This was my second time dining here and I'd say that while it's a solid safe bet for good Italian food, it was lacking in other areas. We got the arancini, mozzarella neapolitan, gnocchi duck bolognese, and ravioli rose. The arancini met all the criteria of a good arancini (crispy and cheesy) but it wasn't really anything to write home about. The neapolitan was spot on - would recommend getting a bite with a bit of everything to get the most out of it. Between the entrees, our favorite was the ravioli rose - super smooth filling with a delicious tomato cream sauce. Pasta was also perfectly cooked, nothing more that I could've asked for. I've never been a huge fan of gnocchi, so my review of that would be biased. For drinks, we got the mammoni. To me, it tasted way too strongly of alcohol (and not in the good way) to really appreciate anything else. For my bf, it tasted like "cough syrup". Not good either way. As for service, everyone was friendly, but extremely slow - had to flag them down multiple times. When asking to box up leftovers, we had asked for two salads to be combined and boxed up. What came back amounted to hardly one salad. Also, you'd think they'd offer a bag for a stack of three boxes on the table, but nope - had to flag them down for that too. All in all, would come back for the food, but there's definitely room for improvement. Assuming that was just a fluke in service, will give a 4/5 for now. read more

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Something has changed. The food quality and service have fallen significantly in the last couple years. We have had rewarding visits for years; alas, no more. We ate there last Saturday and were disappointed. Partner had tortellini, I had baked penne. We both found the sausage of lesser quality, mealy and lacking the usual flavor. Penne was dry, bland, meh. Workers were hanging in the dining room seemed desultory, uninterested. Our waiter was pleasant enough, but missed his cue to offer desserts as he removed our entrée plates. It was some minutes until he returned. Partner asked for a cappuccino, but they didn't have that In an Italian restaurant?! The tiramisu was good, as usual, but was too little, too late to redeem an unremarkable experience. read more

Really good Italian food. It was very tasty. We enjoyed ourselves immensely. Would happily eat here again.

Olazzo is still serving up great Italian food in Montgomery county. They even serve a small salad with the entree (just like they did when they opened). The bread is fresh and the red sauce is just right. The only thing that could make this place better would be homemade pasta. Went recently on a Sunday night at 5pm and sat in the main dining room close to the window. The weather was nice so the doors were open but I believe the AC was still on. There was only one other couple in the dining room at that time until others started showing up closer to 6/6:30. Servers and management is friendly and prices are fair for the quality and portion size. The red wine selection could be improved a bit but there are some decent selections if you ask for a taste first. Keep up the good work! read more

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All in all a great dinner- the food was well prepared and delicious. There were several vegetarian options, a definite plus. The salad I had was a little pricey, but not the usual iceberg lettuce with a pale tomato. Also, the bread was yummy. My husband did say his linguine and clams had too much lemon, not enough spice, but the linguine was perfect. The service was good and the atmosphere was excellent, low lighting which I prefer. I give this place high marks. read more

Olazzo is warm and welcoming, with great service and good food. The lunch portions are huge and prices very reasonable. It was so good that I went twice in the same week. I like sitting in the high booths in the front bar area, but there are also tables in back. I had the eggplant parmigiana and pasta primavera. I love that gluten-free pasta is an option here. Both were quite good, and I wouldn't have known I was eating g-free pasta. The primavera had plenty of vegetables in eat, which is great. One friend had the linguine con vongole and the other had the chicken parmigiana sandwich. The linguine with clams looked amazing and I was sad I hadn't ordered that. Both friends loved their meals, and also said the bread was great (I didn't try it). I definitely want to return for another lunch, hopefully with room for dessert, as well as happy hour. read more

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The food was delicious but the service was poor. We got the calamari to start - yum! Crispy, well seasoned and perfectly cooked. Chicken cardinal came with the most amazing sauce and the chicken was soft and flavorful. Finally, brownie with sea salt Carmel gelato was a perfect end to the meal. Now the service, I told the hostess it was niece's birthday and asked if they could do something nice - she said yes but when we ordered dessert there was nothing special. Our waiter also never brought out the salads that came with our entree and never bothered to take our plates between courses - this led to a very cluttered table. He generally seemed annoyed to be at work. I would come back for the food no question. But, maybe keep it to takeout. read more

Great food, staff and service. Clean and inviting. Nice bar. Personable table staff. Nice little place.

