Coming back from Europe, we wanted something to bring us back to those missed flavors. We visited Alta Strada back in 2023. We started with garlic bread and meatballs, both Amazing! We all got different entrees but all were delicious! Although it wasnt the same as Italy, we lived the experience and effort here! Def try them out! read more

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This was a delicious dinner out in the Washington, DC area while in town for an event. We popped in with no reservation and were seated quickly. We each got different entrees and all were great. Service was good. This is in the "District" area in Fairfax. After dinner you can walk around and get your meal to settle, or hit some shopping too. The ambiance was great -- cool decor, and enough room to move around. Recommend this one if you'r win the mood for Italian. read more

I have a had a few really nice lunches at Alta Strada. The restaurant is pleasant and sunny. The staff is nice. The food is delicious. IWe had an arugula, and artichoke salad, the burrata, and they made us for lunch a version of a mushroom truffle pasta that is usually served for dinner. They were very accommodating to my friend's special request and everything was very tasty. read more

Alta Strada - Baby Arugula Salad - Italian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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Came here for drinks and dessert on a weekend evening. Lovely outdoor seating and atmosphere. Tiramisu was excellent and reasonably sized. Cocktails were delicious too. Some of the entrees and drinks are on the more expensive side. read more

Alta Strada - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Looking for an Italian eatery in the Fairfax Mosaic District with good wine and spirits, check out Alta Strada. My first visit was in another location in the DC downtown area, inside the Canopy Hilton. The Waitstaff, Host and Bartenders were all pleasant. The menu is simple with traditional entrees and appetizers. Spacious, plenty of natural light and inviting. Try the World Famous garlic bread, really good. read more

Alta Strada - Garlic Bread, Nonna's Meatballs and Cadillac - Italian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

It was ok. We came for DC winter restaurant as a place we hadn't tried. The ambiance was lively. The hosts were not helpful or engaging when I said I was there to meet my wife that arrived earlier. They just stared at each other like I spoke another language. The waiter was pleasant, quick and attentive. The seating seemed staged for the maximum number of of people the could put in the space and the gentleman sitting behind me both struggled to seat comfortably as we were both tall. They brought out a bottle of of spring water and bread - both as extra costs writtten in fine print. The food was ok, competently prepared and plated. We ordered calamari, meatballs, lasagna and rockfish. All were delivered hot and were good. We finished with the cannoli and tiramisu. Both were also good. read more

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Authentic Italian dishes bursting with flavor and nice patio seating. Alta Strada one of my favorite restaurants! If you go on the weekdays, there's hardly any wait for a table outside or for lunch on the weekends. Lunch is a great deal with dinner portions sizes that cost less! Great food, friendly service, and wonderful ambiance - 5 stars all around. My only complaint is that I wish the fluffy complementary bread was still offered. World-Famous Garlic Bread - The ciabatta bread is so moist and delicious with 4 large pieces. I wish they still offered it! Sage Against The Machine cocktail (5/5) - Refreshing bubbly with limoncello and sparkling rose. The Mimosas with fresh squeezed OJ are quite delicious. Elderflower Mocktail & Blueberry Ginger Mocktails (5/5) - Appreciate the handful of mocktail selections on the menu. Both mocktails were refreshing, with a subtle Elderflower flavor and lime juice. While the Blueberry was more subtle with bold ginger. I wasn't a big fan of the Blueberry Porch Swing Cocktail (not that balanced) and enjoyed the boozy Mint Julep cocktail with a mountain of ice, it was refreshing and helped to dilute the booze. Eggplant Parm - So glad they replaced the Eggplant Parm Sandwich with the entree served with broccolini. It was tender and juicy! Mafalde (5/5) - The frilly pasta is cooked al dente and covered in a light cream mushroom sauce with a heap of mushrooms. If you love mushrooms, get it! Lemon Agnolotti (5/5) - The ravioli like stuffed pasta filled with ricotta had a nice citrus lemon flavor paired well with a sweet sauce with grilled radicchio, cabbage, and crunchy pistachios. The blend of ingredients worked well and the veggies elevated the flavor. Unique dish fun to try! Gnocchi (5/5) - Pillowy soft with fresh pesto was a bundle of joy mixed into a veggie medley of arugula, peas, asparagus and topped with crunchy walnuts and sharp pecorino cheese. Complementary flavors that blended well together with a heap of veggies and smaller pasta portion. Highly recommend! Penne a la Vodka (4/5) - The penne a la Vodka had good flavor, just a spicy kick! I wish it came with a breadstick or a side salad. Salmon (4/5) - My hubby enjoyed the fresh caught Salmon that's served like a stew with brocolini and chick peas. While the stew was an interesting take on the Tiramisu (5/5) - Served traditionally like pudding in a glass cup was a sweet ending to our meal. Apple Crisp (4/5) - Hit the spot, like a warm slice of apple pie topped with crunchy oats and a scoop of vanilla gelato. The small scoop wasn't enough, asked for another scoop and got charged an extra $3 for it! The patio seating is perfect for people watching and we caught glimpse of the sunset. Excited to come back and explore other dishes on the menu! read more

