I found this restaurant at the last minute and boy am I glad we did! We arrived at around 7:45 and the place was packed. The hostess told us we likely wouldn't sit until 9:45 so I inquired about the bar and the manager quickly stepped in to put us on a waitlist. Since the restaurant is connected to a food hall of sorts, she recommended we grab a drink there while we wait. Shortly after we got our drink, we received notification of an opening and were seated by 8:15. We had the burrata appetizer, Ragú x 2, and the seafood fra diavolo. The burrata was one of the best I've had since they serve it with pesto, pine nuts, and garlic bread. It was truly divine! The Ragú was not far behind. Incredible flavor and a generous portion. The seafood dish had a nice kick and had plenty of seafood, which is not common as of late. All dishes were also priced reasonably for the quality you received. As we sat at the bar, we had pleasant conversation with the bartender and finished our meal with a small cannoli that really sealed the deal. If you're looking for excellent Italian food in DC without breaking the bank, look no further than Caruso's grocery! However, I'd recommend reserving ahead of time because it's certainly not a secret. LOL read more

I picked this place as my birthday dinner with some girlfriends. I was unsure of the vibe, food etc before arriving. The place gives cozy speakeasy vibes. We we sat down the waitress was very friendly and welcoming. She knew alot about the menu items and such. As soon as she handed me the wine menu and saw Chianti as one of the wines, I didnt hesitate to get a bottle for the table (I love Chianti with a story behind it). We ordered the Creamy Burrata, with Grilled Bread and four cheese sauce and the calamari for the appitizers. All of the appetizers were amazing and Im a sucker for grilled crushy bread. For the main course i ordered the Trout Piccata. The fish was cooked to perfection and the veggies were well seasoned. My friends ordered the chicken piccata, Caruso Alfredo and baked Cavatelli. Everything was good. Next up we ordered the butterfinger sundae, Nutella cannoli and tiramisu. The sundae base is chocolate ice cream. If you are fan of chocolate ice cream you will love the sundae. Overall great experience and I will definitely return! read more

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4.5 *s About as good as traditional red sauce, elevated Southern Italian gets in the city. The service was amazing last night for my wife's birthday. As well, I wish I could remember the gentlemen's name, but he took care of us with great recommendations and patience while we were overly conversational! Excellent cocktails and a small-ish, but high quality wine list made the drinking aspect in this really ambient corner restaurant perfect for birthday vibes. Cannot say enough about the perfectly cooked pastas. but the veal Francaise was the real star! Chicken parm was very good but a little overhyped, though the red sauce on everything was AMAZING. Made the side pastas as good as the entrees. Our tomato salad dressing was so good that even the cucumbers (which I do not like) shines. The garlic bread was kicked up with the cheese sauce and the calamari shone bright with the addition of the aioli. Everything was top-notch. Good value for the amount of food we ordered and the desserts were fantastic - including the creme brulee on the house for her birthday. First class dining experience. Grazie mile! read more

I had a wonderful birthday dinner here! The place is very cute and has a cozy, small neighborhood vibe. The staff is so lovely and made my birthday special! The menu is great and very Italian American, food my grandmother would make. The garlic bread is killer as is the Caprese Salad (the mozzarella was very quality). The Chicken Parm was amazing! The chicken was thin, more like a cutlet, which was perfect. We also loved the Linguini and Clams! Dessert was amazing; I loved the Tiramisu and loved their house made Limoncello and Sambuca. Overall, it's a cute place with quality food and really kind staff who make it feel like home! read more

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Love this place for some good old Italian! Chicken parm was absolutely ginormous and had a good balance of sauce and tomato. The ragu was perfection. The perfect mixture of umami and tang. They also used bucatini noodles and I feel like not many restaurants do that and I just love how it absorbs all the sauce. Bread was delicious as always, but the cheese was just okay. Honestly I feel like the bread tasted better with the ragu sauce. Potatoes were exactly what you would expect - herby and slightly cheesy. Vibes in there are perfect - like an old style Italian homey restaurant. Service took a little while but they were also busy. read more

