This place is on the nicer end and looks it. It seems to focus more on seafood as that made up a solid chunk of their menu. And it appears that they try to get fresh seafood (one dish said it served fresh lobster from Maine). Prices, therefore, are priced accordingly. What we got: Community Bread Basket (goes towards fighting hunger in the community) - 3* not that great. Only the roll was enjoyable. I'd say skip out on this for eating but purchase it to help the community! New Orleans Shrimp & Creamy Grit Cake - 5* I really enjoyed this dish. The sauce was wonderfully creamy. The shrimp was good (I'm not a shrimp expert to distinguish between fresh or frozen. I'd assume fresh as this place seems to specialize in seafood.) The ham in this dish was very tasty and the asparagus added a nice crunch. And the great cake was indeed creamy. I'm surprised how much I enjoyed it as I am a hit or miss when it comes to grits. I do wish that it came with a roll to help sop up the remaining creamy sauce. Or that I'd saved the roll from the Community Bread Basket. Crispy Brussel Sprouts w. Bacon & Spiced Pecans (side) - 4* I wish it had bigger chunks of bacon. The glaze on this is superb though! Penne Primavera with Chicken - 4* this was my partner's so I only had a few bites but what I tasted was delicious. Both of us thought they were a bit heavy handed on the broccolini stalks and weren't very generous with the florets. read more

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Absolutely incredible scenery. Food was unbelievable, drinks were perfect, and service was even better. Will definitely be back again sooner that later! read more

We came here on Christmas Eve and it was a bit of a zoo. It was a strange vibe; we had like five different people waiting on us over the course of our dinner and they messed up one of our parties drinks and acted as though we were the ones at fault, then overcharged us (which in all fairness was quickly corrected). Yes, it was Christmas Eve but it seemed unusually chaotic for a place that usually has it together, with various managers running around, etc. I will say that the food was on point as always, even if the overall experience was not. read more

Please, please bring back the shrimp and grit/polenta cake entree!! I have been a frequent and longstanding customer of Carlyle, and that dish has been my reliable go-to for many years. It was also beloved by several of my friends! Needless to say, we were so dismayed when informed that the shrimp and grits were eliminated from the menu! The 2 new fried chicken entrees are no substitute, particularly given that fried chicken --in salad and sandwich form-- is plentiful in northern VA. While several local restaurants serve shrimp and grits, none that we've encountered come close to those of Carlyle. Yours were a true original. Please bring them back for the many customers that loved that dish! read more

Comparing it to Mike's... I enjoy Mike's a little better, and it comes down to those rolls! There's nothing like it anywhere. Carlyle is just a bit ordinary. read more

The shrimp fritters were delicious a pleasant surprise . I enjoyed them. I recommend them as an appetizer read more

Carlyle - shrimp Fritters! - New American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I've eaten at this eatery since 1981and have never gotten bad services. Food great......services outstanding......location perfect.

Visited the Carlyle on multiple occasions and have always had excellent service (multiple servers so you're needs are always attended to) and quick seating. The presentation of the food is an A+ Never tasted anything that was bad Friends enjoyed the crab cakes, community bread basket, deep dish apple pecan pie. Ambiance was good as it is easy to talk to others in your party Highly recommend. read more

Real Rating 3.5 For being a part of the Great American Restaurant Group, I teetered between giving this a three and four. On the cuisine side, it did not stick out to me. Sweet Water Tavern has some of the best unique burgers. They're so fatty and devilishly prepared, that the burger essentially drowns itself and falls apart as you eat it. Most burgers taste the same- not Sweet Water Tavern's. I knew Carlyle's burger wasn't going to be great when it came presented to me. The bun was lackluster; I thought it would be crusty from appearance but it was just dry. I will commend them for not including the mayo, since I don't like it, maybe it would've helped but I've eaten many condimentless burgers that aren't dry. Perhaps, I was also slightly disappointed that even at a steakhouse, the chefs did not stab it with a knife to indicate a modified burger. I did prefer the cuisine to Coastal Flats where I think the add enough salt to dehydrate a frog into a toad. However, the customer service was far superior here than at Sweetwater Tavern and Coastal Flats. I no longer look forward to Sweetwater Tavern or Coastal Flats because their waiters are like upselling mosquitos. Here, our server made a recommendation, and when he tried to turn the table but we were still eating, he let us eat in peace. Decor wise it's the least interesting of the three but that's really not a reason to choose or not choose a place. Carlyle's was not hip but it is just supposed to be a place to take your extended family- which is exactly what we did. read more

