Trattoria Villagio

Trattoria Villagio located in Clifton, VA combines the elegance of a Roman Trattoria with the fun and bustle of an Italian train station. Open daily for lunch and dinner, Villagio is renowned for its extensive wine selection, salimaria and hand crafted pasta dishes. It's a perfect location for a quick snack, a lingering meal, a big group, a family night out or even large social gatherings.  We recently visited to celebrate Father's Day.



The restaurant was packed, and we were seated upstairs in the middle of the dining room.  Supposedly the pizzas are pretty good, and we thought about ordering one to share as an appetizer, but the waiter informed us they stop serving pizza at 4pm.  Instead, we ordered a few other anitpasti to share, and we were so hungry that I forgot to snap pictures of these items.  My Dad loved the Meatball al Forno - five all beef meatballs stuffed with finely chopped mushrooms and onions in homemade marinara sauce and smothered with fresh, melted mozzarella cheese, served with toasted slices of baguette.  He was surprised that it was 100% beef, as there was so much flavor.  My Mom and I really enjoyed the Cozze al Vapore - fresh mussels sautéed in garlic white wine sauce.  They were fresh and plentiful.  We also shared the Calamari Fritti - fried calamari served with a duo of marinara sauce and aioli remoulade.  The calamari were lightly battered and not that chewy.

For his main course, my Dad ordered the Lasagna Villagio - homemade noodles layered with fresh mozzarella, parmigiana cheese, béchamel sauce, homemade tomato meat sauce and fresh herbs.  My Mom ordered her favorite, Calamarata Pasta - a seafood medley of shrimp, mussels, clams and calamari served with a light tomato and basil sauce over large round homemade noodles.

I also stayed with the seafood theme and ordered the Ravioli di Aragosta - homemade ravioli stuffed with fresh lobster, served over creamy lobster bisque.  The lobster meat was hearty and the creamy sauce very decadent.  I easily cleared my plate and may have dipped some Italian bread in the extra sauce. Yum!

Keith ordered the classic Pollo Parmigiana - breaded chicken breast topped with tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese, served with a side of pasta. It was cooked perfectly, and had great flavor.

Lastly, we ordered Tiramisu for dessert - Ladyfingers soaked in espresso, topped with mascarpone cheese and chocolate shavings.  The espresso was quite light, and didn't have that punch that we wanted.

All in all we had a satisfying meal at Trattoria Villagio.  My Dad was happy enough with his food that he was still intrigued to come back and try the pizza.  The restaurant has an Italian Market attached next door where you can get imported goods, wine, and pizza to take home.

Total Rating: 3.95
Food: 4, Price: 4, Service: 4, Ambience: 3.5, Accessibility: 4