Elo's Italian

We really liked it. Our group had six entrees and three appetizers and drinks, and everything was delicious! And the cocktails were too! The risotto was our favorite, very flavorful! The service was lacking just a bit, hate ordering on my phone and also the server didn't know what the monthly drink special was even though the menu specifically said to ask the server, stuff like that. But overall the food was good and we'd go back.

Blueberry Buckle! I love their unique spin on southern cuisine, serving amazing comfort food. Come for their distinct cocktails, intricate desserts, or just great food. They seem to be locally-famous for their desserts so save room... their Blueberry Buckle & Bread Pudding are delicious! We were blown away at how great their food and cocktails were. We ordered the Manhattan & "Tito’s Cocktail On Tap" (similar to an apple cider martini, but much better). And a southern dinner is not complete without Chicken & Waffles, by far the best version of this famous dish we have ever had. For brunch, we savored every bite of their "Fried Chicken & Buttermilk Biscuit", much better than what grandma makes! This is truly southern comfort at its finest. Buckle (dessert): "an early American form of coffee cake, usually baked with fresh fruit."

We were impressed with the lovely environment and fast service. This cute restaurant housed the pop-up Elo's when we were there. The set up is an order through the app, no wait staff - which was a different dynamic for such an expensive place. The food portion to cost ratio wasn't worth it, though it tasted good. The menu was limited as well, not a lot of variety to choose from. Overall, nothing to complain about other than price point for what you got. You can find just as good Italian food for a better price and at an equally as good restaurant pretty close by.... We doubt we will be back.

In August 2020, we visited this restaurant and ordered the carryout special and ate it on the very pleasant outdoor terrace. The food was delicious We have been to this restaurant three additional times once for brunch and twice for supper. We liked the main courses we ordered. My husband enjoyed the seafood pasta. I had the hanger steak. Enormous portion. Desserts were delicious too.

Stumbled upon this gem and definitely coming back. This family oriented business was fantastic and worth every penny. Italian cuisine was authentic and every bite was worthwhile. 12/10 would definitely recommend. 🤩🙌🏻

Delicious food! The hand made pasta was incredible and the drinks, service and food were lovely. Will definitely be coming back!

Great service, restaurant clean, food was fantastic at brunch. Trying to figure out the next time I can go back. Definitely a locals spot

One of Del Ray's hidden gems. Awesome atmosphere. My food was a bit undercooked a bit but was rectified. Children's menu doesn't have much in terms of brunch. Friendly staff.

Formerly the Live Oak restaurant, this new kid in the neighborhood by the same duo who brought this area of Del Ray delicious southern comfort food, is a true gem! Apparently the owners/chefs had pondered a new concept (Italian) during the Pandemic. Following a successful run as a pop-up? The decision to go all in on the nectar of the Roman's. Boy am I glad that they did. We swung by for a Father's Day outing on a Sunday Brunch excursion and sat out on their lovely patio on the Avenue (Commonwealth). A friendly and attentive team greeted and worked with us to peruse and use their GoTab ordering system. Not to worry for those who haven't work it? It is very easy to use, but they were happy to take place the order on your behalf. For starters we did the Calamari, which was as many places say, is truly lightly fried. Uniquely though, it had the twist of being adorned with pepperoni and their housemade red sauce. We also dove into the roasted olives and oh my, what a treat they were...warm, basted in a seasoned olive oil and prepared with roasted orange peel and more. These were outstanding. Equally so were the Entrees. A deliciously prepared Spaghetti Carbonara with the perfect blend of cream and cheese and chunks of Italian meat topped with a sunny side up egg was again just superb. Tasty selection of Foccacia Flatbreads resulted in our trying the Pepperoni, that was just the right thickness, slightly crispy, not too oily, and served on a board. A generous helping, it was tantamount to having 2 personal pizzas. Needless to say, we are now salivating to come back for their dinner, and / or try their happy hour on Tuesday through Fridays! Thanks to the owners for devising with and bringing us the new concept!

Quaint and cozy nestled in Northern Virginia is the perfect Italian spot for date night, family outing, or pulling up to the bar to watch a game. It felt homey and welcoming. There are probably a few regulars who frequent here, but if it's your first time you're made to feel like family. Our waitress was friendly and gave good recommendations. Everything we ordered was delicious! My favorite was the Cesar salad it was really filling. The menu features Italian classics, and generous wine, beer and cocktail options. There's street parking and indoor and outdoor seating options. The patio is covered. Overall, really lovely venue and when I'm in the area, I'd dine here again!

