Italian Cafe
Italian
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Location and hours
Location
7161 Lee Highway , Falls Church, VA
(703) 241-1829
Hours
More details
Reviews
Overall rating
(242 reviews)
We requested that bread should be warmed, waitress gladly obliged in no time.
Great Little Spot That Served Us Even When They Were Supposed To Be Closed.
good food and a nice menu. I'd like to have more fish choices.
Very unique place and felt like we were in Italy. Quick suggestion please play music during your dining experience.
Very unique place and felt like we were in Italy. Quick suggestion please play music during your dining experience.
Very unique place and felt like we were in Italy. Quick suggestion please play music during your dining experience.
love the old time atmosphere and the friendly staff
Took friends that had never been before and boy, were they impressed! Two of us had trout, one had salmon (the kitchen does a great job on fish) and one ordered steak. Latter was a bit overdone, that’s unusual but there was an event going on so they were temporarily slammed. They would have made another steak or offered free dessert, but we come often so we’re pleased. Pretty quiet so conversation is possible, service with a smile, very reasonable wine prices. One tip: we prefer the minestrone as a starter over the salad, they switch that gladly.
Good service as always but in looking back I suggest staying with the classic Italian side of the menu.
Good service as always but in looking back I suggest staying with the classic Italian side of the menu.
Always good food...friendly service..great neighborhood restaurant!
Always good food...friendly service..great neighborhood restaurant!
Service was great. had a reservation and they were all set upon arrival.
Very friendly staff! Excellent service! Food was delicious!
Typical Italian entrees prepared solidly and well. We each enjoyed the Minestrone and Clam chowder soups we were served. We also enjoyed the house Chianti wine.
Our server was outstanding and the noise level was good. Everyone enjoyed their meal including a 1 1/2 year old and 4 year old. The calamari appetizer was very good. It’s a nice family place that I have no trouble recommending.
Long time patrons. Never disappointed with the freshness and quality of the meals.
Mussel app. very small but there seems to be a new chef as the Lasagna was much better than in the past
I just love the food here and the ambiance of a family owned and operated restaurant for many years.
the food was mediocre and it was my daughter's 16th birthday and they asked only her what kind of dessert she would like. Then they sang happy birthday to her. then they charged me for the dessert. that's whack!
This is a nice family run restaurant. It is well run and popular neighborhood place. It is great for what it is. It is not fine dining with fantastic service but it is not priced for that audience. Again great for what it is.
very good food. Next time will sit where there are not TVs due to the distractio but great evening
Staff (Jack and owner) are very friendly. Feel at home there.
Service and food are excellent. Great value for the price.
Good Italian food, many typical Italian dishes, specials offer additional, less common choices. Good food and good value.
Good menus selection. I like Osso Bucco my wife likes the salmon and our son likes the large pizza. Food well prepared and good service.
Nice ambience. Good service. Good food for the $.
Every one in our group selected a different entre and all were happy with their selection. Many good choices on the menu.
Food is excellent. The fish is always fresh and other entrees well prepared. Love the IItalian dishes and desserts. The help is always smiling, corteous, and attentive. It is one our favorite restaurants.
Food was mediocre. Their $20+ steak was a lean hamburger. Overall we'll never go back and would NOT recommend it.
Always excellent: service and the food and the wine.
Excellent service, the veal was cooked perfectly and the shrimp was amazing.
Love the food at this restaurant and the large number of selections. The pastas are delicious and the canollis are delicious.
Good decor, service. Pizza was too soggy in middle. Rest of the food we ordered was fine.
Great Service & Great Food!
Delicious food and wine at a reasonable price.
Food and service are always great.
Service was very good and the food was tasty.
Always great. We use a restaurant.com certificate every visit.
Love the food and service.
Perfect venue for a family friendly birthday occassion. Good choices for kids and adults. Very good service and food.
Great food and friendly service.
Authentic freshly made Italian food and excellent home made bread served warm.
Great food and service
Great service and good food!
Delicious food! Great service.
Food was good to excellent, service was a little inattentive. A Sunday evening with few dinners. Wait staff not busy and spent a little too much time in vacant dining area viewing things on their smartphones.
Always good food and service. I like the new menu.
Good food, ambiance and service
I called earlier in the day for a reservation for 14. Our entire family was visiting, including five children. The Italian Cafe set up a long table in their back banquet room and were all ready for us when we arrived at 5:30 pm. The food and service were wonderful, like they always are. Having the back banquet room all to ourselves allowed us to dine with five small children age 4 down to 3 months old without impacting any other diners.
