We recently hosted a 60th Anniversary Party luncheon for 40 guests at Bellissimo Restaurant and it was wonderful. We offered our guests a choice of lamb shank, salmon, chicken, and a stuffed pasta dishes as their entree and everyone said the food was delicious. I had the lamb and my wife the chicken. Both were excellent. The staff was very responsive to all our special and other requests both before and during the party and the service was all we could ask for. We took over the whole restaurant, and the ambience was very nice. A nice plus for us and our guests, was the ready availability of parking in the area. David F. September 6, 2026 read more

In August, we celebrated our wedding anniversary and this week we celebrated the birthdays of our twin 30-year-olds! It is such a great atmosphere for family celebrations! It is quaint and quiet to have great conversation. Our waitress was very attentive. Wish she would smile more! read more

Bellissimo Restaurant - Great restaurant for milestone celebrations - Italian Near Me - Fairfax City, Virginia

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My favorite Italian place in NoVA! All of the staff are so kind. We've had the same waitress at every visit and she always has the best recommendations. I've tried a few dishes and they were all amazing. The fried burrata is definitely the star of the show. Can't wait to go back soon! read more

I was looking for a restaurant in Fairfax to eat dinner with my wife and found Bellissimo on Yelp with good reviews. It's situated on the corner of an intersection and there is available parking in nearby lots. We walked in without a reservation on a Saturday night and there were a few other couples dining but the restaurant had a lot of availability. We were promptly greeted and given our choice of seats. We admired the pictures of Italy on the wall given our visit to Italy last year and they have a nice selection of wine that we overheard other customers enjoying. I ordered the Filetto di Manzo cooked medium but it had no pink upon receipt which I was fine with but it wasn't what I asked for. It was a small piece of beef atop a bed of mashed potatoes that was relatively unflavored although tender despite being overcooked. Complimentary fresh bread came with the meal which my wife didn't think was freshly made. Service was good. The staff were pleasant and kept our glasses filled and needs taken care of. Overall an ok visit. Nothing stood out as a must return to try again given other options in the area. read more

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The food was flavorful and service was prompt. It's a small place so I can imagine it could get busy so make a reservation. The parking is a bit of a pain but we parked around the corner and walked so that wasn't too bad. It was a great ambiance for our anniversary dinner. Cute little place and seems to have a good collection of wines too. We would recommend. Not 5 stars only bc my fish was a little over cooked (it still tasted nice) n my husband wasn't 100 about his food either. if yelp allowed for 1/2 starts I would give them 4.5 read more

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Another restaurant week choice. I went with a buddy. It was amazing we found a place to park. The restaurant is small. A great place for a family get together of date with a lady. We went in and there was a wedding rehearsal dinner going on so we sat at the table near the window. No big deal..lots of happy people having a good time. The waiter comes over and gives us the menus plus glasses of water. I decide on the lobster bisque for appetizer, spicy shrimp pasta for the main course and tiramisu for dessert. After a few the bisque shows up. It's full of lobster in a tasty cream sauce. Very good. The main course shortly follows. Definitely a unique dish. Spicy sauce, fresh pasta and shrimp. The sauce is very good and shrimp compliment the pasta very well. It's on the spicy side if you order it. The pasta I didn't have room for was wrapped up and I was on to the tiramisu. It had to be home made, just sweet enough to satisfy. The waiter was very attentive, food was excellent and the location is very unique for downtown Fairfax. I recommend if you need a different type of Italian restaurant . Definitely will return with family or friends. Also a location to have a rehearsal dinner if you're getting married. read more

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I had a great experience at Bellissimo Restaurant. The food was delicious, the atmosphere was cozy, and the staff was very friendly and attentive. Definitely a spot I'd recommend for a nice dinner or special occasion. read more

Bellissimo Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Fairfax City, Virginia

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Great restaurant! Three of us went in not realizing they only had their 3-course meals on the menu because it was "restaurant week." However none of us are dessert eaters... The Owner's son, Andrew took over, talked to his father and gave us the Ala Carte menus with a few minor restrictions. I had the carparcicio with shaved parmesean and arugula for an appetizer and the gnocci in cream sauce for the entree. Everything was amazing! The gnocchi was the best I've ever had and I have eaten at several Michelin 3 Star Italian restaurants around the world. My one friend had the veal which he raved about and my other friend had a salad entree which he loved. It's a small, intimate white table cloth place. Two people near us had lamb shanks and one of them was knawing one the bones so I know it had to be good! Definitely a destination place. Oh... And the house montepulciano was quite good as well. But a special thank you to Andrew... For the great service and the recommendation for the gnocci! read more

