That’s Amore

I truly don’t understand the bad reviews this place has gotten as of late. That’s Amore is classic and classy. The décor has a vintage, one-​of-​a-​kind vibe that’s hard to find in the advent of popular chain restaurants. The food is fresh, and the flavor palate delicate. The service is exactly what you would want at a nice Italian restaurant. Extremely polite, doesn’t check in too often to rush you along, willing to ask the chef to make special off-​the-​menu requests. You can’t find places like this easily anymore, and people really should give it a fair chance, despite not being in one of those pretentious new constructs like Rio and Crown plaza, who’s only good points are the ability to bar hop.
Give it a try, the gen. y-​ers don’t know what they’re talking about.

I’ve been to this restaurant twice about 15 months apart, and I just can’t understand how an Italian restaurant manages to be this unimpressive and stay open.
I know they probably get some captive diners who stay at the Marriott across the street — like me. This restaurant in in a business park that empties at 5. For folks without a car, this seems like a better option that the bistro at the Marriott.
They also seem to have a built-​in crowd of older regulars/​bar flys, but they just bought booze. The dining room has been empty and the bar has been about ¼ full each time I’ve come.
Perhaps, being in a business park they do most of their business in catering and serving mediocre banquet lunches to disheartened workers.
Dunno for sure, but as a solo diner in the evening, this is just a bad restaurant. On both visits, I started with a salad. Caesar the first time, house salad the second. Both times, they’ve been bad due to the dressing. I legit can’t remember why I didn’t like the Caesar, but I remembered to order the house salad this time. The veggies are fresh, the greens are crisp and if I had asked for dressing on the side, it would have been okay. The house vinaigrette tastes like it contains like fish sauce/​liquid smoke. Unpleasant.
I think I didn’t specifically remember the Caesar from last time because my baked rigatoni al forno was memorably bad. The waiter recommended it, saying it was delicious, but the meat sauce that came with it was terrible. It had the ultra-​broken down texture of cheap taco meat and wasn’t seasoned that I could tell, so just low grade ground beef in watery tomato sauce. I picked around it as well as I could, but in the end I just feigned fullness and left.
So, I came back tonight, trapped at the same hotel for work. I was totally ready to give the place a second chance, so I walked past the empty dining room, where no one was greeting people anyways, and went to the bar. I had a happy hour wine while checking out both the happy hour and full menu. I spotted the meatballs on the hh menu and was just about to order those.
But the guy seated next to me was jawing with the bartender about the food at that’s amore and how he could make it all better. He started talking about the meatballs, and the bartender acknowledged they were frozen.
With the regulars and staff acknowledging the quality of the food, I decided to order what is the hardest to screw up.
I got a house salad and spaghetti marinara. The salad we’ve already discussed, but I was no more than 4 bites into it when a waiter brought my spaghetti as well. So, they struggle with pacing as well.
The spaghetti appeared to be your standard issue dried spaghetti cooked well, al dente, and seasoned with salt. But it was tossed with bland, slightly tinny tasting marinara. I ate some of that with the bread, which is likely store bought focaccia, and for some reason pre-​cut. The breadbasket was prepared far enough in advanced for the edges to be hard and stale.
Once again, I feigned fullness, paid for my meal and left.
The staff is nice enough, the place seems clean and well kept, and maybe this is a geographic thing, since I’m from the west, but I can’t recommend this place unless you just want a drink. $ 4.25 hh wine.

Amazing place to eat! Years ago, they had one in Columbia that was also very good. They really go out of their way to ensure you’re having a great dining event. Our server «Logan» was really awesome, very attentive. I can’t believe anyone would have a bad experience at this place. I’ve been more than three times now and NEVER have had a bad food or dish served here. Everything tastes like it’s freshly prepared, which I’m sure it is. This is a family owned place and the detail and care they put into the food is not something you find at a «Bertucci’s» or «Olive Garden.» Definitely we will be back!

