Vaso’s Mediterranean Bistro

Great food and great atmosphere. Service could be better but we went in during busy time.

The service was great. Had the crab stuffed shrimp. It was super delicious. Wonderful experience.

Delicious from start to finish. My only complaint was noise level made it difficult to understand out server.

Though this location is modern I prefer Vaso’s Kitchen which has a warmth and Greek family feeling. I introduced this place to a friend and we ordered 2 bowls of the Greek lemon chicken rice soup. When it arrived I reminded the waitress we ordered a bowl not the cup and was told this was correct. It was not hot, not filling, and $ 7 is a rip off for that size. I will return to Vaso’s Kitchen.

My friends and I came across this place by seeing all the great reviews. We were ALL starving and so excited to eat.
When we got here we noticed how it was nice it looked on the inside and out and thought that we chose a great restaurant. We got seated quickly and ordered fairly quickly too. I ordered a calamari meal (it comes with a side marinara pasta), my friend ordered a linguine alle vongole with white sauce, and my husband ordered a gyro sandwich.
I kid you not… we waited 35 – 40 minutes waiting on our food. Service was ridiculously slow and it was pretty empty during that time. Only three other tables were full in the whole restaurant not including ours (2 – 4 people/​table). We didn’t complain though. we just waited patiently until our food arrived. When we saw our food it LOOKED delicious. First impressions are important right? Well… we each tried our food. and absolutely hated it. The gyro was edible but messy. The pastas on the other hand. were not edible. The marinara pasta that came with my calamari wasn’t good… I had to stop eating it. The linguine alle vongole (aka clam linguine) we couldn’t even touch. It just tasted like the sea. like they never washed the clams and added a ton more salt in. Also it was extra soupy for some reason. so it was more like a pasta clam salty soup. My friend and I just ate my calamari because we both couldn’t stand the pasta’s.
I LOVE pasta by the way. Even if it’s a little bad, I’m able to eat it. So I took all the pasta home thinking «Oh, it won’t be that bad eating it later when i get home»… boy was I wrong. I ate half of what I took home. and had to throw the rest out due to it’s salty/​oily/​wateryness. Won’t be coming back.

First timer here based on Unilocal reviews and once again they were spot on. I started with a Greek salad which was great thanks to their excellent home made dressing. Proceeded next to an app, which was a whole artichoke made with a garlic and oil recipe that was amazing. The main entrée was a veal dish that I never had before. It had ham, provolone cheese with lemon and topped with an egg coating and a large shrimp. This was like veal piccata on steroids. Absolutely delicious. The presentation, service, and time between courses was perfect. I loved it so much I had to let the chef know. Come to find out it was the mother of a family business that was behind this amazing meal. Wow, great for many different occasions. I will definitely come back the next time I am in town. Don’t miss this one for this is the difference between eating and fine dining. Enjoy!!!

Vaso’s is one of my go-​to restaurants in Old Town Alexandria. I have been coming here for years. The food is consistently good. The owners are always on site, and offer a personal touch that is lacking in many other upscale restaurants. The wine selection is good, with a nice selection of Greek wines. I highly recommend Vaso’s.

The restaurant is nice, but the food is not as good, we ordered Seafood marinara, Greek sampler and Grilled Cheese.
will not come again

Husband and I stopped here on a whim because we were in the area and the menu looked impressive. I now understand why this place was highly rated! The décor and ambiance is very calm, peaceful and modern. The customer service was timely, friendly and memorable (in a good way).
I order the gyro — although not on the menu, you can ask for it anytime– that was served with fries. The fries were cooked perfectly and had a truffle like taste to it that I enjoyed. The gyro was stuffed with meat and veggies (a welcomed stuffing) although I could use less of the purple onions. Towards the middle, I found the gyro to be a little more salty than my initial bites so I had to call it quits midway. The portions are definitely large, so if you don’t have a huge appetite, feel free to share a plate.
If we return to this area, we definitely would not hesitate to drop in for a nice lunch or dinner, alone or with friends.

Food and service are outstanding! Ordered the Calamari Fritti, Stuffed Mushrooms with Crabmeat and for an entrée’ had the Veal Terra Mara. Everything was great!
A quiet, intimate modern styled spot that is decorated beautifully and has a friendly staff! Will recommend and will make this a regular spot!

