I know this bar has a cult following and I very badly wanted to like this place enough to give it more than 3 stars. I am not a beer fan, but if you are, maybe you too, would like this place more than me. I gave St Ex more than a few chances and am not impressed. The space is crowded and not well ventilated (despite the huge open windows) on the weekends. Maybe people will breathe better this summer post-smoking ban. Also, the ladies room is kind of disgusting, and only gets worse as the night wears on. I give the downstairs credit for having good DJs, but they're mostly playing to the wrong crowd. Indeed, I've witnessed a lot of bad. drunk. dancing. Lastly, it's surprising to me that the bartenders are not more attentive on a weeknight than a weekend night (when the bar hosts about 20 times more people). But as disappointed as I've been in the bar, I am totally amazed by their food. It's a great place to grab a nice-but-casual dinner (I recommend the trout, paired with one of the many wines offered). read more

The first time I visited this establishment was for brunch on a Sunday. We were a party of 7 and arrived at 2:30ish and didn't get seated until 4pm. Right at the bat I was displeased with the place. I understand it has bottomless drinks but that's no reason to seat a party of 2 in a table that fits 6....Anyways, after finally sitting down I ordered the Fried Green Tomato Eggs Benedict. I liked it a lot but maybe it's just because I was starving. Mimosas and Bloody Marys were nothing special. I recently came back on a Saturday night after Pride Weekend in DC. The place wasn't very packed but one thing that I did notice was that the A/C was not working at all! Thankfully they were able to seat me and the group I was with in the tables outside. We only ordered 3 fries (2 regular with Old Bay & 1 Sweet potato style) and two burger. I'm pretty sure we sat and waited for over an hour for some pretty basic food. The regular fries didn't come with the Old Bay as requested and the Sweet Potato fries seemed to actually have old bay or some kind of spice as me and my friend agreed that they were unusually spicy and less on the sweet side. Overall, there's way more variety in the U Street/14th Street corridor, so save yourself the money AND time and visit some other restaurant. read more

I don't know what their problem was when we went there yesterday but they were so not cool. A bunch of colleagues and I went at about 6 last night hoping to sit outside and enjoy some drinks. First we were told that we couldn't push tables together outside. Fine, we'll sit at two tables near each other. Then she said she couldn't seat us at the tables because we were expecting two more people (plus a baby) who weren't there yet. Okay, maybe we'll go hang out at the bar and wait for our friends. She offered to let us sit together downstairs but on a beautiful day when you want to have drinks outside, having drinks in a basement is kind of the opposite of what you want. Plus she insisted that we had to have dinner if we were going to sit at tables at all. Then another person showed up so I hoped that then we could sit down at the tables but no dice. After all that we ended up going to Marvin, sitting in the upstairs area (not the crowded roof but the inside) and enjoyed ourselves. I am inclined to give St. Ex the benefit of the doubt because I heard they're having issues with their liquor license but there was nobody sitting outside. They could have had 8 people sitting there and enjoying some food and beverages but instead they gave us a hard time. WTF? read more

Kapow. Cafe Saint-Ex, you're my only friend. I've been here under two separate guises; first (and most importantly) i've been to Saint Ex with my pants loose around the waist and an empty n' hungry belly, ready to decimate all food, barely capable of rolling my stuffed ass home afterward. I've been ready to do battle with a few plates full of southern style new american grub that requires you to wipe your table clean with some crusty bread to collect every last mouth pleasing drop. I've also been here in the evening, fiancee and her friends in tow, ready to shake my ass in the sweaty but fun basement dance "club" area. The music is old school, the people are pretty friendly, even in the cramped quarters. Both experiences have been memorable and highly enjoyable. The food at Cafe Saint Ex is MY KIND OF FOOD. It's mussels, soaking in garlicky broth.....it's seared and rubbed pork chops nestled into belgian waffles with blueberry sauce.....and it's DEFINITELY a chicken fried steak atop a bed of greens and mashed potatoes. If you are a collared greens type of gal/dude, the Chard here will blow your mind; it's smoked to high heaven and will make you wonder on what planet the delicious meaty flavor was created on, because it sure isn't Earth. St. Ex is new and different, but it's also a fantastic representation of the best the U-street corridor has to offer. It's dimly lit, bohemian, and worthy of bringing your guests from out of town to show off. Service staff here has been great from day one, and I have no complaints. I hope to find more places that hit the spot quite like this one. read more

