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I have been going to the Pines of Rome for about 10 years and I always get the same thing: white cheese pizza with extra fontina and spaghetti with shrimp, garlic and oil. I know I should branch out and try something new, but they are just TOO good.
You have never had a better white cheese pizza: garlicy, cheesy, amazing! The spaghetti with shrimp, garlic and oil comes with four jumbo shrimp, lots of garlic and tremendous flavor.
After reading other reviews I am persuaded to try something new next time . . . but then I think of the deliciously garlicy, cheesy pizza and the succulent jumbo shrimp tossed in oil and tons of garlic and I know there is no hope of me ordering anything else.
White pizza is the only item on the menu that worth a try. Everything else is just boring and overpriced. Service is meh. Meter parking.
So, I hungrily went here for the second time last night. It had been so long since I went the first time that I really couldn't remember whether I liked it or not.
As soon as I looked at the menu again, I remembered: not impressive. I asked the waitress for some "cheesy bread", and she seemed confused. It was brought to my attention that I meant the small white pizza. Ah yes, that one. When it arrived at the table I realized why I had originally been confused: it's essentially cheese bread. And...it's $8.50.
We also ordered the Eggplant Parmesan appetizer, which is actually more like a meal. While the quantity is great, the quality was not. The eggplant didn't taste like much and certainly wasn't fresh.
I had the Veal Scallopini Pizzaiolo, which was slightly better than awful. First of all, this dish was $18. Based on the dog-food like quality of the veal, I am going to hypothesize that it cost the restaurant about 75 cents to produce this plate of food (really). Accompanying the "veal" (which was more like chicken in texture) were tasteless spaghetti and canned tomatoes.
I am also going to assume that the pasta is not homemade, as the menu indicates. If it is homemade, I imagine it was made about five years ago and has been sitting out since.
Also worth noting is that they don't actually serve meat sauce, but they do serve "meat-flavored" tomato sauce. Hmm.
As mic g. noted, they do offer a glutton's portion of house wine, but again, it's merely a lot of an expectedly average thing.
On a small positive note, the service was fast and friendly.
I was once again shocked to see that this place was PACKED on a Friday night. I guess if I could open a restaurant and serve crappy food for tons of money and customers would eat it up, I would. But I certainly wouldn't feel good about it.
Pizza (white and red) is amazing. White beans (appetizer/side) are amazing. Eggplant Parm is amazing. This place isn't exciting, but the quality of those 3 items allows for 5 stars. OLD-SCHOOL
Yum! There white pizza is amazing. They use fontina cheese, which fantastic. If you go here, you should definitely try it - even if white pizza isn't typically your thing. There red pizza is great too (but not nearly as cheesy as the white). The rest of the menu looks good, but I'll honestly say I've never tried anything beyond the pizza. They're usually busy, but I've never had to wait for a table. But the service can be a bit slow. Overall a great experience. I highly recommend a visit.
Yes, I have been coming here my whole life and yes, this might be one of the reasons why I love this place, but it is certainly not the only one. My boyf has only been coming here for the past year that I have dragged him to family functions, and he loves it too!
Their white pizza with fontina cheese is awesome. We always get a large as an appetizer for everyone to split and it never lasts long. Their regular pizza is pretty good too, but nothing can top the white.
I LOVE their lasagna. It is def not the typical Americanized lasagna you get from Stouffer's. Homemade pasta, lots of fluffy ricotta. The sauce is a little runny and the meat might be lacking in flavor, but there is something so delicious and comforting about this lasagna. I also like the manicotti and the eggplant parmesean.
I agree the bread is kinda gross, the table cloths are kinda sticky, and the servers are kinda surly, but you get what you pay for. And at the Pines you never have to pay too much.
I LOVE this place! The food is fantastic, the staff is pleasant, and the digs are comfy. Warning to fancy folks: This is not the place for you! Be ready to kick back, relax, and watch the kids at the next table chase each other around the restaurant.
