The restaurant was upscale, nice and quiet. On Bethesda Ave between Wisconsin and Woodmont. A little bit removed from Bethesda row but perfect. The brunch menu for the weekends is really excellent. Brunch is 10 AM-2 PM Weekends only. We enjoyed the lemon ricotta pancakes, which was so fluffy and sweet. The coffee cake was a nice dessert as well! The service here was outstanding! Fine dining even for a brunch. They even changed our utensils for dessert. And we got clean, new share plates for each dish! read more

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Aventino is a great spot if you're looking for an upscale Italian dining experience with good service and a beautiful atmosphere. The pasta was definitely the highlight of the meal. Freshly cooked, mine is with lamb~ it was rich, flavorful, and well-balanced without being overly heavy. The restaurant itself has a sophisticated yet welcoming ambiance, making it a great choice for date nights, celebrations, or a nice evening out with friends. Their happy hour drinks are worth checking out. I wish they offered a few more food options during happy hour. Overall, Aventino delivers delicious Italian food, excellent service, and a classy atmosphere. I'll be back for pasta read more

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Excellent customer service! Maria, our server recommended so many delicious items. Looking forward to visit this location again. read more

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We went here with two couples, one of whom has been here before. It was definitely beautiful and very noisy inside and service started out great. We ordered cocktails after flagging someone down and everyone enjoyed them. My friend ordered the flatbread app and it was basically bread with some tomato sauce on it. For dinner my hubby and another friend had the veggie ravioli and it was amazing! But there were 6 pieces of it (looked more like gnocchi) and both of them were hungry after eating. My other friend and I got the steak and it was also a small portion and mine had SO many chewy pieces that I had to spit out! I don't expect that at all for a $60 entree! The pieces I had tasted good but I would much rather have had a well cooked, better cut of steak. My other friend had the special pasta with truffle for $70...wow! Again, not a big portion at all and I felt so bad even trying a bite of hers (but I did...nothing special). Dinner was very disappointing as far as portions vs prices go! We ordered 3 desserts and the only one that was great was the almond cake...so good we ordered another one! Overall I was not impressed with this restaurant. There are much better authentic Italian places in the area that don't break the bank. They really should lower their prices, add more options to the menu and change their steak cut. Just my opinion I doubt I'd go here again unless I wasn't very hungry and wanted to spend a lot of $$. All of us went home and ate more since we left hungry. read more

Aventino Cucina - Steak - Italian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

We stopped by for drinks and upon recommendation, we ordered the ricotta with chickpea "panelle". The bartender was friendly and attentive. The space has a chic, modern vibe, perfect for unwinding with good conversation and cocktails. I recommend trying their espresso martinis. Definitely a spot I'll be returning to! read more

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I would say the interior and location for a nice sit down restaurant is the appeal here. The inside is nice and clean and spacious. Having a larger table is definitely not the issue at this location. The service was impeccable as we were the only large table. They were attentive and always filling up water and checking in. I would say that the food is the one that leaves you wanting more. The food was okay in my opinion, but the amount and the seasoning of the dishes do leave you with a feeling of not really being full. For the ones who enjoy smaller portions, this works for them, but for me, it ends up being harder to justify getting appetizers and an entree and then considering another entree because I didn't eat enough. As for the seasoning, I would probably lean into adding a bit more spice into the dishes or fresh cracked pepper for some spice. The salt levels were fine, but a bit more black pepper would have given the dish more oomph. read more

Aventino Cucina - Pesche - Swordfish - Italian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Best Italian restaurant in the DMV!! We continue to come back for the excellent service and the quality of the food. All the dishes are shareable, although not large portion size. We noticed the meat entrées keep changing put everyone we've tried was delicious. We celebrated our 10 year anniversary in the restaurant made us feel very special. The last time we dined, we had a pork prime rib style dish that was tender and flavorful. The pasta dishes are also unforgettable and delicious. Oh, and I forgot to mention their cocktails are always super satisfying. The lighting in the restaurant sets the mood just right. read more

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3.5 stars. Came here for Sunday lunch with some friends. Friendly service and cute aesthetics inside. Brunch / lunch menu is a bit limited, and food portions & cocktails were small as well. I ordered the seafood spaghetti (Manila clams) for my entree & the peach palazzo cocktail, and both were good but not amazing. read more

