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Pines of Florence Arlington
Categories: Restaurants Pizza Restaurants Italian Pizza, Italian [Edit]
3811 Fairfax DrSte 105
Arlington, VA 22203
(703) 243-7463
- Nearest Transit:
-
Virginia Square Metro Station (Orange)
Ballston Metro (Orange)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11 am - 10 pm
Fri 11 am - 11 pm
Sat 12 pm - 11 pm
- Parking:
- Street
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Cory L. said: "Really enjoyed my first visit here. Was with a large group and the service was good. Tried several different appetizers that were all good." read more »
44 reviews for Pines of Florence Arlington
Review Highlights
"I love their marinara sauce."
(in 4 reviews)
"One star for my lobster ravioli and a nice sized salad."
(in 3 reviews)
"They have excellent carry out pizza."
(in 3 reviews)
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44 reviews in English
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Review from Jen L.
1/19/2012
Not too shabby and open really late.
I was a bit put off by the bread. It was not as fresh as I would have liked it to be. I like soft chewy bread on the inside and crispy toasty crust on the outside. This was not the case. I don't know if that is the state of the bread at 8PM, but the bread was not what I would expect from an awesome Italian restaurant.
I got the meat ravioli and it was excellent. The marinara sauce is no joke here, it really is as good everyone says it is. The pasta is as fresh as they claim and it was all around a great dish.
This place is near the Virginia Square Metro so it is definitely a easy to get to when you are in the DC area and have no car. -
Review from Jeff M.
Alexandria, VA
2/1/2012
My sister lives within walking distance from Pines of Florence and since we were so hungry, we went there on a Saturday night.
She had a pesto dish that seemed to be covered with green food coloring. It didn't look very appetizing.
Overall, the food was decent, but the service could have been much better. They did have a man play songs on the piano by request, which was a nice touch.
I may go back there because of the great location, but that's about the only reason. -
Review from Alexis K.
1/1/2012
I was ordering in food to a motel; my standards weren't exactly high for Pines of Florence. I just wanted some half-decent pasta that would fill my stomach after walking around on a cold day.
The pasta was pretty bad for the price (a garlic oil sauce) and even worse, there was no plasticware. I understand trying to be environmentally friendly, but come on, I listed I was in motel and gave the name of the motel which includes word motel. -
Review from David G.
Sterling, VA
12/14/2011
The food is great but a bit pricey. The service was good until I spoke with the manager via phone regarding my disrepancy of an incomplete meal. The manager, who verbally challenged my complaint, relunctantly agreed to give me a discount on my next visit. REALLY!!?
I am relunctant to visit this location again. Visit this location at your own risk. -
Review from Karolina L.
Washington, DC
11/23/2011
We went to Pines with my family for a pre-thanksgiving get together, with a group of 10. Since the food is alright for pasta (you can find the same quality in other places or in your own kitchen) this review is mostly about their service.
When we got there, they have placed some "suggested" wines on the table, the most expensive ones on their list. Conveniently, they were out of the house chianti. We ordered a cheaper bottle after repeated inquiries from the waiter, even though our full party wasn't there yet.
We ended up with fewer people than we expected but the waiter refused to remove the tables at the end, leaving my mother-in-law sitting alone at the end like an unwanted kid in a school cafeteria.
Finally, at the end of the night when our grandmother asked one of the waiters for the bill, he rolled his eyes and walked away to get the other waiter. We were one of two tables in the entire restaurant.
I'd go back for pickup if I were in the area and was in the mood for pizza or pasta. Service leaves much to be desired. -
Review from Kevin R.
Washington, DC
9/29/2011
Food was not bad but not great. Not particularly friendly service but not unfriendly, either. I just had basic cheese ravioli with marinara. It was good and worth the money (especially since I was there with a Groupon). Nothing special, though.
It's decent food at a decent price.
And the atmosphere? Decent. ;-)
I'll go again. -
Review from M A.
