Caruso's Grocery - Pike & Rose

Went here today (8/17/2024) and had a very pleasant experience. Staff were very friendly, attentive, and informative. I had to sit on the Tavern side, as the host told me that the Caruso’s side was very busy and expecting lots of groups of people. This was no problem at all, as I was still able to order from the Caruso’s menu. I ordered the baked Cavatelli. Absolutely delicious. The food here is a bit on the pricey side, but I think it’s worth every penny. I’m definitely coming back here.

Awesome food & awesome service! Our waitress was Agu and she was the sweetest and very attentive. Can’t wait to come back!

I've been to Caruso's at Pike & Rose several times and it just keeps getting better. This visit was a rainy Saturday night and the place was packed! The vibe is warm and homey, the service was attentive without being overbearing. And the food is fabulous. Must haves for me are the chicken parm, the calamari and the Caprese salad but any of the pastas are an excellent choice. Everything is from scratch and it shows. Portions are large - we always have leftovers which makes it a lot for the money. And that tiramisu - I don't like coffee but I LOVE that dessert. I'm always on the lookout for a great neighborhood restaurant and am happy that Caruso's is only a few minutes away.

Highly recommend Caruso's for quality Italian food. The pasta and service was some of the best I've ever had. We were told by our server that the most popular orders were the garlic bread, Caruso's alfredo, and spicy Neapolitan Ragu, and we tried them. My wife thought the spicy Neapolitan Ragu was a little too salty, but everything was perfect for my taste.

The food & drink here were delicious. The pasta was really fresh. The staff are friendly and attentive. Definitely recommend stopping in if you’re in the area!

The gnocchi was unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. Full of flavor and truly a great dish. We also got the Alfredo which was amazing. The setting was very quaint and cozy yet sophisticated.

I am obsessed with Caruso’s alfredo pasta!!!!! I’m drooling just thinking about it. The alfredo sauce, mushrooms, noodles, chicken, everything…..just delicious. I can eat it every day for the rest of my life honestly. The service was fast and well mannered, no complaints there!

We were immediately seated with no wait time. We were originally seated inside but requested to move outside since the weather was good and they were able to move us quickly and efficiently. Food was delicious and our server Methu was amazing, he answered all our questions and gave us great recommendations. Service was phenomenal, making sure we had water and everything we needed. The atmosphere was calm and ambient, great for eating with friends. The shrimp scampi was really good as well as the Alfredo. Dessert was good with many options.

Caruso’s Grocery has become my favorite weekend place. Today I got the pleasure of Thyda being my server. She was amazing and tentative. Excellent service!!

Went here for brunch during the restaurant week. Excellent food and service. Great vibes and will definitely be coming back.

We had a great experience. When we walked in, we had a reservation and was seated immediately. I wasn't happy with our seats so they happily switched us and we kept our waitress, Agu, who was amazing! She was super sweet and knowledgeable. She also gave us complimentary champagne for our anniversary and some kind of lemon shot at the end. It was delicious! I ordered the Alfredo with chicken and my fiance ordered the chicken parmesan. They were both delicious!! I would definitely come back here because we just had an overall great experience. Parking: We were able to get 2 hours free parking across the street.

We visited the Pike & Rose for date night and could not have made a better choice! Our waiter, Don, was incredibly hospitable and kind during the entire service. Every item was hot, fresh, and delicious. We tried the calamari, the garlic bread, and the Alfredo pasta— I’d recommend them all. Thank you for an excellent dinner, Caruso’s! We’ll be back.

I highly recommend Caruso's in Maryland! The seafood pasta was amazing, and the dessert was to die for. We had a fantastic experience, despite waiting a bit for our food - it was definitely worth the wait. The staff went above and beyond to accommodate our large group, especially when our party grew from 14 to 22 people. Special thanks to Valeria for making us feel so comfortable, and to Bella, our host, for taking great care of us. We really appreciate their flexibility and hospitality. We'll definitely be back!

Had a lovely time here, our server Bella went above and beyond and made the experience feel very special. Great bread and gnocchi. Meat sauce could have been better.

There were two people waiting in front at opening. Was quickly greeted and seated. The setting looked modern. There were multiple choices on the three-courses menu for the $25 Restaurant Week lunch. The Tricolore Salad was a healthy dish. The Spicy Neapolitan Ragu was well made and presented. The Crema Bruciata was very delicious.

