Great food, great ambiance, and very friendly & professional staff. Oh, and plenty of near-by parking. We highly recommend Elo's!Parking: Plenty of parking near the restaurant
Whitney Baum-Bennett
Delicious food! The hand made pasta was incredible and the drinks, service and food were lovely. Will definitely be coming back!Dietary restrictions: Lots of options for GF and vegetarian folks.
Brian Swanson
Truly excellent Italian cuisine, and great service. They even have a great bar with a wide variety of spirits. We’ll be coming back, for sure!
VAfoodlover1
The host/manager was fantastic!! Went above and beyond with hospitality. Food was a little bland, but overall good. Went on trivia night (Tuesday) so it was a bit loud. Server was lacking in personality and hospitality, but overall good experience.
Beth Clark
Butternut squash ravioli, baby octopus, and prosciutto flatbread. All very good. Sophisticated flavors. Love the lemon in the ravioli. Excellent service.
JenS
We went on trivia night unexpectedly, so it was a bit loud for our enjoyment as non participants but manageable. The place is very cute, friendly staff. Unfortunately, my flatbread was cold but tasty. Side salad was fresh and very good. Recommend! Great happy hour prices and until 7pm! Would go again.
TimothyM
We drove to the restaurant only to find it was closed on the date of our reservation. Which, incidentally was our anniversary. It even autosent a confirmation text the day before to my phone making sure we were still going to attend. We actually had to scramble to find a place on what should have been a very special evening. If you're going to be closed, make sure you block out the days on your reservation system.
BeaR
Although we've had several good meals at Elo's we did not eat there for several months. We had dinner last night and were very disappointed. The food tasted like it was frozen bulk that they warmed to serve. Did they change ownership or chefs? Sadly we will not be back.
Alex L
We really liked it. Our group had six entrees and three appetizers and drinks, and everything was delicious! And the cocktails were too! The risotto was our favorite, very flavorful! The service was lacking just a bit, hate ordering on my phone and also the server didn't know what the monthly drink special was even though the menu specifically said to ask the server, stuff like that. But overall the food was good and we'd go back.
Konefkta K.
Absolutely love this place, and I hope it sticks around. The drinks are excellent, the service is good, and I'm most impressed by the quality of the pasta. I've had a few dishes that were a little bland (but not bad!), but I'm just so happy to find a little place where they make their own pasta and experiment with seasonal dishes. I hope that Elo's continues to grow and succeed.
Elo's is a great new choice for Italian food lovers. Their spaghetti carbonara was as good as I've eaten in Italy and definitely a cut above that of most local restaurants. Our diabetic diner was also able to find a delicious low-carb entree in the sautéed chicken breast, which was very tender and moist. Roman donut holes with caramel sauce delivered on their promise, as did the dessert cheese board with fig jam and honeycomb. Portions for entrees and desserts were just the right size. The wait staff and manager were very attentive. The manager gave excellent, informed advice about the wine list and found us a well-priced Sangiovese. This restaurant gives outstanding value for the food, drink, and service.
Markus R.