I love pasta! Glad I finally got to dine here. A friend and I had been trying to eat here and it's always packed (that was a good sign) and they don't take reservations. Since it was a Monday night, it wasn't as packed and we were able to get seated right away. While I was waiting by the bar area, I chatted with the hostess at the front desk, who was super nice and friendly! I also noticed they do have some happy hour specials here (ends at 6:30). Once my friend arrived shortly, we got seated near the window in the back room. Our server, Anna, was amazing! Kudos to her - very attentive and checked on us periodically but not too much where it was overwhelming. She mentioned the specials and half priced wine bottles! When I was trying to decide between several options, she was so helpful in being able to narrow down my choices. I ordered the chicken cardinale! I was pleased with this selection. It was full of flavor and very filling. I enjoyed my evening here and would definitely come back to enjoy some great pasta. read more

I'm rating the food! This is our wedding anniversary and we decided to come here because it's always consistently good food and stellar service. Candidly, the food didn't disappoint but the service? Meh! Perhaps the pre-pandemic Olazzo needs to be filed away as a distant memory! Our server was nice enough--just pretty inattentive. No "hey guys, do you need more water or another drink" once the bill was plunked down. It's been 22 minutes and counting since my card was run and returned. Yes, we are sitting chatting and watching a game but I'd actually have like a cup of coffee and a martini to go! I'm beginning to believe that service suffered during COVID. Praying the standards return soon! We've been tipping extremely well during the pandemic on purpose. This time, I'm feeling some Kinda way about it! read more

Stopped by for lunch. *We had a fried calamari (starter). main entree: Chicken Parm, and Littleneck clam with white sauce Pros: Bread was fresh. Had outdoor tables. Food came out fast. Cons: -Marinara sauce for the Chicken Parmesan and fried calamari, was bland...had no flavor. -Littleneck clam sauce: it was too sour. Lemon juice was used too heavy in this plate. Couldn't taste the clams. -Busboy who was cleaning a table next to us literally sprayed the our food with the cleaning spray.... RUINED our lunch. -Service was okay. Would I recommend or return? NO. I don't understand how this place is a 4 star restaurant. read more

I don't like writing bad review, but I have to, last night we went to this place and hoping some good food and a good time. We went in near happy hour but we both don't drink so we ordered some food. Service is friendly, parking is available on street or garage, the place is a bit small. We ordered the mussels and fettuccini Alfredo. The Alfredo is good the mussels came in a big portion but lack of taste. Once we got home my husband got food poisoning and wouldn't stop vomiting for two hours. I hope the restaurant figure out what was causing it, and can remedy this, I hope no one else got it. Overall the food was okay and so does the service but I'm not sure how the kitchen handle their food. read more

Olazzo - Bar area inside - Italian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Deeeeeeelicious and pasta was perfectly Al dente. My husband is a pasta lover but he hasn't had authentic pasta before so this place completely blew his socks off and I gave myself a pat on the back for changing his life with this food lol. read more

Olazzo - Italian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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I LOVED this place, definitely go here and get some tasty Italian ASAP. The ambience is cool, the drinks are great, and the food was to die for. The Gnocchi was so delicious, perfect consistency, packed full of flavor, and a great proportion of food. I have never in my life tasted anything better than the sauce used for the Ravioli Rose - I could live in a vat of that stuff. Honestly, I was so impressed with the food here and I will definitely be back! read more

Olazzo - Gnocchi Duck Bolognese - Italian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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Nice atmosphere, great menu of drinks, I had baked penne which is a dish I don't suggest. Overall good experience of an Italian restaurant with good vibe and atmosphere. read more