St. Ex is my local, and while in honesty I should give it a good review, I want you all to stay away from it so, I'll just say: it sucks. Still reading? Ok, here comes the honest part: St. Ex is a really great, well-rounded bar Sunday through Thursday, not so much on Friday and Saturday, when the crowds and bad downstairs dance bar scare me far away. But, during the week, St. Ex has it all: a fairly chill crowd, good atmosphere and stylish decor, delicious Belgian and other rich beers on tap, and creative, always winning food (I especially recommend their dessert menu). Saturday and Sunday brunch? Not amazingly unique, but well-prepared and tasty. If you're in the neighborhood, and its not Friday or Saturday, its definitely worth a visit. read more

Consistently good food and drink, consistently good service, and well priced for the area and its offerings are the reasons Saint Ex deserves 5 stars. Cafe Saint-Ex knows who they are and they know what they do well. In the past two years 14th St. has become the bread basket of DC. An epicureans dream with a wide range of options and prices to suit anyone's taste. Cafe Saint Ex is the American bistro that everyone wishes they had in their neighborhood. It's a great place to go for those who want to have a good meal and good conversation. I highly recommend the Tuna, but the burger is hard to beat as well. Don't neglect the ever changing drink menu or desert. In the spring, summer and fall enjoy sitting outside on the patio and don't forget this spot for brunch as they offer something for everyone. read more

My friends and I have frequented Cafe Saint-Ex many times, usually for drinks and occasionally for a bite to eat before a show nearby. Last Tuesday, however, will be the last time we have dinner there. 12 of us went to celebrate a friend's birthday. They seated us downstairs, but when we realized the table wasn't big enough for all of us, nor did we all have chairs, the general manager was a complete jerk and refused to accomdate us, telling us that it "isn't their policy to accomodate large parties." He refused to let us move chairs or even to think of how we could sit upstairs together. Essentially, he told us get lost. Note that this was 7 pm on a Tuesday night-- the restaurant was far from full and with a better attitude, he could have made our experience much more enjoyable. The food was mediocre and if you want to all be served in a timely manner, choose somewhere else for your dining experience. It's sad, because it's such a great bar otherwise. read more

Uggghhhhh ewwwwww. I'm gonna agree with Danielle K. that the best word to describe Saint Ex is "sloppy." If you like dancing to a mixture of hip hop from 1999 and remixes of oldies tunes played over a busted sound system, go here. If you like hooking up with ugly people, go here. If you like getting elbowed by people who think they can dance you out of your space because they're about to hook up, go here. I went once, NEVER AGAIN. That said, Saint Ex is popular, I always see a crowd there, so maybe it's just me being a grouch. read more

My wife and I have been wanting to try Saint-Ex since we arrived in DC. The menu looked great, and it's always packed (which in DC doesn't necessarily mean it's good...). We rolled in there late Sunday night. We had the Sausage Mussels to start which were awesome. For dinner, I had the Fried Green Tomato BLT, which was deliciously simple. My wife had the Steak. At this point in my reviews I'd normally give my opinion of my wife's dinner, but I was too busy scarfing down my BLT to really try her steak. Our waiter, Forrest, was really nice and mellow. He was always there when we needed something. We were at Saint-Ex past closing time, but never once felt like they wanted to kick us out so they could head home. Love it when a restaurant cares enough to let you enjoy your experience from start to finish, whenever that is. Maybe it was because I was eating sausage mussels and drinking a Lagunitas IPA with my wife outside on a gorgeously lazy Sunday night, but Saint-Ex is the closest I felt to home (San Francisco) since I've been in DC. Nice work, Saint-Ex, we'll be back. read more

Holy craptastic service, Batman! This place gets two stars from me solely on the strength of past performance (as in over a year ago) and not as a result of my last few of trips. I've eaten or drank here a couple of dozen times since it opened, and it's on a slow slide that leads me to believe that in two years this place won't be around anymore. Although the menu is somewhat inventive and when executed well quite enjoyable, the service from the bar and wait staff is only barely a cut above the DMV, and that's just because at least you get booze instead of license plates here. My most recent foray was with out of town parents, and it was embarrassing all around. Firstly because I told my parents before we arrived that my wife and I enjoyed eating at this place; secondly, because my waiter was either at the tail end of an amyl butrate binge or just didn't give a damn about anything other than getting back to his coworkers to gossip about the latest Fashion Police page in US Weekly (dude, you really suck at your job); thirdly because the kitchen totally botched the food for everyone and we all argued about whether to provide 2% versus 5% for a tip as a sign of protest. One would think that a restaurant at lunch time with only four occupied tables and at least four staff members in plain sight of the diners would easily provide visitors with simple sandwiches in a timely fashion. Unfortunately, our worthless slacker was unable to 1) recognize that four people standing at the hostess stand are willing and able to sit down and actually pay for food and service; 2) provide any insight whatsoever into the quality of specific items on the menu other than to mumble "it's all special"; and 3) react appropriately when a diner is unhappy that their ham and grilled cheese sandwich is limp, soaked in grease, has ice-cold meat, and no melted cheese. Friends, I would love to be able to recommend St. Ex, since the decor is nice and the location is stellar. On the other hand, the staff is more interested in gossiping amongst themselves or maintaining their hipster credibility than actually performing the functions that they are employed to provide. This place might straggle on for a few more years based on location and the late-night scene, but unless there is some serious changes in staff and service, it'll be gone in a couple of years, and deservingly so. read more

