Disaster of a meal. Completely incompetent server with no knowledge of even basic restaurant etiquette. I was brought a dish I didn't order. Acknowledging it was his fault, he disappeared to get it sorted out. Didn't ask if he could bring me something to hold me over. Didn't see him again. My partner, in the meantime, had his meal and was eating. We eventually ran out of wine. The waiter was still MIA. I had to go to the bar to reorder. Maybe 20 minutes later, the waiter showed up with an over-cooked, inedible place of souvlaki - set it down and ran away again. Another 20 minutes later he shows up with a check. When I objected, he said he would comp my dinner and then said 'well, everything else was ok, right?' Seriously??? I asked the bartender who was in charge. He told me the waiter - who I think is the son of the owner. I left still hungry. The whole thing was a joke. I've had another problem at their King Street location which they sorted out after I sent a complaint letter, but this appears to be systemic with Vasos. Given the large number of dining choices in the Alexandria area, there is no reason to go to this place that is poorly run and inept. No excuse. read more

I LOVE this restaurant. A hidden gem in a neighborhood. I enjoy dining inside or outside, atmosphere is great. Great service and food.

What a gem of a restaurant in the neighborhood! The service staff are always friendly, and prompt. The have nice seating outside or comfortable inside. Quiet place, usually no kids. Fresh baked bread, wonderful. Nice selection of wines, fresh brewed real iced tea. Meal selections are terrific from great seafood dishes to chicken to pastas to burgers. My only suggestion would be get fresh berries on your cheesecake... it's simple and improves the dessert by a factor of 10. Highly recommend for a quiet dinner, romantic meal, or just sitting outside with friends, some wine and the hummus platter!! And please, keep the kiddies at home! read more

Still the most excellent place to meet a friend for lunch in Alexandria!! Their dolmadas are exquisite and I always get an order of them to bring home for the family to enjoy. Excellent and attentive server staff and we never feel like we being rushed out. Also, they have a parking lot and at lunch time, I've always been able to easily find street parking too. read more

Consistently great food and service. Only request is for Vasos Kitchen to PLEASE serve something other than peas as your side veg!! I've been there at least 20 times and I was offered an alternative to peas once. Other than that, wonderful Greek/Italian cuisine option! The Greek sampler appetizer is my absolute favorite. I order a few platters to go and serve to guests as an effortless charcuterie. Everything on that platter is perfection! read more

We've lived right down the street the last year and a half and have patronized Vaso's Kitchen at least once a month. It never disappoints. We love the classic platter -- easy, simple, delicious -- but the specials are so thoughtfully done. The shrimp and artichoke pasta, amazing. The chicken margarita special, amazing. You could drink the sauce. The dips are great, and we love the calamari. I actually ordered the pizzas recently and was surprised they tasted better than all the other pizzas in the area -- and from a Greek restaurant no less. I can't speak to Vaso's on King, but this original location is grand, and we'll miss it when we move in July. read more

Amazing Greek food in a cozy family owned restaurant located in a nice quiet street in oldtown Alexandria. They have in and outside seating. The outside tent has a good air flow and at the same time good heaters for this covid - cold weather "season". Service is nice and friendly and they make you feel home. Their chicken parm, artichoke Florentina, saganaki and galaktoboureko dessert were out of this world. You can tell the food is made with love and high quality ingredients. read more

In our busy region this place is a rare gem. When you eat here the hustle that we all live 24-7 subsides. It's quaint and feels like something out of a small town. And this feeling isn't forced. You can tell that this place has been a part of the community for many years. I always end up with the the same entree: the gyro. It's always great. For an appetizer you have to try the fried calamari. It is never overcooked. If you are hungry try the seafood pasta special. Clams, mussels, shrimp... it's a big bowl of food. The waitstaff and bartenders are great. Some have been there for many years. read more