I’m a bit conflicted about doing this review. Brunch isn’t always the best time to critique a restaurant, but that is what I had today.
The location is quite classy, but tiny. The tables are max close to each other. You kind of end up feeling like when you go to a movie and you try to find a spot where you’re not sharing your experience with another couple/​group. Space is tight. You could tell guests tried to get a little more space by sitting a table away from others, until that wasn’t an option.
The brunch menu isn’t very exciting or cohesive. You can get a gyro salad, which I did, or pancakes, or eggs and sides, or a gyro sandwich and fries, etc. It felt like a stretch of a brunch menu.
The gyro salad was fine. It didn’t stand out in any way. It had the standard ingredients — lots of lettuce, a couple of tomato wedges, couple of cucs, couple of olives, couple of bell peppers. There wasn’t a balance of ingredients, lots of romaine and gyro meat, sparse everything else. Dressing was pretty good.
The tiramisu tasted homemade and had the right moist texture when you cut into it. I prefer a tiramisu with a stronger espresso flavor though. It also needed more of the cocoa dusting on the piece itself. I found the tiramisu good but bland in flavor.
I did really enjoy the cup of espresso I had with the dessert. That was yummy.
The couple at the table next to us were regulars. He mentioned that this was the second restaurant and that the original is his favorite. He also said the artichoke is a must for the future.
I left thinking brunch wasn’t the restaurants strong suit. I almost wish I had found this spot when I’d be ordering from the standard menu. The reviews indicate there are some good dishes here.
As for my experience summary: service was great, food was average and a bit uninspired, prices were $$, not really a brunch spot. I’d be interested to try the regular menu and see if my opinion changes. If I make it back, I’ll let you know how it goes.

Prices are reasonable. Food hits the spot. Staff very friendly! Bathrooms exceptionally clean.
I always order gyro and fries which are very enjoyable.
Please note that I did notice that those ordering the gyro dish came out quickly. However, other orders may take a longer time to prepare. Be patient. I think the food is worth the wait!

Vaso’s succeeds in many areas, but the entrée I had fell short.
This is a pretty, bright, modern restaurant — casual elegance in a clean, bright décor. Primarily darker furnishings contrast with what I think of now as the standard HGTV brighter tan/​brown/​grey/​white color palate on the walls. Holiday lights above the windows give the restaurant a whimsical touch, as do the light fixtures — although the latter is perhaps inadvertent because, while pretty, they reminded me of wrapped bacon every time I looked up. You are not out of place in Vaso’s whether you choose to wear casual clothes or dress up. Also, although it looks small from the dining rooms that front both floors, ‘hallway’ seating on the first floor and additional large dining rooms on both floors make Vaso’s a surprisingly large restaurant. (Although I only saw one bathroom.) Small, well-​stocked bars are set up on each floor, as well. There’s no outdoor space yet, but apparently that’s in the works.
The service here was outstanding. The staff is friendly, efficient, knowledgeable, and patient staff. (In one example, I saw the host re-​seat one group three times in about 15 minutes but he kept a smile on his face even after they were unable to see him.)
The food… wasn’t balanced. The good-​sized menu covered seafood, veal, chicken, and pasta dishes. The prices varied widely; I thought the entrees were particularly well-​priced, but the prices for appetizers and especially the wines seemed pretty high. For the appetizers, the high-​seeming price may be because they’re pretty large; and for the wines, it may be that the great selection of Greek wines is uncommon in this area (at least from what I’ve seen). There are also beers on tap and in bottles, including couple Greek beers, and several creative cocktails. The grilled halloumi appetizer was excellent — I would definitely order that again; three large slices of halloumi on pita wedges, along with three more pita wedges with cucumber and tomato. (YUM!) After the amazing service and appetizer, and a glass of thoroughly enjoyable Greek wine, I was extremely underwhelmed by my spaghetti and meatballs entrée, which tasted somewhat bland, like it was missing important spices. (I’d also perhaps char the meatballs a little more — for my taste, anyway — to gain a little more flavor from them as well.) The flavors in the dish also seemed to mush together, like something that had been sitting around too long; I do think it was freshly made, but I just don’t think the flavors of the main components popped enough from each other.
I do hope to visit again, based on the service and appetizer, but I plan to try something other than the spaghetti as my entrée next time — probably one of the wonderful-​looking fish or shrimp dishes.

