Piero’s Corner

Hopefully it won’t open again with the same menu and ownership with just a different name.

Great service, awful food! My husband and I went on a Friday night despite the mixed reviews. We both got pizza and split calamari. The calamari was rubbery and inedible. When the pizza arrived it looked like it was previously frozen or was a heated up Sysco product — not brick oven. I tried both and they were not good and greasy. The only reason for two stars is because our server was great. I really wanted this place to be good but it is just not.

Went to Piero’s for the first time Saturday night. Place had a good crowd. Got seated in the bar area. Service was ok, reason being 1 waiter, 13 tables all at once.
Food was good, got the scallops wrapped in bacon. Get the lobster bisque! Best I ever had. Beats GAR’s. Pasta was ok, cream sauce was a little to thick. Desert was good. Good atmosphere, did not try to rush you out. We’ll be going back again.
We ended up going to Piero’s a minimum of once per week. The piano player was great, karaōke was fun as well. Met a great group of people who enjoyed life and good food. The staff became part of your family. Sorry to see it closed because of the economy.

Terrible! The food was tasteless. We got a glass with lipstick on it! Gross. The highlight of our meal was when my youngest son went to the bathroom and said he saw boobs in all of the artwork. The men’s bathroom décor is naked women… awesome! Won’t be back.

My husband and I went for our 11^th anniversary, our first visit. The wine selection was pretty good, side salad was delicious, our big bowl of mussels was out of this world!
My main dish was a disaster. How to get a simple spaghetti dish wrong? Noodles tasted like they were sitting in lukewarm water all day, and the tomato sauce too acidic. I had to take it back, and they gave me a comlimentary dish of their gelato. It tasted like frozen butter spritzed with lemon juice!
We would go back for those mussels in a flash, but we’re weary of anything else.

Still miss Carlos. Piero has hands down the worst Italian fare we have experienced. Totally not worth the price. The ambiance upon entering kept our expectations high, however that was quickly dashed by the wait to even be acknowledged. We are seafood lovers so of course I ordered a shrimp dish and my hubby went for the scallops. The wait was over a half hour which would have been excusable if the wait was worth it. The shrimp were on the old side already aquiring a slight Ammonia taste that comes with age. The scallops were completely overcooked and chewy. The pasta seemed ok
All in all money is too hard to earn to waste on overpriced substandard fare. Most distressing since this is our closest restaurant and we love to eat local!’

Made a visit this past Sunday for their special Father’s Day Brunch Buffet. Man was it worth the money and then some. $ 24.99 is $ 5 bucks more than some other local brunch buffets (PJ Skidoos) but there is not way you can compare the quality and selection of food to these places. Plus with drinks included the price come closer to equal.
1. Excellent selection, much more than your standard brunch fare such as eggs, bacon, sausage, french toast, blah blah blah. This place had a prime rib roast being carved to order!!! Their pasta dishes with beef, fish, meatballs were all very flavorful and tasty. Crab legs, shrimp, seafood table on ice along with some nice looking salads.
2. Their fruits were more than just canned pineapples, oranges and peaches. Fresh cut pineapple, strawberries, melons.
3. I’m not a big dessert fan but this place had a great selection of desserts as well. The chocolate cake was moist and decadent. Chocolate chip cookies were ridiculous. Key lime pie, cheesecake, etc… all looked excellent.
4. PIZZA!!! Some of the best pizza in the area hands down. I dare anyone to go up against their pizza in a blind taste test. Crust is light but still has nice chew and balance. Perfect amount of sauce/​cheese ratio. The biggest advantage this place has is the wood burning oven. You can really taste the subtle smoke in their pizza and this is something that most pizza joints around here simply can’t compete with.
5. Excellent rolls, could eat these all day with some oil/​vinegar and cold cuts…
Couple of issues with organization of items and lack of labeling. Wish they had some warm clarified butter for the crab legs and some shell breakers too. Lot’s of different things to eat and a few items were placed in odd spots such as the waffles not being next to the warm syrup, whipped cream, strawberry station.
I will be back soon and often to try different items. Wish it were closer to home so I could get the pizza once a week.