Went to Bellissimo recently and their food was fantastic! The pasta was really good and it came out in normal amount of time. However, the best part about our meal was the customer service. Omar, the owner of the restaurant, really accommodated us and made us feel welcomed! He asked us questions, told us about his restaurant, and overall the vibes were immaculate :) Def come give this place a try for some really good Italian pasta + food (also the bread they gave was really tasty too)!!!! read more

The review below is in no way a reflection on our server, Mario. He was efficient and well mannered, and did his best in a bad restaurant situation. It was 545pm. We had reservation and were seated immediately. There were 3-4 other occupied tables in the entire restaurant. We got waters right away, but had to ask for the menus after about 10 minutes. First red flag. But our wine came quickly... A lady with a heavy accent who could be a manager or owner brought out the wrong food. After we told her so, she rudely continued to slam the food in front of us and walked away. At this point, we're like: WTF! By 7pm, the restaurant was packed. With 2 servers and one young lady who was the runner, they were obviously overwhelmed. While ambiance gives off the feel of an elegant romantic restaurant, the food wasn't at all spectacular to bypass the awful experience. read more

Bellissimo Restaurant - a glass of wine and a bottle of wine - Italian Near Me - Fairfax City, Virginia

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i wanted something lite to eat and not fried so i figured lets see who sells mussels near me. i ch this restaurant bc out of the options i figured how can a italian restaurant mess up something so simple. placed my order picked it up got back to work to eat it and i DEMOLISHED IT flavor was good yummy mussels were cooked well too no regrets here, two hours later and im over here still fulfilled read more

A true Italian restaurant with homemade dishes such as Lamb shank and Veal Porcini. Italian sausage and Calamari appetizers are good starters. We were there in Jan. 2026 read more

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OK so the service is impeccable. The food was even better, OMG. We started with Prosecco and I had an Old Fashion. .lip smacking. The appetizer was caprese and my goodness it was good, combo'd with the fresh bread. OMG. My wife had the Gamberi Al Modo Mio and I had the linguini Bellissimo. My wife loved hers and the dish had 8 very large and tastey shrimp, the mushrooms were to die for..."amazing dish" in her words. My dish was even better, it was perfect! Perfectly seasoned and the mushrooms and shrimp were amazeballs! We wanted to try desert, but had no room. Next time! Thank You for the amazing service! read more

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I ordered takeout during the Fairfax City Restaurant Week (March 6th-12th, 2023). Bellissimo actually extended the restaurant week menu to March 13th-19th, 2023 and it is the only menu items available during this promotional period where lunch is $25 and dinner is $40. I ordered the following from the dinner menu: First Course - Italian Sausage Con Fagioli, Second Course - Braised Lamb Shank, & Third Course - Dark Chocolate Mousse. Everything was well packaged for takeout and I had no fears of anything making a mess. The Italian Sausage Con Fagioli's container was serranwrapped and bagged with the container of Braised Lamb Shank before being placed a in paper bag. The Dark Chocolate Mousse was bagged separately with sliced bread before being placed a in paper bag. Everything tasted great and was cooked well. The Italian Sausage Con Fagioli didn't look as visually appealing as the rest of the courses to me since the colors of the beans and sausage seemed to blend together. I do wish the Dark Chocolate Mousse came with more slices of strawberry to balance out the richness of the mousse. Good thing I had some on my fridge! Overall, I would say the highlight for me was the Braised Lamb Shank. The lamb was tender and didn't taste to "gamey." Parking can be a challenge. Bellissimo is located in Old Town Fairfax. There is a small, nearby parking lot across the street where you can park for free. However, it is generally packed and the space is tight in terms of parking and maneuverability. If you want to park here, get ready for potential 4 to 6 point turns! Try and scope out open spots before entering the lot since turning around at the end of the row requires backing out....or a many point turn! There is also a variety of parking further away, but still walkable. read more

