Went for an early Friday night dinner. Ordered a beer and fish & chips. Food was great, fish was fried to perfection, fries were OK, coleslaw was great. My husband ordered the steak, also good. Vibe was fun, minor ding for really loud music. The neighborhood is great, service was good, solid local spot. read more

Rustico - Grilled Bavette Steak & Frites - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Came for restaurant week. Portion sizes were large. Ordered a feta dip which was delicious. I also really enjoyed their steak and fries. I would probably pass on the dessert if I was just popping in regularly. Service was slow at times. There isn't a bunch of parking either which can be tricky. Overall, not bad restaurant and would likely come back. read more

Rustico - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Brought bae here last night after shopping at Potomac Yards. I have been with my boss but he had never been. We started with the korean bbq wings and brussels. I modified the sprouts for no bacon or crema sauce. I have had them before but they are flavorful every-time and the portion is large. Then i got the grilled salmon with kidney beans and vegetables for the first time and was surprised by the lemon flavor. It is good but definitely strong lemon flavor in each bite. Bae got the fried chicken sandwich which he finished all of along with spinach. I am not drinking so i got a mocktail which comes with fresh sweet ginger slices that you can eat. Our waiter was Carlos! He was knowledgeable and helpful with suggestions. Will definitely go back and ask for him. read more

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The ambience and Service are OK but the food really wasn't. I was there with three other people and no one's dishes were particularly good. The only thing I enjoyed was the appetizer this spinach and cheese dip was actually very good. But my husband had the meatballs which tasted like cardboard, and I had the pizza whose crust was so ultra crisp it was almost inedible virtually no sauce and no taste. read more

This is a good, American food type restaurant. The food is tasty and not overly expensive. The service was good, the ambiance pleasant and parking was easy. I will definitely return. read more

Came with a friend for a birthday lunch and it was a good time. The fries and brussels were so good! Very flavorful and tasty. service was lovely, very quick and the server was friendly and attentive. The space is large with ample seating. My friend got the gluten free, GF, crust, made with chickpeas and she loved it! She said it was the best GF pizza crust she's had. I got the pepperoni pizza with hot honey and it was nice. The pepperoni were crispy, which I enjoyed. I would definitely recommend this spot! There is a decent size parking lot in the rear which is always nice. read more

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Another restaurant to add to the fav's list. Santa Claus greeted and seated us. It was a busy time of the day. Their food is delicious since it's wood fire grilled. The roasted beet salad with chicken and grilled chicken salad were both great options. Although the salads were cold, the chicken arrived hot. Many times when the salad arrives, the meat has cooled a bit. But not here! The server was very attentive. I do not recall previously enjoying a beet salad anywhere. In fact I do not even think I have ever seen a beet salad this portion. Usually, I find small and simple beet salads. The best roasted beet salad with chicken ever! read more

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Went here for Fathers Day today with family. The jalapeño margarita was pretty basic, wouldn't order that again. We ordered a few pizzas, all were crispy and hot- but again... our table was steps away from the oven. The salad was awful... gloopy salad dressing and wilted arugula. The waiter, Henry, was an absolute gem. It would help if music wasn't blasting so loud that we couldn't hear one another (this is at 4:30pm). With so many other spots in Old Town, I would pass on this place. read more

Always have a good experience here - staff are very friendly, and almost anything you order is going to be good. My husband loves the extensive collection of beers on tap. The atmosphere is also very lively, so we often take out of town guests here when we want something casual, reliable, and fun. read more

Came in for HH. As server and bartenders finished waiting on existing customers, they just looked at us and each other. I guess they were playing rock, paper, scissors to see who would serve us. One server walked by us four times and couldn't even say that she'd be right with us. After 15 minutes I walked over to the bar to inquire if the section we were sitting in were closed. It was not. She said she was busy and would come over shortly. We waited another 5 minutes (20 total). When I saw her chatting with the bartender, we left. Unfortunately, this was our second time here. We decided to give them another try after a similar experience previously. I guess poor service is the standard. We won't be back. I'm sure they won't care. It didn't feel like they wanted us there. read more

Quick catch up with my cheer sister for my birthday! The menu has changed. We sat at one of the booths at the bar area. The restaurant was quiet and clean, and our server was awesome. We both ordered pizza. My cheers sis opted for the margarita pizza with the chickpea crust and she said it was delicious. She ate the entire pizza! I created my own with mushrooms, red peppers, onions, olives and spinach. & was only able to eat half. It was good! Definitely redeemed themselves from my last experience. The menus changed and they have quite a selection of craft beers if that's your jam... My friend did enjoy one of their cocktails which she said was tasty...something with gin and strawberries...Idk the name of the drink- My water with lemon and unsweetened ice tea was just fine today! Happy Yelping! read more