Arlington, VA
3/28/2011
After 5 year of living a few blocks away 6 friends and I decided to give it a try. It will be at least 5 more years until I could even consider trying it again.
- Waited 10 minutes at the host desk before someone even spoke to us and then were eventually seated at one of the several open tables on a Friday night.
- Waited another 10 minutes for a waiter to come by and take drink and appetizer orders
- He forgot to put in our order for garlic bread- he said the kitchen must have forgot but the kitchen never got it because he left the ticket on our table
- The waiter dripped red wine all over the table and plates when pouring.
- Food was boring and flavoreless- the meatballs were plain, the 2 small pieces of garlic bread had dried herbs and garlic salt, spinach manicotti tasted frozen, the melted motzerella cheese was rubbery,the calamari tastless and the marinara sauce had an odd canned/ liquid smoke flavor.
The only saving grace was the carafe of wine, it was dirt cheap and decent, not good, just not horrible. -
Review from Hannah B.
3/27/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Great family restaurant for classic Italian dishes. The house wine by the carafe is a great deal!
We like the fried calamari and white pizza for appetizers. Main dishes that are good are include: lobster ravioli, parmigiana (veal, shrimp, chicken, etc.) and anything with pesto.
The service needs work but for the price its a great value for the area. -
Review from Mattie C.
4/12/2011
This place was just fine - a standard Italian restaurant. Nothing special, but it wasn't bad either. We went one night when we were starving but both too exhausted to make dinner, and it really hit the spot.
The free bread was good, and I love restaurants that bring out olive oil for dipping. I ordered grilled calamari with linguine. The marinara sauce wasn't the best, but I am not big into that anyway. But there was a generous helping of calamari and lots of linguine - i thought it was good value for the price. Boyfriend got some kind of paella dish, and said it was really good. Neither of us could finish our meal because of the large portions. It wasn't the most amazing place in the world, but we spent about $20 less than we would have at some of the other places in the area. I would definitely go back on another lazy night, and am excited to hear that they deliver. -
Review from Michelle M.
Arlington, VA
1/5/2011
I live across the street and I got the $30 Groupon so my boyfriend and I gave this a shot on a random Monday night. It's really the average to mediocre diner/family restaurant Italian-American food experience. I wasn't clear the entire time if we had one two or three waiters, but at least they kept our water glasses nice and full. Avoid sitting in the half of the restaurant closest to the door on a cold night.
The highlight honestly was the Antipasto salad-- a very generous spread of provolone, salami and prosciutto on top of the lettuce. The house Italian dressing was chunky and came in a little bowl making me think they made it-- it was good.
The entrees were just totally forgettable. The lobster ravioli was more like lobster-flavored ricotta cheese ravioli, and the spaghetti carbonara was less than authentic, as it just had some dried-up bits of bacon in it versus nice sweaty hunks of pancetta. We both lived in Italy for a year... it was decent for a quick meal but if you're looking for a truly authentic Italian dining experience, this isn't it. -
Review from Krissy R.
Arlington, VA
2/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
The food here is just okay. I ordered food to go and ended up going with lasagna, a salad with grilled chicken on top, and some soup. I think if I'm really hungry and want something close to home in the future I would consider ordering from here again, but if there are other options I probably won't end up giving them my business again.
The staff was nice when I went in to pick up my order, but the restaurant was probably only 1/3rd full on a Friday night, which is odd for the Ballston area. The food was hot but the chicken on my salad was a lit tle dry and the lasagna lacked flavor. It didn't taste salty but it was pretty bland and there wasn't much meat. They provided free bread for our to-go order, which was nice. A solid 3 out of 5. -
Review from Jenny L.
Washington, DC
5/11/2011
I'd been to Pines of Florence several years ago and thought the food was good so I went ahead and bought a Groupon for the restaurant. I went there for lunch today and decided it will be my last visit for a few reasons. First, I asked for angel hair pasta with meat sauce and I was given regular spaghetti noodles. I was annoyed at the server because he probably wouldn't have made this mistake if he had written our orders down. And, he did not apologize for the error when the food arrived.