We’ve been going to That’s Amore for years. In fact, we had our kids’ Bar Mitzvahs there. It was such a great place with great atmosphere and really good food. It was our go-​to restaurant. Yesterday we had dinner there for the first time in several years, and it was very disappointing. The first thing we noticed was that it was empty. For 7 p.m. on a Thursday that’s really unusual. The place used to be packed. There were two other tables occupied besides ours. I ordered what used to be my favorite salad — Amore’s Greek Salad. It was nothing like what it used to be. The dressing literally had no taste to it. For my main course I ordered Mussles Amore with lemon, white wine and fresh basil from the appetizer menu. When the plate was placed in front of me I was struck by an awful smell. I can’t even describe it, but it reminded me of feet. Somehow I managed to get passed it and taste them, because I was starving. The taste actually wasn’t bad. The sauce was very sour, but edible. My son ordered Baked Rigatoni al forno, and he also complained about the same awful smell. Just like with the mussels, once you got passed the smell, it tasted okay, but he couldn’t eat it. I am so sad, because I have such fond memories of all of our family gatherings there, but alas, yesterday was our last time. Arrivederci, amore mio.

While on work travel, tried to order for delivery to my hotel only to find out they require a minimum $ 100 order. But ordered anyway and picked up a dinner meal. Had the fried calamari (way too rubbery!)…the veal Marsala was respectable… served with a generous helping of bread… no utensils provided. the tiramisu was the best I have had in a while…3 out of 5 stars because of the calamari, no utensils and mis-​info on Unilocal on delivery requirements.

Poindexter is da BOMB bartender. We came for happy hour on a whim and we were pleasantly surprised! He made us laugh from the minute we walked in and was super attentive. We will definitely be back for more:)

Awesome food, tons of deserts, food come fast and fresh even the place is crowded. Dishes is full and large to me.
We’ve been there twice.
I love mussel with white sauce, lamb, seafood linguine.
Kids love here, all ppl are pleasure, big smile all the time

Went for dinner a couple of weeks ago. It used to be a great place. But the quality and service has gone down. It looks like a restaurant that’s going belly up.
Somehow the overall feel was not lively. Only three tables were occupied. Super pricey cocktails ($ 13 for a martini. Come on).
The sauce had a burnt taste and the food was really mediocre. Good bye Mi Amore. Will not be visiting anytime soon.

Classy place. Food is great, prices a bit on the higher end but this is expected with an upscale Italian restaurant. Ordered Shrimp Scampi Linguini and it was really good. Will go again.

That’s Amore was amazing! I originally went there because they had a groupon but I will definitely be going back. I had the seafood risotto special, which had a ton of seafood. My friend and I also shared a Greek salad and it was more than enough food and super delicious. My friend had the gnocchi and loved it as well. Adina was our waitress and she was great! She was very attentive and added to our great experience. It would not have been the same with another waiter.

That’s Amore is our go to restaurant when we are in town. We love going here with our entire family; children love it as does our 87 and 90 year old parents. Tonight our waiter, Jeffery, was incredible. He was attentive, helpful, and friendly. Thank you, Jeffery!

Been eating here for a long time in spite of the fact that it is very expensive and usually always very good food.
Big time change has taken place. Went for dinner last night and the place was basically deserted at dinner time. That was weird. Ordered the Chicken Marsala which is usually very good. While the portion size was still favorable the quality was not. The chicken had just a very little sauce on it barely enough to cover the chicken and it was a very bland and tasteless generic brown sauce. I’m almost willing to be that there was no white wine in the sauce at all which is the part I like so much! There wasn’t even enough sauce to dunk the bread in on the plate. I ended up using the meat sauce from another dish to cover the chicken. It was good but not exactly what I was wanting, lol…
We also ordered Fettuccine Alfredo which is also usually quite good and a sure bet. Not any more. As above the portion size was still nice but the sauce was watery and just not the same creamy goodness it once was. The only dish that did not seem to change was the kids menu Spaghetti and meat sauce.
I guess this explains why the place was empty at dinner time. I hope they make it I really do but at those prices it will be a while before i go back.