As good as advertised. I knew i didn’t have time to really sit down for lunch but I’m glad I paused. I had a set lunch of the house salad, pasta with clams, and a mini cannolo. Good value for $25. Parking readily available at the garage with two hours free.

I went there for Sunday brunch. The sharing plates were good but the main food wasn’t that great. The service was not good: spilling water on guest, making order mistakes, try to get the dish out while we are still working on it, hanging out with other guest (seemed like they were friends).

We tried Caruso’s for restaurant week. I had seen a lot about it on social media, so I came in with high expectations and was a little let down with the meal. The alfredo with mushrooms was excellent, but got cold very quickly? Which is not something I’ve experienced / usually notice. The noodles were an incredible texture and thickness. The penne alla vodka was not nearly as good as the alfredo, which our waiter had warned us about but we wanted to try it anyways. It wasn’t really memorable. Overall, a nice pick for a good Italian meal but not something I would go out of my way to visit again. Oddly enough, the best dish was probably the caprese salad to start- a dish I usually don’t order because it’s so easily recreate-able at home. The tomatoes were delicious and the balsamic was perfect.

While a nice addition to Pike & Rose and the growing set of Rockville eateries, Caruso's lacked the polished and more engaged service of its original DC restaurant, and the food classics were a bit uneven in quality. The old school ambience was a welcome shift from modern Italian restaurants. The penne alla vodka was pretty good, but unremarkable and didn't distinguish itself from other versions. The veal parmesan I ordered was quite good, the veal was quite tender and the tomato sauce was hearty and added robust flavor to the dish. My cocktail was amateurishly made, so I wouldn't waste your time on one of those selections. Service as mentioned was basic, uninspired and not engaged. Sadly typical for most Pike & Rose spots to be fair.

Overall Experience, 3.75/5: Overall, I had a great experience and would definitely recommend this place—it’s perfect for a date night! I visited during restaurant week, and they offered some solid choices for the three-course meal. Food/Drink, 4/5: The food was excellent, with plenty of flavor. The portion sizes were generous, and my penne had a good amount of shrimp. The salad and dessert (cannoli) were pretty good as well. Pricing, 3.75/5: I didn’t order from their regular menu since it was restaurant week, but from what I observed, both their regular and restaurant week menus are reasonably priced. The prices are typical for an Italian restaurant of this caliber. Service, 4.5/5: Our server was very friendly, helpful, and patient while we reviewed the menu. She offered excellent recommendations, and the food arrived quicker than we anticipated. Aesthetic/Atmosphere, 3/5: The atmosphere is quite dark with dim lighting. As mentioned earlier, it’s ideal for a date night—classy yet not too formal, striking the perfect balance.

I came to Caruso’s after hearing so much about it with a couple of my friends and we were not disappointed! The food was great and they were accommodating of dietary restrictions which was nice. The burrata was absolutely delicious and definitely a menu highlight. The gnocchi a la genovese and the penne alla vodka were great dishes overall. Our drinks were pretty good as well and the tiramisu was decent. Ordered espresso at the end and had to ask a couple of times for it because it seemed as though they were a little understaffed. Coffee was delicious though.

Food was great but expensive. They were very busy on Friday but luckily we had reservations. Parking in garage is free first 2hrs I believe. Service was good as well, but that depends on who your server is of course

The home run for this brunch were the home fries. Intensely crunchy and flavorful with a Parmesan dressing, it added delicious pairing flavors to everything on my plate. The soft cooked eggs with salmon was a tad salty but the home fries cut through it. The pecorino biscuit reminded me of Red Lobsters cheddar bay biscuits except sub cheddar for pecorino, delicious and crisp exterior with a soft interior. The Bloody Mary tasted watered down to the point that we didn’t finish it, while the local Italian Pilsner was crisp, refreshing and not too bitter. Will come back to try dinner and pastas. Unfortunately the charcuterie wasn’t available during our brunch service and will try to get it next visit.

The food was really very good - casual Italian, nothing fancy, but well done! Service was also really good. Restaurant itself has decent decor, but booths are a little too tight and it's kind of dark inside. Also, noise level in dining room was high once it filled up and it became very difficult for us to converse. Hoping the outdoor construction is done soon so that outdoor dining will be available once spring comes along!

