This place is going downhill. The food has always been too salty, but now it appears that so too is the quality of the ingredients themselves, as well as the cooking technique. Their burger has been my comfort food for the past six months, but my most recent visit was a wake-up call. Subpar ground beef with lots of bits of fat/cartilage, and so greasy that I had to take a shower when I got home. It was even worse than BGR in Clarendon, and that's saying something. To add insult to injury, the fries - which while bountiful - were undercooked. Though the food was a two-star experience, the service continues to be generally good, and the the beer (while pricey) is both interesting and tasty. I'll give the burger one more try, then either switch to the tartar sliders (which are magnificent) or stick to the suds.
(3)
Scott W.
Unreal...went here with my wife and 1 year old son in pouring rain on Sunday at 4 PM ...they turned us away from the dining room because the area was not quite open yet...(even though there was someone eating there). The bar tables were too high for a child seat, they would not let us sit at a table....manager (heavy set brunette guy with short hair) would not let us have quick meal in dining area. Rude and obnoxious staff!!!! I had heard this place was overrated...now I know why.
(1)
Amanda C.
Not so hot on this place and I don't think it was because it was so jam packed in there i felt like a sardine in a can. The food was decent, the price not so much. They had a wide variety of exotic beers and although I enjoyed my drink and food it was hard to be waited on and difficult to have a pleasant conversation due to the noise and general crowded feel to the place.
(2)
Chris R.
I didn't get the value I expected for the price I paid. I ordered a PASTRAMI CURED PORK "REUBEN" sandwich ($12) from the lunch menu and 2 beers. At the end of the meal, I felt like the food was very average considering the premium price. The sandwich was one-note and the fries were very salty and from the bottom of the fryer. I've paid half that for much better tasting and more interesting food in other local restaurants. The beer selection is good, and the atmosphere is attractive. But this all comes at a price that I don't want to pay again. The restaurant manager has contacted me about this review which led me to rethink the experience and be more exacting in my analysis. I'm not a troll and actually put a lot of thought into my Yelp reviews. I try to eat local as much as possible and give restaurants a chance. Part of the re-thinking led me to ask several of my fellow diners (we had a party of 5) about their thoughts in retrospect and they validated my assessment. "Meh. I've experienced better."
(2)
Mike B.
I've been twice now, so feel that warrants my ability to post a review. Went for lunch the first day they were open and sat at the bar. Got the standard "what can I get ya" sort of greeting from the bartender who wasn't busy at all. No interaction with the bartender other than that (he left during my visit and didn't say anything). I ordered a beer and a sandwich, the swordfish club. The swordfish was good but the bacon reminded me of a Wendy's cheeseburger and the bread looked like that half-assed stuff you can buy at 7-11 if you're in a bind. The potato chips were very oily, with clumps of them stuck together and soft. $25+ for 1 beer and a sandwich that I didn't see the value in. Went back the following Friday with some friends around 11PM. Bar was full but not packed. Got our first round quickly. Had to wait a bit to get our next round...not because the bar was busy. Two bartenders walked by us 4-5 times without acknowledging us (it's a small enough bar that you have to really try to avoid somebody). Like Church Key and Rustico Alexandria I'll go for the product, not the service.
(3)
Alycia L.
I went to this restaurant about a week or so ago with by boyfriend. We went on a Wednesday night and it was not too busy or loud. Our waitress was amazing I believe her name was Jeanine. She was very knowledgeable about all the different beers and made some amazing suggestions. We also got samples of the beer before we ordered it to make sure we liked it so we got to taste a couple different ones and they came in theses really cute glasses. They were not out of any of the beers that we asked for/about. I got the Mushroom Pizza and my boyfriend got the hamburger. Both were delicious. We also had the beer float for dessert and it was very good, hazelnut ice-cream and beer! Yummm! Overall we had a great time and would defiantly go again!
(5)
EM S.
LOVE THIS PLACE! I'm gluten/dairy free and they are always willing to help me find something to eat! I love the location, the wine list, and everyone I take there is amazed with the beer list! Definitely worth a try!
(5)
Miriam B.
We've been to Rustico more than 20 times since it opened. Two weeks ago, my boyfriend left his credit card with the server and forgot it for 24 hours. We went back the next day and got the card. Turns out someone at Rustico used his credit card information to purchase over $200 worth of xbox games to download to their account. Microsoft and his bank took care of the charges, and Microsoft is launching its own investigation because the charges are extremely traceable. We are no longer involved, but I will say that when we called the manager, he acted really strange and said he had never heard of this happening in his 12 years in the restaurant biz (hello? industry folks do NOT trust their employees for this reason...) and asked us to send him by email all of the details of the false charges. We never received an email reply or acknowledgement from the manager, Andy, so we thought that behavior was slightly suspect. We'll definitely go back but we were disappointed by this incident and the poor treatment by the management staff. As for the important stuff: Beer is pretty good and the food is meh. You can get better pizza at Matchbox or Fireworks. The servers are beer snobs who are way too pushy about their opinions, which are "do not get this $5 beer, get the $10 beer." Deviled eggs are AMAZING (deep fried with sriracha and horseradish.) I usually get a grilled steak caesar or a sausage pizza. The spinach pizza is dry and burnt, don't get it!
(2)
Leah C.
I used to love Rustico, but the food quality has been seriously lacking as of late. A few weeks ago I went with a large group of people and almost everyone ordered a pizza - 4 of the pizzas barely had any toppings. You could see the pizza crust clearly through the "marinara" sauce that was basically non-existent, with roughly 3 tomatoes and 3 chunks of cheese for the entire pizza. The other 3 pizzas were fine, but there was obviously no consistency in the food preparation. I brushed it off and figured it was just an off night for Rustico...until tonight. I ordered a pizza, brought it back to my apartment, opened the box, and was basically staring at a pizza crust with maybe 3 T of sauce spread over the entire pie. If I had wanted to simply eat bread, I would have gone to Harris Teeter, bought a 3 dollar loaf of bread, and would have saved a ton of money. HORRIBLE! what a rip off!
(1)
Caroline H.
This place is fine, but nothing to "wow" about. The pizza is good but overpriced. You can go down the road to Pupatella and get a better pizza for half the cost, with a much friendlier atmosphere. Unless you love beer, no need to go here. Oh, and not to mention our waittress couldn't have been any LESS engaged- she paid no attention to us and said about two words. That definitely did not help her tip. Frankly, there are so many other places to go- I don't get the hype about this place aside from the convenience of location if you live nearby.
(2)
shawn g.
I am totally stuffed after a great lunch at the soft opening of Rustico Ballston. The atmosphere is a bit different from Alexandria, not so much that you'd think it's a different restaurant, but it definitely has that Ballston feel. I particularly liked the lighting near the bar area and the dining room. If you take nothing else from this review, just know that you need to order the carrot hummus and the short rib cheese steak. I overheard that the pastries and possibly desserts come from Buzz Bakery nearby, and apparently their lemonade too. The menu is the same as the Alexandria location as far as I can tell, but the beer selection may vary. There is more room to move around in the bar area here too, there are still long hi-tops, but more floor space to accommodate the inevitable rush of diners and drinkers. Can't wait to come back when it's in full swing. Great views of the TV's from most of the spots in the bar area too if you're looking for a sports game.
(4)
Marco C.
This is a fun place to come to with friends. I love the tables they have at the bar so we don't have to all crowd around the actual bar and the service was great. So attentive, but not hovery. Our glasses (water and beer) were never empty. This is the place I come for when I'm in the mood for a beer I've never had. Surprisingly tasty appetizers too. We loved the steak tartare sliders, meatballs and fried deviled eggs.
(3)
Stephanie M.
Came here for a beer happy hour and was very happy. They have a ton of awesome beers on tap. Try the 2 smoked beers, amazing! I liked that they had tastes, so I could try a bunch. The pizza was just ok, but the beer was great.
(4)
t e.
food was great. had chicken and steak. service left a lot to be desired. ambiance was very loud. difficult to hear. would go back for food. but on quieter terms.
(3)
Faylinda K.
I always give a generous amount of stars because (OK, you've heard this before) my kids work in restaurants and I have great respect for restaurants. One star for Rustico and we won't be going back. I walked in ready to fall in love and the waitstaff talked me out of it. We arrived with a reservation for brunch. The decor on the side we were take to (away from the bar) was very school cafeteria and would be helped by some plush surfaces to absorb sound. And softer chairs, The tables by the bar which we saw on our way out looked more inviting. I won't detail the bizarre incident that happen en route with our hostess because she is an older woman and I would hate to see her lose her position. Our waiter continued the trend of slovenly service. He leaned on our table to talk to us, but my daughter - a 5-star server gave him a pass on that. But not the disappear ring act. He was never at the table when we wanted him and left long periods of time between check ins. Water? We had to ask for it individually even though we were sitting just a stone's throw from a bucket of filled bottles of water. I asked for water. The waiter turned away quickly before I could add, and water for my two companions. It took a while and my one glass was placed on the table. One person spoke up and said I'd like - and he was gone and some minutes later brought one more glass and spun away before the third person could ask for his glass. This poor third person was reduced to sharing my glass! Does each person have to request their water? The food was OK. I had the crispy salmon sandwich with cole slaw on it. It was good, not great. (Still dreaming of the duck reuben at Poste.) The homemade potato chips were a bit soggy and over cooked, very brown. Maybe some people like them that way. The eggs benedict that one table mate had were cutely presented on tiny toast rounds. The hollandaise sauce was very rich and yummy but I would have enjoyed a more toothsome bread under the layers. Our third at the table pronounced his burger good. But we were all so annoyed by the sloppy service that we won't be back to try the beers or the pizza, too many other spots to try - or return to.
(1)
Varun M.
Excellent beer list. Try the Walker's Reserve!
(5)
Henry C.
Great beer list and great food, the only downside is it tends to get crowded some nights and the lunch service is slow but overall my favorite restaurant in Ballston.
(4)
Christina K.
The pizza is really good, and the ambiance is also quite nice. I've been there twice so far but I only can give it 3 stars because our first experience was freezing, and when we asked the host to move us to another table (there were plentyyyyy of open tables) he was rather annoyed. The second time we ate lunch there it was also freezing!! Food is great, but I don't like eating in Antartica. Turn up the heat Rustico!
(3)
lily s.
I have been to this restaurant 2 times before for dinner n the service was great, so I decided to take my sister n her 2 kids for bruch on Sunday on May 22 we ask to sit outside since it was a gorgeous day outside n inside the restaurant was empty.Big mistake we waited 20 after being seated before our server Lauren S. approaches us ,she asked if we eaten there before ,I said yes n we r ready to order ,them she suggested that we get momosa with our brunch her description of a mimoso was channary n ok,which I realise it was suppose to be champaign, anyway we got our food with no plates n silver wear,another ten minute she approache the table n reliaze we don't have any thing to eat with,I just wanted to leve to make matters worse my nephew drop his fork right in front her n she just keep walk-in like she didn't see ,at this point we just ask for the check cause it was just pissing me off ,I told her if was my sister bday still she didn't recommed dessert, thank god for Buzz cupcake next door .Worst server ever Lauren S. I was a server once so I still leave her 18 percent tip.
(3)
J B.
I was very excited to try this new restaurant. Everything we ordered on the menu (appetizer + entrees) were sooo bad. Things sound "interesting," so you hope that the chef has new and exciting choices for you to try--it was horrible. :-/ I was really hoping to like this place. On the plus side, the beers recommended to us were great!
(1)
Jazzy J.
A month ago I noticed that a new place was opening down the street which immediately excited me and prompted some research. While doing so I saw that there was an Alexandria location and the menu sounded fab! I convinced a group of friends to check out the new place this past Friday night even though the crowd was swarming. We called in at 7pm to make a reservation for 8 people and were told a table would be ready at 9pm. We arrived at 8:30 thinking we could get a drink first as the boys were excited about the large beer list. We ended up not sitting until 10pm, however the mood of the place kept us from getting upset and keep drinking! The beer reviews were all great, however being gluten intolerant I kept to wine. As for the actual dinner we ordered the muscles and tuna tartar for an appetizer and were with both picks! I ordered a salad and added grilled shrimp which they ended up forgetting to add the shrimp - totally fine as I was stuffed on the apps! The server was very helpful and looked out for my allergy which I always appreciate at a restaurant. The others had pizza and they loved all their choices as well (mushroom and the grilled). Overall, I look forward to dining again and having one of their entrees.
(4)
Philip K.
I live 30 seconds from Rustico and had been eagerly awaiting its opening for months,. My first visit made the wait worthwhile. The carrot hummus (a layer of hummus, a layer of ground lamb, a layer of goat cheese) was moist and flavorful. The pork shank was tender and satisfying. The beer list, for which Rustico Alexandria is known, is well-chosen and helpfully organized. The server was polite, attentive, and knowledgeable. The restaurant and bar are doing huge business. According to the manager, they are starting out replicating the menu and model from Rustico Alexandria but hope to explore new paths in the months ahead. It's good to see the restaurant scene in Ballston improving. Let's hope Rustico stays motivated!
(4)
Charles C.
Food is pretty expensive but it is good. The flat breads are the best offer.The atmosphere is more date/nice dinner and less hang out with friends. Every time I go there are always a bunch of people on dates. I had the flat breads (I wont call it pizza), salads, and some of the appetizers. Would eat there again.
(4)
K K.
When visiting friends in Arlington we found ourselves here one night. The ambience here is really nice and they have a decent outside seating patio (though one side looks out onto some construction.) Food: absolutely wonderful. I enjoyed the Caesar salad and the Rustico burger, which was super juicy and one of the best burgers I've had in a while. The fries were a bit over fried. I had a bite of my friends pizza and really enjoyed the white pizza. Service: This is the aspect that made this place less than a 5 star. We sat in the bar area and seemed to be forgotten at times. It took a while for our water refills to come out and I ordered a salad to come out before my burger but they came out at the same time. Not quite sure why he wouldn't bring the salad first and I was starving so it would have been nice to start with a salad. Everything was just extremely slow and we had planned for a fairly quick dinner. I'll be back but maybe when it's not so busy.
(3)
De'Leisa N.
Stopped in for brunch on a Sunday. They said that they were fully booked and we would have to sit in the bar area. No worries because there was plenty of seating. We were starving. Thank goodness for their little breakfast scramble biscuit sandwiches. They were so good that we ordered some to go...lol. They even accommodated me and added no egg and added a little more meat. They pretty much use the sausage they put on the pizza. The fries were crisp with a touch a salt....they really were the perfect fry to me. I honestly forgot about the burger I ordered and only remember the biscuit sandwiches because they were that good...they were also cheap! I will definitely stop in again if I am in the neighborhood!
(4)
Jenny L.
I've only had the pizza here and it's not the best pizza in Arlington (Pupatella takes the cake). The concepts are great -- the topping combos and the fact that they offer a gluten-free chickpea crust -- but something about the execution is just off. The roasted mushroom and goat cheese pizza was lacking in flavor and sharpness, and the others commented that their meat toppings were underseasoned or not as spicy as expected. This was my first time trying a chickpea crust and I thought it was overly cakey, chewy and flavorless, and really could have used some cheese (which I understand appears in most cauliflower crust recipes). Our server was super nice, though, and offered me an elderberry cider and complimentary beer when the apple cider I had ordered was out. I'm interested in trying their non-pizza menu items including the carrot hummus, so I would come back to this place but I wouldn't be the one to suggest it.
(3)
Michael M.
I will never come back. Service was terrible. Chris, our waiter had us at the automatic 20% tip with 6 people and knew it. Everything was late, drinks were poured terribly (tons of head or whiskey wasn't nearly a shot level), and a little bit of attitude. The kitchen seemed to be the only part of this place that had their stuff together. Having been a server before, I can say that this was one of the worst performances I've ever seen. Based off some of the other reviews I see, I'd give this place a wide berth.
(1)
Alison M.
Solid place - not amazing, but definitely good food, and tons of great beer. It's a little loud on the weekends, but during the week it is great to get a beer and a bite to eat. I've especially enjoyed the carrot hummus and the burgers, and I love that they have lots of options for snacks that seem to change pretty often.
(4)
Lucas B.
I love this place. For some reason whenever I looked at the menu online it just didn't excite me. I finally was lured into going and it was fantastic. Their white pizza is delicious. Also I've had their Brussels sprouts a couple times and they're pretty top notch. They've got a solid wine list too. Only gripe with this place is that the service hasn't been the most attentive. Otherwise Rustico is great. I've had nothing but good meals there.
(4)
Clark M.
I ordered the Cubano sandwich and it was brought to me badly burnt. Everyone else's food was good, but beware of the Cubano!
(1)
Jun Y.
Rustico is the perfect way to start your weekend after a long week a work. Actually that's how I discovered this restaurant; when my company hosted a company-sponsored happy hour at the restaurant. The outdoor patio area is extremely spacious and nice. It can accommodate up to a party of 40, the problem is the waiters are usually backed up with orders if you're sitting outside. Since the weather is starting to get nice, I would recommend coming here for a cold beer or better yet a long-island ice tea. The long-islands go a long way and hits home really quickly. The bartenders poured with a heavy hand and after 2 or 3, I started to feel it coming. Aside from the drinks, I would order the pizza and tatter tots to wash down and absorb the alcohol so you don't get trashed before 7p.m comes by. It's a low key atmosphere to catch up with coworkers about the work week or just generally a good spot for pregaming before going out into the city. Indoors is even more spacious than the patio area but since the weather is nice, I took advantage of the situation anyway I could.
(4)
Seaeun K.
Yeeeesss!!! This is what Ballston has been missing. A great, small-menu-done-well restaurant. I've been here twice so far. Food is wonderful. I can't remember what I had the first time but that doesn't mean it wasn't memorable. I just have a terrible memory. I do, however, remember how wonderful the Belgian Mussels were last time. There are definitely enough for a light-dinner, especially with the toasted sourdough points that are served with it. The broth is heavenly!! I hear the pork chops are a must do. My beer-snob coworkers say the draft selection is excellent, especially the 11% Imperial Stout.
(4)
Clifford D.
I absolutely love Rustico. Churchkey has been one of my favorite bars in DC for a long time and I've always enjoyed Birch and Barley (same owners as Rustico). I feel like Rustico combines the best of both. Churchkey is a great bar, but not a great restaurant. Birch and Barley is a great restaurant, but it's higher end. Rustico is the perfect balance. They have a fantastic beer selection and great food. The chickpea crust pizza is fantastic. I try and get to Rustico as often as I can.
(5)
Ruby S.
Service: Absolutely horrible -Waiter accidentally threw his pen at my friend while taking his order (not sure how this happened) and burst out laughing, did not apologize -Waiter spilled our water and did not come back to clean it up, we were forced to mop it up ourselves with our napkins -We asked the busboy for a refill of water, he told us it was not his job and walked away -Waiter forgot to put in our appetizer orders -Waiter boxed my pizza leftovers upside down... what? Food was below average. My friend said the steak was dry and flavorless. My pizza was overly-greasy and very salty. Will definitely not be back and would recommend others to stay away.
(1)
Chandani C.
I've been to Rustico a few times over the years since it opened. It's definitely one of the nicest restaurants in the Ballston area. I've always had a pleasant experience whether I came for lunch, dinner, or just drinks and have always been pleased with the food as well. Another plus is that they are accommodating with requests (carrot hummus with no meat or meat on the side) It's a great spot for a date or for a group. (Pictures are from my latest visit a few weeks ago)
(4)
Greg F.
This Rustico used to be my most favorite place in Arlington (many years now) to go get a great beer (it still has a lot of great choices) and something good to eat. However this Wednesday (7/15) they really let me and my friend down on the eat thing. We ordered a couple of beers and a Cubano and it arrived very quickly, but it was obviously one made the day before and was microwaved. Also the french fries had a lot of mostly black spots on them and going all the way through and probably also microwaved. Disappointing to say the least. We have always really liked the pizza, our favorite was the Italian sausage with roasted red peppers. But they don't do the roasted red peppers anymore. Why?. We probably won't be going back any time soon.
(2)
Nicole G.
I wondered why my boyfriend made a reservation for a restaurant in Ballston but after seeing the place steadily fill up as we placed our orders made me thankful he did! The hostess and servers were friendly and gave me time to choose a drink, appetizer, and meal. We were lucky enough to still be on the tail end of a happy hour so I got to try two different drafts and save a couple bucks each time. We started off with the truffle parm fries which were a huge disappointment to me. Maybe I'm just not a fan of truffle oil, but the fries themselves were overdone and no amount of cheese was saving them. Luckily my main course blew me away! I ordered the roast beet salad and added chicken to make it an entree. It was a beautiful array of golden and purple beats sliced up under arugula, walnuts, and blood orange, all tossed in a balanced vinaigrette and with a side of tender, juicy chicken breast. Our waiter was a bit swamped so our check came slowly, but he was friendly and apologetic, and I was still finishing my beer so it was no problem. I'm not in the area often, but look forward to coming back to trying a pizza next time!
(4)
Phoenix Simone W.
The feel of this place really speaks to its name. It has a very rustic, modern vibe. Be sure to order the carrot hummus and the smoked paprika risotto tots! So amazing. This bar is definitely one of my favorites in the area--I'll be back!
(4)
Jamie G.
Came to Rustico for sunday brunch at around noon. Didn't have to wait at all. We had the white pizza and the brisket cheesesteak. Make sure to grab a seat outside when the weather is warm. Great for groups and definitely want to come back and try the happy hour!
(4)
Helen F.
WAITRESS: If I could give our waitress 10 stars, I would. Really wish I had written down her name. After seeing a movie at the Ballston mall, we decided to head over to Kapnos, to see if we could get a quick/late dinner. We understood it was kind of late (9:45), but Yelp said their restaurant was open until 11:00 on a Sunday night. Of course as soon as we walked in we were met by a cold, suspicious hostess, who quickly told us they were closed. I'm guessing their kitchen was closing at 10, and she and the other staff just didn't want to deal with us. Well, luckily for us Rustico was across the street. We walked in, at around 9:55, completely sensitive to the fact that their kitchen was closing at 10:00 (there was no hostess). However, Instead of turning us away, which this waitress could have easily done, as i'm sure she and everyone else was tired, she accommodated us with a smile and great service. Our waitress definitely went above and beyond, and really made the restaurant look awesome in our eyes. She literally sprinted to get our orders into the kitchen before they closed. I don't think I have ever had a waiter or waitress ever go that above and beyond. This chick deserves a raise, A BIG ONE (young, dirty blond, big smile, friendly- please recognize her management). FOOD: 4.5/5 stars. Given the hour, we really weren't expecting much, but we were majorly wrong. We ordered burgers since we knew it would be lower-maintenance than some of the other items on the menu, and they were darn tasty. The fries were also fantastic. They were thick-cut, and tasted really fresh. My favorite touch was that the meal came with a deli pickle. One would be surprised how many places chinc you on a pickle, so I very much appreciate the ones that include one with your burger. I would definitely be back for this. WINE: 2 Stars (sorry). I perused the wine by the glass menu, and decided to go for the Cabernet. It kinda tasted like the wine on tap from Matchbox, with a non wine on-tap price tag. Oh well, we still had a great experience. Thanks again to our awesome waitress, you made our evening!
(4)
Emma B.
Great beer list, food definitely a pleasant surprise! We've lived nearby for a long time and wish we had discovered the restaurant sooner. I would love to see the brussel sprouts reappear on the menu - delicious! Service can be slow at times, but always friendly.
(4)
Chrystalle B.
I've been told by my fellow beer lovers that I have to check this place out. I actually came here for the 1st time for their CBS tapping. That meant I had to wait outside, in the cold. Overall the way they handled that was great, would've liked to see less people jumping in line ahead of those that had been there for an hour/hours though. Once the "whale hunters" cleared out, I could actually get a sense of the place. I like that you can choose to sit in a traditional dining room or the much more casual bar w/ booths. We had watched our waitress throughout the mad rush weaving in and out of people with full trays. We honestly expected her to not be very friendly, but she was a delight and seemed no worse for the wear. It should go without saying that the beer selection here is good, right? I mean they ARE part of NRG. We were technically here during brunch so I ordered their Breakfast Sandwich. It was large and in my belly in about 7 minutes flat. Man that thing was good. Eggs, bacon, cheddar w/ aioli on brioche, what more can you ask for? Tots. That's the more. Mine were a little over done, but still delicious. I need to find more reasons to come here. Tuesday's a reason, right?
(4)
Julie B.
Rustico is a local chain that provides "honest, robust cooking against a back drop of amazing beer." My friend lives in the area so we decided to go to Rustico for a quick dinner. It was a beautiful night so I was thrilled we were able to sit outside on the patio. I was immediately impressed by their beer list and excited to try some local, new to me beers, but they were out of so many! We tried to order 6 beers that they were already out of. Bummer. Food wise, we started off with a few appetizers. First was the salt roasted beet salad (baby arugula, walnuts, shallots, goat cheese fondue and orange vinaigrette). The salad was good but seemed to be missing something (it was, they forgot the goat cheese). Unfortunately, we didn't realize until we finished eating it. We also ordered the lamb meatballs (with harissa-tomato sauce, yogurt, mint gremolata), which were just okay. I really liked the sauce, but I wasn't crazy about the meatballs themselves. For my entree, I decided it was a pizza night and went with a classic pepperoni pie with mushrooms. The pizza came out without mushrooms (not sure who was running the kitchen on this night). I planned to ask the waitress about this but after she dropped off the entrees she never returned to the table until it was time to pay. My friend ordered the steak tips medium rare and they came out completely well done. My friends really like Rustico and have had plenty of great meals there. I feel bad giving the restaurant two stars, but my experience is all I have to go on.
(2)
Justin H.
Frequent customer, but this place is super overpriced.
(2)
Hilary W.
The low score is strictly on service. Our server was completely oblivious to the poor service we received. It started with a 15 minute wait to be greeted, all because he was getting the other table a new beer since he didn't like the original one he ordered. He did see us and could have let us know he would be right with us. Once he finally greeted us he filled our water glasses but could only fill one. He never checked in is throughout our entire meal and sat with empty drinks. I would be completely understanding of he had been busy and he didn't keep a close eye on the table directly next to us. But unfortunately we suffered because he was more focused on the problems at the other table. Food was good but service can ruin a whole experience. I have been to there other locations and enjoyed it.
(1)
Jessica R.
Good beer selection. When the server spilt our check he did it wrong and then was annoyed when we asked him to fix it. There were only 2 people he needed to spilt it between...this is the only reason I'm giving it three stars.
(3)
Ben F.
Zero stars. Food is mediocre at best. Beer selection is good. Service is atrocious. My girlfriend and I stopped here after a happy hour with her coworkers. While my girlfriend went to the bathroom the waitress brought the check by and I promptly wrote a tip, signed and paid. Granted, I was slightly inebriated, but we had only two blocks to walk home on a Friday night. After my girlfriend came back from the bathroom the waitress came back with another bill. Obviously I said, "No, we've already paid." My girlfriend wasn't present for any of this and knowing I was slightly drunk tried to pay for it any way. At this point I knew the waitress was trying to pull the wool over my eyes. I requested the manager. My girlfriend was upset because she thought I was too drunk and was imagining things. I knew I wasn't. After a heated debate, my girlfriend charging her credit card, and me basically yelling at the waitress for calling me a liar... here is the charge on my credit card that she claimed she never ran. This place sucks.
(1)
Dieter H.
Very good lunch place. Ordering was a little cumbersome. Nevertheless, the salads, sandwiches and soups were very good.
(4)
Vance U.
Really solid option in Ballston considering most of the restaurants suck. Hummus was great and very filling. Good beer selection. Service and my pizza were also good.
(4)
Warren M.
I stopped in at Rustico while traveling in the D.C. area. Their beer list--draft and bottle--is truly impressive. The service and food, regrettably less so. I sat at the bar on a moderately busy Thursday night. I received prompt attention from the bartender at first, but her pours were really sloppy, and my glass had beer running down the outside. There's nothing I hate more than a sticky glass--it's so easy to give it a quick wipe. I ordered a Butcher Block pizza, and it was mediocre at best. Super-dry crust, unappetizingly crunchy cheese, and it was covered in green onions and garlic, which added nothing. I also received no silverware and was forced to wipe my hands with cocktail napkins. My server/bartender never asked how the food was, and reappeared only to ask if I wanted another beer, several minutes after my last had run dry. It might be too much to ask for deluxe service and constant attention, but I expect that if a place offers its full menu at the bar, the server will make a reasonable effort to make the dining experience a pleasant one. I walked away from this one very disappointed.
(2)
Alice M.
There is little to cover that has not already been covered by others. In the past month I have visited Rustico on three different occasions and every single time enjoyed my food and had very pleasant experience. Their pizza is the main reason for my revisits and will definitely will come back for more. The only point I have is that they need to change the high tables in the front as every single one of them are unsafe and uncomfortable. Highly recommended.
(5)
Sam T.
Quality restaurant here; across the street from the mall and steps away from The Buzz Cafe, Rustico consistently delivers high quality ingredients cooked to perfection. My favorite is their seasonal scallops dish which is always very unique with seasonal veggies and a unique combo each season. The deep fried devil eggs are a must and the risotto tots are a great starter too.
(5)
Jack M.
Went here for brunch today, sat at the bar with a friend, ordered a kolsch and listened to the bartender bitch about making mimosas, pour beers, serve tables, make bellinis, etc. Friend ordered the breakfast sandwich and I ordered the brisket cheesesteak. Cheesesteak was a massive roll with very minimal brisket and flavorless cheese. In top of all of it it was super greasy...didn't finish it and when the bartender picked it up he didn't ask if it was any good, presumably because he knew it sucked as I had come last Sunday and at 10 to 3 said brunch was over. The breakfast sandwich was apparently not hood either. After paying upwards o $60 with tip we heard the chef telling the bartender, "brunch is over at 2:50. Super good times! Come here if you want over priced bullshit and an unhappy bartender who decided to give us terrible service for no reason at all!
(1)
Lindsay B.
Got the white pizza for dinner, which was amazing. Service was fine - the food and drinks took a while, but it was a Saturday night and that's to be expected. I'll definitely be back!
(4)
Kelly C.
Wow. My friends and I just had an amazing dinner and drink experience here and it was all because of the graciousness and knowledge that the manager Josh had. Our waitress wasn't to be found, but I'm not even mad because our table of five got personal and professional attention from the manager that we would've paid twice as much for. I didn't know the name of the kind of beer I was looking for but with a brief description of "Belgian, cherry" and the flavor I wanted Josh was able to recommend the perfect beer and exactly what I was looking for. This restaurant has a huge selection of craft beers, with their tasting option we were able to try several different varieties. Our food was delicious! The pan seared scallops were flavorful and perfectly cooked. They were served with a puree and Brussel sprouts that complemented the salty flavor of the scallops perfectly. It was also the perfect portion. We stayed here for over three hours enjoying pleasant conversation, great food and great beers. Not to mention we learned something and left feeling like we knew a little bit more about craft beers. Would definitely go again!
(5)
Shawn A.
Caesars salad was good. Pizza was meh (its usually spot on). Beer selection is great. Service was kind of crap tonight. Great for groups. But with Pepito and Kapnos across the street, time to step your game up.
(3)
Balraj B.
Enjoyed the home made Bloody Mary and the Pulled Pork Pizza. My companion loved her shrimp and grits. Service was decent. We were happy.
(4)
Alexis B.
I'll start with the positive- ambience and location. The decor is nice and has outdoor seating, and it's definitely a convenient spot in Arlington. Now on to the real review. I had my first and last experience at Rustico recently. First of all, call me crazy- but shouldn't an Italian restaurant bring out bread? Oh well. Anyways, the service was extremely slow and the restaurant was not even that busy. The food was below average at best, and my pizza was horribly burnt. When a friend at the table asked to have the rest of his pizza boxed, the waiter returned and said that "a slice of the pizza had been lost in the boxing process." Which was probably the craziest thing that any of us had ever heard. If we were paying for the meal, why did they lose some of our food? After that , there was no compensation for their mishap in the "loss of pizza." Overpriced and definitely not worth it.
(2)
Tommy_n_Loretta C.
Stopped by for lunch with a party of six on a tight time schedule. We all had pizzas and the service was surprisingly quick. The portions are big so I would suggest sharing a pizza. One of our teammates ordered a pizza without onions but it came with onions. We didn't have time to have another pizza made so he ate it and picked off the onions. Prices were $14 per small pizza (their smallest size). Service was pretty good.
(4)
Sara H.
I can't comment on the food, it might be awesome. I was here for a special tapping event on Saturday Jan. 17, 2015. When we arrived 2.5 hours before the tapping, there were four people ahead of us. People kept showing up and cutting the line because their spots were "being held." This included one girl who showed up via cab 5 minutes before the doors opened. I mentioned something to the manager who was checking IDs at the door. His response was that someone was probably holding her spot for her. I pointed her out and suggested that next time they hand out numbers as people arrive. He didn't appear to care. For an event where quantities are limited, nobody should be saving spots for people who are too lazy to show up early and wait in the cold like the rest of us. Its not fair for the people who did stand in line and might miss out because others were cutting. We also ordered a taster of a sour that was on cask that day. It smelled and tasted like vinegar and it was clearly infected. We mentioned it to the bartender who rather dismissively told us it was a sour and that is how they taste. I have had countless sours and never has one tasted like that.
(2)
Paul F.
Excellent beers and appetizers. Happy hour drafts are $2 off which makes the price close to reasonable for an after-work beer or two. Great seats outside as well. The section is really varied ... IPAs, darks, pilsner, kolsch ... even had some sour beers today. Always a troegs or stone on tap.
(4)
Jen F.
Rustico has a large selection of craft beers, appetizers, pizza, and snacks. The beer was good but the food was disappointing. I had a flight of beers and found one I really liked at the recommendation of the waitress. The food was not impressive. The fries were soggy and the pretzel balls were kind of dry. The beet salad was the only thing I would order again.
(3)
Anne B.
Wish Yelp would allow two Ratings for restaurants; one for service and one for food. Rustico is in my new neighborhood, so I was hoping for a slam-dunk experience for a new 'go to' place. The hostess warned us that the server was new, but he (1) did not tell us about the special, (2) did not check the 'no cheese on the burger request', (3) did not ask us about drink refills and (4) did not ask us if we wanted desert. Food, however, was terrific. shrimp and grits and the burger (second round, sans cheese). Nice Bellini and Bloody Mary, too.
(3)
Lindsay M.
Fun, contemporary and cozy bar with wood-fired oven pizza and a large selection of beer. Pizza was very straightforward but yummy and there were plenty of beers to choose from. The bartenders were really helpful. We flew in to DC for a surprise birthday party and one of the bartenders helped us surprise our friend in a big way.
(4)
Jane p.
I made the last minute reservation for Fri nite and could not get 6:30 so I took the 6pm slot. it was very strange that at 6:30 there were still plenty of empty tables. however, my friends were late and the waiter was really good about not hovering [they were really late - he got an extra large tip]. when I got a second glass of wine, the waiter reminded me that it was passed happy hour so the wine would be more expensive -- thought it was very considerate of him to tell me that the $5 special was now $9. the food was good as usual -- the mushroom pizza is a favorite and did not disappoint. the rest of the meal: bibb salad, stuffed date appetizer and the other pizza [was ok but can't remember it now] were good. it's a nice neighborhood place. we go there often.
(4)
Anne C.
I had such a great time last time I was here (exactly a week ago) that I came back for a meal. Unfortunately, the more I tried, the less I was impressed. The beers were still phenomenal, but the carrot hummus this time around...the pita/naan were overcooked and burnt...to the point of crispiness. The meatballs were overly salty. the fried devil eggs were fine, nothing to write home about, but as Elina Y. mentioned, how can anything deep fried not be delicious??? Surprisingly, the farfalle pasta chips were a very interesting concept and tasty. Now to the entrees: The spicy shrimp pizza and basil mozarella pizzas were good even though some of the shrimp seemed warmed and the others were cold. The veal rigatoni was also good, but oddly both entrees (rigatoni and duck dumplings) were on the cooler side as if it was just sitting not even under a heat lamp waiting to be picked up but took too long and got cold. The rigatoni was delicious, flavorful and the veal was tender. The dolce gorgonzola pillows unfortunately fell drastically short. the duck was fine, but the actual "pillows" were so salty we barely touched them. overall a very heavy dish, but the heavy hand on salt killed it for us. Service was average as I noticed the waiter, Ryan, was covering multiple tables. It would take him a long time to show up especially after the appetizers. Also when we asked him to split our bill evenly 3 ways, for some reason my bill was $3 more than everyone else. I didn't even notice until my friend pointed it out and it wasn't a discrepancy large enough for me to go and correct, but I didn't think we would have had any issues splitting a bill evenly. Since I live so close to this spot, maybe I will come back, but mostly out of convenience and the beers!
(3)
Ryan O.
Great place to go if you want to drink beer. HUGE selection of craft brews on draft as well as a solid "bible" of bottles/cans. Casual bar/dining area with high tables and booths. Dimly lit and loud. Fun atmosphere. They also have a restaurant area, which I've never eaten in. The food itself is nothing to rave about. They've got OK pizza, OK apps, and cook a pretty good burger. The good thing is that you'll be too drunk to care about the mediocre food. Overall a big fan.
(3)
Claudia J.
Amazing beer list. Beer lovers come here!!! Our waiter was actually extremely knowledgeable and made great suggestions. I wish I could remember his name... sigh. The food. We ordered the carrot hummus and two pizzas. The food was okay, not great. Honestly, I think I am/was the problem. I don't think I was in the mood for designer thin crust pizza. We also order grilled Caesar Salads. Ehh... whatever. The highlight::: As we were paying the bill the executive chef came around and gave everyone in the restaurant a cupcake from the bakery that shut down for the night nearby. Delicious surprise... If only I had paid attention to the name of the bakery.
(4)
J L.
This place is fine but the food can be spotty. The italian sausage pizza was fine, but I think other local places are much better (e.g. Pupatella, Petes). My husband had the pork sliders; he said the saucing and spicing was delicious but the meat was so overcooked and dry it was barely palatable. I enjoyed the Tuscan kale salad very much. The service was good, not great.
(3)
Jessica H.
Newly opened Ballston branch has a very different -- though still appealing -- decor from the Alexandria original. The lighting is particularly cool. It's a big restaurant with lots of antique-ish chandeliers, with tables going back toward a wall with interesting mirrors that makes it look even bigger. The chandelier lighting does make a little dark, though. Service was extremely attentive and enthusiastic, possibly to the point of overselling the food. "OMG the cinnamon tomato soup is so fantastic! It smells like cinnamon! Wow!" Except it didn't smell like cinnamon at all, pretty much just tasted like good tomato sauce. It would have been good on pasta. The cheddar cheese turned out to be a melted blob in the middle of the bowl that I couldn't break apart. I had the squash salad with blue cheese, and I did like the salad dressing a lot. The squash was burned onto the plate, so I'm guessing they broiled it directly on the plate, and then added the salad on top? It was tasty, though. I was sad I couldn't eat the whole squash, since it was stuck to the plate. My dining partner had the aged cheddar burger, which he described as "a regular burger" that came with a side of barbecue sauce for no apparent reason, which in the dim lighting was easily mixed up with the identically presented ketchup. The fries were likewise good, if possibly a bit oversalted. The menu as a whole is short but easy to read. The beer menu is great, though not quite yet as full-fledged as the Alexandria book of beer. The food is expensive. I'm very glad to have more good restaurants in the Ballston neighborhood, but for these prices, I'm not sure when I would have a Rustico craving and want to come back, even though I live a block away.
(3)
Whitaker S.
Great Pizza! This place has a very nice ambiance and the staff is wonderful. We went for brunch, and everything was good except the pork belly sandwich was very overwhelming. I would definitely go back!
(4)
Katie J.
I wish I could give 4.5 stars! The only reason I'm not giving them 5 is because the pizza is not all that great. Solution: Don't order the pizza!! -Carrot hummus (more like crumbled lamb with some sauce underneath) is TO DIE FOR!!! -Boston bibb salad (I like to add on the salmon)- is amazing! -Mussels are pretty good too! -Beer selection is HUGE so the man really enjoys it here. If you feel overwhelmed with their extensive list...ask your waiter/waitress/bartender. They all seem to be very knowledgable and provide suggestions to what your palette desires. Or if you can't decide, you can always get the flight! -Lunch box is a great deal :)
(4)
Kelsey I.
Surprisingly delicious, high quality, upscale food. My boyfriend and I popped in for a glass of wine and decided to try a couple of entrees. I had the scallops with pumpkin gnocci and brussel sprouts, and he got the wild mushroom risotto. Both were really impressive. While the wine isn't a bargain, the serving size is certainly generous. Another surprising bonus was how friendly the bartenders were without being intrusive. The crowd was comprised of lively young people at the bar and double dates in the dining room. I look forward to going back on many future occasions.
(5)
Jeff K.
The food is great. The menu is short & sweet. There is a large beer & wine menu. I had the roasted chicken with roasted vegetables. If you like deep, heavy stouts, try the poet. Per the menu, you can get a sample of the featured beer for a small price, but it's worth it.
(4)
Rebecca M.
Relaxed atmosphere w/ low light & comfy booths. Not too loud. They have extensive American beer list, but very few international beers. Server was knowledgable about beer selection. The food, however, was not great for the money. For starters, we ordered the Fries and Blue Mussels that have blue cheese which were watery-er than expected. Fries with parmesan were great though. Ordered two pizzas as our mains since none of the entrees seemed inspiring (Salmon Sandwich?). We had the "Grilled Pizza" which was loaded with meat and not cooked long enough. The Mushroom pizza with Goat cheese was not good. It had a "mushroom cream" instead of tomato sauce, and the goat cheese tasted bland like ricotta. We felt a bit rushed by the pace of the everything too. The pizzas came out almost immediately even though we waited to order them once we got our appetizers. $90 for meal and didn't love any of it. Will NOT be back again.
(3)
David G.
Went there for the first time since I posted my review. Other than the name of the chef on the bottom of the menu, not one damned thing has changed. I can only add that if you sit at the bar- not IN the bar, but AT the bar- your chances of getting decent service improves slightly.
(2)
Tim F.
Great beer selection. Food was very nice the first time we went but didn't wow us the second time (although was still reasonable). Will go back as it is so close to us.
(3)
Ruby H.
Came here on a first date, it was the perfect date spot! They had a huge beer selection which was great for the guy. They even gave us a glass to take him cause he ordered a beer that was the special of the week they were introducing! The service at Rustico was great! Our waitress was so attentive and on top of it! The food came out so fast! We ordered the BBQ pulled pork pizza and it was incredible! So delicious!!! All the ingredients and flavors melded together so well! Would deff come back for another dinner date or a happy hour at the bar!
(5)
Jefferson C.
Nice decor. Great service. Killer beer selection. Very good pizzas. If they'd put just one of their numerous TVs on the news (how about just headline news on closed caption), I would have given them 5 stars. The overkill on tvs makes it feel a little like a sportsbar dressed up as a trendy restaurant for halloween.
(4)
Ideen S.
I like the atmosphere. It's got a good balance between classy and casual. For my meal, I really enjoyed the Beet Salad; it had a lot of beets and a good citrus dressing. The hummus was VERY good; it came with grilled bread, fresh veggies, and it had a little ground meat and crumbled feta mixed in to make for a very good flavor.
(4)
Francis K.
Rustico is one of those restaurants that I want to really like. I mean, they do so many things that are awesome: Large beer selection, wood-fired oven pizza, really comfy bar stools, etc. However, each one of these things has a slight niggle about it which irks me somewhat. The pizza is tasty, not exceptional. There are other wood-fired oven pizzas within a short drive of here which offer much better pizza for about the same money. Within walking distance, maybe not so much, but certainly within a short drive. The beer selection is quite good, both bottle and draft assortments. That said, I have found that the last couple of times I've been here that there have been gaping holes in the bottle selection and a few drafts have gone missing as well. This would be understandable if I was lunching here on a Monday, but on a Friday it just seems like poor planning in the ordering department or somebody not bothering with updating the beer list to represent the current offerings. The service is where I find myself being a little more judgmental with this restaurant. I'd been to the Rustico location in Alexandria a couple of times well before this one opened and swore I would never go back unless the employees there stopped looking down on me if I didn't order what they thought was the best representation of a beer style and then wandered off never to be seen or heard from again. There is a fine line between beer geek and beer snob, and that line had been dragged out and shot at the Alexandria location. The reason I bring this up is because when this location opened I found that the bar staff here had apparently been trained by the staff at the other location, manners and all. I had a few extremely bad experiences coming here in the month or so after they initially opened and being treated as though I didn't belong to some special club they had. Even came in once, sat at the bar for ten minutes on a slow night, couldn't get more than a glare from the bartender and then left. Happily though, the service has improved. It isn't where it could be, but I no longer get the feeling that the staff wants to punch me for having the gall to come into their establishment and order food and drink. The service the last couple of times has been pleasant yet reserved, cordial yet not particularly inviting. Couple that with what appeared to be too many tables for the people working at the moment and you don't really feel the love. Overall I would say that there has been massive improvement in the place since it originally opened and it is a good place to go for lunch. That said, it would have been a one-star restaurant back then and I wouldn't have ever been back had it stayed that way.
(3)
Kristine B.
I debated between 3 or 4 stars. The food and beer list are great BUT the service has always been spotty. I was recently there for brunch and ate in the bar. ONE server was working ALL the tables in the bar - which seemed crazy given there were at least 6 tables full of people. The couple next to us left given it took over 10mins for them to get WATER. Another table complained because they had been waiting to order. I don't think it is the servers fault but rather poor staffing from management. I was occupied talking to friends so didn't mind too much, but if I was in a hurry, I would be irritated. Expect to wait a bit when you go.
(4)
new p.
I was so happy when Rustico opened a couple blocks from where I live. I feel like there are so few restaurants in Ballston and the ones that are there have gone downhill over the last two years. I also heard really good things about the food. What a let down! It took at least 10 minutes for the waiter to show up and that was to pour water - he didn't ask us if we wanted anything to drink. He just poured and dashed off. Another 10 minutes later and he finally came back to take our orders. I go the Tartare and Ceasar Salad and my friend got the Spinach and Chicken Pizza. The Tartare was good, but it sits on top of these horrble oily potatoes. It was like eating unflavored wax, but the meat was good, but a bit overseasoned. The potatoe chips and the pizza had absolutely no flavor at all. The salad was over-salted and SWIMMING in salad dressing. I was really hoping that Ballston would finally get a good place to eat, but I think I'll stick to restaurants in DC. The city has so much more to choose from and you're likely to find food for a lot less.
(2)
Adam W.
Can't say anything bad about this place. Rustico has very good, high-quality food for reasonable prices, good atmosphere, great service (at least at the bar; I've never sat at the tables), and an outstanding beer selection, which is probably the best in Arlington.
(5)
Carrie L.
Don't come here if you are in a hurry. The waits are crazy (and they don't take reservations)! You can call and put your name on the waiting list but you will still have to wait. We called at 5:45, got there at 7:30 and we were finally seated at 8:15. The mushroom/spinach pizza was absolutely wonderful. The pizzas were large for the price and completely covered with ingredients. I hate when pizza places skimp on the toppings. This place did not. I will definitely return once the "new store" hype ends (or I will come during off-hours).
(4)
Greg P.
Great food - especially the grilled Caesar salads - and a huge selection of beers.
(5)
Chris S.
The beer selection here is top notch - in my opinion, the gold standard against which other beer menus must be judged. The service: excellent, despite the fact that they'd only been open a few days when I came in. The food...is quite good, but not for the price. If it was a bit cheaper, or a bit more amazing, I'd give this place 5 stars, but at this point it just doesn't hold up the beer in my opinion.
(4)
Kira M.
We went here for a girls only birthday lunch. They would not seat us until the entire party arrived - even though the restaurant was empty. We finally got them to seat us while we were still waiting for one more person. The bartender put a Cherry in our Bloody Mary's...unusual, but I will defintiely remember him because of it! The service was very slow, took 45 mintues to an hour to get our entrees, we were all starving by the time our food arrived. I ordered the Brisket Cheesesteak - it was delicious although the hoagie it was served on could have been smaller, there was almost more bread than meat. They also have delicious ranch dressing!
(3)
Greg H.
Great atmosphere, cozy place. First off, as expected, amazing beer menu by Greg. Great looking bar, great appetizers to munch on while at the bar -- and on top of that, the food is great too. My recommendations: The burger or white pizza. Enjoy!
(5)
Lois T.
Amazing food and menu! Creative and delicious. The menu is small but there's more than enough choices to please everyone especially because the pizza is awesome! Bibb salad was out of this world and the carrot humus with lamb ragout is my fave. Tried the mac and cheese appetizer with pretzel and pecan topping .... OMG! Our server (Tommy from New Jersey) was upbeat, knowledgeable and friendly and the whole place has a great trendy and modern vibe. A Ballston Must!!!!
(5)
Kate R.
Rediculous beer lists, good atmosphere, pretty knowledgable bartenders. Food is quite good. The duck pizza alone worth the trip. The mussels "appetizer" is quite good too and could easily serve as dinner for two.
(4)
Gianni P.
Went here last night. Looks nice -- nicer than the Alexandria location. The service was good. The food was good. I had the couscous carbonara which left me impressed. It was Israeli couscous with bits of tasty bacon and ham in a savory creamy sauce with a poached egg. Once you mix the egg with the rest of the couscous, the flavors really comes out! I would definitely order this again. The pappardelle with the bolognese was outstanding. The pizza with the spicy shrimp was good. The arctic char was expensive ($24, I think) and our least favorite of all -- too fishy, too oily, and just not very inspiring. I'm always happy when I go to Rustico and now even more that there's one in Arlington!
(4)
A. S.
Management, please pay attention! I like the decor & ambiance, the beer & wine selections are good, and the menu is appealing, but a recent weekday lunch went so wrong! Appetizer of mussels was very tasty, but very, very salty. Spinach salad was so salty I couldn't eat it. Pizza was very very salty. Now I like salt alot. I cook with alot of salt, and like my food to be heavily seasoned, but after this lunch, I truly felt like I'd been poisoned. Someone in the kitchen clearly did. not. know. what. they. were. doing. I'd like to return, but will wait for a yelp response from management so I know this probem has been addressed.
(2)
Elina Y.
Minus one star for crappy service. It was not packed and blatantly obvious she wasn't enjoying her job. Then don't be in the restaurant industry. The service I received from my last visit was far better than this. What happened? Anyways, we had: Fried deviled eggs. It was a first and definitely not the last. Honestly, anything deep fried CAN'T be NOT delicious. Clam pizza. Now this, I was slightly skeptical about but we ordered it anyways. Surprisingly delicious. But if you're a die hard pizza meat lover, I wouldn't recommend this. It is a very light pizza with a thin crust and sprinkled sparingly with bits of clam. Carrot hummus. Oooooh, now this was a good one. Layered from bottom up, spiced grounded lamb meat, sprinkled with feta cheese and topped with carrot hummus served with warm slices of pita bread. The texture, warmth, flavor, everything was on point. A bottle of Zuccardi Malbec. I'm lucky to have been out with a wine geek. I love trying new red wines!
(3)
Gladys D.
Well, I don't know where to start. I guess, I'll start with the appetizers. After reading Yelp reviews, I ordered risotto tater tots -- this was definitely the worst appetizer in my life. Simply disgusting. I dined with my husband and two other people -- all of them tried it and all had the same reaction as mine. For the main course I ordered gnocchi in blue cheese -- it was alright, although way too salty (and I love salt), and it also had a bit too few actual gnocchi and too much sauce. My husband ordered a burger and he loved it -- it was huge and very juicy. However, that still didn't convince me to add the third star because my food kind of sucked. Big time. Service was alright -- our waitress was a bit inexperienced but tried really hard. She forgot one of the dishes but other than that was very nice and friendly.
(2)
Dan I.
We generally go to Rustico at least once a month. It's always a solid meal and its beer list is consistently amazing. But let me break down some specifics: - Food: 4 stars. I wish the menu had a bit more diversity and that they mixed it up more often, but I tend to be consistently impressed with the food they do serve. The donuts at brunch are delicious. Their brisket hash is great. Their pizzas are solid. Excellent salads. Their dinner entrees are all very good, the many I've had anyway. - Beer: 5 stars. Really, 5 stars isn't enough. This place offers more diversity and quality of any beer list I've found in NoVA. It's constantly changing its list too, which is great. I always do a sampler -- which they let you create unlike some other places in town -- and I always see many new beers I want to try. Last time I went, I had to try 6 and wish I could have tried more. If you love trying new beers, then this place should be on the top of your regular restaurant lists if you live in the area. - Service: 5 stars. Never had a bad experience. Instead, serves are always extra courteous and thorough. - Ambiance: 4 stars: Isn't on the cutting edge of trendy decor, but a lovely space nonetheless. I vacillated between giving Rustico 4 or 5 stars, but I think the beer list has to push it over the edge to 5. I think it has a decent wine list too, but I never get to it, because there are always new beers I want to try.
(5)
Virginia Q.
Excellent selection of beer and wine, very friendly and helpful service and tasty food. All very good. A little loud for my taste but I would go back.
(4)
Susan W.
This restaurant is the worst. It's unfortunate because I live around the corner and it would be a great spot to go. I've been there 3 times over the past year and always have the same experience. Most recently, I show up and the restaurant is at 10% capacity. The hostess slowly walks over to us and tells us there's an open table outside that is actually covered with dirty plates. We decline that delightful setup and sit inside. After 20 minutes and a frigid draft blowing on us a waitress finally comes over. This is very typical for this place. Extremely slow and inattentive service and you don't know why because the place is empty. The food was pretty good but so is the food at McDonald's. Not the place I want to drop $20 on. UPDATE: I went in for happy hour after work and sat near the bar. I had a way better experience with the service and drinks. I would go back again during happy hour. I keep my previous statement tho because for some reason my review was removed from yelp...
(3)
Kelly B.
Great selection of beer, great atmosphere and great food! The risotto tater tots are my favorite! I also really enjoy their truffle french fries! Yum! I definitely recommend this place for happy hour and a bite to eat with friends! The bartenders are all helpful when selecting a beer if you are unsure what to look for as well and on top of the many beers they have on tap, they have hundreds by the bottle!
(5)
LaShanta H.
Perfect. Brunch was amazing! Shrimp & chorizo was phenomenal. Carrot hummus was original and delicious. If course the beer selection was fantastic. Service was great. Prices were reasonable. Portions were large. Go. Now.
(5)
Sabrina M.
Love Rustico! The pizza is fabulous, the beer list is amazing, and the waitstaff is awesome. We usually go around 6 on Friday (for an early dinner/HH) and they seat us right away. Whenever friends ask for recommendations on where to go, Rustico is always at the top of the list!
(5)
Andrew S.
Never had a bad pizza from this place. All pizzas are interesting and have a great taste. I have visited this place a few times and would keep coming back. They have a very good beer and wine selection as well.
(4)
Gabriela Z.
It was a great restaurant !! Our food was great. The menu is short and simple. The atmosphere was great. The pizza was good and the ceasar salad too. I would come here again.
(4)
M R.
Rustico, you really let me down. I was a big fan, you ruined it. Your food, IS TOO SALTY. Stop it with the coarse, liberal salt on EVERYTHING. i.e. your pizza's. your risotto. your chicken. your pasta, need I go on? You poured me a 4 oz glass of wine for $9. That's rude. Your waitress told me "that's how it's supposed to be poured." GET REAL. Those two things are big enough to never go back. I'm telling everyone. I brought both things to your attention and your staff basically, said "too bad." Putting this on facebook.
(1)
John B.
Went for a date on a weeknight and it was packed. Without reservations we were able to get a table without waiting, but the place was really full. Open table claimed there were no seats, but if you head in there may be some. We ordered the pumpkin pizza. It was very good. The waiter warned us that it may be very sweet, but we both found it only mildly sweet. It is a pizza I wouldnt mind eating every once in a while, but not everyday. The beer selection is VERY good, not the best I have seen but way above average. Out waiter was able to help a lot to guide us to the beers we wanted. He even was able to find me a great less sweet stout for my second glass. If I was looking for a gourmet pizza for dinner this is a place I would go for sure. The bar area is really large and seat yourself so grabbing a drink isnt out of the question either. The feel of the restaurant is classy but not overly so that you would feel out of place without being dressed up. I plan on going back.
(4)
Vonetta Y.
I went in last week to get a gift certificate during lunch. I figured that it would be busy, so I'd be quick about asking for it and going. The hostess said that any of the bartenders could help me. I said okay, and went over to the bar ... where I spent at least 10 minutes before anyone acknowledged me at all. And it wasn't like I was just standing there waiting to be seen -- I made plenty of effort to flag someone down. But they all either ignored me or said that someone would be "right with" me. The manager, I assume, finally got to me after another 10 minutes, and though he had a gift card, they'd run out of envelopes for the cards, so I would have had to return for the envelope. Fed up after they'd wasted my time, I decided to go elsewhere. The food is fine, and I'm sure that outside of lunch hours, the service is fine, too, but it was really, really rude to not acknowledge me at all since I did not come to the restaurant to watch Real Housewives of New York (though I would have left a lot earlier had it not been playing above the bar, to be honest).
(2)
Lizz H.
Rustico is a great go to for solid, reasonably priced food in the Arlington area. Their beer list is exceptional, with a pretty decent rotation of beer on tap. I am a big fan of their long list of draft IPAs. The mussels are some of my favorite - rich sauce and a nice helping of chopped bacon really cement the flavor. I just tried the steak tartar sliders last night; fabulous, great balance of peppers, garlic, and spices. We definitely could have made a meal from the appetizers. We had a reservation at 8 and did not sit down until 8:15, while 4 tables that had been waiting were seated before us. This combined with lackluster service = 3 starts instead of 4.
(3)
Ariana F.
The place is nicely decorated, located, with good vibe. The long list of beers (we're talkin' 300+ / 30+ alone on draft) will keep you busy + happy for hours. I went twice, during Dinner and Lunch times. Go for DRAFT: I tried their IPA Bell's Two-Hearted and the LOVE, both were really good. Went for dinner and their burger is a good 9oz size and tasty, as well as their Mushroom Pizza (fav). Skip desert, Nutella Cheesecake tastes like coffee.. sorry but can't trick a true Nutella fan!! I can't wait for the warm weather, when they will open up their floor to ceiling doors and create a perimeter around this place. Most likely will hit up, and spend some warm nights.. ;)
(5)
Amy C.
I work right nearby and have stumbled by a few times now. Worth the trip and a go-to choice for some good food and more beer than the nearby grocers. Tried the weekend brunch, and definitely a fan. Very good Eggs Benedict, not much beats seeing that explosion of yolk from a perfectly poached egg. Top that with a fresh English muffin and suddenly waking up before noon on a weekend is a little more bearable. Lunch, their performance dipped a bit. Had the salmon sandwich box, which is already a hard dish not to dry out. The cut was too thick, and sadly dried out pretty quick, which was made worse by their pairing of bread. The flavors were there, but I'll probably need a jar of sauce and a gallon of water just to get through that sandwich. Definitely salvaged by their Reuben which delicious fries on the side. Meat was juicy and tender and perfectly cooked, with the sandwich pressed just right so the crunch stood up to pastrami and slaw. Their pizzas are always solid, well cooked and well topped: Italian Sausage and Wild Mushroom pies were winners. But in a city full of Neapolitan options, can't quite stand up to the competition. Still, two MUSTS: carrot hummus and truffle fries. Both are amazing, and sometimes worth buying a pizza or an extra beer to justify the trip. The hummus is unbelievably creamy, and the ground lamb adds just the bite needed to make it that savory appetite teaser it's meant to be. The fries, perfectly seasoned with some cheese and truffle oil for that kick of earthiness needed to cut the general heaviness of a fry. And of course, whenever you have a BINDER full of beers, you're a friend of mine :D
(4)
Beth M.
Great restaurant! Happened on this place somewhat randomly while in town for work. Loved the ambiance, the service was really good (our server was super attentive) and the food was perfect. I loved the seasonal options, the beet salad was great and I especially loved that they have gluten-free chickpea crusts. I had a pizza for my meal and it was more than enough for one, plenty for two and it was so delicious. Oh and don't let the intrigue of the deep fried deviled eggs fool you though, my husband ordered them, they were super odd, especially the texture and not really that good (according to hubby). Otherwise everything was delicious!!
(4)
Katharine G.
After last year, I vowed never to go here again. However, my gal pal group luncheon was held here so I was forced to go. My burger was pretty good although it was lukewarm--obviously sitting on the pickup counter too long. The worst part were the fries I asked for. They kindly allowed me to substitute sweet potato fries and they were horrible. Blackened and soggy--how do they get that combination going. Unfortunately I didn't have the presence of mind to take a picture of it to show you, but once again, I'm disgusted with this place.
(3)
Andrew P.
Update, met friend for lunch and the pizza was much better. There are still too many beers but the food was better.
(3)
Lauren K.
I had a great experience seated in the bar hour for a Tuesday evening happy hour. There was a great crowd and the ambiance is pleasing. My top recommendations are the carrot hummus with spiced lamb and the truffle oil fries. Happy hour drink deals are reasonable with a wide beer selection. Service was great. I like places that have a large bar area as well as a dining room so you can decide if you are in a more formal or casual mood.
(4)
Clarence J.
This is a good, high-end, casual beerhall. The beer selection is amazing . . . but you'll pay for it, in general. The tasting sizes are a great deal (and a good size), allowing you to try out any/all of their draft beers, of which they have around 40. Full-size glasses or bottles - allegedly around 400 (I didn't count but the bottle menu is huge) - definitely lean toward the pricy end of things. The selection is very wide, and the menus (separate ones for the drafts and for the bottles) are broken out in a wide variety of ways to describe the numerous offerings. The food is good, although it's more standard, modern yuppie bar food. The atmosphere is fancy-ish casual - including large group / communal tables in the bar area - with "intimate" mixed in. It seems to be a pretty big place with plenty of seating, but I can see how the bar area could be packed on occasion. The staff is friendly, but the service can be very slow (which may have been because of an understaffing issue on the night I went . . . not that we heard anything about such an issue, but I and the people I was with really wanted to give the staff the benefit of the doubt on this score since they were so friendly and apologetic for delays).
(3)
Shachi B.
Rus-ti-co! Rus-ti-co! I would sell my right arm for endless eggplant parm from here - it's SO good. (HA! Joke's on you, I'm a southpaw!) It was crispy with just the right amount of sauce and cheese slathered on top. Plus, it was a generous enough portion for me to take home leftover (eggplant parm sandwich FTW!). The beers were intriguing. Not up to ChurchKey snuff, but still, pretty good. I tried two of the seasonal pours they were offering and while I wouldn't order them again, I'm glad I had the opportunity to try them. I would have liked to see our server offer more pairings rather than random beers, but c'est la vie, right? I woke up the next morning with a workday hangover, which just proves how much fun I had! I will definitely be back! (Hopefully with a) fellow yelpers Sheri and Sarah and b) both arms in tact!)
(4)
Tu-van L.
A more spacious and easier to get location but still the same solid Rusticos we know and love. The place isn't s spunky as the Alexandria location, but it's contemporary elegant with same charm more room for the tables in both the dining room and the bar. Still the same extensive beer menu and solid food, pizzas and everything. Burger was delicious though the fries were on the meh side. The Fig and Proschiutto pizza was absolutely delicious, and made even better with the addition of duck confit. Parking in Ballston can be hit or miss, so we usually park at the mall parking garage.
(5)
Jasen F.
Again I went and again I was disappointed by their lunch performance and food. I got the lunch box and my pulled pork pannini was excellent. My tomato & cucumber salad was ok. But I also received a cup of daily soup and it was SWEET gazpacho! If I had any idea I wouldn't have ordered it but that's the point server of the moment - you might want/need to inform your customers that the daily special, brewed up by your chef, is different than the stock version of the dish. It ruined the whole meal. Sampled a few more co-worker pizzas (naked & sausage) and they were good but the burger was a tasteless mess. Given the time and disappointment with multiple lunch visits, this location has become a happy-hour only spot. Boo.
(2)
Matt O.
This place is just so hit or miss. I live a block away and have been here about 20 times and believe me, I want to love it. But to be honest, I have had 5 star experiences here, yet have also had 1 star experiences. So, I will grade it right in the middle. Of course the beer list is awesome; no one can debate that. If you come in at happy hour and grab a couple of beers at the bar and get an order of the carrot hummus (also consistently amazing), chances are, you are going to have a 5 star experience and leave happy. When you start adding in other variables, you are going to find that they just can't do anything consistently well. I have had both pizzas and burgers under-cooked and over-cooked. I have also had what I thought was one of the best burgers or pizzas of my life. I have had servers disappear for half-an-hour at a time and act like I'm inconveniencing them when I want another drink. Then again, I have had servers who are super friendly and quick. So frustrating. Go and enjoy the beer (and the outdoor patio in the summer). But, beyond that...be prepared for a mixed bag.
(3)
Lori W.
Husband raved about the oxtail/mushroom risotto. So we went Saturday night, almost blue hair special time: 6:45 pm, March 19. Place was packed. Love the crowd. The beer list was crazy. I am in the beer business and it took me 10 minutes to decide which samplers to try. Dang great beer. Killer mussels, huge slab of perfectly toasted thick bread for sopping. I heard about the rockfish but I went for the salmon. My mistake - it was breaded or something - maybe I didn't read the menu too carefully but it was a bit bland. Husband got the same risotto. Chef stopped by, introduced himself, chatted. Very nice man. Service - great. Food portions-healthy! Enough to take home. Congrats to Rustico. Amazing bar - slammed. Decor is beautiful - tasteful and they put some thought into it. Everyone watching basketball, drinking beer. You don't have to drop $18 on a ridiculous martini when you can have stellar brews for so much less - and sample away. Love this place. Had some "dip of the day" - that was only $5 and it tasted great: feta cheese, veggies, who knows what else but we ate it all!
(4)
Bob C.
The food was pretty good (grilled salmon, eggplant Parmesan). The decor is nice and the servers do a good job. What significantly detracts from the experience is the overabundance of tourists, and patrons with obnoxious children. Perhaps we encountered the kids because we ate earlier than we normally do, but they were an annoying distraction.
(3)
Catherine C.
4.5 Really. I LOVE this place. Every time I had family or friends visiting me in Arlington I would take them here. Any one from a college friend to my mother and aunts. I really like the look of the restaurant and I think this would be a great place for a date. Last time I went for dinner I had the crab meat pasta dish and it was great. I also went during happy hour so my friend and I got cheap beers. The beer here is great, so is the dessert. I sadly moved away from Arlington last month but I will definitely be stopping by Rustico on my next visit.
(4)
Kelly S.
If you haven't been here already, you absolutely MUST try it. Walking in, the atmosphere is fantastic. I was having dinner with girlfriends, but it would be a great place for a date, to meet up for happy hour, or even a family dinner. The space is beautifully designed...low lit, but enough that you can read menus and see people. Not loud enough that you have to shout to be heard, but if you're laughing and having a good time there aren't people staring at you like you're disrupting their meal. The service was fantastic. My friends and I hadn't seen each other in awhile and ended up taking up the table for almost 3 hours. Oops, but what are you going to do. Our server was attentive, but realized that we were taking our time enjoying our meal so she didn't pressure us, which was absolutely amazing. The food...oh my goodness. I had a white pizza with spinach and prociutto...it was perfection. Everything about it was perfect. The crust is light, crispy on the outside but soft inside. The proportions of pesto to cheese to crust were perfect. It was everything I dreamed of on this pizza. Their house red was actually really fantastic as well--we got there right before happy hour was ending so a glass of wine was $5, which was awesome. All in all, it was a fantastic experience. It was relaxing, but I didn't feel ignored by the servers. The food and the atmosphere were perfect. Absolutely plan on going back :)
(5)
otto h.
I really like Rustico, but when it comes to vegan fare it's sometimes hard and disappointing. I usually only get the pizzas, but on at least two occasions they come out with grated cheese even though I specify dairy-free when I order. It'd be great if they had other dishes on their menu that are vegan (it's not that hard!!) and I would gladly frequent more often. Tip: get a really nice dark beer and truffle fries (without the parmesan).
(4)
Jill M.
Presumably, you're coming here for the 400+ beers on their menu, which in itself makes this place an awesome addition to Arlington. The servers/bartenders are knowledgeable about the beer and really friendly and helpful. Beyond the beer list, they have a great laid-back yet refined atmosphere, and really good food. The salads and entrees are creative and well-done, but I usually go for pizza, because sometimes nothing goes better with beer than pizza. To accompany their assortment of fancy beers, they offer some fancy pizza toppings (goat cheese, carmelized onions, figs, braised duck, etc.). Even the gluten free crust, which is made with chickpeas, is not bad. It's definitely drier and has a funny texture, and I have had hit or miss experiences with it, but it's a good option if you do have a gluten allergy.
(5)
Frank S.
Rustico has excellent salads; beet salad is the best ever. Pizzas are excellent especially the BBQ pizza. Service was friendly and helpful. Looks like a great place to meet friends after work.
(5)
Ni C.
I went to Rustico for dinner and ordered the short rib. Unfortunately the risotto was crunchy(not al dente in a good way) and the cut of meat was 60% fat. Total bummer! The ambiance is warm and cozy but next time I go I will stick to pizza and beer.
(1)
Mattie C.
The decor and atmosphere of this place strongly reminds me of fireworks in courthouse. That said, we finally tried it last weekend and I think it is even better than fireworks. They have an extensive beer list and have both full bottles as well as sample sizes. Samples cost anywhere from $2-$8 depending on the beer, and I was surprised to find that the samples were a good size. I got a full size beer and a sample of something I wasn't sure about, and then when I was done with those had 3 samples that came out on a cute tray. I love being able to try all the beers, and the samples are just big enough that you actually get to enjoy the taste. We sat in a booth in the bar area, which was a great atmosphere, and our server was very attentive. I had the pizza with duck and pear on it. Very interesting combination and I really enjoyed it. We will definitely be returning here for happy hour to sample more delicious beer! Last favorable comparison to Fireworks - we were there in the evening on a Friday night and the bar area was MUCH less crowded than Fireworks. Fireworks gets ucomfortably jam-packed, but this bar is in a much more open space and handles crowds better. Great place!
(5)
Valentine W.
I LOVE Rustico! Perfect place for dinner and/or Happy Hour - the menu is great - fresh all American choices with seasonal ingredients. Have tried many items and never been disappointed, including several types of pizza and entrees. After a long day, I love treating my self to a nice glass of Pinot Noir, they have a wonderful Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley, which is to die for...I have tried Pinot from all over the world, and my favorite Pinot always comes from the Russian River Valley and Santa Lucia Highlands, so whoever put that on the Rustico wine list knows their wine. To me, this goes perfectly with a tasty hamburger and fries. Yummm! Perhaps they can even put steak and fries on their menu? If you go during Happy Hour, wine is half price and the beer is reduced price as well, so if the wait happens to be long, feel free to go to the bar and have a drink with your friends before dinner. The staff and service is friendly and efficient. The atmosphere is casual but still classy, with a nice crowd. I have traveled all over the US in some of the best foodie places - such as Chicago, NY, New Orleans, and California, and this place reminds me of the casual good food/wine/beer restaurants I love in CA - so go to Rustico if you enjoy having a nice casual but tasty meal with a superior wine and beer list. We all work so hard in DC we deserve to go out and treat ourselves to places like this. :)
(5)
C. W.
I thoroughly enjoyed Rustico, starting with the excellent beer selection, especially draft (I only drink draft beer at restaurants and bars. To me, anything on draft tastes 100 times better than the best thing in a bottle). Happy hour 4-7 every day, as I understand it, so a couple dollars off of drafts, which I like. We decided to follow Sietsema's ravings regarding the carrot hummus with lamb and ordered it as an appetizer. For some reason, the 500 or so times he has mentioned it (when he gets on a kick about something, he really harps on it until people beg him to stop mentioning it every week), he usually puts "hummus" in quotes, or describes it as "their take on hummus" like it's not real hummus. So I was expecting just a bunch of grated carrots or some other modern non-traditional interpretation. No, it was just carrot hummus actually, so I'm not sure what's up with the quotes and other modfiers there, Tom. Anyhow, it was really, really good. And frankly the combination of hummus and meat was 1) amazing and 2) something I'd never had or even thought of before. Usually, when one serves hummus, it's as an appetizer and/or based upon the underlying notion that there are vegetarians present somewhere. So combining it with meat was just like, whoa, why didn't i think of that?! We also had the PEI mussels, which were vast in quantity and excellent in quality. The sweet potato puree and chorizo crumbles at the bottom of the bowl basically constituted their own dish once the mussels were gone. Probably a good pint of solid sweet potato and chorizo. For entrees, steak was the theme. A steak salad and also a hanger steak with swiss chard and mac and cheese. Both were very well executed. The mac and cheese was not the most amazing thing I've ever had, but as I plowed through it I came to realize that anything more potent would have overpowered the actual focus of the plate, that being the steak, so I took it to be a calculate move. The steak salad was excellent as well. For some reason, the part of my brain that corresponds to nitpickiness was firing in overdrive during my visit to Rustico that night. So, a couple things: 1) Happy hour runs every day of the week; know this as your server probably will not volunteer the information on his or her own accord. 2) For some reason, large parties with screaming babies love this place. Maybe Rustico has been placing ads in the recent editions of "Northern Virginia Screaming Baby Weekly" magazine? 3) This is by far the darkest restaurant that I have ever eaten in over the course of my life to date. That includes all kinds of places in college where unspeakable things would happen in the dark corners. We were there on a 5:30 reservation and people in the party next to us were using their cell phones to illuminate their menus. No joke. 4) If you are going to predicate your restaurant's existence upon the number and quality of types of beer that you sell, then provide more than one beer menu to the table, please. One beer menu + dozens of varieties of beer + multiple people at table + server coming back in 30 seconds to take your drink order = fail. All in all, a good time, especially given the location in Ballston. It's not the end all in absolute terms, but compared to the other offerings very near by for good modern American food, it stands out.
(4)
Loren B.
Ambiance and Food is the top of the line here. Why even go to D.C. when you have in this Ballston? Date night out and this is the place to go. They have an indoor fireplace to give it the whole "rustico" vibe. They are known for their higher end flatbread pizzas. I had a glass of wine and the clams and it was delicious. Highly recommend it.
(4)
Ariel G.
The food was just okay, and somewhat over-priced for what you get. Sad that they think Tabasco sauce and sriracha are proper hot sauces for a restaurant in this price range. These sauces should be reserved for meals costing under $10.
(3)
Takemyadvice M.
I come here at least once a week and consistently have amazing food and great service. The hummus is creative and amazing! Their gluten free pizzas are phenomenal. The decor is a cool mix of industrial mediums! Can be a little loud, but sitting outside can isolate you from the noise
(5)
Hillary D.
I have eaten several lunches at Rustico. I get the 'lunch box' which includes soup, salad, and a sandwich (hot or cold). The lunch boxes have good portion sizes and I always leave satiated. I recently had the Tomato and Kale soup - very nice! Service was good. I was surprised that when 3 out of 5 of our group showed up at 1:15 for lunch, we were told that they would not seat incomplete parties - though clearly the lunch crowd had left and there were empty tables all around us.
