I found pappardelle at Dal Grano's once and that says all you need to know. Papardelle are wide, soft, flat pasta noodles that I first had in Rome decades ago. Growing up Italian stateside, I never knew about this light, wavy pasta dish. So pappardelle pasta is like some rare delicacy and I love it. This pasta dish is not easy to find unless it has been popularized in the Italian dining scene, recently. How can I explain this pasta? Papardelle are not thick like butter noodles, but instead they are thin yet wide. And at Dal Grano's, they must be experienced to be savoured. Do call ahead, because they might just have them made. Dal Grano's is a neighborhood place. We love how when you are dining, they actually talk to you and are friendly. There are a few other places around Mclean proper which I wish were more overtly warm and hospitable, in this way. All of Dal Grano's pasta is homemade and delicious. It's definitely great for carryout pasta or a diner-style environment with a homemade pasta lunch or dinner. I don't think they deliver or work with any of the delivery services. You just call and pickup. The butternut squash ravioli is tender and flavorful. We have probably have gotten different versions of their ravioli every time. Outside of the papardelle, I'm all in for their rich squid ink pasta when it's made. I don't go there enough to know if it's always available. They have over 50 homemade pasta combinations to choose from and a big freezer case of food to take home. My biggest issue with Dal Grano's is when I see all of the pastas in the serving bowls presented to order and cook, I want to buy them all at once. I know it sounds tacky, but they make me yearn for a pasta buffet there just so that I can taste all of the variations. Alas, if we were in town more we'd just need to go more often to taste all of their selection. There's only one other restaurant that does Italian this well and it's around 15 minutes away in Falls Church. But even that fabulous Italian restaurant does not compare with the amount and selection of homemade pastas at Dal Grano's. read more

Some of the best pasta I have had in a long time. This is a small almost hole in the wall in a strip mall in McLean hiding truly excellent Italian meals. Our server was extremely friendly and helpful. They offer most of the traditional Italian dishes but the main highlight is their build your own pasta dish with a variety of pasta shapes to choose from followed by protein and sauce options. I went with the All'amatriciana with sausage mixed in, and wow is all I can say. My plate was completely empty in short time it was that good. I would definitely come back here multiple times to try the different options. read more

I adore this little shop ~happy dance~. Friendly staff, clean establishment, music is at a conversation volume and a PLETHORA OF IN-HOUSE FRESH PASTA. Stopped in for a double order of handmade butternut squash ravioli, sans the cooking and sauce. They stayed frozen all the way home. I served them with a sage brown butter. SOOO GOOD. read more

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It's not that big of a restaurant but they do have outdoor seating and it does get busy! The staff was friendly and chatted with us a bit. Food tastes great and like what I expected Italian food to taste. read more

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Best authentic Italian food for a great price. Fast and excellent service. Family ran restaurant that made me feel right at home. Strongly recommend! read more

Fresh, al dente pasta was delicious! We ordered a penne with homemade tomato sauce, linguine with pesto, chicken piccata, seafood black ink pasta, meatballs and a salad. Everything tasted great. Most impressed with the fresh pasta. Need to go back to try the rest of their menu. read more

The food was delicious and we had great service!! The waiter was very knowledgeable and helpful!

This place does awesome take out. They have tons of pasta options and sauces to mix and match. They also have gluten free options which helps take care of everyone's particulars. We typically get 3-4 pasta/sauce combos to feed 6 people and end up with leftovers. We also get a few salads to share. The Caesar is classic and solid and the burrata is great. This isn't fine Italian by any means, but 5/5 stars for the great taste, nearly limitless options, (10+ shapes and 20+ sauces - you do the math!) and the great take out service. Easy parking, fast pick up, great service, and the food is packaged really well for traveling and reheating. We come whenever we are in town and will definitely be back! read more

We are more about the food than the ambiance and Dal Grano has the food. Everything was delicious, fresh and hot. Our server was outstanding so we went with his recommendations. He was spot on. The decor is casual but the food is not. We will be back! read more

Homemade pasta with outdoor seating and easy parking! We had our son so made it a quick dining experience. True rating would maybe be a 3.75/5. While you can tell the pasta was homemade which was great, my husband and I both were not blown away. Maybe salt was missing? Sauce a little too watery? We had the brown butter ravioli and the parpadelle with bolognese. Sadly not sure we will be back as we don't live too close and didn't have a strong take away. read more

