Food was amazing and service was really impressive. Alexa C was our server and she was very kind…read moreand attentive and provided wonderful service. We sat outside and the ambiance was great.

We had to serve Christopher Y and he was wonderful. There were never left waiting for things. He…read morebought everything right away very polite and professional.

We went for restaurant week! $55 a person includes appetizer, entree, and dessert…read more Cesar salad was flavorful. Angel hair was the perfect amount of spice. And chocolate budino was rich and creamy. Will be back!

Interesting concept. 3.5 rounded to 4…read more This is family style serving with the exception of mains. Recommend the meatballs and the cucumber salad for starters. I very much enjoyed the arctic char as a main. Perfectly cooked and lots of flavor from the fregola, fennel, preserved lemon, olives, and roasted pepper romesco. Wine and drinks options were limited. Misc: It was super loud there. So much so we couldn't have normal conversations at our table. Online to go ordering via Toast at https://www.toasttab.com/thomspon-italian-old-town-1026-king-st. Reservations via Resy.

Chat Gpt told me to go there and I'm so glad I did! Food was phenomenal, atmosphere was great, and…read morethe staff were very friendly. I live in Kansas, but if I'm ever back in the DC area I will definitely go back.

I am remiss that I never created a review for Aldo's Italian Kitchen, because this is one of my…read morefavorite hidden gems in the DMV area. Locked away in a comforting space within an office building, it always feels like I stepped into a mom and pop style restaurant. The hosts, servers, chefs, and owner are just incredible- super friendly, knowledgeable, and they really treat you like family here. Now the food. The food is so delicious here. Some of my s/o and my favorite dishes are the cheese pizza (you seriously cannot beat the price), and gnocchi, which is covered in a creamy tomato sauce with chunks of onion and warm tomatoes, and the chicken pesto pasta. Honestly, I've never had a bad meal here. Everything is portioned perfectly, and I swear you never leave hungry here. They also went viral for their chicken caesar wrap too, and I can attest that it's yummy! I'd ask for extra sauce on the side if possible though, but that's because I'm a caesar lover! I'd highly recommend everyone checking out Aldo's. The owner is the sweetest, most caring man and he really is so appreciative of all the customers. If you have a craving for some italian food, go here! And also, don't leave without trying their tiramisu or walk out with their rainbow cookies!

Rosemarino D'Italia is the rare neighborhood Italian spot that plays it straight -- no gimmicks,…read morejust a kitchen that knows what it's doing and a floor staff that makes you feel like a regular on visit one. You feel it walking in: past a pink-trimmed doorway strung with fabric roses, a small "please wait here to be seated" placard doing its quiet job, and a narrow hallway that opens into a dim, close-quartered dining room with tufted burgundy chairs and a TV keeping half an eye on tennis for the bar crowd. It's an intimate room, pleasant if a touch under-scored -- the ambient music sat low enough that a notch or two more volume would have filled the space better. We started at the bar menu. My Pisco-licious ($16) -- Barsol pisco, mint, blackberry puree, sherry, lemon, and egg white -- arrived under a dense, well-set foam cap with a charred, dehydrated citrus wheel balanced on top. It poured tart-forward, with the blackberry rounding out the back end, and the foam held its structure to the last sip. My friend's cocktail moved just as fast. Bread came warm and unfussy, gone before the entrées landed. For the main course, I went with the Scallops e Funghi ($28): four pan-seared scallops over a creamy saffron arborio risotto with mushrooms, finished under a heavy hand of grated parmesan. The risotto was the real star -- properly cooked, well-seasoned, rich without tipping heavy -- and the scallops, while a shade past their ideal sear, still made for a genuinely good plate. My friend's Spicy Sausage & Leeks ($24) -- fusilli in a creamy parmesan sauce with spicy Italian sausage and sautéed leeks -- brought real heat that never crossed into overwhelming, and the bowl didn't last long. Portions ran generous for the price point, and nothing at the table tasted like it was built to a budget. We both closed with the Spumoni ($10): strawberry, pistachio, and chocolate ice cream dipped whole in a chocolate shell and finished with a white and dark chocolate drizzle. The shell cracked clean on the first bite, kept the ice cream from turning to soup, and tasted enough like a house-made batch that I'd bet on it without confirming. Service is what pulled the night together -- our server was warm without being performative, checked in at the right intervals, and never let the table run empty on water or attention. Rosemarino D'Italia earned every bit of a five-star night: a kitchen showing more technique and ambition than its casual, happy-hour room lets on, a cocktail list worth ordering from twice, and a floor staff that made it effortless. It's not tasting-menu territory, and it doesn't need to be -- it's a neighborhood trattoria doing its job better than most in the category. I'll be back to work through the rest of the pasta list. Order type Dine in Price per person $60-70 Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 4 Wait time No wait Seating type Indoor dining area, Bar area, Booth seating, Counter seating