We have been going to That’s Amore for a long time. the food has always been good particularly the Chicken Marsala, Chicken Parmigiana, Caesar salad and especially the roasted potatoes.
That’s Amore has two options: Family servings and solo servings. It has always been a favorite around here due to its big portions and quality cuisine. It also does a very good job of catering since we did cater a party from them.
I will say, however, that I have noticed some undesirable changes in recent times probably due to declines in customers.
First, they no longer use table cloths on the tables. Although this is no big deal, I do miss it.
Secondly, I have noticed a slight decline in quantity of food served, which is particularly noticeable in the roasted potato offering. That ‘s Amore (TA) is known for medium to high prices;however, the huge portions made the pricing excusable. After all, if you can get two to three meals for each offering, it becomes very reasonable. However with smaller portions but with no change in pricing, the deal isn’t as good as it was, which could be a reason for its decline.
Bottom line: I like That’s Amore. They have good food, they still have sizable portions and great eating environment. I don’ t understand why there is a decline in patronage other than the smaller portions being offered over what was offered previously. Still, I think this is still a good deal for the family and a great place for a party.
I should note that TA has a great party room downstairs if you want to host an event. We were there for a wedding reception. They did a fantastic job and the food was great.
UPDATE:. we just had a meal at That’s Amore on June 11, 2016. We ordered family Caesar salad, family size Vesuvio potatoes, Chicken Parm and Vesuvio Chicken. EVERYTHING was fabulous. Also, this time, our portion size has increased since last visit. If you go here definitely order their Vesuvio roasted potatoes. I have never found a better version of roasted potatoes anywhere. In addition, save room for dessert. The chocolate cannoli and bread pudding were both out of this world.
Bottom line: That’s Amore is probably my favorite Italian restaurant in the Rockville area, and definitely has better cuisine than most other Italian restaurants. It is a real gem. They also do a wonderful job at catering. I used them for a party, and had nothing but raves from my guests. That’s Amore also has a hall for parties downstairs.
: I strongly urge you to try That’s Amore. You won’t regret it. Leave room for dessert too.

Look, I will resume and cut the bullshit.
I never been a dumbass by judge some place not fit my flavor, my kind of style etc.
But someone please can call Chef Ramsay? Kitchens Nightmare!
The décor place is tight Italian, so nice stuff, but the food… Shhhh.
My Giusti’s family would cry in their sacred place:
Please give me some birras.

Pathetic Italian food run by non-​Italians. «Not Amore» is what this place should be called. iI reported how disgusting the bathroom was… hostess just brushed it off with her bad attitude. I simply asked «why would you keep your bathroom so horrible?» Guess the truth hurt because I was asked leave by the so-​called manager. As I left, that same hostess said «you don’t have to be here is you don’t like it — go back to Italy’.
Now worries I went down the road to a true authentic Italian restaurant and got excellent service, great food, and even clean bathrooms!
Update ⁸⁄₂₄ — As you can see this place is simply trying to save itself. The poor food, service, and cleanliness is no excuse. There are several other authentic Italian restaurants in the area which being Italian, I would highly recommend over this dump.

Seven of us came to That’s Amore for our coworker’s going away lunch. Our server was very attentive and friendly and our water glasses were always full. Our appetizer and main courses came out slower than we hoped for, being on our lunch break. We ended up being in the restaurant for about an hour and a half. Everyone seemed to enjoy their lunch and the portion sized were so generous that most of us ended up taking a lot home.
My lunch, however, was a huge disappointment. I ordered a starter caesar salad and the mussels as my entrée. The salad was nice and fresh, but the mussels were definitely past their prime. About half of the mussels did not taste like Ocean City, but were still very dry. Our server noticed immediately that there was a problem with my meal and offered a replacement. Everyone was already almost finished eating so I turned down another entrée and asked for some tiramisu (my all time favorite dessert) to go. Well, I just broke into the tiramisu and it is also a huge disappointment. Their tiramisu is 3 lady fingers topped with custard sprinkled in cocoa powder (as opposed to a slice of tiramisu cake). I absolutely do not mind the presentation, it is the lack of espresso that I am upset with. I’m not sure if they forgot it or if they normally serve dry tiramisu, but it is not very good.