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The food and service were excellent. My only "complaint" was the noise level in the room. We had dinner in the restaurant located near 14th Street SE read more

When my niece requested Italian for her birthday I knew just where to take her for her birthday. While it's hard to snag an early dinner reservation before 9PM, I've been there plenty times solo and was able to secure a single seat at the bar.That place is busy, welcoming & warm and well worth it! The hospitality and service is top tier. When celebrating a birthday they greet you from the host stand with a happy birthday! We started with the Roasted Garlic Caesar and the Garlic Bread Quattro Formaggi both super tasty and flavorful. For dinner went with the Spicy Neapolitan Ragu, my personal fav, which is hearty and full of flavor and the Caruso's Alfredo that's creamy with wild mushrooms and truffle butter. My picky 19yr old left with her heart and stomach full and impressed with Caruso's! It was my pleasure to introduce her and happy to add another fan gal! read more

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Caruso's Grocery sat on my list for longer than I care to admit. When I finally walked through the door, the place justified every bit of patience. It hides in plain sight in DC, yet it carries itself with the quiet confidence of a restaurant that knows exactly what it is doing. The room sets the tone. Caruso's leans into the image of an old Italian dining room with an ease that feels earned. The space is compact, though broken into smaller pockets that give diners a sense of privacy. The lighting stays soft, the décor intentional, the overall feel warm without slipping into nostalgia for its own sake. Service moves with practiced calm. Staff glide through the dining room with an easy rhythm, greeting guests with genuine ease rather than rehearsed charm. The food takes over from there. Every dish lands with clarity and balance. Even after a half hour ride home, the takeout held its composure, a small feat that speaks well of the kitchen. It is the kind of cooking that makes you plan your next visit before you finish the current meal. The cocktail program deserves its own nod. A drink ordered while waiting for the food arrived polished and well built, matching the rest of the experience. Caruso's Grocery is a restaurant worth seeking out. It delivers on every promise it makes, and it earns a return visit without hesitation. read more

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I know this place gets a lot of hype in DC; I booked a reservation a month ahead because of it. Fast forward to my visit: I think this place is good, but not "I need to reserve a month ahead of time" good. My first problem is that this place is kinda tucked in a space with multiple food vendors. Do not trust where Lyft/uber drops you off or else you'll have to wonder around. Indoors, there is plenty of seating. The host acknowledged my reservation and was sat down immediately. The server was nice all around, but nothing extraordinary. I got two drinks, two entrees, and a dessert. I thought the orange crème brulee was amazing, but my other entrees were just fine - especially the chicken parm. I would probably want to explore the other Italian places within DC before coming back, but it was still a positive experience nonetheless. read more

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I've been meaning to get here for a while, and after craving Italian, Caruso's Grocery popped up on OpenTable--perfect timing. On a frigid DC evening, a friend and I met up for dinner. Although it's listed as being "inside The Roost," you quickly realize it actually has its own entrance on the side. You can enter through The Roost, but the lack of signage made it a bit confusing until an employee pointed us in the right direction. Once inside, we were greeted by a vibrant, bustling Italian restaurant filled with people clearly enjoying themselves. We ordered quite a bit, starting with Mediterranean margaritas, meatballs, Caesar salad, and bread--everything was absolutely delicious. For our entrées, we both chose the Neapolitan Ragù, and it lived up to the hype and the photos online. We paired it with a glass of red wine...perfecto!! Our waiter, Jordan, was fantastic and incredibly friendly, which made the experience even better. I can't wait to return. read more

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My wife and I went to Caruso's grocery recently, and I must say this is the best service we received at any restaurant all year. Please let that sit in. Our host, Ivania, was amazing. EXTREMELY, attentive and treated us well. The dim light restaurant definitely sets the mood for any romantic date or social gathering. Now the food was amazing and you can taste that it was made with love. I would say this is my favorite Italian restaurant in DC. read more

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Place is freaking awesome. Got the Drunken Veal Parm in vodka sauce. Caesar salad amazing. Finished up with some tiramasu and coffee. Highly recommend. read more

