I ordered the margarita pizza which is from what I thought was their specialty. I ordered and paid for extra basil as that is my daughter favorite. This is what I received and it was disappointing for $20 pizza is essentially a plain cheese and was just average read more

Pulcinella Restaurant - Large Margherita, supposedly extra basil - Italian Near Me - Mclean, Virginia

We recently had an Easter lunch there and were very impressed with the food, service, and atmosphere. The food was fresh and served hot; the owner is gracious and welcoming. We had Penne Siricusa, Pasta Pomedoro, burrata mozzarella with salad, fried mozzarella, margherita pizza, and various desserts such as tiramisu, mud pie, and ricotta cheesecake. The cuisine was excellent, and portions were generous. The owner gave us the tiramisu for free. We would go back there. read more

Pulcinella Oakland Virginia 7th of July 2025 wonderful nice dinner for romantic to start with order wonderful bruschetta toasted bread garlic with tomatoes and garlic and we had them ata salad with the dry eggs cherry tomatoes and balsamic rice my lady had killed portobello mushrooms and then we're headed today chicken masala with mushroom and to a service pasta so it was a lot and then where the eggplant parmigiana I was excellent quality looking it up comment tiramisu classic it was very good I'm long time resident of McLean since 1989 and I highly recommend this very romantic very clean place with the fresh ingredients of Italian cuisine. read more

So usually do Grubhub. The food is tasty! However, the last few orders they skimp on the meat sauce. Paying $23.00 on a single dish; not cool. Get it together, pulcinella and don't cheat the order. Hard working people in the community expect more. We're smarter than this! They must do better! read more

The pasta fagiioli had NO PASTA. Pasta e fagiioli literally means pasta and beans. It's called Pasta fagiioli. The first word is pasta. How can a chef be this incompetent? The meatballs and spaghetti was average but 100% not worth $23. Literally the worst restaurant experience I've had. read more

So glad we stumbled across this cozy Italian restaurant in McLean with delicious wood-fired pizza and tasty pasta dishes. The Fettuccini Pesto is hands-down among the BEST pesto pasta dishes I've had! The noodles were cooked al dente and the creamy pesto sauce was scrumptious! Both my toddler and I devoured it! The wood-fired pizza has a nice pillowy crust. Order the Traditional Margherita Neapolitan pizza (not the regular Margherita pizza - which is like a cheese pizza). The Traditional Margherita Neapolitan pizza hit the spot with dollops of fresh mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. I ordered the Portobello pizza which came with portobello mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, goat cheese, and swapped out the tomato sauce for pesto and eggplant for onions. While the pizza especially the marinated mushrooms was quite tasty, the goat cheese was a bit overpowering and would stick to just the mozzarella cheese. Next time! The Eggplant Parm dish was a total miss and disappointing, the fried battered eggplant had a funky smell. After a few bites, I started to feel my stomach churn and threw in the towel - $20 down the drain. The generous portion of spaghetti that came with the eggplant parm was the best part! The Cannoli was delicious with a nice cream cheese filling and chocolate chips stuffed inside a crispy waffle shell. I would definitely come back for the Fettuccini Pesto and try a pesto pizza! read more

Pulcinella Restaurant - Regular Fresh Mozzarella "Traditional" - Italian Near Me - Mclean, Virginia

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Definitely a hidden gem. The food is fresh and delicious. I ate lunch here for the 2nd time. My friend and I shared a salad and grilled chicken (served with a side of veggies and pasta). The owner was so nice to serve it on separate plates for us (even without us asking). Their complimentary bread is also really good! We had to ask for a 2nd basket. read more

The restaurant was small and luckily not crowded. The food was excellent. Service was nice. We will go back.