Disappointed with the updated happy hour beer "deals". It used to be $2 off any full pour draft, but now it's $5 for a few select beers. Rustico has been a go-to place to find a wide variety of different beers, and happy hour was a good opportunity to have them, but at $12 for a 13oz pour, I'm better off going to a bottle shop and drinking at home or heading to Dominion Wine and Beer for their happy hour. Used to pick Rustico for its location, but with this new pricing the drive to Dominion is worth it. $10 for a 13oz pour isn't cheap, but it felt like enough of a good deal to keep me coming in regularly. Probably will still keep an eye on Rustico's tap list and come back on special occasions when something catches my eye, but will definitely be coming in much less. Good news for the local breweries which I'll be heading to more! read more

Rustico - Fidens Overshadow, Cheese & Herb Risotto Tots - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Apple mint mojito - 7.7/10 Strawberry on the mountain - 7/10 Spinach and artichoke dip - 8.5 Margarita pizza - 9/10 read more

Rustico - Margarita Pizza - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

This was my first time here. About 20 of us came for a post valentines work dinner. I ordered the everything pretzel and the baked feta dip as my starters. For my meal I ordered the ricotta gnocchi, and the jalapeño margarita. The everything pretzel was nothing special. It came with two pretzels and a mustard beer cheese. I have had better at other places and wouldn't order it again. However, The baked feta dip was outstanding! I could've licked the bowl. I 10/10 recommend this starter. It's the best I've had. I would come back just for that. The ricotta gnocchi was also just okay. It was a little too sweet for my liking. I tried my friend's salmon and risotto. I liked her dish better than mine. The jalapeño margarita was spicy... but I didn't mind that. I expect nothing less from a margarita made with jalapeño. I ordered 5 lol Overall... the experience was good. We had some things we didn't like but also experienced some things that we did like. We had a very large party... so they did struggle quite a bit to split the checks correctly but the server did his best. read more

Rustico - Ricotta gnocchi - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

For my first visit I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Went on a quiet Sunday night and the service was amazing. We were given options of seating as it was kind of empty. Our server checked in many times after taking out our original order. I loved the decor and the feel of the space. The food We ordered the risotto tots as an appetizer. It was a solid 3/5 on flavor. The tots were cooked okay but the crunch was a little overwhelming on some pieces. The sauce was a tad too acidic to compliment the cheesiness of the tots. The pizza was definitely the star of the show. The crust was cooked well and the toppings were great. My only issue was the raw huge chunks of garlic. The flavor was good over all but I wish the garlic was incorporated in a different way. I would absolutely try here again. read more

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Saw this restaurant sitting on the corner when I was driving by on my way home from work. I said to myself that I wanted to visit as it looked like it would be good. Fast forward to about 2 weeks later I booked a reservation for a surprise celebration lunch. The menu is what intrigued me. I saw the whisky flight tasting and knew that my friend would love it. We arrived. It was quiet. I told my friend that we had the whole restaurant to ourselves. lol. But then we didn't as people started falling in. We sat down and looked at the menu. Everything looked good. Our waiter Anderson was amazing. He was patient pleasant and professional with us. I had the strawberry sparkler with a shot of Tito's. My fiend has the whiskey classic flight. We started with the wings. Soooo good. Nice portion for 2 to equally share. Then we ordered food food. I had the roasted turkey sandwich with a mixed green salad and to top it off the sandwiches come with a drink. I have never seen that before at a restaurant. So many options. They even have a lunch special with pasta and salad. My friend had the grilled chicken sandwich with fries. Nothing was short of delicious and perfection. We ate good. The restaurant is sooo cute. The decor with the rustic glass on the wall makes it different. Outdoor seating is set up cute with a fire pit. The manager even came over to chat with us. She was amazing as well. I told her we are returning very soon with friends. And would like to request Anderson. If and when you are in the Alexandria neighborhood and looking for a great bite to eat and good ambiance and great service this is the place for sure. And if you don't try everything the first time come back again and again and again and again. read more

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We came here on a whim Sunday afternoon. It took sometime for the waiter to get to us despite it not being busy. A man who I'm assuming was the manager ended up taking our drink and appetizer orders. Eventually our server came. Service was just okay. Food didn't take too long and was good. The star of the show was the whipped feta dip. My husband ordered the egg sourdough dish. He didn't like it. He mainly ordered it because it said it has Italian sausage, but it was really a slathering of a sauce that contained very finely ground pieces of sausage, barely enough to notice. The wings were pretty good. This place isn't bad, but it's a pretty basic dining experience. read more