Consistent food quality. Nothing terribly fancy, but fresh pasta and decent sauces.
I would rate it 4 or 5 but unfortunately our waitress spilled 2 glasses of wine on one of us. She was devastated and apologized. This happens but it left a bad taste because manager was slow and reluctant to offer any compensation. After asking, he did offer to pay for drycleaning but nothing else.
Excellent food and ambiance and service.
Place is nice , clean and comfortable. Great place to have a conversation with friend over wine and good food.
Servers are gracious and pleasant. Food is always good.
some background radio or the like noise but they lowered it upon asking to do so
Excellent service; always bringing what was wanted, without hovering.
Good food - great waitress!
We enjoy this quiet neighborhood cafe - it's one of our go-to places for comfort food and relaxation.
good menu that varies. Seafood recipes are very tasty. Osso buco is the best.
Wine and food were great. Service was excellent.
One of our party was gluten-free and they were very accommodating. Fast service for a large party.
Was a casual get together dinner with a friend on a Tuesday evening. Can't think of anything that would have improved the evening and its purpose.
Great food and service!
Excellent food and service!
Excellent food and service!
Nice ambiance, great food, great service.
Food was exactly as requested and excellent.
Food was exactly as requested and excellent.
Food was exactly as requested and excellent.
well prepared
Food was good but the service was the best.
Everything was fantastic!
Excellent food and service.
good food + good service
We have eaten here a number of times, and this might have been the best food we've had there. Excellent!
Absolutely superb! Food, staff, everything was outrageously delicious!
This is an unpretentious restaurant that provides a welcome dining experience with exceptional food. We have come here for years and will continue to do so and encourage friends and relatives to dine here.
Good Italian food classics, friendly and attentive service
Great food and service!
very good family restaurant.
Good food, genrous protions, great service.
Fast and great service.
Slow service, but understandable with a group of 14
Excellent dining experience, food very tasty and portions more than adequate. Staff was attentive and efficient.
nice layout
The entire staff is exceptionally nice
Our waitress was very personable and explained menu choices enthusiastically.
Staff very friendly and food good. Prices are great!
There was nothing special about the dining experience. For an Italian meal, the waiter placed parmesan cheese on the dish, rather than leaving the cheese on the table for however much a customer wants to put on the plate. Red pepper seeds must be requested. Most Italian restaurants will have a supply of each of the table for customers to use at their option. The bread was cold / not warm / when placed on the table .. rather bland. The portion of spaghetti was moderate, with only two meatballs provided ... generally three at other restaurants. All in all, it was okay, but nothing that would prompt a return visit.
cozy and warm feeling
The service was excellent and so was the meal. They are very pleasant about the coupon. Some restaurants are not. Very nice atmosphere, with a low noise level so we could talk to each other without shouting. Loved the place.
Our server was attentive and very pleasant.
charming server was very helpful!
Smiles on every face working here says a lot! It's a neighborhood gem, cozy plus very good food, and they really do go beyond the menu to please ( I often ask if mushroom ravioli is available, though not listed, and almost always they will prepare it for me).
The food was delicious! The wait staff was friendly and attentive.
Great food, generous portions served in a pleasant atmosphere by courteous staff.
The food was fresh and delicious. Service was excellent!
I was disappointed in the mozzarella cheese sticks. I was told that they are made in the kitchen, not frozen. but although there were nine sticks, a large portion for the price, they tasted no different than frozen ones with very little cheese for the amount of coating. Other restaurants serve fewer but large chances of cheese that really ooze when I cut into them. The entree and sides were excellent. I always order the spinach and I am never disappointed. The waitress was new and seemed a bit uncomfortable doing her job.
good food, salads a little skimpyrefills on drinks had to be requestedserver disappeared midmeal, replacement was fine just odd
Cozy place; biggest complaint was the cleaning products they used to clean off the tables. Luckily no table was cleaned during the beginning of my meal, because when they did towards the end, the smell was ridiculously overpowering. It was like I could taste the cleaner in my mouth & it gave my an awful headache. To be fair, I am sensitive to chemicals, but there is no reason to be using such HARSH chemicals around food!!! Ruined the rest of my meal.
Veal always looks grey instead of golden brown and what's with the brown gravy on everything....there should be lemon butter sauces with capers or. Masala sauce with lemon.....everything needs more seasoning...but not more salt. Why not use some maitake or reiseke or shiitake mushrooms
The waitress was very friendly and helpful. The food was much better than expected!