I attended an event in Loudoun County where the chef and owner of this restaurant cooked us a 5 course meal which was phenomenal. They announced that he opened an italian restaurant in alexandria so of course we had to try it! We ordered the fried calamari and burrata to start and then the Ricotta Cavatelli and Saffron Risotto for dinner. Both pretty good and full of taste! We had no complaints and were too full for desserts. Cute little italian place for a casual date night

To understand this place you have to know its history. Elo's Italian Restaurant in Del Ray (Alexandria), started as a pop-up restaurant located where more than a year ago Live Oak ended its chapter. Using the bones of its predecessor, Elo's has street parking, covered outdoor seating, and a large dining room and full bar. As Live Oak served Southern cuisine, Elo's is serving up pasta dishes that would make Nonna proud. The name Elo's comes from Frank, the co-owner's daughter, Eloise. There is a lot that separates Live Oak from Elo's Italian Restaurant. For instance, Frank is now a father of two, far removed from the single man, who with his business partner Barber, opened Live Oak and The Garden. Elo's, like most restaurants, had to raise prices recently and the owner has focused on more vegetarian dishes, since the price of meat has gone up. Elo's Italian also started a Sunday brunch about a couple of months ago (still have to try it). The success of the pasta dishes coming from this restaurant's kitchen is due in part to Chef Francisco Quinteros and the team that prepared for this for over a year. Upon entering there have been some upgrades to the place since it's Live Oak days. There is an "old Italian charm" if you will. There are large family style dining tables as well as quaint tables for two (perfect for date night). There is a decent wine selection and a full bar featuring some cocktail classics. Upon our arrival, my partner and I were greeted by a friendly and attentive team that definitely wanted to give that "we are family" vibe. Our waitress was welcoming, friendly and gave great recommendations. For starters we did the fried calamari, which was as many places say, truly lightly fried which was a nice touch. Uniquely though, it had the twist of including the entire squid (not something all restaurants do) and being paired with their housemade red sauce. We also had the Caesar salad which was hearty and perfectly balanced. Our entrees gave us mixed feelings. The smoked potato gnocchi was an elite culinary orchestra of roasted corn zucchini, basil pesto, toasted pine nuts, and whipped ricotta cheese. It was light topped with a lemon zest. And the vegetable stock based sauce gave the dish a vibrant bright green that takes on a life of its own. However, the spaghetti dish with added shrimp was missing a little "je ne sais quoi". The sauce had no depth and gave jarred sauce vibes. I have to believe that there is more character in the kitchen that could have been put into this dish. To finish out the meal we shared a Strawberry Almond Cake. The cake is actually vegan and gluten-free and delicious. It definitely hits that sweet spot without so much guilt. It's moist, flavorful and the perfect end to a meal. Definitely worth visiting again!

This place was pretty good! I love that it's situated a little off the main road so it's pretty quiet in here. We were looking for a spot to visit during Alexandria's restaurant week and Elo's was close, so we decided to give it a try. The restaurant is rather small but has outdoor and indoor dining options and seating is plentiful in both sections. Since there was a bar crawl happening when we went, the outdoor section was totally booked but we were able to get into a nice booth. We ordered the meatballs (loved the polenta underneath), garlic bread (which came with tomato sauce and pesto sauce, yum!), chicken (chicken was good but a little dry) and I got the cavatelli, which was excellent. The pasta portion was huge. The cannoli was pretty tasty but the peach cake was the winner among the deserts! Really light and flavorful. Service was really friendly and quick and they have an easy ordering menu off of GoTab. Would definitely come back!

This review is for dine-in the other day and tonight's Ubereats as both were delicious! Our dine-in experience was great. We sat on the outdoor patio and enjoyed cold beers and a tasty old fashioned. We ordered the meat lovers flatbread foccacia and it was very good. My friend who is a pizza lover says it was one of the best he's had! For my ubereats meal, I ordered the seafood tagliatelle and chocolate caramel torta. It was delivered warm and perfectly cooked. The presentation was nice too. I highly recommend Elo's if you're looking for fresh, comforting, and delicious Italian food.

We just moved back into the Del Ray neighborhood after being gone for a few years and let's just say that we are incredibly excited about this new(er) restaurant! We were pretty common customers at live oak but we welcome the Italian addition to the area! We thought that the customer service was ABSOLUTELY five stars. The happy hour was super moderately priced (five dólar wine and price reduced appetizers), and the portions were reasonable. As for entrees, we ordered the goat cheese agnolotti, the mussels, and the chicken Milanese. The flavors were spot on, and we can't wait to watch this restaurant get better as it stays around. The only reason for the four stars is that we think this spot can grow into a five star over time. We will be back!

I was told by the restaurant it would be super busy after 6pm. We never saw the busy by the time we left around 7pm. More than half tables were available. The salad had nice color but very little cheese. The beef looked very good but hard to chew. The only wonderful was the peach cake. Unfortunately, we will never return and even give other try!

