Don't be fooled by this non-descript appearance. My family had a gathering at the historic cemetery near by and chose to have lunch here after. The food was OUTSTANDING. I was a skeptic. Having traveled and dined across the globe, I did not expect homemade pasta, fresh espresso, and Neapolitan style pizza to be in Rockville MD. If you live within an hour drive, just take the trip and have lunch or dinner here. Try the espresso martini! I shared a cheese pizza with my daughter, my mother had the chicken piccata, my cousin the gnocchi, my father the chicken parm, my cousin had a caprese salad and the further seats I couldn't see. We all shared a few orders of the calamari. EVERYONE raved about how delicious their food was. I agree. Probably the best piccata I've tasted. The pizza was excellent. The tiramisu great. The pistachio gelato was perfect. I sure wish they were closer to Florida!! So good. read more

Came for dinner for 3 at 6pm on a Friday and it wasn't yet busy, though it got busier after we arrived. All in all a great meal, and I look forward to eating my way around the menu. The biggest hit for me was the suppli appetizer. These are absolutely delicious and vegetarian friendly! Similar to arancini but somehow even more delicious. These are a must-order. I had the pasta alla vongole and a bite of my husband's chicken parmigiana. Our friend had mushroom ravioli that she loved, but I didn't try as I don't care for mushrooms. I've been on a clams and garlic kick lately for some reason and the vongole comes with these and bonus bacon. I would have preferred the bacon a tad crispier, but that is personal preference. I'd give this dish 4* - I would get it again but after trying some others. From the one bite the chicken parmigiana was a 5*. Their marinara is very good and the linguine in both our dishes tastes freshly made. We all split the chocolate temptation dessert and I ate more of it than I expected to, it is chocolate mousse adjacent cake with ganache frosting, very light, perfectly sweet. Often I find chocolate desserts too much after a big meal but this one wasn't heavy at all. 5* My friend ordered sangria which she thought was more like a wine cooler; too sweet for her French oenophile sensibilities and a bit lighter than a sangria usually is, but I am a pleb who loves sweet drinks and I would order it. If you are a sangria purist you might not care for it. Hubs enjoyed his old fashioned but said it needed a dash more bitters to be perfect. I was driving so enjoyed a non-dirty Shirley. Prices to me are reasonable for quality and portion size; our tab ended up high because of the appetizer, drinks and dessert but if you just had pizza or pasta with soda it would be pretty affordable. I will be back to get more suppli and try other dishes! read more

La Speranza is too good to be in this easily missable shopping center. My daughter loved their personal pizza kids meal made in their wood fired oven. My wife and i shared their penne in vodka sauce which had delicious pancetta. We also shared their chicken marsala which came over a bed of linguini. Both dishes had fantastic sauces, we got extra bread to soak up extra sauce. The restaurant was small and intimate and the service was very prompt. read more

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This small spot serves delicious Italian food, in my opinion. It tasted like Nonna was making the sauce in the back. The calamari, Brussels sprouts and beet salad were delectable. My nephew had the shrimp Ala vodka and I had the lasagna, both were delicious. Then the pièce de résistance were the tiramisu and chocolate temptation cake which were incredible!!! I will go back any time I am in DMV metro. Service was good too. read more

I said we'd be back after our overall positive take-out experience - and tonight was the night. The place is in a strip mall and isn't much to look at from the outside, but, once inside, it's a cute and nice space. White table cloths on the tables, real red rose as a centerpiece at each table and wine racks mounted on parts of the wall. They set up a nice vibe of classy, but welcoming. You could bring a date here or your family. It's nice. We were warmly greeted to a table for two in the back of the small space. Very comfortable. As we perused the menu, we were given glasses of cold water and a small basket of bread with butter (three small pieces total). The bread was toasted but honestly unimpressive. There's a bottle of oil on each table. Perhaps I should have put some oil on my bread plate and tried it. By itself, the bread is just meh. We ordered Brussels sprouts as an appetizer (you'll see from my take-out review that we loved the sprouts in our take-out, but felt that the portion size was a bit of a cheat - we got less than what we paid for.). The Brussels sprouts we got today were a good size and as good as I remember them. There's a nice combination of balsamic and garlic - yum. And the aeoli again was very good. The sprouts are delicious on their own, but it is a good aeoli. (OK, I did dip some bread into the aeoli. It was nice.) (Sorry, the pics from our earlier take-out meal were deleted when I posted this update.) I got the side salad and my partner got the side Caesar. Really good dressing in the side salad and the Caesar was also good. The croutons in the Caesar are nice and garlicky. Yum again. For entrees, I got the eggplant parm with pasta and my partner got the chicken cacciatore with penne. Both were (are, actually, we took a lot of our entrees home) excellent. The sauce, the eggplant, the chicken - all were delicious. Looking forward to the leftovers. The service here was good regarding keeping the water glasses full and checking on us from time to time. I do have one complaint. Maybe it's a personal peeve, but we ordered an appetizer, two side salads and two entrees. And everything came out at exactly the same time. Maybe the world is different than it was, but, in my day, appetizer was something you got before the main course. Now it seems like some restaurants (including this one, apparently) serve to accommodate the needs of the kitchen as opposed to the experience of the guest. It's really too bad, because it turned an excellent meal into an awkward one, turning an appetizer and entree into an experiment in grazing. I guess I have to be specific "please bring my appetizer/soup first and wait till I'm close to done with that before bringing my meal." Or maybe the problem is that I expected this type of consideration in service because of the white tablecloth and the rose on the table. I don't blame the server. She was very attentive and friendly. The food just all was prepared at the same time. read more