To understand this place you have to know its history. Elo's Italian Restaurant in Del Ray (Alexandria), started as a pop-up restaurant located where more than a year ago Live Oak ended its chapter. Using the bones of its predecessor, Elo's has street parking, covered outdoor seating, and a large dining room and full bar. As Live Oak served Southern cuisine, Elo's is serving up pasta dishes that would make Nonna proud. The name Elo's comes from Frank, the co-owner's daughter, Eloise. There is a lot that separates Live Oak from Elo's Italian Restaurant. For instance, Frank is now a father of two, far removed from the single man, who with his business partner Barber, opened Live Oak and The Garden. Elo's, like most restaurants, had to raise prices recently and the owner has focused on more vegetarian dishes, since the price of meat has gone up. Elo's Italian also started a Sunday brunch about a couple of months ago (still have to try it). The success of the pasta dishes coming from this restaurant's kitchen is due in part to Chef Francisco Quinteros and the team that prepared for this for over a year. Upon entering there have been some upgrades to the place since it's Live Oak days. There is an "old Italian charm" if you will. There are large family style dining tables as well as quaint tables for two (perfect for date night). There is a decent wine selection and a full bar featuring some cocktail classics. Upon our arrival, my partner and I were greeted by a friendly and attentive team that definitely wanted to give that "we are family" vibe. Our waitress was welcoming, friendly and gave great recommendations. For starters we did the fried calamari, which was as many places say, truly lightly fried which was a nice touch. Uniquely though, it had the twist of including the entire squid (not something all restaurants do) and being paired with their housemade red sauce. We also had the Caesar salad which was hearty and perfectly balanced. Our entrees gave us mixed feelings. The smoked potato gnocchi was an elite culinary orchestra of roasted corn zucchini, basil pesto, toasted pine nuts, and whipped ricotta cheese. It was light topped with a lemon zest. And the vegetable stock based sauce gave the dish a vibrant bright green that takes on a life of its own. However, the spaghetti dish with added shrimp was missing a little "je ne sais quoi". The sauce had no depth and gave jarred sauce vibes. I have to believe that there is more character in the kitchen that could have been put into this dish. To finish out the meal we shared a Strawberry Almond Cake. The cake is actually vegan and gluten-free and delicious. It definitely hits that sweet spot without so much guilt. It's moist, flavorful and the perfect end to a meal. Definitely worth visiting again!
SueinAlexandria
Good food. I found the QR code use outside for ordering awkward, at least partly because the food titles were slightly different from the hard copy menu and I had trouble locating them online.
Meredith W.
I really like to support small, neighborhood restaurants, but this place was super disappointing. You order and pay via QR code at your table, even though it's a sit down Italian restaurant with staff. The worse part was the food though. You would think an Italian restaurant would have edible red sauce, but it honestly just tasted like canned puréed tomatoes. Super bland. The meatballs are delicious, however. I wouldn't recommend and definitely won't be back.
DonB
Great Italian food. From the calamari and charcuterie platter for appetizers to the gnocchi and risotto for dinner everything was delicious. Add to that their friendly service and you have a delightful neighborhood restaurant.
Great food, great ambiance, and very friendly & professional staff. Oh, and plenty of near-by parking. We highly recommend Elo's!Parking: Plenty of parking near the restaurant
Delicious food! The hand made pasta was incredible and the drinks, service and food were lovely. Will definitely be coming back!Dietary restrictions: Lots of options for GF and vegetarian folks.
Truly excellent Italian cuisine, and great service. They even have a great bar with a wide variety of spirits. We’ll be coming back, for sure!
The host/manager was fantastic!! Went above and beyond with hospitality. Food was a little bland, but overall good. Went on trivia night (Tuesday) so it was a bit loud. Server was lacking in personality and hospitality, but overall good experience.
Butternut squash ravioli, baby octopus, and prosciutto flatbread. All very good. Sophisticated flavors. Love the lemon in the ravioli. Excellent service.
We went on trivia night unexpectedly, so it was a bit loud for our enjoyment as non participants but manageable. The place is very cute, friendly staff. Unfortunately, my flatbread was cold but tasty. Side salad was fresh and very good. Recommend! Great happy hour prices and until 7pm! Would go again.
We drove to the restaurant only to find it was closed on the date of our reservation. Which, incidentally was our anniversary. It even autosent a confirmation text the day before to my phone making sure we were still going to attend. We actually had to scramble to find a place on what should have been a very special evening. If you're going to be closed, make sure you block out the days on your reservation system.
Although we've had several good meals at Elo's we did not eat there for several months. We had dinner last night and were very disappointed. The food tasted like it was frozen bulk that they warmed to serve. Did they change ownership or chefs? Sadly we will not be back.
We really liked it. Our group had six entrees and three appetizers and drinks, and everything was delicious! And the cocktails were too! The risotto was our favorite, very flavorful! The service was lacking just a bit, hate ordering on my phone and also the server didn't know what the monthly drink special was even though the menu specifically said to ask the server, stuff like that. But overall the food was good and we'd go back.