We made quick reservation at this quaint Italian restaurant in the Del Rey area of Alexandria. Not…read moremany people on a Wednesday, but arrived in time to enjoy a few Happy Hour treats (330-630pm), the fried zucchini were tasty and crispy and the marinara dipping sauce was excellent. The wife enjoyed a nice soup and salad, and ravioli, My Piccata Chicken was pan seared, with capers, olives, spinach was delicious. To finish off a great meal the wife ordered the Spumoni that was chocolate dipped, strawberry, pistachio ice cream which was unbelievable great. Staff was super friendly as we enjoyed an intimate dinner.

I came here with my team and able to get a day of reservation for a large group. Once we arrive the…read moregroup size grew, and they were still very accommodating! I'd return based off that alone, but our sever also did a tremendous job and handled our large group very well! Kudos to him (I forgot his name). Now for the food and drinks. Neither disappointed and the whole group enjoyed their meal (which is hard to come by often). I had the Pasta alla Veneziana, which came with lobster, shrimp, and salmon), and it was very good! It was a tad pricy, but I'd order it again. Extra shout out for removing the tails from the shrimp (my coworker also noticed). I love a Smoked Old Fashioned, so ordered one as well, and it did not disappoint. I'll be back to drink and dine on the patio when the weather cools a bit.

I want to begin by acknowledging that I chose to dine out on Mother's Day, fully aware that it is…read moreone of the busiest days of the year for restaurants. I expected longer wait times for seating and food, and I was prepared to be patient. However, what I did not anticipate was a complete breakdown in both front-of-house and back-of-house operations. Having worked in the restaurant industry, it was clear that the issues extended beyond the kitchen. A back-of-house "crash" of this magnitude is typically the result of broader operational failures, including front-of-house management. It appeared that reservations were significantly overbooked without adequate planning for the volume. On a day like Mother's Day, full capacity should be expected, and systems should be in place to manage that demand effectively. At a minimum, there should have been proactive communication with guests regarding delays, allowing them the option to adjust their plans. Additionally, basic service standards--such as keeping water glasses filled and bread baskets stocked--were not maintained. The serving staff seemed overwhelmed and unsupported, which ultimately reflects a lack of clear direction from management. During our visit, we even observed a large party leave due to the experience. I genuinely felt for our server, who appeared to be doing their best under difficult circumstances. Without directly requesting specific items and even ordering from the bar myself, the experience would have been significantly worse. Unfortunately, the food did not meet expectations either. The seafood pasta, in particular, was underwhelming in both quality and presentation--featuring minimal seafood and inconsistent preparation. At the price point, I would expect a much higher standard. The chicken Parmesan felt like cardboard and was just as thin. The cod with peas tasted exactly like the frozen cod I get from Costco. Calamari never came, which we had no idea about. No option to get anything else. If the restaurant does not have the infrastructure to handle high-volume days at a consistent level of quality, it may be worth reconsidering reservation limits or adjusting service expectations accordingly. While I understand the desire to maximize business on a busy holiday, the long-term impact of disappointed guests may outweigh the short-term gains. I hope this feedback is taken constructively, as no guest should have the experience we did. And no we did not accept any free dessert, which I felt was a completely tone def to the experience we had.

