Tony & Milena’s – Hayes, VA

When you first approach Tony & Milena’s ‘Pizzeria’, which is located in a small strip mall off the George Washington Memorial Hwy you really aren’t sure what to expect. It looks like any other small town pizza joint that serves greasy pizza and over prized wings…However Tony & Milena’s is  nothing like that. Actually, to be honest I’m not sure why they even call it a pizzeria. It’s atmosphere and food feel and taste more like a fine dining Italian restaurant, with out the dress code and price shock. Our waiter, Max was attentive and helpful. He explained everything on the menu to us, and guaranteed no matter what we choose, we would love.For appetizers we got their Mozzarella Caprice and a bowl of Italian Wedding soup. I am a very picky Caprice eater and I was blown away by the one served to me. The tomatoes tasted just like something from mom’s garden and the cheese was fresh and creamy. Topped with the perfect amount of oil and herbs made this Caprice the best I’ve had in years, even from fine dining restaurants. The Italian Wedding soup was home made. No ingredient was over powered, they all tasted perfect together. I was expecting small orzo like noodles, but really enjoyed the longer noodles it came with.The garlic knots stole the show during our visit. A quick search of the restaurant will find you YELP and Zomato reviews that all rage about them as well. They were served fresh, hot and dripping in oil and herbs. Everyone at our table loved them, we devoured 24 between the 6 of us.The kids main meals were much larger than I expected. Neither my six or my eight year old could finish their pasta plates. I loved that we were given the option of spaghetti or rigatoni noodles. My kids have a hard time getting long noodles onto their fork and then into their mouth, so we always opt for short, easy to fork noodles when given the option.My four year old was very pleased to find french fries on the menu as well. Those have been his go to food for about a month now, but hey- at least I can finally get him something to eat. This restaurant is picky kid approved too!My meal was literally mouthwateringly good. The alfredo sauce was smooth, the noodles al dente and the chicken cooked perfectly. The portion size was perfect, I was actually able to eat almost all of it. Tony & Milena’s is for sure a ‘hidden gem’ and one I highly recommend you try if you ever find yourself in the area, you won’t regret it!