It was a very nice place to have meals. The parking could be a small issue but we were lucky to find one spot. Dishes were great. We were very excited when we saw our pasta burning inside the huge round cheese! But I wish it had more flavor, salt and black pepper. It really was plain and the pasta was a bit over cooked. Other dishes like salad, calamari and fish were good. We especially liked the calamari. It was with some paprika and was tasty! Inside decoration was very nice, comfortable seats. Our server was friendly too. read more

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This place is a MUST try. It's great if you're a foodie, or looking for a date spot, or just want to grab nice drinks before an event. I got the charred chicken savoy--it was to die for. The chicken was moist, the sauce was a great addition, all around great dish. When I'm back in the area I want to try their pastas though. My friend for the spicy vodka pasta and loved it. Their espresso martinis were great because they have an espresso machine, so fresh espresso = good espresso martini! They also gave us some delicious bread and we ordered meatballs as an appetizer. The service was also good. The place was crowded--no surprise, but we were constantly checked up on regardless. This place lives up to the hype! read more

Carbonara - Espresso martini - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Food 4.0/5.0 Service 3.5/5.0 Value 3.5/5.0 Decor 3.5/5.0 Overall 4.0/5.0 Very good spot. The pasta is pretty legit, the carbonara is good, and the chicken parm is good. The tiramisu was the only item that didn't really work... it's a decent concept to try to create a little show by 'making' the product in front of you, but the reality is that you really do need to soak the ladyfingers for a tiramisu to be a tiramisu -- they should change this. Wouldn't go out of my way to eat there, but wouldn't have an issue going back if in the neighborhood. read more

I've been waiting to try this place for a while, but it's hard to get a reservation! A group of us went early Saturday night and the food was delicious, the service was great, and someone came to sing and play the piano at night. For a new place that has a lot of reservations, I didn't feel rushed to leave which I really appreciated. I would go again! read more

Carbonara - Chicken parm - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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My son and I enjoyed dinner on the patio on a Saturday night. Skyler was our server. Food was excellent, we enjoyed the baked ziti and chicken parm which was uniquely served with sauce/melted cheese poured table side. We also had the meatballs, a cappuccino and table side tiramisu. Unique dining experience. Server was attentive and atmosphere was great. read more

Beautiful atmosphere, fantastic service, and the food...Amazing. Cannot wait to go back for more!!​

**This rating is highly skewed by their service.** Usually, if restaurants find out that you're celebrating a birthday, they'll give you some small complimentary dessert or simply send you away with well wishes if they don't offer anything physical. Carbonara led us to believe that we would be receiving a complimentary dessert and charged us for it. The waiter asked us if we were celebrating and we said yes. We did not at any point ask if they offered free desserts or furthered the conversation at all. It was just a simple "Yes." At the end of our meal, the server came out with a beautiful tiramisu and we all sang Happy Birthday. We thought that it was such a nice surprise since we didn't say anything about even wanting to order desert-- he just brought it out. Once the bill came, we then found out that we were charged $10! We would have declined it if we knew that it would cost us. Please don't ask if we're celebrating and then take it as an invitation to slip a dessert (that we didn't even get to choose!) on our tab. Thank you. Otherwise, every single pasta we ordered was so delish! It's such a shame that our experience ended on such a sour note. read more

Carbonara - Spicy Rigatoni Alla Vodka - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Saw this in social media. It looked very good so I decided to try it myself. Went here on a Saturday evening. Outside seating was perfect at that time because the weather was so beautiful. The interior was modern and clean. Hisbiscus lavender cream and blueberry lavender no-jito were both refreshing but the latter was my favorite! Sweet but not overpowering. Baked clams oreganata were okay. These are breaded clams served on a hot plate. Nothing special. Nona's classic meatballs were yummy. Stuffed with braised beef and mushroom sauce, Tortelloni di Michael was light and creamy. It was good but my favorite was the bucatini carbonara table side. The server will come to your table with a cheese wheel and you'll see it being prepared. It was very flavorful and creamy. Soo delicious. The desserts were also yummy! The warm molten chocolate lava cake was rich. Served with vanilla gelato, it was a contrast between hot and cold, and rich and light. Pistachio ricotta dusted cake was light and delicious. It was a sponge cake with pistachio and ricotta creams and crushed pistachios. Very very good. Service was good but not the greatest. We noticed our server was spending way a lot more time at our neighbor's table, chit chatting more than at ours. Despite this, I would still give this place a 5/5 for the delicious food. Would definitely come back. read more