Carol W and I decided to have dinner in the city at Café Saint-Ex. We arrived at the restaurant around 6:30. The weather was perfect for al fresco dining and we were hoping we'd be seated outside. As luck would have it, a table opened up outside and we were seated almost immediately. Our experience got off to a bit of a rocky start as our server handed us dinner and drink menus then tended to her other tables while we made our choices. We mentally made our selections and waited for our server to return. While it probably was no more than 7-10 minutes that we waited, it seemed much longer since during that time, no one came to our table to fill up our water glasses. However, once our server took our drink and food orders, service from all of the staff was on point for the remainder of our meal. For my drink, I had the Wall Street ($10.91), an interesting cocktail best described as a white whiskey Manhattan that looks and tastes like a vodka Dirty Martini. It was definitely not what I expected, but it tasted pretty good. For our food, we split orders of the P.E.I. Mussels ($13), the Truffled Pancetta Mac & Cheese ($7), and the Roasted Sunchoke Risotto Croquettes ($18). We received an average-sized bowl of mussels, however, the mussels were good-sized and plump. They were wading in a delicious Anaheim chile curry broth with slices of merguez sausage. Needless to say, we were dunking our bread to sop up the saucey goodness! Our mac & cheese was less successfully executed. The mac & cheese was served atop a pool of a spicy tomato-cream sauce that overwhelmed the subtle notes of truffles, the cheese, as well as the flavor of the pancetta. While the sauce was a good-tasting product, it served little purpose other than to add color to a dish that was fine by itself. The Sunchoke Risotto Croquettes almost made up for the mac & cheese. The three croquettes were fried to perfection leaving it with a subtle sweetness imparted to it by the sunchoke. They croquettes were accompanied by a tasty date jam, roasted mushrooms, and baby arugula salad topped with toasted almonds. The one negative about this dish is that it seemed a bit pricey at $18 or $6 per croquette. While I'm not usually one for dessert, I was intrigued by the Fruity Pebble French Toast Sandwich ($6). The toast was topped with crushed Fruity Pebbles and prepared French Toast style with roasted apples, lightly spiced, and aromatic Taleggio cheese in between the two slices, and then topped with maple syrup It was as surprisingly satisfying dessert. Café Saint-Ex provided an uneven dining experience. The food and drinks were well conceived. The execution of the food was hit or miss, albeit more hit than miss. Food and drinks seemed a bit pricey for what we got. Café Saint-Ex isn't a bad place for food or drinks, but there are better choices to be found along 14th or on U St. read more

Very cool indeed. I have been to Cafe Saint-Ex twice now and the best part of the place is not the dinning experience but the bar-slash-basement communist hideout downstairs. I ate there once and I had the seared tuna dinner which was delish. My husband loved the Chimay on tap - it was a good place to meet before a show at the Black Cat. The downstairs bar is so wonderfully underground for many reasons: 1) The Russian or Eastern European references on the walls - street signs not in English and art that could of come from somewhere behind the Iron Curtain. 2) The eclectic looking and very stylish but not in a cheesy trying-to-hard crowd. I was pleasantly surprised to not find anyone neither wearing a baseball cap nor a fur-lined shrug in sight. It could of been a scene out of a underground film with subtitles. 3) The music was super hip, soul, jungle or some kind of funky beat and it was awesome. We found out it was Soul Mosaic by Greyboy playing when we asked the DJ. I would definitely go back again, wear a little more black and catch up on my international politcs so I can have some intelligent discussion about the state of the European Union. read more

