I don't usually write reviews about restaurants but this place is exceptional!…read moreI've been asking my husband to eat here but he kept saying the menu is hard to figure out and it doesn't seem to be the kind of Italian restaurant he would like, too modern and fusion I guess. Well, we finally ate dinner there this evening and it was wonderful! My husband had the fusilloni and he loved it. You can tell how authentic the ingredients are, just so fresh and thoughtfully prepared so the ingredients all go together. If you're used to eating at Olive Garden you won't appreciate this food. I had the bruschetta and it was superb with the whipped ricotta and marinated cherry tomatoes. I also had the fagioli soup which was super flavorful! The service was very attentive without getting in the way of our conversation. Oh and the latte was the best I've ever had!

Found this place by accident and it was fantastic. We had beet salad, gnocchi, and one order…read moregluten free pasta. Our server was outstanding! Attentive enough without being overbearing. The wine was good and ambiance was nice we are outside. Great casual find with excellent food. Highly recommend if you enjoy Italian.

I came here for dinner while in town on business, and had to return the next night!…read more The Caesar salad is so... perfect. The rigatoni bolognese was unforgettable. It was Restaurant Week while I was there, so the 2nd night I tried the flatiron steak and it was fantastic also. Our servers both nights were top notch, and they have sparkling water (or still) by the bottle for the table, which makes my heart soar.

Stopped in here after hiking at Seneca Regional Park with our dog, Onyx, and honestly we were only…read moresupposed to grab a quick drink. Ended up staying for almost three hours. Started with an espresso martini, a smoked Old Fashioned, and the fritto misto to share. Everything was really good. Then we split the lamb burger and the shrimp risotto for lunch. Both were excellent, although I think the risotto edged out the burger. Our server Mike made the whole experience. Before he even brought us water, he showed up with a bowl for Onyx. Come on, that's an instant five stars in my book. We ended up talking wine with him for a good part of the afternoon. He had us sample a few different pours before we landed on a Nebbiolo we loved. Later, after another conversation about wine, he brought over a taste of a white we'd never even heard of because he thought we'd enjoy trying it. It never felt like an upsell. It just felt like talking with someone who genuinely enjoys wine and likes sharing it with people. Relaxing patio, great food, excellent cocktails, and genuinely memorable service. We'll definitely be back, and Onyx probably will too.

When Pomodoro Fairfax closed a few years ago I thought I would never get another chance to…read moreexperience their spectacular pizza that I had been ordering for decades, never finding its equal. While I did find another really good pie in Andy's Pizza, even that as great as it is did not quite measure up. Only today, did I try the Pomodoro location in Sterling, not really expecting it to measure up (as I had previously heard it was different), but wanted to at least say I tried it before giving up on ever tasting the perfect pie again. I am delighted to report that the extra cheese pie I ordered was *exactly* the way I remember it from the defunct Pomodoro Fairfax location. The perfect sauce, the moderately salty whole milk mozzerella cheese with a a crust that has just the right consistency was all intact - no change from my fine memories. In short, it was a perfect match and a perfect pie! It goes without saying I will be back, but next time I will try the Chicken Parm (another standout from Pomodoro Fairfax). This time I will go in with the high expectations that it will be the same too. In short, this restaurant easily gets my highest recommendation to all. Five stars and then some!

ITALIAN WITHOUT THE SPLURGE: My favorite here is the spaghetti Bolognese. I've ordered it many…read moretimes and it never disappoints. I've also worked through several other pasta dishes and they've all been solid. The pizza is good and the meatballs are especially tasty. Bottom line, you get the quality of a sit down Italian restaurant at more affordable prices. That makes it an easy choice when you want something good without checking your budget first. They even offer bottles of wine around $30 if you want to make it feel a little more like a night out. It's truly a family run place. The husband and wife have been working here for as many years as I've been coming, and that consistency shows. They don't make their own desserts other than the cannolis, which is easy to forgive given everything else they do well. This place is a clear step above most fast casual Italian spots. Try it next time you're craving Italian.

We've been putting it off but finally tried Cantina D'italia. The restaurant has a warm feel and…read morethe staff, energetic and very friendly - made for a great 1st time. The food was tasty as well. I recommend stopping by if you are in the area. warm bread [5] :) garlic cheese bread [4.5] pizza [4] not bad! calamari [3] needed something... grilled salmon salad [4] huge piece. spaghetti and sauce [5] my son ate it. I had one of the specials, but forgot the name of it. It came with at least 6 good sized shrimp, mushrooms in a pesto cream sauce over linguini [5]. Very good! We will be back to try more of the menu.