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This visit was largely positive. Unfortunately I found the orecchiette only ok. The shrimp was overcooked and rubbery and while the sauce tasted awesome, there wasn't enough of it in the dish and it was too dry. Other people loved their dishes, such as the vodka sauce. I'd probably try their "famous" chicken parm with vodka sauce next time. The complimentary focaccia bread is clutch and the drinks are good. As far as table side carbonara: it's a fun experience and the pasta tastes great. I tested my friend's dish. It just doesn't really taste like carbonara. It tasted yummy and creamy but it's more like cheese noodles than traditional carbonara. read more

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Great experience. Delicious food. The entrance is tight. You walk through the patio seating and once inside you have to navigate wait staff coming in and out to serve customers on the patio. All the staff were kind, helpful, knowledgeable and all were hustling. Our water cups were always full. Our waiter was fantastic. He was always willing to answer any questions we had and packed up our leftovers. There was an individual who was singing on 2/21 that evening and he was great! He was really entertaining and enthusiastic. Turns out the chicken parmigiana is a viral food on social media. So I opted for that along with shrimp scampi. The chicken parmigiana was really good. It's served all a vodka sauce, with melted cheese. So it's not the typical red sauce some are used too. It's creamy and cheesy and delicious! The chicken was seasoned nicely and it had a great crunch. It was served with two crispy fillets. The shrimp scampi was presented nicely and tasted great. The shrimp were medium in size and had a great grilled like flavor. My friend ordered a mushroom ravioli in a cream sauce. She raved about it! She was so happy with it. She also had the crab stuffed mushrooms and those were also very good. I tried the filling and it was perfect! I could have had just the filling and be happy. For a starter I got their pasta fagoli soup. It lacked a little salt but overall it had a great amount of pasta, beans and veggies. The interior can be loud. For a quieter experience the patio could be worth it if the temperature was right. I feel like they really try to maximize the space they have to get more customers in. It is tight at times. There was one table sat just right near the hostess station and personally that table there can cause a not so desirable experience for a customer who would be sitting in the chair vs the booth. Their chair could get hit as this is a high traffic area. The bar area was cramped once all seats were utilized at the bar and off the bar. The patio area also seemed pretty tight as well. Parking can be troublesome. We managed to find parking in the street around the corner. read more

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Easily my new favorite Italian restaurant. I am Italian, and a snob when it comes to Italian food -- and this place delivered!! You definitely need a reservation ahead of time, as the restaurant is smaller than expected. Beautiful, welcoming atmosphere, and friendly staff! We had Caitlin as our waitress and she was fantastic, kind, and attentive. I'm 9 months pregnant and unfortunately couldn't enjoy the carpaccio, but she gave us the incredible recommendation of the meatball parmigiana eggrolls and they were incredible! The red sauce tastes just like how my dad makes. I got the Mahi Mahi Florentine special- absolutely delicious, hot, and flavorful. My husband got the famous chicken parm Ala vodka with rigatoni and I had to have a bite. Best vodka sauce I ever had! Yes, I had to have dessert too!! So I got the Italian lemon cake and it was spectacular. Nice and light, not heavy and not too lemony at all which I love. Everything was fresh, and we will 100% be back. I can't say enough great things about having Caitlin as our server. With the restaurant starting to get busy toward the end, she still made us a priority and gave us some really sweet words congratulating us on becoming new parents soon! read more

Two Haiku Review: Finally tried here, Ordered the bolognese and The calamari, Really liked the squid! Great vibe and not too pricey. Service was good too. read more