I believe Vasos is a well kept secret of Old Town. Where Greek Mediterranean cuisine meets Italian! Literally everything on the menu is great. I think the food is so delicious because everything consists of fresh & simple ingredients. They also offer a great Brunch Menu and tasty drinks.
My favs: Greek Gyro Salad, Pita Sandwiches, Vaso Shrimp, Chicken Parmesan and the Shrimp Scampi & Garlic Pasta Desserts: Baklava and the Tiramisu

I love everything I eat at Vasos. My favorites are the Vasos shrimp, chicken parm and gyro salad. The service is wonderful and the atmosphere is clean. Every person I’ve recommended this place to loves it. I can’t recommend this place enough!

Vaso’s is an incredibly beautiful restaurant located in the heart of Old Town Alexandria. The interesting thing is that there’s actually two restaurants owned by the same guy — Vaso’s Mediterranean Bistro and Vaso’s Kitchen, the latter is focused on serving Greek. After deciding we were leaning towards Mediterranean, we ended up choosing this location and made a reservation for 6:30pm, the restaurant basically almost full when we showed up.
We had:
— Mussels Marinara — Great appetizer to start with.
— Vaso’s Shrimp (pasta) — Super delicious shrimp, paired with a perfect creamy sauce over pasta. I think there’s a big reason why this is the only item on the menu with «Vaso» in the name. I highly recommend this one.
— Veal Chop — Skip it. We tried this one and I wished I stuck with pasta.
— Baklava & Galaktoboureko — All desserts are homemade. We enjoyed both of these choices.
Service was attentive and quick, even with the restaurant being completely full. A great place for a date or a night out. It’s pretty popular so make a reservation before you stop by!

Food and service are both excellent. Had the mozzarella caprese appetizer and spaghetti with meatballs. Both were excellent with just enough spice and great presentation. Spaghetti was cooked perfectly. Drinks were refilled quickly.
Prices were on the high side at $ 30+ per person (with no alcoholic drinks).

A few minor hiccups aside, this place is a gem.
Super fresh salad
Trendy décor (although we agreed that we are not sure that it entirely fit the style of food)
Very good pasta dishes.
Pretty good table wines (as far as table wines go)
Good for business dinners and date night.
Would not hesitate to return.
Note for owners: please make sure that the more expensive white wine by the glass is chilled properly.

My boyfriend and I had a craving for Greek on a Sunday afternoon and we happened to stumble upon this place. As soon as we entered we were welcomed by pleasant staff and seated immediately. The restaurant had a cozy and bright ambiance for the perfect Sunday Brunch.
The menu had unlimited mimosas for a decent price. We both choose the classic Gyro Sandwich for our entrée. It was by far the best gyro I’ve had in a long time! The fresh warm pita was delectable and you can tell the ingredients are locally sourced. The portions are large and I could not finish the entire sandwich but that’s why I bring the boyfriend. ;-) I will mention that it’s a bit messy but completely worth it!
We will definitely be back again soon!

Came here the other day based on the Unilocal reviews, but was not very impressed. Food was pretty mediocre in my opinion.
Service was good. Our waitress was nice but seemed pretty busy.
We were brought out bread to start, but it was cold and chewy. They put olive oil on the table too, but that was just a blah option for blah bread.
We got the saganaki and calamari to start. Its a small restaurant with low ceilings in some parts so dont expect any large flames. The saganaki was good, but how is a hunk of hot melted cheese ever not good? The calamari was okay. The marinara wasnt very flavorful.
I got the Greek salad which was great and refreshing. The greens were good and the toppings were fresh. The dressing just tasted like some oil and herbs. You cant mess up a salad so i enjoyed my dinner. Bf got a veal dinner, which was layered with mozzarella, ham and basil. It came with a side of pasta and meat sauce. He said it was very plain.
We both got dessert. All the signature desserts are made in house. We got baklava and tiramisu. The baklava was great. I am not a fan of baklava ever, and i thought it was amazing. The tiramisu was lacking flavor… it tasted like soaked lady fingers in mascarpone with not enough coffee or even sugar.
Clean bathroom.
I would be back for thr baklava, but with all the choices off od King St, i think i might try something new next time.