Aggio

I was invited to a networking event by Ekko Title at the Italian Restaurant Aggio also located at One Loudoun. NOTE the restaurant opens at 4:30 pm. The restaurant has a lounge feel, but also family style feel in the dining room. You can even sit in an area similar to the chef's table in some restaurants, and watch the chefs cook and plate food. I had the burrata caprese with prosciutto and crispy garlic. The mozzarella had a creamy center served atop of basil sauce. A different version to the classic caprese salad. I also had the octopus torchon a la plancha. For those of you who know me know, I AM NOT an adventurous eater so after trying the Octopus at Our Mom Eugenia (I provided a review), I just had to try it. It did not disappoint. The octopus has the consistency of chicken cooked al dente, with a very slight fish taste. Both dishes had my taste buds delighted and on their toes waiting for the next bite of each dish. I didn't have the opportunity to try the pasta, however watching the plates go out to the dining room has me wanting to come back. Review provided by Jennifer V-E Johnson

This is our go-to restaurant for a casual meal or an anniversary date. We love the calm and cool atmosphere and sophistication that is personal and approachable. It is very kid-friendly as observed with my own toddlers. It is real food prepared by real chefs in a real kitchen that is not commercialized or standardized. The food is so good!!

Let me start by saying the food is great. There seems to be some good quality control on what comes out the kitchen. The prices are also reasonable, with the low range being $15-$20 and the high range being $25-$35. The low end on the wine is $10, I would have at least like to see a $7 or $8 glass on the menu. The big negative is that Aggio does not really cater to children. There is no kids menu, just a verbal one which is pretty much just spaghetti. Considering that Ashburn is a family town and most patrons have kids they like to eat dinner with, this decision to not have a kids menu will curtail their customer base. Not a wise idea given the number of choices in the area.

Worst restaurant I've been to in 20 years. Despite having reservations it took 15min after our reservation time to be seated for a party of 5, despite several open tables. Took well over an hour to get our entrees after our apps, an hour and a half after we ordered. The waiter only stopped by once right before our food was brought out, only refilling drinks after we asked. Pasta was overcooked and extremely salty. Cheap furniture and a wobbly table as well. Comped our apps due to long wait, but we went out for a nice meal, not free food, long wait with no atmosphere and poor service.

Great Italian classics with some delicious twists. The Octopus appetizer was awesome and could easily be (and should) be transitioned into an entree. Wine selection is pretty good. While we did see some children there, it's great to have a restaurant in Ashburn that isn't inundated with them on a date night! Since this essentially a new restaurant, there were definitely some service bumps, BUT Manager and the staff down from Baltimore saved our evening, meal and experience there. Definitely need to have an elevated level of service and knowledge of the food and wine by the front of the house. For the back of the house, hold back on the salt a bit or tighter line control, entrees would have been fantastic if not seasoned so heavily. Looking forward to coming back, trying more and changing this review to 5 stars!

Inviting decor, with minimal lighting. The menu is packed full of traditional Italian fare with modern twists. The house bread is similar to Texas Toast and is served with a bologna mousse......I'm not kidding. It's tasty and the preparation most bring out the fennel because that ends up being the focus. Regardless, if you choose to dine here you will enjoy it.

Don't expect a top One Loudoun dining experience from this Top Chef owned restaurant. Bryan Valtaggo describes Aggio as a minimalist Italian restaurant featuring housemade pasta with a modern twist. After dinner here recently with friends, I agree with Chef Valtaggo on being a minimalist restaurant when describing the service and portion size, sadly for customers, there is nothing minimalist when it comes to the bill. I will be honest it was not the worst meal I have had in my life, maybe just the worst meal in One Loudoun. Aggio's looks are deceiving, when you walk in, the restaurant it provides you with a fresh clean modern look and overall great ambiance. However much like many of the chefs on Top Chef, the food here does not live up to the hype. While our dinner survived the meals "quick fire challenge," by that I mean the dinks from the bar along with the bread and spreads were top notch - despite arriving 30 minutes after we sat down and our waiter having no idea where our table was or what was in the drinks. Sadly, the drinks and free bread were the highlights of our dining experience at Aggio. The appetizers, salads, and meals took forever to come out despite the restaurant only being 60% filled with what appeared to be a full staff on duty. The made on site pasta left much to be desired, of the four pasta dishes we ordered; one was undercooked, one was overcooked, and someone forgot to stuff the ravioli's in the final dish. While the Aggio staff did inquire about our dining experience while clearing the plates from the table, no one offered to do anything to correct the any of the issues. It was almost like they get complaints all the time are used to them. Based on this dining experience Aggio did not make it past our meals elimination challenge and it is my strong recommendation that anyone who reads this review eliminate Aggio for their dining options as well.

This place is so delectable, every bite was cooked to perfection. However, plan to spend at least two hours here. The night my group went our service was so slow, despite there literally only being a handful of customers. We waited a good 40 mins for our entrées after our appetizers were served. I hope the terrible service was a fluke, because the food was really very tasty, everything from the cheesy rice balls to the kale caesar salad and perfectly cooked steak!!