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    LIA'S

    3.8 (568 reviews)
    ModerateItalian, American, Bars
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Order LIA'S Takeout or Delivery

    LIA'S Photos

    LIA'S ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - LIA'S

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    Me the only one without a drink
    Shawn B.

    I am writing to formally report an extremely troubling experience I had at Lia's on the evening of April 27, 2026, around 7:45 PM. I was visiting with a group while staying in Chevy Chase for training, and what should have been an enjoyable evening instead left me feeling degraded, singled out, and deeply unwelcome. Upon entering the establishment, I placed a closed water bottle on the counter while attempting to order a cocktail. Without any explanation, the waiter behind the bar approached me and attempted to confiscate the bottle. At no point prior to this interaction was I informed of any policy regarding outside containers. It was only after I specifically requested to speak with a manager, Teresa, that this policy was mentioned. I find it unacceptable that I had to initiate that conversation myself, rather than being treated with basic courtesy and clear communication from the outset. Shortly after, the same waiter attempted to move my entire part (who are all people of color) outside to the patio. While my group was escorted out, I remained inside briefly to complete my order and speak with Teresa. This sequence of events raised immediate concerns about how we were being treated and why. Once outside, my party was seated in a far corner of the patio and left unattended for over 10 minutes. No one came to serve us. I eventually went back inside to inquire, at which point the same waiter returned and began taking orders. His demeanor toward me was noticeably dismissive. When I ordered the same drink I had just purchased inside, I was told I would be charged differently, with no clear explanation. Despite taking my order, he served everyone else at the table and deliberately excluded me. When I followed up about my drink, I was informed that he and management had decided not to serve me. This decision was never communicated to me directly, nor was any justification provided. Once again, I was forced to ask what was happening, which only compounded the confusion and frustration. The entire experience felt isolating and punitive, as though I was being singled out rather than treated as a valued guest. When Teresa came to the table, she was unable to provide clear answers as to why I was refused service or why no alternative server was assigned if there had truly been an issue. Her lack of accountability and dismissive response only reinforced the impression that this treatment was acceptable within your establishment. I want to be very clear: I have never felt as isolated, disrespected, and berated in a restaurant setting as I did that evening. The handling of this situation, from the waiter's conduct to the manager's failure to address it appropriately, was deeply unprofessional and unacceptable. I expect this matter to be taken seriously. There was a clear breakdown in communication, professionalism, and basic hospitality. I am requesting that this incident be thoroughly reviewed and addressed, including appropriate accountability for both the staff member involved and the manager on duty. I look forward to your response.

    Chicken Milanese with white wine
    Toya J.

    Lia's is a wonderful spot in Chevy Chase with indoor and patio seating. They have happy hour every day and an amazing wine list. They serve fresh & tasty Italian-American cuisine. My favorite dish is the Chicken Milanese with arugula and shaved parmesan on top of the cutlet. The wings are also very good bone in and seasoned perfectly. If you love no chain small chain restaurants with great food this is it!

    Jeff who?
    Nan P.

    While this is an Italian restaurant they also have a terrific happy hour which includes discount on their burgers. When the lamb burger is on the menu, go for it! Otherwise the original burger is delicious.

    Outdoor seating
    Erika E.

    I had a great time during happy hour with Noonie who was my server. She was super sweet and patient. I WILL BE BACK ! Drinks were delicious, food came out fresh, and location is beautiful and clean. Easy access must try! They even have a Dog menu !!!!!

    Rigatoni Alla Vodka
    Carla M.

    This place has it all. Great happy hour, food, drinks, the hospitality. Great date night spot or to hang out. I came with my girlfriends for girls night and everything was delicious. We got the Sea bass, Brussels sprouts, pasta, calamari, goats dip. I will be coming back for more! Andddd if you enjoy a cold beer they have super mugs!

    Mediterranean Sea Bass
    Randy B.

    Food is good, service is great, ambiance is smart casual. Lots of locals living in the immediate area gather here to unwind and catchup with one another. Great for groups--my party of five were well taken care of. I found it to be a great choice for mid-week get together. Parking available at the adjacent Colonial parking garage, and restaurant validates parking.

    The Wagyu Burger
    Russell J.

