Alfio's La Trattoria

A classic Italian restaurant with wooden castle like furniture and nice decorations to complete the style!We came to hear the live music starring Dr. Bunning which was wonderful. :) If you're in the mood for jazz, it's fun! Unfortunately, we came on an evening where the service was below par. We were surprised that many people who arrived much later were getting their food before us. Perhaps our order got lost in the shuffle?! It took more than an hour and 20 mins to get our food.We took our food to go which had lovely flavors. Crab stuffed mushrooms: yummy and rich!Frutti de mare: lovely flavors Broccoli with lemon: good but doesn't travel that well.Recommend coming a bit early for live music nights and to make a reservation.

Popped in here as we were looking at condos today. They just opened, so was quiet. Although, the happy hour crowd started to roll in while here. It has an old school feel to it. Service was great! Attentive and super nice, even when he got busy. Calamari and pizza were great. Beers ice cold! Pretty good deals for Happy Hour. Come try!

It you want your typical Italian fare, this is the place to go. Nothing to write home about though. There is live music on Saturday nights which is really cool, but they charge $10 per person. Sometimes we are coming home from another event and want to just pop in for one drink and some music, but don't want to pay an extra $10 per person on top of the already pricey drink we buy. It would be cooler if they did a 1 or 2 drink minimum instead.

It is a very quaint place with rustic style and enjoyable things to see. The live music was fun and the atmosphere was electric. However, the service was not up to par, though we found out there were 3 people working. It was confusing why larger parties were served before us and after they ordered. We ended up leaving with our food, which was very good, however it took over an hour to get our food. I stepped out to take a phone call for about 15 minutes, and the food still didn't come. Overall an ok time, but the service was not very good.

This place is much bigger than it appears from the outside, although it never seems busy. . It's location tucked inside a Friendship Heights apartment building holds a bar area up front and several spacious dining rooms. They advertise live music several nights a week. The menu consists of the usual Italian / Italian American fare, to include chicken, fish, beef, pizza, sandwiches, etc. I had the veal parm, which was decent. It came with a nice sized salad and bread as well. Service was prompt and courteous.

Located on the ground floor of the Willoughby of Chevy Chase condominiums, Alfio's La Trattoria offers traditional Italian fare in large portions at reasonable prices. The restaurant has been around since the 1960s. The space has a number of rooms suitable for small drop-in parties and larger formal gatherings, and live music is offered (for a charge in a separate space) on Saturdays. There is also a small bar space with both a bar counter and high top tables. A staff member greeted us upon our arrival and opened the door for us. I believe the staff person doubles as the valet. While there was no host stand clearly present in the entrance area, a staff member did greet us and offered us our choice of tables in the front dining area. The service was quick, and the food was good. The house salad was simple but tasty, and the chicken dish I ordered (pictured) was savory and moist. I look forward to trying other dishes here in the future.

We live just down the street from Alfio's so I wish we were more impressed. The Italian food is pretty run-of-the-mill in every way - flavor, preparation, presentation. For much of the year there is live music in the back dining room in the evenings. We went once but haven't returned. The restaurant charges a $10/person "entertainment charge" that really disincentivizes just dropping in while walking home from other Saturday-night activities. If they just had a 1-drink minimum instead, we likely would have been in there 5-6 times by now!We've heard from long-time residents that Alfio's was a different, more-popular animal in a bygone heyday. Covid, though, turned it into a mostly-empty shell. With smart management and marketing Alfio's could probably be revived. Without it, I think the place is doomed to subsist on take-out orders from the residents of the apartment building in which it exists.

The only unfortunate thing in this review is that I only have five stars to give Alfio's. The food and service were excellent, the ambiance a bit tongue-in-cheek, and the overall experience wonderful. First, if you don't like 1970's type restaurants, stop reading. It reminds me of places in NYC when I was a kid -- great restaurants with great people. I ordered a Capri salad, and ziti bolognese. The appetizer was amazing, The beef sauce was excellent, and the portions were large. They served hot bread and butter. My fiancé ordered Manicotti, and we both got excellent desserts. The waiter Marco, who was incredible, capped it off with a limoncello after dinner, which was amazing. The bill was very reasonable, and we left very happy. Won't be our last time. In summary, next time you go to Friendship Heights, stop by Alfio's. You'll be glad you did.

The interior is so old and dingy. Ceiling beams paint is chipped and peeling. The furniture and decor is creepy. Most importantly, the food is so bad! Chicken Marsala consisted of a dry piece of meat that was floating in what looked like a canned soup, and pasta with a blob of red sauce on top. Who serves Marsala with red sauce all on one plate? The wine list is pathetic as well. I don't remember what was the last time I felt so disgusted after visiting a restaurant. Service was okay. One waiter, but he tried very hard. Live band was great, but we didn't want to stay a minute longer than we had to.

The last time we ate there, we weren't as pleased with the quality of our food. We had an inexperienced server who made several mistakes. We sincerely hope that this was a one-time lapse. It has been one of our favorite Italian restaurants for decades. We sometimes attend on Saturday to enjoy the bands. (We have some friends who occasionally play there