I had this out of the blue chicken marsala craving and did a little research and decided to give Cantina D'Italia a shot. I will start off by saying that I had low expectations given the track record of non-chain Italian restaurants I've tried since living in northern VA of which 85% have been terrible (remember I'm from NJ where Italian food should be the state food). But I said YOLO, crossed my fingers and ordered the marsala via GrubHub. The moral of the story is that I was PLEASANTLY SURPRISED by Cantina D'Italia overall because the marsala was pretty tasty, spaghetti cooked almost perfectly, garlic bread with cheese perfectly seasoned and cheesy and they sent an added little unexpected bonus of a pretty side salad with a homemade vinaigrette and fresh Italian bread and butter! Oh and the portion was HUGE! Totally got 2-3 meals out of it. Cantina D'Italia has given me hope ... or I should say at least gave me an Italian restaurant I just might frequent and explore all the other menu options :) read more

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First off - our server was great! So no complaints there. We are new to the area and are obviously trying new/non chain restaurants when we can. The restaurant itself is old school Italian with the drippy candles in wine bottles and dated decor. It could definitely use a facelift - and still maintain that classic Italian restaurant vibe. The food was the most disappointing part of the journey. Calamari that was chewy and not at all seasoned - clearly frozen and out of a bag and our meals were no better. I LOVE veal saltimbocca and get it whenever I can. The veal was thick, mozzarella wasn't fresh, and it was drowning in canned mushrooms. Nothing about our meal said fresh. We were leaving the next day for a quick trip so we did not take our leftovers home, but I can honestly say we wouldn't have even if we didn't have a trip planned. read more

This is a very pleasant little Italian restaurant with good service and food. Portions on my wife's pasta and my chicken parm were quite generous, too. read more

Cantina D'italia - Chicken Parmigiana - Italian Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

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Has a pleasant atmosphere, but overall the experience fell short of expectations. The food was average and lacked the depth of flavor we were hoping for, especially given the pricing. Service was polite but inconsistent, with longer wait times than expected. While the restaurant has potential, there were enough misses that we likely wouldn't return anytime soon. read more

A quiet, hidden-in-plain-sight neighborhood staple that has been around for quite some time, it is easy to pass by this place and never set foot in its doors. If you are a fan of Italian food, however, it is worth a try. While the taste and execution are not necessarily the best, they are decent enough to generalize a 2 to 3 star rating across the board for quite a number of offerings. Myself, I have had the meatball and chicken parmesan subs, as well as several different entrees on different visits (various pastas and chicken dishes); as well as their side salads, fries, and breads. I will say that the fries and breads are, generally, the most passable; and the other items are largely redeemed by their heft and value, especially when their Uber Eats promotions are active. The restaurant would likely benefit from truncating their menu and focusing on quality. Likewise, seeking to modernize in concept as well as offerings and ambiance may prove fruitful. Reducing portion sizes and focusing on premium, fresh ingredients may likely be beneficial. While it is impossible to tell from the outside, the space is actually very large on the inside. I am certain reducing or repurposing the space may not only bolster operations and customer experience, but efficiency. Lastly, offering trendy items such as very thin, crispy pizzas may help bolster business. I voice the last recommendation as it has always been empty or close to empty whenever I have visited (many times). While I generally encourage support and empathy for local businesses, I have to openly share that this business has reciprocated my repeat patronage with acrimonious passive aggressiveness. As someone committed to unbiased commentary and analysis in general, all the more so in my writings which I publish online, I wish to reiterate that I am not exaggerating nor offering any semblance of partiality, inference, or spin, by any account, and toward either myself or the business. I merely voice factual occurrences, and elucidate the context to the best of my ability. With that said, upon my last visit, an individual who is always there-- who I surmise to be a manager, given his frequency and salience of presence-- made a lot of underhanded and indirect remarks at my expense. The seeming basis for his ire is that as I often utilize coupons to reduce my payment obligation whenever I visit; to wit he disparagingly kept referring to me as "[the guy] who wants everything for free." As I strived to ignore him, he continued making remarks and trying to look at me and occasionally turn to me to gauge my response. He even proceeded to ask if I desired to physically fight his companions, and if I think I could win against them (he was seated with 3 others in a booth when I had walked in). With an open bottle of alcohol at his table and appearing to have indulged, in speech as well as movement and demeanor, I further sought to minimize our interaction. One of his colleagues who was manning the takeout counter clearly felt awkward by this situation, as did his seated companions. This individual was in work attire and bounced between hanging out with his companions at their booth, and working alongside his colleague at the counter; so the observation that he may have not been on duty is not applicable. At no point did I goad, entertain, initiate, nor further his attempts at a challenge. This conduct reflects entirely on him; and, consequently, the business. To rebuke someone unprovoked in general is befuddling; much less a customer, let alone a repeat one. I understand business is hard, but being confrontational in one's place of business, all the more when they merely elect to utilize offers extended by said business is all the more inappropriate. While I will refrain from more directed commentary which would illuminate my true judgment toward such matter, it should be known that this is the type of relationship that you may be extended if you frequent this establishment. For reference, I never received anything for free nor remotely close to free; and simply utilized the coupons, extended by Cantina D'Italia, promoted and listed on Uber Eats, for express and sole purchase at Cantina D'Italia, within the terms and limits provided. If business is not desired if coupons and offers are utilized, perhaps they should either be discontinued or further truncated. If a business wishes to assert and allege that any unethical or ungainly behavior ensued, it is incumbent upon them to identify, observe, report, and rectify said issue. I say all this in case anyone seeks to counter what was said above. Peace and Godspeed to the business, and other patrons. I won't be returning. read more