For the newness of the location, so far so good. First off, the ambience is really nice inside, with hung incandescent lighting in the dining area, and a different pub/bar feel in the bar area keeping them separate. Service was really nice, with lots of managers roaming the floors (I think because it was still a new place) - in fact, one manager walked by asking if we liked our food and poured me a free glass of beer because it "paired" with our pizzas. Pretty good service attention...for now. We got three pizzas: the mozzarella and basil, the mushroom, and the italian style (ham, salami, etc). The mozzarella & basil was delicious, almost as good IMHO as Pupetella, very fresh and delicious, without wilting the basil. The mushroom was my favorite, CHOCK full of mushrooms, cheese, and flavor, just delicious. The Italian style was a little off for me, the meats were delicious and smokey, but for me, the two cheeses added up into a little TOO cheesy for me, almost as if they had melted cheddar on a pizza (and we all know cheddar does not belong). The crusts were all perfect. The italian "grilled" had grilled flatbread on both sides, so it was a lot more crispy. Everything else had good chewiness, crisp bite...but I found the ends of the crust a bit too bready for me. I'd vote for them to transition into flatbreads if possible. Overall though, service is great, the beer selection (30+ beers, plus $2-$4 samplers) is top-notch (I had a creme brulee beer), and the pizzas are well made and well priced ($14 or so).
(4)
Scott S.
Pretty good place, great service, and a nice atmosphere. The mussels (appetizer) are ok - they were freaking huge though, seriously gigantic. ha. We got two pizzas: duck & poached pear (freaking awesome) and the mushroom one (also good, real earthy). Beer list is enormous, and you can't go wrong with any Belgium choices.
(4)
Bethany T.
We sat outside for brunch on a Saturday afternoon and had a great time. The service was wonderful and the food was great. The beer list was extensive and great for beer lovers like my fiance and I... although it does make the bill a little more pricey than usual. Each of their draft beers are available in taster sizes so you can create your own sampler which we loved. We also highly recommend the cheesesteak and the donuts are fantastic!!!!
(5)
BJ L.
I have been here a few times and really like it. I have never had the food. Maybe one day I shall remedy that. Rustico gets 4 stars simply based on the fact that they always seem to have beer on tap that I have never had. I feel like this isn't an easy thing to do, yet they never disappoint. Also, this place is just super cool.
(4)
Jess M.
Friends and I went here for dinner last night. This place gets crowded easily, so get there early or prepare yourself for a bit of a wait. That being said, service is a bit slow until you ask for your check, which will brought to you immediately...The food is ok. We got the beet salad, which is tasty. The grilled caesar was served cold, which is not what we were expecting. You cannot taste the chargrill flavor as much, and the lettuce is just wilted and limp. I will opt for the non-grilled version in the future. We ordered the spicy chicken pizza and the mushroom pizza. Both were good, but there's nothing exceptional about them.
(3)
Pete D.
I wanted to add an extra star to this place, but can't and I'll explain. I was looking for a lunch spot and wanted something different. I recall that this is a second location for Rustico, as their first one is in Alexandria. Another location? in the heart of Ballston, with competitive neighboring restaurants, a must try. So I walk in just after they open the doors for lunch and it looks like the hostess is still digging around her stand and getting menus out, okay not a big deal. I walk in and I'm greeted with a blank stare. After a few seconds of cricket noises, I initiate asked her, are you open yet? She asks me what time it is. OK, great I'm thinking. I decide to sit at the bar to enjoy my lunch and not make anything out of that. The bartender greets me and hands me a menu. I was thinking, sandwich or pizza? I asked the bartender if he recommends the Grilled pizza and he was honest with me. He said it's baked and then grilled, but he noticed when he ate it, it was a bit dry. He actually said to get it not grilled, so I took his recommendation. After about 10 minutes, my pie was thrown onto the bar and the inconsiderate food runner was about to leave. But wait, I caught him and said thank you, then something was muttered and he walked away. Amazing ... The pizza was delicious I must say. The menu didn't state this but it has fresh slices of garlic on top, which made it even better. All the Italian meats were great on this pie, from the little bit of sauce to the very creamy cheese. I was thinking it may turn out salty because of all the meat, but let's say it wasn't oversalted. The crust is a nice thin, neapolitan style one, has a nice chew to it and baked just right. I definitely recommend this pizza, but again, I had it un-grilled, which negates the name of the pie. Overall, the food here a solid 4-star, well just from the pizza I ate. It can easily compete with 2 Amy's and Mia's and I recommend this place for this style pie. The bartender recommended coming back for dinner one day as the chef puts together some phenomenal entrees too. This place isn't your cheapest lunch spot, nor are dinner prices easy going, but I think it's worth a try. A dirty 1-star for the food runner and hostess, but props to the bartenders and other servers, as they greeted me upon walking out.
(3)
Heath S.
Good meal, but the waiter was lacking. I had the beet gazpacho which was awesome. So much so that I ate the whole cup without taking a breath or offering my wife even a taste. We wanted to have the deviled eggs, but that's a dinner-only dish, so we will have to go back.
(3)
Henry M.
A friend and I went for an early dinner. Great to know that happy hour prices are available in the dining room. It's great with their amazing beer selection. To start, we got the carrot hummus with lamb, deep fried deviled eggs, and risotto tater tots. The hummus is a must have. The lamb hummus reminds me of great chili. The deviled eggs are good but predictable. We just wished they had a gooy or cheesy middle. We finished with a couple pies... mushroom and catalonian. The mushroom sauce is like a cream of mushroom soup which was so so good. C Pizza has a smokey roma and tasty. Very good place and dining environment.
(4)
ERICA G.
Beer and more beer and even more beer! They have crazy amounts of beer to select from!! This is really the only reason I give 2 stars...and they have an 18% IPA, which they point out just to make sure you know what you're getting into. Whenever I'm on vacation I love to check out the locals bar scene for their beer selections. This is definitely the place to visit if you're interested in trying different beers. My friends and I sampled 3 different beers each and of course each others, so we left happy... I can't comment on the food much, since we were really only there to start the night off. We did order the Carrot Hummus, which was good, no complaints... However...drum roll please! I can see how a lot of people will stop in due to the location (this seems like a great after work happy hour spot) and the large beer menu is enticing. With that said, the hostess and wait staff need a better attitude! Our waiter was courteous when we flagged him down, he checked on our table once, but nothing friendly about him. I informed him that we had a tab open at the bar, we moved from the bar to one of the tables in the bar area, and he stated that we needed to close out separately and open a new tab with him...really? We also had to flag him down to process our payment after 10 minutes of waiting... Overall, decent beer selection...If I ever decided to return, it would be for the beer selection and I will remind myself to stay at the bar, service is somewhat better at the bar...
(2)
John D.
Loud! That's the first thing to mention about this place. It's filled with obnoxious Ballston types, but there's little way to get around that. It's very difficult to have a conversation here, as others have noted. The food was great, we had the fig prosciutto pizza and swordfish club. The swordfish wasn't fresh, but we can't really get great seafood in this area. It was on par with seafood in this area, though. The chips that came with the club were very salty, so much so that I had to scrape off the excess. Their beer selection is fantastic, although after we ordered and waited for our beers, we were told that both of the beers that we ordered from the draft list were kicked. The waiter brought back tasters of two other beers. One of them was a good match (chocolate stout), the other wasn't what very good (a trippel). She ordered a 5% belgian witbier, so I'm not sure why they brought out a 9% trippel as an alternative. After the meal I ordered a dunkelweizen, and much to my dismay this came with a pilsner glass.
(3)
Sarah A.
Went on a Saturday night and it was insanely crowded. The bar was packed and continued to get more packed as the night went on. We snagged a table in the bar area though and all was good. Otherwise the wait was an hour and a half at 7pm. They have a huge selection of beers and I had a cider which was quite nice. The salad was amazing and the service was great. I want to try the pizza next time though because that looked tasty too! I had a really nice time with a couple of friends. It's a nice more upscale place from some of the other bars in the area like Front Page. The prices are pretty comparable to anywhere else. Overall I thought it was great and a good addition to the neighborhood.
(4)
Carla D.
Carrot hummus. Stop reading this review and go eat this. Wow was this good. The lamb is so flavorful, and the feta worked so nicely. Loved it. Steak Tartare Slider: The onions were a bit abrasive but it was ok overall. Crispy Stuffed Dates Chorizo, almonds, honey: these are thoroughly enjoyable- I loved the chorizo. Cider Braised Pork Shank: I was so disappointed with this entree. The pork was very dry and the mustard glaze clashed with the apple flavor. I enjoyed the gratin though. Sea Scallops: Scallops were cooked nicely and the hazelnut flavor was surprisingly nice, but the gnocchi sat like a brick afterwards. I am just too much of a pizza snob. If it's not from NY I won't like it. My buddies ordered it as an appetizer and liked it so much they ordered it for an entree- so they liked it a lot. I took a small bite and the cheese was nice but the crust was a bit too charred for my tastes. The hostess was such a b word to us. She is why there are 2 stars not 3 on this review. She was rude and completely unaccommodating. I understand not seating us until the whole party arrives, but 8/10 people were there. Really? Just seat us at the big table- we're obviously here to stay. I understand the policy but be nice about it. She was so awful that I doubt I would be back to dine in... (I will get the carrot hummus to go though).
(2)
Megan B.
Great pizza. I mean really great. The margarita is great, but the grilled is even better. Great wines by the glass. One complaint, very noisy. Go there for the pizza, not the conversation.
(5)
Joe S.
I haven't eaten here but I have had many-a-pint. What makes Rustico different is that they are always rotating and they always have something interesting. I am on the constant quest for a beer i have never had. Rustico usually helps me put a notch or two on the board.
(4)
J B.
As anyone who follows me might expect, this review pertains solely to beer. So come off it if you're hungry and go liquid for lunch! Rustico's beer selection is procured by the mastermind behind ChurchKey, Mr. Greg Engert. As much as you may question his Dutch boy haircut, you may not question his taste and knowledge of beer. The menu here is different with each visit. Daily draft updates are complemented by weekly bottle refreshers. There are lots and LOTS of beers to try here. Even an expert will likely find a few brews that are new to choose. I find the entire selection to be overpriced. This became painfully evident when I spotted a $50ish bottle of one of The Bruery's rarities, Marron Acidifie. Being the cheap ass that I am, I asked for a price reduction to ensure sale. That's when I found the holy grail. Server - "We can't lower the price in store, but we do offer a 40% discount on all bottles ordered to-go." Me - "That sh*t cray." I was now sitting in the premier bottle shop in Arlington and likely in DC (unless ChurchKey has the same policy). Cantillon, The Bruery, Founders, plus moi all were ready to fly home to Dallas in my suitcase. While the prices were still marked up above what I would hope to pay, the "don't buy that cause it's a few bucks too expensive" filter in my brain shorted out like R2-D2 when he plugged into the wrong hole (INSERT pun here). Happy happy joy joy! I hear the food is good and the location is great (walkable to Ballston Metro Station). Plus, the service turns very friendly when you start talking good brew, so keep that in mind if your wait(e)r(ess) is uninspiring. Cheeaaahhhz!
(5)
Ann B.
I'm a fan of Rustico with a few caveats. First lets start with the pluses. It's a great, semi low-key place to meet up with friends for a drink. We never seem to have a hard time getting a seat in the bar area, but we do always go after 9 p.m. The long booths in the bar are comfy and the beer selection is, as previously stated by other reviewers, stellar. On more than one occasion I ordered a beer and the keg was on its last leg, so they gave me a free 1/2 or 3/4 filled glass. Thanks again for that surprise treat! As for the food, I've eaten there now probably 4-5 times. I've had one amazing meal and the rest were OK. Last February they had a winter squash salad on the menu that was fantastic. I wanted to lick my plate. I tried a similar summer squash salad which left me a little hungry. The mac and cheese with the pretzel topping was pretty decent. I've tried the spinach pizza, which was a bit too salty for my liking. The salmon sandwich was different with the coleslaw on the bun, but I wish it wasn't breaded. We'll definitely be back. I want to try the deviled eggs!
(4)
Diana S.
massive beer list, fantastic food, and great environment, but mediocre service. pork belly sandwich is great, as are the pizzas (the duck confit is superb).
(4)
Rita S.
I would like to try it again to make sure I just didn't try Rustico on a bad day... but I don't think I will go back. + ambiance is great, very nice inside, but a little hard to hear yourself... interesting menu with neat dishes in addition to pizzas. - pizza nothing special or exciting. service was nothing special. Waiter was very unattentive and absent. We asked for a to go container and he put only the pizza in there and not the appetizer... since I guess there wasn't much left, but when you pay for an overpriced appetizer, you can take it home :) No reason to go back here...
(3)
Joey P.
I am a little ashamed to admit that I've only ever been here for the beer list. I've never eaten at Rustico. It seems like a big happy hour spot (I think they have some decent specials) so it gets busy around that time. The wait for a seat sometimes runs into the "C'mon already" territory, but for me the draft list is worth it. The beer menu is separated into larger categories (malt, hop, roast, fruit & spice) and then into sub-categories (subtle hopiness, soft & silky, fruit & toffee, etc.) that help the newbie and experienced beer drinker alike find their preferred drink. This is a refreshing change from just listing the common style like amber ale or IPA because these terms can be confusing and don't present much information if you're not already familiar with them. There are usually between 20 and 30 tap lines at any given time which are updated frequently. The list of bottles is much larger and comes in a 3-ring binder. Rustico is owned by the same party that owns ChurchKey in Logan Circle, so if you've been there, the draft and bottle lists will seem familiar. The prices seem medium to high, especially on the bottles. As much as I love beer, I'm usually not looking to pay $25+ for a 22 oz. bottle of beer. The draft prices are more reasonable. There is a parking garage not far away ($1) and there's some street parking so it's not an issue. Some day I'll have to come back and eat to give a more full review.
(4)
Julie T.
Good service, but EH on the food. I read the yelp reviews and was excited to try this place. Someone mentioned how great the scallops and gnocchi were so I decided to try it since I'm a huge fan of scallops. The dish was totally disappointing. The scallops had a bad aftertaste, it seemed a bit overcooked. The gnocchi were also on the chewy side. I'm not sure if it was an off day or not, but definitely did not live up to expectations. My hubs also got a braised meat dish, which he wasn't too fond of either. I tried a friend's slice of pizza, which was decent, so if you come here, I would recommend trying the pizza and not much else. The upside is, our waitress was very nice and attentive.
(2)
Mikey W.
I've been to Rustico 3 times in the last year and have really enjoyed it. I love that everything is in the teens to low 20's, but the food is unique and satisfies my foodie-ness. For apps: I've tried the deviled eggs, tartare sliders, tater tots and farfalle chips. The tater tots are the only thing i wouldn't re-order. They tasted fine, but weren't distinct. For entrees - I've had the scallop, salmon burger and a pasta of the day(bleu cheese/duck gnocchi i think?) The scallops were good, but on the small side. The salmon burger was also good, but could've used a little more sauce to help offset the fried coating. The gnocchi itself were good, but the dish was overall too salty. Other party members have ordered the pork chop and chicken breast, and they're large portions(although i noticed the chicken entree has been reduced from half chicken to a breast). I've also had various pizzas too, including the duck one which is no longer on the menu. they're great as appetizers, but i wouldn't order one as a main. For dessert I've only tasted the caramel apple sundae which was good size, definitely share-able. For the price point, location and quality of food, this will definitely be on my default lists of recommendations!
(4)
Sara L.
Don't get me wrong- I like rustico. It's right next to my apartment, the service is great and the lamb carrot hummus is to dieeeee for. That's about where the awesomeness ends. The menu is very small and I feel like a lot of their food is overpriced. I think they're trying to belong to the upscale yuppie niche in Arlington but the food just isn't THAT good. Pizzas are their specialty and I've tried a few. None of them were great- just ok. I must say that of you're gluten free and craving pizza they have a great chickpea crust or something. Anyway- definitely worth a visit but not fantastic.
(3)
Jennie L.
Had brunch here on Saturday afternoon. Carrot hummus: AMAZING. MUST GET. Frittata of the day: standard egg, bacon, spinach with tomato sauce. nothing special I ordered the smoked salmon tart, which they were out of =( So I had the crispy salmon sandwich instead. Bad move. The crispy salmon is basically a filet-o-fish type of breaded salmon filet, not the pan-seared salmon I had envisioned. Crappy service from the blonde waitress. Nice outdoor seating.
(3)
Jennifer H.
We were in Arlington for the weekend to visit friends and this place looked good, so the six of us got there right before 7 on a Saturday night. We hadn't made reservations so the wait was 45 minutes, but we were told we could sit in the bar--which we did. Unfortuately, the service was S-L-O-W. It took a good 15 minutes to even get menus (and that was after we asked twice), though we did manage to get drink orders in before then (but the six drinks came out in three separate trips). I think it took a good half hour to get all our food--except one missing pizza which the waiter "went to check on it" then came back and said "they're putting it in right now" and then took off without even apologizing. Ooookay. (He did apologize when he delivered it and said it was on the house. At least that part was good.) We all pretty much enjoyed our food, though I wasn't terribly impressed with the parm fries (I loooove fries and these didn't do much for me) and the beet salad wasn't so much a beet salad as a salad with oranges and a smattering of beets (though the dressing was delish). I did thoroughly enjoy the risotto tater tots with pesto aioli--I could have eaten four times the order. Overall it was a good meal, but slow. We weren't sure if sitting in the bar was part of the problem or not. We were catching up with friends so it wasn't a HUGE deal, but it is something to note. If I lived nearby I'd stop by again to try some of the dishes that sounded good, but I'd try to go when they were not busy.
(3)
Tony J.
I have been here more than 15 times for some good casual dinning and a great selection of draft craft beers. I will return. I especially love their french fries. My party of 6 were seated immediately as usual at 7pm on a recent Saturday. Table service was good as usual. Two of us ordered the "OSSO BUCO RISOTTO". I love Osso Bucco and Risotto so to receive both on the same dish was spectacular. But, the Osso Bucco was not the full usual shank of meat on the bone. In fact we were not sure if the meat was either veal or lamb? The meal was good and tasty, but, I recommend some clarity on the menu regarding the type of Osso Buco meat and more detail regarding how the Osso Buco is served.
(3)
Dylan S.
great food, strange service. enjoyed the decor and the great food. had the carrot humus and a cuban sandwich. waiter was a bit wierd. took my drink order and started to walk away without taking my friends order. had to say, "hey, one more." then when he brought the bill, I gave him my card and he returned the bill to my friend. just a bit off. great food though. I'd go back, but I'd sit at a different table.
(3)
Ryan B.
Here for business, looking for a place to socialize over dinner, preferably someplace with good food that isn't excessively expensive, a choice of drinks, and not so loud we can't chat. I got the hamburger, which was a thick handshaped patty, and perfectly medium rare, juicy but not messy. The fries were fine, but not amazing. The only dessert they have is ricotta-filled beignets served with chocolate sauce, but it's a very nice dessert indeed. A key benefit is the bewilderingly long list of beers, and they'll do custom flights. I had a delicious hard cider and they had several cider varieties. Excellent service, not slow at all, lots of seating, pretty busy, and not too loud. I'm considering coming back tomorrow.
(4)
Beryl N.
A couple of months ago, I went to Rustico with a party of 6 for brunch. Major disappointment. Like Yelp's 2 star rating suggest, "Meh. I've experienced better." Service was ok but the food was either average or way too salty or sweet. We shared the Mama Mannino's Donuts for starters. It's just fried dough with lots of powder sugar on top. One of the girls had the Baguette French Toast. It was completely drenched in maple syrup and powder sugar. It was too sweet for her to eat even half of her plate. We also ordered two different pizzas and both were super salty. I like the fact it was thin crust but it was dry (not enough tomato sauce?). The only dish that was good was their brunch burger. If you want to try this place, I would suggest going for lunch or dinner. There are plenty of other restaurants that serves better brunch selections.
(2)
Elizabeth C.
Fun, friendly bartenders, good pizza, good beer.
(4)
Steve J.
This is one of my go to spots in Arlington. The pizza is good, they have a great draft beer selection, the service is above average, and their menu changes often. My favorite here is the mushroom pizza.
(4)
Emily H.
Delicious food in a bright, clean atmosphere. The food is better than the description on the menu makes it seem. We had the risotto tater tots and carrot hummus to start. The carrot hummus is PHENOMENAL and should be called braised spicy lamb with carrot hummus because the lamb is really the star. Also had the duck confit pizza and salt roasted beet salad with flank steak added. The salad was outstanding; I'm a home chef and lover of beets, and mine have never come close to this. Beer menu is great, staff is moderately knowledgeable about it, but get tasting sizes and try out a few.
(4)
Anne S.
Went there to get celebratory dinner and drinks at 7:30pm on a weeknight (Thursday). (-)We had an approximately 30 minute wait! (+)We got beer at the bar where there was a lovely list of beers (good description for a newbie). My friend and I personally enjoyed the Starr Hill's: The LOVE, Gernan Hefeweizen. I was told to try Hefeweizen, thinking it was the name of the beer, but apparently it's a TYPE of beer. Anyways, it was really good. I had 2. (++)We got seated and the SERVICE WAS GREAT! We started w/ the hummus appetizer. Very tasty! Fresh hot pita breads too. Everybody got pizza, so...we also got pizza since that's what they're known for. A-MAZING! (++)Grilled Pizza is the way to go! Two people with big appetites and we had one slice left (granted we did have drinks and appetizers)... (-)What's lacking one star was the wait (at 7:30pm?) and the portion. The pizza could have been bigger and would've been perfect for two people if we hadn't already drank and ate an appetizer. ***The tater tots and fries looked reallly goood (but I gave up french fries and their cousins---waffle fries, tater tots, curly fries, etc. for lent. Next time!)
(4)
Elaine S.
Love this place! Great food and an awesome beer selection! The staff is also incredibly nice!
(5)
Danielle B.
The beer selection is great! The food is good. The service is really hit or miss. Tonight I ordered a pizza with peppers and olives, but it came out plain. Unfortunately, our server wasn't back for about 25 minutes: I had eaten 3 slices, and my husband had finished his entire entree before we saw him again. (He did take my pizza off our bill.) I have been here a few times and had a couple good experiences and some really subpar service.
(2)
Maggie H.
Rustico = unparalleled beer selection + surprisingly outstanding food + comfortable setting. Some people say Rustico is known for "beer and pizza," but don't fall for it. The pizza is pretty forgettable. Instead, go for their often-evolving selections of appetizers, salads, and entrees, which never ever disappoint. Sit at the bar for happy hour ($2 off all drafts, which is a great deal and they have over 4 dozen beers on draft) or grab a table for dinner. FOOD: -Carrot Hummus: BEST APPETIZER I'VE EVER HAD. Tangy hummus comes topped with lamb ragu and crumbled feta. I order it about 9 out of 10 times I'm at Rustico. -Mussels with Bacon & Blue Cheese: Enormous portion that comes with bread to sop up the glorious broth once you're done inhaling the mussels. -Gnocchi that they recently added with squash and brussel sprouts is untouchable--another entree we inhaled. -Chicken entree: I've had a couple iterations of their roast chicken entree, but every version is perfection. Most recently, they cook it to perfection and plate it atop a bed of risotto with shredded dark meat, sliced garlic, and sauteed greens. Unbelievable. I want to go back tonight just for that. BEER: The bartenders and servers are so knowledgeable about the beer, making it a delight to explore new drafts and chat with the staff. They offer tastings and beer flights (three or four tastings) and the menu is always changing. If you're nice, they'll even offer you just a splash of a draft beer if you aren't sure. They always have Gouden Carolus Tripel on draft, which will always keep me coming back! BOTTOM LINE: Rustico is the perfect place for a laid back, delicious, ever-evolving meal. Be it a date night, birthday dinner with friends, happy hour, Rustico is always a dependable go to!
(5)
Sarah K.
Went here to celebrate a 30th birthday. Great beer selection, and the food was OK. Our server was great, but the hostess' behavior was deplorable. I didn't get her name, but I wish I had so I could let management know about it. The hostess was uninviting, and when I let her know that our party size went down from 10 to 7, she rolled her eyes at me! I hope she never becomes a server here...incredibly unfriendly even when she finally seated our party. I will not be coming back to this location for that very reason. I was embarrassed for her behavior! The beer and food were decent, but the hostess' manner takes Rustico Ballston down to two stars.
(2)
Baris S.
The beer selection and bar atmosphere is great however they really need to improve and expand their good menu. Their pizza is mediocre and there really isn't much else on the menu. I'd only come for the excellent happy hour.
(3)
lance a.
This pizza taste like cardboard. Their service is horrible. Manager made me pay for my girlfriends birthday cake after they served it to us without letting us know it was going to be a charge.
(1)
Nadia S.
Ok, I'm not a beer drinker. So I'm sure someone else would rate this place higher for their beer selection alone (including the bf). And I hear the pizza is good but we skipped that deciding to spend a little more and order real entrees. It also has a kind of fancified Olive Garden feel, meaning it feels like a gussied up chain restaurant. It's probably a better bar spot than dining experience. In fact their drinks happy hour until 7 is a great deal. For those reasons I'm giving 3 stars rather than the 2 i'm inclined to give. The waiter, though nice, totally did the up sell thing when asked for his recommendations. According to him the Seared Day Boat Scallops and the pork shank were the way to go. The scallops sucked. A little overcooked, a little grainy, and a lot more fishy tasting than scallops need to be. We skipped the shank and went with the Dolce Gorgonzola Pillows with duck ragout. In fairness it was pretty tasty though the pillows were tiny and few and far between (even with ravioli you normally get five or six big ravioli's these were about 4 or 5 tiny pillows). We'd started with some of the meatball "snacks" at $2 a meatball. They were tasty too but quite small as well. I'd go back to sit at the bar and try the pizza. But I wouldn't waste my money on their mains again.
(3)
Isabel B.
Ok, so I know that my review of Rustico Alexandria was less than kind but I gotta admit, my experience at the Ballston location has made me want to go back to Alexandria just to make sure my first time wasn't a fluke. I came here on a Saturday night with a group of six friends. We ordered two bottles of wine and a few appetizers to start out the meal. I decided to share the Carrot Hummus ($13) with my side of the table which our waitress kindly offered to bring with the lamb on the side. The other side of the table ordered a serving of the Truffle Parmesan Fries ($8), and the friend that sat next to me got the Watermelon and Pancetta Salad ($6). When the salad arrived, it looked so good that I couldn't help but trying some, and man, was it amazing! The big cubes of watermelon were so refreshing and perfectly paired with the honey balsamic dressing and sprinkled with parmesan and fennel. I could easily get the bigger $10 plate and make it my entire meal. But our carrot hummus was also excellent so we didn't regret our choice of appetizer. As far as pizza, we were told that we could get a half and half. Even so, the friends that sat around me were kind enough to order vegetarian pies. I was dead set on getting the Fried Green Tomato pie ($15) because I've only had fried green tomatoes once, in South Carolina, and also because I'm a sucker for weird and creative food. The other veggie pie we got was the Roasted Mushroom with Goat Cheese ($14) which I skipped because I cannot stand goat cheese, and the Fresh Mozzarella and Basil ($13). I couldn't get enough of the Green Tomato pizza! I loved the tart little green tomato bites and the way their taste was perfectly balanced by the creamy ricotta cheese. I also loved the Basil pie, as it came with big basil leafs and a good amount of delicious mozzarella. The crispy perfect crust was the final touch to a perfect pizza. What a great evening. Finding pizza this good can lead to a costly and dangerous habit... I"ll try, against my will, to limit my visits to Rustico. At least until I get to give the Alexandria location it's due do-over.
(4)
Laura G.
Delish Food+Awesome Beer = WIN PROS -- I'm so happy to live right next door to this place! The beer selection is great -- 40+ on draft and an impressive 440+ by the bottle. Yes, they are pricey, but just stick to the 10% ABV Belgians and you will get your money's worth. I've tried several pizzas (regular and gluten free crust!) and have yet to be disappointed. They recently modified their menu for the summer months, and I've tried a few salads, as well as their bacon and blue cheese mussels (AMAZING!). CONS -- The host staff is always pleasant, but the wait staff constantly disappoints. They are either inattentive, a bit rude, or just downright awkward. The place is a bit overpriced, so if you don't want to spend much, I recommend sticking to a good starter and salads, or a pizza. The place is packed during happy hour and it's not uncommon to have to wait an hour for a two-top on a Tuesday night; however, the bar area is open seating, so you can fight for a table as soon as one comes available. All in all, I'm a fan and will be a faithful regular.
(4)
Taylor K.
Rustico has a fantastic brunch and beer list. The tater tots appetizer is the best!
(4)
Mike S.
I love this place. Great beer selection; solid appetizers; and some slammin pizza. I've never been disappointed when I eat here. The biggest surprise was how good the fig & prosciutto pizza was - wow.
(4)
Ra C.
Walking in for dinner on a weeknight, the place was packed with happy hour revelers. It didn't take us long to get a table though and from looking around me, it seemed like everyone was ordering pizza. So then and there, I knew I had my sights on trying out one of their pizza pies. I wanted to start off with a tempting appetizer, the menu looked pretty good. So we got the risotto tater tots and the deep fried deviled eggs. The risotto tots weren't new to me, I've had a similar variation before, and these were definitely as creamy and delicious. The deep fried deviled eggs peaked my interest, because it combined two of my favorite items, deviled eggs and deep frying! For those who may be watching your caloric intake, you can order as few or as many deviled eggs as you'd like, since they are only $2 a piece! Taking my first bite, I liked the golden fried coating, but the egg white part was a little rubbery for me. I guess it's similar to overcooking an egg, since it was once boiled and then fried. The remoulade it was served with was very tasty. Overall, my two bites weren't extremely satisfying, but it satiated by appetite for the time being until my pizza arrived. For my main entree, I opted to get the Italian sausage pizza with roasted red peppers and mozzarella. It was a big enough pizza pie for two, and I loved the thin, but not too thin, crispy crust. One thing to point out about pizza is that the sausages were not big round pieces; instead, it was crumbled up pieces of sausage. I thought it worked well, that way each mouthful had bits of the salty sausage. The crust was thin, but crispy and slightly doughy at the same time. It was a pretty good blend. I was more than happy with my dinner choice. I think the pizza here was a winner. And I can only imagine how delicious it would taste with Rustico's variety of beer!
(4)
Elaine N.
Restaurant is cool. Modern and spacious. We opted to sit outside, very nice next to water fountain spurt display. It felt court side and we enjoyed it, weather was beautiful. Risotto bites are eh, the meatball appetizer was good, the pizza was good but on the salty side I think it was the spinach. I asked for extra sauce on the pizza and when it arrived, I felt it needed more sauce, so I asked for some more sauce and we continued eating while we waited for the sauce to arrive. Well, it was finally dropped on our table when one slice of pizza was left. Oh well, we thought. But when we got our check, I saw she charged s $2 for the side of sauce! Wow really! We were already charged $6 for the add-on spinach & prosciutto. So our $14.00 pizza became a $22 pizza. That's ridiculous. The pizza was good but not outstanding for that price, Not sure if we'll be back. : (
(2)
Morgan V.
Delicious pizza with a great selection of beer and wine. Be sure to save room for dessert! The only issue is that parking can be tough to find. I'd suggest parking in the Ballston Mall garage. Also, make a reservation. It gets packed on Friday and Satuday nights.
(5)
Mike P.
In a nutshell: Beer - 4.5 stars Food - 2.5 stars Service - 4 stars P/C (bang for the buck factor) - 3.5 stars My beer aficionado friends and I tarried down here on a busy busy Friday night. We kicked back in the bar with a belgain brew on tap while we waited our table - took 30 minutes but didn't seem long. Then the maitre d' came and got us to take us to the table. The rest is history: So my experience in quick bullet points - Highlights: 1. The beer menu - freaking awesome. I really appreciate and respect how the restaurant tried to break the beers down by how it smells, how the mouthfeel is and how heavy is - this really is a big help for novice beer drinkers that want to venture beyond bud lights and sam adams... The menu itself is expansive - old world, new world, gluten-free, lambic beer, you name it, they likely have it. 2. The food menu was also looked very good - a nice array of apps, salads, pizzas and entrees - I loved the fact that the menu wasn't too crazily long. 3. The service was impeccable - our server really worked his butt off. there were a LOT of people but he really managed to come by every few minutes to check on us and get us what we needed - a bang-up job. Not-So Higlights: 1. The food - the pizzas we ordered - the toppings were scarce and the pizza was dry. the dough was too tough. 2. The salad - the spinach salad didn't look very appetizing at all - not very coordinated and...what's up with big pieces of ham??? 3. The dishes and the beers could have been more moderately priced. Comparatively speaking, one could argue that this place is slightly overpriced all over the board - beers and food alike. All in all - this is a decent place. If you want to get good beer and okay food - this is the way to go.
(3)
Cynthia G.
I've been in Arlington on business twice in the last month and both times I've eaten here. The first time they were out of the ice cream I ordered so they provided me with a giant bowl containing a sample of every kind of ice cream they had that night. That was AFTER a delicious dinner that consisted of gorgonzola dumplings and duck. There was some liver damage, but I'm all right now. The second time I had a beet salad that made me think "where you been all my life" about beets. Yeah, beets. Delicious. Eat the beet salad. The beer list is awesome, the pizza crust is crispy, and this place is my new BFF every time I have to visit NSF.
(4)
Stephanie G.
I love this place. The beer selection is amazing and it is the only place I have found near my house where I can get authentic Italian pizza- thin crust, great toppings, and they will customize it with other ingredients if you ask. A+!!!
(5)
Kevin G.
So I think I must have just had a bad experience with a sub-par menu item. The strip loin I talk about in my previous post is no longer on the menu. Good riddance! I now go to Rustico more than any other restaurant. Not so much because it's the best in town or anything, but more because I live across the street from it. And the beer selection. Last time I was there I started with the PEI mussels with house-made chorizo appetizer. The chorizo is loose, FYI - I guess I was expecting it in sausage form, but once I saw the dish the loose chorizo made a lot more sense. It was a heaping bowl of very fresh tasting mussels in the shell, with a sauce made of Belgian dubble, onions, sweet potato puree and of course the chorizo. The sauce was sort of poured over the mussels and then settled at the bottom of the bowl so bits of saucy chorizo found their way into many of the mussels - though you'll be using the mussel shells like a spoon anyway because the sauce is delicious. It was quite a new take on mussels for me. But I liked it! The sweet potato puree really gave it a great flavor. I gave the grilled piece of bread that came with it to my carboholic girlfriend and she ravenously sopped up my sausage sauce... Inappropriate? Inappropriateness is the spice of life, my friend. Anyway, I followed that up with the rosemary braised chicken ragu, which was served over walnut gnocchi and the entire dish was rimmed with a healthy helping of broccoli rabe pesto. The delicate-looking, cream-colored chicken ragu, surrounded by an O of pesto, made for great presentation. As the dish made it's way to the table, my friends all did that thing where they go, "Whose is THAT? What is THAT?" and you sit there smugly and say nothing and just watch as their eyes follow the dish and it settles before you and you grin at them arrogantly and say, "Oh... it's mine." Firmly confident that I was the gold medalist of the ordering competition, I began to devour my prize. Yum. Look, I'm always hesitant to order chicken. I see it on a menu, I disregard it as peasant food. I'm out to dinner! I'm the king of the castle! Tender steaks! Succulent seafood! Baby versions of animals! Words where you don't pronounce the last letter! Undercooked everything! FEAST MODE! ENGAGE!!! And somehow, chicken never seems to find its way into my feast mode repertoire. Except this time it did, and I was very glad I was able to suppress my prejudices just this once. The pesto was potent, but because of the way it was served - rimming the dish like a moat, rather than all mixed up in it, you're able to control the ratio of ragu to pesto. And thus, it makes for a lovely dish with just the right amount of pesto in each mouthful. As for my friends, one ordered the braised duck & poached pear pizza. The other ordered the fig & prosciutto pizza. I don't really consider either of them to be the most adventurous of eaters, so for them to order such unique combos was surprising to me. Nonetheless, both loved them. Apparently the sweetness of the fig contrasting the saltiness of the prosciutto was a perfect meld. I didn't have any dessert, but my friends did. Having seen a few of these monstrosities traveling to other tables, most of them ordered the German chocolate sundae. It's freaking huge, more than enough for two people to share. They loved the coconut sorbet, the fudge sauce, and toasted coconut. What they didn't like was that there were way too many candied pecans. They were just everywhere. Also, they said the espresso brownie was super tiny. Fewer pecans and a decent sized brownie and they said it'd have been much improved. My girlfriend got the chocolate-peanut butter bread pudding. She didn't much care for it, but I think when she saw it on the menu all she saw was "chocolate-peanut butter ____ _______". She didn't care for the bread pudding, but I mean, it tasted like bread pudding to me, just with chocolate-peanut butter sauce and caramel sauce. Her favorite part of the dish was the peanut brittle and the peanut butter ice cream. And that's that. See you 'round Rustico! I'll be the one asking all the obnoxious questions about the beers and pestering the server before I order my food with questions like, "Well what's the best thing on the menu? What's YOUR favorite thing on the menu? I know you have to tell me this one is good, but really, is it better than that one?" Have a backbone, server! Commit to one! Tell me its your favorite! I LIKE OPINIONS!
(4)
Sarah H.
First time to Rustico after having passed it a million times heading to Sweet Greens. Overall this is a good restaurant. My husband and I were there for brunch. We split the sausage and biscuit slider, truffle french fries, bibb lettuce salad and the "Grilled" pizza. All in all we had no complaints about the food. I thought it was a bit salty, but my husband thought the food was great. The service was very slow and the waiter didn't seem interested in coming to our table at all. We would definitely go back but hope that the service gets bettter.
(4)
Ieesha J.
Came here for a post birthday celebration with some friends and the beer selection was phenomenal. Reminded me of an old favorite back home in Cali. I tried the Carrot Hummus (too many yelpers said to try this) and I was happy I did. I didn't think the prices were too high - especially when the food and beer were YUMMY!
(4)
Evelyn K.
I live near Rustico and passed by dozens of times, and never thought to go in until my friends kept saying it looked nice. We tried to go in for Friday night, but they were packed & loud and we had a concert to get to. We stopped in the next day for lunch, and they were almost empty (although they filled up after we sat down). We had really high expectations for this restaurant. The first hiccup was after we were seated at a small, narrow two-person table, with another small narrow table beside us that was almost immediately filled with another couple. Keep in mind the dining area is almost deserted, and now we're bumping elbows sharing a bench seat. We ordered a basket of home fries with ranch dressing, and it came very quickly and the first few bites were good. It was a huge portion, and the dressing was creamy and delicious. After a few bites though, we got sick of the flavor and started to realize how soft and mushy the fries were. I picked out all the smaller crunchy ones, and then we pushed it aside half eaten. I ordered the crispy salmon sandwich with thick-cut sea salt chips, and my boyfriend ordered the gorgonzola, fig, and prosciutto pizza. My sandwich was on thick brioche bread, with two crispy salmon filets inside on a bed of coleslaw. The textures were great, the bread was good, but I wasn't a fan of the coleslaw and there was very little flavor in the sandwich. It tasted like cold, crunchy breading. The chips that came with my sandwich were a disaster. Half of them were still soft and soggy, and the potatoes used to make them must have been rancid. There was a bitter, rotten taste to the undercooked chips, and the rest were overcooked to brown brittle chips. All of it was inedible. I had to frantically stop my boyfriend from sampling one of the chips I'd placed aside as soggy & spoiled- "No don't eat that!! That one's rotten!" As for his pizza, when it first came out it looked great. Thinly sliced layers of prosciutto were artistically draped and arranged...until we realized they placed them on AFTER slicing the pizza. Which means those carefully overlapped and arranged slices are going to have to be sawed through with a fork and knife in order to pick up a single slice of pizza, unless you want all the prosciutto to fall off. I tried the pizza without the prosciutto, just fig jam and gorgonzola and I really enjoyed the flavor. It was salty and rich, with sweetness from the figs and a crisp crust underneath. However, my boyfriend ate less than half the pizza and declined to take the rest home. He said with the prosciutto added on, the saltiness overwhelmed the sweet, and left him parched and thirsty. He got sick of the strong flavor combination very fast, and although I enjoyed my two bites I agreed. The gorgonzola/fig combination would be better on crackers or french bread as an appetizer, not covering an entire salty and sweet pizza. We finished off our meal with two cups of black coffee, and I had to send mine back because there was a red, crusted residue on the lip of my white mug. I tried to scrape it off and it wouldn't budge. The couple next to us also sent their water glass back at one point, for the same issue (this is how close we were seated to them). I was incredibly disappointed overall with the food and the service (the waiter acted like I was causing trouble by not wanting to drink from a crusty mug). The atmosphere was nice, ignoring the fact that they seated a couple practically on top of us when the place was empty. The only positive was an extensive beer selection, so I might bring a friend back to sit at the bar, but I wouldn't make the mistake of coming back for a meal. //UPDATE// I emailed the manager of the restaurant, after he originally contacted me about my review. It has been 3 weeks, with no response from him. My original review of 1 star quality stands, if this is any indication of the management and customer service that Rustico offers.
(1)
Mangala M.
Stopped in for happy hour. Ordered a pepperoni pizza and their risotto tater tot bites. Both were quite good, and a decent serving. I had the beer "the love" and it was delicious. I will definitely stop in again for their happy hour.
(3)
Sammy G.
If I could rate food and beer separately, that would be great! I love their beer selection!! Their mac-n-cheese may very well be the grossest thing I've ever ordered from a restaurant. It was runny, which is probably never a good quality for food to have. The 'topping' was supposed to be pretzel, which I sadly took to mean a pretzel *crust*, kind of like a pot pie or something. No. It was like someone found a 20 year old bag of pretzels and scooped the crumbs out of the bottom of it, then left them sitting outside during a hot humid summer, and then dumped them ALL OVER the top of this. Nas-T.
Went for brunch on a sunday afternoon. Good selection and good food but not fantastic. Great place to sit outside and enjoy brunch.
(3)
Eriko I.
There is many kind of beer. So, you can choice your type beer. Also you can drink many kind of wine. And I ate a pizza. It was a delicious. My favorite time is night of summer. Because, we can enjoy in terrace seats. It's nice. If you looking for date spot restaurant, you can go to here :)
(4)
Sarah J.
So what's the deal with Rustico these days? They change chefs and not only is the chef too good to keep mac and cheese on the menu, but the quality of the food goes way down too? Lame! I mean, don't get me wrong, the food was pretty good. Pizza and fries are hard to mess up. But I can't help but reminisce to the old days at the Alexandria location when everything I put in my mouth was scrumdiddlyumptious. That being said, this location is a cool, open space not unlike the original. Much more packed than its sister location, likely because it's metro accessible and in brown flip flops land (ie Arlington). My view may be skewed because I went during the holiday pour, but despite my hatred of crowds, I was a happy camper with my 11% alcohol content Mad Elf beer! Oh and those Yelpers I was with might have had something to do with it too (holla Sheri and Shachi!). Bottom line, the food is just alright. Go for the beer and good company and get grub somewhere else.
(3)
Brent S.
Rustico is known for their beer selection, but the real reason to go here is the food. All of the food that I've had here is delicious. Their menu changes pretty frequently, typically based on the season. The last thing I had, gorgonzola dumplings with duck, was excellent. Brunch is great too, the best eggs benedict that I've ever had were from here. Don't get me wrong, I love the beer here. They have such a good variety of micro brews from around the world, you can always find something interesting. Service has been great every time I've been here too. You can't go wrong here. I'm really surprised that there aren't more 5 star reviews, I can't think of a single thing to complain about, and the food here is the best in Arlington (well, maybe with the exception of Ray's the Steaks).
(5)
Jen M.
I first visited this Rustico location for lunch with coworkers this week. I stopped going to the Alexandria location because of one too many "eh" dining experiences, but I was willing to give the Ballston Rustico a shot. I was pleasantly satisfied with our lunch! I had the eggplant parmasan sandwich and tried the Greek pizza too. They also make a nice gluten-free option for pizza crusts, and seemed to have an excellent beer selection which I look forward to trying soon!
(4)
AB S.
Rustico's beer selection gets 6.5 stars. The food is about 3.5 stars. That averages out to five stars.
(5)
Nicole L.
Wow I was downgraded 700 to 699 reviews so this will be my 700th review afterall! Must be the Yelp police!! I met my friend at Rustico for a pre-xmas dinner. It was so crowded we decided to eat at the bar. The bar area was really nice - high stool booths and tables that were very comfortable. It reminded me of ChurchKey. Also the beer menu was very comprehensive like ChurchKey! I started off with a glass of cote du rhone - it was on the weaker side. There were many items that looked good on the menu. The PEI mussels with chorizo sausage, the prosciutto and fig pizza, sweet potato gnocchi with beef bolognese and roasted beets. I actually went there with a mission - to try the pineland farms strip loin with french onion and gruyere, a play on the french onion soup. However our server thought I should try other dishes. I ended up with the Pork Milanese. It was a gigantic piece of butterflied pork - really it filled the entire entree plate. It was fried perfectly - beautiful crust with a great crunch! It was topped with braised red cabbage, quince and pickles. I barely touched half of the pork it was that much food. After dinner and chatting, our awesome waiter enticed us with the dessert menu. It seriously was tempting we ended up with the chocolate pudding parfait - it was sooooo good. Layers of fresh cream, dark chocolatety pudding, peanut butter cookie crunch, devil's food cake and generous sprinkles of roasted peanuts. It's one of the best desserts I've had in a while. It was so good the couple next to me ordered one to go after they saw our dessert! Our server was awesome, he let us take our time with ordering entrees and offered many good suggestions. It was very refreshing to receive excellent hospitality!
(4)
Boris B.
Note: this is based on my to-go experience during a lunch. A few days ago Rustico provided me one of the biggest letdowns I can recall! I really wanted to try this place since it opened a few months back. We placed an order for the salmon sandwhich & the duck salad. The food was to be ready in 15 minutes, we got there 30 minutes later, and had to wait another 15 minutes for our food to be ready. The place was not too busy at the time, it's almost as if they started making our food when we got there. The food iteself was *very* overpriced for what it was, the Salmon Sandwhich had a generic white bread bun that you would find in your middle school cafeteria. The fish itself was of high quality, but something about having it fried with all the toppings & bun made the sandwhich not enjoyable. It came with homemade chips which were pretty good. My friend though their salad wasn't that good--the only saving grace was the duck. If you want a salad, I'd save my money and go to SweetGreen down the block. Also,when we were about to have our meal, we noticed they couldn't have been bothered to put any napkins or utencils in our bag. Awesome. I wouldn't write this place off for good though-- I'm curious to try their beer/HH offerings.
(2)
Darcey K.
OMG Carrot Hummus and Beer Sampler Block who could ask for anything more? My brother and I decided to check out this new location and slipped right in to a table without a wait. The 300+ beer book will keep you busy for weeks trying to sample them all. The menu was unique and reasonably priced for the quality and selection, the wood fired pizza are a must! It's an easy walk from the metro so grab your man or your girlfriends and give Rustico a try.
(4)
Seema G.
I went here with a group of friends to check this place out. A few had been to the other location in Alexandria and liked it. The good thing is this place is definitely easier to get to so it's a plus. Parking can either be on the street, that is if you can find a spot, or at Ballston Mall for $1 on the weekends which is probably the best option. Trying to make a reservation for dinner, at least on a Friday or Saturday, will not happen unless you eat before 5:30pm. They do allow for call ahead seating but it didn't seem like it made a difference. We still had to wait the same amount of time we would have had to if we had just put our name down when we got there. The main entrees were all on the expensive side and since they are known for their pizzas, each of us ordered a pizza. They were good and allowed for substitutions without having to go check in the back. I would recommend one pizza for 2 people, since one is definitely more than enough for one person. This could be a nice date spot but it's a bit on the noisy side so it's not a good first date type of place.
(4)
Fannie G.
So here's the deal... Rustico gets 3 stars... for its beer. If I was judging this place on its food, which I won't since I've only eaten there once, I wouldn't be as generous. I dig the decor. Recycled wine bottles as wall? Cool with me. Fireplace? Nice touch. Exposed ducts, giving a NYC Lofty appeal, OK. What sucks? Let me tell you....if I wanted a bunch of people breathing down my neck for a table, I would go to Carpool. "Patrons" hang in the bar area and literally creep up on you, practically sneezing in your pretty-good-but still lacking something - beef tartare. Parking? Blows. Nuff said. Yeah,yeah...you can park at the mall.... have you BEEN to that Mall? SKETCH. Reservations? Annoying. Menu? So I got the scallops... maybe too ambitious of a choice. How many flavors do you really need to dispense at once, and if you are going to choose that many, could one of them at least be good? Blech. The sauce was mayonaissey and too rich. There were jalapeno like things in it. The scallops themselves were seared but cold. Here's why you should go. Do you live in Ballston? Hey! Here's a new pretty place to see and be seen! Do you like beer? Rustico has your number... and a few others. FANtastic choices and the waitstaff is knowledgeable. Do you work out at Gold's Gym Ballston? Then you deserve to cross the street and have a beer. Yeah, Arlington could use a few bars where you can still take your parents when they come to visit. Rustico is one of them. Just don't order the scallops.
(3)
Joe L.
As advertised: Great beer selection, and good food. I've been twice when it's crowded and had no problem finding seating and service in the bar area. A little pricey. Plenty of screens, good for watching games.
(4)
Ann R.
i can't write about the food because it was not possible to get the attention of anyone who could answer some questions or MAYBE even take a reservation for a small group of bankers that i had promised to take for dinner. we entered at about five o'clock on a weekday to inquire about entertaining a group of ten there for a special dinner the following weekend, because the location is ideal. there was NO ONE in sight who could do me the favor of saying "hello". a small, fairly noisy crowd in the back seemed to be failing to capture any attention as well. why would anyone go to the trouble and expense of running a restaurant and then dis-invite all comers by such rude practices ?
(1)
Susan B.
I came here for a Sunday dinner and I was immediately greeted by a warm fireplace in the front of the restaurant. Rustico exuded a cozy yet modern ambiance. Besides the great decor, Rustico had a long list of beers and multiple beers on tap which adds bonus points in my book. As for the cuisine, I ordered the Grilled Dry-Aged Cheddar Burger Medium, this came with a "side" of fries. Rustico does not skimp on the fries. So needless to say, I ate half the burger and worked on making a dent in the fries for the rest of supper. The yummy burger meat was good, but I had not noticed that it was more rare for my medium taste and perhaps I didn't see this in the low light setting and it was more apparent when I reheated my leftovers the next day. My brother ordered the spinach pizza and his gf ordered one of the salads which looked really appetizing to me (and this is coming from someone who constantly sings Homer Simpson's ditty "You Don't Make Friends With Salad"). As for service, our waiter, Tom was friendly and very attentive. Overall, it was a well-rounded experience in taste, sight and service.
(4)
G M.
Rustico is a great place to meet up with friends at night, and to take your parents for Sunday brunch! The atmosphere, from what I'm told, is very different than the one in Alexandria...more upscale and trendy. I like it. I do wish they had some sort of a loyalty program, because we seriously come here a few times a month. My husband enjoys a good beer, and this has one of the best selections in Arlington. I love delicious food so it's a win-win for everyone. I would highly recommend the roasted mushroom pizza, and the truffle fries to start. The pizza is big enough for 2 to share. Also, they have a full bar and have always accomodated my requests for martinis...so they get points for that. The brunch is a pretty limited menu but the food is solid. My favorite dish to share with the table are the ricotta doughnuts. Must try.
(5)
Rich R.
After hearing stories of the crowds at this Arlington outpost of Alexandria's Rustico, was a bit hesitant to meet friend for dinner and drinks on a Friday night. However, after putting our name in for a table, we were able to saddle up to the bar, order a few Avery IPAs (from a brewery in Colorado) and shortly thereafter secure a few seats at the communal table in the middle of the bar. We proceeded to sampel the Steak Tartare, washed it down with a few Avery IPAs, and also got the Mussels. The Mussels were excellent - very well prepared, the bread strong enough to sop up the broth, - we were both surprised at how much we enjoyed the mussels. We ordered a few pizzas - and washed down with Harpoon Brewery's latest brew - Celtic Ale, an Irish Red. Though we were tempted to order the duck pizza, the server said it was very sweet, so we stayed away from and went with a traditional and italian spicy sausage. The atmosphere was high energy level, background music drowned out by conversation, but it was very hot - perhaps due to the unseasnably warm temps - 70 degrees in February! If you are looking for a casual place, a fan of beer, and stick to the apps/pizzas you will enjoy Rustico's.
(3)
Jay R.
Date night out with my favorite girl (and wife!). Movie at the Regal Ballston, so let's eat nearby. I'd been to Rustico for an after work "business beer", and was encouraged enough by the selection of draft beers and the nibbles that I thought it would be worth going back to, for more beer and to try some more things on the menu. My girl and I were happy with the results, and she said that she'd like to return. End of review. Just kidding. What's a food review without a review of the food?! We started with the Farfalle Pasta Chips and the Bacon & Blue Mussels. Wow; the only thing bad about the mussels is that I would've looked ridiculous licking out the bowl! Holy cow, were they yummy! Nice sized mussels, not overcooked, and the sauce they came in had just the right amount of blue cheese to not be overpowering, and the bacon and carmelized onions in the sauce were enough to fill up a few spoonfuls of goodness. A straw would've been perfect to get the last of the sauce out of the bowl; either that, or lift it up like a bowl of cereal! The Farfalle Pasta Chips were a real novel idea. Whoulda thunk to "twice cook" pasta like this? It's farfalle cooked the traditional way (in boiling water), but instead of putting sauce over it, they deep fried them, and served them with a cup of roasted garlic & sun dried tomato dip. Yum! That's one we're going to have to try at home. For the entree (yes, we still had a little bit of room) my girl had the cheddar burger, and I had the Roasted Mushroom pizza. The burger was "decent" (to quote my wife), and she brought half home. I polished off the whole pizza, which was very interesting (with mushroom cream, goat cheese, and spinach), and done just right, all the way down to the crust. The only downside to our experience was our waiter. He started off friendly enough (almost helpful), but then his attention drifted...too many TVs in the place for him to watch. We almost had to stick our leg out to trip him, to get his attention. Knock off a half star for that. We'll be back, to try more/different beers, and more food. One of our better meals of late!
(4)
Collin F.
We were on a mission there to get their burger. 'Cause that's just what we do. While we were thoroughly unimpressed with the burger itself, we did enjoy just about everything else Rustico had to offer. The beer, the fries, the homemade smoked ketchup (nice!), the pretzels the ambiance, the beer. All of that was great. Our advice? Pass on the burger and go for just about anything else and you'll be pleased. We got some good pics and a whole lot more over at our DC Burger review site: burgerdays.com/?p=46 . Did I mention the beer?
(4)
David M.
Pros: -Great modern decor, very friendly -Focused on beer (hundreds of beers available) which makes the place hundreds of times less pretentious than it otherwise could be -The grilled caesar salad... sounds strange? Try it -- wow it was delicious -Pizza had a delicious thin crust and the sauce widely exceeded my expectations Cons: -A little pricey -Can get noisy -Gets really dark Overall: recommended. Very glad I tried it!
(4)
Carletta G.
My friend and I went for a late dinner on a Monday night. We arrived around 9:30 and after we were seated were told that the kitchen was closing at 10 even though the bar stays open until 12 or 12:30 am. Service: Our waitress was meh. I'm pretty reasonable in that if I come into a restaurant late that my level of service might not be spectacular, but she was pretty inattentive - unfilled water glasses, not checking back to ask about the food. Food: Now, if I come in late and the kitchen was already in the process of shutting down - tell me. I can go to ihop :) But for the prices and the ambiance they're trying to build, the food was bleak. My friend had: Basil & Fresh Mozzarella pizza I had: Spinach salad which is described as: glazed virginia hame, blue cheese, rye croutons, crispy onions, mustard vinaigrette. We shared: Homemade thick-cut fries My friend liked her pizza, it all came out pretty quickly and the pizza had just been made. Good on that. The fries were delicious UNDERNEATH the thick layer of salt that had been dumped on them. We ended up unfolding one of the cloth napkins and just rolling the salt off of them. They were served with ranch dressing, ketchup and some barbecue sauce that had been sitting so long that it formed a crust on the top (was pretty good after it was stirred, though). There were A LOT of fries for $8, more than one person would eat in a sitting, and they'd be better as a half order or even shared amongst 3 people. Fair play to the waitress, when my friend told her the fries had been super salty she did remove them from the bill. My salad? Tragedy on a plate. I don't know if my expectations are too high but for an $11 salad, I don't expect a pile of spinach on top of cold cuts. I also take issue with serving cold salad on warm plates. So now I have to peel these warm cold cuts from the bottom of the plate? Also, the crispy onions were cold and had obviously been fried eons ago and added nothing to the salad but greasiness. The rye croutons were meh, but I don't like rye bread and if I'd noticed that beforehand - I would have asked for a different or no crouton. I had maybe 3 bites of the salad and pushed it to the side. I'm NOT a restaurant complainer but if the waitress had ever asked me how the salad was - i would have told her, but she never did. And when she came to clear the table & ask if I wanted a box for my pretty much untouched plate - she just piled the other dishes on top of it and made no mention of it. I know some people think you have to speak up, but I think it's the waiter/waitresses job to ask you. If I had been upset enough, I would have complained - but I wasn't, so I didn't. I liked the decor, they have a nice fireplace inside and the hostess was pleasant. We sat by the bar at a booth with a massive high top table. My friend really disliked the seating (leg dangling), but I liked it (I'm tall). The bathroom was nice but it's located in one of those awkward spots where you're walking past offices and the kitchen and it just feels odd. Would I go back? Highly unlikely. They seem to have a massive beer menu though, so if I were into that - it might be okay for a happy hour.
(2)
Alyssa K.
Went for lunch. Really enjoyed their Fried Green Tomato pizza. All at the table loved the sandwiches and grilled Caesar salad. Good wine list with a lovely Virginia Viognier. Service was a little slow (forgot the salad subbed for chips - instead of bringing out salad, took whole plate back - very weird) could pick it up the pace a bit, but not enough to drag the rating down.
(4)
Reviewer V.
Rustico, the beer-centric eatery north of Old Town, is one of my favorite places to visit. Perhaps its the amazing beer selection - not only does Rustico boast 300 beers and cask ales, but Beer Director (and God Among Men) Greg Engert has organized them into tasty, adventurous flights ("Luke, I am Your Father" was a recent collection of four dangerously dark stouts and porters - get it?). So not only do I always find something to enjoy, but I discover new favorites as well. Tucked away on quiet Slater's Lane, Rustico in Alexandria is always packed with diners - older couples from Del Ray, young families, Engert fans, etc. Although the restaurant originally debuted as an Italian joint to mixed reviews, a quick chef change and switch to American fare resulted in much improvement. I personally appreciate how the menu revolves around the seasons. I've found the fish to be amazingly well-prepared (their Arctic Char is a masterpiece), and I love what they do with vegetables (olive and fennel salad, anyone?). While their oven-fired pizzas are nothing to sneer at, I do have a lingering bad memory of one topped with smoked gouda ... ugh. (But then again, I have specific pizza requirements, see my Fire Works entry for details). Last week, the Neighborhood Restaurant Group opened its second Rustico restaurant - this time in Ballston. Located on the 4000 block of Wilson Blvd., Rustico is exactly what Ballston needs, as the metropolitan neighborhood has been languishing for far too long under its burden of chain restaurants and office buildings. The new Rustico has the same menu and beers, but a completely different vibe. Rustico Alexandria is modern and "urban funky," with mosaic walls decorated with plates, broken china, bits of mirror, etc. (check out the gorgeous red and teal mosaic glass tiles above the fireplace - I covet). Couches and fireplace make the bar area not only cozy, but also the perfect place to while away an afternoon with the Sunday edition of the NYT and a few flights of beer. The new Rustico is much more "urban chic," with leather banquettes, a a rich, dark color scheme, industrial light fixtures, and a large wraparound bar. It's gorgeous. Imagine more dark wood and leather, less funky mosaics and couches ... more Clarendon, less Del Ray. The beer list is going to be even more impressive, with more than 400 beers available, and 40 on tap. The place was crowded Thursday night but the staff did an amazing job of keeping up with the frenetic pace. The menu was the same as Rustico Alexandria, but Rustico Ballston seemed to offer an abbreviated beer menu. Where was the beloved beer binder of the original Rustico? I love hauling that metal-plated book up into my arms to peruse the extensive options - it's certainly a conversation piece if nothing else. Overall, the new Rustico is nice - exceedingly nice. The menu and the beer selection will lure current Rustico fans, while the chic vibe will bring in a new crowd of regulars. It's exactly what Ballston - the skinny, dark wallflower younger sibling of the cool, popular, golden Clarendon - has always needed. Bravo, Ballston, bravo. You scored a date to the prom, now you can hold your head up high.
(3)
Amit P.
I've been to Rustico several times, and have never been disappointed. They have an impressive beer selection, and their pizza is really good. But the thing to get here is carrot hummus.
(4)
M T.
Solid Ballston brunch location. Made a reservation for Sunday at 11 (they open at 11), but it wasn't necessary - there were many people waiting for the restaurant to open, but it's so big and they have so many tables! I ordered their smoked black tea (delicious!) and the waiter brought me a small container of *warm* milk to go with it if I wanted. I can't remember the last time someone gave me warm milk for hot tea without my asking for it - such a treat and surprise. One downside is that there aren't too many veggie options on their brunch menu. I ended up ordering the french toast, and was concerned it would be too sweet (it's called "stuffed Nutella" or something similar), but it wasn't; the tart cranberries were a nice complement. Next time I'm in Ballston, this place will be a strong contender for any meals or drinks.
(4)
Pui Ying S.
Beers are amazing and service is great. But I come here most often for their lunch box specials. For $15 you get a soup, salad, and half a sandwich and a drink. I find their salads and soups delicious and refreshing. It's a perfect light meal and they have a nice outdoor area that's somewhat in the shade. Also, it's QUICK.
(4)
Jane M.
I've gone to Rustico a few times, and have enjoyed myself. In fact I brought a friend there for the first time when he was having a bad day. He loved the food so much that when he was thanking me for bringing him people thought he was proposing to me, that's how much he loved it. Their carbonara Israeli couscous, carrot hummus, and goat cheese pizza is amazing. However their buns are sub-par. Overall a bit pricey but worth it!
(4)
Noel O.
Being something of a self-selecting crowd, us Yelpers do have something of a discerning eye (and taste) when going to a restaurant for the first time. I know Ballston well having lived there for a couple of years, so I expected this place to be another "fine dining" snooty place with no reason to be snooty at all. Boy was I wrong! The interior is modern, the wait staff pleasant and talkative, and good food (and a sizable drink list) to boot! After a day of bopping around, I decided I needed some pizza. After our first choice was closed, we figured we'd stay in the Ballston area and try something new. Neither of us had been here before, so why not? The entrance has this great glass-and-wine-bottle sort of sculpture/column thing in the entrance and the rear party room has this great giant wall filled with wine bottles and candles. Very visually vivacious! Okay, enough about the decor. The food was also quite lovely. Although we both ordered pizzas (since that what we were there for), I want to go back and get and just get a bowl of the mussels with an amazing light tomato sauce and mashed potatoes on the bottom. Holy mother, I've died and gone to heaven! Oh yeah, and their desert menu was amazing too. What's that, a beer float you say? Why thank you!
(4)
Valencia W.
Wasn't impressed. Came on a Saturday to meet up with a friend and instead of going to the usual (front page) we went to try out something new. Service was fine, and drinks were OK but, I don't see what the fuss was about as far as the food goes. Yes, I heard their pies were great ...we need to change that to their pizza is tolerable. No way you could consider this GREAT pizza? The mussels were another thing that folks were saying were AMAZING, they were alright. Now, I will say that the reviews matched when it came to the beer. That was the only thing worth it to me. So, I take it this way...If you want food there's better in the area so go there first and IF you want a drink you could go to Rustico. Would I come back...no
(2)
Casandra M.
Great beer, better service. Despite being almost crazy crowded on a Tuesday night, the bartenders were wonderfully friendly and helpful and got my order promptly. When I did manage to snag a table in the bar, our server was just as knowledgeable and friendly as the bartenders. Despite only being open a short time, they all seemed well-versed in the food and beer menus and were able to offer really delicious suggestions. I ended up with the grilled pizza which was loaded with salami, capicola and mortadella and was absolutely delicious and a few guzzle-worthy brewskis. I'll definitely be back.
(4)
Anisha H.
I have to say I am impressed with finding such a fancy restaurant in Arlington. I walked in and the bar area was bustling with a lot of people, seemed that they were having a great time, so a few of my friends opted to actually sit down in the dinner area. It was much quieter and much easier to carry a conversation :) To start off we ordered the Fries with the different dipping sauces and the carrot humus. Both I have to say were delicious. The only thing was that the carrot hummus comes with a lamb ragout that was not mentioned in the menu and a couple of my friends were veg. I ordered the spicy shrimp pizza, very different I must say. I have never had shrimp on pizza so I tried it out. I couldn't stop eating it, the shrimp was cooked to perfection, and the flavors of the spicy pesto was magnifique. Overall it was a great meal but a lil pricey. I will def be back for more :)
(4)
Mike G.
I had been to the Alexandria location multiple times and loved every visit. As soon as you walk in you had the nice brick oven right there, with a decor that didn't really come off as that pretentious. I was expecting the same thing of the Ballston location... Walking in I felt like I was in a swanky, uppity cafe. Whereas the Alexandria location has a more relaxed, neighborhood feel, the Ballston spot tries a little too hard to be trendy. The decor is definitely not that welcoming, and borders on sterile. The bar area in the Alexandria location is warm, welcoming, and the bartenders are down to earth...the bar in Ballston is the complete opposite. On the positive, they have a ton of beer offerings, and their food/pizzas are just as good as the original restaurant. If you want the same quality and a more low-key atmosphere, the Alexandria location is worth the trip.
(3)
Tracy D.
I had high hopes for the second location of Rustico, and perhaps those high expectations are what led to my mediocre experience. Let's start with the negative: -About half the beers we asked for on the draft and bottle list were not available. The waiter was exceedingly apologetic and helped us find suitable substitutes, but I was having some Brickskeller flashbacks. -About 6 of the draft lines were kicked and being replaced, and we were given an old draft menu - as explained by the waiter. But then I continually asked about the new draft lines and we received a new draft menu at about 9pm on a Saturday night. The waiter conveyed that they were slow getting the new draft menu out. Personally, I find this unacceptable for a beer bar that prides itself on its draft selection on the busiest night of the week. It takes two minutes to print out new menus - there were several on the new menu that I wanted to try but missed out on because we didn't know about them until we were about to leave. -The food is grossly overpriced. I understand paying more for higher qualify food, but I still don't agree with paying $7 for three sad looking pretzel rolls with two dips. I ordered the chicken ragu with walnut gnocchi. It was tasty until I got about halfway through the huge plate and then it just became work. Also I loved the dark meat pieces of chicken, but there was a lot of fat and skin on those pieces that had not been removed before cooking. All in all - definitely not worth $22. Perhaps a half plate at a lower price would have been adequate? -The clientele was the typical NOVA crowd - very white, very showy. Not my cup of tea, but totally expected as it is Ballston. What I did not expect was HOW DAMN LOUD IT WAS. I don't care for the preppy Ballston crowd but I'll put up with them for good beer, BUT I don't want hear them screeching about their latest dye job or female conquest. Rustico - you need to install some sort of sound absorbing material! I had to put my hands over my ears when the girl behind us starting SCREAMING at her friends about some video she saw on youtube. If I'm going to pay for delicious beer, I'd like to have an environment where I can truly enjoy it. As of now, Rustico is not that place. THE GOOD: -Our waiter was outstanding. He was very attentive and knowledgeable. -The tap list was phenomenal and had a great mix of different types of beers. The bottle list was also great and well organized. I thought the prices were fair for the quality of beer. I also really appreciated the local beers on the draft list (Port City, Starr Hill) -My friend loved his pizza - so maybe that is a better and more well priced option than the entrees. BOTTOM LINE: Churchkey in DC is way better in terms of beer management, beer selection, food selection and price, and also space. I realize they have the same management company or something, but Churchkey is just the better bar. I would not go back to Rustico in Ballston unless I was already in NOVA for something else and could arrive earlier.
(3)
Maria W.
I'm going to break this review into two parts: The food was very good and deserves a higher rating. We ordered the salt roasted beet salad which I highly recommend and the butchers block pizza which was also very good but moderately over done. The beer selection is awesome! The service deserves a really low rating. To begin with, both of the hostesses were a little rude but sometimes that happens so we didn't think very much of it. Shortly there after, while sitting at the bar waiting for our table we realized there might be a trend. Neither the bartender nor the waiter seemed very happy to be there
(3)
Nicole M.
I like Rustico a lot. The ambiance is great, the food is consistently tasty and they have a great beer selection. The menu is fairly small and is heavy on the pizza (the pizza is great though- especially the white pizza!) Prices are on par with other area eateries and they do some great appetizers (hello, brussels sprouts!). Service is generally nice, sometimes slow. The bar area is comfortable to sit and they keep a great selection of seasonal brews on draft and in the bottle/can. I love the fireplace, but wish it was closer to the bar.
(4)
Wayne J.
Super selection of beer on tap and in the bottle, you name it they have it. Don't forget the food. Great and unique appetizers.
(5)
Christine B.
I'll update if I go back, but I went for happy hour on a Friday night. It was pretty busy. We had to wait awhile until we could get some table space. They had a nice selection of beers, but nothing too unusual. The carrot hummus really is good, and tried some of the truffle fries which were also good.
(3)
Gail H.
Excellent food, efficient service- perfect place for a satisfying dining experience. Gazpacho is fresh and slightly spicy, grilled cheese so flavorful, salad dressing just excellent Others at the table thoroughly enjoyed the burger and a pizza, the grilled asparagus made a perfect side dish The vegetarians were really happy too- great variety.
I am stretching to find good things to say about this Rustico location. Seven years ago, Rustico (the Alexandria location, that is) was the place to go for undiscovered craft beer gems. With the craft beer explosion happening in every town, including towns a lot smaller than Arlington (Staunton, VA; Galena, IL; Dover, DE), you'd think Rustico would somehow reinvent itself. Not the case. The service at the bar is sub par for a place like this. Zero personality from the servers. You may as well be served by robots. The best thing to say about the service at the bar is they have wonderful frosted glasses that fit the beer type (long skinny glasses for lagers and pilsners; tulip glasses for heavier IPAs; etc). Not the typical pint size glasses you find at other places. The food is decent, although overpriced (as the case at the Alexandria location). The crowd is all over the map - older men from the nearby retirement home to the typical A-Town ballcap and flip flops crew (and yuppie families galore). The beer list is average. The usual suspects. They're not reaching to find new crafts (Ocelot, Old Ox anyone?) as World of Beer and Mellow Mushroom are. Three stars but really two and a half. I'm feeling generous today.
(3)
Christopher K.
To be fair this used to be my favorite restaurant in the area. I told countless people to go give it a try. All the food I have tried was always great with the occasional over cooked pizza. Now I am being a bit harsh in giving them a one star, but I can't help my feelings. They used to have (deep fried deviled eggs) on the menu and one night I went there to specifically get this and is was magically off the menu and when I asked the waitress why she was clueless and she wouldn't ask a manger why either. I just don't get it. They were soooooo good and that's how I was getting people I knew to go there! Everyone loved them that I knew of. So why remove a golden product (in my eyes)? I'm sure they have there reasons but I can promise I won't be back until they are back on the menu. I would pay double for them. I actually moved close to Rustico for the convenience of grabbing a quick few eggs. I can go on and on. I have been there so many times and it looks like that is over. To me with out the eggs that no one else has they are just another ordinary restaurant in the area with awesome lights. Yes I am bitter and I'm aloud to be! Feel free to let me know if my dreams ever come true !
(1)
Foodie C.
Great pizza! and menu items are equally as good We have been here a few times and have always leave happy. Service is sometimes great sometimes not There is a long wait time so avoid the usual rush times.
(4)
Susan S.
Never really impressed when I go here . Always crowded somehow. 4 stars for the nice ambiance though.
(4)
Bonnie L.
I LOVE RUSTICO! Great staff, super yummy food and the environment is super chill and relaxing. My favorite is their carrot hummus....WOW. I could eat that everyday! Along with their brussel sprouts and truffle fries. A waiter once recommended their cheesesteak sandwich for lunch (which I ordered) but was not wow-ed like I am with their other dishes. They have a great beer selection - this is a good place to take friends and family!
(5)
Nicole W.
This place is pretty great for a number of reasons: 1. A huge selection of beers and wines 2. Delicious Pizza 3. Outdoor seating 4. Great, friendly servers 5. Awesome brunch (love the brunch burger) I've probably dined here about 6 times in the past few years. Every time I have a great experience. I love that it's close to the metro and right next to the Ballston mall/parking garage. This is a great place for meeting up with friends in Ballston. They are very accommodating to large groups. My friends and I (group of 7) just had dinner there last night. We didn't have reservations but were able to get a seat right away in the bar area. There were zero complaints and everyone was pleased with their meals. I will definitely be back many times in the future. Thanks Rustico!
(4)
Mai T.
Lunch has a very limiting menu. We had a table of two and sat at the bar. While a menu was brought to us fairly quickly, no one came to check on us throughout our entire meal. My companion ordered the burger which looked succulent and juicy. My pizza with basil, mozzarella, and bacon was as good as it looked. Quite crispy and not doughy at all for those who like it that way. On the thin side. And even though they are hand cut fresh fries, I would just prefer frozen fries that are cooked until extra crispy versus fresh, soft fries. On another note, I have been here before for dinner which has a better and larger menu selection. Guess this is more of a place to go to for beer than for food.
(2)
Andrew W.
What an awesome spot. I stopped in with a group of coworkers after and had a blast -- great food and great beer. The pizza was all fantastic -- we got a Carolina Dreamin' with BBQ, white pizza, Italian sausage and I forget what else -- all well made and tasty with great crust. You could tell the ingredients were fresh too. We also got an order of Brussels sprouts as a side then ended up ordering two or three more, they were delicious -- crispy and salty and a little sweet (and Brussels-y.) There's also a huge beer selection, and Badr, the bartender, was great helping us pick out good ones. There was lots of seating and standing tables in the bar area too, which was appreciated. A great spot.
(5)
Libby M.
I've been here several times. While the food, drinks, and atmosphere are generally pretty good, the service has always been sub par for me. It always feels as though my table has been forgotten, and in one case I think we actually were forgotten (waited 25 minutes before finally going inside to ask for our check). I'm currently sitting in the restaurant watching my server walk past (and has looked at us) several times while we have been waiting for our check for about 10 minutes. Too focused on helping every table around us maybe. This server wasn't very attentive to us throughout the service though, so I'm not terribly surprised. I just had to stop him to ask for our check. I also cannot recommend the banana bread dessert. Dry and tastes like cardboard. Certainly not worth $8. I come for the pizza and drinks. Not much else.
(3)
Michelle A.
Good beer selection. We enjoyed our meal and service was pretty good, considering how busy our server was with some large parties. Nothing exceptional, but no complaints.
I've been to Rustico many times. While the food is generally good (especially the burger, pizzas, carrot hummus), the service is spotty. Sunday evening was the worst service I've ever had there, resulting in my entire party leaving after sitting down and waiting for a server for about 15 minutes, followed by unfriendly treatment from the bartender. I've noticed the service has been getting slower over the last couple visits, but this last visit was by far the worst. Maybe they got comfortable? I won't be back, at least for a while.
(2)
Anthony I.
Worst service, no wine in stock, 30 minutes for menus, 35 minutes for drinks, 35 minutes to order. Very sad as I've had some many wonderful experiences here, lately the service is terrible and I won't be going back anytime soon.