I will endeavor to give this review a fair and unbiased opinion. 4000 plus reviews may dispute me but I know my food/restaurants thoroughly on top of cooking Italian food from scratch at home including my sauces. Having been to both Italy and traveled all over the US, I have experienced dining at both incredible and terrible Italian eateries. My wife is also from New York City and we are there frequently with at least one Italian dinner on the itinerary so both of us are well versed with the cuisine. Recently on a trip to Mexico City I stumbled across an Italian restaurant which matched the quality of what I have had in Europe which is a rarity so the mark or expectation for me is always high. When I see a restaurant with 4.8 stars, my immediate reaction is okay let's see what this is all about and this was my wife's birthday dinner to compound the expectation. We arrived at the restaurant and expected a brief wait which was no problem because I anticipated it owing to its popularity on social media and Google. After being seated, the customary water found its way to our table. This is where things started to go downhill because it took almost 15 minutes for a server to show up at our table and I usually decide my tip right at the outset of how long the initial service takes. Now I won't fault the server because he was incredibly nice but service was definitely lagging from the beginning. Appetizer - we ordered the burrata to share and I wanted to try the octopus. A burrata salad is part of every Italian meal I cook so I was judging and my verdict is that it was boring. Burrata cheese is supposed to be rich in flavor paired with the right tomatoes and balsamic glaze and olive oil and this simply didn't hit the mark. The octopus however was well prepared although it was a case of Ursula drowning in red sauce and bell peppers. Less is more but nonetheless the main star was good. The bread was just meh cold and where was my olive oil and vinegar? Entrees - eggplant Parmesan for my wife, baked ziti for the kids and I went for the king of the sea linguine cardinale which if I am not mistaken, was one of the most expensive dishes on the menu. Eggplant Parmesan according to my wife was soggy and the breading was lost in the thickness of the cheese and she ended up barely eating it. Ziti the kids enjoyed but it doesn't take a lot to please two toddlers especially when it's pasta and tomato sauce gravy à la Paulie Walnuts Gaultieri (for the Sopranos fans). The king of the sea linguine cardinale featuring some of the cast of The Little Mermaid was disappointing for being such a pricy dish. The dish lacked salt, pasta was a little watery and aside from the lobster and shrimp being decent (I wasn't aware there was a shortage of shellfish considering I counted 3 shrimp and 4 small lobster pieces), the scallops and mussels were substandard. I grew up on the shores of the Indian Ocean and have been eating seafood since I was 5 so I can't be fooled on seafood quality. The dish certainly isn't worth $49. Again, the server was incredibly nice but brought the incorrect bottled water and when I am paying extra for a bottle, I don't expect a careless mistake. It also took ages for us to get the crushed red pepper and salt and drinks. The meal was $193 plus tip and in my opinion it wasn't worth it. I've dined at eateries in DC and paid a fraction of the price for better food. My wife put it perfectly - Carbonara is a dart board without a bullseye to make a mark and inspire one to return which we won't unfortunately. read more

Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Stopped here on a Saturday night for our usual Italian dinner while in town for work. For the last 5 years, Filomena in GTown is our usual haunt - but being outvoted, we ended up trying here with a reservation at 9pm for 5 people. Located in Arlington in a downtown commercial area, the restaurant itself isn't very big - there are several options for seating: bar outdoor counter, outdoor patio, indoor booths, and indoor tables. We were squeezed into a table/booth table near the main walkway with a sightline to the bathrooms. For starters we shared the fried mozzarella, burrata caprese, 2 orders of meatballs, and stuffed peppers. The burrata caprese was very good - ripe tomatoes surrounding a burrata that was moist and liquid inside. Drizzled with balsamic and fresh chopped basil completed the dish. Must have. The fried mozzarella was a large portion, laying on top of vodka sauce which also was drizzled on top of the fried triangles. The meatballs may have been the biggest surprise to the meal for me. Usually an order of meatballs are just standard boiler plate items that all taste the same no matter what place you are eating at. This was not the case here. The meatballs were a nice mixture of sausage and other meat, as well as a blend of spices that made them incredibly good. I'm not much of a stuffed peppers fan, but the boys reported that they were very good. I scooped out the leftover sausage and cheese that was in the plate, and it reminded me a of a Pizza Hut supreme pizza (which is a great thing) and had a kick to it. In addition to the apps, we were also served table bread and sauce - which was very good. The red sauce here was very good - a very traditional marinara that is thin and not chunky at all. Good flavor. For my entree, I ordered the chicken parm which is served with spaghetti and vodka sauce. The spaghetti portion on my dish was smaller compared to the others in our party who got the same, but still good. This restaurant is very tuned into exhibition with several table side dishes, and the chicken parm chicken cutlet is served naked, with a waitress in tow with a cast iron of sauce and melted bubbly cheese which the pour over your chicken. The dish was great - sauce was incredibly rich and had a great flavor to it. Dessert is usually interesting when we go out on Saturday - and here was no different. I ordered the creme brulee cheesecake, which was served with a berry puree and whipped cream. Unbeknownst to me, this is also a table side production which the waiter torching the top of the sugar on the cheesecake to get the creme brulee finish. Flavor was great. Really liked this dessert and it is one of the recommended by staff. Our waiter - reminded me of Yadier Molina (STL Cardinals) was very good, joker with us and was very attentive. Overall, this is one that should be on your Italian hit list while in the DC area. read more