Carlyle - Cheddar Cheeseburger (Modified without Dijon mayo) - New American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

We came from out of town for a delicious dinner on the quicker side but still sit down. We loved the decor. Our waiter was great, he was very sweet and attentive but not nosy. The pasta primavera was absolutely amazing as well as the crab corn chowder and shoe string fries! Fair prices for delicious food. We would be back if we lived closer! read more

Carlyle's was one of two places that were on my must eat at when I return to the DMV area. And Carlyle's food still tastes as good as it did 7 years ago! I was excited they still had the jambalaya dish on their menu, and since it was good the last time, I ordered it again, and it's still AMAZING! And so is their bread pudding!! Thanks, Carlyle's for another great experience! read more

We have been to the Carlyle twice now during happy hour. This review is not about the food...great American restaurants always have consistently delicious food across all their restaurants. This is about the service. The first time we went the young lady behind the bar made us a bourbon smash cocktail and it was evident that there was very little bourbon in them. At these prices, and in this economy if we are paying more than $10 for a cocktail, there better be bourbon in there....it was overly sweet. We were not happy. We decide to give them a try again this past Friday. This time there was a new young lady behind the bar, she was African American very personable etc. she took forever to give us menus and then when I ordered I said, "I'll have a Stella...." she asked me 6 or 9oz and I'm thinking I guess they are offering different beer sizes now so I said 9. She brings me a glass of wine. When I looked puzzled she said "Oh is everything okay?" I said I ordered a Stella Artois draft...she said, "Well we have Stella wine as well and that why I asked you if you wanted a 6 or 9oz....." I told her I wanted a Stella draft and then she rolled her eyes at me and walked away. Never again. I was a bartender when I was younger and the ONLY response she should have given was, "Oh I'm so sorry, I must have misunderstood you, let me get you what you ordered." read more

What a cute little corner restaurant. Everything was great from the host to the server and the food. I wish I lived closer because I'd be a regular. I highly recommend read more

Carlyle is one of those places where you just can't go wrong with anything on the menu! Everything I tried was incredible! We definitely ordered too much food but everything sounded so good and nothing disappointed. Great portion sizes and service as well! Deviled Eggs With Spiced Pecans & Sugar Cured Bacon: 5/5. The deviled eggs were so good and the added sugar coated bacon took it to the next level! Crab & Corn Chowder: 5/5. I loved there were actual chunks of crab in here. Not just advertised in the name like some places do. It was creamy and seasoned so well. Loved this chowder! Crispy Point Judith Calamari: 10/10! These were my favorite! I love the lightly battered calamari and how well it was fried. The calamari was tender and not chewy at all! It came with a sauce underneath the mound of calamari that was a little citrusy and buttery. It was incredible! Pecan Crusted Trout: 5/5. I was stuffed by the time I got to my main course, but it was still amazing! The buttery sauce pairs perfectly with the pecans and trout. Loved the crunchy broccoli it comes with to add additional texture to the dish. Mango martini: 5/5. I wish I didn't have to work the next day because it was so good and I wanted a few more of these! It wasn't too sweet. It was refreshing between bites. read more