Best pizza you will ever have in your life! Service was fast and friendly. Make it a trip to visit this place! read more

I love this place! I don't live too far away, so Rustico is a fun place to visit with friends visiting from out of town or just for a quick meal (whether dining in or getting takeout). The food is delicious and reasonably priced, and they have a good menu selection. My go-to's are usually their salads and pasta dishes. I visited most recently in early November 2024 and got their fried chicken salad (sweet corn, avocado, bacon, pickled onions, crispy tortillas, jalapenos, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, honey-chipotle aioli). The salad was a generous portion and definitely entree-sized! Service is always fast and friendly. I've never had to wait too long for a table or for my food to arrive. I've also had drinks there - they have a good selection of wines and beers. The ambiance is also great - they have a more casual bar / lounge area, as well as another side of the restaurant for dining. Rustico used to have an excellent second location in Ballston (Arlington, VA), but they've sadly closed. I'm glad the Alexandria location is still around and thriving! read more

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Had a quick lunch in Alexandria at Rusticos! We got seated quickly and the food was good portions. We had 7 people and their policy was we could not split checks (it was inconvenient but doable). read more

Rustico - Beet Salad - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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A coworker chose this place because it was near the job and the menu looked good. We arrived and it was nice and clean and had a nice smoky smell from cooked foods. Our waiter was slow, and somehow got our special requests wrong two different times (no ice, no onions). After he brought the appetizer out, we never saw him again. We had to ask a waitress for to-go food containers and the check. That took a while because she had her own tables to wait. When she came back with the containers, she accidentally filled my sprite glass with water, but replaced it with a kids size sprite. When I asked for a small to-go container of the smoked mayo, I was told they don't use that, they only have regular mayo. I told her it was on the menu and that was why I ordered the sandwich which was suppose to have it on there. So she went to the back to ask management and she came back to confirm that they don't use it. I believe it because the sandwich had no special flavors to make me want to go back and order it again. Service horrible, fool ok, ambiance great. Our next luncheon will be somewhere that respects customers more, and the menu is a true depiction of what they serve. read more

Rustico - Chicken Salad Sandwich and Fries - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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I didn't like anything about this place. The service was slow, our server was very dismissive. Plates were never removed from the table. The roasted chicken was awful and salty. The Caesar salad came with without salad dressing. Our server just disappeared. We asked for the manager, who came over and tried to smooth things over. We paid the bill, and sat for a bit talking, then all the lights were turned off. They opened the blinds but it was still pretty dark. This is a very cute restaurant but I was just disappointed with everything about it. If you are in the Alexandria area and want to try it out to see if you have a better experience, check it out and let me know what you think. read more

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just adding pics from a few recent visits: everything pretzel chicken & cherry peppers pizza strawberry on the mountain slushy (minus gin) always a delish experience. __ i eat. @f.hux i thrift. @dcthriftish read more

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The service was great and the pizza was really good. I ordered a white pizza and it wasn't the best white pizza I'd ever had but it was very good. I also enjoyed the ambiance, decor, mood lighting, tv's, noise level was just right. read more

Been going to Rustico for years- always good food. I just had ordered from them this past week- vodka pizza and artichoke dip and chips, side salad Very bad all of it- pizza was nothing like I have had there before- horrible sauce, hardly any cheese, cold...horrible taste. Appetizer was bad too. New chef and or new owners- bad read more

Local gem right between old town and Potomac yard. The vodka pizza is incredible, and they have a great rotating list of wine & beer. Cool bar area and the restaurant side is very kid friendly for our daughter since she was 2 years old. read more

I was a little worried going into this. The reviews didn't look so good. I'm glad I wasn't disappointed. Got started with a cocktail that had a nice balance to it. Very flavorful with enough alcohol to get me going. Ordered the cheese tots. They were amazing; you can't go wrong with a good, fried appetizer. As for the entree, I got a white pizza with the bluejacket draft beer (German pilsner). They paired very well together. The pizza itself was very good. Both of our pizzas came out fresh at the same time. They slapped fresh herbs on the top. Pizza had a good balance of flavour and texture; itt was even amazing on a next-day warmup (pan sear reheat). I don't know what beer my friend got, but he said it was good. I was too stuffed to order dessert but was very happy with the overall meal and drinks. The service was great; the waitress was kind enough to offer beer samplers until I found one I liked. The ambience was great. The interior is gorgeous. You'll also be happy to note they have a large amount of parking next to the restaurant. I'll be urging my friend to make a trip every now and then to come back here for a chill evening. read more

