Reviews for Rafagino in Burke, VA
We went to this amazing restaurant last night with our family who live in this area!! What a wonderful experience Service & food... were of 5 star quality! If you have not tried this place, you are missing out. We have been to Italy and the food & experienceis the same, truly amazing!! Thank you Paulo & staff, we hope to come back again someday very soon Judy & John Minton Memphis,Tennessee Read more
Went for a 5:30PM dinner in order to beat the rush. Before I get into this, I want to say that the wait staff were exceptional... (except tell the water people to chill out - I don't need water every 5 minutes and it becomes disruptive). In talking with theowner personally, Rafagino has been in business for 28 years and has sentimental value to the locals. People have had theirweddings in this place. It is with this in mind and without the sentiment (as a local but a first-timer) that I write thisreview. 1. At a price point of about $60/person, I don't think it's unfair to have a certain level of expectation when it comesto the quality of the food. Our meal began by being presented with a baguette that was clearly from Safeway next door, andbutter in the little single-use plastic containers. Absolutely unforgivable to not have fresh bread at an Italian place. 2.Appetizers were extremely small which is fine at a Michelin-starred establishment, not so fine at around $12 a piece, and notwhen they were of "eh" quality. Specifically, the bocconcini were flooded in (an admittedly tasty) balsamic dressing, but themozz balls had melted which turned the entire thing into a soup, more or less. 3. The caesar salad, once again, suffered from alack of quality. The croutons were from a bag clearly, there wasn't enough dressing, and the romaine was not cut to avoid largeportions of stem. These are very simple concepts that even Olive Garden would get right. 4. I had veal picata as my entree. Thepasta was from a box, which at this point I expected but thought would be a cardinal sin at a reputable Italian restaurant. Theveal itself was not butchered with care and contained more gristle than I would like, which is zero. 5. The atmosphere thatother reviewers have lauded left me scratching my head, because there literally isn't one. It's a very small space that is dim(and not in a good way), the chairs are rock hard and not conducive to staying very long, and the whole Read more
Only reason this place is getting a big rating is because of the service. They waiters were all extremely professional and... courteous, it truly felt like I was in a random restaurant in Italy. However, the food was not. I forgot the dishes names butthey were all bland. The calamari was not a hit, and the tomato sauce dish didn't have much pasta. The mushroom steak dish wasdefinitely the better of the three. Read more
Great small Italian restaurant. Food was delicious and the service was excellent. Love this restaurant!
This small Italian restaurant is tucked into the corner of a shopping center, so plenty of parking. They greet you warmly at the... door and are very attentive. The ambience is cozy. My meal looked delicious but had no flavor. My husband?s meal was good enoughbut nothing to rave about and although he asked for red sauce he got white. Meals are in the mid to high price range, nolunchtime options. The desserts were delicious, the chocolate fudge cake is to die for! I would suggest that you come here for adessert date. Read more
A hidden gem in Burke! Authentic Italian food, excellent service and a good atmosphere. This is the perfect spot for family... gatherings and celebrations. They also have delicious cannolis, which is hard to find in this area! Read more
Fantastic wine dinner tonight! Service, food and wine were exceptional! My favorites were the rolled rib eye steak with... prosciutto and mozzarella topped with mushrooms, and the burratta salad with arugula and tomatoes. The stuffed calamari withBlack olives and capers was an amazing unexpected pleasure. The pasta was a homemade trofie pasta with pulled pork ribs in a redwine-based tomato sauce that was superb. Dessert was a strawberry tiramisu! Need I say more! Excellent wine pairing as well!Excellent evening! Read more
My friends and I went out for my birthday yesterday and had a fabulous time. I ordered the Paella, and they order the chicken... Parmesan and the veal Marsala. We all raved about our choices. The bread and the salads were also very good. Loved thetiramisu and they loved the limoncello cake. Service was also wonderful! Read more