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Had a lunch date at Alta Strada. Food was really good but just wish the lunch menu had a little more options. Our server was great and had good wine suggestions. Would definitely like to go back for dinner read more

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Friendly service- we asked the waiter for recommendations and he was very good at pointing out the popular dishes. Garlic bread: 5/5 you can really taste the butter and cheese. It came out perfectly hot and toasted. Spaghetti with meatballs: 3.5/5 the meatballs tasted like they were made in house but a bit gamey, not very juicy. The spaghetti was a little dry although the sauce tasted fresh. read more

Alta Strada - Italian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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A really good choice in the new trendy Mosaic district of Fairfax! The rigatoni with the spicy sausage is really good and not too hot, and the lasagna bolognese was also excellent. We had a fire waiter at well read more

Alta Strada - Rigatoni with spicy sausage - Italian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

We went here for happy hour and I have to say that the happy hour deals are great! It's 4-7 (it says 4-6 on their blackboard in the restaurant and 4-7 online) at the bar only. It's $8 wines, $5 draft beer, $4 well liquor, and $8-$14 apps and side pastas. We had Jason as our bartender/server and he was so awesome. Quick, funny, and charismatic! He gave recommendations and clearly knew his stuff. I do feel bad as he was both hosting and bartending, but he seemed quite experienced so I'm sure it worked out. But let's get to the food... the food is good! Not the best Italian I've ever had, but for the price, it's very good. Not pictured (I forgot... I was too hungry to let the phone eat first) is the vodka penne. The vodka sauce was great and the side portion honestly was so filling and I don't think I could've eaten anymore! The calamari was good (according to my boyfriend) and the meatballs weren't too shabby. I don't know if they make the pasta from scratch but I don't think they do? And that's why my review is 4 instead of 5 stars. The drinks were great and I liked the house wines! For $8 I'll take it. The vibes were good and the restaurant was clean! I'd come back for happy hour again. read more

Alta Strada - Fried Calamari - Italian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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I have to say that I had a pleasantly wonderful dinner at Alta Strada with some co-workers. Their cocktail menu is filled with well balanced beverages that aren't too heavy on the alcohol but also not solidly sweet where you feel like you're drinking juice. I ordered the chicken penne Al la vodka (very good) and we had fried calamari and bread as appetizers. Highly recommended tiramisu for dessert. The fried doughnuts were light and coated with sugar but I didn't care too much for it. Service was really good as well. Our waitress gave us all her top recommendations and came back with Parmesan and water refills. The environment is pretty casual but nice for a business casual attire as well. read more

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Located in Mosaic Fairfax, Alta Strada is a modern Italian restaurant that offers delicious pasta and dessert. We came here for a date night. Service was attentive and fast. We tried the fried calamari, Penne Alla Vodka and the Tagliatelle, they were flavorful. The tiramisu was great. Only thing is the price, it adds up quickly and one may not leave the restaurant with a full belly. Will recommend for special occasion but not a regular dinner venue. read more

