Vignola Gourmet

Saw all the great reviews on Unilocal and have been to Italy three times. Location was a bit hard to find and I accidentally walked in the catering door?
Ordered the cold cut to go. While the ingredients were fresh and the bread was good, the sandwich was too dry for my taste. They needed to add a bit more of the green sauce. Also was quite pricey for the amount of meat on the sandwich.

Awesome local place! Fresh, high quality ingredients with multiple options for sandwiches and pasta. Feel free to order a salad in place of a sandwich with the same ingredients on top!

It’s a bit of a hunt trying to find this place, but I finally managed to track it down in the same plaza as my local Goodwill store, tucked in the back of a row of boxy looking brick buildings.
They do their best to brighten up the drab exteriors with a welcoming red door and cute signage, and once you walk in, you are enveloped completely in homey Italian-​American smells and cheerful colors.
The food was delicious for what it is. I’m not rating this a 4 based on what I would expect from Italy or from a Michelin-​starred restaurant.
The portions were fair and the tastes were all there, however, the free-​form lasagna did tend toward being too oily. It was hard to eat more than a quarter of the pasta bowl because it was just too heavy.
Still, I loved the meatball sub I sampled on crusty bread (best meatballs I’ve had in a while), and the roast beef sandwich on soft bread was absolutely delicious.
Pro Tip: If you’re eating with friends, but you’re the «health-​conscious» one in the group, don’t be THAT GIRL/​GUY who gets the salad. Just don’t do it. You will get massive food envy and your eating companions will resent you (it’s only natural) when you steal bites of their food. I repeat, do not order the salad. Just suck it up, and enjoy your carb-​laden cheat day.
As for the «gourmet» market, the oils and vinegars were REALLY cool, so many different flavors and types to try. However, the dried pasta selection was pretty uninspired. I would have expected more artisanal or just… not mass manufactured pastas at a place like this.
Still, I would come here mostly for their takeout foods. There is limited seating, but it’s not enough to have a big group come (~8 people) and be guaranteed seating. Still, next time I’m thrift shoppin’, I will be sure to stop by Vignola Gourmet again.

Great meals to keep in the freezer for easy dinner and also a good catering option. We used them for a baby shower and everyone loved the food.

I got a meatball sub. It’s amazing the cheese meat and bread are so fresh, but I don’t know if I’d regularly pay $ 9 for it. Also I went with 2 other people and the wait for our subs was 10min so that’s just something to keep in mind

Yum yum yum! Adorable little shop! They have food that you can take and bake at home for an easy dinner (all heat up very well and taste fresh). The sandwiches I have had from here were delicious! I love their make your own pasta options– there are tons of choices (go for the pink sauce!). It’s extremely clean and the staff is very friendly.

Having traveled to Italy several times, I am always looking for authentic Italian Markets that usually have a very limited menu, but the options they do have are all impressive. We recently discovered Vignola Gourmet in the least expected location, tucked deep in a small shopping center in Rockville, MD (they don’t have great signage, if you’re in the same parking lot as Good Will, you’re in the right area) Gourmet is open Monday through Saturday and unfortunately close early on Saturday. They have Sandwiches (hot and cold) as well as pasta bowls. They also have a case with frozen pasta dishes and lasagnes as well as some products from Italy such as Panettone, arborio rice and pastas.
I decided to go with the Prochetta sandwich given that it came with sautéed rapini. I am such a sucker for rapini as I love the bitterness and crunch that you get with it. You have a choice of soft baguette of classic crusty Italian baguette which is what I went with. The pork was super flavorful and the rapini on point, tender to chew through but with a crisp bite. Tim opted to try the soup of the day and caprese cold sub (with prosciutto added in). The soup was good, but nothing extraordinary, definitely stick to sandwiches (however there other soups of the day may be better). The caprese sandwich was fresh and extremely flavorful (Tim agreed that the prochetta sandwich was better though).
I highly recommend stopping by this market next time your in the area or have a party you need catered. We definitely plan on making many more trips to Vignola gourmet, we wish we had found this little hidden gem sooner!

Cute place, friendly staff, good prices on canned tomatoes and other pantry items… but food was huge disappointment especially given prior raves on Unilocal.Soggy eggplant Parmesan drowning in tomato sauce, gummy flavorless gnocchi also drowning in sauce, lame baguette. Will not try again. Bummer because the reviews were so promising.

Simply put, this is the best authentic Italian food in the DC area. Their arancini is outstanding and still tastes like it did 16 years ago when I first had it! My favorite sub is the caprese with prosciutto and my husband’s is the porcetta. Everything here is so good. Vignola’s also catered our wedding, and everything was delicious. Highly recommend!

