| Address | 5333 Wisconsin Ave., Washington, DC 20015 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (202) 966-5500 |
| Fax | (202) 966-5350 |
I took my roommate there to celebrate his acceptance to Johns Hopkins grad school. Beautiful ginormous restaurant, the main dining area seats three hundred and fifty people so it's not for an intimate meal. Plenty of food, traditional Italian cuisine. Wild mushroom ravioli was awesome. Generous portions. Reasonable prices. What's not to like?
I am generally a big fan however just wanted to get one of their pizzas this time. Came out ice cold and hard as a rock. Because we were in a rush we couldn't send it back... disappointed this time with Maggiano's
HUGE portions.
Fast service, constant Frank Sinatra on the radio and I'm in heaven, I'm in heaven ..I'm in heaven and I can't get that song out of my head.
I pity the waitstaff they must either come out of that job knowing every Frank S. song or wishing the mob had rubbed him out.
The food is good and plentiful. All fresh and well prepared. Do not go expecting the best Italian meal of your life. Go expecting good down to earth American-Italian food, just like your mamma made. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing you cannot pronounce or digest.
Maggiano's has large portions of Italian pasta. If you want room to move your chair without knocking over the next table...if you seek prompt service from an attentive waiter...if you think your bottle of wine should be open and poured quickly...then, my friend, continue your quest for you shan't have service or comfort here.
Eat hearty...but not in comfort.
Normally this is a great place. It took 15 minutes to get a waiter, 15 more minutes to get drinks. The waitress could really have cared less about us. I asked for my salad with dressing on the side and I have never seen more dressing laced on any lettuce. They also put a cup on the side. But, the worst part -- the tomatoes were FROZEN. Very, very disapointed. Bad food, bad service, good excuse not to go back.
As a Chicagoian, I can remember when the first Maggiano's opened there in 1991. Since then, it has been sold to a national company and gone a bit down hill. However, down hill for Maggiano's is still great compared to many restaurants. Expect a large dining room that can get very loud. It is Italian, but extremely Americanized southern immigrant Italian... but it tastes so good! If you don't have a reservation, forget even trying to go on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday past 5:00PM. The portions are huge, so order only one thing or order many for the table and share. I recommend not doing the 'family style' option they feature for $19.95 a person. It's much cheaper to order a la carte and share if you have many people. Start with the Mozzarella Marinara, end with the Tiramisu, and choice whatever you want in between... it's all great!
The restaurant was great. Our waiter wasn't as attentive as we'd have liked (not filling drinks, etc) but it was a very good dining experience.
I am a regular at Maggianos. As much as I don't like the chains, I think it is one of the best "Italian" chains in the area. The food is always good and always consistent. The portions if anything are too big. One learns the trick (to split them in 2 or 3) after a couple of times. I think they have the best Tiramisu in town including all the fancy places out there (but then again DC is boring when it comes to pastry). The thing I less like about Maggianos is the service, always hurried waiters or absent minded ones. Overall, pretty good for massive size and masses. It really deserves a 4.