Picture this: you get into an Uber Black, which is pricey, because you're picking up your girlfriend for a one year anniversary dinner, but the driver is clearly navigationally challenged and he's really blowing the pre-dinner vibe with his jerky traffic moves and sudden braking, BUT you and your date look amazing and you're ready for some much hyped Italian food. Then you arrive at the location but surprise! The address is Pennsylvania Ave but the restaurant is technically around the corner on 14th St. Ok cool we found it. And they didn't give our reservation away due to our sus and more expensive than usual driver. The interior is awesome. Really nice looking bar area with a floor to ceiling wine rack in full view of the entrance. You follow the hostess to your table and see the dining area has a more family style, approachable feel to it. We knew we might be dressed above the average and we were right. Lots of casual dinner situations going on. A table full of young women all taking their own pictures of what appears to be food for the table; old friends out on a double date, and low and behold at least three other anniversary dinner dates. Boom, we chose the right restaurant Waiter was awesome overall , starting off classy by bringing us a red and a white wine to sample before we choose, in addition to the complimentary Prosecco for the occasion. Sensational. We love a good caprese but make it too often at home so we go with the creamy burata with garlic bread, which comes in hot looking like a carefully crafted cone of soft serve. But DAMN this was good stuff. Indulgent. We decided to share the ricotta filled gnocchi with pesto and the classic spaghetti and meatballs. The spaghetti... Fantastic. But the meatballs?? Even better. "It's crazy how this is just a lump of meat but it's so light" I believe was the exact reaction. Mouthwatering. The other dish is served in one of those plate/bowl hybrid jobs and it's filled with an absolute beauty of a helping of pesto, green like perfect tropical rainforest leaves only experienced in your dreams. Bobbing around in that pesto are ricotta gnocchi that rival mini marshmallows in shape and tenderness. These little bites somehow melt in your mouth and just taste fantastic. The pesto is perhaps a figment of your imagination because how can it taste so good. Brilliant. We decided to go home for dessert () and asked for the tiramisu in a box. We love some tiramisu and this absolutely did not disappoint. It's a little tall with slightly more marscapone than usual but it was really delicious and the perfect way to end the night. Silky. read more

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There is a reason it's hard to get a reservation here still! It's delicious! Was very happy to try Caruso's for the first time but certainly won't be the last. Service was great and the entrees were perfection. read more

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Cute and cozy vibe! Service was wonderful. Scott took great care of us! The food and drinks were amazing! read more

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Great time here! We were able to get a seat as a previous reservation cancelled. In the future I'll definitely make sure we book ahead. They were booked with reservations through 8pm on a Friday night. Lovely set up with ample seating and a swanky bar at the entrance. The chicken Parmesan, was absolutely delightful, very filling and I ended up taking the rest home to indulge some more. Family friendly and great parking in the area. read more

Caruso's Grocery - CHICKEN PARMIGIANA - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Cozy, romantic spot with delicious homemade Italian! Ambiance & Service: Caruso's is perfect for date night--dim lighting, charming artwork, and a warm, inviting vibe. Our server was friendly and attentive throughout. Food: - Garlic Bread Quattro Formaggi: Super garlicky, cheesy, and packed with flavor--great for sharing! - Penne Alla Vodka: Rich, creamy, and perfectly cooked. - Baked Eggplant Rollatini: Melt-in-your-mouth eggplant with a flavorful filling; the side of spaghetti was a surprising standout! TL;DR: Warm atmosphere, excellent service, and flavorful Italian classics--ideal for a cozy night out! read more

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Great little Italian spot with great decor and service. We went out for a special dinner and this was a good place to do so. Each of us got different mains:chicken parmigiana, ragu, chicken piccata and a mushroom Alfredo. The standout was the Alfredo- not heavy but creamy with fantastic mushroom flavor. Oh, I almost forgot, we were accidentally given fried mozzarella sticks which is an item none of us would have picked but they were awesome! Decent garlic bread and very good Caesar salad. The cocktails were excellent too! read more

