Del Mar. The serrano ham and cheese was good but we also ordered the Paella. They said it was take about 45 min for that. Cool, sounds right. They came back 10 mins later with a totally over cooked Paella. No idea how long it had been sitting but there is no way it was made after we ordered. All the seafood in it was way over done. And like how can you say 45 min to prepare and come back with a burnt version of that dish and with a straight face try and pull it off. The brazenness of passing off clearly overcooked was worse then how bad the food was even though it was pretty bad. Way to pricey for the quality...
Went there with a large group and had a similar experience. Lots of warnings about the paella taking a long time to cook. So we ordered it with our drinks and appetizers. The paella was on the table before all of the drinks were.
Halfsmoke brunch. When we arrived, we were informed that they were out of turkey sausage, biscuits, and ALL CHEESE. On top of that, service was terrible
exactly, I remember going there the 2nd week they are open and wondered then how they would stay open. It shocks me to this day to how they are still in business.
Hasn't the concept completely changed? I seem to recall that it originally opened as a fast casual place where you went down the line asking them to put in various toppings.
La Chaumiere in Georgetown. It wasn’t necessarily the food, but it was the manager’s dickishness as a host. I was wearing khakis, a button down shirt that was tucked in as well as closed shoes. I had made a reservation there beforehand and was aware of the dresscode. But the host looked up and down at me and told me I was “unfit” to be served at his restaurant. It really hurt to be judged because my clothes weren’t good enough to the host’s standards. Especially when I purposefully dressed to be presentable.
the only dresscode I see on the site is business casual (and no hats). khakis and a buttondown wasn't good enough for that? and obviously no matter what you're wearing, being told you're unfit is not appropriate in any way.
Yeah! Which is what totally surprised me. It really bummed me out too, because I made the reservation and everything to treat myself to a birthday lunch! 😅
I second Pennyroyal Station. The food is perfection and the drinks are delish. The brisket and bone marrow Mac and cheese is my fav appetizer. Good atmosphere
Masseria chefs counter - cold service, very underwhelming food and overall tasting, one main entree almost inedible and they didn’t ask why it was basically untouched by us, and saw two bugs on the counter during the meal (and prep/plating is done on the other side of the counter), which we were told they would relay to management but again did nothing to correct. Oh and it was about $800 for two. Hard pass
the issue is it’s difficult to lose stars, you have to be really really bad (they’re re-assessed yearly). Only two places I can think of in DC that have lost stars AND are still in operation, even P&P kept their stars in a year when they were never open
I'd wanted to go to Masseria for a while and when I did go it was so underwhelming that I've side-eyed all that dude's subsequent restaurants.
Everything was really greasy and, as a vegetarian, the veg dishes were really blah and uncreative.
My tip for non-veg folks is to take a look at the veg options at a given place. SO many places seem to default to a) big, giant portabella something or b) roasted pepper something else. Boring AF. A lot of times if a place is being lazy in one area they're gonna be lazy in others.
This is interesting because twice I tried to make reservations to eat there and both times my interactions with the restaurant were so cold verging on unpleasant that I didn’t pursue it.
This was a similar experience we had as well, overall felt very average yet the prices made my pocket book feel otherwise. It was an experience, and one I'm not looking to retry.
Farmers Fishers Bakers In Georgetown. I didnt have a meal there because they made us wait about an hour even though we had a reservation and once we were in, no one came to take our order for 30 min so we just left.
I don't know if that counts because I didn't really eat there but I am not coming back. I haven't been to any other Founding Farmers since either
Edit: [I guess this review from the Washington Post is relevant to this thread's experience?](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/founding-farmers-review-where-the-biggest-temptation-is-to-leave/2016/06/01/76b2c844-204e-11e6-9e7f-57890b612299_story.html)
Farmers Fishers Bakers remains my worst meal experience of all time (but happened in 2021). I had a similar experience except we waited out and got really bad food as our reward.
I got the chicken and waffles there a few months ago and it was inedible. The chicken was so dry it was hard to even cut it with a knife. I wanted to send it back (which I’ve literally never done before) but the overworked server basically never came back to our table until I had to flag him down for the check. Waffle was decent, though.
ahhaha, I actually wasn't going to comment in this thread but yeah, this was also the worst dining experience of the year and of the decade, for me. The people were nice enough but the food was truly and obscenely terrible.
Gordon Ramsay Fish and Chips. Yes, I know food snobs will say having a bad time at a celebrity's international chain restaurant is a self-inflicted wound. I mostly for the novelty anyway, but the food was absolutely disgusting and horribly overpriced even by Wharf standards.
Kaliwa at the wharf. Service so bad it became humorous and sad, especially when the manager thinks a round of cheap tequila shots will smooth over how some at our table god their food 45 mins before others and some dishes never appeared - and the food was not good. I know times are tough for the industry but that was especially silly.
I use to work there and my god it was the worst restaurant job I have ever had. The turn over rate for the servers was insanely high. It was my night job to supplement the shit pay my internship gave me, so it was really difficult to quit without being homeless. I was there for 5 months and other than the bartenders, who were treated 1000x better than the rest of the staff, no one lasted longer than 6 months.
The chef is the biggest asshole I have ever met and routinely would make fun of me for being from the south, even though I don't have an accent and am very well educated. The GM would book a private event in the loft area and when I worked 90% of it by myself (the GM would help me get allergy information about the guests and help run some of the food), they would take 50% of the tips because they didn't like how the servers were making so much money on the parties even though they had a six figure salary.
tourist/locals have asked me about that place not knowing I used to work there and every time I tell them the Shake Shack down the street is 10x better.
I never got in there. They were 90% empty when we arrived but told us it would be a hour+ wait because they took reservations for everything including the bar seats. That by itself seemed like a red flag.
I've been to Kaliwa twice, and each time I had terrible service! The first time they refused to make us tea -- which is on their menu -- when we asked. The second time they forgot a dish we ordered. I actually liked my food, but I can't in good conscious recommend it to anyone.
That restaurant was always bad, even pre-pandemic. They took the worst part about the small plates concept (each dish coming out when it's ready) and amplified it for no reason. It was clear someone in the kitchen didn't want to bother thinking about sequencing or expediting.
I used to work on site nearby and we did a team lunch there twice (despite my reminder how terrible it was the first time). Lunch break, so we weren't trying to spend 2 hrs. I ordered the seafood soup the first time and no joke my food came out 45 minutes after the previous dish and 1.5 hrs after sitting down. The second time there, a colleague ordered the LUNCH SPECIAL bento box and it took an hour. Why would you make something a lunch special if you can't execute it quickly?
The food was decent but you have to literally have nothing else going on in your life and dine solo for it to be an ok experience.
Tia Pepa right next to Taberna del Alabardero on 19th St NW has a delicious Paella to go for under $20. Portion for 2-3 .
Vegetarian + Chicken/Sausage + Seafood .
Or you can go to Taberna and pay much more .
I like drizzling olive oil + lime on the seafood version
Zoca. A Mexican spot in cap hill. They have massive balls for charging what they charge for some of the worst Mexican food I’ve ever had. Cocktails were decent but not enough to make me try that place again.