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A quiet, charming, small restaurant. Perfect for an intimate anniversary dinner. As always the service was superb and the food was delicious. We ordered five course meal. All the plates were brought perfectly timed, looked amazing, and tasted great. I am thankful for the special attention by the staff for being our anniversary dinner. read more

Nice little spot to try in Old Town Fairfax. (Came here during Restaurant Week). ---Appetizer--- - Tuna Carpaccio, Crostino polenta, Calamari, Italian Sausage All were good but the Italian Sausage definitely stuck out. Very flavorful. Definitely would get that or the Tuna Carpaccio again. ---Entrée--- - Veal Ravioli Very rich. Lots of meat inside. Dense and filling. After a couple I was done with it. Good to get just to try and be able to share and have something else as well. - Linguine w/ Shrimp and Scallops This was on the spot, scallop and flavor was good to me. Good balance. Out of the entrees, I preferred this one. - Pappardelle w/ Smoked Salmon Friend said it was good, but not overly impressive or anything. She preferred the linguine as well. -Braised Lamb Shank Sorry, don't have the pic! Lamb was fall off the bone good, but I wasn't a big fan because it taste too lamby. ---Dessert--- - Tiramisu: Fluffy, but wasn't a big fan because I didn't taste any coffee - Dark Chocolate Mousse: Preferred this dessert out of the ones we tried. Liked the little pieces of nuts mixed in it. - Strawberry Sabaglione: Sauce over the strawberry was fluffy/whipped, I like the texture but taste is nothing special. read more

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I came here with a couple of my friends during restaurant week to give this place a try and it was alright. The menu was preset but I chose the calamari on pollenta, braised lamb shank and the tiramisu. Overall it was nothing spectacular. The atmosphere was elegant and it had a good date feeling. The calamari did not taste fresh and had a weird texture. The braise lamb was alright but again tasted like it was old meat. It tasted extra gamey but the meat was tender and fell off of the bone. The tiramisu and cheesecake were good but not good enough to make up for the appetizer and entree. Overall, I just felt that the score would've been higher if the ingredients were fresher. The staff was kind but a little slow. COVID review: staff wore masks and tables were relatively well spaced out. read more

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This place is small. The food is nothing but amazing. It is pack with flavor. The staff are extremely friendly. This place a hidden gem in downtown Fai read more

Bellissimo Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Fairfax City, Virginia

Had Restaurant Week To Go on a snowy Sunday. They accommodated us by letting us each order what we wanted from the RW menu, even though it was To Go. My caprese appetizer was very good even tho the mozz was firmer than I like. The tiramisu was very fresh. The pappardelle ragu was plentiful and tasty even though there was more eggplant than sausage and goat cheese, as advertised. All-in-all a good value and an enjoyable meal. read more

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Went to Bellissimo for Restaurant Week. Ordered the polenta with shrimp and calamari appetizer. The polenta was creamy, and flavorful, the shrimp and calamari were cooked to perfection, nice and tender! For my main course, I ordered the braised lamb shank over parpadelle pasta with tomato sauce. This dish was GREAT!!! The lamb was tender and had great flavor. The parpadelle was cooked perfectly al dente. For the final course, I ordered the Tiramisu dessert. It tasted great, but wasn't your traditional Tiramisu, it didn't have lady fingers. Overall, this was a great meal, at a great value! I've been to Bellissimo before, and I'm never disappointed. Try this restaurant, you will enjoy! WINTER-2021-RAMW-Restaurant-Week-menu-.pdf read more

The place has an authentic feel, it's a bit small. The food is decent, the people are nice. read more

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It's been about a year later and I returned to Bellissmo restaurant for restaurant week. This time I had their asparagus soup, chicken marsala and Dark chocolate mousse for dessert. When I arrived there were a few people seated. I had a reservation and, as I was a party of one, I was seated at a small table near the entrance to the restaurant. I was served immediately. All the courses were delicious. The wait staff was very attentive and the restaurant was filling up with people. I highly recommend this place. I look forward to coming back again in the future. read more