The menu at Piero’s has changed recently and each entrée now comes with the choice of soup or salad. My wife had salad and I had the opportunity to try the two soups offered that day. The salad was very fresh and tasty and the soups; cream of asparagus and chicken minestrone, were both excellent (they change their soup menu daily). I had Lasagna for my entrée which was terrific. In the past the pasta was soft and soupy but the noodles are now cooked longer and are more firm and really enhances makes the dish.
They have changed their pesto which now comes with three items; finely chopped brown olives, artichoke and basil based (I think) green pesto. All three are very good.
The owners listen to the customers and are willing to take their advice on how to improve the meals and the dining experience. They are willing to go the extra mile to make sure that you are taken care of. If what you want is not on the menu, ask and they will probably prepare what you want.
I have been going to Piero’s since it opened and I am very pleased with the direction the owners are taking.

I love Piero’s Corner. This is one of my husband and my favorite date spots. The staff is friendly, the wine list is extensive and I think the food is delicious.
As sad as I was to see Carlos O’Kelly’s go (initially anyways), I think Piero’s uses the space well. The layout is a mixture of tables and booths with a huge oven in the middle. I think being able to watch pizza come out of said oven really adds a certain charm to the experience.
Specifics on food: I highly recommend the pasta carbonara, avocado chicken, pizza, meatballs and scampi. I would skip the risotto balls and calamari as IMO they are a little under seasoned.
Big plus: there is almost never a wait on a Friday night. Total score!

First let me say that we want Piero’s in Fairfax to be great and successful.
We have been going to this location of Piero’s since it opened. It has had it’s hi-​lights and it’s low-​lights. All in all this is what we are currently experiencing:
PRO’s: Marinara and meat sauce, meatball and pasta dishes still very good as long as you ask for «aldente», Salads fresh, Mussels good and plentiful, good beer, good bread, Good Service (they all try hard).
Love the small plates — enjoy being able to have a variety and not over eat.
CON’s: Pizza is not consistent. It goes from a very good pizza (dough that bubbles fresh & enough tomatoe sauce reaching out to the crust with equal amounts of cheese) to a pizza that looks and tastes like a store bought version. Experienced this latter type last week (noticed they were using rolling pins to stretch the dough).
Sauces are not consistent: Marsala and Lemon sauces go from have a good consistency with great body of flavor to a flavorless, thin juice.
Chicken Parm: Agree with another « Unilocaler» that the size is now ½ the size and has kept the same price. I actually felt that the old size was to big for the average eater and always ended up taking alot home (most warmed up foods are just not as good). Last week when we were there the chicken breasts looked very small, overcooked and hardly any sauce. I think there should be a good place in the middle that will satisfy 90% of Piero’s customers.
Deserts are okay but not always the freshest.
Management will always make it right — but it is great to have it right the first time.

My first visit here was shortly after they opened. I’ll admit, I was a little disappointed. However, my second visit made me a fan. Their Alfredo sauce is creamy and perfectly seasoned and the wine selection is decent.
I ordered the chicken parm and the waiter happily allowed me to order marinara on my chicken and substitute Alfredo sauce on my pasta. I wasn’t a big fan of their pizza, but was pleased with their traditional Italian-​American fare.

I’ve been to Piero’s many times, as it is one of the closest bar/​restaurants to my house making it very convenient. I use to highly recommend this place as a great happy hour spot but recently they have not been at the top of their game.
Pros:
Great big beer glasses upon request
1.99 and 2.99 happy hour tap beers
Some craft beer on tap
Complementary bread and a oil/​basil dip
The meatball appetizer is great
Cheap pizzettes which are a small pizza-​like dish
Cons:
Some portion sizes were literally cut in half (e.g., chicken parm) with no adjustment in price
The seafood dishes skimp on the seafood and just load the dish with pasta
Most food overall is mediocre at best — fluctuating between bland and greasy to overly salty and covered in basil.