We were staying in a hotel close by and used DoorDash for delivery. We ordered two Fettuccine Alfredo's. One with chicken and one with chicken and Italian sausage. I guess since it's to go they don't bother cutting anything up, which was odd and a hassle to me with us eating in a hotel. They provided a half loaf of French bread that wasn't cut and had no olive oil or butter to go with it. No to go silverware was provided. In general, the portion size of the food is large. The chicken was decently seasoned with herbs and lemon but the pasta was super bland. My husband finished his meal with the cheesecake which had a slightly off texture. He said it was the worst cheesesteak ever and didn't finish it. We probably should have ordered from Italian Oven instead. read more

Pulcinella Restaurant - Grilled Chicken, Grilled Sausage, bland Fettuccine Alfredo - Italian Near Me - Mclean, Virginia

Probably one of the best kept secrets in this area. Unless you are a local or you go out of your way to enjoy authentic Italian cuisine; you will not find this place except by accident. The service is non-intrusive and they welcome everyone as if it is your first time and that includes locals and regulars. The ambiance of this restaurant is a cross between an old friends' kitchen and a corner table of a fine establishment with access to kitchen banter and servers gossip. All of which is a true fine dining experience without that chain restaurant feeling! read more

Friendly cozy atmosphere. Owners are awesome. Greta service. Great healthy food. We had pizza and beet salad soup and muscle, left happy read more

Pulcinella Restaurant - Red Beets Salad - Italian Near Me - Mclean, Virginia

My wife and I had a wonderful meal at Pulcinella. The meatballs were the best that I have ever tasted. The wait staff was very attentive. Cannot wait to go again with our daughter and son and their spouses. read more

Until someone recommends me another Italian spot I going to keep coming here. It hits all the right spots. Their gnocchi is to die for - I recommend the cream one. I'm legit back because of this dish. It's the perfect place for a Saturday brunch with a bestie - a warm sunny day and a glass of cold Aranciata~ read more

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This is a relatively new location in a different part of McLean after moving. It is a beautiful new facility but unique because there is very little space for inside dining and with zero privacy. It appears the gameplan is takeout or delivery for most of their business. The food was excellent and it was very clean. Service is okay but you feel like your competitive with them preparing all the take out orders. Just very strange-to me. I struggle with a rating because their food is very good but not sure it fits my needs but perhaps others will find it perfect! read more

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Yesterday we ordered lasagna and although there was a blooper with the order staff was very kind and made up for it. Lasagna was very yummy simple and delicious. Today we returned for pizza. Crust was thin, not chewy and did not get hard when it cooled. Perfect for folding and eating. I think it's my new pizza spot. read more

Our family went yesterday for lunch for the first time, and we were so impressed by this small, downtown Mclean restaurant. Our server (Melo) was quick and attentive, and the food was delicious! We shared frito misto, burrata salad, chicken parmigiana, pizza burrata and gnocchi!! All fantastic. We finished our meal with cannoli and tiramisu and shots of espresso. I can't recommend this place enough and would definitely come back! read more

Pulcinella Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Mclean, Virginia

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A very disrespectful worker addressed me in a condescending tone and was unable to create any solutions. Unfortunately, this has changed my perception of Pulcinella. But, in addition, this order was a nightmare of overcharges and poor quality. I ordered Chicken Marsala instead of Veal, which is a $3 difference. In the past, because I was ordering online and there is no way to refund that difference, the restaurant agreed to throw in a meatball on the side and call it a day. This time, they charged me an extra $5.50 on top of $3 overage I was already paying! When I called to ask about it, the man on the phone was over confident and obviously hadn't fine-tuned his listening, negotiating, OR customer relations skills. I am including photos because you will see the leaky mess that was delivered. Ridiculous they charged $20 for that tiny chicken dish! I asked for the side of spaghetti without sauce. They couldn't get that right either. The meatballs taste like soap. AND the pizza is BURNED. Wow. read more

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Prices are up and portions are smaller now. The service has gone down also. Gnoquis are chewy. read more

The new Pulcinella is better than ever! The pizza was amazing! Ambiance is more casual now, but the food has stayed the same. Excellent! read more

Pulcinella Restaurant - Pizza was amazing - Italian Near Me - Mclean, Virginia

Delicious food and very friendly staff. They have great gluten and dairy free options.