Waiter exceptional; food wonderful; generally feeling of happiness there.
Wonderful service. Fabulous waitress.
excellent food and service
Food was great!
The food is amazing and the service was perfect. Even the atmosphere is what you would expect at a good Italian restaurant.
Food was just ok and was lukewarm.
As always, the Italian Café delivers quality food at an exceptional rate and service is always good.
It's a great family oriented affordable restaurant. the servers are not trained to remove extra plates or glasses...in a fine dining restaurant they would have learned this. the food is a little salty. I loved getting bread and salad with your meal.
Good food, good service!
Food is delicious, nice size portions, great variety, friendly service and nice atmosphere.
All meals were enjoyable.Service was very good. Numerous appetizers and entrees on the menu.Prices were quite reasonable.
The bread they put on our table was inedible; the challah bread was goey/sticky inside, the other bread, italian, had an off flavor, like soap. Nobody else at the table at it either, interestingly, although I did not give my opinion to the others at the time.I ordered the only pasta dish which was made with fresh pasta, as per the waiter; ravioli stuffed with crab meat(&lobster??)in pesto sauce. It was good, but I received only 4 raviolis. 2 more would have filled me up.The waiter was very good, and attentive.Mediocre food, which was not cheap.
Small resturant .probably should have made a reservation like was recommended. Didn't think we needed one on a week night. I would do it in future. Service was a little slow but food was great. The wait staff was very pleasant.
Really fine restaraunt with outstanding food and service!
Food is great and portions are more than adequate. Service was excellent. Loved it all.
The food was outstanding. Everything from the salad to the kids meals to our seafood /Italian dishes.
Food was good, but not excellent. The service was a little slow.
Service was great and friendly! Prices were reasonable.The food was excellent!!
Excellent service and food.
I had the trout dish and it wasn't what I expected.
Good food, nice presentation and friendly, helpful service
The server got two of the orders incorrect, but made it right.
The service is always attentive and accommodating to our needs. The food is always delicious and no one in our group has ever had a bad food experience at this restaurant.
This was our first visit and we were pleasantly surprised. The food was excellent, the atmosphere friendly and the prices are reasonable.
Food is tasty, service was excellent, and it's a nice, low-key family restaurant atmosphere.
Great service, delicious food!
We have patronized the Italian Cafe for 17 years, so we feel we know the restaurant pretty well. Food was very good, service was bad. Server was young and inexperienced, and it showed. Did not know the difference between Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio. Seemed to forget about us for long critical periods, like bringing the correct wine. Did not clear salad plates when he brought the entrees, did not offer cheese on our entrees. Food was delicious. Hope the server stays in school because serving will not be a good career choice for him.
mussels were not fresh, portion are small for the prices
The food has been better in the past. My veal was tough, and the bread basket seemed to hold day-old bread. Maybe it was just a "bad day."
plan on going at least twice a month
Nice restaurant, good food, good wine. Portions a little small, especially the pasta. But overall good.
The lasagna was luke warm for both me and my wife. We should have sent it back. We eat here from time to time and generally have had good experiences. But not this time.
Chicken piccata was good. I was disappointed with the eggplant parmesan which was mediocre with too much cheese and not enough eggplant. It's sauce was not tasty enough to overcome the above flaws.House salad was very good.
Lasagna is good
This was our first time dining here. Never judge a book by its cover. The inside is warm and inviting. We dined on a Friday night and arrived just before a number of regular couples who have dined here for years. Our server was well trained and the food was tasty and well portioned. There's clearly a reason the Italian Café has been in business for 35+ years. We will definitely be going back for another visit.
good service, excellent food.
the best italian in northern virginia
The rooms are nice. the only problem was we were sat in a booth behind a couple and their young daughter. The family was louder than we would have liked.
Always good food and excellent, attentive service. good value for the price.
Full menu, with something for everyone. Skip the lobster, but everything else was very good. Good wait staff as well. Friendly, attentive w/good knowledge of menu.
The ambiance was good, the food was delicious, the service was great, and our waiter actually said "Merry Christmas" to us when we left instead of the horrible "Happy Holidays!"
The service was very friendly from the hostess that greeted us to the bus person that served the water and bread and topped off by the waitress. Everything was tasty, served at the right temperature and presented nicely.
The Shrimp Gambretto is fabulous and our favorite, but we enjoy other dishes as well. The seating is comfortable for awhile, but the seats are not padded.
The lasagna was wonderful. The garlic bread was so good we got two orders. The salads were so fresh and tasty.