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The service is absolutely abysmal. Sat at the bar for nearly 10 minutes without so much as an acknowledgement. Sadly, this was pretty much a normal experience at Rustico. Will not be back. read more

I am a pizza snob. I'm also trying to eat healthy most days. Thus, I ordered for delivery chickpea crust pizza. Don't be fooled by how it sounds. Once I warmed it up in the air fryer, it was truly delicious. Filling without feeling stuffed. Two slices were the max I could woof down. Pepperoni was excellent. Is it the NYC style I ate thirty years ago? Nope. Does it satisfy pizza urge? Yup! read more

This location is north of old town south of Arlington. And this is a very chill modern and localized place to go. There are a few tourists frequent this place. When they usually swarm to the old town and DC area. This place has a very neighborhood vibe. The food menu is not extensive. I personally like restaurants that focus on few main dishes rather than having a dictionary of a menu. I'm having trouble trying to choose what you want. Their selection of draft beers is more impressive. But the main reason why most people come here is for the woodfired pizza. My family came out to do a menu tasting for a wedding rehearsal dinner planned for later this month. we tasted a majority of the menu. Items we like the most; Were the bacon wrapped dates, truffle fries, the salads and lastly of the woodfired pizza. I was shocked and surprised as how good the salads were they were crisp and refreshing and almost better than the pizza. We dealt with Andrea the GM/ event director. She is amazing! Andrea helping the bride and groom plan a rehearsal dinner. She was amazing, knowledgeable, professional and 100% helpful. She is a true professional, who are seems to have a lot experience in the field. Prior to coming to Rustico I imagined the pizza would be the main delight. But after talking to Andrea, she stole the show. We will make a special request for her to be at the private event. We plan to throw here. I recommend to the reader that you specifically request her if you plan on throwing a private event. There's ample parking in the back. There's outdoor seating and the decor in the interior is chill and appropriate for this location. We plan on having 100 of our closest family and friends here to Rustico. They are coming from all around the country for a wedding. It's definitely good enough to take your significant other or family out for dinner. They also have a kids menu and crayons with coloring menus. read more

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This was a pretty cool spot I got to check out while burning some time on the Potomac side of Alexandria. The restaurant is brick walled on the outside with a very spacious interior and a variety of seating options to accommodate large and small groups, with a small bar located to the right side of the restaurant and bonus: office chair like seating provided at all the tables and bar for extra comfort. It was a football Sunday and the bar had an ample amount of tv's showing the games. Their brunch menu features shareable items like fried wings, calamari, and meatballs ($6-$15), salads that can be paired with their woodfire grilled proteins, brunch based items like avocado toast, chicken & waffles, and short rib hash ($15-$20), and their woodfire pizza options ($17-$20). They also offer seasonal cocktails like their pumpkin spiced hot chocolate and autumn bourbon mule ($12). I tried out a couple appetizers the bacon wrapped dates and the fried cauliflower with a pineapple mimosa. Both items were solid the Korean bbq cauliflower had a bit more kick than I expected but not overpowering. All in all the service was fine, gorgeous location, and I look forward to returning to dive deeper into some more of the menu items. read more

Rustico - Bacon-wrapped dates / Fried Cauliflower - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Walked in and was greeted very warmly. We were given a nice table by the windows, which was a nice change of pace as I feel like most restaurants stick you by the bathroom or kitchen. Food is a little pricey but really good. My mom had the roast chicken, which was really fabulous. I had the bolognese and it was a very generous portion with great flavor. The pasta seemed really fresh. Loved the watermelon salad too! read more

Good service. We ordered pizza, fries, and salmon (not pictured), and all were so-so (average). The salmon was not seasoned and the pizza needed a little bit more cheese. Our drinks were good, especially the cider we ordered. read more

Rustico - Thick Cut Fries - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Nice little restaurant in town. It was our first time there I didn't care for what I had. I had the roasted chicken meal. It had a interesting flavor. I can't really describe. My friends had the pizza that they really liked. read more