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Pretty pricey spot for an inauthentic carbonara. It's more of a show kind of dish where you bring family and friends visiting from out of town, or try and impress your date. The patio seating in nice weather (and the outdoor bar seating) is definitely a plus. I just wish their carbonara was legit! If I do return I'll be trying another dish, maybe the chicken parm. read more

Carbonara - Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Great Italian restaurant on corner of street in Arlington. Paid street parking or parking garages available. Also accessible by metro. Make a reservation beforehand. We were able to get a table outside and they have heat lamps, but the wind was still rough. The service is really attentive and constantly moving. It was awkward to walk into the restaurant since you have to walk through the outdoor seating. The food was delicious and the gnocchi was a big portion I got to take some leftovers home. The only reason I give this place 4 stars is they brought me an alcoholic drink instead of the mock-tail I ordered. They apologized, but the drink they brought me didn't even look remotely close to what I ordered. read more

Carbornara in Arlington was such a solid date-night pick. Cozy vibes, great authentic pasta, and the kind of place where you can slow down and actually enjoy your food. Definitely a spot I'd come back to and recommend if you're in the DMV looking for something low-key but really really really good. Great staff, attentiveness, wonderful atmosphere. Food and cocktails amazing I cannot wait to go back!! read more

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My husband booked a reservation for my birthday and I'm glad he did. We had a wonderful server (Potter) who was attentive and made good recommendations. Everything we had was good but the standouts for us were the meatballs (Something about the blend of meat and spices), the crème brûlée cheesecake and my cocktail (spritz straordinario). For awareness, the space inside is relatively small and it's fairly noisy. There was a singer who sang Frank Sinatra standards which was a nice touch. read more

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All of the amazing reviews speak for themselves! Our favorite date night spot with the most delicious espresso martinis (love the unique flavor options), of course their star chicken Parmesan & desserts! Be sure to plan in advance by booking on Resy & enjoy! My only small complaint is it's very crowded inside. I wish there was more space between tables & walkways. read more

I went for the first time with a few months ago with some girlfriends on a weekend around lunchtime but just getting to write the review now. We ordered two appetizers, a cocktail, and three pastas. While the service was okay, two of the pastas were subpar. My friend ordered the carbonara, which they make for you table side and inside the cheese wheel, but the cook was mixing around the pasta on top of the rind, so the cheese didn't melt at all and resulted in a watery and bland carbonara. I ordered the capellini pomodoro which was also bland and the capellini came out as a giant clump of pasta. We weren't offered any grated cheese with our pastas, which would've helped with how bland they were. We noticed other tables were offered the cheese. We notified our server of these issues so the restaurant made us new pastas, which definitely tasted better, but wasn't remarkable enough to warrant another visit. read more

Carbonara - CAPELLINI POMODORO - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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I visited Carbonara for a late lunch this past weekend and while they were busy the experience was disappointing. The waiter was friendly but extremely inattentive and left us sitting for 20 minutes after our meals were finished with our dirty plates. During this time multiple staff members walked past us, but no one bothered to help. Then when we finally got the receipt, my party and I wanted to split it between two cards and our waiter selected the wrong button when cashing us out and only charged one of the cards. I understand everyone has a bad day but this experience was disappointing and I'm not running back to Carbonara anytime soon thanks to it. read more

