Caruso's Grocery

What a truly delicious dinner in North Bethesda! The Trout Piccata was perfectly cooked—juicy, flavorful, and wonderfully healthy with the vegetables. The Shrimp Scampi Pasta was incredibly tasty, truly 'molto buono'! But the absolute standout was the Brooklyn style cheesecake. The atmosphere was lovely, and the service incredibly friendly. I definitely want to visit this heart of Italian cuisine again!"

I am not sure how or where to even begin. Dining at Carusso’s was an unbelievable experience for my husband and I. After debating between the 4 cheese ziti and alfredo, I decided on the alfredo with added shrimp. I was not disappointed as it was easily the best alfredo I have ever had. I found myself really enjoying the mushrooms on top and I generally do not even like mushrooms. I am scared I am ruined and no other alfredo will ever compare. My husband had the chicken parm, with alla vodka sauce (waiter’s recommendation and well worth the $5 dollar up charge). Also, just absolutely delicious and again will never be able to eat chicken parmesan again without thinking about Caruso’s. Even though we cleaned our plates we could not leave without trying the butterfinger ice cream sundae. No surprise, absolutely delicious! This was easily the best Italian food we have ever eaten. Maybe the best food in general we have ever eaten! To top off the entire experience, we had the kindest waiter, Jordan. He was so sweet in helping us decide what to order and I must say he did not steer us wrong. He took the best care of us all night, we so enjoyed his company! Leaving the restaurant we felt like we were saying goodbye to a family friend. Do not leave DC without eating here and when you go, make sure to tell Jordan his Mississippi friends say hello!

The interior vibe at Caruso’s screams Italian-American restaurant, and the food delivers. The service was outstanding. For an appetizer, we struggled between the burrata and the meatballs. We ordered the burrata, and they added the meatballs at no charge. Both were very good. The meatballs are bite-sized and perfect for sharing. We had the chicken parm (not pictured), the gnocchi alla genovese, and the spicy Neapolitan ragu with bucatini and whipped ricotta. You can sub vodka sauce on the chicken parm, which we did. I ordered the ragu extra spicy-it was good but probably wouldn’t do it again. Classic dishes done right with no mistakes in execution. Dessert was a crème brûlée with a subtle blood orange infusion that was quite good, followed by a round of limoncello on the house for a digestif. Followed by a walk! For drinks, we had the Mediterranean Margarita and the Godfather Manhattan. The girls like the margs. I thought the Manhattan was average. We had a bottle of the San Salvatore aglianico with our entrees and it was lovely. Overall, quite good. On a scale of 1-10: Food was a delicious 8.5+, atmosphere was a 10, and service was 12. We will definitely be back!

Stopped in last night for the first time on my anniversary and all I can say is WOW. The service was amazing. Our waiter was so kind and attentive and even brought us over champagne on the house. We started with the garlic bread, then the Caruso’s Alfredo with shrimp, baked ziti, and the Oreo cheesecake. All of the food and cocktails were amazing as well, I would definitely recommend and I plan on coming back! Get your reservations!

Some how I found this gem and I must say from beginning to end it was worth every penny! It's a small place but perfectly sized. It fills up quick so RESERVE a table if not you will be waiting! The bread was really good, calamari has became one of the best I've had. Very well seasoned batter, the lemon chicken was flavorful and fulfilling. The chicken parm was equally tasty! The atmosphere was very intimate, low lighting, filled with people conversations and silverware chattering from everyone enjoying their food! Staff is very friendly and knowledgeable regarding the menu. When I'm in the area I'll seek this place out. You should too!!

Caruso’s Grocery has officially become our weekly spot, and the reason starts with Valeria, the General Manager. We had visited a while back and didn’t have the best experience. Instead of brushing it off, Valeria personally invited us back — and wow, what a difference. That kind of accountability alone speaks volumes, but the experience that followed truly blew us away. From the moment we walked in, Valeria made everything feel warm, welcoming, and genuinely special. She was friendly, approachable, and such a pleasure to talk to. While we were enjoying our meal, we watched her doing everything — setting tables, clearing tables, helping servers, checking on guests. Having worked in restaurants myself, I can confidently say she is the kind of manager you dream of having. Rare, hands-on, compassionate, and clearly leading by example. An absolute delight. And the food? Incredible. Truly outstanding. We had: • Seafood Diavolo (extra spice) — bold, perfectly cooked, and packed with flavor • Chicken Alfredo — rich, comforting, and done just right • Meatballs — unbelievably good • And a special limoncello shot that was the perfect finishing touch — so refreshing and delicious Everything across the board was excellent and more than made up for our first visit. Our server, Deanna, was great as well — attentive, friendly, and made the meal even better. Between the phenomenal food and the incredible leadership and hospitality from Valeria, this place has completely won us over. We will absolutely always be back. If you’re looking for amazing food and an atmosphere that makes you feel genuinely cared for, Caruso’s Grocery — and Valeria — are it.

This neighborhood gem was all it’s cracked up to be and more. The food was so delicious and unique, giving even a standard spaghetti and meatball dish a level of comfort and tastiness I hadn’t experienced before! We enjoyed the pre-dinner bread and oil and the creamy burrata as well. I will definitely be coming back and highly recommend this place to anyone seeking a special Italian food experience! The butterfinger desert was so amazing - save room!!! My only small point on the atmosphere is that the kitchen setting in the very small dining room can be a bit loud and it’s hard to hear your table guests. Might not work best for intimate occasions.

I was warned about wearing white to this restaurant and did so anyway bc I like a challenge. From appetizers to entrees the meal was very delicious. Flavors as strong as the cocktails. I didn’t think the portions would be that big but I wasn’t complaining when the chicken parm the size of the Florida peninsula was brought out. I haven’t taken my time savoring every bite like I did at Caruso’s in a while. It was like I was commanded to slow down and chew and enjoy. My white shirt thanked me for it.