Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Cafe Saint-Ex

    3.3 (661 reviews)
    ModerateNew American
    Closed 6:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Cafe Saint-Ex Reservations

    Order Cafe Saint-Ex Takeout or Delivery

    Cafe Saint-Ex Photos

    Business Info

    CAFE SAINT-EX ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Happy hour specials

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Cafe Saint-Ex

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Britt. O.

    I would like to start my sentence with two snaps and two claps! A round of applause for the best bar and food experiences this entire year thus far ! I must admit it will be pretty darn hard to out shine this establishment in my personal opinion! So, let's dive in! I visited this wonderful restaurant after my Cherry Blossom race! I absolutely loved the friendliness and attentiveness of the bar tender! I visited a bar right before this one and the crowd was not nearly as crowded as this location and yet their service does not compare ! ( enough about them) The bartender handled the busy and demanding customers with a breeze ! I was very much impressed! However, what impressed me most was how she handled me with care . She checked in regularly and made sure I was taken care of ! Oh! She also remembered my name ! Now, the food and drinks deserve their own category! I've never tasted jerk wings and max n cheese from any restaurant as delicious as this place! I shared my high regards to my friends who ordered duplicates ! Compliments to the chef ! The vibes and music was just the cherry on top! My overall experience was a 10/10 and I'm super picky !

    Anita R.

    The answer is YES! The food here is good and authentic! Yum, yum, yummy, yum! This is some of the best Jerk food I've had in a long time. The drinks were standard, but the food was so good who cares? My friend doesn't even like spicy food but was still blown away. Everything we had was good. The jerk wings, rice and peas, coco bread, and chicken patty were top tier. The kitchen is open late and they take To-Go orders. We got our food at about 1am. There's a bar on top level and dance floor downstairs. This place gets packed after midnight. The crowd is very diverse and the music alternates between hip hop, reggae, and Latin. Good times, great food! Come as you are. No dress code.

    Screen shot of Saint-Ex Website, showing that you can order food from the three different food services.

    I wanted to support a local business and an iconic fixture with so much history here in DC. I have been to this restaurant many times before, and have had a great overall experience. I share that because context is important. What I experienced today may be a one off, and I want to see businesses like this succeed, so I am sharing my concerns, because it was too busy to speak about this with the staff there. Working late this evening, I decided to order food for pickup. I placed the order on Grubhub. I then wait the 30min that is suggested for my pick up time and head to the restaurant to pick up my food. I am greeted outside first by a young man asking me if I am coming to the comedy show, then I walk in the door to 2 Men sitting at what I assume is the Host/Hostess station. I am told I need to show my ID, to which I reply "I am just here to pick up a to go order, I am not staying." The two guys which have barley stopped their conversation then say to me in a unforgivable, condescending and disrespectful tone, that they still need to see my ID. I would of had no problem showing my ID had they been respectful, or even said a simple hello (maybe). This then sets the tone for what happens next which I would have been able to forgive had I not been talked to in such a way. The Server tells me, in a very kind, and apologetic tone that they no longer honor GrubHub orders, and that I will need to contact GrubHub on my own to request a refund. She also asks me if I would like to place an order with her for the food, which I decline. I then come back to work, to contact GrubHub, and also to look at the "Cafe Saint Ex" website. Where I see that on their website, that they have in super large font "Order for Delivery on Doordash, Uber Eats, + GrubHub. That make me question how long have they not been working with GrubHub, that they can't even remove it from their Website. (Photo Posted below, so you can see I am telling the truth) Okay I feel a little better now that I have let go of the story. I will try again and see if maybe I go and eat in the location, if maybe I will have a better experience. Thanks for reading!!!!

    Chicken Patty - YUMMY!
    Lynne S.