Absolutely love this place, and I hope it sticks around. The drinks are excellent, the service is good, and I'm most impressed by the quality of the pasta. I've had a few dishes that were a little bland (but not bad!), but I'm just so happy to find a little place where they make their own pasta and experiment with seasonal dishes. I hope that Elo's continues to grow and succeed.
Restaurantji Recommends
Elo's is a great new choice for Italian food lovers. Their spaghetti carbonara was as good as I've eaten in Italy and definitely a cut above that of most local restaurants. Our diabetic diner was also able to find a delicious low-carb entree in the sautéed chicken breast, which was very tender and moist. Roman donut holes with caramel sauce delivered on their promise, as did the dessert cheese board with fig jam and honeycomb. Portions for entrees and desserts were just the right size. The wait staff and manager were very attentive. The manager gave excellent, informed advice about the wine list and found us a well-priced Sangiovese. This restaurant gives outstanding value for the food, drink, and service.
To understand this place you have to know its history. Elo's Italian Restaurant in Del Ray (Alexandria), started as a pop-up restaurant located where more than a year ago Live Oak ended its chapter. Using the bones of its predecessor, Elo's has street parking, covered outdoor seating, and a large dining room and full bar. As Live Oak served Southern cuisine, Elo's is serving up pasta dishes that would make Nonna proud. The name Elo's comes from Frank, the co-owner's daughter, Eloise. There is a lot that separates Live Oak from Elo's Italian Restaurant. For instance, Frank is now a father of two, far removed from the single man, who with his business partner Barber, opened Live Oak and The Garden. Elo's, like most restaurants, had to raise prices recently and the owner has focused on more vegetarian dishes, since the price of meat has gone up. Elo's Italian also started a Sunday brunch about a couple of months ago (still have to try it). The success of the pasta dishes coming from this restaurant's kitchen is due in part to Chef Francisco Quinteros and the team that prepared for this for over a year. Upon entering there have been some upgrades to the place since it's Live Oak days. There is an "old Italian charm" if you will. There are large family style dining tables as well as quaint tables for two (perfect for date night). There is a decent wine selection and a full bar featuring some cocktail classics. Upon our arrival, my partner and I were greeted by a friendly and attentive team that definitely wanted to give that "we are family" vibe. Our waitress was welcoming, friendly and gave great recommendations. For starters we did the fried calamari, which was as many places say, truly lightly fried which was a nice touch. Uniquely though, it had the twist of including the entire squid (not something all restaurants do) and being paired with their housemade red sauce. We also had the Caesar salad which was hearty and perfectly balanced. Our entrees gave us mixed feelings. The smoked potato gnocchi was an elite culinary orchestra of roasted corn zucchini, basil pesto, toasted pine nuts, and whipped ricotta cheese. It was light topped with a lemon zest. And the vegetable stock based sauce gave the dish a vibrant bright green that takes on a life of its own. However, the spaghetti dish with added shrimp was missing a little "je ne sais quoi". The sauce had no depth and gave jarred sauce vibes. I have to believe that there is more character in the kitchen that could have been put into this dish. To finish out the meal we shared a Strawberry Almond Cake. The cake is actually vegan and gluten-free and delicious. It definitely hits that sweet spot without so much guilt. It's moist, flavorful and the perfect end to a meal. Definitely worth visiting again!
Good food. I found the QR code use outside for ordering awkward, at least partly because the food titles were slightly different from the hard copy menu and I had trouble locating them online.
I really like to support small, neighborhood restaurants, but this place was super disappointing. You order and pay via QR code at your table, even though it's a sit down Italian restaurant with staff. The worse part was the food though. You would think an Italian restaurant would have edible red sauce, but it honestly just tasted like canned puréed tomatoes. Super bland. The meatballs are delicious, however. I wouldn't recommend and definitely won't be back.
Great Italian food. From the calamari and charcuterie platter for appetizers to the gnocchi and risotto for dinner everything was delicious. Add to that their friendly service and you have a delightful neighborhood restaurant.