Aventino Cucina - Italian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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Had the most magical pesto gnocchi with truffles here- it was fluffy and gorgeous. The staff here is warm and welcoming and the amaro program is really fun for first timers and experienced tasters alike! read more

Aventino Cucina - Italian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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We chose to dine at Aventino Cucina for a girl date due to the cute interior. The food and drinks were decent, no complaints but also nothing spectacular; small menu. We went on a Sunday afternoon at 1pm and there were only 3 parties there but they sat us right next to another couple. Did wish they spaced us out a bit since the entire restaurant was available. read more

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Very cool decor and interior. Food tastes really good, too! Some of the portions could be larger for the price, but I understand that this is about quality over quantity. read more

We went here for a late Sunday brunch/lunch. This was a treat. Our table got a mix of pasta and brunch items. The spaghetti Alle vongole was so good with just a hint of red pepper. The cacio e peppe was perfect. My omelette was a perfect French cook with delicious fontina cheese and mixed mushrooms. I love the mixed greens salad. It seemed to have a kumquat dressing which was light and a great complement. The desserts were great as well. We will definitely be back for dinner! It's such a restaurant and I love the green decor. The staff and prompt and professional, while also friendly. Very clean restrooms as well. Free parking across the street on the weekends! read more

Aventino Cucina - Seasonal tart with pomegranate seeds and pine nuts - Italian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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I really enjoyed my evening at Aventino! The atmosphere is chic and timeless, and I immediately was impressed by the decor. Everything we had was delicious, and I loved how gluten free friendly their menu is. My friend and I also did the amaro tasting, which was such a unique and special experience we really enjoyed, and we found some lovely amaros we would never have otherwise known about! The staff's knowledge was such a meaningful touch that really brought the experience from a normal dinner out to a memorable one. read more

Aventino Cucina - Crudo - Italian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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When my family came to town, I finally had the opportunity to try out Aventino! Pretty spacious inside, with a massive bar in the middle and cool modern decor. They were busy in a Friday night, but the manager stepped up to help take our drink orders and ensure we were not forgotten or slowed down! I was surprised to learn that there were not too many protein options on the menu - or the options that did have meat they were very light. However, we all thoroughly enjoyed our pasta choices. The classic cacio e Pepe "Tonnarelli" was a hit, the "Pappardelle" with mushrooms was delish, and the "Lumache" hit the spot! Serving sizes were just right - not too big, just enough to get us full! Excited to come back and try more of the appetizers and pizzas on this menu! read more

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We had dinner at Aventino Cucino tonight and we had an amazing experience from the food, service, to the ambiance. We ordered several dishes and all of them were excellent. The food was great quality and authentic Italian dishes. We tried the pizza rossa, PROSCIUTTO DI PARMA which was sweet and savory flavors with the prosciutto and pineapple with focaccia bread. We had also PAPPARDELLE which had wild mushrooms and it was delicious. We also tried the SALTIMBOCCA with veal loin and sweet potato crema. We even ordered their special dessert which was the Opera cake, which was perfect with the fior di latte gelato. The ambiance was very classy, upscale, and modern. We enjoyed it even with our kids. The service was excellent as well. Our server was knowledgeable, friendly, and precise. From the friendly greetings from the hostesses as you enter into the restaurant. You are welcome and greeted with a smiling face. We definitely had a great experience and would return to try other dishes. read more

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I loooved Aventino! The interior and exterior signage is beautiful. Interesting wallpaper, colorful seating areas and overall a clean and intriguing design concept. Our waiter was great, knowledgeable on the menu and so kind. I loved my pasta! Warm and filling meal. Dessert was an interesting mix of flavors from the cake having a cinnamon kick and the gelato being sweet. Not usually something I note but the bathrooms smelt like strawberries... so random but pleasant? I'd recommend stopping by Aventino anytime read more

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extremely noisy Very cold air-conditioning was chilling Poor pacing in service. Did not honor the reservation. We were treated like walk-ins even though we had made the reservation four days in advance. read more