Delicious manicotti to take and heat. Also, the deli sandwiches are excellent on crusty bread.

This one’s going to be so glowing it’s going to sound fake, but I’ve been going to this place since I was eight years old, so it’s gonna be a little bit gushy and a little bit nostalgic. I was so thrilled when this place re-​opened a few years back that I actually called my entire family and was yelling on the phone. This place is synonymous with my childhood. I’m shocked I hadn’t written about this yet.
In my mind, the best food of any sort anywhere, and this is only my 72^nd Unilocal review, so, um, yeah. Really low end of two dollar signs. The flavors are basically exactly what you would want from anything. The Eggplant Parm is the best anywhere, layers and layers of cheese and just a little tiny bit of filler. (Less filler is also my favorite way to eat crab cakes, not found at Vignola.) Their subs are freaking huge and not expensive (7 or 8 bucks) and with real ingredients. You can buy a mozzarella ball and just eat it, and each bite is salty-​cheesy goodness down to the last drop.
The one and only criticism I have of the place is that they don’t have single-​serve tiramisu, as their tiramisu is basically picture perfect — you have to order some obscene amount to get any. Don’t think it hasn’t crossed my mind. It has. I’ve imagined just spending an afternoon swimming in it in the waiting room of an endocrinologist somewhere.
I’m so happy this place re-​opened that I was sorry I moved further down the Pike away from it. That’s how much I love this place. You can’t beat nostalgia, and for me, this place is nostalgia; the beauty of it is that it’s really that good. Go, bring me one of everything, and I’ll die happy.

Amazing pasta in this hidden gem! Look, it’s not perfect, the wait can be a bit long, and it’s not exactly a sit down restaurant, but darn it the pasta makes up for it! Amazing! Had the free form lasagne and fettuccine pescatore! Both were filling and delicious! Found my go to pasta place! Would not recommend for date, but maybe get the take out and make it a «at home» date ;-)

Probably the best arancini I’ve had in this area (although I haven’t had it many times here). It’s definitely a place worth checking out. The arancini order comes with three balls — eating just one put me in a food coma. But it was delicious.
I didn’t see the huge sign with the option to make pasta bowls until after I placed my order. Next time (yes there will be a next time) I’ll be taking one of my friends who spent some time in Italy so she can try the arancini, and I’ll be ordering a pasta bowl.
It’s always great finding these hidden gems via Unilocal

Lovely little «restaurant.» I say «restaurant» loosely, since there is only one table that seats about six to eat at. However, do not let this deter you.
The homemade food is delicious, rich, and satisfying. My SO had a hankering for a meatball sub, and boy did this place deliver! He said that the sub was very filling and one of the best he’s had.
I had the arancini, which are fried risotto balls. Vignola’s variety came stuffed with mozzarella and peas. They were crisp, but not greasy. The serving size was ample– three very large arancini fritters topped with a salty parmesan, and served with a tasty tomato sauce. I had leftovers, which reheated nicely.
I noticed that they sell meals ready to take home and reheat, and look forward to grabbing some to try the next time I come! Also, the young lady who was working the register was so friendly and helpful, and made the experience one to remember!

I will join the 5-​star chorus: I love this place. Their huge sandwiches make for awesome lunches (two people could easily split one). I can vouch for the caprese (assuming the tomatoes are in season) and the porchetta. The bread is amazing.
I’ve only recently purchased from the freezer case, but I can report that the manicotti is yummy, and I’ll be back to slowly work my way through the rest of the pre made awesomeness.
The pasta bowls appear to be a new addition, and they have me tempted, too. Such a great place!

Vignola is an unexpected gem, located in the corner of a parking lot in the same plaza as the Friends of the Library bookstore, a supermarket, and a kosher restaurant. The food was absolutely delicious. I highly, highly recommend the eggplant parmigiana, which was near perfect, and comes with a hunk of bread. The caprese sandwich is also terrific. There is a nice selection of side dishes — try the marinated mushrooms. There are also a bunch of interesting Italian beverage options. You can get large portions of certain dishes — lasagna, eggplant — in the freezer section as well. I’d come back 1000 times over.