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The other night we had a party of 9. I think the server's name was Carlos & he was very attentive. The atmosphere provided by the staff was pleasant and the restaurant was stylish and clean. I think one of our party members had to send back a fish that appeared to be not fully cooked but they brought back a freshly made meal which was appreciated. The folks who got pasta, all were satisfied with it's taste. read more

When it comes to Italian, the food is 95% of what matters, in my view. Abraham and Martha were also super fun to talk to and helpful with the menu. I picked the rigatoni, and I'm glad I did. The ambiance is great too, good music, a bar, very modern, but still with some old school booths in the back. read more

The food was pretty good. My mom loved the pasta and I loved the garlicky meatballs while enjoying the outdoor seating with our fur babies. What sucked was the service. We had to wait for way too long to get any attention - was a turnoff and it wasn't a busy day. I'd recommend not coming during busy hours. read more

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The thing that left the biggest impression on me while dining at Alta Strada was the friendliness of the staff and the customer service. It made you feel genuinely welcomed and at ease. Don't get me wrong, we also really enjoyed the food and both of these things will assure that we will be returning. The prosciutto di parma, fig jam and crostini appetizer was delicious and loaded with wonderful ham that, if you were seated in the right spot, you could watch being carved in the kitchen. The garlic bread for the table came with hearty pieces. We were glad to have this not only for the dipping sauce it came with but to swipe up the sauce from the pasta dishes we ordered as well. Everyone was very happy with both the penne alla vodka and its more robust sibling, the rigatoni with ragu. The flavors were great and the portions were large enough to share. We ordered our penne with the prosciutto on top which was good but I would probably not add the next time. I thought it was going to be cooked in with the sauce but it was more wonderful slices piled on top. Again, the prosciutto is really good but I would stick to having it with the crostini and fig jam. There are lots of tables and we even were seated in a quiet little booth. Alta Strada is very conveniently located right off of the main green in Mosaic. There is plenty of garage parking close by read more

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The Caesar salad was fresh and the tiny bread crumbs were very special. Best of all was our server, Fiona. She made great recommendations and was on the ball with fresh cracked pepper and fresh Parmesan cheese. We had spaghetti and then the short ribs. Very pleased read more

The perfect Italian spot on the outskirts of DC with excellent food and even better wine! The pasta was not just cooked to perfection, it was just finger licking good. The apps were tasty and freshly made. All the pastas are handmade and fresh. I highly recommend this restaurant! PS: You can park your car at the target garage parking for free read more

Alta Strada - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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Alta Strada is a solid place to go for good Italian food in a great atmosphere. The dining room is nice, with plenty of room between tables. It is modern and clean. Everything you need or want in a dining room. The staff is the best reason to come here. Our waitress was absolutely fantastic and the manager Jim was likewise great. Very friendly, accommodating and pleasant at every turn. The food, while not fine dining, is good. Actually the calamari appetizer was very good although a bit small. I got the Chicken Milanese. The serving was huge. I guess I could complain about the dryness of the chicken but not too bad. My spouse got the chicken parmiagianno and it was excellent. Great red sauce and a huge serving too! So, this place, while not the best restaurant in the world, is worth going to if you want good Italian. The menu is a bit small so keep that in mind. read more

On a cold and rainy evening, we ventured over to Mosaic and the Alta Strada for some Italian to fill our bellies. And boy, did we get what we asked for. First, the Garlic Bread. Or, more specifically, the "Alta Strada World Famous Garlic Bread" and it sure lived up to its name. Crispy, crunchy, and covered in Parmesan, then dipped into a warm ramekin of tangy marinara, it went quick. Next time, I could just order the garlic bread for my entree and be happy! I got the Spaghetti AOP (aglio, olio, pomodoro - garlic, olive oil & pomodoro tomatoes) and it was more than enough to fill my tummy with simple, smooth goodness. I had bites of other folks' burrata and lobster risotto, all excellent. And we finished off with the Tiramisu, a huge rectangle of balanced flavors and textures that really finished off the evening's meal. Five stars and a promise to come back, this place is really good! read more

