See, this was an 75 degree day in the middle of January, so I was able to sit outside and really amp the experience. Restaurant Week got extended (YAY) so I decided to check out a new-to-me spot. Lia's is located in the heart of Chevy Chase, and there is plenty of free 2-hour street parking -- just be mindful of the time! I parked, walked right in and got the option to sit inside or out -- the choice was easy, given the weather. I noticed that everyone was enjoying the weather, and I was glad to join them! Within a few minutes, I got a glass of water, and then a kind gentleman came to take my order. I went off of the restaurant week menu, and decided to go with the brussel sprouts, beet & burrata chicken salad, and dark chocolate pot du creme. The brussel sprouts were crunchy and flavorful, but they were entirely too salty. If that gets toned down a bit, they'd be perfect. the salad was awesome. -- it had mandarin oranges, blackberries, arugula and a delicious dressing. The dessert was delightfully chocolatey and sweet, and the crunchies on top of the pudding / mousse made for an excellent texture combo. Off of these 3 items alone, I'd totally be down to return and try more items on the menu. The interior looked nice and cozy, and I actually have to have pasta! The staff were very friendly, and service was excellent. read more

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Great food and service! It wasn't too crowded inside, which made for a great dining experience. read more

LIA'S - Rigatoni Alla Vodka - Italian Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland

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

Ordered from the seasonal menu. Very tasty. Good food with reasonable price. Will definitely go there again! read more

LIA'S - Grilled swordfish - Italian Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland

Food, service and ambience are great! Highly recommend this restaurant. Convenient location near the Friendship Heights metro station and free parking is definitely a plus. Tito was our waiter and he is very polite, patient and attentive. read more

This is the second time that I have been here for brunch. The food is limited on the brunch menu but it's very good. Ask for Jamar - he is an amazing server! read more

Overall I found Lia's underwhelming, as much as I wanted to like it. The food was all okay- a citrus chicken without citrus, a one-note tortellini, a passable dessert. The highlight was the octopus appetizer, which had perfectly cooked octopus and great flavors. The service was unfortunately just okay as well. Our server didn't know how to open a bottle of wine, would take 15-20 minutes between courses to check in, and made an error on our bill and then took over 20 minutes to fix it. I hope it can improve a little bit, because it has a great menu and concept, it just didn't meet expectations. read more

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Restaurant Week Review: 5 Stars! Service 5/5 I came here on a Saturday afternoon with a friend who was running late but they seated me right away outdoors. Because they were switching from the lunch to the dinner menu, the server allowed me to order dinner foods at the brunch/lunch price. It was so sweet of her to be so generous and accommodating of the situation. Ambiance 5/5 The sounds of the water from the fountain was so relaxing and it was a nice day to be outside. Not too loud or crowded. Food and drinks 5/5 I was craving grilled octopus for weeks, and it satisfied every bit of that craving! The crispy mozzarella was like mozzarella sticks in a different shape, and very good paired with the marinara. The ravioli entree was light and filling with vegetables. I still had room for the raspberry cheesecake dessert, which was smooth and creamy. Chef's kiss for this meal! For the drink, I tried the Peachy Lychee sangria and it was good. My friend ordered All Fired Up with mezcal, and that cocktail deserves an award! I loved my experience, and would highly recommend! read more

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Had a few good lunches at Lia's, usually the hamburger special on Tuesdays. Make sure to join the club, friendly staff, quick service, and a beautiful outdoor patio. read more

The managers ROCK!! Whether pouring beer, taking food orders, clearing tables and greeting clients.