(3)
Christina Y.
Since the last time I tried this place, I've actually been here two more times to try their beers. I gave the restaurant three stars then, but I give it four stars now. I recommend their crisps, but I would not get a full glass of the chokolat and milk and coffee beers- too sweet. If the name sounds as intriguing to you as it did for me, try the taste for only a few bucks. During happy hour, they also take two dollars off the full glasses which is nice. I've tried three of their pizzas and my favorite by far was the pumpkin fondue pizza. It's perfect for the fall season. And the pizzas are a pretty good size for two people.
(4)
Kate P.
The carrot hummus here is delicious, hearty and full of flavor! I also like the Salmon BLT -- nicely flavored with vinaigrette. Spicy chicken pizza is great -- very saucy. Nice ambiance.
(4)
Sebastien I.
Even though the waitress forgot tog give us a menu, took ages to bring our bottle of wine, the trout filet that both my wife and I enjoyed was soooo good that it made me realize it was nice to be in a civilized city where restaurant does not rime only with fried food or hamburgers, which is hard to find when you are south of Noth Carolina! The wines are very eclectic, but on the (very) pricey side. The Chardonnay Mendoza paired the trout amazingly well.
(4)
Jenna L.
I've been to Rustico twice now, and I'm pleased that the experience is consistant. Every time the service has been outstanding. The waiters know that their beer list is extensive and overhwelming and do everything they can to help you pick a winner, including bringing over some samples. It's very clear that everyone who works at Rustico knows a lot about beer. The other awesome part about this place is.... the beer. There are just so many to choose from. I've gotten to try some really unique beers here. Including a sour beer from Japan. Not many other places would have that. I only took away a star for the food. The risotto tots are some of the greatest things ever (seriously, order them, you'll thank me later) but the pizzas have been meh both times. Next time I might just come for the beer and stick with appetizers.
(4)
Grand Y.
The food was surprisingly good. I came here a few times for pizza, and found it good but not memorable. I got the half roasted chicken, and loved the wild mushrooms it came with. I think the prices are pretty high ($22 for the chicken), though. The service was fantastic. They brought extra pita, and didn't throw up a fuss about splitting checks. The beer menu is great. They have outdoor seating.
(4)
Nate W.
Nice place to visit to find a great selection of hard to find beers on tap, although the service can be hit or miss. Just sit at the bar and you'll be fine, and for crying out loud don't order a Yuengling.
(4)
Rutherford N.
This review is based solely on the service- since we never even got to eat! Our group of 4 arrived at 7:45 pm to have drinks before our 8:15 reservation from opentable. After ordering our beers, we waited for 25 minutes before they were brought to our seat at the bar- by this point it was time to check in for our reservation. (strike 1) When we informed the hostess that we were there for our 8:15 reservation, she told us it would be a few minutes because there weren't any tables (although we could see an empty 4 top table sitting there, next to an empty 2 top table). Fast forward 20 minutes (still waiting), and the servers are pushing together the 2 empty tables to seat a man and his group who was yelling about how he had been waiting for too long for a table. Come to find out, our group's table (and the table of a couple who also had a reservation) were used to seat this man who DIDN'T HAVE A RESERVATION. Rustico, in the words of Seinfeld "See, you know how to take the reservation, you just don't know how to *hold* the reservation and that's really the most important part of the reservation, the holding. Anybody can just take them." Never going back.
(1)
Paul M.
Rustico has one of the best beer menus in all of Arlington. Its constantly rotating and the Bartenders have the sort of knowledge your would expect from someone working at NASA. Look for bartenders named Badr and Trevor, these guys knows their stuff. I swear they know more than any other bartenders Ive ever met. From each tap to each bottle they have the ability to tell you exactly what to expect, which is a pretty daunting task with the hundreds of beers that Rustico houses and rotates through. Venture into the sour menu and ask for some recommendations, these are generally only in bottles but these guys wont steer you wrong. These guys have always made me feel at home at this location, keeping me up to date on the latest releases and whats currently trending in the craft scene. On to the food, Pizzas are amazing, just about every app they have will blow you away, the truffle fries will change your life. Apart from those, I focus mainly on the beer at this establishment, however I have heard great things about the rest of the menu. Like Most bars in Arlington, they get pretty swamped. This isn't a bad thing since it will keep them around. Best times to go are happy hour, and early on the weekends.
(5)
Eric W.
This is a place I go if I want to have a good beer (they have a large variety on tap and even more in bottles) and some good appetizers. Overall, I have been happy with the food almost every time I go here - they have a very good selection of pizzas and burgers that are all very good. They also have some great appetizers like Risotto Tots and Carrot Hummus (Tastes better than it sounds!) Oh and did I mention they have an awesome beer list?
(4)
Pete R.
Service is horrible and the staff is homely...still no salt shakers on the tables and the portions are bite size. Once these guys get some healthy competition, say goodbye...
(2)
Lauren R.
This place is awesome! Lamb hummus is the tits. They have amazing brunch too. Burgers are super juicy and high quality meat. They have a great craft beer selection. One of the best spots in Ballston to go with friends or on a date.
(5)
Pegah Y.
I recently visited Rustico for dinner with two friends. They have a nice wine and beer selection and I ended up getting a rose wine, which was tasty and perfect on a hot summery day. Pizza is really the thing to get here, but I had had a heavy lunch, so I opted for the chicken caesar salad instead. I was not disappointed - the salad was fresh and full of flavor. I enjoyed my meal (it was filling enough) and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. It's on the classier end, while still somehow managing to be casual too, and lots of people seem to go to dinner here after work (there are lots of office buildings in the Ballston area). It's conveniently located near the Ballston mall and metro.
(4)
Michael C.
Our family of 5 loved the food! We were able to get outdoor seating at 7:00 pm with no wait, and the manager Stu man our visit absolutely superb! Would recommend to anyone!
(5)
David H.
Good food, okay service. Went here with a few friends on a Saturday evening. They run HH specials from 3-7 which are $2 off their draft beers. They have an excellent and varied beer selection so they have something for everyone. The food is also worth checking out. The risotto tots are tater tots in risotto form. They aren't greasy and are quite tasty. The Parmesan truffle fries are enjoyable and have a good blend of spice, oil, and Parmesan flavor. They aren't greasy but can be a little soggy due to the oil. The italian sausage pizza with red peppers has some spice and is the best pizza I've tried there. The pulled pork pizza is interesting and worth a try. It features a BBQ sauce and has a strong BBQ pork flavor. It is a little bit like a combination of a pizza and a pulled pork sandwich. If you like BBQ this is a must try. As for the service, it was friendly but at a certain point we got the slight feeling they were trying to rush us out by giving us our check when we may have otherwise ordered additional drinks. I enjoyed my time here, enjoyed the food & beer specials and will be back.
(4)
R P.
Although it's for beer connoisseurs (which we are not), the trendy food menu was delicious! Four adults (my husband and I along with our college-aged sons) extremely enjoyed our late evening dining experience. Staff was attentive, helpful and polite. It's a great stop-in place while visiting just not a menu that Midwestern people like us would enjoy very often.
(4)
Ariel E.
If my husband was to write the review, he'd give it five stars and a smiley face emoticon- DONE. Any place with a great beer menu would get that same review from him. I like their beer choices, but I come here to stuff my face. The food is good. I've tried a lot of their pizzas, but I guess I haven't found "the one" yet. It's a block from my apartment though, so I'll keep coming back looking for that elusive "best pizza ever" that I keep reading about in other reviews.
(4)
Denise B.
This is my neighborhood "go to" place whether taking out of town guests out for dinner or snacks and drinks with my friends. The mussels, trout, and mushroom/goat cheese pizza are all amazing I love the beer selection and the staff are great.
(5)
Courtney W.
Location/Atmosphere/Food: The restaurant is conveniently located near the Ballston Metro. I love the chic atmosphere that Rustico creates, however the food wasn't stellar. The risotto bites were not as delicious as we had hoped and the pizzas were nothing special. Some of us each ordered a different type of pizza so that we could sample each other's pies. The Loaded Baked Potato and Pepperoni pizzas both ended up being a disappointment so I gave the rest of my Roasted Mushroom pizza away. Luckily my Roasted Mushroom pizza was good, especially since I added Italian sausage and caramelized onions. Needless to say, my friends happily gobbled my slices down, ditching their own pizzas. Group: I came here with a group of 10 on a Friday night. I made a reservation ahead of time and had to give a credit card number to hold our reservation. The restaurant wasn't able to give us separate checks, however it worked out fine giving them multiple cards and designating the amount to be charged to each card. Service: It took a good while for our waitress to serve our group water, and even longer for her to take our order. The food did come out from the kitchen pretty quickly though, despite the restaurant being super busy. On another note, I had called the restaurant ahead of time to ask if they were able to write a congratulatory message on a dessert plate, which unfortunately they couldn't accommodate. However, once I showed up on they day of, they suggested that I run next door to Buzz Bakery and purchase a dessert that could be personalized (Rustico and Buzz Bakery have the same owner) and they would serve it in the restaurant. This worked out perfectly and my friend loved her personalized sweet surprise after dinner. I do want to return to Rustico to try some of their other dishes... well okay, mainly the deep fried deviled eggs. I'll admit that I'm a sucker for fried good-ness.
(3)
Yasmine B.
Went there for brunch last weekend on a glorious DC spring day. Since they did not offer a full brunch menu outside, we ended up sitting inside (at a booth with lots of lovely sunshine). The menu is heavy with bacon, including bacon vinagrette, bacon this and bacon that. I got the salmon BLT minus the B, and it was delicious. The donuts are fantastic made with ricotta cheese, so they are a little soft and creamy in the middle. Coupled with a dipping sauce, they are the perfect treat before the work week descends on you.
(4)
M. G.
The food was wonderful. The wall of beers on tap makes my heart sing. Thank you to Austin, our bartender, for taking such good care of us. He suggested food and drink options based on our tastes and pleased us all. A great time was had. Thank you!
(5)
Kyle N.
The new menu is pretty incredible. The beer selection is one of the best. The staff is friendly and good at what they do. One of the few places in Ballston where it's fun to hang out.
(5)
Rebecca P.
This place is great! Fun atmosphere, good food (especially the pizzas), usually great service. Highly recommend the fries with truffle parmesan. They have an extensive beer list, and the servers are really knowledgeable about what is on it. We had a reservation but ended up being able to grab a table by the bar when we got there early, and it was great.
(4)
Heather G.
Rustico is a beautiful restaurant that specializes in pizza and beer...I think. At least that is over half of their menu. The beer is not made in house, so I guess they specialize in imported beer. Right? Ok. Ok. Don't ask me anything about beer, because I ordered water and Pizza. The pizza came with a few options, but I stuck with Pepperoni. Even though I am not big on pizza, it's the crust that makes the difference to me. This crust was nothing to desire. In fact, I ate everything but the crust. The outdoor seating was heavily sought after on the Saturday afternoon, I went here. If I return, I would order the mussels; they are soaked in a wine sauce that looked/smelled amazing.
(3)
U.S. A.
4 Stars for 2 reasons... The pretzel bites with salt and drumroll....caraway seeds, delicious!!! And the desert of the donut holes, super yummy. I had the pizza and not bad it was ok. Huge beer list, but a little overwhelming to be honest and while our waiter was real nice he couldn't make recommendations to it like they can at Beers of the World. Aka... don't have a giant beer list of specialty beers if your staff can't make solid recommendations based upon what you like.
(4)
Meriam A.
I came here for Brunch last week and had a wonderful meal. We shared Rustico Donuts and Crispy Brussels which were both delicious. Especially the Brussels sprouts due to the amazing pomegranate molasses sauce. I also ordered the Pumpkin Eggnog French Toast with a side of scrambled eggs. The French toast was also very good and I especially liked the pumpkin butter. The only disappointing part of the meal was the side of scrambled eggs which were too fluffy for my taste.
(4)
Mike G.
Good beer selection and tasty food. Pizza and almost anything from their list of apps are my favorite things to get. Wait times are usually not too bad, and the quality of service is pretty standard.
(4)
Catherine G.
Hey! This is damn good pizza! And as a Chicagoan that loves deep dish, these crunchy thin crust pizzas were delectable! We went to Rustico by chance because we were in the neighborhood. Normally we try to stay away from Arlington, DC, etc because of PARKING issues. Every time we go into the city BAM!! Parking ticket. Its like we have to have a separate fund for parking tickets when we go out to dine in DC. Rustico's cool decor and good eats will bring us back sometime when we want good pizza. None of that soggy stuff like Mellow Mushroom... Too bad they can't take some of Mellow Mushrooms pizzas and use that awesome crust of theirs. Oh well, can't have it all. Try their Flat Iron Steak with the cheddar cheese-potato roesti, red chimichurri, and garlic kale. All surprisingly good. For the first time after trying the roesti I didn't say... "oh yeah, I can make that at home." I'm still not sure how to replicate it...but I'm sure I can google-it! hehehe. This place is worth trying, at least once. Get the pizza..you know you want to!
(4)
Michael B.
Best beer bar around. Try a sampler. So conveniently located to the Metro, Im glad we came over from DC. I cant tell you how many great beers they have that are so new to me and I consider myself pretty knowledgeable when it comes to craft beers. Great service too. I even got to try there NRG collobration beer I'll be back next time Im back home in DC 100%
(4)
Benjamin D.
Go for the beer selection and the pizza. Don't forget the risotto tater tots! Great atmosphere!
(4)
Yuchen Z.
Atm: Pretty chill, high ceilings, friendly atmosphere. Food & Drinks: They have an enormous amount of beer. They classify their drinks by flavor profile so you can pick things that you like based on other beers you have tasted. My friends like to be adventurous and tries like 3 different beers each time. From what I heard from them, they all enjoyed the different beers. You're going to have to go there and check out the beer flavor profiles to see if you like it or not. They have some 400 drink selections I believe. Food-I went for the Catalonian which is a pizza that has tomatoes and onions and smoked mozzarella. I thought it was just OK. The crust was mushy due to the toppings and there were a LOT of onions. The smokey mozzarella tasted very good though. My friend got the spicy chicken pizza and that was nice a spicy. You can also make your own pizza with whatever topping you want. Another dish was the truffled pasta-I couldn't get much of the truffle taste which I really wanted. The pasta I thought was a bit too hard for me. And overall, I felt like the dish had a weird texture because the pasta was a tiny pellet kind and it felt more rice-like than another type of pasta like penne or something. The overall flavor profile was just OK for me. My favorite dish of the night was definitely the scallops with corn and ricotta gnocchi. This dish was amazing. The scallops were delicious and the corn mix on the bottom was super super full in flavor. I dipped my pizza crust into the leftover corn and juices on the bottom and that made the pizza crust taste so much better! Service: The service was so great. Brittany was our waitress and she was a new waitress. She did a great job. She was super friendly and so were the other people that waited on us from hostess to the person that seated us. People explained the drink selections really well and had good recommendations. I really appreciate a place where you can split checks. Brittany suggested splitting individual checks and that made our lives so much easier. I liked that a lot. I really recommend this place! My friend also said they have cute boxed type lunches and I might have to go back for that!
(4)
DeeJay K.
Going downhill! I've been to Rustico a few times in the past and my experience was always average -- enjoyable but not memorable. However, my last visit was horrific. I sat at the bar for 15 minutes while the bartender paced back and forth in a state of utter cluelessness. She did manage to hand me a menu which apparently bought her another 10 minutes to ignore me. The kicker -- the manager walked by at least 5 times during this ordeal and did not say a word and "managed" to not manage at all (not sure of his name, but he was slightly overweight, balding, white). The double kicker -- I witnessed the manager grabbing and adjusting his crotch AT THE BAR! That was enough for me. I left. Not going back. Never.
(1)
Brittany M.
Rustico only has 2 or 3 drink specials for brunch, one bloody mary, a bellini, and a mimosa, so if you want a boozier brunch, this may not be the place for you.The bellini came in a champagne flute with a bit of frozen-y fruity goodness in it, and the server poured a bottle of prosecco over it so it fizzed. The birthday girl in our party of 7 seemed to like it. The table split an order of the donuts, which came with 7 mid-sized donut holes covered in cinnamon sugar and a vat of caramel for dipping(/drinking.) They were so delicious that I started to change my order to just get another bowl of donuts for myself. Instead, I pressed ahead with the Shrimp & Grits, which is a steal in this region at only $11. However, it didn't look like the typical order of Shrimp & Grits or Shrimp & Fried Grit Patties. The grits were in a roux of sorts that meant I lost some of my grits to disintegration of being in a soup-y mess, which was fine, though, because there were enough long strips of bell peppers and onions and five large shrimp to get me full. They could've cut the strips a little shorter because I felt like I was eating spaghetti and wasn't very graceful with them. Regardless, this Southern girl appreciates grits in pretty much any form and I was very happy with my meal. Our server was pretty good at first but as it got busier, he seemed to be the only one waiting on other tables and it took a while to get our check at the end. As I've been pushed into brunching more and more, this place will go on my new to-brunch list.
(5)
Samantha L.
Had a good meal here with a friend last week. That friend knew one of the chefs.... which is why we picked this particular restaurant. I opted for a salad and these risotto tater tots that sounded too good to pass up. My friend went for a gluten-free pizza. Everything was good the standout was the risotto tots! I could eat them every day.... if it wouldn't make me weigh 400+ lbs! Rustico also has a HUGE beer list. It was a little too big for me to make sense of... but the waitress helped point me in the right direction and I ended up really liking what I got.
(4)
Kendall B.
Consistently awesome, fast-changing menu with good service and relatively reasonable prices.
(4)
L M.
Last month we went to Rustico on Slaters Lane where the service was great and the snacks,pizza & Parmesan eggplant were delicious! So this past Friday we decided to come to the Ballston location! I give this location 3 stars ONLY because the service was great and my husband was happy with his juicy burger and the bun that came with it! With that being said .... It could've been 5 stars if the deep fried deviled egg came with a buddy or 3! But we ONLY got 1 egg cut in half for what $5 - $6? Really Rustico? Also the risotto tots were somewhat chewy at this location. The pastrami pork ribs that I ordered, it look like it came from a pig that was on the biggest loser and then some. It was also dry & not juicy at all like it sat out in the sun to become Pork Jerky maybe? ( shrug) I wish I had pictures e of the ribs & the lonely egg so people can see that I'm really NOT exaggerating about the food portions.
(3)
Alexandra B.
The best thing about rustico is they have really friendly, cool, and competent bartenders. They all really know their beer and make excellent recommendations. The second best thing about rustico is their beer selection. Which is epic. Unfortunately, everything else from the servers to the hostess who puts in take out orders to the food is hit or miss. Sometimes the food is good but the waiter basically forgot about us. Other times the take out order was put in wrong and a half hearted offer to correct it if I wanted to wait another 15 minutes for a grilled steak Cesar salad (that they left the steak off of). Really? Other times the food is just meh. In between you may occasionally get a good burger or a delicious brat but I've gotten to the point that as a matter of principle I really just don't want to go back. It's unfortunate... There are a lot more options now with more coming (hello kapnos!) and they should be stepping up their game.
(3)
Beach G.
Go to stop for good food amazing beer. The food is not typical bar grub. Mussels and flatbreads are the best. Bartenders are polished. Plenty of TVs to view games. Love this place
Food review: The food was very good as I can recall (it was a month ago). They have a full menu that provides a lot of unique options, although not many basic options. Ciders offered were alright. If everything else was alright with my visit, I would have no problem giving this place a 4 out of 5, but the service was quite poor. It was hard to get anyone to service my table, even just for water...hell, even just for taking away my credit card so they can get their money. As such, I left them a tip that was deserved. Of course, they decided to charge me $10 more than I had left them - had to dispute that charge on my CC statement. I won't be visiting them again anytime soon.
(1)
Erik G.
I work across the street from Rustico. I've eaten there a number of times, but the last two occasions have convinced me never to darken their doorstep. A few weeks ago, about 10 of us went to Rustico as a farewell happy hour for a departing colleague. I got there a bit later than everyone else, and there weren't any seats left at the long, high-top bar table everyone was sitting at. There were five or six free seats at the high-top table directly next to ours, and so I asked the people at that table whether I could take one of their chairs and slide in on the end of my group's table. They gladly let me have one of the seats, which I then pulled up at our table in a space on the end. A server came by a few minutes later and informed that I couldn't sit there because I was sitting in a fire lane. Everyone moved down, and I moved my chair out of the "fire lane." The server then informed me that I still couldn't stay there because the seat wasn't "his" ... it was from a table in another section, and I would have to return it! WTF??? Are you kidding me? I told the manager about this idiocy, and the manager quickly agreed that his server was off-base (especially, I pointed out, as there were still five or so seats free at the other table). Today, I went to Rustico for lunch with my fiancee. We waited up at the front desk for a few minutes, but there was no one to greet/seat us. After a few minutes, we sat ourselves (right in time for the hostess to flutter through and tell us that we were fine grabbing any table). Then we sat for another 5+ minutes without anyone coming over to take our drink/food orders. Finally, my fiancee went to speak with the bartender, who came over a few minutes later to take our order. I ordered a bowl of soup and some Brussels sprouts. The food came, and my bowl of soup was large. I started into it, but after a few spoonfuls I thought that some bread might be nice to have. My water glass was also near empty. I looked around for a server, but none was nearby. It took a few minutes before I was able to flag someone down and make my request. This server told the bartender, who refilled my glass and told me that the kitchen was working on the bread. No problem. Pretty standard, right? Well, I waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, after trying unsuccessfully to get someone's attention several times, I was able to flag down the first server. I asked where the bread I had requested was, and she said that she'd check into it. I ended up finishing my soup and sprouts before she returned with a single, solitary slice of bread. I asked for a check (since were were finished) and my fiancee and I tore off a couple of small pieces of the slice of bread. The bartender brought the check (relatively quickly) and whisked away the remaining portion of bread! That's when I saw it ... the check included a $1.00 charge for my slice of bread! I couldn't believe my eyes! A dollar for a reasonably paltry slice of bread that they took 15 minutes to get to me ... unfuckingbelieveable! On the way out I told the hostess (who, at that time, I believed was the manager) about how bad the service was and how incredibly irritating it was to be charged a buck for a piece of bread that came 15 minutes after I had asked for it. "Oh, would you like me to get the manager?" she asked. I replied that she could tell him herself, and I walked out. I won't be going back.
(1)
Mark B.
In the area on business and stopped by on a recommendation from a friend that is local. He knows I love good beer and this place certainly delivered! Great, diverse selection of beer on tap with plenty more in bottles to choose from! The food menu was about average. Some interesting starters, a handful of entrees, and some pizza options. Nothing really blew me away so went with one of their more interesting pizzas -- Carolina Dreaming. Made well and tasty so can't complain. Atmosphere is pretty laid back with awesome 90's alternative music playing (yeah a bit of a throwback for some, but perfect to my ears!). I sat the bar and the bar staff were friendly and attentive. All-in-all a great place to find great beers and a decent bite to eat.
(4)
Johnny D.
Had the burger topped with an egg. Definitely top 3 of the best burgers I have ever tried. Must try
(5)
Jelli F.
Ribs are just ok, pizza is very good. Brussel sprouts are to die for! All in all, worth a try if you've not been.
(4)
Julie G.
Went here last night based on a suggestion from my roommate with my boyfriend who was visiting from out of town. Lakesha was a prompt waitress, and even though she said she wasn't a beer aficionado by any means, her suggestions were spot on. My boyfriend also wanted to experience a rooftop bar around here, and Lakesha didn't blink to suggest a few in the D.C. area. Not only did she help with the beer, but she also made some cool recommendations for dinner choices. Besides pizza, the menu is limited, but the entrees are old nonetheless. If you like deviled eggs, I highly suggest their fried deviled eggs. We had a great time, and all in all, I would go back solely based on the service from Lakesha.
(4)
Jini K.
I've spent a significant amount of time in Ballston and had never even heard of Rustico until my SO took me there one day over a year ago. The first bite of food I ever had there was the Carrot Hummus, sans lamb ragu, and it was mind-blowing! The Salt Roasted Beet Salad was the second bite of food I had there and again, I was blown away by the flavor profile and quality of ingredients. These two dishes are staples for us whenever we frequent Rustico!! The pizza is always great; I particularly love the traditional margherita pizza. Although I'm not a huge beer drinker, they have an impressive beer list, as well. Rustico is probably my favorite restaurant in all of Arlington for food alone! Be sure to visit and order the carrot hummus and beet salad, you won't regret it!!
(4)
Melissa C.
I would rate this place a 3.5 stars. For some reason I much prefer the Slater Lane location in Old Town. Prefer the decor, vibe and food. My issue with this location is the consistency. I will get one item that I really enjoy like the salmon sandwich or beet salad and then completely not like the soup and lackluster Mac n cheese. Their soup in particular is not on par with their other items. They do have a great beer selection. And I do like their box lunch in which you can select 3 items however it is on pricey side.
(3)
Jules K.
I'm going to present (with some edits and amendments) the description I emailed to a friend after eating there Saturday: "With the help of Yelp! I picked Rustico in Ballston. Have you heard of it? In case you haven't: The decor says Business Formal. There is a decent sized and nicely varried beer selection that says "Yes please!" But it is priced to make you consider having a water instead. I did really like the beer I had on the bartenders suggestion, but $12 for a tulip glass? To my knowledge it did not grant eternal youth, so why? The bar menu (limited menu for between lunch and dinner) contained things like duck confit pizza with figs and goat cheese and rocket coated in vinaigrette. I call this a too bloody clever by half menu. The chef really should have de-seeded the figs because a mouth full of grit does not amuse. And the TVs were playing various sporting events. Combined, the whole thing was Tres Weird. And the best thing on the duck pizza was the arugula. But at least it was quiet and dimly lit. And if they do have a dress code, they weren't enforcing it." I should emphasize that quiet in a restaurant/bar is really important to me, so I may well go back if I'm over that way on a Saturday lunch time, and carefully read the beer menu before making an order. I suspect the dinner prices are such that I would only go there if I were trying to impress/seduce someone.
(3)
Shar S.
Rustico off of Wilson is absolutely fab! I made a reservation for a group of 7 to go to lunch on a weekday and was really happy with the meal. I was slightly nervous in the beginning because it was my first time going there I wanted to make sure everyone in the group would be able to order. - Great dishes to choose from. There were a couple of sandwiches that were vegetarian and tasted wonderful! I had the apasaragus grilled cheese and it was perfect. The bread seems fresh and proportions were balanced. The asparagus spears were perfect! Not too soft or soggy. - Lighting was great. - Neat interior design. - Seating was open. I did not feel crowded at all. - Server was friendly, kept up with the table's drinks and knowledgeable of food. - Street parking nearby was not an issue even with construction and it being in the middle of the day. At the end, everyone was very satisfied and happy with their orders. This is my first time, but I would def return to see what other dishes taste like.
(5)
Michael F.
This is one of the best places to eat in the Ballston area. Our waitress was very knowledgeable and helpful when it came to the countless beers, many of the drafts which you can get a Taste of for $2-5. My gf and I had the truffle parmesan fries and Carolina Dreamin' pizza which were outstanding. The waitress recommended the s'more cheesecake for dessert and that was delectable as well. Overall an experience that made us eager to come back to try other items on the menu.
Ehh I don't know what to make of my experience here. We had a horrible server who obviously hated her job in every way possible. She came once to drop off drinks and didn't show up for about 15-20 mins later to take our orders... We were pissed. Even taking orders was annoying for her. I simply asked her what was popular and she was quite rude. However we ordered the "snack" size truffled Parmesan fries which were delish!!! And big! But again.. Came out 20 mins later.. We got the Carrot Hummus! Just WOW! Super surprised. The feta and lamb really bring out the flavors of the carrot and there were generous amounts of pita ;) always a + in my book ! We ordered a small beet salad, my parents seemed to enjoy it, I don't like mixing fruit in my salad (there were orange slices in it) but it was tasty once you ignored the oranges I ordered the Carbonara which she said was most popular and substituted the ham for chicken instead. I thought the dish was huge, I don't like eggs in my food so I passed that to my mom. I was so intrigued by the flagea pasta I believe it was called. Similar to Cous Cous. I liked the asparagus as well but didn't enjoy the creaminess of the dish. Had too much in it. Overall, I wish I could say more about it here but I can't. The server really ruined it. She slammed ketchup on the table and threw the check at us.. Yeah that's why she got a bad tip. Better luck next time. I probably wouldn't come back.
(2)
Patrick G.
Great beer list! Loved the burger and fries. My friends all enjoyed their pizzas. Will definitely be returning.
(4)
John N.
So overall this place has a lot of potential. And I will preface this by saying that I have only been here once to actually eat the food. The other times were for happy hour and to try out their selection of beers, which is extensive. I love Duck Confit and I was really excited to try out their Duck Confit pizza which had a fig jam with red onion and arugula on top. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. It felt as if you were finally going to be able to sleep with your favorite Victoria Secret Model, only to find out that your Victoria Secret Model is secretly a Transexual. Looks great on the outside but underneath the covers is a nasty surprise. The duck was overly salty and the Gorgonzola cheese overpowered the entire pizza. The fig jam was bitterly sweet if that is such a thing and the Arugula did not help to tone down the dish. Every bite felt like I was spooning in a mouthful of salt and sugar all dowsed in vinegar. I thought maybe it was the first piece so I kept eating and after 2 slices I couldnt take anymore. One or the most unsatisfying meals I have ever had. So why 3 stars? I have had some of their appetizers including their Carrot Hummus and Risotto Tater Tots which are really great. I also had their powdered donut holes which are really delicious. I will definitely come back to try other things on the menu. This place has a lot of potential. But man that Duck Confit taste like feet. AVOID THAT ONE DISH.
(3)
Debi N.
Great restaurant if you want to taste a variety of beers. Our waiter was nice but kind of seemed robotic. He mentioned a type of beer worth trying and I asked him a question about it and he totally went off on a different tangent. I also overheard him trying to sell the same beer to surrounding tables. Not sure if it's his favorite beer on tap (he only mentioned it was new) but considering I have many friends in the restaurant business I'm under the impression his boss is making him sway that specific type of beer. I appreciate when asking about other beers on tap he was honest enough to say he hasn't tried it and doesn't know whether it's good or not instead of trying to play it off. The pizza is good, not fantastic. I did ask for a side of marinara sauce (which they didn't charge me extra for) to dip the crust because it was awfully dry. Haven't had a chance to try the other dishes. But since I do like the variety of beers I will come back eventually and try something else. They waiter also noted the menu changes often. Note: My visit was during the second week of July 2013 and we were informed during our meal there was a building wide malfunction of the air conditioning. It did make dining very uncomfortable. Ever heard of portable air conditioning? Seems kind of necessary if you are running a business. On a good note they do have plenty of outdoor dining. But watch out for mosquitoes which is why I opted for indoor seating.
(3)
Ladan S.
I can't comment on the food, because we didn't even get a chance to eat it. My family and I made reservations here 3 days in advance and were coming here for a birthday dinner in the family. We get there a few minutes ahead of our reservation time and they did not have a table ready for us, as a matter of fact, they weren't able to seat anybody because they had a system outage so they couldn't seat anybody or even get any orders out to the tables that were waiting for their food. We waited a half an hour and they still couldn't seat anybody, so several people left. We talked to the manager, who explained they JUST were starting to do orders by paper but that they couldn't even guarantee how long it would take for us to receive our food after making our orders. We decided to leave and went to another restaurant in the area which we ended up loving and were happy with. However, we were very disappointed with the fact that we made these reservations a few days in advance and were looking forward to coming here. I feel that they shouldn't completely rely on their computers, they need to be prepared for times like that when the system is down. They should keep track of their reservations by computer but also have it down on paper so that this doesn't happen again and they should be prepared to do orders by paper as soon as their system goes down. They even let people know they could sit at the bar but that the bartender couldn't serve them any drinks because of the system being down which I find ridiculous. They did apologize, but most people including us left and found other restaurants in the area. I don't believe we'll be back.
(1)
Kelly P.
I love Rustico. Great beers, friendly staff, pizzas are good, love the Bibb salad...has given me refuge (and an electrical outlet) during power outages!
(5)
Ziv B.
This one pains me to report. I have been here a time or two, and each time it gets a little worse. This time I went with two friends, one of whom eats like a rabbit so I can't say anything bad about the little greens plate she got, but the pork schnitzel I got sounded good and my other friends pizza looked great on paper! So I get my Devils Backbone and I am like, mmmmm.... Beer! It is kind of cold so we ask the waitress if she could turn up the heat, but it is out of comission... Then our entrees make their unassuming arrival... My schnitzel looks like a pounded, dry, overcooked peace of day old meat. Yea! And that is how it tasted too. Marvelous! My friend is digging into her Greek pizza so I am thinking, "No worries, my friends are eating well and I have a good beer." So my rabbit appetite friend is like, "How is your food because this is kind of bland." Yeah, that was my first thought as well. "You order rabbit food and complain that it is bland?" But I didn't go there. My Greek pizza friend admits her pizza may still be frozen on the bottom, I try a slice, she is not far from being right. Service wasn't horrible, and the ambiance is quirky and fun. Beers are good. The silverware is clean. I don't think this is a 1 star restaurant, but they are walking in that neighborhood.
(2)
Geovany S.
The bartenders will help you choose beers you will like. You can order your same old beers, but I suggest trying out some new beers. They have an option where you can try 4 samples at a time. Real good deal. One of the best appetizers I've ever had is their hummus and pita bread. It's a must, please try it.
(5)
Gretchen P.
Rustico's best kept secret only happens during weekday lunchtime hours, so if you work in the area, you are doing yourself a SERIOUS disservice by not checking it out. Their lunchbox deal provides you with -- are you ready? -- a small salad, a half sandwich, AND a cup of one of their soup of the days, plus a beverage, all for $15. Yep, that's an "and" in there, not an "or" -- so basically, you are feasting like a king for a very reasonable price, especially considering the fact that you aren't limited to a sad garden salad and cuppa chicken noodle, oh no. Almost the entire normal lunch menu is available to mix and match for your lunchtime masterpiece! When Kimberly V, Mike B, and I all met up for lunch, we all ended up with the lunchbox. I opted for the Boston Bibb salad (delicious with dried cherries!), a cup of their truffled potato soup (so rich and hearty!), and a half of their Salmon BLT sandwich (probably my least favorite part of the trifecta, but still tasty). Top it off with a glass of iced tea and you've got one happy (and full!) lady! We also started off with the carrot hummus, which is less like a hummus and more like a tastebud's dream with the lamb ragu they spread on top. I wanted to sop up each little morsel of dip with the warm pita they provided. Such a unique dish, and SO delicious. It's a must-order kinda dish!
(4)
Kimberly S.
For the first time in Yelp history, I am going to sing the praises of a salad. For those who read my reviews, I can wax poetic about shredded pork, roasted pork, pulled pork, and pork drippings all day but vegetables aren't exactly a muse to me. Sure, I'll eat them but it's only because I don't want to die of scurvy. Rustico's salt roasted beet salad is a game charger. It is THE best salad I've had in my life. In fact as I am writing this review, I am also looking up recipes on how to roast a beet at the same time. This salad featured a beautiful rainbow of gold and red roasted beets atop a bed of peppery arugula, creamy goat cheese, pickled red onions, and crunchy pecans. The contrasting textures and flavors was Mother Nature's wake up call to my taste buds. I've been to Rustico several times and have always been a fan of their chic, relaxed atmosphere, large craft beer selection, friendly and helpful service, affordable and delicious pizzas, and their other game charger....carrot hummus with lamb ragu. If you order this, I promise that you will ask for at least two extra orders of pita bread so you can pick up every single last drop on the plate. It is that good! I usually try to end my reviews with a closing remark but I'm about to google carrot hummus recipes now so with that...I bid you adieu!
(5)
Chris T.
I came here with a friend who lives in Arlington and claims their pizza is the best. I ordered a pizza, and I have to say, I was not impressed at all. Maybe it's because I live in New York and I'm spoiled... Having said that, the service was abysmal. The waiter/waitress combo that was dealing with us were rather rude, and very inattentive. They have a great beer list, but when it takes them 20 minutes just to get a beer, we left when we were done with our food and went elsewhere to get a couple more beers.
(2)
Darren N.
Ah, push it - p-push it real good! That's what I remember most from my dinner here. Rustico left their 80s playlist on for the night and the hits of Salt-n-Pepa, Madonna and others were what we heard throughout our meal. The songs were amusing though a bit out of place. Risotto tater tots - My favorite item of the night, risotto ... good, tater tots ... good, put your hands together ... Mmm good! Carrot hummus - This reminded me of nachos. The spiced lamb tasted like ground beef, the kind you put into tacos and somewhat reminiscent of that of Taco Bell. This heavily masked the carrot hummus which it was on top of. I could hardly taste any carrot in the hummus, even when scooping just the hummus. Was expecting more from this appetizer. Sea scallops - The scallops themselves were good, but the dollop of almond butter created an awkward gritty combination. A pairing I was not a fan of. Fried green tomato pizza - Topped with arugula, squash, pine nuts and a hint of lemon. This was a refreshing pizza, though the flavor profile didn't completely win me over. Ham and asparagus pizza - Strong flavors with the added mustard bechamel, again wasn't entirely impressed with the topping combinations. But I do admit the crusts on these pizzas are very good, light thin and crispy! Our waiter was very genuine and hospitable. Good service. The food is hit or miss.
(3)
Tara G.
So I like Rustico.. And really appreciate that you offer a filling and tasty gluten free pizza, especially without up charging for the GF crust! But the servers need a refresh on allergy instructions, or the menu needs updating and clarity... I ate here two weeks in a row, and one day I was told that only the pesto pizza cannot be gluten free, so I got the mushroom. On the next occasion, I was told that the mushroom pizza was the only one that cannot be gluten free! What??! I'm not asking for the fun of it! So I got the margarita pizza on the second occasion and the server offered to add mushrooms. I appreciate a lot of basil which they did, but the leaves of basil were on top and in some areas alone on the crust with hardly any sauce or cheese, and leaves basically dry out, crisp and flake off baked when alone. Try adding CHEESE and sauce to every slice, please!
(3)
Jon M.
Deviled eggs are a must try. They are crispy and that sauce is tasty. Risotto Tots were bland. I wouldnt order it again. Had the Butchers Block pizza, and it wasnt mind blowing.
(2)
Long S.
Stopped by Rustico on my way home from the gym for a quick pizza and beer -- I like the different IPAs Rustico has on tap. My pizza came as ordered and prey quickly - great!! But I wanted an extra small plate, but the food-runner was gone - no problem. The bartender was busy at the other end of the bar and the food-runner was passing by me behind the bar and I tried to get his attention, but it was loud (Packers-Seahawks game was on) and he did not hear me. A minute or less later the manager (tall, bald guy with a beard) also walked past me behind the bar and I tried to get his attention by saying excuse me twice and he did not hear me either (remember the game is on and it is loud at this point), so I again said excuse me but this time louder and he turns around and tells me if I yell again he will ask me to leave. I said I did not yell I simply raised my voice because it was loud and he did not hear me the first two times I said excuse me. So now you would think, he would realize I did not yell at him as he thought and would say something like "oh, sorry about that how can I help you?", but no, no, no! He again tells me that I yelled at him and if I do it again he will ask me to leave, really!?!?!?!!! So I offered to leave, but he walks away and in front of me says something to the bartender (who does a great job!) about me as he looks back at me. Excellent management style -- I think this guy is really going somewhere in the restaurant profession!!! I live very close to Rustico and had a great relationship with Ian, the former manager, but I will not be going back to Rustico again!! Where is Ian now, Rustico really needs him??
(1)
Antonia S.
Salt is the primary spice here! Somehow their mozzarella on pizza will block you for days. And, I did not know it was possible to have so many bad wines on one list. One actually had the smell of skunk, as if it were a Molson's beer. MBT (3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol) is what that is. How is that possible in a red wine? Just skip it, and if you do go...drink beer and have truffled fries, as it is the only way you will make it through the evening.
(1)
Tammy H.
I went to Rustico a couple weeks ago and it was a great experience. I had the shrimp ravioli and it was amazing, best dish I've had in such a long time. Great service, relaxed atmosphere, I definitely will return and recommend others to experience it as well. Excellent!!
(5)
Ryan F.
This would be 1 or 2 stars except that normally we really enjoy Rustico. Granted we went there at 5:45 on a Friday but the dining area was maybe 1/3 full and we were turned away with a crappy tone, a worse attitude and told it would be at least an hour to get a table. Good luck treating regular customers that way.
(3)
Mark L.
Got a burger and a glass of wine and substituted a vegetable for fries and they wanted $2 extra for that. My bill was $34 dollars. Really? A burger and a glass of wine and its $34. What a joke
(1)
Jen F.
Rustico has become my favorite restaurant in Ballston. Service, food and ambience are all top notch, and only getting better. I highly recommend the brussel srpouts and any of their burgers. They have a great beer selection, and also a pretty decent wine list for a beer-centric place.
(5)
Karisa D.
Rustico is pretty cool place in the Ballston area. I came here for happy hour with a friend. I'm so glad it's starting to get warm again because then it means outdoor seating, which we were able to enjoy on this particular day. Food is familiar but with a twist. My friend ordered the carrot humus which I liked. It had a nice kick to it. I ordered the risotto balls and meatballs which were good. A little too much cheese for my taste (and that's saying a lot because I love cheese). Rustico's offers an extensive beer and wine selection. On this particular day, we ordered wine. And they have decent happy hour prices on their wines and beers on tap and bottled. Service was good and staff was friendly. I'll probably be back again to order at least a beer
(3)
Michael B.
Went there for Sunday brunch with some friends. While the Alexandria location has great service, the service at the Ballston branch is absolutely terrible. I had the pulled pork hash, which was average, although the food is usually great at both locations. If it wasn't for the beer selection I would have given it 1 star. Due to such terrible service I probably won't go back to the Ballston location again due to soo many other great alternatives in that area.
(2)
Bill T.
This is really a 3.5 place, but based on their beer selection, I'm going to go four on this. Call me crazy, but then I'd be four loko (yeah, I went there) It's a beautiful space, very warm and nicely decorated. Our server, Chris, was very nice. Food was solid, but I didn't find it spectacular. I'll go over that first..bffc* recommended starting with mac and cheese, which we did. It was good, but not as good as the mac and cheese at DuMont in Brooklyn--that is the standard I use. She had the eggplant parm, which was good but didn't blow my mind. I had the Italian sausage pizza. Again, very tasty but nothing special. The beer really knocked my socks off, and it was cold so not having socks was a real problem! We had the One (Port City Brewing Company, Belgian Imperial Stout), the Allagash Black, and the Sublimely Self-righteous black IPA. All the beers were excellent. I mean they were superb. I saw one thing on the dessert menu that got me excited. It was Beer-imisu, which was a tiramisu made with a chocolate stout. It was just okay, didn't taste much different from other tiramisu I've had. Overall, a very solid performer with the beer menu pushing it over the edge. _______________________________________ *best friend from college
(4)
Chris D.
If your looking for some good Beer with a side of pizza and salad this is your place. D
(4)
Christina T.
Omg, I love love love their Roasted Mushroom pizza! You must try this, it's to die for. :) oh and their Devils Backbone Vienna Lager is a yummy beer. It's not sweet or anything, it's a light beer that's lager ;)
(5)
Jonathon K.
After posting my original 2 star review, I was contacted by management and decided to give the restaurant another visit. Our experience was much better on our second visit. The food was great, and as previously mentioned, their drink selection is extensive. I would recommend visiting.
(4)
Melissa M.
I've been to Rustico in Arlington 3 times. The first time I came here, the service and food were great! The 2nd time - food was great, service was OK. The hostess sat us down right away without a reservation on a busy Sunday, however, our waiter did not provide great service, but was very nice. This past Sunday I brought some friends from out of town here for brunch. Unfortunately, this past time made me reconsider whether I will frequent Rustico in Ballston in the future. When entering the restaurant, there was not much of a crowd. However, instead of walking us to a table, the host pointed in the general direction of empty tables and asked us to pick one. After reviewing the menu and being ready to order, we still did not have any glasses of water on the table for us or anyone come around asking us what we'd like to drink. When we were finally served, the waiter was short with us. While the food was great - the starter donuts and the poutine are definitely the best on the brunch menu - I was greatly disappointed by the service and even embarrassed that I picked this establishment for my friends. I will definitely be having some second thoughts next time I'm thinking of where go to for my next Sunday brunch.
(2)
Laura F.
Great selection of appetizers! Great service with excellent food and a wide selection of beers. The prices can be a little high but it is worth it because of the high quality of food
(5)
Kirk J.
Had this review been written halfway through our dinner (I was with four other colleagues), it would have been a four-star or higher review. The beer selection is excellent, and the prices--particularly the happy hour price I got for the first beer I had at the bar before a table opened (we were on the bar side, not the dining room side)--are quite reasonable. No complaints. Once we got a table, we were served by a waiter who seemed friendly and helpful. He made some suggestions, got us our first round right away, and took our food orders. The food came quickly, and it was good. I had a pizza which was tasty, and my colleagues enjoyed their burgers and one appetizer (I forget what it was). While we were eating, the waiter checked on us and got us all another round. Then, suddenly, something changed. Apparently, at Rustico Ballston, it's not you who decides when you're done. Your waiter makes that decision for you. He came by our table, and before I could say a word, he took my empty beer glass and told me "I'm getting you a water" and walked off without another word. That was the last we saw of him--for an HOUR. Eventually a busboy showed up with the water that our waiter decided was all I deserved at that point; later than that another busboy showed up to kindly offer the rest of the table--all of whom were also now without anything to drink (and who, like me, had originally planned on having an after-dinner drink or SOMETHING)--water as well. And much, much later after that, the waiter finally showed up to ask if we needed anything else. Of course, I'm sure he knew that after going nearly a full hour with nothing to eat or drink, that we had taken the hint and just wanted our bill. Which, of course, took nearly fifteen minutes to finally get. There was no explanation for any of this. We were in the bar section, not the dining room, and there were no people waiting that we could see. We were laughing and talking, but last time I checked people do laugh and talk in bars--certainly everybody else was. There was certainly no reason to handle it the way he did--or to ignore us for a full hour. Let alone speaking to me in such a brusque, condescending manner. Never. Going. Back.
(1)
Alex B.
4 1\2 actually.. I come here all the time because the beer is awesome and it's wicked fun to try all the new stuff they bring in. Minus 1/2 because the food menu is pretty stationary aside from a couple minor seasonal tweaks to pizza and food prep. however, the standard menu is still quite tasty, and I order again what I like in the past. Rustico you know I love you, but a little more culinary variety will continue to fuel our mutualistic relationship. All the best, A
(4)
Nima B.
The menu options are very limited. Literally one page. Forget about changing toppings on the pizza because that's not possible. The waiter was very serious and not friendly at all. I was too scared to ask for a refill. I thought it was just our table but he was like that with everyone. Not worth the money at all. Not worth $30+for a small pizza, salad and soft drink. I still tipped because he looked so miserable. No soap in the bathroom was another issue. So I basically scrubbed my hands with water for a few minutes.
(2)
Dave K.
Tons of beers on tap, and metric tons of them in bottles. Nice atmosphere and friendly waitress. The blue cheese mussels were some of the best I've had. Also enjoyed the very tender hangar steak cooked medium rare and well seasoned. The deep fried deviled eggs were spicy and delicious. Friends said the risotto tots appetizer were very cool too. Would eat here again and want to try their pizza.
(4)
Kelly F.
I'm a big fan of Rustico. It's my go to restaurant when I am looking for relaxing ambiance, great happy hour and quality cuisine without having to travel into DC. I recommend making a reservation on weekends because it gets busy quick and the bar is usually standing room only after about 6:30. My service has consistently been good. The seared scallops, seared salmon, roasted beet salad and homemade donut balls are excellent.
(4)
Amanda J.
Beer selection was great with a ton of local options. Def a must if you're from out of town because you can try the great DMV area brews. Servers were really knowledgeable. Went twice in the same weekend and service was slow both times, would give it 5 otherwise.
(4)
Michael C.
Returned here as its in the neighborhood and had a much better experience. The staff was very friendly and professional, which can make all the difference depending on the food. But today all was good. The food tastes great and the beer selection is always impressive.
(4)
Helen S.
It wasn't bad, but it didn't blow my mind either. I would say I need to come back again before I can make up my mind. I came here with a coworker for lunch during a weekday. We were promptly seated and our server took our beverage order. I ordered hot tea since it was only 20 degrees outside and he brought me an antique box loaded with a wide selection of tea bags. I always like to try something unique and when I saw "caramel" on one of the tea bags, it caught my eyes and I picked that up. It might sound a little weird but it actually tastes pretty interesting. I would suggest you to try it if you are a tea person. We ordered the carrot hummus for appetizer. I am usually not a big hummus girl but this was actually something I wouldn't mind ordering again. It comes with an abundant amount of pita bread with the hummus and we actually got full before our entree came. I ordered a salmon BLT sandwich, which I thought it was a big call afterwards, and I did not like it. I wish I had ordered something else instead. Salmon and bread just don't seem right. Their menu consists of mainly sandwiches and pizzas. I wasn't really in the mood for neither at the time so I don't think its fair to rate my experience based on my salmon sandwich. Overall, food was okay, service was excellent.
(3)
Peter F.
Great beer selection and the atmosphere is pretty laid back. If you have a table, waiting for service can take a bit long (depending on the night/particular server). Several times, the bartender/waiter has given really good recommendations on beer based on what I like to drink. Food (burgers and pizza) have been great every time.
(4)
Kelli M.
Everything was great - menu, ambience, service. I was actually disappointed it was my first time going there after living here for over a year. But, now that I just re-heated the leftover half of my burger, and found a piece of black metal wire in it, I'm not sure I'll be back. Almost swallowed it...now I'm really hoping I didn't consume any earlier, somehow. In case Management reads this, the wire is about 2" long and slightly malleable. Hopefully you can figure out the source of this and prevent it from happening to future guests.
(2)
Katherine H.
They have casked beer!!! Their gluten-free pizza doesn't suck!!! It's not great; actually I can barely remember it. But I remember thinking it didn't suck. Their waitstaff was more interested in hanging out with her friends than serving our table.... Folks were nice, the atmosphere looked like it could be cool at night, but I went at an off hour with a friend--a 2pm brunch. So it was pretty much empty. Which is why I didn't understand why our server was more interested in hanging out with her friends than trying to make tips. This is another place where, I'd go back if my friends asked me to return, but I'd likely offer alternative suggestions first. Unless I wanted casked beer and we had to be in that area instead of in DC.
(3)
Kim H.
I'm a big fan of Rustico. Specifically, the pizza and beer selection. They have tons of large booths as well as communal tables in the bar area. We prefer to dine here because there are also flat screen TVs to watch sports and there is no wait for the booths. The pizza is simple and satisfying. You're not going to have a messy meal where ingredients are dripping down your arm. Unfortunately, the pizza only comes in one size (enough for two people but I was still a little hungry after.....I could have eaten a few more pieces) and ranges from 10-16 dollars. You can also customize your own. The toppings are high quality and I would highly recommend pepperoni!
(4)
Staci C.
I would be willing to try this place again, maybe on a weeknight or for lunch, but as it stands I can only give it two stars. The pizza was good but the service was HORRIBLE. We went on Friday night. We had a reservation and they still refused to seat us even though six out of eight of our party was present. While waiting at the bar for our remaining two friends we were unable to get a drink or even an acknowledgement from the bartender for about 15 minutes. Then when we got to the table the terrible service continued. Since some of us had drinks the waitress didn't take drink orders from anyone- our first contact with her she tried to take our food order, which confused us all (especially because you could barely hear the person next to you it was so loud). We asked her to come back in five minutes and waited probably another 20 for her to return and take our order. We saw her once more when she delivered our food but she was basically MIA the whole meal. Then when she delivered the check we realized why she had been ignoring us- she had a guaranteed 20% tip already added to the bill because we were a party of 8. I had the pretzel bites and the baked potato pizza and both were very good. However nothing could be good enough to make me want to sit in such a noisy, crowded room and be ignored on top of it.
(2)
Dan H.
This place is very cool. From the interior to the ambiance to the menu and food/drink. My wife and I enjoyed a pleasant evening and split the Sea Scallops and a Catalonian Pizza. The scallop dish was great as it came with sweet potato gnocchi and brussel sprouts. Gnocchi was slightly chewy which I liked. The scallops were well cooked and tasty but I expected a few more for the price (we got 3). I wouldn't recommend the Catalonian. Our server said it was popular but tried to steer us away. We were hooked by the romesco sauce - which we both love. Unfortunately it doesn't come with a ton of it and it is overpowered by the smoked mozzarella (another reason to steer clear as smoked mozzarella is always very tough). We ordered the gluten free Chickpea crust - it initially came out with the regular crust but I told the waiter how surprised I was it looked like a regular crust...then he took it back. Damn! I wish I would have scarfed a few slices down before inquiring. The Chickpea crust was decent though. Dessert: I love tiramisu. And I love beer. So I thought a Beeramisu would take it to the next level! Mistake. We ordered it to go and my wife about went off because it was so small and it looked awful from being scooped into said to-go container. I calmed her down but then got equally spun up once I got home and ate some. Not very good and not worth $9. Service was mostly good...our waiter kind of disappeared when we needed him most (more drinks, check, pay said check) so that was a downer.
(3)
John T.
Good Pizza, Sausage and Peppers, We Went For "Brunch" But It Was The End Of The Brunch Menu. Beer Was Good, 80 Acre Hoppy Wheat Beer. Bartender Was Nice and Attentive Even Though She Was The Only One In The Bar Area At The Time.
(5)
Rachel S.
Seriously...I don't know if its because we had our toddler daughter with us (who btw could not have been more delightful or better behaved), but we sat, and sat, and sat....all of the tables immediately surrounding us had their waiters attentively serving them...and we got completely ignored. If the host who sat us hadn't gotten our drinks, we wouldn't have even gotten something to drink. It was a Tuesday night...not super busy. Plenty of wait staff roaming around. Then when my husband approached one of the employees to let her know...we got no apology whatsoever. The only one who apologized was the host. And even then, no offer of a manager to speak to or offer of comped meal, which would have been more than necessary to rectify such poor service. We ended up getting sandwiches at the bakery next door because we were starving and it was already almost 8 pm (we arrived at 7pm.) Needless to say, we will not be returning and maybe a heads up for those of you with children, that I'm not sure this is a child friendly establishment.
(1)
Terri R.
I've been to this Rustico twice now and I must say its a great spot but i prefer the one on Slater lane. This gives off a completely different vibe, but its still pretty nice. The food is great, and it has a nice atmosphere. Its very aesthetically pleasing, but the one thing that kills me about this location every time is parking. If it weren't for the parking then I would easily give this a 4 star rating.
(3)
Laurie J.
My boyfriend and I go back and forth over what we like and don't like about Rustico, but generally, we enjoy it. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could. In the past, we've had trouble with mediocre service, bad seating, and just generally feeling like they didn't care if they had our business or not. The restaurant seating feels a little tight at times unless you can get a booth (which we don't often get, even when requested on a reservation). That said, during those times, we really enjoyed the pizzas and the beer selection, so we opted for take out from time to time, as well as a trip to the bar area. Last night we had tremendous service though. Our server, Zach, was great. Very attentive, very knowledgeable - he was the best server we've ever had there. He took the time to go through our questions, and when one of the beers I wanted wasn't in stock, he helped me pick something comparable. (I would note that though there is an extensive beer list, be prepared for them to be out of something you pick - just seems to always be that way.) I opened with the sweet potato-apple soup, which was delicious. My boyfriend had the risotto "tater" tots, which he also loved (though he thinks they are a little spicy). For my entree, I had the cider braised pork shank. In the past, I haven't had great luck with the entrees aside from the pizza, but the pork shank was delicious. The portion is huge though - I wish I hadn't had the appetizer. The pork pulled easily away from the bone and melted in my mouth - it was great. My boyfriend was satisfied with the white pizza (his normal go-to). Overall, we like Rustico because it's close and convenient. If we didn't live in walking distance, we probably wouldn't go (but that can be said about a lot of places).
(3)
Alex S.
YUMMY. Service is great. I've been there a few times and I've always been impressed with how friendly the wait staff is. Pizza is the bomb. The burgers are the bomb. The deep fried deviled eggs are the bomb DIGGITY. Perfect for a date, perfect for dinner with friends.. Just perfect. One of my favorites in Arlington.
(5)
Val W.
A yummy place with good service. I probably would give 3.5 stars, but you can't do that on Yelp... Food: 4 stars, though conditional. The turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce was really good once I got extra cranberry sauce (tangy and just delicious!), and the sweet potato fries were pretty good, but nothing especially noteworthy. I tried a couple salads (the beet one and butternut squash one) some of my family got and they seemed very good. Carrot hummus = excellent! Very meaty, warm, and just altogether different than a typical hummus. Service: 4 stars. Timely but nothing too outstanding. They did accidentally switch which sandwiches two of our diners had gotten in their lunchboxes. Atmosphere: 3 stars. It was nice looking, kind of fancy, but seemed like a lot of tables in one big room and just nothing especially inviting that would make you want to come back and hang out there.
(3)
John H.
I had a great late lunch here. Beer selection was fantastic. Service was good. So why 3 stars? Well I review pizza, and that was pretty average. I'm judging Rustico against its peers, however, not Dominos or Jumbo Slice. I had the margherita. It was perfectly enjoyable, if a little bland. Which was surprising given the heaping amount of shaved parmesan on top and neon orange cheese/oil appearance. Menu says fresh mozzarella, but I'm skeptical. The crust was a little dry, with none of the char or smoky flavor you'd expect from a wood fired pizza. If you are looking for something to accompany your beer drinking, this will fit the bill. If you are looking for amazing pizza, there is another spot pretty close by that will knock your socks off...
(3)
Jenny F.
Carrot Hummus, Grilled Cesar Salad, Biscuits and Gravy, Mussels, basically everything is on point there - consistently! I love going for brunch (always get a slider on the side), I love going for drinks, I love going for dinner. Basically it's just the best and I go often with friends and family :)
(5)
Mel B.
Solid meal in Ballston. No bread basket, which annoys me if I'm at any restaurant that's remotely Italian. We started with the risotto tater tots, which came with a great sauce and I loved the creativity of. We also had the crispy stuffed dates with chorizo, almond and honey- awesome flavor combo. For my main meal, I got scallops with sweet potato gnocchi and brussel sprouts. This dish was a hit for me- scallops and gnocchi are two of my favorite foods, so it was a great combo. I wish the sweet potato flavor came through a little more on the gnocchi and it felt like they could've used a little less oil. The scallops were seasoned and cooked perfectly though and overall I loved the dish- would probably order it again. My boyfriend got the burger with malted fries, which I was lovinggg. All in all, good sit-down spot in Ballston. Really huge beer and wine menu also so it'd probably be great to go for a few drinks as well.
(4)
Alicia G.
I left Rustico feeling pretty meh by the meal I had. I was here for dinner with a client and we sat outside because there was no way we could hold a conversation inside based on the noise levels. Still fighting the tail end of a summer cold, I decided to forego the beer menu (blasphemous, I know). I had the grilled caesar with shrimp and a side of the truffle parmesan fries. I thought I was ordering them together but the fries came out first as an appetizer. Hm okay. The fries were good though maybe not truffle-y enough. Having recently had the truffle fries at Poste, I found those to be superior. So there are two sizes to their salads - and I was going to order the small but the server insisted I get the large. I figured I'd go with his recommendation but in the end, I was regretful that I did. Don't get me wrong - the salad was good. It was overdressed for sure but the lettuce was obviously fresh and the croutons were deliciously crunchy. But there was so much of it! I think I maybe ate a quarter of the salad. I should have just gotten the small. -1, Mr. Server Man. But... our server -was- on point with beer recommendations to my guests. He steered them clear of a beer that was "terrible" which was later much appreciated when he returned with a sampling to prove his point. Okay, +1, Mr. Server Man. All in all, I'm sure with making the correct dinner choices, one can have a really good meal here. I just chose wrong.
(3)
Albert L.
Great spot, been here a couple of times. The crowd varies, but it trends towards the younger Arlington scene, which is a plus in my book. The prices on food are just right, and they've got a wide menu that should satisfy most everyone. Sure, you've got to try their great pizzas - they can come customized with a range of toppings like basil, sun-dried tomatoes, salamis, mozzarella, etc ... You should also try out their entrees as well, as they are cooked well and actually have a bit of creativity to them. I really like the pork chop they have on - nice and big with great flavor. Their beer menu is also really extensive when it comes to drafts, so that's a plus in my book. They carry a lot of local brews and some things you don't see every day. This is good for the craft brew scene and getting folks to stretch out from their typical low-brow "lite" drinks. The prices are really reasonable at $5-6 for a pint, so go ahead and have some more! The service is usually quick and attentive, and the staff is friendly. The decor is pretty cool - it has a warm loungy feel to most of it. There are two distinct sides. One is the bar area, where you can grab a stool or high booth, and it feels more like a classier sports bar. The other side is the main dining area, where there are some cool ceiling lights and a high wall. It's almost semi-industrial-minimalist, kind of Euro in a way. Very neat. There are also front and side patio areas for outdoor dining enjoyment. Rustico is a buzzing place that I'll be going back to time and time again for the drinks, food, and ambiance.
(4)
Lia M.
I've been to this Rustico location several times. I like the food and beer, but don't care for the crowd, noise level, or service, so I generally try to avoid, but find myself here more often that I care to admit. I really like the pretzel crusted mac and cheese and order it often. It is quite tasty and the pretzel topping adds a nice crunch. The spicy shrimp pizza was always a favorite, but is no longer on the menu. However, I did enjoy their Catalonian pizza - romesco and smoked mozzarella definitely add a great flavor. The fries at Rustico are delicious - always hot and crisp and with a good flavor. Though they sell my favorite beer, Aecht Schenkerla Oak Smoke, it is pricey ($15), so skip it, and go with something else. I've enjoyed most of the beers I've had here, including, most recently, the Dirty Bastard. Due to an unfortunate location and poor service, I really try hard not to return to Rustico, but somehow am always back. So, I'm guessing I won't be breaking that streak anytime soon.
(3)
Amanda M.
Long wait for a table on a Friday night, but that is to be expected. Food was fine. Drinks were fine. But I have to say that I wouldn't go out of my way to go back. Nothing wrong with the place, but nothing that stands out either.
(2)
Eddie G.
This place was a great find. 2 first-timers were pleased beyond expectations. Great pizza and risotto tater tots, fun attentive server (Nick) who was welcoming from start to finish! We will go back for sure!
(4)
Annie K.
I came here for a Yelp NoVA event coordinated by Kimberly V. ;) last Tuesday. Overall, It's pretty spacious - there's a dining area, bar area, AND outdoor seating. We were in the bar area, which consisted of bar stools and booths. There is an AMAZING selection of beer -- on tap and by the bottle. There were actually two beer menus - one that was on a laminated paper that featured the beers on tap and an actual book of beers by the bottle. You can also have a "taste" for the beer for $2. I was pretty overwhelmed by the book, but I managed to try a few that I enjoyed. Although it took awhile for me to get my first beer (approximately 15 minutes) to find out that the beer I selected had JUST run out, the bartender made a great backup recommendation. My boyfriend and I opted to dine at the bar, and we ordered: risotto tater tots, grilled caesar salad, and the Italian sausage pizza. The risotto tater tots are a must get, (awesome green dipping sauce on the side) the grilled caesar salad had the perfect amount of dressing, (how can you really mess caesar sald up, though?) and the Italian sausage pizza was above average. I normally don't like to eat pizza unless it's NY style, (I like thin crust) but it had the right amount of toppings, and had a crispy crust. You can even customize your own pizza if you don't want to choose from the list. This is definitely a great place to go with a group of friends, especially those who enjoy drinking beer that's not the typical Miller Lite, Bud Light, etc.
(4)
Ethan B.
I am a fan of Rustico for happy hour. Their beer selection is good and it is $2 off all drafts so you can get a decent micro-brew for $4-$5. Their beer selection is easily the best in Ballston (until the new beer store opens). Their appetizers are good as are their pizzas. The bar is interesting and everyone always likes it the first few times they go, however I have noticed that it loses it's charm quickly. I can't quite put my finger on it but I think the service is lacking and they aren't as engaging as they could be. I was also confronted by one of the owners (it was a person in back room) over my Phillies hat. Now I don't want to go on a rant here but the day a Nationals fan gives me crap over being a Phillies fan is the day that I don't go back to Rustico. Seriously, sickening, and he is lucky my true Philly fan verbiage didn't come out; I just walked back to my table quietly. I haven't been back since then but honestly I'll probably go back eventually for happy hour with co-workers but only for the beer specials.
(4)
Michael S.
Excellent tap list and fantastic food. The deep fried deviled eggs sounded weird but were actually delicious. I had scallops which were cooked to perfection. I would definitely go back if my travels take my Arlington again.
(4)
Chris S.
Love the beer selection! One of the best Brunch spots in Arlington. Tried the Fried Deviled Eggs!
(4)
Mr. S.
I really wanted to like this restaurant but I honestly didn't. The location is great, the indoor/outdoor atmosphere is great and the pizza is GREAT. I think it ends there... For starters we ordered the parmesan fries. They were disgusting! I absolutely hated them. My wife had a nice glass of pino. I really wanted a Coors Light to go with my pizza but they don't offer Coors in their 331 item beer selection. I ordered a mix drink instead of a beer. Lets just say it was creative in a bad way. Yes- I know I should have tried a beer; my mistake. I ordered a pepperoni pizza. It was perfectly cooked and flavorful with an awesome crispy crust. My wife ordered the burger. The burger was flavorless and the malt fries were simply nasty. For desert we had the fresh warm donuts. Were they good? Ahhh yes! Hot yummy donuts with chocolate sauce. They were cooked perfectly. The overall menu for Rustico is fairly limited for such a large restaurant. I would stick with the pizza! The restaurant has a cool city/rustic/modern feel but damn it's f'n loud. Even with the doors open the restaurant was so loud I could barely hear my wife sitting next to me. Unfortunately I don't think I would return to Rustico if I had a choice. For me it just wasn't anything special.
(2)
Lydia R.
Rustico was a great choice for a work happy hour event. I was looking for a new, different place with great appetizers and happy hour specials and room for 10+ people. It did not disappoint! Our group chose the truffle fries, pizza, and mussels to share. The wait staff was great and the prices really aren't bad for the location!
(4)
Kevin B.
I really like this place. The menu changes a lot! One of the Must-Go-To places in Ballston. Eat inside or out, great light meals or dive into one of their entries. Once you graduate from Rock Bottom you do happy hour here instead. More of an up scale atmosphere, work cloths a couple sports coats. It can be noisy at times, this is the only downside to this place. Last time it was hard to talk and be heard with so much noise.
(5)
Leigh D.
Letter R: I came here with high hopes. It's the wood fired pizza, which is usually really good. Examples of great places in Phoenix, where I'm from, is Pizzeria Bianco and Grimaldi's. Unfortunately, I don't have an example in the DC area. My friend Brian lives walking distance to here, and he said it was really good. I wanted the pizza since that is what they are known for. He really likes their meatballs and another item on the appetizer menu; so that's what he got. I was so disappointed when I saw & tasted my pizza. I felt annoyed because there was very little cheese and a lot of sauce on it. The server made it sound like there was plenty of cheese; She misled me, and I don't like being misled. The manager came over, and he offered to put in an order for the pizza I wanted and wouldn't charge me for the first pizza. While it was better than the first pizza, it was still mediocre. I definitely wouldn't come back here unless Brian really wants to go, in which case, I would try the meatballs.
(2)
Carolyn S.
We started off with the DEEP FRIED DEVILED EGGS with caperberry remoulade. These were seriously amazing. The filling was delicious and the outer coating provided a great contrast to the delicious egg inside. The caperberry remoulade was also a nice touch - cutting into the heaviness of the fried egg. We also ordered the BREAKFAST POUTINE with italian sausage gravy, fries, cheese curds, and farm eggs, which was an interesting take on a Canadian classic. This was super-rich, but very tasty. My only complaint is that it could have used more gravy (it was really more a pile of fries with sausage crumbles and curds sprinkled on top). Still, it was delicious. My husband ordered the COUNTRY BREAKFAST with tomato sauce, farm eggs, potatoes, onion, bacon (substituting sundried tomatoes), and mozzarella. I didn't get to try this myself, but it looked amazing. Coffee was decent and we got refills. In terms of ambience, the space is nice - high ceilings and pleasant decor. There was a baby shower taking place on the level below us, which made things a little less brunch-y. The upside is that the restaurant is probably pretty kid-friendly. Overall, I'd recommend Rustico for brunch if you are looking for something right near Ballston.
(3)
Michelle P.
FANTASTIC beer selection. Husband and I each got 3 different beers each, tried each others, and they were all delicious. Bartenders were friendly and helpful. Came in at 730 to drink before a 9p reservation and really enjoyed our time spent at the bar. Dinner. We had all the following items and they all get an A+ for presentation and taste: -Deep fried deviled eggs (these are a MUST try) -Risotto tots -Spring vegetable fricassee with parmesan grits -Fried green tomatoes with bacon jam -Steak frites with sherry blue cheese reduction (cooked perfectly, sauce perfectly complimented the meat and wasn't over-bearing at all) -Sea scallops with sweet potato hash -Rhubarb and lemon cake sundae Our waiter at the table was friendly and had all of our food out quickly, yet none of our courses over-lapped. Would definitely come back.
(4)
Hue K.
As soon as I walked into Rustico, I felt this welcoming warmth. What a brilliant idea to put a high-performing fire place at the entrance. Then the interior was filled with earth-tone color and dim lights. So relaxing and comfortable... It gets better with friendly and attentive staff. If you like carbonara, try 'Truffled cous cous carbonara'. They could make it without ham/bacon if you are vegetarian. It one of the best carbonara I've ever had. It didn't have a traditional pasta but cous cous made it more fun to eat. The perfectly poached egg on top of this creamy cholesterol-unfriendly- but too good to share with anyone-dish.... It does have finely diced carrot (hard to pick them out) but you won't taste much of them, so you could feel good about having this since you are getting your veggie fix without even realizing it. Pizza came with generous portion of toppings. Smoked tomato sauce was tasty with a bit of heat. I will return soon. Especially, when it's cold outside. PS: Buzz will open right next door soon, according to the sign under construction next door.
(4)
Bhooter B.
This is great for beer people, and if like me you're not one of them, you can still get decent wine. The pizzas were really good. The only issue I had is that the lighting was very dim, and i was in a group of 9 people for dinner, it was hard to follow conversations.
(3)
art f.
Quick take: great beer; OK food. Splendid assortment of craft beers from around the USA. Two that really stood out were the Four Witches from New Holland and the Allagash Black - dark and strong beers brewed in the USA.. Our starters were spinach salad and risotto tater tots. The salad was fine, although I'm not sure the ham was necessary. I liked the tater tots but wife prefers something more traditional. Mains were a pizza and mac and cheese. The Catalonian pizza - caramelized onions and cherry tomatoes - was nicely light - a hint rather than a thick slather of mozzarella. Very delectable light crust. Not your claasic cheese foundation but easy to nibble on. The pretzel-crusted mac and cheese just didn't deliver as a comfort food - pasta was very thin and saucing was light . I'll go back for the beer and stick with the pizza.
(3)
Emily A.
Rustico is one of the most popular neighborhood restaurants in ballston. It's always packed for happy hour, and they have great beers on tap. Since the menu change, I've really enjoyed the entree's especially the ragu. I've had the donuts three times. Twice they were AWESOME but once they were overcooked and massively disappointing. For the area, the prices are high, but it's a higher quality food than can be found at most restaurants in the area.
(4)
Carley D.
This place looks unremarkable, but the chalkboard inside reminds you as you sit down that this place is in good company: sister restaurants include Buzz, Vermillion, Tallula, Birch&Barley, and some others. My husband and I came once for brunch (I had a very satisfying breakfast sandwich), and once for dinner, and I think we can now safely add this to the list of "reliable, tasty restaurants not far from our apartment," if we're looking for ideas somewhere down the road. He got a salad and a pizza, and I got the carrot hummus and an entree-size salad when we were there for dinner. While he said the pizza sauce wasn't as good as some other places, he remarked that they were clearly using good-quality toppings, and he liked the crust better: a little chewy, versus thin and crispy. My carrot hummus was delicious, and the beet salad was very well-executed: just the right size, right amount of dressing, and good flavors, of course. Oh, and the beer selection is awesome: tons of interesting, unique things on draft (I got the Japanese yuzu saison; husband got the Danish one that tasted strongly of coffee; we both were very happy with our choices). The only downside to the whole thing was that we were sitting in the bar section at a booth, and I think they had only one server for the entire area. This may have been because it was a Sunday night, albeit the Sunday before a Monday holiday. Service was therefore a little slow, but we weren't in a rush, and our orders came out right, so not much of a big deal. Would definitely come back!
(4)
Sonya M.
update - Risotto tots and white pizza were bad choices. The tots were dry and the pizza lacked flavor. I'll be sticking to my faves - carrot hummus, brussels sprouts, and pumpkin/squash pizza.
(3)
Christopher H.
I was staying at the Residence Inn around the corner and needed a simple dinner on Sunday night after arriving. After venturing out and roaming a bit this place looked the most interesting so I figured I'd give it a shot. The are is split up into a bar area and a restaurant area. I of course went with the bar area. I was quickly greeted by a very friendly bartender who handed me a water and the beer menu. I quickly spotted a local IPA and ordered that. After perusing the food menu I decided to try the bib lettuce salad and the cheese & basil (margherita pizza). As for the salad, it was solid. Nothing overly special, but it did the trick. The pizza was the same - solid. It could have been cooked at a slightly higher temp, but it was tasty nonetheless. In need of another beer I trusted the bartender and went with an IPA from Goose Island. Bartender was spot on in his description, and was very knowledgeable about the beer selection they had - which was rather extensive. If you're looking for high quality beer and very good food, this is a perfect spot.
(4)
LanChi N.
First time at Rustico and I didn't get the most positive vibes.Possibly because after walking into the restaurant I started to feel a stuffiness and humidity that was slightly unpleasant.This is considering that outside was much cooler than in the restaurant at the present time. The Hostess then tried to make us feel better by telling us were sweating too.Well thats always comforting,so my friends and I decide to sit on the front patio since the back patio was full. I really would give Rustico 4 Stars...if I had more to base my review off of rather than just my Tomato Panzanella Salad. Now this isn't to say it wasn't good. It was fresh and brightly flavored.But it did lack a bit of seasoning.. I also got to try a few of the steamed mussels with chorizo these were nicely flavored. Broth was a bit salty but it was balanced if you ate it with the rustic bread they gave you. A friend of mine got the thick cut fries tossed in truffle and parmesan which they told me had a good flavor to it.Another friend got the white pizza..however judging from her boxing it home it wasn't anything too special. My overall review would be rustico does have potential and perhaps I just chose the wrong day to go..I think I will probably return since there are things that change on the menu. Plus perhaps this time the restaurant won't be so overheated since apparently their A/C doesn't circulate.Updated review soon
(3)
Chase C.
Hands down the best place that we are at in all of DC. Love the area that it is in. Away from all the craziness of downtown and in the center of a up and coming development. Got the pork chop on top of spaetzle. WOW. Literally so good. Atmosphere is incredible.
(5)
Erin W.
