Great food, great atmosphere, great service old school Italian joint if your thinking about eating Italian somewhere else in Arlington forget abat it! read more

Our waitress Margarita was amazing. We had to wait a few minutes for a table to open up and we ordered a drink at the bar and then our table was ready! Amazing. Margarita didn't pressure us to order new beverages and let us take our time with the menu. She was so friendly and knowledgeable about everything on the menu. We will definitely be back !!! read more

The restaurant was excellent, great food and cocktails, impeccable service and warm, welcoming environment! Margarita, who served us, was fabulous! And the ability to enjoy a cigar on the patio topped it all off! read more

Sooo good! Also has great weekday lunch specials that are great if you work in the area!

Great food and the service was amazing. Environment was nice as well. Sharron G made sure we had an amazing birthday dinner! Request her if you can! read more

Sharron G is the absolute best! She was really attentive and took great care of us. We love this place!

Fantastic experience, fantastic dinner. Sharron was knowledgeable and very personable. Give that lady a raise!

Great service, wonderful food! Big portions as well. Fettuccine bolognese was very tasty.

WILL UPDATE REVIEW AFTER A SECOND VISIT. They reached out to me which is more than I can say for some others which is a plus. The update...Well, they said they'd make it right but that's just something restaurants do in a public forum I guess, my review/ opinion of this place will stand. My honest review of this place is that it's just another novelty restaurant that has heavily relied on social media instead of merit to succeed thus far. They slap some cheese on your fried chicken breast or they'll stir some pasta with sauce on some dirty looking drum thing table side all while being the least enthusiastic employees I've ever seen. If restaurants were an assembly line this would be the main one as far as what seemed to be like a customer in customer out mentality going on. My experience and opinion is that you'll go and give them a couple hundred bucks for food you can cook yourself. It's the kind of place that you're there and in the back of your head you know it's overpriced and overhyped so you pretend to like it even though you know you're underwhelmed. The truth is that this is some easy money for these people. The food is very mediocre. The facility is small and squeezed in to the tune of the servers rear ends were brushing up against me while I tried to eat. The ambiance is...never mind there's no ambiance so to speak, maybe slightly downscaled from Olive Garden in terms of food, service, and ambiance. For those of you who have been to little Italy NYC it's the kind of restaurant that is trying to pull in tourists all day and night, this place is imo is not even half as good as those, at least they are enthusiastic. Anyhoo, that's my opinion to all of the potential customers of this restaurant, I wouldn't go back and wish I never had in the first place. I hate to waste money is what I'm saying. read more

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Omg I love this place! This is literally my favorite place now. Service is amazing, Stefan omg he was so attentive, we didn't even have to look or ask for drink refills, he was always on point. He even made our cute cocktail called STELLA di LIMONE, The ambience is cute af, Carbonara and Chicken Parmesan were amazing!! read more

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

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Cheese!! Come here if you love carbs and cheese. Literally after watching the table next to me get the dish where they toss the pasta in the cheese wheel and cook it with flames, table-side, they slid a hot cheese blanket on my husband's parm. The short rib lasagna was indulgent, tender, and flavorful...and also with lots of cheese! Nice modern vibe and good service. Would recommend for a date or nice occasion. read more

Carbonara - SHORT RIB LASAGNA - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Did the expresso martini flight. Delicious. Table side Carbonara, worth the experience. Could have done without the bacon. Chicken parm- Not my favorite but great sauce and nice table side presentation. Linguine & clams were great. Did the hot pepper and sausage app. It was awesome. The octopus was amazing. The tomatoes and Burrata were just average. Thought the bread to start was probably the worst thing. Just bland and boring. The inside of the restaurant was very cool. Super clean. The service was excellent. Look forward to going back again sometime. read more

Carbonara - Table side Carbonara- could have done without the bacon. - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Came here for a girlfriend's birthday, which we booked about a month in advance. You're greeted with prosciutto which was a treat as you walk into the restaurant. We had the mama Mia and ferrero espresso martini which were delish! I unfortunately, was disappointed because I thought the chicken parm was more of a traditional one and it's not. I unassumingly thought chicken parm is with a marinara sauce (as to why it's my go to). just a warning it's not a marinara sauce and honestly a vodka sauce heavy & I mean heavy on the cream. I actually can't have cream sauce (stupid GI issues) and ate the chicken (which I asked to not have cheese a ton on it) and it was well seasoned and crispy. I had some of the pasta, as I didn't want to be rude with my friends at a new place on a special night, but boy am I in pain now. Again not the restaurants fault, just wish the chicken parm was with the traditional marinara sauce! read more