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Reallllllly enjoyed our recent dinner here. Read my previous review - it still stands. While this is not a drop-in-frequently type of restaurant due to the priciness of this place (it's not cheap and you will spend a pretty penny if you dine here, just sayin' BUT for an every-now-and-again splurge meal out, it truly is worth it), the menu items are top notch, cooked to perfection (have never had a complaint with any of our meals here), service is excellent (especially if you're being served by Hera - ask for her!), and (with the exception of one time - and we did say something to the manager as we were leaving), we have never been rushed out to turn our table. OH! And! Alta Strada takes reservations and, I'll say it again, if you CAN, why wouldn't you?!! It's a no brainer. Have a look at my pics and vids. They really tell the whole story. The food LOOKS great, vibrant colors (not photoshopped I promise you!) and mouth watering. And I can tell you the food comes out piping hot (don't know how the servers handle such hot plates yikes!) with fresh ingredients and delicious. Portion sizes for the meat entrees are big and flavor combos are creative and super tasty. We really like this place as our go-to choice for nicer, more upscale (but not snooty) family gatherings. Yes, you're going to probably spend more than if you went next door to Matchbox or Ted's Bulletin (a thumbs down for me - read my review), BUT I'm confident you will enjoy your meal, the ambiance and the service here at Alta Strada. Totally worth it. PS Just re-read my prev review less than 1 year ago - a side of pasta then was $7. It's now $10 so AN OVER 40% INCREASE in less than a year. Yeh - buyer beware. I sure will be monitoring after that revelation. I still contend the food is good qual but you ARE going to pay a pretty penny for it and at some point, the nickel and diming will backfire and drive away loyal customers. read more

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Terrific service. Quiet ambience conducive to conversation. Penne vodka was tasty. And the garlic bread was to die for.

Went here and the service was taking a bit long for us to be greeted with a waiter and some water, but that was quickly made up for with some free drinks and a free side of bread with our buratta dish. The calamari and the buratta tasted fresh but probably could have used a bit more flavor . We got the vodka penne with chicken and spicy sausage rigatoni which was our favorite of the two. The waiter was incredibly generous with the Parmesan cheese which I personally appreciate as I love cheese on my pasta. read more

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Well, this is a "never come back here again." So my friends are gluten-free and we needed a place where their needs could be accommodated. We called Alta Strada and they said it would be no problem. That was definitely not the case, although I will give props to the manger and wait staff, who did try their best to make it right. My friends both ordered GF penne alle vodka. The waitress noted that to avoid cross contamination, they'd need to cook the posits in separate water, which would take a little extra time. Ok, no problem. A loooong time goes by. A group behind us gets seated abs gets their food. More time goes by. I'm getting super annoyed and finally ask our waitress what's up and she gets a manager, who explains that it took a while to heat the water before they could boil the GF pasta. Ok, but that took 50 minutes? In an industrial kitchen? That seems...not correct. So then the food came out. By then we had been there over an hour in a relatively empty restaurant. My friends dig in - their pasta was undercooked. Like, still sorta crunchy. The waitress stops by, they let her but that it's ok, they'll keep eating. Very nicely, the manager offered to make them a second batch. So they picked at those crunchy pasta and ate salad while the second batch was prepared. That came out more quickly and was much better. As a final nice gesture, they gave us some scoops of gelato. So..the manager did what they could, but honestly, the food wasn't good, it should take an hour to properly prepare GF pasta. To add insult to injury, this restaurant is expensive. Like, $27 for a plate of pasta expensive. And on Sunday at 5pm, they had "run out" of lasagna (the only thing I wanted). All around, this was a really disappointing experience and even though staff tried their best, the food was just really subpar and pricey. read more

Alta Strada - Ricotta cavatelli - Italian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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Here for a Friday dinner, no reservation was needed. A lot of indoor seating and very quick/accommodating service. We had two party members who had to leave earlier, and the staff was able to get food and check to them first. Ordered calamari for an appetizer and penne alla vodka for the main dish. Both were what you would expect, in a good way! The other people in my group did mention their dishes were too oily, but I did not personally experience that. read more

