Olazzo — Restaurant in Maryland

I picked this place to come celebrate a casual bday dinner with my family. I’ve been here one time before and everyone enjoyed the food, so I wanted to come back. We arrived and there was a 45 minute wait to accommodate our group of 5, which was perfectly fine as they do not take reservations. It’s first come first serve. After the 45 minutes, we were called and we were seated in one of the front booths by the bar which was extremely overcrowded by the people seated at the bar or hovering around watching a game. We couldn’t hear each other or even walk through since the people at the bar were crowded primarily where we were seated. Our party could not comfortably fit on the table, the booth was very small and one of our guests were hanging one leg off on the ground since the booth could not seat us all. It’s more so a 4 seater in my opinion. Regardless, I went to the hostess to ask for a bar stool since the tables sit high and she said that when they called after our wait that this table was what they had and we could squeeze. I’m not sure how that is acceptable at any establishment, to ask people to sit uncomfortably at a table that doesn’t accommodate the party size after waiting the said time is absurd. The manager came and told us a bigger table would be available in the dinning room in a few minutes. After waiting a while, he brought a bar stool instead, which was frustrating after being promised a bigger table away from the bar. Nevertheless, the staff brought out the bread and it was burnt which was already disappointing again and I was just shocked that they believed that this was okay. And I’m talking about charred black burnt on one side of every piece of bread given. The waiter then came over and was rude and had an attitude the entire time we were there. We gave him our orders and when the food came out, one of the orders was wrong. The waiter then came back and tried to tell the persons who’s order was incorrect that that was what he ordered with an attitude and my guest had to proceed and correct him on which order it actually was. The rest of the food was great according to my guests but I lost my appetite with the poor service and experience. It saddened me that I chose this place to celebrate with my family for my birthday and it was a complete let down. Customers should never be treated so rudely by their servers and especially on a special day like their birthday. I understand it was busy and the server could have been frustrated but that’s no excuse. This experience made me never want to come back here again. They need...

After an hour of Pokemon Go raiding in Bethesda, we asked a friend for a great date night restaurant for Italian cuisine and she said we must go to Olazzo in Woodmont Triangle. When we arrived, there was short wait for a table as they had to clean off one for us.

The restaurant had dimmed lighting, which gave off a romantic and intimate setting. The walls were a warm yellow color and covered with framed photographs and black and white paintings. In the back of the room, there was a tv playing old films. In the background, they had light music playing.

Their food and drink menu is straightforward. They had a notable wine list. Being a weeknight, we opted out for wine. My boyfriend ordered a few beers while I slowly enjoy a glass of limoncello.

Before placing food order, our server Emma brought us a basket of warm italian bread and a balsamic vinegar and olive oil dipping sauce. The bread was crispy around the edges and soft in the middle.

The service was excellent throughout our dining experience. Emma was warm, friendly, and hospitable. She checked up on us to see if we needed anything else.

For appetizers, we shared an order of Stuffed Dates, which consisted of four medjool dates stuffed with creamy and smooth goat cheese, wrapped in crispy pancetta, served in a sweet chanti reduction, and garnished with fresh herbs.

For dinner, my boyfriend ordered the Salmon Mango, which consisted of a grilled lightly seasoned salmon filet sauteed with a vegetable medley and served with a mango salsa. The vegetable medley consisted of bell peppers, mushrooms, red onions, and broccoli. If you like the taste of peppers, this is a dish you'll love. I ordered the Ravioli Rose, which consisted of six round raviolis filled with a cheese blend of ricotta, parmesan, romano, and mozzarella, served with tomato cream sauce, and garnished with fresh basil. The creamy tomato sauce was light but still enjoyable.

Each entree came with a house salad, which consisted of romaine, spring greens, cucumbers, and red onion tossed in homemade vinaigrette. It was delicious.

For desserts, we debated between the Blueberry Cheesecake and Tiramisu but went with the latter. The Tiramisu consisted of square shaped cake made of espresso and liqueur dipped savoiardi cookies, sweetened mascarpone, and cocoa powder. I liked how it was light and...

UPDATE I was able to speak with the owner, and I am willing to give Olazzo another try. I am looking forward to going again with hopes that my experience is 100x better.

Original post: I usually do not post reviews, but I have to today. I absolutely love this place. Usually the food is great, the employees are great, and the service is usually great. Well, yesterday afternoon, it definitely was not. I used to come to Olazzo all the time, but with work constraints, I go every once in a while. When I do go, I usually order the same thing every time. I order the Fettuccine with shrimp, a side of bread with oil and with like what seems of a balsamic vinegar. As I was placing my order, it seemed rushed by my server. Now, maybe I am missing something, but it did not seem that busy and he definitely was not the only server on the floor. The bread was dropped off at my table along with the oil and vinegar, and my drink. Okay fine. Then I received my order. My goodness! It was cold and bland. It usually tastes like it had some garlic and cheese flavor to the Fettuccine, but yesterday it tasted like it only was Fettuccine noodles, shrimp, and canned sauce, like Prego alfredo sauce. To top that off, it was cold. I didn't bother sending it back because from what I gathered the first time, it seemed as though the server was extremely busy. Then, I go to order some more bread and another drink, but as I am asking for it, my waiter starts to walk away saying "yeah yeah". What in the tom foolery is happening. After I finish my plate, he takes my plate and two minutes later, the check is on my table. What is happening here??? I usually don't ask for dessert, but today I was going to try something off the dessert menu. I was extremely upset. So I paid the bill and left only a $2.00. Usually when I come to Olazzo, I like to tip the servers up to the bills total for their service and attentiveness to my needs. It wasn't this time. I was so upset that I left my card, made it all the way home, and had to come back to get it. Will I come again? I honestly don't know. It takes one bad experience for me to say, I am not...