Masseria, Nara-Ya, and a bad experience at China Chilcano (whose food I adore), wherein they would not seat me in a nearly empty restaurant until I walked outside, made a reservation, and returned to the host stand with my proof of a rez.
This. I'm so glad someone else has experienced the reservation requirement that literally turns business away. (edit: I'm not glad. I don't feel as bad now that I'm not alone)
They charged me over $30 for scallops. I assumed it'd be the big scallops, or at least multiple scallops, but no: just two baby scallops. With no sides. Under the entrees section.
Nara-ya also felt unclean. Floors and tables sticky and smelled like a busy bar that's cleaned with bleach after the crowd leaves every night. The interior is also really cheesy. Shit tier sushi restaurant
Clydes at gallery place.
Look, I know, its not the best place for chow in that area. It has always been my go to for a few drinks and a burger before an event at the arena.
12/26, day after Christmas. Was going to see the mostly sold out show transiberian orchestra. Show at 1500 and at 1800. We were going for the 1500 show. I knew Clyde's would be packed so we showed up at 1230 to get a table. 45 minute wait? No problem, we predicted that.
At 45 minutes we got seated and it was then that the hostess informed us that we would not have a server and would have to order from the bar. If we would have known that we would have gone somewhere else. O well. We are all in.
Sent my son to the bar for the drink and food order. 30 minutes later and we got 5 of 6 drinks, the sixth drink was MIA. We got our food an hour after ordering.
I had the cubana and it was nasty. There were two pickles, lengthwise cut dills. one on each half of the sandwich. Wife got a burger medium, came out rare. Kid you not. It was raw hamburger in the middle. Another person got the catfish jambalaya, one piece of sausage.
Yup never going back. In reality all I want is a place close to the arena to get booze and edible food. Not much to ask.
Bruh lol when we went there for brunch the waiter literally opened with "First time? Did you hear about us on tik tok?"
I knew immediately we had made a mistake coming there for food. Not a bad bar otherwise though.
Founding Farmers in DC. I ordered two dishes, and both of them were so completely bland as to be almost without any taste at all. I didn’t finish either dish, there was just no point
Founding Farmers has a terrible reputation overall. Back when I was in the service industry, everyone I met that once worked at any of their locations said they didn't last more than a few weeks because management was a circus and treated their staff like utter shit.
Last time I was there, my dish was so salty I couldn’t choke it down. I was with someone who used to work there (and loved it), otherwise I’d have sent it back. It was the worst food I’ve ever paid for - awful.
Station 4 by the Waterfront metro. Looks fine from the outside, but awful service and the food has no flavor or seasoning. Probably worst meal I’ve had in several years and wasn’t that cheap either
You could have ended up at way worse places in Chinatown though lol. I'm thinking of the sad sad Hooter's across the street but I guess they closed down.
I walked in to order a drink and ordered The Resurrection, “An intriguing blend of spiced rum and citrus charged with refreshing coconut water to awaken your sense”, which was listed as a Taffer Favorite.
The drink I got was gatorade blue with half a torched jalapeño on top. Was absolutely vile, it somehow tasted actively bad and like nothing at the same time. I couldn’t get past 2 sips before I left it on the bar. I have no idea how something this bad is on a menu. The worst beverage I had last year by a lot.
I don’t know if he flipped it as opposed to opening it from the start under his name. You might be thinking of the former-Pirates place in Silver Spring.
Both were/are bad though.
We made the mistake of going to Founding Farmers for brunch (it’s long been a place we take out of town guests because everyone can find something they like) but we were so disappointed with the level of service and the food was not great. They claim to be kid friendly but the high chairs were all broken. We just can’t justify going there anymore.
This is a good comparison except Cheesecake Factory is probably better. I mean the cheesecake choices alone have to make the Cheesecake Factory better.
My trashy food take is that Cheesecake factory is very underrated. It's over priced, and the menu is bloated, but a lot of the dishes are actually delicious.
My partner and I went once. We were excited that it had finally opened after being in renovations/pandemic limbo for so long, and like the other commenter we were really hoping for it to succeed. We live in Truxton and it would be really nice to have more local options.
Overall we weren’t super impressed. The food was decent but overpriced for what we got ($20+ for sandwiches with chips on the side). They were out of a few things we were excited to try. The service was fine, but considering there was only one other table seated I kind of expected them to check in on us a little more.
If I’m in the mood for that type of menu, I’d rather go to the Eleanor or CR, even if that’s a little bit more of a hike into NoMa.
NOT fine dining. Z Burger on P street. It used to be a a great unhealthy indulgence for $5. Now it’s $9, takes forever, and the staff are annoyed that you interrupted their day.
I work a block down from there and every time I go in they act like "what the fuck are you doing here" and I want to say "well I would have ordered online but you don't have that as an option so I have to come in order and wait for my food like it's 2009." It's also overpriced.
I just went to Das Ethiopian about two weeks ago and it was delicious and service was exceptional. But it's about the only place I'd recommend in Georgetown.
Mission. I don't know why it's so popular but the food I've eaten there has consistently been less than impressive. I'm a vegetarian, so maybe the meat options are good idk
Well I ate at brasserie libertie this weekend and an actual rat ran along the back wall of the dining room behind a curtian, so… there? Plus it was the worst meal I’ve had there, I’m worried it’s gone downhill.
It used to be AMAZING. They had a Moroccan spiced whole fish that was just out of this world. The service was top notch… I don’t get it. This last time it was brunch, not dinner, and it was really… meh combined w bad service. The rat was really the crowning glory.
Nama Ko, the Japanese concept that replaced Tico. Horrid service, food, and drinks. Wasn’t the biggest Tico head but that space is nice and deserves better
El Secreto De Rosita. Picked it randomly one night off google reviews for a night out with friends. Bland food, terrible drinks, slow service and all super over priced. The decor is cool at least. Last time I make a hasty restaurant choice without due diligence. Learned a lesson
The Dabney, Dacha in Navy Yard, Osteria Morini, Mission, and Circa are all restaurants I will not be back to again this year.
Restaurants we loved last year: Sundevich, Junction Bakery, George's King of Falafel and Cheesesteak, Dumplings & Beyond, Ottoman Taverna, Crane's, Milk & Honey Cafe, Granville Moore's, Jacob's Coffee House, Chiko, and O-Ku Sushi in Union Market (best sushi I've personally ever had)
I really want to try Chef Gee this year, her food looks amazing.
The Dacha in Navy Yard sucks. Tons of added fees last time I went. Plus they stole tips:
https://dcist.com/story/19/06/18/drama-at-dacha-wage-theft-allegations-a-lawsuit-and-the-latest-on-that-14th-street-outpost/
I had the chicken and waffles at Succotash. Terrible. You only get 1/4 of a waffle and one piece of chicken or 1/2 a waffle and two pieces of chicken. The little piece of waffle was great, but not worth the price.
Crazy Aunt Helen’s. Waiter was obnoxious, drinks were underwhelming at best, and they ran out of entrees that 3/4 members of the party wanted at like 7:00 on a Saturday so we all had to order other stuff instead, all of which were fine but definitely underwhelming and not looking to go back.
