Pesto Ristorante

Excellent

READ THIS, BUT DO NOT GO THERE: I haven’t Unilocaled much, and while I haven’t been to Pesto Ristorante since March of 2009, I feel compelled to share my horrible experience with the Unilocal community.
I should have known there was a problem when I was able to make a last-​minute reservation for six at 7:30 on a Saturday night.
The service was incredibly slow and unresponsive: I believe this was the owner was our waiter. Regardless, he was nonchalant, inattentive, and sarcastic, at best.
When my meal (veal scaloppini) arrived, the potatoes were cold, the carrots moderately warm, and the veal room temperature. When our waiter finally returned and I informed him of the problem, he responded with abrupt indignation. The plate returned minutes later with hot, tasteless food.
The restroom featured a short ceiling and a rodent trap: the restroom adjoins the dining area.
I recommend this restaurant to no one and will return only if a post-​apocalyptic nuclear blast leaves me alive and Pesto Ristorante standing.

Awful. Last time we went there, the olive oil brought with the bread was actually canola oil — it was obvious from the taste and color. When I asked the owner about it, he claimed that it was olive oil, but that it tasted different because «customers don’t like the taste of strong olive oil» — this only made matters worse. The bread was also a joke; old Safeway bread. Finally, the meal followed this general pattern… total disappointment.

That picture (see above) of the inside of the restaurant… yeah that’s pretty accurate. Saturday night, 8:30 pm, and we were the only ones in the restaurant. The food was decent (desserts especially), so I guess go there if you can sit outdoors (there were maybe 5 seats out there though). But I can’t see a situation where I go back…

I don’t care if it’s Zagat rated, this place doesn’t deserve it. First of all, it was completely empty, but they still chose to seat us RIGHT next to the door. I thought that was kind of odd. Anyway, about the food. First we had the insalata mista: Good, but pretty hard to screw this one up. I thought it was kind of small, but maybe I was just really hungry. For dinner, I ordered the chicken (don’t know why?) and it was SOOOO salty. I needed a gallon of water afterwards. My friend had the spaghetti Bolognese and said it was really salty, too. I can’t understand how they stay in business being in the location they are when the food is not that great.

NO GO for the lack luster taste of Pesto. This place reminds me of a «ho» that looks good on the outside, but as you travel inwards, you realize the money was not worth the trip. This has to be some of the most bland, no tasting, time wasting, money sucking, damned f*cking, Italian American food I have ever experienced, shall I say,
Oh No, Pesto, you suck for the buck!!!
Now for good Italian food for much less, try Pines of Florence a mile down the street, a much better meal that has taste and is easy on the Benji’s:-)!! Yes babbbbyyyyy!!!

We went here to try someplace new, with that typical anticipation of a «find»
However the entire meal was unremarkable and because of that, priced too high.
You can do much better for less down the hill a bit at Pines of Florence or Odeon.

I’ve always been really satisfied with my food here. I’ve tried a few different dishes and they’ve all been hearty and flavorful. The service, however, is spotty. The man who I assume to be the owner has been extremely engaging at times, and totally distracted (with his computer) at other times.
The draw to this place is that since it’s not nestled in with the rest of the Woodley Park restaurants, it avoids the masses of noisy tourists. I’m sure I’ll return.

Pesto is one of those restaurants that I walk by all the time, but never have tried… until last night. Since it is set apart from the Woodley restaurant strip, it always seems to be not so crowded, as was the case when we arrived. Only two other tables were seated (one of them had children — so it’s family-​friendly), so we were seated quickly. I was a little disappointed however, because it was such a beautiful night and the waiter said they weren’t seating outside:(That must have lost him some business…
Anyway, the waiter was very quick to come to our table and ask for our order — almost too quick, in fact. He was a little cocky, and made that even more apparent when he took our order. We wanted the caprese salad, but it wasn’t being served bc of the tomato ban. So naturally, my fellow diners and I discussed a bit, in front of him, about our second option. He seemed annoyed that he had to wait, and then said «wait, what do you want? you confused me completely.» Kind of rude. Then after ordering the rest of the meals, he seemed to grab our menus out of our hands. I should give the guy a break bc he was the ONLY server on, and I think he was just trying to be efficient — but it was a bit much.
On to the food: The waiter kept the bread basket filled constantly, so kudos for that, though the bread was pretty unexciting — just plain white bread. But doused in olive oil anything tastes good, so perhaps that explains the emptying bread basket. For appetizer, we got the roasted eggplant, yum!!! Very good size to share with three people. Then we had the salmon, pasta shells w/​eggplant, and fettucini with shrimp. The salmon had a delicious pesto sauce on top and some roasted potatoes (w/​rosemary — the only spice I can’t really stand, but that’s not Pesto’s fault). The sauces on both pastas was delicious, but not as «hearty» as expected, more of a light marinara. Not sure if the pasta was homemade, though I imagine it was. Also, the shrimp and eggplant did not make a big showing in the pasta dishes, though these ingredients were present and did add flavor.
Now, enough Debbie Downer from me! The food was decent-​to-​good, the price was right, the service fast, and the atmosphere unpretentious. So I am going to give this neighborhood haunt an «A-​OK.» Perhaps next time around the outdoor seating might bump that rating!