    My friend and I stopped by this "walk by" - okay "walk up" ordering door - while hanging out on a Thursday night to grab a grub after having a few cocktails. She insisted that I order the jerk wings and macaroni and cheese...I was skeptical, but agreed. Lovely Janelle (sp?) greeted us with a smile and a bubbly personality. She was super nice and cool and also encouraged me to order the jerk wings and macaroni and cheese. So I did. I also ordered a chicken patty. Janelle gave us our food and told us we had the option to take it home or eat at their outside patio. We opted to sit down and "eat off" some of those cocktails. The chicken patty was HOT and spicy! It was delicious!!! It was a perfect carb and protein treat to get something on my tummy - fast! The jerk wings - DELICIOUSNESS! They were the perfect amount of spicy and were falling off the bones. YUM!!!!! The macaroni and cheese - SCRUMPTIOUS!!! It melted in my mouth! They clearly use real cheese and not that liquid cheese thing that some places use. It was thick (which means an egg or two was included in its preparation) and just DELICIOUS!!! It hit the spot!! I wanted to be sure to savor all of this yumminess the next day m, so I forced myself to only eat 2 wings and a few mouthfuls of the mac and cheese but ALL of that chicken patty is in my belly lol This is a MUST when coming to the U /14th St NW corridor!!! YUM!!

    Hot mess of a place
    Mike B.

    This was literally THE worst experience we had on DC 2023 Pride weekend, which is why I'm bothering to write this... There were a million places to stop in and spend our money, and unfortunately we chose this one. I spent over 10 yrs in college waiting tables and bartending at some of the busiest restaurants imaginable, and the woman at the bar with long braids could not have been ruder to us. I can 'get into' and respect a hustle, but there's 'a line in the sand', and she crossed it, then double backed! It took forever... and then I'm 6'5", 270lbs, standing right in front of her and she helped every person around me, new people, etc. without acknowledging me and my partner for some reason. ***Then when I'd paid for my margaritas... first drink of the day at about 6pm on a very hot day... After having paid over $40 for 2 margaritas and generous tip, she took my cash, then we waited about 5-10 minutes while she literally got on her phone and was obviously texting... then we she graced us with her presence again, I motioned towards the bin of margaritas they were filling (because someone else had just added mix to the machine right in front of me, and the mixture was causing the margaritas to spray out into the bags - watery, yet they kept filling the bags...) and I asked for 'two that were more frozen', she said - "don't touch them, I'll do that..." in the most condescending way... well, it had been about 10 minutes since I paid and she hadn't been able to do it yet.... but, why would I want to touch the margarita bags anyway?? So now I'm a thief?? Or I'm dirty?? Some crazy?? Which is it??? She was the one touching all the cash and people... I SERIOUSLY regretted stepping foot in the place and definitely should have demanded a refund! I have two masters degrees and am CEO of a major healthcare charity and just can't even explain how we got to that moment, because it was really something..... If I were her, I would find a job that is not people facing. It was her time to shine, and she just wasn't capable. And I'm the king of 'you don't know what else is going on in there life', but it wasn't that kind of situation. She was being nasty just to be nasty. Wrong one mama... I'm putting these reviews everywhere and depending on the platform, I have thousands of followers, so tends to be effective. The last bad review I wrote, the people literally begged me to come back... Honestly, wanted to give her a break, but the caustic attitude was level 10 out of 10... attaching a couple of pics just to prove we were there and I'm not some random....

    Deirdre G.

    This place is hit or miss for me. The first time I visited was for brunch. We got there one minute after opening, placed our order in the first 10 minutes, and waited for 90 minutes and our food still hadn't come out. No one's had. I'm not sure what was going on in the kitchen but the server couldn't even give an estimate on when it would arrive. We were so hungry that we had to leave at the two hour mark. The next time I came was on a Sunday evening after getting brunch and drinks elsewhere. I was with a large group but decided I only wanted food. They got their drinks quickly but I went to the outdoor window to place my order. Luckily my to-go order was ready within about 10 minutes and was delicious. However my friends went to place orders about 30 minutes later and they were out of chicken. Out of chicken? So instead the ordered just Mac and cheese and what they got was a soupy mess. Apparently a lot can change hour by hour. Now Back to MY meal. The jerk wings were a little over cooked but really good. It paired nicely with the Mac and cheese and was way more than I could eat in one setting. That one meal itself is the reason I'm giving them any stars.