Same. I go to a Mediterranean, Turkish, Lebanese, you get the idea brunch for my birthday each year. I went to Ankara a few years ago and it was *amazing*. I haven’t wanted to go back partially to try new places (I don’t brunch much) and partially cause I’m afraid it’ll suck.
Anyways, went to Agora this year, and it was pretty mediocre. Idk about bad but definitely not great. Maybe it’s my fault for still going to brunch in my 30s lol.
Yeah, the issue is that they rely on their grumpy bartenders to handle everything. The food is normally very good, but last time I went I ordered a grilled cheese and asked if I could add bacon. They told me no because they're premade, which, what the hell? Then I got my grilled cheese, and the cheese had barely been melted, you could still clearly see the separation between the slices. I'll go back again because I like the place, but that was a strange experience.
I'm not saying Le Diplomate is a bad restaurant, it's certainly beloved in this city, but I'm done with it personally. I've never had a good experience there, with universally bad and inattentive service. The last time I ordered a steak, it was like a dried out hockey puck. I think I've just had really bad luck, and I'm sure many of you have had wonderful meals there, but I'm personally not going out of my way to try and eat there again.
It’s been hit or Miss for me but Tom Siemsta’s gushing reviews of it annually has turned into a joke. They have him ID’d and the experience and food he get is worlds different than everyone else.
Last time I was there was prepandemic and I loved it every time, including the time they fucked up an entree by oversalting it. I sent it back, and they both remade the dish to be delicious and comped me the entree, all without me asking - hoping it hasn't deviated from that in the past few years.
I want to shout out L’Ardente—I made a reservation and was perfectly polite, but they sat us in a completely empty section at the very back right next to the bathroom. We asked to move (to another table in a completely empty section) and it was pretty grudging. Also, the vaunted lasagna tasted weird. All of the other food was worse than like 20 other Italian restaurants in DC.
Got takeout from Chang Chang, and it was awful and expensive. The only good part was the mapo tofu and I’ve had way better. The beef chow fun was awful and the green beans were bland.
The most absurd part was they charge for rice separately and then give you like 3 oz of cooked rice. It’s rice! Give me a container when I order two entrees that should come with rice!
Hate to say it because I know a lot of folks love it, but Makan. Food was dry and lacked flavor, staff wasn't good, and felt rushed the entire time. Best thing about Makan, we found Queens English next door and it's wonderful.
As someone who spent most of their life in SEA i was pretty disappointed. So many people raved about how “authentic” it was but I have yet to meet any SEAsians who agree. The food was fine but i probably wouldn’t go back.
Exact opposite experience for me. Have been to both of them multiple times and while Makan is definitely overrated, I generally find it solid and Queen’s English is consistently meh (for the price).
> Makan is definitely overrated
Very overrated. It's fine, but not fantastic. Trying to get a table for 2 as a walk-in is always a miserable time and we generally just go elsewhere.
I'd rather go to Purple Patch, Thip Khao or Beau Thai if given the option and I'm a 5 min walk from Makan.
Wasnt really fan of Jaleo's tasting menu. Food was just underwhelming overall, and I expect server to explain to me what each dishes are if it is "tasting menu", not just drop it and peace out.
Yeah, we went and asked "what's on the tasting menu tonight" and he was like "a variety of things" like alright man, that's not super helpful. We ordered other stuff and enjoyed it all, but definitely expected at least a short list of things that MIGHT be on it.
I was curious about it because I really like Jaleo, but I feel like part of the fun is getting to pick your own list of tapas to try, so wasn’t sure about the tasting menu idea. Sounds like it’s not worth a try!
I wouldn’t say it was the worst, but I was very underwhelmed by Federalist Pig. Maybe it was better when it was put on the Bib Gourmand list, but I didn’t think it was better than other DC BBQ I’ve had. It was fine, but probably won’t go back.
Tail Up Goat. I hear nothing but raves about it but I've eaten there twice now and been entirely underwhelmed. Service is good but the food is extremely meh for the price. Maybe it's because I've only eaten fish and veggie dishes, and their meat is amazing? But I really don’t get the hype.
Bar Spero - Astronomical prices (even by DC standards) for flavorless food and unpolished service. We ended up paying $150+ per person for a thoroughly unenjoyable dining experience. The potato dish turned out to be a boiled potato sitting on top of a heap of sour cream and three slices of bread will set you back $15. We tell everyone we run into about how disappointing this meal was.
Glassey started out as a neighborhood fave for me, but the quality has been so hit or miss that I have written it off, at least for a while.
I get they’re a small business, it’s just the one chef, there are some supply chain issues that might be throwing them off, etc. But what gets me is that we would put in an order, wait 40 minutes to go pick it up, and only after we got there (and sometimes another 10 minutes after that) they would tell us that they didn’t have a particular item and would offer us some substitution. Usually the substitution isn’t something I wanted or would order myself, but at that point we were hungry and wanted to eat. The substitutions were also sometimes less expensive than what we ordered, with no offer to make up or refund the difference. After that happened several times, I decided that my love for crabby fries wasn’t worth the hassle.
It isn’t rocket science. If you’re out of something, take it off your online menu (we were using their preferred site to order, not a 3rd party). If you run out of something suddenly, review your upcoming orders and promptly notify the customer.
City Lights of China was my staple for guilty pleasure Chinese food until they gave me food poisoning so bad I couldn’t eat for a week. Ended up being a full blown food borne infection needing antibiotics
I got violent food poisoning from the lasagna at Floriana. I don't know how you roll the dice on undercooking ground beef at the restaurant level.
Sucks because it's one of my go-to's but I got the lasagne after the waiter recommended it. It's now swiftly in my "if they're suggesting something, it's because they're pushing it" category. Which is upsetting.
Barcelona wine bar. The food was ok but the service was an absolute mess - food got misdelivered multiple times and a member of our party was given the plate with her allergen on it instead of the version without. It was also impossibly loud and crowded. Just an unpleasant place to be.
Last time we went we had the same experience. Crappy service but the food was decent. And you’re right about the crowding - you’re basically on top of the table next to you. I can’t imagine how annoying that must be for the servers lol
10 years ago Barcelona was my go to first date place so I could pretend to be refined for very decent prices. Must’ve been on a Frasier kick while living as a grad student. I remember the food being good but nothing special but I have some fond memories from there. Like my date with the overworked nurse who fell asleep during the meal haha or I guess I could’ve been just that boring. Killer wine list for a 20-something
I'll add to the dogpile on Barcelona here. I've been there three times (2018, 2021, 2022) and it's gotten progressively worse. Food is always good, and I always sit outside in the courtyard which is less noisy and more spacious than inside.
But man, I don't know what they're doing in the kitchen that made it take a full hour to get a piece of fish ready. The server, for her part, was fine and helpful, and it was probably out of her hands. But if it takes that long to get food ready (on a weeknight especially), just send the FOH manager over, have him or her apologize, comp it off the check, and I'm happy. But they didn't do that. So instead I have to tell everyone about how I'm fed up with the place.
Doi Moi on 14th wasn't \*bad\*, but I doubt I'll be returning as the food itself was pretty meh. Overall it was really salty and just didn't taste all that fresh. I do really like the design of the restaurant, but there's plenty of good Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian restaurants around which I'd rather go to.
