Restaurant Finder

Rustico

Cuisines: American Pizza Neighborhood: Alexandria

Based on 7 reviews.

Address	827 Slaters Lane, Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone	(703) 224-5051

Rater Comments

These comments express the opinions of individual Restaurant Raters, not those of Washington City Paper.

Review by j1570176 on September 14, 2009

Excellent ambience -- as the reviewer said, hipper than you might expect for a restaurant "past the Target" in the burbs.

Friendly service, although it was crowded and our service took a bit of time.

Very good beer selection, and the flights of beer represent a good value and solid experience.

The friend pickles were super hot and a very interesting taste, although a tiny bit pricy ($9 for 5).

Our pizza was very good.

Good value.

Review by nomayo on November 23, 2007

The ambiance is not what you'd expect from the suburbs - modern, young, hip, urban. The food is good overall. For the appetizer, we had rabbit terrine, which was o.k. - although it had a generic and not very rabbit taste. For the main course, we had white pizza; it was a little too chewy for our taste. We also had the fish special, which was scallops over cheese grits with bacon and tomato sauce; it was excellent. For dessert, we had the flourless chocolate cake with pecan-caramel popcorn; it was pretty good - especially the pecan-caramel popcorn. The best part of the visit was the beer menu with an enormous array of beers to choose from. Definitely worth checking out - especially for the overall atmosphere and beer menu.

Review by dcbytes on November 1, 2007

great beer selection. seats at bar are the best in the house, very quick and friendly service, and full menu is available. pizzas are ok, crusts are a bit doughy. there are daily specials written on a board.

Review by hagrid on October 12, 2007

amazing pizza, one of the best I have eaten. and it tastes better with the amazing beer. variety is good.

Review by julegardner on April 2, 2007

Quality beers and gourmet pizza sell this place. For my money, I'll take the beers and forgo the pizza. Like most upscale D.C.-area pizza, it just doesn't live up to a nice slice anywhere in Brooklyn. It's wood-fired which, for me, translates to ashy and limp, which is what Rustico's is, albeit a touch better than, say, Radius. But lots of people like a wood-fired pie, and with Rusico's ($13 for a large individual pie), at least the ingredients falling off the end of the slice are quality. I sampled a fellow diner's wild mushroom variety, which was tasty, even if the texture's off. Being an admitted pizza snob, I took a chance and ordered the market fish: Alaskan halibut. Frank Morales, who left Zola to take on Rustico, put a definite tasty signure on this dish, finishing a fresh, meaty and perfectly cooked halibut with good, fruity olive oil, fennel pollen, a fine dice of spanish olives and cherry tomatoes and small, crispy croutons. The flavors and textures--salty, sweet and crunchy--blended beautifully. As for service, it was prompt, attentive and the waiters seem to know their beers. Ours was able to recommend a good stout to start off and a nice pilsner that paired with the fish. The complimentary starter is a crispy herbed lavash, seved with olive oil and a paint brush. The painting bit struck me as a bit odd, but the crackers are so flavorful, no oil is needed. Decor is dominated by tile mosaics, which also show up as a menu category: three small plates served under styles like "seasonal soups," "toast and rustic spreads" and "pot pies" can also be ordered with flights of beer pairings for each tapas. It's a nice idea and might be the way to go if you're not starving and in the mood to share. Rustico is doing some nice cooking and is one of the only places around to take beer to the next level. It works, for the most part. But be prepared to pay: this isn't your mother's pizza and beer joint.

Review by Jimmy89 on February 17, 2007

My wife and I wanted to check out Rustico after a three month hiatus after hearing of an updated menu and new chef. The atmosphere as always was lively, the service excellent, but the food and menu had not change significantly. We had a total 2 beers, 1 glass of wine, and 4 appetizers which came to $60.00 with taxes. We left a $13.00 tip. Rustico is a great place to get a drink with friends, but necessarily a bargin.

Review by grkgoddess on March 29, 2006

This was my third visit to the very soon to be hot spot, I selfishly almost don't want to review it.....I'm very familiar with the other restaurants in this group, Evening Star Cafe, Tallula & Vermilion and this is my new favorite. The light and lively entirely smoke-free atmosphere is refreshing. The staff genuinely friendly, helpful and knowledgeable especially when trying to choose from their 20ish beers on tap our gazillon bottles they keep. I recommend a beer flight to help you work it out, my pick was Eggenberger Dunkl Lager. If you don't like beer the wine list is a little short, so have the sangria, we did, muumm. Their brick oven pizzas are always a must, I usually stay away from mushrooms but this Roasted Mushroom pizza has is a nice twist and is my favorite. Rusticos's entry menu is a little short, I'm endorsing the Grilled Salmon with sweet potato & andouille sausage with maple/malasses glaze, a nice change from typical salmon dishes. For dessert we had Apple Rhubarb Crisp, ask for ice cream on top or it will be dry. The are still tweaking the menu but so far soooo good.