    Great neighborhood bistro, but for a Geoff Tracy establishment, would you expect anything less? Made a reservation for Friday night. Reservations are def recommended bc it gets busy on the weekends. The place is classy and cozy. We showed up on the tail end of restaurant week. Order was waygu burger, truffle mushroom ravioli, calimari, and octopus. Everything was fresh and delicious. My octopus had a little too much crust on it, but was otherwise fine. Service was great too! Another great Chef Geoff establishment!

    Kenneth A.

    Although I didn't order an entree, I was thoroughly satisfied by the calamari appetizer, which was served in a lavish helping and reasonably priced. It was so substantial and delicious that it alone was enough to make me feel pleasantly full! The drinks were definitely "on point" - nicely mixed and perfectly complementing the appetizer. The service was absolutely impeccable. Our waiter was incredibly attentive, consistently checking on us to ensure we were having a good time and had everything we needed. Beyond the food and service, the restaurant itself had a truly great vibe, from the bustling energy of the bar to the comfortable ambiance at our table.

    Classic Tiramisu by Lia's
    Christina H.

    Fantastic food, ambiance and service. We come here on an irregular basis and then ask ourselves why don't we come here more often. The appetizers and entrees are tremendous. We ordered the meatballs and the burrata appetizers. We loved the short rib bolognese sauce with pasta, the Chicken Milanese and the Chicken Parmigiana. Our server Julani took very good care of us. Look forward to going back to enjoy the menu.

    just came here to say i ordered for the first time won't be again sadly. i loved the taste but the pizza was just cheese and bread... i ordered extra sauce on the pizza FOR AN EXTRA COST MIGHT I ADD here's the photo decided to order again since the owners response was very kind i think they have a chef problem this is the second order no sauce again (got extra sauce)

    Dyonna B.

    We are always so excited to try new places during restaurant week. My husband's favorite cuisine is Italian so we found a place to make reservations nearby. Loved that we didn't have to do deep into DC to enjoy the offers. Reservations were quick and easy to make and there was a parking garage attached to the building. Also Lia's offered validated parking. Sweet! A girl loves some free parking...especially in the Bethesda/Chevy Chase area. Upon entered, we were greeted by the friendly host who took us right away to our seats. Shortly after we were greeted by our server for the evening. I must say the ambiance was great for a date night. Low lights and little light lanterns at each table created the perfect atmosphere. Our server was great. He helped us switch out some lipped stained glasses and dirty forks at our table and then gave up the best treatment. He was very knowledgeable about the menu and did let us know of some items that they were sold out of. I ordered a pomegranate gin martini to start with. I love that for restaurant week, you can choose from the entire menu...unlike many other places that allows you to choose from a small, crafted menu or like 3 apps, 3 entrees and 3 desserts. For my appetizer, i ordered the Burrata made with peppercorn honey, pistachio pesto, red wine glaze and parmesan biscotti on the side. It was delicious. Just wished there were a few more biscotti to come with it. For my entree, I had the dry aged short rib bolognese with mafaldine pasta, parmesan foam and fresh herbs. It was soooo yummy. I purposefully only took a few bites just so i can have it again for lunch the next day. And the portions were decent so really i made 2 meals out of the pasta dish. For dessert, I think they ran out of something, so I ended up getting the cannolis which I wasn't able to finish and took those home as well. They were delicious. I also liked that instead of getting a dessert you could have the option for a glass of wine. You def dont see that often. Loved all the options and flexibility here. Overall, this was a great experience for our first time visiting and will certainly need to visit again to check out other options.

    Chef Geoff's Rosé is delicious!
    Daniel B.

    Restaurant Week is always a great way to try places that may be new to you for a little less than their regular pricing. I am so glad my wife and I decided to have dinner at Lia's! We had a great time, and really enjoyed our experience overall. The restaurant is a short walk away from a nearby parking garage. The lighting is set low which adds to the romantic or intimate vibe. The team here were all very helpful! We had slight issues with a glass and fork, but the team quickly got us replacements and took great care of us from that point forward. I believe our waiter's name was Javar. He was down to earth, funny, and he made really helpful suggestions of things to try from the Restaurant Week menu. I had the Chicken Parmesan with rigatoni pasta instead of spaghetti pasta per Javar's suggestion. He was right! The change in pasta made the dish better and easier to eat. I mean, I know how to eat spaghetti noodles (twirl on a spoon with your fork, lol). But the rigatoni is the way to go and didn't change the flavors at all. BTW, the flavors are excellent!! The chicken was juicy and tasty, the sauce was delicious and the noodles were just right! I paired the meal with a glass of Chef Geoff's Rosé and really enjoyed the two together. For dessert I had the Cheesecake option and, man, it is good! We will definitely be back as my wife enjoyed her meal and the experience as well. You'll have to read her review for her experience as I don't want to steal her thunder. Lol! We will definitely be back because there are so many things on the full menu that we would love to try!

