Delicious bites and a super friendly and accommodating bartender!!! Warm and inviting atmosphere with tasty food. Plenty of parking which is lucky in Alexandria! read more

Absolutely perfect in every way, we had the kid's pizza and pasta for my kiddos, my wife had the vodka sauce pizza and I had their flank steak. Everything was absolutely delicious! Service was great, our server never missed a beat and the only time we were left waiting was for the check. The area was extremely cool and I can see it becoming the in spot. read more

The contactless ordering is seamless and the best experience. The food is great American style food- the cauliflower is amazing!!! Downside- you can't by bottles of wine. read more

Beer lovers rejoice! This place has every type of beer you can think of including one with mint chocolate chips ... maybe I'll try that one next time. The decor is funky and has an industrial southwest vibe including a cool mosaic on the wall. We ordered the spicy chicken meatball pizza and it was delicious but not for the faint of heart it really is spicy, spicy! The pizza is cooked in a special pizza oven that you can see from the tables. We also had the feta cheese appetizer and the Caesar salad. I would order everything again. One star off because the wait staff was confused on who was servicing our table which resulted in slower service and we had to keep asking for water refills. Other than that great place to eat and like I said before if you like specialty beer this is the place for you!! read more

Rustico - Chicken meatball pizza - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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My partner and I loved this place! Staff are extremely friendly. Food was absolutely phenomenal. We will be back.

Horrible experience here last weekend. My husband and I walked in around 8:30 and the place was dead (Saturday night). That should have been our first clue. The staff was already piling pillows up in the doorway from outside and wiping down tables, even though the sign said they were open until 10 or 11. We then waited at our table about 10 minutes before asking the hostess if our waiter was coming at some point and her response was, "yeah we're just tired". He finally came over and we placed our order. The pizza was actually good, but the kitchen staff was visible and in there eating and wiping their faces and not wearing gloves or anything while preparing food which seemed gross. Overall it was a terrible vibe, terrible staff, and decent food. Hopefully it was just an off night for them and you have a better experience if you go here. read more

Great place we found near our hotel. Their appetizers are so yummy! Artichoke spinach dip and Caesar salad are delicious. People that work here are so friendly read more

Sad lunch yesterday - salad was overdressed and slightly wilted. I do not know what to make of the tatter tots - hard, not crispy on the outside. I only ate a few. The chicken sandwich was just okay. I used to frequent Rustico bringing people for business meetings and the food was great. It seems a little pre-fab now. I also attended a business happy hour in recent months and everything was fried and greasy. It may just be me. On the positive side the decor is nice. read more

Today was my first time visiting this location, which I found after viewing the Metro DC restaurant week website. I decided to try it for brunch, as they were advertising that they were serving all meals. It was also on the restaurant's Facebook and actual website. When arriving at the restaurant we were not given the restaurant week menu, so I asked for them. I was told by the server "Oh you misread we don't serve restaurant week brunch," to which I responded, "are you sure? It's on your website." He never bothered to consult a manager or double check. After he stepped away I did confirm on the website that a brunch menu was posted, so when he returned I asked that he just double check. Finally the server did and brought the menus. After this debacle, it didn't get much better. We had to ask multiple times for our drink order to come, the burger that was ordered was supposed to have bacon and egg added to it (and didn't), and the burger was completely unseasoned. Then to top it off, the server came back with a story that the dessert we had ordered had "just sold the last one." It was 12pm, and looking around the restaurant no one had ordered dessert. Had he just said, "we currently don't have ____ dessert currently prepared," it would not have been a big deal but giving a seemingly dishonest story left a bad taste. Overall, not a pleasant experience, poor food, and horrendous service. If a restaurant is going to promote multiple times on their Facebook, post their RW menu on their website, and be listed on the RW website, they need to have it together. read more