This is what Bethesda really needed. Upscale Italian food with delicious food and finally something that doesn't read like your typical suburb menu. It's very nicely decorated with some noise reducing elements like the fabric booths, but it's quite loud still so you have speak with a louder voice. Big bar in the middle. Have to come back to the bar with their awesome cocktail menu. Best dirty martini! I liked their BRUTUS & BOOTS drink too. We were a group of 6 and our server recommended two entrees and several pasta dishes. We had to try their three pasta dishes. He was a good server and was so helpful. I didn't take a pic of their carbonara pasta but wow I could just this dish alone and just that only. I really enjoyed their cacio e pepe dish too. Both pork chop and steak entrees are meant to be shared and both were so good too. Perfectly cooked per temperature as requested. Highly recommend to give this place a try. read more

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Came here for lunch on a cold Friday at noon. Place was not busy. Was greeted warmly at the door and taken to the table one of my lunch partners had reserved. It's a very nice restaurant with a classy atmosphere. Large bar in the middle of the restaurant. Server poured water from a glass pitcher on the table and we said we were waiting for a third person. A few minutes later they came back and asked if we wanted a drink or app. We said no and they only came back once more a few minutes later, repeating the question. Our third person arrived about 12:30 pm. Based on that and the rest of the service duringour meal, I would rate the place very high for service. The servers were pleasant and not pushy. We were there for a good 25 minutes before we ordered an app. The app we ordered was the Ricotta ($16). Good portion for the three of us. The menu says the ingredients are chickpea 'panelle,' whipped ricotta, wildflower honey, fried rosemary, sea salt. I found it a bit bland, except for the ever-present rosemary, which I think was too heavy handed. I'd pass on this next time. We each enjoyed our entrees, although the two of us who got pasta agreed that the food, although the pasta itself was well prepared and the sauces were flavorful (and nicely spicy), the pasta dishes were both too heavily salted. We each would have enjoyed the flavor of the sauces without the overpowering saltiness. I got the Lumache ($26) and my lunch partner got the Tonnarelli ($22). Our third person got the Pesce ($39). Don't get me wrong. The entrees were tasty. But the two pasta dishes were diminished by the heavy saltiness. I think the service here is outstanding. The food was good, but I've had better food (in terms of interesting and full flavors with less salt) at other places. It was ok for this price point for lunch. Oh, and the music playing over the restaurant speakers is a bit too loud for having conversation. read more

4.5* We celebrated my daughter's birthday here this week and we had a great time. We had the Pizza Rossa, suppli Al telefono, and prosciutto with burrata for appetizers. All were fantastic. We ordered several pastas-Lumache and Tonnarelli were big hits. The Rigatoni carbonara was a little bland. The pork chop was tasty if a bit fatty in parts. The Potatoes I thought were pretty good but my father in law felt they were overdone/too crispy. Service was very good. The restaurant is very pretty although pretty loud. The booths are nice but a bit hard to get in and out of. Overall great experience and would recommend! read more

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Very overrated and overpriced restaurant. From the moment we sat down, things went wrong. Basic items like cutlery and napkins were missing, and the service only went downhill from there. A male server was extremely unprofessional and rude. When I asked for a simple juice for my daughter (lemonade is too sour for her), he looked at me as if I were asking for something absurd instead of accommodating a very normal request for a child. When ordering the duck, I specifically asked if it was properly cooked. It arrived very red in the middle, clearly medium-rare. When I said I could not eat duck cooked that way, the server began arguing with me, insisting "this is how duck is cooked." I am Italian and have eaten duck my entire life and never saw the duck cooked that raw. Things became much worse when my 5 years old daughter, who eats everything everywhere without issues, developed a rash after eating supplì, followed by an even stronger allergic reaction after the rigatoni. Keep in mind we are native Italian and eat pasta with tomato sauce at least three times per week, and my daughter has never had any reaction to it whatsoever..so only God knows what was inside that dish. The server showed zero concern, was completely nonchalant, and seemed more focused on whether I wanted to order something else rather than the fact that a child was having an allergic reaction. I had to rush to a pharmacy to get a strong dose of Zyrtec for my daughter, and due to the urgency and stress, I even ended up with a speeding ticket. Our daughter's birthday dinner was completely ruined. The most shocking part? No apology, no accountability, no empathy. We were simply handed the check. I drove one hour to try this restaurant, and it turned into an absolute nightmare. I would not recommend this place to anyone, especially families or anyone expecting professionalism and basic human decency. read more