I made a reservation for Carusos a month in advance, that should tell you how good this place is. My friend and I made the trek to Capitol Hill and were not disappointed. This is one of the few spots I've found with a sweet wine which I adored. I had the spicy ragu with whipped ricotta, my friend has the vodka pasta. We were both pleased with our food and the service. I'll easily be returning read more

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Will always love this place. The food is always delicious and the service is always impeccable and warming. Our bartender was amazing. I'm always a fan of the Caruso Alfredo. The spicy napoleon ragu was tasty. The calamari was everything I needed and more! Thank you Caruso's! Best pasta in DC hands down read more

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If you are in the market for an old-school Italian-American restaurant in the DMV, Caruso's is your place. With all the details you would find in this type of eatery from the large portions to the classic Italian-American dishware and ambiance, it feels like a comfortable pair of old, reliable jeans. Went here with my wife after booking a reservation over a month in advance, and while the ambiance was great, the prices were great and the service was attentive, the food was a bit too much for my taste. I am not sure if my taste has evolved or if the food here fell a bit flat. We ordered the Calamari, the Veal Parmasean and the ricotta gnocci for our meal, and while the portions were large and the offering of parmesan on top was ample, none hit the spot. The calamari was fresh, but the breading was a bit overbearing, the gnocci was too creamy and rich and the veal was so thin that the breading on each side was thicker than the meat itself. As I said before, I get the draw to this restaurant, but it probably isn't a place I will return to in the near future. I am a fan of other establishments by the Neighborhood Restraunt Group, so you will likely see me at either Sovereign or Churchkey. read more

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Made a reservation for here on a Thursday night while in DC for a long weekend. With having a reservation, you would think we would be sat immediately with a table open- but it took some serious thought to finally set that table and sit us at it. Anyway - kind of a smaller location which is inside a large multi-use building with other food options. Just as a point of note -- if you walk and can't find Carusos - just ask someone and they'll point you to an unassuming black door to walk through with no signage. We ordered the Caprese salad to start with the bread starter as well. The Caprese was very good. Fresh tomatoes surrounding mozzarella. This was very good and simple. The bread was also very good - and the Alfredo style cheese dipping sauce was a nice addition. There were several pastas and entrees I would have liked to try, but I settled on chicken parmigiana. Served with spaghetti as a side. Pasta was very al dente which is how I like it. The chicken was thin, crispy and tomato sauce was fresh. For dessert, we shared the cookies and cream Oreo cheesecake. This was very good and rich. This place will get filed into the return list - mainly to try other options, but I would highly recommend this for a solid Italian place read more

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I really enjoyed my experience at Caruso's Grocery. While we weren't able to get a reservation and no tables were available, we lucked up with 2 seats at the bar. After tasting 2 of the wines, i ended up going with a glass of sparkling rose. For an appetizer we split the garlic ceaser salad ,which was great! The star of the night for me was the Spicy Neapolitan Ragu! It was flavorful and had just a little kick of spice. The menu notes that you can request it extra spicy. The noodles were also thick and cooked perfectly. 10/10 ! read more

Caruso's Grocery - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Although I have literally lived within two blocks of Caruso's for three years, I did not get a chance to visit it until last week. It is a cozy, dimly lit place, neatly tucked away just off of Pennsylvania Ave, but quality cannot be hidden. Last minute or day of reservations can be tough to get, so the best thing to do is plan ahead. The staff are warm and friendly and the food/service are excellent! I ordered the Seafood Fra Diablo and it did not disappoint. I highly recommend a visit to this gem of a restaurant. read more

Caruso's Grocery - Seafood Fra Diablo at Caruso's. - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Now I know what the hype is about!!!!! Wow! Make sure you make a reservation because it's a small venue and books up fast and I believe every day they open. Portions are fairly large and food is freaking amazing. They also give you free crusty white bread and dipping oil/vinegar/herbs. My husband loved the chicken piccata and I can't say enough good things about the so-called Alfredo. As other reviewers have said, it would be more aptly called mushroom cream sauce. But that was what made it amazing for me. So delicious. Don't get it if you don't like mushrooms!! Also desserts: the special Oreo cheesecake was awesome and the Nutella cannolis! Friendly service. read more