Cantina D'italia - Italian Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

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We've been putting it off but finally tried Cantina D'italia. The restaurant has a warm feel and the staff, energetic and very friendly - made for a great 1st time. The food was tasty as well. I recommend stopping by if you are in the area. warm bread [5] :) garlic cheese bread [4.5] pizza [4] not bad! calamari [3] needed something... grilled salmon salad [4] huge piece. spaghetti and sauce [5] my son ate it. I had one of the specials, but forgot the name of it. It came with at least 6 good sized shrimp, mushrooms in a pesto cream sauce over linguini [5]. Very good! We will be back to try more of the menu. read more

Called ahead for lunchtime reservations. Both couples showed up on time. Doors were locked. My wife called the other location; the person at the fairfax restaurant was clueless. We went across the street to Outback read more

TLDR: if you're looking for a local spot with a wide variety of options and good pasta this is it. This is my second favorite place for pasta! I love how many dishes there are to choose from, but yes the other reviews about the service being slow is true. But it's because they're understaffed, so we were patient and I'm glad we were! The server themselves are nice and did their best, I even think the owner came out to help. Back to the food: we ordered braised lamb, fettuccine Mediterranean, and a bottle of Cab Sauv. Everything came out perfect! The lamb literally fell off the bone, and the seafood wasn't over cooked. The wine we picked was also amazing (despite me ordering fettuccine). The pasta itself was good too, not too dense and not over/under cooked. The ambiance was good for a date night or just having dinner with friends. Besides the serving time everything was great! I'd give this place 3.5 stars read more

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Please PLEASE update your hours!! Came on a Saturday and your doors were locked. If you're not open for lunch on Saturday, please update your website!!! read more

A cozy, reliable neighborhood spot for Italian food. Giving 4 stars as the quality feels slightly lower than some other Italian places I've been to, but the food always hits anyway AND you don't feel gross afterwards. Will for sure be making this a go-to. read more

Went here for lunch with the family. Very good food with an extensive menu. The service was excellent. read more

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Every single dish I've ever tried has been absolutely delicious. You can't go wrong with any item you order on their menu. The owner Jason is top notch and goes out of his way to take care of his customers . If you have allergies to any ingredient they'll cater to fit your needs. I highly recommend this establishment. read more

Yesterday I got the Friday ice cream delivered to me from my brother-in-law... good friends of jasons Godsend... Today I had to check out some of the food. I got the salmon pasta dish. #Amazing.. Jason the owner is the sweetest. Thanks J for being so nice read more

Cantina D'italia - Ok imagine salmon on this instead of shrimp, and imagine a clear lemon garlic sauce.. - Italian Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

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Great food! Nothing else needs said! Will be going back again! Local place we've never eaten at before and glad we finally did.