I haven't written any Yelp reviews in quite some time and normally I'm very easy to please. We were disappointed with Rustico today though. Went in on a Sunday afternoon with my wife and sat at the bar. We ordered the sticky bun, which was fantastic. We also ordered the Bada-Bing Breakfast Burger to split, which was also tasty. We substituted the fries for a Fall Harvest side salad and this was where the issues started. As we bit into the salad we nearly broke our teeth. We asked the bartender what the dark pieces in the salad were and if people have broken their teeth on them. He stated that it was the wild rice and then we learned they were supposed to be cooked and then fried. Clearly our salad included wild rice that wasn't cooked correctly. The bartender said they'd fix it in the next batch, but didn't replace our salad. No big deal as we were both full from splitting the burger so we asked for the bill. When the bill arrived, the sticky bun was a $1 more than printed on the menu and the Bada-Bing Breakfast Burger was $2 more. Normally I'm not going to complain about a couple bucks, but the bartender said it was only $1 more to sub out the fries for the salad so we asked him to check on it. He came back and stated that they had recently updated their menu prices, but hadn't printed new menus. We started getting dirty looks from a waitress nearby and the bartender wasn't offering to adjust the bill until I pushed back a little more. Like I said, it's probably not even worth $2 or even publishing a review, but at this point we felt like we weren't getting great customer service. The more we waited the more we felt treated poorly. Finally he came back and threw the adjusted bill in front of me from behind my back and didn't say thank you or provide any further explanation. We were just disappointed in the lack of customer service and the standard at Rustico that one would expect. As a side note, we were never visited once by a manager to help ease or concerns or ensure we felt like a valued customer. Also, we didn't feel confident that they weren't still serving the uncooked rice to other patrons. I'd love to say I'd return to Rustico as their food (other than the salad) was unique and flavorful, but they'll need to step up their service a bit. Take care of your customers and they'll take care of you. P.S. I still tipped $6 on the $31 tab and most wouldn't even have tipped that much. read more

The food has always been reliably good, if not something to write home about in previous years (save for this great salmon BLT they had on the menu in 2013...my mom and I still talk about it), but they've definitely upped their game recently. The lemon sugar doughnuts they added to the menu are incredible...I've gotten them three times in the past month. If they could bring back that salmon BLT, that would be awesome. The service has always been fantastic, but with COVID, they've taken it to another level. It's clear they're taking every precaution possible to keep you and their staff members safe and happy (reorganizing seating and adding decor outdoors for the ambiance, the way they've set up their takeout pick-ups, clean vs. dirty pens for signing checks, sanitizer, etc.). With how warm and fastidious the staff is, you're immediately put at ease, and for a brief period, you can stop worrying about the world and just enjoy the experience of eating at the local neighborhood spot. read more

I give this a Minus star. Service was appalling no accuracy what so ever two simple items Rustico burger cooked well with a side of finger fries and a Tonic water with no ice. Burger undercooked is raw and the fries were a garnish on the side they had the balls to charge $6 for. $21 for substandard food. Needless to say I left If you need a quick good lunch this is not the place to come. read more

Bar food could be better. Service has gone down the drain lately. I've been here a couple dozen times over the past couple years and lately I've been disappointed read more

Rustico - Great pic! - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

My sangria was pretty bland, the soup tasted canned, pizza was ok, pretzel was frozen then cooked, server was great.

Frank Morales III did a great job with this spot! Love the decor, great menu, fresh ingredients with something for everyone. Everything that we had was perfect. I loved the Mac-n-cheese, brussel sprouts, pate. The chicken under a brick looked pretty tasty too. I could see how a spot like this will do well in other parts of DC. Definitely going back here again it's one of those places where you could easily have dinner once or twice a week. Date Rating: 6 Pick up Scale: TBD (It was quiet when we were here) Strong Suggestion: Make a reservation if you're bringing a group. This would be a great place to have a get together or late afternoon party. read more

I'm giving this place 0.0 stars as they have erroneously charged 2 of my friends credit cards 5x+ the amount. I'm sure they will resolve this issue soon! I just want to warn people to check their statements after they leave this restaurant!!!! read more