    slider
    Abbey S.

    Lia's is a great local spot for happy hour or dinner! They have different deals nearly each day of the week, and on monday i went for their all day 'apertivo hour' with some coworkers. Their HH prices just can't be beat! They have adorable patio seating with string lights, perfect for summer. There is a bar area with small tables for a more casual vibe, as well as a more formal dining room. We sat in the bar area and had great service. There is garage parking next door that is free after 5pm. The orange, hugo, and cranberry limone spritzes were delish - light and very refreshing. Chicken parm slider and regular slider looked super tasty and a great value for $5 - my coworkers enjoyed them very much! The chicken parm nuggies were also delish, but I didn't notice anything 'parm' about them - it was basically 3 large fried chicken nuggets with a dip that was almost like a thick, chunky marinara. They were good, but I would've liked if they had a bit of melted cheese on them to make them truly 'chicken parm'. We enjoyed the white bean hummus but thought the ratio of hummus to flatbread was off - we definitely could've used another piece of flatbread for the amount of hummus given. My coworker who got the mozzarella bombs thought they were good but a bit doughy. Regardless, we ate every last bite of every dish. I would definitely come back, especially in the summer when we can sit outside!

    Yummy apps!

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    18 days ago

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    Geoff T.

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    1 month ago

    Mia was amazing! Great conversation and perfect service. We got the pizza and vodka sauce pasta.

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    Geoff T.

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    1 month ago

    A fun lunch with four friends. Served by Edward, really great and most accommodating.

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    11 days ago

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    8 days ago

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    27 days ago

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    2 days ago

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    9 days ago

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    20 days ago

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    10 months ago

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    22 days ago

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    8 months ago

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    29 days ago

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    4 months ago

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    3 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    6 months ago

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    3 months ago

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    4 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    11 months ago

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    4 months ago

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    8 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    Page 1 of 15

    LIA'S Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - LIA'S

    Did you change the recipe for the cauliflower steak since last august? It tasted different when I ate it today!

    Yes, we did! We added herb risotto to the dish and made sure to change all of the ingredients to ensure that it is completely vegan. Our hope was that it would be a substantial, above average vegan option for our guests. I hope you enjoyed it! Any… Read more

    View All 2 Questions

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    Birdsong - Massaman beef curry It's hard

    Birdsong

    (28 reviews)

    Chevy Chase

    My wife said, as she returned to the car with the takeout, that Birdsong was not crowded. To stay…read moreby the side of our elderly dog, we are foregoing the experience of dining out, more and more. After we finished eating, she remarked we needed to visit the restaurant sometime. We'll have to look for an opportunity when we are around the dog all day, so she can be on her own for a couple of hours, likely sleeping. Birdsong already is acclaimed. This is much more Thai and Thai American. Like Chinese or Italian cuisine before it, Thai flavors have assimilated to a palate not accustomed to the true strength of the spices. Birdsong is a remedy. They do not offer the pad thai that has become a staple, no longer exotic but to its detriment. (A digression. The history of pad thai, with contested origins, is fascinating. As you delve into these matters, you see how syncretic culture is. You also are exposed to the efforts to fashion a unifying mythology.) We ordered the chicken, the shrimp, the crab fried rice, the papaya salad, and the enhancement. The chicken and the shrimp were quality ingredients, prepared well. Although both proteins were fried, they felt clean. The crab fried rice was one option of many with the rice base. The papaya salad was fresh. The enhancement was radish with "fermented daikon, garlic, red onion, cilantro, palm sugar, and fish sauce scrambled with eggs for a balanced savory and sweet flavor," and the portion was generous: we put it on the rice, then I finished it off in an omelet the next morning. We have traveled to Bangkok. Thai spiciness exceeds what I would endorse, and I love hot dishes. Birdsong was much milder, though with sufficient pepperiness my wife, who does not share my preferences, remarked it was closer to her limit. They will work with you in this respect, and I'm confident I could request something that would test my capabilities. That is, in my book, all positive. The dishes that were mild according to the menu, were mild, but they were flavorful. If you do not like fish sauce, for example, you may not appreciate the offerings, which if they don't have fish sauce have something along those lines. I hope Birdsong fares well.

