Arucola

In the more than six years that I have lived in the Chevy Chase neighborhood, I have not eaten at this restaurant. Unfortunately, this was the first and last. This was likely the worst dining experience I've had in DC since moving here. First, they forced us to move from our seated table next to the window because another patron wanted it and had a personal relationship with the establishment. This came after we had already started our drinks and were preparing to order (and had made a reservation for a table). They only offered an apology for the inconvenience. Those favored patrons showed up 45 minutes later. Second, they provided the wrong meal for one of our party, not one time, not twice, but three times and still charged us for it. Moreover, we never got the actual requested meal on the menu but we gave up trying to get it right. Third, two of the meals (Lasagna and Ravioli) were barely room temperature. Judging by the speed that the meal was delivered (15 minutes), they had hastily reheated it because it wasn't balanced in its reheat. Fourth, everything from the meal to the dessert, was mediocre. The only reason it might deserve a star is that the sauce for the Ravioli and Lasagna was flavorful and tasted fresh. I did not try the sauce of the other member of our party. Fifth, the furniture is cheap. If I am having to spend more than a hundred dollars for three people to have three entrees, three drinks (including non-alcoholic) and one dessert, I expect that it will be more comfortable. Overall, this place cuts a lot of corners and doesn't provide the value for the money. I highly recommend you look at other restaurants in the Chevy Chase area for a quality dining experience.

The pizza was pretty good and reasonably priced. The pasta was extremely over-priced for the quality and amount you got. $27 for fettuccine is ridiculous, even with a few shrimp. We asked to be moved because we got sat next to the kitchen, which was extremely noisy. I had to ask the hostess myself because the waiter said he wasn't in charge of that. What? The hostess was very understanding and resat us, no problem, but then we didn't get bread plates or silverware when our bread came. The bread was very salty. We also were never asked about drink refills. Should have gone to the diner next door.

We ended up here after some other more interesting spots in the neighborhood had too long a wait. The service was friendly but slow. The downstairs space was energetic with an older crowd. We were seated in the small upstairs. They did have high chairs but did not seem to have a kids menu or crayons. The pizza was not that exciting. The pasta dishes were ok but nothing amazing. It's fine for an Italian spot in the neighborhood but not a destination.

It's a nice neighborhood spot to take the family or for a romantic lunch/dinner. Only downfall was that my salmon was not cooked all the way. It was raw at the end and my spinach could've been cooked longer. Overall everything was fresh and the sangria was amazing. The rest of my parties food was good.

We were on time for our reservation, was seated immediately, the place was full, the service was nearly immediately and our meal was good. Arucola is very intimate with small seating and as a result, the waiters have to squeeze in between the tables resulting in a lot of interruptions on busy days. Go there on slow days and you'll be fine.

This was a regrettable pick for a long-awaited family gathering. The food was not fresh, not hot/warm and we got a headache babysitting the waiting staff. The hefty bill at the end of the meal did not match the service and quality. I've had better experiences at the Subway up the street. I suggest you look elsewhere for good Italian.

This place used to be better when Roberto Donna was involved and even for a while afterwards. However it is now an OK neighborhood place that can be hit or miss. Sometimes the food sings and is on point others you will get very meh. Still the patio is great on a lovely warm evening. If it it were more consistent I would bump the rating.

the hostess/waiter the same behavior. Not volunteer to wait on female customers, talk back rude, rush to get rid of, yell and interrupt us, walk away while the females are talking to them, walk away in the middle of wait on and not come back, repeat the same questions, eat food while wait on. The hostess threw the menu on the table. And not come back. The waiter gave us 3/4 ice in our beverage. We not ask for it in our iced tea. We had to ask him to correct it. That would be the last time he would wait on us. The menu offers a lot of good food. At fine dining prices. And the big plates are full of food. Waiter not want to write down the order. We asked him to do his job. And he did it. He left to eat a meal. And the manager wait on us. The cheese pizza was cold. And we each got a free beverage.