Rustico - Donuts, deviled eggs, fries and mussels. Everything was good but mussels were so so. - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Is Rustico really a 1 star restaurant? No, not really. But I'm mad enough after my last visit to give it 1 star. Rustico was always a favorite work lunch spot or a great spot for dinner. I always got a pizza and an appetizer and always left happy. My only complaint was things I loved disappearing off the menu only to be replaced by something different. I could deal with that, as I know they do a lot of seasonal things. I always loved the pizza. Rustico wasn't one of those yuppy joints that churned out the disgusting dry wood fired pizzas with 3 inches of bloated, dry, sandpaper crust full of burnt bubbles that explode into ash when touched. I don't know who decided that was the way pizza should be made, but it's one of the worst trends going. Notice I said, WASN'T. The pizza was always the perfect thickness, decent crust, and flavorful. Fast forward to last night. I order my usual pizza and the steak tartare sliders. Sliders were fine. But as I'm eating them I start to notice pizzas coming out of the kitchen. I see burnt and bloated crusts everywhere. WTF??? What's going on? Then my pizza is placed in front of me and it's a complete disaster. The crust was completely 100% inedible. Every single piece had completely burned bubbles all over it. I left hungry. A discussion with the server confirmed it. They changed the dough. I partially blame that Yahoo article from a few months back. http://travel.yahoo.com/ideas/best-pizza-spots-in-the-u-s-.html I'd like to punch the chef in the face who started this pizza fad. Who decided that a crust should take up 2/3 of the pizza and be burnt and 3 inches thick and flavorless with the texture of cardboard? Really? That's the best pizza? If that's what you're into, consider this a 5 star review because that's what Rustico serves now. Or, if you're one of those people who thinks pizza should have flavor with edible crust, stay away. Rustico, I don't know why you have to fall all over yourselves to screw up a good thing you had going. You're your own worst enemy. Here's a 1 star review to let you know how I feel about changing your dough. read more

BEER. BEER. MUSSELS. PIZZA. BEER. I want to pick this place up and set it in the middle of the city - It's a really cute little bar/restaurant, but not so great that it's worth taking a trip for. They do have a very comprehensive beer selection and an extremely knowledgeable staff. Overall, it's a good time waiting to be had. The best part is that you can skip over to buzz bakery (across the street) for a dessert of bumble bee cupcakes. read more

I had a terribly stressful day at so what better then to vent to Karman L. at a restaurant we've been wanting to try. While the conversation lifted up my spirits, the food did not. The Prince Edward Island Mussels were not all that meaty. The spicy tomato caper broth was okay. The dish was very blah. They also have these $6 small plates they call bites. The portions are teeny-tiny. The Seared Rare North Atlantic Tuna was good, thinly seared on the perimeter and the rest was rare. I recommend skipping the Organic Air-Dried Beef Carpaccio with butter greens, it sounds a lot better than it tastes (like super-salty, low-quality ham). There is a $3 surcharge for the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Mac & Cheese. The crab and fontina cheese was quite good but ruined by the presence of peas and tomatoes. It has so much potential to be excellent. The waitress was dull and didn't have helpful answers to our questions. Service was spotty. I like the ambiance of the restaurant, it was surprisingly busy considering the neighborhood. I guess I really wanted to like it since I'm across the street at Buzz Bakery pretty often these days. read more

We really want to love this place cuz it's so close to our house, but I wish they would put something good on the menu. Why do we go to a pizza place that only has reasonably good burgers? Their salads are salty and paltry. The kids menu pepperoni pizza is the only thing that is any good. If you go, go for the beer selection. The food has never been good and we have gone their at least 10 times. Each time I come out disappointed. The place is clean, but staff is hit or miss. read more

