My wife and I live in Old Town and have enjoyed eating at Michael's on King twice in the past two weeks and both times we had a really nice experience. Besides the great food, the service was exemplary, and the prices were very reasonable. Our first visit was late as we were returning from a flight into Dulles (!) at 2130 hrs and knew many restaurants would be closing soon. We picked Michael's since it was on our way home, just a few blocks from our home, and we hadn't eaten there in a while. As an aside, we find it hard to return to restaurants often because there are so many good choices in our city. Anyway, when we arrived only three tables were eating in the downstairs area, and we were quickly greeted, sat, and ordered immediately since it was late. There were no complaints from our server despite our late arrival. The ambience was old school Italian restaurant, with the audible but not too loud music to match. We were brought fresh bread which we were told was baked at the restaurant, and we were given a spicy olive oil mix to dip our bread into. It was delicious! We ordered drinks, and were quickly brought from the upstairs bar a very tasty Aperol spritz (my "go to" for an Italian cocktail) and a Pinot Noir. The food came out quickly and was hot. I had a delicious lasagne (apparently the owner's grandmother's recipe) and my wife loved her mushroom ravioli. A split tiramisu capped off the evening, and I could tell it was made in house since real coffee soaked the bottom of my dessert. The price was very reasonable, at $130 for two entrees, two drinks, one dessert, and an excessive tip because of our late arrival. Our second visit was only a week or so after because we had a such good time on our first visit. I'm clearly a non-foodie idiot because I had the lasagna once again, but in my defense it was really really good. Once again we had a great meal with even better service, with manager/head server Michael, who is not related to the owner also named Michael. Just a nice fellow who provided quick efficient service, especially considering that the restaurant was much more crowded since we had reservations at 1800 hours. Prices again were very reasonable for the high quality of food we received, spending $170 for an appetizer, two entrees, four drinks (I know, I know), one dessert to split, and again an excessive tip because of the personable service. Another great date night for us. My wife and I definitely recommend Michael's on King. We enjoyed both of our meal experiences and think you will too. Try it, you'll likely be very happy you did! read more

See all

Michael's on King is an exceptionally well appointed restaurant and upper bar with a lounge. The restaurant has excellent decor and seating allows for some level of privacy. The upper bar and lounge is extremely well appointed with very comfortable chairs. Very nice leg room around the tables. This is meant to relax, smoke a cigar (if you want), and sit back and relax with a drink in your hand. The bar has the basics for now, and I heard they are adding more styles of alcohol for differing palates. I ate their steak with a glass of red wine. Steak was very tender and cooked exactly as I requested. The wine list is good. I'd want to see more full body Italian reds, but there's some full bodies on their wine menu already. Overall experience is excellent. Wait staff was attentive without being annoying. Michael's on King is definitely a repeat experience! read more

See all

THE.BEST.SPOT.ON.KING.STREET! My mother and I were walking around forever in old town looking for a nice place to grab a bite to eat. We stumbled into Michael's on King, and we were not disappointed. Despite being busy on a Saturday night with no reservations, we were seated so quickly. We ordered the carprese skewers and zucchini flowers (amazing !!!) for appetizers, and I had the chicken parm, which for a simple and classic dish was packed with flavor and was served as a surprisingly hefty portion. The pasta was fresh, which really brought the meal together. The service was great, everyone was super friendly and helpful, and the ambiance was cozy yet refined ... the perfect vibe for a Saturday evening. We will 100% be back. If you're looking for a relaxed fine dining experience with great food and a great environment, look no further. Also, I have to give the much required honorable mention... The espresso martinis are I had two! read more

Michael's on King - One of the most delicious meals I've had in a while. Chicken Parmigiana! - Comfort Food Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

See all

Awful. Other than the fresh bread and the dirty martini, I wouldn't even stop here for water. I don't get how this plane stays open. Michael (not the owner) literally takes his time doing everything. There were only two other tables worth people while we were there and it took us over an hour to just get our cocktails, nonetheless our appetizers which were cold rice balls and a dry salad with no dressing. The entrees were awful. Didn't even take them to go after eating only a few bites. I highly don't recommend. read more

Excellent & Friendly! Having just a few days in Alexandria and all day driving around the Snickersville Turnpike Scenic tour, we we ready for homemade Italian! Michael was fantastic, helpful and entertaining and we thoroughly enjoyed fantastic dinner in a quiet comfortable setting. Well priced, affordable bottles of wine, you will love it! read more

Came in from Boston to visit my son with relatives for Mother's Day! What a great experience ! We even got to meet the owners who were so nice and even got to meet their gorgeous baby daughter! The atmosphere and food were just like Bostons North end! Will come back here every time we are in town! The Durkin's read more

Michael's on King - Comfort Food Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