Started with a burrata appetizer. It was over arugula with figs and a nice vinaigrette. There was more flat bread than necessary, but certainly a nice choice. We also had the calamari that paired well with lemon aioli. My entrée was the trout. Perfectly cooked with a buttery crab sauce. My wife chose veal marsala. Hammered thin, the veal was tender, with mushrooms , cheesy polenta, all in a rich brown sauce. No mistakes. No point deductions. read more

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Bottom line first: Service was friendly but slow and the food across the board was all just a bit too salty. Highlights: + Truffle Mushroom Ravioli ($24) - This was hands down the best dish of the night. Lots of mushrooms, parmesan shavings, and arugula to balance the truffle oil. Would recommend! + Maryland Crab Ravioli ($29) - This July special was not as good as the mushroom ravioli but the corn and asparagus bits topping the ravioli made it nice and summery. + Crispy Calamari ($16) - Calamari itself and its breading were both nice and tender but too salty. + PEI Mussels ($18) - Mussels were tasty but the broth was too salty to dip bread in. + Speaking of bread, the complimentary focaccia was wonderful--warm and soft with a toasty (salted) crust on top. Would not reorder: - Nona's Lasagna - We tried their Thursday special, which is $30 for salad + lasagna + cannoli. Unfortunately, the lasagna did not suit any of our tastes--too much cheese on top and a little gamy. - Tasty Little Meatballs ($14) - Meatballs were tough and too salty. I believe this was a July special as well. - Crispy Bacon Brussels Sprouts ($14) - Even though "crispy" was in the name, we weren't expecting this to be so dry and crisped through. - Shrimp Scampi ($25) - Ordered this for my preschooler and mom to share and wish the server had alerted us to the fact that it's spicy. We had also told the server at the beginning of our meal that we were celebrating a birthday but it doesn't appear that the restaurant celebrates birthdays since there were no candles brought out with the dessert we ordered (let alone bonus dessert). read more

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Mia was a great hostess. Her exceptional customer service skills made my experience a pleasant one. I would visit Lia's again, as well recommend the restaurant to my family and friends. read more

Lia's is an excellent place to have an unhurried and comfortable dinner with friends. We ordered the grill octopus and farmhouse salad as appetizers and a variety of pasta dishes. Everything was well prepared and nicely presented. The server was knowledgeable about the menu. Even though the restaurant was quite busy, service was efficient and prompt. read more

We had a large group and our server was very attentive. The space was wonderful for a large group. The savory appetizers and entrees were a delight. A bit on the saltier side and unfortunately, I got a cartilage piece of chicken in my cavatelli, which was off putting, but otherwise solid flavors. Desserts weren't inspiring and they were overly sweet. We ordered the white chocolate cheesecake and it was like eating gritty white chocolate. I highly recommend dinner at LIA's but maybe not dessert. read more

LIA'S - Roasted chicken cavatelli - Italian Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland

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I have visited this place a few times and have had a great experience each time. I have tried three types of pizza (pepperoni, deluxe, and a margherita) as well as the rigatoni and must say that each was excellent. The pizza has a great crispness to it and the rigatoni has a little kick to it. The atmosphere is lively and pretty fancy and the outdoor seating is nice on a summer night. They validate parking, which is also nice. The servers are top notch and the prices are very reasonable. There's really nothing I could complain about. Easy 5/5 rating. read more

Emilson was the best server I have had in a long time! It was our first time at this restaurant and we were celebrating our daughter's 21st birthday. He gave great recommendations without being overly pushy, made sure we had everything we needed and were enjoying the food all while being very busy in a full restaurant. He also made sure it was very festive! The service style is good in that other staff help bring meals & drinks so you're not waiting on just one person to deliver everything. It was surprisingly busy for a Wednesday evening, interior is fairly run of the mill and outside patio was also packed. The website is helpful in directing guests where to park and they validate which is nice in that area. read more

We enjoyed a delicious dinner and our server, Emilson, made it even better. We will definitely return!

Fabulous! Service was great Talis was amazing. We sat down at 11:45 and stayed and stayed and watched the Capitals and there was no pressure to leave. Kept coffee and water coming. Highly recommend Lia's and Talis service. She works the bar area. read more