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My wife and I tried Caruso's Grocery for her birthday. She'd seen their Classic Tiramisu online and really wanted to try it. Dessert, as well as the rest of the meal, did not disappoint. We had the Creamy Burrata and Roasted Garlic Caesar to start, then the Penne Alla Vodka and Caruso's Alfredo for entrees. It was a lovely dining experience overall, with everything exactly as we would have expected. Everything we had was relatively simple, but clearly prepared with care and quality. We also appreciated the lack of surprise added fees to our bill. Restaurants have handled the implementation of Initiative 82 differently, and it was refreshing to go somewhere where you didn't have to do a lot of math to calculate the rules for tipping your server well. read more

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I was pretty glad to have gotten to go here. I had this bookmarked since 2022 from a food review IG Reel and I remember saving it because it was my first reel I saved way back when and the food featured made me go - heck yeah - this looks like a place we will go. Minus the weird navigation to get to the actual restaurant... everything was great. The bourbon drink I had was really good but I can't drink it fast no matter what. The Bruschetta was perfection - tomatoes were out of this world. I wouldve ordered another. I also tried their special cherry cola which was pretty interesting. I was pleased with my dish and the cheesecake Oreo special was perfect timing as they don't offer that always. A tiny bit loud due to a party behind us and they had no common sense to try to at least read the room being it a Thursday at 9:30 PM and everyone else was not partying maybe take your level to a 6 or 7. Our server was good and it seemed like an overall easy going dinner. The place is super cute and makes you feel like you are in a retro Italian restaurant - which we were. read more

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Everything was amazing!!! We tried the chicken parm, calamari, burrata w/ bread, cannoli, & tiramisu. Everything was so delicious. We were so ready to eat that we forgot to take pictures! The service was really good as well. The food came out quickly and was hot and fresh! Absolutely loved this place. I still think about the chicken parm. In terms of the ambiance, it was as very well decorated. The booths weren't my fav. It felt like my pants were sticking to the booth because of the leather or whatever it was made out of. Someone else in my party who sat in the booth also had the same issue. However, overall I still highly recommend this place. Reservations are tough to get, so if you get one, make sure you go and enjoy the delicious food. read more

I truly understand why it is so hard to get a reservation here. This food is incredible. It may be the best restaurant in DC. We arrived a bit early for our reservation and the bar was packed so we waited for a moment at the hostess stand. The restaurant is decorated tastefully and there is an open kitchen on the back wall of the dining room. It's always interesting to watch a kitchen do its thing while dining! Let me say that the hostess on 2/13/25 in the evening was excellent. We had a reservation and she first attempted to seat us next to the door. I asked if we could move further into the dining room and she was not only very kind about the request, but able to accommodate it in a prompt manner. We started with bread, calamari, and a split Caesar salad. They came out quickly and were all delicious. The calamari comes with a few vegetables (fried) in the mix, which we enjoyed. We ordered a bottle of wine and our server (can't remember his name but he was a buff gentleman) gave us thorough, knowledgeable recommendations. Our pasta dishes were fresh, filling, and had lovely flavor profiles. The red sauce was sweet and had the perfect amount of flavor. The shrimp pasta had a good balance of acidity and flavor that complemented the shrimp well. Finally, we had Oreo cheesecake for dessert. It was heavenly. read more

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We went to Caruso's for the NYE pre fixe experience. It was a great way to ring in the new year! The dinner included garlic bread, an appetizer, a main dish and dessert. The garlic bread was amazing. It came with a cheesy dipping sauce. For apps, we had the caprese salad and meatballs. The tomatoes and mozzarella were super fresh. For my main, I had the penne a la vodka. It had peas and prosciutto in it, which was delicious. For dessert, I had the Oreo cheesecake. It was so rich and delectable! The portions were generous for all the dishes, so we ended up taking some food to go. The server was friendly and quick to bring us our food and drinks. We also got a complimentary sparkling wine and limoncello shot. The restaurant has the look and feel of an old-school family owned Italian restaurant. We had a wonderful dinner and would definitely recommend Caruso's. read more