Not to be dramatic, but this was maybe my favorite Italian food experience in the US. I am frequently in Italy, and think this stands up to restaurants in Italy, as well! My partner and I opted for the 5 course vegetarian chef's tasting menu, and the food was nothing short of incredible. Amazing value, service, and food. You will absolutely not be disapointed, and this is a great restaurant worth venturing outside of DC for, that beats all Italian restaurants in the district, in my book. Pros: Amazing food: I cannot emphasize how incredible the food was here. The five courses that I had included a creamy carrot soup, delicious spinach based salad, indulgent mushroom stuffed ravioli, gnocchi with assorted vegetables, and then a dessert option of chocolate mouse and cheesecake. Each plate was truly better than the last. The pasta was made to perfection, and the sauces were zesty, flavorful and delicious. I was truly overwhelmed by how delicious the food was-- I have to say that my personal favorite was the gnocchi, however it was a tight competition because all the plates were genuinely so good. Ambiance: The setting is cozy and intimate. The tables are set up close to one another, and you feel like you are eating amongst family. Italian themed art decorates the restaurant, as do pictures of the presidents and famous DC folks who have dined here over the years. Framed reviews of the highly rated food adorn the walls as well, reminding you of the strong reputation of this restaurant, as well. Top notch service: The service here is amazing. Food comes out quickly, you feel that the staff absolutely prioritizes you. The staff is incredibly friendly and able to make recommendations on the food, as well. Amazing portions: Portion size is really generous here-- I was definitely expecting smaller plates for a 5 course meal, but each plate was genuinely nearly the size of an entree-- I struggled to eat all of the food just based on the quantity, but it was so good that I could not resist. Incredible value: The 5 course vegetarian menu is $85, for 2, which was an amazing value, given the quantity and quality of the food! No cons at all! This was probably one of my favorite dining experiences in the DMV area to date. read more

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Valentine's Day is packed at every restaurant. We had a reservation, but were sat in a tiny secluded corner away from the main dining area, even though we had a reservation. Already off to a bad start. The website was very misleading. It never said that the Valentine's Day menu would be the ONLY menu offered on Valentine's Day. We were under the impression that we'd be able to order off of the regular menu as well-we were wrong about that. Food took forever to come out. It was a 3 course meal- 1 app, 1 entree, 1 dessert per person. We ordered our apps (a Caesar salad and fried calamari). The Caesar salad had alot of pieces of brown lettuce and the dressing tasted super watered down. The calamari was good, but contained a lot of tentacles-which I do not like. After waiting 20 minutes after finishing our apps, our waitress came and asked if we wanted our desserts-we were very confused. Fast forward another 25 minutes, our entrees came out. The food was lukewarm, as if it was sitting in the window for awhile. The lobster fra diavolo pasta was incredibly spicy- our waitress said it just had a kick to it. The chicken breast was covered in a cold, mayonnaise-heavy sauce...yuck! We had had enough waiting forever for everything, so we decided to ask for our desserts to go. Our waitress checked on us maybe 3-4 times our whole experience. When we needed her, she was busy taking care of other tables. We felt disappointed and confused as to why we were sat in the corner, and knew from the beginning we wouldn't get the best service. We most likely won't be back. read more

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The food was good at our last visit on Father's Day but the restaurant was full and the staff was overwhelmed! The menu was fixed and limited and the prices were higher than normal and the table of 8 next to us saw the high/fixed menu and walked out! We were 4 and our guests were annoyed at the slow service and felt rushed to order and we had to raise our hands to signal server for additional drinks and requests. We will not return and I hope this once fine restaurant will survive! read more

We went to Belissimo last night and everything was good. Mario and the team delivered exceptional service. We got the sautée calamari for appetizer with Gamberi al Modo Mío (sautée shrimp entree) a d today's special (veal ravioli) for entrée, and tiramisu for dessert. Every dish was delicious. We got to meet with the chef/owner after dinner. This is a lovely small local restaurant and I will definitely come back for more. read more

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Went their for a special Christmas dinner with the family and was incredibly disappointed. For the holidays, they serve a three course meal, we were told we needed to order every course at the beginning, which is understandable. I gave them one star because the carrot and ginger soup was very good. The main dish (ravioli) however, was so salty, it was inedible. Yet no mention when they came to pick up the main course and they had barely been touched. Then we were told the dessert we ordered were no longer available (why did we order them at the beginning of the meal then?). And the selection was so limited that ice cream was the most tempting offer...but we passed. When I noted that they of a three course meal, one was not available and would there be any nominal discount to acknowledge the fact that one of the courses was not available. We were told that is not possible. Any way this is a cramped restaurant with spotty food and hospitality. There are lot a lot of better options in the Fairfax area. read more