Lia's is located in a spot which you can definitely walk to from the metro. When you first come to the restaurant, you will see a ton of tables outside and coming inside they have a bar on the left and lots of tables in a room on the right. My friend and I were seated at a table, and the service was rather slow. Our waiter forgot about our drinks for bottomless. I believe they needed more staff. I enjoyed the pineapple mimosa best! My friend stuck with the tried-and-true OJ Mimosa. My friend got the crab and spinach omelette which came with potatoes and a small side salad. She gave me a bite and it was quite tasty. We both loved adding hot sauce to it. I got the avocado toast which was fairly good. I think they should have had slightly less thick slice of bread and the avocado should have been distributed over maybe two or three slices of thinner cut bread. There was a lot left over avocado on my plate. Eggs and Turkey bacon were stacked on an already thick piece of toast and thick pieces of avocado.. open wide. I asked for eggs on the side but they landed on top. Waiter apologized and said he put it in correctly on his device. Look at the pic, could you get all that in your mouth? I enjoyed it with hot sauce after a little deconstruction--! Had the Kahlúa tiramisu which was soo good but I only could eat about half of it. My friend enjoyed the apple crumble.. no leftovers! Our waiter recommended it-- good recommendation!! All and all, a solid meal, just slow service for Saturday brunch. read more

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Talis provided amazing service to our table of 12 on a very crowdedChristmas Eve at Lia's.

Great selection, great staff and great location. One of the few places in this neighborhood that have been around for years.

Ashley was wondering. She was very professional and allowed our party to hang out for a while after we had finished. The Original Burger is very good. Loved the mushrooms! Would have liked if the bun stayed together a little better but overall a decent burger. And the mountain of sweet potato fries as wonderful. There were so many i couldn't even finish it and that never happens to me with sweet potato fries! Also be careful of the Viper Cocktail, very good, but very lethal! So take your time with it and make sure to have a big meal! read more

Outside is great venue for Drinks, dinner, lite bites. Service always great and Sebastian did not disappoint. Attentive to when we needed to reorder and great recommendations . read more

Mia was an amazing server! She was very attentive, funny and kind! Her recommendations were spot on and the food was great! She made the birthday girl feel very happy about her dinner! 10/10 would recommend! read more

I've been coming to this place bi-weekly for the past 9 months. The happy hour prices are on point and the food and drinks options are great. The outside high tops overlooking the dining tables is very pretty and almost every time Morgan has been my server. Morgan is amazing! So friendly, attentive and professional. Such a gem!! read more

This place is amazing. Great food and drinks, and great happy hour deals. And Morgan is an amazing individual...so welcoming and provided wonderful service. read more

Our friends who live in the area and who frequent Lia's suggested meeting us here for dinner when we were visiting from out of town. It was an excellent choice. Lia's is perfect for a casual dinner with great food and libations. The hospitality of the host staff and server was excellent. Having questions about the menu, our server Jorge was able to answer our questions and make suggestions. Once the food was on the table, he stopped by to ensure our satisfaction a few times, even though the restaurant was crowded. The food was attractively plated and even more importantly delicious. The portion sizes were not huge, which was fine since it was quality over quantity. If you're planning a visit, your best bet is to make a reservation in advance through Yelp. Parking is available in the nearby parking garages or if you prefer mass transit, there is a Metro line close by as well as bus service. read more

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This place is so well organized. You can go to the main or the happy hour rind 3-9 most days. The food choices are super. Mains vs burgers vs pizza vs salads vs pastas. Some things I enjoyed are the eggplant vegetArian or cauliflower main, the chicken dishes or the very good fish choices. Sam is brilliantly good at his job. Knows the menu, drinks and how unto guide you. Funny too Ambiance can't be beat outside. Bar is fun. Dining room works fine. read more

Great food (pizza, gelato, farmhouse salad) and excellent service. We ate on the patio and Mitchell took excellent care of us!

Mitchell was a great server. My Tuscan chicken was delish and a huge portion. We enjoyed the patio and I could bring my dog. I intend to frequent Lia's. read more

Ordered here for delivery last week. My boyfriend ordered the burger and I got the penne alla vodka with added chicken. My boyfriend liked his burger but said there was nothing special about it. It was just an average burger. As for my penne, it lacked flavor. There was honestly no flavor at all. I had to bust out the Parmesan cheese I had in my fridge to give it a little something. The chicken was grilled and tasted fine but the seasoning didn't necessarily match the penne. It was just okay. It was not bad but penne alla vodka usually has great flavor so I was a bit disappointed. I also ordered a tiramisu, which was good. Probably the best thing of the night, although it was a bit too sweet. But I enjoyed it. Overall, everything was just average. I wouldn't seek them out again but i won't say I'd be completely against trying them another time. From the reviews, I'm guessing maybe inside dining is better. read more