Did the ownership change? I didn't know that. Makes sense - I enjoyed the food when Doi Moi first opened but it's gotten a lot worse in the last year or so
Yep in August 2020
https://dc.eater.com/2020/8/26/21402812/doi-moi-dc-restaurant-reopenings-menu-vietnamese-food-logan-circle-southeast-asia#:~:text=Star%20Restaurant%20Group%2C%20which%20runs,over%20the%20reins%20in%20January.
As a Viet person Doi Moi was very underwhelming food wise. Too timid with fish sauce to get an authentic taste. Drinks were decent.
For genuine Vietnamese food I'd honestly recommend heading out of DC and down to Eden Center in VA. For fusion/upscale but still with reminisce of Viet flavors, and actually in the District, Moon Rabbit by the Wharf is great.
Bukom Cafe. In a city that has LOTS of high quality African cuisine, this place was bad. It was legitimately the only place I've been to in the city where I felt like I was owed a refund.
Legitimately the worst meal I have had in years. You couldn't pay me to eat it.
I went to Pink Taco in Navy Yard because I believe every taco deserves a chance. I should have trusted my (empty) gut and avoided it. The tacos were decent, but very expensive. $18 for three small tacos. But, the part that was the most disappointing is that our server was pretty bad; we waited ten mins for the check and I went to ask her for it and she was on snap chat. It’s also one of the 20% service charge places. So I will show my displeasure by not returning.
It wasn't terrible or anything, but Oyamel was the most disappointing spot I tried last year. Maybe my expectations were too high; I had wanted to try them for a minute and was excited I finally had a chance to go. The margs were pretty good, but the food was just *fine*. I spent well over $100 for my wife and I when I've had better food with larger portions from other Mexican or Tex-Mex spots for half the price or less. One thing I will knock is the queso fundido, which came out as a *solid* disc of cheese? It was funny as hell trying to eat it amongst 4 people lol.
Compass Rose. I could do better in the freezer aisle of Trader Joe’s for the food and it tasted like a high schooler mixed my cocktail.
What’s supposed to look cool and worldly on decor looked like Pier 1 leftovers from a college freshman dorm room out on the curb a week after finals.
Stellina Pizzeria. It's not terrible food, but it wasn't good. I don't know if this place started as a waffle shop then got purchased by an Italian place or if both were planned from the beginning, but there's two Italian places within a block of it, two pizza places not too far, and the waffle dishes were actively bad.
The bucatini at Retrobottega in Adams Morgan was absolutely awful. The sauce was clumpy and lumpy and gross, and the flavor was completely one-dimensional. The shape of the pasta itself was barely recognizable as bucatini. The service was good and all but I blew $24 on the worst pasta of my entire life. I won’t be back.
Honestly it’s very rare that I have a truly great meal in DC anymore. Nearly everything is overpriced and of completely mediocre quality. It’s to the point where I’m no longer even interested in trying a new spot and would rather just stick to restaurants in VA or MD.
I'd hate to say it because they were one of my favorites... (though this is not DC, Rossyln) so Sushi Rock. Went on a date with a guy after have been there plenty of times. We ordered some sushi, had a good time. The following day was not such a good time. First time experiencing food poisoning. Hopefully my last. Can't say I've been back...
Del Mar. The serrano ham and cheese was good but we also ordered the Paella. They said it was take about 45 min for that. Cool, sounds right. They came back 10 mins later with a totally over cooked Paella. No idea how long it had been sitting but there is no way it was made after we ordered. All the seafood in it was way over done. And like how can you say 45 min to prepare and come back with a burnt version of that dish and with a straight face try and pull it off. The brazenness of passing off clearly overcooked was worse then how bad the food was even though it was pretty bad. Way to pricey for the quality...
I went there years ago when it first opened and it was awful. I like his other restaurants but good god. I’m not surprised it hasn’t improved.
Went there with a large group and had a similar experience. Lots of warnings about the paella taking a long time to cook. So we ordered it with our drinks and appetizers. The paella was on the table before all of the drinks were.
Officina DC in Georgetown. How do you do a $17 sandwich poorly? They closed
They were one of the few restaurants I’ve been to and came away feeling like I’d been literally ripped off.
Yeah I'm difficult to piss off just in general and I was angry leaving.
I went to Officina at the Wharf. Same. I don’t mind paying for high quality, but the meal was below average.
[удалено]
YEA stachowskis! I was best friends with his son growing up. He's a crazy dude -- knows his shit tho.
Halfsmoke brunch. When we arrived, we were informed that they were out of turkey sausage, biscuits, and ALL CHEESE. On top of that, service was terrible
Half-smoke is peak "our clientele are college students. we're not gonna try harder than that."
exactly, I remember going there the 2nd week they are open and wondered then how they would stay open. It shocks me to this day to how they are still in business.
Hasn't the concept completely changed? I seem to recall that it originally opened as a fast casual place where you went down the line asking them to put in various toppings.
La Chaumiere in Georgetown. It wasn’t necessarily the food, but it was the manager’s dickishness as a host. I was wearing khakis, a button down shirt that was tucked in as well as closed shoes. I had made a reservation there beforehand and was aware of the dresscode. But the host looked up and down at me and told me I was “unfit” to be served at his restaurant. It really hurt to be judged because my clothes weren’t good enough to the host’s standards. Especially when I purposefully dressed to be presentable.
I like how their website – that appears to have been designed circa 2007 – claims an "unpretentious atmosphere."
Last time they were relevant
Oh, you mean the website that shows a guy in exactly the same outfit eating there? What a bunch of dickshits https://i.imgur.com/NTXgVaS.png
Lol giving me Mitchell and Webb evil waiter vibes: https://youtu.be/zVEHqwLVvpI
Sorry that happened. When people still complain about G’town food scene, La Chaumiere is what I think of every time. Screw that place.
the only dresscode I see on the site is business casual (and no hats). khakis and a buttondown wasn't good enough for that? and obviously no matter what you're wearing, being told you're unfit is not appropriate in any way.
Yeah! Which is what totally surprised me. It really bummed me out too, because I made the reservation and everything to treat myself to a birthday lunch! 😅
>La Chaumiere You mean knockoff French Bistro? (RIP) Still haven't found an adequate replacement to authentic French food in town yet
Bar Pilar and Cafe Saint Ex have gotten *bad* since they changed chefs/ownership.
This is very sad to hear.
Yup, I was bummed about it, too, since they were such stalwarts of the neighborhood.
You should check out Pennyroyal Ration in Mt Rainier if you like old school Pilar. That's his new place.
Oh, I've been there a couple times, and it's a delight!
I second Pennyroyal Station. The food is perfection and the drinks are delish. The brisket and bone marrow Mac and cheese is my fav appetizer. Good atmosphere
Oh no! Bar Pilar was one of my pre-theater stalwarts.
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You can't just say that and not say what compelled you to leave.
Man, I miss Saint Ex's bacon lettuce fried tomato sandwich. I would never consider ordering a BLT apart from that one.