Seen on TikTok decided to check it out on their Monday $15 pasta and they did not disappoint!…read moreEverything and everyone was amazing! Service and food 10/10 I WILL BE BACK *I also loved the fact they asked me was it my first time because I think all restaurants should just to make sure you get the best experience

Visited on a Sunday evening with no reservation. Immediately greeted entry and seated quickly in…read morethe front dining area. I like their semi private two seat tables in the center of the front dining room. Our server was friendly and courteous, checking in on us frequently during the meal and we didn't have to wait for service or for drinks to be refreshed, etc. The fresh pasta is always hearty with full flavor - my spouse enjoyed the salmon entree but mentioned that the interior of the salmon was not as flavorful as the outside. The plate portion sizes are great and we didn't leave feeling pasta fatigue. The cocktail that I tried Sorrento was very light and refreshing. One of our local favorites so I will be visiting again. $$ We walked to restaurant but there is limited street parking and free deck parking nearby

We had a great lunch at Havana 151 - The Loft at Lena's in Del Ray…read more Just so there's no confusion, The Loft at Lena's is upstairs (and you need to take the elevator to get there) and Lena's Wood-Fired Pizza is on the first floor. The Yates family owns both restaurants (they also own Table Talk over on Duke St.) We were wowed by The Loft's interior design. So nice and inviting. Just to get it out of the way, there is an idiosyncrasy in Havana 151's bar service. Even though there's a full bar, when we came for lunch shortly before noon, our server mentioned that the bartender doesn't come in until 4pm, so they can't provide cocktails earlier in the day. But that was okay since we weren't drinking anyway. We started with the yucca fries as an appetizer. They were flavorful and had a great texture. For better or for worse, the dipping sauce was kind of a cilantro pesto. JP ordered the Ropa Vieja (literal translation: red clothes). This dish came with shredded beef stewed with tomato, red and green pepper and onion. It also came with rice and toasted plantains. JP thought this dish was excellent. I ordered the Cuban Sandwich, which was pork, ham, cheese, Dijon mustard and pickles on Ciabatta bread. I did pick the pickles off (like I would with a hamburger), and ate them later. Accompanying the sandwich were some really delicious fries. I should note that I took half of the sandwich home, and when I heated it up and ate it the next day, the garlic from the pork had amplified., Service was great from our talkative waitress. Our orders came out in good time and were correctly prepared. We'll be back.

Had a really cool experience tonight at lena's. I've been coming here since it opened…read more Tonight I came in from a flight and got here a little after 9:00 and they were completely tearing the place apart to do an amazing cleaning. I had a burger and they worked around me no problem. They took every single thing off the shelves behind the bar cleaned everything disassembled everything from behind the pizza bar it's amazing to see that they do this a couple times a year I have not seen this in other restaurants even though I've worked in them for many years. Pretty impressive and shows that they really care I highly recommend Lena's it never disappoints

Recently, we were treated to Sunday brunch buffet at Fratelli's by friends…read more We had actually been here a couple times previously, but that was a few years ago, so this review is based solely on this Sunday brunch. It was a very good experience. What stood out to me was the excellent service by the professionally dressed servers, especially with the water, champagne and coffee refills. The dishes were all well-prepared, even if the buffet isn't huge. And actually, there was a chicken in cream sauce that was ultra ultra delish. But I understand that Fratelli's rotates dishes in their buffet, so the chicken dish may or may not be in future buffets. The buffet included your typical waffle station. It also included a dessert table, which was cake and pie. Yeah, we'd come back to Fratelli's buffet again.