See all

Came here for my dad's birthday and it was a good experience. I rather enjoyed the ambiance of this place. "It's giving"...family owned small restaurant with a slight resort feel. The ceiling fans reminded me of something I've seen while dining outdoor on a tropical vacation. To think it's nestled in Old Town. I got the chicken Parmesan and loved it. Chicken was crispy and sauce was good, I just thought the noodles were somehow heavy. I later found out that they are homemade...so I don't know guess I prefer store bought *shrug*. Half of us enjoyed every bit and the other half would change one or two things but still enjoyed their meal. My relative wanted a less sweet taste to the Milanese dish and I wanted thinner noodles. There wasn't anyone else there when we got there so it felt like we rented the place out. The waitress was friendly and responsive. They slowly trickled in as we were finishing up. We parked on the street and I didn't check out the bathroom so I can't comment. I would visit again and would recommend it. read more

See all

My husband and I ate here on a Saturday night. Service was good, food was okay. My carbonara was very good, my husband's salmon overcooked. Biggest disappointment was Michael's salad. iceberg lettuce with a few cherry tomatoes and minimal balsamic vinegar. My husband requested olive oil to add to the salad, which never came. With all the amazing salad combinations out there (sans iceberg) this was truly a miss. Let's try a little harder- read more

I was looking for a place to celebrate Valentine's Day with my wife and we often like to try new places on a whim. I found Michael's on King (MoK) via a Google search and decided to take a chance. We're both so glad we did!! MoK is located on King Street in Old Town Alexandria with a modest storefront that you can easily walkby if you're not paying attention. When we arrived, we were greeted by a very friendly maître d who showed us to our table. The restaurant was dimly lit and had a somewhat retro feel, but we thought it was perfect for our Valentine celebration. We thoroughly enjoyed our appetizers (shrimp bruschetta and stuffed mushrooms) and entrees (veal saltimbocca and veal scaloppine) while sipping red wine throughout the evening. The food was marvelously flavorful and delicious. At first we thought the portions were small, but as it turned out the food was very rich and filling so we have no complaints. Our waiter was attentive, professional and very pleasant. All in all, they made our Valentine's Day feel special, enjoyable and memorable. We rolled the dice and hit the jackpot! Thank you MoK!! read more

I loved the old location on S. Washington and was excited for their move to King St! Been twice already and it's the same great menu with some added items, great service, craft cocktails and the upscale ambience of the old digs - this time with the benefit of King Street convenience. I will note that their chef moved with them (I asked)...so, if you're a fan of their Lasagna - it hasn't changed a bit. read more

I've always been a fan of Michael's Little Italy and I was exited for their move onto King Street. Just a few feet away from local live music. Their Pumpkin Ravioli won me over a few years ago and the vodka sauce that goes with it is amazing! Michael is always so attentive and nice. So is his wife Kelsi. And last but surely not least their Espresso Martini is hands down my favorite! You're missing out if you haven't tried it. Highly recommend! read more

Michael's on King - Comfort Food Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

I am in Old town regularly for work and business. I found Michael's restaurant a delight to find. Michael the server tries his best to give vip treatment to all the customers. the food is absolutely delicious- my favorite is the Tuscan Chicken. The upstairs lounge also has the best Martinis and quiet atmosphere for my business meetings for a low key quiet place. I find myself there atleast once a week. read more

Our food was very tasty. Not sure where any negative review may have come from because our food was amazing. The ravioli and cod are both amazing and would recommend anyone try this place read more

Well we made reservations for here last Sunday. Walked in and the waiter/host told we could sit anywhere. We made reservations here as they advertise a piano bar on Sunday nights. Looked around and saw no piano. While looking for the piano we notice about 8-10 dead flies on the windowsill. I asked the waiter/host where the piano was. He said we don't have that every Sunday. Well here's a thought, don't advertise that you do. Oh and clean the dead flies. Needless to say we never ate here. We left. read more

Food was mediocre service was even worse. Don't go. You'd be wasting your time. I need seven more characters but I think I've said what I needed to say! read more

Michael's on King is perfect for any occasion! The service is excellent and always very welcoming. I always try something new and have enjoyed every dish I have eaten here! Also, they make a great espresso martini! read more

My wife and I had a very nice meal at Michael's this evening. We started with cocktails and enjoyed some freshly baked bread. Warm to the touch, it was complemented with a delightful olive oil with herbs for dipping. It was glorious! We then moved to a wonderful fried artichoke appetizer. Following our appetizer, my wife enjoyed the pasta with seafood (frutti di mare) and I had the Osso Buco. All were outstanding - and we complemented it with a delightful bottle of red wine that our waiter, Michael, recommended. Michael was personable and very helpful. We only wish we would have tried the restaurant sooner. We will be back! read more