This is how brunch should be done. Take a lesson, Utopia. Got here around noon on a Sunday with a couple friends. Were able to get a table right away (might not have been that crowded since the holidays are still winding down). I had heard a lot about the fried green tomato eggs benedict, so I had to go with that. My friend went for the crab cake benedict, and we got an order of sweet potato fries to start it off. The sweet potato fries were probably the best I've had anywhere in the city. Definitely get an order for the table (if they don't come with your meal). Perfect combo of sweet and salty. My eggies were perfectly done. I love runny yolks, and these eggs were poached perfectly. The tomatos added a nice tang to the meal and the english muffin they came on was great for absorbing all the runny goodness. The sauce was not overwhelming either, which I appreciated. The eggs came with a side of potatos, seasoned with old bay. They were nicely done. I had a bite of my friends crab cake egg benedict and really enjoyed that as well. The service was friendly and attentive. Our waters were refilled promptly. And the prices were right. Thank you, St. Ex, for a pleasant brunch experience. I shall be returning. read more

**Bar Only Review This is the type of place where you have to get sh*t faced to have a good time. It's packed, it's hot, the floors are dirty and if you have to pee I feel sorry for you. The basement level is cave like and on the weekend is turned into a dance floor. The DJ spins a fun mix of old and new school. Just a warning, it's small and hot as HAILLLLLL down there. Seriously, this place gives Bikram Yoga a run for it's money. You WILL sweat so make sure you have a cold beer to cool off. read more

Whenever I come to DC for New Year's I always end up at Cafe Saint-Ex on NYE. So needless to say I've not experienced the cafe side of the business. Cafe Saint-Ex is pretty tiny, despite having two levels and is jam packed with people on NYE. Because of the crowds, we had to wait in line in the freezing cold so as not to go over capacity. Once we were granted access, we squeezed through the crowd to get to the downstairs bar. The bathrooms are really gross and there was no toilet paper! Luckily my friend and I brought our own but I shudder when I think about what would have happened had we not come prepared. Maybe next time I'm in DC my friend and I can actually eat here as opposed to ending our NYE night here. read more

Disclaimer: I am reviewing this as an off-night dining proposition. It gets a 5 for the price and 3 atmosphere. A four for the food. Yes, that's right, 4 stars for the food. Its actually pretty darn good. Highlights: An extremely well-chosen wine list (yes, they DO have nice wines) with unbelievably reasonable prices. Very fresh and inventive California cuisine. The fish dishes have been outstanding at night, and the the sweet potato fries remind me of home (SF). Always has good music on and its a pretty interesting space - its like the nicest dive bar you'll ever go to. Other reviewers are right in that the service isn't exceptional, but this place does tend to be pretty much at capacity. And it should be. read more

After looking at their menu online, I decided that the brunch offerings for a vegetarian were a bit better than the average brunch around town (mostly I wanted fried green tomatoes), and that I wanted to try Saint-Ex someday, despite all my experienced friends telling me it either wasn't that good or had gone downhill or whatnot. I thought the menu looked good and wanted to make up my own mind. So when a friend and I happened to find ourselves right across the street one Sunday (checking out some art), I persuaded my friend to join me for brunch at Saint-Ex. Having been there before, she wasn't enthusiastic, but so hungry that she agreed since it was so close. The weather was nice, so we sat outside in one of the only empty tables... it was right against the side of the building and was a bit crowded, but so be it, right? Here's what I remember about my first, and last, meal at Saint-Ex: 1) the overwhelming stench of urine overpowered everything else 2) The food was sadly underwhelming. 3) urine-stench, urine-stench, urine-stench... yep. not much more to say. that's that. read more

It was a warm Thursday evening and I had arrived there just after 7pm after having walked from Foggy Bottom. I asked the hostess for a table for 4. She asked me if we were all there. I told her no, only three of us. She informed me that we all had to be there in order to be seated. I understood the policy, so I told her a table for three instead. I was a bit perplexed as to why it would matter if it was four or three considering we would get a table that sits four anyhow. She explained that the waitstaff had to know. I reiterated that I wanted a table for three. We were seated right away and the fourth person showed up as our waitress was bringing our menus. The hostess needs to work on her customer service skills. My last memory of Saint-Ex wasn't a very good one. It was raining. We had to wait outside in the rain while the bouncer stared at us. Finally he let us in and I left shortly thereafter. It was crowded and the crowd wasn't at all interesting upstairs. Downstairs felt like I was stuck in one of those large shipping containers packed with trafficking victims seeking refuge in any place other than the one they were escaping from. Dinner at Saint-Ex was surprising pleasant. We ate inside though outside dining was available. I had their prix-fixe menu and it was a bargain for $32. App: Golden beet salad with pistachio nuts Entree: Medium rare steak with sauteed chard Dessert: I ordered a Lemon olive oil cake but preferred my friend's deconstructed goat cheese cheescake. Don't be fooled by the ice cream-like presentation. It was absolutely divine. My other friend ordered what appeared to be chocolate cake. I took a bite and immediately stated that that was the worst chocolate cake I've ever eaten. I found out later it was poppy seed cake. We laughed about this for the rest of the evening. They must have used a lot of poppy seeds cause it looked like chocolate cake to me. read more