Do not go to Olazzo. The place is crowded, dark, and loud. You'll sit for 15 minutes before talking to staff about even ordering something to drink then every wait time after will be long as well. The food was ok at best. My friends meat balls tasted like they were frozen before hand and warmed up. My lasagna was unimpressive and my other friends food she said was nothing special. On top of this, the food was expensive. After eating our mid food, we went to Hip Flask and had an amazing time there. read more

My wife and I and our 2 1/2 year old granddaughter went to Olazzo's for lunch yesterday. The food was outstanding. The service by Joshua was extremely good and he was very mindful of us having a young child with us. I had Pasta Alla Chicca and my wife and granddaughter had the Penne with meatballs. Both were fresh, well seasoned and Perfectly prepared. My granddaughter scarfed down the penne pasta We took advantage of the beautiful weather and ate outdoors. It was very pleasant given that no traffic goes that far down Norfolk. The road is closed to provide tables for people to eat lunch. We can't wait to go back and try other offerings. Good food, and good service! Truly a recipe for success read more

I stumbled upon this gem as my friends and I were looking for a place to have dinner. The menu looked pretty good and we were sat right away. Astrid was our server. She was great. Happy, knowledgeable and I totally enjoyed her service. We started with the meatball sliders and Caprese salad. The salad was so good, had so much flavor it was amazing. The warm Home Made bread was out of this world! I am not a bread person but This Bread is addictive! You MUST have this bread! My friend said the crabcakes were amazing. The bathrooms were clean. Definitely a place to check out. read more

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I had such a great day out and about in Bethesda with my hubby and our little dog and wanted to end the night with a good meal. Unfortunately it started to rain so we were weary about being able to find a last minute dining accommodation that allowed dogs and had a covered patio. We got lucky with Olazzo! We were able to book a reservation and arrived within 10mins. They had our table ready and we were famished so we got to ordering apps and drinks to kick the night off. My husband had been craving calamari for days so this was the first thing we ordered. We also ordered the meatball slides and the arancini. Our apps were delicious and I have to say kudos on the arancini. It was really good. My husband is a bit biased when it comes to that because we got the pleasure of enjoying various arancini types on a trip to Sicily years ago and he can also make arancini. He was very satisfied with the ones at Olazzo. For dinner I ordered the crab and shrimp rose which was a tomato, cream pasta with lump crabmeat and jumbo shrimp over penne. I asked for them to make it spicy so they garnished with red pepper... Just the little kick that I needed. My dish was so good, I wanted to order another one for the road! They grilled chicken for my dog so she could enjoy her meal. She was really happy with it. My husband ordered the penne primavera which he enjoyed. We ordered several rounds of cocktails and had a blast at Olazzo. When the weather gets better out we will definitely be back so we can enjoy their front patio again. read more

Olazzo - Puppies get to enjoy too! - Italian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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Food and service were excellent. And, it was reasonably priced. There is outdoor seating and there are two dining rooms and a small Bethesda parking lot around the corner. read more

5 stars to Danny!!! Food was good and atmosphere very nice. But the service? Our server Danny was FANTASTIC. I have never had such exceptional, fabulous, personal, and memorable service. Danny was so very nice and we never wanted for anything. He had our waters refilled BEFORE we were even done drinking . I was so happy and impressed! We WILL be back. Ask for Danny, if you want your Olazzo experience to be complete... read more