I had this out of the blue chicken marsala craving and did a little research and decided to give…read moreCantina D'Italia a shot. I will start off by saying that I had low expectations given the track record of non-chain Italian restaurants I've tried since living in northern VA of which 85% have been terrible (remember I'm from NJ where Italian food should be the state food). But I said YOLO, crossed my fingers and ordered the marsala via GrubHub. The moral of the story is that I was PLEASANTLY SURPRISED by Cantina D'Italia overall because the marsala was pretty tasty, spaghetti cooked almost perfectly, garlic bread with cheese perfectly seasoned and cheesy and they sent an added little unexpected bonus of a pretty side salad with a homemade vinaigrette and fresh Italian bread and butter! Oh and the portion was HUGE! Totally got 2-3 meals out of it. Cantina D'Italia has given me hope ... or I should say at least gave me an Italian restaurant I just might frequent and explore all the other menu options :)

North Italia was amazing! Our server was incredibly knowledgeable and made our lunch experience…read moreeven better. Even though Chicken Alfredo wasn't on the menu, he let me know the kitchen could still make it with pappardelle pasta. It was my first time having it that way and WOW! Every bite was absolutely delicious. A special thank you to Max for the recommendation. The service was excellent, the food was outstanding, and I can't wait to come back. Highly recommend!

I was not familiar with the North Italia chain, because there are none in the northeast - New York…read moreand New England. That's probably because of all the really good Italian restaurants in all the major cities and Little Italy's up there. They were not crowded on a Thursday evening for our party of 9. I started with a Turino Old Fashioned, which features Whistle Pig Rye and hazelnut liqueur. The hazelnut was very prominent. But Whistle Pig Rye also has a distinct flavor, and I could not taste that at all in my drink, and in general I was expecting a stronger flavor overall. Our dinners all came out relatively close to each other, 7 of them in the first wave, and the remaining 2 within a minute. My Braised Short Rib Lumache featured maybe 1 scoop of the short rib, atop pasta shells in a cheese sauce. The pasta and cheese appeared to be the standout in this dish, when I would have expected it to be the short rib. I don't think the Italian restaurants in the Northeast need to be too concerned. And with them you are more likely to get personal feedback rather than something which is generated as comments and automatically suggests trying the Happy Hour for more satisfaction.

Jery made my little sisters night unforgettable. Today was…read morehis second day, and if that's an indication of the rest of his time here, they are very very lucky to have him. If you want a 5 experience in Herndon, Ask for Jery

update 7/26 While working in Herndon VA we looked on Yelp…read morefor the beat Italian restaurant near us and found this gem. Made a reservation on open table and went to this lovely resturant in the downtown area. We were seated by a very pleasant gentleman, and within seconds, the staff came to the table to check on what we wanted in water choices and anything from the bar. Minutes later the bread showed up on the table with olive oil. After reviewing the menu we ordered the Fried Calamari and zucchini. Followed by a Chicken Parmigiana for me with a pink sauce over the linguine. The meal was delicious and the pink sauce was just perfect over the fresh made pasta. The sauce was made perfectly and enhanced the chicken. My friend loved his Veal cutlet parm. Just the perfect end of a week of work with delicious food. Only thing was the bread could have been warm. The staff was amazing and could not have been more attentive.

Tried this Mediterranean eatery on the recommendation of an acquaintance, and I'm glad they told me…read moreabout this place! I ordered the mixed kabob (salmon and vegetable) and everything was tasty, hot and delicious! Everything had just the right amount of seasoning. Even the grilled pita bread had a nice light sprinkle of seasoning. The white tsiki sauce was creamy and had a nice texture due to the slices of radish. The salmon was tender and flaky. I'm definitely going to try more items on their menu on a return trip and I'm going to recommend to friends to try this humble eatery that's serving hot tasty Mediterranean fare!

So, we decided to meet up at Cafesano one Friday evening. When I first entered Cafesano, the…read moreatmosphere was very lively, yet intimate. After locating my friend, we discussed her recommended dishes since she frequented Cafesano. She eventually stated that I wouldn't be disappointed with the skewers, so, I decided to commit to the Steak and Shrimp Skewers. With the busyness of the Friday crowd, I expected there to be a wait time with ordering our meals, however, the order line essentially was non-existent, which was a win. The cashier was nice and efficient. However, when it was time for my food to come out, it took quite a bit of time. But, eventually my food came out fresh off the stove, which I appreciated. On to the taste of the dish. Unfortunately, with the promising words from my friend paired with the reviews, my expectations for this dish may have been quite high, causing immediate disappointment. I sadly felt like everything on my plate lacked flavor. The meat could have been seasoned/marinated better giving a more flavorful skewer experience. The portion size was good and price was very affordable. As it pertains to parking, the options were abundant.