    Jerk Mushroom Lettuce Wrap (v) and Macaroni Pie
    Haniyyah B.

    Cafe Saint-Ex has been my go-to spot lately for frozen drinks in a pouch on a hot day, and fun night out with friends. In the basement, the DJ is always great and sometimes they have live musicians. People come to dance and have a good time. The food is just ok, nothing to rave about. It will satisfy your hunger on a late night.

    a man standing in front of a tv
    Shani H.

    Came here for a pre-brunch snack. We made a reservation at another spot but decided to stop here because we were starving. We ordered a few items (bacon, coco bread, beef patties, jerk chicken wings and mac & cheese). Everything was good and we were impressed with the mac & cheese. We also really liked the DJ. I hope to come back and try their dinner menu.

    The eggs Benedict with home fries
    Jasmine N.

    I came here last Sunday with friends. We had a 1:30 reservation. When we arrived, there was only one person working and she said sit wherever. Yes, that is correct, there was only ONE person working in the entire front of the restaurant. One person taking orders, making drinks, and serving. This was a mess. We waited 20-25 minutes just to order drinks and then another 20+ minutes to get them. One friend came right after we ordered and it was a pain trying to get her attention so he could ordered. We often had to walk up to her when she was at the computers so we could catch her. What kind of restaurant schedules a single person for Sunday brunch?!? She had to be bartender and server for the entire place. The reason I'm still giving two stars is because the woman working remained calm and pleasant despite how swamped she was. Honestly, I don't know how she did it. And we made sure to tip her well. The food was okay, nothing to brag about, but we had no complaints. (Besides the obvious it took forever to get the food and order it). Overall, this place clearly has a management logistic issue. There is no reason any restaurant should not know how to properly staff their establishment.

    Simone S.

    This place was cool, I visited DC and they had a 90's Dancehall theme party going on in the basement. They had Two bars from what i saw 1 upstairs and down, they had a picture booth where you can take as many photos as you like and email it to yourself. See pictures below of my friends and I. We went down stairs, it was dark! But the music had a little vibe, I think i was just tired at this point but Im sure Cafe Saint is a great cafe during the day and an amazing club by night.

    Jerk Mushroom Lettuce Wrap (v), truffle fries

    See all

    3 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Obai K.
    214
    56
    42

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ed H.
    171
    1
    1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Shani H.
    930
    1377
    2410

    3 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Cinthya is her. Good people, friendly, and makes good drinks! Kind, real, loyal, etc.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of James M.
    14
    187
    210

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Fav A.
    0
    17
    4

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 7
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Brwnd B.
    14
    29
    57

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 17

    Ask the Community - Cafe Saint-Ex

    You might also consider

    St. Anselm

    St. Anselm

    (1.2k reviews)

    $$$

    We ordered the biscuits, oysters, pan fried mashed potatoes, and butcher's steak with a half bottle…read moreof their chateau de fleurie. Everything was delicious and I would order it again. We ordered the steak medium rare and it came closer to rare. Restaurant was busy at 7:30pm on a thursday. I recommend making a reservation. It was a bit loud. Service was amazing and so sweet!

    Man, places like this need to duplicate as much as they can. St. Anselm did not disappoint from…read morestart to finish! I was a solo diner for this experience and sat at the bar. The bartenders were friendly, filled waters promptly and were fast. I came in about 5pm on a Saturday and there were only 5-6 other people at the bar, but the dining area was pretty full. This place has an almost pioneer-ish vibe with all of the taxidermy on the walls mixed with like your Uncle's cabin in the woods in the 60s. I was digging it. I started with the buttermilk biscuits and pimento cheese. Wow. I could have eaten all of them. The bartender and I agreed that it wasn't a good idea. He said he did it once. I also had a mint julep, and while I normally like them, this one was a little different. The presentation was cool, but the drink was all ice, which was disappointing. For dinner I had the Butcher's Steak, medium well (should have gotten medium) and the Brussels sprouts. I'm thinking about the leftovers now. The folks next to me ordered my exact meal because it looked so good. I will indeed return! Thanks, St. Anselm!