Favorites: white pizza (the best EVER ANYWHERE--period.), red pizza, veal marsala, carbonara, sausage and peppers, rum cake.
I don't think you can go wrong here. It's just plain good eatin'.
If I had to take a guess as to why this place receives ratings of such contrast - I'd say that the regulars give high marks for it's casual atmosphere and homey flavor. I've been coming here with my girlfriends since I was twelve - a gaggle of us would take over the entire back room - filling it with cigarette smoke and the scent of (sometimes tough) bread dipped in our sweet balsamic vinegar and Parmesan dipping concoctions (which I love to this day).
I'm not in love with this place because the food or decor is so fabulous - because it's not. I love it because it's just an all around good ol' casual restaurant. It's not the kind of place you go for special or even weekend meals - it's the kind of place you go to every Tuesday night w/ your significant other...for the rest of your lives. The prices are so decent - it's probably a cheaper alternative to eating at home anyway. And the best part - you'll never be rushed out.
There's really not much to say about this place. The menu is blah, the decor is blah, the location is blah,but the pizza is magnifique! I work across the street, and if we're having a tough day, a bunch of us order a pizza to make ourselves feel better. The white pizza is amazing, and as my boyfriend says it's basically a cracker covered in cheese...who could hate that? The pizza is crunchy and chewy all at the same time and washes down great with a $16 carafe of Carlo Rossi wine. I've tried the ravioli before and they were eh, so I'd really stick with the pizza.
If youre looking for a quick, cheap dinner with no pretension, just pull up a chair to one of their many red checkered tables.
Molto squisito!
This place is the real deal... white pizza doused in olive oil and covered with fine cheeses. Salads that definitely hit the spot, and ravioli that is to die for. Plus, it feels like you're practically in Italy! The ambiance is outstanding, and the maps of the old world certainly are a nice touch. Friendly service and a cozy atmosphere make this a great place for a quick bite or even a date. Take out is great, too!
My only complaint:
Soda only comes by the can. Oh well, when in Rome...
A friend took me here on a recommendation, & I'd add a recommendation of my own: SKIP THIS PLACE! I had the shrimp in garlic butter, & it was greasy. I had been hoping to get chicken piccata, but their menu is very limited. My friend ordered the flounder, & the only interesting thing about it was picking out the endless bones. The bread was mediocre at best.
I was just appalled by the service - the waitress had a TOOTHPICK in her mouth! Also, they didn't mention before seating us that they'd close at ten - instead, they waited until we were almost done with our meal to tell us that they were closing, then they hustled us out before we could even finish!
bland food & bland wine. the only reason it gets 2 stars is because it is cheap and they give you a ton of house wine.
it's been around forever and people seem to love it........ i just don't get it.
This place had the worst Eggplant Parmagian I have ever had. The eggplant was awful, it tasted more like egg (presumably from the breading) then anything else. My sister's boyfriend had been raving about the place so I went with them and some of his friends, I had to try to choke down the food to be polite.
I think we had some sort of pizza appetizer thing which wasnt bad. But do NOT order the eggplant...
The restaurant is not great in terms of ambiance, but the vintage posters of Italy does add a touch of cozyness to the place. I had asked for recommendation from the very friendly waiter that provided excellent service throughout the evening. The eggplant spaghetti and the spaghetti carbonara were quite excellent with plenty of flavors. Portion was on the mid to large size and perfect. I would definitely go back again and try the white pizza if I ever get to come back to Bethesda again. I saw a lot of the people at the other tables ordering the house wine, another item to try on the next visit.
The Pines of Rome is one of my favorite Italian restaurants in the area. It's easy to miss since it is on a small street, but it has a good reputation and is usually pretty busy. I've been coming here my whole life, including family dinners, dates, and just meeting up with friends. The atmosphere is pretty casual, the menu is not very complicated, but the food is delicious. I'm a big fan of their pizza, and as others have noted, the white pizza is definitely worth a sample. If you (or whoever you bring along with you) can handle garlic, the spaghetti aglio olio is also really good. I don't eat a whole lot of meat, but the rest of my family would always rave about the veal parmesan.
