Trattoria Da Lina

We made a reservation here for my husbands birthday because he loves Italian and we don't eat pork. This was about the only spot I could find with an all beef meatball and lasagna! The location is good, and there is an attached parking lot connected to the gelateria attached to the building, the cost is $5. Cash. The menu is not overly expansive in a way that makes clear they know where they shine and that is all they're willing to do. They do NOT have a kid's menu. We ordered off menu for appetizers and the chef gallantly made bruschetta that isn't on the menu, but definitely should be!! My husband went for pesto and chicken parmigiana which he said was well seasoned if a bit crispy. My boys did the spaghetti and meatballs which were a very European portion and honestly about the size of a US kid's meal smh. They ended up ordering a second order and eating a little over half of it. My oldest son had the salmon over white beans. The portion on that was massive- it looked like easily 8oz of salmon and I ordered the lamb shank. It was large, well cooked, swimming in mushrooms and served with wedge potatoes and asparagus. It was like 4 stalks of asparagus. But they were good lol. The lamb shank was pretty big - probably at least 6-7oz but there were two mega bones so probably 5-6oz or meat. If you enjoy shank it's worth it- I prefer (and probably should've ordered) chops. I still give it a solid 3.8/5 for what it was. My MIL is a vegan and I'd been told they have an eggplant pasta with their marinara and gluten free pasta. She said she enjoyed it. I'll hold on to that. Oh and my daughter enjoyed her lasagna, but it is definitely heavy on the ricotta (as well it should be).The service was impeccable. The icing on the cake is that, for a cake fee (that was disclosed up front)they cut, lit candles on and served my husband's birthday cake.They have desserts and this is definitely a place where I'd gladly try tiramisu but we were full of flan cake lol and couldn't even taste a single gelato flavor. But there's a reason to return!!! 5/5

I wiuld honestly say that this place used to be better.Making a reservation on a weeknight, I was told that novtables were available at 6:39 pn. Only 6:15 snd 6:45 were available. This turned out to be compketely untrue (we came at 6:15 and the place was still largely empty by 6:30 pm).Our waiter was impossible to understand . He raced through the specials and we had to ask him to repeat them several times.Formely the menu had a lot of choices . This is now down to just a handful. This would be okay if they were all exceptional, but alas, no. I had the pasta special (large sized pasta filled with cheese), which was mushy and overcooked. The waiter had recommended it saying "we rarely make this," and now i understand why.The salads used to be splittable, but alas no more. We had barely a mouthful each with the ceasar and it had nothing hinting at anchovy in it.I would say the prices here remain on the high side for Italian but for tge life of me I dont know ehy.This place used to be a special treat for us, but in its present incarnation, I'm not sure we'll even go back.

Delicious traditional Italian food in a quaint area of town. The chicken parmesan was perfection. Thin, crisp batter, juicy and tender. Spaghetti and meatballs also phenomenal. House salad with sliced apples and shaved ricotta delicious. Service was a little strained that night there was one server for the whole room but the management was also helping. Highly recommend!

So I've lived in the Takoma DC neighborhood for a few years and hadn't yet tried Trattoria Da Lina. My in laws were in town so decided to finally try it out! Now let me start by saying we lived in Northern Italy for quite some years so we know true Italian....Trattoria da Lina sends me back to my time in Italy! The food and the drinks were so authentic and I truly felt like I was in my towns local restaurant in northern Italy! The fried calamari was cooked to perfection, the meatballs were so moist and the Frutti di Mare was top notch! Not only that but the customer service was fab! I had a fussy infant and a cranky 6 year old with me and the waiter was so patient and understanding. The icing on the cake was that I inadvertently left my purse at the restaurant and didn't realize it until the next morning! I emailed and the manager responded immediately and confirmed he had my purse and let me pick it up before the store opened. This is just overall a good establishment with authentic Italian food! It's my new go to for Italian and I'm so happy it's in the neighborhood! Bravo, Trattoria Da Lina!!

Amazing authentic fresh food. Started with the broccoli and house salad ! I had the branzino special and it was so fresh . Service was great and there was a little cute gelato store that's connected next door. Amazing experience and being a New Yorker this was amazing Italian food !