Looking for beer? Look no further! I have family that lives within throwing distance of this place and whenever I visit, I spend as much time here as I do with the family. Why you ask? Well to start, they have over 300 different bottled beers! That's right boys and girls, a beer drinkers dream. Not too sure what to order, ask the wait staff. I was thoroughly impressed with the knowledge of the wait staff here. With 300 beers, I would think the recommendations would be hit or miss but no matter what type of beer I asked for a recommendation on (Porters, Ale's, Wheat's, Red's etc) every beer I drank was delicious! As for the Food, I have had 3 different items: White Pizza- Fantastic Burger- Fantastic Blue Crab Mac & Cheese- Not so fantastic Not to worry though, the scene here is great; the crowed that hangs at the bars seems to be in very late 20's - early 40's. Everyone is there to have a good time. With 4 great T.V.'s over the bar, you can catch any great game while drinking beer from around the world. How could you go wrong? read more

They have a great happy hour (with $2 off all standard-sized beers)! The selection of stouts is great and a $3 brooklyn lager really can't be beat for happy hour enjoyment. I also got a chance to try their grilled-cheese w/ ham and onions. Delicious but heavy, with LOTS of cheese. The fries come with two kinds of ketchup (one that is unmistakably Heinz, and one that is smokey and spicey like BBQ sauce). The pizzas ordered by two members of our group did come out a bit burnt (and one was sent back and replaced with a more satisfactorily cooked pie). I personally prefer my pizza to be a little blackened (and these tasted great to me), but since "cajun" was not among the specifications provided by the customers, I have to dock them a star. read more

Ok if you are looking for sub par food in an upscale atmosphere near Potomac Yards and Alexandria THEN STEP RIGHT UP!!!!!!!! Its been awhile since i've been here and I thought I had posted my review, but alas I didn't. This is how memorable of a meal it was for me I stopped and got something to eat at Wendy's on my way home. The service is good but the food bleh... its worth the trip to drive into Old Town if you want a decent meal at the prices they charge. I will say the Beer selection is great and served well... that is all! read more

I don't get all the great reviews on Yelp... The only good thing about this place is their beer selection, after that its a massive disappointment. Even the water was bad (it seriously smelled like a wet dog). Anyway, let me give you a run down of our evening at Rustico... Ordered 2 flights of beer (the "Wheaties" and whatever they called their flight of pale ales), the homemade Thick-Cut Fries tossed in Ranch and the Salt Cod Fitters. The fries weren't anything special, and were made instantly soggy and tasteless by the watery sauce that resembled ranch dressing in name only. The Salt Cod Fritters were bland and nothing to write home about. Regardless, we ate both and ordered our meals. Here's where it all goes down hill. The wife and I ordered a Sausage Pizza and the Rosemary Braised Chicken Ragu with Walnut Gnocchi with the intention of sharing... We were excited about trying Rustico and really wanted to sample a few different things, so hey, why not? Anyway, the meals come out and the pizza seriously tasted like a bad DiGiorno. The sauce tasted canned and the sausage tasted like it came off of a Celeste frozen pizza. However, the worst was my wife's meal... The "gnocchi" was undercooked, poorly formed, and looked like globs of white mush that you couldn't get to stay on a fork if your life depended on it. Also, the ragu tasted like someone cracked open a can of Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup and dumped it on top of the gnocchi after a quick bubble on the stove. Now, let me say that I'm not one to send things back just because I don't like them, but these two dinners were atrocious (especially my wife's). I asked the waiter if he could just remove the two entrees from our check so that we could pay for our other items and leave. I didn't want to try anything else because frankly, based on the entire experience, I didn't think their food was good. However, the manager walks over with two menus, puts them in front of us and says "I'm sorry about the problems, what else can I get for your tonight?" I just asked for the check. No less than 5 minutes later, the waiter comes back and says that the manager comped the meal and walks away. For the next 5 minutes (we still had beer to finish) the wait staff, busboys, and hostesses kept swinging by our table to eye it (and us) up... I know when I'm being kicked out, I don't need the parade of staff. Anyway, I called the waiter over, asked him what our bill would have been so I could leave him a tip (it wasn't his fault after all), finished my beer, and left. Because of the beer and Yelp's lack of a "zero star" rating, this place gets one star. I was really excited to try this place out, but I don't think I've ever been more disappointed in a restaurant in my entire life. read more

