Best Authentic Restaurants in Penn Quarter

This was a tremendous meal, and a can't-miss restaurant when visiting Washington D.C. It was my wife and I, and we shared six plates: hummus, falafel, rice pilaf/barley, fried eggplant, brussels sprouts and (essentially) french fries. We were uncomfortably full when leaving, and this ran us a whopping $72 dollars before tip. Obviously if we had gotten drinks or wine, the price would have gone up considerably, but I can't imagine this kind of quality food in a metro area for $36/person in 2024. Plus endless homemade pita that was a cross between pita and naan was provided -- crazy delicious. The french fries had a house-made mushroom salt with a yogurt dipping sauce. The serving size on those were substantial, but basically they were just outstanding french fries. In terms of going for authentic Mediterranean food, we could have swapped this out for something else, but that was probably more our fault than theirs just having something a little more neutral on the menu for less-adventurous eaters. The other five items were all significantly above average, with my favorite being the sprouts and my wife favoring the barley/pilaf. Also, the speed with which we got through our meal was noteworthy -- one hour as they rotated through plates one at a time. It was a well-oiled machine.

Fabulous food and service! The scallops with butternut squash puree, shrimp with garlic sauce, potatoes with brave sauce and garlic aioli and onions with pine nuts and blue cheese were fantastic as always. The flan was the perfect dessert. The service was quick despite a busy Saturday crowd and courteous.

Getting our table was a bit chaotic. There isn’t much room to wait by the hostess stand. And I would have preferred a table further from the front doors, but everything from then on out was aces. Service was friendly and professional. The fried chicken and waffles were delicious. The maple bourbon syrup makes the dish. Will definitely return!

The food and service were outstanding; we had the crudo yellowfin as appetizer the branzino fish as entree, both were delicious. The cocktails finally were served on the right glasses this time which was much appreciated: everything was top notch and we felt very well received and taken care of by the receptionist on a very busy holiday season day.

We had change of plans and arrived 45 minutes ahead of out reservation but were happily seated! Our server was super attentive and the food was delicious, just the right amount too. The only unpleasant experience was the music - entirely too loud but was turned down at my request.