Our server, Cathy?, was wonderful. She gave the 3 couples and 1 single separate checks after deducting a $50 Restaurant.com certificate. Great place.
It was relaxing, but we didn't hve time for the dessert.
Food was delicious and service was excellent.
Excellent service and very find food.
The entrees were excellent, we each got one of the seafood specials. Everything tasted amazing. My only issue was with the bread. I love going to Italian restaurants and having fresh, warm bread. Bread was cold and at least a few days old.
The atmosphere was great. The service was a little bit slow, but the food was excellent. Will come back!
friendly, prompt service. good bread and salads too.
very good food
The calamari appetizer was tough, dark in color(dirty oil?), and unappetizing.Our included salads were not crispy, nor interesting.The salad had "house dressing"; awful; way too much spices.Pork chop "special" was dry, tasteless, and seemed to be prepared many hours, if not days, beforehand. I ate less than half, gave the rest to my dog the next day.Side dishe of mashed sweetpotatoe was too sweet and uninteresting.Saute'd spinach was mushy and had alot of garlic in it, which overpowered the spinach.This restaurant was better four years ago, when I first went there, and has gone downhill since then every year.By the way, it's not cheap; entre's were 17.- 25.00 from the specials menu.Many TV's were playing in the bar dining room, which I hate. ate in the unremarkable other diningroom.Our waiter was a novice...he looked scared and lost.
Generous portions of well prepared food.
The service was excellent and the menu offered many intersting options.
The Server Didn't Really Seem Too Enthusiastic About Our Table And Even Got Annoyed When We Requested To Switch Wines Because It Was Not To Our Liking.
The waitress was at our table promptly, she was friendly, and water glasses were constantly filled. The food was good, as usual. This is my favorite Italian restaurant in the area.
Good - excellent overall.
The Italian Cafe is a long-time neighborhood institution. It has lasted so long because the food is excellent and reasonably priced and the service friendly & unpretentious. If you like good home-style Italian food, this is the place to go.
Steak was tough, dry, stingy
Excellent food and service with nice ambiance.
We felt the food came in a timely manner and all the staff was very nice. It was also family friendly.
The staff was very nice, attentive and accommodating to our group since not everyone could be seated at the same time. The food was very tasty.
The portions were a nice size - not huge! I didn't leave feeling stuffed. The service was good.
We enjjoyed
Service was good. Restaurant was quiet enough so that I could have conversation. It's good home style cooking. food was hot, and plenty to eat. Wine was affordable and good.
Quiet atmosphere and wonderful food and service.
food good, service efficient but ran out of water twice.
Attentive service staff; excellent food!
The food was excellent,the service was fabulous.
we had a lovely and charming waitress (is a teacher's aide as well as waitress) and the food was delicious.
On a whole the food was great with exception of the pizza I did not like the pizza but will dine there again.
Great Food and great service...a cozy atmosphere
Food was too salty. I have eaten here before but disappointed this time.
Our waiter, Alex, was a delight. He always had a big smile on his face, was very attentive, and made sure that all our needs were met. He made our dining experience a delight!
Could have better value with bigger portions: more seafood for the seafood dishes and more pasta. Freshly ground pepper would be a nice addition. Overall good flavored sauces. Pizza was good.
very slow service
Prices are higher than most Italian restaurants, and the menu never changes. The food is fair enough; however, they don't take credit cards, which is a turnoff for most occasions.
Have been enjoying meals at the Italian Cafe for 10+ years; the food is consistently good and the specials are also quite tasty.
We used to go regularly for years, then the quality of the food slipped. We heard that things have improved and tried it again. Quality has improved.
A good, quaint little restaurant.
I just wish it were warmer inside. We sat at a window booth and it was very cold.
We really enjoyed our dinner. The staff was very accommodating for our big group. I have already told others about how nice it was.
The fish is excellent as is the Italian food. Service is warm and attentive.
The staff is not readily available or apologetic about mistakes. My boyfriend was given the wrong entree and had to wait at least 5, if not 10 minutes to report it since no one was there.
Great food , great service
The service is attentive without being overbearing. Food is excellent. The bread served prior to the meal is a bit lacking - somewhat dry and not as fresh as it could be. Also suggest serving olive oil with the bread along with butter.
Food servings are not large, and prices are higher than most Italian restaurants; however, overall its respectable.
We have dined at the Italian Cafe since it was at it's previous location. The restaurant is quite good and very consistent.
The waitress provided excellent service. The portions are large and the specials were all very good.