We got take out for our family of 5. I am picky about Italian food since we are NJ and my husbands family is Italian. The portions were great, love the salad with the added vegetables, bread was fresh. Price was fair for portions. We ordered bolognese with noodles 8.9/10. This was the highlight for me. Chicken parm 4/10 not a lot of chicken or cheese and sauce too sweet, penne vodka 7/10. This was pretty good, cheese ravioli again did not like sauce and ravioli lacked flavor 3/10. I will definitely order again for the bolognese and try some other dishes. read more

Very nice place to have a team lunch. I had the Veal Sorrentina as the main course with the Tiramisu as the dessert, it also comes with a salad with a vinaigrette. The food was really good and it was a nice cozy environment for a group of about 15 to enjoy some time together. Our server was attentive and was able to refill our drinks promptly, get us extra bread, and got our food out in a pretty timely manner. Definitely recommend coming here for lunch as you won't normally run into the dinner rush, but you'll get the same amazing food and might even get most of the place to yourself. read more

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I love this place so much...great pizza & pasta. We dont live close enough to eat there often, but it's always a stop when passing through.

Great tasting authentic Italian dishes. Service is always great. Quiet and cozy restaurant.

You think my reviews are funny? Funny how? Like I am here to amuse you? If you are still reading this review, thank you for not taking my above comment seriously. Seriously, I do Italian food seriously. I am an Italian food snob, and since coming out here I have found so many Italian restaurants that do not provide the quality that most Italian restaurants up north provide. The restaurant both in menu and decor have that nostalgic quality with low intimate lighting, but sophisticated menu items that you will not find at any chain establishments. They give you great bread to start, and it is worth eating. Crunchy exterior and a warm, chewy interior. I got myself two menu items but the owner billed it to me as one so he could let me see how I liked both. I tried both the Tortellini Tricolore and the Salsiccia Napoletana. It came with a good Caesar salad so no complaints there. This is where you should heed my advice carefully. The food is great. Excellent portions and they do an excellent job not skimping on anything, but be sure you tell them to go light on the sauces. The sauces are really rich. I made the mistake of not telling them to go light on the sauce and paid the price later. But I do not blame them, I blame myself. All be told while a bit expensive the food is great. It made me believe that there is some hope for Italian food outside the New York/New Jersey area. Even if it means gaining 3 pounds afterwards. If you aren't stuffed to the brim, then that says something. Good Italian establishments ensure you leave more than satisfied, because it is all about family to them, not your wallet or your pallet. read more

Cantina D'italia - Managers special! Half Tortellini Tricolore and the Salsisscia Napoletana! - Italian Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

After a day long journey we were ready for something good to eat. Finding this place just a few miles up the road was a nice surprise. The room was very pleasant, comfortable seating and good lighting. I was intrigued to see such a wide varied menu. All kinds of options in about four or five different proteins. My son was able to put in his order and enjoyed a wonderful plate of spaghetti and meatballs. My father enjoyed his dish as well. I was the only one that came up a little short, as my veal piccata was a little tough. Veal is tough to cook right, and I certainly don't fault the restaurant for not getting in perfect. Our server was very attentive, and I was pleased to see the chef making the rounds also. I certainly would recommend this place to anyone. read more

First time here and we thoroughly enjoyed the food but it has never been just about the food. The service was quick and efficient but the server was just not very pleasant, perhaps just having a bad day. He was very unprofessional and seemed to not enjoy his job. Hopefully just having a bad day but did not leave a good impression so most likely will not return. The food was good though. read more

