Orzo Kitchen & Wine Bar

Came to Orzo for my birthday dinner and it was fabulous! The prosciutto bruschetta was the star of the night! The bolognese was delicious. Didn’t love my mocktail choice (Fortuna - far too bitter for my taste) but my husband’s mocktail (go fig or go home) was fab! Highly, highly recommend this spot!

Loved our server, Alana, but the whole team was great! Fast tracked delicious food to ensure we made our train on time!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food was absolutely amazing! Even simpler items, such as the baguette w/ olive oil and the spaghetti entrée, were fantastic! Our server was very kind and patient, and other servers even checked on us periodically as well. Great service and would definitely go again.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Moroccan dishes were great. Wonderful waitress.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Amazing spot with great food

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This place is awesome!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Perfect evening- a salty pomodore pasta, a salty waitress and a salty manager. Five staff members standing around the kitchen but had to ask who if anyone was going to wait on us. $140 for average food - the mushroom risotto was good. We expected better on food, service and experience.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 1

We were in town for a triathlon and need to carb up. We received more than we bargained for. Service was top notch. Steven made sure we were happy and take. Care of. The Moroccan menu is spectacular- don’t miss it. We lived in Italy and had homemade Limoncello, but there’s is even better. The Salmon was prepared perfectly and the pasta was al dente! Do not miss out on a great meal!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The calamarata pasta and bolonnaise were excellent. Superb service and very friendly staff

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Outdoor patio if the weather is good is amazeballs

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Lovely night out on the patio with their signature dish... Yummy!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Love love loved our meal here! Food, wine, vibes were on point and perfect! We had Steven as our server and he was awesome, patient and really made our meal amazing. Highly recommend!!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

My first restaurant post-move-in to Charlottesville, and it was FANTASTIC! I cannot recommend Orzo enough, and I’m already starting to feel the charm of Virginia. The food was delicious, and so was the atmosphere. Shoutout as well to our server, Stephen, who made the night quite enjoyable. A friendly face is always comforting when moving to a new city, so having a kind server who took the time to chat with us was great.

Once we were seated, we started with the 2020 Artimino Poggilarca Super Tuscan. The price was reasonable relative to the quality of the wine. Orzo is an Italian restaurant, so why not go with a Super Tuscan, am I right? Next time I might splurge on the Super-Duper Tuscan—haha!

Moving on to the food, we started with the halloumi and some bread. The halloumi was delicious, and we all particularly loved the sauce that accompanied it. Stephen mentioned they made it with ouzo, which I usually do not care for, but cooking it together with the other flavors in the sauce changed my mind! The bread, I believe, is freshly baked, and they serve it with great olive oil. Having family in Italy and close friends from Greece means I’ve enjoyed great olive oil—and this was really good olive oil.

For our mains, two of us had the Risotto D’Estate, one had the braised lamb, and another had the grilled fish. I do want to preface that the fish and the lamb were from their rotating “Passport Menu,” which Stephen said changes every 4–6 weeks. Regardless, the quality of the dishes tells me that whatever they have on this changing part of the menu will be good no matter what. The fish was a light, delicate cod with the right amount of smokiness and earthiness. The vegetables that came with the dish were well seasoned and not too mushy either. The braised lamb was very tender, and the quality of the meat was clearly good. The accompanying sauce had great flavors.

For the two of us who had the risotto, we were also very happy! This is the dish I had, and it was a lovely blend of flavors. The pistachios in it balanced out the salty/sour-ish (not the best word, but you’ll know what I mean) flavor from the cheese in the dish. It was outstanding.

Finally, we capped off the meal with a tiramisu, the chocolate pot de crème, and some limoncello. The limoncello, I should add, is made in-house—and OH, that was a treat! I didn’t try the tiramisu, but was told the creaminess was perfect. Some tiramisus can be too watery and the ladyfingers dry, but that was not the case here. Similarly, my pot de crème was to die for! I am a chocoholic and have been baking/making sweet treats for nearly a decade now, so I know a good dessert when I try one.

The only thing they could add to their menu is espresso! They have regular coffee, but an espresso is really what I enjoy after dinner.

Overall, we had a fabulous meal, and I cannot recommend Orzo enough. For my first culinary endeavor in my new home of Charlottesville, I could not be happier. Please check out Orzo—and say hello to my new friend Stephen.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Orzo was our favorite meal in Charlottesville! This was a birthday dinner and did not disappoint. Our server was great and made awesome recommendations!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Lamb Shank with Chick Peas and Mashed Potatoes

a solid place! my pasta was yummy, but nothing mindblowing. our drinks were refreshing and the atmosphere is nice. the staff was awesome! friendly and attentive people :-)

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5