Aventino Cucina is what Bethesda needed. Reservations are hard to come by, so plan in advance, although their bar is pretty large so I am sure you can grab a chair there. The dining room looks very nice. The only knock is it gets really loud in there. Our waitress was very efficient, but it was hard to hear her as again it was very loud. For appetizers, we enjoyed the Prosciutto Di Parma and Zucca E FinocchioI. You can tell their prosciutto is made in-house and paired well with the burrata. I highly recommend this appetizer. The fried zucchini was good especially dipping it in the black truffle dip. For entrees, the Pesce came with two pan roasted flounder filets. It was a big portion. This was really good. It also came with cauliflower mash and cauliflower florets. We also had the cacio e peppe, and I thought the portion was size was large and it tasted really good. Make sure to mix all the ingredients as the cheese is in the bottom of the bowl. For cocktails, I did like their take on the Old Fashioned, the Snappin Fashioned. Looking forward to our next meal here. read more

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5 star Italian place, don't miss out! Came here for dinner around the holidays and had a great experience. Restaurant has beautiful sleek interior with festive decor. The bar also looked very nice. Service was friendly and attentive. We ordered some drinks, ricotta and zucca e finocchio to start, tonnarelli (cacio e pepe), rigatoni (carbonara), pesce (flounder), and aventino mess. Loved every item we ordered. The cacio e pepe was the best I've had in a while and the pesce was perfectly crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Don't skip out on the dessert bc it was such a nice way to end the meal. I would definitely come back again with a group to try more menu items. Make sure to make a reservation bc this place is already getting popular! read more

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I had a great dinner here. I liked the manhattan cocktail I had. The ricotta appetizer was tasty and unique. It was basically fried chickpea patties with ricotta cheese. I also liked the cappalletti pasta. It was savory and had a lot of cheese. The whole roasted dorade was delicious and one of my favorite fish dishes that I've had. It was flaky, light, and flavorful. The desserts were good too. I liked the sorbetto and the affogato. The caffeine in the affogato was pretty strong though. The service was good and the restaurant had a beautiful ambiance. read more

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PESCE $39 Pan-roasted cobia, cauliflower, toasted almonds, raisin agrodolce, lemon The cobia was flavorful. It came paired with a few cauliflower florets and a silky cauliflower purée. However, it's worth noting that this dish is on the smaller side, so if you're looking for something more substantial, I'd recommend adding a side or two to round out the meal. TORTA DELLA NONNA $13 Italian custard tart, poached Bartlett pear, pine nut crunch The poached Bartlett pears added a nice texture. The torta it's self reminded me of cheesecake-- The crunch added a savory-sweet element that I loved. I'm a huge fan of pine nuts, it worked beautifully with the dessert. The ginger gelée offered a warm, aromatic spice that enhanced the overall flavor. In addition to the great food, our server was warm, engaging, and made the ambiance more enjoyable. The restaurant was crowded and busy on a Saturday evening. read more

Aventino Cucina - Torta - Italian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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Service is the best I've ever had never an empty glass food was great too the ambiance was there read more

Aventino Cucina - The vibe - Italian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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Hopping bar scene and happy hour. Broad selection of amaro. Talented bar tenders, fun to watch. Enjoy the decor quite a lot. Small portions for seated brunch though I don't mind that. read more

Amazing food! Standouts include cocktails- we tried the amaro flight, food was delicious, we tried the butterhead lettuce salad, gnocchi and cacio pepe all were outstanding! The service was a bit lacking in my opinion, always had to flag down our server if we needed something. It was a bit too loud for our preference. Overall I would highly recommend, it was a great evening and would definitely visit again. read more

I've been here a few times and each time I love it. Walking in the ambience is beautiful. In the main room, there are dark emerald green seats, and booths, which is simply stunning. Near the bar area there are smaller tables. Tables have lighted candles on them, which creates a cozy atmosphere. Upon walking in and being seated, a server does come to provide drinks. The servers are helpful and providing recommendations based on your preferences and what you would like to eat. And the food never disappoints. Every time I have a friend come in from out of town. I always suggest this restaurant because I know it will never disappoint! read more