We've driven past this place several times and finally decided to try it. Sergio was our waiter and he was very friendly, genuinely passionate about the food, and took really good care of us. For our appetizers, we had the bruschetta and calamari. The bruschetta had a really nice flavor--I could have eaten more! The calamari was cooked perfectly and had a nice marinara sauce on the side. I had the Greek salad--the homemade dressing was should be bottled up and sold. I also liked the addition of capers in that salad. My SO had the pasta carbonara which had a ton of bacon--more than he expected and he was pleasantly surprised. We will definitely be back! read more

We love coming to this place to eat . Sergio is a great waiter , his recommendation are always correct about the food choices! Cozy, nice place, with fresh and delicious food! read more

Awesome place with good Mediterranean food. This is just a block from my mother's house so it's really nice to get items to go or to just have a casual meal. I really recommend the Saganaki and the Shrimp Scampi pasta. Only complaint is that it's a little small so they're usually fully booked up with neighborhood people. read more

Food and service were both excellent. We will be frequenting this place a lot! Highly recommend!

Ordered the feta spread with pita bread and it was the best I've had! Also, the spaghetti carbonara and Greek vegetable pizza was really good. I will definitely be returning! read more

Been here many times over the years, but not again. Not very busy and plenty of help, but no (as in zero) service. We even asked for service and after fifteen minutes of no one coming by for anything we left. Plenty of servers walked passed us, it not a one even said "we'll be right with you.l read more

I haven't been here in a few years, primarily because the food did not warrant a return. My dad loves this place, so I went to humor him. I ordered the multi-dip appetizer and though that each of the dips was delicious. They were smooth and creamy. Then I got my main which might have been eggplant Parmesan. All I remember is that it was almost inedible. The sauce tastes canned. It was not good. I have not returned in a few years nor do I have any plans to. read more

Great food. Amazing saganaki. Entree flounder was delicious. Will definitely come back. read more

Vaso's Kitchen - Amazing saganaki. - Greek Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Good food, great service, quaint location. Good selection of Greek wines and traditional fare. They have daily features we tried one which was veal wrapped in ham covered in cheese - amazing! read more

Vaso's Kitchen - Greek Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

The have the most responsive & accommodating staff anywhere! They also have the elusive but out-of-this-world delicious boiled artichoke. Just for that, it's worth the visit. High spirited, joyful place! read more

Love Vasos Kitchen. Can never decide to go with the chicken souvlaki or fish. Galatopoureko is my favorite! The whole team is great and we enjoy the setting. Definately a go to spot! read more

I haven't been here in years and I'm sad to see how much the service has changed. We entered at 5:45pm for our reservation for that time. Restaurant was empty except for 5 diners at one table inside and one outside. We asked to sit inside but the waiter said the inside would be very noisy, and led us to an outside tent with little heat! We asked to seated in the warmest part of the tent, and he said fine, but that he would have to move us if more people came. We tried the tent but were very cold. He proceeded to sit us indoors next to the front door. Every other 2 or 3 person reservation that entered was seated without question, inside and further away from the constantly opening door that let the cold air in. Food was fine though the portions were definitely smaller relative to past years. Service left much to be desired. The staff were very rushed. Once our bottle of wine and food was delivered to our table, none of the waiters ever came back to ask how our food was or if we needed anything. We had to ask multiple times just to have our water glasses refilled. I don't think we'll be coming back. read more

We are here from out of town and asked friends for a dinner suggestion. WOW! The food, wine, service and ambiance were exceptional! Can you please open a restaurant in Daytona Beach?!!! read more

Vaso's is the perfect example of what's wrong in the restaurant world. It is so completely average I just don't understand why anyone would give them a high rating or waste their money eating here. Don't let the exterior fool you - there's nothing quirky, local, or fun about the interior. The prices are outrageous for what is essentially all overly processed Italian food with some random "Greek" options thrown in. And NOTHING is fresh. It all tastes like it either fully came from a can or freezer, or at least 75% of the dish did. There's just no reason for anyone to waste your money on this food! If it was cheap and they were trying to do the "divey greek diner" thing, I would maybe understand. But to pretend you're a nice, local establishment pushing authentic Mediterranean fare? Please. To put it succinctly: Service: MEH Food: DOUBLE MEH Interior: MEH Price: "I can't believe we just paid that much for such a blah meal" read more