Once I turned 21, coming here was even better, since I then could enjoy the cheap wine in the big glasses. You definitely get your money's worth here. The way they serve wine reminds me of my time abroad in Rome, where the cheap house wine is still good. It makes me nostalgic to come here, and I've run into old family friends on return visits. The fact that locals keep coming back here should help convince you to give it a try yourself.
When I finally found the restaurant I thought it's a nice little restaurant by the less popular area of Bethesda. I walked in and realised this is a pretty basic restaurant with cheap tables and rustic decor. They even give you a whole jug of water so you can pour it yourself. The bread was hard and cold - don't care for it. For appetizer the peppers with garlic was ordered - it was not bad but the raw garlic was strong. I ordered the ravioli for entree - first was taken by the portion and the size of the ravioli but then I was disappointed with undercooked pasta it was quite chewy. I have been to better Italian restaurants even though there're obviously lots of regulars who come in for the reasonably priced dinners I don't think it will be a top choice for Italian food.
I ordered the lasagna and instead got a plate of raw noodles and watery sauce. I heard good things about this place, so maybe I ordered the wrong thing, but they didn't even try to make it look like lasagna. Their spaghetti and meatballs were just as underwhelming.
This place is old-school but very solid and inexpensive. It is easy to miss if you don't have the address because there is just a small sign outside.
The pizza is great -- the crust is just right, the thinness is just right, the sauce amount just right.
The zucchini appetizer was nice but needed salt (which I added).
The bread was normal/average.
The house wine was not bad, plentiful, and cheap.
They don't put a lot into the decor but this place is about the wonderful tasting pizza, a rarity in the DC area. This place is an institution and you can feel that when you are in there.
If thin-crust tasty pizza is your thing this is a must visit.
Awful. It seems that the only people who like this place have been coming here their whole life; either it used to be much better of they're just blinded by their childhood memories. In fairness I didn't have the white pizza, but everything I or my girlfriend had was truly terrible.
The bread had a chewy crust and wasn't even worth eating. It took all of 5 minutes for our food to be ready, which makes me think microwaves were involved. The food they brought out looked like something Denny's would be ashamed of. The noodles were right off the grocery store shelf and boiled to within an inch or their lives. The sauce was runny and thoroughly devoid of flavor or intricacy. The meatballs must have been borrowed from a high school cafeteria. My girlfriend had the "homemade" ravioli and it was every bit as laughably bad. I honestly don't know if I have ever had worse Italian food in my life.
People rave about how inexpensive this place is, but by the time we were done with our two pastas and two beers and throwing on a tip, we were out 40 bucks. Not much of a bargain in my book.
If I went to a grocery store, paid two dollars for a frozen meal and a couple of minutes later had this food pop out of my microwave, I would never get it again.
I've been visiting Pines since I was a boy...Marco (owner) is a real Italian restauranteur and WHITE PIZZA is the sickest bomb ever dropped...just get it and the roasted red peppers with garlic and anchovie...(not date food, but hey?) ...drink the house white or red from a jelly glass (hey , just go with it..) and enjoy the giant italian bread (butter is always cold though, drat!).
YOu won't regret!
Loved it...great place to go with a bunch of girlfriends. Cheap wine, good food, cozy atmosphere, what more could you ask for? We were in this restaurant for hours and never felt rushed. Great hangout spot.
The table always ends up with too much food on it at PofR! Everything is so good and cheap enough that its hard to resist trying a bit of everything. This place is old school--small tables, short glasses for the wine. The white pizza is to die for, and a great way to start the meal. And there aren't many places in Bethesda where you can get stuffed, including drinks, for these price.