Aventino Cucina - Calamari, suppli al telefono, ricotta - Italian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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I took my best friends and their families out to dinner here for a reunion. I'm visiting from California and decided to treat them out to a nice dinner. Everyone just loved the dinner. The pulpo was exceptional and entire enjoyed gnocchi and ciao a pepe. Short ribs deserve mention too. What a wonderful dinner and the service was very attentive without being distracting. Loved it. read more

The service here at the bar is wonderful. The bartenders are experts in the menu and also very professional. The bar is well lit and busy but still relaxing and exits easy to tune the rest of the room out. The entire menu all sounds so delicious it is hard to choose. The trippa alla diavola was probably the favorite but the crisp was also amazing. The mushroom pappardelle is worth coming back for. If you come for a pork chop ask them not to cook it past med well. Mine was too dry and charred to eat even when asked for medium. read more

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One of the few nice restaurants open on Monday nights, like people don't have birthdays on Mondays! As other reviewers have mentioned, the interior is gorgeous, so it feels like it could be a special occasion kind of restaurant. It doesn't have to be just for couples, since I did see several groups. I came here for my birthday dinner, and no disappointment. The food wasn't out of this world (which is why the 4 star rating), but I did enjoy the food and the experience. Look at the beautifully plated dishes in my photos! Something different here from other restaurants is the list of amaros on the drinks menu. I had to google "what is amaro?" From wiki- "Italian herbal liqueur that is commonly consumed after-dinner and has a bitter-sweet flavor, syrupy." I was tempted by the long list with enticing descriptive flavors, and "FLIGHT OF 3 FOR $18." We had a flight of 3 before dinner, and the description from wiki is spot-on. I thought it was fun to try them. My husband and I ordered two appetizers, two pasta dishes, one vegetable side dish, and two desserts and shared everything. We cleaned our plates with no leftovers. The portions are not massive or too small, but reasonably sized for people's stomachs. Our server did swap out plates and utensils between courses. Some reviewers talked about slow service, but personally, I was satisfied with the pacing of our food coming out. We were there for an hour and half. Parking- county garages (which is not fun) or metered street parking (very limited number of spaces available). read more

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Super cute decor, delicious food (pasta was incredible), service was super friendly but the pastas came out so slow (30 min after our apps). That's the only ding but otherwise everything was excellent and I'll be back! Highly recommend: Suppli al telefono (like an arancini) Vongole pasta Amatriciana read more

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Big central bar with some empty seats when we got there so I'd imagine it would be it can be relatively easy to get two seats at the bar for dinner if you can't get reservations (which you have to make well in advance). The pizza rossa, vongole, cacio e pepe, rigatoni, lumache, pork chop and porterhouse were all excellent. The pastas are house made. The mandorle and cioccolato were delicious. For two people would get two pasta dishes and split an entree. I suppose it depends on who you're with as to deciding whether to share your dessert. Best restaurant in Bethesda read more

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Second time going! This time experienced the bar service and set up. Service amazing food amazing vibes perfection. Just a perfect Thursday evening. Happy hour menu deal was great. Chris our server was amazing and gave me a run down of the dishes and checked in on us to make sure everything was up to par. Must check it out! You won't regret it. Accommodate all guests even when you have massive shopping bags and you sit at the bar. read more

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I had been there for lunch. So in mid-April, I took some friends there for dinner. In contrast to my lunch experience, the service was poor. The main course took more than an hour to get to the table--and that was after prompting the waiter. Worse, the two men at our table were served five minutes before the woman and watched their food get cold while we did the polite thing and waited for her to be served before starting to eat. I will never go back there. read more

A very disappointing experience. Service was good and the bar is nice and cozy but the food was lackluster. The rigatoni was apparently okay but my skate wing - holy Batman. I joked that dmv likely has a salt shortage bc Aventino must've taken bought it all. Even the person who typically eats over the top super salty foods on the reg said it's inedible. I had gallons of water the rest of the night. They were nice enough to bring another new dish out and it was a tad better but still saltier than it should. Skate wings are usually somewhat salty but man... I'm not going back for food again. Considering their non-pasta main dish that's not red meat has only one option (the fish I ordered), looks like I'll be back solely for the bar. Just want to add that the manager was apologetic and sweet- I appreciated the gesture. Thank you for that. Truly sad about this one bc I was looking forward to it after having made a reservation a month in advance. Bethesda doesn't have a lot of tasty restaurants - so it looks like I'm still sticking around my McLean neighborhood for better food for now. read more