This was my first time here and it was mediocre at best. We first started out with some drinks, I ordered the lychee margarita and it came in a tiny cocktail glass. Usually margaritas are served in a wide cup. We then ordered a few appetizers- Fried calamari and bacon wrapped dates. Our server first brought us the fried cauliflower. She must have misheard us when taking our order but she quickly fixed it and took it off the bill. We then ordered the flank steak salad- which was good but all tomato's and cucumbers. I wish there was more arugula or greens in it. My boyfriend's fish and chips were good. Our other friend ordered the rigatoni with bolognese. While it was fine to eat, it just tasted like ground beef with sauce. The description stated brisket, short rib and pork. I was looking for small pieces of brisket and short rib but everything was ground up. The ambiance is nice inside but overall, I'm not sure I would come back. read more

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Came here on a whim while house hunting and despite the service being fast and friendly, the food was average. Nothing id crave to go back for but still left full. Not pictured is the vodka pizza which we put the meatballs on top. It was alright we both agreed they could have jazzed it up more with say arugula and prosciutto. The grilled Caesar salad is seasonal so sadly I wasn't able to order it. We almost went to a neighborhood Greek spot called Vaso's Kitchen and that probably would have been the right move in hindsight. read more

Rustico - Clockwise : cauliflower (weird chalky texture), meatballs (good but have had better) and the cheese tots which were good. - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Went for restaurant week and had a horrible experience. Started with a round of drinks, 2 of the drinks were awful including the spicy margarita. The manager came over with an attitude and said she will not be comping anything more from the 2 drinks (mind you, the drinks were not drank, just sipped and basically filled to the rim.) She gave an attitude and said that's why they warn people that it's very spicy...but of course, our server gave no warning, and couldn't even tell us the brand of tequilas that they had. Outside of the rude service, the food was horrible. Plus, they brought out our dessert before our meal came! For the mains: The wings were the only decent part of our meal. Asked for medium steak and it came tough, well done, and unseasoned, but again, the manager said she wasn't comping anything else. They didn't even have steak sauce! The penna alla vodka was watery and had no flavor. The salad greens were wilted and brown. The risotto tots were hard. Lastly, the dessert. The brownie was DRY and they give you less than a scoop of ice cream. The cookie skillet had no flavor, also less than a scoop of ice cream. The cheesecake tasted SOUR, like they literally used bad cream cheese or it was old and bad. I would have come back to give the pizzas a try, but the manager was so disrespectful and not accommodating. There is nothing wrong with sending something back if it is not going to get eaten/drank because of poor quality or taste, but she forced us and said there would be no comping or refunds despite us not finishing our meals. Highly disappointed because it would be much different if management had any sort of respect. read more

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June 2021 - COVID Review: My friend wanted to try this place after she saw that they had mushroom bruschetta and she's a hugeee fan of mushrooms. We stopped by for a weeknight dinner and the location is just off the main strip of Old Town Alexandria. There was parallel street parking right in front of the restaurant! Our eyes were bigger than our stomaches since we ordered a number of things off the menu, but they were all delicious! Their wood fired pizza is one of their specialties! read more

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I came here with my boyfriend after looking at the menu and thinking a few items sounded good, particularly the Cheese & Herb Risotto tots. It was also restaurant week and they had a pretty good deal going. We were at the restaurant for a total of 2 hours (not by choice) with only having ordered 1 appetizer, salads, and our main course. So of course I ordered the risotto tots and was very much underwhelmed. They had an overly fake cheese taste and not much other flavor. Next my boyfriend and I both ordered salads. We waited about 30 minutes before our waitress came over and had asked us what we ordered again to ensure that another table didn't get our order. This made me believe she just forgot to put the order in. After waiting another 20 minutes, our salads came, my boyfriend got the cesar and I got the mixed greens salad. He said the cesar was pretty standard, however the salad I got was not what the menu said it consisted of. It stated it came with a pecorino romano cheese but it then came with a bleu cheese which I absolutely am not a fan of. I hated to do it, but I had to send it back and request a salad without cheese. After waiting about 45 more minutes and not seeing our waitress at ALL, our pizza finally arrived. Both of our pizzas came SWIMMING in grease. Now I don't mind some grease on a pizza (that's obviously how you know it's good) but this was an obscene amount. I could only eat 2 pieces at this point because I was just so turned off by our experience thus far. We quickly request a check from the first staff member we could find since our waitress seemed to vanish and got out of there as soon as we could. Oh, also, we decided to sit outside since it was a nice day out but there were so many flies on the patio and it's located on a pretty noisy street with cars honking as they drove by. Such a horrible experience and I will not ever be going back there again. read more

Warm draft beer, bad service, and food was hot good. Charging top dollar for basic food means the restaurant is probably in a death spiral. Avoid. read more