Alta Strada - Penne "alla" Vodka - Italian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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The food was good but it took me 45 minutes to get my food after I ordered it. Lot of waiting for a plate of pasta

Still one of the best Italian places in DMV. I had dinner there again last night with a friend. To my utmost happiness, I found out that they brought their favorite 'Penne alla Vodka' back on the menu. It had disappeared for some time and now it back. It's still one of the best pastas I've eaten in this area. My friend ordered the same with chicken and loved it. The service has improved a lot since last year. The vibe was great. And the GM of the restaurant, Yousef, was incredibly sweet and gracious. They have a kids menu there as well, so it caters to everyone. They now have added Bruschetta to the menu, which you can order instead of the garlic bread if you want. Cannot recommend this place enough. Go try it out!!! read more

Alta Strada - Old Fashioned Garlic Bread - delicious. - Italian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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I usually love the food here, but it wasn't great the last time I went. I ordered the Fettuccine with Wild mushrooms. The pasta was not as al dente as i would've liked it, and there was not enough flavor in the pasta. I have gotten this pasta before, and it usually tastes a lot better, so I am not sure what happened this time. Most of the pasta tasted like there was no sauce on it, and it was pretty oily. The mushrooms were good though. If I had never been here before, I probably would've given them 2 stars for the food. The service was good though, and our server was fairly attentive and came back to our table pretty often. Overall, a disappointing experience, especially since the food is pretty expensive. I would come back again since I have had good experiences here, but I hope that the food is more up to par next time. read more

Alta Strada - Fettuccine with Wild mushrooms - Italian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Ok to be honest I was really leaning towards giving this spot 3 stars but I'll give it 4 just because our waitress Sarah(?) was so incredibly sweet and funny. The lower rating comes from how slow the service was. Our food took what felt like ages to arrive, but our order was also placed right after what Sarah called "the last supper"- a giant 20 person table celebrating a birthday. Rip. My friends and I ordered some appetizers to start - the world famous garlic bread with tomato dip and calamari. The garlic bread came with four large pieces of bread which were so crisp and scrumptious. The tomato sauce was pretty good but I thought it could use a bit more cheese. The calamari wasn't the biggest portion; we got 2 for our party of 7. As for the main, I ordered the lamb meatball rigatoni. This portion was quite big. After the appetizers, I could only finish half and boxed the rest to take home. It was yummy but it was also $28!! AHH! Overall, the food was decent but overpriced and the service was slow. It was pretty quiet when we went (a Sunday evening around 7pm). However I could see it potentially being quite lively another evening or during happy hour. read more

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Their happy hour at the bar is fantastic. Food and service are top notch. I really enjoyed the fried calamari, burrata, and Cacio E Pepe read more

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This place has some really good Italian pasta!!! We had their vodka pasta with chicken and it was amazing. Probably one of the best vodka pastas I've had in a while! The waiter was also very attentive and the restaurant was decorated so cute for the holidays! If you're in the Mosaic area I would recommend trying this place out! read more

Alta Strada - Whipped Ricotta - Italian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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The food came out very fast and hot. A good dinner spot for a date or family outing. I didn't think the pasta or sauce was anything spectacular. The rigatoni had a good amount of sausage but the sauce was just a little too watery for my preference. I definitely wish it was a little thicker and more flavorful. The waitress was attentive and they had parmesan in a bowl for the pasta. Honestly tasted like Cheesecake Factory but smaller portions and more expensive. My sister got the spaghetti which was a lot bigger portion and was better. The Brussels sprouts were pretty good very oiled calamari was just normal. read more

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Had an overall tasty traditional Italian-food experience that you would expect in an Italian chain. The food was delicious and satisfying: Rigatoni was perfectly al-dente. The fish had a crispy skin and savory seasoning. The location is particularly convenient in the Mosaic district, where you can stroll in the vibrant town center or grab some gelato at Dolcezza nearby. read more

Alta Strada - Rigatoni - Italian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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I emailed and phoned this place but neither worked. Suffice to say that the food lacks flavor and two dishes we ordered did not match the menu descriptions. read more