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KenScale: 8.25/10 Visit: June 2024 One of the gripes from my wife Jun since we moved to the DC area is a lack of go-to restaurants within the walking distance from our home in Bethesda, Maryland. So we were both very excited to hear about the opening of a new project by chef Mike Friedman behind DC's popular Italian restaurant The Red Hen. This past summer, we finally checked out Aventino, which opened in January (there is also a companion AP Pizza Shop focusing on pizzas from the same chef). It was certainly refreshing to visit a restaurant without driving our car and worrying about not drinking too much (not an insignificant drawback from living in the suburban area outside of DC as we enjoy complementing food with at least a glass of wine or cocktail). More importantly, our first meal at Aventino showed a lot of promise. Reflecting chef Friedman's Italian-Jewish background, the focus of Aventino is in traditional Roman cuisine with inspirations from the Roman-Jewish ghetto. While I am not particularly well-versed in different culinary traditions of Italy, the dishes we ordered were mostly very delicious. Jun was intrigued by the description of fried gnocchi in the starter section, but what really made me a fan of the dish was the house-made mortadella meat that was wonderful, especially with cherry and toasted pistachios that give added flavor and texture. Among all the appetizing pasta options, we chose ravioli and lumache. The ravioli was more than solid, with ricotta, morel mushrooms and spinach to give the impression of a pasta dish directly brought from a garden. It was the lumache, however, that I couldn't stop thinking about, especially the fabulous pieces of guanciale that, with tomato and Calabrian chili, created wonderful effects to the pasta. If that dish is available again on our next visit, I will be sure to try it again. For the main dish, we split the porchetta-spiced lamb ribs. The lamb, accompanied by soft herbs and pickled fennel, was another winner from the menu, especially with a side of roasted Italian cauliflower that provided really nice crunchy texture; the only pet peeve from both of us was that the portion could've been somewhat larger at the $48 price tag (or perhaps that's the reality of restaurant dining in the current inflationary environment). We finished our meal with two desserts, both also very good. The pasta fritto that you can dip onto honey mascarpone alongside pistachio gelato is something that you could love sharing with fellow diners on a bright sunny evening, and the poached rhubarb with whipped vanilla mascarpone and rhubarb sorbetto was also well-executed to bring a delightful touch. Not surprisingly from the restaurant behind perennially difficult-to-reserve The Red Hen, it will take more efforts to book a table at Aventino than you would normally at a suburban Maryland restaurant. There is full bar with a thoughtful Italian-focused wine list (a good bet is to look at volcano symbol denoting wines from volcanic soil, although I found it curious that the list didn't feature as many Sicilian wines as I had expected). The bright, upscale dining room that certainly looks like an upgrade over other suburban restaurants is another plus to the dining experience at Aventino. Jun and I are very glad that we now have a restaurant where we can casually walk from our home for dinner or, perhaps next time, even drop by at the bar for some quick cocktails and pastas. We will absolutely be back again in the near future to try other dishes from this very welcome newcomer to our neighborhood. read more

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The ambiance was great nice wall paper and various types of light fixtures. The prices were definitely on the high side considering paying $45 for thin slices of veal. All the plates were very small portions. The rigatoni with guanciale was $24 for an appetizer portion. We dont mind the price if the food matched the standard. We didnt feel Wow by the experience. The staff was overly active and very quick to remove our plates. read more

Tried Aventino twice, once for brunch and once for dinner. Both were pleasant experiences with friendly staff. They do get busy so recommend reservations. The pasta dishes have lots of flavor but are very rich. I followed up with an Affogato both times to balance. One quirk I was disappointed in was my spouse wanted gelato. They have multiple flavors. They give multiple scoops with an order but won't allow you to choose more than one flavor. Disappointing. Also, a couple of heads ups, I was told they will not allow gift cards for the restaurant to be used at their own attached pizza shop and they add a 3% surcharge automatically to the check. read more