Vino Volo Tysons

Solid three stars.

I actually was lucky enough (thanks Yelp!) to attend the soft opening of Vino Volo a few weeks back, and I knew I'd be back. This is a great place to relax, have a few small bites and a flight or glass of wine. My husband and I decided to return this past rainy Thursday - thought it'd be a great place to unwind after getting our flu shots and two long days at work. This place has a really great atmosphere - lots of dark wood, comfy chairs, an inviting bar and lounge seating, and just a relaxed vibe.

We arrived about 20 minutes before happy hour ended, which was great. During happy hour, they offer select small bites and flights of wine at a discount. The featured flight was Rioja, a region that we're not familiar with, so we decided to split a flight. We liked 2/3 wines in the flight (the other was just ok). I must say, this is one of the things I really like about this place - they have a great selection of wine, not just in the shop, but by the bottle and glass that you can consume in the restaurant. They also offer about 10 different flights, which is great for finding new wines. To start, we ordered the truffle popcorn - delicious and addicting - and a caramelized onion flatbread pizza (this particular pizza is only offered during happy hour). The pizza was perfectly crispy and extremely fresh mozzarella (no shredded mozzarella here). Once we finished our initial flight, we ordered two more - "world pinots" for my husband and "harvest reds" for me. Discovered a few delicious wines in those flights, which was great.

We were still hungry, so decided to order two pastas and two glasses of wine. I got the truffle parmesan penne and my husband had the wild mushroom risotto. My pasta was delicious and extremely filling. My husband's dish was good, but when he was done there was about 1/4 cup of oil left in the dish, which was not appealing at all.

Another thing that was not appealing - the waiter. He was really, really pushy and my husband said he felt rushed (I didn't necessarily feel rushed but the waiter was continuously there asking us if we wanted to order more). He was also pushing the featured bottle. I realize this is also a wine shop, but I really didn't like feeling pressured to "buy more" while I was trying to enjoy my food and wine. I admit, it really dampened our experience, which is the main reason this rating is 3 stars instead of 4.

So, overall, wine is great, food is pretty good. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and hope that the pushy service was just this one particular waiter. Regardless, I'm sure I'll return and will update this review if my opinion of the service changes.

Vino Volo is located at Tysons 2 by the Cheesecake Factory.  They have a cute little patio which I would suggest you try before it gets too cold. The interior is cute, if smallish, and invites you to relax and get to know a few wines.  

The place nearly filled up, with a lot of women (go figure, its a wine bar) and a well dressed crowd skewing from (30ish to 45ish).  

They have about 6 different flights offered, 4 red and 2 white as well as an unlisted dessert flight.  I went with the pinot noir flight.  It was okay.  Two were very meh and one was decent enough.  I decided to stick to glasses of cab after the pinot.  They were passing but I was expecting a little more since it is a wine bar by name.

I did really like their blocks with the tasting notes.  I thought it was cute and helped me remember exactly what it was that I was drinking.

We got the pick three cheese/charcuterie with two cheeses and one meat.  The cheeses really bored me but I did quite enjoy the meat.. harhar..  

We also got the salmon roll, chicken spread, and the asparagus.  The salmon rolls are not salmon rolls.  They are more like salmon crostini and were quite enjoyable.  The asparagus was pretty standard and came with an oversalted piece of bacon.  The chicken spread was my adventurous choice and I think if you like pate's in general, you'll most likely enjoy this choice.  It came with some olive spread as well which was pretty good.  For me, it just reinforced that I don't favor pates....hahaha

After a flight each, and several round of drink on my side, and of course the food,  the bill was over $100.  I just don't think that this meal merited a $100+ price tag.  While presentation was on point, I felt the food and wine was mediocre.  

Will I be back?  Who knows... maybe?  It's still an okay spot to unwind after work and catch a drink or two with a girlfriend.  The food and the wine is decent enough to get an A-OK rating.

What a great experience at their pre-opening event!

The location itself is a great spot at the very front of the Galleria, and I love that they have an open patio as well. The rustic casual decor is a great escape from the urban chic that Tysons is more notorious for.

All the staff are very friendly and helpful, and they are generous in their pours and explaining the different wines they have available. Had a great wine from New Zealand that was tropical-y and light and grassy Italian wine as well. They do feature several local VA wines, and I hope that they expand that portion of their collection.

The food that is available here actually matches the ambiance and level of service. Going more for small plates and light bites, there's everything from lamb meatballs to antipasti boards to salmon crostinis to flatbreads. Yes, it does swing towards an Italian and modern American flavor, but that works in my book.

Overall, I can see this Vino Volo becoming a great spot for the area that has been in dire need of a slower-paced and more sophisticated entertainment experience. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a change of pace.