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One word, yummmn! Everything was perfect! The seafood di fravalo was perfect! So much seafood in every bite. The calamari was super crunch and tasty as well. And the French 75 was made perfectly! read more

Caruso's Grocery - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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We came here the day before Valentine's Day (a Friday) for the first time and were so impressed. Our sever, Scott R was incredible and so nice. Service was fantastic and the food was incredible. Got the Caprese and the tomatoes were perfectly ripe. It's so hard to find a Caprese with a perfect tomato but this was it! The bread was delicious and so was the cheese and I got the chicken parm which was also fanatic and they let me sub the spaghetti for a salad. We will definitely be back! Very nice ambiance too read more

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There is so much buzz surrounding the restaurant that we decided to pop in on a random Wednesday after enjoying happy hour at another spot. Thankfully, the young hostess put us on the waitlist, and we only ended up waiting 30 minutes, which isn't bad considering the restaurants popularity. We ended up sitting at the bar, which is one of our favorite spots to people watch and enjoy food and drinks. We started with the Romain escrow and radicchio salad, which was overall good until I bit into at least two pistachio shells-color me extremely surprised as I thought I cracked my tooth. The calamari was nothing special, and definitely nothing to write home about. The ravioli was good, but basic. The sauce was definitely tomato based and pretty bland. We did however enjoy our half liter of Chianti. I don't know if we ordered the wrong dishes, but I'm not sure if this is a spot I would bother returning to you. Best of luck to everyone else and hope your experience is better. read more

Caruso's Grocery - Home made ravioli with chianti! - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I was so excited to go to Caruso's as a NYer that is visiting DC all the time looking for a good italian meal. Caruso's appeared like a busy spot with a lot of hype, and young people going in droves. To me it seemed like the Torrisi or Carbone of Washington DC. That is until I was in the midst of my meal. It then felt like an Staten Island Italian-American Grandmother that wanted to show her love, but could only really remember how to make some of the dishes she was making. First off the wine list is silly - very few interesting wines on it, good if you just want an everyday Italian wine - not good if you're looking for a Scavino Barolo or something of actual interest. The cocktails are not bad, but they're also not great - I ended up with a glass of wine and a couple manhattans...overall okay drinking experience. The service is kind, caring, happy to put parmesan on anything you want and I really liked everyone that served us. I don't think it was anything becoming of a fine dining establishment, but that's not the goal here - consider it classy oliver garden - you're family and we know we're professional servers, but let's all be friends. The food was wildly inconsistent - some of it was really good, and some of it straight up just didn't do it. The meatballs were out of this world, so good, and with some pepper flakes and parmesan, they were to die for! The garlic bread and burrata was soooooo good and I would have eaten like 10 of those and called it a meal. The pesto with the burrata just truly great, everything on that plate was so good. The Caesar salad was very mid - I think that's to be expected at a lot of places, but I really wanted it to be better, it wasn't. It was large, tasted like a caesar salad - i wish it had more perspective, but i wouldn't have docked them for it had it not been for some of the what else was being served. Chicken parm - couldn't have been more boring. Lacked the flavor, crispiness, cheesiness, interestingness you want in a chicken parm. The spaghetti that came with it was extremely over cooked. Pretty disappointing there. It was just not anywhere near al dente, this definitely drops it a star. The next issue is the other main course we got, the famous Spicy Ragu pasta. It had flavor and was spicy, which i loved, but again the noodles were overcooked and just the overall ratios were off - it wasn't doing it for me at all. The mains not pulling it together really made this meal harder for us. Dessert however turned it around with a great tiramisu. Maybe one of the richest tiramisus i've had ever - this was a great way to end the meal and i had a nice espresso to accompany it. The price was very doable, and if I went back I would be very selective about what I eat, but Caruso's you can do better, you showed it to us with your meatballs! read more