I never leave yelp reviews but I feel strongly about how mediocre this place was. Just ate there for Valentine's Day dinner tonight and was sadly disappointed. Let me explain: -the antipasti options on the Valentine's Day menu was extremely limited so we got the shrimp bruschetta. It was so bland and just not good at all. 2 pieces of hard cold bread with tomato chunks and one cold shrimp on top. Literally the most boring appetizer I've ever paid for. - the bread came after our appetizer and came with a small plastic cup of olive oil. The bread was cold and hard and the plastic cup of oil was too small to even dip the bread in. Like are we at Applebees or can we get an actual glass sauce cup please? Considering we're paying for a nice dining experience? Oh and there was no butter either. Ick. -my fiancé got the chicken parm and it was just fine. The sauce could've been jarred Ragu brand and I would've have tasted the difference. Just an extremely boring take on chicken parm. I've eaten microwavable tv dinner versions of chicken parm and this was only a little better. Overall thoughts: boring. - I had the lobster ravioli and I will say it was delicious. No complaints except for the small portion size (about 5 raviolis) but that is to be expected when ordering lobster ravioli. I liked it - the tiramisu was once again good but unexciting. I've had grocery store tiramisu that tasted the same. - the waiter did his job but the bare minimum. He never told us his name or gave any input on the menu. Once again, boring service same as the boring food. - ambiance: it was cute but small. Felt very close to other diners. The table was so tiny and the back of the chairs were extremely rounded so I had no where to put my purse except for right beside my plate of food which was annoying. Why can't restaurants take into account that women need somewhere to put their purse and if you're going to choose round chair backs then you need bigger tables or purse hooks? Overall my experience was boring and unexciting. Not much else to say. The bread and appetizer was just plain bad. The rest was just okay. Seems like this restaurant doesn't take any pride in their work. Felt like we overpaid for this meal. read more

Absolutely love this place! Such a nice ambiance and chill environment. The owners are so friendly and welcoming! One of my favorite places to go for a drink and just an overall great experience! And their espresso martinis are made properly and soooo delicious!! read more

Michael's on King - Espresso Martini's! - Comfort Food Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Very disappointing food & service. This restaurant replaced Magnolia's in Old Town. I heard good things about the restaurant in it's former location. The service was deplorable. Our waitress didn't speak English and consistently gave our group the wrong information about the menu, bill, etc. While my friends ordered appetizers (3 for $10, 5 for $25) and that was a good deal, I ordered an entree, veal piccata, for $38. My entree consisted of three tiny pieces of veal over a small serving of pasta. The waitress told us we overpaid, so we just left a generous tip. Then she came back and said we didn't pay enough so we put in more money. A disastrous experience. I wouldn't waste my time or money. read more

Great service, atmosphere you can have a table conversation in, and good food. Reasonable prices for Old Town

Is it possible to give 0 stars??? This is the most disgusting place with the most disgusting service!! This white girl in her 20s was our waitress and she was extremely rude??? we had to ask her for bread for like 4 times??? The food was extremely small and very overpriced, my pasta literally tasted like water it was disgusting. Literally don't ever come here. read more

Soundtrack--vocal standards--was great, food and drinks were really good. Nice addition to King Street!

Food was not the same at the new location. Loved their fettuccine alfredo at the old location but it was obvious after one bite that the quality has dropped at the new location. Very disappointing because we found Mike's Little Italy when we first moved here and loved it. Gave them a chance at their new location and will not be coming back read more

We had a nightmare experience with Michael's on King where they charged us $140 without ever actually visiting them. We recently made a reservation with them and realized we had a conflict with the time selected so we cancelled the online reservation within 5 minutes of making it and planned on going to the restaurant another day in the future. The original reservation was made for 2 days from the initial booking. To double-check, we called the restaurant and left multiple messages ensuring it was cancelled since it was so soon. We finally got someone on the phone and they verbally confirmed it was cancelled. We thought that was the end of it but then over a month later we received a charge for $140 from the restaurant that we already cancelled. There was no other correspondence or notice that we'd be charged. We called the restaurant instantly after and no one ever picked up the phone. We emailed multiple times with no response. Since the restaurant was unresponsive we disputed the charge with the credit card company and sent all the documentation with the efforts to contact the restaurant. The credit card company said they'd take care of it and we didn't hear anything for 1.5 months. The restaurant then put the $140 charge again on our card where we attempted to contact them again with no response. It was disputed again with the credit card company where we were told that the restaurant said the policy is if the cancellation is not made before 48 hours we'd be charged $140. This was never brought up with the first and only time we got confirmation it was cancelled through the phone call with someone at the restaurant and after countless attempts at trying to contact the restaurant after the fact. We had to pay the $140 charge. This is a completely horrible and unethical business practice - why would anyone ever bother making a reservation and forbid someone is sick or unexpected occurs to then be out $140? We will NEVER be visiting this establishment and wanted to warn others of this nightmare we dealt with and had to pay for without ever setting foot in the restaurant. read more