Pizzeria Orso

Will return (1) Calamari: Lightly battered all-ring, no filler. Good medium size Too salty, slightly greasy... more

Will return more

My wife & I decided to give this place a try after reading about it in the Weekend section, and we were not disappointed! Everything was delicious, from the risotto fritters to the poached pear dessert -- and the Magherita pizza was one of the best we've tasted. The service was attentive, and nothing took more than 5 minutes to come out of the kitchen. We'd definitely make the trip out from Ashburn just to visit this restaurant again! more

Four of us went for lunch today and had three different pizzas. All we can say is average at best on all three. Absolutely nothing special, wonder if they have changed the chef since the review was done in the Post. The service was warm and friendly but slow. We will not be returning. Mind you, nothing overtly wrong, but nothing to write home about. more

2010 Fall Dining Guide By Tom Sietsema Sunday, Oct. 17, 2010 Washington's best pizza? Right now, it's in Falls Church. That's where Edan MacQuaid, a former talent at 2 Amys and Pizzeria Paradiso, is stoking the wood-burning oven at the new Pizzeria Orso, a big, friendly barn of a place done up in yellow walls, soft green booths and red sound-soaking panels, with images of bears here and there. ("Orso" is Italian for "bear.") MacQuaid's Neapolitan crusts are thin, pliant, a tad sour, beautifully charred -- and served unsliced, so the dough can continue to cook after it leaves the fire. His margherita upholds tradition with tangy crushed tomatoes, fresh basil and near-liquid pinches of genuine buffalo mozzarella, but the daily specials bear investigating, too: a round decked out with a lattice of grana cheese, briny capers, red pepper flakes and juicy mussels in their shells deserves a permanent place on the menu. Pizza isn't the only thing the kitchen does well. Tender lamb meatballs in a zesty tomato sauce, and fritters that crack open to a fluff of potato and cheese, tempt you to make a meal of appetizers, while the crisp cannoli stuffed with sweetened ricotta and pistachios practically demand that you stay for dessert. more

I'm always glad to see something new in Falls Church and had high hopes for Orso after reading the WP review. However, the service remains clumsy and the food only so-so. The hostess had trouble seating us when 75% of tables were open, and our waiter charged my wife twice for her cup of coffee. When she brought it to his attention, he said, "Don't worry about it" and took the bill. We thought he was removing the second cup, but it was still there when he returned the bill, suggesting he didn't know how to make the correction. In the end, we took his advice and didn't worry about it. We simply deducted the $2 from his tip. As for the food, we like the fennel salad, and the pizza is okay, but really not at the level we expected. more

Went here with my brother, we each got a Risotto ball, and a pizza. The Risotto ball was OK but could have been warmer inside. The root beer at $3.50 a bottle was good, but from WI, why not get a local craft root beer like Dominion and charge less for an equal product? Upon entering we ran into some friends who said stick to the pizza, avoid Paninis. The pizza: one with broccoli, sausage and cheese, the other with clams & herbs. We should've gotten one w/red sauce but didn't pay attention. I expect some burnt taste but an hour after I left even after some ice cream I still tasted char. The clam pizza like garlic naan from Trader Joes with 10-12 tasty clams, not worth the price. The other pizza was just OK, the broccoli was overpowering. more

The quality ingredients are there, but Orso doesn't consistently quite pull it all together. sometimes overcooked or lacking cheese, etc. This is common, for ex, take Grimaldis. I've tried many Patsy's Grimaldis & none compare to the brooklyn orig. I live in TX, but travel the country tryign pizza :) In DC, I've tried Orso (duh), 2 Amys, Red Rocks, Paradisio, Pizzaiolo, Piola, Faccia Luna, Pete's, Posto, Famous Luggi, Rustico, Tonys, Comet PP, 7th Hill, Albertos, Valintinos, Italian Store, Flippin, Z Pizza & many more. DC Favs: True NY: Valintonos hands down (Infact, better than the over-rated Bleeker st pizza in NY) variation of NY: Flippin and Pizzaiolo Chicago: Famous Luggi Gourmet: 2 Amys / Red Rocks Wish theres space to write more! more

The quality ingredients are there, but Orso doesn't consistently quite pull it all together. sometimes overcooked or lacking cheese, etc. This is common, for ex, take Grimaldis. I've tried many Patsy's Grimaldis & none compare to the brooklyn orig. I live in TX, but travel the country tryign pizza :) In DC, I've tried Orso (duh), 2 Amys, Red Rocks, Paradisio, Pizzaiolo, Piola, Faccia Luna, Pete's, Posto, Famous Luggi, Rustico, Tonys, Comet PP, 7th Hill, Albertos, Valintinos, Italian Store, Flippin, Z Pizza & many more. DC Favs: True NY: Valintonos hands down (Infact, better than the over-rated Bleeker st pizza in NY) variation of NY: Flippin and Pizzaiolo Chicago: Famous Luggi Gourmet: 2 Amys / Red Rocks Wish theres space to write more! more