It took us a while to even be greeted and seated. It took the salads about 30 minutes to come out. The food came out shortly after that. The food was good, but it wasn't anything spectacular. Something that I loved is that the food was actually hot when it came out. We ordered dessert and that took 30 minutes to come out... it was just one small cannoli, so we were underwhelmed. I'm hoping the service was poor because it is restaurant week and they might be overwhelmed. read more

Bellissimo Restaurant - Chicken Pollo al marsala portabello - Italian Near Me - Fairfax City, Virginia

Food was great, including the breads with olive oil and cheese at beginning. Love the lamb shank, soft and juicy. Good music and service as well. read more

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Went during restaurant week, seated immediately, not crowded. Staff extremely nice and accommodating. Good portion sizes and good food. Would definitely return if I'm ever in the area again! read more

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I have been going to eat at this restaurant for many years. The food and the service are outstanding. I have always been completely satisfied every time. The space is intimate. The wine list is perfectly matched to the food. read more

We came in on a slow night. Got my orders wrong and I mentioned it and was ignored. I couldn't eat it and my super loving husband traded with me. The filet was raw and I ordered it Medium. It wasn't seasoned, it was bland and tasteless. Go for the Specials (shrimp it was excellent). read more

3.5 stars - I came here with a couple friends for restaurant week dinner, and it was a satisfying meal, albeit nothing particularly special. The restaurant itself is small but homely, and the waiters were attentive and nice. I started the 3-course meal with a fresh caprese, which including thick cut slices of tomato and mozzarella. Later I had the fettuccine veal ragu, which was a little underwhelming as I couldn't taste the veal and felt that sauce was overwhelming. I ended with the cheesecake which was great! Overall not a bad experience but also not wow-ing. read more

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We went to this restaurant to celebrate our anniversary,though the ambience was nice and cosy I cannot say the same for the food and the service. We ordered Two glasses of wine recommend by the server and it was good. Then we went for the Gastronomic vegetarian 5 course menu and it was a disappointment except for the dessert. I don't like mushrooms and two of the courses they served had mushroom in it and when I told them I don't eat mushrooms they took the plate off and gave me a salad instead and said I should have informed them before( I would say they should have told us about the dishes beforehand so that we can make any changes). It costed us 100$ for that it was an absolute waste of money. read more

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Delicious pasta Small place, uncomfortably cramped seating Excellent service Odd parking read more

Excellent food, the attention was perfect! The best cannoli ever, the crab ravioli was exquisite . The tiramisu taste perfect

Small intimate, Upscale Italian restaurant. The chicken Marcella was the best that I've ever had and I am 60 years old. My date had Tock fish and it was one the best tasting fish dishes I've tried as well. read more

We ordered restaurant week dinner to-go and were pleasantly surprised. My appetizer was the mozzarella tower. They did not skimp on the mozz and the flavor of fresh tomato and basil was superb. Hubby got the tuna carpaccio which had the right balance of freshness and acidity. For entree, I loved my lamb shank. The meat easily fell off the bone and it was so rich and flavorful. The linguini with shrimp and scallop was a bit too fishy for me but hubby enjoyed it especially when sprinkled with extra extra parm. When we went to pick up the order we were the only customer. I felt bad that this place wasn't more popular. It deserves more attention! read more

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The food is good. But not at a great price. The restaurant hasn't been updated since the 80s. I feel like walls and tables and chairs are all dinged up. They desperately need a new bathroom door because the one they have has a massive hole in the bottom. The carpet is dingy. The decoration is so sad and tacky and there's so many tables just squeezed in together that there is no privacy whatsoever. Overall, this place just has zero ambience. I wouldn't take a date here. Also, as a sidenote, one of the waiters had his receipt book tucked in the back of his pants. That's nasty man. read more

We went to Bellissimo to celebrate my friend's birthday and decided to go there for lunch. The restaurant was empty at that time. The place is cute, they did a good job with taking precautions for COVID-19, they separate tables with plexiglass. Overall, the food and service were good! They even brought my friend a desert for her birthday (we didn't ask). I had chicken Marsala with portobello mushrooms and my friend got fish of the day (salmon)-both delicious. read more

Bellissimo Restaurant - Pollo al marsala portabello - Italian Near Me - Fairfax City, Virginia