Pines Of Florence Arlington

Excellent, small, cozy restaurant with plenty of free parking. Staff is extremely friendly and helpful. Food is good Italian fare; very reasonable prices for good food. Quiet atmosphere where one can carry on a conversation in a normal tone without shouting which is also more relaxing to enjoy you meal. We find that to be the exception for Arlington restaurants; many are fare too noisy. Again, extremely friendly staff and good food at a reasonable price. `Overall, a nice family run restaurant.

Authentic Italian food in a nice atmosphere at a reasonable price. Not at all like the chain restaurants, which are often imitations.

Parking is a major problem. Once past that, the kitchen does a great job on classics and specials.

While we've never had a bad meal at Pines of Florence, we think the pasta dishes are their best feature. They offer a wonderful, thick, fresh marinara sauce that is filled with rich tomato flavor and just the right amount of acidity. The cannelloni has never disappointed, nor has the lasagna. The service is friendly and prompt, the kitchen is efficient, and the prices are reasonable.

I like the food but I recognize that it's really not very special and I could see how real foodies would find it too boring. What's especially disappointing is the service. For example, our booth was only set for 2 people but there were 3 in the party. They plopped the components of the extra placesetting in a pile at the end of the table and that was it. We had to put out the plate, silverware, and napkin and move them to the proper spot on the table. This is just indicative of the level of service we usually receive here (I've come here about 5 times). It's convenient so I come back but the service is pretty poor.