Came here in for my birthday dinner in Aug 2018. I thought the food was just okay, and the cramped environment was subpar. Probably won't come here again. FOOD They give you some bread with olive oil to dip in the beginning while you peruse the menu. The portions were generous. Calamari is great for sharing with two to four people, depending on how much everyone eats. I came here with my friend, who ordered the gnocchi - pretty good and filling. I wouldn't say it was particularly creamy or saucy.. it was what I expected. I ordered the penne primavera, which was just okay. It was basic and let me wanting something more. Like I said, the portions were large and we left with substantial leftovers. ATMOSPHERE I disliked the space. Not only are the tables ridiculously close to each other (we were less than a foot away from our neighbors), I could hear everything my neighbors were saying - and I'm sure they could easily hear our conversation. Also, the room was surprisingly dark - to the point where it was a difficult to see the menu. Mind you, it was around 6PM in the summertime with the sun just starting to set. After the sun set, the room was really dark with super low lighting. Lastly, the dining area (which is small) was echoing with voices bouncing off the walls. It would be difficult to come here with a large group - I imagine you would have to call ahead of time. SERVICE We were here for dinner on a weekend, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by how busy it was. Still, it was hard to get anyone's attention as our server was running back and forth, waiting on numerous tables. I'm a pretty low maintenance customer, so the fact that I noticed this says something. It took a while to get our orders taken, to have our glasses refilled, to get our check.. Of course, I understand how difficult it can be so I didn't make a fuss about it. Just letting other people who might try this place know. OVERALL The food was fine, the atmosphere wasn't great, and service was just okay. If I had the choice, I probably wouldn't come here again. This place was just okay.. not particularly impressed. read more

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Two items on the menu make this place worth every penny. Number one, the calamari is SO good. It's fried perfectly and the marinara is excellent. Number two, and this is important, the Shrimp and Crab Rosé is one of the best pasta dishes I've ever had. read more

Great food and service! The dining room feels cozy at night, and the candles on the tables are a nice touch. Ordered the chicken cardinale (highly recommend!) and a couple side dishes. Tons of flavor and great balance of creaminess and substance in the sauce. read more

Olazzo - Chicken Cardinale - Italian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Excellent service. Limited menu. All entrees seem to come with pasta. They do have gluten free penne, but only with 2 entrees (I think). Served with bread. I had meatballs with penne pasta....sides were extra. I wish there would be more variety to the entrees. Also, I ordered a Manhattan which I requested to be a little on the sweet side, just a little bit more sweet vermouth. Server came back & said the bar tender didn't think he could make it as requested. I've been ordering Manhattans the same way for probably 20 years, and that was a first! read more

I'd give zero stars if I could. By far the worst so called Italian food I've ever had. I had the shrimp pesto over linguini and for about $30, I got 4 small shrimp and bland tasteless pesto sauce that left a sticky pasty feeling in my mouth. My tablemates had different dishes but all were almost unpalatable and we all left without eating more than a couple bites. The waiter never once came by to see how we were doing or ask how our meals were. This restaurant should be closed down and any positive reviews here post-Covid have got to be scams. read more

Great food and great service. Every dish we tried, including the desserts were delicious and unpretentious. The mascarpone cheesecake was mouthwatering. read more

This was my first time dining at the Bethesda location and I had an excellent experience. The food was delicious, as it it always is, top notch service, and the authenticity of the decor is incredible. read more

Angela! I cannot say more!!! My sister and i are DC locals and always have horrible service, bit once again, kindness and authenticity reigns supreme!!! And thats just Angela!!! The food is freaking AMAZING! I LOVEd the FOOD, i got Food DRUNK AND ALMOST FOOD COMA!!! I didnt want to stop eating, but i knew if the food was this good, the dessert would be LIT!!! And baby!!!! That tirramissou and chocolate brownie im in love!!!! Def coming back! Not just Angela and the food, but the staff was nothing but exquisitte!!! Def new fave spot!! read more

Olazzo - Italian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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It was okay, I had the gnocchi bolognese I didn't really like gnocchi so I can't say too much on that, the ambiance was chill they have like house music playing in the background me and my gf went for an early dinner and then we were thinking about having an appetizer the calamari is really bready if you like that, the service was great though! The man came quicker than druski's security ran to him when his ankle buckled down those steps, really good. Kinda had an odd smell walking in, but I mean if you're drunk might be some pretty good drunk food to be honest. read more

First time going to this place. My coworkers and I decided to try this restaurant for a farewell lunch and it turned out to be a great choice! Food was amazing! I ordered the Beef Tortellini and it was very delicious! 2 huge beef meatballs along with some pasta. Others got Grilled Eggplant, Gluten free Penne, Grilled Chicken Spaghetti, Shrimp Linguini and a Salad bowl. All the foods we ordered were pretty tasty. Service was a little slow since the restaurant was packed during lunchtime. But we really enjoyed our dining experience and will definitely be back sometime soon! Amazing Italian cuisine for everyone. Fantastic. read more