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Meh food, very bad service. Waiter made two mistakes, one of which was putting in my burger as medium rare instead of medium (and the burger was, in fact, very rare). No big deal, but a manager decided to come over (we didn't ask for a manager) and explain that their medium was more rare than other places. ??? That's not how ordering works. (If I ordered scrambled eggs, would they bring me a hard boiled egg and tell me that their eggs come more assembled than other places??) Then she asked if I wanted a new burger or to reheat the one I already ordered. Also not how that works... the burger already had cooled and had cheese and sauce all over it. This isn't a cookout at your friend's house. Instead of acknowledging the minor mistake, they try to save a couple of bucks and make it an issue, ruining the vibe. If their margins are that thin, where else are they cutting corners? read more

Our regular restaurant, and our first visit since the Pandemic. Atmosphere pleasant, service courteous, price reasonable, food was very good . Bread basket was on the menu and was not served for free. Some bread was fresh and warm, other slices were cold. 3*Chopped Salad: nice and fresh. 3*Fish tacos: appreciate the choices given to choose either three or two tacos. Fish was fried, crispy and tasty. Some corn, vegetables and radish on top were a nice touch, gave the taco a crunchy texture. It came with delicious sweet potato fries, not healthy but good. 3*Chicken sandwich: bread was toasted and chicken was grilled. 2*Key lime pie: nothing stood out, not special at all. read more

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The manager ADELE was so COLD and UNHELPFUL. My family and I love Carlyle, we go there often and have never been disappointed. My parents took my partner and I (24 and 25) out to dinner, we had a problem ordering drinks because my partner only had an Australian drivers license (and a photo of their passport). The restaurant has a "no foreign ID" policy, which is annoying but understandable. However, the way the manger, Adele, handled the situation was totally unprofessional. Her attitude was rude and dismissive which only made the situation more frustrating. I've never had an employee, let alone a manager, at Great American treat me poorly enough to prompt an internet review until today. read more

Over thirty years ago I graduated law school and moved to Shirlington to work for an Administrative Law Judge. The Carlyle Grand was one of my favorite restaurants in the neighborhood, and I ate there often. I recall everything tasting great. I moved out of the area after a couple of years and even became a judge myself. I am retired now and live in Florida, but my 26 year old daughter now lives in DC. I am in town to take a mother daughter trip to Rehoboth Beach, but I figured I would stop in Shirlington for some lunch. Lo and behold, my favorite restaurant is still open. I am so glad I came back. The menu appears to have some familiar dishes and some new ones. A lot of yelpers were raving about the penne Primavera, so I figured I would give it it a try. It comes with penne pasta, tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, and garlic in an oil based sauce. I also added chicken for 4 dollars. Oh my God! I could eat that dish every day. I am so happy that I popped back into my old neighborhood for a great meal. Life has come full circle. read more

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You can't go wrong here. Food is great. Service is great. And the drinks are just as great! You always know what to expect when coming here! read more

The Carlyle Restaurant is one of my fav DMV spots. It's not often that the entire menu delivers but I can say that the food serves us well each visit. The seafood fritters are a must. It's nestled on a corner in a great area for walking before or after dinner. Thank me later. read more

Hans is an excellent server who is patient, friendly, and has an amazing memory! He did an awesome job. The manager, Nicole, also is awesome. I had an amazing experience celebrating my birthday. The food is great and the decor and atmosphere also are top notch! I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

An institution in Shirlington, my neighbor in D.C. treated me to a birthday dinner at the Carlyle. Arriving on a Tuesday in April around 5:45 p.m., we walked right in. Sitting in a booth on their second floor, here's our experience. 1) Food: The menu is large and has a wide range of American food from salads to burgers to pastas to fish. We ordered the Tex Mex egg rolls (delicious when dipped in the cilantro sauce), the BBQ Cheeseburger, and the flourless chocolate waffle for dessert. Each item was full of flavor and worth every penny. 2) Drink: They have a large drink menu of wine, beer, iced tea, etc. My 9 ounce glass of New Zealand white wine was great (and affordable!). 3) Service: It was on point! Professional, friendly, and efficient. A server-in-training was shadowing ours and both were excellent. 4) Space: It's huge with a bar on the bottom floor and dining room tables on both floors. 5) Neighborhood: It's in Shirlington surrounded by many other restaurants, bars, a library, etc. For a great salad, go to nearby Best Buns. We found street parking right in front of the Carlyle. read more