A great Italian Restaurant in Arlington! It is located on the northeast corner of North Pollard Street and Wilson Blvd. on the day we went there there was street parking available. There are at least 10 parking areas/garages within 4 blocks of this location. I would recommend reservations as it is a popular restaurant and can get very busy. Our party visited at first lunch seating and, since it was a beautiful day, decided to sit outside on the upper deck. The inside and out are very nicely done. Even if you sit outside, I would recommend looking at the inside as it has some very nice touches like the liquor shelf above the bar, the open kitchen, and the wine rack seating separators. The waiter was efficient and knowledgeable. We ordered an array of food to include the pasta cooked in the cheese wheel. I tried the pasta made in the wheel and Tortelloni Di Michael. Both came out quickly with the pasta being mixed in the cheese bowl close to the tableside. The dishes I tried were excellent. Seating, as with many higher-end restaurants, is tight with tables close to each other. Each main item was between $25 and $30. It was pleasant outside but might try the inside for the next visit. Overall, it was a very pleasant experience that I would highly recommend for people wanting a great dining experience in the Arlington area. read more

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Had the most amazing time at Carbonara celebrating my brother's birthday. The atmosphere was incredible, loved the music and the food was amazing! We also loved our server Cepheus! He was so sweet and polite and did an outstanding job. Can't wait to return, and will be recommending Carbonara to people looking for a great restaurant! Keep it up read more

The food was amazing Fresh warm bread with olive tapenade or sauce to dip in is served when you're seated The Arancini balls were delicious I had the pasta cheese wheel carbonara prepared table side Delicious!! They make their own pasta You can watch while they make it Service was very friendly read more

Carbonara - Arancini balls - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I wanted to like this place, I honestly did but cant. We had our reservation already so we got sat right away. Someone pour us water and then that's it. We dont see another person for like 15-20mins. I had to ask another waiter to find ours. She came finally brought us some bread and this was how my dipping sauce came out. Like how can you serve someone a dipping sauce like this, dripping everywhere and messy. It got all over the table as you can see. This is a decent nice restaurant, I honestly expected more. The foods overall were great, besides 1 dish that we had to sent back due to the overwhelming taste of truffle. Not a big deal at all. But the aftermath when I got home was horrible. I got food poisoning. Constantly threw up all night, following with diarrhea the next day. I had to call off on monday since my diarrhea was continuing. It's really sad that I have to post this, since it was my bf's birthday and our anniversary. So sad and disappointed. I just want to spread awareness in case someone has similar experiences so that management can look into it, both the food and the service. It scares me enough to probably won't recommend it to another person. read more

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Really nice addition to the Ballston area. I tried the Campari spritz which was the right amount of bitter. We shared some meatballs that were good but wouldn't necessarily get again. They were very spongy. Would like to try the arancini next time. The bread comes with marinara and olive tamponade. Would appreciate the option of butter or olive oil. The chicken parm was really delicious. The vodka sauce is great and the chicken was super crispy. The pasta was good too. We also tried the orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe. The sauce and pasta was delicious. I didn't love the flavor of the sausage it was kind of bland and I think a spicy sausage would go better with the rich sauce. Portions were large and we had leftovers to bring home. I'm sure we'll be back and glad that I can walk to get solid Italian food! read more

Had an awful experience. Ordered the house special michael's beef tortellini and the brisket was chewy. Sent it back and was informed that the chef disagreed with me, but two waiters who tried it thought I was right. By the time my replacement dish arrived, my husband was done with his meal, which was a very average/typical beef bolognese. No idea why this place is rated so highly. It was a very standard Italian restaurant with below average food. After going home from the restaurant, I was sick all night and left to wonder why given the drama with the chef... read more

Sharron G an absolutely wonderful server!! she made us all laugh !! complete sweetheart !!

Carbonara has been on my list of places I wanted to go for a while and the wait was totally worth it. When we arrived they offered us a little welcome bite of prosciutto (yum) Even though they have been open about 8 months, there reservations were fully booked and the bar seating was packed. We went on a Friday night and they had live music (a singer, at an acceptable volume to still hear your conversation because I'm old) As for the food, I started with a Caesar salad. I love Caesar salad but sometimes a good one can be hard to come by. This one hit the spot. Love the creamy anchovy forward dressing. For main I got the spicy vodka. I've been disappointed in the past where I ordered a spicy vodka pasta from another restaurant and it was neither spicy nor creamy. I was hoping Carbonara wasn't going to be a repeat of that and I'm glad to say it wasn't. It was the perfect spicy level and was delicious. My dining partner got the carbonara and I had a taste and that was delicious as well. Really overall I loved it from start to finish. Oh and we got the espresso martini flight. How fun?!? But we got it as sort of a cocktail at the beginning of the meal and if anything I would have changed it to the end as a dessert. My favorite one was the tiramisu martini. read more