Secondly, this restaurant has terrible customer service. After submitting my Groupon with payment, the owner accused me of using the Groupon before. I told him he was mistaken; that I hadn't been to this restaurant in years. The owner yelled at me and said "you've been here before or you went to one of our other locations and used the coupon!" I was flabbergasted at how rude he was. He led me to the kitchen area where he had a clipboard listing the names of people who purchased Groupons. He pointed to "Jean" and I said you've got the wrong person. I'm "Jenny". He didn't apologize for his behavior. I told him flat out that I would never patron this restaurant again. -
Review from Jonathan Z.
Arlington, VA
4/11/2011
This place is great. The food is good for the price. The pizza is really good. The Mediterranean chicken salad and ziti is great. Three main dishes I really recommend.
The environment is very calm and a good place to go with friends or family. Good staff as well. -
Review from Fuzz H.
Arlington, VA
Updated - 4/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
The carry-out pizza deals are pretty good; however, dine in sucks. The service was horrible, we didn't get refills on our soda/tea (which tasted funny), and the cup of Parm is shared at your table is shared with others. As for the food, the eggplant lasagna and pasta tetrazini were both hot, but otherwise unremarkable. Dessert was a half-frozen cannoli.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/12/2011
Got a take out spinach pizza. Definitely worth it (the crust is really well done and the sauce isn't… Read more »
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Review from Lesley S.
Washington, DC
9/27/2010
This place is literally the worst Italian I've ever had in my life. I'm pretty confused by the other reviews and maybe I just went on an off night...but I got Spaghetti and Meatballs which I could have cooked better myself with my eyes closed (and I don't cook). Rubbery noodles and boring meatballs...(I know I know, boring is a weird word to describe meatballs...but they were literally just balls of meet with no taste at ALL).
My roommate hated hers as well but we eventually gave them another chance and ordered a pizza from there, which was equally bad. If you want some good, cheap Italian food, it's probably better to go make it yourself. -
Review from C G.
Alexandria, VA
11/4/2011
The food was pretty good and worth the price. I went because I had a groupon. A 10 for $21 deal. The service was luke warm, but not unfriendly. I did have a groupon, so I did not expect them to be excited to see me. Overall good food which matters the most.
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Review from Courtney R.
Arlington, VA
9/28/2009
This place is a bit dingy, but is right next to my office so I've been a handful of times.
I've tried the "Miditerranean" salad, the lasagna and the sausage and pepper sandwich as well as the meatball sub. All were good or above.
I would never set foot in the sister restaurant in Alexandria--it was a total dump--so at least now I'm getting to experience the food. It's not as bad as you'd think. -
Review from Mike C.
Arlington, VA
4/26/2011
Service very slow (on a Monday night). My salmon was $16.95 for about a 4 oz portion. I requested double veggies instead of pasta, but what I got was pretty measly, overdone, and frozen-food-looking. One of my companions' chicken marsala quickly congealed; she didn't finish it. Our coffee took a long time to arrive, and came lukewarm. Maybe they make good pizza, I don't know.
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Review from Amita R.
Herndon, VA
9/4/2008
Looking at the rest of the reviews on this restaurant, makes me wonder what happened to me and my friend last night. Maybe they were just having an off night, but I personally have tasted much better Italian food in Northern Virginia than this place.
The restaurant itself is nestled off of busy Fairfax Drive in Arlington so the location is great and within walking in the restaurant, its gives off a very cozy atmosphere. The service wasn't bad either...the waiters were attentive and they checked up on us at a normal, even paced.
It was the food that didn't impress me though. The bread that we got when we first sat down was cold and very hard. The olive oil that they gave with it helped, but it wasn't good nonetheless. For dinner, my friend ordered the Fettucini Carbonara, which she said was very eggy. She left most of it on her plate. I ordered the Vegetable Lasagna and the tomato sauce that they used was very watery and without much taste. Again, I've had much better at other places.
