Kora

I was in the area for business, and my coworker and I decided to come to Kora for dinner!
The space is nice, lots of room and decent décor.
Presentation of the food was a bit lacking, but flavor sure was not.
The food was pretty good! Very tasty, and decent portion sizes.
We started with the Cheese Plate. The cheeses were excellent, and I love apricot preserves, so my colleague and I were very happy with the appetizer. We just wish that there were more crackers! There were only 4 crackers on the platter and we were never offered more, so we just used the bread they had given us when we sat down.
For our main meals, my colleague ordered the Mixed Grill (Lamb, Shrimp, and Pork Sausage with Roasted Baby Carrots, Apricots,
Watercress, Toasted Almonds and Feta Salad), which had a variety of items and was absolutely delicious. everything was cooked really well and had lots of flavor!
I had the Stuffed Eggplant (with Basil, Marinara, Mozzarella, Ricotta and Parmesan & Spaghetti). The eggplant was cooked perfectly! I loved the ratio of cheese to sauce to eggplant and seasoning. The pasta was also really yummy.
We also both got desserts and shared. I ordered the flourless chocolate cake, which was so rich and delicious! Very dense, almost ate like chocolate fudge! I couldn’t eat the whole thing because it was so rich, but it was great… I recommend!
My colleague got the dark chocolate brownie which was also awesome! It was devoured, and so full of flavor!
Definitely a place I would come back to if I am in the area again.

This is a pretty delicious place for pasta in Virginia/​DC area. It tastes pretty legit and the bread was amazing. We got chicken pesto pizza and lasagna — simple dishes but tasted great.
If you’re coming from somewhere like Europe or New York though, you might have different standards.

I’ve only been here twice and both times were during lunch since it’s very close to my job. The first time, I ordered the 13′ pizza. It was either 10′ or 13′. It was really good and tasty. I love that it was baked in the wood burning oven. It was too much to finish in one sitting so I ate the other half for lunch the next day. The second time, I ordered the broccoli and shrimp fettucine. It was really delicious. I’m really skeptical about visiting Italian restaurants since I’ve spent years in Italy. However, this is one of the best places I’ve visited here. The only issue I had was that it was during lunch hour and it was extremely busy and it took the waiter a little too long to take our order. Over all, the décor is nicely decorated and looks upscale which is great. I give it a two thumbs up…

We came here as a group of 25 or so for our office holiday lunch. Overall, it was okay, but I think that’s because we were in good company.
The food was so-​so. I actually enjoyed my grilled cheese with tomato soup. Others ordered the shrimp and scallop scampi and were surprised to see it’s made with a light tomato-​based sauce. Scampi, we thought, was a butter-​based sauce. I tasted a bite and it was fine though.
Another ordered the NY strip steak… it comes out glazed in BBQ sauce.
I ordered the chocolate-​covered cherry martini. Taste was fairly good. The sour cherry garnish was a nice touch. However, the presentation is horrible. It’s a pink drink and whatever the pink liquor is looks curdled in the drink. Not pretty at all.
The service was so-​so. I was looking forward to ending the meal with a cup of coffee and seeing what desserts were available. I got neither because the servers seemingly were ready to get rid of us and passed out our checks. That doesn’t really make you want to linger and enjoy coffee and dessert. On a positive note, it was nice that they could separate checks for our large party.
Overall, this place is nothing special. It’s in the great location of Crystal City, but the food nor service is amazing.

I’ve been to Kora a handful of times. My first experience with the salmon penne was out of this world fantastic. The next 4 – 5 times, the dish decreased in quality and flavor. Time to try something new. Or not. The mixed greens salad, however, was tasty.
The ambience is modern and spacious, the staff is friendly. I keep giving this restaurant chance after chance after chance. I really want it to do well but, they have to want it more than me. Eh.