The Dixie Pig, what? No, that's what it used to be You're at the right place Cozy little spot No wait for Saturday lunch Attentive service Zesty feta -- yum! Chicken souvlaki -- oh yes! Crab stuffed shrimp -- delish! Parking in the back Next time won't you eat with me? So much more to try read more

Vaso's Kitchen - Zesty feta - Greek Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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I can see the appeal of this place, but I don't think I'll be going back. My husband and I ended up here because we had a gift certificate. We hadn't heard of it before, and were happy to see all the great reviews. We love greek & mediterranean food! The service was fine, and prompt at first. They kept my water glass full, which is one of my Things with a capital T, so good on them for that. We were promptly seated and, and waited several minutes for our menus. No big deal, and we were able to get our orders in fairly quickly once we decided. We each ordered a greek salad, and got a medium greek veggie pizza to share. Because the greek salads were $15 each and listed so many ingredients (all the usual feta, pepperoncini, etc. plus stuffed grape leaves, capers, and anchovies) we expected these to be entree salads, and thought we'd maybe have one piece of pizza and take the rest home. I know others have mentioned it, but I honestly cannot get over the pricetag on these salads. They were definitely not worth $15, and I cannot imagine what the justification for that cost is. These were normally sized starter salads. I ate most of mine, and was definitely ready for an entree afterward, so I'm glad we went with the pizza . We almost decided to just do the hummus & pita instead, and I don't think it would have been enough with our dinky salads. So the teeny salads were disappointing, but they came out pretty quickly. It took about 20 minutes after we finished the salads for the pizza to come out. We did not see the server at all during this time, and got no explanation or even a 'Hey, your food should be out in a couple of minutes." We did however see the food runner...when he came and without saying a word swiped the bread and oil off our table. The pizza was good. Very salty, but in a good cheese-and-olives way. The crust was good, but so overdone at the edges as to be cracker-like. Still tasty, so no biggie. The waiter did come to check once we got the pizza to make sure everything was okay, and then again to give us the bill. He was decently efficient, which we appreciated, but we didn't get a particularly warm vibe from the service. The bill - for 2 starter salads, 1 vegetarian pizza, and 1 beer - was $55. With tip, we were at $65. For that price, we would have been much happier at Red Rocks with stellar service, 2 salads, 2 pizzas, and 2-3 beers. In short, I'm glad we tried it. I'm even more glad we tried it risk-free on a gift certificate! read more

I live right across the street from this wonderfully cozy restaurant, and have had the pleasure of watching as more and more people fill its intimate indoor dining space and charming, flower-filled patio. Thankfully the strange Dixie Pig neon sign perched atop the roof does not glow into my windows (a la the chicken sign in Seinfeld). Vaso's serves wonderful standard Greek and Mediterranean dishes, including gyro platters, pasta dishes, pizzas, and pita bread sandwiches, but the specials (particularly the perfectly grilled lemon chicken) should not be missed!! As others have commented, the tiramisu is indeed delicious. Vaso's offers a takeout service, but I would recommend settling in for your meal. And here's a bit of DC trivia for you: the outside of the restaurant was used in the second season premiere of the West Wing as the place in which the shooter who targeted Martin Sheen and company was found. read more

The shrimp scampi is divine. The pasta is seasoned perfectly. My favorite dish.