The service was awesome. Heru was our server. He was so patient, professional, knowledgeable and understanding. The food was delicious and with the service, a perfect day!! 11/22/25 Table 102 . TID 788277240005. Thank you Heru!! read more

Great ambiance and good cocktails. Service and food are on point. If you're looking for a good place before seeing a play or movie this is it. read more

Great restaurant for a lunch outing, date night, or group event. Menu recommendations include: Warm Goat Cheese and Spiced Pecan Salad Crab and Corn Chowder Soup Crispy Fish Tacos Pecan Crusted Trout Short Smoked Salmon Fillet (moist and flavorful, even when well-done) Louisiana Pasta One critique: The Deep Dish Apple Pecan Pie should have an option to add caramel. I will be back! read more

Was in the Shirlington area so of course I chose Carlyle for lunch. I'm simply obsessed with their Crispy Two Noodle Shrimp Salad. It's amazing!! read more

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Been here several times. Very nice setting in a location where there are several things to do before and afterward. Food is generally very good and just north of reasonably priced. On this occasion, the tuna salad my daughter ordered had tuna that was very stringy. It was not the grade of tuna I expect on a $27 salad. When we commented to the server, the response was to ask if we wanted another salad. Thinking the tuna would likely be the same, we declined. In my view, it should have been removed from the bill, but it wasn't. All else was very good. read more

Carlyle - Tune salad - New American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Fantastic service, good menu selection, great ambience and location. The server was very respectful of my food allergies and the kitchen accommodated all of my requests. I enjoyed a delicious meal confident that the food was prepared well. We relaxed and enjoyed our company. Easy, free parking in the garage. They didn't rush us. This is our go-to for celebrations and get togethers. Highly recommend. read more

Three years later and it's still so good. If you like veggies but don't want to get a salad, I recommend the Penne Primavera. Demolished my Penne Primavera because it was so flavorful and had so many veggies. I also added shrimp. My husband said his Hanger steak was perfect! We also got the Warm White Chocolate Bread Pudding and it's big enough to share. It was so good with the warm bread pudding and the cold ice cream. We totally recommend it! read more

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Everything! The food the atmosphere the drinks were delicious. The double eggs with bacon is delicious. The grits and shrimp delicious and the fish delicious. read more

I admit I have overlooked this restaurant for food as I don't live too far away. But this place is a solid option to check out with friends when you're not sure exactly sure what you want to eat. Food 4/5: The Sesame Crusted Tuna Salad is solid! The bed of sushi rice was a delight and it was well seared and tasty. The Jambalaya pasta is excellent as well. Not too salty but still packed with a lot of flavor, it reminds me of the classic dish at the Cheesecake factory. Service 4/5: We were sitting outside and the service was pretty good, despite it being a packed crowd. Ambiance 4/5: This place has a nice mix between a classic diner vibe and a bistro. I'd be back to try more food items. read more

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Love the atmosphere, everything is so modern yet retro and just clean and polished. The service was excellent the food was SO good. I had the ahi tuna salad, and some fish tacos, and just loved it. The menu is varied and something I could definitely keep coming back to and trying. read more

First timer on June 12th with my honey. He was so happy to come back because he loved everything. Our waiter suggested the shrimp appetizer special, I believe it was bang bang shrimp. Those were really good! We got bread, because why not :) and also tried the gluten sensitive calamari. It was a little chalky taste wise, still good. It was my first time trying anything "gluten-free" so I wasn't sure what I would be getting myself into. We both had pasta! Carbs are yummy so why not. I tried the Penne Primavera with the gluten-free noodles. If you love a very hearty, healthy looking AND tasting dish, this is for you! It was good. Definitely different when you're used to creamy and fatty but great nonetheless. He had the Jambalaya Pasta and to this day still hasn't had anything that has topped it. He loveddd it and barely wanted to share so I'll definitely recommend that. Not pictured was the Ozzie's Mojito. Very refreshing drink! Will definitely visit again. read more