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Wed, Jan 11th 2023: As a Sicilian who cooks some amazing meals, its rare we leave the house for Italian, but we wanted a date night out. We came here on a whim cause Zeffirelli (a real Italian Restaurant) was full. When we arrived, it took the staff a solid 5 minutes to greet and seat the two of us, then another 10 minutes for a waiter to realize we hadn't been helped, and another five for our waitress to come over, and offer waters. That offered us plenty of time to look at the menu, and agree to a couple of things. These we ordered immediately due to what looks like a staffing shortage. The only good thing I can say about the food are the generous portion sizes. We ordered anti-pasta salad, the lasagna Bolognese, eggplant Parmesan, and a bottle of wine. First we received the wine, which when the waitress opened it she cut her hand and bled all over the side of the bottle. She made no note of it all, and I only realized when I touched wet blood when I went to pour our second round. After a significant amount of time, the anti-pasta salad came out. This was some store-bought olives, bologna, and salami with a couple pieces of bland provolone on a green salad. The salad tasted unwashed, the olives were overripe and going rotten, and the meats were unremarkable. My significant other had the eggplant Parmesan with the spaghetti. The spaghetti was undercooked and tasted like cardboard, the sauce on top of it was barely considered sauce, it tasted like someone was imitating Ragu and forgot the spices. The eggplant was over cooked and had a vinegary taste from the tomato sauce. The lasagna Bolognese had no meat in the sauce, hence it's not a Bolognese. It did have Chuck beef in the lasagna, and a fair amount of mozzarella on top. It was lacking the standard ricotta and Parmesan inside the lasagna. And the sauce, much like the eggplant Parmesan, tasted like it was a badly made vinegary tomato sauce. To say that I immediately shit my brains out an hour later, without actually getting food poisoning, was quite a spectacle. I recommend that anybody reviewing this place favorably, please try Olive Garden, as that will be a treat leaps and bounds better than this place, and that place is still abhorrent. The icing on the cake was the jeans and a T-shirt bus boy that was talking very loudly about his political views to a table, loud enough that we could hear it a couple of tables away and on the other side of the glass divider. I don't care what your political views are, I don't want to hear about them when I am on a date. Especially not if I'm gonna pay $110 to eat there. TLDR: Worst food I've ever paid for, in any country I've ever been in. The busboy? was overly loud sharing his political views with a table, interrupting everyones meals. The service was a crawl. read more

This is a traditional Italian restaurant, which is a wonderful thing. It has a wide menu of favorite dishes, especially pastas. The food was very good and portions were generous. Service was prompt and friendly, and the owner stops by each table to check in. The ambiance is also traditional and cosy. read more

Excellent food and service. Ambiance Feels like coming home. The Alfredo was outstanding and the saltimbocca was perfect. Pasta cooked exactly al dente. Mozzarella sticks were very generous order and amazingly tasty. Highly recommend choosing the Caesar over the house salad, house made dressing, absolutely outstanding. We'll be back. read more

Cantina D'italia - Veal Saltimbocca Della Cantina - Italian Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

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This is our family's go to Italian spot! The food and service is always consistently good. We had some extended family in town from NY and they were really satisfied with the meal. It was pretty busy here on a Friday night. The food came out a little slower than usual but that was understandable. We got our usual dishes: Chicken Bella Vista & Chicken Rolatini. We also ordered Chicken marsala and got a couple of each to share. Anyone sense a theme here? I actually dont normally order chicken dishes when I'm out at a restaurant, but their bella vista and rolatini are sooooo good. The bella vista has a white cream sauce with big chunks of crab meat, while the rolatini has a tomato cream sauce. Both are different, but super tasty! We always eat it family style and have leftovers to take home. Tonight's meal was no different than the past 20+ times we've been here. read more

All these years we've driven by Cantina D'Italia and never thought to stop in for a meal. Well...that is, until recently. We were invited by our friends to join them for dinner. During that visit, we didn't take photos as our friends aren't Yelpers and no doubt, would have wondered what we were doing LOL! Three of us had eggplant parmigiana while my husband had shrimp fra diavolo. Each meal comes with either a house salad or a caesar salad. We chose the house salad while our friends had the caesar one. A bread basket is brought to each table. We were impressed with the bread basket as it was like what is given in an old school Italian restaurant that one finds in the Northeast. The house salad was simply dressed with oil and vinegar and had a good variety of veggies---an overabundance of carrots, a cucumber slice, a tomato slice, bits of celery and a few red onion slices. Everything was fresh but the dressing was on the tart side. We all enjoyed our meals and thought that the prices were reasonable. My husband and I returned a few weeks later in order to try some different entrees and, of course, to take photos :) Both times we've been here, it has been on a Sunday evening. The restaurant does a good business and has it's share of regulars as well as take out customers. This time I tried "ravioli" which consists of: "pasta filled with ricotta cheese topped with mozzarella". The ravioli was well prepared with a generous amount of ricotta in it. I could have done without the mozzarella on top as the amount was a bit too much. My husband had "salsiccia Napoletana" which consists of: "penne pasta sauteed in a spicy marinara sauce topped with parmigiana cheese and fresh basil". The sausage was sliced. He thought it was okay and his take on their marinara sauce was that it was too acidic. I had to agree with him although I wasn't as put off by that as he was. We also tried fried zucchini for an appetizer. This was a letdown as the zucchini was cut into thick strips and the batter didn't adhere very well. Overall, both times we were there, service was great---very attentive, polite and efficient. We liked that we weren't treated differently from the regulars. Some places fawn over the regulars but barely acknowledge new customers, which is a bad business practice. We always appreciate having an old school red sauce place around. However, we couldn't help but compare Cantina D'Italia with Esposito's in Fairfax. To us, Esposito's comes out on top. We think Esposito's zucchini fritti comes out way ahead (some of the best we've ever had anywhere). We don't dislike Cantina D'Italia and would consider going again if we crave old school red sauce Italian food and don't want to travel too far away. It's still better than a lot of old school Italian places in the DMV. read more