Overall, we tried this place on a whim and my friend had heard good things about it from other people, but I don't think either one of us will be back anytime soon. -
Review from Judy L.
College Park, MD
8/4/2008
Even though this place is owned by a Filipino women and her Russian husband, and our waitress was Hispanic, the Italian food here is authentic, traditional, and delicious. We had a large White Pizza Fontina for the appetizer, and then the seafood dish with clams and linguini for the main entree. I highly recommend the white pizza. Also, we ordered a special white wine to compliment the dishes, which was awesome. Our bill was only $30, which was not bad for all that food and wine.
We ordered the lobster ravioli the second time "to go" and it was delicious too! The portion was small, but how much can we expect when the dish is $15 and it's lobster!
I would recommend this place for great, delicious, and cheap Italian food. I was so much more impressed with the food here compared to Bertucci's and Olive Garden. Truth is I'm not really a huge fan of Italian food actually. My experiences at Bertucci's and Olive Garden wasn't all that great, but that's what makes this place the more impressive. -
Review from Burger B.
Boston, MA
1/18/2008
To satisfy my hankering for Italian food, I called Pines of Florence. It was my first experience trying their food. They have their own delivery service, so we obliged. The delivery man arrived 3 minutes early. They originally told us it would take between 45 minutes to an hour. They were there in 42--a definite plus, since we were pretty hungry.
Here's the low-down on what we ordered:
Fried Calamari -- While I normally love this as an appetizer, the breading was a bit on the bland side. I expected the breading to have a bit more seasoning. The side of marinara that it came with tasted like it came out of a can. Bummer.
Chicken Marsala -- I opened up the container and was dismayed to see that the chicken and mushrooms were swimming in sauce. I mean, they were barely visible. The sauce was a little heavy on the wine and the chicken portion was definitely smaller than I expected. I hate to say it, but I think I've had better Chicken Marsala at Olive Garden. I doubt I'd order this dish again.
Fettucini Carbonara -- The sauce had the perfect consistency and was filled with delicious little bits of bacon. The flavor was wonderful. I was eager to save the leftovers for lunch the following day. Two thumbs up!
Tiramisu -- This dessert was absolutely decadent with one small exception. The mascarpone cream in the center was still somewhat frozen when it arrived. Still, it was rave-worthy.
Overall, the dishes we ordered were a bit hit or miss. Half of what we ordered was excellent and the other half mediocre. Perhaps next time we'll try the pizza. ;-) -
Review from Ann B.
Arlington, VA
7/29/2009
I've eaten dinner twice a the Pines of Florence (I almost called it "The Pines" but couldn't bear to share the name of one of my favorite food places from my hometown in PA), and have had great food both times! I had the chicken franchise which I thought was excellent, and the tortellini in white sauce. I don't think that you can really mess up tortellini. There was lots of sauce but I enjoy a little extra (yes my arteries probably hated me afterward). I will have to try something in a red sauce next time, I visit. I have a hard time with 'other' sauces that aren't my Noni's. Growing up in an Italian family will do that to you, I guess.
I agree partially with Allie J. about the waitstaff. We had two separate waiters come up to us and try to take our order the last time we visited. The first time, it was around the holidays and we had a very jovial waiter in a Santa hat take care of us. He was a hoot!
We've always gotten a table as soon as we get there, which makes me think that it is more of a lunch scene.
Overall, I'm a fan. Oh and the menus outside the front door have coupons on them. Grab one and see if it can be applied on the day that you are visiting. :) -
Review from Heidi S.
Arlington, VA
4/9/2011
This is our go-to pizza place. They have a great deal on one topping pizza's and it's ready to take home in a flash. We also usually get the greek salad. Between the cheesy and buttery crusted pizza, the salad topped with feta, olives, onions and tomatoes, and our friends at the Pines - we are never disappointed. See you guys next week!
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Review from Nina B.