All the food is top notch. My go to place to impress out of town guests. Rocking beer list. Deviled egg app is to die for. Great desserts too - you really can't go wrong here.
(5)
Aly J.
Came here a few weeks ago for a ladies night out with some friends. It was wonderful! I know it's a staple of the Ballston area, but had never gotten around to going. Their food was great! I specifically remember the lamb hummos that was to die for... All the staff was really friendly and upbeat, as well as all the people around us at the bar. Their wine menu was perfect for me and had a VERY extensive beer menu. All the bartenders were very helpful and knowledgable. I will be back!
(5)
Sherri D.
Oh, my goodness. I totally underestimated this place. I've always passed this place and thought it was another chain for some mediocre "wood oven" pizzas. To my surprise, their food was actually really REALLY good. In addition, their beer menu has tons of great choices and the servers are always very friendly and informative. First visit: I got the gnocchi and it was deeee-licious. My date got the salmon and well, needless to say -- we pretty much cleaned our plates off. Try the Left Hand Milk stout too! Second visit: We got the brussel sprouts (yum) and the spicy chicken pizza (double yum). Love how it's close by, love how they have happy hour, and the ambience is great. I'd come back again!
(4)
Bryant R.
This place is amazing. I definitely recommend going here for any occasion. They a large and amazing selection of beers. You can get flight of 4 beers at one time to taste the assortment they have. The pizza here is also amazing. I love brick. oven pizza but it can be somewhat expensive This place is always warm and welcoming and has great decor. Take a girl to a date there or take your parents. This is by far one of my favorite classy places to go to. They also have the NFL package s they will turn on any game you want. If you want a real challenge, have a taste of every beer they have. The bartender was able to do the math for me and it comes out to 10 pints. Have fun and drink up. Winter storm was one of my favorites
(5)
Scott J.
First time here, really a great location and a very tranquil type setting. Reservations are a must, but shouldn't be an issue if you just want to hang at the bar. I shared the pizza (tomato and fresh mozzarella) if you are really hungry one person can eat it, but if not share it! It was delicious. I ordered a glass of wine, but the bottle wasn't brought out just a small pouring glass and all I thought was "how long has this been open/out". I like to see the bottle I'm about to drink. It was $9.00 for a glass of Riesling not even a full glass a 1/3 so a little costly. I would revisit this place just wouldn't order wine again.
(4)
Andrea S.
Came here for an early dinner with friends. The decorating at this place is really cool. Edison light fixtures above most tables and some neat wall treatments. The food was generally good. Salad choices were great with generous portions and tons of fresh ingredients. Pizzas were of similar quality. Their beer and wine menu has a nice selection-especially the beer. Solid restaurant for a night out. Slightly pricey.
(4)
Ananya M.
This is definitely one of my go-to places in the Ballston area - never fails to deliver on the food, and great selection of beers. In the past I've gotten both the Chicken Calypso and Carolina Dreamin' pizzas. The Carolina is by far my favorite, though - from the juicy pulled pork to the rich smoked gouda, you just can't go wrong. I've dined here with both large groups and just two people - in all cases, the waiters are friendly, helpful, and attentive. Looking forward to next time!
(5)
Dave N.
TERRIBLE!!! This place is by far the WORST in Arlington. Management, Servers, and the facility are so extremely poor. It was so bad, that I left without eating out of concern for the safety of the food. Unbelievable contrast to the Alexandria Rustico on slaters lane, which was a great experience. **Warning.. save your time and money. Preserve your health. ** SKIP THIS DUSTY DIVE!!!!!
(1)
Erin O.
I have no negative things to say about the food at all. The hummus is a must, as all of the other reviewers have already noted. I was so excited to try this restaurant, that I made a reservation a few weeks in advance. This is where I will leave my recommendation - don't make a reservation. I was shocked to find that my reservation put myself and my friend in a dark, isolated back room near the kitchen. We tried so hard to enjoy the food, but the large crashing plates, screaming babies, and the complete lack of ambience ruined our experience. I definitely noted how parties seated after us, without reservations, were in the nice part of the restaurant. I'll go back, probably several times, but will take my changes without a reservation! Diners beware!
(4)
Sylvia P.
This is one of our new favorite restaurants and we have been back about a half dozen times so far. My boyfriend is mostly a burgers and beef kind of guy and he's been happy with all of his orders. The one time he strayed from the usual to order the duck confit pizza with arugula, he says it was one of the best things he's ever tasted. I enjoy creativity within a menu, where I can get interesting flavor combinations that end up being tasty. A most excellent selection for people who enjoy beer, but the wine list is pretty good too. Personally, I love the decor and ambiance, though it can get noisy as other yelpers have mentioned.
(5)
Jac H.
I've been here multiple times for both lunch, dinner, and happy hour. And I can say, I love their beer selection. I found possibly my favorite beer here just tasting different beers. The pizza is really good, and big enough for two. I've tried almost all of the pizzas as well as the majority of their seasonal ones. I enjoy the thin crust and how you don't feel too heavy after eating pizza. My second favorite thing there is the fries covered in Caesar. Now I know i just said that I didn't like the pizza being heavy, and here I am talking about Caesar drenched fries, but TRUST me. it is THE BEST. Not to talk about Caesar too much, but the grilled Caesar is a good pick too. I don't think the prices are too outrageous for a Better-than-chain type of pizza. I'm a pretty particular person, but I really enjoy Rustico. Highly recommend it! So much I even had a birthday here with a few friends :)
(5)
Ritzie C.
Ohhh, Rustico. You are so average. Average in every way. But hats off to you for having a large beer selection and a decent location! Servers in this restaurant are hit or miss. Some are stellar, with a vast knowledge of the beers they serve. Some are doing you a favor by casually sauntering up 10 minutes after you've been seated, empty handed and asking, "What?" as if you were waving them down frantically (as opposed to glancing over expectantly, which is what we did). Pssst, by the way dude, you suck. Rustico is very close to where I live and I'm never compelled to frequent it. The sandwiches are ok. The fries, the soups, the salads are ok. I will say this - the spicy shrimp pizza and roasted mushroom pizzas are good, but not so good I'd go back for them. I once walked in with my colleagues for lunch at 11:28. The hostess had us stand awkwardly at the entrance because they didn't open until 11:30, and therefore could not seat us in their empty dining room until then. Key takeaways? This won't be the worst meal you've ever had, there's a good beer selection, and if the staff could get over themselves, you might get some adequate service.
(3)
Judy A.
Um... it's an okay spot for lunch if you're in the area. My waitress kind of ruined my experience. She looked me like was an alien when I asked if I could have the toppings on just half of the pizza and gave me a hard time about it. Not sure why that would be a problem. The pizza was good, but the waitress could use a chill pill. Overall: Would I return? Yes. Would I recommend it to others: Sure, but definitely not for a special occasion.
(3)
Rebecca S.
The hotel clerk where we were staying suggested Rustico for dinner. We wanted something more than fast food but casual and not off the chart expensive. We loved Rustico so much we went back a second night to try other items on the menu. Our server, Keesha, was great. The food was delicious. They had an awesome dessert - peanut butter cheesecake with Concord jelly sorbet. It was soooo good. The risotto tots, pretzel nuggets, pizza and burgers were incredible good too. We will definitely stop by again on our next trip east.
(5)
Mike M.
I've been to this place a few times and never really had a great experience, but the last time was enough to ensure I won't go back. The food is fine, but there's great food all around the DC area including Ballston itself, so "fine" food isn't really enough. The real problem was the service and granted, this was one bad server and may not be reflective of the whole establishment, but it is a reflection of poor management and customer service. Looking at some other recent reviews though, it seems like bad service is a common theme with this place. I walked into Rustico with my fiance and we were seated all the way in the back. There was one table with 2 people at it and the rest were empty. The server was cleaning off empty tables before coming to greet us or ask if we wanted a drink. I got up to use the restroom and asked my fiance to order me a drink if the server stopped by. When I returned from the restroom, my fiance said the server hadn't stopped by, then she went to the restroom and asked me to do the same. When she came back from the restroom the server still hadn't stopped by, but she did find the time to clean empty tables and flirt with the one other table with customers. A friend of ours came to meet us there and after a few minutes of him sitting down with still no service, about 20 minutes total of being there without so much as a "hello," we walked out. The hostess, who only sat us a short while ago, pleasantly thanked us for coming, not realizing why or that we were walking out without ordering. My only regret is not talking to management to correct this server's deplorable customer service, but we just walked out and spent a couple hundred dollars at a different restaurant, with no intention of returning to Rustico, a restaurant I live a half mile from.
(1)
Sadia S.
I really like going to this place. My husband and I often go to Rustico for lunch or dinner. They have a great selection of beer and the menu is very good too. We have always encountered good service here as well. I love the butternut squash salad for lunch or the salmon for dinner. The burgers and pizzas are very good too!
(5)
Patrick B.
Great food, HORRIBLE service. We felt like the waitress ignored us all evening. She never once stopped by our table unless we flagged her down, and wore a scowl that said we were inconveniencing her. We confronted her about it when paying the bill, and she made an excuse about the large table she was waiting on. But that table wasn't even seated until after we had finished eating. Was it our grey hair? Young people should realize that people with grey hair usually have the most money, and are generous tippers. But not in this case.
(2)
Jihad B.
There's nothing wrong with the food at Rustico, it's all very splendid actually. What really makes the place unappealing for me is atmosphere. It's, for lack of a better word, boring.
Great beer selection, food is just ok. So, if you want to experience one of the best beer selections in the DC area, this is definitely a place to go. The service is good and they employees are definitely working hard. The food is just so-so, but the excellent beer selection more than makes up for it.
(3)
Lucy G.
My favorite restaurant in VA! Their brunch is awesome, beer selection fabulous, and the carrot hummus will make you want to weep. Even the salads are spectacular (my favorite is the Boston Bibb with steak). Seriously, go here.
(5)
Katherine O.
This was like 4th or 5th time to Rustico this year. While it is close to my boyfriend's apartment so its always an easy pick, the food has me coming back time after time again. We went here late Monday night and I got my go-to caesar salad with steak, I personally am in love with grilled Romaine and anyplace that has it gets an A+ from me. The italian sausage pizza is also a good pick and the perfect size to split with someone. They have over 500 beers to chose from and the staff is all well informed on the beers and helpful when it comes to the selection. My advice is to sit on the left side (bar side) of the restaurant if its open, the service is MUCH better.
(4)
Daniel B.
I am so happy about this addition to the Arlington Orange Line corridor. I always looked with longing at the Alexandria location but being the responsible person I am it is not reasonable to visit and have more than a beer. And Rustico is all about the beer (love their glass events, it makes up for the occasional casualty that occurs in my household). The pizza is great and I just tried out their brunch and loved it. Really, this place has it all, both the good drinks and the good eats, without being offensively expensive.
(4)
Kyle N.
Incredible bartenders, knowledgeable and friendly. Amazing food.
(5)
Jeanie C.
Amazing beer selection! We love going to Rustico with a big group. We tried lots of selections from the food menu and shared around the table--everything was amazing! Service is outstanding.
(5)
Katie D.
This place is near my apartment and I couldn't be happier about it. We usually go here for beers because they have a large list, and some good wine choices too. We decided to have dinner there last time we went and it was great! Shared the salmon as well as the pizza with pepperoni, roasted red peppers & arugula. All of it was great--the salmon was very flavorful with some sort of cranberry chutney. I tried to replicate the salmon a couple nights later and I wasn't even close. Looking forward to eating there again!
(4)
Vanessa O.
I've been to Rustico for brunch and dinner and tried a variety of their offerings. I have only one word to describe this place: solid. Everything we've tried here has been hearty and satisfying, from their salads, to their brunch menu, to their pizza. I especially recommend the breakfast pizza and the duck confit pizza. I also really enjoyed the mussels with chorizo and the beet salad. I think the menu is very interesting and it evolves all the time. The service has been hit or miss, though the owner or manager came up to us and struck conversation one time, which was a nice touch.
(4)
Tiffany B.
Delicious pizzas and the kale salad was fresh and satisfying. Great atmosphere and large wine selection.
(4)
Alexa C.
How do you not love this place? They have a huge beer list for any beer lovers pallet, even sweet cider like me! I has the watermelon pancetta salad, the white pizza in the chick pea gluten free crust, and some if my friend's carrot hummus. The carrot hummus wasn't your usual cold hummus, served warm with a mix of spices, cilantro and minced lamb, it was beyond delicious. The staff was very knowledgeable about gluten allergies, and made took requests with stride. My only complaint is that the white pizza was a bit heavy, but I had also just stuffed my face with the salad and Carrot hummus.
(4)
Rita V.
I've been there before for dinner, and in my book it was a 3 star. I'm not a beer drinker, but was AMAZED at the selection. Not too well on wines. At that time had some pretty good food, but I thought the pizza was - eh. Lunch on a Thursday turned out a bad, bland, flavorless and dry pizza crust with dry toppings... Service was not as great as in the evening, and so with many options in town for us non-beer drinkers, I will take a pass. The only pizza I dislike less than this is served at Bucca di Beppo...
(2)
Tony B.
I'm hugely impressed -- within 12 hours of posting my 1 star review, a manager reached out to me to apologize. To me that shows that they're not only paying attention, but that they care about the patrons. Pretty damn impressive. Good job, Rustico, and good job, Yelp. We'll definately give the Arlington location another try.
(3)
kat c.
Went here a few days after visiting the Alexandria location for the first time. We parked in the Ballston mall lot (which is a few blocks away and only a dollar after 7 on weeknights), but were also told that there is a lot directly behind the restaurant for which patrons can receive a discount with restaurant validation. We started at the bar (we were told the wait for that Thursday night would be about 45 minutes, but only ended up waiting about 10 or 15 minutes). The atmosphere is comfortable - upscale hip without being too obtrusive or hokey, although it is quite loud and a bit dimly lit. The beer selection is excellent and though the prices could be better, they're no more or less than you'll find any other similar place. Service is commendable -- timely, friendly, and absolutely helpful. When I requested a beer suggestion and gave a somewhat specific directive as to the kind of thing I was interested in, the waiter called on the help of a senior manager, who happened to also be a beer expert. He came over and spoke with me to get an idea for what I was looking for and then brought me a taste of something he thought I'd enjoy, and left me his card in case I ever had any further questions. What I thought was a really really nice touch was that in the course of the conversation, he suggested a type of beer that, while not on their menu, I ought to seek out based on my preferences. The food is decent. The only reason I'm not giving it 4 stars is that the pizza seemed a bit over done -- the mozzarella was a bit more pockmarked and dry than I like to see and, while the pizza we'd had at the Alexandria location had the perfect Americanized ovenfired crust -- thick, chewy/doughy, but not overly so, the crust here was hard (not crunchy or crisp -- there is a difference and this was hard). The non-pizza menu selections are very intriguing, at least seemingly thoughtfully designed. Apparently, they have a ricotta doughnut dessert that I would have been all over if I hadn't been already full with beer and pizza and trying to begin my journey of losing the holiday bloat. Overall this was a more than pleasant experience not too far from home in South Arlington. Will definitely be back(, and if they keep this level of service up and the nonpizza items are as good as I anticipate, there will probably be more stars)!
(3)
Kate S.
I went with 3 other girl friends. It was nice because it was easy to talk there, and it had nice decor. It seemed a little too "chain like" - like you could replicate it anywhere. But, they had an amazing wine selection and if you go there during happy hour, its only $5 a glass. We ordered the Pretzel mac and cheese app. It was pretty good, the Mac and Cheese was not typical at all...it was more like orzo and cheese and the pretzels were really just sprinkled on top. Tasty but didn't live up to the excitement we gave it. I was not hungry actually when we went, so that was all I tried. Everything else though looked amazing and my friends liked it.
(3)
Cathy R.
Delicious pizza, amazing beer selection, great service, a beautiful atmosphere, this place is a must-go.
(5)
Addison H.
Who is giving Rustico 3 stars or less? Are they smoking crack? Rustico has 440 beers. Thats all you need to know, 400 in bottles and 40 on draft. Nowhere else in Arlington even comes close. The service is fantastic - all the bartenders know my name after less than half a dozen visits. If you want to swill Bud Light and look for a slampiece, head to Ballroom or Spider Kellys, and good riddance to you. If you want to drink amazing beer, hand picked by one of the best beer guys in the country, come to Rustico.
(5)
Katie M.
We went here with a group of friends to celebrate a birthday. Although we had a reservation, they wouldn't seat us until every member of our party had arrived. We ended up waiting 15 minutes for the last person who was stuck on the metro. Overall, everyone enjoyed their food. My cous-cous carbonara was delicious and my husband enjoyed his burger, though he said his caesar salad was a bit too salty for his taste. Our waiter was friendly, though he disappeared after our food appeared and we had to flag him down to get our check. It was a great night out and we'll likely go back to Rustico again, though perhaps not on a Saturday night when it's loud and busy.
(4)
Ryan W.
I know someone who lives and breathes Rustico and the entire Neighborhood Restaurant Group. His recent beer snobbery in addition to the Alexandria location's proximity to his place makes Rustico a perfect fit for him. When we went to the Alexandria location for lunch, I thought it was just ok. However, it's a seasonal menu and a differnt chef at the new Arlington location so it was worth a check-out. The place was packed on a recent Friday night and we had the kids in tow. We called ahead since they don't take reservations after 6. When we got there, they had lost our name, but got us in as quickly as possible. Good recovery. From there on, service was really good, despite a hiccup on our order. We started with fries coated with Ceasar dressing - a kind of variation on cheese fries. Of course they were good. We also shared an app of pumpkin polenta with boar bolognese - very good. I went the vegetarian route with eggplant parmesan and really liked it and was surprised how filling it was. My wife's pizza was loaded with mushrooms - a good thing for mushroom-lovers, I guess. It was big so she ended up bringing most of it home. We were too full to even consider dessert, which was ok considering there were only one or two appealing options - a rarity for us. Sure, we'd go back to Rustico again.
(4)
Tara F.
I love the atmosphere and opiton of beers; it is a little loud so if you are looking for a more quiet atmosphere. Huge fan of the bartenders! Im a vegetarian and there are serveral options. Only complaint food can be slightly bland.
(4)
Ken K.
Good beer. Food is better than average. Good for group happy hours. I don't care for the spacey warehouse feel, but decor is well done for the space.
(4)
Tina C.
Good service, great ambiance, and yummy food! Order the carrot hommus appetizer!
(5)
Valarie G.
Good dinner menu with great food and service. Ambiance is fun if a bit crowded, and let's just all admit it - best beer menu around
(4)
Alex K.
A great selection of beers, although I would have liked to see more micro breweries. The service was great and the burger was delicious. I think it is reasonably priced and I'll find myself settling here many more times.
(4)
Dawn M.
I almost gave Pizza Rustico a 2 because of our poor experience with the hostess, but thankfully the beer menu, food, and our waiter made our experience better once we were seated :-) My friend and I came in about 7:30 on a Friday evening and informed the hostess that we had a party of 4. She refused to seat us until the other 2 people came, even though we said we would be ordering drinks and appetizers while we waited. Once she left her station, we went up to the MALE host, who was much friendlier. He seated us immediately, and our 2 friends came less than 5 minutes later. If you're a beeer-lover or want to become one, this is the place to go! I loved how the beer menu listed the beers by flavor-type. Our waiter was very helpful when we weren't sure what to order. Each of us ordered a different type of pizza, and they were all quite delicious (albeit a tad overpriced). Our favorite part of the meal by far was the dessert that we shared. Who knew Italian ricotta donuts could be so delicious?! Definitely save room for these. Amazing!
(3)
Robert H.
This review is for brunch. My wife and I came this morning without any research (a rare occasion, but the place we wanted to go was closed--time to invest in a smartphone?). When we got there, I saw it was the same group that does Churchkey, so I got excited. Apparently unduly so. I think we might have made two mistakes. First, I wasn't in a drinking mood. So I did not order one of the many beers they have available. That might have softened the blow. Second, we did not stick to a pizza, which seems to be their wheelhouse (although other reviewers also don't seem to agree). Needless to say, the food turned out to be a lowlight. The brunch menu is fairly limited. I ordered the brisket hash. SALTY. Now, I adore salty food, my wife needs to take the salt shaker away from me, but this was too much salt even for me. As in so salty it made me somewhat nauseous. Really, the problem seemed to be with the potatoes and onions. The meat and eggs were fine, but with the other stuff it was just too much. My wife ordered the Boston Bibb salad with shrimp. The portion was pathetically small, especially considering the outrageous 16 dollars they charged for a few pieces of lettuce. It was pretty to look at but poorly executed with the toppings not evenly distributed and the shrimp underwhelming. I wouldn't complain, except our final bill (with two sodas) turned out to be ~$40, before tip. I wouldn't complain if the food was good. But it wasn't. The service was fine, although our server wasn't putting in much more than what I would consider the minimum (not a complaint, but it wasn't amazing service either). The decor was interesting, and they had the AC appropriately jacked on a 90 degree day. But I would only go back if I were drinking and somebody assured me the rest of the food was better.
(2)
Alison S.
First time I tried to come here when it first opened in Ballston we ended up leaving to find another place for dinner because it was packed and very loud. So this time I decided to make a reservation ahead of time. I got there on the early side and ordered 3 "Taste" size tap beers while I waited for my cousin. Warning: "Taste" size is bigger than anticipated so 3 of them on an empty stomach can definitely start you off on a beer buzz. There was a small waiting area with a few cushy seats that I shared with a small group of what appears to be coworkers having an after work HH drink. My cousin got held up in traffic and inability to find street parking on a Friday evening so did not walk in til 45 mins after my reservation time. Luckily, the maitre d' informed me that they had a parking garage under the building and it was Free with a stamp from the restaurant!! Despite not being on time for our reservation though they did not have any trouble getting us a table for 2. I was concern that the noise level in the place would be so loud due to my first impression coming to Rustico (when I didn't stay) and also waiting up at the front near the left side of the restaurant where the bar is. It was indeed just as loud this time around. However, the seated dinning area of the restaurant to the right extended way into the back into another section that one cannot see from the front of the restaurant and this, luckily, was the area we were led to. It was right by the kitchen and slightly separated from the front of the restaurant by a short wall and a low grade (wheel chair access) ramp. This part was definitely not as noisy as the front and bar area. Also, loved the decor of this section. The beer choice was phenomenal. They have an extensive "on tap" beer choices plus an even more extensive bottled beer menu. I stuck with the on tap stuff though. Whatever floats your boat - Pilsners, Hefeweissens, Stouts etc. - they've got it!! Can't go wrong with the beer. If you're a beer lover, go for the beer. I have to admit that I was half bracing myself to be disappointed with the food despite the enticing photos on their website. In my experience these sort of restaurants that have flashy decor and marketing 400+ beer selections always seem to fall flat on the food. But we were pleasantly surprised! Being 2 women, we shared all our orders. We got the Bibb Salad (very good!!), the special Monk fish (OK good), Sweet Potato Gnocchi (so yummy!), and the Ricotta Doughnut Balls w/ chocolate dipping sauce (so good!). I ordered 1 full size beer (already had 3 tasters before dinner) and my cousin got 2 during the course of the evening. The bill came to around $88 total (before tip). I was impress with the overall experience at Rustico but have some reservation on the noise level of the place if we had not been lucky enough to get a table in the back area.
(4)
Will K.
A bit surprised that only a few people have mentioned how salty this food is. I had the pizza and was way too salty. My date had a pasta dish and it was also very salty. Prices were pretty high even for north arlington, the meal ended up coming to close to $70 for a pizza, an entree, a french fry appetizer, and two beers. Beer selection was the only reason this isn't one star. Not worth the price or the wait.
(2)
Matt M.
I live about a block away from Rustico and haven't been disappointed yet. They have a great beer selection and their food is quite tasty. I've had their pizza a few times and their cheeseburger and both were delicious. I ordered the burger Medium, but it came out a lil Medium-Rare... ok by me but they've done that a few times, so you might want to factor that in when you order. The wait staff has always been very nice and helpful. When they first opened up my date ordered a beer that just ran out and the beer director (how could of a job would that be?) came out and personally apologized and made a recommendation. The happy hour special isn't bad too... I think it's $2 off their draft beers and it happens several nights during the week. Definitely helps the wallet when you're consuming multiple non-standard beers. Cheers,
(5)
Christie E.
I consider the entrees expensive when it comes to portion and quality. I've had the entrees from their menu on a previous visit but don't even remember what I had. Needless to say, that meal wasn't very memorable. I would, however, definately go back for the mussels, grilled pizza and the ginormous beer list. The mussels are a big and come in a great sharing portion. The tomato broth it comes in is excellent, so get extra bread for dipping! The grilled pizza had some proscuitto and pickled garlic-things which were quite tastey. I didn't miss the pizza sauce. The texture of the pie was crisp and slighty chewy which is what I expect from a grilled pizza. The beer list comes in catalog form and offers maybe like 400 or so beers. So, if you're into beer, I'm sure you'll find something to try. This was a great meal combo and eating outside on a nice, not humid, early evening made the experience more enjoyable.
(3)
Elina T.
This is a reincarnation of the original Alexandria branch. More spacious than the Alexandria restaurant, the Ballston Rustico doesn't have as much character as the original. It is a little "Ballston-y" if you know what I mean. The bar feels more like a sportsbar, albeit with incredibly cushy leather bar chairs. The food does disappoint, however. One of my favorites, the mushroom and goat cheese pizza, was just as deliciously crispy and melty as I remember it to be at the Alexandria location. The beef tartar was a perfect combination of tender raw beef, with the saltiness of the capers balanced by the potato base. Service was quick and attentive. Thumbs up.
(4)
B. S.
Excellent beer selection and decent pizza... Only downside - we had a god awful waiter. Wasn't busy at all but took them 20 minutes to bring us menus and drinks. They then proceeded to unapologetically screw up our order.... Then the person who got something completely different than what she ordered asked 'can we at least get some parmesan' the waiter leaves, talks with his buddies for awhile, then comes back to say that the parmesan has "already been put away for the night." wtf? Rude, Slow & Incompetent. Seriously, by far the most disappointing experience i've had at any place owned by this group. The only reason i'm giving them two stars is because i've had great experiences there before and despite f'ing everything up the food was still good.
(2)
lilibet m.
Ate lunch here the other day. I had the lunch box that included a soup which was a tomato gazpacho. The gazpacho was really good, nice flavors. I also had the panzanella salad- it was the best panzanella salad I've ever had! I also had half the steak sandwich on pretzel bread. That was also very good. My friend had the white bean & ham soup she said it was good but the gazpacho looked better. She also had the carrot hummus & that was really good. I highly recommend rustico, can't wait to try it for dinner.
(4)
Jake S.
There are so many things that are awesome about this place that I'm going to lead off with the one thing that sucks just to get it out of the way: can you say CROWDED? Granted, a crowded bar is usually crowded for a reason, but it gets somewhat out of hand here from time to time (like "4 hour wait for a table when we're quoted only 2 hours" crowded). However, that aside, there are many great things to like about Rustico Ballston, sister restaurant of Rustico in Alexandria. First, the bar area is very open, with a lot of barstools and booths and lot of floorspace as well, so while it's almost always crowded, you're not up to your elbows in people as long as you're not standing right next to the bar. Second, the beer list was quite possibly made by God/Vishnu/Allah/InsertApplicableDeityHere. Over 40 taps, and at least 35 of them are usually occupied by beers I haven't had (and I've sampled my fair share). To go along with that, the bartenders and servers are fairly knowledgeable, so if you just tell them what you like ("hoppy, but not too hoppy"), they'll be able to pair you up with something to please your palate. Insider tip, even though they charge for the 4oz samples on the menu, they'll usually let you sample a small swig of something for free so you don't get stuck paying 8 bucks for something you won't like. Lastly, the food is really, really good. The pizza is probably the second-best I've had in the area, and the sandwiches good as well. The fries are cooked (I think) in truffle oil, and they come out crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. I've eaten here about 3-4 times, and have yet to have even a 'B-" experience. Taken as a whole experience, I highly recommend Rustico to anyone who likes beer. Even if there are some in your group who aren't beer fans, they have a full bar so there's something for everyone. They also have good eats, so the non-drinkers have something to occupy them as well. Highly recommended.
(4)
Suzanne W.
Excellent addition to my neighbor! Amazing beer flight selections! Steak tar tar sliders are yum too!
(5)
Jane Z.
Let me start with a compliment. The service at Rustico deserves five stars. However, the pizza was mediocre at best. The crust was tasteless and had the texture of a cracker. Worst of all was the atmosphere. It was so noisy that my dinner companion and I gave up trying to talk to each other. It was depressing.
(1)
Heather W.
I finally tried Rustico for lunch today and I was not disappointed! I was a little nervous I would be let down because of all the mixed reviews regarding the pizza. Pizza is definitely high on my list of favorite foods, but I don't like to waste my time with mediocre pies. I looked at the menu before I went, decided the Greek pizza sounded good, then checked yelp to see if anyone had mentioned it specifically (no one had). Most of the raves are about the mushroom-goat cheese pizza, but I decided to stick with my original pick. It was delicious--like a Greek salad on a crust, just like the server described. And I really like Rustico's crust. Crust is very important aspect of any pizza and theirs is light, crispy and just bready enough. I can't wait to go back and try some of the other pizzas, but I'm going to have a hard time not ordering the Greek again. Btw, I tried a slice of my companion's mushroom-goat cheese. I was glad I didn't order it. Perhaps it is because I'm in love with the forest mushroom pizza from Liberty Tavern (like heaven in my mouth), but Rustico's version did nothing for me. Try the Greek! Next time I will sit outside. I didn't particularly like the feel of the inside. It wasn't bad, just off or something.
(4)
Krissy R.
So this place is pretty good, but it's nothing to write home about. I went here with a group of people from work and I decided that I would go with the pizza. I also opted for the chickpea crust (maybe this was a mistake) and when the pizza came out it looked like it would be terrific. I bit into it and it just was alright. Nothing special. I know people who have also gone there and have said they think it's good but not great. Another bad point: the service was really slow. We waited about 5 to 10 minutes before our server even came to our table to greet us, our drinks took about 10 minutes to come after were placed our order, and when the food came out no one offered to refill drinks or to ask us if we needed anything. Someone in my group didn't have a fork and couldn't get the waiters attention for a while even though she walked by several times. I think I'll give Rustico one more chance. If it doesn't work out next time I go, I won't every be going back.
(3)
Lynn C.
I've been here twice now (both on a Friday night). If you come (after 6 before 10) it is very crowded in the bar area and it's difficult to get a table and they don't take reservations after 5:30. We were able to stalk some patrons leaving their booth and claimed it for next 4 hours. Service was a little spotty, but I guess it's expected since it's somewhat new. Incredible beer selection and the pizza is tasty. Glad there is finally some decent food in Ballston.
(3)
Hannah B.
A great addition to the Ballston neighborhood. I'm still thinking about the pumpkin polenta with wild boar bolognese....so awesome! The pizza was good, not much cheese, which is probably good since I am lactose intolerant. They have a lot of beers on tap, mostly IPAs, which are my favorite. You can get a full glass or a bunch of tastes - bonus! I can't wait to go back and try more beers and pizzas.
(4)
Matt A.
Didn't come to eat, just to drink. Very good beer selection and the bar tender at the time (can't remember his name, from Chicago) was very nice.
(4)
Laila S.
I waited with baited breath for Rustico to open. I stalked blogs, their Facebook page, and Twitter waiting for news of their grand opening. Ballston seriously needs some good dining & bar options and I was ready for this place. Well, we came on perhaps their 2nd night of business. Rustico makes me feel old. Old because I felt like my Mom - "what? I can't hear you. Speak louder. What?!" When I say they have bad acoustics, trust me. You can't hear a thing in this place. Maybe good for a first date when you don't really want to talk all that much. Hopefully they've got some front of the house matters taken care of. I approached the hostess stand to inquire about the bathroom's location. I stood there while one head honcho host chewed out the other hostesses. Awkward? One even made eye contact with me while I just stood there and didn't acknowledge my presence. Yelling at employees in the middle of a restaurant is just plain wrong. Oh, and the food? The food was good. A bit pricey for what you get, but good enough.
(3)
Mary W.
Went here last last night on a Wednesday at 8:45. The server although nice, took about 15 minutes from when we sat down to take our orders and the food was just sub-par. We ordered the mussels which were delicious and plentiful, but my husbands pork entree was awful. It was dry and over cooked and the rice was crunchy aka undercooked. I was really disappointed with our experience and could've made a better meal at home for a lot less.
(2)
Sophia P.
Their gluten-free pizza made from chic peas is a lot better than any of the gluten-free pizzas I've tried in DC. The waiter was extremely knowledgeable. The salmon was tasty. The fries appetizer was huuuuuge. Be warned. It was worth the trip to Arlington.
(4)
Khadish F.
I REALLY wanted to love this place. On my first visit we had the most amazing waitress, truly one of the best servers I've ever had. However, the food was disappointing. I had the eggplant parm which was just ok and my partner had a pizza which was not good at all. For some reason the addition of smoked gouda (which we love) was really a travesty for this pie. The second time we visited we came later in the evening on a Saturday when they were only serving pizzas from the bar. The server who met as at the door was very dismissive and provided information that was completely different than what we received when we called in two minutes earlier. This time the pizza was MUCH MUCH better, but the service during the late night hour was no where near reminiscent of what we had experienced before. As others have written, this place has a lot of potential. Great location, great selection of beers, interesting menu. But, they would do well to offer consistently excellent dining experiences and top quality service. My last visit was a complete turn off.
(3)
Brooke M.
3 of us were celebrating our birthdays and we were having 20 ppl. The management was incompetent and were not accommodating; service was disappointing and the table setup they provided divided our group. The food was okay, do not go with more than 10 people, Rustico was very disappointing.
(1)
Krystal B.
Nice place. Looks very intriguing from the outside as you drive on Wilson Blvd at night. Went for happy hour. Huge selection of beer. Although, I couldn't understand why you only have two extreme options for a beer.
(3)
Jeff I.
Went with my girlfriend tried a bunch of different starters. I really enjoyed the farfalle pasta chips and the steak tartar. Definitely will visit again and would recommend to anyone.
(4)
Lisa B.
#under140 review: Lackluster lunch service. Seedy lighting more suitable to after hours. Pizza fail. Good lunchbox deal for $15.
(2)
Glenn B.
Went on a Saturday for dinner. This place markets itself as a mid-high end restaurant, but has a long way to go until they can justify the aspiring menu, prices and fancy decor. First off, the layout of the restaurant is not great - and it's cramped. It was a tight squeeze getting to our table and we were running into waiters, other customers and bending around chairs to get seated. Another point on the dining floor - do not plan on having a conversation. The noise level is on par with an aircraft carrier flightline. Secondly, the food was cold. I'm sure it was hot and delicious when it was cooked, but serving hot food on cold(as in refrigerator cold) plates = luke-warm food that becomes cold before we're finished eating. Most restaurants store the plates above the oven, thus keeping them warm so as not to leach the heat from the food. Thirdly, when you sell a glass of wine, I want a glass of wine, not 2.5 oz. Message to the proprietors, if you can serve your high quality food well above room temp, dampen the decibels, and give me more than an inch of wine for $8, you will earn 3 more stars.
(2)
Amber H.
barbecue chicken pizza was the bomb, the other pizza we ordered was ok (don't remember the name...sorry!). also ordered some kind of chicken dipping appetizer, which was ok, and brussel sprouts which were quite delicious. not too fancy, not too casual, good food. nice place to come with friends.
(4)
Keith R.
For beer in Ballston, there's just no point in going anywhere else anymore: Rustico has nailed it. While the bottle markup is patently ridiculous ($9 a bottle for Celebrator) clearly Ballston can afford it and people are paying it. Stick with the drafts for the best experience, and you can count on behind-the-bar expertise and generous tasting assistance. We've literally never had a bad experience here, and we're there at least weekly, sometimes twice a week. The food is really quite good. The head chef has a sophisticated and insightful palate. (The mussels come in the largest portion I think I've ever seen, and they're always done beautifully.) The pork terrine was "pretty good," but I'm spoiled as I prefer rabbit terrine; the pork was just a little greasier than I'd have liked, but prepared very competently. We've noticed a recent recipe or preparation change in the duck pizza that has me worried. The duck used to be a little better quality, and we've lost some ingredients. (Used to have luscious pears which are conspicuously absent the last two times... bring 'em back, boss, bring 'em back!) All in all, Rustico is a top-notch place with great atmosphere and some of the best outdoor seating in Ballston. Don't miss it. Living next door to this place is a godsend.
(4)
Kelli H.
Went here for dinner last night with some of my girlfriends. We got there at 6 (on a Wednesday) and were seated right away. Their HH is from 4 - 7 I believe and the bar area was packed from what I saw. The restaurant itself has that cool, clubby kind of feel with modern furnishings and low lighting. At the table we sat at, the lighting was so low I had trouble seeing my menu. The restaurant area wasn't crowded when we first sat down and was a mix of young professionals and families - several tables even had babies at them. By the time we left though, the HH bar crowd had come in and it was almost all young professionals. The food was ok. 2 friends split a pizza, one ordered her own and I got an entree to myself. The menu isn't too extensive, just one side and pizza seems to be a main focus. At ~$12 a pizza, it's not bad for splitting or to order on your own. My friend who got her own had leftovers to take. I ordered the sweet potato gnocchi basically because I could actually read it's name on the menu, haha. But it turned out to be pretty good. The meat sauce had a unique spice to it and it came with baked apples which was kind of weird but actually worked. It cost $22 which I think is a little much for what it was - it came on a large plate but I ended up finishing most of it even though I wasn't particularly hungry, so not sure about the value. Overall, it's a nice place to meet up with some friends. I'd like to check out their bar area and HH next time I'm there.
(3)
Emily B.
We met friends here for brunch back in April. I think we were the first table in the whole restaurant! Service was a bit slow since they had just opened but that was fine: we had plenty of chatting and catching up to do. We started with the donuts and oh my goodness those suckers are good. I had the fried oyster Benedict. The eggs were overdone, but I think there was confusion at the table since my friend ordered the brisket hash with his egg well-done aka he didn't want it runny. My husband had the french toast and the fourth member of our group had the grilled salmon BLT. We enjoyed everything, including the strong coffee and hot tea selection. Will definitely return for more meals!
(4)
A N.
Hands down, the best beer menu I have EVER seen. I was totally impressed. And they have 4 oz tastings available for their draft beers. We had so much fun tasting new beers. As for food, the beet salad was an A+...you really MUST try it. Pizza and salmon sandwich were so-so. Next time we're getting two large beet salads and trying more new and amazing beers :)
(5)
S R.
Brunch was good, but they should add drink specials to make their brunch more interesting and appetizing. They should also add a simple brunch item like eggs, toast, and bacon. The pizza was not bad. Service was good.
(3)
Amelia S.
I went here for the first time last night, and our dinner was great. The service was friendly, the decor is nice, and the food was terrific. I ordered the sweet potato and maple gnocchi, which is just amazing. It's served with brussel sprouts, mushrooms, and a cream sauce, with a little fried basil (!) on top. Absolutely delicious. As everyone notes, they have a pretty extensive beer selection too. I had a tough time deciding what to get, and definitely want to come back to try other dishes, though it's probably a little too pricy and out of my way to be a regular spot for me.
(5)
Cup Of T.
I went to Rustico last night and my friend and I were seated pretty quickly even though the restaurant and bar were quite busy. The extensive beer list, while semi-exhausting is pretty impressive. We were notified when we first arrived that the fire alarm had just gone off, and they were unable to serve pizza while we were there. That said, we started off with the carrot hummus which was absolutely delicious and served in a non-traditional way with lamb and feta and served warm. I wasn't too hungry so I had the crabcake starter as my main meal. The waitress was not kidding when she said the crabcake was tiny..... It probably could have fit inside of my palm with room to spare, and I have very small hands!! While on the small side, the crabcake was delicious and served with a piece of ahi tuna and fruit. Great choice although for $13, they may need to re-assess what they are giving their guests for that amount of money. My friend had the scallops special and seemed to really enjoy it. Overall - the food was 4 stars, but I am taking off a star for the value of what you get. The ambience is great, not too casual but not too fancy either. Perfect for a date or even catching up with friends. Would recommend Rustico if they ever decided to adjust their prices to match what they are giving you! 'Til then....
(3)
Bryan T.
Rustico is fantastic, the thing I probably like the most about it is their beer selection. The only problem is sometimes I get overwhelmed, and in that case I always just look at the draft beer list (which normally has about 20-40 really good beers on it). The food is also very good. I normally go for the pizza and split the mussels. The mussels are amazing and you just cant get enough of them. My only problem is that they are sort of stingey about giving more bread (they brought the manager out to get us more bread for the mussels as if it was some unbelievable request to get more bread). The White pizza is also to die for. It might sound like something that wouldnt be that great, but really you gotta try it. I love this place and it doesnt hurt I live close by!
(5)
Carrie M.
Crowded, but if you go on a non-weekend this place is great!! Tons of great beers on tap, foods pretty good and I like how the bar area is large and open. They really need a happy hour menu though. Sorry for the lame-o review. I started to write but then Dog the Bounty Hunter came on and it's really good. Rustico, I like you.
(4)
Kate R.
if you must go out in Ballston, this would have to be the go to place. a great selection of beers, the eggplant sammy is delish as are the bar food of truffle fries. it's always pretty packed in the evenings. on a sunny day request to sit on the side patio, it's not on the noisy street and next to a cute fountain where dogs and kiddos alike come to frolic in the water. my co-worker and i like to call it our "vacation lunch" as it feels a million times removed from the ballston mall. i've had the pleasure of tasting all sorts of beers and ciders here that aren't available in most bars. many of them are stored deep in the bowels of the basement there so it may take the server a few minutes to get them back to you. the service is always good, a little slow at times, but not because of a distracted staff, mostly because it's an extremely busy staff. they're always friendly and helpful. the bar eats menu could be expanded but what can you do?
(4)
Dani B.
I came in with my brother-in-law last night. We were told it would be five minutes before we could be seated and that it would take a minute for a server to be with us, no problem we didn't mind. We got seated and had a minute to look over the drink menu and some appetizers before being greated by someone we thought must have been the manager. He was helpful and directed me to a drink I enjoyed. I decided on a beer and he got a glass of wine. We ordered the Kale Salad to split. The salad came out and we had to split it seperatley ourselves. Not very convenient, but we managed. We finish our salad before our drinks were served which was upsetting. I would have enjoyed to have some of my beer with my salad. Before the drinks came out we were greeted by our server, she was very friendly. She poured my beer straight into a glass, no tilt or anything. The whole beer couldn't fill in the glass because my glass consisted of maybe 90% foam. I tasted some out of the bottle and the beer was great. By the time my foam settled down, it was so flat it was gross. I kindly asked my waitress for another because I wasn't satisfied with the beer. I asked for no glass this time. It took about another 10 minutes to get another one. So, I've got my beer now and we have finished our salad and we order the Spicy Chicken pizza. It comes out in a timely manner. We start to dig in and were very dissapointed with the consitancy of the toppings. The first bite I took was hot as hell. There were a ton of Cherry Peppers scattered in clumps and it was dissapointing because there was no ricotta to compliment it and tone down the spice. At this point my brother-in-law is sweating and finishes his water. We asked for some more waterfrom the waitress, waited about ten minutes so he had some of mine because he couldn't wait any longer. She then walks by about five minutes later, turns quickly to grab some to re-fill his glass. We finish our drinks chatting and we politely decline dessert. She brings the bill by, we look at it and our a little frustrated because we had been charged for the two beers when I clearly only drank one. The other was in a full glass sitting on the table. I am picky about beers, I will not drink it if it is flat. Just not for me. She quickly fixed it and we were out the door. I would possibly give this place a second chance, our visit was just full of little things that added up in the end. Other than that the place itself is very cute and has a nice atmosphere. The food was good minus the one set back with our toppings on our pizza.
(2)
Ambi C.
I recently threw a surprise engagement party for my two good friends at Rustico. The manager and server were extremely accommodating and patient with our needs, making our experience memorable. The server was so sweet and extremely patient, she even let us to do separate checks for a group of 12! The manager let me bring cupcakes and a chocolate chip cookie cake without a cutting fee, now that is my kind of place! I wish Rustico took reservations from 6-9pm as you can find yourself waiting for table for up to 1.5 hours. As for food, I would have to give it 3 stars. I was craving a salad but Rustico does not offer any good vegetarian salad options. The appetizers, the Tatar tots and pasta chips, are unique, but after a few, I was very full! The pizza was a okay. I prefer District of Pi or Pete's!
(4)
Jeff G.
I have been here at least once a month for the past 8 months. I can only think of one time when I had less than average service, but it was a random hour and I was outside. Usually the service is great. The food is really good and so is the beer. There are tons of options for beer lovers. I wish there were some cheaper draft beer options though, at least at happy hour. The menu is a little small, but the quality is really good.
(4)
Kenny and Janet C.
Two hearted ale and the eggplant: nice pairing from the friendly baristas. This place is full of energy with relaxed, dimmed lighting. It's definitely a popular place to go to.
(4)
James H.
Showed up at the end of happy hour, enjoyed a pizza and a few drinks. The beer list is impressive and extensive, but organized in the "modern" format (Crisp, Malt, Hop, Earthy, etc.) which I find more pretentious and annoying than useful. That said, everything we had was pretty good, and service was passable for a busy HH. Will probably return to try a sit-down meal.
(4)
Paul W.
Best meal in Arlington since... ever? Get the tomato braised veal breast rigatoni and the cider braised pork shank. Both of these are top notch, especially the pork shank. Based on these dishes alone, I can tell that these guys know what they're doing. Looking forward to going through the rest of their menu.
(4)
Bella S.
Rustico's pretty Urban Outfitters-style decor does not make up for their food or somewhat crappy service. As many past reviews have warned, this place can be insanely salty. I'm guessing they need that load of salt as a preservative which is surprising because the food did seem fresh. My friend's gorganzola pillows with duck ragu were inedible. My pan-seared chicken was bland (a punishment for a bland choice?) and the pizza was ok, but yet again, incredibly salty. Our waiter was inattentive and a bit rude. I wish I could give this place 1.5 stars but at the same time, everyone was very happy with the beer selection and that's what saves Rustico in the end. Get the appetizers (truffled fries!) and order some drinks but avoid the entrees.
(2)
Pamela H.
Good crowd on a Tuesday evening, but still plenty of quiet room. Inside and outside seating -- very pleasant environment. My friend and I were anxious to try out a new place in the Ballston area that was within walking distance but worth it. We got good service, and we ordered three fantastic dishes to share -- the carrot hummus appetizer and the mussels on a bed of mashed potatoes in a flavorful tomato broth as well as a beet salad. All three were absolutely delicious -- and hearty servings. We could have done with just two of them. Now we know. You'll be safe with those little treasures. Worth the walk and the money.
(4)
Judith B.
We went there Wednesday nite, the night before Veterans Day. I point this out because there may have been more of a crowd there on a holiday eve. The food was great - we had the spinach pizza with chickpea flour crust and the grilled pizza with regular crust (one of us is vegetarian). Both were wonderful, the grilled pizza was particularly surprisingly good. The regular crust is a bit more crunchy than the chickpea crust, and both are good. We also had the red velvet cheesecake for dessert, which is amazing. However, there were some negatives: 1) we had heard they had like 433 beers available, and the beer menu had probably 2-3 dozen at most. Not sure how you find out what other beers are up that nite. 2) The noise level was extreme. It seemed like a lot of their business was the bar, which is long, and very, very noisy. It was uncomfortably so, and it was difficult to have a conversation. It was a painful noise level. If you're a 20-something, maybe it's a "great" bar scene, but that's not why we were there. 3) The price is a bit high. We had one beer each, split 2 pizzas between 3 folks, and had 1 dessert,and the bill was just over $25/person. A bit pricey for pizza, even really good pizza. We went because of the write-up in the Wash. Post, and I'm not sure we'd go back.
(3)
Neil H.
Incredible beer selection including 40 on tap; an excellent beer menu to understand what you are ordering and 4 oz. samples available for purchase. The entire place is energetic and fun; the bar very spacious. I especially like the lighting and the rustic wall in the dining room. As for the food, the Bibb salad is something I'll probably order every time I visit unless I see something else new to try. My wife and I split a lobster ravioli dish and the beef short ribs, each was fantastic. The chef really seems to think about what different tastes and textures to put in each dish so patrons can savor the different flavors. For dessert the pumpkin tart was special with not only whipped cream but also cranberries and waltnuts. I'll be a regular during happy hours and for meals.
(5)
Morgan V.
I live close by so I've been to Rustico quite a few times. The service can be hit or miss, but for the most part we've had good service. I came once with my niece and nephew (ages 6 and 10) and can say it's kid friendly. My nephew is particularly picky and gave it a thumbs up. The risotto tater tots are a must!
(4)
Julia M.
The best brunch burger I've had in a while. The waitress was also kind enough to explain all draft beers, find my favorite beer (Delirium Tremens), and recommend a beer on tap that resembles it. Will definitely be back and bring my tot with me next time
(5)
Alex M.
Salad was incredible. The tastes were simple at first, some kind of thin cream dressing on fresh organic local greens with large Parmesan crisps. When you delved into it, however, they were deeply layered and complex. The greens were crisp, some bitter, some sweet, and all fresh. The dressing was really something though, so many layers, perfectly complemented by only the best Parmesan. The best salad I've ever had. And I say that with no doubt in my mind, even having tried $40+ salads.
(5)
James C.
Good food good prices. Great beer selection.
(4)
Christine R.
I've been to both locations once now. I enjoy the atmosphere and casual quick food here - uh hello deep fried deviled eggs? Yes please! And the boys enjoyed the extensive beer list. I'm not a huge beer drinker but I tried about 6-7 different kinds (sipped off others) and was really impressed. Even found a beer I really really liked. We all decided to split 3 pizzas and all were very good. My favorite being the special of the night, the meatball pizza with fresh arugula spread on top. YUM. I tried to special request our meatball pizza, by telling our server I didn't want our meatballs cut in half - we wanted our balls whole! He was a doll and said O-K. Haha but then later came back and said the cooks said they wouldn't cook thoroughly through. At this point I felt bad since I was initially just giving him a hard time but it was sweet that he asked for us. The only thing that I didn't like was the lighting. It was so dim! I actually had a hard time reading the menu, or maybe that's just old age. Either way I have a thing about poorly lit restaurant/bars. It's annoying. Other than that I really enjoyed this location and our time here. 4 stars! Hip, hip, hooray!
(4)
Katie R.
great ambiance, great food, great beer I am no beer snob, but the "Love" beer from Star Hill Brewery is AMAZING. It's like a Blue Moon.. pretty light and just delish. The zucchini carpacchio is my go-to starter, and the pizzas are just sooo good. Pretty thin, with a great crust. Last night my friend and I split the mushroom pizza and I was WAY impressed. Not cheap, but not expensive either. This would be a great date place, and I love coming here with my girlfriends!
(5)
Jeff C.
Coming from Connecticut, raised eating Pepe's pizza, I've become quite a pizza snob. That being said, Rustico does pizza right. I've probably been to Rustico about a dozen times since I've moved down to Arlington. Some of the better pizza in Arlington, but the real star are the risotto tots. I can't go in there and not get them. Great beer selection, with a decent sized bar for those nights you're not looking for a sit down never. Great grilled chicken ceasar salad as well. The menu could be expanded upon, but I'm completely content with getting the same order time and time again.
(5)
Ruth C.
Street presence is greatly disguised, but with some help from my besties I eventually found it right next to Sweetgreen. Fireplace blasted me with a welcome warmth, but I definitely had to address my fogged classes as I passed through to the bar. Decor was dressier than the Alexandria location, accurately reflecting the modern tastes of local residents. Coat rack by the entrance was a welcome option for those of us who felt too awkward about shedding onto the booth backs of friendly lushes. I'm not surprised we had such a long wait for a table on the holiday pour night, but I am mildly distressed that they lowballed the time estimate by so much. Service was otherwise good; the seating hostess was more authoritative than the seating host, and the bartenders were all surprisingly accessible even during peak bar traffic. Handful of eye candy to be browsed among the young professionals crowd and the bustling bartenders. I'll be back for grub since this is an easier trip of the two locations.
(3)
Clara L.
It started off as an innocent happy hour with my friends. (Disclaimer: I had taken off a couple months from happy hours and drinking to train for the army 10 miler and the marine corp marathon, sooo my tolerance had decreased significantly). As I was saying, it was an innocent happy hour to catch up with friends and chat over some beers. Happy hour specials last till 4-7 and it's $2 off draft beers. The beer list is extensively long (not churchkey level, but still quite respectable) and there were still so many to choose from. I even split a pizza with a friend to make sure I had dinner. Yet a few hours roll by, happy hour is long past and everything is blurry. I can definitely say it was a good night. I will be back ;)
(4)
Dan H.
Lots of good beer! That's all you need to know. Can be hard to get a seat since it's so popular, but I would recommend having HH here. Worth the trek out to Ballston if you don't already work/live in the area. I recommend the Epic Brewery beers.
(4)
David E.
Went here on a date. Pizza was excellent, which is extremely hard to find in NoVa. Beer selection was great and not over-priced. I would definitely go back again.
(4)
Brandy C.
The pizza was delicious, and what a great beer selection! Also, the restaurant has great ambiance, as well as a nice patio. I will definitely be back.
(4)
Kristin F.
Great pizza (get the Naked - it simply can't be beat), comfy seating, lots of beer. What's not to like? Great place for lunch any afternoon
(5)
Megan D.
I would give this place 3 1/2 stars if I could. The atmosphere is nice and the food is above average. The pizza was above average, but needed more cheese. The brunch is worth trying. The menu has different items you won't find everywhere and there is nice outdoor seating. The bar is nice, and has a few TVs that are nice for watching games when it's not too busy.
(3)
Kate M.
Great place! My boyfriend and I did a make-your-own tasting and our waiter was very helpful in having us try new types. He was perfect with letting us choose but helping us navigate such an extensive beer menu. The food was much better than we anticipated - bacon and blue cheese mussels were great as were steak tartare sliders. I got a Boston Bibb salad - cheddar, apples, onion, granola... very light and refreshing. This was a nice moderately-priced restaurant with a very cool ambiance!
(4)
Patrick I.
I went here with a friend and It was great!. Nice selection for lunch and the food was great. I have no complaints here. The outdoor seating also looks nice so I think I may try that next time.
(4)
Elizabeth D.
I'm giving this place four stars even though I was not a big fan of the dish I ordered. The decor is top-notch (and apparently not even finished yet! They've made a good start), the service was impeccable and the kitchen was amazingly fast, especially given that it was their first night of dinner service. Two flaws: 1) They don't have a wine list yet -- and the house Malbec was $9 a glass at happy hour. Ouch! I'm not taking this into account for the star rating because they have clearly focused on getting the beer list off the ground and explained that the wine list won't be in place for another week or two. Most people will be going here for the beer anyway. 2) The chickpea-flour crust on the gluten-free pizza is just not good. I have the same problem with the pizzas at the Slaters Lane location; I was hoping they would have improved the recipe since last fall, but apparently not. The texture is gummy and chalky. If you must order a gluten-free pizza, make sure to get one that is smothered in sauce; the spinach pizza was not pleasant. (It worked as a vehicle for cheese, but there needed to be a lot more cheese to render the crust acceptable.) Still, as someone with celiac disease, I really appreciate Rustico's efforts to create a menu item that I can eat. In my experience, though, rice flour and a thin, crispy texture work better for gluten-free pizza crusts. That said, they were careful enough about cross-contamination that I didn't get poisoned, which is always a plus for me when dining out. The service was really good, though, and the toppings on the pizza were great. Wheat-eating people will love this place (indeed, the bar was PACKED by 6 p.m. on the first day they were open, and the restaurant portion was doing a pretty booming business as well). I'll just make sure to order a salad next time.
(4)
Chris M.
Beer selection is great, some bartenders are personable and will chat it up if they aren't too busy. It is never too crowded. Good atmosphere for conversation with friends or a group. Food is okay, nothing really stands out. If you live in DC proper it is a bit of a hike and doesn't offer anything more than its sister restaurants Churchkey and Birch & Barley
(3)
Posh K.
I ordered a Ceasar Salad with shrimp and although I enjoyed the grilled ceasar salad, I was shocked and feel cheated that after spending $6 to add shrimp, I only got 5 measly pieces. That equals to $1.20 per piece. Rip off! My lunch portion salad ending up costing $15. Adding shrimp to a pizza costs $3 and I am SURE the pizzas have more than 5 pieces. Prices need to be adjusted for adding meat to salads. No way will I do that again.
(2)
Justin E.
This place is great! The food is good and they have a great selection of beer and wine. It's also great for casual as well as a nice night out. Love it.
(4)
B F.
Yummy pizza, great beers and stellar service. Even met the chef.
(5)
Ruth T.
I love Rustico! Great place for Lunch, Happy Hour, and or Dinner! Decor and atmosphere is great and lets not start with the food. Still cant find something on the menu I don't like.
(4)
Adam G.
This is one of my new favorite sports for happy hour. Lunch and dinner aren't bad either. Glad that Ballston has a great new hangout.
(5)
Kari H.
My husband and I live next door to Rustico and have been giddy for the construction to finish so we could fill our bellies without having to make the long march down to Clarendon for good beer and dinner. Alas, Rustico is a colossal disappointment. The first night was opening weekend and we waited over an hour and a half for a table. Waiting in and of itself isn't so horrible considering we found an enviable spot at the bar and sipped on some beers. Of course the noise level was so deafening that our conversation was more like pantomime. Dinner was decent - nothing too spectacular but a bit overpriced. The spicy tuna tartare was playful and the cider gastrique gave it the right amount of acidity. The slow cooked duck breast with the cassis sauce brought back memories of France and Germany. While the cider-braised pork shank dish had good flavor overall, the meat was a bit tough. It was served in a ridiculous bowl, and the dull knife they gave me certainly didn't help. To the uninformed observer, it probably looked like surgery: me peering over the ridge of the bowl using all my strength to dig out morsels of meat. Like another reviewer, we were seated next to a door and the draft was bone-chilling. We were too hungry to complain. However, we resolved to give Rustico another shot. Tonight I ordered two pizzas over the phone for pick-up. The server took my name and phone number. He even repeated the details back to me and gave me a wait time of 15 to 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, we walked over to pick up the pizzas. They weren't ready. Only after an additional 15 to 20 minutes or so of waiting at the bar, and having several conversations with confused staff where we were asked to repeat our order again and again, we discovered our order had never been placed. The manger finally came and told us that they had 'just found our order' and it'd be another 15 minutes or so but were we interested in drinks? When I asked if he had just put in the order, he nodded. We left. Every new restaurant is going to experience growing pains, but not owning up to a mistake, and not offering to fix it means that we'll never go back. So much for great expectations.
(1)
Ray C.
Nice spot for an upscale trendy happy hour. Not the cheapest place, but the food is excellent. You have to try the Steak Tar-Tar bites...
(4)
Jordana T.
I would definitely give this place more stars, but our evening started out a bit dicey...(BTW: this is long and a bit ranty) First off, I know that they do not take reservations during a certain time and you can only call ahead, which is what I did. A woman answered the phone, took my name, phone number, and number in the party. We show up, with less people in our party than expected, and were told we were not on their list of call ahead's. I was even asked if I called the right Rustico (I did---I checked my phone and called again and sure enough the same girl who took my now non-existent call ahead answered the phone). I was told they would seat me as soon as they could but there were parties ahead of me. Normally, I would have been fine, but they never acknowledged that it was possible they made a mistake and didnt properly take my name down or forgot to (they were taking names and numbers over the phone and passing them up in individual pieces of paper to the host). I was now told the wait would be 45 minutes. I am obviously pissed but trying to be gracious about it. We went to the bar. It was mega-crowded as expected but we found a nook and ordered. The bartenders were great. Very quick and attentive, unlike the host staff. I ordered the The Love by Starr Hill Brewery and it was delicious. I am certainly adding that to my list of favorites. I go back to the host, who was not very nice or welcoming and did not hide the fact that I was a bother. So much for making customer feel welcome rather than encourage them to walk out. I know it's busy but keep it cool. I asked how much longer (after about 30 minutes of waiting). We were buzzed about 15 minutes later. At least he was right about the wait? BUT, here's the kicker, we were incomplete because our 4th person, who we thought had arrived and was using the restroom in Rustico, was in fact, peeing over at Ballston Mall. After some prodding, they sat us as an incomplete party (and the host and hostesses did not hide their irritation) and our 4th showed up a few minutes later...no big. We ordered some samplers. I had a glass of the LIEFMANS FRUITESSE which was like drinking fizzy kool-aid. It was ok. Not my fave but it was a fun drink. Sorry, another hate on the host side note: we had a fifth person join and we were at a 4 top next to a couple who was having a date and I feel bad that we crowded on them. We asked our server if we could add another chair. The HOST TOLD HIM NO IT WOULD INCONVENIENCE OTHER GUESTS or we could, after already ORDERING, wait for a larger table. We squeezed because we were all friends, but it was tight and at times uncomfortable. but WE ALREADY ORDERED. Now they wanted us to get up and WAIT? Hell no. I will mention towards the end of dinner a rather large party sat a few tables away and they had all sorts of chairs crowding the table and were in the aisle/walk ways and the host had no problem with that, obviously. That host staff needs to get it together. Dinner: My husband and I had the BRAISED DUCK & POACHED PEAR pizza and the GRILLED DRY-AGED CHEDDAR BURGER. Dear lord, that pizza was amazing. The duck was savory and tender and moist and the poached pears worked so well with all the flavors. I would have gladly eaten that entire pizza myself. The burger, while being just a burger, was one of the yummiest burgers ever. I actually am craving it as I write this. Our tablemates ordered the TRUFFLED COUS COUS CARBONARA, which was creamy and delicious. I know because I asked to try it and it was tasty. I am ordering that for myself next time. Another friend had the TRUFFLED STEAK TARTARE. it wasn't anything spectacular and had the least thumbs-up of the food. I can't speak for all the other beers tried---the boys all got samplers---so we as a group tried about 21 beers total that night. And our server, Drew, was awesome. He was very gracious and chatty and attentive but not overbearing. Despite the hosts and the obvious "Our business is doing great so we can live with you walking out angry at us" attitude, the food and beer was fantastic. I will come back because I really liked everything beyond the host stand.
(3)
Sara J.
I have eaten here so many times this past month it's embarassing. Rustico has all American but uniquly interesting dishes. I especially love the bibb lettuce salad with gronola and cranberries. And I devour the french fries on my husband's cheesburger plate. They may be the best in town after Lyon Hall. A friend ordered the fish of the day which was delightful. I have had better mussels, though. The waitstaff at Rustico is pleasant and well-informed, and the opportunity for a beer flight is a must-do. Great place to go with friends and I won't let out the secret that brunch is also delightful, especially if you have kids.
(4)
N B.
Hit or miss, depending on what you order. The pizza is usually what I get and has yet to disappoint. I haven't tried the burgers but my friends highly recommend it. Truffle fries are also very interesting and worth the try. I don't recommend the risotto tots, though, they were uncomfortably crunchy, like biting into uncooked rice balls. Beer selection is great-- I usually stick to The Love, I try to get it on tap whenever I can.
(3)
Deb B.
Phenomenal pizza, nice restaurant area, not my favorite bar area. The pizza is amazing. I'm not a crust person but I love their crust. The pizza menu is a bit unconventional, but you can customize your pizza so I was able to bring home the pizza I wanted. The only negative to the place, in my opinion, is the bar. The beer menu and prices are great. Unfortunately the area does not have enough tables/chairs for the amount of space or number of patrons. If you want to go on a Friday or Saturday night, be prepared to stand awkwardly. If you're on a date, it can be really awkward sitting in the middle of one of the long tables with 12 chairs surrounded by strangers. I highly recommend going there either earlier in the evening if you want to sit or getting your pizza to go. Definitely get the pizza!
(4)
Andrew F.
Had a basil and fresh mozz pizza here. It was pretty good! Good service, good pizza. Recommended.
(4)
Taylor G.
I ate here with a friend and we enjoyed our dinner. The service was pretty good. We also split the beer float for dessert and it was really good! I plan on going back again this summer.
Uh, I hate to have to write this bad review but I absolutely have no choice. First, The Bartender had some kind of a chip on his shoulder and was a complete di@k to me not once, but twice, completely unprovoked. The service was terrible. We were told 45 minutes and 1 and a 1/2 hours later I basically have to tell them that I am leaving in 2 minutes before they even cared we were there. The server was really nice but was very bad at his job. I don't know why a place that sells mid 20 something platters has servers who leave the combination of menus on our table the entire dinner and didn't even notice. They were on the servers side by the way! Crazy! I am not even gonna harp on the servers inability to serve but wow! Really the last and only time that I went to this location it was a really good dinner. The lamb hummus was outstanding which is basically the reason we came back for the second time. However this experience was such a let down though. The food was horrible and really the same thing happened at the Alexandria location repeatedly and is why I cant go back there. Now despite the wide variety of beverages which are by the way pushing the limit of reasonably priced, I have to say NO MORE RUSTICO for me and mine. PS. definitely gonna tell people not to eat there. tell the bartender he needs to figure his sh$t out before coming into work. PSS. I know all the really cool people go here but the food needs to be good or else even they are gonna figure this s&*T out Mason
(1)
Adam A.
Great beer selection, fun crowd, food just isnt all that. Pizza is ok, but with so much good pizza around, why bother. Rest of the entrees are mediocre at best. Go to Liberty Tavern instead.
(2)
Serena G.
Great dinner! We had the mussels which were AMAZING! a def must if you like mussels. Also had the grilled pizza. If you like a lot of meat, you will love this pizza. It's pretty good. Service and ambiance is great. Chardonnay was also delish. You won't be disappointed here.
(4)
Fuzz H.
Definitely a large selection of beer. The fries were good, but I can't say the same about the pizza. The price is only really worth it if you're trying to impress a date.
(2)
Anpan W.
Sunday brunch is good. But people bring lots of children. Week nights can be humorously pretentious. Food and beer selection are better than your average DC experience. However, service is normal terrible DC style service. Fig and Prosciutto pizza, anything hashed e.g. short beef ribs, brisket, peanut butter french toast are all recommended.
(4)
Harry C.
Well, after reading the reviews I was expecting a first class dining experience. It began well with a nice table outside. The beer menu was a surprise with the brews broken down into categories I had never seen before. An enormous list with unknown brands. It took a while to make a choice while my friends waited. Then,foolishly, thinking I was in a pizza parlor I ordered one. It arrived dry and crusty with almost no flavor. A real disappointment. The place was jumping with yuppies and is obviously in the Clarendon zone although located in Ballston. Maybe other items on the menu are worth a visit but for me, one trip is it.
Not A-OK, just OK. 440 beers got me in the door, but the bar wrapping around a corner handcuffs me from eyeing all the beers. The beer menu was quite handy but I like RFD better for drinking since all the beers are in lined up and in eyesight from the bar seats (their food stinks though). I do like how I can buy a bottle to take home at half-ish the menu price. I will go back to eat but not to drink, too much reading.
(3)
Aamna C.
Went for the first time last Friday - but I can't really review Rustico too extensively since we only stayed for a short while- honestly it was uncomfortably loud... The acoustics need some serious improvement. I really hope they can adjust this so we can come back and actually try the food.
(2)
Brenden J.
The Pizza was good, the beer was good, our server was Fantastic. Sometimes a great server can make an average restaurant great. I wish I remembered his name, but the dude was cool and knew his beers. He guided my girlfriend and I around the beer list with expertise. We ended up splitting about a dozen of the sample-sized beers. Nothing like working up a good buzz at 3:30 in the afternoon.
(4)
George V.
Probably more of a 3.5 but I am rounding Rustico up as it is now the best place in Ballston for beers and food. 1. Great beer selection. 2. Couscous Carbonara is a fantastic dish. Apple crumble dessert was also delicious. 3. Good atmosphere. Overall = Great place for beers and a good atmosphere. Be selective with what you order (Chickpea crust pizza was awful - if you want gluten free there are better options available).
(4)
Claire C.
My boyfriend and I come here often because it's close to where we live. He hates the food but I like it, which basically means we only come here for drinks. But, we both agree that their beer selection is ah-mazing. I love the beer on their draft menu called "The Love." I do think their food is overpriced but it is good. The atmosphere and the staff are nice, the service is ok but I think that's because it's usually pretty busy. It's a great place to have a drink with friends.
(3)
Tiffany G.
great atmosphere and beer selection
(4)
Margy G.
First time diner here: I recommend the basil and fresh mozzarella pizza...cant go wrong. Dessert was probably the best I've ever had and I'm not even big on sweets. My boyfriend and I got the "Heart of darkness" and Rustico Donuts. (two thumbs up)
(4)
Mojdeh S.
How I heard of this place: Having recently moved into our new apartment in Ballston, we walked by Rustico and decided to add it to our list of places to try. Type of cuisine: Rustic, American fare, with woodfire grilled flat-bread pizzas to steak, bacon-blue cheese mussels and fresh, creative pastas. The food exudes comfort. "By using only the finest and freshest available ingredients, including locally produced and organic products wherever possible, our menus reflect a commitment and respect for the ideals and heritage of honest, rustic cooking..." Ambiance: The windowed storefront gives Rustico a sense of casual ambiance, until one enters the streamlined, warm tones of its interiors. Upon entering the small wind-blocking entryway, through one set of glass doors, patrons are welcomed into the warmth that is Rustico, by a two-way fireplace. Continuing through the second door and into the restaurant itself, a host and hostess welcome you, ask you to be seated at the rust-orange-colored cushion, set against a charcoal bench. The restaurant wraps in what seems like a large L-shape, extending out to the right as you stand facing the hostess podium, and directly ahead (perhaps also continuing around) as you make your way to the bar. The nude wooden, textured, planks lining one side of the wall, end at the spot where bench seating begins. A wall of glass mosaic denotes the corner, inner angle of the L, where brown and green glass bottles are artfully placed nose to nose and tail to tail from floor to ceiling in alternating colors to create a beautiful pattern. Tables and chairs are dark brown, nearly black in smooth, sleek tones, decorated with white napkins folded tightly in flame-resembling shapes. "Rustico is an exuberant neighborhood restaurant driven to deliver a one-two punch of honest, robust cooking against a backdrop of amazing beer. Warm, vivacious and adamantly unpretentious, Rustico was designed with good times in mind. With a cache of over 400 beers, a bustling bar scene and a passionate kitchen committed to its craft, Rustico's a restaurant to visit with family and friends time and time again." What I ordered: To start, cranberry juice ($3.75), Shirley Temples ($2.75 each), and a beer (noted on the receipt as: Stnd Tramp Stamp at $6). Starters included: Bacon & Blue Cheese Mussels ($11), Brooklyn lager and caramelized onions made up the base for this meal, complete with sodium-enriched chunks of smoked bacon and melted blue cheese, topped with two lemon wedges and grilled ciabatta for dipping, Meatball Lettuce Wraps ($10) served with a slightly spicy tomato aioli, minted yogurt and pickled vegetables, and the Pretzel Crusted Mac 'N Cheese ($8) with orzo, Fontina and Parmesan. Main entrees: Creekstone Farms N.Y. Strip ($28 each), one rare and one prepared medium, with confit mashed potatoes, corn salsa and a full head of roasted garlic over crostini; Shrimp with Bacon Tortellini ($22 each) served over a bed of creamed corn sauce, with corn pesto and topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese; Eggplant Parmesan ($16), baked with fresh mozzarella and topped with an olive & fennel salad. And even dessert: Peach Sundae ($8), peach slices served over toasted almond ice cream, lay atop an almond cake, with amaretto caramel drizzle; Nutella Cheesecake ($8), a chocolate cookie crust, soft, dense chocolate-nutella cheesecake served over a dark chocolate sauce with four candied hazelnuts and topped with whipped cream; the two scoops of Housemade Seasonal Ice Creams ($5 each). One with a scoop of chocolate malt and coffee chocolate chip, the other with coffee chocolate chip and fresh mint chocolate chip. What I loved: As far as appetizers go, my favorite was the orzo mac 'n cheese, but the mussels - drenched in bacon and blue cheese - may have been the best I've sampled to date. From the main entrees, I loved the tender shrimp and the fresh grated Parmesan, but was inundated with heaviness in the abundant cream sauce and sweet corn. Having also sampled some of my husband's steak and mashed potatoes, with soft, tender, freshly roasted garlic, I was quite pleased with the combination of flavors on his dish. If we go back for dinner, with the same menu options, I would be more likely to order the steak, for the first time, over the tortellini a second time. Why I loved it: Simple, casual, elegant and sleek setting, a friendly and eager-to-please server, and food for which we would return. Cost: Average ($16-$28 per dinner entree)
(4)
Meredith V.
Nice wine list, cool vibe, and chocolate flourless torte that is....TO..DIE...FOR. Seriously, one of the best things I've eaten in a very long time. That is all.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Street, Validated Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Trendy Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Dogs Allowed : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
D R.
This place is going downhill. The food has always been too salty, but now it appears that so too is the quality of the ingredients themselves, as well as the cooking technique. Their burger has been my comfort food for the past six months, but my most recent visit was a wake-up call. Subpar ground beef with lots of bits of fat/cartilage, and so greasy that I had to take a shower when I got home. It was even worse than BGR in Clarendon, and that's saying something. To add insult to injury, the fries - which while bountiful - were undercooked. Though the food was a two-star experience, the service continues to be generally good, and the the beer (while pricey) is both interesting and tasty. I'll give the burger one more try, then either switch to the tartar sliders (which are magnificent) or stick to the suds.
(3)Scott W.
Unreal...went here with my wife and 1 year old son in pouring rain on Sunday at 4 PM ...they turned us away from the dining room because the area was not quite open yet...(even though there was someone eating there). The bar tables were too high for a child seat, they would not let us sit at a table....manager (heavy set brunette guy with short hair) would not let us have quick meal in dining area. Rude and obnoxious staff!!!! I had heard this place was overrated...now I know why.
(1)Amanda C.
Not so hot on this place and I don't think it was because it was so jam packed in there i felt like a sardine in a can. The food was decent, the price not so much. They had a wide variety of exotic beers and although I enjoyed my drink and food it was hard to be waited on and difficult to have a pleasant conversation due to the noise and general crowded feel to the place.
(2)Chris R.
I didn't get the value I expected for the price I paid. I ordered a PASTRAMI CURED PORK "REUBEN" sandwich ($12) from the lunch menu and 2 beers. At the end of the meal, I felt like the food was very average considering the premium price. The sandwich was one-note and the fries were very salty and from the bottom of the fryer. I've paid half that for much better tasting and more interesting food in other local restaurants. The beer selection is good, and the atmosphere is attractive. But this all comes at a price that I don't want to pay again. The restaurant manager has contacted me about this review which led me to rethink the experience and be more exacting in my analysis. I'm not a troll and actually put a lot of thought into my Yelp reviews. I try to eat local as much as possible and give restaurants a chance. Part of the re-thinking led me to ask several of my fellow diners (we had a party of 5) about their thoughts in retrospect and they validated my assessment. "Meh. I've experienced better."
(2)Mike B.