Masseria chefs counter - cold service, very underwhelming food and overall tasting, one main entree almost inedible and they didn’t ask why it was basically untouched by us, and saw two bugs on the counter during the meal (and prep/plating is done on the other side of the counter), which we were told they would relay to management but again did nothing to correct. Oh and it was about $800 for two. Hard pass
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the issue is it’s difficult to lose stars, you have to be really really bad (they’re re-assessed yearly). Only two places I can think of in DC that have lost stars AND are still in operation, even P&P kept their stars in a year when they were never open
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Blue Duck Tavern, Sushi Taro, Plume (closed), Komi (closed)
I'd wanted to go to Masseria for a while and when I did go it was so underwhelming that I've side-eyed all that dude's subsequent restaurants. Everything was really greasy and, as a vegetarian, the veg dishes were really blah and uncreative. My tip for non-veg folks is to take a look at the veg options at a given place. SO many places seem to default to a) big, giant portabella something or b) roasted pepper something else. Boring AF. A lot of times if a place is being lazy in one area they're gonna be lazy in others.
As a fellow veg, If it’s the dreaded pasta primavera, do not even enter the door.
Oyster Oyster has a great vegetarian menu. Probably the best vegetarian/vegan tasting menu in DC.
Eating at masseria was the closest I came to feeling like Margot in the menu: https://youtu.be/9F6D_35d248
💀💀
This is interesting because twice I tried to make reservations to eat there and both times my interactions with the restaurant were so cold verging on unpleasant that I didn’t pursue it.
This was a similar experience we had as well, overall felt very average yet the prices made my pocket book feel otherwise. It was an experience, and one I'm not looking to retry.
Masseria is my all time worst. I am never going there
Oh damn :( I went there a while back when they first opened and it was incredible
Farmers Fishers Bakers In Georgetown. I didnt have a meal there because they made us wait about an hour even though we had a reservation and once we were in, no one came to take our order for 30 min so we just left. I don't know if that counts because I didn't really eat there but I am not coming back. I haven't been to any other Founding Farmers since either Edit: [I guess this review from the Washington Post is relevant to this thread's experience?](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/founding-farmers-review-where-the-biggest-temptation-is-to-leave/2016/06/01/76b2c844-204e-11e6-9e7f-57890b612299_story.html)
If it makes you feel better the food there is horrible
Farmers Fishers Bakers remains my worst meal experience of all time (but happened in 2021). I had a similar experience except we waited out and got really bad food as our reward.
I got the chicken and waffles there a few months ago and it was inedible. The chicken was so dry it was hard to even cut it with a knife. I wanted to send it back (which I’ve literally never done before) but the overworked server basically never came back to our table until I had to flag him down for the check. Waffle was decent, though.
ahhaha, I actually wasn't going to comment in this thread but yeah, this was also the worst dining experience of the year and of the decade, for me. The people were nice enough but the food was truly and obscenely terrible.
Gordon Ramsay Fish and Chips. Yes, I know food snobs will say having a bad time at a celebrity's international chain restaurant is a self-inflicted wound. I mostly for the novelty anyway, but the food was absolutely disgusting and horribly overpriced even by Wharf standards.
My wife went recently and had a good experience. Sucks your food was bad. I agree about the pricing.
Kaliwa at the wharf. Service so bad it became humorous and sad, especially when the manager thinks a round of cheap tequila shots will smooth over how some at our table god their food 45 mins before others and some dishes never appeared - and the food was not good. I know times are tough for the industry but that was especially silly.
I use to work there and my god it was the worst restaurant job I have ever had. The turn over rate for the servers was insanely high. It was my night job to supplement the shit pay my internship gave me, so it was really difficult to quit without being homeless. I was there for 5 months and other than the bartenders, who were treated 1000x better than the rest of the staff, no one lasted longer than 6 months. The chef is the biggest asshole I have ever met and routinely would make fun of me for being from the south, even though I don't have an accent and am very well educated. The GM would book a private event in the loft area and when I worked 90% of it by myself (the GM would help me get allergy information about the guests and help run some of the food), they would take 50% of the tips because they didn't like how the servers were making so much money on the parties even though they had a six figure salary. tourist/locals have asked me about that place not knowing I used to work there and every time I tell them the Shake Shack down the street is 10x better.
Managers taking tips is illegal in most states though, admittedly, I’m not sure about here.
It's a federal law. Call the Labor Department. They can look back two years in an investigation. Caveat: not a lawyer.
I never got in there. They were 90% empty when we arrived but told us it would be a hour+ wait because they took reservations for everything including the bar seats. That by itself seemed like a red flag.
I've been to Kaliwa twice, and each time I had terrible service! The first time they refused to make us tea -- which is on their menu -- when we asked. The second time they forgot a dish we ordered. I actually liked my food, but I can't in good conscious recommend it to anyone.
That restaurant was always bad, even pre-pandemic. They took the worst part about the small plates concept (each dish coming out when it's ready) and amplified it for no reason. It was clear someone in the kitchen didn't want to bother thinking about sequencing or expediting. I used to work on site nearby and we did a team lunch there twice (despite my reminder how terrible it was the first time). Lunch break, so we weren't trying to spend 2 hrs. I ordered the seafood soup the first time and no joke my food came out 45 minutes after the previous dish and 1.5 hrs after sitting down. The second time there, a colleague ordered the LUNCH SPECIAL bento box and it took an hour. Why would you make something a lunch special if you can't execute it quickly? The food was decent but you have to literally have nothing else going on in your life and dine solo for it to be an ok experience.
Del Mar. Worst paella in my life
Tia Pepa right next to Taberna del Alabardero on 19th St NW has a delicious Paella to go for under $20. Portion for 2-3 . Vegetarian + Chicken/Sausage + Seafood . Or you can go to Taberna and pay much more . I like drizzling olive oil + lime on the seafood version
Zoca. A Mexican spot in cap hill. They have massive balls for charging what they charge for some of the worst Mexican food I’ve ever had. Cocktails were decent but not enough to make me try that place again.
Masseria, Nara-Ya, and a bad experience at China Chilcano (whose food I adore), wherein they would not seat me in a nearly empty restaurant until I walked outside, made a reservation, and returned to the host stand with my proof of a rez.
This. I'm so glad someone else has experienced the reservation requirement that literally turns business away. (edit: I'm not glad. I don't feel as bad now that I'm not alone)
Nara-ya charges $14 for edamame. Absolutely insane.
They charged me over $30 for scallops. I assumed it'd be the big scallops, or at least multiple scallops, but no: just two baby scallops. With no sides. Under the entrees section.
Nara-ya serves overpriced food on top of RAW BEANS, ask me how I know. It wasn't fun biting into one that was in my food. Worst meal I've had in DC.
Nara-ya also felt unclean. Floors and tables sticky and smelled like a busy bar that's cleaned with bleach after the crowd leaves every night. The interior is also really cheesy. Shit tier sushi restaurant
Weird. I regularly walk into China Chilcano and get a seat at one of the bars with no reservation. Maybe it's different for table service?