Really great first time experience. I'm met some family here and appetizers was delicious, wine was delicious and the steak was so cooked properly. 10 out of 10, would recommend. The managers were constantly walking around to ensuring that the guests were having a good experience. The patrons were everything from singles to families two couples. Highly recommend to any friends or family that would come to the area to stop in for absolutely delicious food. I saw them also bring out the cheese wheel that they utilized for making some of the pasta dishes. Again, you can smell the deliciousness on every plate that comes out of the restaurant. read more

Carbonara - PORCINI-RUBBED PRIME FILET - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

The ambiance of the restaurant was nice. However, it was very crowded and not a lot of space to walk around inside. The food was alright and the servers were pretty nice, just not super attentive. The food looked a lot better online than it tasted in real life. read more

Carbonara - NONA'S MEATBALLS & CHICKEN PARMIGIANA ALLA VODKA - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Came to celebrate my coworkers birthday! Small indoor area and outside is too. Ambiance is nice. Drinks are small but strong. I liked the food but it was the best flavor wise to me. Service was great! read more

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One year + post opening and Carbonara has shrunk their portions sadly. I used to be able to take the vodka parm home and eat it two more times- I noticed that instead of two pieces of chicken they are now serving one. The $38 price remains the same but the portions have shrunk. Service is extremely hit or miss- either it's great or it's horrible and you wait for service constantly. On top of that, they purposefully do not hold any indoor seating for walk ins- this place is worse then New York City with their attitude when it comes to walk ins. We've come in twice (after making multiple reservations in the past year) to front of house staff pretty much scoffing in our faces that we even bothered to try to walk in (on a rainy Sunday). So while the taste is there, for the $300 dinner for 2 you can only get if you make a reservation for, I may have to visit other Italian spots in DC instead. read more

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Still incredible! On a busy night I sat at the bar and had some of the better veal parm I've ever had. The special touch came when the actual parmigiana was pan grilled in a small skillet with olive oil then served sizzling straight from the oven and laid on top of the perfectly breaded veal. I dream about that meal sometimes. read more

If you're looking for an unassuming Italian restaurant, with nice ambiance and attentive service, this is your spot. The food is consistently well prepared. The chicken parmesan and pasta carbonara are both Instagram-worthy dishes. Additionally, the drinks are hand-crafted and beautifully presented. read more

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Our anniversary celebration continued as we made our way to Washington, D.C. from Williamsburg, Va. This restaurant was the perfect place to continue marking over 40 years of marriage. As soon as we walked in, the ambiance was great. We were seated quite quickly and our waiter was very helpful and attentive. And most importantly, the food was just delicious. The free bread appetizer with sauce and toppings was very good. I ordered the tagliatelle lobster n shrimp and it proved to be a good choice. We were also treated to a Champagne toast for our anniversary! This place is perfect for a couples night. read more

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I found out about Carbonara via a Northern Virginia magazine compared to social media like most other people. They seem to be big on the table side demonstrations. Reservations are hard to come by for dinner, but I was able to get one for lunch today. The restaurant was half empty when I went, so I don't know why reservations were limited for lunch today at least. I ordered their two bestsellers, the chicken parmesan and the tableside bucatini. Both had a nice presentation and were very delicious. They are drenched in sauce, so probably not the healthiest, but tasty nonetheless. Service was attentive and refilled my water frequently. The restaurant is a nice ambiance for lunch or dinner, but I recommend lunch as it is significantly cheaper for the same items. I would eat here again! read more

Carbonara - Tableside bucatini - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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The staff were on point, polite and attentive. The food was freshly made and full of flavor, with the pasta cooked perfectly. We went for a birthday lunch and had a great experience. I would definitely go back. read more

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Second time visiting carbonara and really enjoyed it. I especially like the outside seating option. Food is good quality overall. All the pasta dishes I've tried so far have been good, the only one I disliked was the table side pasta dish with the cheese wheel. I didn't think the taste was good on that and would not recommend that dish. The best dish was the chicken parmigiana which was perfectly crispy with a tasty vodka sauce. Dessert options were good too, we had the table side tiramisu which was really nice alongside the lemon cake. Would come back again! read more