I was nervous coming here since the reviews seem so polarized but I'm glad that my experience was 5 stars. Half our party was a bit early and had a drink at the bar. The house red they were serving was delicious and the bar tender was really sweet. I was initially annoyed at the fact that we were sat at what seemed to be the worst table in the house-- practically in the kitchen and in the way of every single restaurant employee (especially when there were plenty of open 4 tops). However, all was forgiven when the chef came out w a comp dish of burrata and then proceeded to top it with a ridiculous amount of truffle shavings. It was Delicious and such a wonderful start to the meal. We shared a few more apps- the meatballs and the garlic bread were both great. Someone also ordered the shrimp but I was too focused on the truffles and didn't try it. My smoked mozzarella ravioli was delicious as well. I'm not sure if it had prosciutto in it but it sure tasted like it did. The service throughout our meal was excellent. My water glass was never empty. I also noticed that our server took our plates to bag the leftovers rather than just bring us containers, which is what was happening at other tables so perhaps our "crappy chef's" table was actually the VIP spot. I may not rush back to this location because Fairfax is a bit of a trek, but will be definitely checking out the DC spot soon. read more

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Ventured to the suburbs to try chef Andy's menu as he took over the helm recently and I love his pasta - overall had a wonderful meal. Started with a mezcal espresso martini - ok but not spectacular. Now for the food. Chef brought us a couple off-menu items which were awesome (tartare and duck ravioli) - put those on the menu!! Next were the appetizers, we went with the shaved brussels salad and octopus. Salad was nice and light, a bit acidic, could maybe use some cheese or something to balance the acid and the pancetta didn't come through as much as I would've liked, but good overall. Octopus was cooked well, served with a lightly dressed salad with a calabrian chile aioli. For pastas - all were cooked well. Pappardelle with wild boar sugo and the smoked mozzarella agnolotti were amazing, favorite dishes. The fedellini with tuna conserva was good (just not the biggest fan of seafood pastas myself). The mushroom tagliatelle was the only one I wouldn't order again - it needed more flavor/more mushrooms for me (love mushroom pastas). We ended with tiramisu which was pretty good and I'm not a tiramisu fan either. Service was attentive for the most part (until the end but it was late), no real issues there - except the FOH manager (I think?) was pushy about ordering wine with our pastas, after declining once they asked again and we reluctantly agreed (wasn't given a menu and didn't choose the wine), thinking it would be a small pour on the house that they recommended, but the glasses ended up on the bill. Not a huge deal, just an avoidable awkward situation read more

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Solid good place top notch service. Seems to be authentic Italian even just from the salad aside from the pasta and main dish we got (burger lol). Well I will take it, we are in America after all read more

Alta Strada - Everyday Italian "The Big Salad " - Italian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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First time here. We were looking for a place to eat on a Friday around 6 pm and randomly chose this spot while walking through Mosaic District. I'm glad we did because it was a great experience. We opted to sit outside since the sun was still out and there was a soccer event being screened nearby. We started with a 3-drink combination of Spritz, which was one of the best drinks I've had. For dinner, we ordered the Chicken Parm, Grilled Spanish Octopus, and Bucatini "Frutti Di Mare." All three dishes were excellent. The waitress was very friendly, and we had a great conversation with her. Two managers also came by to check on us and ask if we enjoyed the Bucatini since it was new on their summer menu. They really care about customer feedback. 10/10 highly recommended and will return. read more

Alta Strada - Italian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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Ordered takeout for winter restaurant week. I've had decent experiences since my last review, nothing enough to make me lower my review until now. Some pieces we ordered were good, but the entree I had was incredibly disappointing. There is zero sauce included in my pasta, only a spoonful of meat. It is dry, barely meat, no sauce. I will say that my boyfriends anglotti was very good. The scampi and garlic bread were flavorful. But, my meatballs were cold on the inside, but warm in the outside. At this point I would not recommend. read more

Alta Strada - Tagliatelle Bolognese? - Italian Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia