Ten stars! From menu planning to pick-up, our experiences with Amphora have been flawless. We used them 4 times in the last year and the quality is consistently exceptional. Angela promptly and pleasantly responded to all our menu changes. It arrived early (but not too early!), was set up BEAUTIFULLY by a charming and delightful Josh (so fun we were tempted to keep him), and on another occasion, an equally talented guy I didn't get the name of. Equipment was picked up promptly and efficiently. Amphora does not miss in a single category. What makes them exceptional though, are the extra touches we didn't even ask for. A display menu created with our logo, and our colors. Candles arranged artfully, serving platters, utensils, etc thoughtfully selected to compliment our style or the style of the event. It's clear they employ only talented perfectionists. Amphora Catering performs. read more

We hired Amphora for a holiday party for roughly 180 people. I can best summarize like this: Food was great. Service was subpar. When I think of a catered event, I think of someone taking care of everything, so we don't have to. Amphora staff dropped off 25 trays of food (again, no complaints there - actually, we were very happy with the food quality), but they only brought 10 trays to hold the food with heaters. So we had 15 trays of food just stacked up on the side.... They said that whenever a tray of food gets empty to just switch them out and light a new fire heater..... I was like "Aren't you guys going to stay and handle that? We paid like 7,000 for you to handle our event. Do you expect me to monitor the flames and sort through 15 stacked trays and switch them out myself? That's the whole point of hiring a catering company." They were like, "no we just drop it off". So me, the owner of the company, had to monitor food trays and attempt to change them all night. Kind of ruined any opportunity I had to enjoy myself and mingle with employees because I was doing the catering peoples job all night. I just expected a "catering company" to ensure our guests were "catered to", for our meal service. Maybe change the name to "Amphora's good food delivery Company". More accurate description of service. read more

I am not a good event planner or coordinator, but I didn't want to spend the entire day cooking and cleaning for our family when celebrating my fathers 85th birthday. Amphora bakery and Amphora catering to the rescue. I ordered from the brunch catering menu and everything was wonderful, delivery and set up was seamless. Our day was perfect! Thank you!! read more

Amphora catering is one of the best in the area! Their food is delicious and their displays are beautiful, creative and unique. I highly recommend them for your catering needs from small to large, they can handle it with grace and superior customer service. read more

I love Amphora! They always do an amazing job with our events and have done an awesome job adapting during Covid. Xóchitl Gutiérrez is awesome and so responsive! Can't say enough good things about them! Thanks Amphora! read more

I just witnessed one of their drivers today (Sunday, May 27 @ 5:50 pm) driving very, very aggressively on Rt. 7 and Rt. 9, just west of Leesburg. If this driver's careless attitude is any indication of the quality of food and/or service of this company, then shame on them for allowing this jerk to be on their payroll. read more

Incredibly disappointing and disastrous experience. I arranged for catering for a small holiday gathering a month in advance. I worked with someone on the phone to complete the menu and confirmed the order via email. I arrived to pick up the food an hour and a half before guests were due to arrive and my order was no where to be found. After waiting for 30 minutes I left in tears and had to frantically throw together a plan for a dozen guests expecting a classy holiday cocktail party. They could not complete anything on the original order and offered the diner menu as a substitute.- not suitable for my event at all. I was given a couple of excuses as to how the communication breakdown happened and a halfhearted apology. Forever lost a customer! read more

My wife and I worked from LA with Amphora -specifically Marcelo - to cater a 50th Anniversary party for my folks in Northern VA and had a great experience. They were flexible with the menu (even adding a gluten free entree at the last minute when a guest popped that surprise on us), they were flexible with the number of guests and they were extremely responsive to all our questions. When we had venue issues that limited the prep time they wanted for the party, they rolled with it and got everything done in less time than they needed. They packed up in half the time they had under the contract so we were able to get out quickly, and everybody commented on how professional and competent their servers were throughout the evening. I can't speak to others' dissatisfaction with them; but I'd happily and wholeheartedly recommend using them - and making sure you take the time to communicate via email and phone so everybody is happy. read more

We loved our experience with Amphora, and wholeheartedly recommend them as a wedding caterer. After researching over 30 caterers and reaching out to a handful of them, we knew Amphora was perfect. Our wonderful experience with them started when we met Xochitl for our tasting. After telling her our venue, she hand-drew from memory a possible layout of all the food, chairs, tables, and bars. Immediately we could tell the level of attention and detail she would put into making sure everything was exactly as we wanted for the wedding. She was always prompt, professional, accommodating, and extremely friendly. Working with her was always delightful and made planning much less stressful. She attended the entire reception and looked after everything herself, which was reassuring. The day of everything was perfect, and ran exactly how we expected and hoped for. Now to the food - it was delicious. Over a dozen guests told us during the wedding and over the following days we had the best wedding food they'd ever eaten. Amphora's tasting experience was great and sold us on choosing them. We tried a wide-range of the dishes and hors d'oeuvres we were considering. We chose the buffet option for dinner and couldn't be more pleased with the quality and service. Everything was cooked to perfection. They accommodated our request to change the standard set of options, serving an additional main entrée of the butternut squash ravioli. Not only were we impressed with the tastiness of the hors d'oeuvres, but there were plenty served in constant circulation. Xochitl and the rest of the Staff at Amphora, thank you. Our special day was perfect in large part their catering. You will be in great hands with Amphora. read more

Didn't have an event, but used Amphora to have some food waiting for us on a Friday evening at the Winery at Bull Run. We were really pleased with everything, there is a link from the winery's website to see Amphora's menu, then you email them your order. I received a confirmation email right away, and then the next day the invoice with total came and you can either call or fax a credit card number to pay the bill. For $16 we each received a "boxed lunch"...the box was the size of a cake box and absolutely PACKED with delicious food. We were promised a sandwich, potato salad and bakery treat. What we got was an enormous Dagwood style roast beef, caramelized onions and swiss cheese on a delicious flatbread sandwich (we really could have split one it was so thick but it was so good we each ate the whole thing), yummy potato salad, a small container of wonderful olive oil roasted peppers/eggplant/carrots, a bag of pita chips, a piece of fruit (one apple, one banana) and a cookie (one chocolate chip, one oatmeal raisin). Truly under promised and over delivered, a wonderful surprise at the end of a very long week. All cutlery/seasoning/condiments were included in the box and it was all wrapped up in a ribbon, bakery style. I would do this again in a heartbeat, we had such a relaxing time on the winery patio, overlooking the horse farm and chowing down on our goodies...much nicer than fighting for a spot at a Loudon County restaurant on a Friday night. The amount of food we received for $16 each was incredible. Thank you Amphora! read more

My husband and I recently used Amphora to cater our backyard wedding and we couldn't be happier! We wanted something small and simple but still classy. Candace worked with us from beginning to end and we were thrilled with the results! Everything went smoothly and people are still telling me how delicious the food was. Below are a couple points that we particularly liked: -You work with the same person from beginning to end: Candace was not only awesome but worked with us from the first tasting to our actual wedding day. I felt much more at east knowing that the same person would be in charge of the event during the planning process and on the actual day. We communicated about all the details over months of e-mails so on the actual day, she knew exactly what to do and I completely trusted her to run the whole thing. And it was wonderful! - The food was delicious: I had so many complements on the food! It was also beautifully presented (we did a buffet) - They were flexible: A guest with special dietary needs was able to pick a different dish prior to the event and that dish was served to them separately without any problems. We wanted to provide our own fruit to go with dessert (because catering fruit is expensive) and Amphora not only allowed us to do this, but even chopped and plated the fruit for us. -The staff was professional and went above and beyond: the waiters were always making sure guests were happy. After they finished the event, they swept and even offered to mop! We actually hosted the wedding at a friend's house so I was very nervous about making sure nothing was damaged -- everything went great. Candace even offered to help us with some minor decorating on the day and brought useful tidbits like an extension cord for the microphone. This was way outside of her responsibility (you know, the food) so I was very grateful. -The price: This is the bit that reviews often omit so here's the deal. Our original quote was about $55 per person (if I recall correctly). About half of that is the cost of food and silverware etc, the rest is the staffing cost. During the tastings we fell in love with a side dish we hadn't originally planned on and opted for a more expensive dessert. So our final price tag was about $73 per person. Candace was very upfront about the prices from the beginning and happily sent me many versions of the contract when I would call and say "so how much would it cost if we did cheesecake instead?" Cheesecake: Speaking of cheesecake, the Amphora bakery has this cheesecake with berries -- my guests are STILL talking about it. All I heard the week after the wedding was "but seriously, that cheesecake!" So all in all, I highly recommend Amphora and Candace. Thank you guys so much for helping make our wedding a success! read more

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I engaged Amphora to cater an event for 60 people. The food was good and I liked the people I worked with directly. But when a problem came up about whether or not they were supposed to wash dishes afterwards, that's when the wheels came off. What makes matters worst is that what I got from the catering director was not empathy or caring or apology that I was left at the end of a long night with a stack of dishes I didn't expect. She justified and explained and excused and talked on top of me. I just don't get how people in a customer facing role can so badly misjudge their job. If she had just said, I am so sorry. It must have been a real bummer for you to have to unexpectedly clean up after 60 people. I would have had all of my events catered by them. Now......nada read more

We actually had a really good experience with Amphora Catering. We hired them for a picnic-style company function at the president of our company's home. They worked with me to come up with an alternative menu in case of inclement weather and the party had to be moved elsewhere. Our menu items included bbq ribs, pulled chiicken, and some sides and salads. The catering staff showed up on time and the food was delicious. No complaints! read more

Love, love, love Amphora Catering! Went to a recent event, a winemaker's dinner at Casanel Vineyards (cute family-owned and operated place in Leesburg, VA; check them out!), and absolutely loved them! Food was great: each course was uniquely paired to the wines served during the dinner. We started off the night with passed hors d'oeuvres served on Casanel's spacious patio, paired with a delightful, semi-sweet white wine, each guest tried lobster ravioli and a tasty cheese crostini. The salad appetizer was absolutely gorgeous! They used edible flowers to decorate the plate as well as other garnishes to make it a fun, Spring-y dish! (Paired with a crisp, dry white.) The entree was a steak dish paired with Casanel's gold-ribbon winning Merlot; the chef even made a sauce out of the wine to drizzle over the steaks: amazing! Dessert was a real treat: chef used Casanel's fruity dessert wine to make an apple pie tartlet. Absolutely decadent! Amphora provided the table linens, dishware and cutlery; they did a fantastic job conveying a Spring season theme, with a touch of country/vineyard elegance. I'm definitely looking into hiring their services for future corporate events with my own company! read more

I recently attended an event that was catered by Amphora. The displays were amazing and the food was delicious. They were very creative with how the food was displayed and I took photos because it looked so pretty. The staff was attentive and the person who appeared to be the owner was there and kept everything moving. I would post the photos if I could/ read more

I knew when my daughter and her fiancé decided to get married at their home with a small group of family members in attendance that I wanted to make the evening especially memorable for them. I remembered Amphora Catering from when they used to do our banquets for a large organization I belonged to and decided to call and see if they could do a small dinner party for 12. The answer was "yes" and Xochitl Gutierrez was wonderful to work with! She helped me choose the perfect menu complete with a wonderful roast. The price was extremely reasonable especially considering the distance involved in delivering the food from Herndon to Lovettsville. The delivery person set things for us before he left and made sure the food items that needed to be kept warm were placed in the oven at just the right temperature. When it came time to eat, the whole dinner was FABULOUS! It was obvious that our small dinner party received the same dedication and attention to detail that Amphora gives much larger events! Thank you, Xochtli and Amphora for helping to make our daughter and her husband's special day perfect! read more

We contracted with Amphora Catering for sandwiches for a corporate picnic at Bull Run Winery in Chantilly this past Saturday. We spent over $300 for 2 trays of pinwheel sandwiches. They were simply the worst sandwiches any of us had ever tasted. We had over 20 people at the event and even the kids would not eat these sandwiches. It was definitely the worst food I have ever had at one of our corporate events. The sandwiches tasted like cardboard. A truly disappointing experience! I certainly hope Bull Run Winery will contract with another caterer in the future or we will not have any other events at this venue. read more

We used Amphora to cater a party in my home for 60 people. I would highly recommend them and would definitely use them again. The woman who helped plan the menu was excellent-- very responsive and accommodating. The food was delicious, and we received lots of compliments. The presentation was beautiful and beyond every expectation. But, by far, the most impressive thing was the wait staff. The head waiter, Fransisco, was wonderful. He anticipated every need and was prepared for everything from replacing my posted notes saying "regular" and "decaf" with engraved placards, to fixing the cake when one of the guests accidentally bumped into it. He transformed my kitchen into an elegant buffet, and he came prepared with all the materials to do so. Note that Amphora Diner in Vienna and Amphora Catering, while owned by the same company, are not the same entity. Amphora Catering will bring you top-notch, classy food and service-- not diner food. We looked into a bunch of caterers, and Amphora definitely was the best value too. read more

I hired amphora catering to cater my wedding. Positives: - Food was absolutely fantastic. - Wait staff at the wedding was great, very attentive. (I think they hire them from another company). Negatives: - My contact was the owner, Angela. If I had questions and needed to get a response from her, I would have to re-forward my original email 1-2x once a week before getting a response. As your wedding gets closer and closer, this becomes more and more stressful. - Angela had told us that she would be at our wedding to oversee her staff. She was not there. - We were able to provide our own alcohol (a plus), and Angela assured us it was appropriate to over buy the wine because it can be returned if purchased from total wine. We specifically asked her if the white wine would be kept out of ice as not to ruin the label. We were assured the bartenders would be instructed of that. She also had me assign a person to pick up the left over alcohol at the end of the evening. I let her know that would be my brother. When he asked the bartenders to box up the left over alcohol, they laughed at him, literally. Once they realized that they weren't taking home the left over alcohol, they let HIM pack it all up. We then found that ALL of the extra case and a half of white wine had been submerged in ice therefore ruining the labels making it impossible to return to total wine. - Finally, I emailed Angela after my wedding to let her know about my disapointment with how the alcohol was handled, and never heard back from her. In fact, the last time I spoke with anyone at Amphora Catering was when I was reading off my credit card number to pay the final (large) bill the day before my wedding. read more

I was concerned about being just another wedding to this accomplished caterer but I couldn't have been farther off. Aside from all the great planning ahead of time, and at a venue where there were built-in challenges in using the same room for the ceremony and the reception, Amphora looked out for us from start to finish. There were decisions about the menu and set-up that we had neglected to either notice or deal with and they came through with the solutions. Further, Amphora accommodated our needs that arose from guests who changed their decision to attend or not at the last minute, from guests with allergies, and from guests who had babies who needed high chairs. Amphora provided information and helpful advice on a variety of items where I needed their experience to guide me. While there were some decor challenges with the venue, I felt they acted professionally and with great concern for our event's welfare as we navigated our way through the options. Finally, many guests and my family included, believe it was the finest event fare we have ever had. Their staff was incredibly kind and thoughtful to my family, the guests, and to the bride and groom. I highly recommend Amphora. read more

I worked with Amphora to cater a brunch for all my relatives that were in town for a wedding. They were extremely punctual with delivery, the food was piping hot and ready to go, and it tasted great as well. I would recommend them to anyone hosting a similar event. read more

I had arranged an appointment to do tasting for my wedding. My fiancé and I both took off work for this tasting. Upon our arrival the girl sitting at the front desk was confused and surprised that we had an appointment. She turned on the lights in their tasting room and had us take a seat in there. The table had food crumbs and a mess all over it. Later Xochitl came in and apologized saying she wasn't expecting us. I told her we had an appointment with Marcelo (who was not there). She gave us two bottles of water and disappeared. At this point my fiancé and I had been waiting over thirty minutes with no idea what was going on so we got up and left. Fifteen minutes later I received an email from Marcelo asking if we were coming back because it wasn't fair to him and his staff who had cooked food "expecting us". He asked me to imagine his "inconvenience". I expect nothing less than total organization and punctuality from the company catering my wedding. So I will not be going with them based on this experience. read more