    The Hamilton - District Wings

    The Hamilton

    (4k reviews)

    $$

    Sushi happy hour after 10 pm! $5 off rolls. They had a huge sushi/nigir selection, it took one page…read moreout of the two page menu. I ordered the spicy crab shrimp tempura roll and the spicy tuna/salmon roll (sorry I don't remember the names). The shrimp tempura one wasn't it, the shrimp tempura was skinny. The spicy tuna/salmon roll was good. I also had a lemon drop martini and it was waaaay too sweet. My fiancée had the fried chicken sandwich and fries, it was wonderful he says. They had a variety of different cocktails, beers, and wines. I was particularly impressed with the Asian beers and Japanese whiskey, you don't find that too often. I really liked the inside, a lot of mahogany wood panels. Old fashion boujie, with a lot of bird art. Service was slow because there was a very large party seated in my section. But to be fair, our waitress tried to be attentive. Once we got our order in though, the food came out pretty quickly. This place is great for romantic dates to huuuge parties of ppl. It's also a music venue, but didn't see that side. They have different musicians/bands playing Friday's and Sunday's.

    The place isn't bad, it's just that I'd expect more for the money. But I guess they are charging…read morefor the tourist hot spot they have. Quickly greeted and placed at a booth half a block from where we entered. The booth was rather a tight fit. I'm not the largest guy, if I were I'd either not fit at the booths or would need lube to get me to fit. Our server was quick to ask is we wanted drinks. He said the old fashioned was excellent. It wasn't. It was a borderline old fashioned. The food looked like it came from foodpro or another such provider. It wasn't made in house. The ravioli was too perfectly cut, I'd e or y house made for $26 but again it's tourist spot. The wife loved her short rib ragu with meatballs. Which was the same price as my brought in ravioli. Desserts were better than some smaller places we eat at. Not excellent but good enough. Far better places to eat at in DC, but sadly not close to where we were going to see our show. Not bad, but very pricey for what you get.

    Yardbird

    Yardbird

    (890 reviews)

    $$$

    Downtown

    Tried Yardbird for brunch for the first time and had a great experience! I was seated right away…read morewithout a reservation, which was a nice surprise. My waitress was super friendly, bubbly, and really knew the menu. She gave some great recommendations. I ordered the American breakfast and the biscuit French toast. Everything was good! The sunnyside eggs were especially great, and both the sausage and bacon were cooked really well. Even the arugula salad that came with the breakfast stood out. It had a light lemon vinaigrette that I really enjoyed. The hash browns with a fried block delight. I wasn't sure what to expect with the biscuit French toast, but it tasted exactly like it sounds. biscuits turned into French toast. It didn't have that classic French toast flavor, but it was still really good and worth trying. The atmosphere was nice, pretty packed, but the noise level was just right. My waitress checked on me often, which I appreciated. I'll definitely be coming back for brunch!

    We had a 7:30 PM reservation on April 25 at Yardbird Southern Table & Bar to celebrate my birthday…read more When we called to confirm--as requested--we were informed that the restaurant had been bought out for a private event. The response we received was, "Didn't we call you already?" Unfortunately, we had not been contacted, and this left us scrambling at the last minute with family, friends, and out-of-town guests already committed to the plans. It was a significant inconvenience, especially for what was meant to be a special occasion. On a positive note, we were able to pivot to another establishment that handled our group with professionalism and care. We truly appreciated their ambiance and service, which helped salvage the evening. I hope Yardbird Southern Table & Bar improves its communication and reservation management so other guests don't experience a similar disruption.

