Best Restaurants for Outdoor Dining in Glenelg

I’m always amazed at the consistency and high level experience at Zaytinya. We had the lunch tasting menu. Probably a total of 15 small plates. All were delicious and creative. Service and timing also impeccable.

Went for Christmas dinner. Foggy Bottom was one of the two locations that had the a’ la carte menu which was why I picked the location. It was a little crowded waiting for our reservation time and they were behind but we expected that and didn’t mind. There were three of us and we all were happy with our meals. We had wings and the corn bread skillet for appetizers. The wings were really good. I’m not a fan of corn in my cornbread but it still tasted good. I had fried shrimp with fries, coleslaw and corn bread. The shrimp and fries were really good. The coleslaw was a little blah. Our other two diners had a platter with ribs, cheeseburger sliders and fried chicken and coleslaw. They both loved theirs but also were not fans of the coleslaw. The staff was friendly and professional and fast. We enjoyed talking to them and the two different sets of patrons sitting beside us. We had a great Christmas dinner despite it not being an “traditional” Christmas dinner and would come back again.

Went for the Christmas Day Brunch and Dinner buffett as something different for achristmas this year. The food was great. Only complaint was that they needed to have larger plates of some of the featured meats so they didn't empty so quickly. They also had items from the kitchen that were walked around and offered by staff frequently. The wait staff and management team were incredibly attentive and friendly. The noise level was very loud, but that should be expected when a place is that busy, especially with a lot of families or groups of friends sitting around several tables. Overall, a great choice as a deviation from a normal Christmas breakfast.

The restaurant, bar and lounge areas spread out across multiple rooms / terraces / levels so it is a really intimate and fun layout. Excellent service and value. Price for classic drinks skewed a tad high in my opinion. I'll try and catch a happy hour sometime and the jazz performances.

The entire experience was fantastic. I had emailed the restaurant to advocate that a dish they used to have on their menu be considered for a return, and the chef emailed me back that they would make it for me at our next visit, which we already had a reservation for. They must have put a note on our reservation, because our server knew all about it before we said anything at all. The Manager stopped by to talk about it too. I can’t think of any other restaurant I’ve been to that has gone that far above and beyond for the average customer. The food was wonderful, and we adore our server to the point that we ask for her every time we go.