Restaurant Finder

Monroe's, an American Trattoria

Cuisines: Italian American Pizza Neighborhoods: Del Ray Alexandria

Based on 5 reviews.

Address	1603 Commonwealth Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301
Phone	(703) 548-5792
Fax	(703) 548-5792

Rater Comments

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

Review by abbycooks on June 15, 2006

Monroe's seemed to receive a sudden surge of attention in the online world, which I hope doesn't take away from its genuine local favorite status. It's a place where you see high school kids and their grandparents (and everyone in between) with reliable breads and pastas. The meat dishes can be hit or miss, but we've had more hits than misses, and the wine list is surprisingly good for a place of this type. Of course, the huge bottles of house wine on every table for somewhere around $3.50 a glass (honor system) are more than satisfactory after your first glass.

Review by Sweden225 on March 10, 2005

What is with this place after I heard some good things about it in a local paper!! I thought that $6 for a glass of wine was too high for the quality of the wine from California that I received ....also I had a Manhattan for about $6 and it came in the tiniest of martini glasses....when did they shrink?? The steak which I asked for medium well was well done and barely edible and the arugola salad should have had parmesan cheese instead of asiago. The steak was also overpriced about 25% too high. I would not recommend it and will not go back unless changes are made.

Review by goveggie on October 13, 2004

We've always been very happy at Monroe's. As a vegetarian, I usually have a difficult time deciding what to order, there are so many options. They always have great specials (including a few bottles of wine), and the prices for the specials are always clearly stated. One of the best things about this place is that the portions are reasonable, and all the pastas come in half-sizes (even at dinner). It's nice to have room for soup, salad or dessert!

Review by writergirl on May 5, 2004

This place is such a gem, I hesitated to rate it. Tucked in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria, this place has all the ambience, moderate pricing and fabulous service that many upscale Italian restaurants in D.C. lack. Bonus: outdoor seating on those warm summer nights.

Review by eater on December 10, 2003

This was my first time at Monroes. The pasta I ordered was a bit heavy... almost too heavy. They have a great thing they do - every table has a bottle of table wine. You drink as much as you want but keep a tally with a crayon on the construction paper that overlays each table. The wine was a solid italian table variety - nothing special but not bad. Service: The service was good, but the server seemed a little depressed. Ambiance: Nice ambiance. Not too stuffy that you can't take kids but suitable for a date. Contributing to the ambience is an interior that is mostly classy with the exception of a wall mural that, in my opinion, is a little too gaudy or maybe just out of place. A Solid place to try if you're looking for Italian fare.