Carbonara - SPICY RIGATONI ALLA VODKA CHICKEN PARMIGIANA ALLA VODKA CAPELLINI POMODORO BURATTA DI MOZZARELLA ALLA CAPRESE - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

This place is absolutely phenomenal. When I first came here, I thought it was okay and the service was a bit slow. They have improved over time. Our waiter was wonderful and attentive and the food came quickly. We even had refills of our bread. A reservation for this place is definitely needed along. It gets very crowded and there are many people moving around because of how they enhance the food with the cheese wheel and spreading the chicken with the cheese. It makes the ambiance wonderful. Overall, I would suggest this place, with a memo that it does get loud and crowded and a reservation is a must. read more

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It was full on a Thursday just after 5, wow! The person I was visiting and I showed up, thinking we were going to be able to sit at the bar... but we were shocked to see both that and all the tables were completely full. Thankfully, when we checked in, a party of 2 was finishing up, and they promised that table for us! We didn't have to wait longer than 5 minutes. While waiting, I took in all the holiday decor -- it was even festive outside! It's a sight to behold if you're willing to sit out there -- thankfully they have heat lamps. But a day like today? I don't think I'd do it haha. Anyways, the ceiling was almost overwhelming with the decor, but it was so lovely! When we got to our table, we received menus and got to work. I had heard about the espresso martini flights, so that was on the list. There were 7 to choose from, but the flight only includes 3... so we took some recommendations. We settled on turtle cheesecake, tiramisu, and dubai chocolate. We had our highest hopes for the Dubai, but it ended up being our least favorite. The turtle cheesecake was actually the best... and the tiramisu was right in the middle. We shared the meatball parmigiana eggrolls which were really good.... came with what tasted like a marinara, which is unusual for eggrolls, but fitting for the filling. Our main dish was the chicken parmigiana gnocchi. It was a plate full of vodka sauce, and a slab of breaded chicken completely covered in gnocchi. That was a good dish! We weren't going to, but we decided to do the creme brulee cheesecake... and that was a good way to finish off the meal. I couldn't help but notice some Yelp accolades, and I can see why. I'd definitely return to this place! read more

The service was top-notch--friendly without being overbearing, and our server was happy to offer great recommendations. We came for lunch because it's much more affordable than dinner and it did not disappoint! We split everything and even had leftovers. Make sure to ask for extra sauce for the bread basket. Bucatini Carbonara: 10/10 perfectly cooked and the chunks of bacon were thick and yummy. A must try! Pappardelle Amalfi: 7/10 the sauwas hearty. I feel like it would taste better with a different noodle. Cesar Salad: 9/10. I loved the chunks of cheese! It could of used a hint of lemon. read more

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Sat on the bustling patio tonight where they play old classic Sinatra on repeat and sometimes pretty loud (one song was played three times in a row no joke). Service was very slow, had to call the server over for pretty much everything. Food was just okay, very rich (everything's got lots of cream but needed some more flavor and definitely salt). I got the Parmesan buccatini which was just okay - maybe they need a new parm wheel bc this was just heavy with massive amounts of cream, no real parm flavor. Friends got ravioli, bolognese, and orecchiette with shrimp. Everything was very heavy with cream - also needed salt.We all got dessert but the standout was table side tiramisu. read more

Carbonara - Bolognese - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Located in Arlington, there's street parking and some garages around. It is pretty hard to get a reservation here, we actually made it close to 2 months ago. It was a beautiful day and we wanted to sit outside since it doesn't let you specify on the reservation. It would have been a 30 minute wait for outside so we opted for inside. The booth we sat at was very tight, not too much space between you and the table and if other people are sitting on the other side, expect to accidentally play footsie. Service was a little slow starting off but they were busy. We ordered a bottle of wine, Cappacio and Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Oreganata. The Carpaccio was good but a little too much sauce in my opinion. The bacon wrapped shrimp was good but the bacon stuck pretty aggressively to the pan and they poured the butter white wine sauce on top. The Shrimp was just a tad overcooked. For dinner, we all ordered different dishes. We ordered the Bucatini Carbonara Tableside, Filet Mignon Ziti, Orecchetti, and the Papardelle Amalfi. Thr Bucatini Tabelside was amazing, they bring out the large parmesan wheel and light it up to get it warm, pour the pasta in and mix it up. I also loved the Paparadelle, it had amazing flavor and loved the sauce. The Orecchetti had a similar sauce. The Filet Mignon Ziti was good but not my favorite. For dessert, we split the Pistachio cake (can't recall the actual name). That was delicious as well. I would definitely try to come back and try their other items! read more