Been there a few times, the first time for a happy hour it was nice to be able to sit around the bar and have a few drinks. The food was really good I have to say. The next few times we went to the downstair club area it was soooo crowded you have to wait in line. There were some really desperate chicks trying to get in- try to cut my friend and me off, they proceeded to push us from the back. It was a bad experience for me. When we got downstairs people were everywhere and there was no chance to get up to the bar for a drink. Seems like this whole area is getting too popular but not enough space. The music was fantastic though! read more

Originally came for the Saturday free comedy show. We signed up online and they couldn't find the reservation, the host was still kind to let us in (they let too many people in since they was no space left to even stand). In all honesty, worst comedy show, very vulgar but we just went upstairs to the bar and that was a good time. It is a nice space to catch up with friends and good music. read more

Had a decent dinner here last night sitting at the bar with a buddy of mine. We started off with the Mussels in a bloody mary sauce and the mushroom pate for appetizers (the pate is actually a side). Let me tell you something, if I came here and just had those two dishes this place would get 4 stars easily. The pate is ridiculous, so creamy and packed full of flavor; make sure to ask for extra bead on the side... you're gonna need it. The mussels were good... very good... but not as good as Brasserie Beck or the Coconut Curry mussels at Marvin (no, still haven't been to Granville Moore's). For entrees we had the Fried Green Tomato BLT with Sweet Potatoe Fries and the Chicken Tacos. Both were good, but I think could have been better. The place gets absolutely packed, so if you're gonna eat at the bar and you don't want a million fiend hovering over and behind you to grab drinks make sure you put your order in by 10 at the latest. The drink selection is great, and shockingly the bartenders are very nice. So why the three stars? I dunno, I just don't love the place. It's good, but I always find myself more interested in going to Marvin or Local 16... Different strokes I guess. read more

My mouse teetered between three and four stars for two agonizing minutes. The first time we ate at St. Ex, we couldn't wait to go back. The second time, we still loved it, especially the atmosphere, but the service was unexceptional -- not terrible, just not great. The third time, oy it was dreadful. Let me send the manager(s) a message -- YOU ARE UNDERSTAFFED! It was the same problem the second time we were there, just not as bad. There were two servers for a jam-packed restaurant, both inside and outside! Our waitress would disappear for stretches because she got stuck outside! And that bar is big enough for two bartenders, especially when the bar is two and three people deep, and he has to fill drink orders for the servers, too?! It was nuts. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt that multiple employees called out sick, but, sheesh people, come on! I saw one guy standing around, appearing to be "managing" when he should have been taking a couple tables, like a good manager does when someone calls out sick. Our appetizers came before our cocktails (annoying) We ordered wines with our desserts, but those too came well before our beverages. I had all but finished my dessert when I realized that my wine was sitting at the bar, but our waitress had been stuck outside for so long that there was no one to bring it to me. I had to go up to the bartender and retrieve it! Which by no means I'm not above doing -- I've logged in my days as a waitress -- but when your bill for three people is $130 before tip, you're not supposed to have to think about what in the world is going wrong with his meal? And as for our waitress, she was very lovely and pleasant, and was clearly stressed out by her woeful lack of support from her management. If it had been me, I would have burst into tears by the time I broke a glass, but she managed to hold it together. read more

While the food is good, the service is the absolute worst I've ever had in DC or anywhere else for that matter. I went with 4 other people at around 5:00 p.m. First, the hostess told us they didn't serve food until 5 to which my friend responded that it was 5 after. Fine, no biggie - we were sat. But considering the fact that we were the first table there for dinner, we were caught of guard when our party of 5 was sat at a 4-top. We were there to eat and drink and felt uncomfortable at that tiny table. After waiting 10 minutes for the server to show up, we were rudely hurried to place our drink orders. When one of my friends asked what beers were on tap the bitch barked back "its on the menu!". Ok, fine. So when she got to me I hurriedly placed my order and kindly asked her to sit us at the perfectly good table for 6 right next to us.. Response? "Um, we don't sit parties of 5 at tables for 6!" I calmly reminded her that there was no one else in the restaurant and that we would feel more comfortable at a bigger table. Response? "Nope, can't do it!" So we decided to eat somewhere more comfortable and told her that we just be drinking for now to which she said "if you're just drinking you have to get up and go to the bar" and handed us our check. Absolute worst service in DC! Go there for the bar, not the restaurant. And if you crave the food, get carryout or stay away from the waitress with the dark brown hair and heavy bangs. read more