This is a Maryland-based location of the restaurant that is on Capitol Hill in Washington. The restaurant is located on the edge of the Pike and Rose area in Rockville. It is easy to locate and there is ample, paid parking in garages quite nearby. There is also free parking in a small shopping center right across the street, if you can locate a space We were there on a Sunday and the parking garages were free. The food is Italian. I considered it average for thus type of food. I had veal parmigiana and my husband had eggplant rollitini. Both were tasty but not so that made them outstanding. Service was very good. Our server was quite patient and attentive. We ate at 5:30pm and it was not crowded. It did become busy. The noise level was not bad. It was easy for our party of 4 to easily converse and hear each other. The styling of the restaurant was much as you would expect the decor of an Italian restaurant-red, lots of framed photos on the wall, etc.

I've eaten here twice in 2 weeks. Even sat in the same dining room. Both visits were consistent. The hostess was very unfriendly and seemed like would be rather be somewhere else. She may have trained at A&F's school of etiquette and aloofness. The wait staff was efficient, friendly yet professional, and attentive. Excellent. The food was good to excellent. Portions were good sized and we all left full. Sodas and Ice tea did not have unlimited refills. Disappointing. I wonder about coffee? Prices were moderate. Between Seasons 52 and Glenmont's prices. Dessert was very good though we were let down by the watery Creme Brule at our 2nd visit. The atmosphere was loud due to poor acoustics. Most places have a moderate but tolerable background drone. Our room was small and loud, with many crescendos. One table really stuck out and we could wait for them to leave. Overall, a very good experience with solid value for the food.

I’m gonna start with the bad first.. The room. Very tight squeeze and incredibly uncomfortable. Other patrons are literally in your face when you’re eating and are also uncomfortable. I don’t mind a brief chat about the food w/ other people but it’s awkward having people watch every single bite you take because they’re within 12 inches of your table. Ruined this experience for us. To management, please open this place up. Sacrifice a table if you have to and create some more space because this is way too cramped of a place to enjoy a meal. You can barely get in and out of these tiny tables. And I’m not a big guy by any stretch. I can’t imagine how someone 6 feet tall would fair here. Extremely uncomfortable. Onto the food. We ordered the semolina dusted mozzarella and this was probably one of the worst fried mozzarellas I’ve ever experienced. I genuinely sat there thinking, “if one could ruin cheese, this would be how to do it.” My wife hit the nail on the head when she said, “this tastes like Keto.” I mean absolutely spot on. Very strange one to say the least and we did not bother with anymore bites after the first one. Disappointing. And the star of the show: the pasta. We ordered the famous Spicy Neopolitan ragu & the white truffle mushroom Alfredo w/ chicken and wow! Absolutely amazing. Quite possibly the best pasta I’ve had in this area to date. The noodles on both dishes were cooked al dente and to perfection and the sauces blended with it very well. The Ragu dish had a lovely tomatoey (sp) flavor to it while the Alfredo was bursting of truffle with every bite. Accompanied with the house bread, was a magnificent meal. You can tell these were authentic noodles because we left absolutely stuffed with no blood sugar crash afterwards. The price is a little much but I understand why this is the case. Would I return and pay $25 for a small bowl of pasta? As good as it is, most likely not as often as I’d like. Still a great bowl and worth the try. Overall, this place was both sides of the spectrum for us. Started off horribly and sorta stayed that way until the pasta came out which took it from 0-100. Given the extreme nature of this experience, I’d say rating this place as average is only fair. It wasn’t horrible because the pasta saved the day, but it also wasn’t a top marks situation because of everything else.

This place is located in the same building as Owen's tavern and note that you must walk through/past the bar to get to the dining area. Had a mishap where I asked the hostess if this was Caruso's and was told it was next door as she pointed towards kusshi. I ended up finding the side entrance and eventually ended up back at the front where a different hostess showed me my reserved table. The food here was good but expensive. I ordered a salad, veal dish, and dessert. I felt that Caruso's tiramisu was the best thing I had from the whole meal. The veal was flavorful and not too heavy. I felt that the salad had a bit too much vinaigrette added to it/wasn't incorporated well enough throughout the salad since some bites would be way more sour than others. The service was great. The food came out fast, and the waiter was very polite and attentive. A major issue I have with this place is the spacing of the tables and seats. Everything just felt too close together. The booths barely had enough room to fit a person and a menu between the table and the booth seat. It was hard to get in and out of the seats because of this, and I found myself frequently but accidentally kicking/stepping on those I dined with. Another thing to note is that the menus we were given had spilled oil on the inside.