Yeah… not a fan. The stars are for the location & the outside seating… and the wine, I guess. As for the food? Certainly not worth going back for. As a cook, I hate going out to eat and having meals I know I could make significantly better on my own. and this is the case with Pesto. The sauces lacked the punch of flavor they needed and the service was iffy at best. Overall this meal was a dissapointment…

Great little neighborhood place, with simple but tasty meals. We tried it to vary from the crowds in Cleveland Park and Woodley Park, and it is a refreshing change. It has a pleasant, unhurried feel about it, even though service is prompt without being intrusive. Everything we have had has been very good, particularly the eggplant appetizer, Saltibocca, and chicken artichoke. This has become one of our favorites, and we return at least monthly. a real gem.

I can’t imagine what the person who slammed this place was thinking. This is a great little neighborhood place run by a chef who has cooked at some big-​time locations in Italy, Dallas and DC. The food is simple, but excellent and the atmosphere warm and friendly. Good wine list featuring Italian wines you might not find elsewhere. Nice outdoor seating in season, too. NEWS FLASH: As of 12÷31÷09, Pesto is out of business. Hope Vincenzo opens up somewhere else soon.

I had high expectations after seeing two five star reviews, but i was very disapointed.
The service was not good at all, which was especially annoying since there was only one large party in the back room, one party of four and us. I would have expected prompter service and more attention due to the lack of customers.
The bread was good and the wine i had was exceptional. But it went down hill from there. I will say that the food came out within 10 minutes of ordering, which was great. I got the orichette with eggplant, tomato and mozarella. It was tasty but still seemed somewhat bland. Like the sauce was missing something, and i can’t put my finger on what. I did not finish it, not because i was full, but because i just didn’t want to eat any more. It was definitely palatable but i just didn’t want any more.
I left pesto still hungry and somewhat disapointed. Maybe i caught it on a bad night since they did have the big party. But it just wasn’t filling, wasn’t that good and is not something i want to try again.

This is definitely a spot you have to find out about from someone in the neighborhood (or on Unilocal!) Food and service here is wonderful and the ambiance also adds a wonderful touch to any meal.
Pesto is located in the bottom floor of a nondescript apartment building and it’s awning is hidden by the trees somewhat, so it can be easy to miss. Walking inside the colors are very warm and the space is small enough to make the experience feel intimate.
Service here is done very well, with wait staff knowing the menu and making excellent recommendations. We were given very attentive service, but the waiter also knew when to allow us to just sit back and enjoy our wine.
Food was also excellent and a step above most of the italian disasters I have eaten at in DC. We started with a portabello mushroom baked with balsamic vinegar and covered with a lovely goat cheese. My wife had an eggplant pasta dish that was quite excellent, and I had a pesto salmon that was cooked and seasoned perfectly.
The wine list here is pretty small and doesn’t offer a lot of affordable options by the bottle, but there are several that you can get by the glass that may be enjoyable. They also have a fully stocked bar that you can get drinks from.
Prices here are very reasonable, given the quality of the food and service.
Overall, a lovely experience and definitely a place I will be returning to several times.

A hidden gem that somehow manages to escape the tourist crowds from the national zoo just up the hill. This place is tucked away in the first floor of an apt building and feels like a family dining room. Small, intimate, quiet, and filled only (it seems) with locals. Its the most flavorful and satisfying italian fare ive had in DC. Great date place or just for a quiet dinner, the chef often comes out to talk with many of the patrons, and the service is very personable and quick. There is also a very small bar tucked away in the corner. This place feels like its a secret that only local folks know about, and hopefully it will stay that way. Check it out.