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I came for restaurant week and felt like this place was just okay. The food was alright, not amazing. I felt like a lot of the dishes were too lightly seasoned for example the giant sea scallops that was on a bed of rice. While the sea scallops were good the rice was kind of flavorless. Service was slow (but wait staff was very friendly and sweet) and for our ice cream desserts, they were like 80-90% melted when it came out. They could have been delicious if not melted. The calamari was good but I certainly wouldn't come back just for that. My friends also tried the octopus and the steak which they liked but also agreed was 3 stars. I also did not have my ticket for parking validated even though they told me they validated it and it should be free. read more

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Great food and ambience on the patio. Loved the Cacio 0 Pepe, delicious and generous portion

This review is during many graduation celebrations so I want to be sure to note this as it was an especially busy night for a Thursday. The food was 4 stars. I had the Chicken Parm, others had Shrimp Scampi over pasta, another Chicken Parm and the Salmon entree. The main issue here is the untrained staff. While everyone was nice and courteous those delivering the food didn't know who got what. Delivery was spotty with some things taking longer than others and we had about 4 differrent people serving our table yet our water glasses were empty. The outside seating was great since the weather was lovely but it seemed those outside were kind of an afterthought. Maybe service would be tighter on a slower night but the fact that courses were not completely cleared before others came was very annoying at a restaurant of this level. $240 including tip one should expect a little more read more

Decent experience. It wasn't very busy during my restaurant week visit and I appreciated being spaced away from other diners. The service was speedy. The food was decent. The calamari was crispy, the mushroom truffle gnocchi was good good, and the chocolate flourless cake dessert was rich. Parking was convenient, but make sure you park and walk out into the right building (office). I was on an elevator that had Lias listed on the floor button, but it was next to is to a Potbelly which would've been a longer walk outdoors. Moving the car and walking out from the office space places you right next to Lias. read more

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This is a great restaurant for families with young kids. It's in our regular rotation especially when it's nice weather outside and we can sit on the patio. We went yesterday for a private event in the back room and the staff truly went above and beyond to accommodate me and my toddler. They brought her kid-friendly food and drinks that were not on the menu for the private event and even entertained her with games like picking a straw out of a cup to help me keep her quiet while the adults were making speeches. The adult food was also delicious! Lia's is always great - they never disappoint! I will be back again soon! read more

Went for a Happy Hour with a very large group, The place has plenty of outdoor seating, the food service was really quick. I only got a chance to eat a few of their pizzas, and Sweet Potato fries. Pizza is delicious and thin, the Happy hour prices are pretty decent. Certainly try out their Brussels Sprouts. They also served a wide variety of beers and cocktails. Will return again to try more. read more

Outdoor dining area was spacious, service wasn't attentive but nice enough. The second courses were brought to the table before the table was cleared. The price was reasonable. The food portions tend to be large. 5*Fried Calamari, crispy and delicious. 1*Artichoke: undercooked, poor flavor, definitely won't order it again 2*Fig & prosciutto bruschetta: bread was soggy, presentation poor, tasted so-so. Lots of room for improvement. Not up to par with the other dishes. 5*Triple berry spinach salad: ingredients and flavors were were great combination. The best and most healthy salad 3*Mediterranean salad: fresh and healthy 4*Mushroom truffle gnocchi: good flavor and super rich sauce, so rich that it's hard for anyone to finish. 3*Chocolate chip cookies: massive amount of cookies and ice cream. 2*Ice cream & sorbet: the usual. 4*Peach crumble: excellent, the best dessert. 4*Flowerless chocolate cake: very good and extremely rich. read more

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We went to Lia's for lunch, and it was a bad experience. The service was very slow because there were not enough waiters. I got the wrong cheese on my burger, and the burger was cold from sitting around so long before it was delivered. The sweet potato fries were soggy and greasy. Chef Geoff needs to go to Lia's and make improvements. Chef Geoff at New Mexico Avenue is great - Lia's is not. read more