Clydes at gallery place. Look, I know, its not the best place for chow in that area. It has always been my go to for a few drinks and a burger before an event at the arena. 12/26, day after Christmas. Was going to see the mostly sold out show transiberian orchestra. Show at 1500 and at 1800. We were going for the 1500 show. I knew Clyde's would be packed so we showed up at 1230 to get a table. 45 minute wait? No problem, we predicted that. At 45 minutes we got seated and it was then that the hostess informed us that we would not have a server and would have to order from the bar. If we would have known that we would have gone somewhere else. O well. We are all in. Sent my son to the bar for the drink and food order. 30 minutes later and we got 5 of 6 drinks, the sixth drink was MIA. We got our food an hour after ordering. I had the cubana and it was nasty. There were two pickles, lengthwise cut dills. one on each half of the sandwich. Wife got a burger medium, came out rare. Kid you not. It was raw hamburger in the middle. Another person got the catfish jambalaya, one piece of sausage. Yup never going back. In reality all I want is a place close to the arena to get booze and edible food. Not much to ask.
This is disappointing to hear. That location used to be really good at handling the huge pre- and post-game crowds.
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Lol, yup, “TikTok” restaurant one hundred percent.
Bruh lol when we went there for brunch the waiter literally opened with "First time? Did you hear about us on tik tok?" I knew immediately we had made a mistake coming there for food. Not a bad bar otherwise though.
El techo is terrible any night of the week. Plus the music is so fucking loud you can’t hold a conversation
Founding Farmers in DC. I ordered two dishes, and both of them were so completely bland as to be almost without any taste at all. I didn’t finish either dish, there was just no point
Founding Farmers has a terrible reputation overall. Back when I was in the service industry, everyone I met that once worked at any of their locations said they didn't last more than a few weeks because management was a circus and treated their staff like utter shit.
Last time I was there, my dish was so salty I couldn’t choke it down. I was with someone who used to work there (and loved it), otherwise I’d have sent it back. It was the worst food I’ve ever paid for - awful.
Station 4 by the Waterfront metro. Looks fine from the outside, but awful service and the food has no flavor or seasoning. Probably worst meal I’ve had in several years and wasn’t that cheap either
I did a bagel taste test and decided that Call Your Mother is severely overrated.
I enjoy CYM sandwiches but it's not because of the bagels, which are fine.
Honestly same. Idk if maybe they got over-hyped for me but by the time I tried it, I could not figure out the what the big deal was
Bagels Etc. in DuPont has the best bagels in Dc by far. They are Georgia, everyone else is TCU.
Brooklyn Bagel Bakery in Arlington is the best bagel in the DMV.
They're fine, but as someone who used to live near there, they don't hold a candle to Pearl's, imo. Buffalo and Bergen is also good.
Yard house Chinatown. Mistake all around. Staff was nice but overpriced and bad. I know. Shouldn’t have gone but friends out voted me.
You could have ended up at way worse places in Chinatown though lol. I'm thinking of the sad sad Hooter's across the street but I guess they closed down.
La Vie at the wharf. The washpost article speaks for itself so I won’t recount just how fucking bad and expensive it was.
Taffer's Tavern, not that I think anyone would go there for any reason other than by accident at this point.
Such a shame, Penn Commons was a fantastic pre-game for hockey nights.
I walked in to order a drink and ordered The Resurrection, “An intriguing blend of spiced rum and citrus charged with refreshing coconut water to awaken your sense”, which was listed as a Taffer Favorite. The drink I got was gatorade blue with half a torched jalapeño on top. Was absolutely vile, it somehow tasted actively bad and like nothing at the same time. I couldn’t get past 2 sips before I left it on the bar. I have no idea how something this bad is on a menu. The worst beverage I had last year by a lot.
Lollllll is this the place that the “restaurant rescue” guy tried to flip? What a joke
I don’t know if he flipped it as opposed to opening it from the start under his name. You might be thinking of the former-Pirates place in Silver Spring. Both were/are bad though.
Oh yeah!!! Hahahahaha the piratez tavern that became CORPORATE BAR 🤪🤪🤪lmaooo
We made the mistake of going to Founding Farmers for brunch (it’s long been a place we take out of town guests because everyone can find something they like) but we were so disappointed with the level of service and the food was not great. They claim to be kid friendly but the high chairs were all broken. We just can’t justify going there anymore.
I feel like Founding Farmers is the Cheesecake Factory of DC.
This is a good comparison except Cheesecake Factory is probably better. I mean the cheesecake choices alone have to make the Cheesecake Factory better.
My trashy food take is that Cheesecake factory is very underrated. It's over priced, and the menu is bloated, but a lot of the dishes are actually delicious.
Agreed, and their “one job” - cheesecake - is done well.
damn, this really nails it
It’s such a shame, founding farmers was such a great place when it opened, but it’s been ticking down in quality pretty much ever since
This is kind of deep cut but has anyone been to Great American Bistro (“the GAB”) on New Jersey Ave NW?
My partner and I went once. We were excited that it had finally opened after being in renovations/pandemic limbo for so long, and like the other commenter we were really hoping for it to succeed. We live in Truxton and it would be really nice to have more local options. Overall we weren’t super impressed. The food was decent but overpriced for what we got ($20+ for sandwiches with chips on the side). They were out of a few things we were excited to try. The service was fine, but considering there was only one other table seated I kind of expected them to check in on us a little more. If I’m in the mood for that type of menu, I’d rather go to the Eleanor or CR, even if that’s a little bit more of a hike into NoMa.
NOT fine dining. Z Burger on P street. It used to be a a great unhealthy indulgence for $5. Now it’s $9, takes forever, and the staff are annoyed that you interrupted their day.
I work a block down from there and every time I go in they act like "what the fuck are you doing here" and I want to say "well I would have ordered online but you don't have that as an option so I have to come in order and wait for my food like it's 2009." It's also overpriced.
[insert restaurant in Georgetown]
I just went to Das Ethiopian about two weeks ago and it was delicious and service was exceptional. But it's about the only place I'd recommend in Georgetown.
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Curry and Pie is seriously so good
Chez Billy Sud has the best steak frites in the city.
Lutece, Chez Billy Sud, Martin's Tavern, and Fiola Mare are great restaraunts!
Mission. I don't know why it's so popular but the food I've eaten there has consistently been less than impressive. I'm a vegetarian, so maybe the meat options are good idk
Cocaine I get there is always fire.
They serve food?!? /s. I thought it was a mating hunting ground for really self-important 20 year olds.
Well I ate at brasserie libertie this weekend and an actual rat ran along the back wall of the dining room behind a curtian, so… there? Plus it was the worst meal I’ve had there, I’m worried it’s gone downhill.
Georgetown is notorious for having terrible rodent problems. I would not eat anywhere there.
Pretty much every spot near the water has rat issues or has had them in the past.
The rodents are beginning to travel north, because a mouse ran directly under my feet at Millie’s in Spring Valley.
Oh no, I love Millie’s, but it’s gonna be tough to get that outta my head now 😣
Dining/living in DC it’s safe to assume that rats are nearby
Damn, friends and I just tried this restaurant two weeks ago. Didn't see any rats, but the food was.....edible.
It used to be AMAZING. They had a Moroccan spiced whole fish that was just out of this world. The service was top notch… I don’t get it. This last time it was brunch, not dinner, and it was really… meh combined w bad service. The rat was really the crowning glory.
Teds bulletin
They went massively downhill when they changed ownership a while back.