We came here despite reading all the reviews. I thought it was ok — it’s a beautiful space with lovely décor. The food isn’t the best I’ve ever had but I didn’t completely dislike it. We ordered the appetizer salad and the mussels which we both really enjoyed. The salad was enough for two and the mussels had a great sauce. I got the penne and so did my bf. It wasn’t the greatest I had in my life but it wasn’t the worst if that helps. When you’re from NJ/​NY, Italian is hard to compare when you’ve had the best.
The only thing we didn’t eat and is not normal for us was the bread. So disappointing because I LOVE bread! It was toasted and oily and had no taste and it would have been better not toasted I think.
Enjoy :)

My favorite Restaurant in Crystal City. Excellent service, food, and fun atmosphere. Great lunch alternative if your tired of the sandwich spots in the area and great prices. The staff is quick! which is important for business meeting. Love Pam, attentive and responsive. The bread is delicious. My fav is the shrimp and scallops. You won’t go wrong with anything on the menus!

Great affordable HH! Pizzas, grilled cheese, and cheese plates, oh my! Sat at the bar with a friend for HH and had a great time. Bartenders were polite and attentive. We each had two drinks and then three plates to share for $ 44. We generally felt like everything was pretty good. The décor is amaze!

Kora is an above average Italian spot in Crystal City. Menu has a wide selection, dishes look well presented and prepared. Décor is upscale and fun. Service was good. Happy hour prices and variety looks amazing good. Plus happy hour runs long. Brick oven pizza, and more. Kora is definitely worth a look.

Pasta sauces were flavorful but the pasta was overcooked. The bread was delicious. Although we ordered our drinks and food separately, the drinks barely preceded the food. Our server was friendly but new to Kora and was obviously not well trained, which is something management needs to work on if they want us to come back.

I went in last night and the noise level from the band was so loud that even sitting at the back of the bar you could not carry on a normal conversation. When I complained, I was told «Our customers voted that they like it. If you don’t, you can come in another night when the band isn’t playing.»
I should complain to OSHA but I simply won’t return.

Well I wasn’t expecting much after the review score but I was still taken aback by how empty the place was on a Saturday night. Service staff seemed tired and unconcerned (although it was only 9:20pm). Menu was woefully short and the prices were (in my opinion) bit over the line for that range of choice. The chicken pesto pizza was good but sadly, the rest was unremarkable.
P. S. Got my free Caesar salad but meh, not enough incentive for me to go back

I discovered Kora Restaurant when I attended a DCConnect Dinner in September 2013. I’ve been here 5 times and I’d say that Kora is one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Northern Virginia. On the weekends, parking in the garages along Crystal Drive are free.
My parents and I arrived just in time for Happy Hour drink specials. My dad got a glass of white wine; my mom got Blue Moon with Orange slices, and I got an Arnold Palmer (which was a blend of homemade iced tea and ginger limeade). After we placed our drink orders, Chef Morou brought us Rosemary Foccacia Bread with Italian seasoning infused olive oil dipping sauce.
For appetizers, we shared a Fried Calamari, Caesar Salad, and Arugula Salad. The Fried Calamari was a bit too bready on some of the pieces. It was served with Basil Aioli, Gremolata, and Marinara Sauce. The Caesar Salad consisted of chopped romaine lettuce tossed in a cheesy Caesar dressing and topped with parmesan shavings and rosemary foccacia croutons. It was a bit too cheesy for me. The Arugula Salad consisted of a bed of arugula surrounded by roasted beets, golden delicious apples, oranges, and candied walnuts in a carrot vinaigrette.
For entrees, we shared the Salmon Penne Pasta and Chicken Marsala. The Salmon Penne Pasta consisted of penne topped with seared salmon, cooked spinach, and sliced grape tomatoes in a rich and creamy, vodka cream sauce. The Salmon Penne Pasta is my favorite dish at Kora, I order it every time! The Chicken Marsala consisted of pan roasted chicken breast topped with sautéed mushrooms in a marsala sauce over a scampi capellini. I felt that the dish was on the blander side as there was only a hint of marsala wine.
For dessert, I recommend either the Citrus Burst or homemade sorbet. The Citrus Burst consisted of a slice of lemon cake, filled and topped with white chocolate buttercream and shavings, served with a scoop of lime sorbet and Grand Mariner infused mandarin oranges.

By far on of the worst Italian restaurant i have ever tried. We we were 7 so we almost have some of most of the menu, the food was horrible !!
Not even containing 1% of any flavors !
If u consider eating here, I’m recommending to think more than twice before doing that.