A two and a half stars for food, and a solid two stars for service. Granted, we were there at dinner time on a Friday night - but we had to flag down our server to get at least one of the items we ordered, then flag down the person trying to deliver our soup to people at the bar (who didn't order it and were trying to explain that to the guy), and then were charged twice for it (which was corrected). Service was slow - they seemed really under-staffed - and I was disappointed in the saganaki - but I did really like the shrimp in marinara, which my partner and I split. My mom had the bland avgolemono soup, but really liked her pork souvlaki sandwich. In short: if Vaso's weren't in my neighborhood, and if I didn't experience periodic intense cravings for Greek, I probably wouldn't go. Since it is in my neighborhood, however, I suspect we'll be there again soon, and hopefully I'll have cause to amend this review for the better! UPDATE: I went to Vaso's a couple of weeks ago on my way home - I was solo and was hoping for something tasty. I got the chicken souvlaki, and it was FANTASTIC. Vaso's gets an extra star - maybe next time they'll get up to 4! read more

I came here because the gyros were recommended and I was looking for a good gyro. They do not disappoint! Delicious gyro! Something like $9. We sat outside and it was kinda like a date spot. Unfortunately, the person I was hanging out w/ was totally not a date and I was looking for a quick bite and ended up w/table service. But I'd come back w/ a date :] Oh yeah, and the service is very attentive. read more

**** 3.5 stars **** This is a cute little restaurant tucked away on a pass-through street in a quickly developing area of Alexandria just between Old Town and Del Ray. The food isn't quite spectacular enough to warrant a visit from far away, but definitely good enough to act as a local hub in a spot that is otherwise devoid of adjacent quality establishments at the moment. Suzy and I wandered over here one evening just to see how it was, having heard mostly good things from a few reputable sources. I was initially unsure she was leading me in the right direction, having spotted the giant pig billboard on top of the restaurant signaling that it was The Dixie Pig BBQ. Apparently this used to be another restaurant, and they just left up the old exterior for posterity's sake. I never got an explanation as to why, but if you see the sign don't make my mistake. The outdoor area seems pretty cozy, and I can picture coming over here quite a bit in the summer to sit on the patio and enjoy a good gyro, but for now we quickly scurried inside to avoid a windy wintery night. It was modestly full for the middle of the week, although the wait staff seemed a bit surprised to see us walk in. It seemed to essentially be self-seating at this time of night, but it turned out our table hadn't actually been cleared yet. This seemed to somewhat embarrass our waitress, a girl who seemed more like she was from Russia than Greece. She remained a bit frazzled, albeit nice, throughout the evening, not really sure of anything I was asking her and mostly just nodding in agreement. We started out with the traditional Greek sample platter, featuring tzatziki, hummus, and a spicy feta dip. I thought all 3 were actually really well done, and some of the best dips I've had in a little homely style restaurant like this. The feta wasn't spicy per se, but did have a nice little zip to it. The tzatziki wasn't quite as good as what I'm used to from Cava Mezze, but then few are. It still had a really nice texture and plenty of cucumber coolness. I liked that they had both regular and wheat pita slices for dipping, since the flavors of the dips meshed better depending on which bread you used. I was a bit torn on my entrée, since I had been having a real craving for lamb, and the shank actually sounded quite good here. But I wound up testing out their Greek authenticity with one of their specialty dishes, the Shrimp "Vaso's" Style. It's a linguini style pasta mixed with copious amounts of shrimp, artichokes, olives, and a slightly creamy sauce. Overall I thought it was pretty solid, although not exactly reminiscent of any of the food I actually had in Greece, especially considering how heavy some of the flavors were. But I think I would actually recommend it to someone, especially anyone who really loves shrimp, because these are clearly fresh and more plentiful than almost anywhere else I've seen when it comes to pasta. This could easily be a half dinner half leftover lunch type of dish in terms of quantity. I sampled a few bites of Suzy's baked flounder and found it to be decent, although too much of the fish flavor had been cooked out of it for my liking. The sauce was nice though and the breading not heavy at all. I was definitely impressed enough with Vaso's to return again, hopefully for some hearty lamb in the winter and definitely for some quick bites outside when the weather gets nicer. read more