This evening I had one of the specials, the Pollo Arrosto, with rosemary and Calabrian garlic…read moresauce. It was a wonderful dish! I also wish that the special from one month ago, Pollo ai Funghi, could make its return. Unfortunately I didn't take a photo of it, but it was great! The dishes here are all wonderful and the chef continues to come up with specials that are to remember. I was also on a date night with my husband and the service and overall ambiance was great, as usual. Thank you, Pazzo Pomodoro.

We've been a few times and the food is always excellent, but the service, more so the kitchen, have…read morelagged. We ordered and waited. First the waiter forgot my wife's glass of wine for so long the bartender got tired of seeing it sitting there and walked it over herself, apologizing for the delay. We received our food, but the extra bread we'd asked for was "still in the oven", and it was still in the oven after we'd nearly finished and my wife's clams dish had gone cold. The waiter apologized, but then it took him 20 minutes to return with refills so we decided to skip dessert. So then it took another 10 minutes to get my card back once he disappeared with that. This is the third time we've been underwhelmed with slow or disjointed timing. Some meals come out while others at the table have to wait. It's really odd. I don't think we'll give it another go. I prefer supporting local, but not while my meal goes cold waiting for people at the table to receive their meals.

Like Trios, but even better. Get ready for a bunch of superlatives…read more.. This place has some similarities to Trios in Merrifield. Both Heirloom and Trios are attached to--and share a kitchen with--a Roadhouse Grill, and all of them are owned by the same parent company. However, Heirloom is much smaller, which I suspect makes it easier to control quality. Based on my experiences--one visit here and many visits to Trios over the years--the quality of just about everything is better at Heirloom. My meal consisted of their Smoked Manhattan, the Burrata salad, and the Heirloom Burger. (The burger was so good that they named the restaurant after it!) The Manhattan was one of the best Manhattans I've ever had. It had a wonderfully mellow, balanced flavor that edged toward sweet, despite being made with rye. Maybe it was the aroma--and eventual taste--of the large toasted marshmallow suspended over my glass where the cherry would normally go? I guess, to be sure, I'll have to go back and order another. The Burrata did what all great burratas do: each bite felt like a mouthful of sunshine. The cheese, tomatoes, arugula, and balsamic vinaigrette combined to create pure culinary happiness. The only better burrata I can recall was at Mikrolimano in Athens. However, once you factor in travel time and parking, Heirloom is definitely the better value. The Heirloom Burger was absolutely delicious. This past week I've been waxing poetic about burgers because one of the Hackney's restaurants back home is closing after 70 years, so emotionally, I'm not prepared to bestow any new burger honors just yet. However, check back in a few weeks, and you may very well see this review updated to say that the Heirloom Burger was one of the best burgers I've ever had. Other logistics... The service was OUTSTANDING. We were seated right at our reservation time, greeted warmly by several staff members, and waited on nearly hand and foot by Alex. She explained the menu, helped us select our beverages, and made sure everything ran smoothly throughout the meal. It was attentive service without ever feeling intrusive. Parking is free after 5 and on weekends in a multi-story garage about half a block away. Happy hour is 5-7. They call Heirloom a speakeasy, but it feels more like a small restaurant with an eight-stool bar and a few high-tops. It's intimate compared with the Roadhouse, but not exactly speakeasy-intimate. And, finally, Heirloom is inside Roadhouse. You walk down a hallway, turn left into a very short hallway, open an unmarked door, and then go through a second door marked only by a red rose on the handle. I suspect the obscure entrance is their justification for calling it a speakeasy. But with food and service this good, they can call it whatever they like.

Went there to celebrate a friends promotion! Happy Hour was pretty good. Definitely recommend the…read moremeatballs! They were delicious! The drinks were average. We all ordered off the regular menu for our meal and we ordered the same dish which was the Sea bass...it's nothing to write home about TBH. It wasn't horrible...but it wasn't delicious either. They ate their entire meal...I didn't eat all of mine. So...I'd say it's a hit or miss meal. The ambiance is AWESOME! I'll definitely go back! And I've recommended this spot to other ppl already! A hidden gem in Reston! Service was awesome! Our waitress was really nice and she made some good recommendations for drinks. We don't have to wait long for anything.