Huge portions. Mediocre food. The free bread was the best part of the meal in my opinion. Had the chicken parm. Chicken was dry and the dish overall was just not very flavorful. Service wasn’t great but not awful either. Food took awhile to come even though the restaurant was relatively empty.
It was also uncomfortably warm in there the night I went.
Will not be returning

Ordered the arugula salad with carrot vinaigrette — the red beets were cocked just right and the carrot vinaigrette was a perfect match for the spiciness of the arugula and the earthiness of the red beets. The apples and the orange balanced it all out! Absolutely delish ! The calamari was also good but too many tiny tentacles… and no dipping sauce, which is ok for me, but if you must have it, will need to ask for it. The restaurant looked nice and clean except for the windows– pigeon poo… the waiter was attentive but not too intrusive. Price… yeah, little up there… My salad, the calamari, plus a glass of wine came out to about $ 26 (not including the tip)…
I will definitely be back for more!!!

The staff here was very friendly, but I found the food to be uninspired. The relatively straightforward, decent-​sized menu was full of mostly standard items. My shrimp and scallop scampi pasta had a decent amount of shrimp and tiny, tiny scallops in the massive mound of pasta, but the flavors were all lost under the overbearing sauce. A side of sautéed spinach didn’t have much flavor and was almost soupy in the amount of water in the bowl. The food arrives in large portions that are probably easily split between two people.
I found the industrial décor here to be pretty bland and cold — lots of grey, cement, and at least one dull purple wall with sparse floral designs and a couple pink curtains separating the dining areas in the high-​ceilinged main room. That said, I did like the brick oven and pizza-​making area located at the front of the restaurant. The bar also has a giant wall-​sized TV placed above a ‘normal’ TV, and there’s another wall-​sized TV located above the pizza area.

Disappointing. Very noisy. Slow service. When the sever finally came to take my order she was so soft spoken I had trouble hearing her. I asked for a glass of water when I ordered a drink. The Italian sangria was pretty good but a very small serving – about the size of a six ounce pour of wine but filled with ice. The glass of water never showed up.
Warm bread and dish of olive oil and herbs to dip it in was a nice start.
The arugula salad was outstanding. It included Gorgonzola crumbles, beets, chunks of green apples, walnuts, and orange wedges. However, it was a very long wait for the lasagne to arrive.
A bus person took away my knife and fork with the salad plate. When the lasagne arrived I had to chase down more silverware. No one asked if I’d like another glass of sangria. Still no water.
The lasagne was good but not great. Not much meat in the meat sauce but a nice large portion.
I was half way through the lasagne and no one had come by to ask how it was or if I wanted anything else, like a glass of wine or water.
Finally, on my last bite, the server came by and asked if everything was okay.
Overall, there is nothing special about the atmosphere and the food is good but the service poor.
No WiFi. However, they do have a Unilocal check-​in offer of a free Caesar or garden salad.

The interior didn’t feel super inviting upon entering, but the drink specials are awesome: $ 3 Budweiser; $ 3.50 Miller Lite; $ 3.50 Stella Artois; $ 4 Abita Turbo Dog; $ 6 Wines; $ 6.50 Rail Drinks; $ 6 Metropolitans
Service was pretty quick, and I liked that the bar area was separate from the dining area. It wasn’t too crowded which I liked, but there was plenty of room if it were to get so.
We thought about staying for dinner because the food menu looked pretty delicious, but decided to go somewhere with better deals. That turned out to be a bad idea, so I’d definitely be open to eating here!

Classic Happy House location for Crystal City.
Keep in mind that happy hour is only offered at the bar/​lounge area, but it runs from 3:00 — 8:30PM– amazing, right? I am sure you will be able to find something you like a Kora to wet your whistle. $ 3 Budweiser; $ 3.50 Miller Lite; $ 3.50 Stella Artois; $ 4 Abita Turbo Dog; $ 6 Wines; $ 6.50 Rail Drinks; $ 6 Metropolitans; they also had $ 3 Winter Angry Orchards when I was at Kora.
Along with drink specials they also offer most of their pizzas and sandwich for half off! If you check-​in on Unilocal you also receive an offer for a free Cesar Salad. How can you go wrong with that?
Overall Kora had some pretty great deals. Mind you I didn’t eat anything, we were just here for beverages. I would make my way back to Kora for a meal; everything we saw looked great!