Assaggi Osteria

My favorite Neapolitan pizza in McLean! Wood-fired pizza cooked to perfection in 800 degrees with DOC ingredients and buffalo mozzarella. The pizzeria is more casual with sports screens than the Osteria formal dining room, tucked in the back with a separate side entrance.

Surprisingly, you can order pasta and other dishes off the Osteria menu in the pizzeria, just not the other way around. Just ask for the menu!

It's fun to watch the pizzas cook in the dome oven! I enjoyed the classic Bufalina, Funghi Misti, Ciaccino Toscano (Double-decker pizza). It's hard to pick a favorite since they are so different, but equally as good!

The hearty apps and al dente pastas are 5 stars as well. My hubby and I love having a culinary adventure here and worked our way through most of the menu! All the dishes are superb and stand-outs.

- Complementary Bread: Don't forget to ask! We weren't offered free bread, but noticed other tables got some, so I asked and got served a nice bread basket.

- Roasted Olives: Worth $4, my husband devoured them!

- Veal Olives: The olives are fried and served in a cute frying basket, my hubby enjoyed these.

- Carciofi Fitteri: Fun to try the crispy fried artichoke fritters and flavorful smoked mayo. It was a bit too oily for me and would save my appetite for other dishes.

- Asparagus (Osteria menu): Charred and grilled to perfection with great flavor. Hands-down my favorite app.

- Patate Fritter (Osteria menu)- The scrumptious Fingerling Potatoes were tender and the parsley added nice flavor.

- Margarita Pizza: The creamy buffalo mozzarella, basil, sweet San Marzano tomatoes, and pillowy crust really hit the spot!

- Funghi Misti: The bold flavors of fontina and grana cheese with fresh pesto and forest mushrooms was the perfect blend of rich ingredients. I thoroughly enjoyed the pizza.

- Ciaccino Toscano (Osteria menu): Delightful double-checker Tuscan style pizza. The crispy top and pillowy soft flatbread peppered with rosemary and salt and brushed with olive oil, was bursting with flavor. The bold flavor of the bread complemented the mozzarella and fontina cheese, cherry tomatoes, and arugula perfectly. Can't decide between a sandwich or a pizza? You get the best of both worlds with this dish.

- Cavatelli Al Porcini & Finferli: The soft homemade pasta similar to the dense consistency of gnocchi was a delicacy! The chanterelle mushrooms and porcini and fontina cheese sauce was divine. The thinly sliced celery added a nice pop of flavor. All the ingredients blended well together and definitely a stand-out pasta dish. If you love mushrooms - this is the perfect dish for you!

- Tiramisu: The moist spongy cake with creamy mascarpone topped with expresso and trail of decadent chocolate sauce was the perfect ending to our meal! Tiramisu is typically a hit/miss and not a crumb was spared.

- Nice selection of wine and Amaro (dessert Italian cordial): I'm so glad that I ventured out and got a pour of the Concerto coffee liquor, which is a type of Amaro and a bit sweet that paired really well with the Tiramisu. I enjoyed a glass of Lambruso and Barbera while my husband liked the Chianti with the pizza.

The service is great! The manager is Italian and really friendly and polite. I'm always enamored at the way he effortlessly pronounces the names of the dishes, while I fumble every time even though I've been to Italy! The servers are attentive, nice, and down-to-earth.

Great casual pizzeria with Neapolitan pizza cooked to perfection. The space is cozy, good for small groups! Excited to come back and bring our friends.

Went with a large group of friends and the food was good, prices were reasonable and service was good.

Great place for pizzas. It also has a quiet restaurant style side and a fun bar side.

Food and service lived up to what we had heard from friends. Delicious meal and great evening. Will have to sample the wine selection with my wife next time.

This time around, the food was not too salty, well prepared, and wine selection was very good. But most notably, the service was excellent. We had an opportunity to talk and sip fine wine and sample some great food. A bit pricey but a great night out.