Pulcinella Italian Kitchen — Restaurant in McLean

Why do people still go to this restaurant? My last visit was my last. Let's start with the food: at best, the pizza is average, and the rest of the food is poor - and in many cases inedible. Let's take the meatballs: How, in all good conscience, can an Italian restaurant serve overcooked, grey, meatballs that taste like gasoline? If this was the first time that I have been served terrible food at this restaurant, I would chalk it off to a bad day, but really, bad meatballs every single time? Which gets us to the next issue - service. When I showed the waitress the inedible meatball (you get one big, bad one) she did not really seem to care. I asked to speak to the manager. At this point, I was not upset, just thought the manager should know that the kitchen ws making bad meatballs. What happened? Nothing. No manager. The bill came and no adjustment or accommodation had been made for the fact that I had returned my entire entree and declared it a disaster zone. Now, I was upset. So, as I was leaving, I saw that the managers and/or owners (at least one of them is an a large painting on the wall of the restaurant) hanging around the desk. So I went up to them and told them that I was surprised that after I had compained nobody had bothered to come to my table. One of them then stated, I am serious here: "Oh, I thought that you were joking." Really? Joking? I sent my dinner back and did not get to eat and paid for bad food I could not eat - and I was "joking"? So here is the thing: Why do people still frequent this restaurant? The managers and owners clearly do not care about the customers, so why should you bother to frequent their restaurant? Their meatballs would not be served in a prison canteen, and they do not care - actually, they think it is a joke. Which gets us to the last issue: Decor. The decor reflects exactly what you would expect - it has not been changed in all the years I have been frequenting this restaurant. The same heavily stained ceiling tiles that were there 5 years ago are still there, and the same crummy plastic tablecloths. Why? Because ownership does not care. They think that they can keep running their cashcow and raking it in, because customers keep on coming back - so they just don't care. So do yourself, and the rest of McLean, a favor and stop frequenting this restaurant. Then maybe management will wake up and realize that we are not all the chumps that they take us for today. They should get what they deserve: an...

Tucked away like a neighborhood gem, this quaint restaurant strikes a perfect balance between cozy and lively. It has that rare, magnetic charm where strangers become neighbors, tables might strike up conversation, laughter flows freely and it always feels like you’re part of something special. Whether you’re in the mood for an intimate dinner or a more spirited night out, the atmosphere adapts to your vibe seamlessly.

The waitstaff and kitchen operate with a rhythm that feels almost musical, like an old jazz ensemble playing in perfect harmony. Even during the busiest nights, with a line out the door and a steady stream of takeout orders, the service never falters. It’s smooth, attentive, and genuinely warm.

The food is absolutely stellar. Everything is made fresh daily, including their remarkable house bread, crispy on the outside, tender and airy on the inside. A few standout starters include the bruschetta and Fried Misto - a delicious combo of calamari and zucchini.

Salads are thoughtfully composed, fresh, and flavorful. Favorites include the burrata, red beet salad, Insalata Bella Napoli and the warm shrimp salad. As for entrées, it’s hard to pick just one, standouts include the grilled branzino, the Festa del Mare (a seafood medley over spaghetti), Spaghetti alle Vongole, Linguine Agnello with lamb and pesto, and the butternut squash ravioli.

And then there’s the pizza, an absolute must! Baked in a coal-fired oven, the crust is everything: slightly crispy, tender on the inside, and full of deep, developed flavor. It’s clear the recipe has been refined over years of love and dedication. Personal favorites include the Vongole (clam pizza, to which I add shrimp), Ortolano, Ruchetta, Puttanesca, and Salsiccia. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of them.

What truly sets this restaurant apart, though, are the two co-owners, longtime friends whose passion is woven into every aspect of the experience. Their presence is felt in the details, in the hospitality, and in the way you’re made to feel like a guest in their home, not just a customer.

Pulcinella is a place you return to, not just for the food, but for the feeling it gives you. Warm, welcoming, and...

I would have given it a zero if I could, and the main reason it dropped from a 3 to a 1, was the attitude of their fearless leader, the owner!!! Please don't blame or educate any customers, especially when they tell you it's their very first time here and I was going to even say, we made a last minute u-turn to come to you instead of trying for the very first time, Ruffino's in Arlington, that your food was ehh at best and the service was horrendous, that covid-19 is to blame, shaking my head in disgust! Your business needs a redo prior to covid-19. How about sinking money into it vs your range rover for starters!!! Chairs are falling apart, tables are old, bathrooms are old, carpets are too. The gentleman from India or Pakistan who waited on us could have been less pushy and more attentive and you could have said hello and is everything ok, like you did with other tables but ours, and maybe I wouldn't have had the urgency to educate you on how business should be run! As a business owner myself, not in the food business, but in the people, customer service, landlording business, my tenants come first!!! I never blame the management, covid-19 etc, I take ownership of their problems as if they were my own and do whatever it takes to make things right so they stay and keep paying. You alienated me and my wife, thank God she didn't hear you talking the way you did to me, thank God, since she wouldn't ever give you the time of day to come back and send people your way!!! We all have our shortcomings sir, but blaming your problems on staff, it's hard to find good help these days blah blah blah blah blah, true or not, your customers don't need to hear that, they just need to hear you say, what can I do now to bring you back, and I'm so sorry, that would have done miracles to this story, but sadly you chose the pathetic way of schooling a new customer that will now never ever set foot or refer anyone your way, and for what, for just listening and acknowledging???

I wish you the best, I really do, and pray that whatever happened to us tonight, never happens to anyone ever again!!!

May God bless you and guide you moving...