La Panetteria is a resident fixture in Bethesda, serving the finest Southern and Northern Italian specialty foods. It has won accolades from food critics and many, many loyal customers as well. La Panetteria earned and kept the well-deserved title of Premier Italian Restaurant in Bethesda through its superb menu and impeccable service.

Sitting in the beautifully sunlit indoor atrium with its gracefully hanging baskets and period paintings makes one think of relaxing in an open foyer of a well-established restaurant in old Italy. The wonderful, rich aromas from the kitchen entice your taste buds out of dormancy and they spring to life in anticipation of the bounty to come.

The meal is prepared perfectly and a good bottle of wine enhances the pleasure. This is real life at La Panetteria! No wonder the Washington Jewish Week raved,
"La Panetteria has been around for 25 years. That's a record of impressive staying power in the heated up Bethesda dining scene."

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Penelope Limoc of the Almanac Newspapers says, "There are no Chianti bottles on the walls, but there should be. It's that kind of old fashioned, cozy and casual Italian restaurant, complete with white washed stucco walls, ceramic tile floor and checkered tablecloths. From eggplant to veal, La Panetteria features the hearty and thick tomato sauces known as the signature trademark of the Northern Italian cuisine. La Panetteria translates to 'bakery' in Italian, so it comes as no surprise that all the bread is baked fresh daily. All this sumptuous food and home-like ambiance comes at very reasonable prices."

Choose From Our Extensive Menu Featuring:
Home Made Pasta
The Famous White Pizza
Fresh Fish and Seafood
Traditional Veal and Chicken Dishes

To See Our Menus, Click on a Link Below

Call To Inquire About Our Party Menus!
La Panetteria offers a perfect venue for private parties
such as rehearsal dinners or celebratory events.

Customer Reviews 05/3/2011 Harry, Cory, like to thank you for a wonderful evening, the guests were Past Chair of the Greater Washington Society of Association Executives, representing various trade associations in our economic sector. Thanks for a letting us use your wonderful place, service was outstanding, please pass on our thanks again to the women who served- great job. As always the best,---------- Till we meet again, take care . Keep serving those delicious meals, hope we brought you some new customers. THANK YOU. Randy Schools, CAE NIH Recreation and Welfare Association Delivery on 10/1/2010 It was a HUGE success. They all LOVED the food and thought it had to have been homemade. Almost all of them came back to the kitchen afterward to ask again from where the food came. As I was cleaning up they designated one of the teachers to come in with pencil and paper to have me write the name and address down of the restaurant. I think you made quite an impression on them. The chicken and lasagnas were their favorites, however I really enjoyed the ravioli. Thank you so much! Julie I was greeted by the host with a red rose (it was V-Day), and promptly seated for our 9:00PM reservations. This quaint little classic Italian restaurant is a great choice for intimate dining. Twinkle lights and candles illuminate the long narrow dining spaces and Venetian mural. After deciding on a bottle of wine, I ordered the ricotta and spinach stuffed eggplant which was extraordinary. It accompanied a very ordinary house salad. For dessert they were willing to accommodate us with a bowl of mixed berries (not on the menu). The dessert tray looked divine but our entrees were quite rich so we opted for something on the lighter side La Panetteria Ristorante is definitely not your average Italian restaurant. The cozy place is just one of those great finds in the Bethesda restaurant district. The dining room features a really beautiful atrium area that makes it feel as though you are dining on a street in Venice, while still giving you the comfort of air conditioning. The meals here are very hearty, and in large portions, so bring a good appetite. Before dining on our main course, we tried out the fried zucchini which was so lightly battered and so good, that I loved it, and typically I hate zucchini. For the main course my girlfriend went with the melanzane al florintina (eggplant wrapped around feta and spinach, covered in cheese) and I went with the spaghetti al pomodoro, which must have had a full pound of meat in the sauce. It was all very good, and the deserts were even better. A fresh chocolate mousse cake which was simply divine. Thank you for the wonderful food Italian food in the best Italian restaurant in Bethesda We sent you more people from NCI! We were in such a hurry, I did not give the driver his tip. I had it in cash, Please apologize. We will make it up for him next time, which it will be soon.I promise Again thanks so much for a great food. Hana 07/20/2011 Please extend my thanks to your staff for the excellent service and dinner we enjoyed for our daughter's rehearsal dinner. The food was very good, indeed, but I must single out the staff out front for accommodating us with every change that came along. First, two of our guests said they would not be able to make it at the last minute, so I asked the staff to remove two places. They did so cheerfully. Then, I discovered that I had missed counting myself, and asked them to reset another place. Again, they did so without any problem. Next, several of our guests, including the groom's parents, were quite late. Your staff was professional about that gross inconvenience. Finally, the two guests that said they wouldn't be able to come did arrive half way through the meal, and your staff quickly set two additional places for them to feel welcome. In short, Harry, I will recommend your restaurant time and again. It is cute in ambiance. The food is delightful, and your staff impeccable. Sincerely, Helen Vettori We visited your wonderful restaurant a number of times when we had the occasion to be in Bethesda. The food was so good we would eat lunch and dinner there, and take to go food back home to Cleveland Ohio. We do not anticipate being in Bethesda any time soon, but will definitely visit you again, given the opportunity. It was one of the BEST restaurants we have ever been to. The food was excellent, the service was excellent, and it was a great dining experience. I was wondering if you might be so kind as to share the recipe for your salad dressing. We bought a quart to take home (along with our other to go's) and I have no clue how to replicate this -- it was awesome, but I can't justify a 7 hour drive to get more!! Thank you for your consideration, Robbi Jones 06/06/2011 We just returned from a short vacation following the wedding. I have received nothing buy raves about our rehearsal dinner and your food. My son and daughter-in-law were so very pleased as everybody had a great time. You and your staff did a superb job. Next time we visit we'll drop by for dinner. Thanks. Deborah Weinstein 12/10/2011 Thank you so much again. The party was a success. She was so surprised. Everyone, including myself was very impressed with the service that we received. The waiters were all superb, especially Stacy (I believe her name is). The food was fantastic and you were so accomodating. We REALLY appreciate everything. My mother will never forget this birthday, and I believe you have also created new customers that will continue to return. Sincerely 11 25 2011 My Dear Harry: You made the wedding wonderful! The food was amazing, as was your service. Working with you was a pleasure. We couldn't have asked for more. Thank you to you and your staff for a most wonderful event. If we are ever in the area again we will definitely stop in for dinner. Mally was super pleased with everything and she had a very happy day, thanks in part to you. Blessing to you my friend. Judy Gilchrist I'm sorry this is so late, but I wanted to let you know that we had a wonderful time at La Panetteria for our wedding reception. The food was fantastic, and your employees were wonderful. Everything was exactly the way we wanted it to be. Thank you for making our wedding day perfect! We will definitely be back for dinner soon. Thank you again! Julie and Dustin Thank you so much again. The party was a success. She was so surprised. Everyone, including myself was very impressed with the service that we received. The waiters were all superb, especially Stacy (I believe her name is). The food was fantastic and you were so accomodating. We REALLY appreciate everything. My mother will never forget this birthday, and I believe you have also created new customers that will continue to return. Sincerely