Food and service was amazing. Get the tiramisu espresso martini it was sooooo good and so wS the spicy vodka rigatoni

Amazing food. It's one of those places that once that you eat it, you have to go back. I love going to eat there for the food, cool visuals and environment. My husband now also brings me lunch from there to my job...it makes my day!! read more

I've tried this place twice, and both times food has been cold. Taste is just ok. Don't get the hype.

this place is a 10/10, will def be back! we loved everything we had, excellent service, excellent food and beautiful but lively ambiance read more

Carbonara - lavender hibiscus crème mocktail - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Delicious and very filling. Food was very fresh and the drinks were tasty. I would definitely go back. read more

Carbonara - Breas - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

This place is good/okay. I would give a 3.75 if I'm honest. It's standard Italian food. I ordered the Chicken parmigiana alla vodka. It was a solid dish but nothing that completely knocked my socks. The people I were with said the table side Carbonara was good but heavy. Personally to me the Tableside carbonara seemed a little gimmicky. I barely saw the server scrap the cheese wheel so I'm unsure if it was really adding anything. In terms of service. Our server seemed attentive at first, but then we realized he doubled as the bartender which I don't think was the best arrangement since we were all the way across the restaurant. Near the end we were waiting a while for our check which was whatever I guess. The ambiance was okay. Nothing special but we went for lunch and I have a feeling that this is more of dinner place tbh. Overall I recommend this place if it's not out of your way, but other than that I would say it not a must visit. read more

Carbonara - Tableside Carbonara and CHICKEN PARMIGIANA ALLA VODKA - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

We went to celebrate a girlfriend birthday and we have a great time. The food was delicious, the service was coming fron different places and our waiter NAYELI was outstanding, lovely, caring, and on point with our needs. Our celebration was perfect! Perfect place, perfect staff, perfect service, perfect food! An amazing time! We will be back!!! read more

I ordered from Uber Eats and threw my $40 lasagna in the trash it was so bad. Weird flavor, chewy cheese, gross sauce-- so mad. We ordered 2 items, spent almost $100 and I feel robbed. I wanted to order from Thompson Italian or Filomena but I let my husband talk me into trying Carbonara-- huge mistake. Oh and food arrived cold. Never again-- read more

Amazing food, absolutely loved it. I also adored the smores espresso martini. The only thing is the restaurant is very small so the tables are very pushed together, we were right into the kitchen area by the door and a ton of movement was going on which was a bit uncomfortable. read more

Sharon G was a wonderful server! Had a great time and the food was delicious! We tried a little of everything and were not disappointed

Updating my review to five stars. My second visit was beyond my expectations. They were able to accommodate my changes to the Mozzarella in Carrozza and it was delicious!! I also tried the Tortellini all Boscaiola and it was great, too. The service was as impeccable as last time. read more

I believe this place does have potential, but overall an average experience. The good: great live singer, friendly hosts, good flavor in food. Cocktails are solid. Tableside Carbonara was delicious and the Lemon Cake special rocked. The meh: we were seated and waited 10-15 mins for someone to come by and realize no one had stopped by the table. Server came to take drinks and brought one drink about 5 mins before bringing the other (seemed strange to not bring them together). Ordered arancini- delicious initially, but one was ice cold like it had not been warmed through, which gave the impression it's not fresh. Chicken in the spicy rigatoni alla vodka was very overcooked and tough. Also- dish wasn't spicy. Flavors are definitely good, staff seemed friendly. It was a very busy night so maybe that was why some things were mediocre. I'd give it another shot, but probably for the HH small-plates. read more

Carbonara - Ciao Bella and Zenzero - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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From the moment we walked in, Jennifer, the hostess, greeted us warmly and seated us promptly. Our waitress, Sharron, was fantastic! She was attentive, knowledgeable about the menu, and made excellent recommendations. For our appetizer, we shared a plate of their delicious meatballs. They were perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection. We then decided to try something special and opted for the BUCATINI CARBONARA TABLE SIDE. It was a truly unique experience to watch the dish prepared right in front of us. The chef did an amazing job, and the carbonara itself was phenomenal - rich, flavorful, and absolutely divine. My wife couldn't resist the FAMOUS CHICKEN PARMIGIANA ALLA VODKA, and it certainly lived up to its name. The chicken was crispy and juicy, the sauce was perfectly balanced with a hint of vodka, and the pasta was cooked al dente. To top it all off, we shared a MARTINI flight - a great way to sample different flavors. Each martini was expertly crafted and delicious. Overall, our experience at Carbonara was exceptional. The food was outstanding, the service impeccable thanks to Sharron the atmosphere was inviting. We highly recommend this restaurant and will definitely be back next time we are in town. We are from Boston, MA, and always eat in the famous North End neighborhood and I can say Carbonara is top 3 and they ain't number 2 or 3. When we return I will make sure to ask for Sharron as our waitress. read more