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The food and drinks and service here are spectacular!! it is a very popular place so definitely make a reservation. I went there on a Tuesday at 7 o'clock and could barely find a seat. I had to sit at the bar. read more

Fantastic experience here. Everything we ate was basically excellent. I had the spicy ragu (outstanding). My husband had the baked cavatelli (good but mine was way better). For dessert we had the cannoli (the filling was incredibly smooth) and the creme brûlée (great balance of orange flavor and very silky). Highly recommend read more

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Fairly easy to make a reservation online! Got a table for my partner to celebrate her birthday! The ambiance is very romantic with some mood lighting. Cool decors around the place as it's easy to browse around and see what story each picture tells us. Garlic Caesar salad- amazing and crunchy! Well mixed dressing in the salad which we really appreciate. Four cheese garlic bread- pretty cozy and crunchy full of garlic flavors and topped of shaved parm sided with four-cheese sauce. Dunk the bread in it or pour it over the bread! Alfredo- very rich as it comes with truffle and the pasta itself were perfectly cooked as of for al dente. Came with sautéed mushrooms to make it top-notch! Pesto gnocchi- very creamy, soft gnocchis perfected to its al dente. Topped with little of parm cheese and pine nuts to bring some excitement to each bite! Tiramisu- dense and sturdy. Pretty delicious but I still like that tiramisu from San Francisco. But I'll settle for the second best as it is in DC! Very satisfying but I'd recommend to share this dessert with the other person as I think it's big enough for two people. read more

Was really pressed to try this place after reading so many great reviews, but I hate to report that it was just... okay. I ordered the garlic bread to start and it was dry and needed way more butter and salt. I also ordered the caesar salad which was a regular caesar to me and needed more acid. For my entree, I got the alfredo and it was just okay. I love the fresh made pasta but the sauce itself just tasted like truffle oil and heavy cream. This place lacks flavor and seasoning. For dessert I got the butterfinger sundae and it could have very easily come from Applebees. I also don't understand why half the plate was whipped cream and two tiny scoops of chocolate ice cream. Overall, I won't be back and this visit was quite disappointing. read more

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Finally made it to Caruso's Grocery for dinner with a friend and it lived up to the hype! With it's wonderful ambiance and good food, I can see why this place is always packed. Definitely a great choice. Here are my thoughts: Environment Caruso's Grocery has a cozy and intimate ambiance that's great for dinner with friends, a romantic date or even a solo date. The space feels warm and inviting which sets the stage for a good experience. It does get busy, so be sure to boo a reservations ahead of time. Service The service was excellent. Our server was attentive and helpful and successfully guided this first timer through the menu - offering thoughtful recommendations. Our food and drinks arrived quickly and the server was polite and welcoming throughout the experience. Food and Drinks The food was pretty good overall. I ordered the tomato braised meatballs, shrimp alfredo and classic tiramisu. The highlights for me were definitely the meatballs and the tiramisu - both were flavorful and tasty. The alfredo was good, though I'm excited to explore more items on the many on my next visit. And how can I forget my drink! The Limoncellotini was delightfully refreshing and tasty. i would definitely try this drink again. Overall Caruso's offers a good dining experience with great ambiance, good service and tasty food. I will definitely be back to try more! read more

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This place is nothing short of five stars. We've been to Caruso's Grocery multiple times as a family, and everything we've ordered has been fantastic. Just a sampling: Appetizers: The Caesar and the Panzanella are both excellent and set the tone for a great meal. Entrées: We've loved the baked ziti and a rich, earthy fusilli with mushrooms. The chicken parmesan is cheesy and deeply satisfying. The chicken piccata and trout piccata are both bright and buttery, with just the right amount of lemony zing. Drinks: Don't miss the gin martinis--they're expertly made. The Montepulciano is a great red to pair with almost anything, and the Limoncello is the ideal way to end the night. Kids: don't shy away from the kids menu. It's a great amount of food, and delicious with dessert and a drink. No chicken tenders here! And don't sleep on the desserts. They're every bit as good as the rest of the menu. read more

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