I've been twice now, so feel that warrants my ability to post a review. Went for lunch the first day they were open and sat at the bar. Got the standard "what can I get ya" sort of greeting from the bartender who wasn't busy at all. No interaction with the bartender other than that (he left during my visit and didn't say anything). I ordered a beer and a sandwich, the swordfish club. The swordfish was good but the bacon reminded me of a Wendy's cheeseburger and the bread looked like that half-assed stuff you can buy at 7-11 if you're in a bind. The potato chips were very oily, with clumps of them stuck together and soft. $25+ for 1 beer and a sandwich that I didn't see the value in. Went back the following Friday with some friends around 11PM. Bar was full but not packed. Got our first round quickly. Had to wait a bit to get our next round...not because the bar was busy. Two bartenders walked by us 4-5 times without acknowledging us (it's a small enough bar that you have to really try to avoid somebody). Like Church Key and Rustico Alexandria I'll go for the product, not the service.
(3)Alycia L.
I went to this restaurant about a week or so ago with by boyfriend. We went on a Wednesday night and it was not too busy or loud. Our waitress was amazing I believe her name was Jeanine. She was very knowledgeable about all the different beers and made some amazing suggestions. We also got samples of the beer before we ordered it to make sure we liked it so we got to taste a couple different ones and they came in theses really cute glasses. They were not out of any of the beers that we asked for/about. I got the Mushroom Pizza and my boyfriend got the hamburger. Both were delicious. We also had the beer float for dessert and it was very good, hazelnut ice-cream and beer! Yummm! Overall we had a great time and would defiantly go again!
(5)EM S.
LOVE THIS PLACE! I'm gluten/dairy free and they are always willing to help me find something to eat! I love the location, the wine list, and everyone I take there is amazed with the beer list! Definitely worth a try!
(5)Miriam B.
We've been to Rustico more than 20 times since it opened. Two weeks ago, my boyfriend left his credit card with the server and forgot it for 24 hours. We went back the next day and got the card. Turns out someone at Rustico used his credit card information to purchase over $200 worth of xbox games to download to their account. Microsoft and his bank took care of the charges, and Microsoft is launching its own investigation because the charges are extremely traceable. We are no longer involved, but I will say that when we called the manager, he acted really strange and said he had never heard of this happening in his 12 years in the restaurant biz (hello? industry folks do NOT trust their employees for this reason...) and asked us to send him by email all of the details of the false charges. We never received an email reply or acknowledgement from the manager, Andy, so we thought that behavior was slightly suspect. We'll definitely go back but we were disappointed by this incident and the poor treatment by the management staff. As for the important stuff: Beer is pretty good and the food is meh. You can get better pizza at Matchbox or Fireworks. The servers are beer snobs who are way too pushy about their opinions, which are "do not get this $5 beer, get the $10 beer." Deviled eggs are AMAZING (deep fried with sriracha and horseradish.) I usually get a grilled steak caesar or a sausage pizza. The spinach pizza is dry and burnt, don't get it!
(2)Leah C.
I used to love Rustico, but the food quality has been seriously lacking as of late. A few weeks ago I went with a large group of people and almost everyone ordered a pizza - 4 of the pizzas barely had any toppings. You could see the pizza crust clearly through the "marinara" sauce that was basically non-existent, with roughly 3 tomatoes and 3 chunks of cheese for the entire pizza. The other 3 pizzas were fine, but there was obviously no consistency in the food preparation. I brushed it off and figured it was just an off night for Rustico...until tonight. I ordered a pizza, brought it back to my apartment, opened the box, and was basically staring at a pizza crust with maybe 3 T of sauce spread over the entire pie. If I had wanted to simply eat bread, I would have gone to Harris Teeter, bought a 3 dollar loaf of bread, and would have saved a ton of money. HORRIBLE! what a rip off!
(1)Caroline H.
This place is fine, but nothing to "wow" about. The pizza is good but overpriced. You can go down the road to Pupatella and get a better pizza for half the cost, with a much friendlier atmosphere. Unless you love beer, no need to go here. Oh, and not to mention our waittress couldn't have been any LESS engaged- she paid no attention to us and said about two words. That definitely did not help her tip. Frankly, there are so many other places to go- I don't get the hype about this place aside from the convenience of location if you live nearby.
(2)shawn g.
I am totally stuffed after a great lunch at the soft opening of Rustico Ballston. The atmosphere is a bit different from Alexandria, not so much that you'd think it's a different restaurant, but it definitely has that Ballston feel. I particularly liked the lighting near the bar area and the dining room. If you take nothing else from this review, just know that you need to order the carrot hummus and the short rib cheese steak. I overheard that the pastries and possibly desserts come from Buzz Bakery nearby, and apparently their lemonade too. The menu is the same as the Alexandria location as far as I can tell, but the beer selection may vary. There is more room to move around in the bar area here too, there are still long hi-tops, but more floor space to accommodate the inevitable rush of diners and drinkers. Can't wait to come back when it's in full swing. Great views of the TV's from most of the spots in the bar area too if you're looking for a sports game.
(4)Marco C.
This is a fun place to come to with friends. I love the tables they have at the bar so we don't have to all crowd around the actual bar and the service was great. So attentive, but not hovery. Our glasses (water and beer) were never empty. This is the place I come for when I'm in the mood for a beer I've never had. Surprisingly tasty appetizers too. We loved the steak tartare sliders, meatballs and fried deviled eggs.
(3)Stephanie M.
Came here for a beer happy hour and was very happy. They have a ton of awesome beers on tap. Try the 2 smoked beers, amazing! I liked that they had tastes, so I could try a bunch. The pizza was just ok, but the beer was great.
(4)t e.
food was great. had chicken and steak. service left a lot to be desired. ambiance was very loud. difficult to hear. would go back for food. but on quieter terms.
(3)Faylinda K.
I always give a generous amount of stars because (OK, you've heard this before) my kids work in restaurants and I have great respect for restaurants. One star for Rustico and we won't be going back. I walked in ready to fall in love and the waitstaff talked me out of it. We arrived with a reservation for brunch. The decor on the side we were take to (away from the bar) was very school cafeteria and would be helped by some plush surfaces to absorb sound. And softer chairs, The tables by the bar which we saw on our way out looked more inviting. I won't detail the bizarre incident that happen en route with our hostess because she is an older woman and I would hate to see her lose her position. Our waiter continued the trend of slovenly service. He leaned on our table to talk to us, but my daughter - a 5-star server gave him a pass on that. But not the disappear ring act. He was never at the table when we wanted him and left long periods of time between check ins. Water? We had to ask for it individually even though we were sitting just a stone's throw from a bucket of filled bottles of water. I asked for water. The waiter turned away quickly before I could add, and water for my two companions. It took a while and my one glass was placed on the table. One person spoke up and said I'd like - and he was gone and some minutes later brought one more glass and spun away before the third person could ask for his glass. This poor third person was reduced to sharing my glass! Does each person have to request their water? The food was OK. I had the crispy salmon sandwich with cole slaw on it. It was good, not great. (Still dreaming of the duck reuben at Poste.) The homemade potato chips were a bit soggy and over cooked, very brown. Maybe some people like them that way. The eggs benedict that one table mate had were cutely presented on tiny toast rounds. The hollandaise sauce was very rich and yummy but I would have enjoyed a more toothsome bread under the layers. Our third at the table pronounced his burger good. But we were all so annoyed by the sloppy service that we won't be back to try the beers or the pizza, too many other spots to try - or return to.
(1)Varun M.
Excellent beer list. Try the Walker's Reserve!
(5)Henry C.
Great beer list and great food, the only downside is it tends to get crowded some nights and the lunch service is slow but overall my favorite restaurant in Ballston.
(4)Christina K.
The pizza is really good, and the ambiance is also quite nice. I've been there twice so far but I only can give it 3 stars because our first experience was freezing, and when we asked the host to move us to another table (there were plentyyyyy of open tables) he was rather annoyed. The second time we ate lunch there it was also freezing!! Food is great, but I don't like eating in Antartica. Turn up the heat Rustico!
(3)lily s.
I have been to this restaurant 2 times before for dinner n the service was great, so I decided to take my sister n her 2 kids for bruch on Sunday on May 22 we ask to sit outside since it was a gorgeous day outside n inside the restaurant was empty.Big mistake we waited 20 after being seated before our server Lauren S. approaches us ,she asked if we eaten there before ,I said yes n we r ready to order ,them she suggested that we get momosa with our brunch her description of a mimoso was channary n ok,which I realise it was suppose to be champaign, anyway we got our food with no plates n silver wear,another ten minute she approache the table n reliaze we don't have any thing to eat with,I just wanted to leve to make matters worse my nephew drop his fork right in front her n she just keep walk-in like she didn't see ,at this point we just ask for the check cause it was just pissing me off ,I told her if was my sister bday still she didn't recommed dessert, thank god for Buzz cupcake next door .Worst server ever Lauren S. I was a server once so I still leave her 18 percent tip.
(3)J B.
I was very excited to try this new restaurant. Everything we ordered on the menu (appetizer + entrees) were sooo bad. Things sound "interesting," so you hope that the chef has new and exciting choices for you to try--it was horrible. :-/ I was really hoping to like this place. On the plus side, the beers recommended to us were great!
(1)Jazzy J.
A month ago I noticed that a new place was opening down the street which immediately excited me and prompted some research. While doing so I saw that there was an Alexandria location and the menu sounded fab! I convinced a group of friends to check out the new place this past Friday night even though the crowd was swarming. We called in at 7pm to make a reservation for 8 people and were told a table would be ready at 9pm. We arrived at 8:30 thinking we could get a drink first as the boys were excited about the large beer list. We ended up not sitting until 10pm, however the mood of the place kept us from getting upset and keep drinking! The beer reviews were all great, however being gluten intolerant I kept to wine. As for the actual dinner we ordered the muscles and tuna tartar for an appetizer and were with both picks! I ordered a salad and added grilled shrimp which they ended up forgetting to add the shrimp - totally fine as I was stuffed on the apps! The server was very helpful and looked out for my allergy which I always appreciate at a restaurant. The others had pizza and they loved all their choices as well (mushroom and the grilled). Overall, I look forward to dining again and having one of their entrees.
(4)Philip K.
I live 30 seconds from Rustico and had been eagerly awaiting its opening for months,. My first visit made the wait worthwhile. The carrot hummus (a layer of hummus, a layer of ground lamb, a layer of goat cheese) was moist and flavorful. The pork shank was tender and satisfying. The beer list, for which Rustico Alexandria is known, is well-chosen and helpfully organized. The server was polite, attentive, and knowledgeable. The restaurant and bar are doing huge business. According to the manager, they are starting out replicating the menu and model from Rustico Alexandria but hope to explore new paths in the months ahead. It's good to see the restaurant scene in Ballston improving. Let's hope Rustico stays motivated!
(4)Charles C.
Food is pretty expensive but it is good. The flat breads are the best offer.The atmosphere is more date/nice dinner and less hang out with friends. Every time I go there are always a bunch of people on dates. I had the flat breads (I wont call it pizza), salads, and some of the appetizers. Would eat there again.
(4)K K.
When visiting friends in Arlington we found ourselves here one night. The ambience here is really nice and they have a decent outside seating patio (though one side looks out onto some construction.) Food: absolutely wonderful. I enjoyed the Caesar salad and the Rustico burger, which was super juicy and one of the best burgers I've had in a while. The fries were a bit over fried. I had a bite of my friends pizza and really enjoyed the white pizza. Service: This is the aspect that made this place less than a 5 star. We sat in the bar area and seemed to be forgotten at times. It took a while for our water refills to come out and I ordered a salad to come out before my burger but they came out at the same time. Not quite sure why he wouldn't bring the salad first and I was starving so it would have been nice to start with a salad. Everything was just extremely slow and we had planned for a fairly quick dinner. I'll be back but maybe when it's not so busy.
(3)De'Leisa N.
Stopped in for brunch on a Sunday. They said that they were fully booked and we would have to sit in the bar area. No worries because there was plenty of seating. We were starving. Thank goodness for their little breakfast scramble biscuit sandwiches. They were so good that we ordered some to go...lol. They even accommodated me and added no egg and added a little more meat. They pretty much use the sausage they put on the pizza. The fries were crisp with a touch a salt....they really were the perfect fry to me. I honestly forgot about the burger I ordered and only remember the biscuit sandwiches because they were that good...they were also cheap! I will definitely stop in again if I am in the neighborhood!
(4)Jenny L.
I've only had the pizza here and it's not the best pizza in Arlington (Pupatella takes the cake). The concepts are great -- the topping combos and the fact that they offer a gluten-free chickpea crust -- but something about the execution is just off. The roasted mushroom and goat cheese pizza was lacking in flavor and sharpness, and the others commented that their meat toppings were underseasoned or not as spicy as expected. This was my first time trying a chickpea crust and I thought it was overly cakey, chewy and flavorless, and really could have used some cheese (which I understand appears in most cauliflower crust recipes). Our server was super nice, though, and offered me an elderberry cider and complimentary beer when the apple cider I had ordered was out. I'm interested in trying their non-pizza menu items including the carrot hummus, so I would come back to this place but I wouldn't be the one to suggest it.
(3)Michael M.
I will never come back. Service was terrible. Chris, our waiter had us at the automatic 20% tip with 6 people and knew it. Everything was late, drinks were poured terribly (tons of head or whiskey wasn't nearly a shot level), and a little bit of attitude. The kitchen seemed to be the only part of this place that had their stuff together. Having been a server before, I can say that this was one of the worst performances I've ever seen. Based off some of the other reviews I see, I'd give this place a wide berth.
(1)Alison M.
Solid place - not amazing, but definitely good food, and tons of great beer. It's a little loud on the weekends, but during the week it is great to get a beer and a bite to eat. I've especially enjoyed the carrot hummus and the burgers, and I love that they have lots of options for snacks that seem to change pretty often.
(4)Lucas B.
I love this place. For some reason whenever I looked at the menu online it just didn't excite me. I finally was lured into going and it was fantastic. Their white pizza is delicious. Also I've had their Brussels sprouts a couple times and they're pretty top notch. They've got a solid wine list too. Only gripe with this place is that the service hasn't been the most attentive. Otherwise Rustico is great. I've had nothing but good meals there.
(4)Clark M.
I ordered the Cubano sandwich and it was brought to me badly burnt. Everyone else's food was good, but beware of the Cubano!
(1)Jun Y.
Rustico is the perfect way to start your weekend after a long week a work. Actually that's how I discovered this restaurant; when my company hosted a company-sponsored happy hour at the restaurant. The outdoor patio area is extremely spacious and nice. It can accommodate up to a party of 40, the problem is the waiters are usually backed up with orders if you're sitting outside. Since the weather is starting to get nice, I would recommend coming here for a cold beer or better yet a long-island ice tea. The long-islands go a long way and hits home really quickly. The bartenders poured with a heavy hand and after 2 or 3, I started to feel it coming. Aside from the drinks, I would order the pizza and tatter tots to wash down and absorb the alcohol so you don't get trashed before 7p.m comes by. It's a low key atmosphere to catch up with coworkers about the work week or just generally a good spot for pregaming before going out into the city. Indoors is even more spacious than the patio area but since the weather is nice, I took advantage of the situation anyway I could.
(4)Seaeun K.
Yeeeesss!!! This is what Ballston has been missing. A great, small-menu-done-well restaurant. I've been here twice so far. Food is wonderful. I can't remember what I had the first time but that doesn't mean it wasn't memorable. I just have a terrible memory. I do, however, remember how wonderful the Belgian Mussels were last time. There are definitely enough for a light-dinner, especially with the toasted sourdough points that are served with it. The broth is heavenly!! I hear the pork chops are a must do. My beer-snob coworkers say the draft selection is excellent, especially the 11% Imperial Stout.
(4)Clifford D.
I absolutely love Rustico. Churchkey has been one of my favorite bars in DC for a long time and I've always enjoyed Birch and Barley (same owners as Rustico). I feel like Rustico combines the best of both. Churchkey is a great bar, but not a great restaurant. Birch and Barley is a great restaurant, but it's higher end. Rustico is the perfect balance. They have a fantastic beer selection and great food. The chickpea crust pizza is fantastic. I try and get to Rustico as often as I can.
(5)Ruby S.
Service: Absolutely horrible -Waiter accidentally threw his pen at my friend while taking his order (not sure how this happened) and burst out laughing, did not apologize -Waiter spilled our water and did not come back to clean it up, we were forced to mop it up ourselves with our napkins -We asked the busboy for a refill of water, he told us it was not his job and walked away -Waiter forgot to put in our appetizer orders -Waiter boxed my pizza leftovers upside down... what? Food was below average. My friend said the steak was dry and flavorless. My pizza was overly-greasy and very salty. Will definitely not be back and would recommend others to stay away.
(1)Chandani C.
I've been to Rustico a few times over the years since it opened. It's definitely one of the nicest restaurants in the Ballston area. I've always had a pleasant experience whether I came for lunch, dinner, or just drinks and have always been pleased with the food as well. Another plus is that they are accommodating with requests (carrot hummus with no meat or meat on the side) It's a great spot for a date or for a group. (Pictures are from my latest visit a few weeks ago)
(4)Greg F.
This Rustico used to be my most favorite place in Arlington (many years now) to go get a great beer (it still has a lot of great choices) and something good to eat. However this Wednesday (7/15) they really let me and my friend down on the eat thing. We ordered a couple of beers and a Cubano and it arrived very quickly, but it was obviously one made the day before and was microwaved. Also the french fries had a lot of mostly black spots on them and going all the way through and probably also microwaved. Disappointing to say the least. We have always really liked the pizza, our favorite was the Italian sausage with roasted red peppers. But they don't do the roasted red peppers anymore. Why?. We probably won't be going back any time soon.
(2)Nicole G.
I wondered why my boyfriend made a reservation for a restaurant in Ballston but after seeing the place steadily fill up as we placed our orders made me thankful he did! The hostess and servers were friendly and gave me time to choose a drink, appetizer, and meal. We were lucky enough to still be on the tail end of a happy hour so I got to try two different drafts and save a couple bucks each time. We started off with the truffle parm fries which were a huge disappointment to me. Maybe I'm just not a fan of truffle oil, but the fries themselves were overdone and no amount of cheese was saving them. Luckily my main course blew me away! I ordered the roast beet salad and added chicken to make it an entree. It was a beautiful array of golden and purple beats sliced up under arugula, walnuts, and blood orange, all tossed in a balanced vinaigrette and with a side of tender, juicy chicken breast. Our waiter was a bit swamped so our check came slowly, but he was friendly and apologetic, and I was still finishing my beer so it was no problem. I'm not in the area often, but look forward to coming back to trying a pizza next time!
(4)Phoenix Simone W.
The feel of this place really speaks to its name. It has a very rustic, modern vibe. Be sure to order the carrot hummus and the smoked paprika risotto tots! So amazing. This bar is definitely one of my favorites in the area--I'll be back!
(4)Jamie G.
Came to Rustico for sunday brunch at around noon. Didn't have to wait at all. We had the white pizza and the brisket cheesesteak. Make sure to grab a seat outside when the weather is warm. Great for groups and definitely want to come back and try the happy hour!
(4)Helen F.
WAITRESS: If I could give our waitress 10 stars, I would. Really wish I had written down her name. After seeing a movie at the Ballston mall, we decided to head over to Kapnos, to see if we could get a quick/late dinner. We understood it was kind of late (9:45), but Yelp said their restaurant was open until 11:00 on a Sunday night. Of course as soon as we walked in we were met by a cold, suspicious hostess, who quickly told us they were closed. I'm guessing their kitchen was closing at 10, and she and the other staff just didn't want to deal with us. Well, luckily for us Rustico was across the street. We walked in, at around 9:55, completely sensitive to the fact that their kitchen was closing at 10:00 (there was no hostess). However, Instead of turning us away, which this waitress could have easily done, as i'm sure she and everyone else was tired, she accommodated us with a smile and great service. Our waitress definitely went above and beyond, and really made the restaurant look awesome in our eyes. She literally sprinted to get our orders into the kitchen before they closed. I don't think I have ever had a waiter or waitress ever go that above and beyond. This chick deserves a raise, A BIG ONE (young, dirty blond, big smile, friendly- please recognize her management). FOOD: 4.5/5 stars. Given the hour, we really weren't expecting much, but we were majorly wrong. We ordered burgers since we knew it would be lower-maintenance than some of the other items on the menu, and they were darn tasty. The fries were also fantastic. They were thick-cut, and tasted really fresh. My favorite touch was that the meal came with a deli pickle. One would be surprised how many places chinc you on a pickle, so I very much appreciate the ones that include one with your burger. I would definitely be back for this. WINE: 2 Stars (sorry). I perused the wine by the glass menu, and decided to go for the Cabernet. It kinda tasted like the wine on tap from Matchbox, with a non wine on-tap price tag. Oh well, we still had a great experience. Thanks again to our awesome waitress, you made our evening!
(4)Emma B.
Great beer list, food definitely a pleasant surprise! We've lived nearby for a long time and wish we had discovered the restaurant sooner. I would love to see the brussel sprouts reappear on the menu - delicious! Service can be slow at times, but always friendly.
(4)Chrystalle B.
I've been told by my fellow beer lovers that I have to check this place out. I actually came here for the 1st time for their CBS tapping. That meant I had to wait outside, in the cold. Overall the way they handled that was great, would've liked to see less people jumping in line ahead of those that had been there for an hour/hours though. Once the "whale hunters" cleared out, I could actually get a sense of the place. I like that you can choose to sit in a traditional dining room or the much more casual bar w/ booths. We had watched our waitress throughout the mad rush weaving in and out of people with full trays. We honestly expected her to not be very friendly, but she was a delight and seemed no worse for the wear. It should go without saying that the beer selection here is good, right? I mean they ARE part of NRG. We were technically here during brunch so I ordered their Breakfast Sandwich. It was large and in my belly in about 7 minutes flat. Man that thing was good. Eggs, bacon, cheddar w/ aioli on brioche, what more can you ask for? Tots. That's the more. Mine were a little over done, but still delicious. I need to find more reasons to come here. Tuesday's a reason, right?
(4)Julie B.
Rustico is a local chain that provides "honest, robust cooking against a back drop of amazing beer." My friend lives in the area so we decided to go to Rustico for a quick dinner. It was a beautiful night so I was thrilled we were able to sit outside on the patio. I was immediately impressed by their beer list and excited to try some local, new to me beers, but they were out of so many! We tried to order 6 beers that they were already out of. Bummer. Food wise, we started off with a few appetizers. First was the salt roasted beet salad (baby arugula, walnuts, shallots, goat cheese fondue and orange vinaigrette). The salad was good but seemed to be missing something (it was, they forgot the goat cheese). Unfortunately, we didn't realize until we finished eating it. We also ordered the lamb meatballs (with harissa-tomato sauce, yogurt, mint gremolata), which were just okay. I really liked the sauce, but I wasn't crazy about the meatballs themselves. For my entree, I decided it was a pizza night and went with a classic pepperoni pie with mushrooms. The pizza came out without mushrooms (not sure who was running the kitchen on this night). I planned to ask the waitress about this but after she dropped off the entrees she never returned to the table until it was time to pay. My friend ordered the steak tips medium rare and they came out completely well done. My friends really like Rustico and have had plenty of great meals there. I feel bad giving the restaurant two stars, but my experience is all I have to go on.
(2)Justin H.
Frequent customer, but this place is super overpriced.
(2)Hilary W.
The low score is strictly on service. Our server was completely oblivious to the poor service we received. It started with a 15 minute wait to be greeted, all because he was getting the other table a new beer since he didn't like the original one he ordered. He did see us and could have let us know he would be right with us. Once he finally greeted us he filled our water glasses but could only fill one. He never checked in is throughout our entire meal and sat with empty drinks. I would be completely understanding of he had been busy and he didn't keep a close eye on the table directly next to us. But unfortunately we suffered because he was more focused on the problems at the other table. Food was good but service can ruin a whole experience. I have been to there other locations and enjoyed it.
(1)Jessica R.
Good beer selection. When the server spilt our check he did it wrong and then was annoyed when we asked him to fix it. There were only 2 people he needed to spilt it between...this is the only reason I'm giving it three stars.
(3)Ben F.
Zero stars. Food is mediocre at best. Beer selection is good. Service is atrocious. My girlfriend and I stopped here after a happy hour with her coworkers. While my girlfriend went to the bathroom the waitress brought the check by and I promptly wrote a tip, signed and paid. Granted, I was slightly inebriated, but we had only two blocks to walk home on a Friday night. After my girlfriend came back from the bathroom the waitress came back with another bill. Obviously I said, "No, we've already paid." My girlfriend wasn't present for any of this and knowing I was slightly drunk tried to pay for it any way. At this point I knew the waitress was trying to pull the wool over my eyes. I requested the manager. My girlfriend was upset because she thought I was too drunk and was imagining things. I knew I wasn't. After a heated debate, my girlfriend charging her credit card, and me basically yelling at the waitress for calling me a liar... here is the charge on my credit card that she claimed she never ran. This place sucks.
(1)Dieter H.
Very good lunch place. Ordering was a little cumbersome. Nevertheless, the salads, sandwiches and soups were very good.
(4)Vance U.
Really solid option in Ballston considering most of the restaurants suck. Hummus was great and very filling. Good beer selection. Service and my pizza were also good.
(4)Warren M.
I stopped in at Rustico while traveling in the D.C. area. Their beer list--draft and bottle--is truly impressive. The service and food, regrettably less so. I sat at the bar on a moderately busy Thursday night. I received prompt attention from the bartender at first, but her pours were really sloppy, and my glass had beer running down the outside. There's nothing I hate more than a sticky glass--it's so easy to give it a quick wipe. I ordered a Butcher Block pizza, and it was mediocre at best. Super-dry crust, unappetizingly crunchy cheese, and it was covered in green onions and garlic, which added nothing. I also received no silverware and was forced to wipe my hands with cocktail napkins. My server/bartender never asked how the food was, and reappeared only to ask if I wanted another beer, several minutes after my last had run dry. It might be too much to ask for deluxe service and constant attention, but I expect that if a place offers its full menu at the bar, the server will make a reasonable effort to make the dining experience a pleasant one. I walked away from this one very disappointed.
(2)Alice M.
There is little to cover that has not already been covered by others. In the past month I have visited Rustico on three different occasions and every single time enjoyed my food and had very pleasant experience. Their pizza is the main reason for my revisits and will definitely will come back for more. The only point I have is that they need to change the high tables in the front as every single one of them are unsafe and uncomfortable. Highly recommended.
(5)Sam T.
Quality restaurant here; across the street from the mall and steps away from The Buzz Cafe, Rustico consistently delivers high quality ingredients cooked to perfection. My favorite is their seasonal scallops dish which is always very unique with seasonal veggies and a unique combo each season. The deep fried devil eggs are a must and the risotto tots are a great starter too.
(5)Jack M.
Went here for brunch today, sat at the bar with a friend, ordered a kolsch and listened to the bartender bitch about making mimosas, pour beers, serve tables, make bellinis, etc. Friend ordered the breakfast sandwich and I ordered the brisket cheesesteak. Cheesesteak was a massive roll with very minimal brisket and flavorless cheese. In top of all of it it was super greasy...didn't finish it and when the bartender picked it up he didn't ask if it was any good, presumably because he knew it sucked as I had come last Sunday and at 10 to 3 said brunch was over. The breakfast sandwich was apparently not hood either. After paying upwards o $60 with tip we heard the chef telling the bartender, "brunch is over at 2:50. Super good times! Come here if you want over priced bullshit and an unhappy bartender who decided to give us terrible service for no reason at all!
(1)Lindsay B.
Got the white pizza for dinner, which was amazing. Service was fine - the food and drinks took a while, but it was a Saturday night and that's to be expected. I'll definitely be back!
(4)Kelly C.
Wow. My friends and I just had an amazing dinner and drink experience here and it was all because of the graciousness and knowledge that the manager Josh had. Our waitress wasn't to be found, but I'm not even mad because our table of five got personal and professional attention from the manager that we would've paid twice as much for. I didn't know the name of the kind of beer I was looking for but with a brief description of "Belgian, cherry" and the flavor I wanted Josh was able to recommend the perfect beer and exactly what I was looking for. This restaurant has a huge selection of craft beers, with their tasting option we were able to try several different varieties. Our food was delicious! The pan seared scallops were flavorful and perfectly cooked. They were served with a puree and Brussel sprouts that complemented the salty flavor of the scallops perfectly. It was also the perfect portion. We stayed here for over three hours enjoying pleasant conversation, great food and great beers. Not to mention we learned something and left feeling like we knew a little bit more about craft beers. Would definitely go again!
(5)Shawn A.
Caesars salad was good. Pizza was meh (its usually spot on). Beer selection is great. Service was kind of crap tonight. Great for groups. But with Pepito and Kapnos across the street, time to step your game up.
(3)Balraj B.
Enjoyed the home made Bloody Mary and the Pulled Pork Pizza. My companion loved her shrimp and grits. Service was decent. We were happy.
(4)Alexis B.
I'll start with the positive- ambience and location. The decor is nice and has outdoor seating, and it's definitely a convenient spot in Arlington. Now on to the real review. I had my first and last experience at Rustico recently. First of all, call me crazy- but shouldn't an Italian restaurant bring out bread? Oh well. Anyways, the service was extremely slow and the restaurant was not even that busy. The food was below average at best, and my pizza was horribly burnt. When a friend at the table asked to have the rest of his pizza boxed, the waiter returned and said that "a slice of the pizza had been lost in the boxing process." Which was probably the craziest thing that any of us had ever heard. If we were paying for the meal, why did they lose some of our food? After that , there was no compensation for their mishap in the "loss of pizza." Overpriced and definitely not worth it.
(2)Tommy_n_Loretta C.
Stopped by for lunch with a party of six on a tight time schedule. We all had pizzas and the service was surprisingly quick. The portions are big so I would suggest sharing a pizza. One of our teammates ordered a pizza without onions but it came with onions. We didn't have time to have another pizza made so he ate it and picked off the onions. Prices were $14 per small pizza (their smallest size). Service was pretty good.
(4)Sara H.
I can't comment on the food, it might be awesome. I was here for a special tapping event on Saturday Jan. 17, 2015. When we arrived 2.5 hours before the tapping, there were four people ahead of us. People kept showing up and cutting the line because their spots were "being held." This included one girl who showed up via cab 5 minutes before the doors opened. I mentioned something to the manager who was checking IDs at the door. His response was that someone was probably holding her spot for her. I pointed her out and suggested that next time they hand out numbers as people arrive. He didn't appear to care. For an event where quantities are limited, nobody should be saving spots for people who are too lazy to show up early and wait in the cold like the rest of us. Its not fair for the people who did stand in line and might miss out because others were cutting. We also ordered a taster of a sour that was on cask that day. It smelled and tasted like vinegar and it was clearly infected. We mentioned it to the bartender who rather dismissively told us it was a sour and that is how they taste. I have had countless sours and never has one tasted like that.
(2)Paul F.
Excellent beers and appetizers. Happy hour drafts are $2 off which makes the price close to reasonable for an after-work beer or two. Great seats outside as well. The section is really varied ... IPAs, darks, pilsner, kolsch ... even had some sour beers today. Always a troegs or stone on tap.
(4)Jen F.
Rustico has a large selection of craft beers, appetizers, pizza, and snacks. The beer was good but the food was disappointing. I had a flight of beers and found one I really liked at the recommendation of the waitress. The food was not impressive. The fries were soggy and the pretzel balls were kind of dry. The beet salad was the only thing I would order again.
(3)Anne B.
Wish Yelp would allow two Ratings for restaurants; one for service and one for food. Rustico is in my new neighborhood, so I was hoping for a slam-dunk experience for a new 'go to' place. The hostess warned us that the server was new, but he (1) did not tell us about the special, (2) did not check the 'no cheese on the burger request', (3) did not ask us about drink refills and (4) did not ask us if we wanted desert. Food, however, was terrific. shrimp and grits and the burger (second round, sans cheese). Nice Bellini and Bloody Mary, too.
(3)Lindsay M.
Fun, contemporary and cozy bar with wood-fired oven pizza and a large selection of beer. Pizza was very straightforward but yummy and there were plenty of beers to choose from. The bartenders were really helpful. We flew in to DC for a surprise birthday party and one of the bartenders helped us surprise our friend in a big way.
(4)Jane p.
I made the last minute reservation for Fri nite and could not get 6:30 so I took the 6pm slot. it was very strange that at 6:30 there were still plenty of empty tables. however, my friends were late and the waiter was really good about not hovering [they were really late - he got an extra large tip]. when I got a second glass of wine, the waiter reminded me that it was passed happy hour so the wine would be more expensive -- thought it was very considerate of him to tell me that the $5 special was now $9. the food was good as usual -- the mushroom pizza is a favorite and did not disappoint. the rest of the meal: bibb salad, stuffed date appetizer and the other pizza [was ok but can't remember it now] were good. it's a nice neighborhood place. we go there often.
(4)Anne C.
I had such a great time last time I was here (exactly a week ago) that I came back for a meal. Unfortunately, the more I tried, the less I was impressed. The beers were still phenomenal, but the carrot hummus this time around...the pita/naan were overcooked and burnt...to the point of crispiness. The meatballs were overly salty. the fried devil eggs were fine, nothing to write home about, but as Elina Y. mentioned, how can anything deep fried not be delicious??? Surprisingly, the farfalle pasta chips were a very interesting concept and tasty. Now to the entrees: The spicy shrimp pizza and basil mozarella pizzas were good even though some of the shrimp seemed warmed and the others were cold. The veal rigatoni was also good, but oddly both entrees (rigatoni and duck dumplings) were on the cooler side as if it was just sitting not even under a heat lamp waiting to be picked up but took too long and got cold. The rigatoni was delicious, flavorful and the veal was tender. The dolce gorgonzola pillows unfortunately fell drastically short. the duck was fine, but the actual "pillows" were so salty we barely touched them. overall a very heavy dish, but the heavy hand on salt killed it for us. Service was average as I noticed the waiter, Ryan, was covering multiple tables. It would take him a long time to show up especially after the appetizers. Also when we asked him to split our bill evenly 3 ways, for some reason my bill was $3 more than everyone else. I didn't even notice until my friend pointed it out and it wasn't a discrepancy large enough for me to go and correct, but I didn't think we would have had any issues splitting a bill evenly. Since I live so close to this spot, maybe I will come back, but mostly out of convenience and the beers!
(3)Ryan O.
Great place to go if you want to drink beer. HUGE selection of craft brews on draft as well as a solid "bible" of bottles/cans. Casual bar/dining area with high tables and booths. Dimly lit and loud. Fun atmosphere. They also have a restaurant area, which I've never eaten in. The food itself is nothing to rave about. They've got OK pizza, OK apps, and cook a pretty good burger. The good thing is that you'll be too drunk to care about the mediocre food. Overall a big fan.
(3)Claudia J.
Amazing beer list. Beer lovers come here!!! Our waiter was actually extremely knowledgeable and made great suggestions. I wish I could remember his name... sigh. The food. We ordered the carrot hummus and two pizzas. The food was okay, not great. Honestly, I think I am/was the problem. I don't think I was in the mood for designer thin crust pizza. We also order grilled Caesar Salads. Ehh... whatever. The highlight::: As we were paying the bill the executive chef came around and gave everyone in the restaurant a cupcake from the bakery that shut down for the night nearby. Delicious surprise... If only I had paid attention to the name of the bakery.
(4)J L.
This place is fine but the food can be spotty. The italian sausage pizza was fine, but I think other local places are much better (e.g. Pupatella, Petes). My husband had the pork sliders; he said the saucing and spicing was delicious but the meat was so overcooked and dry it was barely palatable. I enjoyed the Tuscan kale salad very much. The service was good, not great.
(3)Jessica H.
Newly opened Ballston branch has a very different -- though still appealing -- decor from the Alexandria original. The lighting is particularly cool. It's a big restaurant with lots of antique-ish chandeliers, with tables going back toward a wall with interesting mirrors that makes it look even bigger. The chandelier lighting does make a little dark, though. Service was extremely attentive and enthusiastic, possibly to the point of overselling the food. "OMG the cinnamon tomato soup is so fantastic! It smells like cinnamon! Wow!" Except it didn't smell like cinnamon at all, pretty much just tasted like good tomato sauce. It would have been good on pasta. The cheddar cheese turned out to be a melted blob in the middle of the bowl that I couldn't break apart. I had the squash salad with blue cheese, and I did like the salad dressing a lot. The squash was burned onto the plate, so I'm guessing they broiled it directly on the plate, and then added the salad on top? It was tasty, though. I was sad I couldn't eat the whole squash, since it was stuck to the plate. My dining partner had the aged cheddar burger, which he described as "a regular burger" that came with a side of barbecue sauce for no apparent reason, which in the dim lighting was easily mixed up with the identically presented ketchup. The fries were likewise good, if possibly a bit oversalted. The menu as a whole is short but easy to read. The beer menu is great, though not quite yet as full-fledged as the Alexandria book of beer. The food is expensive. I'm very glad to have more good restaurants in the Ballston neighborhood, but for these prices, I'm not sure when I would have a Rustico craving and want to come back, even though I live a block away.
(3)Whitaker S.
Great Pizza! This place has a very nice ambiance and the staff is wonderful. We went for brunch, and everything was good except the pork belly sandwich was very overwhelming. I would definitely go back!
(4)Katie J.
I wish I could give 4.5 stars! The only reason I'm not giving them 5 is because the pizza is not all that great. Solution: Don't order the pizza!! -Carrot hummus (more like crumbled lamb with some sauce underneath) is TO DIE FOR!!! -Boston bibb salad (I like to add on the salmon)- is amazing! -Mussels are pretty good too! -Beer selection is HUGE so the man really enjoys it here. If you feel overwhelmed with their extensive list...ask your waiter/waitress/bartender. They all seem to be very knowledgable and provide suggestions to what your palette desires. Or if you can't decide, you can always get the flight! -Lunch box is a great deal :)
(4)Kelsey I.
Surprisingly delicious, high quality, upscale food. My boyfriend and I popped in for a glass of wine and decided to try a couple of entrees. I had the scallops with pumpkin gnocci and brussel sprouts, and he got the wild mushroom risotto. Both were really impressive. While the wine isn't a bargain, the serving size is certainly generous. Another surprising bonus was how friendly the bartenders were without being intrusive. The crowd was comprised of lively young people at the bar and double dates in the dining room. I look forward to going back on many future occasions.
(5)Jeff K.
The food is great. The menu is short & sweet. There is a large beer & wine menu. I had the roasted chicken with roasted vegetables. If you like deep, heavy stouts, try the poet. Per the menu, you can get a sample of the featured beer for a small price, but it's worth it.
(4)Rebecca M.
Relaxed atmosphere w/ low light & comfy booths. Not too loud. They have extensive American beer list, but very few international beers. Server was knowledgable about beer selection. The food, however, was not great for the money. For starters, we ordered the Fries and Blue Mussels that have blue cheese which were watery-er than expected. Fries with parmesan were great though. Ordered two pizzas as our mains since none of the entrees seemed inspiring (Salmon Sandwich?). We had the "Grilled Pizza" which was loaded with meat and not cooked long enough. The Mushroom pizza with Goat cheese was not good. It had a "mushroom cream" instead of tomato sauce, and the goat cheese tasted bland like ricotta. We felt a bit rushed by the pace of the everything too. The pizzas came out almost immediately even though we waited to order them once we got our appetizers. $90 for meal and didn't love any of it. Will NOT be back again.
(3)David G.
Went there for the first time since I posted my review. Other than the name of the chef on the bottom of the menu, not one damned thing has changed. I can only add that if you sit at the bar- not IN the bar, but AT the bar- your chances of getting decent service improves slightly.
(2)Tim F.
Great beer selection. Food was very nice the first time we went but didn't wow us the second time (although was still reasonable). Will go back as it is so close to us.
(3)Ruby H.
Came here on a first date, it was the perfect date spot! They had a huge beer selection which was great for the guy. They even gave us a glass to take him cause he ordered a beer that was the special of the week they were introducing! The service at Rustico was great! Our waitress was so attentive and on top of it! The food came out so fast! We ordered the BBQ pulled pork pizza and it was incredible! So delicious!!! All the ingredients and flavors melded together so well! Would deff come back for another dinner date or a happy hour at the bar!
(5)Jefferson C.
Nice decor. Great service. Killer beer selection. Very good pizzas. If they'd put just one of their numerous TVs on the news (how about just headline news on closed caption), I would have given them 5 stars. The overkill on tvs makes it feel a little like a sportsbar dressed up as a trendy restaurant for halloween.
(4)Ideen S.
I like the atmosphere. It's got a good balance between classy and casual. For my meal, I really enjoyed the Beet Salad; it had a lot of beets and a good citrus dressing. The hummus was VERY good; it came with grilled bread, fresh veggies, and it had a little ground meat and crumbled feta mixed in to make for a very good flavor.
(4)Francis K.
Rustico is one of those restaurants that I want to really like. I mean, they do so many things that are awesome: Large beer selection, wood-fired oven pizza, really comfy bar stools, etc. However, each one of these things has a slight niggle about it which irks me somewhat. The pizza is tasty, not exceptional. There are other wood-fired oven pizzas within a short drive of here which offer much better pizza for about the same money. Within walking distance, maybe not so much, but certainly within a short drive. The beer selection is quite good, both bottle and draft assortments. That said, I have found that the last couple of times I've been here that there have been gaping holes in the bottle selection and a few drafts have gone missing as well. This would be understandable if I was lunching here on a Monday, but on a Friday it just seems like poor planning in the ordering department or somebody not bothering with updating the beer list to represent the current offerings. The service is where I find myself being a little more judgmental with this restaurant. I'd been to the Rustico location in Alexandria a couple of times well before this one opened and swore I would never go back unless the employees there stopped looking down on me if I didn't order what they thought was the best representation of a beer style and then wandered off never to be seen or heard from again. There is a fine line between beer geek and beer snob, and that line had been dragged out and shot at the Alexandria location. The reason I bring this up is because when this location opened I found that the bar staff here had apparently been trained by the staff at the other location, manners and all. I had a few extremely bad experiences coming here in the month or so after they initially opened and being treated as though I didn't belong to some special club they had. Even came in once, sat at the bar for ten minutes on a slow night, couldn't get more than a glare from the bartender and then left. Happily though, the service has improved. It isn't where it could be, but I no longer get the feeling that the staff wants to punch me for having the gall to come into their establishment and order food and drink. The service the last couple of times has been pleasant yet reserved, cordial yet not particularly inviting. Couple that with what appeared to be too many tables for the people working at the moment and you don't really feel the love. Overall I would say that there has been massive improvement in the place since it originally opened and it is a good place to go for lunch. That said, it would have been a one-star restaurant back then and I wouldn't have ever been back had it stayed that way.
(3)Kristine B.
I debated between 3 or 4 stars. The food and beer list are great BUT the service has always been spotty. I was recently there for brunch and ate in the bar. ONE server was working ALL the tables in the bar - which seemed crazy given there were at least 6 tables full of people. The couple next to us left given it took over 10mins for them to get WATER. Another table complained because they had been waiting to order. I don't think it is the servers fault but rather poor staffing from management. I was occupied talking to friends so didn't mind too much, but if I was in a hurry, I would be irritated. Expect to wait a bit when you go.
(4)new p.
I was so happy when Rustico opened a couple blocks from where I live. I feel like there are so few restaurants in Ballston and the ones that are there have gone downhill over the last two years. I also heard really good things about the food. What a let down! It took at least 10 minutes for the waiter to show up and that was to pour water - he didn't ask us if we wanted anything to drink. He just poured and dashed off. Another 10 minutes later and he finally came back to take our orders. I go the Tartare and Ceasar Salad and my friend got the Spinach and Chicken Pizza. The Tartare was good, but it sits on top of these horrble oily potatoes. It was like eating unflavored wax, but the meat was good, but a bit overseasoned. The potatoe chips and the pizza had absolutely no flavor at all. The salad was over-salted and SWIMMING in salad dressing. I was really hoping that Ballston would finally get a good place to eat, but I think I'll stick to restaurants in DC. The city has so much more to choose from and you're likely to find food for a lot less.
(2)Adam W.
Can't say anything bad about this place. Rustico has very good, high-quality food for reasonable prices, good atmosphere, great service (at least at the bar; I've never sat at the tables), and an outstanding beer selection, which is probably the best in Arlington.
(5)Carrie L.
Don't come here if you are in a hurry. The waits are crazy (and they don't take reservations)! You can call and put your name on the waiting list but you will still have to wait. We called at 5:45, got there at 7:30 and we were finally seated at 8:15. The mushroom/spinach pizza was absolutely wonderful. The pizzas were large for the price and completely covered with ingredients. I hate when pizza places skimp on the toppings. This place did not. I will definitely return once the "new store" hype ends (or I will come during off-hours).
(4)Greg P.
Great food - especially the grilled Caesar salads - and a huge selection of beers.
(5)Chris S.
The beer selection here is top notch - in my opinion, the gold standard against which other beer menus must be judged. The service: excellent, despite the fact that they'd only been open a few days when I came in. The food...is quite good, but not for the price. If it was a bit cheaper, or a bit more amazing, I'd give this place 5 stars, but at this point it just doesn't hold up the beer in my opinion.
(4)Kira M.
We went here for a girls only birthday lunch. They would not seat us until the entire party arrived - even though the restaurant was empty. We finally got them to seat us while we were still waiting for one more person. The bartender put a Cherry in our Bloody Mary's...unusual, but I will defintiely remember him because of it! The service was very slow, took 45 mintues to an hour to get our entrees, we were all starving by the time our food arrived. I ordered the Brisket Cheesesteak - it was delicious although the hoagie it was served on could have been smaller, there was almost more bread than meat. They also have delicious ranch dressing!
(3)Greg H.
Great atmosphere, cozy place. First off, as expected, amazing beer menu by Greg. Great looking bar, great appetizers to munch on while at the bar -- and on top of that, the food is great too. My recommendations: The burger or white pizza. Enjoy!
(5)Lois T.
Amazing food and menu! Creative and delicious. The menu is small but there's more than enough choices to please everyone especially because the pizza is awesome! Bibb salad was out of this world and the carrot humus with lamb ragout is my fave. Tried the mac and cheese appetizer with pretzel and pecan topping .... OMG! Our server (Tommy from New Jersey) was upbeat, knowledgeable and friendly and the whole place has a great trendy and modern vibe. A Ballston Must!!!!
(5)Kate R.
Rediculous beer lists, good atmosphere, pretty knowledgable bartenders. Food is quite good. The duck pizza alone worth the trip. The mussels "appetizer" is quite good too and could easily serve as dinner for two.
(4)Gianni P.
Went here last night. Looks nice -- nicer than the Alexandria location. The service was good. The food was good. I had the couscous carbonara which left me impressed. It was Israeli couscous with bits of tasty bacon and ham in a savory creamy sauce with a poached egg. Once you mix the egg with the rest of the couscous, the flavors really comes out! I would definitely order this again. The pappardelle with the bolognese was outstanding. The pizza with the spicy shrimp was good. The arctic char was expensive ($24, I think) and our least favorite of all -- too fishy, too oily, and just not very inspiring. I'm always happy when I go to Rustico and now even more that there's one in Arlington!
(4)A. S.
Management, please pay attention! I like the decor & ambiance, the beer & wine selections are good, and the menu is appealing, but a recent weekday lunch went so wrong! Appetizer of mussels was very tasty, but very, very salty. Spinach salad was so salty I couldn't eat it. Pizza was very very salty. Now I like salt alot. I cook with alot of salt, and like my food to be heavily seasoned, but after this lunch, I truly felt like I'd been poisoned. Someone in the kitchen clearly did. not. know. what. they. were. doing. I'd like to return, but will wait for a yelp response from management so I know this probem has been addressed.
(2)Elina Y.
Minus one star for crappy service. It was not packed and blatantly obvious she wasn't enjoying her job. Then don't be in the restaurant industry. The service I received from my last visit was far better than this. What happened? Anyways, we had: Fried deviled eggs. It was a first and definitely not the last. Honestly, anything deep fried CAN'T be NOT delicious. Clam pizza. Now this, I was slightly skeptical about but we ordered it anyways. Surprisingly delicious. But if you're a die hard pizza meat lover, I wouldn't recommend this. It is a very light pizza with a thin crust and sprinkled sparingly with bits of clam. Carrot hummus. Oooooh, now this was a good one. Layered from bottom up, spiced grounded lamb meat, sprinkled with feta cheese and topped with carrot hummus served with warm slices of pita bread. The texture, warmth, flavor, everything was on point. A bottle of Zuccardi Malbec. I'm lucky to have been out with a wine geek. I love trying new red wines!
(3)Gladys D.
Well, I don't know where to start. I guess, I'll start with the appetizers. After reading Yelp reviews, I ordered risotto tater tots -- this was definitely the worst appetizer in my life. Simply disgusting. I dined with my husband and two other people -- all of them tried it and all had the same reaction as mine. For the main course I ordered gnocchi in blue cheese -- it was alright, although way too salty (and I love salt), and it also had a bit too few actual gnocchi and too much sauce. My husband ordered a burger and he loved it -- it was huge and very juicy. However, that still didn't convince me to add the third star because my food kind of sucked. Big time. Service was alright -- our waitress was a bit inexperienced but tried really hard. She forgot one of the dishes but other than that was very nice and friendly.
(2)Dan I.
We generally go to Rustico at least once a month. It's always a solid meal and its beer list is consistently amazing. But let me break down some specifics: - Food: 4 stars. I wish the menu had a bit more diversity and that they mixed it up more often, but I tend to be consistently impressed with the food they do serve. The donuts at brunch are delicious. Their brisket hash is great. Their pizzas are solid. Excellent salads. Their dinner entrees are all very good, the many I've had anyway. - Beer: 5 stars. Really, 5 stars isn't enough. This place offers more diversity and quality of any beer list I've found in NoVA. It's constantly changing its list too, which is great. I always do a sampler -- which they let you create unlike some other places in town -- and I always see many new beers I want to try. Last time I went, I had to try 6 and wish I could have tried more. If you love trying new beers, then this place should be on the top of your regular restaurant lists if you live in the area. - Service: 5 stars. Never had a bad experience. Instead, serves are always extra courteous and thorough. - Ambiance: 4 stars: Isn't on the cutting edge of trendy decor, but a lovely space nonetheless. I vacillated between giving Rustico 4 or 5 stars, but I think the beer list has to push it over the edge to 5. I think it has a decent wine list too, but I never get to it, because there are always new beers I want to try.
(5)Virginia Q.
Excellent selection of beer and wine, very friendly and helpful service and tasty food. All very good. A little loud for my taste but I would go back.
(4)Susan W.
This restaurant is the worst. It's unfortunate because I live around the corner and it would be a great spot to go. I've been there 3 times over the past year and always have the same experience. Most recently, I show up and the restaurant is at 10% capacity. The hostess slowly walks over to us and tells us there's an open table outside that is actually covered with dirty plates. We decline that delightful setup and sit inside. After 20 minutes and a frigid draft blowing on us a waitress finally comes over. This is very typical for this place. Extremely slow and inattentive service and you don't know why because the place is empty. The food was pretty good but so is the food at McDonald's. Not the place I want to drop $20 on. UPDATE: I went in for happy hour after work and sat near the bar. I had a way better experience with the service and drinks. I would go back again during happy hour. I keep my previous statement tho because for some reason my review was removed from yelp...
(3)Kelly B.
Great selection of beer, great atmosphere and great food! The risotto tater tots are my favorite! I also really enjoy their truffle french fries! Yum! I definitely recommend this place for happy hour and a bite to eat with friends! The bartenders are all helpful when selecting a beer if you are unsure what to look for as well and on top of the many beers they have on tap, they have hundreds by the bottle!
(5)LaShanta H.
Perfect. Brunch was amazing! Shrimp & chorizo was phenomenal. Carrot hummus was original and delicious. If course the beer selection was fantastic. Service was great. Prices were reasonable. Portions were large. Go. Now.
(5)Sabrina M.
Love Rustico! The pizza is fabulous, the beer list is amazing, and the waitstaff is awesome. We usually go around 6 on Friday (for an early dinner/HH) and they seat us right away. Whenever friends ask for recommendations on where to go, Rustico is always at the top of the list!
(5)Andrew S.
Never had a bad pizza from this place. All pizzas are interesting and have a great taste. I have visited this place a few times and would keep coming back. They have a very good beer and wine selection as well.
(4)Gabriela Z.
It was a great restaurant !! Our food was great. The menu is short and simple. The atmosphere was great. The pizza was good and the ceasar salad too. I would come here again.
(4)M R.
Rustico, you really let me down. I was a big fan, you ruined it. Your food, IS TOO SALTY. Stop it with the coarse, liberal salt on EVERYTHING. i.e. your pizza's. your risotto. your chicken. your pasta, need I go on? You poured me a 4 oz glass of wine for $9. That's rude. Your waitress told me "that's how it's supposed to be poured." GET REAL. Those two things are big enough to never go back. I'm telling everyone. I brought both things to your attention and your staff basically, said "too bad." Putting this on facebook.
(1)John B.
Went for a date on a weeknight and it was packed. Without reservations we were able to get a table without waiting, but the place was really full. Open table claimed there were no seats, but if you head in there may be some. We ordered the pumpkin pizza. It was very good. The waiter warned us that it may be very sweet, but we both found it only mildly sweet. It is a pizza I wouldnt mind eating every once in a while, but not everyday. The beer selection is VERY good, not the best I have seen but way above average. Out waiter was able to help a lot to guide us to the beers we wanted. He even was able to find me a great less sweet stout for my second glass. If I was looking for a gourmet pizza for dinner this is a place I would go for sure. The bar area is really large and seat yourself so grabbing a drink isnt out of the question either. The feel of the restaurant is classy but not overly so that you would feel out of place without being dressed up. I plan on going back.
(4)Vonetta Y.
I went in last week to get a gift certificate during lunch. I figured that it would be busy, so I'd be quick about asking for it and going. The hostess said that any of the bartenders could help me. I said okay, and went over to the bar ... where I spent at least 10 minutes before anyone acknowledged me at all. And it wasn't like I was just standing there waiting to be seen -- I made plenty of effort to flag someone down. But they all either ignored me or said that someone would be "right with" me. The manager, I assume, finally got to me after another 10 minutes, and though he had a gift card, they'd run out of envelopes for the cards, so I would have had to return for the envelope. Fed up after they'd wasted my time, I decided to go elsewhere. The food is fine, and I'm sure that outside of lunch hours, the service is fine, too, but it was really, really rude to not acknowledge me at all since I did not come to the restaurant to watch Real Housewives of New York (though I would have left a lot earlier had it not been playing above the bar, to be honest).
(2)Lizz H.
Rustico is a great go to for solid, reasonably priced food in the Arlington area. Their beer list is exceptional, with a pretty decent rotation of beer on tap. I am a big fan of their long list of draft IPAs. The mussels are some of my favorite - rich sauce and a nice helping of chopped bacon really cement the flavor. I just tried the steak tartar sliders last night; fabulous, great balance of peppers, garlic, and spices. We definitely could have made a meal from the appetizers. We had a reservation at 8 and did not sit down until 8:15, while 4 tables that had been waiting were seated before us. This combined with lackluster service = 3 starts instead of 4.
(3)Ariana F.
The place is nicely decorated, located, with good vibe. The long list of beers (we're talkin' 300+ / 30+ alone on draft) will keep you busy + happy for hours. I went twice, during Dinner and Lunch times. Go for DRAFT: I tried their IPA Bell's Two-Hearted and the LOVE, both were really good. Went for dinner and their burger is a good 9oz size and tasty, as well as their Mushroom Pizza (fav). Skip desert, Nutella Cheesecake tastes like coffee.. sorry but can't trick a true Nutella fan!! I can't wait for the warm weather, when they will open up their floor to ceiling doors and create a perimeter around this place. Most likely will hit up, and spend some warm nights.. ;)
(5)Amy C.
I work right nearby and have stumbled by a few times now. Worth the trip and a go-to choice for some good food and more beer than the nearby grocers. Tried the weekend brunch, and definitely a fan. Very good Eggs Benedict, not much beats seeing that explosion of yolk from a perfectly poached egg. Top that with a fresh English muffin and suddenly waking up before noon on a weekend is a little more bearable. Lunch, their performance dipped a bit. Had the salmon sandwich box, which is already a hard dish not to dry out. The cut was too thick, and sadly dried out pretty quick, which was made worse by their pairing of bread. The flavors were there, but I'll probably need a jar of sauce and a gallon of water just to get through that sandwich. Definitely salvaged by their Reuben which delicious fries on the side. Meat was juicy and tender and perfectly cooked, with the sandwich pressed just right so the crunch stood up to pastrami and slaw. Their pizzas are always solid, well cooked and well topped: Italian Sausage and Wild Mushroom pies were winners. But in a city full of Neapolitan options, can't quite stand up to the competition. Still, two MUSTS: carrot hummus and truffle fries. Both are amazing, and sometimes worth buying a pizza or an extra beer to justify the trip. The hummus is unbelievably creamy, and the ground lamb adds just the bite needed to make it that savory appetite teaser it's meant to be. The fries, perfectly seasoned with some cheese and truffle oil for that kick of earthiness needed to cut the general heaviness of a fry. And of course, whenever you have a BINDER full of beers, you're a friend of mine :D
(4)Beth M.
Great restaurant! Happened on this place somewhat randomly while in town for work. Loved the ambiance, the service was really good (our server was super attentive) and the food was perfect. I loved the seasonal options, the beet salad was great and I especially loved that they have gluten-free chickpea crusts. I had a pizza for my meal and it was more than enough for one, plenty for two and it was so delicious. Oh and don't let the intrigue of the deep fried deviled eggs fool you though, my husband ordered them, they were super odd, especially the texture and not really that good (according to hubby). Otherwise everything was delicious!!
(4)Katharine G.
After last year, I vowed never to go here again. However, my gal pal group luncheon was held here so I was forced to go. My burger was pretty good although it was lukewarm--obviously sitting on the pickup counter too long. The worst part were the fries I asked for. They kindly allowed me to substitute sweet potato fries and they were horrible. Blackened and soggy--how do they get that combination going. Unfortunately I didn't have the presence of mind to take a picture of it to show you, but once again, I'm disgusted with this place.
(3)Andrew P.
Update, met friend for lunch and the pizza was much better. There are still too many beers but the food was better.
(3)Lauren K.
I had a great experience seated in the bar hour for a Tuesday evening happy hour. There was a great crowd and the ambiance is pleasing. My top recommendations are the carrot hummus with spiced lamb and the truffle oil fries. Happy hour drink deals are reasonable with a wide beer selection. Service was great. I like places that have a large bar area as well as a dining room so you can decide if you are in a more formal or casual mood.
(4)Clarence J.
This is a good, high-end, casual beerhall. The beer selection is amazing . . . but you'll pay for it, in general. The tasting sizes are a great deal (and a good size), allowing you to try out any/all of their draft beers, of which they have around 40. Full-size glasses or bottles - allegedly around 400 (I didn't count but the bottle menu is huge) - definitely lean toward the pricy end of things. The selection is very wide, and the menus (separate ones for the drafts and for the bottles) are broken out in a wide variety of ways to describe the numerous offerings. The food is good, although it's more standard, modern yuppie bar food. The atmosphere is fancy-ish casual - including large group / communal tables in the bar area - with "intimate" mixed in. It seems to be a pretty big place with plenty of seating, but I can see how the bar area could be packed on occasion. The staff is friendly, but the service can be very slow (which may have been because of an understaffing issue on the night I went . . . not that we heard anything about such an issue, but I and the people I was with really wanted to give the staff the benefit of the doubt on this score since they were so friendly and apologetic for delays).
(3)Shachi B.
Rus-ti-co! Rus-ti-co! I would sell my right arm for endless eggplant parm from here - it's SO good. (HA! Joke's on you, I'm a southpaw!) It was crispy with just the right amount of sauce and cheese slathered on top. Plus, it was a generous enough portion for me to take home leftover (eggplant parm sandwich FTW!). The beers were intriguing. Not up to ChurchKey snuff, but still, pretty good. I tried two of the seasonal pours they were offering and while I wouldn't order them again, I'm glad I had the opportunity to try them. I would have liked to see our server offer more pairings rather than random beers, but c'est la vie, right? I woke up the next morning with a workday hangover, which just proves how much fun I had! I will definitely be back! (Hopefully with a) fellow yelpers Sheri and Sarah and b) both arms in tact!)
(4)Tu-van L.
A more spacious and easier to get location but still the same solid Rusticos we know and love. The place isn't s spunky as the Alexandria location, but it's contemporary elegant with same charm more room for the tables in both the dining room and the bar. Still the same extensive beer menu and solid food, pizzas and everything. Burger was delicious though the fries were on the meh side. The Fig and Proschiutto pizza was absolutely delicious, and made even better with the addition of duck confit. Parking in Ballston can be hit or miss, so we usually park at the mall parking garage.
(5)Jasen F.
Again I went and again I was disappointed by their lunch performance and food. I got the lunch box and my pulled pork pannini was excellent. My tomato & cucumber salad was ok. But I also received a cup of daily soup and it was SWEET gazpacho! If I had any idea I wouldn't have ordered it but that's the point server of the moment - you might want/need to inform your customers that the daily special, brewed up by your chef, is different than the stock version of the dish. It ruined the whole meal. Sampled a few more co-worker pizzas (naked & sausage) and they were good but the burger was a tasteless mess. Given the time and disappointment with multiple lunch visits, this location has become a happy-hour only spot. Boo.
(2)Matt O.
This place is just so hit or miss. I live a block away and have been here about 20 times and believe me, I want to love it. But to be honest, I have had 5 star experiences here, yet have also had 1 star experiences. So, I will grade it right in the middle. Of course the beer list is awesome; no one can debate that. If you come in at happy hour and grab a couple of beers at the bar and get an order of the carrot hummus (also consistently amazing), chances are, you are going to have a 5 star experience and leave happy. When you start adding in other variables, you are going to find that they just can't do anything consistently well. I have had both pizzas and burgers under-cooked and over-cooked. I have also had what I thought was one of the best burgers or pizzas of my life. I have had servers disappear for half-an-hour at a time and act like I'm inconveniencing them when I want another drink. Then again, I have had servers who are super friendly and quick. So frustrating. Go and enjoy the beer (and the outdoor patio in the summer). But, beyond that...be prepared for a mixed bag.
(3)Lori W.
Husband raved about the oxtail/mushroom risotto. So we went Saturday night, almost blue hair special time: 6:45 pm, March 19. Place was packed. Love the crowd. The beer list was crazy. I am in the beer business and it took me 10 minutes to decide which samplers to try. Dang great beer. Killer mussels, huge slab of perfectly toasted thick bread for sopping. I heard about the rockfish but I went for the salmon. My mistake - it was breaded or something - maybe I didn't read the menu too carefully but it was a bit bland. Husband got the same risotto. Chef stopped by, introduced himself, chatted. Very nice man. Service - great. Food portions-healthy! Enough to take home. Congrats to Rustico. Amazing bar - slammed. Decor is beautiful - tasteful and they put some thought into it. Everyone watching basketball, drinking beer. You don't have to drop $18 on a ridiculous martini when you can have stellar brews for so much less - and sample away. Love this place. Had some "dip of the day" - that was only $5 and it tasted great: feta cheese, veggies, who knows what else but we ate it all!
(4)Bob C.
The food was pretty good (grilled salmon, eggplant Parmesan). The decor is nice and the servers do a good job. What significantly detracts from the experience is the overabundance of tourists, and patrons with obnoxious children. Perhaps we encountered the kids because we ate earlier than we normally do, but they were an annoying distraction.
(3)Catherine C.
4.5 Really. I LOVE this place. Every time I had family or friends visiting me in Arlington I would take them here. Any one from a college friend to my mother and aunts. I really like the look of the restaurant and I think this would be a great place for a date. Last time I went for dinner I had the crab meat pasta dish and it was great. I also went during happy hour so my friend and I got cheap beers. The beer here is great, so is the dessert. I sadly moved away from Arlington last month but I will definitely be stopping by Rustico on my next visit.
(4)Kelly S.
If you haven't been here already, you absolutely MUST try it. Walking in, the atmosphere is fantastic. I was having dinner with girlfriends, but it would be a great place for a date, to meet up for happy hour, or even a family dinner. The space is beautifully designed...low lit, but enough that you can read menus and see people. Not loud enough that you have to shout to be heard, but if you're laughing and having a good time there aren't people staring at you like you're disrupting their meal. The service was fantastic. My friends and I hadn't seen each other in awhile and ended up taking up the table for almost 3 hours. Oops, but what are you going to do. Our server was attentive, but realized that we were taking our time enjoying our meal so she didn't pressure us, which was absolutely amazing. The food...oh my goodness. I had a white pizza with spinach and prociutto...it was perfection. Everything about it was perfect. The crust is light, crispy on the outside but soft inside. The proportions of pesto to cheese to crust were perfect. It was everything I dreamed of on this pizza. Their house red was actually really fantastic as well--we got there right before happy hour was ending so a glass of wine was $5, which was awesome. All in all, it was a fantastic experience. It was relaxing, but I didn't feel ignored by the servers. The food and the atmosphere were perfect. Absolutely plan on going back :)
(5)otto h.
I really like Rustico, but when it comes to vegan fare it's sometimes hard and disappointing. I usually only get the pizzas, but on at least two occasions they come out with grated cheese even though I specify dairy-free when I order. It'd be great if they had other dishes on their menu that are vegan (it's not that hard!!) and I would gladly frequent more often. Tip: get a really nice dark beer and truffle fries (without the parmesan).
(4)Jill M.
Presumably, you're coming here for the 400+ beers on their menu, which in itself makes this place an awesome addition to Arlington. The servers/bartenders are knowledgeable about the beer and really friendly and helpful. Beyond the beer list, they have a great laid-back yet refined atmosphere, and really good food. The salads and entrees are creative and well-done, but I usually go for pizza, because sometimes nothing goes better with beer than pizza. To accompany their assortment of fancy beers, they offer some fancy pizza toppings (goat cheese, carmelized onions, figs, braised duck, etc.). Even the gluten free crust, which is made with chickpeas, is not bad. It's definitely drier and has a funny texture, and I have had hit or miss experiences with it, but it's a good option if you do have a gluten allergy.
(5)Frank S.
Rustico has excellent salads; beet salad is the best ever. Pizzas are excellent especially the BBQ pizza. Service was friendly and helpful. Looks like a great place to meet friends after work.
(5)Ni C.
I went to Rustico for dinner and ordered the short rib. Unfortunately the risotto was crunchy(not al dente in a good way) and the cut of meat was 60% fat. Total bummer! The ambiance is warm and cozy but next time I go I will stick to pizza and beer.
(1)Mattie C.
The decor and atmosphere of this place strongly reminds me of fireworks in courthouse. That said, we finally tried it last weekend and I think it is even better than fireworks. They have an extensive beer list and have both full bottles as well as sample sizes. Samples cost anywhere from $2-$8 depending on the beer, and I was surprised to find that the samples were a good size. I got a full size beer and a sample of something I wasn't sure about, and then when I was done with those had 3 samples that came out on a cute tray. I love being able to try all the beers, and the samples are just big enough that you actually get to enjoy the taste. We sat in a booth in the bar area, which was a great atmosphere, and our server was very attentive. I had the pizza with duck and pear on it. Very interesting combination and I really enjoyed it. We will definitely be returning here for happy hour to sample more delicious beer! Last favorable comparison to Fireworks - we were there in the evening on a Friday night and the bar area was MUCH less crowded than Fireworks. Fireworks gets ucomfortably jam-packed, but this bar is in a much more open space and handles crowds better. Great place!
(5)Valentine W.
I LOVE Rustico! Perfect place for dinner and/or Happy Hour - the menu is great - fresh all American choices with seasonal ingredients. Have tried many items and never been disappointed, including several types of pizza and entrees. After a long day, I love treating my self to a nice glass of Pinot Noir, they have a wonderful Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley, which is to die for...I have tried Pinot from all over the world, and my favorite Pinot always comes from the Russian River Valley and Santa Lucia Highlands, so whoever put that on the Rustico wine list knows their wine. To me, this goes perfectly with a tasty hamburger and fries. Yummm! Perhaps they can even put steak and fries on their menu? If you go during Happy Hour, wine is half price and the beer is reduced price as well, so if the wait happens to be long, feel free to go to the bar and have a drink with your friends before dinner. The staff and service is friendly and efficient. The atmosphere is casual but still classy, with a nice crowd. I have traveled all over the US in some of the best foodie places - such as Chicago, NY, New Orleans, and California, and this place reminds me of the casual good food/wine/beer restaurants I love in CA - so go to Rustico if you enjoy having a nice casual but tasty meal with a superior wine and beer list. We all work so hard in DC we deserve to go out and treat ourselves to places like this. :)
(5)C. W.
I thoroughly enjoyed Rustico, starting with the excellent beer selection, especially draft (I only drink draft beer at restaurants and bars. To me, anything on draft tastes 100 times better than the best thing in a bottle). Happy hour 4-7 every day, as I understand it, so a couple dollars off of drafts, which I like. We decided to follow Sietsema's ravings regarding the carrot hummus with lamb and ordered it as an appetizer. For some reason, the 500 or so times he has mentioned it (when he gets on a kick about something, he really harps on it until people beg him to stop mentioning it every week), he usually puts "hummus" in quotes, or describes it as "their take on hummus" like it's not real hummus. So I was expecting just a bunch of grated carrots or some other modern non-traditional interpretation. No, it was just carrot hummus actually, so I'm not sure what's up with the quotes and other modfiers there, Tom. Anyhow, it was really, really good. And frankly the combination of hummus and meat was 1) amazing and 2) something I'd never had or even thought of before. Usually, when one serves hummus, it's as an appetizer and/or based upon the underlying notion that there are vegetarians present somewhere. So combining it with meat was just like, whoa, why didn't i think of that?! We also had the PEI mussels, which were vast in quantity and excellent in quality. The sweet potato puree and chorizo crumbles at the bottom of the bowl basically constituted their own dish once the mussels were gone. Probably a good pint of solid sweet potato and chorizo. For entrees, steak was the theme. A steak salad and also a hanger steak with swiss chard and mac and cheese. Both were very well executed. The mac and cheese was not the most amazing thing I've ever had, but as I plowed through it I came to realize that anything more potent would have overpowered the actual focus of the plate, that being the steak, so I took it to be a calculate move. The steak salad was excellent as well. For some reason, the part of my brain that corresponds to nitpickiness was firing in overdrive during my visit to Rustico that night. So, a couple things: 1) Happy hour runs every day of the week; know this as your server probably will not volunteer the information on his or her own accord. 2) For some reason, large parties with screaming babies love this place. Maybe Rustico has been placing ads in the recent editions of "Northern Virginia Screaming Baby Weekly" magazine? 3) This is by far the darkest restaurant that I have ever eaten in over the course of my life to date. That includes all kinds of places in college where unspeakable things would happen in the dark corners. We were there on a 5:30 reservation and people in the party next to us were using their cell phones to illuminate their menus. No joke. 4) If you are going to predicate your restaurant's existence upon the number and quality of types of beer that you sell, then provide more than one beer menu to the table, please. One beer menu + dozens of varieties of beer + multiple people at table + server coming back in 30 seconds to take your drink order = fail. All in all, a good time, especially given the location in Ballston. It's not the end all in absolute terms, but compared to the other offerings very near by for good modern American food, it stands out.
(4)Loren B.
Ambiance and Food is the top of the line here. Why even go to D.C. when you have in this Ballston? Date night out and this is the place to go. They have an indoor fireplace to give it the whole "rustico" vibe. They are known for their higher end flatbread pizzas. I had a glass of wine and the clams and it was delicious. Highly recommend it.
(4)Ariel G.
The food was just okay, and somewhat over-priced for what you get. Sad that they think Tabasco sauce and sriracha are proper hot sauces for a restaurant in this price range. These sauces should be reserved for meals costing under $10.
(3)Takemyadvice M.
I come here at least once a week and consistently have amazing food and great service. The hummus is creative and amazing! Their gluten free pizzas are phenomenal. The decor is a cool mix of industrial mediums! Can be a little loud, but sitting outside can isolate you from the noise
(5)Hillary D.
I have eaten several lunches at Rustico. I get the 'lunch box' which includes soup, salad, and a sandwich (hot or cold). The lunch boxes have good portion sizes and I always leave satiated. I recently had the Tomato and Kale soup - very nice! Service was good. I was surprised that when 3 out of 5 of our group showed up at 1:15 for lunch, we were told that they would not seat incomplete parties - though clearly the lunch crowd had left and there were empty tables all around us.
(4)Matthew L.
Excellent Atmosphere, Wine & Beer Selection. Seasonal Pizza selection.
(4)Jon H.
For the newness of the location, so far so good. First off, the ambience is really nice inside, with hung incandescent lighting in the dining area, and a different pub/bar feel in the bar area keeping them separate. Service was really nice, with lots of managers roaming the floors (I think because it was still a new place) - in fact, one manager walked by asking if we liked our food and poured me a free glass of beer because it "paired" with our pizzas. Pretty good service attention...for now. We got three pizzas: the mozzarella and basil, the mushroom, and the italian style (ham, salami, etc). The mozzarella & basil was delicious, almost as good IMHO as Pupetella, very fresh and delicious, without wilting the basil. The mushroom was my favorite, CHOCK full of mushrooms, cheese, and flavor, just delicious. The Italian style was a little off for me, the meats were delicious and smokey, but for me, the two cheeses added up into a little TOO cheesy for me, almost as if they had melted cheddar on a pizza (and we all know cheddar does not belong). The crusts were all perfect. The italian "grilled" had grilled flatbread on both sides, so it was a lot more crispy. Everything else had good chewiness, crisp bite...but I found the ends of the crust a bit too bready for me. I'd vote for them to transition into flatbreads if possible. Overall though, service is great, the beer selection (30+ beers, plus $2-$4 samplers) is top-notch (I had a creme brulee beer), and the pizzas are well made and well priced ($14 or so).
(4)Scott S.
Pretty good place, great service, and a nice atmosphere. The mussels (appetizer) are ok - they were freaking huge though, seriously gigantic. ha. We got two pizzas: duck & poached pear (freaking awesome) and the mushroom one (also good, real earthy). Beer list is enormous, and you can't go wrong with any Belgium choices.
(4)Bethany T.
We sat outside for brunch on a Saturday afternoon and had a great time. The service was wonderful and the food was great. The beer list was extensive and great for beer lovers like my fiance and I... although it does make the bill a little more pricey than usual. Each of their draft beers are available in taster sizes so you can create your own sampler which we loved. We also highly recommend the cheesesteak and the donuts are fantastic!!!!
(5)BJ L.
I have been here a few times and really like it. I have never had the food. Maybe one day I shall remedy that. Rustico gets 4 stars simply based on the fact that they always seem to have beer on tap that I have never had. I feel like this isn't an easy thing to do, yet they never disappoint. Also, this place is just super cool.
(4)Jess M.
Friends and I went here for dinner last night. This place gets crowded easily, so get there early or prepare yourself for a bit of a wait. That being said, service is a bit slow until you ask for your check, which will brought to you immediately...The food is ok. We got the beet salad, which is tasty. The grilled caesar was served cold, which is not what we were expecting. You cannot taste the chargrill flavor as much, and the lettuce is just wilted and limp. I will opt for the non-grilled version in the future. We ordered the spicy chicken pizza and the mushroom pizza. Both were good, but there's nothing exceptional about them.
(3)Pete D.