Was excited to try the food here but a little bit disappointed. The ragu was a bit too sour for my taste. Calamari was fried well and the clam pasta was good though.

The food and drinks are delicious. The ambiance is nice, but a bit noisy. The service was good but check-in staff at the front of the restaurant were very anal retentive about getting our party seated. We had a reservation but because some of the people in our party were running late, the restaurant staff didn’t want to sit us down until everyone was present which was a bit awkward. We could have been ordering drinks in the meantime, but there were no accommodations.

Came with some friends to try out the DC restaurant week menu. We were more than disappointed at the start. We made a reservation, were running late but called ahead to make sure it would still be upheld, arrived a couple minutes late, and watched as people who came after us were provided a table with no explanation. When we finally asked about it we were told the time at which we had “arrived” was provided as an explanation. This was inaccurate because no one had actually helped us at the front desk until even later than when we arrived. Many people were waiting wondering when they were going to be helped. What really turned our experience around was our waiter. He was understanding, accommodating, and had a good sense of humor. He even brought out more sauce that came with an appetizer for our entrees for us! Major shout out to him because we were feeling extremely underwhelmed by the previous service. The food was good and the only complaint the table had was for the dry eggs on the bacon, egg, and cheese. It came with the $25 prefixed menu, so can’t complain about prices overall, but makes you wonder how much that would typically run you. The pasta was yum, the fries were especially yum, and that sauce that came with the garlic bread was…I can’t describe it on this platform, but it was heavenly. Overall a good experience for people looking to ball on a budget. Thank you DC restaurant week!

Such a delicious restaurant! Food was amazing. Gnocchi was incredible. Atmosphere was welcoming. Went to dinner with coworkers while in town for business. I do have to say the service was a bit off from what I expected. TLDR: if warm, wasted champagne, cold bread, and to feel like you’re annoying your server is your forte, this is the place for you! We ordered a bottle of sparkling wine and the initial bottle requested was out. They offered us a more expensive bottle (at the more expensive price) which was annoying but we agreed. When the server brought the bottle to the table and popped the cork, at least 1 whole glass fizzed over and spewed out. I drink a lot of sparkling wine and it’s very possible to pop a bottle without losing any of the contents. That was one less glass someone got to drink. On top of that, the champagne was WARM. Room temp and tasted like you were drinking straight static. The champagne wasn’t brought in an ice bucket or chiller. We had to ask for one, and the chiller they brought didn’t even hardly fit the bottle to chill it at all. We asked for a larger bucket with actual ice and the server just said “no” and walked away. The server seemed annoyed with this request, as if chilled champagne is an absurd ask. I ended up plopping an ice cub in my drink each time. Bread was brought to the table cold like it just came from a fridge (gross?) and had to ask for it to be warmed. Server brought fresh grated cheese after food arrived but then acted like the amount used would come out of his personal paycheck when I asked for extra. Small things… but things that you would expect from a restaurant like this. I would eat here again but would be sure to specify in the beginning chilled champagne (although I’ve never seen or drank warm champagne. It is ALWAYS offered cold. I might even offer to open it for them so it doesn’t fizz over and get wasted). Warmed bread, and a whole side of extra grated cheese, as not to disrupt/annoy the server (eye roll). I worked in the restaurant industry for many years; good personality goes a long way.

the service is really bad. in the 2 times i’ve been here i’ve had to ask for plates to be taken away, ask for water to be refilled and long waits in between check in’s. regarding the food, in the 2 times i’ve been here the food has given me diarrhea. i think they put too much heavy cream in their pasta or there is too much cheese in the mozzarella in carroza. lastly the price. for 24-28 for a pasta i don’t think it’s worth it. the pasta lacks flavor and is a small portion. in my opinion olazzo is way better place than here, and knowing that is 7 mins away i don’t see any reason to come here. unless i want overpriced pasta, bad service and diarrhea.

We came to Caruso’s Grocery for my wife’s birthday dinner and left completely let down. Despite a 6 p.m. reservation through OpenTable and the restaurant not being particularly busy, we waited far too long just to be acknowledged. I had to grab our own silverware, and we weren’t even given four cups of water for the four of us. Our waiter was friendly but extremely forgetful—he missed multiple items, brought out dishes we didn’t order, and explained it was because they didn’t have what we had ordered. He said he just “took the initiative.” That’s not how it works. I also quietly asked him to do something small to mark my wife’s birthday. He promised he would—and then completely forgot. Nothing was done. And to top it off, even though we had a reservation, OpenTable later marked us as a no-show—so it seems the host didn’t check us in properly either. The food was mediocre and overpriced for what it was. Service was the biggest issue by far. We were hoping for a special night out and instead left frustrated and disappointed.