Wasn’t impressed. A friend and I stopped in to meet here because it was more or less a halfway point between us. There didn’t seem like anything besides Papa Johns nearby, so we gave this a try.
Maybe this really is authentic Italian food and I’m just completely ignorant, but I wasn’t impressed at all. Very bland fried calamari (I didn’t even know fried food could be that bland), chewy bruschetta, and the pizza was «eh» at best. Even the little bit of marinara or sauce that came with the calamari was ridiculously sweet. Whats that, Ragu?
It was a busy Friday night, so some people apparently like this place. I dunno, maybe its just me. Seems like most of the reviews are 5 stars. I don’t get it.
All that said, the wait staff was extremely nice and very attentive.

This was my first and will be my last visit to Piero’s. The service was good our young server was attentive & came to check at appropriate intervals. However, the food was not that special. I had the Chicken with a white wine & light cream sauce, avocado and a side of pasta. The chicken had a hard baked on slice of prosciutto with a bit of cheese on it and the accompanying pasta basically had no flavor. I was very disappointed to see two very brown slices of avocado being served. I asked my kind server if I could have the avocado replaced and he kindly obliged. What he brought back was only slightly better. It seems that the kitchen has pre cut slices that are kept in the refrigerator and used as needed. This is a mistake. They should slice them to order and as needed. Anyway, I am sorry but I will not be coming back. I do not expect the quality and taste to change any time soon.

I would simply give it a one star. It was that bad.
We tried a seafood dish and a meat dish.
The seafood:
On the menu, under «Seafood», it says,
«In Cinque Terre, Liguria (My hometown) seafood is common at the dinner table, Cooking seafood is my specialty ~ Gian Piero»
Well my seafood, Spaghetti Cinque Terre was much below my expectation. It tasted no way like what Italians would make it. The sea scallops were the only seafood that was fresh. Shrimps were tiny and tough, one of the only two clams was shut with lots of sand in it, another one did not even show up. Missing in action. Mussels were not fresh with shells half open and the mussels small and kind of stuck in the shell, calamari was chewy. The sauce was a dull soup and it was served in a deep bowl. After I removed all the shells from the bowl, it looked like Ramen with less soup. The sauce was tomato based and light but lacking flavor.
The meat:
The meat dish we tried this evening was «Pollo Avocado».
On the menu, it says «fresh avocado», but what we got was brown color avocado covered up with the white wine sauce and some creamy sauce. Nice try! We told our server and he apologized and brought a better looking avocado right away. They should always cut avocado just before serving, otherwise, the color changes. The chicken was okay. The sauce for the angel hair was all butter and maybe some wine and tasted unhealthy.
The only good things were the gratis bread with the garlicky olive oil & basil dip, and the very attentive young male server Mark.
It is hard to believe this restaurant is run by an Italian person from Italy, judging from the food that we ate this evening, I’m sorry to say.

Our 3^rd visit here and, as usual, we left full and happy. We have tried quite a few entrees and always loved our meals– plus, we have yet to leave without leftovers as the portions are MASSIVE. I tried the avocado chicken this time which was a huge plate of creamy, delicious goodness. I have a new favorite. My picky toddler loves the giant meatloaf and the kids’ ravioli, so kudos to them for that.
The place is always clean and the staff always attentive. I have no complaints :)
My only constructive criticism would be regarding the tiramisu (granted, I have travelled Italy extensively and have a high expectation for tiramisu made in-​house). Theirs is good and I’ve ordered it twice now, but needs a bit more flavor. It seems a little cakey, so they are either not using enough espresso OR not letting it sit for a day or two before serving (this dish is always better after the first day). Honestly, though, it’s still very good and I will probably continue to order it after my meal– when I have room left.