3/9/2008
I'd give it 3.5
This is old school Italian food. The kind of italian restaraunt that's been around for 50 years, and you'd find in the streets of Little Italy, New York City circa 1967.
It's got all the traditional stuff, Linguini Alfredo, Manicotti, Lasagna, Spaghetti with Meatball (yes, one meatball).
Nothing fancy, but a solid meal. -
Review from Bob S.
Arlington, VA
1/15/2011
Pros:
- solid, not great, italian food
- family-style restaurant
- has carry-out, usually with a deal attached
- good if you live in the area
Cons:
- not really worth driving out to
- solid, not amazing food.
- don't deliver
This is the definition of a 3 star review. Just solid. Nothing really stands out as good or bad. -
Review from Allie J.
Washington, DC
7/17/2009
I live down the street from this place so decided to check it out when family was visiting. Our waitress seemed like she didn't quite know what she was doing and she wasn't extremely familiar with the menu. She was very nice though - just could have been a little more professional.
Three of us ordered the caprese salad. It took a long time to come out. The tomatoes weren't ripe enough and the basil leaves were too small. But I love basil and mozzeralla with balsamic so I enjoyed it.
I ordered Cannelloni. The beef filling was too runny and kept sliding out of the pasta. It wasn't very flavorful either; I could barely tell it was beef. The other dishes ordered by my family (and their comments):
Veal Romano - good fried veal, but the meal was pizza joint quality and not Italian restaurant quality
Cheese Ravioli - decent ravioli, but plain
Penna Paella [pronounced "Pella" by the server]- overall was good, but disappointed by the single scallop.
For dessert, one of us ordered the Tortoni. It was very good but looked like it came out of a box. The rest of us ordered cannolis. I was scared when the waitress asked "chocolate or vanilla cream?". We all said vanilla. The cream that we got tasted like a mixture between cannoli cream and cream puff cream. I love cannolis and was very disappointed by this non-traditional version.
The food was decent and the price was good. $125 for 4 people including a bottle of wine. It's an ok place for people that aren't used to Italian food and just want basic pasta and sauce or chicken parm. -
Review from S C.
Washington, DC
2/17/2011
I totally agree with the folks who rated this place 1 star or 2. My boyfriend had a groupon and decided to try it out. The bread tasted stale. We ordered a sausage and mushroom pizza. I think papa johns tasted better than this. The pizza was very doughy and they put waaaay too much cheese on it. We also got the Linguine Pescatore. The calamari didn't taste fresh. The scallops and shrimp was ehhhh. This place does not taste authentic at all. I will not be returning. We gave a mediocre tip because not once did the waiter ask us how everything was doing. The waiter walked away shaking his head. That's right! You would be getting more if the service was better.
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Review from Jessica H.
Arlington, VA
10/26/2010
Really bad. Not remotely Italian. Heavy American food with quasi Italian-American stylings. Outdated interior. I live two blocks away and will not come back.
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Review from Elaine M.
New York, NY
5/15/2007
For a delivery pizza, Pines is a pleasant surprise. Not only is it cheap ($10.85 for an extra-large pizza, which is more like a large, but nonetheless...) but it is good. It's a far cry from the bread+grease that is Domino's and Papa John's or even the less disgusting bread+grease of Pizza Boli's. In the world of delivery pizza, Pine's get's 4 stars (in the world of pizza en general, it gets 2 1/2).
I've returned to this review to add that the nice folks at Pine's need to get their delivery act together. Two out of the three times I've ordered from Pine's, it's taken more than an hour. -
Review from Brent S.
Burke, VA
4/4/2009
I usually order delivery from Pines of Florence but have eaten at the restaurant once. Some of the dishes I've had are really good, others are just OK, but nothing that I've had is bad. I love their marinara sauce! I would recommend any of the spaghetti dishes with marinara sauce, the spaghetti with sausage and peppers has been my favorite. Most of the other dishes I've gotten are kinda bland though.
Delivery times have a pretty wide range. I've gotten my food anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes after I placed the order.