Terrific restaurant and we'll definitely be back. Cozy friendly neighborhood spot. Service very good and attentive. Food was delicious. Homemade pasta. Tasty desserts. Generous portions and reasonable prices. read more

What a lovely little casual Italian restaurant in McLean. We shared a Caesar salad (my wife didn't like the dressing, but it was good for me). The homemade focaccia bread with olive oil was superb, and it is complementary! My wife enjoyed the Zucchini noodles Puttanesca. My gemelli pasta with the mozzarella, tomatoes and basil was good, though it was a bit subtle by comparison. We topped it off with the Oreo cookie gelato. Oh, and service was friendly and helpful (and they are big Caps fansI look forward to our next visit. read more

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Quaint family establishment. Not too much indoor seating but plenty of outdoor seating under a tent. The staff is super friendly and welcoming! They're very attentive and helpful with explaining their menu. You can see their fresh homemade pasta on display at the counter!! We got complimentary foccacia with olive oil. Not too bad, but definitely more dense than I like and it was cold... We ordered the Butternut Squash Round Ravioli in Brown Butter Sauce and made a la carte pasta with Spinach Radiatore and Puttanesca (Spicy Tomato Sauce, Anchovies, Olives, Capers, Garlic). The fresh pastas were definitely noticeable and delicious! The sauces were all just ok. Just needed more flavor... we had to add some salt and pepper. I would come here to buy fresh pasta to take home read more

Nice, family-friendly and wholesome Italian restaurant. They have a huge selection of pastas with a convenient way to mix and match pastas, sauces, and mix ins. We went with a large group, and the restaurant was incredibly accommodating, with a tent outside with heaters. All the dishes were very good. The chicken marsala was excellently seasoned. Would recommend for a casual, cost-friendly meal. read more

Dal Grano - Chicken Marsala - Pasta Shops Near Me - McLean, Virginia

We were looking for a good Italian spot after a day of shopping. We found this gem on yelp and are so glad we did! They specialize in homemade pasta, and you can create your own combination of just about anything. I went with a special which was beet ravioli with a spinach sauce. My daughter went with pappardelle with bologna meat sauce. I also had delicious sauté broccoli. And we were given fresh warm focaccia bread that was just divine. The food and service were incredible! My daughter also loved the homemade chocolate gelato. She said you could taste the love! Highly recommend read more

Dal Grano - Beet ravioli - Pasta Shops Near Me - McLean, Virginia

Their food tends to consistently good. Fresh pasta with basic sauces. The restaurant has room to improve by focusing on more authentic sauces rather than sauces that have been modified for a more general American taste. I've also ordered the beets ravioli which is a special menu item and have gotten the ravioli filling cold, twice. My take is that they have focused so much on the quality and bite of the pasta that they forgot the importance of the filling. But overall, the restaurant is solid and combination between pasta types and sauces is enormous. read more

We had an amazing meal here, and will definitely be back soon! I came here with my wife and her 84-year-old Italian grandma, who has very high standards for Italian restaurants and is generally a somewhat picky eater - The first sign she liked it was after her first couple bites of ravioli, when she started randomly reminiscing about visiting her family in Italy as a child. Then she flagged down our server to ask for a spoon so she could get more sauce in every bite. She ended the meal by using the delicious complimentary focaccia to mop up every last bit of sauce before declaring, "This is *real* Italian food." The service was also excellent, and we're excited to return and try the rest of the menu! read more

Dal Grano - Butternut squash ravioli was a big hit - Pasta Shops Near Me - McLean, Virginia

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Amazing pasta !! Carbonara, chicken marasala , and bolognese! Service was fantastic, will be back again!

Really good food. It's small and not many tables inside. There is outdoor seating as well. And it's not "fancy", but the food is really good and the wait staff are super accommodating and friendly. read more

The selection of fresh pasta was worth the drive. Ambiance is casual. They served wine. Tiny seating area but also had a heated parking lot tent. read more

Fresh pasta, delicious fresh sauces, fast courteous service. Good prices. Simple and clean and comfortable. Will be back.