Wow — brunch here has taken a serious nose-​dive, so much so that I don’t think I’ll be returning. What caused the drop from 4 stars to 2 for me today? Well…
–Eggs Benedict: used to be fabulous; they’ve now changed the format to «make your own,» with a bottleneck of people waiting for English muffins to toast, then topping the muffins with poached eggs that are cold and sitting in a pan of their poached egg water, and the ham was just Oscar Mayer deli ham, no more Canadian bacon.
–Bacon: no more crispy bacon, just a big soggy mess of greasy, floppy strips.
–Fruit tray: gone are the decadent days of mango, pineapple, juicy berries, and bananas, not replaced by brown pears, hard melons, and soggy strawberries.
–Service: you figure at a buffet, the waitstaff has one job — clear old plates from the tables in their station… nope, didn’t really happen today.
–Coffee: tasted like free hotel lobby watery coffee
Upsides: they added a salad bar with some nice options, and the waffles are still fluffy and pretty fresh, plus the omelette bar is nice. However, the bottlenecking and layout of this place is a disaster post-11:30 on Sundays. Make sure you have a reservation, but you will still be bumping into people constantly as you get your food.
Sad, Piero’s…I was hoping we had a found a permanent buffet spot, but alas, our search continues for a Sunday buffet in DC/​NoVA…

Since the owner moved out of San Vito’s and into Piero’s Corner the menu has improved and the ambiance as well. I have been coming here ever since this location opened. This is a good family restaurant and also a good place for a date night. They have a couple of specials for wine during the week. My favorite dish is the Autumn style pork, which is more like a French dish, but it is really a good dish.
One thing they seem to not give too much attention to is their menus. I am not a nitpicker, but they do not always have consistency across the menus, my date had different menu choices than me and also a different specials menu. Also the spelling wasn’t correct, but that doesn’t bother me, the food and wine is where I care.

Simple Italian Restaurant. You get what you expect for your Italian cravings, nothing too special. Used my Unilocal deal here, $ 10 for $ 20 and was uneasy about taking the savings.
The space is more upscale than your ledo’s pizza.

We went with a deal for $ 20 giving us two seats for the buffet. The line for the omelets must have take 15 minutes or more. I saw people standing with plates in line, and I looked everywhere for them. Finally I asked someone in line where they got their plate, and they pointed to an empty shelf at the beginning of the line. Someone came and restacked the plates and we were moving again. They only had two people making them, so it moved slowly. They served slices of pork at the beginning of the line, so it was ice cold by the time you actually got your food.
On the other side of the restaurant they have the rest of the buffet. Soggy bacon isn’t my idea of tasty. Every strip could have used another minute or two of frying. I get back to our table and don’t see any silverware. So I made another round about the restaurant, and couldn’t find any silverware anywhere. I flagged down a server, and he said that we should have received them when we sat down.
I ate my plate of food — omelet, pork, sausage, bacon and it was all decent. Then I figured that I’d get a salad. So, I stood at the salad bar (they make them for you). After a few minutes, I asked a server how this works. She said that she’d get someone to make a salad for me. I got my salad, and off I went. I ended up wanting another salad, so I went back 20 – 30 minutes later. There was a lady in front of me getting a great-​looking one made for her.
When she was served, the person asked me what I would like. I said, «I’ll have what she had.» *blank stare* I tried very possible way to tell the person making the salads that I want whatever she had just finished making, but she just couldn’t understand English. She kept asking me which one I wanted, and I kept telling her to just repeat what she just made. Finally she grabbed a manager and he translated to her to duplicate what she had just made. I couldn’t make out what kind it was because it didn’t resemble any of the five samples that they had on display, otherwise I would have simply ordered to the wilted examples provided.
For $ 20 total it wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t pay $ 38 for two people to eat here for a brunch buffet.