Roberto's Ristorante Italiano

I dined here for their New Year’s Eve menu. I went in with excitement and high hopes but left disappointed.

I’ll start with the good things:
- The warm focaccia and cheesy bread were delicious.
- The texture of the homemade pasta was excellent.
- Rack of lamb was seasoned and cooked nicely.
- The warm apple tart was flavorful and not overly sweet. Great end to an otherwise subpar experience.

The bad:
- We had to wait FIFTY minutes between our first and second course. That’s ridiculous, considering that the restaurant imposed a 2hr limit for each table. Telling guests to watch their time when the kitchen can’t handle a big evening is a questionable move. I get that it’s a busy night, and we were told that the kitchen was consequently slammed, but the restaurant should’ve considered this earlier in its planning of a multiple-round NYE dinner service.
- The “scallop crudo” was mashed up scallop paste spread across the plate. I’ve had crudo in a number of other places—from neighborhood Japanese restaurants to Michelin-starred spots—and I know crudo is sliced pieces of raw fish/scallop in a light, acidic dressing. Sure, you’re allowed to take as many creative liberties as you want with your own dishes, but don’t call the dry, mashed scallops what it isn’t and try to imply that your guests just can’t comprehend “sophisticated” dishes.
- The foie gras was not properly seared as its name suggests. It was breaded and paired with a sweet sauce with nothing to effectively cut through the grease.
- The pasta dish tasted good aside from the awful presentation and sea urchin, which didn’t taste the freshest.

It’s sad to see that a restaurant opened by a prestigious James Beard award winning chef is unable to maintain the food quality and seamless planning that define other chefs with the same accolades today. I’m saddened that I couldn’t taste his artistry. There are plenty of more thoughtfully curated menus in DC that charge similar prices. Take your $140pp elsewhere.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 2

Had a wonderful birthday party here. Party of five. The service could not have been better. The staff were all very attentive. We had a variety of dishes. We had tortellini, wild boar, ravioli, fettuccine with Parmesan and a mushroom pesto dish. We also tried a few different desserts. The restaurant was very accommodating. It was a very pleasant evening.
However, I did not like all the pepper in the breadsticks

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Genuinely dumbfounded at my experience.

The food is impressively bland.
The started bread was actually rather phenomenal. However, that's mostly where the praises end.

The pasta was okay, but came out cold when it should have been warm. The desserts were bang average at best, and downright disappointing at worse. The sorbet was good, but nothing mind blowing and the fried dough was flavorless and sad.

The service was also atrocious. It took nearly 20 minutes to pay when there were only 5 people in the restaurant.

Would not recommend.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 2

The service and food were great! It's a little pricy for some of the dishes, but otherwise worth going to.

Dietary restrictions: Gluten free pasta

Have wanted to visit Roberto's for a long time and finally went with visiting friends on Saturday evening. We arrived 15 minutes before our reservation and were immediately seated which was a nice surprise. The bread bowl was tasty. Breadsticks had a spicy kick. Foccacia was tasty but dry. We requested olive oil for dipping and it was brought on the third request after our meal arrived. We did not order appetizers or salads.The men both ordered the linguine in the parmesan bowl and it was very tasty, however, both commented that the food was not hot. The women both ordered the butternut squash (crescent shaped) ravioli which was delicious. I would return to Roberto's just to have this dish again. Our only complaint was that we were rushed to order and finish our meal.. On 3 initial visits to the table (within the first few minutes we were there) the wait staff said "Do you have a plan? Are you ready to order?" Please note that the restaurant was busy but no wait line and we did see empty tables when we arrived. There was a large table next to us with 6 patrons. They were seated and hadn't ordered before we arrived. When we left, the large table was just receiving their salads/appetizers. The menu does state a 2 hour time limit on table and we were well under this. I cannot overemphasize how the feeling of being rushed affected our visit. Even when we were looking at the dessert menu, the wait staff came back with the "Do we have a plan?" comment. Very frustrating. However... that butternut squash ravioli was amazing.
I would go for a very early dinner next time (and we will return.) We walked down Church St after our meal which was a fun bonus for an evening out. An afterthought about visit-we asked questions about menu and the wait staff struggled somewhat to answer. Perhaps they are a new employee and will settle into the food service business shortly.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 1

Finally remembered to take pictures before eating the food. We love Roberto's, food is delicious and we always have a great time. Wish they would also open for lunch but early dinners work well too. their small bar is very nice for a drink before dinner too.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Absolutely fantastic food that warms your innards. Bread basket is absurdly good. Don't get another. Share the vitello tonnato instead. Pastas are exquisite, especially the boar parpadelle.
Service is graciously efficient. Happy Hour at the bar @ 4:30.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Zucchini Blossoms Appetizer, Calamarata, Pan Seared Fresh Alaskan Halibut, Bread Basket, Octopus

Beautiful decorations, very helpful and thoughtful staff, and the food is to die for.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Fabulous! Fantastic food. Wonderful staff. Perfectly attentive. Very romantic.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I'm Italian and wasn't impressed. Food had limited selection. Service was very slow, almost non existant, though polite.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 3

Wow !! What a birthday dinner !! Such great food and service ! I highly reccomend ! Take a look at the photos below !! We enjoyed so many different things. Burrata with peach salad, fried zucchini blossoms, even the special fettuccini with Parmesan !!! Special occasion or just because !! Head out and have a meal here !! You won’t regret it. It’s rare for a chef with as much status as Roberto to be in the restaurant as much as he is!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

It's been a great addition to vienna since it opened. Kids love the cheesy pasta.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

We came here for my birthday. Which they went out of their for it was very nice.
Everything from food to service and atmosphere was great. All of the staff were pleasant and inviting.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Celebrated our three year wedding anniversary at Roberto’s for the first time. Everything about this place and experience was perfect. From our waiter Jeff and the meals he recommended to the hostess. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, we will be back there for sure. Thank you!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Had an absolutely wonderful Saturday evening here with a group of 4. I had marked in the resy that we were celebrating a birthday and were greeted with a Prosecco toast. From there service just got better - we felt guided and well advised on ordering and not at all rushed as we worked our way through the menu. The octopus and burrata appetizers were surprising and delightful in the best ways, including their beautiful presentation. Our party also enjoyed their mains (the seafood pasta is great- but more seafood than pasta, you are warned, and should be excited about it!) and enjoyed a dessert celebration as well. The feel of this restaurant should be noted just as much as the food - we were greeted warmly (and in Italian!) at the door and felt the staff went above and beyond to make our experience a good one. I can’t recommend this spot enough for special occasions or just a nice evening dining out!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Fettuccini, Tiramisu, Seafood Pasta