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So so good!!! The ambiance is great, music is at the perfect volume. A great place for a date night or to catch up with some friends. Staff at both locations are super friendly and every time I go, I've had a great experience! Staff is really good at knowing what's on their menu and can really help you decide what you want - as their menu has SO many options that are inclusive for everyone. A must try!! read more

For all of the folks who rated this place below a 4, you obviously have never had great Italian food. Not only am I 100% Italian but I travel extensively and eat at a minimum of 3 restaurants each week. This place is a gem and I am so jealous that they don't have a restaurant in Orlando where I live. Great food, great staff, excellent value, and a fantastic family atmosphere. The homemade Cesar dressing should be bottled, its the best I have ever had. This place is unpretentious, it's clean, and "homey" - It's a fantastic Italian restaurant and if you appreciate good Italian food you will love this place. read more

We always go pasta... but tonight it was pizza! Why did we wait do long. We did a custom with sausage, green pepper, onion, and mushroom cooked well done. Crust has a nice sweetness up it. read more

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Not to my taste - slightly better than Oliver garden. My opinion, apparently many love it. read more

Love the food. Big portions and the bread is great. Can't say enough about this place. Been going for years

3/5 December 2021. An old school Italian restaurant located just outside Old Town Herndon. The food was good if not excellent but very fairly priced and the portions were reasonably generous. The service was good considering the general staffing shortages virtually everywhere seems to be suffering from these days. The value was very good all things considered. If you are looking for an Italian restaurant that's nicer than an Olive Garden but not a big chain and still fairly affordable this would be a good option. read more

we have lived in Herndon for 6 years and tried this place for the first time using delivery service. it was undoubtedly the most disappointing food we have had in the area. the chicken carbonara had oversized chunks of bland boiled chicken, unappetizing and flavorless. the calamari was fishy, undercooked and under seasoned. even the garlic bread was unsatisfying. also ordered chicken parm sandwich which was underwhelming and the fries were soft and limp. the salad was ok? this restaurant is overpriced and quality of food is woefully inadequate... this place makes Olive Garden look like a two Michelin Star restaurant. speaking of we wish we had gotten Olive Garden instead. Hope this review saves others from the disappointment we endured. read more

Very cool experience... felt like we were in a little Italian restaurant! The food was great and very large portions and the service was excellent! read more

I ordered for carry-out the stuffed eggplant for 6 - family style. It was really delicious! It also included very generous fresh salad and bread/butter. I'll go back soon to dine in! read more

Great Italian spot in the suburbs. The entrees come with a full size house salad. The bread selection is great and the portion sizes of the pastas are very very generous! Bon appetit! read more

My wife and I went to dinner at this restaurant earlier this evening. The food, service, and atmosphere were excellent. In this era of overpriced restaurant offerings, we thought the value we received dining at this restaurant was quite exceptional. We highly recommend Cantina D'italia. read more

We had a much better experience last week, with a guy who seemed to be one of the managers or owners. He was very friendly and efficient, readily accepted my Entertainment Coupon, and brought out my lasagna when it was piping hot. My wife really enjoyed her eggplant parmigiana, too. read more

Nice little restaurant located at the end of an old strip mall. Service was great! Food was delicious and portions were seriously huge! Definitely recommend and definitely will return! read more

Such amazing entrees, the salad was a little acidic for my personal taste but the gnocchi alle chef was insanely good, best gnocchi I've ever had. So so tender and not at all firm or chewy like some tend to be. Amazing flavors and ambiance in the restaurant read more

Cantina D'italia - Gnocchi Alle Chef - Italian Near Me - Herndon, Virginia