This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Carson Rolleri.

GW students’ own Italian kitchen and first-date spot closed its doors for the last time Saturday.

Famous Luigi’s, the Italian restaurant on 19th Street between L and M streets, embodied the success story of an Italian immigrant family who wanted to bring their food to the U.S.

The restaurant opened in 1943 by Luigi Calvi, an immigrant from Genoa, Italy. The latest owner, Deborah Bruzzo, will now write a book about the restaurant and “pass the baton” to her daughter, who opened an Italian restaurant called Osteria Marzano in Alexandria.

From the Washington Post:

Housed in a two-story, 19th-century structure with a glass-enclosed atrium extending from the base of the building, Famous Luigi’s earned its fame perhaps the hardest way possible: It survived.

The place has survived recessions, wars, the 1968 riots and countless dining trends, from the rise of fast-food chains to the popularity of Neapolitan pizza. This weekend’s closing of Famous Luigi’s will officially end its run as one of the oldest restaurants in the area.

The death of the original founder in 1961 almost closed Famous Luigi’s permanently, with extended family coming from Italy to run the restaurant in the short-run. Their arrival not only kept the restaurant open 52 years later, but revolutionized the restaurant.

With a significant cultural and language barrier, the Bruzzo family taught the staff to make real pasta as the menu expanded past the traditional pizza.

What was the Famous Luigi’s experience like for patrons? A 2004 Hatchet article might describe it best:

When you first walk in, a stairwell greets you instead of a hostess. In fact, there is no hostess; the servers simply come up front when they happen to see someone waiting. Then they either seat the customers or yell at them for blocking the doorway. The wait staff is well practiced but still remains unpolished. The same goes for the decoration. You’ll find the usual red-and-white checkered tablecloths and random art on the walls, but instead of seeming bland, it is perfect with the candle light at each table.

For the brave, just go and sit yourself down, since that’s what the regulars do. You’ll pretty much have to, with all of the tables on top of one another. The downstairs has much more of a quiet ambience with a little more space, but upstairs is what real Italian dining is all about – no place to walk, mismatching tables and, boy, is it loud.

What are your best memories of Famous Luigi’s?