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I always find 'pizza restaurants' to be pizza places serving bad food. Well, I am officially wrong. La Speranza is the real deal. Our party of six was greeted with a smile and seated immediately. The beer was cold, my Old Fashioned was served with the correct ice cube and cherry, and the food was really delicious. Our server was attentive and professional, and the room was bright and clean and noisy and happy. We all enjoyed excellent meals. read more

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I must have driven past this location for years without knowing about this Italian restaurant. Walked in on a Saturday night and got a table without a reservation. Service was friendly and efficient without rushing us at any point. My husband and I split the suppli, where were delicious. The marinara was perfect. They gave us some toasted bread and butter as a side. I ordered the lasagna and my husband ordered the pollo alla fiorentina. The lasagna was perfectly seasoned. Delicious sauce and overflowing from the dish. We split our meals and while the pasta and chicken were perfectly cooked, the dish had too much cream for me. My husband enjoyed a glass of chianti with dinner and it was reasonably priced. The restaurant itself isn't much to look at, though it's clean and organized. They seemed to do a brisk takeout business, which unfortunately meant that people kept opening the door and letting in a frigid breeze every time. Other than that, I had no complaints. Next time, I'd love to try their wood fired pizza read more

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We found this place on whim while looking for a place that serves fried calamari. What we found was a hidden jewel! The service was wonderful, polite and friendly. The ambiance was nice too but the food was excellent! This is the most authentic Italian pizza we've had since visiting Italy. read more

La Speranza Restaurant - Grilled Salmon Pizza Bianca - Italian Near Me - Rockville, Maryland

Avoid carryout. I ordered a pizza that was supposed to have Italian sausage and spinach. I called to request it be crispy. What I got was a soggy pizza with some unrecognizable ingredient and olives. The staff was unfriendly and not welcoming. The restaurant was dark and dingy. I won't be back to dine in. read more

La Speranza Restaurant - Pizza with olives and something that might be eggplant or some kind of sausage that's cut so thin that it has no flavor, - Italian Near Me - Rockville, Maryland

We've ordered delivery twice and pizza has been the stand out both times. The kids pizza is a generous size. Meatballs are great! Chicken piccata I wouldn't order again. Cannolis were delicious! We had the chicken spinach Alfredo pizza our first time and it was excellently executed. read more

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This restaurant has only been around about 8 months. It is located in an old shopping center. Don't let that deter you from stopping by. I stopped in twice in a week - first time a carry-out and second time dine in. The staff was wonderful and helpful. My only complaint would be that it is on a loud side, unfortunately. The food was delicious and reasonable priced. Carry-out: Charred Brussel Sprouts - It came with a house aioli; however, it was perfectly yummy without the sauce. Wood fired wings! Wow. Yummy. Meatballs - bite size and tender. Chicken Parmigiana - big portion. I ended up having three meals. Dine-in: Classic ceasar - solid. Delicious croutons. Calamari - lightly breaded and crispy. Thumbs up. Pizza Bianca with basil and bacon - not bad. Lasagna - delish. Overall, both times were great experiences. We will return. read more

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What!! Maynard is an incredible chef too? Who knew? This restaurant better get a restraining order on me because I've never been to a restaurant so much in my life. Of course I started with the rice balls. It's a given. This time I ordered the meatball panini. I think the salad had too much dressing but it was fresh and delicious anyway. My friend had the shrimp risotto. It looked creamy and shrimp plumblishly sumptuous. Service is always good there. Friendly and fast served food hot read more