Generally, I really liked this restaurant. Ambiance: (5/5) This is a small restaurant with a lot of fun decor and colors. Price: (4/5) It is fairly priced, but for my dish it might have been a bit expensive for the amount of food I got. Food: (4/5) I really liked the brown butter butternut squash ravioli. It has all the flavors I was expecting. It was a little sweet, but I think they did a good job with seasoning so it didn't feel too sweet. I would like to try more on the menu. Service: (5/5) Everyone was very nice and our waitress checked on us a few times to make sure everything was good. In conclusion, I would come here again. read more

Dal Grano - Pasta Shops Near Me - McLean, Virginia

Great food great pasta Will certainly be back soon. Would love To try some new things on the menu read more

Great place when you're craving fresh pasta with some great sauce selections. Pasta is not their only forte, they have many entree and salad selections. They have many specialty pastas ex: squid ink, beet, spinach, ricotta gnocchi and more. Every table starts out with delicious focaccia bread. I chose to try the campanelli pasta ( little horns) with tomato sauce and meatballs. The meatballs were homemade, and tasty, but they would've benefited from simmering in the sauce longer. The sauce was very good, nice tomato flavor, and the pasta was cooked to perfection! Would have loved to try dessert, but was too full to have any. To summarize, this is a great find for a nice lunch or dinner. Enjoy! read more

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What a difference fresh pasta makes. Here you can choose from many pasta shapes (long and short) pasta flavors (beet, spinach, squid ink, GF), and sauces. Sat outside, under the tent, for lunch today. We were immediately brought water and delicious focaccia with olive oil. Bread was fresh and very good. I added pepper and salt to my olive oil, which made it perfect for dipping. I had the Gemelli with salmon, capers, shallots, and dill in a cream sauce. It was delicious. Didn't see or taste any dill. I think the green herbs in mine were parsley. It was still very good, and the salmon was perfectly cooked. I couldn't finish it, so brought half home, and got 2 meals out of it. I think fresh pasta is more filling than dry pasta. Next time I'll be more adventurous and try a flavored pasta. read more

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Dal grano is the type of neighborhood place with no frills but with solid food. My wish would be to go down the list and try every combination. - Food 5/5: We tried the Fusilli All'amatriciana and the Squid Ink Rigatoni with Salmon, Shallots, Capers, Dill, and Creamy Sauce. The black ink rigatoni was phenomenal. The flavors of the Squid Ink Pasta with the texture of the rigatoni was just right. - Service 5/5: Even though the place seems like a place to get a quick bite, the service is as great as any fancy pasta place. The server helped me pick out a pasta when I was overwhelmed with options and checked up on us multiple times. - Cleanliness 4/5: There were multiple dining options (indoor and outdoors) and the place is following Covid 19 safety measures. - Ambiance 3/5: The ambiance of Dal Grano is a neighborhood pasta joint without frills. Not much in decor but some newspaper clippings. read more

Dal Grano - Pasta Shops Near Me - McLean, Virginia

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Updated hours. Closed Sundays Great food. Sad they were closed on Suday. I was. Raving their pastas. Oh well. Lesson learned. read more