The prices are OK. For some of the dishes, like spaghetti, it seems like you get a great value for the amount of food that you get, others it doesn't seem like you get quite enough food for what it price.
I don't think I'd go out of my way to go to the restaurant, but if you have a taste for some decent old fashioned Italian and don't feel like going out this is a great place to order from. -
Review from Steven R.
Raleigh, NC
9/21/2010
The takeout pizza experience gets 4 stars - good value and great pizza.
The dine-in entree experience was terrible and is lucky to get 2 stars. Our server wasn't very nice, the food was very sub-par, and everything was overpriced. Go to Sbarro or the italian place in the Ballston Mall food court - they have better entrees. Seriously!
Overall, they get a 3 star average. Stick to the pizza and you'll be happy. -
Review from Jen C.
Updated - 10/3/2010
Pines does it again!! They have excellent carry out pizza. Although I hate to say it, it does vary in quality but when they are good they are REALLY GOOD! I always get the large pizza with tomatoes, pepperoni, and black olives. The crust should be soft and fluffy and perfect. We had it once about a month ago when it was a bit stale -- but don't worry, I did call to let them know. Although, the experience did put us off for about a month or more. But last week they managed to redeem themselves as they were on their A-game and the pizza was phenomenal - perfectly cooked with just the right amount of each topping and the crust was PERFECT. What made it even better was the bottle of Sicilian wine the woman at Best Cellars recommended to me - A+! If they could only make the pizza this good every time. Consistency guys, consistency.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/9/2010
I give this place 4 stars for the pizza....it's delicious. We order about once a week or so, and it… Read more »
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Review from Jesse C.
6/27/2009
While visiting my Arlington office, my boss decided she wanted to go grab a bite. Since this restaurant is in the same building as my office we just came here.
The inside is nice. White table clothes and wine glasses on all the tables. They also have a nice fully stacked bar. We were seated right away as we walked in. We were give menus and our drink orders were taken. After the waiter filled our glasses we put our orders in. I had the spaghetti and meat sauce lunch and my boss ordered some shrimp pasta dish. I don't remember anymore more. While we were waiting for our food a bread basket was brought out as well as some oil and parmesan cheese. Our food came out in a reasonable time, actually it was pretty fast. The spaghetti was cooked just right, nice and al dente. The meat sauce on the other hand was very thick so it really didn't cover the spaghetti too well, the taste was pretty good. Nothing fancy, but it had some decent flavors. I'm just glad there wasn't a pool of water on the bottom like other places do. For the price, they could have put a little more sauce on it.
The service was o.k.. The waiter came by to check up on us here and there. It did take a long time for him to come back with the check though. Overall, it was o.k.. nothing too fancy, but you can get a decent lunch here.
Oh BTW the current picture that is uploaded is not of this location. -
Review from David K.
1/28/2009
This would have merited a 1 star if not for the karaoke offered on weekends. Pines of Florence I assume is a local chain, this outlet being located off Fairfax Dr. in the Virginia Square/Ballston area. It is non descript from the road, and non descript once you walk in.
The food is not very tasty. The pizza came out soggy, and the person that ordered manicotti was not happy with the burned exterior of the manicotti. But, we were not there for the food. Before learning of LA Bar and Grill, this was the first karaoke place we had seen in the area. 15 of us gathered to try our hand at singing karaoke there. The unfriendly wait staff grudgingly let us in around 10 PM telling us at first that they were closed, despite the posted sign clearly saying it was 11. The karaoke setup was on a 19 inch tube TV on a middle school style media cart (the kind the A/V kids would push around). The actual karaoke looked like it was pirated from the local Asian grocery store. It was the type where it would have whimsical graphics of locations in Asia, people in Beijing walking the street, etc. with MIDI caliber music. I can deal with that, it's an Italian restaurant doing karaoke after all. When we got our check at the end of the night, we were charged for a total of $300 of Bud Light. I had a hard time believing 15 of us drank 90 beers in about 90 minutes. I saw it as the staff and owner attempting to extract as much from us as possible for keeping them at the restaurant while we performed. Beyond the fact that we should have been considered a business godsend considering the general lack of customers at this restaurant, I didn't like the fact that I felt we were paying a de facto private rental fee.