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Solid Italian fare in East Rockville! I stopped in with my wife on a Saturday afternoon for lunch last week. I had the chicken parm and a green salad. She had the minestrone soup. We both enjoyed our choices. My chicken parm was crispy with a zesty flavor profile. My wife said the minestrone was hearty without being too heavy AND it was vegetarian. Service was efficient and friendly. We received a warm greeting and shown to a table. Our server answered all of our questions cheerfully and made us feel right at home. The decor of the place was a bit lacking IMHO. The whole place had a spartan feel to it. read more

Was recommended by a friend, so we tried it out. The shopping center is nothing to look at, but the restaurant is very nice, cloth table cloths and napkins. Had the Il Padrino Pizza and the Pasta Alla Vodka, along with two martini's. Both dishes were excellent. The wait staff was friendly and helpful. Looking forward to going back and trying different dishes. read more

This review is for La Speranza's food truck that came to our neighborhood the other day serving freshly prepared brick oven baked pizzas. Unlike many other food trucks, this one didn't have the restaurant's name printed anywhere - not on the pickup truck nor on the brick oven owed behind. The notice we received identified it as Dolce Vita so at first I thought it was associated with a restaurant under that name. They had walk up orders only and accepted credit cards. I ordered a meatlovers and it was made from scratch and ready in under 10 minutes. The pizza was delicious with mainly flavorful ham and pepperoni sprinkled with bacon and sausage. The crust is not as thin as I'd have liked (I usually prefer very thin crust versions). The 11" pizza measuring almost 12" is large enough for two for a light meal so I had a couple of slices saved for lunch the next day. Now will definitely try to check out the restaurant as well soon. read more

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Once again a terrific experience. The servers, especially Ashley are the best. Great ambiance and as always great food. It's why we always come back on Thursdays. read more

Tonight we joined another couple of friends to try the newest neighborhood restaurant that we kept hearing great things about. We entered to a very clean establishment, greeted by one of the waiters who told us to select any table we preferred. For a Sunday night, it was respectfully busy and fairly loud with the crowd that was there. They do have take out and a full bar towards the back of the restaurant. Staff was very attentive and offered assistance with menu selections. All 4 of us ordered something different which gave us a well-rounded idea of the food choices at this first try. We were not disappointed and if you typically follow my reviews, I'm going to change how I review a little this time by rating each food based on a scale system provided by each person dining, even myself. My entree was the Pollo Piccata (chicken), served with linguine. I'm rating a 4 on scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best. I have had better, but this was good, don't get me wrong, just not THE BEST and I'd order again. For being Piccata, I would expect more lemon flavor to the sauce than there was. Linguine was cooked properly; however, no offering for fresh parmesan or pepper, which is usually expected and their could be more flavor to the butter sauce, needs garlic. My husband tried the chicken fajitas. Yes, they have a few Mexican entrees at this Italian restaurant. The fajitas did not come out sizzling/smoking as you find in many Mexican restaurants. We didn't mind the lack of "traditional showiness". The fajitas were good, sides served with them were a small portion of rice, which was really good, beans, which were not as great, then the toppings consisting of same small portion of guacamole, sour cream and salsa. Portion size of the chicken was good, tender and nicely flavored. My friend ordered a Margherita pizza (personal sized). Looked delicious and rated a 4 out of 5. It was the type that when you pick up, you can roll it. Some people have preferences on crust stability, so just making this observation for those. I cannot comment personally other than observation and I'd like to return to try the pizza selections for myself as there were a couple that peaked my interest as they were unique. My other friend, who by the way is Italian and comes from a family that makes delicious home recipes, ordered the lasagna. Good portion size and he rated it a 7 out of 10. In general, we all will return and looking forward to trying a few other menu items that peaked our interests from sandwiches to pizza. Very good experience. We hope the food quality and service oriented staff stay that way as that helps to keep a good business going and for a new establishment, they are off to a good start. We did not order dessert as there were only 3 selections which didn't tempt us: cannoli, chocolate cake and cheesecake. Pricing was fair and no service charges attached to bill. read more

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Quaint little restaurant right off Baltimore Avenue. I enjoyed the random scenery shown on the TV screens and the classic rock background music. A lot of seating but can be a little tight or close to other tables. The menu was quite large, being an Italian Tex-Mex spot, but leaning more towards one than the other. The server was very kind and attentive, but not overbearing. I ordered the calamari and meatlovers pizza, and thought that it was quite tasty. The calamari was quite small and a bit more breading than squid, but was still delicious. The pizza tasted good, balanced well between the crust, sauce, and toppings. Downside to me is the price of the food compared to what is offered. Still willing to try it again and grab something on the Tex-Mex side. read more