Dal Grano - New hours posted. - Pasta Shops Near Me - McLean, Virginia

Al dente homemade pasta and flavorful sauces! So glad that I found this quaint family-owned Italian restaurant with fun shapes and vibrant beet and spinach varieties of pasta. You can get the pasta in different sizes - 4, 8, 12 ounces or a full pound. 8 ounces is more than enough for 1 meal between the 2 of us especially when you add in veggies or meat. My favorite pastas and easiest to cook were the Spinach Campanelli, Fusilli, Fettuccini, Gemelli, and Rigatoni. The pasta cooks al dente quickly in 2 minutes, the rigatoni and gemelli take 30 seconds longer. The Pappardelle and Buccatini took less time than expected to cook. The gnocchi is really difficult to cook and got mushy. I overcooked some of the pasta for an extra minute and it gets soggy and congeals. My favorite sauces are the zesty Tomato Garlic Mozzarella Cheese Basil sauce and creamy Parmesan Cheese with mushrooms. I wasn't a big fan of the Pesto Sauce. I've dined here a handful of times and tried some of the culinary pasta dishes that only a chef could master like the gnocchi and eggplant parm. While the menu is mostly the same, there are are some rotating daily specials. My hubby loves the cappuccino! The complementary house-made focaccia rosemary bread with crispy bottom is so scrumptious that once my hubby and I got 4 rounds of it, keep the bread coming! It's so moist that you don't even need the olive oil. Lentil soup (5/5) - Flavorful and bursting with flavor from spices and veggies. It was fresh and high recommend it! The creamy potato and leek soup is quite tasty too. Super Greens Salad (5/5) - Loaded with kale, radish, tomato, cucumber, carrots, watercress, and crunchy pumpkin seeds with lemon yogurt dressing to round out the salad. Prefer the super greens over the Blue salad. A healthy way to start off your meal! The Eggplant Parm (5/5) - Baked with layers of eggplant and coated in cheese and topped with basil is a hit! It was so good that we ordered another eggplant parm dish! You can get the eggplant parm as a side with a full round cutlet and double portion. The regular eggplant parm comes with a side of spaghetti in garlic and olive oil, but you can swap it out for something else. My hubby got the Campanelli with garlic and olive oil. While he enjoyed the pasta, I would have opted for it in the red sauce. Gnocchi in Creamy Parmesan Sauce (5/5) - Pillowy soft gnocchi made of parmesan cheese and flour is bursting with flavor, paired with creamy parmesan white sauce hits the spot! Gnocci is a tough pasta to conquer, it's very difficult to cook al dente (I overcooked it at home) and often too dense and bland. Dal Grano nails it, highly recommend ordering it! Butternut Squash Ravioli in Brown Butter sauce (4/5) - The sweet butternut squash filling paired with light brown butter sauce will satisfy your sweet tooth. Not my favorite, but fun to try! If you're looking for a sweet pasta dish, go for it! Spinach Ravioli in Creamy Sauce - Great pairing of spinach and ricotta ravioli in a creamy alfredo sauce. Kale Mushroom Ravioli - While I enjoy the healthy ravioli loaded with veggies, it would be nice if there was some cheese. The creamy sauce balances out the pasta. Vegetable Lasagna (3/5) - While the lasagna delivers on its name and packed with mushrooms, zucchini, and squash with creamy bechamel sauce, it's a bit dry. The lasagna isn't made to order and simply heated up at the restaurant, so it's better for take-out. I prefer dining in and ordering a dish that's difficult to conquer at home like the gnocchi or pappardelle, angel hair, etc. Tortoloni Formaggio (3/5) - The Cheese Tortellini daily special with creamy pesto sauce was fun to try, but wasn't a stand-out dish. Raspberry clafoutis (5/5) - Rich thick texture, consistency of bread pudding with housemade vanilla gelato. If you like bread pudding, go for it! Homemade Tiramisu (4/5) - Tasty, but a bit dense. The family-run restaurant is homey and the service is great! We've been here on more fingers and toes that I can count to pick-up pasta or dine in. They've gotten to know us well and always greet us with a beaming smile! As someone who no longer eats pasta out of box after coming back from Italy, I highly recommend Dal Grano for al dente pasta. It's very affordable and the service is great. Great for cooking at home or taking a night off and dining in! read more

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Casual Italian eatery that I would go to every week should it be more accessible from where I live. It has an unassuming outside presence but don't be fool, the pasta here is absolutely fantastic. *Food: Pasta is made in house and therefore super fresh. They have several flavors: spinach, beet, and some green veggie that I forgot. The fettuccine lamb ragu was exceptional. Lamb was tender and the sauce flavorful. We also got the squid ink pasta with seafood, which I also like a lot. They were very generous with the seafood haha. *Services: everyone there was friendly and approachable. We sat at the bar and the bartender provided us with great recommendations and the occasional chitchat. *Ambience: this is a small casual place that got crowded quickly on a weekend night. I like the relaxing vibe it created. Most of the Italian restaurants I've been to in the DMV are more high end and expensive. This is definitely a welcomed change. read more

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This place is exceptional! All pasta is made on the premises. They have a huge variety of pastas and sauces, each one is better than the last. They have lots of specials. We always come here whenever we're in D.C. read more

One of my FAVORITE restaurants in McLean! Everything I've tried is delicious, but *especially* their fresh pasta (any dish). And focaccia! The restaurant is on the smaller side and is very cute and quaint. Service is spectacular, and I believe everything is made in house. They serve fresh pasta, and also can sell you it straight (not cooked) if you want to cook it at home. Everything I've had has been great: spaghetti carbonara, veal ravioli, butternut squash ravioli, etc. Their focaccia is the best I've ever had, and it's served with nice olive oil. If you've still got room after that, I recommend giving their gelato a try as well. For what you're getting, everything is very fairly priced. Dal Grano is an absolute gem of McLean, and has quickly become one of my favorite Italian restaurants. Would definitely recommend! read more