Preface: I take the bus past here every T and Th after class and I see people chilling outside with wine and chatting and it always looks busy but not crazy. Stopped on UStreet on my way home from Adams Morgan on a Sat. night at about 1:15 am. I had only had a few drinks because I was still recovering from a rough friday night ( i know, i'm lame). That being said, 3 stars is generous. The best way to describe this place is sloppy. I think I was just not expecting the shit show I walked into. First it was PACKED. After getting through the first floor my drunk friend says 'lets go downstairs! its more fun!' I could barely even make it down the stairs. The stench of sweat/basement/beer/sexual tension was way too much for me to handle. It was like those frat parties you squeeze yourself into freshman year. I walked straight back upstairs.Then after waiting in line for the bathroom(which was a single stall, booo) I tried to finish my beer so we could leave but was distracted by this guy who straight up just let go of his glass and it smashed on the floor spraying glass everywhere. I think I would still like to see how this place is for a weeknight happy hour type place, but I don't think I want to come back here late night on the weekend. read more

Oxtails are the worst. Do better. But that Mac and cheese is really good. Love the denial manager and waitress.

Herein lies the problem with yelping nightlife. Everyone rates bars based on their own preferences which aren't necessarily the same preferences others are looking for. If I'm looking for a quiet lounge with alot of seating I would rate Saint Ex 2 stars, it's not what I want. If I'm looking for a crowded loud bar to have fun at, I rate it 5 stars. (That's what I was looking for). This is opposed to say, food. If I give a Thai restaurant 5 stars I know that my rating is relevant to other yelpers. At any rate I went to Saint Ex for the third time last night and I love it! read more

I'm not sure why Saint Ex is busy much of the time. I had walked by dozens of times, and saw the restaurant and outdoor seating packed to the brim, which made me want to try this place SO bad - ha. I finally went here for brunch with my boyfriend and some friends. I was pumped. But I soon realized the food is pretty forgetable. Perhaps the mediocrity of the food is inoffensive enough to appeal to a wider spectrum of palates, which could explain why the place is consistently busy. I had the fried green tomato and ham benedict with some home fries. Overall, it was like any other benedict I've had from any other place. The fries were all right. I'm not sure what else to say about this, that's how blah it was. Everyone else at the table had the Monday sandwich, which nobody finished. Everyone got halfway through the sandwich and didn't bother to take the second half home. Oh, yeah. Our waitress was somewhat of a bitch. Jussayin'. She reminded me of Kristen Stewart, in the sense that she looked and acted like she'd rather be somewhere else each time she came to refill our glasses of water. In the end, the food is not horrible. It's "okay," at best. I probably won't go back. One of my core beliefs is that if a restaurant is busy, the food is probably not very good. So this is what I get for going against it. Ha. read more

This place is meh... we came on a Sunday night after a Redskins game. The bar was crowded and the ambiance was good. Went to the bar and stood here for a good 10 minutes as the bartender chatted up his friend and the bar back. Finally took my drink order, two beers and a soda. He did a double-take and questioned if I had ordered a soda...seriously? I guess I should have just ordered light beer for the DD. Come closing time, with about 50-70 people still inside, they lock the front door and rudely tell everyone to leave out the side of the building... fire code violation much? Sorry to inconvenience you by patronizing your establishment, will try to not let it happen again. read more

Not really sure why Saint Ex is garnering so many negative reviews. A quick glance at what people have written reveals that they're more upset about things like not getting free food? What the heck is that all about? Why would mentioning something called "Taste of Pride" get you a free dessert? You ate it, you pay for it. Also, complaints about prices must be coming from the bridge and tunnel invaders from MD and VA. St Ex's prices are comparable to anything in a large city, and to be fair, they're really not that high at all. I love this place and have been going ever since it opened. The bartenders are the best! They remember you, they talk to you, they don't give attitude. The wait staff are totally cool, sweet and accommodating. The food goes up and down but I've never had anything bad there. read more