Food was a little to salty otherwise it was very good.
Real kids cups would be nice. And apple juice. I like that a salad came with the meal. The outside patio is beautiful. Love the flowers.
Lunch entrees were a little pricey, but it was very delicious. Salmon salad could have had more greens.
Good food. Good service.
The food does not come out of the kitchen hot. Lukewarm is the best that can be said. The food tastes fair enough, but not hot by any means.
We would likely have never tried without coupon. We were very pleased with food, atmosphere and service.
The food is excellent!
I have been driving past the Italian Cafe for years and have wnated to try it. The coupon spurred me on!
Food was good; service mediocre.
Prices are above average for an Italian restaurant; salads with meals are small, and they demand cash.
Great food and service. Only wish the chairs were cushioned.
Excellent moderately priced Italian restaurant.
Good, old-fashionied Italian fare
Great Service from Jose, Food was excellent
clean nice consistent good food, nice well trained waitstaff.
Food was pretty good but not really worth the drive.
WRETCHED LIGHTING!!!!!!
I understand that it gets busy. That's why having more than one or two servers is an absolute necessity.
Very enjoyable evening...server was very professional and attentive...food was delicious!
I ate at this restaurant about 20 years ago and it was excellent. Wanted to try it again and see if the quality was the same.
Had a great time. Easy, relaxed atmosphere. Waitstaff were accomodating to us.
The food is reasonably good; prices are a bit higher than other Italian restaurants. Some items are a bit expensive. The menu is fairly well set every night. Service is very good, especially earlier in the evening. Table bread is better warm. They are very sparing on the cheese that is placed on pasta dishes.
It is a nice, moderately priced place nearby. The discount coupons allow us to eat out more often.
Good quality and quantity for the price. Attentive and knowledgeable server, the kitchen accommodates vegetarians. Nice list of specials for a Sunday menu--and those we tried were fresh and tasty.
We always enjoy this local restaurant. The food is excellent, and the wait staff honestly cares about the customer! I would recommend it to anyone!
Great foo, service and atmosphere. I will go back.
We had an excellent meal. we will go again.
nice meal, great service
Great Service and Food!
Prices are getting higher at this restaurant. Dinner salads are very small. As an Italian restaurant, it's okay, not great. Some plates are much better than others.
I wish they had a better wine selection for glass only orders.
Serving sizes are only moderate...not large by any means. The dinner salads are small. Prices are higher than other Italian restaurants. They require cash only, so beware.
Great waiter. Very friendly and efficient service. Good much much better than in past visits a year or more ago. Nicely redecorated .
food lacks seasoning, steak overdone
Very good food. Nice atmosphere.
It was a wonderful meal, with great serrvice
Didn't appreciate not being to use credit/debit card to pay for our meal. That would be a reason to NOT dine at Italian Cafe in the future.
The kitchen doesn't know how to cook steaks. An order of medium well was dripping with blood; a "re-do" cooked it to very well done. This caused two people to eat at different times. Training needed. Definitely not a $17 meal.
We were pleasantly surprised by our wonderful dining experience. We went on a tuesday evening and the restaurant was full. We considered this a good sign. I had the pesto pizza which was very good though not "the best" pizza that I have eaten. The spinach was fresh and nicely sauted with garlic. The only thing that I think could be improved is the quality of the bread in the bread basket, not noteworthy. There was no tiramisu, but we chose a sweet almond cream cake which we both liked better than tiramisu. We plan to return. The quality for the price was excellent. Nice atmosphere, easy to have a conversation.
very good service and a wonderful atmosphere
Food is generally very tasty, prices are above most Italian restaurants, servings are of moderate size, dinner salad is too small, and credit card was not accepted for payment. The "small stuff" has to be put up with in order to visit this restaurant.
The prices are fairly reasonable, the food is fairly good, and the salad with the meal is very small. The waiter will hover and take your payment while you sit at the table...not very courteous.
Calamari were over breaded. The zuppa di pesce red sauce was watery from failure to drain the past sufficiently, many of the muscles were inedible.
The food is pretty good, the service even better; however, the dinner salad is a bit small.
Good food, Great service, and reasonable prices. Only downside was daughter said Coca-Cola tasted flat & more like Pepsi.
Excellent food. Service could improve.
The menu is pretty pricey and the food is simple. While it's not the best Italian location around, the food was good. A minus is that they require cash.
The eggplant parm. was mushy and almost tasteless. Definitely order something else. Chicken livers are bland...order something else.
Excellent food and great portions for reasonable prices, friendly service.