Tried this place for the first time last week for an anniversary and will not be back. Service was extremely slow and although were three or four managers striding around importantly at all times, not once did they ask how we were doing as we sat there with empty appetizer plates for 30+ minutes, waiting for entrees. It would have helped if our server had made suggestions on how much to order, we got an appetizer and two pasta entrees and that wasn’t enough food for two people. Maybe we should have each ordered a salad, or split one? It wasn’t clear at all. I don’t blame the waitstaff, they seemed poorly trained - at one point a runner wandered around the restaurant with two plates for nearly five minutes until the guests waved them over and claimed their food. Maybe it was just a bad night, but really disappointing experience overall.

The food was ok, but it took way too long to come out, like more than 45 minutes to an hour for a chicken parm and shrimp pasta. The basil strawberry lemonade, we couldn’t taste the basil at all. They forgot my side order as well. I was craving Italian but it’s likely I will think twice before coming back here for it.

I had been seeing Caruso’s all over social media, so I was excited to finally stop in for lunch. The food absolutely lived up to the hype, but unfortunately the service made the experience a bit uncomfortable. When we walked in, the woman at the host stand was eating her lunch right at the front. She didn’t greet us—we stood there awkwardly until I finally said hello. She eventually told us we could sit at the bar, which was fine, but the interaction already felt a bit off. Once at the bar, she handed us menus labeled “Owens,” which immediately made me think we had walked into the wrong restaurant. When I asked if this was also Caruso’s, I noticed a Caruso’s menu behind the bar and asked if we could order from it. Instead of clearing things up or simply offering both menus, she responded with, “Well, you said you wanted to sit at the bar, so I didn’t think you wanted it.” The tone was surprisingly sharp, and it genuinely made us consider leaving. Thankfully, another woman—blonde, very friendly—started helping us, and that experience was much better. But even then, our food arrived and we sat for several minutes with no silverware. We eventually asked for roll-ups, and although the bartender apologized, she ended up stopping to have a full conversation with someone else before bringing them over. The food itself? Fantastic. Everything we ordered was delicious, and I genuinely want to go back for the dishes alone. But the interactions with the first woman—unapproachable, curt, and noticeably polite to every guest except us—were uncomfortable. When I paid, she set my card and receipt down without a single word. No thank you, no goodbye, nothing, even though I had heard her warmly thank multiple other guests. Overall, the food is wonderful, but the hospitality really detracted from the experience. I’ll absolutely order carry-out in the future, but I’m not sure I would dine in again.

I’m not sure why anyone likes this place. First off it’s Italian so the bar can only be set so high and it’s pretty difficult to mess up. However, Carusos did an incredible job of proving me wrong. The food was so salty! They even poured us a spoiled bottle of wine. Service was great. Food is absolute trash. Want solid Italian go to Filomena, Del Mar or Lupo. Worth the trip to dc.

This is my second time eating here. No complaints the FIRST time. This time, I thought it would be a good idea to bring my fiance. Well, it was a bad idea. He never complains and for him to have complaints, it was terrible. The food wasn't quality. The service was HORRIBLE!!! Random people dropping food off, just putting the plate down & walking away before you could ask for anything. We weren't sure of whom was waiting on us. The food service was slow, we weren't offered condiments. We weren't able to put in a drink order after initially being served water. The appetizer fries came out cold. The food took 40 minutes. The waitress came to refill my fiancé's water, and then turned to leave the table...before being prompted to refill my water because my fiancé asked and was giving me his glass. She then turned to refill mine. Thanks, but no Thanks.

My girlfriend went into the bar for a drink and food she spent 34 dollars to be told by the manager about being on her phone . She wasn’t being rude or super loud . The conversation was innocent so there is no reason to be told to get off your phone . The music was loud and no one was around it was pretty rude and like she was being targeted. She is also a Hispanic New Yorker we are definitely not the lowest talkers but I’ve never in my life experienced something this rude ! We have been here so many times never had this experience! Don’t eat here if you want to talk or have any conversation!