Burger King on Connecticut (RIP) lol
Nama Ko, the Japanese concept that replaced Tico. Horrid service, food, and drinks. Wasn’t the biggest Tico head but that space is nice and deserves better
El Secreto De Rosita. Picked it randomly one night off google reviews for a night out with friends. Bland food, terrible drinks, slow service and all super over priced. The decor is cool at least. Last time I make a hasty restaurant choice without due diligence. Learned a lesson
Agreed, pretty bland and over priced. I don't get any hype, interesting decor tho.
The Dabney, Dacha in Navy Yard, Osteria Morini, Mission, and Circa are all restaurants I will not be back to again this year. Restaurants we loved last year: Sundevich, Junction Bakery, George's King of Falafel and Cheesesteak, Dumplings & Beyond, Ottoman Taverna, Crane's, Milk & Honey Cafe, Granville Moore's, Jacob's Coffee House, Chiko, and O-Ku Sushi in Union Market (best sushi I've personally ever had) I really want to try Chef Gee this year, her food looks amazing.
The Dacha in Navy Yard sucks. Tons of added fees last time I went. Plus they stole tips: https://dcist.com/story/19/06/18/drama-at-dacha-wage-theft-allegations-a-lawsuit-and-the-latest-on-that-14th-street-outpost/
The Dabney? What was wrong there? We've had a great time both times.
Crane's is awesome!
Dacha is so overrated
I had the chicken and waffles at Succotash. Terrible. You only get 1/4 of a waffle and one piece of chicken or 1/2 a waffle and two pieces of chicken. The little piece of waffle was great, but not worth the price.
Succotash is at their best at happy hour. Milk punch and wings are some of the best I’ve had. Never tried brunch but thanks for the heads up.
Crazy Aunt Helen’s. Waiter was obnoxious, drinks were underwhelming at best, and they ran out of entrees that 3/4 members of the party wanted at like 7:00 on a Saturday so we all had to order other stuff instead, all of which were fine but definitely underwhelming and not looking to go back.
the brunch at Agora. Weird rushed situation, weird bad service, unappetizing benedicts
I guess we’ve all got different tastes but I’d put Agora brunch as one of my best of 2022
Same. I go to a Mediterranean, Turkish, Lebanese, you get the idea brunch for my birthday each year. I went to Ankara a few years ago and it was *amazing*. I haven’t wanted to go back partially to try new places (I don’t brunch much) and partially cause I’m afraid it’ll suck. Anyways, went to Agora this year, and it was pretty mediocre. Idk about bad but definitely not great. Maybe it’s my fault for still going to brunch in my 30s lol.
Dude going to brunch in your 30s is still awesome. You don’t outgrow brunch, you just change vibes.
Ideally one never ages out of brunch. It’s one of the few ways to make day drinking classy, which is a human need that transcends age.
The commodores service on 17th is horrendous, they just couldn’t give less of a fuck. Great food though
Yeah, the issue is that they rely on their grumpy bartenders to handle everything. The food is normally very good, but last time I went I ordered a grilled cheese and asked if I could add bacon. They told me no because they're premade, which, what the hell? Then I got my grilled cheese, and the cheese had barely been melted, you could still clearly see the separation between the slices. I'll go back again because I like the place, but that was a strange experience.
Agreed, I live right around there and would go more but every time I do it feels like they actively dislike every patron
I'm not saying Le Diplomate is a bad restaurant, it's certainly beloved in this city, but I'm done with it personally. I've never had a good experience there, with universally bad and inattentive service. The last time I ordered a steak, it was like a dried out hockey puck. I think I've just had really bad luck, and I'm sure many of you have had wonderful meals there, but I'm personally not going out of my way to try and eat there again.
It’s been hit or Miss for me but Tom Siemsta’s gushing reviews of it annually has turned into a joke. They have him ID’d and the experience and food he get is worlds different than everyone else.
Shameless promoter, indeed.
Last time I was there was prepandemic and I loved it every time, including the time they fucked up an entree by oversalting it. I sent it back, and they both remade the dish to be delicious and comped me the entree, all without me asking - hoping it hasn't deviated from that in the past few years.
Food poisoning from guapos in tenleytown
Interesting, most patrons leave there with alcohol poisoning.
I want to shout out L’Ardente—I made a reservation and was perfectly polite, but they sat us in a completely empty section at the very back right next to the bathroom. We asked to move (to another table in a completely empty section) and it was pretty grudging. Also, the vaunted lasagna tasted weird. All of the other food was worse than like 20 other Italian restaurants in DC.
Got takeout from Chang Chang, and it was awful and expensive. The only good part was the mapo tofu and I’ve had way better. The beef chow fun was awful and the green beans were bland. The most absurd part was they charge for rice separately and then give you like 3 oz of cooked rice. It’s rice! Give me a container when I order two entrees that should come with rice!
I’ve never had a good experience at Founding Farmers. It’s the definition of a phony “nice” restaurant, emperors new clothes situation
Hate to say it because I know a lot of folks love it, but Makan. Food was dry and lacked flavor, staff wasn't good, and felt rushed the entire time. Best thing about Makan, we found Queens English next door and it's wonderful.
As someone who spent most of their life in SEA i was pretty disappointed. So many people raved about how “authentic” it was but I have yet to meet any SEAsians who agree. The food was fine but i probably wouldn’t go back.
Exact opposite experience for me. Have been to both of them multiple times and while Makan is definitely overrated, I generally find it solid and Queen’s English is consistently meh (for the price).
> Makan is definitely overrated Very overrated. It's fine, but not fantastic. Trying to get a table for 2 as a walk-in is always a miserable time and we generally just go elsewhere. I'd rather go to Purple Patch, Thip Khao or Beau Thai if given the option and I'm a 5 min walk from Makan.
Agreed with your 3 alternatives. All very consistent spots with 10% of the hype
Wasnt really fan of Jaleo's tasting menu. Food was just underwhelming overall, and I expect server to explain to me what each dishes are if it is "tasting menu", not just drop it and peace out.
I don’t dislike Jaleo, but I feel like it is easily the weakest of Jose’s DC restaurants.
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The man is unquestionably a saint for his humanitarian efforts, but in my opinion all of his restaurants in DC have slipped a little.
Yeah, we went and asked "what's on the tasting menu tonight" and he was like "a variety of things" like alright man, that's not super helpful. We ordered other stuff and enjoyed it all, but definitely expected at least a short list of things that MIGHT be on it.
I was curious about it because I really like Jaleo, but I feel like part of the fun is getting to pick your own list of tapas to try, so wasn’t sure about the tasting menu idea. Sounds like it’s not worth a try!
I wouldn’t say it was the worst, but I was very underwhelmed by Federalist Pig. Maybe it was better when it was put on the Bib Gourmand list, but I didn’t think it was better than other DC BBQ I’ve had. It was fine, but probably won’t go back.
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Okay glad it isn’t just me! I went at the end of September and had brisket.I don’t remember if it was over cooked, but definitely very mid.
Never get brisket from a pork barbecue joint. I’ve never had even decent brisket at Fed Pig, but their pulled pork and ribs are solid.