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The food here was definitely very overhyped on social media. We ordered the Bucatini Carbonara table side. They flambéed the cheese for all of 5 seconds. Dumped the premade pasta dish onto the wheel and mixed it for maybe 10 seconds before serving it onto plates. It makes me wonder if the cheese is even real because it seems like it's just a showpiece to increase the cost. The service was average, nothing special. The restaurant's decor didn't stand out either, which is not a big deal. I honestly prefer simpler dining rooms and more focus on the food. Too bad the food didn't carry the weight though. I don't think I will be returning to try other items. read more

Carbonara - BUCATINI CARBONARA - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Amazing meal! Lived up to the hype. The tableside carbonara was as good as the presentation. The short rib lasagna was phenomenal as well. Caitlin, our server, was very friendly, attentive, and made great recommendations. read more

They say good things come to those who wait! With that in mind, we have been waiting very patiently for a special occasion to check this place out and it was more than a good thing for my wife's birthday. This has to have taken over as the best Italian food in Arlington and competes with anything in the DC area. We lucked into a really nice day for mid November so we opted to sit outside. We ordered altogether but as we traded food around we strategically started with the more delicate dishes first. The tortelloni di Michael, which my American ignance would refer to as short rib ravioli, had so much deliciousness to appreciate in the white sauce with mushrooms complementing the meat; and they were stuffed generously. There never are many ravioli so that was expected. We have a little rule that if the name of a dish and the name of the restaurant are related, we have to try it out because it's bound to be a something they're hanging they're hat on. Needless to say, we got the carbonara! Which means we got the show! They prepare the whole thing in front of the table inside of the enormous block of cheese before finishing it with a nest of guanciale. The creaminess, the cheesy flavor, the umami crunch, the show, it was all worth hanging any fedora. Though I'll admit, it somehow wasn't quite as hot as we liked so we did have to ask them to warm it up, which they did seemingly with even more cheese this time, automatically turning any frown upside down I then moved onto the tomato based dishes starting with the chicken parm, which they also served naked just so we could salivate as they expertly slid a plates worth of melted and perfectly burnt mozzarella on top. I grew up eating chicken cutlets so this was my selection and pure nostalgia. Finally, I tried the lasagna which was so rich, with fresh sauce, with cheese, loaded with more meat than I've ever seen in a lasagna. It was all kept nice and hot in the cast iron. My wife liked the tortelloni the most, but I think all of us appreciated each dish for what they were. I wouldn't recommend ordering the flight of espresso martinis like we did. Sure they were decent, but only about a dollar or two discount totaling $45 for three drinks that leaned to the smaller side. It was an impulse move I made for my wife's birthday and to introduce my coffee loving mother in law to espresso martinis so I really don't regret getting got a little bit lol especially when they surprised my wife with a classically moist tres leches cake and candles for us to sing for her. Little things like that make the experience all the more special so many thanks. We weren't allowed to do happy hour outside of the bar, but we didn't feel comfortable hanging at the bar with our baby so next time we'll try that out, just the two of us. With how tasty the main dishes were, next time will come much faster than the first. read more

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Took my husband here for Father's Day. We were there early, and able to order from the lunch menu. We ordered a bunch of apps. Arancini, fritto misto, meatballs, and baked clams. They were all very good. Everyone had a different favorite. I ordered linguine with white clam sauce which was full of whole clams. Very good. Others great dishes we ordered were the chicken parm with vodka sauce, the short rib torteloni andthe orichette with shrimp. The table side tiramisu was a fun dessert, and tasty. Our server was very attentive and friendly. read more

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