Removing two stars... ...I really had high hopes for elos. It's a neighborhood restaurant with homemade pasta--I WANT to like it. Unfortunately our last experience was pretty dismal. We went in on a Tuesday night; it wasn't packed, but there were a fair amount of people in the dining room. Elo's is clearly facing staffing shortages, and while I sympathize, the QR code menu/ordering service is TERRIBLE. The first time we tried to place an order the notes section didn't work, which was problematic because I wanted to note an allergy. we also couldn't get app to open a tab. I refreshed the browser and it finally worked, but in so doing, it removed an entree. So after the apps, the waiter brought out two entrees and asked if I had ordered anything. Why wouldn't they say anything when they fired the mains? "Oh we noticed you are a party of three but only ordered two mains--did you mean to add anything else?" The clincher was that my osso bucco was ice cold in the middle, and the server seemed oblivious to the fact that I had barely eaten any of it. And the osso bucco had hot sauce drizzled on it for some reason?!? The garlic bread seemed to be missing the garlic and the marinara was devoid of seasoning. I don't want to hate on this place. It's cute, it's original, it's a great location--it has ALL the potential. But it needs to be better staffed and the chefs need to learn how to season food. I don't think we will be back anytime soon, unfortunately.I

I went to this hidden gem with a few friends for dinner and I only have positive things to say about it. The service was quick and the staff was friendly. The food was high quality and delicious. And the atmosphere of the restaurant was calm and comfortable. If you get the chance to come to Elo's you won't be disappointed.

Elo's has GREAT food! Their pasta is fresh and delicious. Loved the menu selection and creative sauces etc. My boyfriend had the scallops and they were so flavorful and melt in your mouth good! Excellent sauce. I had the butternut squash ravioli with Hanger steak added - super tender and flavorful, cooked just right. The ravioli were also cooked perfectly. We both had salads - I had the special Endive salad - yum - and the Endive was just crisp and perfect - some interesting different flavors with squash etc in it. Yum! He had the Arugula salad - it was huge and delicious! We love Elo's!

I was disappointed by the quality of the arancini, but the entrees were all AMAZING, it made up for the arancini. The dessert was also good. The beer was warm coming from a can...

Truly excellent Italian cuisine, and great service. They even have a great bar with a wide variety of spirits. We'll be coming back, for sure!

I really like to support small, neighborhood restaurants, but this place was super disappointing. You order and pay via QR code at your table, even though it's a sit down Italian restaurant with staff. The worse part was the food though. You would think an Italian restaurant would have edible red sauce, but it honestly just tasted like canned puréed tomatoes. Super bland. The meatballs are delicious, however. I wouldn't recommend and definitely won't be back.

Great people, drinks, and food. One of the best Negronis I have had in the area. Excellent brunch as well. Support this local spot!

Fantastic!! We can not recommend Elo's enough. We came here as a group for brunch and are so glad that we did! Our server, Christina, was incredible. All of her recommendations were spot on and we loved everything. The food was all delicious and we can't wait to come back! Highly recommend.

My friend and I had a bizarre experience and food so mediocre that I didn't take the leftovers home. We both ordered the house red wine. The waiter, who was robotic, appeared with a full glass and a glass with about one ounce in it. He explained that they had run out of wine. The HOUSE wine. My friend asked for a glass of prosecco. It showed up in a cocktail glass. My friend sent it back and asked for a champagne flute. The bartender brought the drink back, still in the cocktail glass, and said there were no flutes at the restaurant. "They break," she announced. We both ordered spaghetti with meatballs. (There was a $5 added cost for a few meatballs.) Honestly, I could have opened a can of Franco American spaghetti and been happier. I asked about bread. You guessed right if you knew that would be an additional cost. "Dessert?", asked our young robotic waiter. Why risk it? My meal cost $63 (I added a 15% tip even though it wasn't earned) for a plate of inedible spaghetti (the pasta was undercooked and the sauce tasted like it came from a can) and two glasses of red wine (House and a Chianti). The only positive comment I can make is that the restaurant decor is beautiful and cozy. What a waste! There is no reason to come back. Thumbs down.

I've been hesitant To write this review after I was yelled at by the owner on a recent dinner date. On the positive side, our first waiter was very nice and try to accommodate our concerns. Unfortunately she became very busy with other customers and we spoke with several other servers and finally I spoke with the owner. I will say that the scallops dinner and the meatball appetizer was well received by one friend. However the Caesar salad and baked chicken had problems. The side vegetable was swimming in oil and very over cooked. The Caesar salad was completely wilted. We were so hungry ate the salad. The vegetable was not edible. Three waiters listen to my concerns; no accommodations or offer to substitute the veggie was made were made. One waiter told me to take it home and put cheese on it because cheese makes everything taste better. The 1st waiter took the dinner off the tab. The owner and the last waiter put the dinner back on the tab and said nothing about our Concern, just had us pay for each dinner with his tablet. On the way out, I met the owner who said he knew nothing about this and suggested I should never come on restaurant week because it's very busy. He never offered any accommodation. I was not looking for a free dinner. My other friend ate almost nothing, did not take her dinner home. When I told him I may have to give him an unfavorable review, he started yelling at me that how dare I give a bad review to struggling restaurant. After I said that maybe I would not give that type of review, he asked me to come back another time. Unfortunately this was too little too late. All I really wanted was Acknowledgment and a substitution for the veggie. I think it is shocking that an owner would yell at a customer. The only reason I was persistent is because I felt dismissed. I never raised my voice. Nor did I use insulting words. I feel badly for the employees that work there because they must be feeling some stress from this person too. I've made this post because I spoke with my big brother and he encouraged me to say something and not to feel intimidated.