I had such high expectations for this place. The reviews and raves were what brought me here. We arrived around 3 PM on a Sunday, and luckily, we were able to get seated. Resy said they were booked and didn't have any reservations available, so that was a nice surprise! I'm usually someone who makes reservations and never does walk-ins, but I'm so glad I did this time--we got seated right away. Service Our waiter--I'm not sure of his name, to be honest--kind of brushed us off. He introduced himself, mentioned the specials, and walked away without giving us a chance to order drinks or appetizers. Any time we tried to order, he would rush off without asking if we needed anything else. For example, when we were ready to order drinks and appetizers, he only took our drink orders and immediately walked away, cutting us off before we could even mention appetizers. We had to wait about five minutes for him to come back. Throughout our meal, he rarely checked on us, making us feel like we were just his last table of the day and he was ready to leave. He didn't even drop off our check himself--another server came by and asked if we wanted dessert. One more thing: I'm not sure who this person was, but he seemed like a busser. He made me and my table feel uncomfortable because the POS station was behind us, and he kept staring at me while I was eating my appetizers. I had to look down at my plate for a while to avoid eye contact because it was making me so uncomfortable. It was one of those awkward, direct eye-contact stares that completely threw me off. He continued to do this throughout our time there, which made our experience even more unsettling. Food We enjoyed the calamari--it was so good! Their tomato sauce is amazing. The burrata was okay, nothing special. Our entrées were decent. I ordered the Bolognese, and it was just okay, but it felt like it was missing something--it tasted plain and bland. I probably only had about five bites because it wasn't really enjoyable. I placed my plate at the edge of the table, and when the waiter came by, he asked if I wanted a box. I kind of laughed because my silverware and napkin were on the plate, clearly signaling that I was done. He asked again if I wanted a box, and I just looked at him, confused. I know he asked because there was a whole bowl of Bolognese left, but I expected him to ask something like, Was everything okay with your meal since you barely touched it? Did you enjoy it? Would you like to try something else?--but he didn't. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to be that customer. Final Thoughts I want to give this place the benefit of the doubt and assume we just came on an off day. But unfortunately, it wasn't the experience I was expecting. It's such a shame because I really wanted to enjoy this place like everyone else seems to. I wish the outcome had been different. read more

We came here to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary and loved it! The decor is quite light and fun which brings a good vibe for dinner. The food was exceptional from appetizer to dessert. We had the pleasure of being served by Sharron who was knowledgeable and nailed everything this evening. We never felt abandoned by he staff but also never felt smothered. Highly recommend!! read more

Lucked out on a last minute reservation at Carbonara. We ordered a mixed green salad, carbonara and spicy vodka pastas. The salad was quite good and very large. Glad we decided to split it! The spicy vodka pasta was a bit too spicy. I personally would prefer a non spicy version because the actual pasta noodles were delicious. My husband had the carbonara pasta, and said it was excellent. The restaurant is a bit small and cramped but there is outdoor seating. Looking forward on visiting Carbonara again and trying some other dishes! read more

Carbonara - Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Carbonara was delightful! The staff were incredibly kind and attentive. The food was both beautiful and delicious. The espresso martini flight did not disappoint. We walked away happy and full. read more

Carbonara - Espresso martini flight Aperol spritz - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Great food, great customer service; an overall great experience. Our server, Sharron G, was fun and super friendly! read more

We decided to try Carbonara for my birthday dinner, and asked to sit outside. Unfortunately al of the tables were taken, and the wait was easily half an hour. I really didn't want to sit inside as it was such a beautiful evening. Jennifer found us a small round table, and set us up on the side. It was perfect. Our waitress, Sophie, was lovely, and very attentive. I couldn't decide between the lasagna or the ziti, and she suggested the lasagna. It was unbelievable, served in the cast iron pan it was baked it so it stayed really hot for a while. I could only eat half as there was so much, and had the other half the next night savoring each bite once again. We will definitely go back. read more

Carbonara - Lasagna served in the cast iron pan it was baked in...mmmmmmmmm. :-) - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia