Nido's Little Italy - Frederick

So, my hubby and I was lucky enough to finally have a date night in a long time. We decided to try this restaurant after realizing everything was packed for dinner (I should 've planned a little better). OMG! Where do I begin. First of all, when my husband called to check on whether a reservation was need, and if there was a dress code , the gentleman responded by saying, no, just come you 're like family. He was right! We felt right at home when we walked in. The restaurant was nestled away in a corner, and there wasn 't the normal dinner crowd waiting for the first available table. I loved the ambiance and the music. It felt like we were in Italy. The food was amazing! From the appetizer to the main course to the dessert, I was in heaven! We started with the mozzarella and tomatoes, and it was so fresh! For the main course, I had the lasagna and the sauce was incredible, and my husband had the seafood platter and I could literally taste how fresh all of the ingredients were in a huge dish. It wasn 't heavy at all. We had the cannoli and cheesecake for dessert, and it was fantastic! Overall, I was pleasantly pleased with dinner at this restaurant! Everything tasted fresh and delicious! I cannot wait to come back!

Great pizza, spaghetti sauce was very good. Reminded me of my grandmothers homemade sauce as a kid. The location is not the best or I think it would have a lot more reviews and people eating here. Service was great too.

This place was great. I was a little suprised by the pizza, but I ended up regretting that I only got a small. The Rafi platter, which was eggplant Ptarmigan and house made noodle, was fantastically cooked with the house made marinara sauce having the perfect balance of acidity and sweet which brought the whole dish together. Lastly was the tiramisu. Such a sweet and creamy dish. I can be a bit of a snob when it come to tiramisu but this one goes down as one of the good ones. All in all, this placed doesn 't deserve the flack it 's been getting from others. The maker of Nido 's has done it again with Rafi.

My family loved Nido's and so we were excited to try Rafi's. We were not disappointed! Love the white pizza appetizer, the pitcher of red wine, the eggplant parmesan, and pasta with meat balls. The marina sauce IS excellent!

Like some other reviewers, I grew up eating Nido's in downtown Frederick. My family was so sad when new owners took over and the food quickly went downhill. Thank goodness Ralf (previous owner of Nido's) opened Rafi's. Everything is exactly the same: the candles, little wine glasses and carafes, music, unpretentious dinner wear, and of course THE FOOD. As everyone says, you must must must get the white pizza large. Don't bother with a small. You will want more. My dad loves the lasagna, my mom loves the raviolis, and my favorite is the eggplant. It's so delicious. Hardly any breading, very tender, and topped with the famous red sauce. I live in Florida now and every time I visit we must eat at Rafi's. I also stock up on their red sauce and pay for an extra bag so I can fly it home. In fact, I just finished eating everyone's leftovers (including white pizza) that I stole and brought back to Orlando with me haha! If you like authentic Italian, go to Rafi's NOW! PS: most of the reviewers complaining about quality and size clearly have only ever experienced American Italian food that is laden with breading, oil, and cheese. Guess what, in Italy pizzas aren't 18 inches in diameter. They are small, handcrafted, and have high quality ingredients. Exactly like the pizza at Rafi's.