I took my cariad here for lunch yesterday (that's love in Welsh). I had the watermelon soup!!! I know!!! Sounds exciting!!! But it wasn't. The first few slurps were heavenly, then suddenly I felt like I'd submerged my head in a bubble bath. D had a pizza (I'm smart enough to know NOT to order one of those unless I'm three sheets), which he liked, but he's from the U.K.--of course he's gonna like it. Executive chef Frank Morales prepared our food so I was extra psyched, but left let-down anyway. He was 100 percent attentive about the nut allergy--in fact he even came out to say that the salami on the pizza D had ordered wasn't made in-house and that he should replace it with a house-made topping to ensure it was totally nut-free. He was really cool and kind. The thing about Rustico, and I hate to say it, is that they never quite get the food right. They try--I've never had, let alone heard of, watermelon soup before--but something is always off. I also ordered the burger. Screwing up a burger is nearly as hard as screwing up pizza, but Rustico manages to pull off both, and charge over $14 for the pleasure. My burger was charred and bitter on the outside, and the bun/bread it arrived on resembled a beach towel in both texture and taste. Rustico will remain in my rotation because it's great for groups, drinking and nibbling. Their beer selection is awesome and the food could be worse. I have to give them props for their creativity and inventiveness, but I have to keep it real with my palette, too. Thankfully for my palette (and my Serotonin factory) I had the good sense to stop by Buzz on the way out for a chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting. read more

I absolutely love rustico for it's unique take on pizza. If you're going here for a NYC, Chicago or CT style pizza it's probably not going to be what you're looking for. However, if you want to try a delicious chickpea crust or thin crust pizza with lots of vegetables or tasty meats on a pie then this is the place for you. They also have an amazing beer selection with plenty of beers on tap and reasonable happy hour prices. read more

I'm going to give them one more star for their *phenomenal* beer list. My advice is to stick with the beer and pizza. It's a great spot to grab a brew after work. read more

So, I got rear ended on my way to Rustico the other night. Which sucked. But let me tell you what, I am so glad that if that had to happen to me while I was alone, and admittedly freaking out afterwards, I'm glad it happened where it did. Big thank yous to Daniel, Jonathan, and Thomas for making sure I was OK, offering to help me out, and taking care of me once it was all over. Obviously we know I love the food and beer. But its the people that make any place a regular spot, and Rustico has some of the best. And that's why today, they get a 5 star update. read more

I have been to Rustico about 10 times in the five years I have lived here. All but 2 of those were in the first 3 years. I keep going back hoping that it is better and I just leave wanting more. The menu doesn't really change though I wish it would. The service is always super questionable. I don't know if they tell the servers to be crappy or what, but I have always have borderline service. I have sat outside about half the visits. I think the best things I have had have been the bibb salad and the pizza. The mussels are good, but the waiters like to argue with me about it coming with bread or not. Half the time it comes with bread and the other it doesn't. Even the manger came out once and told me I was wrong about the piece of bread. They have a very extensive beer list and a pretty sizable bar area. There are 2 restroom locations. That is nice. I hate that I don't have a better time when I go because it is so close to my house and I would love to frequent it more often. read more

I was really excited about this place before it opened given all the pre-opening hype. It's a block from my place and there's really nothing else in this end of Alexandria. What's good about Rustico's; it's totally non-smoking, one of the few bar/restaurants in the Northern Virginia area that is voluntarily non-smoking! Super beer selection, there has to be a selection of over 100 beers with about 35 or so on tap. A real treat and the bar tenders are extremely helpful in selecting something to try, just tell them what you have in mind and they make a suggestion. What could be easier! There are also four big plasma TV screens above the bar for games in progress. What's not so good; the menu is only so-so; too trendy for me; spinach pizza, etc. The two best things I've had are the cheeseburger and a sausage pizza (it's a gourment pizza, not very thick on cheese, etc.). The bar food menu is bleak! Only thing that really goes with beer is the burger and that's not a finger food. I like this place for it's non-smoking atmosphere (no going home smelling like an ashtray!), definitely for it's beer selection (lots of exotics and imports) and the sports on big screens. If they would improve the bar menu this place would be super! Given it's location on Slaters in North Old Town and all the new townhomes right behind it, it will be a big success. But it could be better. read more