Loved it! It's no frills in terms of the ambiance and interior but it doesn't matter because the food and service is awesome! I tried the gnocchi which came in a yummy pesto/cream sauce (the gnocchi was super soft and delicious), margherita pizza, and calamari. The pizza was outstanding. This might be my new favorite pizza place in the area. The service was great too especially since we had little kids with us who were getting antsy, spilling water, the usual drill etc. Can't wait to return! read more

Visited with my wife recently let's start with they don't sell wine or beer what's an Italian bistro without a glass of wine. The food was OK not sure why I didn't taste any garlic what's Italian cuisine without garlic not even garlic bread. The tiramisu was definitely not homemade and it wasn't very good. The kitchen was absolutely wonderful But the restaurant is entirely too small with a very minimum seating inside. It's getting too cold to sit outside. My wife and I decided before we left we would not be back. And to the waiter who asked me what the initials BLM on my ring meant.BLACK LIVES MATTER And it was over priced next time I'll order a pizza to go! read more

Simple Italian joint. 1. Parking - free and right outside 2. Reservation - not necessary, but you can if you want 3. Food - not the best pizza - okay, nothing special branzino - was weirdly wet and too moist for something that was grilled salad - just okay bread - rather dry, not warm 4. Drinks - 50% off on Mondays and cheap house wine 5. Service - not too good I also got food poisoning on the night of, so I cannot really recommend this place. If you are not a picky eater, it is still a decent option for some. read more

THEY are back! Very modern neat looking new place, but way smaller than original. New pizza oven is cool, seems whole family helping out. I just had a clam pizza to go that was great, havent had anything else, but plenty of folks eating inside and waiting for take out. (how do we report reopen??) read more

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Is it designer pizza? You bet. Is it delicious? You bet. Is it worth the money? Abso-forking-lutely. Three visits at three different times. Pizza with clams. Pizza. Pizza with sausage and pepperoni. All delicioso! read more

5 stars for the pizza. 2 stars for the service. The new place is such a change from their old restaurant. The pizza is still excellent. Maybe even better than the old place, where my family had been going for over 20 years. They seemed to do a lot of takeout pizza business. This new place is a nice update but is really small and the staff is not attentive. We spent 1.5 hours waiting for two pizzas and dessert. To me, that's a long time for a pizza place. We were also never offered water refills or asked if we wanted to order additional beverages. The cheesecake was terrible! The tiramisu was okay. And they don't serve wine or beer. It's difficult to get seating for parties larger than four people and even then, you're squished beside other diners not in your group. Outdoor dining didn't look comfortable either because you're seated a couple feet from parked cars or you overlook the parking lot. I'd consider getting take out for the pizza because it's so delicious, but I'm not sure how good it will be once I get it home. read more

Great service. Very accommodating and helpful. Unfortunately, drinks were brought out with hands/fingers all over the cups. Pizza was one step above frozen pizza from the store. Sauce was tasteless, dough/crust was not cooked long enough, and cheese quality is poor. Lacked seasoning/salt and toppings were bland. For the price, there are better options around. read more

Amazing Italian food!! I got this order to-go so I cannot comment much on the service or atmosphere but the guy helping me with my order was nice. Food- The large calzone was a plentiful size! I got the one with 3 different cheeses and subsituted the sausage for mushrooms.. delicious!! I was a little disappointed in the spinach ravioli. The flavor was great but there were only 6 pieces and it felt like a very small/unfilling portion for the price. The fresh mozerella app was good. My dad really enjoys this app when its still hot and gooey. The ravioli and mozerella weren't very warm when we picked the food up as compared to the calzone that was still perfect temperature. Overal the food tasted very authentic and Inwould get again. read more

Pulcinella Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Mclean, Virginia

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Pasta itself is good but the sauces they use are too heavy! The ricotta ravioli was ruined by the sauce. My husband said the same thing with the carbonara. Short wait time for pick up. I'd be interested in the pizza but never ordering the pasta again. read more