La Speranza Restaurant - Meat Lover's Pizza - Italian Near Me - Rockville, Maryland

A friend and i meet up for dinner on a week-night evening. This place is tucked away in an unassuming little retail space on Norbeck Road. It was empty when I walked in around 530, but within an hour the place was buzzing with people. I certainly understand why.... the food is so good! It is an interesting menu with mostly Italian dishes (and homemade pasta!) But there are surprisingly a few Mexican and American dishes. I had the Chicken parmesan and subbed in spinach pasta as my side. It was amazing. Good ratios of chicken to breading and sauce to cheese. It's been a few months since I tried this place. It is a little out of my way, so I don't think of it often. But I'm looking forward to going back and trying some other dishes! read more

La Speranza Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Rockville, Maryland

Food is good and has diverse options for meat eaters, vegetarians and omnivores. I loved the tilapia I choose. My husband got a fettuccini, which was okay- decent sauce, but not very flavorful. Wine was good and server was very polite. I'd eat here again. read more

Delicious. Same chef as Baronessa but now he's the owner, too! Always terrific meals lunch or dinner.

This place is a diamond in the rough, in an ugly strip mall. The spaghetti bolognese was excellent. Both the pasta and sauce were made from scratch. The only item that wasn't excellent was the bread served with the past- it was just okay. Looking forward to coming back! read more

Came here for lunch after doing a Yelp event. And it did not disappoint. All the lunch pastas aside from the Pesto was delicious. Got the margarita pizza, chicken Parm and Marsala. Healthy lunch portions. Red sauce tomatoes tasted fresh and ripe. Marsala was on the lighter side and still flavorful. Service was exceptional! Water kept on being filled and we were being checked on as well. Pesto spinach pasta wasn't bad, but could had a pinch more salt. Very clean and minimalist inside. Not expected from the store front. They were pretty empty for a Friday lunch, but I hope it picks up! Great place and I want it to thrive! read more

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This was probably the worst Italian food I have ever had. Lasagna was terrible, the spaghetti was awful and meatballs were size of peas and did not taste like meat. Sorry, never written a review like this, but it was so bad. Had to Actually tasted like a frozen dinner that was re-heated read more

Incredible food, flawless service, and the perfect vibe! Every dish was delicious and beautifully presented--can't wait to come back! read more

La Speranza Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Rockville, Maryland

The food was delicious. And the service was great. We were a little disappointed with the bread they serve, but made up for it with the lasagna, which was fantastic! I like it saucy. It was pretty quiet for a Saturday night, which was a plus. read more

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Thursday 5/30/2024 Side note: I called a few weeks ago and was informed that they would be open on Memorial Day (Monday 5/27) but that was not true at all as I drove 20+ min just to find out that they were closed. And the only way to possibly know this is info is by going to THE restaurant in person because they were still shown as open on their website and google which isn't a good look. Came here for a dine in visit and got: wood fired wings $10.95, classic pepperoni pizza $13.95, fajita deluxe $26.95, steak and cheese sandwich $14.95, La speranza special pasta $23.95, and chicken Alfredo pasta $19.95. The service was okay but nothing special or memorable. - Wood fired wings (RATING: 7.4/10) * I believe these wings were garlic,parm, and lime and they were alright. They had a texture that was wet & moist instead of crispy (that I was expected) but at least they were juicy. - classic pepperoni pizza (RATING: 7.8/10) * pretty decent pizza but I've had better. - fajita deluxe (RATING: 7.3/10) * a near $27 price tag is pricey especially when you factor in the lack of shrimp and steak amounts that that you get. Solid fajitas but I've had better. - steak and cheese sandwich (RATING: 8/10) * another one of my top 2 favorite items. Pretty solid sandwich but the "steak" portion they give you is lacking and you should definitely get more. * also the fries were unseasoned and mid. - la speranza special pasta (RATING: 8/10) * a very unique and flavorful dish that was 1 of my top 2 favorites. Also it kind of reminded me of jambalaya pasta. - chicken Alfredo pasta (RATING: 7.6/10) * decent but doesn't come anywhere close to the best Alfredo I've had (aka Gregorio's). Overall, this a cool lil Italian spot: The food isn't the best I've ever had but it's still pretty decent. read more

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A local gem. Very good small Italian restaurant with great seafood entrees. The pizza is delicious. The prices are reasonable. read more