    We were looking forward to eating at Birdsong, which has gotten great reviews. A few friends said…read morethat they went and loved it. But we thought only one of the four dishes we ordered was especially good, I wouldn't order the other three again. The Basil Shrimp - described as "Battered and golden fried" seemed more like tempura. I wouldn't have ordered if I knew. The Tom Yum soup was good, but very pricey at $25. For comparison, a similarly sized, likely an even larger entree Tom Yum soup at Bambu is $14. It had lots of noodles. We were sharing, and asked our server for recommendations- she suggested a second dish with the same noodles. Usually a server points out if diners are ordering two dishes with the same base ingredient (noodles) but our server actually suggested the second one. Seriously? And unfortunately, it was underwhelming, just blah. We left most of it. We got the chocolate crème brûlée, the presentation was very nice, with gilded peanuts on top. The taste was just so so, sweet but not much chocolate flavor. We liked the decor and the atmosphere was nice. We loved the bird mural. Service was mixed. Our server was friendly, but could have been more helpful. First, the recommendation for a second dish with the same noodles was not a good one. We asked if we could share everything, including the soup. We specifically asked if they could put it into bowls for us. They brought two bowls, but we had to wait a while for a spoon to divide it ourselves at the table. She ended up bringing us one of those small soup spoons that you often use for soup at Chinese restaurants. It was around the same size as a regular soup spoon. Apparently they didn't have anything that is more like a ladle, and it was not very useful for portioning out the soup. We thought we'd love this restaurant, but it was a miss for us tonight. Not only that, and this is on us, the only dish with any real nutrition or healthy ingredients was the soup. For one "small plate" appetizer, two entrées and one dessert, the total was just under $100.

    Clyde's of Chevy Chase

    Clyde's of Chevy Chase

    (644 reviews)

    $$

    Food: 4/5 I got the steak frites with a side of broccolini and it was cooked perfectly to the…read moremedium rare that I ordered. The burger that my husband ordered looked a little undercooked for the medium he requested. The pasta dishes my party ordered were more of a 3/5. Didn't get dessert but it looks like they have a lot of delicious-sounding options! Service: 5/5 server was kind and attentive, poured my bottled beer at the table with a perfect pour, and updated us when drinks were being made and the food was getting plated. Ambiance: decor includes planes/boats/trains, tables are not too close together, lots of tables available. I have been here with parties as large as 7 and sat comfortably. Parking lot/garage available about 2-3 minutes of a walk depending where you get a spot. I believe you can get your ticket validated.

    I don't usually leave negative reviews, but this experience needs to be shared--primarily due to…read morehow poorly it was handled by management. From the beginning, there was a clear lack of leadership and accountability from the manager, Sandra. When issues came up, she was dismissive, disengaged, and made no real effort to resolve anything. Instead of listening or taking ownership, her response came across as defensive and indifferent, which only made the situation worse. What was most concerning was how a serious situation between guests was handled. One customer approached another and made racially inappropriate remarks. In today's environment, that kind of behavior requires immediate and thoughtful intervention to keep everyone safe and respected. Unfortunately, Sandra did not step in appropriately and instead contributed to the escalation. Situations like this aren't just uncomfortable--they can quickly become serious and reflect poorly on the business. As someone who books a significant number of corporate events, I pay close attention to how businesses handle challenges like this. Based on this experience, I would not recommend this location--especially while this level of management is in place. The one bright spot was Ally, the bartender. She was attentive, kind, and clearly cared about the customers despite everything happening around her. She handled herself professionally and was the only reason the experience wasn't a complete loss. Mistakes happen, but how they're handled matters. Until there's a clear improvement in management, I wouldn't return or recommend this place.

    LIA'S - italian - Updated May 2026

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