I visited First time (5÷20÷15) for happy hour w/​friend. This restaurant is located @research blvd/​shady grove rd in Rockville’s corporate corridor. That’s Amore has a separate entire room for the bar w/​seating @ bar & bar height tables. The food is house made Italian. Bar has a nice menu w/​small meat, seafood & pasta dishes, appetizers & pizza. We shared mozzarella sticks & Napoli sausage (spicy sausage, sautéed peppers & onions.) House made focaccia bread. Delicious Food. Great neighborhood «feel» &
Good customer service. Worth a return visit.

I just had a team lunch with my coworkers earlier today, and it was a party of seven. I walked in, and immediately I had this thought that I came to dine at an elderly couples home — think grandma & grandpapa’s home with really really dim lighting. Especially when it’s a lovely day out, I want to see sunshine out the windows — but maybe that’s just me. The table where we were seated, there was no view of the outside.
I want to say we had about a 20+ minutes of a wait time between when our order was taken and when the food was bought out. I ordered the shrimp and scallops pappardelle served in a creamy sauce. I thought it tasted average — it neither impressed me, nor did I have any urge to send it back to the kitchen.
I didn’t order any drinks besides water. Three of my colleagues wanted drinks after the meal. The server took down two orders and turned around to fetch the hot drinks from the kitchen. The third colleague ended up having to ask another server to bring her the drink.
All in all, leaving That’s Amore, I didn’t feel psyched in anyway to return anytime soon.

We had a Groupon deal and were craving Italian food. Even though we saw the mediocre reviews, we thought we’d give it a try.
We walked into an older outdated restaurant that smelled of cigarette smoke. We were seated immediately and thankfully the scent was only in the lobby.
Our server greeted us upon seating and took our drink orders within seconds. The restaurant wasn’t very busy. There were only 3 other occupied tables in our dining room, all also using Groupons. Bad sign.
We ordered the fried calamari as appetizer. The calamari was delicious. Just right with the batter and not overly seasoned. Came with a simple marinara sauce. The winner.
They brought out some warm toasted focaccia and plain white bread. The focaccia was very good. And included an olive oil dipping plate. The white bread was decent.
My fiancé ordered the meat lasagna. She liked it. It was very filling. The lasagna was stuffed with ricotta and meat. The meat sauce was placed around the lasagna, and no sauce was baked or put in the lasagna. She liked it like this. But I thought it made it really dry and bland. I would have liked to see a little more tomato sauce, at least on the side.
I had the lobster fra diavolo which is a spicy tomato cream sauce. It wasn’t spicy at all. The lobster wasn’t good. It had a sour bitter taste. The dish also had scallops and shrimp. The shrimp was good, but there were only 2. The scallops were also very bitter. I couldn’t eat the seafood which was a waste, so thank goodness we had the Groupon. The pasta was so soft and overcooked. I barely made a dent.
For dessert, we had the tiramisu. It was light and fluffy. Delicious.
So all in all, I loved the appetizer, bread and dessert. As for both entrée’s, I’ve had much better. If they could make their pasta al dente, I’d be willing to come back and order a classic pasta dish.

Joined some friends for dinner here a few weeks ago. Walking in, the first thing you’ll notice is the old-​fashioned décor and ambiance. This restaurant reminded me of 1990’s movies, for some reason, but it wasn’t a deal breaker for me.
Moving on to the food. We ordered quite a few dishes, and most of them turned out really well, with a nice and varied flavor palate. I ordered the Giambotto, which i would recommend for pork lovers.
The reason why this restaurant gets 3 stars though, is the service. To say the service was slow would be putting it mildly. There were times when we had to flag down the waiter and ask for water, and even getting the check out and processed took around 15 minutes.
I would recommend going here only if you have a couple of hours to kill.