Loooove the huge selection of beer. What fun! Walk there, so you can walk home. The pizza's okay, but for me the real find was the cheeseburger. Mmmmmm...loaded up with everything under the sun, aaaaahhhhh...that's my definition of happy. Oh, and did I mention the beer??? It's loud, so don't take someone with whom you want to have an intimate evening. Horrid parking problems, but we're walking over, right, so who cares. :-) read more

Good food and great beer list. I had the butternut soup, chicken liver pate and a side of the sweet potato grits. The only disappointment, which could have been my own fault was the chicken liver pate. It actually wasn't called pate it was some other French word but I really had nice fried chicken livers in my head and when they brought the slab of heavy pate I knew I should have asked. The sweet potato grits were rich, cheesy in a funny way, but sweet. Wanted more for breakfast the next day. Everyone at our table was satisfied with their choices. read more

We've been Rustico fans since they opened many years ago. Now, I'll never return. Have been in twice in the past month. The first time, we didn't even stay. Couldn't get anyone to pay attention to us. Today, we went back in hopes that we'd find that our old favorite "was back". Nope. Far from it. The guy that served us (in the bar area) could not have been less interested in us. We ordered an appetizer that never came....until our entrees had arrived. They took it off the check thankfully because it was horrible (fried cauliflower). Our sandwiches were good, and the fries didn't disappoint. Unfortunately the server ruined it for us.....wish I'd gotten his name. Oh, and management, time to get rid of the contactless system. NOT why people are venturing back out. Get your heads out of the sand. Oh, and the place could use some straightening up. I don't want to look at Restaurant Depot bags and dirty glasses everywhere. read more

This is a reliable place to go with a small group to celebrate any occasion. BBQ pizza is my favorite. Blue cheese and bacon mussels are fantastic and get a beer sampler so you can figure out what you really like. Friday and Saturday nights you gotta get there a little bit early to get the comfy booths. read more

This is a high-end bar with much better food than your average bar and a classy interior. It has outdoor seating and is a great place to go with a group of friends. The beers never disappoint. Contrary to the reviewers preceding me, I happen to think the food here is good - and consistently so. The pizza is comparable to Faccia Luna (gourmet-style, thin-crust with garden variety as well as eclectic toppings), the burgers are cooked the way I ask them to be cooked and are always juicy, and the mussels are fresh. They have a good selection of wines in addition to the extensive beer selection. And the prices are comparable to Old Town prices. MY issue with this place is that it isn't open late. Thus, it doesn't really function as a bar, but more like a restaurant. I also once had a problem when I took a group of friends here and about 1 out of every 3 things we had ordered they were out of. Other than that, I think it's a good option in NE Old Town. read more

Well, like everyone else has said, Rustico has a great beer menu ... and that's more important to me than a wine list, partly 'cause I know my beer and can see through hyperbole more clearly than I can through the propa-wine-ganda that many joints put out about their mediocre wine lists. Greg is and always has been a great brewer and we should give him a national medal to thank him for what he's done here. I give Rustico only two stars for two reasons. First of all, the food items are uninspired, poorly conceived, jarringly mismatched, and over-priced. Over the years, I've tried just about everything they've offered, and the food is one of those "sounds great until you taste it" phenomena. Things are underflavored, unimaginatively cooked, and sparsely spiced. Moreover, the menu offers fancy-schmancy dishes that the kitchen can't live up to. I'm okay, in a beer bar, with an ordinary-but-solid menu, but pretentious and pompous just pisses me off. Service is the other downer. The last time we went to Rustico, I ordered a tap beer and a meal. The beer took twenty minutes to arrive -- and the server never said a word to apologize or acknowledge the slowdown. Others at my table had the same experience. When our drinks did show up, we were told that the bar was slammed -- but looked over at the bar and saw almost nobody there. Food was served similarly -- our first couple of dishes were served, and we were told that the other three were coming right up. Fifteen minutes and two cold dishes later that promise came true. That, unfortunately, was the last we saw of our server, who never stopped by to ask how things were or whether we needed anything else. I like the Neighborhood Restaurant Group and wish them all the best of luck -- but Rustico seems some serious attention if it's going to continue to succeed as a restaurant. read more

