Gigi’s Pasta is Already Drawing Long Lines at Western Market

Gigi’s Pasta, 2000 Pennsylvania Ave., NW (inside Western Market)

Two weeks in, lines are already long almost every day at Gigi’s Pasta, a Western Market food hall stall with a fringed yellow awning and enough garlands of plastic lemons to decorate every restaurant on the Amalfi Coast.

“Build your own pasta bowl” is not a new concept, but Gigi’s has set itself apart with a retro aesthetic and a focus on made-to-order fresh pasta.

Constandina Economides and Stephanos Andreou, the Greek American couple who own Gigi’s, ran the downtown lounge Barcode and the fusion izakaya Sakerum, both now closed, as well as Tokyo Pearl, a Dupont Circle sushi bar.

Gigi’s is their first foray into Italian food and the fast-casual format. Before opening, the couple bought a pasta machine— then another one w