Nine times out of ten, they botch my order. That being said, they serve the best pizza south of Giuseppe's (Rockville), and north of 2 Amys. If your in the suburbs, you owe it to yourself to order a large with something on it. A word of caution, however: they don't precook their veggies, so order ONLY one at a time on a pizza. Or, get their pepperoni, which is BAR NONE the best (zesty, spicy, greasy, awesome) I've ever had. Also, like others have mentioned, their wine is cheap (but drinkable), the atmosphere is pure pre-late-1990s Bethesda (concrete-plant era), and the pasta's pretty good. Oh, and their white pizza is GREAT. No ricotta, but oily, salty, and melted just the way you'd want it. In fact, no ricotta is a bonus in my book, no matter what it may bring to the table in terms of texture.
The wine is good for the price. The food... its ok. Nothing that awoke my taste buds but I do find myself to be critical when it comes to Italian food. All in all, its good greasy fare. And the service is excellent!
This used to be one of my favorite Italian restaurants, but the quality of the food has declined. People still think highly of the pizza, but the seafood dishes I used to find so good taste indistinguishable from each other and not very appealing. At the time of my last visit, the waiter was ill-informed and sloppy, dripping a good portion of the dish into my lap.
Great food, great atmosphere, and very good and friendly service. We had the homemade ravioli and melon and prosciutto as appetizer. The prosciutto was surprisingly good!
We will be back!
My absolute favorite place to eat out in the world, I love Pines Of Rome, I've been coming here with either family or friends since I was young like 7 or 8. Pines Of Rome makes me miss living in the DC area then just about anything. Great home made Southern Italian food made extremely traditionally, do not look for "al dente" pasta, thats not how home made pasta cooks, look for buttery soft in delicate home made marinara sauce. Enjoy your meal with a nice Italian chianti poured from a jug into a juice glass just as they do in Italy.
My friends at work and I go here for dinner sometimes, the white pizza is really good, especially with the Marinara sauce! I also love the regular pizza too. The calamari is also Divine! Not too crazy about the wine though.
yay for pizza and wine! pines of rome is a cozy italian restuarant with a cottage-like exterior that is wonderful for a casual night out with friends. four stars for their regular pizza and cheap red wine, but one star off for their white pizza that is essentially melted cheese on bread, sans ricotta cheese! i am decidedly pro-ricotta for my white pizza.
My favorite family restaurant in Bethesda. My parents have been going to this place before I was born, SO it has been around for a long time. The large fontina cheese pizza is my favorite...reasonably priced for Bethesda. Try the house carafe wines...also cheap, but good. I've never heard a bad thing about this place, except that it gets crowded occasionally on the weekends and can be slow. If you love Italian you should definitely check it out!!
Superb Fish. When the Fish is one of the Specials, it's always superb. The Pizza is the best. Plump Pomidori peleati tomatos that explode in your mouth. Just the right amount of garlic, which is a lot! Abundanza!
I don't understand why everyone else seems to love this place. I've tried a couple pasta dishes which were nothing special, very bland tasting. In my opinion Olazzo down the street is a much better restaurant and my personal favorite for Bethesda. I feel like this restaurant is stuck in this past (the most recent Washingtonian award I saw was 1983) and I wouldn't be surprised to learn they haven't changed their menu since then. They definitely haven't changed their decor. A prime example is their presentation, it is not a fancy restaurant so I'm not expecting anything spectacular, but we ordered a mozzarella and tomato appetizer and they just cut the tomato in big chunks and the mozzarella was scooped out whatever packaging it came in and plopped on the plate. I'm sorry but you can at least attempt to make it look nice. The only reason I didn't give it one star is their white pizza is pretty good, and from what I've had the only thing worth ordering.
Weeknight Specials
Neighborhood: Glover Park
Is it your birthday??
Neighborhood: Dupont Circle
Bethesda, MD
Category: Pizza
Bethesda, MD
Category: Delis
Bethesda, MD
Category: Italian
Bethesda, MD
Category: Chinese
Bethesda, MD
Category: Coffee & Tea
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