Vaso's Kitchen - Sampler platter - Greek Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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We finally returned to in-restaurant dining at Vaso's and the foot and service have not missed a beat. We love the food and every server is exceptional. Good to see that Sergio and the rest of the crew are healthy. read more

Let me start by saying that I primarily go here for the Gyro and Gyro platter, so my rating is really all about the Gyro. I'd love to rate it on it's totality as a Greek restaurant, but every time I go I sit down with intentions of trying something new, but then the Gyro calls out to me. So at the very least that says something for the Gyro here. It's so tasty and so big and so Gyro. I think the problem is that while I live in Old Town, I can't really walk to this place, so it is out of sight out of mind unless I am jonesing for some Gyros...then it's on. We've also had some apps like the greek sampler and the 3 dip sampler...both were very good and I'd recommend. I've watched other dishes walk by, and they certainly look good, but those damn Gyros always calling me back to them. read more

Bottom line up front: Old world Greek made with love. A definite try for Alexandria residents. [Like my reviews? Add me as a friend: http://bit.ly/19TU1Tn] We did take out from Vaso's kitchen last week. We were looking for a smaller meal, something we could eat at home while chasing two small kids. My wife and I shared the Hummus appetizer. This was a good example of the difference between Greek or Mediterranean Hummus and the Middle Eastern kind I grew up on. More texture, less oil and lemon, and more subtly seasoned. With toasted pita points, its a good easy starter. I had the Chicken Souvlaki sandwich. The chicken was delicious. Well seasoned, juicy, and cooked just right. Mixed in with the veggies and the excellent yogurt sauce, and served on a fluffy, warm pita it was a great sandwich. My wife opted for a Greek salad with grilled chicken. While she was immediately jealous of my order, the salad was still a nice, light entree. The dressing was home made. Flavorful with a little acid, it went over well with the well prepared chicken and the standard mix of fresh veggies and feta. While I was picking up my order, I noticed a bunch of other plates whizzing by that all looked great. The lamb chops in particular caught my eye. My next trip will definitely include giving them a try. This help? Let me know by marking it useful! read more

I stopped by Vaso's for a Saturday-night dinner-date w/ the lovely Keri M. this past weekend. Vaso's is a great, little neighborhood restaurant with some interesting and well-crafted food. While my utter lack of expertise in Greek cuisine renders me unable to speak to the food's authenticity, the restaurant's motto "A little piece of Greece" seems very appropriate. Based on its being nearly full (both indoor and outdoor seating) most of the times that I've walked by, it seems to be well-loved local establishment, and I can certainly see the attraction. Its atmosphere is rich in the "Ma and Pop" feeling that many look for in their go-to restaurant. The clientele all seem like regulars who walked over, looking for their usual. For an appetizer, we tried the trio of dips with pita (including tzatziki, hummus and a red-pepper & feta concoction). The hummus was a bit thinner than I'm used to and tasted like it was missing something (tahini, maybe?), but the tzatziki and red pepper dips were delicious. Both featured exactly what you would expect from their respective ingredients: Plenty of garlic, cucumber and mint in the tzatziki, and a nice sour bite to the feta/red pepper mixture. I ordered the Bifteki from the specials menu, which consisted of two very well-spiced chopped sirloin patties, along with a heap of golden-brown, crispy french fries. The meat was juicy, flavorful and needed absolutely no additional seasoning. The parsley and all-spice came through nicely and the tasty fries effectively rounded out this delicious exercise in Greek-American "fusion". Keri had the Lamb Kapama (also from the specials), which appeared to be a lamb-chop dish with a tomato based-sauce. The service was basically fine, but our poor waitress seemed a little overworked. It appeared to be her and two to three bus-boys working the entire restaurant, which can't have been easy. There were some minor delays, but nothing too lengthy. Overall, I'd say Vaso's is a very good restaurant, with some fun and interesting spins on Greek and Italian fare. It's a great neighborhood spot with a very appealing local feel. I definitely expect to be a return customer. read more

