Caruso’s Grocery, which operates a location at Pike & Rose in North Bethesda, has been named one of the 40 best restaurants in the D.C. area by Washington Post food critic Elazar Sontag.
Caruso’s Grocery came in at No. 34 on Sontag’s list. In addition to its original D.C. restaurant, the Italian-American concept operates at 11820 Trade Street in Pike & Rose, where it debuted in late 2023.
The restaurant focuses on classic Italian-American red sauce dishes, with a menu that includes Penne alla Vodka, Chicken Parmesan, Sole Francaise, Mozzarella en Carozza, and Garlic Bread with Four Cheese Sauce.
In his write-up, Sontag praised chef Matt Adler’s approach to familiar Italian-American favorites, describing the cooking as capable of triggering and honoring nostalgia. He specifically highlighted the restaurant’s chicken parmesan, pesto gnocchi, Caesar salad, and tiramisu.
Sontag noted that while the newer North Bethesda dining room lacks some of the warmth the restaurant attempts to create through family portraits and leather booths, Adler’s cooking more than makes up for it. He described Caruso’s Grocery as a throwback to classic red-sauce Italian-American restaurants.
The recognition is the latest national-area accolade for Caruso’s Grocery. The restaurant was also previously included among longtime former Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema’s five favorite dinners in D.C. for $25 or less.