    ChurchKey - Tots, fries, mushroom flatbread and a glimpse of chicken sando

    ChurchKey

    (1.5k reviews)

    $$

    Logan Circle, Downtown

    Great local bar with large rotating craft beer selection. Highly recommend for any beer…read moreenthusiast. They have wine and cocktails as well. They are happy to recommend beer for your taste, and let you sample. It can be very busy and difficult to get a seat at the bar or get a table on a Friday or Saturday evening. We ordered food, and were expecting elevated bar food. The tater tots were a huge disappointment- they were very large squares , bland, and not crispy. The wings were okay. The cheeseburgers were the best- from the restaurant downstairs- mallard. Huge burger, done perfectly medium.

    Here's a review written as part of a visit to both Churchkey and Birch & Barley (the downstairs…read morerestaurant -- together they form the "2 Enjoy Everything" concept by Neighborhood Restaurant Group): A DC Gem That Delivers on Every Level If you haven't made it to Churchkey on 14th Street yet, move it to the top of your list. I visited as part of the full experience -- dinner downstairs at Birch & Barley, then up to Churchkey for drinks -- and honestly, it's one of the best evenings I've had in DC. Churchkey itself is everything a great bar should be. The beer selection is absolutely unreal -- hundreds of carefully curated labels spanning every style, region, and flavor profile you can imagine. What sets it apart is that the staff actually knows the menu. Our server walked us through a few options based on what we liked and landed us on perfect picks both times. That kind of genuine expertise is rare. The tavern pizzas from the wood-fired oven were a wonderful surprise -- thin, crispy, and the perfect companion to a cold draft. The smash burger also deserves a mention: simple, well-executed, and hits the spot. The vibe is warm and lively without being overwhelming. Great for a date, a group, or even just sitting at the bar solo with a good beer and good conversation with the bartender. This place has earned its reputation as one of the best beer bars on the East Coast -- and then some. Highly recommend making a full night of it with both floors. You won't regret it. Feel free to adjust the tone or add any personal details from your actual visit!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

    The Capital Burger - Our namesake burger is served French onion-style with caramelized onions, Wisconsin Grand Cru gruyère and shallot aioli.

    The Capital Burger

    (1.1k reviews)

    $$

    Amazing service and food. Came here specifically for the parmesan truffle fries and it was so worth…read moreit. The best I've ever had! The Capital burger was good too. They also provide complimentary sweet pickles. Enormous thanks to our server, Stephon!! We loved his contagious smile, he treated us with so much respect and kindness.

    Have you ever been to a high end place and ordered a burger? You get that look like ordering steak…read moreat a great seafood place. Well I do enjoy burgers and plenty of places have upped their burger game. As much as it cost for a burger at certain fast food places you might as well hit up some of these other places. The prices are basically the same now. On a few trips to Capital Grille I did go with the burger and so I decided to check out its affiliate Capital Burger. Capital Burger actually has more burger options to choose for over Capital Grille and a more slimmed down menu. Still with the name burger in its name, you know where their focus is. I went with the bacon cheeseburger that comes with candied smoke bacon that came at $22 with your chose of sides (fries or various salads). It was cooked to the perfect medium rare and you can tell when a burger is cooked with better ingredients and cooked with a give a damn. It was not thrown together, and the fries were not just sitting under a heating lamp. I actually ordered a to go burger for the spouse. Here is where customer service comes in. I was asked how far I had to travel and the person taking my order said she will separate portions so it will travel better. Thank you. It is that little extra that goes a long way. This time I went with the Capital Burger to go along with some key lime pie to nibble on later. Great service and great food. There are plenty of good burger places but if you are a burger fan then definitely check this place out. Absolutely no disappointment. For a true high end burger experience I have no problem giving this place a solid five stars.

    Cafe Saint-Ex - newamerican - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...