We'd been away for a while and thought we'd give it another try. We started with the chick peas which are described as crispy or crunchy. I wouldn't go that far but they were delicious -- the best part of the meal i would say. I had the salmon and my husband had the pork chop. I asked them to substitute some other vegetable since I had already had chickpeas and the side offered was chickpea succotash. The salmon was under cooked, over salted, and came out cold. (I had asked for medium and got rare.) The asparagus substitute was partially inedible with extremely woody stalks included. When I told the waiter the meal was "OK" there was not a follow up question. The pork chop was good but again the salt level was just shy of ruining the meal. It did come out piping hot! read more

You cannot go wrong with the beer recommendations from the wait staff - they know their stuff. I asked what beer they had that's similar to a Magic Hat and they delivered me this light ale that was true to the mark. Food options were solid too. -1 star for not offering the rustic pizza I find dear to my heart. FYI - eat at the bar and you can order off of both the bar and dining room menus (neither the grilled cheese nor the mac n' cheese bites were offered in the dining room menu). read more

When I visited Rustico I really had high expectations. Not only was it receiving high praise from the local media but it is also very close to where I live so I was jazzed about the location. Unfortunately I wasn't wowed. The food was ok, I had the grilled scallops. Nothing special and certainly nothing to write home about. My date had the cheeseburger. He said the food was ok, but really, who could mess up a cheeseburger? I guess the coolest thing about the restaurant was the decor. It had a very urban, chic look complete with lounge chairs outside for people waiting to get a table. The centerpiece of the restaurant was the huge floor to ceiling mosaic which made cool colorful designs of plates and cups. For the most part I agree with the first reviewer. I'm in the middle of the road for this one. Its just ok. read more

Rustico has great food, but terrible, terrible service. If you're heading over for a meal, don't go when you're starving because it will take forever for you to get your food...it's the type of place where you go, have a drink and chat for 20-30 minutes, and then your food arrives. Just go with that in mind and you'll be less perturbed by the experience. I waited until I'd been twice before I reviewed Rustico in case the first time was an anomaly. Sorry to say that it was not. On both occasions, we went for dinner on a Sunday evening at around 6pm. Seating was readily available both times and we opted to sit outside each time. Last night, a server who was not assigned to our table came over a few minutes after we were seated to take our drink orders and assure us that our server was aware we'd been seated and that we hadn't been forgotten about. Considering that is what happened on our prior visit, we were glad for this candor. We placed our order, which included an appetizer and entrees for the four of us (2 of us ordered a white pizza to share, one ordered a fried green tomato pizza, and I ordered the panzanella as an entree). Our appetizer came out in a timely fashion (the caesar fries, which were limp and greasy). At least 20 minutes after our appetizer had been served, our actual server came to the table and set down two plates and a pizza stand. I commented to my table-mates that something seemed odd since we ordered 2 pizzas and we only were set for one pizza, and that the server only set plates for 2 people. Another 10 minutes went by and the white pizza was brought out, but there was no sign of either of the other entrees. At this point, a table that was seated well after we were had actually finished eating their entrees and another table that was sat minutes ago received their panzanella - the same salad I'd been waiting for. At this point, we asked to speak with a manager who said he'd investigate. As it turned out, the server punched in our order incorrectly and I guess it did not occur to her that something was amiss. Oddly enough, neither the server nor the manager seemed very apologetic for the error, although they did make us a new white pizza (the other had gotten cold as we waited for the other food to be served) and comped us the pizza and appetizer. Here's the bummer -- the food is really, really good. The panzanella was the best salad I'd ever had. EVER! But I don't really think we'll be going back any time soon. read more