Olazzo - Bethesda, MD

***DISCLAIMER*** Since the lighting was so dim, I had a difficult time getting good shots of the food. Sooooo please bear with me! You will see all of my attempts in changing my camera settings with not much luck. I didn't post all of the food pictures because some were so dark.

Last night an old friend of mine and I went to Olazzo Restaurant for dinner. It's an Italian restaurant in downtown Bethesda. The closest metro stop is Bethesda on the Red line.

The area surrounding the restaurant has street parking, and a garage one block away on Cordell Ave. It is one of the many small restaurants in that part of town.

Olazzo offers a few tables for outdoor seating when the weather is pleasant. It has a sort of rustic look with the brick, wood door, and divided windows.

The interior is small. This pictures shows 1/2 of the place already. It is very dim in there as you can see. There are some sparse Christmas lights on the ceiling and only some tables had candles. The lighting gave the room a very romantic vibe, and makes the space much more intimate. There was no wait for a table, and when we first walked in about 1/2 the tables available, but filled up shortly after. There is even a fake-flickering fireplace on the wall, which is pretty neat.

Every entree comes with bread and salad. The bread was warm, soft, and almost tasted like sourdough.

The bread was served with an olive oil and balsamic vineger 'yin yang'.

Each entree order comes with their 'house salad of romaine lettuce and mixed greens tossed in light vinaigrette with cucumbers and red onions'. It was just the right portion before my entree. It was light and a great starter. Had I purchased the salad separately, it would've cost $7.

My friend ordered a cheese ravioli dish. I couldn't find it on the menu. Perhaps it was an evening special, but she recalled it being around $12. There were 6 large raviolis on a plate with a creamy tomato sauce. She described them as being flavorful, seasoned well with black pepper, and a good dish for a light dinner.

I ordered the 'Lasagna Alla Bologenese - pasta sheets with ricotta, mozzarella, seasoned ground beef and red sauce' for $13. It was so delicious! It looked huge, but it did not sit heavy in my stomach at all. I ate the entire thing. The sauce had a slight kick to it, and the seasoned beef reminded me of sausage. Very tender pasta sheets, and all of the flavors worked well together.

We ended the meal with a cannoli. It was very good with just the right amount of chocolate chips in it.

On Monday nights they offer 1/2 price bottles of wine. The most expensive full bottle is $32. Then on Tuesday nights they offer $5 martinis. I would recommend this place if you like having a drink with your meal since the drink menu is larger than the food menu. If you are looking for a tasty meal, and a cozy/dim atmosphere, then this place would be great for you. It is reasonably priced with the most expensive entree being $17. Extra meats cost between $4-5.

lunch:
m - f 11:30 - 2:30

dinner:
m - th 5 - 9:30
fr & sat 5 - 10:30pm
sun 5 - 9:00pm

7921 Norfolk Avenue
Bethesda MD 20814
301-654-9496
Website