OMG OMG OMG, I asked my Friend to pick up the Steak and Cheese Panino for me. The Meat on this Sucker was bouncing, & pouring with flavor! Y'all the Bread was sooooo soft, then held down with the seasoned Mushrooms! Do better with the Salad though I don't like Grass! The Caesar salad would have complimented the Sandwich better! 9 outta 10 baby! The Salad knocked you down a point but it was crispy and Fresh! Good job! Don't walk, Run! Sooooooo freaking delicious! read more

La Speranza Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Rockville, Maryland

La Speranza is a hidden gem on Baltimore Ave. I had dinner here with friends and was excited to try out their pizza. I got to try the margherita pizza and meat lover's pizza. The margherita pizza was good. I liked the crust but I prefer the flavor of the meat lover's pizza. It was very good! I like how their pizzas are also not too wet. The only thing is that pizza is close to $20 and it's kinda small. I also got to try the calamari. It was good but the pieces were also pretty small. My table got to try a Brussels sprouts appetizer for free which was nice. The service was fantastic. The server was really nice and made sure to fill up our waters. I would probably come back to try out their pasta or Tex-mex dishes. If I were to order the pizza again, I'd get meat lover's. read more

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La Speranza is truly a Rockville gem. The unassuming exterior hides a fantastic dining experience. My wife thoroughly enjoyed the Suppli, funghi pizza (among the best neopolitan crusta I've had in the DMV) and the chicken alfredo (you can't beat homemade pasta). We're sure to return soon. read more

La Speranza Restaurant - Chicken Alfredo Pasta - Italian Near Me - Rockville, Maryland

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This is our new favorite restaurant for Italian Pizza. We enjoyed the seafood pasta and fungi pizza and another pizza with sausage and red peppers. Delicious! read more

La Speranza Restaurant - Fungi pizza - Italian Near Me - Rockville, Maryland

Excellent food, from appetizers to entrees & pizza. Service is good, if a bit slow at first. Portions were just the right size.

Good food. Reasonable prices. Loved supporting a new privately owned restaurant. Food was delicious and the portion sizes were perfect.

Service was excellent. The outside is deceiving, the restaurant is cute and welcoming. read more

La Speranza Restaurant - Delicious lunch special chicken Pollo Alla Parmigiana. Large portions. I will be back. Looking forward yo trying the pizza. - Italian Near Me - Rockville, Maryland

We decided to come here because of the 4+ star rating but our experience was subpar. If the restaurant is not busy at 7:30 on Saturday night that always a bad sign. We ordered 4 appetizers and 2 main courses. Everything came out fast and looks fine but none tastes like it should. Shrimp scampi is so sweet that make me wander if the chef putting sugar by mistake instead of salt. Mussels in white sauce is so bland and also Burrata. After salt and pepper were added to all the dishes they were a bit better. Service was nice and price is reasonable but no ambiance whatsoever. read more

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Found this place on a yelp search and decided to give it a try. The Italian-Mexican combo was intriguing! Ended up only trying Italian dishes on this trip, but they were so good we will definitely be back to try more and branch out. The pizza was delicious! Perfectly made and served hot straight from the oven. Toppings were fresh and flavorful. Chicken Marsala was very good. The Marsala sauce was light, not thick and overpowering as it can be at some restaurants. Chicken Parm was also very good served hot and the chicken was crispy. Only recommendation would be a bit more of the butter and garlic sauce on the linguine. Great flavors all around. Wonderful, courteous, and attentive waitress. She was so pleasant and helpful. We will be back! P.S. Came at 6 and had no trouble getting a table. It was almost full when we left. May be worth making a reservation if you're going on a Friday or Saturday. read more

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Delicious pizza and good service. Place is nice and cozy. Will be my go to place for Italian food.

First timer, delivery. Spaghetti w/meat sauce & spaghetti with meatballs. The meat flavor isn't married to its accompanying sauce at all. I find it hard to believe the meat was cooked in the sauce. The price for the delivery meals was good, but not worth it. I found myself wishing for buttered pasta. I've had homemade pasta & sauce in Italy & made by Italian chefs. This pasta is not homemade IMO. The sauce was pretty sweet and might as well have been bottled catsup/ketchup, for all the herbs and flavor it lacked. There was no depth or richness in its taste & our uneaten delivery container contents sit almost full from last night. I am hard pressed to compare these meals to any others I've eaten, they were that unimpressive. read more

Delicious food! Highly recommend. Nice, casual, Italian restaurant. Service was good too.