Walking through the dimly lit restaurant and down the stairs to the basement bar and dining room, I knew I was in for a great meal. The atmosphere was cozy and had an old-English industrial look to it. My boyfriend had dined here before, but for me and our 2 guests, it was our first time. The bartenders were also very helpful and friendly. My boyfriend asked for a drink that would help his stomach and the bartender whipped up a concoction that not only tasted great, but had the effects of ginger ale for a stomach ache (with alcohol!) They have an excellent beer selection with bottles and drafts from all over. I chose a brew from San Francisco that was as unique as they come. For dinner, I ate Creekstone Farm Beef Short Ribs with lobster mac-and-cheese, green beans, lobster bisque, and glace. The beef short rib fell off the bone and literally melted in my mouth, it was delicious. The lobster mac-and-cheese had sizeable pieces of lobster in it to my surprise and was crispy on the outside. The bisque was presented as more of like a sauce on the bottom of the plate so don't expect a soup to arrive, and who knows what the glace was? My boyfriend ate the Fried Green Tomato BLT with apple wood smoked bacon, tomato mayonnaise, and mixed greens - said it was the best BLT he's ever had. Seeing as he can sometimes be picky with his sandwiches, not many establishments earn such high accolades. Our guests both ate Seared Tuna with udon noodles, duck confit, aromatic broth, soft egg, leeks, and celery. Our waiter suggested the dish and both were happy to have selected it. All-in-all, our meal was delicious in flavor and even to look at. The bar got fairly crowded and we had 2 servers working our table, but I never felt as though we were neglected or waiting for the next step in the meal. Our empty glasses were always promptly removed and new beverages offered. A great meal, great company and someplace to go for a nice meal in an establishment that doesn't require a coat to get in. Tips: They don't take reservations and you must have your full party there to be seated. We went on a Friday night and had no problem getting a cozy table for 4 in the basement. When the hostess noticed our guests had arrived, she came downstairs to ask us if we would like seating in the upstairs dining room. Although we chose to stay in the basement, it was appreciated that she came down to offer now that we had our complete party. If you want to be seated at 7 - make sure you're in the area well before that to find parking. The U-Street area can be extremely crowded. read more

This is my default go-to spot in DC. The downstairs is awesome during the week (I avoid it on the weekends when the over-the-bridge crowds filter in), their Wednesday specialty "Ipod night" is always fun, and the bartenders rock. I am a particular fan of their Sauvignon Blanc and their Black Cherry Effen with club soda. Last night was my first foray to Cafe St. Ex for dinner, and I plan to come back...often. The mussels are phenomenal in some sort of pepperoni and garlic based sauce, and the potato gnocchi were little morsels of chewy goodness. The sauce is a bit bland though and I poured some of the sauce from the mussels onto the dumplings to give it a bit of zest. Combined these two appetizers were the perfect size dinner. I also ordered their vanilla rice pudding, which was delicious. The only complaint I have about this place is on the weekends, when it is a mad house. I wouldn't bother coming here between 8pm-1am on a Friday or Saturday unless I wanted to wait in a ridiculous line. read more

After patronizing Saint-Ex several times after midnight, I finally made it here for a meal. In this case, dinner. We thought it would be nice to sit outside, which it was, and we were seated immediately. Turns out, this is kind of a nice restaurant. Which is weird, because weren't people sloppily making out in this spot just a few nights ago? But the romantic lighting makes you forget all about that sweaty dance floor. I ordered a Shandy made with ginger beer which was so refreshing for the end of summer. I was also quite pleased with the sandwich on special which was pulled pork + pork belly with pickles and a side of fries. Most of their dishes are pork or have pork in them, which is obviously great if you like pork but troublesome if you don't like/don't eat it. There is a burger and a fried tomato BLT on the menu for around $12, but everything else is more in the neighborhood of $17. But in the neighborhood of $17 is becoming the norm when you're in the neighborhood of 14th. As for Saint Ex's late night dark side, it's dark. Literally. Because of this and their lack of roof (patio is nice for meals but exists only to funnel people out of the dance floor on Friday and Saturday nights), I consider it to be more of a winter bar. Especially considering its neighbors with open-air options such as Marvin and Lost Society. Anyway, there is a welcome dichotomy between the main floor which is classy and the basement which is not. There are bars on both floors, drinks are the same price as everywhere else, and if there is a line to get in, it generally moves quickly. I cannot say the same for the line to get downstairs. The bathrooms (around 4 on the main floor and 1 in the basement) also draw a crowd, but where is that not a problem? Not a rhetorical question, by the way. Main problem is the music downstairs. It is soooo hit or miss. I think they rotate DJs or something? I go there just wanting to hear some music that I know, whether it's a Top 40 hit or a fun throwback. This floor is for dancing, by the way. How am I supposed to dance to a jazz remix of an obscure 1980s rock hit? I'm not. Did I mention that Marvin is closeby? However, when the music is a hit, Saint Ex is on. Which is why I continue to return. read more