I was a bit confused when I first arrived as they asked me if I was here for pasta pizza or both. Turns out it is connected to a pizza restaurant which is why they ask this so if you are coming for this location specifically, ask for the pasta! The servers were nice but the food was just ok. I got the spaghetti and meatballs and the gnocchi. The meatballs were above average but the noodles tasted cheap which is disappointing since it was quite pricey. The gnocchi was better but I wish they were bigger and had more bite instead of just being soft. Chewy still but borderline mushy. The sauce was very good though!

Delicious authentic fresh Italian food in the DMA area. Brings me back to my honeymoon in Amalfi Coast. Definitely worth the trek over the river from McLean, VA. The Fusilli alla Lina with stewed eggplant really hit the spot! It was my favorite dish in Amalfi and never had a dish like that in the U.S. The chewy al dente Fusilli noodles were divine and unique as long twisted noodles like Gemelli rather the traditional corkscrew shape. It paired well with the fresh crispy chunks of eggplant stewing in marinara sauce and oozing with cheese. The Eggplant Parmesan was a generous serving with layers of fresh juicy fried eggplant (prepared earlier that shift) was scrumptious and delicious. If I had to pick between the pasta or the eggplant parm, I would go with the Fusilli because it also has eggplant, best of both worlds!I wasn't a big fan of the Tiramisu. While it was served in the traditional Italian form of a cup rather than the Americanized cake, the chocolate cake topped with a mound of whipped cream and cocoa powder really missed the mark. Where were the lady fingers soaked in expresso and mascarpone cheese? I threw in the towel 1/2 way through. Skip the dessert and save more room for the main course!The complementary bread was cold - would have been nice to serve it warm. The spicy olive oil was interesting, but didn't quite pair well and a side of olive oil and vinegar would have elevated the bread. It's a free app, so can't have too many complaints here! The staff was great and let me sample a Pinot Noir Impero and another Italian Nero red wine (don't remember the exact name) that was more fuller-bodied and flavorful with notes of spices. While I chose the Pinot Noir, I appreciated the recommendation to try the other wine. There's no outdoor table seating. You can get carry-out and sit outside at the small square tables, but there's no service. While it wasn't that busy on a bustling Sat night with people trickling in, I'm glad I made a reservation. Will definitely come back for the Fusilli with stewed eggplant- so delicious!

Service and ambiance is great but the food lacks flavor. They cook the pasta well but need to add more flavor to their pasta sauce. Visited years ago and had a way better meal here.

We found this place while heading from DC to Maryland for an event and were not disappointed. It's in a cute neighborhood area called Takoma Park.They served their bread with sunflower oil and sun-dried tomatoes, which was so good. I started with the caprese salad, which was simple and fantastic. I got the pollo alla Milanese, which was delicious. The chicken was perfectly crispy, and the arugula and grape tomatoes with fresh-squeezed lemon juice made it next-level. My SO got the rigatoni alla carbonara, which was also tasty. We took dessert to go; the tiramisu and cannoli were both great, as well.Simple dishes that are just so well done- that's what makes Italian food so good and that's exactly what we got here. Our service was excellent- very friendly and helpful staff. Overall, a great dining experience. I'm just sad we don't live close enough to become regulars.

We really expected better based on the comments, but unfortunately that's fake. First of all, food was not the best. We ordered a carbonara,and it was more pasta than pancetta in a small portion. The tiramisú is so far the worst I have tried. I have had the opportunity to try original Italian restaurants, and trust me this is not good. Even if the owner (or whoever is the rude man who manages the place) is Italian, he might not be entitled to own an Italian restaurant. In addition, the place is expensive for what they offer.Regarding to the service, we are taken aback by the scene that the owner/ manager did to us when we had already left the restaurant. We didn't want to tip that much as we found the food was not good enough, and also because we didn't know ( they never mention this) that we're supposed to mandatorily give at least the 30% of the bill. Being said this, once we left the place, the owner/manager ran madly towards us and literally yelled at us in the middle of the street because he thought that it was an insult what we tipped. He adopted an humiliating attitude by trying to make us feel dumb for not wanting to tip the 30% of a food that was not even the best. If they are expecting people to pay whatever they want them to pay, they should be at least clear from the beginning.We do understand if he wanted to clarify what is expected in terms of tips in his restaurant. However, a rude show like that is not acceptable. I would not recommend to go to this place as the service and food are not good enough, and the manager is really disrespectful. There are way many and better options in the area which are going to value your money.