I have eaten here a few times. I like this restaurant because it's authentic and local. The interior is neat and clean but not fancy. I ate here early in the summer when the pandemic restrictions were relaxing. I had not been here since the before the pandemic; it is too far for takeout. I was not disappointed. I had a cup of gazpacho and eggplant parmigiana with Campanelli Pasta Garlic. I enjoyed it very much. The server, Emilio, took good care of me. read more

This place never fails the pasta is always fresh and their sauce is full of flavor. The staff is extremely professional and always have a smile under that masks. If you live in the area or simply are here to visit make sure to come and enjoy an authentic plate always freshly made. And don't forget to taste their amazing desserts!! read more

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This weekend was a craving for pasta. I've been on a hunt for places with fresh in house made pasta and great squid ink pasta. This led me to Dal Grano in McLean VA. This place has been around for about 5 years and serves fresh handmade pasta with original and unique sauces. Seems you can choose the type of noodle and pair it with your choice of sauce. I opted for the squid ink noodles and was recommended to pair it with the Puttanesca sauce, a spicy tomato sauce (though I didn't feel any heat). This was a very savory dish! The squid ink pasta already has a natural sweetness to it. The sauce ingredients included olives, capers, and cherry tomato for well balanced tongue twister of flaves. No doubt, I demolished this one! Another dish I ordered was the ravioli mushroom, kale, and ricotta cooked in a creamy pistachio sauce. Interestingly, this ravioli flavor reminded me of dumplings with chives and mushrooms. The pistachio sauce was subtle and not super sweet or overpowering. The inclusion of crushed pistachios lent an enjoyable crunchy texture to the smooth ravioli skin. All in all, I really liked this place. The staff are really friendly and you can see them making the pasta in the back. Of course, staff are masked and gloved up to keep customers and each other safe. I can't wait to come back for the other noodles and sauce pairs! NOMZ! Till next we eat, be safe and healthy fams! Support your local food places if you can ! read more

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Excellent food and service and great with kids. Highly recommend! PS. Reasonable Prices!

Don't be fooled by how unassuming the exterior looks as this is tucked away inside a small shopping center. The food is what really shines here! For Covid, they have even set-up some outdoor covered seating areas in the parking lot. I have been ordering carry out consistently through the pandemic and my go to order is always between the Rigatoni Bolognese with Squid Ink Pasta OR the Salmon, Shallots, Capers, Dill, and Creamy Sauce with either Gemelli or Squid Ink Rigatoni. Each order comes with their fresh foccacia bread. Be sure to ask for a side of olive oil for dipping! Ordering online directly from their website was a breeze. The wait time may seem long but remember everything is made fresh to order! I want to work my way down their menu but the above two pastas are always calling my name. (creature of habit over here) read more

My family and I visited for the first time a few days ago and we'll definitely come back, even though it's a bit of a hike for us. 4 of us had the homemade pastas (delish) and my husband had the pork saltimbocca and he said that was good too. We also all had dessert - either tiramisu or gelato - and again, everything was fantastic! The owner (I think he was the owner) was super attentive and kind, especially to my younger kids (twins, age 8). The restaurant is small - a small bar with seating for about 5 people and then tables for maybe 20-25 people. The orange and lime green décor isn't really my thing but since that's the only thing I didn't care for, I'd say it was a pretty good visit! read more

Hadn't been to this restaurant in years, but was in the area for the day and tried it with my littles. My 5 year old has never eaten the food at a restaurant due to being picky. He ate every bit of his penne noodles with bolognese sauce. The food is great to me, but it's even more better now that we have a place my kid will eat at also. read more

From a simple homemade pasta dish with butter or bolognese sauce to gnocchi and stuffed ravioli, the food here has consistently been excellent. You can tell that the owner really takes pride in his work and values his customers. My only real gripe is that word has gotten out about Dal Grano, and it's not possible to just drop in anymore on a Friday or Saturday night for dinner without waiting in line outside, which can be particularly challenging during the winter... and their outdoor tent is also far from draft proof. That said, I rather selfishly hope that they don't change anytime soon and risk potentially losing their character or quality. read more

Amazing food & service. Staff were friendly. Many different pastas and sauces to choose from. Meat sauce was my favorite amongst the 3 sauces we tried. Pasta wise you can't go wrong with any of the available options. Great place straight to the point. Will leave feeling satisfied & content with the quality of the food. Plenty of parking. read more