This place has it all. Come on a weekend evening and enjoy a nice meal and a great beer on tap. Come on a Friday or Saturday night and prepare to sweat it out on the basement dance floor and witness at least 5 DFMOs (consider yourself lucky if you don't know what that acronym stands for). Come on Sunday and get a great brunch! Saint-Ex is a confusing place but definitely worth a visit. read more

Cafe Saint Ex is a high attitude bar/restaurant that still hasn't adjusted to the fact that it no longer dominates the 14th & T neighborhood. Thanks to Matchbox across the street, and the opening of other close-by rivals, Saint Ex has been forced to start offering Happy Hour prices and a greatly expanded selection of bar food. Unfortunately, their advertising is misleading: you get HH pricing for only an hour on the main floor; after that, if you want reasonable drink and food pricing, you must retreat to their windowless basement/cellar that is more dungeon-like that restaurant-like. Oh, and don't ask for anything special off the menu; the restaurant is very reluctant to accommodate special dietary requests . All in all, I'd suggest that there are far better places (within a couple hundred feet) to spend your food or drink money. read more

I did my good deed of the day by adding "dance clubs" to the categories Saint Ex is in. I don't know about the food, but in the words of my friend Saint Ex is like our home away from the home. It may have its share of sketchy people sometimes, but the dancing in Saint Ex is great -- laidback, no cover and great music. A combination of your favorite hits from the 90s as well as lesser known but equally good hip hop and dance music. There is a well-staffed bar downstairs (I've never seen so many workers comb the floors to collect bottles and help people find their coats), and you can always go upstairs if you want to get away from the music for a while. Love it! read more

Speaking just to the bar/club functions: Went around midnight on a Saturday night and the place is like everyone says: so dark you can't see anyone, and disgustingly dank and sweaty in the basement. After losing my friends, thanks to the darkness, I headed elsewhere, returning around 2:15 to say bye to the friends who remained and hoping to wrap up the night on a high note, darkness/grossness be damned. Although posted signs said it was open till 3, and the place was clearly still packed, the front door was locked. We went around to the side and when the door opened as someone exited, tried to enter. Mind you, I was completely sober at this point and not at all belligerent or the like. Bouncer rudely told us we could not come in unless we lost something. I said, brightly and politely, I just wanted to run in quickly to say goodbye to some people, and which the bouncer yelled, "I told you to stay out!" and literally pushed me out the door onto the street and slammed the door. I'm a girl and in my whole life have neither had a run in with a bouncer nor been pushed by anyone. So, so not acceptable. Definitely will not be returning. read more

After having my brunch interrupted by showers of glass shards as a disgruntled former employee started destroying the restaurant and running off with my baby as the water station table was thrown in my direction, it was kind of off-putting to be greeted with the check the moment I returned to my table. NB: This happened last May. read more

Let's just say it gets HOT in the basement Friday/Saturday nights.

I have to bump my review down to three stars after my recent visit. Before that, I loved Cafe Saint Ex. Just about every time we were in DC my boyfriend and I would go there to eat and order off of the prix fixed menu. So far, we'd enjoyed everything we ate (and I always loved the pomegranate creme brulee for dessert!) but this time, I have to say otherwise. I ordered the beet salad to share (which was delicious!) and the short ribs for dinner while my boyfriend ordered the burger. I thought the short ribs were... okay. I think what got to me the most was the lobster mac and cheese and the lobster bisque. It looked good on the menu but the lobster tasted so fishy that I barely touched my meal. Also, I understand that restaurants need to make some things ahead of time but the mac and cheese (which also tasted fishy) was clearly heated up. It was not even room temperature! I think what's most upsetting is that this was our favorite place in DC for pre-show dinner and now we have the think otherwise next time. I'd suggest stopping in for a drink as the cocktails are great (I really wish they had a bigger cocktail menu). Also, I do want to point out that we usually only ever ate at Cafe Saint Ex on weekdays and this was a weekend, so maybe I'd suggest avoiding the weekend? read more

I've passed this place sooooo many times on the way to my usual U St. stops (Ben's Chili Bowl, Dukem, etc....) but I don't think that I'll be passing it anymore. This is definitely MY kind of dive bar. I came here for the monthly iPod party and had a blast. Who knew that you could have that much fun on a Wednesday night in DC? The crowd was just the right blend of DC suits, hipsters and everything in between. I can also appreciate a dive bar with REAL DJs!!!!!!!! None of the typical press and play DJs with a generic selection of classic rock, cheesy Top 40, cheesy 80's, and corny hip hop here. The guys were breaking out VINYL!!!!!! The DJ behind the decks played a selection of rare Jazz tracks on the night that I went but they have a pretty impressive selection of DJs on other nights as well. read more

See all