The service was terrible! I asked for a pepperoni pizza and received a half cheese half pepperoni. It took another 20 minutes to get the right order. I was overcharged for my meal and when asked about it the waiter told me that another guest received my bill. I asked the waiter to redo the bill. He said it would take 5 business days to void the charge. At this point I was so angry that I walked out and overpaid my dinner by $10. This was my first and last time eating at this restaurant. They lost a local customer! read more

Heard great reviews; however, I ordered pizzas to be delivered by grub hub. Expected my order at 5:30pm. It never arrived, having spent over $60., more with tip. This is a true rip off and, while being grub hub's con, it reflects badly on Pulcinella. Will not go there or order from there again. read more

Pulcinella's, one of our local favs, never disappoints! We shared a delicious meatball appetizer, a margarita pizza, and finished the evening with a beautiful and delicious coconut sorbet and a lemon sorbet. Food and service were excellent as always! read more

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The crust was flat and chewy. The margarit pizza had barely a sprig of basil. Meat pizza was sparse as well. Better options in town.

If you order online, you should add at least 30 minutes to the pickup time. They are always running behind and I've learned to add time to the published pickup time. It is now 20 minutes past the pickup time and here I am back in my car waiting with no ETA for when my order will be ready. read more

Very small restaurant now. Too crowded to enjoy meal. There were about six of us. We had to sit near the door.

We won't be back. Not only less than average food, the rudest owner I have ever encountered anywhere. He won't admit that a simple Margherita pizza has distinct white pieces of mozzarella on it. It's literally the same look and taste expected at any good pizza place but not here! You get a cheese pizza no different than Pizza Hut or Dominio's! Lol. At first I gave them the benefit of doubt that they just can't make the usual expected Margherita. In fact the girl who took the order repeated the order as "cheese pizza" and I corrected again that is not what we want. After the phone call I made, the owner clearly could care less about the customer. He did try to offer us to come back so he can make whatever pizza we want, but it was so insincere and rude the way he spoke to me that I wouldn't want to spend any other minute ever again around him. And if you can't make the pizza right this time, why would you the next time? I will continue to go to il Canale, 2Amy's, Crust, Pizzeria di Marco, Pupatella's, Pizzeria Paradiso, etc, plenty of authentic Italian places around with good food and very nice service. This place has disappointed me each time either with food or service or both, but there is nothing worse than being treated like the customer is not valued. From the time I entered the store to pick up when everyone stared at me weirdly, to opening the boxes and finding the disappointing pizza, to the most unpleasant call of the owner telling me he is "lecturing" me about pizza because he has the knowledge and I don't, I have realized this felt like scam! If you the owner wants to be recognized as the guru of pizza, that is fine with me but sorry I still don't like the pizza your restaurant made. Just hugely different than anything I had at those other fine pizzerias places in town or in Italy. He prefers to continue to tell me I don't know pizza and argue with me. I know what I like and don't like. ‍ read more

Spaghetti Carbonara some of the best food I've ever tasted, the creamy flavor is truly unique.

This local Italian place never disappoints me. The pizza has great texture and the pasta is always my favorite. The pasta was so fresh and sauce was well made and delicious. The fried calamari was not crispy maybe because it's the takeout food. read more

I have been to their old location on old Dominion Street a few times and I still remember that experience. Haven't been to this new location but it looks a little bit small. Since I'm in a wheelchair, I'm hesitant to try a smaller place that may be more cramped to move around in a wheelchair. I saw someone commenting about murals being stolen - that prompted me to write this review. We may have to ask the owners exactly what happened but I think it may be the other way around. Since they were at the old location for such a long time and left behind some of the ambiance, it may not be appropriate to characterize that they 'stole' from that place. Maybe I will take a chance and see the new place and update my review. read more

As someone with a pork and gluten allergies, this place is a dream come true. Their homemade GF pizza crust is the best in Northern Virginia and their homemade beef pepperoni is absolutely amazing. I only wish I lived closer because this would be a weekly restaurant visit. read more