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The food is very good and the servers are friendly and attentive, but I've had two negative experiences in three weeks with long waits after making a reservation. On October 12, we were told by an apologetic manager that no tables were available despite our dinner reservation because "no one was leaving." We waited 20-plus minutes and ended up leaving. Today, we arrived for a noon lunch reservation and were told by a much less polite hostess that no tables were available because "lots of people had just shown up." We ended up waiting 25 minutes, which only worked because I'd taken the day off and didn't have to get back to work. Maybe they're accepting too many reservations Or walk-ins? It's a big letdown from the great organization I've come to expect from Great American Restaurant Group. read more

Came here for lunch with friends. We enjoyed the meal. It was a hire weekday filled with seniors for lunch. So not too busy. I hear it gets busy on the weekends, however. There is a parking garage, which is convenient since this place is in Shirlington, VA. read more

Carlyle - Caesar Salad - New American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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First time visit this past weekend! Sat at the bar for dinner and was very impressed with the service, food/drink quality, and overall ambiance. Not a busy or crowded bar; perfect volume for dining. I ordered the eggrolls appetizer, the Jambalaya for mains, the Bourbon Smash and the Old Fashioned. All were wonderful, and I noticed all bar patrons to be enjoying their food/service too. Made friends with Bekah the bartender who was sweet as could be despite being busy running the entire bar solo. She made time for everyone who requested service, was attentive, and made repeated efforts to check in at each phase of the meal. Would definitely recommend and will be returning! read more

This place was fantastic! We went out for a team lunch and sat outside; atmosphere was great and it was beautiful out. The appetizers were great -- spinach dip and Tex Mex egg rolls. My main course was the chicken with angel hair pasta and mushrooms - Soooo good! Our waitress was the best and provided fantastic service. Definitely recommend! read more

Carlyle - Chicken and angel hair pasta - New American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

One of my favorite restaurants from the Great American collection. It was always one of my favorites due to its location, ambiance, food, but most of all service. Unfortunately, on this one, they only checked/hit 1 of the 3 boxes. The server was nice, but she totally crapped the bed. During our appetizer order, we had a couple of questions about an appetizer and she just nodded/agreed with us that we had picked the right one, but we did not and had to send it back. I ordered an Old Fashioned which had no cherry, soft drink ice, and a prune. The prune was not in the description. Worst Old Fashioned I ever experienced, do not order an Old Fashioned from this place. As the table is starting to receive their entrees, I was the only one that did not receive their meal. She said it would be right out. Another 5 minutes go by and the server comes back and said they forgot to put my order in. When I finally get my order it's completely undercooked. To their credit, the server said she was new. The manager did come by and apologize and gave me a $50 gift card. I do not recommend Carlyle's and it will be my last time even considering it. Mikes American and Sweetwater offer a better experience. read more

I have frequented plenty of great American restaurants and usually have a great experience but this was disappointing. There was a hair in my food and I didn't raise a fuss. But in result there was no consideration. Just a replaced salad. read more

Carlyle - New American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Excellent service! Thank you Lauren. She was awesome. Very attentive and personable! This past Friday evening, I met up with a friend for dinner who recently came back from an overseas deployment. After our initial plans fell through, I suggested this place. We were both very happy with this selection. It was way to make a reservation online...wasn't sure if it was necessary but these days in light of covid, it may not hurt. I've been here many years ago and even then I remember having a great experience. We had a few drinks. I started with an old fashioned - was good. Then I got a Manhattan - it's very strong by the way, but if that's your style, go for it. I'm a bourbon girl, so those are my usual cocktails. My friend had a long island but he said it wasn't strong (at least for what a long island should be). For our meals ordered the brick chicken with mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts (I switched it out for broccoli). My friend got the hanger steak. He loved it!! And to our surprise, they brought us a complimentary dessert, bread pudding with ice- cream with the words "Welcome Back." That was really nice and unexpected. Again, top notch service here! Highly recommended. read more

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