Olazzo - Beef Tortellini - Italian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Great food good service. We always order the same food it's so good I have shrimp , my wife orders the chicken read more

We have been to Olazzo many times and it never disappoints. With so many Italian restaurants in the area, this one is by far the best. Food is excellent, portions are plenty, service is great and prices are reasonable. Definitely our favorite! read more

Let me start by saying I'm a Italian food lover and it's hard to find a good Italian restaurant. I decided to come here last night for dinner. We sat at the bar and was greeted right away by Mike the bartender. He took our drink orders, we both got a lemon drops they were good and strong. We then ordered parmesan chicken and lasagna with seasoned beef. Both meals were delicious. The chicken was seasoned perfectly and the sauce for the lasagna was so good. The only thing I didnt enjoy was the complimentary bread with side of oil and vinegar. Oh and our bartender Mike was very attentive and made great drinks. I would definitely recommend this place, I will be returning soon. read more

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Outdoors old Bethesda has great Italian bread and brunch specials. A pasta lunch of seafood with linguini--One of the best in Montgomery County, Maryland! read more

This is a fantastic spot for a mid-priced Italian meal in Bethesda. The ambiance is great and makes you feel immediately at home at a neighborhood eatery. The tables were definitely crammed together, but it was good to see the place full with patrons. The food was excellent (meatball sliders, ricotta gnocchi bolognese and a superb ravioli rose) and the prices were more than fair. The only deduction is for a subpar sauv blanc and the temp on the gnocchi dish was closer to warm than hot. Will definitely be back! read more

If you want excellent service go to Olazzo. If you want good healthy food, go elsewhere. I had the chicken Parmesan. The chicken was over cooked and tasted like it had been made earlier and refried. The pasta with the pesto sauce was a loser. The pasta was floating in about a quarter of a cup of oil which I had to ladle out on to my bread plate. I was so turned off by the oil that I can't really comment on the pesto. What a waste of oil. I am an average cook, but I would never serve such a meal to my guests. read more

This spot is a must try! I love, love, love the food, service and staff! The food was spectacular and staff was too! I will definitely be a repeat customer! Thank you for following the cdc guidelines! read more

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Solid chow. My brother had his birthday dinner here over the weekend, so nine of us took in a big meal. I personally tried the calamari, penne with meatballs (with the rose sauce), and the warm brownie with a scoop of caramel gelato. I don't know if the pasta was rolled in-house or not, but we assume that it was, and it was cooked to perfection either way (at least, perfection to me, just the right al dente for me). The sauce and those meatballs were reason enough to try this dish again. The calamari was a big dish and the squid was breaded/cooked perfectly...the caramel gelato was a nice touch on the standard brownie a la carte version of this dessert and the brownie was warm and chewy, not crunchy. About the only thing I can "complain" about is the fact that the specialty cocktails are all served as martinis...as such, a prosecco and St. Germain dish was served in a martini glass. I had it moved to a rocks glass but still, some of these drinks are not meant to be served in a martini glass! Service was great and the prices are very fair for the amount of food dropped into each pasta bowl. read more

I visited Olazzo's this past weekend after hearing great reviews about it. We were seated immediately after arriving. We started with the bruschetta, which was delicious! For our entrees we had the spinach & crab Tortellini and the crab & shrimp penne rose'. We both began to eat and spoke about how great the food tasted, bites later my significant other found a hair in his food. That was such a mood killer and pretty much ruined our evening. Even though the hair wasn't in my food I was so grossed out I decided not to finish mine either. This was such a disappointment because we definitely had this place in mind as a go to for good pasta. I think it's super important to have hair coverings when handling food, so this very thing does not happen. Pros: our waiter was extremely nice , and did his absolute best to try and remedy the situation. The taste of the food is awesome, customer service is also great. But this will be my first and last visit. read more