I've eaten alot of pizzas in my day and age.....in the eternal quest to find the most delicious pie. I went on Sunday afternoon and had excellent service. From Patsy's to Lombardi's to Bleecker St. Pizza to DiFara to Grimaldi's, to Pizzeria Bianco to many many many other pizza joints all over the world....I've had them all. Living in DC I love some of the local pizza places from Faccia Luna, 2 Amys, Pete's Apizza, to Pizzeria Paradiso, Ella's to Alberto's etc..... But I have to say imo that Pizzeria Orso has gotten it right. The crust is light and thin....the pie is not overloaded with the quality toppings. A good pizza place gets the crust right and topping balance correct....Orso is one of them. more

I just spent $80 on the worst food I ever ate. The receptionist was so bad people were writing their own name down on the waiting list. The food was uncooked and had to be sent back, and when it returned it was burnt. How do you mess up a calzone or folded pizza at a pizza place. YUCK. YUCK! AND YUCK!!!! Overpriced. Bad Service!!!! Avoid. more

My family tried Orso about 10 days after it opened. We were very excited to try it and my wife and I have a long history with Naples-styled pizzas. Our pizzas were very light on the toppings, mostly burnt and very dry. Product and service both were equally bad. We live very close to Orso, but I'd drive a half-hour to downtown D.C. to get something better. Hopefully they'll get their act together at Orso, but we were very disappointed. more

We had a great lunch at Pizzeria Orso. My kids devoured the salami platter with nicely grilled bread with olive oil. Then the margherita pizza with flavorful sausage was great too! Service was excellent. And there is even parking reserved in the garage. A nice addition to Falls Church. more

We are fans of Two Amys and 2941 and were excited to try Pizzeria Orso. We had to wait 15-20 minutes for a table and then 5 minutes for a server. Our server's first words were "I have some bad news, we are out of pizza dough." We were shocked - a pizza restaurant without pizza! When we told her of our surprise and frustation (no raised voices or cursing) and her response was to walk off and leave us sitting there. As we got up to leave, the hostess was seating a group - they had not been told there was no pizza either. I asked if we could speak to the manager - we waited a few minutes, but she never showed up. The disdain for the customer was a shock! At least, we should have been told when we arrived that they were out of pizza. more

Full review Getting all the buzz they can bear By Tom Sietsema, June 2010 Did its designers conspire to make customers feel hungry just from looking around the new Pizzeria Orso? It sure seems that way. Every hue in the airy dining room suggests a pie-friendly ingredient, including the squash-yellow paint on the walls, the artichoke-green fabric on the booths and the dried-tomato-colored panels floating above the heads of patrons (those are sound absorbers). Chowhounds have been buzzing about the place ever since it served its first pizza this month. One reason for that is the chef behind the red, white and gray tile counter, Edan MacQuaid, whose Neapolitan pies have helped pack 2 Amys, Pizzeria Paradiso and RedRocks in Washington. Another is MacQuaid's source of support: the owners of the glam French restaurant 2941, a couple miles away in Fairfax County. "How is everything?" a waiter at Orso asks, then fishes for a compliment. "Delicious?" That description applies to a bowl of garlicky steamed clams and a plate of crisp, golden arancini, although the rice balls could use more than a speck of their pea and mushroom filling. We follow the snacks with a "crudo" pizza decorated with mozzarella, prosciutto, curls of grana and biting arugula. Raised on the edges, the soft crust sports a welcome char but none of the soupiness that some online naysayers have griped about. "We've been busier than we expected to be," MacQuaid says. Since its launch, Orso has been baking an average of 200 pizzas a day, and the pizzaiolo says he has been toiling "140 hours" a week training cooks. MacQuaid says the pies are intended to be "wet without being soupy." (There are stuffed pizzas, too, but the abundance of bread detracts from their centers.) Originating from a sourdough starter rather than fresh yeast, Orso's pizzas are served uncut, which not only makes for a more attractive presentation, MacQuaid says, but allows the dough to continue to cook after it leaves the domed, wood-fired oven. (Some pies spend a mere 30 seconds in the 900-or-so-degree heat.) Orso is Italian for "bear," and a picture of one graces the menu. Huh? "It was a bear to name it," says MacQuaid. more