November 22, 2009
I had really high hopes for this place. The beer list is fairly extensive (though I could probably locate most of the brews elsewhere in the area at a cheaper price) and the menu looked decent enough. It’s in a nice quiet area of Alexandria, far away from the waterfront and King St. Well...the server was a straight up bitch who obviously didn’t want to be there. The bar area is way too cramped and the pizza was lame. The people running this place just seem to have an identity crisis - are we a cozy little hipster beer bar or are we a fine dining restaurant? They don’t know and they do both half-assed. That said, I’d definitely return as there are far too few places like this in the DC area. This is about as good as it gets around here.

October 16, 2009
Nice restaurant with a good beer selection. about 20 taps with high quality and regional drafts. Extensive bottle list. prices are on the high side on par with the area. Food is very very good. More worthwhile visit for the food, but have a solid beer collection. It is not really near old town which is where all the other bars and restaurants are, unfortunately.

September 25, 2009
Located in Alexandria (VA) in an up and coming part of town, Rustico is well out of the way, but well worth seeking out. One of the best beer bars in the area , hands down. Although the interior is somewhat funky, and the bar could be larger, this is a great establishment that serves great food and matches it with a superlative selection of beer, bottled and draft. I reccommend the flights offered.

May 17, 2009 [ Updated May 30, 2009 ]
Stopped here a little before 11 pm on a Saturday. Was somewhat busy, but really not nearly as many people as I had expected, as there were many open tables and a number of open bar seats as well. The staff at the front door was very friendly, and the people behind the bar were quick to help, and quite nice as well. The place had a good feel to it, and I have little to complain about in that respect. The beer selection is outlined in a metal binder, with its pages sorted by tap/bottle, and then by flavor profile/vintage. Tap selection was good, and they seem to rotate their stuff fairly often. Bottle selection was better, but prices on the more interesting things were too high for me to even consider them. Food was fast and good, and although many things cost an arm and a leg, the pizza isn’t unreasonable. Overall a very good place that is worth visiting.

March 6, 2009
Rustico was a fantastic find. Hidden away at the edge of Alexandria, the place is out of this world. It’s large, the seating is comfortable, and when we arrived there was not a commotion about getting into the place. The best beer selection I could compare it to (from memory) is DC’s RFD’s, which I have last been to over 2 years ago, so the comparison may not be apt anymore. 30 taps, some great finds as well. Bottle selection is very good, and quite a few of them can be viewed from the bar area. We arrived after the kitchen closed, so we were unable to eat any of the food, assured by one of our party as being very good. I really liked the pre-created beer samplers. Nice touch. Prices are not too out of this world, even for "city prices." Certainly a place to return to.

February 6, 2009
I have to say that I enjoyed Rustico. large, new, clean, and bistro-like interior with huge windows. Not a very personal feel, but comfortable and classy. They have definitely put some solid effort into creating a good beer list. Thirty beers on tap with a list on their website that is up to date. One rotating cask ale, and a few pages of bottles including a full page of vintage stuff. They do sampling draught flights with funny names that looked interesting. Most draught beers are available in six ounce glasses for half the price of the regular fourteen ouncer. That was pretty cool. The server that I had was a bit off his game though. It took him like fifteen minutes to get my beer and somehow my pizza came first. Delicious pizza by the way. I had the duck and brie drizzled with balsamic reduction and it was great. The beer prices were slightly steep, but thats par for the area I guess. The food is more reasonable, though still reflective of the high quality of the place. A soli

December 22, 2008
Wow, ok, Im really surprised I havent rated this place yet. I went tonight for the 3rd time, and I was impressed once again. Its nice to be able to try great beer on tap that I havent rated and the other beer on tap was stellar. I have to say the food is very good, the dessert tonight the peanut butter triffle was killer and the beer list is pretty good. The value is preety good but not amazing. Nice to see Chokolat, Weyerbacher 13, World Wide Stout, and another bunch of good beers. Bottle list is decent but limited.

December 14, 2008
Upscale strip mall style, but pleasant enough. Emphasis is clearly on the food, at least in the restaurant portion, and the entrees did not disappoint. Impressive beer list, more than a dozen on draught, seven or so additional pages of bottles. Classifications were not helpful, but maybe that is quibbling. Worth trying.

August 21, 2008
This is one of my favorite places to go. The prices are a little high for both food and beers, but both are great. I haven’t had anything from the menu I didn’t like. They have 30 taps that always have a few highly interesting things as well as some hard to find beers occasionally. The rest of the lineup is a solid cast of a wide variety. The bar staff is great and most of the bartenders I’ve met will introduce themselves. Many remember me when I come in even though that’s fairly infrequently.

July 6, 2008
I loved this place. The service was off the scale good. Fantastic beer selection, draft, bottle and reserve. The duck confit pizza is the best pizza I’ve ever had. The salad with duck ham was like something out of France. If you love beer and good food, go there. WOW.