I wanted to add an extra star to this place, but can't and I'll explain. I was looking for a lunch spot and wanted something different. I recall that this is a second location for Rustico, as their first one is in Alexandria. Another location? in the heart of Ballston, with competitive neighboring restaurants, a must try. So I walk in just after they open the doors for lunch and it looks like the hostess is still digging around her stand and getting menus out, okay not a big deal. I walk in and I'm greeted with a blank stare. After a few seconds of cricket noises, I initiate asked her, are you open yet? She asks me what time it is. OK, great I'm thinking. I decide to sit at the bar to enjoy my lunch and not make anything out of that. The bartender greets me and hands me a menu. I was thinking, sandwich or pizza? I asked the bartender if he recommends the Grilled pizza and he was honest with me. He said it's baked and then grilled, but he noticed when he ate it, it was a bit dry. He actually said to get it not grilled, so I took his recommendation. After about 10 minutes, my pie was thrown onto the bar and the inconsiderate food runner was about to leave. But wait, I caught him and said thank you, then something was muttered and he walked away. Amazing ... The pizza was delicious I must say. The menu didn't state this but it has fresh slices of garlic on top, which made it even better. All the Italian meats were great on this pie, from the little bit of sauce to the very creamy cheese. I was thinking it may turn out salty because of all the meat, but let's say it wasn't oversalted. The crust is a nice thin, neapolitan style one, has a nice chew to it and baked just right. I definitely recommend this pizza, but again, I had it un-grilled, which negates the name of the pie. Overall, the food here a solid 4-star, well just from the pizza I ate. It can easily compete with 2 Amy's and Mia's and I recommend this place for this style pie. The bartender recommended coming back for dinner one day as the chef puts together some phenomenal entrees too. This place isn't your cheapest lunch spot, nor are dinner prices easy going, but I think it's worth a try. A dirty 1-star for the food runner and hostess, but props to the bartenders and other servers, as they greeted me upon walking out.
(3)Heath S.
Good meal, but the waiter was lacking. I had the beet gazpacho which was awesome. So much so that I ate the whole cup without taking a breath or offering my wife even a taste. We wanted to have the deviled eggs, but that's a dinner-only dish, so we will have to go back.
(3)Henry M.
A friend and I went for an early dinner. Great to know that happy hour prices are available in the dining room. It's great with their amazing beer selection. To start, we got the carrot hummus with lamb, deep fried deviled eggs, and risotto tater tots. The hummus is a must have. The lamb hummus reminds me of great chili. The deviled eggs are good but predictable. We just wished they had a gooy or cheesy middle. We finished with a couple pies... mushroom and catalonian. The mushroom sauce is like a cream of mushroom soup which was so so good. C Pizza has a smokey roma and tasty. Very good place and dining environment.
(4)ERICA G.
Beer and more beer and even more beer! They have crazy amounts of beer to select from!! This is really the only reason I give 2 stars...and they have an 18% IPA, which they point out just to make sure you know what you're getting into. Whenever I'm on vacation I love to check out the locals bar scene for their beer selections. This is definitely the place to visit if you're interested in trying different beers. My friends and I sampled 3 different beers each and of course each others, so we left happy... I can't comment on the food much, since we were really only there to start the night off. We did order the Carrot Hummus, which was good, no complaints... However...drum roll please! I can see how a lot of people will stop in due to the location (this seems like a great after work happy hour spot) and the large beer menu is enticing. With that said, the hostess and wait staff need a better attitude! Our waiter was courteous when we flagged him down, he checked on our table once, but nothing friendly about him. I informed him that we had a tab open at the bar, we moved from the bar to one of the tables in the bar area, and he stated that we needed to close out separately and open a new tab with him...really? We also had to flag him down to process our payment after 10 minutes of waiting... Overall, decent beer selection...If I ever decided to return, it would be for the beer selection and I will remind myself to stay at the bar, service is somewhat better at the bar...
(2)John D.
Loud! That's the first thing to mention about this place. It's filled with obnoxious Ballston types, but there's little way to get around that. It's very difficult to have a conversation here, as others have noted. The food was great, we had the fig prosciutto pizza and swordfish club. The swordfish wasn't fresh, but we can't really get great seafood in this area. It was on par with seafood in this area, though. The chips that came with the club were very salty, so much so that I had to scrape off the excess. Their beer selection is fantastic, although after we ordered and waited for our beers, we were told that both of the beers that we ordered from the draft list were kicked. The waiter brought back tasters of two other beers. One of them was a good match (chocolate stout), the other wasn't what very good (a trippel). She ordered a 5% belgian witbier, so I'm not sure why they brought out a 9% trippel as an alternative. After the meal I ordered a dunkelweizen, and much to my dismay this came with a pilsner glass.
(3)Sarah A.
Went on a Saturday night and it was insanely crowded. The bar was packed and continued to get more packed as the night went on. We snagged a table in the bar area though and all was good. Otherwise the wait was an hour and a half at 7pm. They have a huge selection of beers and I had a cider which was quite nice. The salad was amazing and the service was great. I want to try the pizza next time though because that looked tasty too! I had a really nice time with a couple of friends. It's a nice more upscale place from some of the other bars in the area like Front Page. The prices are pretty comparable to anywhere else. Overall I thought it was great and a good addition to the neighborhood.
(4)Carla D.
Carrot hummus. Stop reading this review and go eat this. Wow was this good. The lamb is so flavorful, and the feta worked so nicely. Loved it. Steak Tartare Slider: The onions were a bit abrasive but it was ok overall. Crispy Stuffed Dates Chorizo, almonds, honey: these are thoroughly enjoyable- I loved the chorizo. Cider Braised Pork Shank: I was so disappointed with this entree. The pork was very dry and the mustard glaze clashed with the apple flavor. I enjoyed the gratin though. Sea Scallops: Scallops were cooked nicely and the hazelnut flavor was surprisingly nice, but the gnocchi sat like a brick afterwards. I am just too much of a pizza snob. If it's not from NY I won't like it. My buddies ordered it as an appetizer and liked it so much they ordered it for an entree- so they liked it a lot. I took a small bite and the cheese was nice but the crust was a bit too charred for my tastes. The hostess was such a b word to us. She is why there are 2 stars not 3 on this review. She was rude and completely unaccommodating. I understand not seating us until the whole party arrives, but 8/10 people were there. Really? Just seat us at the big table- we're obviously here to stay. I understand the policy but be nice about it. She was so awful that I doubt I would be back to dine in... (I will get the carrot hummus to go though).
(2)Megan B.
Great pizza. I mean really great. The margarita is great, but the grilled is even better. Great wines by the glass. One complaint, very noisy. Go there for the pizza, not the conversation.
(5)Joe S.
I haven't eaten here but I have had many-a-pint. What makes Rustico different is that they are always rotating and they always have something interesting. I am on the constant quest for a beer i have never had. Rustico usually helps me put a notch or two on the board.
(4)J B.
As anyone who follows me might expect, this review pertains solely to beer. So come off it if you're hungry and go liquid for lunch! Rustico's beer selection is procured by the mastermind behind ChurchKey, Mr. Greg Engert. As much as you may question his Dutch boy haircut, you may not question his taste and knowledge of beer. The menu here is different with each visit. Daily draft updates are complemented by weekly bottle refreshers. There are lots and LOTS of beers to try here. Even an expert will likely find a few brews that are new to choose. I find the entire selection to be overpriced. This became painfully evident when I spotted a $50ish bottle of one of The Bruery's rarities, Marron Acidifie. Being the cheap ass that I am, I asked for a price reduction to ensure sale. That's when I found the holy grail. Server - "We can't lower the price in store, but we do offer a 40% discount on all bottles ordered to-go." Me - "That sh*t cray." I was now sitting in the premier bottle shop in Arlington and likely in DC (unless ChurchKey has the same policy). Cantillon, The Bruery, Founders, plus moi all were ready to fly home to Dallas in my suitcase. While the prices were still marked up above what I would hope to pay, the "don't buy that cause it's a few bucks too expensive" filter in my brain shorted out like R2-D2 when he plugged into the wrong hole (INSERT pun here). Happy happy joy joy! I hear the food is good and the location is great (walkable to Ballston Metro Station). Plus, the service turns very friendly when you start talking good brew, so keep that in mind if your wait(e)r(ess) is uninspiring. Cheeaaahhhz!
(5)Ann B.
I'm a fan of Rustico with a few caveats. First lets start with the pluses. It's a great, semi low-key place to meet up with friends for a drink. We never seem to have a hard time getting a seat in the bar area, but we do always go after 9 p.m. The long booths in the bar are comfy and the beer selection is, as previously stated by other reviewers, stellar. On more than one occasion I ordered a beer and the keg was on its last leg, so they gave me a free 1/2 or 3/4 filled glass. Thanks again for that surprise treat! As for the food, I've eaten there now probably 4-5 times. I've had one amazing meal and the rest were OK. Last February they had a winter squash salad on the menu that was fantastic. I wanted to lick my plate. I tried a similar summer squash salad which left me a little hungry. The mac and cheese with the pretzel topping was pretty decent. I've tried the spinach pizza, which was a bit too salty for my liking. The salmon sandwich was different with the coleslaw on the bun, but I wish it wasn't breaded. We'll definitely be back. I want to try the deviled eggs!
(4)Diana S.
massive beer list, fantastic food, and great environment, but mediocre service. pork belly sandwich is great, as are the pizzas (the duck confit is superb).
(4)Rita S.
I would like to try it again to make sure I just didn't try Rustico on a bad day... but I don't think I will go back. + ambiance is great, very nice inside, but a little hard to hear yourself... interesting menu with neat dishes in addition to pizzas. - pizza nothing special or exciting. service was nothing special. Waiter was very unattentive and absent. We asked for a to go container and he put only the pizza in there and not the appetizer... since I guess there wasn't much left, but when you pay for an overpriced appetizer, you can take it home :) No reason to go back here...
(3)Joey P.
I am a little ashamed to admit that I've only ever been here for the beer list. I've never eaten at Rustico. It seems like a big happy hour spot (I think they have some decent specials) so it gets busy around that time. The wait for a seat sometimes runs into the "C'mon already" territory, but for me the draft list is worth it. The beer menu is separated into larger categories (malt, hop, roast, fruit & spice) and then into sub-categories (subtle hopiness, soft & silky, fruit & toffee, etc.) that help the newbie and experienced beer drinker alike find their preferred drink. This is a refreshing change from just listing the common style like amber ale or IPA because these terms can be confusing and don't present much information if you're not already familiar with them. There are usually between 20 and 30 tap lines at any given time which are updated frequently. The list of bottles is much larger and comes in a 3-ring binder. Rustico is owned by the same party that owns ChurchKey in Logan Circle, so if you've been there, the draft and bottle lists will seem familiar. The prices seem medium to high, especially on the bottles. As much as I love beer, I'm usually not looking to pay $25+ for a 22 oz. bottle of beer. The draft prices are more reasonable. There is a parking garage not far away ($1) and there's some street parking so it's not an issue. Some day I'll have to come back and eat to give a more full review.
(4)Julie T.
Good service, but EH on the food. I read the yelp reviews and was excited to try this place. Someone mentioned how great the scallops and gnocchi were so I decided to try it since I'm a huge fan of scallops. The dish was totally disappointing. The scallops had a bad aftertaste, it seemed a bit overcooked. The gnocchi were also on the chewy side. I'm not sure if it was an off day or not, but definitely did not live up to expectations. My hubs also got a braised meat dish, which he wasn't too fond of either. I tried a friend's slice of pizza, which was decent, so if you come here, I would recommend trying the pizza and not much else. The upside is, our waitress was very nice and attentive.
(2)Mikey W.
I've been to Rustico 3 times in the last year and have really enjoyed it. I love that everything is in the teens to low 20's, but the food is unique and satisfies my foodie-ness. For apps: I've tried the deviled eggs, tartare sliders, tater tots and farfalle chips. The tater tots are the only thing i wouldn't re-order. They tasted fine, but weren't distinct. For entrees - I've had the scallop, salmon burger and a pasta of the day(bleu cheese/duck gnocchi i think?) The scallops were good, but on the small side. The salmon burger was also good, but could've used a little more sauce to help offset the fried coating. The gnocchi itself were good, but the dish was overall too salty. Other party members have ordered the pork chop and chicken breast, and they're large portions(although i noticed the chicken entree has been reduced from half chicken to a breast). I've also had various pizzas too, including the duck one which is no longer on the menu. they're great as appetizers, but i wouldn't order one as a main. For dessert I've only tasted the caramel apple sundae which was good size, definitely share-able. For the price point, location and quality of food, this will definitely be on my default lists of recommendations!
(4)Sara L.
Don't get me wrong- I like rustico. It's right next to my apartment, the service is great and the lamb carrot hummus is to dieeeee for. That's about where the awesomeness ends. The menu is very small and I feel like a lot of their food is overpriced. I think they're trying to belong to the upscale yuppie niche in Arlington but the food just isn't THAT good. Pizzas are their specialty and I've tried a few. None of them were great- just ok. I must say that of you're gluten free and craving pizza they have a great chickpea crust or something. Anyway- definitely worth a visit but not fantastic.
(3)Jennie L.
Had brunch here on Saturday afternoon. Carrot hummus: AMAZING. MUST GET. Frittata of the day: standard egg, bacon, spinach with tomato sauce. nothing special I ordered the smoked salmon tart, which they were out of =( So I had the crispy salmon sandwich instead. Bad move. The crispy salmon is basically a filet-o-fish type of breaded salmon filet, not the pan-seared salmon I had envisioned. Crappy service from the blonde waitress. Nice outdoor seating.
(3)Jennifer H.
We were in Arlington for the weekend to visit friends and this place looked good, so the six of us got there right before 7 on a Saturday night. We hadn't made reservations so the wait was 45 minutes, but we were told we could sit in the bar--which we did. Unfortuately, the service was S-L-O-W. It took a good 15 minutes to even get menus (and that was after we asked twice), though we did manage to get drink orders in before then (but the six drinks came out in three separate trips). I think it took a good half hour to get all our food--except one missing pizza which the waiter "went to check on it" then came back and said "they're putting it in right now" and then took off without even apologizing. Ooookay. (He did apologize when he delivered it and said it was on the house. At least that part was good.) We all pretty much enjoyed our food, though I wasn't terribly impressed with the parm fries (I loooove fries and these didn't do much for me) and the beet salad wasn't so much a beet salad as a salad with oranges and a smattering of beets (though the dressing was delish). I did thoroughly enjoy the risotto tater tots with pesto aioli--I could have eaten four times the order. Overall it was a good meal, but slow. We weren't sure if sitting in the bar was part of the problem or not. We were catching up with friends so it wasn't a HUGE deal, but it is something to note. If I lived nearby I'd stop by again to try some of the dishes that sounded good, but I'd try to go when they were not busy.
(3)Tony J.
I have been here more than 15 times for some good casual dinning and a great selection of draft craft beers. I will return. I especially love their french fries. My party of 6 were seated immediately as usual at 7pm on a recent Saturday. Table service was good as usual. Two of us ordered the "OSSO BUCO RISOTTO". I love Osso Bucco and Risotto so to receive both on the same dish was spectacular. But, the Osso Bucco was not the full usual shank of meat on the bone. In fact we were not sure if the meat was either veal or lamb? The meal was good and tasty, but, I recommend some clarity on the menu regarding the type of Osso Buco meat and more detail regarding how the Osso Buco is served.
(3)Dylan S.
great food, strange service. enjoyed the decor and the great food. had the carrot humus and a cuban sandwich. waiter was a bit wierd. took my drink order and started to walk away without taking my friends order. had to say, "hey, one more." then when he brought the bill, I gave him my card and he returned the bill to my friend. just a bit off. great food though. I'd go back, but I'd sit at a different table.
(3)Ryan B.
Here for business, looking for a place to socialize over dinner, preferably someplace with good food that isn't excessively expensive, a choice of drinks, and not so loud we can't chat. I got the hamburger, which was a thick handshaped patty, and perfectly medium rare, juicy but not messy. The fries were fine, but not amazing. The only dessert they have is ricotta-filled beignets served with chocolate sauce, but it's a very nice dessert indeed. A key benefit is the bewilderingly long list of beers, and they'll do custom flights. I had a delicious hard cider and they had several cider varieties. Excellent service, not slow at all, lots of seating, pretty busy, and not too loud. I'm considering coming back tomorrow.
(4)Beryl N.
A couple of months ago, I went to Rustico with a party of 6 for brunch. Major disappointment. Like Yelp's 2 star rating suggest, "Meh. I've experienced better." Service was ok but the food was either average or way too salty or sweet. We shared the Mama Mannino's Donuts for starters. It's just fried dough with lots of powder sugar on top. One of the girls had the Baguette French Toast. It was completely drenched in maple syrup and powder sugar. It was too sweet for her to eat even half of her plate. We also ordered two different pizzas and both were super salty. I like the fact it was thin crust but it was dry (not enough tomato sauce?). The only dish that was good was their brunch burger. If you want to try this place, I would suggest going for lunch or dinner. There are plenty of other restaurants that serves better brunch selections.
(2)Elizabeth C.
Fun, friendly bartenders, good pizza, good beer.
(4)Steve J.
This is one of my go to spots in Arlington. The pizza is good, they have a great draft beer selection, the service is above average, and their menu changes often. My favorite here is the mushroom pizza.
(4)Emily H.
Delicious food in a bright, clean atmosphere. The food is better than the description on the menu makes it seem. We had the risotto tater tots and carrot hummus to start. The carrot hummus is PHENOMENAL and should be called braised spicy lamb with carrot hummus because the lamb is really the star. Also had the duck confit pizza and salt roasted beet salad with flank steak added. The salad was outstanding; I'm a home chef and lover of beets, and mine have never come close to this. Beer menu is great, staff is moderately knowledgeable about it, but get tasting sizes and try out a few.
(4)Anne S.
Went there to get celebratory dinner and drinks at 7:30pm on a weeknight (Thursday). (-)We had an approximately 30 minute wait! (+)We got beer at the bar where there was a lovely list of beers (good description for a newbie). My friend and I personally enjoyed the Starr Hill's: The LOVE, Gernan Hefeweizen. I was told to try Hefeweizen, thinking it was the name of the beer, but apparently it's a TYPE of beer. Anyways, it was really good. I had 2. (++)We got seated and the SERVICE WAS GREAT! We started w/ the hummus appetizer. Very tasty! Fresh hot pita breads too. Everybody got pizza, so...we also got pizza since that's what they're known for. A-MAZING! (++)Grilled Pizza is the way to go! Two people with big appetites and we had one slice left (granted we did have drinks and appetizers)... (-)What's lacking one star was the wait (at 7:30pm?) and the portion. The pizza could have been bigger and would've been perfect for two people if we hadn't already drank and ate an appetizer. ***The tater tots and fries looked reallly goood (but I gave up french fries and their cousins---waffle fries, tater tots, curly fries, etc. for lent. Next time!)
(4)Elaine S.
Love this place! Great food and an awesome beer selection! The staff is also incredibly nice!
(5)Danielle B.
The beer selection is great! The food is good. The service is really hit or miss. Tonight I ordered a pizza with peppers and olives, but it came out plain. Unfortunately, our server wasn't back for about 25 minutes: I had eaten 3 slices, and my husband had finished his entire entree before we saw him again. (He did take my pizza off our bill.) I have been here a few times and had a couple good experiences and some really subpar service.
(2)Maggie H.
Rustico = unparalleled beer selection + surprisingly outstanding food + comfortable setting. Some people say Rustico is known for "beer and pizza," but don't fall for it. The pizza is pretty forgettable. Instead, go for their often-evolving selections of appetizers, salads, and entrees, which never ever disappoint. Sit at the bar for happy hour ($2 off all drafts, which is a great deal and they have over 4 dozen beers on draft) or grab a table for dinner. FOOD: -Carrot Hummus: BEST APPETIZER I'VE EVER HAD. Tangy hummus comes topped with lamb ragu and crumbled feta. I order it about 9 out of 10 times I'm at Rustico. -Mussels with Bacon & Blue Cheese: Enormous portion that comes with bread to sop up the glorious broth once you're done inhaling the mussels. -Gnocchi that they recently added with squash and brussel sprouts is untouchable--another entree we inhaled. -Chicken entree: I've had a couple iterations of their roast chicken entree, but every version is perfection. Most recently, they cook it to perfection and plate it atop a bed of risotto with shredded dark meat, sliced garlic, and sauteed greens. Unbelievable. I want to go back tonight just for that. BEER: The bartenders and servers are so knowledgeable about the beer, making it a delight to explore new drafts and chat with the staff. They offer tastings and beer flights (three or four tastings) and the menu is always changing. If you're nice, they'll even offer you just a splash of a draft beer if you aren't sure. They always have Gouden Carolus Tripel on draft, which will always keep me coming back! BOTTOM LINE: Rustico is the perfect place for a laid back, delicious, ever-evolving meal. Be it a date night, birthday dinner with friends, happy hour, Rustico is always a dependable go to!
(5)Sarah K.
Went here to celebrate a 30th birthday. Great beer selection, and the food was OK. Our server was great, but the hostess' behavior was deplorable. I didn't get her name, but I wish I had so I could let management know about it. The hostess was uninviting, and when I let her know that our party size went down from 10 to 7, she rolled her eyes at me! I hope she never becomes a server here...incredibly unfriendly even when she finally seated our party. I will not be coming back to this location for that very reason. I was embarrassed for her behavior! The beer and food were decent, but the hostess' manner takes Rustico Ballston down to two stars.
(2)Baris S.
The beer selection and bar atmosphere is great however they really need to improve and expand their good menu. Their pizza is mediocre and there really isn't much else on the menu. I'd only come for the excellent happy hour.
(3)lance a.
This pizza taste like cardboard. Their service is horrible. Manager made me pay for my girlfriends birthday cake after they served it to us without letting us know it was going to be a charge.
(1)Nadia S.
Ok, I'm not a beer drinker. So I'm sure someone else would rate this place higher for their beer selection alone (including the bf). And I hear the pizza is good but we skipped that deciding to spend a little more and order real entrees. It also has a kind of fancified Olive Garden feel, meaning it feels like a gussied up chain restaurant. It's probably a better bar spot than dining experience. In fact their drinks happy hour until 7 is a great deal. For those reasons I'm giving 3 stars rather than the 2 i'm inclined to give. The waiter, though nice, totally did the up sell thing when asked for his recommendations. According to him the Seared Day Boat Scallops and the pork shank were the way to go. The scallops sucked. A little overcooked, a little grainy, and a lot more fishy tasting than scallops need to be. We skipped the shank and went with the Dolce Gorgonzola Pillows with duck ragout. In fairness it was pretty tasty though the pillows were tiny and few and far between (even with ravioli you normally get five or six big ravioli's these were about 4 or 5 tiny pillows). We'd started with some of the meatball "snacks" at $2 a meatball. They were tasty too but quite small as well. I'd go back to sit at the bar and try the pizza. But I wouldn't waste my money on their mains again.
(3)Isabel B.
Ok, so I know that my review of Rustico Alexandria was less than kind but I gotta admit, my experience at the Ballston location has made me want to go back to Alexandria just to make sure my first time wasn't a fluke. I came here on a Saturday night with a group of six friends. We ordered two bottles of wine and a few appetizers to start out the meal. I decided to share the Carrot Hummus ($13) with my side of the table which our waitress kindly offered to bring with the lamb on the side. The other side of the table ordered a serving of the Truffle Parmesan Fries ($8), and the friend that sat next to me got the Watermelon and Pancetta Salad ($6). When the salad arrived, it looked so good that I couldn't help but trying some, and man, was it amazing! The big cubes of watermelon were so refreshing and perfectly paired with the honey balsamic dressing and sprinkled with parmesan and fennel. I could easily get the bigger $10 plate and make it my entire meal. But our carrot hummus was also excellent so we didn't regret our choice of appetizer. As far as pizza, we were told that we could get a half and half. Even so, the friends that sat around me were kind enough to order vegetarian pies. I was dead set on getting the Fried Green Tomato pie ($15) because I've only had fried green tomatoes once, in South Carolina, and also because I'm a sucker for weird and creative food. The other veggie pie we got was the Roasted Mushroom with Goat Cheese ($14) which I skipped because I cannot stand goat cheese, and the Fresh Mozzarella and Basil ($13). I couldn't get enough of the Green Tomato pizza! I loved the tart little green tomato bites and the way their taste was perfectly balanced by the creamy ricotta cheese. I also loved the Basil pie, as it came with big basil leafs and a good amount of delicious mozzarella. The crispy perfect crust was the final touch to a perfect pizza. What a great evening. Finding pizza this good can lead to a costly and dangerous habit... I"ll try, against my will, to limit my visits to Rustico. At least until I get to give the Alexandria location it's due do-over.
(4)Laura G.
Delish Food+Awesome Beer = WIN PROS -- I'm so happy to live right next door to this place! The beer selection is great -- 40+ on draft and an impressive 440+ by the bottle. Yes, they are pricey, but just stick to the 10% ABV Belgians and you will get your money's worth. I've tried several pizzas (regular and gluten free crust!) and have yet to be disappointed. They recently modified their menu for the summer months, and I've tried a few salads, as well as their bacon and blue cheese mussels (AMAZING!). CONS -- The host staff is always pleasant, but the wait staff constantly disappoints. They are either inattentive, a bit rude, or just downright awkward. The place is a bit overpriced, so if you don't want to spend much, I recommend sticking to a good starter and salads, or a pizza. The place is packed during happy hour and it's not uncommon to have to wait an hour for a two-top on a Tuesday night; however, the bar area is open seating, so you can fight for a table as soon as one comes available. All in all, I'm a fan and will be a faithful regular.
(4)Taylor K.
Rustico has a fantastic brunch and beer list. The tater tots appetizer is the best!
(4)Mike S.
I love this place. Great beer selection; solid appetizers; and some slammin pizza. I've never been disappointed when I eat here. The biggest surprise was how good the fig & prosciutto pizza was - wow.
(4)Ra C.
Walking in for dinner on a weeknight, the place was packed with happy hour revelers. It didn't take us long to get a table though and from looking around me, it seemed like everyone was ordering pizza. So then and there, I knew I had my sights on trying out one of their pizza pies. I wanted to start off with a tempting appetizer, the menu looked pretty good. So we got the risotto tater tots and the deep fried deviled eggs. The risotto tots weren't new to me, I've had a similar variation before, and these were definitely as creamy and delicious. The deep fried deviled eggs peaked my interest, because it combined two of my favorite items, deviled eggs and deep frying! For those who may be watching your caloric intake, you can order as few or as many deviled eggs as you'd like, since they are only $2 a piece! Taking my first bite, I liked the golden fried coating, but the egg white part was a little rubbery for me. I guess it's similar to overcooking an egg, since it was once boiled and then fried. The remoulade it was served with was very tasty. Overall, my two bites weren't extremely satisfying, but it satiated by appetite for the time being until my pizza arrived. For my main entree, I opted to get the Italian sausage pizza with roasted red peppers and mozzarella. It was a big enough pizza pie for two, and I loved the thin, but not too thin, crispy crust. One thing to point out about pizza is that the sausages were not big round pieces; instead, it was crumbled up pieces of sausage. I thought it worked well, that way each mouthful had bits of the salty sausage. The crust was thin, but crispy and slightly doughy at the same time. It was a pretty good blend. I was more than happy with my dinner choice. I think the pizza here was a winner. And I can only imagine how delicious it would taste with Rustico's variety of beer!
(4)Elaine N.
Restaurant is cool. Modern and spacious. We opted to sit outside, very nice next to water fountain spurt display. It felt court side and we enjoyed it, weather was beautiful. Risotto bites are eh, the meatball appetizer was good, the pizza was good but on the salty side I think it was the spinach. I asked for extra sauce on the pizza and when it arrived, I felt it needed more sauce, so I asked for some more sauce and we continued eating while we waited for the sauce to arrive. Well, it was finally dropped on our table when one slice of pizza was left. Oh well, we thought. But when we got our check, I saw she charged s $2 for the side of sauce! Wow really! We were already charged $6 for the add-on spinach & prosciutto. So our $14.00 pizza became a $22 pizza. That's ridiculous. The pizza was good but not outstanding for that price, Not sure if we'll be back. : (
(2)Morgan V.
Delicious pizza with a great selection of beer and wine. Be sure to save room for dessert! The only issue is that parking can be tough to find. I'd suggest parking in the Ballston Mall garage. Also, make a reservation. It gets packed on Friday and Satuday nights.
(5)Mike P.
In a nutshell: Beer - 4.5 stars Food - 2.5 stars Service - 4 stars P/C (bang for the buck factor) - 3.5 stars My beer aficionado friends and I tarried down here on a busy busy Friday night. We kicked back in the bar with a belgain brew on tap while we waited our table - took 30 minutes but didn't seem long. Then the maitre d' came and got us to take us to the table. The rest is history: So my experience in quick bullet points - Highlights: 1. The beer menu - freaking awesome. I really appreciate and respect how the restaurant tried to break the beers down by how it smells, how the mouthfeel is and how heavy is - this really is a big help for novice beer drinkers that want to venture beyond bud lights and sam adams... The menu itself is expansive - old world, new world, gluten-free, lambic beer, you name it, they likely have it. 2. The food menu was also looked very good - a nice array of apps, salads, pizzas and entrees - I loved the fact that the menu wasn't too crazily long. 3. The service was impeccable - our server really worked his butt off. there were a LOT of people but he really managed to come by every few minutes to check on us and get us what we needed - a bang-up job. Not-So Higlights: 1. The food - the pizzas we ordered - the toppings were scarce and the pizza was dry. the dough was too tough. 2. The salad - the spinach salad didn't look very appetizing at all - not very coordinated and...what's up with big pieces of ham??? 3. The dishes and the beers could have been more moderately priced. Comparatively speaking, one could argue that this place is slightly overpriced all over the board - beers and food alike. All in all - this is a decent place. If you want to get good beer and okay food - this is the way to go.
(3)Cynthia G.
I've been in Arlington on business twice in the last month and both times I've eaten here. The first time they were out of the ice cream I ordered so they provided me with a giant bowl containing a sample of every kind of ice cream they had that night. That was AFTER a delicious dinner that consisted of gorgonzola dumplings and duck. There was some liver damage, but I'm all right now. The second time I had a beet salad that made me think "where you been all my life" about beets. Yeah, beets. Delicious. Eat the beet salad. The beer list is awesome, the pizza crust is crispy, and this place is my new BFF every time I have to visit NSF.
(4)Stephanie G.
I love this place. The beer selection is amazing and it is the only place I have found near my house where I can get authentic Italian pizza- thin crust, great toppings, and they will customize it with other ingredients if you ask. A+!!!
(5)Kevin G.
So I think I must have just had a bad experience with a sub-par menu item. The strip loin I talk about in my previous post is no longer on the menu. Good riddance! I now go to Rustico more than any other restaurant. Not so much because it's the best in town or anything, but more because I live across the street from it. And the beer selection. Last time I was there I started with the PEI mussels with house-made chorizo appetizer. The chorizo is loose, FYI - I guess I was expecting it in sausage form, but once I saw the dish the loose chorizo made a lot more sense. It was a heaping bowl of very fresh tasting mussels in the shell, with a sauce made of Belgian dubble, onions, sweet potato puree and of course the chorizo. The sauce was sort of poured over the mussels and then settled at the bottom of the bowl so bits of saucy chorizo found their way into many of the mussels - though you'll be using the mussel shells like a spoon anyway because the sauce is delicious. It was quite a new take on mussels for me. But I liked it! The sweet potato puree really gave it a great flavor. I gave the grilled piece of bread that came with it to my carboholic girlfriend and she ravenously sopped up my sausage sauce... Inappropriate? Inappropriateness is the spice of life, my friend. Anyway, I followed that up with the rosemary braised chicken ragu, which was served over walnut gnocchi and the entire dish was rimmed with a healthy helping of broccoli rabe pesto. The delicate-looking, cream-colored chicken ragu, surrounded by an O of pesto, made for great presentation. As the dish made it's way to the table, my friends all did that thing where they go, "Whose is THAT? What is THAT?" and you sit there smugly and say nothing and just watch as their eyes follow the dish and it settles before you and you grin at them arrogantly and say, "Oh... it's mine." Firmly confident that I was the gold medalist of the ordering competition, I began to devour my prize. Yum. Look, I'm always hesitant to order chicken. I see it on a menu, I disregard it as peasant food. I'm out to dinner! I'm the king of the castle! Tender steaks! Succulent seafood! Baby versions of animals! Words where you don't pronounce the last letter! Undercooked everything! FEAST MODE! ENGAGE!!! And somehow, chicken never seems to find its way into my feast mode repertoire. Except this time it did, and I was very glad I was able to suppress my prejudices just this once. The pesto was potent, but because of the way it was served - rimming the dish like a moat, rather than all mixed up in it, you're able to control the ratio of ragu to pesto. And thus, it makes for a lovely dish with just the right amount of pesto in each mouthful. As for my friends, one ordered the braised duck & poached pear pizza. The other ordered the fig & prosciutto pizza. I don't really consider either of them to be the most adventurous of eaters, so for them to order such unique combos was surprising to me. Nonetheless, both loved them. Apparently the sweetness of the fig contrasting the saltiness of the prosciutto was a perfect meld. I didn't have any dessert, but my friends did. Having seen a few of these monstrosities traveling to other tables, most of them ordered the German chocolate sundae. It's freaking huge, more than enough for two people to share. They loved the coconut sorbet, the fudge sauce, and toasted coconut. What they didn't like was that there were way too many candied pecans. They were just everywhere. Also, they said the espresso brownie was super tiny. Fewer pecans and a decent sized brownie and they said it'd have been much improved. My girlfriend got the chocolate-peanut butter bread pudding. She didn't much care for it, but I think when she saw it on the menu all she saw was "chocolate-peanut butter ____ _______". She didn't care for the bread pudding, but I mean, it tasted like bread pudding to me, just with chocolate-peanut butter sauce and caramel sauce. Her favorite part of the dish was the peanut brittle and the peanut butter ice cream. And that's that. See you 'round Rustico! I'll be the one asking all the obnoxious questions about the beers and pestering the server before I order my food with questions like, "Well what's the best thing on the menu? What's YOUR favorite thing on the menu? I know you have to tell me this one is good, but really, is it better than that one?" Have a backbone, server! Commit to one! Tell me its your favorite! I LIKE OPINIONS!
(4)Sarah H.
First time to Rustico after having passed it a million times heading to Sweet Greens. Overall this is a good restaurant. My husband and I were there for brunch. We split the sausage and biscuit slider, truffle french fries, bibb lettuce salad and the "Grilled" pizza. All in all we had no complaints about the food. I thought it was a bit salty, but my husband thought the food was great. The service was very slow and the waiter didn't seem interested in coming to our table at all. We would definitely go back but hope that the service gets bettter.
(4)Ieesha J.
Came here for a post birthday celebration with some friends and the beer selection was phenomenal. Reminded me of an old favorite back home in Cali. I tried the Carrot Hummus (too many yelpers said to try this) and I was happy I did. I didn't think the prices were too high - especially when the food and beer were YUMMY!
(4)Evelyn K.
I live near Rustico and passed by dozens of times, and never thought to go in until my friends kept saying it looked nice. We tried to go in for Friday night, but they were packed & loud and we had a concert to get to. We stopped in the next day for lunch, and they were almost empty (although they filled up after we sat down). We had really high expectations for this restaurant. The first hiccup was after we were seated at a small, narrow two-person table, with another small narrow table beside us that was almost immediately filled with another couple. Keep in mind the dining area is almost deserted, and now we're bumping elbows sharing a bench seat. We ordered a basket of home fries with ranch dressing, and it came very quickly and the first few bites were good. It was a huge portion, and the dressing was creamy and delicious. After a few bites though, we got sick of the flavor and started to realize how soft and mushy the fries were. I picked out all the smaller crunchy ones, and then we pushed it aside half eaten. I ordered the crispy salmon sandwich with thick-cut sea salt chips, and my boyfriend ordered the gorgonzola, fig, and prosciutto pizza. My sandwich was on thick brioche bread, with two crispy salmon filets inside on a bed of coleslaw. The textures were great, the bread was good, but I wasn't a fan of the coleslaw and there was very little flavor in the sandwich. It tasted like cold, crunchy breading. The chips that came with my sandwich were a disaster. Half of them were still soft and soggy, and the potatoes used to make them must have been rancid. There was a bitter, rotten taste to the undercooked chips, and the rest were overcooked to brown brittle chips. All of it was inedible. I had to frantically stop my boyfriend from sampling one of the chips I'd placed aside as soggy & spoiled- "No don't eat that!! That one's rotten!" As for his pizza, when it first came out it looked great. Thinly sliced layers of prosciutto were artistically draped and arranged...until we realized they placed them on AFTER slicing the pizza. Which means those carefully overlapped and arranged slices are going to have to be sawed through with a fork and knife in order to pick up a single slice of pizza, unless you want all the prosciutto to fall off. I tried the pizza without the prosciutto, just fig jam and gorgonzola and I really enjoyed the flavor. It was salty and rich, with sweetness from the figs and a crisp crust underneath. However, my boyfriend ate less than half the pizza and declined to take the rest home. He said with the prosciutto added on, the saltiness overwhelmed the sweet, and left him parched and thirsty. He got sick of the strong flavor combination very fast, and although I enjoyed my two bites I agreed. The gorgonzola/fig combination would be better on crackers or french bread as an appetizer, not covering an entire salty and sweet pizza. We finished off our meal with two cups of black coffee, and I had to send mine back because there was a red, crusted residue on the lip of my white mug. I tried to scrape it off and it wouldn't budge. The couple next to us also sent their water glass back at one point, for the same issue (this is how close we were seated to them). I was incredibly disappointed overall with the food and the service (the waiter acted like I was causing trouble by not wanting to drink from a crusty mug). The atmosphere was nice, ignoring the fact that they seated a couple practically on top of us when the place was empty. The only positive was an extensive beer selection, so I might bring a friend back to sit at the bar, but I wouldn't make the mistake of coming back for a meal. //UPDATE// I emailed the manager of the restaurant, after he originally contacted me about my review. It has been 3 weeks, with no response from him. My original review of 1 star quality stands, if this is any indication of the management and customer service that Rustico offers.
(1)Mangala M.
Stopped in for happy hour. Ordered a pepperoni pizza and their risotto tater tot bites. Both were quite good, and a decent serving. I had the beer "the love" and it was delicious. I will definitely stop in again for their happy hour.
(3)Sammy G.
If I could rate food and beer separately, that would be great! I love their beer selection!! Their mac-n-cheese may very well be the grossest thing I've ever ordered from a restaurant. It was runny, which is probably never a good quality for food to have. The 'topping' was supposed to be pretzel, which I sadly took to mean a pretzel *crust*, kind of like a pot pie or something. No. It was like someone found a 20 year old bag of pretzels and scooped the crumbs out of the bottom of it, then left them sitting outside during a hot humid summer, and then dumped them ALL OVER the top of this. Nas-T.
(2)Brendan L.
This place needs to decide if it's going to be a gourmet pizza joint or a nice mid range dining restaurant because trying to do both is hurting your quality. The mussels we had were well cooked but the chorizo was unnecessarily ground very fine and Sat at the bottom of the bowl in a haphazard way. The truffled couscous carbonara was decent but had no truffled flavor whatsoever. The Rosemary chicken ragu looked like store bought pesto with a store bought rotisserie chicken pulled and scattered about. The walnut gnocchi on the plate was tasty but nothing about the dish tasted of Rosemary. I suggest sticking to pizza and excellent beers when you go. You will get better food and won't feel ripped off by the price for mediocre entrées. That's the only way we will be back.
(2)P H.
Went for brunch on a sunday afternoon. Good selection and good food but not fantastic. Great place to sit outside and enjoy brunch.
(3)Eriko I.
There is many kind of beer. So, you can choice your type beer. Also you can drink many kind of wine. And I ate a pizza. It was a delicious. My favorite time is night of summer. Because, we can enjoy in terrace seats. It's nice. If you looking for date spot restaurant, you can go to here :)
(4)Sarah J.
So what's the deal with Rustico these days? They change chefs and not only is the chef too good to keep mac and cheese on the menu, but the quality of the food goes way down too? Lame! I mean, don't get me wrong, the food was pretty good. Pizza and fries are hard to mess up. But I can't help but reminisce to the old days at the Alexandria location when everything I put in my mouth was scrumdiddlyumptious. That being said, this location is a cool, open space not unlike the original. Much more packed than its sister location, likely because it's metro accessible and in brown flip flops land (ie Arlington). My view may be skewed because I went during the holiday pour, but despite my hatred of crowds, I was a happy camper with my 11% alcohol content Mad Elf beer! Oh and those Yelpers I was with might have had something to do with it too (holla Sheri and Shachi!). Bottom line, the food is just alright. Go for the beer and good company and get grub somewhere else.
(3)Brent S.
Rustico is known for their beer selection, but the real reason to go here is the food. All of the food that I've had here is delicious. Their menu changes pretty frequently, typically based on the season. The last thing I had, gorgonzola dumplings with duck, was excellent. Brunch is great too, the best eggs benedict that I've ever had were from here. Don't get me wrong, I love the beer here. They have such a good variety of micro brews from around the world, you can always find something interesting. Service has been great every time I've been here too. You can't go wrong here. I'm really surprised that there aren't more 5 star reviews, I can't think of a single thing to complain about, and the food here is the best in Arlington (well, maybe with the exception of Ray's the Steaks).
(5)Jen M.
I first visited this Rustico location for lunch with coworkers this week. I stopped going to the Alexandria location because of one too many "eh" dining experiences, but I was willing to give the Ballston Rustico a shot. I was pleasantly satisfied with our lunch! I had the eggplant parmasan sandwich and tried the Greek pizza too. They also make a nice gluten-free option for pizza crusts, and seemed to have an excellent beer selection which I look forward to trying soon!
(4)AB S.
Rustico's beer selection gets 6.5 stars. The food is about 3.5 stars. That averages out to five stars.
(5)Nicole L.
Wow I was downgraded 700 to 699 reviews so this will be my 700th review afterall! Must be the Yelp police!! I met my friend at Rustico for a pre-xmas dinner. It was so crowded we decided to eat at the bar. The bar area was really nice - high stool booths and tables that were very comfortable. It reminded me of ChurchKey. Also the beer menu was very comprehensive like ChurchKey! I started off with a glass of cote du rhone - it was on the weaker side. There were many items that looked good on the menu. The PEI mussels with chorizo sausage, the prosciutto and fig pizza, sweet potato gnocchi with beef bolognese and roasted beets. I actually went there with a mission - to try the pineland farms strip loin with french onion and gruyere, a play on the french onion soup. However our server thought I should try other dishes. I ended up with the Pork Milanese. It was a gigantic piece of butterflied pork - really it filled the entire entree plate. It was fried perfectly - beautiful crust with a great crunch! It was topped with braised red cabbage, quince and pickles. I barely touched half of the pork it was that much food. After dinner and chatting, our awesome waiter enticed us with the dessert menu. It seriously was tempting we ended up with the chocolate pudding parfait - it was sooooo good. Layers of fresh cream, dark chocolatety pudding, peanut butter cookie crunch, devil's food cake and generous sprinkles of roasted peanuts. It's one of the best desserts I've had in a while. It was so good the couple next to me ordered one to go after they saw our dessert! Our server was awesome, he let us take our time with ordering entrees and offered many good suggestions. It was very refreshing to receive excellent hospitality!
(4)Boris B.
Note: this is based on my to-go experience during a lunch. A few days ago Rustico provided me one of the biggest letdowns I can recall! I really wanted to try this place since it opened a few months back. We placed an order for the salmon sandwhich & the duck salad. The food was to be ready in 15 minutes, we got there 30 minutes later, and had to wait another 15 minutes for our food to be ready. The place was not too busy at the time, it's almost as if they started making our food when we got there. The food iteself was *very* overpriced for what it was, the Salmon Sandwhich had a generic white bread bun that you would find in your middle school cafeteria. The fish itself was of high quality, but something about having it fried with all the toppings & bun made the sandwhich not enjoyable. It came with homemade chips which were pretty good. My friend though their salad wasn't that good--the only saving grace was the duck. If you want a salad, I'd save my money and go to SweetGreen down the block. Also,when we were about to have our meal, we noticed they couldn't have been bothered to put any napkins or utencils in our bag. Awesome. I wouldn't write this place off for good though-- I'm curious to try their beer/HH offerings.
(2)Darcey K.
OMG Carrot Hummus and Beer Sampler Block who could ask for anything more? My brother and I decided to check out this new location and slipped right in to a table without a wait. The 300+ beer book will keep you busy for weeks trying to sample them all. The menu was unique and reasonably priced for the quality and selection, the wood fired pizza are a must! It's an easy walk from the metro so grab your man or your girlfriends and give Rustico a try.
(4)Seema G.
I went here with a group of friends to check this place out. A few had been to the other location in Alexandria and liked it. The good thing is this place is definitely easier to get to so it's a plus. Parking can either be on the street, that is if you can find a spot, or at Ballston Mall for $1 on the weekends which is probably the best option. Trying to make a reservation for dinner, at least on a Friday or Saturday, will not happen unless you eat before 5:30pm. They do allow for call ahead seating but it didn't seem like it made a difference. We still had to wait the same amount of time we would have had to if we had just put our name down when we got there. The main entrees were all on the expensive side and since they are known for their pizzas, each of us ordered a pizza. They were good and allowed for substitutions without having to go check in the back. I would recommend one pizza for 2 people, since one is definitely more than enough for one person. This could be a nice date spot but it's a bit on the noisy side so it's not a good first date type of place.
(4)Fannie G.
So here's the deal... Rustico gets 3 stars... for its beer. If I was judging this place on its food, which I won't since I've only eaten there once, I wouldn't be as generous. I dig the decor. Recycled wine bottles as wall? Cool with me. Fireplace? Nice touch. Exposed ducts, giving a NYC Lofty appeal, OK. What sucks? Let me tell you....if I wanted a bunch of people breathing down my neck for a table, I would go to Carpool. "Patrons" hang in the bar area and literally creep up on you, practically sneezing in your pretty-good-but still lacking something - beef tartare. Parking? Blows. Nuff said. Yeah,yeah...you can park at the mall.... have you BEEN to that Mall? SKETCH. Reservations? Annoying. Menu? So I got the scallops... maybe too ambitious of a choice. How many flavors do you really need to dispense at once, and if you are going to choose that many, could one of them at least be good? Blech. The sauce was mayonaissey and too rich. There were jalapeno like things in it. The scallops themselves were seared but cold. Here's why you should go. Do you live in Ballston? Hey! Here's a new pretty place to see and be seen! Do you like beer? Rustico has your number... and a few others. FANtastic choices and the waitstaff is knowledgeable. Do you work out at Gold's Gym Ballston? Then you deserve to cross the street and have a beer. Yeah, Arlington could use a few bars where you can still take your parents when they come to visit. Rustico is one of them. Just don't order the scallops.
(3)Joe L.
As advertised: Great beer selection, and good food. I've been twice when it's crowded and had no problem finding seating and service in the bar area. A little pricey. Plenty of screens, good for watching games.
(4)Ann R.
i can't write about the food because it was not possible to get the attention of anyone who could answer some questions or MAYBE even take a reservation for a small group of bankers that i had promised to take for dinner. we entered at about five o'clock on a weekday to inquire about entertaining a group of ten there for a special dinner the following weekend, because the location is ideal. there was NO ONE in sight who could do me the favor of saying "hello". a small, fairly noisy crowd in the back seemed to be failing to capture any attention as well. why would anyone go to the trouble and expense of running a restaurant and then dis-invite all comers by such rude practices ?
(1)Susan B.
I came here for a Sunday dinner and I was immediately greeted by a warm fireplace in the front of the restaurant. Rustico exuded a cozy yet modern ambiance. Besides the great decor, Rustico had a long list of beers and multiple beers on tap which adds bonus points in my book. As for the cuisine, I ordered the Grilled Dry-Aged Cheddar Burger Medium, this came with a "side" of fries. Rustico does not skimp on the fries. So needless to say, I ate half the burger and worked on making a dent in the fries for the rest of supper. The yummy burger meat was good, but I had not noticed that it was more rare for my medium taste and perhaps I didn't see this in the low light setting and it was more apparent when I reheated my leftovers the next day. My brother ordered the spinach pizza and his gf ordered one of the salads which looked really appetizing to me (and this is coming from someone who constantly sings Homer Simpson's ditty "You Don't Make Friends With Salad"). As for service, our waiter, Tom was friendly and very attentive. Overall, it was a well-rounded experience in taste, sight and service.
(4)G M.
Rustico is a great place to meet up with friends at night, and to take your parents for Sunday brunch! The atmosphere, from what I'm told, is very different than the one in Alexandria...more upscale and trendy. I like it. I do wish they had some sort of a loyalty program, because we seriously come here a few times a month. My husband enjoys a good beer, and this has one of the best selections in Arlington. I love delicious food so it's a win-win for everyone. I would highly recommend the roasted mushroom pizza, and the truffle fries to start. The pizza is big enough for 2 to share. Also, they have a full bar and have always accomodated my requests for martinis...so they get points for that. The brunch is a pretty limited menu but the food is solid. My favorite dish to share with the table are the ricotta doughnuts. Must try.
(5)Rich R.
After hearing stories of the crowds at this Arlington outpost of Alexandria's Rustico, was a bit hesitant to meet friend for dinner and drinks on a Friday night. However, after putting our name in for a table, we were able to saddle up to the bar, order a few Avery IPAs (from a brewery in Colorado) and shortly thereafter secure a few seats at the communal table in the middle of the bar. We proceeded to sampel the Steak Tartare, washed it down with a few Avery IPAs, and also got the Mussels. The Mussels were excellent - very well prepared, the bread strong enough to sop up the broth, - we were both surprised at how much we enjoyed the mussels. We ordered a few pizzas - and washed down with Harpoon Brewery's latest brew - Celtic Ale, an Irish Red. Though we were tempted to order the duck pizza, the server said it was very sweet, so we stayed away from and went with a traditional and italian spicy sausage. The atmosphere was high energy level, background music drowned out by conversation, but it was very hot - perhaps due to the unseasnably warm temps - 70 degrees in February! If you are looking for a casual place, a fan of beer, and stick to the apps/pizzas you will enjoy Rustico's.
(3)Jay R.
Date night out with my favorite girl (and wife!). Movie at the Regal Ballston, so let's eat nearby. I'd been to Rustico for an after work "business beer", and was encouraged enough by the selection of draft beers and the nibbles that I thought it would be worth going back to, for more beer and to try some more things on the menu. My girl and I were happy with the results, and she said that she'd like to return. End of review. Just kidding. What's a food review without a review of the food?! We started with the Farfalle Pasta Chips and the Bacon & Blue Mussels. Wow; the only thing bad about the mussels is that I would've looked ridiculous licking out the bowl! Holy cow, were they yummy! Nice sized mussels, not overcooked, and the sauce they came in had just the right amount of blue cheese to not be overpowering, and the bacon and carmelized onions in the sauce were enough to fill up a few spoonfuls of goodness. A straw would've been perfect to get the last of the sauce out of the bowl; either that, or lift it up like a bowl of cereal! The Farfalle Pasta Chips were a real novel idea. Whoulda thunk to "twice cook" pasta like this? It's farfalle cooked the traditional way (in boiling water), but instead of putting sauce over it, they deep fried them, and served them with a cup of roasted garlic & sun dried tomato dip. Yum! That's one we're going to have to try at home. For the entree (yes, we still had a little bit of room) my girl had the cheddar burger, and I had the Roasted Mushroom pizza. The burger was "decent" (to quote my wife), and she brought half home. I polished off the whole pizza, which was very interesting (with mushroom cream, goat cheese, and spinach), and done just right, all the way down to the crust. The only downside to our experience was our waiter. He started off friendly enough (almost helpful), but then his attention drifted...too many TVs in the place for him to watch. We almost had to stick our leg out to trip him, to get his attention. Knock off a half star for that. We'll be back, to try more/different beers, and more food. One of our better meals of late!
(4)Collin F.
We were on a mission there to get their burger. 'Cause that's just what we do. While we were thoroughly unimpressed with the burger itself, we did enjoy just about everything else Rustico had to offer. The beer, the fries, the homemade smoked ketchup (nice!), the pretzels the ambiance, the beer. All of that was great. Our advice? Pass on the burger and go for just about anything else and you'll be pleased. We got some good pics and a whole lot more over at our DC Burger review site: burgerdays.com/?p=46 . Did I mention the beer?
(4)David M.
Pros: -Great modern decor, very friendly -Focused on beer (hundreds of beers available) which makes the place hundreds of times less pretentious than it otherwise could be -The grilled caesar salad... sounds strange? Try it -- wow it was delicious -Pizza had a delicious thin crust and the sauce widely exceeded my expectations Cons: -A little pricey -Can get noisy -Gets really dark Overall: recommended. Very glad I tried it!
(4)Carletta G.
My friend and I went for a late dinner on a Monday night. We arrived around 9:30 and after we were seated were told that the kitchen was closing at 10 even though the bar stays open until 12 or 12:30 am. Service: Our waitress was meh. I'm pretty reasonable in that if I come into a restaurant late that my level of service might not be spectacular, but she was pretty inattentive - unfilled water glasses, not checking back to ask about the food. Food: Now, if I come in late and the kitchen was already in the process of shutting down - tell me. I can go to ihop :) But for the prices and the ambiance they're trying to build, the food was bleak. My friend had: Basil & Fresh Mozzarella pizza I had: Spinach salad which is described as: glazed virginia hame, blue cheese, rye croutons, crispy onions, mustard vinaigrette. We shared: Homemade thick-cut fries My friend liked her pizza, it all came out pretty quickly and the pizza had just been made. Good on that. The fries were delicious UNDERNEATH the thick layer of salt that had been dumped on them. We ended up unfolding one of the cloth napkins and just rolling the salt off of them. They were served with ranch dressing, ketchup and some barbecue sauce that had been sitting so long that it formed a crust on the top (was pretty good after it was stirred, though). There were A LOT of fries for $8, more than one person would eat in a sitting, and they'd be better as a half order or even shared amongst 3 people. Fair play to the waitress, when my friend told her the fries had been super salty she did remove them from the bill. My salad? Tragedy on a plate. I don't know if my expectations are too high but for an $11 salad, I don't expect a pile of spinach on top of cold cuts. I also take issue with serving cold salad on warm plates. So now I have to peel these warm cold cuts from the bottom of the plate? Also, the crispy onions were cold and had obviously been fried eons ago and added nothing to the salad but greasiness. The rye croutons were meh, but I don't like rye bread and if I'd noticed that beforehand - I would have asked for a different or no crouton. I had maybe 3 bites of the salad and pushed it to the side. I'm NOT a restaurant complainer but if the waitress had ever asked me how the salad was - i would have told her, but she never did. And when she came to clear the table & ask if I wanted a box for my pretty much untouched plate - she just piled the other dishes on top of it and made no mention of it. I know some people think you have to speak up, but I think it's the waiter/waitresses job to ask you. If I had been upset enough, I would have complained - but I wasn't, so I didn't. I liked the decor, they have a nice fireplace inside and the hostess was pleasant. We sat by the bar at a booth with a massive high top table. My friend really disliked the seating (leg dangling), but I liked it (I'm tall). The bathroom was nice but it's located in one of those awkward spots where you're walking past offices and the kitchen and it just feels odd. Would I go back? Highly unlikely. They seem to have a massive beer menu though, so if I were into that - it might be okay for a happy hour.
(2)Alyssa K.
Went for lunch. Really enjoyed their Fried Green Tomato pizza. All at the table loved the sandwiches and grilled Caesar salad. Good wine list with a lovely Virginia Viognier. Service was a little slow (forgot the salad subbed for chips - instead of bringing out salad, took whole plate back - very weird) could pick it up the pace a bit, but not enough to drag the rating down.
(4)Reviewer V.
Rustico, the beer-centric eatery north of Old Town, is one of my favorite places to visit. Perhaps its the amazing beer selection - not only does Rustico boast 300 beers and cask ales, but Beer Director (and God Among Men) Greg Engert has organized them into tasty, adventurous flights ("Luke, I am Your Father" was a recent collection of four dangerously dark stouts and porters - get it?). So not only do I always find something to enjoy, but I discover new favorites as well. Tucked away on quiet Slater's Lane, Rustico in Alexandria is always packed with diners - older couples from Del Ray, young families, Engert fans, etc. Although the restaurant originally debuted as an Italian joint to mixed reviews, a quick chef change and switch to American fare resulted in much improvement. I personally appreciate how the menu revolves around the seasons. I've found the fish to be amazingly well-prepared (their Arctic Char is a masterpiece), and I love what they do with vegetables (olive and fennel salad, anyone?). While their oven-fired pizzas are nothing to sneer at, I do have a lingering bad memory of one topped with smoked gouda ... ugh. (But then again, I have specific pizza requirements, see my Fire Works entry for details). Last week, the Neighborhood Restaurant Group opened its second Rustico restaurant - this time in Ballston. Located on the 4000 block of Wilson Blvd., Rustico is exactly what Ballston needs, as the metropolitan neighborhood has been languishing for far too long under its burden of chain restaurants and office buildings. The new Rustico has the same menu and beers, but a completely different vibe. Rustico Alexandria is modern and "urban funky," with mosaic walls decorated with plates, broken china, bits of mirror, etc. (check out the gorgeous red and teal mosaic glass tiles above the fireplace - I covet). Couches and fireplace make the bar area not only cozy, but also the perfect place to while away an afternoon with the Sunday edition of the NYT and a few flights of beer. The new Rustico is much more "urban chic," with leather banquettes, a a rich, dark color scheme, industrial light fixtures, and a large wraparound bar. It's gorgeous. Imagine more dark wood and leather, less funky mosaics and couches ... more Clarendon, less Del Ray. The beer list is going to be even more impressive, with more than 400 beers available, and 40 on tap. The place was crowded Thursday night but the staff did an amazing job of keeping up with the frenetic pace. The menu was the same as Rustico Alexandria, but Rustico Ballston seemed to offer an abbreviated beer menu. Where was the beloved beer binder of the original Rustico? I love hauling that metal-plated book up into my arms to peruse the extensive options - it's certainly a conversation piece if nothing else. Overall, the new Rustico is nice - exceedingly nice. The menu and the beer selection will lure current Rustico fans, while the chic vibe will bring in a new crowd of regulars. It's exactly what Ballston - the skinny, dark wallflower younger sibling of the cool, popular, golden Clarendon - has always needed. Bravo, Ballston, bravo. You scored a date to the prom, now you can hold your head up high.
(3)Amit P.
I've been to Rustico several times, and have never been disappointed. They have an impressive beer selection, and their pizza is really good. But the thing to get here is carrot hummus.
(4)M T.
Solid Ballston brunch location. Made a reservation for Sunday at 11 (they open at 11), but it wasn't necessary - there were many people waiting for the restaurant to open, but it's so big and they have so many tables! I ordered their smoked black tea (delicious!) and the waiter brought me a small container of *warm* milk to go with it if I wanted. I can't remember the last time someone gave me warm milk for hot tea without my asking for it - such a treat and surprise. One downside is that there aren't too many veggie options on their brunch menu. I ended up ordering the french toast, and was concerned it would be too sweet (it's called "stuffed Nutella" or something similar), but it wasn't; the tart cranberries were a nice complement. Next time I'm in Ballston, this place will be a strong contender for any meals or drinks.
(4)Pui Ying S.
Beers are amazing and service is great. But I come here most often for their lunch box specials. For $15 you get a soup, salad, and half a sandwich and a drink. I find their salads and soups delicious and refreshing. It's a perfect light meal and they have a nice outdoor area that's somewhat in the shade. Also, it's QUICK.
(4)Jane M.
I've gone to Rustico a few times, and have enjoyed myself. In fact I brought a friend there for the first time when he was having a bad day. He loved the food so much that when he was thanking me for bringing him people thought he was proposing to me, that's how much he loved it. Their carbonara Israeli couscous, carrot hummus, and goat cheese pizza is amazing. However their buns are sub-par. Overall a bit pricey but worth it!
(4)Noel O.
Being something of a self-selecting crowd, us Yelpers do have something of a discerning eye (and taste) when going to a restaurant for the first time. I know Ballston well having lived there for a couple of years, so I expected this place to be another "fine dining" snooty place with no reason to be snooty at all. Boy was I wrong! The interior is modern, the wait staff pleasant and talkative, and good food (and a sizable drink list) to boot! After a day of bopping around, I decided I needed some pizza. After our first choice was closed, we figured we'd stay in the Ballston area and try something new. Neither of us had been here before, so why not? The entrance has this great glass-and-wine-bottle sort of sculpture/column thing in the entrance and the rear party room has this great giant wall filled with wine bottles and candles. Very visually vivacious! Okay, enough about the decor. The food was also quite lovely. Although we both ordered pizzas (since that what we were there for), I want to go back and get and just get a bowl of the mussels with an amazing light tomato sauce and mashed potatoes on the bottom. Holy mother, I've died and gone to heaven! Oh yeah, and their desert menu was amazing too. What's that, a beer float you say? Why thank you!
(4)Valencia W.
Wasn't impressed. Came on a Saturday to meet up with a friend and instead of going to the usual (front page) we went to try out something new. Service was fine, and drinks were OK but, I don't see what the fuss was about as far as the food goes. Yes, I heard their pies were great ...we need to change that to their pizza is tolerable. No way you could consider this GREAT pizza? The mussels were another thing that folks were saying were AMAZING, they were alright. Now, I will say that the reviews matched when it came to the beer. That was the only thing worth it to me. So, I take it this way...If you want food there's better in the area so go there first and IF you want a drink you could go to Rustico. Would I come back...no
(2)Casandra M.
Great beer, better service. Despite being almost crazy crowded on a Tuesday night, the bartenders were wonderfully friendly and helpful and got my order promptly. When I did manage to snag a table in the bar, our server was just as knowledgeable and friendly as the bartenders. Despite only being open a short time, they all seemed well-versed in the food and beer menus and were able to offer really delicious suggestions. I ended up with the grilled pizza which was loaded with salami, capicola and mortadella and was absolutely delicious and a few guzzle-worthy brewskis. I'll definitely be back.
(4)Anisha H.
I have to say I am impressed with finding such a fancy restaurant in Arlington. I walked in and the bar area was bustling with a lot of people, seemed that they were having a great time, so a few of my friends opted to actually sit down in the dinner area. It was much quieter and much easier to carry a conversation :) To start off we ordered the Fries with the different dipping sauces and the carrot humus. Both I have to say were delicious. The only thing was that the carrot hummus comes with a lamb ragout that was not mentioned in the menu and a couple of my friends were veg. I ordered the spicy shrimp pizza, very different I must say. I have never had shrimp on pizza so I tried it out. I couldn't stop eating it, the shrimp was cooked to perfection, and the flavors of the spicy pesto was magnifique. Overall it was a great meal but a lil pricey. I will def be back for more :)
(4)Mike G.
I had been to the Alexandria location multiple times and loved every visit. As soon as you walk in you had the nice brick oven right there, with a decor that didn't really come off as that pretentious. I was expecting the same thing of the Ballston location... Walking in I felt like I was in a swanky, uppity cafe. Whereas the Alexandria location has a more relaxed, neighborhood feel, the Ballston spot tries a little too hard to be trendy. The decor is definitely not that welcoming, and borders on sterile. The bar area in the Alexandria location is warm, welcoming, and the bartenders are down to earth...the bar in Ballston is the complete opposite. On the positive, they have a ton of beer offerings, and their food/pizzas are just as good as the original restaurant. If you want the same quality and a more low-key atmosphere, the Alexandria location is worth the trip.
(3)Tracy D.
I had high hopes for the second location of Rustico, and perhaps those high expectations are what led to my mediocre experience. Let's start with the negative: -About half the beers we asked for on the draft and bottle list were not available. The waiter was exceedingly apologetic and helped us find suitable substitutes, but I was having some Brickskeller flashbacks. -About 6 of the draft lines were kicked and being replaced, and we were given an old draft menu - as explained by the waiter. But then I continually asked about the new draft lines and we received a new draft menu at about 9pm on a Saturday night. The waiter conveyed that they were slow getting the new draft menu out. Personally, I find this unacceptable for a beer bar that prides itself on its draft selection on the busiest night of the week. It takes two minutes to print out new menus - there were several on the new menu that I wanted to try but missed out on because we didn't know about them until we were about to leave. -The food is grossly overpriced. I understand paying more for higher qualify food, but I still don't agree with paying $7 for three sad looking pretzel rolls with two dips. I ordered the chicken ragu with walnut gnocchi. It was tasty until I got about halfway through the huge plate and then it just became work. Also I loved the dark meat pieces of chicken, but there was a lot of fat and skin on those pieces that had not been removed before cooking. All in all - definitely not worth $22. Perhaps a half plate at a lower price would have been adequate? -The clientele was the typical NOVA crowd - very white, very showy. Not my cup of tea, but totally expected as it is Ballston. What I did not expect was HOW DAMN LOUD IT WAS. I don't care for the preppy Ballston crowd but I'll put up with them for good beer, BUT I don't want hear them screeching about their latest dye job or female conquest. Rustico - you need to install some sort of sound absorbing material! I had to put my hands over my ears when the girl behind us starting SCREAMING at her friends about some video she saw on youtube. If I'm going to pay for delicious beer, I'd like to have an environment where I can truly enjoy it. As of now, Rustico is not that place. THE GOOD: -Our waiter was outstanding. He was very attentive and knowledgeable. -The tap list was phenomenal and had a great mix of different types of beers. The bottle list was also great and well organized. I thought the prices were fair for the quality of beer. I also really appreciated the local beers on the draft list (Port City, Starr Hill) -My friend loved his pizza - so maybe that is a better and more well priced option than the entrees. BOTTOM LINE: Churchkey in DC is way better in terms of beer management, beer selection, food selection and price, and also space. I realize they have the same management company or something, but Churchkey is just the better bar. I would not go back to Rustico in Ballston unless I was already in NOVA for something else and could arrive earlier.
(3)Maria W.
I'm going to break this review into two parts: The food was very good and deserves a higher rating. We ordered the salt roasted beet salad which I highly recommend and the butchers block pizza which was also very good but moderately over done. The beer selection is awesome! The service deserves a really low rating. To begin with, both of the hostesses were a little rude but sometimes that happens so we didn't think very much of it. Shortly there after, while sitting at the bar waiting for our table we realized there might be a trend. Neither the bartender nor the waiter seemed very happy to be there
(3)Nicole M.
I like Rustico a lot. The ambiance is great, the food is consistently tasty and they have a great beer selection. The menu is fairly small and is heavy on the pizza (the pizza is great though- especially the white pizza!) Prices are on par with other area eateries and they do some great appetizers (hello, brussels sprouts!). Service is generally nice, sometimes slow. The bar area is comfortable to sit and they keep a great selection of seasonal brews on draft and in the bottle/can. I love the fireplace, but wish it was closer to the bar.
(4)Wayne J.
Super selection of beer on tap and in the bottle, you name it they have it. Don't forget the food. Great and unique appetizers.
(5)Christine B.
I'll update if I go back, but I went for happy hour on a Friday night. It was pretty busy. We had to wait awhile until we could get some table space. They had a nice selection of beers, but nothing too unusual. The carrot hummus really is good, and tried some of the truffle fries which were also good.
(3)Gail H.
Excellent food, efficient service- perfect place for a satisfying dining experience. Gazpacho is fresh and slightly spicy, grilled cheese so flavorful, salad dressing just excellent Others at the table thoroughly enjoyed the burger and a pizza, the grilled asparagus made a perfect side dish The vegetarians were really happy too- great variety.
(5)Debbie S.
Most amazing Caesar salad ever! The romaine lettuce is slightly broiled and the dressing is not too overpowering in terms of the anchovy taste. The pizza was a little soggy sadly. You could barely hold the slice up without it falling apart. Luckily after a few minutes in the oven, it wasn't too bad! However they offer a great beer and wine selection! The Austrian rosé is delicious.
(3)David R.
I am stretching to find good things to say about this Rustico location. Seven years ago, Rustico (the Alexandria location, that is) was the place to go for undiscovered craft beer gems. With the craft beer explosion happening in every town, including towns a lot smaller than Arlington (Staunton, VA; Galena, IL; Dover, DE), you'd think Rustico would somehow reinvent itself. Not the case. The service at the bar is sub par for a place like this. Zero personality from the servers. You may as well be served by robots. The best thing to say about the service at the bar is they have wonderful frosted glasses that fit the beer type (long skinny glasses for lagers and pilsners; tulip glasses for heavier IPAs; etc). Not the typical pint size glasses you find at other places. The food is decent, although overpriced (as the case at the Alexandria location). The crowd is all over the map - older men from the nearby retirement home to the typical A-Town ballcap and flip flops crew (and yuppie families galore). The beer list is average. The usual suspects. They're not reaching to find new crafts (Ocelot, Old Ox anyone?) as World of Beer and Mellow Mushroom are. Three stars but really two and a half. I'm feeling generous today.
(3)Christopher K.
To be fair this used to be my favorite restaurant in the area. I told countless people to go give it a try. All the food I have tried was always great with the occasional over cooked pizza. Now I am being a bit harsh in giving them a one star, but I can't help my feelings. They used to have (deep fried deviled eggs) on the menu and one night I went there to specifically get this and is was magically off the menu and when I asked the waitress why she was clueless and she wouldn't ask a manger why either. I just don't get it. They were soooooo good and that's how I was getting people I knew to go there! Everyone loved them that I knew of. So why remove a golden product (in my eyes)? I'm sure they have there reasons but I can promise I won't be back until they are back on the menu. I would pay double for them. I actually moved close to Rustico for the convenience of grabbing a quick few eggs. I can go on and on. I have been there so many times and it looks like that is over. To me with out the eggs that no one else has they are just another ordinary restaurant in the area with awesome lights. Yes I am bitter and I'm aloud to be! Feel free to let me know if my dreams ever come true !
(1)Foodie C.
Great pizza! and menu items are equally as good We have been here a few times and have always leave happy. Service is sometimes great sometimes not There is a long wait time so avoid the usual rush times.
(4)Susan S.
Never really impressed when I go here . Always crowded somehow. 4 stars for the nice ambiance though.
(4)Bonnie L.
I LOVE RUSTICO! Great staff, super yummy food and the environment is super chill and relaxing. My favorite is their carrot hummus....WOW. I could eat that everyday! Along with their brussel sprouts and truffle fries. A waiter once recommended their cheesesteak sandwich for lunch (which I ordered) but was not wow-ed like I am with their other dishes. They have a great beer selection - this is a good place to take friends and family!
(5)Nicole W.
This place is pretty great for a number of reasons: 1. A huge selection of beers and wines 2. Delicious Pizza 3. Outdoor seating 4. Great, friendly servers 5. Awesome brunch (love the brunch burger) I've probably dined here about 6 times in the past few years. Every time I have a great experience. I love that it's close to the metro and right next to the Ballston mall/parking garage. This is a great place for meeting up with friends in Ballston. They are very accommodating to large groups. My friends and I (group of 7) just had dinner there last night. We didn't have reservations but were able to get a seat right away in the bar area. There were zero complaints and everyone was pleased with their meals. I will definitely be back many times in the future. Thanks Rustico!
(4)Mai T.
Lunch has a very limiting menu. We had a table of two and sat at the bar. While a menu was brought to us fairly quickly, no one came to check on us throughout our entire meal. My companion ordered the burger which looked succulent and juicy. My pizza with basil, mozzarella, and bacon was as good as it looked. Quite crispy and not doughy at all for those who like it that way. On the thin side. And even though they are hand cut fresh fries, I would just prefer frozen fries that are cooked until extra crispy versus fresh, soft fries. On another note, I have been here before for dinner which has a better and larger menu selection. Guess this is more of a place to go to for beer than for food.
(2)Andrew W.
What an awesome spot. I stopped in with a group of coworkers after and had a blast -- great food and great beer. The pizza was all fantastic -- we got a Carolina Dreamin' with BBQ, white pizza, Italian sausage and I forget what else -- all well made and tasty with great crust. You could tell the ingredients were fresh too. We also got an order of Brussels sprouts as a side then ended up ordering two or three more, they were delicious -- crispy and salty and a little sweet (and Brussels-y.) There's also a huge beer selection, and Badr, the bartender, was great helping us pick out good ones. There was lots of seating and standing tables in the bar area too, which was appreciated. A great spot.
(5)Libby M.
I've been here several times. While the food, drinks, and atmosphere are generally pretty good, the service has always been sub par for me. It always feels as though my table has been forgotten, and in one case I think we actually were forgotten (waited 25 minutes before finally going inside to ask for our check). I'm currently sitting in the restaurant watching my server walk past (and has looked at us) several times while we have been waiting for our check for about 10 minutes. Too focused on helping every table around us maybe. This server wasn't very attentive to us throughout the service though, so I'm not terribly surprised. I just had to stop him to ask for our check. I also cannot recommend the banana bread dessert. Dry and tastes like cardboard. Certainly not worth $8. I come for the pizza and drinks. Not much else.
(3)Michelle A.
Good beer selection. We enjoyed our meal and service was pretty good, considering how busy our server was with some large parties. Nothing exceptional, but no complaints.
(3)Lee N.
Food and service were passable but not particularly good. We went here with another couple the other night and the 4 of us all had about the same experience. The ambiance and interior are somewhere between fine and good. The lighting and layout are inviting, décor is nice. The food was mixed. My dining companions all said their burgers were great (which is the only reason I'm giving them 3 stars rather than 2). Fries were another matter: they were undercooked, soggy and had the taste and consistency of boiled, sliced potatoes. My pork chop was very tough and I had a hard time cutting it even with a steak knife, and the sauce on top was so cloying that all I could taste was sweet. I scraped it off. Service was, as with so many DC restaurants, indifferent. I had to ask my server 3 times for a slice of lime to go with my diet coke, and my meal came out close to 10 minutes after my fellow diners. This place seems to make a good burger, but I can't say much else good about it.
(3)Will N.
I've been to Rustico many times. While the food is generally good (especially the burger, pizzas, carrot hummus), the service is spotty. Sunday evening was the worst service I've ever had there, resulting in my entire party leaving after sitting down and waiting for a server for about 15 minutes, followed by unfriendly treatment from the bartender. I've noticed the service has been getting slower over the last couple visits, but this last visit was by far the worst. Maybe they got comfortable? I won't be back, at least for a while.
(2)Anthony I.
Worst service, no wine in stock, 30 minutes for menus, 35 minutes for drinks, 35 minutes to order. Very sad as I've had some many wonderful experiences here, lately the service is terrible and I won't be going back anytime soon.
(3)Christina Y.
Since the last time I tried this place, I've actually been here two more times to try their beers. I gave the restaurant three stars then, but I give it four stars now. I recommend their crisps, but I would not get a full glass of the chokolat and milk and coffee beers- too sweet. If the name sounds as intriguing to you as it did for me, try the taste for only a few bucks. During happy hour, they also take two dollars off the full glasses which is nice. I've tried three of their pizzas and my favorite by far was the pumpkin fondue pizza. It's perfect for the fall season. And the pizzas are a pretty good size for two people.
(4)Kate P.
The carrot hummus here is delicious, hearty and full of flavor! I also like the Salmon BLT -- nicely flavored with vinaigrette. Spicy chicken pizza is great -- very saucy. Nice ambiance.
(4)Sebastien I.
Even though the waitress forgot tog give us a menu, took ages to bring our bottle of wine, the trout filet that both my wife and I enjoyed was soooo good that it made me realize it was nice to be in a civilized city where restaurant does not rime only with fried food or hamburgers, which is hard to find when you are south of Noth Carolina! The wines are very eclectic, but on the (very) pricey side. The Chardonnay Mendoza paired the trout amazingly well.