This is my absolute favorite restaurant. The food so amazing. My go to is the eggplant parmigiana, trust me you've never had another like it. So many great dishes and the desserts are amazing, my favorite is hard to say galaktopoureko but lol it's delicious! read more

The exterior throws you off, thinking you're going inside some bbq joint. However, this is supposedly a historic building, and they remodeled inside to a Greek restaurant. The place does eventually get packed, and they do encourage calling ahead to make a reservation. We were seated, ordered the appetizer of dips, a gyros platter, and a chicken souvlaki platter. The dips were great - one was spicy, one was hummus, and the other was a yogurt-based sauce. My favorites were the first two, which were well-seasoned and very savory - these came with both white and wheat pita bread. The gyros with a side of parsley-topped fries were okay - the meat itself was slightly bland and not much meat was offered on the platter. My husband's souvlaki was also on the bland side and slightly dry. I think the prices are more on the steep side ($15 for the platter); the restaurant itself is very cute, though, and I'm glad I was able to check this place out. +tasty dips read more

Worst. Service. Ever. Went for breakfast and was looking forward to it. We were seated immediately but it took over 15 minutes for the waiter to appear, even though there were only 4-5 other parties in the whole restaurant. When he finally showed up, our waiter didn't offer any pleasantries or apologies for the wait and merely asked us for our order. 35 minutes after we placed our order, our waiter came by to tell us that our order was being prepared next. We said, no thanks, don't bother and made our exit. We are all for supporting local businesses, especially women-owned businesses, but unfortunately, due to their poor waitstaff and lacking customer service, we will not return. read more

I like this place. The atmosphere is very quaint. It was a little bit of a tight squeeze, but it worked. There is a decently-sized menu, and the prices are good. The service was good. I had the gnocchi - it was very comforting, creamy, and filling! I had a ton of it leftover. My friend had a beef dish - he said it was very tasty and would get it again. Bottom line: this place is nice. It's good for a date night, a night out with friends, or a family outing. And good news - a second location will open on King Street in the near future! read more

I went to Vaso's after a neighbor raved about it. They have a lot of pasta seafood dishes, which I thought was a little weird for a Greek restaurant. My bf and I weren't in the mood for anything that heavy. I ordered a Greek salad; it came with grape leave and lot of veggies and feta. My bf ordered a Greek platter, which was basically a deconstructed gyro. I felt like the prices were a little high, but the service was very friendly. It seemed like a lot of the people there were regulars and the servers all knew them. I would give it another try and see how their entrees are. Overall, it is a cute, friendly place and a good option for Greek food. read more

Although, the quality of the food is excellent, I was very disappointed by my last visit to Vaso's (on 1/11/13). Vaso's organization on a Friday night left something to be desired. I called ahead for a reservation for our party of 4 at 6:30. We all arrived promptly at 6:30 and no tables were available for us. After bumping into the wait staff (and the other groups of people that we're waiting), we went outside to wait (and make room for the staff). The wait staff (it appears) forgot about us. After we came back into the restaurant we saw two other groups of people being seated (one which arrived after us). My friends and I continued to wait and were seated (while the table was being cleaned) at and/or around 7:10. In a nutshell, a great place to go unless it is a weekend. (If you come on Friday night, be willing to bring your patience.) read more

This place came very highly recommended. What we ordered was fairly good (the Bronzino fish special and the Greek platter). But the menu is fairly limited and some things that I would expect from a Greek restaurant are not standard. The kebabs come with a mushroom sauce. I always love kebabs but with tzatziki, not mushrooms. The special fish was cooked similarly to the one listed on the menu so that's probably a good option too. The Greek platter comes with fries, tomato and tzatziki. No grape leaves or anything else. Service was quite good and sitting outside was nice. read more