Representing 2019 for letter F is F is for Fratelli. I went here one time on Monday, May 6, 2019…read moreon a date. I had been a few dates with her in the late winter into spring, and this was our 2nd to last date. The date was pretty good, but the relationship didn't go anywhere ultimately. I lived in Wheaton, and she lived in Arlington, so that posed challenge of seeing each other that much. I got a girlfriend over 1.5 months later, which was good for a while. The food at Fratelli was excellent, best Italian I've had in northern VA except for Scafa's in Spotsylvania County, which is far from the true northern VA. I got some noodle, mushroom, some meat dish, which was excellent. Service was good too. I'd come back here if I was ever along the Van Dorn corridor, but the odds are low of ever being around here these days. In fact, I used to live over here walking distance to here but never ate here when I did, and I've never shown my girlfriend of 1 year 9 months that apartment as we just are never over here and live a bit closer to Baltimore than DC now. Ironically, we were in Alexandria just yesterday (Old Town) for a birthday party, but Alexandria in general is quite rare.

The food and ambiance of this place is absolutely wonderful and they have a great happy hour with…read morewonderful food specials. We received some free focaccia and pesto on the side. I ordered the mushroom ravioli, which was wonderful and my friends ordered other varieties of pasta dishes. I would definitely come back for a happy hour at some point. The issue for this place was the service. Some of my friends who were sharing received their eggplant Parmesan quickly but then none of our food came out and they already finished their meal and we still didn't receive our food. There was little to no apology and we weren't even offered any extra bread even to compensate us. They did have a large party and places are understaffed, but we could have been checked up on, even for a minute. Overall, I'd come back for happy hour, but not for dinner.

I came specifically for the Winter Restaurant Week experience, which was a 3 course menu that was…read more$40/pp. I got calamari for the appetizer and it was average. The batter was soggy and not light and crispy enough but I did enjoy the two sauces that were paired with it. Of the ones that our table got and sampled, the best appetizer was the Polpettine di Carne meatballs. For the main, I got the Fusilli Salsiccia. The pasta was slightly overcooked and the sauce was watery but overall I enjoyed how the flavor of the pork and sage complimented the pasta, but it wasn't anything to write home about. My friend got the carbonara which was unfortunately disappointing, as it was watery, overly salty and the opposite of what a good carbonara should be. In addition, the carbonara had what looked like pieces of cubed ham instead of pancetta or guanciale, which really downgraded the dish. Chocolate mousse was a good way to end the meal, I would've liked less whipped cream but it wasn't too sweet, which I preferred. Service wise, food came out within a reasonable but towards the end of the meal (and their closing time), they started turning off the lights in the dining area and it felt like we were being rushed and kicked out, which also lended to the lower review. Unfortunately, an overall disappointing restaurant week experience. I had really high expectations given the high reviews on both Google and Yelp, but I would not recommend coming back here (at least for Restaurant Week).

Landini Brothers is a good option on a very busy street for Italian which also includes Mia's, Il…read morePorto, and even The Wharf (seafood restaurant). I love the outdoor dining space. Even in the rain there are 5 tables under the awning. An interesting hack, especially when Mia's is slammed--and they always are slammed, walk across the pedestrian street and check out Landini. Even on a busy Friday or Saturday night, I've had great luck on the patio: They dont take reservations for the patio. The food is always excellent. I love the Tortellini alla Panna. It is filled with veal. The sauce is so good. Another one of my hacks, which I used tonight, is asking if they have any porkchop which is on the lunch menu. Tonight, I was in luck. It comes with a side of mashed potatoes and broccolini. Superb. Lots of other great choices on the menu too. Definitely give them a try. How do you think they compare to Mia's? Both are faves.

4/4/26 The menu…read moreleans classic, with mixed execution. The Tortellini in Brodo, filled with veal and Parmesan, arrives in a traditional homemade chicken broth that feels comforting yet ultimately lands at an average note, lacking depth. In contrast, the Calamari Fritti is a standout--perfectly fried, delicately crisp, and notably tender. The Suprema di Pollo con Mozzarella offers pleasant flavors of butter, lemon, and chardonnay, though the chicken veers slightly overcooked. More successful is the Piccatine al Limone, where milk-fed veal is bright and balanced with citrus and wine. A special of linguine with scallops on the shell rounds things out nicely, delivering a satisfying, well-executed finish.