(4)Jenna L.
I've been to Rustico twice now, and I'm pleased that the experience is consistant. Every time the service has been outstanding. The waiters know that their beer list is extensive and overhwelming and do everything they can to help you pick a winner, including bringing over some samples. It's very clear that everyone who works at Rustico knows a lot about beer. The other awesome part about this place is.... the beer. There are just so many to choose from. I've gotten to try some really unique beers here. Including a sour beer from Japan. Not many other places would have that. I only took away a star for the food. The risotto tots are some of the greatest things ever (seriously, order them, you'll thank me later) but the pizzas have been meh both times. Next time I might just come for the beer and stick with appetizers.
(4)Grand Y.
The food was surprisingly good. I came here a few times for pizza, and found it good but not memorable. I got the half roasted chicken, and loved the wild mushrooms it came with. I think the prices are pretty high ($22 for the chicken), though. The service was fantastic. They brought extra pita, and didn't throw up a fuss about splitting checks. The beer menu is great. They have outdoor seating.
(4)Nate W.
Nice place to visit to find a great selection of hard to find beers on tap, although the service can be hit or miss. Just sit at the bar and you'll be fine, and for crying out loud don't order a Yuengling.
(4)Rutherford N.
This review is based solely on the service- since we never even got to eat! Our group of 4 arrived at 7:45 pm to have drinks before our 8:15 reservation from opentable. After ordering our beers, we waited for 25 minutes before they were brought to our seat at the bar- by this point it was time to check in for our reservation. (strike 1) When we informed the hostess that we were there for our 8:15 reservation, she told us it would be a few minutes because there weren't any tables (although we could see an empty 4 top table sitting there, next to an empty 2 top table). Fast forward 20 minutes (still waiting), and the servers are pushing together the 2 empty tables to seat a man and his group who was yelling about how he had been waiting for too long for a table. Come to find out, our group's table (and the table of a couple who also had a reservation) were used to seat this man who DIDN'T HAVE A RESERVATION. Rustico, in the words of Seinfeld "See, you know how to take the reservation, you just don't know how to *hold* the reservation and that's really the most important part of the reservation, the holding. Anybody can just take them." Never going back.
(1)Paul M.
Rustico has one of the best beer menus in all of Arlington. Its constantly rotating and the Bartenders have the sort of knowledge your would expect from someone working at NASA. Look for bartenders named Badr and Trevor, these guys knows their stuff. I swear they know more than any other bartenders Ive ever met. From each tap to each bottle they have the ability to tell you exactly what to expect, which is a pretty daunting task with the hundreds of beers that Rustico houses and rotates through. Venture into the sour menu and ask for some recommendations, these are generally only in bottles but these guys wont steer you wrong. These guys have always made me feel at home at this location, keeping me up to date on the latest releases and whats currently trending in the craft scene. On to the food, Pizzas are amazing, just about every app they have will blow you away, the truffle fries will change your life. Apart from those, I focus mainly on the beer at this establishment, however I have heard great things about the rest of the menu. Like Most bars in Arlington, they get pretty swamped. This isn't a bad thing since it will keep them around. Best times to go are happy hour, and early on the weekends.
(5)Eric W.
This is a place I go if I want to have a good beer (they have a large variety on tap and even more in bottles) and some good appetizers. Overall, I have been happy with the food almost every time I go here - they have a very good selection of pizzas and burgers that are all very good. They also have some great appetizers like Risotto Tots and Carrot Hummus (Tastes better than it sounds!) Oh and did I mention they have an awesome beer list?
(4)Pete R.
Service is horrible and the staff is homely...still no salt shakers on the tables and the portions are bite size. Once these guys get some healthy competition, say goodbye...
(2)Lauren R.
This place is awesome! Lamb hummus is the tits. They have amazing brunch too. Burgers are super juicy and high quality meat. They have a great craft beer selection. One of the best spots in Ballston to go with friends or on a date.
(5)Pegah Y.
I recently visited Rustico for dinner with two friends. They have a nice wine and beer selection and I ended up getting a rose wine, which was tasty and perfect on a hot summery day. Pizza is really the thing to get here, but I had had a heavy lunch, so I opted for the chicken caesar salad instead. I was not disappointed - the salad was fresh and full of flavor. I enjoyed my meal (it was filling enough) and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. It's on the classier end, while still somehow managing to be casual too, and lots of people seem to go to dinner here after work (there are lots of office buildings in the Ballston area). It's conveniently located near the Ballston mall and metro.
(4)Michael C.
Our family of 5 loved the food! We were able to get outdoor seating at 7:00 pm with no wait, and the manager Stu man our visit absolutely superb! Would recommend to anyone!
(5)David H.
Good food, okay service. Went here with a few friends on a Saturday evening. They run HH specials from 3-7 which are $2 off their draft beers. They have an excellent and varied beer selection so they have something for everyone. The food is also worth checking out. The risotto tots are tater tots in risotto form. They aren't greasy and are quite tasty. The Parmesan truffle fries are enjoyable and have a good blend of spice, oil, and Parmesan flavor. They aren't greasy but can be a little soggy due to the oil. The italian sausage pizza with red peppers has some spice and is the best pizza I've tried there. The pulled pork pizza is interesting and worth a try. It features a BBQ sauce and has a strong BBQ pork flavor. It is a little bit like a combination of a pizza and a pulled pork sandwich. If you like BBQ this is a must try. As for the service, it was friendly but at a certain point we got the slight feeling they were trying to rush us out by giving us our check when we may have otherwise ordered additional drinks. I enjoyed my time here, enjoyed the food & beer specials and will be back.
(4)R P.
Although it's for beer connoisseurs (which we are not), the trendy food menu was delicious! Four adults (my husband and I along with our college-aged sons) extremely enjoyed our late evening dining experience. Staff was attentive, helpful and polite. It's a great stop-in place while visiting just not a menu that Midwestern people like us would enjoy very often.
(4)Ariel E.
If my husband was to write the review, he'd give it five stars and a smiley face emoticon- DONE. Any place with a great beer menu would get that same review from him. I like their beer choices, but I come here to stuff my face. The food is good. I've tried a lot of their pizzas, but I guess I haven't found "the one" yet. It's a block from my apartment though, so I'll keep coming back looking for that elusive "best pizza ever" that I keep reading about in other reviews.
(4)Denise B.
This is my neighborhood "go to" place whether taking out of town guests out for dinner or snacks and drinks with my friends. The mussels, trout, and mushroom/goat cheese pizza are all amazing I love the beer selection and the staff are great.
(5)Courtney W.
Location/Atmosphere/Food: The restaurant is conveniently located near the Ballston Metro. I love the chic atmosphere that Rustico creates, however the food wasn't stellar. The risotto bites were not as delicious as we had hoped and the pizzas were nothing special. Some of us each ordered a different type of pizza so that we could sample each other's pies. The Loaded Baked Potato and Pepperoni pizzas both ended up being a disappointment so I gave the rest of my Roasted Mushroom pizza away. Luckily my Roasted Mushroom pizza was good, especially since I added Italian sausage and caramelized onions. Needless to say, my friends happily gobbled my slices down, ditching their own pizzas. Group: I came here with a group of 10 on a Friday night. I made a reservation ahead of time and had to give a credit card number to hold our reservation. The restaurant wasn't able to give us separate checks, however it worked out fine giving them multiple cards and designating the amount to be charged to each card. Service: It took a good while for our waitress to serve our group water, and even longer for her to take our order. The food did come out from the kitchen pretty quickly though, despite the restaurant being super busy. On another note, I had called the restaurant ahead of time to ask if they were able to write a congratulatory message on a dessert plate, which unfortunately they couldn't accommodate. However, once I showed up on they day of, they suggested that I run next door to Buzz Bakery and purchase a dessert that could be personalized (Rustico and Buzz Bakery have the same owner) and they would serve it in the restaurant. This worked out perfectly and my friend loved her personalized sweet surprise after dinner. I do want to return to Rustico to try some of their other dishes... well okay, mainly the deep fried deviled eggs. I'll admit that I'm a sucker for fried good-ness.
(3)Yasmine B.
Went there for brunch last weekend on a glorious DC spring day. Since they did not offer a full brunch menu outside, we ended up sitting inside (at a booth with lots of lovely sunshine). The menu is heavy with bacon, including bacon vinagrette, bacon this and bacon that. I got the salmon BLT minus the B, and it was delicious. The donuts are fantastic made with ricotta cheese, so they are a little soft and creamy in the middle. Coupled with a dipping sauce, they are the perfect treat before the work week descends on you.
(4)M. G.
The food was wonderful. The wall of beers on tap makes my heart sing. Thank you to Austin, our bartender, for taking such good care of us. He suggested food and drink options based on our tastes and pleased us all. A great time was had. Thank you!
(5)Kyle N.
The new menu is pretty incredible. The beer selection is one of the best. The staff is friendly and good at what they do. One of the few places in Ballston where it's fun to hang out.
(5)Rebecca P.
This place is great! Fun atmosphere, good food (especially the pizzas), usually great service. Highly recommend the fries with truffle parmesan. They have an extensive beer list, and the servers are really knowledgeable about what is on it. We had a reservation but ended up being able to grab a table by the bar when we got there early, and it was great.
(4)Heather G.
Rustico is a beautiful restaurant that specializes in pizza and beer...I think. At least that is over half of their menu. The beer is not made in house, so I guess they specialize in imported beer. Right? Ok. Ok. Don't ask me anything about beer, because I ordered water and Pizza. The pizza came with a few options, but I stuck with Pepperoni. Even though I am not big on pizza, it's the crust that makes the difference to me. This crust was nothing to desire. In fact, I ate everything but the crust. The outdoor seating was heavily sought after on the Saturday afternoon, I went here. If I return, I would order the mussels; they are soaked in a wine sauce that looked/smelled amazing.
(3)U.S. A.
4 Stars for 2 reasons... The pretzel bites with salt and drumroll....caraway seeds, delicious!!! And the desert of the donut holes, super yummy. I had the pizza and not bad it was ok. Huge beer list, but a little overwhelming to be honest and while our waiter was real nice he couldn't make recommendations to it like they can at Beers of the World. Aka... don't have a giant beer list of specialty beers if your staff can't make solid recommendations based upon what you like.
(4)Meriam A.
I came here for Brunch last week and had a wonderful meal. We shared Rustico Donuts and Crispy Brussels which were both delicious. Especially the Brussels sprouts due to the amazing pomegranate molasses sauce. I also ordered the Pumpkin Eggnog French Toast with a side of scrambled eggs. The French toast was also very good and I especially liked the pumpkin butter. The only disappointing part of the meal was the side of scrambled eggs which were too fluffy for my taste.
(4)Mike G.
Good beer selection and tasty food. Pizza and almost anything from their list of apps are my favorite things to get. Wait times are usually not too bad, and the quality of service is pretty standard.
(4)Catherine G.
Hey! This is damn good pizza! And as a Chicagoan that loves deep dish, these crunchy thin crust pizzas were delectable! We went to Rustico by chance because we were in the neighborhood. Normally we try to stay away from Arlington, DC, etc because of PARKING issues. Every time we go into the city BAM!! Parking ticket. Its like we have to have a separate fund for parking tickets when we go out to dine in DC. Rustico's cool decor and good eats will bring us back sometime when we want good pizza. None of that soggy stuff like Mellow Mushroom... Too bad they can't take some of Mellow Mushrooms pizzas and use that awesome crust of theirs. Oh well, can't have it all. Try their Flat Iron Steak with the cheddar cheese-potato roesti, red chimichurri, and garlic kale. All surprisingly good. For the first time after trying the roesti I didn't say... "oh yeah, I can make that at home." I'm still not sure how to replicate it...but I'm sure I can google-it! hehehe. This place is worth trying, at least once. Get the pizza..you know you want to!
(4)Michael B.
Best beer bar around. Try a sampler. So conveniently located to the Metro, Im glad we came over from DC. I cant tell you how many great beers they have that are so new to me and I consider myself pretty knowledgeable when it comes to craft beers. Great service too. I even got to try there NRG collobration beer I'll be back next time Im back home in DC 100%
(4)Benjamin D.
Go for the beer selection and the pizza. Don't forget the risotto tater tots! Great atmosphere!
(4)Yuchen Z.
Atm: Pretty chill, high ceilings, friendly atmosphere. Food & Drinks: They have an enormous amount of beer. They classify their drinks by flavor profile so you can pick things that you like based on other beers you have tasted. My friends like to be adventurous and tries like 3 different beers each time. From what I heard from them, they all enjoyed the different beers. You're going to have to go there and check out the beer flavor profiles to see if you like it or not. They have some 400 drink selections I believe. Food-I went for the Catalonian which is a pizza that has tomatoes and onions and smoked mozzarella. I thought it was just OK. The crust was mushy due to the toppings and there were a LOT of onions. The smokey mozzarella tasted very good though. My friend got the spicy chicken pizza and that was nice a spicy. You can also make your own pizza with whatever topping you want. Another dish was the truffled pasta-I couldn't get much of the truffle taste which I really wanted. The pasta I thought was a bit too hard for me. And overall, I felt like the dish had a weird texture because the pasta was a tiny pellet kind and it felt more rice-like than another type of pasta like penne or something. The overall flavor profile was just OK for me. My favorite dish of the night was definitely the scallops with corn and ricotta gnocchi. This dish was amazing. The scallops were delicious and the corn mix on the bottom was super super full in flavor. I dipped my pizza crust into the leftover corn and juices on the bottom and that made the pizza crust taste so much better! Service: The service was so great. Brittany was our waitress and she was a new waitress. She did a great job. She was super friendly and so were the other people that waited on us from hostess to the person that seated us. People explained the drink selections really well and had good recommendations. I really appreciate a place where you can split checks. Brittany suggested splitting individual checks and that made our lives so much easier. I liked that a lot. I really recommend this place! My friend also said they have cute boxed type lunches and I might have to go back for that!
(4)DeeJay K.
Going downhill! I've been to Rustico a few times in the past and my experience was always average -- enjoyable but not memorable. However, my last visit was horrific. I sat at the bar for 15 minutes while the bartender paced back and forth in a state of utter cluelessness. She did manage to hand me a menu which apparently bought her another 10 minutes to ignore me. The kicker -- the manager walked by at least 5 times during this ordeal and did not say a word and "managed" to not manage at all (not sure of his name, but he was slightly overweight, balding, white). The double kicker -- I witnessed the manager grabbing and adjusting his crotch AT THE BAR! That was enough for me. I left. Not going back. Never.
(1)Brittany M.
Rustico only has 2 or 3 drink specials for brunch, one bloody mary, a bellini, and a mimosa, so if you want a boozier brunch, this may not be the place for you.The bellini came in a champagne flute with a bit of frozen-y fruity goodness in it, and the server poured a bottle of prosecco over it so it fizzed. The birthday girl in our party of 7 seemed to like it. The table split an order of the donuts, which came with 7 mid-sized donut holes covered in cinnamon sugar and a vat of caramel for dipping(/drinking.) They were so delicious that I started to change my order to just get another bowl of donuts for myself. Instead, I pressed ahead with the Shrimp & Grits, which is a steal in this region at only $11. However, it didn't look like the typical order of Shrimp & Grits or Shrimp & Fried Grit Patties. The grits were in a roux of sorts that meant I lost some of my grits to disintegration of being in a soup-y mess, which was fine, though, because there were enough long strips of bell peppers and onions and five large shrimp to get me full. They could've cut the strips a little shorter because I felt like I was eating spaghetti and wasn't very graceful with them. Regardless, this Southern girl appreciates grits in pretty much any form and I was very happy with my meal. Our server was pretty good at first but as it got busier, he seemed to be the only one waiting on other tables and it took a while to get our check at the end. As I've been pushed into brunching more and more, this place will go on my new to-brunch list.
(5)Samantha L.
Had a good meal here with a friend last week. That friend knew one of the chefs.... which is why we picked this particular restaurant. I opted for a salad and these risotto tater tots that sounded too good to pass up. My friend went for a gluten-free pizza. Everything was good the standout was the risotto tots! I could eat them every day.... if it wouldn't make me weigh 400+ lbs! Rustico also has a HUGE beer list. It was a little too big for me to make sense of... but the waitress helped point me in the right direction and I ended up really liking what I got.
(4)Kendall B.
Consistently awesome, fast-changing menu with good service and relatively reasonable prices.
(4)L M.
Last month we went to Rustico on Slaters Lane where the service was great and the snacks,pizza & Parmesan eggplant were delicious! So this past Friday we decided to come to the Ballston location! I give this location 3 stars ONLY because the service was great and my husband was happy with his juicy burger and the bun that came with it! With that being said .... It could've been 5 stars if the deep fried deviled egg came with a buddy or 3! But we ONLY got 1 egg cut in half for what $5 - $6? Really Rustico? Also the risotto tots were somewhat chewy at this location. The pastrami pork ribs that I ordered, it look like it came from a pig that was on the biggest loser and then some. It was also dry & not juicy at all like it sat out in the sun to become Pork Jerky maybe? ( shrug) I wish I had pictures e of the ribs & the lonely egg so people can see that I'm really NOT exaggerating about the food portions.
(3)Alexandra B.
The best thing about rustico is they have really friendly, cool, and competent bartenders. They all really know their beer and make excellent recommendations. The second best thing about rustico is their beer selection. Which is epic. Unfortunately, everything else from the servers to the hostess who puts in take out orders to the food is hit or miss. Sometimes the food is good but the waiter basically forgot about us. Other times the take out order was put in wrong and a half hearted offer to correct it if I wanted to wait another 15 minutes for a grilled steak Cesar salad (that they left the steak off of). Really? Other times the food is just meh. In between you may occasionally get a good burger or a delicious brat but I've gotten to the point that as a matter of principle I really just don't want to go back. It's unfortunate... There are a lot more options now with more coming (hello kapnos!) and they should be stepping up their game.
(3)Beach G.
Go to stop for good food amazing beer. The food is not typical bar grub. Mussels and flatbreads are the best. Bartenders are polished. Plenty of TVs to view games. Love this place
(5)Vanessa M.
I can't believe I haven't left a review for Rustico here before!! We live in Ballston and ever since Rustico opened we have been in food & beer heaven. The food is amazing, from the quick-and-fast delicious pizzas to the fancier, nice dinner entrées that will please any foodie. The beer selection is just awesome. Always. They rotate their selection and if you don't find anything you like on tap (which I think it's just impossible with their sweet selection), they also have hundreds of bottles. Oh, you're into wine? Sure! They also have a good selection of wine, although this is really a beer place. And hey, just a warning: this is no "world of beer" (no offense to peeps who dig the place). Don't come in and ask for a budlight. They don't have it. This is a true gem for people who appreciate tasty, craft beer from VA to Japan and everywhere in between. Oh yeah! The service. Well, let's just say this place wouldn't be this awesome if it weren't for the great staff they have. We are always treated well, they have great recommendations and really strive to make sure you have a good experience. We've met different managers along the years, but they never drop the ball on quality of service. Our faves are: carrot hummus, mussels, tater tots, the salads with steak or chicken, and really ANY entrée. ANY pizza (we love the chickpea crust) Dessert: doughnuts FTW!!!
(5)Todd K.
Food review: The food was very good as I can recall (it was a month ago). They have a full menu that provides a lot of unique options, although not many basic options. Ciders offered were alright. If everything else was alright with my visit, I would have no problem giving this place a 4 out of 5, but the service was quite poor. It was hard to get anyone to service my table, even just for water...hell, even just for taking away my credit card so they can get their money. As such, I left them a tip that was deserved. Of course, they decided to charge me $10 more than I had left them - had to dispute that charge on my CC statement. I won't be visiting them again anytime soon.
(1)Erik G.
I work across the street from Rustico. I've eaten there a number of times, but the last two occasions have convinced me never to darken their doorstep. A few weeks ago, about 10 of us went to Rustico as a farewell happy hour for a departing colleague. I got there a bit later than everyone else, and there weren't any seats left at the long, high-top bar table everyone was sitting at. There were five or six free seats at the high-top table directly next to ours, and so I asked the people at that table whether I could take one of their chairs and slide in on the end of my group's table. They gladly let me have one of the seats, which I then pulled up at our table in a space on the end. A server came by a few minutes later and informed that I couldn't sit there because I was sitting in a fire lane. Everyone moved down, and I moved my chair out of the "fire lane." The server then informed me that I still couldn't stay there because the seat wasn't "his" ... it was from a table in another section, and I would have to return it! WTF??? Are you kidding me? I told the manager about this idiocy, and the manager quickly agreed that his server was off-base (especially, I pointed out, as there were still five or so seats free at the other table). Today, I went to Rustico for lunch with my fiancee. We waited up at the front desk for a few minutes, but there was no one to greet/seat us. After a few minutes, we sat ourselves (right in time for the hostess to flutter through and tell us that we were fine grabbing any table). Then we sat for another 5+ minutes without anyone coming over to take our drink/food orders. Finally, my fiancee went to speak with the bartender, who came over a few minutes later to take our order. I ordered a bowl of soup and some Brussels sprouts. The food came, and my bowl of soup was large. I started into it, but after a few spoonfuls I thought that some bread might be nice to have. My water glass was also near empty. I looked around for a server, but none was nearby. It took a few minutes before I was able to flag someone down and make my request. This server told the bartender, who refilled my glass and told me that the kitchen was working on the bread. No problem. Pretty standard, right? Well, I waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, after trying unsuccessfully to get someone's attention several times, I was able to flag down the first server. I asked where the bread I had requested was, and she said that she'd check into it. I ended up finishing my soup and sprouts before she returned with a single, solitary slice of bread. I asked for a check (since were were finished) and my fiancee and I tore off a couple of small pieces of the slice of bread. The bartender brought the check (relatively quickly) and whisked away the remaining portion of bread! That's when I saw it ... the check included a $1.00 charge for my slice of bread! I couldn't believe my eyes! A dollar for a reasonably paltry slice of bread that they took 15 minutes to get to me ... unfuckingbelieveable! On the way out I told the hostess (who, at that time, I believed was the manager) about how bad the service was and how incredibly irritating it was to be charged a buck for a piece of bread that came 15 minutes after I had asked for it. "Oh, would you like me to get the manager?" she asked. I replied that she could tell him herself, and I walked out. I won't be going back.
(1)Mark B.
In the area on business and stopped by on a recommendation from a friend that is local. He knows I love good beer and this place certainly delivered! Great, diverse selection of beer on tap with plenty more in bottles to choose from! The food menu was about average. Some interesting starters, a handful of entrees, and some pizza options. Nothing really blew me away so went with one of their more interesting pizzas -- Carolina Dreaming. Made well and tasty so can't complain. Atmosphere is pretty laid back with awesome 90's alternative music playing (yeah a bit of a throwback for some, but perfect to my ears!). I sat the bar and the bar staff were friendly and attentive. All-in-all a great place to find great beers and a decent bite to eat.
(4)Johnny D.
Had the burger topped with an egg. Definitely top 3 of the best burgers I have ever tried. Must try
(5)Jelli F.
Ribs are just ok, pizza is very good. Brussel sprouts are to die for! All in all, worth a try if you've not been.
(4)Julie G.
Went here last night based on a suggestion from my roommate with my boyfriend who was visiting from out of town. Lakesha was a prompt waitress, and even though she said she wasn't a beer aficionado by any means, her suggestions were spot on. My boyfriend also wanted to experience a rooftop bar around here, and Lakesha didn't blink to suggest a few in the D.C. area. Not only did she help with the beer, but she also made some cool recommendations for dinner choices. Besides pizza, the menu is limited, but the entrees are old nonetheless. If you like deviled eggs, I highly suggest their fried deviled eggs. We had a great time, and all in all, I would go back solely based on the service from Lakesha.
(4)Jini K.
I've spent a significant amount of time in Ballston and had never even heard of Rustico until my SO took me there one day over a year ago. The first bite of food I ever had there was the Carrot Hummus, sans lamb ragu, and it was mind-blowing! The Salt Roasted Beet Salad was the second bite of food I had there and again, I was blown away by the flavor profile and quality of ingredients. These two dishes are staples for us whenever we frequent Rustico!! The pizza is always great; I particularly love the traditional margherita pizza. Although I'm not a huge beer drinker, they have an impressive beer list, as well. Rustico is probably my favorite restaurant in all of Arlington for food alone! Be sure to visit and order the carrot hummus and beet salad, you won't regret it!!
(4)Melissa C.
I would rate this place a 3.5 stars. For some reason I much prefer the Slater Lane location in Old Town. Prefer the decor, vibe and food. My issue with this location is the consistency. I will get one item that I really enjoy like the salmon sandwich or beet salad and then completely not like the soup and lackluster Mac n cheese. Their soup in particular is not on par with their other items. They do have a great beer selection. And I do like their box lunch in which you can select 3 items however it is on pricey side.
(3)Jules K.
I'm going to present (with some edits and amendments) the description I emailed to a friend after eating there Saturday: "With the help of Yelp! I picked Rustico in Ballston. Have you heard of it? In case you haven't: The decor says Business Formal. There is a decent sized and nicely varried beer selection that says "Yes please!" But it is priced to make you consider having a water instead. I did really like the beer I had on the bartenders suggestion, but $12 for a tulip glass? To my knowledge it did not grant eternal youth, so why? The bar menu (limited menu for between lunch and dinner) contained things like duck confit pizza with figs and goat cheese and rocket coated in vinaigrette. I call this a too bloody clever by half menu. The chef really should have de-seeded the figs because a mouth full of grit does not amuse. And the TVs were playing various sporting events. Combined, the whole thing was Tres Weird. And the best thing on the duck pizza was the arugula. But at least it was quiet and dimly lit. And if they do have a dress code, they weren't enforcing it." I should emphasize that quiet in a restaurant/bar is really important to me, so I may well go back if I'm over that way on a Saturday lunch time, and carefully read the beer menu before making an order. I suspect the dinner prices are such that I would only go there if I were trying to impress/seduce someone.
(3)Shar S.
Rustico off of Wilson is absolutely fab! I made a reservation for a group of 7 to go to lunch on a weekday and was really happy with the meal. I was slightly nervous in the beginning because it was my first time going there I wanted to make sure everyone in the group would be able to order. - Great dishes to choose from. There were a couple of sandwiches that were vegetarian and tasted wonderful! I had the apasaragus grilled cheese and it was perfect. The bread seems fresh and proportions were balanced. The asparagus spears were perfect! Not too soft or soggy. - Lighting was great. - Neat interior design. - Seating was open. I did not feel crowded at all. - Server was friendly, kept up with the table's drinks and knowledgeable of food. - Street parking nearby was not an issue even with construction and it being in the middle of the day. At the end, everyone was very satisfied and happy with their orders. This is my first time, but I would def return to see what other dishes taste like.
(5)Michael F.
This is one of the best places to eat in the Ballston area. Our waitress was very knowledgeable and helpful when it came to the countless beers, many of the drafts which you can get a Taste of for $2-5. My gf and I had the truffle parmesan fries and Carolina Dreamin' pizza which were outstanding. The waitress recommended the s'more cheesecake for dessert and that was delectable as well. Overall an experience that made us eager to come back to try other items on the menu.
(5)Carter M.
Right off the bat: this restaurant is expensive and in Ballston. Wipe the slate clean. Start from there. The first time I went here, I tried to order the duck confit pizza and they were out. My friend had a seasonal puréed squash soup, which he did not enjoy. I want to like this restaurant. Wipe the slate clean again. The next time I went, it was with the same friend and his parents. We had one of those sprawling meals that last hours, with one course after another. $225 and 3 hours later, we left very satisfied customers. Food was delicious. Waitress and manager could not have been more accommodating. Will be back.
(4)Michelle H.
Ehh I don't know what to make of my experience here. We had a horrible server who obviously hated her job in every way possible. She came once to drop off drinks and didn't show up for about 15-20 mins later to take our orders... We were pissed. Even taking orders was annoying for her. I simply asked her what was popular and she was quite rude. However we ordered the "snack" size truffled Parmesan fries which were delish!!! And big! But again.. Came out 20 mins later.. We got the Carrot Hummus! Just WOW! Super surprised. The feta and lamb really bring out the flavors of the carrot and there were generous amounts of pita ;) always a + in my book ! We ordered a small beet salad, my parents seemed to enjoy it, I don't like mixing fruit in my salad (there were orange slices in it) but it was tasty once you ignored the oranges I ordered the Carbonara which she said was most popular and substituted the ham for chicken instead. I thought the dish was huge, I don't like eggs in my food so I passed that to my mom. I was so intrigued by the flagea pasta I believe it was called. Similar to Cous Cous. I liked the asparagus as well but didn't enjoy the creaminess of the dish. Had too much in it. Overall, I wish I could say more about it here but I can't. The server really ruined it. She slammed ketchup on the table and threw the check at us.. Yeah that's why she got a bad tip. Better luck next time. I probably wouldn't come back.
(2)Patrick G.
Great beer list! Loved the burger and fries. My friends all enjoyed their pizzas. Will definitely be returning.
(4)John N.
So overall this place has a lot of potential. And I will preface this by saying that I have only been here once to actually eat the food. The other times were for happy hour and to try out their selection of beers, which is extensive. I love Duck Confit and I was really excited to try out their Duck Confit pizza which had a fig jam with red onion and arugula on top. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. It felt as if you were finally going to be able to sleep with your favorite Victoria Secret Model, only to find out that your Victoria Secret Model is secretly a Transexual. Looks great on the outside but underneath the covers is a nasty surprise. The duck was overly salty and the Gorgonzola cheese overpowered the entire pizza. The fig jam was bitterly sweet if that is such a thing and the Arugula did not help to tone down the dish. Every bite felt like I was spooning in a mouthful of salt and sugar all dowsed in vinegar. I thought maybe it was the first piece so I kept eating and after 2 slices I couldnt take anymore. One or the most unsatisfying meals I have ever had. So why 3 stars? I have had some of their appetizers including their Carrot Hummus and Risotto Tater Tots which are really great. I also had their powdered donut holes which are really delicious. I will definitely come back to try other things on the menu. This place has a lot of potential. But man that Duck Confit taste like feet. AVOID THAT ONE DISH.
(3)Debi N.
Great restaurant if you want to taste a variety of beers. Our waiter was nice but kind of seemed robotic. He mentioned a type of beer worth trying and I asked him a question about it and he totally went off on a different tangent. I also overheard him trying to sell the same beer to surrounding tables. Not sure if it's his favorite beer on tap (he only mentioned it was new) but considering I have many friends in the restaurant business I'm under the impression his boss is making him sway that specific type of beer. I appreciate when asking about other beers on tap he was honest enough to say he hasn't tried it and doesn't know whether it's good or not instead of trying to play it off. The pizza is good, not fantastic. I did ask for a side of marinara sauce (which they didn't charge me extra for) to dip the crust because it was awfully dry. Haven't had a chance to try the other dishes. But since I do like the variety of beers I will come back eventually and try something else. They waiter also noted the menu changes often. Note: My visit was during the second week of July 2013 and we were informed during our meal there was a building wide malfunction of the air conditioning. It did make dining very uncomfortable. Ever heard of portable air conditioning? Seems kind of necessary if you are running a business. On a good note they do have plenty of outdoor dining. But watch out for mosquitoes which is why I opted for indoor seating.
(3)Ladan S.
I can't comment on the food, because we didn't even get a chance to eat it. My family and I made reservations here 3 days in advance and were coming here for a birthday dinner in the family. We get there a few minutes ahead of our reservation time and they did not have a table ready for us, as a matter of fact, they weren't able to seat anybody because they had a system outage so they couldn't seat anybody or even get any orders out to the tables that were waiting for their food. We waited a half an hour and they still couldn't seat anybody, so several people left. We talked to the manager, who explained they JUST were starting to do orders by paper but that they couldn't even guarantee how long it would take for us to receive our food after making our orders. We decided to leave and went to another restaurant in the area which we ended up loving and were happy with. However, we were very disappointed with the fact that we made these reservations a few days in advance and were looking forward to coming here. I feel that they shouldn't completely rely on their computers, they need to be prepared for times like that when the system is down. They should keep track of their reservations by computer but also have it down on paper so that this doesn't happen again and they should be prepared to do orders by paper as soon as their system goes down. They even let people know they could sit at the bar but that the bartender couldn't serve them any drinks because of the system being down which I find ridiculous. They did apologize, but most people including us left and found other restaurants in the area. I don't believe we'll be back.
(1)Kelly P.
I love Rustico. Great beers, friendly staff, pizzas are good, love the Bibb salad...has given me refuge (and an electrical outlet) during power outages!
(5)Ziv B.
This one pains me to report. I have been here a time or two, and each time it gets a little worse. This time I went with two friends, one of whom eats like a rabbit so I can't say anything bad about the little greens plate she got, but the pork schnitzel I got sounded good and my other friends pizza looked great on paper! So I get my Devils Backbone and I am like, mmmmm.... Beer! It is kind of cold so we ask the waitress if she could turn up the heat, but it is out of comission... Then our entrees make their unassuming arrival... My schnitzel looks like a pounded, dry, overcooked peace of day old meat. Yea! And that is how it tasted too. Marvelous! My friend is digging into her Greek pizza so I am thinking, "No worries, my friends are eating well and I have a good beer." So my rabbit appetite friend is like, "How is your food because this is kind of bland." Yeah, that was my first thought as well. "You order rabbit food and complain that it is bland?" But I didn't go there. My Greek pizza friend admits her pizza may still be frozen on the bottom, I try a slice, she is not far from being right. Service wasn't horrible, and the ambiance is quirky and fun. Beers are good. The silverware is clean. I don't think this is a 1 star restaurant, but they are walking in that neighborhood.
(2)Geovany S.
The bartenders will help you choose beers you will like. You can order your same old beers, but I suggest trying out some new beers. They have an option where you can try 4 samples at a time. Real good deal. One of the best appetizers I've ever had is their hummus and pita bread. It's a must, please try it.
(5)Gretchen P.
Rustico's best kept secret only happens during weekday lunchtime hours, so if you work in the area, you are doing yourself a SERIOUS disservice by not checking it out. Their lunchbox deal provides you with -- are you ready? -- a small salad, a half sandwich, AND a cup of one of their soup of the days, plus a beverage, all for $15. Yep, that's an "and" in there, not an "or" -- so basically, you are feasting like a king for a very reasonable price, especially considering the fact that you aren't limited to a sad garden salad and cuppa chicken noodle, oh no. Almost the entire normal lunch menu is available to mix and match for your lunchtime masterpiece! When Kimberly V, Mike B, and I all met up for lunch, we all ended up with the lunchbox. I opted for the Boston Bibb salad (delicious with dried cherries!), a cup of their truffled potato soup (so rich and hearty!), and a half of their Salmon BLT sandwich (probably my least favorite part of the trifecta, but still tasty). Top it off with a glass of iced tea and you've got one happy (and full!) lady! We also started off with the carrot hummus, which is less like a hummus and more like a tastebud's dream with the lamb ragu they spread on top. I wanted to sop up each little morsel of dip with the warm pita they provided. Such a unique dish, and SO delicious. It's a must-order kinda dish!
(4)Kimberly S.
For the first time in Yelp history, I am going to sing the praises of a salad. For those who read my reviews, I can wax poetic about shredded pork, roasted pork, pulled pork, and pork drippings all day but vegetables aren't exactly a muse to me. Sure, I'll eat them but it's only because I don't want to die of scurvy. Rustico's salt roasted beet salad is a game charger. It is THE best salad I've had in my life. In fact as I am writing this review, I am also looking up recipes on how to roast a beet at the same time. This salad featured a beautiful rainbow of gold and red roasted beets atop a bed of peppery arugula, creamy goat cheese, pickled red onions, and crunchy pecans. The contrasting textures and flavors was Mother Nature's wake up call to my taste buds. I've been to Rustico several times and have always been a fan of their chic, relaxed atmosphere, large craft beer selection, friendly and helpful service, affordable and delicious pizzas, and their other game charger....carrot hummus with lamb ragu. If you order this, I promise that you will ask for at least two extra orders of pita bread so you can pick up every single last drop on the plate. It is that good! I usually try to end my reviews with a closing remark but I'm about to google carrot hummus recipes now so with that...I bid you adieu!
(5)Chris T.
I came here with a friend who lives in Arlington and claims their pizza is the best. I ordered a pizza, and I have to say, I was not impressed at all. Maybe it's because I live in New York and I'm spoiled... Having said that, the service was abysmal. The waiter/waitress combo that was dealing with us were rather rude, and very inattentive. They have a great beer list, but when it takes them 20 minutes just to get a beer, we left when we were done with our food and went elsewhere to get a couple more beers.
(2)Darren N.
Ah, push it - p-push it real good! That's what I remember most from my dinner here. Rustico left their 80s playlist on for the night and the hits of Salt-n-Pepa, Madonna and others were what we heard throughout our meal. The songs were amusing though a bit out of place. Risotto tater tots - My favorite item of the night, risotto ... good, tater tots ... good, put your hands together ... Mmm good! Carrot hummus - This reminded me of nachos. The spiced lamb tasted like ground beef, the kind you put into tacos and somewhat reminiscent of that of Taco Bell. This heavily masked the carrot hummus which it was on top of. I could hardly taste any carrot in the hummus, even when scooping just the hummus. Was expecting more from this appetizer. Sea scallops - The scallops themselves were good, but the dollop of almond butter created an awkward gritty combination. A pairing I was not a fan of. Fried green tomato pizza - Topped with arugula, squash, pine nuts and a hint of lemon. This was a refreshing pizza, though the flavor profile didn't completely win me over. Ham and asparagus pizza - Strong flavors with the added mustard bechamel, again wasn't entirely impressed with the topping combinations. But I do admit the crusts on these pizzas are very good, light thin and crispy! Our waiter was very genuine and hospitable. Good service. The food is hit or miss.
(3)Tara G.
So I like Rustico.. And really appreciate that you offer a filling and tasty gluten free pizza, especially without up charging for the GF crust! But the servers need a refresh on allergy instructions, or the menu needs updating and clarity... I ate here two weeks in a row, and one day I was told that only the pesto pizza cannot be gluten free, so I got the mushroom. On the next occasion, I was told that the mushroom pizza was the only one that cannot be gluten free! What??! I'm not asking for the fun of it! So I got the margarita pizza on the second occasion and the server offered to add mushrooms. I appreciate a lot of basil which they did, but the leaves of basil were on top and in some areas alone on the crust with hardly any sauce or cheese, and leaves basically dry out, crisp and flake off baked when alone. Try adding CHEESE and sauce to every slice, please!
(3)Jon M.
Deviled eggs are a must try. They are crispy and that sauce is tasty. Risotto Tots were bland. I wouldnt order it again. Had the Butchers Block pizza, and it wasnt mind blowing.
(2)Long S.
Stopped by Rustico on my way home from the gym for a quick pizza and beer -- I like the different IPAs Rustico has on tap. My pizza came as ordered and prey quickly - great!! But I wanted an extra small plate, but the food-runner was gone - no problem. The bartender was busy at the other end of the bar and the food-runner was passing by me behind the bar and I tried to get his attention, but it was loud (Packers-Seahawks game was on) and he did not hear me. A minute or less later the manager (tall, bald guy with a beard) also walked past me behind the bar and I tried to get his attention by saying excuse me twice and he did not hear me either (remember the game is on and it is loud at this point), so I again said excuse me but this time louder and he turns around and tells me if I yell again he will ask me to leave. I said I did not yell I simply raised my voice because it was loud and he did not hear me the first two times I said excuse me. So now you would think, he would realize I did not yell at him as he thought and would say something like "oh, sorry about that how can I help you?", but no, no, no! He again tells me that I yelled at him and if I do it again he will ask me to leave, really!?!?!?!!! So I offered to leave, but he walks away and in front of me says something to the bartender (who does a great job!) about me as he looks back at me. Excellent management style -- I think this guy is really going somewhere in the restaurant profession!!! I live very close to Rustico and had a great relationship with Ian, the former manager, but I will not be going back to Rustico again!! Where is Ian now, Rustico really needs him??
(1)Antonia S.
Salt is the primary spice here! Somehow their mozzarella on pizza will block you for days. And, I did not know it was possible to have so many bad wines on one list. One actually had the smell of skunk, as if it were a Molson's beer. MBT (3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol) is what that is. How is that possible in a red wine? Just skip it, and if you do go...drink beer and have truffled fries, as it is the only way you will make it through the evening.
(1)Tammy H.
I went to Rustico a couple weeks ago and it was a great experience. I had the shrimp ravioli and it was amazing, best dish I've had in such a long time. Great service, relaxed atmosphere, I definitely will return and recommend others to experience it as well. Excellent!!
(5)Ryan F.
This would be 1 or 2 stars except that normally we really enjoy Rustico. Granted we went there at 5:45 on a Friday but the dining area was maybe 1/3 full and we were turned away with a crappy tone, a worse attitude and told it would be at least an hour to get a table. Good luck treating regular customers that way.
(3)Mark L.
Got a burger and a glass of wine and substituted a vegetable for fries and they wanted $2 extra for that. My bill was $34 dollars. Really? A burger and a glass of wine and its $34. What a joke
(1)Jen F.
Rustico has become my favorite restaurant in Ballston. Service, food and ambience are all top notch, and only getting better. I highly recommend the brussel srpouts and any of their burgers. They have a great beer selection, and also a pretty decent wine list for a beer-centric place.
(5)Karisa D.
Rustico is pretty cool place in the Ballston area. I came here for happy hour with a friend. I'm so glad it's starting to get warm again because then it means outdoor seating, which we were able to enjoy on this particular day. Food is familiar but with a twist. My friend ordered the carrot humus which I liked. It had a nice kick to it. I ordered the risotto balls and meatballs which were good. A little too much cheese for my taste (and that's saying a lot because I love cheese). Rustico's offers an extensive beer and wine selection. On this particular day, we ordered wine. And they have decent happy hour prices on their wines and beers on tap and bottled. Service was good and staff was friendly. I'll probably be back again to order at least a beer
(3)Michael B.
Went there for Sunday brunch with some friends. While the Alexandria location has great service, the service at the Ballston branch is absolutely terrible. I had the pulled pork hash, which was average, although the food is usually great at both locations. If it wasn't for the beer selection I would have given it 1 star. Due to such terrible service I probably won't go back to the Ballston location again due to soo many other great alternatives in that area.
(2)Bill T.
This is really a 3.5 place, but based on their beer selection, I'm going to go four on this. Call me crazy, but then I'd be four loko (yeah, I went there) It's a beautiful space, very warm and nicely decorated. Our server, Chris, was very nice. Food was solid, but I didn't find it spectacular. I'll go over that first..bffc* recommended starting with mac and cheese, which we did. It was good, but not as good as the mac and cheese at DuMont in Brooklyn--that is the standard I use. She had the eggplant parm, which was good but didn't blow my mind. I had the Italian sausage pizza. Again, very tasty but nothing special. The beer really knocked my socks off, and it was cold so not having socks was a real problem! We had the One (Port City Brewing Company, Belgian Imperial Stout), the Allagash Black, and the Sublimely Self-righteous black IPA. All the beers were excellent. I mean they were superb. I saw one thing on the dessert menu that got me excited. It was Beer-imisu, which was a tiramisu made with a chocolate stout. It was just okay, didn't taste much different from other tiramisu I've had. Overall, a very solid performer with the beer menu pushing it over the edge. _______________________________________ *best friend from college
(4)Chris D.
If your looking for some good Beer with a side of pizza and salad this is your place. D
(4)Christina T.
Omg, I love love love their Roasted Mushroom pizza! You must try this, it's to die for. :) oh and their Devils Backbone Vienna Lager is a yummy beer. It's not sweet or anything, it's a light beer that's lager ;)
(5)Jonathon K.
After posting my original 2 star review, I was contacted by management and decided to give the restaurant another visit. Our experience was much better on our second visit. The food was great, and as previously mentioned, their drink selection is extensive. I would recommend visiting.
(4)Melissa M.
I've been to Rustico in Arlington 3 times. The first time I came here, the service and food were great! The 2nd time - food was great, service was OK. The hostess sat us down right away without a reservation on a busy Sunday, however, our waiter did not provide great service, but was very nice. This past Sunday I brought some friends from out of town here for brunch. Unfortunately, this past time made me reconsider whether I will frequent Rustico in Ballston in the future. When entering the restaurant, there was not much of a crowd. However, instead of walking us to a table, the host pointed in the general direction of empty tables and asked us to pick one. After reviewing the menu and being ready to order, we still did not have any glasses of water on the table for us or anyone come around asking us what we'd like to drink. When we were finally served, the waiter was short with us. While the food was great - the starter donuts and the poutine are definitely the best on the brunch menu - I was greatly disappointed by the service and even embarrassed that I picked this establishment for my friends. I will definitely be having some second thoughts next time I'm thinking of where go to for my next Sunday brunch.
(2)Laura F.
Great selection of appetizers! Great service with excellent food and a wide selection of beers. The prices can be a little high but it is worth it because of the high quality of food
(5)Kirk J.
Had this review been written halfway through our dinner (I was with four other colleagues), it would have been a four-star or higher review. The beer selection is excellent, and the prices--particularly the happy hour price I got for the first beer I had at the bar before a table opened (we were on the bar side, not the dining room side)--are quite reasonable. No complaints. Once we got a table, we were served by a waiter who seemed friendly and helpful. He made some suggestions, got us our first round right away, and took our food orders. The food came quickly, and it was good. I had a pizza which was tasty, and my colleagues enjoyed their burgers and one appetizer (I forget what it was). While we were eating, the waiter checked on us and got us all another round. Then, suddenly, something changed. Apparently, at Rustico Ballston, it's not you who decides when you're done. Your waiter makes that decision for you. He came by our table, and before I could say a word, he took my empty beer glass and told me "I'm getting you a water" and walked off without another word. That was the last we saw of him--for an HOUR. Eventually a busboy showed up with the water that our waiter decided was all I deserved at that point; later than that another busboy showed up to kindly offer the rest of the table--all of whom were also now without anything to drink (and who, like me, had originally planned on having an after-dinner drink or SOMETHING)--water as well. And much, much later after that, the waiter finally showed up to ask if we needed anything else. Of course, I'm sure he knew that after going nearly a full hour with nothing to eat or drink, that we had taken the hint and just wanted our bill. Which, of course, took nearly fifteen minutes to finally get. There was no explanation for any of this. We were in the bar section, not the dining room, and there were no people waiting that we could see. We were laughing and talking, but last time I checked people do laugh and talk in bars--certainly everybody else was. There was certainly no reason to handle it the way he did--or to ignore us for a full hour. Let alone speaking to me in such a brusque, condescending manner. Never. Going. Back.
(1)Alex B.
4 1\2 actually.. I come here all the time because the beer is awesome and it's wicked fun to try all the new stuff they bring in. Minus 1/2 because the food menu is pretty stationary aside from a couple minor seasonal tweaks to pizza and food prep. however, the standard menu is still quite tasty, and I order again what I like in the past. Rustico you know I love you, but a little more culinary variety will continue to fuel our mutualistic relationship. All the best, A
(4)Nima B.
The menu options are very limited. Literally one page. Forget about changing toppings on the pizza because that's not possible. The waiter was very serious and not friendly at all. I was too scared to ask for a refill. I thought it was just our table but he was like that with everyone. Not worth the money at all. Not worth $30+for a small pizza, salad and soft drink. I still tipped because he looked so miserable. No soap in the bathroom was another issue. So I basically scrubbed my hands with water for a few minutes.
(2)Dave K.
Tons of beers on tap, and metric tons of them in bottles. Nice atmosphere and friendly waitress. The blue cheese mussels were some of the best I've had. Also enjoyed the very tender hangar steak cooked medium rare and well seasoned. The deep fried deviled eggs were spicy and delicious. Friends said the risotto tots appetizer were very cool too. Would eat here again and want to try their pizza.
(4)Kelly F.
I'm a big fan of Rustico. It's my go to restaurant when I am looking for relaxing ambiance, great happy hour and quality cuisine without having to travel into DC. I recommend making a reservation on weekends because it gets busy quick and the bar is usually standing room only after about 6:30. My service has consistently been good. The seared scallops, seared salmon, roasted beet salad and homemade donut balls are excellent.
(4)Amanda J.
Beer selection was great with a ton of local options. Def a must if you're from out of town because you can try the great DMV area brews. Servers were really knowledgeable. Went twice in the same weekend and service was slow both times, would give it 5 otherwise.
(4)Michael C.
Returned here as its in the neighborhood and had a much better experience. The staff was very friendly and professional, which can make all the difference depending on the food. But today all was good. The food tastes great and the beer selection is always impressive.
(4)Helen S.
It wasn't bad, but it didn't blow my mind either. I would say I need to come back again before I can make up my mind. I came here with a coworker for lunch during a weekday. We were promptly seated and our server took our beverage order. I ordered hot tea since it was only 20 degrees outside and he brought me an antique box loaded with a wide selection of tea bags. I always like to try something unique and when I saw "caramel" on one of the tea bags, it caught my eyes and I picked that up. It might sound a little weird but it actually tastes pretty interesting. I would suggest you to try it if you are a tea person. We ordered the carrot hummus for appetizer. I am usually not a big hummus girl but this was actually something I wouldn't mind ordering again. It comes with an abundant amount of pita bread with the hummus and we actually got full before our entree came. I ordered a salmon BLT sandwich, which I thought it was a big call afterwards, and I did not like it. I wish I had ordered something else instead. Salmon and bread just don't seem right. Their menu consists of mainly sandwiches and pizzas. I wasn't really in the mood for neither at the time so I don't think its fair to rate my experience based on my salmon sandwich. Overall, food was okay, service was excellent.
(3)Peter F.
Great beer selection and the atmosphere is pretty laid back. If you have a table, waiting for service can take a bit long (depending on the night/particular server). Several times, the bartender/waiter has given really good recommendations on beer based on what I like to drink. Food (burgers and pizza) have been great every time.
(4)Kelli M.
Everything was great - menu, ambience, service. I was actually disappointed it was my first time going there after living here for over a year. But, now that I just re-heated the leftover half of my burger, and found a piece of black metal wire in it, I'm not sure I'll be back. Almost swallowed it...now I'm really hoping I didn't consume any earlier, somehow. In case Management reads this, the wire is about 2" long and slightly malleable. Hopefully you can figure out the source of this and prevent it from happening to future guests.
(2)Katherine H.
They have casked beer!!! Their gluten-free pizza doesn't suck!!! It's not great; actually I can barely remember it. But I remember thinking it didn't suck. Their waitstaff was more interested in hanging out with her friends than serving our table.... Folks were nice, the atmosphere looked like it could be cool at night, but I went at an off hour with a friend--a 2pm brunch. So it was pretty much empty. Which is why I didn't understand why our server was more interested in hanging out with her friends than trying to make tips. This is another place where, I'd go back if my friends asked me to return, but I'd likely offer alternative suggestions first. Unless I wanted casked beer and we had to be in that area instead of in DC.
(3)Kim H.
I'm a big fan of Rustico. Specifically, the pizza and beer selection. They have tons of large booths as well as communal tables in the bar area. We prefer to dine here because there are also flat screen TVs to watch sports and there is no wait for the booths. The pizza is simple and satisfying. You're not going to have a messy meal where ingredients are dripping down your arm. Unfortunately, the pizza only comes in one size (enough for two people but I was still a little hungry after.....I could have eaten a few more pieces) and ranges from 10-16 dollars. You can also customize your own. The toppings are high quality and I would highly recommend pepperoni!
(4)Staci C.
I would be willing to try this place again, maybe on a weeknight or for lunch, but as it stands I can only give it two stars. The pizza was good but the service was HORRIBLE. We went on Friday night. We had a reservation and they still refused to seat us even though six out of eight of our party was present. While waiting at the bar for our remaining two friends we were unable to get a drink or even an acknowledgement from the bartender for about 15 minutes. Then when we got to the table the terrible service continued. Since some of us had drinks the waitress didn't take drink orders from anyone- our first contact with her she tried to take our food order, which confused us all (especially because you could barely hear the person next to you it was so loud). We asked her to come back in five minutes and waited probably another 20 for her to return and take our order. We saw her once more when she delivered our food but she was basically MIA the whole meal. Then when she delivered the check we realized why she had been ignoring us- she had a guaranteed 20% tip already added to the bill because we were a party of 8. I had the pretzel bites and the baked potato pizza and both were very good. However nothing could be good enough to make me want to sit in such a noisy, crowded room and be ignored on top of it.
(2)Dan H.
This place is very cool. From the interior to the ambiance to the menu and food/drink. My wife and I enjoyed a pleasant evening and split the Sea Scallops and a Catalonian Pizza. The scallop dish was great as it came with sweet potato gnocchi and brussel sprouts. Gnocchi was slightly chewy which I liked. The scallops were well cooked and tasty but I expected a few more for the price (we got 3). I wouldn't recommend the Catalonian. Our server said it was popular but tried to steer us away. We were hooked by the romesco sauce - which we both love. Unfortunately it doesn't come with a ton of it and it is overpowered by the smoked mozzarella (another reason to steer clear as smoked mozzarella is always very tough). We ordered the gluten free Chickpea crust - it initially came out with the regular crust but I told the waiter how surprised I was it looked like a regular crust...then he took it back. Damn! I wish I would have scarfed a few slices down before inquiring. The Chickpea crust was decent though. Dessert: I love tiramisu. And I love beer. So I thought a Beeramisu would take it to the next level! Mistake. We ordered it to go and my wife about went off because it was so small and it looked awful from being scooped into said to-go container. I calmed her down but then got equally spun up once I got home and ate some. Not very good and not worth $9. Service was mostly good...our waiter kind of disappeared when we needed him most (more drinks, check, pay said check) so that was a downer.
(3)John T.
Good Pizza, Sausage and Peppers, We Went For "Brunch" But It Was The End Of The Brunch Menu. Beer Was Good, 80 Acre Hoppy Wheat Beer. Bartender Was Nice and Attentive Even Though She Was The Only One In The Bar Area At The Time.
(5)Rachel S.
Seriously...I don't know if its because we had our toddler daughter with us (who btw could not have been more delightful or better behaved), but we sat, and sat, and sat....all of the tables immediately surrounding us had their waiters attentively serving them...and we got completely ignored. If the host who sat us hadn't gotten our drinks, we wouldn't have even gotten something to drink. It was a Tuesday night...not super busy. Plenty of wait staff roaming around. Then when my husband approached one of the employees to let her know...we got no apology whatsoever. The only one who apologized was the host. And even then, no offer of a manager to speak to or offer of comped meal, which would have been more than necessary to rectify such poor service. We ended up getting sandwiches at the bakery next door because we were starving and it was already almost 8 pm (we arrived at 7pm.) Needless to say, we will not be returning and maybe a heads up for those of you with children, that I'm not sure this is a child friendly establishment.
(1)Terri R.
I've been to this Rustico twice now and I must say its a great spot but i prefer the one on Slater lane. This gives off a completely different vibe, but its still pretty nice. The food is great, and it has a nice atmosphere. Its very aesthetically pleasing, but the one thing that kills me about this location every time is parking. If it weren't for the parking then I would easily give this a 4 star rating.
(3)Laurie J.
My boyfriend and I go back and forth over what we like and don't like about Rustico, but generally, we enjoy it. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could. In the past, we've had trouble with mediocre service, bad seating, and just generally feeling like they didn't care if they had our business or not. The restaurant seating feels a little tight at times unless you can get a booth (which we don't often get, even when requested on a reservation). That said, during those times, we really enjoyed the pizzas and the beer selection, so we opted for take out from time to time, as well as a trip to the bar area. Last night we had tremendous service though. Our server, Zach, was great. Very attentive, very knowledgeable - he was the best server we've ever had there. He took the time to go through our questions, and when one of the beers I wanted wasn't in stock, he helped me pick something comparable. (I would note that though there is an extensive beer list, be prepared for them to be out of something you pick - just seems to always be that way.) I opened with the sweet potato-apple soup, which was delicious. My boyfriend had the risotto "tater" tots, which he also loved (though he thinks they are a little spicy). For my entree, I had the cider braised pork shank. In the past, I haven't had great luck with the entrees aside from the pizza, but the pork shank was delicious. The portion is huge though - I wish I hadn't had the appetizer. The pork pulled easily away from the bone and melted in my mouth - it was great. My boyfriend was satisfied with the white pizza (his normal go-to). Overall, we like Rustico because it's close and convenient. If we didn't live in walking distance, we probably wouldn't go (but that can be said about a lot of places).
(3)Alex S.
YUMMY. Service is great. I've been there a few times and I've always been impressed with how friendly the wait staff is. Pizza is the bomb. The burgers are the bomb. The deep fried deviled eggs are the bomb DIGGITY. Perfect for a date, perfect for dinner with friends.. Just perfect. One of my favorites in Arlington.
(5)Val W.
A yummy place with good service. I probably would give 3.5 stars, but you can't do that on Yelp... Food: 4 stars, though conditional. The turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce was really good once I got extra cranberry sauce (tangy and just delicious!), and the sweet potato fries were pretty good, but nothing especially noteworthy. I tried a couple salads (the beet one and butternut squash one) some of my family got and they seemed very good. Carrot hummus = excellent! Very meaty, warm, and just altogether different than a typical hummus. Service: 4 stars. Timely but nothing too outstanding. They did accidentally switch which sandwiches two of our diners had gotten in their lunchboxes. Atmosphere: 3 stars. It was nice looking, kind of fancy, but seemed like a lot of tables in one big room and just nothing especially inviting that would make you want to come back and hang out there.
(3)John H.
I had a great late lunch here. Beer selection was fantastic. Service was good. So why 3 stars? Well I review pizza, and that was pretty average. I'm judging Rustico against its peers, however, not Dominos or Jumbo Slice. I had the margherita. It was perfectly enjoyable, if a little bland. Which was surprising given the heaping amount of shaved parmesan on top and neon orange cheese/oil appearance. Menu says fresh mozzarella, but I'm skeptical. The crust was a little dry, with none of the char or smoky flavor you'd expect from a wood fired pizza. If you are looking for something to accompany your beer drinking, this will fit the bill. If you are looking for amazing pizza, there is another spot pretty close by that will knock your socks off...
(3)Jenny F.
Carrot Hummus, Grilled Cesar Salad, Biscuits and Gravy, Mussels, basically everything is on point there - consistently! I love going for brunch (always get a slider on the side), I love going for drinks, I love going for dinner. Basically it's just the best and I go often with friends and family :)
(5)Mel B.
Solid meal in Ballston. No bread basket, which annoys me if I'm at any restaurant that's remotely Italian. We started with the risotto tater tots, which came with a great sauce and I loved the creativity of. We also had the crispy stuffed dates with chorizo, almond and honey- awesome flavor combo. For my main meal, I got scallops with sweet potato gnocchi and brussel sprouts. This dish was a hit for me- scallops and gnocchi are two of my favorite foods, so it was a great combo. I wish the sweet potato flavor came through a little more on the gnocchi and it felt like they could've used a little less oil. The scallops were seasoned and cooked perfectly though and overall I loved the dish- would probably order it again. My boyfriend got the burger with malted fries, which I was lovinggg. All in all, good sit-down spot in Ballston. Really huge beer and wine menu also so it'd probably be great to go for a few drinks as well.
(4)Alicia G.
I left Rustico feeling pretty meh by the meal I had. I was here for dinner with a client and we sat outside because there was no way we could hold a conversation inside based on the noise levels. Still fighting the tail end of a summer cold, I decided to forego the beer menu (blasphemous, I know). I had the grilled caesar with shrimp and a side of the truffle parmesan fries. I thought I was ordering them together but the fries came out first as an appetizer. Hm okay. The fries were good though maybe not truffle-y enough. Having recently had the truffle fries at Poste, I found those to be superior. So there are two sizes to their salads - and I was going to order the small but the server insisted I get the large. I figured I'd go with his recommendation but in the end, I was regretful that I did. Don't get me wrong - the salad was good. It was overdressed for sure but the lettuce was obviously fresh and the croutons were deliciously crunchy. But there was so much of it! I think I maybe ate a quarter of the salad. I should have just gotten the small. -1, Mr. Server Man. But... our server -was- on point with beer recommendations to my guests. He steered them clear of a beer that was "terrible" which was later much appreciated when he returned with a sampling to prove his point. Okay, +1, Mr. Server Man. All in all, I'm sure with making the correct dinner choices, one can have a really good meal here. I just chose wrong.
(3)Albert L.
Great spot, been here a couple of times. The crowd varies, but it trends towards the younger Arlington scene, which is a plus in my book. The prices on food are just right, and they've got a wide menu that should satisfy most everyone. Sure, you've got to try their great pizzas - they can come customized with a range of toppings like basil, sun-dried tomatoes, salamis, mozzarella, etc ... You should also try out their entrees as well, as they are cooked well and actually have a bit of creativity to them. I really like the pork chop they have on - nice and big with great flavor. Their beer menu is also really extensive when it comes to drafts, so that's a plus in my book. They carry a lot of local brews and some things you don't see every day. This is good for the craft brew scene and getting folks to stretch out from their typical low-brow "lite" drinks. The prices are really reasonable at $5-6 for a pint, so go ahead and have some more! The service is usually quick and attentive, and the staff is friendly. The decor is pretty cool - it has a warm loungy feel to most of it. There are two distinct sides. One is the bar area, where you can grab a stool or high booth, and it feels more like a classier sports bar. The other side is the main dining area, where there are some cool ceiling lights and a high wall. It's almost semi-industrial-minimalist, kind of Euro in a way. Very neat. There are also front and side patio areas for outdoor dining enjoyment. Rustico is a buzzing place that I'll be going back to time and time again for the drinks, food, and ambiance.
(4)Lia M.
I've been to this Rustico location several times. I like the food and beer, but don't care for the crowd, noise level, or service, so I generally try to avoid, but find myself here more often that I care to admit. I really like the pretzel crusted mac and cheese and order it often. It is quite tasty and the pretzel topping adds a nice crunch. The spicy shrimp pizza was always a favorite, but is no longer on the menu. However, I did enjoy their Catalonian pizza - romesco and smoked mozzarella definitely add a great flavor. The fries at Rustico are delicious - always hot and crisp and with a good flavor. Though they sell my favorite beer, Aecht Schenkerla Oak Smoke, it is pricey ($15), so skip it, and go with something else. I've enjoyed most of the beers I've had here, including, most recently, the Dirty Bastard. Due to an unfortunate location and poor service, I really try hard not to return to Rustico, but somehow am always back. So, I'm guessing I won't be breaking that streak anytime soon.
(3)Amanda M.
Long wait for a table on a Friday night, but that is to be expected. Food was fine. Drinks were fine. But I have to say that I wouldn't go out of my way to go back. Nothing wrong with the place, but nothing that stands out either.
(2)Eddie G.
This place was a great find. 2 first-timers were pleased beyond expectations. Great pizza and risotto tater tots, fun attentive server (Nick) who was welcoming from start to finish! We will go back for sure!
(4)Annie K.
I came here for a Yelp NoVA event coordinated by Kimberly V. ;) last Tuesday. Overall, It's pretty spacious - there's a dining area, bar area, AND outdoor seating. We were in the bar area, which consisted of bar stools and booths. There is an AMAZING selection of beer -- on tap and by the bottle. There were actually two beer menus - one that was on a laminated paper that featured the beers on tap and an actual book of beers by the bottle. You can also have a "taste" for the beer for $2. I was pretty overwhelmed by the book, but I managed to try a few that I enjoyed. Although it took awhile for me to get my first beer (approximately 15 minutes) to find out that the beer I selected had JUST run out, the bartender made a great backup recommendation. My boyfriend and I opted to dine at the bar, and we ordered: risotto tater tots, grilled caesar salad, and the Italian sausage pizza. The risotto tater tots are a must get, (awesome green dipping sauce on the side) the grilled caesar salad had the perfect amount of dressing, (how can you really mess caesar sald up, though?) and the Italian sausage pizza was above average. I normally don't like to eat pizza unless it's NY style, (I like thin crust) but it had the right amount of toppings, and had a crispy crust. You can even customize your own pizza if you don't want to choose from the list. This is definitely a great place to go with a group of friends, especially those who enjoy drinking beer that's not the typical Miller Lite, Bud Light, etc.
(4)Ethan B.
I am a fan of Rustico for happy hour. Their beer selection is good and it is $2 off all drafts so you can get a decent micro-brew for $4-$5. Their beer selection is easily the best in Ballston (until the new beer store opens). Their appetizers are good as are their pizzas. The bar is interesting and everyone always likes it the first few times they go, however I have noticed that it loses it's charm quickly. I can't quite put my finger on it but I think the service is lacking and they aren't as engaging as they could be. I was also confronted by one of the owners (it was a person in back room) over my Phillies hat. Now I don't want to go on a rant here but the day a Nationals fan gives me crap over being a Phillies fan is the day that I don't go back to Rustico. Seriously, sickening, and he is lucky my true Philly fan verbiage didn't come out; I just walked back to my table quietly. I haven't been back since then but honestly I'll probably go back eventually for happy hour with co-workers but only for the beer specials.
(4)Michael S.
Excellent tap list and fantastic food. The deep fried deviled eggs sounded weird but were actually delicious. I had scallops which were cooked to perfection. I would definitely go back if my travels take my Arlington again.
(4)Chris S.
Love the beer selection! One of the best Brunch spots in Arlington. Tried the Fried Deviled Eggs!
(4)Mr. S.
I really wanted to like this restaurant but I honestly didn't. The location is great, the indoor/outdoor atmosphere is great and the pizza is GREAT. I think it ends there... For starters we ordered the parmesan fries. They were disgusting! I absolutely hated them. My wife had a nice glass of pino. I really wanted a Coors Light to go with my pizza but they don't offer Coors in their 331 item beer selection. I ordered a mix drink instead of a beer. Lets just say it was creative in a bad way. Yes- I know I should have tried a beer; my mistake. I ordered a pepperoni pizza. It was perfectly cooked and flavorful with an awesome crispy crust. My wife ordered the burger. The burger was flavorless and the malt fries were simply nasty. For desert we had the fresh warm donuts. Were they good? Ahhh yes! Hot yummy donuts with chocolate sauce. They were cooked perfectly. The overall menu for Rustico is fairly limited for such a large restaurant. I would stick with the pizza! The restaurant has a cool city/rustic/modern feel but damn it's f'n loud. Even with the doors open the restaurant was so loud I could barely hear my wife sitting next to me. Unfortunately I don't think I would return to Rustico if I had a choice. For me it just wasn't anything special.
(2)Lydia R.
Rustico was a great choice for a work happy hour event. I was looking for a new, different place with great appetizers and happy hour specials and room for 10+ people. It did not disappoint! Our group chose the truffle fries, pizza, and mussels to share. The wait staff was great and the prices really aren't bad for the location!
(4)Kevin B.
I really like this place. The menu changes a lot! One of the Must-Go-To places in Ballston. Eat inside or out, great light meals or dive into one of their entries. Once you graduate from Rock Bottom you do happy hour here instead. More of an up scale atmosphere, work cloths a couple sports coats. It can be noisy at times, this is the only downside to this place. Last time it was hard to talk and be heard with so much noise.
(5)Leigh D.
Letter R: I came here with high hopes. It's the wood fired pizza, which is usually really good. Examples of great places in Phoenix, where I'm from, is Pizzeria Bianco and Grimaldi's. Unfortunately, I don't have an example in the DC area. My friend Brian lives walking distance to here, and he said it was really good. I wanted the pizza since that is what they are known for. He really likes their meatballs and another item on the appetizer menu; so that's what he got. I was so disappointed when I saw & tasted my pizza. I felt annoyed because there was very little cheese and a lot of sauce on it. The server made it sound like there was plenty of cheese; She misled me, and I don't like being misled. The manager came over, and he offered to put in an order for the pizza I wanted and wouldn't charge me for the first pizza. While it was better than the first pizza, it was still mediocre. I definitely wouldn't come back here unless Brian really wants to go, in which case, I would try the meatballs.
(2)Carolyn S.
We started off with the DEEP FRIED DEVILED EGGS with caperberry remoulade. These were seriously amazing. The filling was delicious and the outer coating provided a great contrast to the delicious egg inside. The caperberry remoulade was also a nice touch - cutting into the heaviness of the fried egg. We also ordered the BREAKFAST POUTINE with italian sausage gravy, fries, cheese curds, and farm eggs, which was an interesting take on a Canadian classic. This was super-rich, but very tasty. My only complaint is that it could have used more gravy (it was really more a pile of fries with sausage crumbles and curds sprinkled on top). Still, it was delicious. My husband ordered the COUNTRY BREAKFAST with tomato sauce, farm eggs, potatoes, onion, bacon (substituting sundried tomatoes), and mozzarella. I didn't get to try this myself, but it looked amazing. Coffee was decent and we got refills. In terms of ambience, the space is nice - high ceilings and pleasant decor. There was a baby shower taking place on the level below us, which made things a little less brunch-y. The upside is that the restaurant is probably pretty kid-friendly. Overall, I'd recommend Rustico for brunch if you are looking for something right near Ballston.
(3)Michelle P.
FANTASTIC beer selection. Husband and I each got 3 different beers each, tried each others, and they were all delicious. Bartenders were friendly and helpful. Came in at 730 to drink before a 9p reservation and really enjoyed our time spent at the bar. Dinner. We had all the following items and they all get an A+ for presentation and taste: -Deep fried deviled eggs (these are a MUST try) -Risotto tots -Spring vegetable fricassee with parmesan grits -Fried green tomatoes with bacon jam -Steak frites with sherry blue cheese reduction (cooked perfectly, sauce perfectly complimented the meat and wasn't over-bearing at all) -Sea scallops with sweet potato hash -Rhubarb and lemon cake sundae Our waiter at the table was friendly and had all of our food out quickly, yet none of our courses over-lapped. Would definitely come back.
(4)Hue K.
As soon as I walked into Rustico, I felt this welcoming warmth. What a brilliant idea to put a high-performing fire place at the entrance. Then the interior was filled with earth-tone color and dim lights. So relaxing and comfortable... It gets better with friendly and attentive staff. If you like carbonara, try 'Truffled cous cous carbonara'. They could make it without ham/bacon if you are vegetarian. It one of the best carbonara I've ever had. It didn't have a traditional pasta but cous cous made it more fun to eat. The perfectly poached egg on top of this creamy cholesterol-unfriendly- but too good to share with anyone-dish.... It does have finely diced carrot (hard to pick them out) but you won't taste much of them, so you could feel good about having this since you are getting your veggie fix without even realizing it. Pizza came with generous portion of toppings. Smoked tomato sauce was tasty with a bit of heat. I will return soon. Especially, when it's cold outside. PS: Buzz will open right next door soon, according to the sign under construction next door.
(4)Bhooter B.
This is great for beer people, and if like me you're not one of them, you can still get decent wine. The pizzas were really good. The only issue I had is that the lighting was very dim, and i was in a group of 9 people for dinner, it was hard to follow conversations.
(3)art f.
Quick take: great beer; OK food. Splendid assortment of craft beers from around the USA. Two that really stood out were the Four Witches from New Holland and the Allagash Black - dark and strong beers brewed in the USA.. Our starters were spinach salad and risotto tater tots. The salad was fine, although I'm not sure the ham was necessary. I liked the tater tots but wife prefers something more traditional. Mains were a pizza and mac and cheese. The Catalonian pizza - caramelized onions and cherry tomatoes - was nicely light - a hint rather than a thick slather of mozzarella. Very delectable light crust. Not your claasic cheese foundation but easy to nibble on. The pretzel-crusted mac and cheese just didn't deliver as a comfort food - pasta was very thin and saucing was light . I'll go back for the beer and stick with the pizza.
(3)Emily A.
Rustico is one of the most popular neighborhood restaurants in ballston. It's always packed for happy hour, and they have great beers on tap. Since the menu change, I've really enjoyed the entree's especially the ragu. I've had the donuts three times. Twice they were AWESOME but once they were overcooked and massively disappointing. For the area, the prices are high, but it's a higher quality food than can be found at most restaurants in the area.
(4)Carley D.
This place looks unremarkable, but the chalkboard inside reminds you as you sit down that this place is in good company: sister restaurants include Buzz, Vermillion, Tallula, Birch&Barley, and some others. My husband and I came once for brunch (I had a very satisfying breakfast sandwich), and once for dinner, and I think we can now safely add this to the list of "reliable, tasty restaurants not far from our apartment," if we're looking for ideas somewhere down the road. He got a salad and a pizza, and I got the carrot hummus and an entree-size salad when we were there for dinner. While he said the pizza sauce wasn't as good as some other places, he remarked that they were clearly using good-quality toppings, and he liked the crust better: a little chewy, versus thin and crispy. My carrot hummus was delicious, and the beet salad was very well-executed: just the right size, right amount of dressing, and good flavors, of course. Oh, and the beer selection is awesome: tons of interesting, unique things on draft (I got the Japanese yuzu saison; husband got the Danish one that tasted strongly of coffee; we both were very happy with our choices). The only downside to the whole thing was that we were sitting in the bar section at a booth, and I think they had only one server for the entire area. This may have been because it was a Sunday night, albeit the Sunday before a Monday holiday. Service was therefore a little slow, but we weren't in a rush, and our orders came out right, so not much of a big deal. Would definitely come back!
(4)Sonya M.
update - Risotto tots and white pizza were bad choices. The tots were dry and the pizza lacked flavor. I'll be sticking to my faves - carrot hummus, brussels sprouts, and pumpkin/squash pizza.
(3)Christopher H.
I was staying at the Residence Inn around the corner and needed a simple dinner on Sunday night after arriving. After venturing out and roaming a bit this place looked the most interesting so I figured I'd give it a shot. The are is split up into a bar area and a restaurant area. I of course went with the bar area. I was quickly greeted by a very friendly bartender who handed me a water and the beer menu. I quickly spotted a local IPA and ordered that. After perusing the food menu I decided to try the bib lettuce salad and the cheese & basil (margherita pizza). As for the salad, it was solid. Nothing overly special, but it did the trick. The pizza was the same - solid. It could have been cooked at a slightly higher temp, but it was tasty nonetheless. In need of another beer I trusted the bartender and went with an IPA from Goose Island. Bartender was spot on in his description, and was very knowledgeable about the beer selection they had - which was rather extensive. If you're looking for high quality beer and very good food, this is a perfect spot.
(4)LanChi N.
First time at Rustico and I didn't get the most positive vibes.Possibly because after walking into the restaurant I started to feel a stuffiness and humidity that was slightly unpleasant.This is considering that outside was much cooler than in the restaurant at the present time. The Hostess then tried to make us feel better by telling us were sweating too.Well thats always comforting,so my friends and I decide to sit on the front patio since the back patio was full. I really would give Rustico 4 Stars...if I had more to base my review off of rather than just my Tomato Panzanella Salad. Now this isn't to say it wasn't good. It was fresh and brightly flavored.But it did lack a bit of seasoning.. I also got to try a few of the steamed mussels with chorizo these were nicely flavored. Broth was a bit salty but it was balanced if you ate it with the rustic bread they gave you. A friend of mine got the thick cut fries tossed in truffle and parmesan which they told me had a good flavor to it.Another friend got the white pizza..however judging from her boxing it home it wasn't anything too special. My overall review would be rustico does have potential and perhaps I just chose the wrong day to go..I think I will probably return since there are things that change on the menu. Plus perhaps this time the restaurant won't be so overheated since apparently their A/C doesn't circulate.Updated review soon
(3)Chase C.