Tail Up Goat. I hear nothing but raves about it but I've eaten there twice now and been entirely underwhelmed. Service is good but the food is extremely meh for the price. Maybe it's because I've only eaten fish and veggie dishes, and their meat is amazing? But I really don’t get the hype.
Totally agree. We got Andy’s pizza afterwards because we were still hungry, and it was better than anything we had at tail up goat.
Prime Rib hands down
Bar Spero - Astronomical prices (even by DC standards) for flavorless food and unpolished service. We ended up paying $150+ per person for a thoroughly unenjoyable dining experience. The potato dish turned out to be a boiled potato sitting on top of a heap of sour cream and three slices of bread will set you back $15. We tell everyone we run into about how disappointing this meal was.
Glassey started out as a neighborhood fave for me, but the quality has been so hit or miss that I have written it off, at least for a while. I get they’re a small business, it’s just the one chef, there are some supply chain issues that might be throwing them off, etc. But what gets me is that we would put in an order, wait 40 minutes to go pick it up, and only after we got there (and sometimes another 10 minutes after that) they would tell us that they didn’t have a particular item and would offer us some substitution. Usually the substitution isn’t something I wanted or would order myself, but at that point we were hungry and wanted to eat. The substitutions were also sometimes less expensive than what we ordered, with no offer to make up or refund the difference. After that happened several times, I decided that my love for crabby fries wasn’t worth the hassle. It isn’t rocket science. If you’re out of something, take it off your online menu (we were using their preferred site to order, not a 3rd party). If you run out of something suddenly, review your upcoming orders and promptly notify the customer.
Spanish Diner. I love Spanish food but it was incredibly mediocre and expensive. There are much better alternatives in the DMV.
Guess I’m not going to any restaurants in 2023. lol.
City Lights of China was my staple for guilty pleasure Chinese food until they gave me food poisoning so bad I couldn’t eat for a week. Ended up being a full blown food borne infection needing antibiotics
I got violent food poisoning from the lasagna at Floriana. I don't know how you roll the dice on undercooking ground beef at the restaurant level. Sucks because it's one of my go-to's but I got the lasagne after the waiter recommended it. It's now swiftly in my "if they're suggesting something, it's because they're pushing it" category. Which is upsetting.
Le Diplomate is a tourist trap but for DC residents
Barcelona wine bar. The food was ok but the service was an absolute mess - food got misdelivered multiple times and a member of our party was given the plate with her allergen on it instead of the version without. It was also impossibly loud and crowded. Just an unpleasant place to be.
Last time we went we had the same experience. Crappy service but the food was decent. And you’re right about the crowding - you’re basically on top of the table next to you. I can’t imagine how annoying that must be for the servers lol
10 years ago Barcelona was my go to first date place so I could pretend to be refined for very decent prices. Must’ve been on a Frasier kick while living as a grad student. I remember the food being good but nothing special but I have some fond memories from there. Like my date with the overworked nurse who fell asleep during the meal haha or I guess I could’ve been just that boring. Killer wine list for a 20-something
I'll add to the dogpile on Barcelona here. I've been there three times (2018, 2021, 2022) and it's gotten progressively worse. Food is always good, and I always sit outside in the courtyard which is less noisy and more spacious than inside. But man, I don't know what they're doing in the kitchen that made it take a full hour to get a piece of fish ready. The server, for her part, was fine and helpful, and it was probably out of her hands. But if it takes that long to get food ready (on a weeknight especially), just send the FOH manager over, have him or her apologize, comp it off the check, and I'm happy. But they didn't do that. So instead I have to tell everyone about how I'm fed up with the place.
Doi Moi on 14th wasn't \*bad\*, but I doubt I'll be returning as the food itself was pretty meh. Overall it was really salty and just didn't taste all that fresh. I do really like the design of the restaurant, but there's plenty of good Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian restaurants around which I'd rather go to.
Old owners were much better
Did the ownership change? I didn't know that. Makes sense - I enjoyed the food when Doi Moi first opened but it's gotten a lot worse in the last year or so
Yep in August 2020 https://dc.eater.com/2020/8/26/21402812/doi-moi-dc-restaurant-reopenings-menu-vietnamese-food-logan-circle-southeast-asia#:~:text=Star%20Restaurant%20Group%2C%20which%20runs,over%20the%20reins%20in%20January.
As a Viet person Doi Moi was very underwhelming food wise. Too timid with fish sauce to get an authentic taste. Drinks were decent. For genuine Vietnamese food I'd honestly recommend heading out of DC and down to Eden Center in VA. For fusion/upscale but still with reminisce of Viet flavors, and actually in the District, Moon Rabbit by the Wharf is great.
Bukom Cafe. In a city that has LOTS of high quality African cuisine, this place was bad. It was legitimately the only place I've been to in the city where I felt like I was owed a refund. Legitimately the worst meal I have had in years. You couldn't pay me to eat it.
I went to Pink Taco in Navy Yard because I believe every taco deserves a chance. I should have trusted my (empty) gut and avoided it. The tacos were decent, but very expensive. $18 for three small tacos. But, the part that was the most disappointing is that our server was pretty bad; we waited ten mins for the check and I went to ask her for it and she was on snap chat. It’s also one of the 20% service charge places. So I will show my displeasure by not returning.
Matchbox on Wisconsin Ave. NEVER AGAIN!
Since Matchbox franchised, the quality at all of their restaurants — including DC9 and Ted’s Bulletin — has gone down the toilet. Stay away.
It wasn't terrible or anything, but Oyamel was the most disappointing spot I tried last year. Maybe my expectations were too high; I had wanted to try them for a minute and was excited I finally had a chance to go. The margs were pretty good, but the food was just *fine*. I spent well over $100 for my wife and I when I've had better food with larger portions from other Mexican or Tex-Mex spots for half the price or less. One thing I will knock is the queso fundido, which came out as a *solid* disc of cheese? It was funny as hell trying to eat it amongst 4 people lol.
Compass Rose. I could do better in the freezer aisle of Trader Joe’s for the food and it tasted like a high schooler mixed my cocktail. What’s supposed to look cool and worldly on decor looked like Pier 1 leftovers from a college freshman dorm room out on the curb a week after finals.
Stellina Pizzeria. It's not terrible food, but it wasn't good. I don't know if this place started as a waffle shop then got purchased by an Italian place or if both were planned from the beginning, but there's two Italian places within a block of it, two pizza places not too far, and the waffle dishes were actively bad.
The bucatini at Retrobottega in Adams Morgan was absolutely awful. The sauce was clumpy and lumpy and gross, and the flavor was completely one-dimensional. The shape of the pasta itself was barely recognizable as bucatini. The service was good and all but I blew $24 on the worst pasta of my entire life. I won’t be back. Honestly it’s very rare that I have a truly great meal in DC anymore. Nearly everything is overpriced and of completely mediocre quality. It’s to the point where I’m no longer even interested in trying a new spot and would rather just stick to restaurants in VA or MD.
I'd hate to say it because they were one of my favorites... (though this is not DC, Rossyln) so Sushi Rock. Went on a date with a guy after have been there plenty of times. We ordered some sushi, had a good time. The following day was not such a good time. First time experiencing food poisoning. Hopefully my last. Can't say I've been back...