Ok this might be one of the best meatball sandwiches I’ve eaten in Md and DC.
It’s hard to really say what the definitive item that makes me crave this food but it has that feel of homemade goodness.
Arancini was simply to die for, the porchetta was flavorful and sharp in taste.
This place is absolutely spot on and expectations will be met and surpassed.
Cheers and happy eats

I’m happy to have found this authentic hole in the wall Italian deli.
There was very little wait for our food, unlike other Unilocalers had reported… and we even ordered the gnocchi. So our entire order:
Pork and rabe sub: for the carnivore. Very large and full of meat, it was a great value at $ 8.50. The pork was moist and fatty. The single strongest flavor was definitely smoke to the point that it was almost bitter. Very little rabe. Glad to have tried it once.
Half caprese half tomato bisque: This was not so much a great value Bc the half seemed smaller than expected. Flavors were very delicate, and different from the average caprese with balsamic vinegar since it has a green sauce. I liked it at first, but the salty/​almost tart flavor of the bisque overwhelmed the sandwich quickly. The bisque was thick enough to be used as pasta/​pizza sauce. Both items were good, but they won’t be the reason that I come back.
Seafood pescatore: quite reasonably priced given the abundant amount of seafood that you receive. The flavor was a touch on the bland side. I almost wanted to add my bisque to it. I thought the pasta was past al dente, but hubs thought it was fine, though he was not too crazy about the dish.
Gnocchi with walnut sauce and Gorgonzola: I forgot the name of this particular dish… Bava? Anyways, it was by far the best dish at the table. However, you should like more pungent types of cheeses for this to work with you. I never thought Gorgonzola as pungent, so this was a surprise. The gnocchi was past al dente for me, but the flavors bowled me over. I had to ask for more bread to mop up the delicious sauce.
I don’t think that this competes with Eataly, Bc first, Eatly is very diligent with the firmness of the pasta. But the sauce here is better than any I’ve had at Eataly for the gnocchi. You can buy the walnut sauce for less than $ 5 in the freezer section, which I will one day when I’m in the area for longer. Given the quick service and fresh flavors, I will definitely return to try some more items on the menu. Seating is a little sparse.

If you’re okay eating carry-​out (or dining at a single long table, seats a max of ~8), Vignola is one of the best, fresh Italian restaurants I’ve ever been to! When I think of handmade, gourmet pasta, I usually think fondly of the made-​to-​order pastas from Eataly in NYC and Chicago.
This place is just as good, for less money.
Maybe it has less overall options, but whatever Vignola makes, it makes very, very well. The food scene in Rockville is more well-​known for its Chinese cuisine, but I will personally declare Vignola as the best gourmet food you can get for your money in Rockville, maybe in the entire DMV.
Like others have mentioned, the Porchetta sandwich is amazing. I just came back from a trip to Philly and had some legendary roast pork sandwiches there, but Vignola has them beat in my books. And the sandwiches aren’t even the best part of the menu. That designation is reserved for their delicious and generously portioned pasta bowls. I personally love and always crave good gnocchi, and the Gnocchi Bava + Italian Sausage at Vignola will forever be savored in my memories. I cannot wait to try the other pastas and sandwiches here.
So do yourselves a favor, skip the Olive Garden, the Buca, the Maggiano’s, or any Italian chain restaurant as a matter-​of-​fact, and go to Vignola. You won’t be disappointed.
(Also, their online menu doesn’t seem to list their pasta bowls, so I went in to take a picture of that for future reference. They call these pasta bowls «daily specials», suggesting that they change daily, but it’s been the same every time I’ve been. YMMV.)
EDIT: Maybe the only knock I can give against Vignola is the food takes ~10−15 min., even longer for gnocchi. But that’s about the same time you would expect at any sit-​down Italian restaurant. I guess psychologically, you just expect faster food when it’s order at the counter. Patience pays off though!

Wow. Amazing food and great prices. Just wish they had a place to sit down to eat it fresh!
Porchetta sub: As I drove the food home, all I could think was how they tenderly nestled the hot and flavorful porchetta into that crunchy crusty roll. Was the sandwich steaming and degrading in the bag… Oh goodness! Tick tock tick tock! I got home and ran inside like a bandit with his stolen goods. I immediately tore the bag open to let out what I thought was my suffocated loot. I caressed the crusty roll… Thank goodness it was still dry and crunchy and the pork was still warm. A sigh of relief. My first bite was amazing: soft succulent morsels of pork surrounded in a garlicky rapini that contrasted the crunchy roll perfectly. Drool.
Eggplant parm: great portion of the cheesy goodness with a side of bread (I thought it was a sub but this is actually better). Similar to a «lasagna» of eggplant. I usually like my eggplant parm floured and crispier but this dish was very satisfying and each bite made me crave it more and more… comfort food.
Caprese sub: my favorite of the order… I chose the soft roll for this sandwich and it was perfect. It has fresh made mozzarella — they make it fresh daily and you can really taste the difference. The milky cheesy soft mozzarella with tangy tomato and a Green sauce that had a pesto-​y nutty herby-​ness was enveloped in the soft extra-​dense bread — it was like pillowy sandwich heaven. Good with prosciutto but not at all necessary.
Arancini– delicious with a delectable cheese center and wonderful tomato sauce.
Service: great customer service.