Hands down the best place that we are at in all of DC. Love the area that it is in. Away from all the craziness of downtown and in the center of a up and coming development. Got the pork chop on top of spaetzle. WOW. Literally so good. Atmosphere is incredible.
(5)Erin W.
All the food is top notch. My go to place to impress out of town guests. Rocking beer list. Deviled egg app is to die for. Great desserts too - you really can't go wrong here.
(5)Aly J.
Came here a few weeks ago for a ladies night out with some friends. It was wonderful! I know it's a staple of the Ballston area, but had never gotten around to going. Their food was great! I specifically remember the lamb hummos that was to die for... All the staff was really friendly and upbeat, as well as all the people around us at the bar. Their wine menu was perfect for me and had a VERY extensive beer menu. All the bartenders were very helpful and knowledgable. I will be back!
(5)Sherri D.
Oh, my goodness. I totally underestimated this place. I've always passed this place and thought it was another chain for some mediocre "wood oven" pizzas. To my surprise, their food was actually really REALLY good. In addition, their beer menu has tons of great choices and the servers are always very friendly and informative. First visit: I got the gnocchi and it was deeee-licious. My date got the salmon and well, needless to say -- we pretty much cleaned our plates off. Try the Left Hand Milk stout too! Second visit: We got the brussel sprouts (yum) and the spicy chicken pizza (double yum). Love how it's close by, love how they have happy hour, and the ambience is great. I'd come back again!
(4)Bryant R.
This place is amazing. I definitely recommend going here for any occasion. They a large and amazing selection of beers. You can get flight of 4 beers at one time to taste the assortment they have. The pizza here is also amazing. I love brick. oven pizza but it can be somewhat expensive This place is always warm and welcoming and has great decor. Take a girl to a date there or take your parents. This is by far one of my favorite classy places to go to. They also have the NFL package s they will turn on any game you want. If you want a real challenge, have a taste of every beer they have. The bartender was able to do the math for me and it comes out to 10 pints. Have fun and drink up. Winter storm was one of my favorites
(5)Scott J.
First time here, really a great location and a very tranquil type setting. Reservations are a must, but shouldn't be an issue if you just want to hang at the bar. I shared the pizza (tomato and fresh mozzarella) if you are really hungry one person can eat it, but if not share it! It was delicious. I ordered a glass of wine, but the bottle wasn't brought out just a small pouring glass and all I thought was "how long has this been open/out". I like to see the bottle I'm about to drink. It was $9.00 for a glass of Riesling not even a full glass a 1/3 so a little costly. I would revisit this place just wouldn't order wine again.
(4)Andrea S.
Came here for an early dinner with friends. The decorating at this place is really cool. Edison light fixtures above most tables and some neat wall treatments. The food was generally good. Salad choices were great with generous portions and tons of fresh ingredients. Pizzas were of similar quality. Their beer and wine menu has a nice selection-especially the beer. Solid restaurant for a night out. Slightly pricey.
(4)Ananya M.
This is definitely one of my go-to places in the Ballston area - never fails to deliver on the food, and great selection of beers. In the past I've gotten both the Chicken Calypso and Carolina Dreamin' pizzas. The Carolina is by far my favorite, though - from the juicy pulled pork to the rich smoked gouda, you just can't go wrong. I've dined here with both large groups and just two people - in all cases, the waiters are friendly, helpful, and attentive. Looking forward to next time!
(5)Dave N.
TERRIBLE!!! This place is by far the WORST in Arlington. Management, Servers, and the facility are so extremely poor. It was so bad, that I left without eating out of concern for the safety of the food. Unbelievable contrast to the Alexandria Rustico on slaters lane, which was a great experience. **Warning.. save your time and money. Preserve your health. ** SKIP THIS DUSTY DIVE!!!!!
(1)Erin O.
I have no negative things to say about the food at all. The hummus is a must, as all of the other reviewers have already noted. I was so excited to try this restaurant, that I made a reservation a few weeks in advance. This is where I will leave my recommendation - don't make a reservation. I was shocked to find that my reservation put myself and my friend in a dark, isolated back room near the kitchen. We tried so hard to enjoy the food, but the large crashing plates, screaming babies, and the complete lack of ambience ruined our experience. I definitely noted how parties seated after us, without reservations, were in the nice part of the restaurant. I'll go back, probably several times, but will take my changes without a reservation! Diners beware!
(4)Sylvia P.
This is one of our new favorite restaurants and we have been back about a half dozen times so far. My boyfriend is mostly a burgers and beef kind of guy and he's been happy with all of his orders. The one time he strayed from the usual to order the duck confit pizza with arugula, he says it was one of the best things he's ever tasted. I enjoy creativity within a menu, where I can get interesting flavor combinations that end up being tasty. A most excellent selection for people who enjoy beer, but the wine list is pretty good too. Personally, I love the decor and ambiance, though it can get noisy as other yelpers have mentioned.
(5)Jac H.
I've been here multiple times for both lunch, dinner, and happy hour. And I can say, I love their beer selection. I found possibly my favorite beer here just tasting different beers. The pizza is really good, and big enough for two. I've tried almost all of the pizzas as well as the majority of their seasonal ones. I enjoy the thin crust and how you don't feel too heavy after eating pizza. My second favorite thing there is the fries covered in Caesar. Now I know i just said that I didn't like the pizza being heavy, and here I am talking about Caesar drenched fries, but TRUST me. it is THE BEST. Not to talk about Caesar too much, but the grilled Caesar is a good pick too. I don't think the prices are too outrageous for a Better-than-chain type of pizza. I'm a pretty particular person, but I really enjoy Rustico. Highly recommend it! So much I even had a birthday here with a few friends :)
(5)Ritzie C.
Ohhh, Rustico. You are so average. Average in every way. But hats off to you for having a large beer selection and a decent location! Servers in this restaurant are hit or miss. Some are stellar, with a vast knowledge of the beers they serve. Some are doing you a favor by casually sauntering up 10 minutes after you've been seated, empty handed and asking, "What?" as if you were waving them down frantically (as opposed to glancing over expectantly, which is what we did). Pssst, by the way dude, you suck. Rustico is very close to where I live and I'm never compelled to frequent it. The sandwiches are ok. The fries, the soups, the salads are ok. I will say this - the spicy shrimp pizza and roasted mushroom pizzas are good, but not so good I'd go back for them. I once walked in with my colleagues for lunch at 11:28. The hostess had us stand awkwardly at the entrance because they didn't open until 11:30, and therefore could not seat us in their empty dining room until then. Key takeaways? This won't be the worst meal you've ever had, there's a good beer selection, and if the staff could get over themselves, you might get some adequate service.
(3)Judy A.
Um... it's an okay spot for lunch if you're in the area. My waitress kind of ruined my experience. She looked me like was an alien when I asked if I could have the toppings on just half of the pizza and gave me a hard time about it. Not sure why that would be a problem. The pizza was good, but the waitress could use a chill pill. Overall: Would I return? Yes. Would I recommend it to others: Sure, but definitely not for a special occasion.
(3)Rebecca S.
The hotel clerk where we were staying suggested Rustico for dinner. We wanted something more than fast food but casual and not off the chart expensive. We loved Rustico so much we went back a second night to try other items on the menu. Our server, Keesha, was great. The food was delicious. They had an awesome dessert - peanut butter cheesecake with Concord jelly sorbet. It was soooo good. The risotto tots, pretzel nuggets, pizza and burgers were incredible good too. We will definitely stop by again on our next trip east.
(5)Mike M.
I've been to this place a few times and never really had a great experience, but the last time was enough to ensure I won't go back. The food is fine, but there's great food all around the DC area including Ballston itself, so "fine" food isn't really enough. The real problem was the service and granted, this was one bad server and may not be reflective of the whole establishment, but it is a reflection of poor management and customer service. Looking at some other recent reviews though, it seems like bad service is a common theme with this place. I walked into Rustico with my fiance and we were seated all the way in the back. There was one table with 2 people at it and the rest were empty. The server was cleaning off empty tables before coming to greet us or ask if we wanted a drink. I got up to use the restroom and asked my fiance to order me a drink if the server stopped by. When I returned from the restroom, my fiance said the server hadn't stopped by, then she went to the restroom and asked me to do the same. When she came back from the restroom the server still hadn't stopped by, but she did find the time to clean empty tables and flirt with the one other table with customers. A friend of ours came to meet us there and after a few minutes of him sitting down with still no service, about 20 minutes total of being there without so much as a "hello," we walked out. The hostess, who only sat us a short while ago, pleasantly thanked us for coming, not realizing why or that we were walking out without ordering. My only regret is not talking to management to correct this server's deplorable customer service, but we just walked out and spent a couple hundred dollars at a different restaurant, with no intention of returning to Rustico, a restaurant I live a half mile from.
(1)Sadia S.
I really like going to this place. My husband and I often go to Rustico for lunch or dinner. They have a great selection of beer and the menu is very good too. We have always encountered good service here as well. I love the butternut squash salad for lunch or the salmon for dinner. The burgers and pizzas are very good too!
(5)Patrick B.
Great food, HORRIBLE service. We felt like the waitress ignored us all evening. She never once stopped by our table unless we flagged her down, and wore a scowl that said we were inconveniencing her. We confronted her about it when paying the bill, and she made an excuse about the large table she was waiting on. But that table wasn't even seated until after we had finished eating. Was it our grey hair? Young people should realize that people with grey hair usually have the most money, and are generous tippers. But not in this case.
(2)Jihad B.
There's nothing wrong with the food at Rustico, it's all very splendid actually. What really makes the place unappealing for me is atmosphere. It's, for lack of a better word, boring.
(3)Jonathan W.
Amazing draft beer selection. Delicious carrot hummus and pizzas (especially Carolina dreaming).
(4)Mikey H.
Great beer selection, food is just ok. So, if you want to experience one of the best beer selections in the DC area, this is definitely a place to go. The service is good and they employees are definitely working hard. The food is just so-so, but the excellent beer selection more than makes up for it.
(3)Lucy G.
My favorite restaurant in VA! Their brunch is awesome, beer selection fabulous, and the carrot hummus will make you want to weep. Even the salads are spectacular (my favorite is the Boston Bibb with steak). Seriously, go here.
(5)Katherine O.
This was like 4th or 5th time to Rustico this year. While it is close to my boyfriend's apartment so its always an easy pick, the food has me coming back time after time again. We went here late Monday night and I got my go-to caesar salad with steak, I personally am in love with grilled Romaine and anyplace that has it gets an A+ from me. The italian sausage pizza is also a good pick and the perfect size to split with someone. They have over 500 beers to chose from and the staff is all well informed on the beers and helpful when it comes to the selection. My advice is to sit on the left side (bar side) of the restaurant if its open, the service is MUCH better.
(4)Daniel B.
I am so happy about this addition to the Arlington Orange Line corridor. I always looked with longing at the Alexandria location but being the responsible person I am it is not reasonable to visit and have more than a beer. And Rustico is all about the beer (love their glass events, it makes up for the occasional casualty that occurs in my household). The pizza is great and I just tried out their brunch and loved it. Really, this place has it all, both the good drinks and the good eats, without being offensively expensive.
(4)Kyle N.
Incredible bartenders, knowledgeable and friendly. Amazing food.
(5)Jeanie C.
Amazing beer selection! We love going to Rustico with a big group. We tried lots of selections from the food menu and shared around the table--everything was amazing! Service is outstanding.
(5)Katie D.
This place is near my apartment and I couldn't be happier about it. We usually go here for beers because they have a large list, and some good wine choices too. We decided to have dinner there last time we went and it was great! Shared the salmon as well as the pizza with pepperoni, roasted red peppers & arugula. All of it was great--the salmon was very flavorful with some sort of cranberry chutney. I tried to replicate the salmon a couple nights later and I wasn't even close. Looking forward to eating there again!
(4)Vanessa O.
I've been to Rustico for brunch and dinner and tried a variety of their offerings. I have only one word to describe this place: solid. Everything we've tried here has been hearty and satisfying, from their salads, to their brunch menu, to their pizza. I especially recommend the breakfast pizza and the duck confit pizza. I also really enjoyed the mussels with chorizo and the beet salad. I think the menu is very interesting and it evolves all the time. The service has been hit or miss, though the owner or manager came up to us and struck conversation one time, which was a nice touch.
(4)Tiffany B.
Delicious pizzas and the kale salad was fresh and satisfying. Great atmosphere and large wine selection.
(4)Alexa C.
How do you not love this place? They have a huge beer list for any beer lovers pallet, even sweet cider like me! I has the watermelon pancetta salad, the white pizza in the chick pea gluten free crust, and some if my friend's carrot hummus. The carrot hummus wasn't your usual cold hummus, served warm with a mix of spices, cilantro and minced lamb, it was beyond delicious. The staff was very knowledgeable about gluten allergies, and made took requests with stride. My only complaint is that the white pizza was a bit heavy, but I had also just stuffed my face with the salad and Carrot hummus.
(4)Rita V.
I've been there before for dinner, and in my book it was a 3 star. I'm not a beer drinker, but was AMAZED at the selection. Not too well on wines. At that time had some pretty good food, but I thought the pizza was - eh. Lunch on a Thursday turned out a bad, bland, flavorless and dry pizza crust with dry toppings... Service was not as great as in the evening, and so with many options in town for us non-beer drinkers, I will take a pass. The only pizza I dislike less than this is served at Bucca di Beppo...
(2)Tony B.
I'm hugely impressed -- within 12 hours of posting my 1 star review, a manager reached out to me to apologize. To me that shows that they're not only paying attention, but that they care about the patrons. Pretty damn impressive. Good job, Rustico, and good job, Yelp. We'll definately give the Arlington location another try.
(3)kat c.
Went here a few days after visiting the Alexandria location for the first time. We parked in the Ballston mall lot (which is a few blocks away and only a dollar after 7 on weeknights), but were also told that there is a lot directly behind the restaurant for which patrons can receive a discount with restaurant validation. We started at the bar (we were told the wait for that Thursday night would be about 45 minutes, but only ended up waiting about 10 or 15 minutes). The atmosphere is comfortable - upscale hip without being too obtrusive or hokey, although it is quite loud and a bit dimly lit. The beer selection is excellent and though the prices could be better, they're no more or less than you'll find any other similar place. Service is commendable -- timely, friendly, and absolutely helpful. When I requested a beer suggestion and gave a somewhat specific directive as to the kind of thing I was interested in, the waiter called on the help of a senior manager, who happened to also be a beer expert. He came over and spoke with me to get an idea for what I was looking for and then brought me a taste of something he thought I'd enjoy, and left me his card in case I ever had any further questions. What I thought was a really really nice touch was that in the course of the conversation, he suggested a type of beer that, while not on their menu, I ought to seek out based on my preferences. The food is decent. The only reason I'm not giving it 4 stars is that the pizza seemed a bit over done -- the mozzarella was a bit more pockmarked and dry than I like to see and, while the pizza we'd had at the Alexandria location had the perfect Americanized ovenfired crust -- thick, chewy/doughy, but not overly so, the crust here was hard (not crunchy or crisp -- there is a difference and this was hard). The non-pizza menu selections are very intriguing, at least seemingly thoughtfully designed. Apparently, they have a ricotta doughnut dessert that I would have been all over if I hadn't been already full with beer and pizza and trying to begin my journey of losing the holiday bloat. Overall this was a more than pleasant experience not too far from home in South Arlington. Will definitely be back(, and if they keep this level of service up and the nonpizza items are as good as I anticipate, there will probably be more stars)!
(3)Kate S.
I went with 3 other girl friends. It was nice because it was easy to talk there, and it had nice decor. It seemed a little too "chain like" - like you could replicate it anywhere. But, they had an amazing wine selection and if you go there during happy hour, its only $5 a glass. We ordered the Pretzel mac and cheese app. It was pretty good, the Mac and Cheese was not typical at all...it was more like orzo and cheese and the pretzels were really just sprinkled on top. Tasty but didn't live up to the excitement we gave it. I was not hungry actually when we went, so that was all I tried. Everything else though looked amazing and my friends liked it.
(3)Cathy R.
Delicious pizza, amazing beer selection, great service, a beautiful atmosphere, this place is a must-go.
(5)Addison H.
Who is giving Rustico 3 stars or less? Are they smoking crack? Rustico has 440 beers. Thats all you need to know, 400 in bottles and 40 on draft. Nowhere else in Arlington even comes close. The service is fantastic - all the bartenders know my name after less than half a dozen visits. If you want to swill Bud Light and look for a slampiece, head to Ballroom or Spider Kellys, and good riddance to you. If you want to drink amazing beer, hand picked by one of the best beer guys in the country, come to Rustico.
(5)Katie M.
We went here with a group of friends to celebrate a birthday. Although we had a reservation, they wouldn't seat us until every member of our party had arrived. We ended up waiting 15 minutes for the last person who was stuck on the metro. Overall, everyone enjoyed their food. My cous-cous carbonara was delicious and my husband enjoyed his burger, though he said his caesar salad was a bit too salty for his taste. Our waiter was friendly, though he disappeared after our food appeared and we had to flag him down to get our check. It was a great night out and we'll likely go back to Rustico again, though perhaps not on a Saturday night when it's loud and busy.
(4)Ryan W.
I know someone who lives and breathes Rustico and the entire Neighborhood Restaurant Group. His recent beer snobbery in addition to the Alexandria location's proximity to his place makes Rustico a perfect fit for him. When we went to the Alexandria location for lunch, I thought it was just ok. However, it's a seasonal menu and a differnt chef at the new Arlington location so it was worth a check-out. The place was packed on a recent Friday night and we had the kids in tow. We called ahead since they don't take reservations after 6. When we got there, they had lost our name, but got us in as quickly as possible. Good recovery. From there on, service was really good, despite a hiccup on our order. We started with fries coated with Ceasar dressing - a kind of variation on cheese fries. Of course they were good. We also shared an app of pumpkin polenta with boar bolognese - very good. I went the vegetarian route with eggplant parmesan and really liked it and was surprised how filling it was. My wife's pizza was loaded with mushrooms - a good thing for mushroom-lovers, I guess. It was big so she ended up bringing most of it home. We were too full to even consider dessert, which was ok considering there were only one or two appealing options - a rarity for us. Sure, we'd go back to Rustico again.
(4)Tara F.
I love the atmosphere and opiton of beers; it is a little loud so if you are looking for a more quiet atmosphere. Huge fan of the bartenders! Im a vegetarian and there are serveral options. Only complaint food can be slightly bland.
(4)Ken K.
Good beer. Food is better than average. Good for group happy hours. I don't care for the spacey warehouse feel, but decor is well done for the space.
(4)Tina C.
Good service, great ambiance, and yummy food! Order the carrot hommus appetizer!
(5)Valarie G.
Good dinner menu with great food and service. Ambiance is fun if a bit crowded, and let's just all admit it - best beer menu around
(4)Alex K.
A great selection of beers, although I would have liked to see more micro breweries. The service was great and the burger was delicious. I think it is reasonably priced and I'll find myself settling here many more times.
(4)Dawn M.
I almost gave Pizza Rustico a 2 because of our poor experience with the hostess, but thankfully the beer menu, food, and our waiter made our experience better once we were seated :-) My friend and I came in about 7:30 on a Friday evening and informed the hostess that we had a party of 4. She refused to seat us until the other 2 people came, even though we said we would be ordering drinks and appetizers while we waited. Once she left her station, we went up to the MALE host, who was much friendlier. He seated us immediately, and our 2 friends came less than 5 minutes later. If you're a beeer-lover or want to become one, this is the place to go! I loved how the beer menu listed the beers by flavor-type. Our waiter was very helpful when we weren't sure what to order. Each of us ordered a different type of pizza, and they were all quite delicious (albeit a tad overpriced). Our favorite part of the meal by far was the dessert that we shared. Who knew Italian ricotta donuts could be so delicious?! Definitely save room for these. Amazing!
(3)Robert H.
This review is for brunch. My wife and I came this morning without any research (a rare occasion, but the place we wanted to go was closed--time to invest in a smartphone?). When we got there, I saw it was the same group that does Churchkey, so I got excited. Apparently unduly so. I think we might have made two mistakes. First, I wasn't in a drinking mood. So I did not order one of the many beers they have available. That might have softened the blow. Second, we did not stick to a pizza, which seems to be their wheelhouse (although other reviewers also don't seem to agree). Needless to say, the food turned out to be a lowlight. The brunch menu is fairly limited. I ordered the brisket hash. SALTY. Now, I adore salty food, my wife needs to take the salt shaker away from me, but this was too much salt even for me. As in so salty it made me somewhat nauseous. Really, the problem seemed to be with the potatoes and onions. The meat and eggs were fine, but with the other stuff it was just too much. My wife ordered the Boston Bibb salad with shrimp. The portion was pathetically small, especially considering the outrageous 16 dollars they charged for a few pieces of lettuce. It was pretty to look at but poorly executed with the toppings not evenly distributed and the shrimp underwhelming. I wouldn't complain, except our final bill (with two sodas) turned out to be ~$40, before tip. I wouldn't complain if the food was good. But it wasn't. The service was fine, although our server wasn't putting in much more than what I would consider the minimum (not a complaint, but it wasn't amazing service either). The decor was interesting, and they had the AC appropriately jacked on a 90 degree day. But I would only go back if I were drinking and somebody assured me the rest of the food was better.
(2)Alison S.
First time I tried to come here when it first opened in Ballston we ended up leaving to find another place for dinner because it was packed and very loud. So this time I decided to make a reservation ahead of time. I got there on the early side and ordered 3 "Taste" size tap beers while I waited for my cousin. Warning: "Taste" size is bigger than anticipated so 3 of them on an empty stomach can definitely start you off on a beer buzz. There was a small waiting area with a few cushy seats that I shared with a small group of what appears to be coworkers having an after work HH drink. My cousin got held up in traffic and inability to find street parking on a Friday evening so did not walk in til 45 mins after my reservation time. Luckily, the maitre d' informed me that they had a parking garage under the building and it was Free with a stamp from the restaurant!! Despite not being on time for our reservation though they did not have any trouble getting us a table for 2. I was concern that the noise level in the place would be so loud due to my first impression coming to Rustico (when I didn't stay) and also waiting up at the front near the left side of the restaurant where the bar is. It was indeed just as loud this time around. However, the seated dinning area of the restaurant to the right extended way into the back into another section that one cannot see from the front of the restaurant and this, luckily, was the area we were led to. It was right by the kitchen and slightly separated from the front of the restaurant by a short wall and a low grade (wheel chair access) ramp. This part was definitely not as noisy as the front and bar area. Also, loved the decor of this section. The beer choice was phenomenal. They have an extensive "on tap" beer choices plus an even more extensive bottled beer menu. I stuck with the on tap stuff though. Whatever floats your boat - Pilsners, Hefeweissens, Stouts etc. - they've got it!! Can't go wrong with the beer. If you're a beer lover, go for the beer. I have to admit that I was half bracing myself to be disappointed with the food despite the enticing photos on their website. In my experience these sort of restaurants that have flashy decor and marketing 400+ beer selections always seem to fall flat on the food. But we were pleasantly surprised! Being 2 women, we shared all our orders. We got the Bibb Salad (very good!!), the special Monk fish (OK good), Sweet Potato Gnocchi (so yummy!), and the Ricotta Doughnut Balls w/ chocolate dipping sauce (so good!). I ordered 1 full size beer (already had 3 tasters before dinner) and my cousin got 2 during the course of the evening. The bill came to around $88 total (before tip). I was impress with the overall experience at Rustico but have some reservation on the noise level of the place if we had not been lucky enough to get a table in the back area.
(4)Will K.
A bit surprised that only a few people have mentioned how salty this food is. I had the pizza and was way too salty. My date had a pasta dish and it was also very salty. Prices were pretty high even for north arlington, the meal ended up coming to close to $70 for a pizza, an entree, a french fry appetizer, and two beers. Beer selection was the only reason this isn't one star. Not worth the price or the wait.
(2)Matt M.
I live about a block away from Rustico and haven't been disappointed yet. They have a great beer selection and their food is quite tasty. I've had their pizza a few times and their cheeseburger and both were delicious. I ordered the burger Medium, but it came out a lil Medium-Rare... ok by me but they've done that a few times, so you might want to factor that in when you order. The wait staff has always been very nice and helpful. When they first opened up my date ordered a beer that just ran out and the beer director (how could of a job would that be?) came out and personally apologized and made a recommendation. The happy hour special isn't bad too... I think it's $2 off their draft beers and it happens several nights during the week. Definitely helps the wallet when you're consuming multiple non-standard beers. Cheers,
(5)Christie E.
I consider the entrees expensive when it comes to portion and quality. I've had the entrees from their menu on a previous visit but don't even remember what I had. Needless to say, that meal wasn't very memorable. I would, however, definately go back for the mussels, grilled pizza and the ginormous beer list. The mussels are a big and come in a great sharing portion. The tomato broth it comes in is excellent, so get extra bread for dipping! The grilled pizza had some proscuitto and pickled garlic-things which were quite tastey. I didn't miss the pizza sauce. The texture of the pie was crisp and slighty chewy which is what I expect from a grilled pizza. The beer list comes in catalog form and offers maybe like 400 or so beers. So, if you're into beer, I'm sure you'll find something to try. This was a great meal combo and eating outside on a nice, not humid, early evening made the experience more enjoyable.
(3)Elina T.
This is a reincarnation of the original Alexandria branch. More spacious than the Alexandria restaurant, the Ballston Rustico doesn't have as much character as the original. It is a little "Ballston-y" if you know what I mean. The bar feels more like a sportsbar, albeit with incredibly cushy leather bar chairs. The food does disappoint, however. One of my favorites, the mushroom and goat cheese pizza, was just as deliciously crispy and melty as I remember it to be at the Alexandria location. The beef tartar was a perfect combination of tender raw beef, with the saltiness of the capers balanced by the potato base. Service was quick and attentive. Thumbs up.
(4)B. S.
Excellent beer selection and decent pizza... Only downside - we had a god awful waiter. Wasn't busy at all but took them 20 minutes to bring us menus and drinks. They then proceeded to unapologetically screw up our order.... Then the person who got something completely different than what she ordered asked 'can we at least get some parmesan' the waiter leaves, talks with his buddies for awhile, then comes back to say that the parmesan has "already been put away for the night." wtf? Rude, Slow & Incompetent. Seriously, by far the most disappointing experience i've had at any place owned by this group. The only reason i'm giving them two stars is because i've had great experiences there before and despite f'ing everything up the food was still good.
(2)lilibet m.
Ate lunch here the other day. I had the lunch box that included a soup which was a tomato gazpacho. The gazpacho was really good, nice flavors. I also had the panzanella salad- it was the best panzanella salad I've ever had! I also had half the steak sandwich on pretzel bread. That was also very good. My friend had the white bean & ham soup she said it was good but the gazpacho looked better. She also had the carrot hummus & that was really good. I highly recommend rustico, can't wait to try it for dinner.
(4)Jake S.
There are so many things that are awesome about this place that I'm going to lead off with the one thing that sucks just to get it out of the way: can you say CROWDED? Granted, a crowded bar is usually crowded for a reason, but it gets somewhat out of hand here from time to time (like "4 hour wait for a table when we're quoted only 2 hours" crowded). However, that aside, there are many great things to like about Rustico Ballston, sister restaurant of Rustico in Alexandria. First, the bar area is very open, with a lot of barstools and booths and lot of floorspace as well, so while it's almost always crowded, you're not up to your elbows in people as long as you're not standing right next to the bar. Second, the beer list was quite possibly made by God/Vishnu/Allah/InsertApplicableDeityHere. Over 40 taps, and at least 35 of them are usually occupied by beers I haven't had (and I've sampled my fair share). To go along with that, the bartenders and servers are fairly knowledgeable, so if you just tell them what you like ("hoppy, but not too hoppy"), they'll be able to pair you up with something to please your palate. Insider tip, even though they charge for the 4oz samples on the menu, they'll usually let you sample a small swig of something for free so you don't get stuck paying 8 bucks for something you won't like. Lastly, the food is really, really good. The pizza is probably the second-best I've had in the area, and the sandwiches good as well. The fries are cooked (I think) in truffle oil, and they come out crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. I've eaten here about 3-4 times, and have yet to have even a 'B-" experience. Taken as a whole experience, I highly recommend Rustico to anyone who likes beer. Even if there are some in your group who aren't beer fans, they have a full bar so there's something for everyone. They also have good eats, so the non-drinkers have something to occupy them as well. Highly recommended.
(4)Suzanne W.
Excellent addition to my neighbor! Amazing beer flight selections! Steak tar tar sliders are yum too!
(5)Jane Z.
Let me start with a compliment. The service at Rustico deserves five stars. However, the pizza was mediocre at best. The crust was tasteless and had the texture of a cracker. Worst of all was the atmosphere. It was so noisy that my dinner companion and I gave up trying to talk to each other. It was depressing.
(1)Heather W.
I finally tried Rustico for lunch today and I was not disappointed! I was a little nervous I would be let down because of all the mixed reviews regarding the pizza. Pizza is definitely high on my list of favorite foods, but I don't like to waste my time with mediocre pies. I looked at the menu before I went, decided the Greek pizza sounded good, then checked yelp to see if anyone had mentioned it specifically (no one had). Most of the raves are about the mushroom-goat cheese pizza, but I decided to stick with my original pick. It was delicious--like a Greek salad on a crust, just like the server described. And I really like Rustico's crust. Crust is very important aspect of any pizza and theirs is light, crispy and just bready enough. I can't wait to go back and try some of the other pizzas, but I'm going to have a hard time not ordering the Greek again. Btw, I tried a slice of my companion's mushroom-goat cheese. I was glad I didn't order it. Perhaps it is because I'm in love with the forest mushroom pizza from Liberty Tavern (like heaven in my mouth), but Rustico's version did nothing for me. Try the Greek! Next time I will sit outside. I didn't particularly like the feel of the inside. It wasn't bad, just off or something.
(4)Krissy R.
So this place is pretty good, but it's nothing to write home about. I went here with a group of people from work and I decided that I would go with the pizza. I also opted for the chickpea crust (maybe this was a mistake) and when the pizza came out it looked like it would be terrific. I bit into it and it just was alright. Nothing special. I know people who have also gone there and have said they think it's good but not great. Another bad point: the service was really slow. We waited about 5 to 10 minutes before our server even came to our table to greet us, our drinks took about 10 minutes to come after were placed our order, and when the food came out no one offered to refill drinks or to ask us if we needed anything. Someone in my group didn't have a fork and couldn't get the waiters attention for a while even though she walked by several times. I think I'll give Rustico one more chance. If it doesn't work out next time I go, I won't every be going back.
(3)Lynn C.
I've been here twice now (both on a Friday night). If you come (after 6 before 10) it is very crowded in the bar area and it's difficult to get a table and they don't take reservations after 5:30. We were able to stalk some patrons leaving their booth and claimed it for next 4 hours. Service was a little spotty, but I guess it's expected since it's somewhat new. Incredible beer selection and the pizza is tasty. Glad there is finally some decent food in Ballston.
(3)Hannah B.
A great addition to the Ballston neighborhood. I'm still thinking about the pumpkin polenta with wild boar bolognese....so awesome! The pizza was good, not much cheese, which is probably good since I am lactose intolerant. They have a lot of beers on tap, mostly IPAs, which are my favorite. You can get a full glass or a bunch of tastes - bonus! I can't wait to go back and try more beers and pizzas.
(4)Matt A.
Didn't come to eat, just to drink. Very good beer selection and the bar tender at the time (can't remember his name, from Chicago) was very nice.
(4)Laila S.
I waited with baited breath for Rustico to open. I stalked blogs, their Facebook page, and Twitter waiting for news of their grand opening. Ballston seriously needs some good dining & bar options and I was ready for this place. Well, we came on perhaps their 2nd night of business. Rustico makes me feel old. Old because I felt like my Mom - "what? I can't hear you. Speak louder. What?!" When I say they have bad acoustics, trust me. You can't hear a thing in this place. Maybe good for a first date when you don't really want to talk all that much. Hopefully they've got some front of the house matters taken care of. I approached the hostess stand to inquire about the bathroom's location. I stood there while one head honcho host chewed out the other hostesses. Awkward? One even made eye contact with me while I just stood there and didn't acknowledge my presence. Yelling at employees in the middle of a restaurant is just plain wrong. Oh, and the food? The food was good. A bit pricey for what you get, but good enough.
(3)Mary W.
Went here last last night on a Wednesday at 8:45. The server although nice, took about 15 minutes from when we sat down to take our orders and the food was just sub-par. We ordered the mussels which were delicious and plentiful, but my husbands pork entree was awful. It was dry and over cooked and the rice was crunchy aka undercooked. I was really disappointed with our experience and could've made a better meal at home for a lot less.
(2)Sophia P.
Their gluten-free pizza made from chic peas is a lot better than any of the gluten-free pizzas I've tried in DC. The waiter was extremely knowledgeable. The salmon was tasty. The fries appetizer was huuuuuge. Be warned. It was worth the trip to Arlington.
(4)Khadish F.
I REALLY wanted to love this place. On my first visit we had the most amazing waitress, truly one of the best servers I've ever had. However, the food was disappointing. I had the eggplant parm which was just ok and my partner had a pizza which was not good at all. For some reason the addition of smoked gouda (which we love) was really a travesty for this pie. The second time we visited we came later in the evening on a Saturday when they were only serving pizzas from the bar. The server who met as at the door was very dismissive and provided information that was completely different than what we received when we called in two minutes earlier. This time the pizza was MUCH MUCH better, but the service during the late night hour was no where near reminiscent of what we had experienced before. As others have written, this place has a lot of potential. Great location, great selection of beers, interesting menu. But, they would do well to offer consistently excellent dining experiences and top quality service. My last visit was a complete turn off.
(3)Brooke M.
3 of us were celebrating our birthdays and we were having 20 ppl. The management was incompetent and were not accommodating; service was disappointing and the table setup they provided divided our group. The food was okay, do not go with more than 10 people, Rustico was very disappointing.
(1)Krystal B.
Nice place. Looks very intriguing from the outside as you drive on Wilson Blvd at night. Went for happy hour. Huge selection of beer. Although, I couldn't understand why you only have two extreme options for a beer.
(3)Jeff I.
Went with my girlfriend tried a bunch of different starters. I really enjoyed the farfalle pasta chips and the steak tartar. Definitely will visit again and would recommend to anyone.
(4)Lisa B.
#under140 review: Lackluster lunch service. Seedy lighting more suitable to after hours. Pizza fail. Good lunchbox deal for $15.
(2)Glenn B.
Went on a Saturday for dinner. This place markets itself as a mid-high end restaurant, but has a long way to go until they can justify the aspiring menu, prices and fancy decor. First off, the layout of the restaurant is not great - and it's cramped. It was a tight squeeze getting to our table and we were running into waiters, other customers and bending around chairs to get seated. Another point on the dining floor - do not plan on having a conversation. The noise level is on par with an aircraft carrier flightline. Secondly, the food was cold. I'm sure it was hot and delicious when it was cooked, but serving hot food on cold(as in refrigerator cold) plates = luke-warm food that becomes cold before we're finished eating. Most restaurants store the plates above the oven, thus keeping them warm so as not to leach the heat from the food. Thirdly, when you sell a glass of wine, I want a glass of wine, not 2.5 oz. Message to the proprietors, if you can serve your high quality food well above room temp, dampen the decibels, and give me more than an inch of wine for $8, you will earn 3 more stars.
(2)Amber H.
barbecue chicken pizza was the bomb, the other pizza we ordered was ok (don't remember the name...sorry!). also ordered some kind of chicken dipping appetizer, which was ok, and brussel sprouts which were quite delicious. not too fancy, not too casual, good food. nice place to come with friends.
(4)Keith R.
For beer in Ballston, there's just no point in going anywhere else anymore: Rustico has nailed it. While the bottle markup is patently ridiculous ($9 a bottle for Celebrator) clearly Ballston can afford it and people are paying it. Stick with the drafts for the best experience, and you can count on behind-the-bar expertise and generous tasting assistance. We've literally never had a bad experience here, and we're there at least weekly, sometimes twice a week. The food is really quite good. The head chef has a sophisticated and insightful palate. (The mussels come in the largest portion I think I've ever seen, and they're always done beautifully.) The pork terrine was "pretty good," but I'm spoiled as I prefer rabbit terrine; the pork was just a little greasier than I'd have liked, but prepared very competently. We've noticed a recent recipe or preparation change in the duck pizza that has me worried. The duck used to be a little better quality, and we've lost some ingredients. (Used to have luscious pears which are conspicuously absent the last two times... bring 'em back, boss, bring 'em back!) All in all, Rustico is a top-notch place with great atmosphere and some of the best outdoor seating in Ballston. Don't miss it. Living next door to this place is a godsend.
(4)Kelli H.
Went here for dinner last night with some of my girlfriends. We got there at 6 (on a Wednesday) and were seated right away. Their HH is from 4 - 7 I believe and the bar area was packed from what I saw. The restaurant itself has that cool, clubby kind of feel with modern furnishings and low lighting. At the table we sat at, the lighting was so low I had trouble seeing my menu. The restaurant area wasn't crowded when we first sat down and was a mix of young professionals and families - several tables even had babies at them. By the time we left though, the HH bar crowd had come in and it was almost all young professionals. The food was ok. 2 friends split a pizza, one ordered her own and I got an entree to myself. The menu isn't too extensive, just one side and pizza seems to be a main focus. At ~$12 a pizza, it's not bad for splitting or to order on your own. My friend who got her own had leftovers to take. I ordered the sweet potato gnocchi basically because I could actually read it's name on the menu, haha. But it turned out to be pretty good. The meat sauce had a unique spice to it and it came with baked apples which was kind of weird but actually worked. It cost $22 which I think is a little much for what it was - it came on a large plate but I ended up finishing most of it even though I wasn't particularly hungry, so not sure about the value. Overall, it's a nice place to meet up with some friends. I'd like to check out their bar area and HH next time I'm there.
(3)Emily B.
We met friends here for brunch back in April. I think we were the first table in the whole restaurant! Service was a bit slow since they had just opened but that was fine: we had plenty of chatting and catching up to do. We started with the donuts and oh my goodness those suckers are good. I had the fried oyster Benedict. The eggs were overdone, but I think there was confusion at the table since my friend ordered the brisket hash with his egg well-done aka he didn't want it runny. My husband had the french toast and the fourth member of our group had the grilled salmon BLT. We enjoyed everything, including the strong coffee and hot tea selection. Will definitely return for more meals!
(4)A N.
Hands down, the best beer menu I have EVER seen. I was totally impressed. And they have 4 oz tastings available for their draft beers. We had so much fun tasting new beers. As for food, the beet salad was an A+...you really MUST try it. Pizza and salmon sandwich were so-so. Next time we're getting two large beet salads and trying more new and amazing beers :)
(5)S R.
Brunch was good, but they should add drink specials to make their brunch more interesting and appetizing. They should also add a simple brunch item like eggs, toast, and bacon. The pizza was not bad. Service was good.
(3)Amelia S.
I went here for the first time last night, and our dinner was great. The service was friendly, the decor is nice, and the food was terrific. I ordered the sweet potato and maple gnocchi, which is just amazing. It's served with brussel sprouts, mushrooms, and a cream sauce, with a little fried basil (!) on top. Absolutely delicious. As everyone notes, they have a pretty extensive beer selection too. I had a tough time deciding what to get, and definitely want to come back to try other dishes, though it's probably a little too pricy and out of my way to be a regular spot for me.
(5)Cup Of T.
I went to Rustico last night and my friend and I were seated pretty quickly even though the restaurant and bar were quite busy. The extensive beer list, while semi-exhausting is pretty impressive. We were notified when we first arrived that the fire alarm had just gone off, and they were unable to serve pizza while we were there. That said, we started off with the carrot hummus which was absolutely delicious and served in a non-traditional way with lamb and feta and served warm. I wasn't too hungry so I had the crabcake starter as my main meal. The waitress was not kidding when she said the crabcake was tiny..... It probably could have fit inside of my palm with room to spare, and I have very small hands!! While on the small side, the crabcake was delicious and served with a piece of ahi tuna and fruit. Great choice although for $13, they may need to re-assess what they are giving their guests for that amount of money. My friend had the scallops special and seemed to really enjoy it. Overall - the food was 4 stars, but I am taking off a star for the value of what you get. The ambience is great, not too casual but not too fancy either. Perfect for a date or even catching up with friends. Would recommend Rustico if they ever decided to adjust their prices to match what they are giving you! 'Til then....
(3)Bryan T.
Rustico is fantastic, the thing I probably like the most about it is their beer selection. The only problem is sometimes I get overwhelmed, and in that case I always just look at the draft beer list (which normally has about 20-40 really good beers on it). The food is also very good. I normally go for the pizza and split the mussels. The mussels are amazing and you just cant get enough of them. My only problem is that they are sort of stingey about giving more bread (they brought the manager out to get us more bread for the mussels as if it was some unbelievable request to get more bread). The White pizza is also to die for. It might sound like something that wouldnt be that great, but really you gotta try it. I love this place and it doesnt hurt I live close by!
(5)Carrie M.
Crowded, but if you go on a non-weekend this place is great!! Tons of great beers on tap, foods pretty good and I like how the bar area is large and open. They really need a happy hour menu though. Sorry for the lame-o review. I started to write but then Dog the Bounty Hunter came on and it's really good. Rustico, I like you.
(4)Kate R.
if you must go out in Ballston, this would have to be the go to place. a great selection of beers, the eggplant sammy is delish as are the bar food of truffle fries. it's always pretty packed in the evenings. on a sunny day request to sit on the side patio, it's not on the noisy street and next to a cute fountain where dogs and kiddos alike come to frolic in the water. my co-worker and i like to call it our "vacation lunch" as it feels a million times removed from the ballston mall. i've had the pleasure of tasting all sorts of beers and ciders here that aren't available in most bars. many of them are stored deep in the bowels of the basement there so it may take the server a few minutes to get them back to you. the service is always good, a little slow at times, but not because of a distracted staff, mostly because it's an extremely busy staff. they're always friendly and helpful. the bar eats menu could be expanded but what can you do?
(4)Dani B.
I came in with my brother-in-law last night. We were told it would be five minutes before we could be seated and that it would take a minute for a server to be with us, no problem we didn't mind. We got seated and had a minute to look over the drink menu and some appetizers before being greated by someone we thought must have been the manager. He was helpful and directed me to a drink I enjoyed. I decided on a beer and he got a glass of wine. We ordered the Kale Salad to split. The salad came out and we had to split it seperatley ourselves. Not very convenient, but we managed. We finish our salad before our drinks were served which was upsetting. I would have enjoyed to have some of my beer with my salad. Before the drinks came out we were greeted by our server, she was very friendly. She poured my beer straight into a glass, no tilt or anything. The whole beer couldn't fill in the glass because my glass consisted of maybe 90% foam. I tasted some out of the bottle and the beer was great. By the time my foam settled down, it was so flat it was gross. I kindly asked my waitress for another because I wasn't satisfied with the beer. I asked for no glass this time. It took about another 10 minutes to get another one. So, I've got my beer now and we have finished our salad and we order the Spicy Chicken pizza. It comes out in a timely manner. We start to dig in and were very dissapointed with the consitancy of the toppings. The first bite I took was hot as hell. There were a ton of Cherry Peppers scattered in clumps and it was dissapointing because there was no ricotta to compliment it and tone down the spice. At this point my brother-in-law is sweating and finishes his water. We asked for some more waterfrom the waitress, waited about ten minutes so he had some of mine because he couldn't wait any longer. She then walks by about five minutes later, turns quickly to grab some to re-fill his glass. We finish our drinks chatting and we politely decline dessert. She brings the bill by, we look at it and our a little frustrated because we had been charged for the two beers when I clearly only drank one. The other was in a full glass sitting on the table. I am picky about beers, I will not drink it if it is flat. Just not for me. She quickly fixed it and we were out the door. I would possibly give this place a second chance, our visit was just full of little things that added up in the end. Other than that the place itself is very cute and has a nice atmosphere. The food was good minus the one set back with our toppings on our pizza.
(2)Ambi C.
I recently threw a surprise engagement party for my two good friends at Rustico. The manager and server were extremely accommodating and patient with our needs, making our experience memorable. The server was so sweet and extremely patient, she even let us to do separate checks for a group of 12! The manager let me bring cupcakes and a chocolate chip cookie cake without a cutting fee, now that is my kind of place! I wish Rustico took reservations from 6-9pm as you can find yourself waiting for table for up to 1.5 hours. As for food, I would have to give it 3 stars. I was craving a salad but Rustico does not offer any good vegetarian salad options. The appetizers, the Tatar tots and pasta chips, are unique, but after a few, I was very full! The pizza was a okay. I prefer District of Pi or Pete's!
(4)Jeff G.
I have been here at least once a month for the past 8 months. I can only think of one time when I had less than average service, but it was a random hour and I was outside. Usually the service is great. The food is really good and so is the beer. There are tons of options for beer lovers. I wish there were some cheaper draft beer options though, at least at happy hour. The menu is a little small, but the quality is really good.
(4)Kenny and Janet C.
Two hearted ale and the eggplant: nice pairing from the friendly baristas. This place is full of energy with relaxed, dimmed lighting. It's definitely a popular place to go to.
(4)James H.
Showed up at the end of happy hour, enjoyed a pizza and a few drinks. The beer list is impressive and extensive, but organized in the "modern" format (Crisp, Malt, Hop, Earthy, etc.) which I find more pretentious and annoying than useful. That said, everything we had was pretty good, and service was passable for a busy HH. Will probably return to try a sit-down meal.
(4)Paul W.
Best meal in Arlington since... ever? Get the tomato braised veal breast rigatoni and the cider braised pork shank. Both of these are top notch, especially the pork shank. Based on these dishes alone, I can tell that these guys know what they're doing. Looking forward to going through the rest of their menu.
(4)Bella S.
Rustico's pretty Urban Outfitters-style decor does not make up for their food or somewhat crappy service. As many past reviews have warned, this place can be insanely salty. I'm guessing they need that load of salt as a preservative which is surprising because the food did seem fresh. My friend's gorganzola pillows with duck ragu were inedible. My pan-seared chicken was bland (a punishment for a bland choice?) and the pizza was ok, but yet again, incredibly salty. Our waiter was inattentive and a bit rude. I wish I could give this place 1.5 stars but at the same time, everyone was very happy with the beer selection and that's what saves Rustico in the end. Get the appetizers (truffled fries!) and order some drinks but avoid the entrees.
(2)Pamela H.
Good crowd on a Tuesday evening, but still plenty of quiet room. Inside and outside seating -- very pleasant environment. My friend and I were anxious to try out a new place in the Ballston area that was within walking distance but worth it. We got good service, and we ordered three fantastic dishes to share -- the carrot hummus appetizer and the mussels on a bed of mashed potatoes in a flavorful tomato broth as well as a beet salad. All three were absolutely delicious -- and hearty servings. We could have done with just two of them. Now we know. You'll be safe with those little treasures. Worth the walk and the money.
(4)Judith B.
We went there Wednesday nite, the night before Veterans Day. I point this out because there may have been more of a crowd there on a holiday eve. The food was great - we had the spinach pizza with chickpea flour crust and the grilled pizza with regular crust (one of us is vegetarian). Both were wonderful, the grilled pizza was particularly surprisingly good. The regular crust is a bit more crunchy than the chickpea crust, and both are good. We also had the red velvet cheesecake for dessert, which is amazing. However, there were some negatives: 1) we had heard they had like 433 beers available, and the beer menu had probably 2-3 dozen at most. Not sure how you find out what other beers are up that nite. 2) The noise level was extreme. It seemed like a lot of their business was the bar, which is long, and very, very noisy. It was uncomfortably so, and it was difficult to have a conversation. It was a painful noise level. If you're a 20-something, maybe it's a "great" bar scene, but that's not why we were there. 3) The price is a bit high. We had one beer each, split 2 pizzas between 3 folks, and had 1 dessert,and the bill was just over $25/person. A bit pricey for pizza, even really good pizza. We went because of the write-up in the Wash. Post, and I'm not sure we'd go back.
(3)Neil H.
Incredible beer selection including 40 on tap; an excellent beer menu to understand what you are ordering and 4 oz. samples available for purchase. The entire place is energetic and fun; the bar very spacious. I especially like the lighting and the rustic wall in the dining room. As for the food, the Bibb salad is something I'll probably order every time I visit unless I see something else new to try. My wife and I split a lobster ravioli dish and the beef short ribs, each was fantastic. The chef really seems to think about what different tastes and textures to put in each dish so patrons can savor the different flavors. For dessert the pumpkin tart was special with not only whipped cream but also cranberries and waltnuts. I'll be a regular during happy hours and for meals.
(5)Morgan V.
I live close by so I've been to Rustico quite a few times. The service can be hit or miss, but for the most part we've had good service. I came once with my niece and nephew (ages 6 and 10) and can say it's kid friendly. My nephew is particularly picky and gave it a thumbs up. The risotto tater tots are a must!
(4)Julia M.
The best brunch burger I've had in a while. The waitress was also kind enough to explain all draft beers, find my favorite beer (Delirium Tremens), and recommend a beer on tap that resembles it. Will definitely be back and bring my tot with me next time
(5)Alex M.
Salad was incredible. The tastes were simple at first, some kind of thin cream dressing on fresh organic local greens with large Parmesan crisps. When you delved into it, however, they were deeply layered and complex. The greens were crisp, some bitter, some sweet, and all fresh. The dressing was really something though, so many layers, perfectly complemented by only the best Parmesan. The best salad I've ever had. And I say that with no doubt in my mind, even having tried $40+ salads.
(5)James C.
Good food good prices. Great beer selection.
(4)Christine R.
I've been to both locations once now. I enjoy the atmosphere and casual quick food here - uh hello deep fried deviled eggs? Yes please! And the boys enjoyed the extensive beer list. I'm not a huge beer drinker but I tried about 6-7 different kinds (sipped off others) and was really impressed. Even found a beer I really really liked. We all decided to split 3 pizzas and all were very good. My favorite being the special of the night, the meatball pizza with fresh arugula spread on top. YUM. I tried to special request our meatball pizza, by telling our server I didn't want our meatballs cut in half - we wanted our balls whole! He was a doll and said O-K. Haha but then later came back and said the cooks said they wouldn't cook thoroughly through. At this point I felt bad since I was initially just giving him a hard time but it was sweet that he asked for us. The only thing that I didn't like was the lighting. It was so dim! I actually had a hard time reading the menu, or maybe that's just old age. Either way I have a thing about poorly lit restaurant/bars. It's annoying. Other than that I really enjoyed this location and our time here. 4 stars! Hip, hip, hooray!
(4)Katie R.
great ambiance, great food, great beer I am no beer snob, but the "Love" beer from Star Hill Brewery is AMAZING. It's like a Blue Moon.. pretty light and just delish. The zucchini carpacchio is my go-to starter, and the pizzas are just sooo good. Pretty thin, with a great crust. Last night my friend and I split the mushroom pizza and I was WAY impressed. Not cheap, but not expensive either. This would be a great date place, and I love coming here with my girlfriends!
(5)Jeff C.
Coming from Connecticut, raised eating Pepe's pizza, I've become quite a pizza snob. That being said, Rustico does pizza right. I've probably been to Rustico about a dozen times since I've moved down to Arlington. Some of the better pizza in Arlington, but the real star are the risotto tots. I can't go in there and not get them. Great beer selection, with a decent sized bar for those nights you're not looking for a sit down never. Great grilled chicken ceasar salad as well. The menu could be expanded upon, but I'm completely content with getting the same order time and time again.
(5)Ruth C.
Street presence is greatly disguised, but with some help from my besties I eventually found it right next to Sweetgreen. Fireplace blasted me with a welcome warmth, but I definitely had to address my fogged classes as I passed through to the bar. Decor was dressier than the Alexandria location, accurately reflecting the modern tastes of local residents. Coat rack by the entrance was a welcome option for those of us who felt too awkward about shedding onto the booth backs of friendly lushes. I'm not surprised we had such a long wait for a table on the holiday pour night, but I am mildly distressed that they lowballed the time estimate by so much. Service was otherwise good; the seating hostess was more authoritative than the seating host, and the bartenders were all surprisingly accessible even during peak bar traffic. Handful of eye candy to be browsed among the young professionals crowd and the bustling bartenders. I'll be back for grub since this is an easier trip of the two locations.
(3)Clara L.
It started off as an innocent happy hour with my friends. (Disclaimer: I had taken off a couple months from happy hours and drinking to train for the army 10 miler and the marine corp marathon, sooo my tolerance had decreased significantly). As I was saying, it was an innocent happy hour to catch up with friends and chat over some beers. Happy hour specials last till 4-7 and it's $2 off draft beers. The beer list is extensively long (not churchkey level, but still quite respectable) and there were still so many to choose from. I even split a pizza with a friend to make sure I had dinner. Yet a few hours roll by, happy hour is long past and everything is blurry. I can definitely say it was a good night. I will be back ;)
(4)Dan H.
Lots of good beer! That's all you need to know. Can be hard to get a seat since it's so popular, but I would recommend having HH here. Worth the trek out to Ballston if you don't already work/live in the area. I recommend the Epic Brewery beers.
(4)David E.
Went here on a date. Pizza was excellent, which is extremely hard to find in NoVa. Beer selection was great and not over-priced. I would definitely go back again.
(4)Brandy C.
The pizza was delicious, and what a great beer selection! Also, the restaurant has great ambiance, as well as a nice patio. I will definitely be back.
(4)Kristin F.
Great pizza (get the Naked - it simply can't be beat), comfy seating, lots of beer. What's not to like? Great place for lunch any afternoon
(5)Megan D.
I would give this place 3 1/2 stars if I could. The atmosphere is nice and the food is above average. The pizza was above average, but needed more cheese. The brunch is worth trying. The menu has different items you won't find everywhere and there is nice outdoor seating. The bar is nice, and has a few TVs that are nice for watching games when it's not too busy.
(3)Kate M.
Great place! My boyfriend and I did a make-your-own tasting and our waiter was very helpful in having us try new types. He was perfect with letting us choose but helping us navigate such an extensive beer menu. The food was much better than we anticipated - bacon and blue cheese mussels were great as were steak tartare sliders. I got a Boston Bibb salad - cheddar, apples, onion, granola... very light and refreshing. This was a nice moderately-priced restaurant with a very cool ambiance!
(4)Patrick I.
I went here with a friend and It was great!. Nice selection for lunch and the food was great. I have no complaints here. The outdoor seating also looks nice so I think I may try that next time.
(4)Elizabeth D.
I'm giving this place four stars even though I was not a big fan of the dish I ordered. The decor is top-notch (and apparently not even finished yet! They've made a good start), the service was impeccable and the kitchen was amazingly fast, especially given that it was their first night of dinner service. Two flaws: 1) They don't have a wine list yet -- and the house Malbec was $9 a glass at happy hour. Ouch! I'm not taking this into account for the star rating because they have clearly focused on getting the beer list off the ground and explained that the wine list won't be in place for another week or two. Most people will be going here for the beer anyway. 2) The chickpea-flour crust on the gluten-free pizza is just not good. I have the same problem with the pizzas at the Slaters Lane location; I was hoping they would have improved the recipe since last fall, but apparently not. The texture is gummy and chalky. If you must order a gluten-free pizza, make sure to get one that is smothered in sauce; the spinach pizza was not pleasant. (It worked as a vehicle for cheese, but there needed to be a lot more cheese to render the crust acceptable.) Still, as someone with celiac disease, I really appreciate Rustico's efforts to create a menu item that I can eat. In my experience, though, rice flour and a thin, crispy texture work better for gluten-free pizza crusts. That said, they were careful enough about cross-contamination that I didn't get poisoned, which is always a plus for me when dining out. The service was really good, though, and the toppings on the pizza were great. Wheat-eating people will love this place (indeed, the bar was PACKED by 6 p.m. on the first day they were open, and the restaurant portion was doing a pretty booming business as well). I'll just make sure to order a salad next time.
(4)Chris M.
Beer selection is great, some bartenders are personable and will chat it up if they aren't too busy. It is never too crowded. Good atmosphere for conversation with friends or a group. Food is okay, nothing really stands out. If you live in DC proper it is a bit of a hike and doesn't offer anything more than its sister restaurants Churchkey and Birch & Barley
(3)Posh K.
I ordered a Ceasar Salad with shrimp and although I enjoyed the grilled ceasar salad, I was shocked and feel cheated that after spending $6 to add shrimp, I only got 5 measly pieces. That equals to $1.20 per piece. Rip off! My lunch portion salad ending up costing $15. Adding shrimp to a pizza costs $3 and I am SURE the pizzas have more than 5 pieces. Prices need to be adjusted for adding meat to salads. No way will I do that again.
(2)Justin E.
This place is great! The food is good and they have a great selection of beer and wine. It's also great for casual as well as a nice night out. Love it.
(4)B F.
Yummy pizza, great beers and stellar service. Even met the chef.
(5)Ruth T.
I love Rustico! Great place for Lunch, Happy Hour, and or Dinner! Decor and atmosphere is great and lets not start with the food. Still cant find something on the menu I don't like.
(4)Adam G.
This is one of my new favorite sports for happy hour. Lunch and dinner aren't bad either. Glad that Ballston has a great new hangout.
(5)Kari H.
My husband and I live next door to Rustico and have been giddy for the construction to finish so we could fill our bellies without having to make the long march down to Clarendon for good beer and dinner. Alas, Rustico is a colossal disappointment. The first night was opening weekend and we waited over an hour and a half for a table. Waiting in and of itself isn't so horrible considering we found an enviable spot at the bar and sipped on some beers. Of course the noise level was so deafening that our conversation was more like pantomime. Dinner was decent - nothing too spectacular but a bit overpriced. The spicy tuna tartare was playful and the cider gastrique gave it the right amount of acidity. The slow cooked duck breast with the cassis sauce brought back memories of France and Germany. While the cider-braised pork shank dish had good flavor overall, the meat was a bit tough. It was served in a ridiculous bowl, and the dull knife they gave me certainly didn't help. To the uninformed observer, it probably looked like surgery: me peering over the ridge of the bowl using all my strength to dig out morsels of meat. Like another reviewer, we were seated next to a door and the draft was bone-chilling. We were too hungry to complain. However, we resolved to give Rustico another shot. Tonight I ordered two pizzas over the phone for pick-up. The server took my name and phone number. He even repeated the details back to me and gave me a wait time of 15 to 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, we walked over to pick up the pizzas. They weren't ready. Only after an additional 15 to 20 minutes or so of waiting at the bar, and having several conversations with confused staff where we were asked to repeat our order again and again, we discovered our order had never been placed. The manger finally came and told us that they had 'just found our order' and it'd be another 15 minutes or so but were we interested in drinks? When I asked if he had just put in the order, he nodded. We left. Every new restaurant is going to experience growing pains, but not owning up to a mistake, and not offering to fix it means that we'll never go back. So much for great expectations.
(1)Ray C.
Nice spot for an upscale trendy happy hour. Not the cheapest place, but the food is excellent. You have to try the Steak Tar-Tar bites...
(4)Jordana T.
I would definitely give this place more stars, but our evening started out a bit dicey...(BTW: this is long and a bit ranty) First off, I know that they do not take reservations during a certain time and you can only call ahead, which is what I did. A woman answered the phone, took my name, phone number, and number in the party. We show up, with less people in our party than expected, and were told we were not on their list of call ahead's. I was even asked if I called the right Rustico (I did---I checked my phone and called again and sure enough the same girl who took my now non-existent call ahead answered the phone). I was told they would seat me as soon as they could but there were parties ahead of me. Normally, I would have been fine, but they never acknowledged that it was possible they made a mistake and didnt properly take my name down or forgot to (they were taking names and numbers over the phone and passing them up in individual pieces of paper to the host). I was now told the wait would be 45 minutes. I am obviously pissed but trying to be gracious about it. We went to the bar. It was mega-crowded as expected but we found a nook and ordered. The bartenders were great. Very quick and attentive, unlike the host staff. I ordered the The Love by Starr Hill Brewery and it was delicious. I am certainly adding that to my list of favorites. I go back to the host, who was not very nice or welcoming and did not hide the fact that I was a bother. So much for making customer feel welcome rather than encourage them to walk out. I know it's busy but keep it cool. I asked how much longer (after about 30 minutes of waiting). We were buzzed about 15 minutes later. At least he was right about the wait? BUT, here's the kicker, we were incomplete because our 4th person, who we thought had arrived and was using the restroom in Rustico, was in fact, peeing over at Ballston Mall. After some prodding, they sat us as an incomplete party (and the host and hostesses did not hide their irritation) and our 4th showed up a few minutes later...no big. We ordered some samplers. I had a glass of the LIEFMANS FRUITESSE which was like drinking fizzy kool-aid. It was ok. Not my fave but it was a fun drink. Sorry, another hate on the host side note: we had a fifth person join and we were at a 4 top next to a couple who was having a date and I feel bad that we crowded on them. We asked our server if we could add another chair. The HOST TOLD HIM NO IT WOULD INCONVENIENCE OTHER GUESTS or we could, after already ORDERING, wait for a larger table. We squeezed because we were all friends, but it was tight and at times uncomfortable. but WE ALREADY ORDERED. Now they wanted us to get up and WAIT? Hell no. I will mention towards the end of dinner a rather large party sat a few tables away and they had all sorts of chairs crowding the table and were in the aisle/walk ways and the host had no problem with that, obviously. That host staff needs to get it together. Dinner: My husband and I had the BRAISED DUCK & POACHED PEAR pizza and the GRILLED DRY-AGED CHEDDAR BURGER. Dear lord, that pizza was amazing. The duck was savory and tender and moist and the poached pears worked so well with all the flavors. I would have gladly eaten that entire pizza myself. The burger, while being just a burger, was one of the yummiest burgers ever. I actually am craving it as I write this. Our tablemates ordered the TRUFFLED COUS COUS CARBONARA, which was creamy and delicious. I know because I asked to try it and it was tasty. I am ordering that for myself next time. Another friend had the TRUFFLED STEAK TARTARE. it wasn't anything spectacular and had the least thumbs-up of the food. I can't speak for all the other beers tried---the boys all got samplers---so we as a group tried about 21 beers total that night. And our server, Drew, was awesome. He was very gracious and chatty and attentive but not overbearing. Despite the hosts and the obvious "Our business is doing great so we can live with you walking out angry at us" attitude, the food and beer was fantastic. I will come back because I really liked everything beyond the host stand.
(3)Sara J.
I have eaten here so many times this past month it's embarassing. Rustico has all American but uniquly interesting dishes. I especially love the bibb lettuce salad with gronola and cranberries. And I devour the french fries on my husband's cheesburger plate. They may be the best in town after Lyon Hall. A friend ordered the fish of the day which was delightful. I have had better mussels, though. The waitstaff at Rustico is pleasant and well-informed, and the opportunity for a beer flight is a must-do. Great place to go with friends and I won't let out the secret that brunch is also delightful, especially if you have kids.
(4)N B.
Hit or miss, depending on what you order. The pizza is usually what I get and has yet to disappoint. I haven't tried the burgers but my friends highly recommend it. Truffle fries are also very interesting and worth the try. I don't recommend the risotto tots, though, they were uncomfortably crunchy, like biting into uncooked rice balls. Beer selection is great-- I usually stick to The Love, I try to get it on tap whenever I can.
(3)Deb B.
Phenomenal pizza, nice restaurant area, not my favorite bar area. The pizza is amazing. I'm not a crust person but I love their crust. The pizza menu is a bit unconventional, but you can customize your pizza so I was able to bring home the pizza I wanted. The only negative to the place, in my opinion, is the bar. The beer menu and prices are great. Unfortunately the area does not have enough tables/chairs for the amount of space or number of patrons. If you want to go on a Friday or Saturday night, be prepared to stand awkwardly. If you're on a date, it can be really awkward sitting in the middle of one of the long tables with 12 chairs surrounded by strangers. I highly recommend going there either earlier in the evening if you want to sit or getting your pizza to go. Definitely get the pizza!
(4)Andrew F.
Had a basil and fresh mozz pizza here. It was pretty good! Good service, good pizza. Recommended.
(4)Taylor G.
I ate here with a friend and we enjoyed our dinner. The service was pretty good. We also split the beer float for dessert and it was really good! I plan on going back again this summer.
(4)Anita M.
I think I heard about this place through a Washingtonian email, and since the menu sounded rather scrumptious, the boyfriend and I decided we had to check it out immediately! : ) We made a reservation for Friday night at 6pm and got seated immediately when we got there. When we asked if we could move a few minutes later- we were right next to the window with cold air blowing on us from the vent above- they were very accommodating and put us in a much warmer spot right away. Our waitress- I think it was Janine- was very friendly and got to us pretty quickly to take our drink order. I got a "taste" of one of the white beers, and love that they give you the option to get a smaller size. For my entrée I asked if I could do a pizza that was half one type and half another. Our waitress said that should be fine, but then I through in another loop of getting it all on a tomato base when neither one had that as its original base. :)I really appreciated that they did this for me without making a big fuss about it or charging extra....lots of restaurants wouldn't. So in the end I got a pizza that was half spicy garlic shrimp, and half roasted mushroom on a tomato base. I enjoyed the mushroom side more as I found the shrimp to be slightly fishy tasting- something I'm very sensitive to. My boyfriend got the strip loin...While the steak itself was very good, he thought that they put a bit too much cheese on top of the steak, which took away from the overall flavor of the dish. For dessert, we ordered the apple pie sundae- really good! I would have preferred that they served it in a plate/bowl, rather than a big ice cream glass. I like to get a little bit of everything in each bite, and this dish made it very hard to do that without making a big mess. It also made it more difficult to share and I think that if it were served differently maybe the ice cream wouldn't melt so quickly...I think most of it was melted by the time the dessert made it to our table. Overall this was a good experience, the service was excellent and the food was pretty good...However, I must say that it's a bit pricey for what you get, and you could probably get much more of a fine-dining experience elsewhere at the same price point. Nice place to drop by for good beer, atmosphere, and service though- a solid 3.5 stars.
(3)Andy K.
Huge beer selection!
(3)David N.
Uh, I hate to have to write this bad review but I absolutely have no choice. First, The Bartender had some kind of a chip on his shoulder and was a complete di@k to me not once, but twice, completely unprovoked. The service was terrible. We were told 45 minutes and 1 and a 1/2 hours later I basically have to tell them that I am leaving in 2 minutes before they even cared we were there. The server was really nice but was very bad at his job. I don't know why a place that sells mid 20 something platters has servers who leave the combination of menus on our table the entire dinner and didn't even notice. They were on the servers side by the way! Crazy! I am not even gonna harp on the servers inability to serve but wow! Really the last and only time that I went to this location it was a really good dinner. The lamb hummus was outstanding which is basically the reason we came back for the second time. However this experience was such a let down though. The food was horrible and really the same thing happened at the Alexandria location repeatedly and is why I cant go back there. Now despite the wide variety of beverages which are by the way pushing the limit of reasonably priced, I have to say NO MORE RUSTICO for me and mine. PS. definitely gonna tell people not to eat there. tell the bartender he needs to figure his sh$t out before coming into work. PSS. I know all the really cool people go here but the food needs to be good or else even they are gonna figure this s&*T out Mason
(1)Adam A.
Great beer selection, fun crowd, food just isnt all that. Pizza is ok, but with so much good pizza around, why bother. Rest of the entrees are mediocre at best. Go to Liberty Tavern instead.
(2)Serena G.
Great dinner! We had the mussels which were AMAZING! a def must if you like mussels. Also had the grilled pizza. If you like a lot of meat, you will love this pizza. It's pretty good. Service and ambiance is great. Chardonnay was also delish. You won't be disappointed here.
(4)Fuzz H.
Definitely a large selection of beer. The fries were good, but I can't say the same about the pizza. The price is only really worth it if you're trying to impress a date.
(2)Anpan W.
Sunday brunch is good. But people bring lots of children. Week nights can be humorously pretentious. Food and beer selection are better than your average DC experience. However, service is normal terrible DC style service. Fig and Prosciutto pizza, anything hashed e.g. short beef ribs, brisket, peanut butter french toast are all recommended.
(4)Harry C.
Well, after reading the reviews I was expecting a first class dining experience. It began well with a nice table outside. The beer menu was a surprise with the brews broken down into categories I had never seen before. An enormous list with unknown brands. It took a while to make a choice while my friends waited. Then,foolishly, thinking I was in a pizza parlor I ordered one. It arrived dry and crusty with almost no flavor. A real disappointment. The place was jumping with yuppies and is obviously in the Clarendon zone although located in Ballston. Maybe other items on the menu are worth a visit but for me, one trip is it.
(1)Todd J.
Their menu is seasonal so expect different things every couple months, but the food is always well executed. Great plate presentation and creative mix of ingredients. Their salads are especially inventive. Pizzas are great, but I prefer to try their apps and entrees. Prices are a little elevated, but it's worthwhile b/c of the quality. Two distinct vibes here; bar area w/ tables and sit down section. Reservations: they don't take them during busy hours like most popular restaurants, but if you call ahead you can get on the wait list and it makes the process a little less annoying. Bar is very loud and busy, it's also awkwardly dark. Sit down area is calm and bright, but can be a long wait for a table. Décor is contemporary, clean and engaging and the beer list is outstanding.
(3)AJ W.
Not A-OK, just OK. 440 beers got me in the door, but the bar wrapping around a corner handcuffs me from eyeing all the beers. The beer menu was quite handy but I like RFD better for drinking since all the beers are in lined up and in eyesight from the bar seats (their food stinks though). I do like how I can buy a bottle to take home at half-ish the menu price. I will go back to eat but not to drink, too much reading.
(3)Aamna C.
Went for the first time last Friday - but I can't really review Rustico too extensively since we only stayed for a short while- honestly it was uncomfortably loud... The acoustics need some serious improvement. I really hope they can adjust this so we can come back and actually try the food.
(2)Brenden J.
The Pizza was good, the beer was good, our server was Fantastic. Sometimes a great server can make an average restaurant great. I wish I remembered his name, but the dude was cool and knew his beers. He guided my girlfriend and I around the beer list with expertise. We ended up splitting about a dozen of the sample-sized beers. Nothing like working up a good buzz at 3:30 in the afternoon.
(4)George V.
Probably more of a 3.5 but I am rounding Rustico up as it is now the best place in Ballston for beers and food. 1. Great beer selection. 2. Couscous Carbonara is a fantastic dish. Apple crumble dessert was also delicious. 3. Good atmosphere. Overall = Great place for beers and a good atmosphere. Be selective with what you order (Chickpea crust pizza was awful - if you want gluten free there are better options available).
(4)Claire C.
My boyfriend and I come here often because it's close to where we live. He hates the food but I like it, which basically means we only come here for drinks. But, we both agree that their beer selection is ah-mazing. I love the beer on their draft menu called "The Love." I do think their food is overpriced but it is good. The atmosphere and the staff are nice, the service is ok but I think that's because it's usually pretty busy. It's a great place to have a drink with friends.
(3)Tiffany G.
great atmosphere and beer selection
(4)Margy G.
First time diner here: I recommend the basil and fresh mozzarella pizza...cant go wrong. Dessert was probably the best I've ever had and I'm not even big on sweets. My boyfriend and I got the "Heart of darkness" and Rustico Donuts. (two thumbs up)
(4)Mojdeh S.
How I heard of this place: Having recently moved into our new apartment in Ballston, we walked by Rustico and decided to add it to our list of places to try. Type of cuisine: Rustic, American fare, with woodfire grilled flat-bread pizzas to steak, bacon-blue cheese mussels and fresh, creative pastas. The food exudes comfort. "By using only the finest and freshest available ingredients, including locally produced and organic products wherever possible, our menus reflect a commitment and respect for the ideals and heritage of honest, rustic cooking..." Ambiance: The windowed storefront gives Rustico a sense of casual ambiance, until one enters the streamlined, warm tones of its interiors. Upon entering the small wind-blocking entryway, through one set of glass doors, patrons are welcomed into the warmth that is Rustico, by a two-way fireplace. Continuing through the second door and into the restaurant itself, a host and hostess welcome you, ask you to be seated at the rust-orange-colored cushion, set against a charcoal bench. The restaurant wraps in what seems like a large L-shape, extending out to the right as you stand facing the hostess podium, and directly ahead (perhaps also continuing around) as you make your way to the bar. The nude wooden, textured, planks lining one side of the wall, end at the spot where bench seating begins. A wall of glass mosaic denotes the corner, inner angle of the L, where brown and green glass bottles are artfully placed nose to nose and tail to tail from floor to ceiling in alternating colors to create a beautiful pattern. Tables and chairs are dark brown, nearly black in smooth, sleek tones, decorated with white napkins folded tightly in flame-resembling shapes. "Rustico is an exuberant neighborhood restaurant driven to deliver a one-two punch of honest, robust cooking against a backdrop of amazing beer. Warm, vivacious and adamantly unpretentious, Rustico was designed with good times in mind. With a cache of over 400 beers, a bustling bar scene and a passionate kitchen committed to its craft, Rustico's a restaurant to visit with family and friends time and time again." What I ordered: To start, cranberry juice ($3.75), Shirley Temples ($2.75 each), and a beer (noted on the receipt as: Stnd Tramp Stamp at $6). Starters included: Bacon & Blue Cheese Mussels ($11), Brooklyn lager and caramelized onions made up the base for this meal, complete with sodium-enriched chunks of smoked bacon and melted blue cheese, topped with two lemon wedges and grilled ciabatta for dipping, Meatball Lettuce Wraps ($10) served with a slightly spicy tomato aioli, minted yogurt and pickled vegetables, and the Pretzel Crusted Mac 'N Cheese ($8) with orzo, Fontina and Parmesan. Main entrees: Creekstone Farms N.Y. Strip ($28 each), one rare and one prepared medium, with confit mashed potatoes, corn salsa and a full head of roasted garlic over crostini; Shrimp with Bacon Tortellini ($22 each) served over a bed of creamed corn sauce, with corn pesto and topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese; Eggplant Parmesan ($16), baked with fresh mozzarella and topped with an olive & fennel salad. And even dessert: Peach Sundae ($8), peach slices served over toasted almond ice cream, lay atop an almond cake, with amaretto caramel drizzle; Nutella Cheesecake ($8), a chocolate cookie crust, soft, dense chocolate-nutella cheesecake served over a dark chocolate sauce with four candied hazelnuts and topped with whipped cream; the two scoops of Housemade Seasonal Ice Creams ($5 each). One with a scoop of chocolate malt and coffee chocolate chip, the other with coffee chocolate chip and fresh mint chocolate chip. What I loved: As far as appetizers go, my favorite was the orzo mac 'n cheese, but the mussels - drenched in bacon and blue cheese - may have been the best I've sampled to date. From the main entrees, I loved the tender shrimp and the fresh grated Parmesan, but was inundated with heaviness in the abundant cream sauce and sweet corn. Having also sampled some of my husband's steak and mashed potatoes, with soft, tender, freshly roasted garlic, I was quite pleased with the combination of flavors on his dish. If we go back for dinner, with the same menu options, I would be more likely to order the steak, for the first time, over the tortellini a second time. Why I loved it: Simple, casual, elegant and sleek setting, a friendly and eager-to-please server, and food for which we would return. Cost: Average ($16-$28 per dinner entree)
(4)Meredith V.
Nice wine list, cool vibe, and chocolate flourless torte that is....TO..DIE...FOR. Seriously, one of the best things I've eaten in a very long time. That is all.
(4)