Apart from that, one of the guys in our party got a phone number of one of the waitresses, so I guess we had that going for us. Plus perhaps the worst rendition of Roxanne I've ever heard. Beware if for some reason you want to go here for karaoke with 15 people. I gave them an additional star merely for offering karaoke however. -
Review from Lincoln H.
Arlington, VA
4/18/2010 1 Check-in Here
Awesome! Great food for a low price. Very nice staff.
I used to go to this place back when they were right at the intersection of Wilson and Courthouse. The staff is the same. Very friendly and helpful. This is basic Italian fare at reasonable prices. I often get the Chicken Parm and I'm never disappointed. Also, make sure to try the salad with the house dressing. It is delicious. -
Review from Daniel B.
12/5/2009 5 Check-ins Here
My family has been eating at Pines for more than 2 decades (way back when it was at Courthouse). This is a good place to eat. Good food (white pizza and veal parm are probably the family's favorites, as well as calamari) though the service can be better.
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Review from Pumpkin S.
Washington, DC
1/9/2010
To be fair, the only item I recall ordering there (it was a few years ago) was the caesar salad with anchovies. The salad arrived... except it had no anchovies. I asked the waiter, and he said that the restaurant usually took out the anchovies because most people don't like them.
HUH???????
I said I loved anchovies and that I wanted mine. He brought them out in a separate paper cup.
I may have ordered another dish that day, but the shock of my anchovy-less Caesar Salad with Anchovies overshadowed it. -
Review from Karen W.
Arlington, VA
2/11/2010
Pines of Florence has the best baked ziti around! The atmosphere is quiet, cozy and simple. The staff is very friendly and the prices are very reasonable for the portions they serve. They also offer a very fast delivery service.
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Review from Genny P.
Berkeley, CA
11/13/2009
Use to come here frequently when it was a different restaurant. It was well patronized which was perhaps it's downfall tonite. They seemed like they were hustling and they were doing weird things with tables by the kitchen door. No one served us so I had to get up to ask for a waiter. One came and tried to take our drink order. No, by now we are ready to order dinner. Okay ordered. The food took a bit long to come out. Realizing that we were out of time, I wanted to get the check. Could not find the waiter. Had to stop eating to grab the waiter. Okay he bring the check , grabs a plate and disappears. Now the clock is ticking. We get up and bring the check to the bar to pay, and go back to our seats to wait for the credit card to be processed. Another wait. It just got silly.
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Review from Bret H.
Arlington, VA
1/24/2011
In short, if you're in the mood for something along the lines of Olive Garden, go here instead. No, it's not super fancy, authentic Italian, but it's awfully good and surprisingly priced. We went because we bought the Groupon, on a Friday evening. The biggest disappointment is that it wasn't more crowded.
The Garden Salad was just $3, and was near-meal size, with lots of toppings, was fresh, and had a great dressing. Fantastic deal.
I ordered the Ziti, and that was really, very good. Came piping hot in its own (large) casserole dish. Plenty of flavor, and the mozeralla melted on top was fantastic. The price was also surprising (less than $10).
The bread was solid, if not spectacular. It definitely didn't seem recycled and stale. The olive oil added very good flavor.
They were out of the regular canolli, but the chocolate version was very good. I'm no canolli expert, but I'm generally not a fan of chocolate, and I liked it, so take that for what you will.
All in all, I honestly can't think of anything I would have liked Pines to do better. Large portions, surprisingly low prices, great service (the owner delivered our meals and was very gregarious and pleasant). Again, the only disappointment is that it wasn't better-attended. Give it a shot, and keep in mind how reasonable the prices are. I think you'll realize that you don't need Olive Garden with a place like Pines of Florence, and that really isn't an insult to Pines.
