Truly a standout experience at La' Shukran. The variety, creativity, and reinterpretation of…read moreLevantine cuisine, combined with French and other influences, were amazing to see and taste. I especially loved the thoughtful use of offal, the hummus was to die for, and the little lamb T-bone was another highlight. The service was equally attentive, and the recommendations were spot-on. I also loved the ambience. The slightly dark, beautifully designed space feels cozy and intimate, while still having a modern vibe that remains faithful to its Levantine roots. Overall, an easy five stars and a place I would highly recommend. It's not always easy to find great restaurants in D.C., and this is definitely one of them.

La' Shukran lived up to the hype. We went for an early dinner at 5:15pm so that it would be easier…read morewith our 1-month-old baby. Accessibility for those with infants: there is a long staircase to get up to the restaurant. We were aware of this before we got there. We were able to carry the stroller up the stairs, and the restaurant stored it for us during dinner and we kept the baby in the car seat at our table. They gave us a nice corner booth which was perfect for having the baby at dinner. The music was really loud in the restaurant, which was actually a good thing for our baby (kinda acted like white noise). Cocktails: I loved the Mish Mish cocktail. It was a great tequila based drink with a lot of flavor. Food menu: We tried dishes from most sections of the menu. Our favorites included the Basturma Rabbit Shawarma, whole fried Quail, and Haswei fried rice. The dishes were creative and fresh. We really liked everything we tried. Our one critique was that the Maryland Crab labneh was barely crabby at all. If I didn't know it had crab, I wouldn't have been able to tell. Everything else was phenomenal. And I loved the financier dessert and lemon Madelines. The fresh sourdough bread was amazing. Service: Excellent service! Our waiter was kind and welcoming. The food came out very promptly. The dessert took longer but it was because they were baking the madelines fresh. The manager brought us baklava as an extra dessert due to the wait (without us even saying anything). Great experience! Highly recommend! I would definitely go back again.

My friend and I dined at ilili as first timers last night and had a great time. Apologies for my…read moreserver name escapes me but she was phenomenal. We would return just to service us. She was kind and provided great recommendations. We loved it. Food was delicious and the decor is definitely social media worth. Now all they need is to introduce happy hour and it would be perfect.

Really enjoyed my dinner at Ilili. The restaurant is beautiful, and the service was excellent from…read morethe moment we walked in. Everyone was friendly, attentive, and the pacing of the meal was spot on. You can tell they run a well-managed restaurant. The food was solid across the board. Everything was well prepared and flavorful. It's the kind of place I'd happily bring friends or family, especially if they've never had Lebanese food before. Overall, an enjoyable experience, and I'd definitely come back to try more of the menu.

My wife and I have been trying for a long time to grab a dinner reservation at Albi and we've never…read morehad any luck. So for my birthday, we decided to walk in right when they opened to try our luck. Lucky for us, the staff was super nice and were able to accommodate us with a table near the bar. We went for their multi-course Sofra meal and their wine flight (pairing?). Every course was amazing. Our favorites were the meat pies, bread and hummus course, the lamb kabobs, and the desserts! Really we loved every single thing and the wine pairings were on point. Service was amazing and everyone we interacted with was some warm and welcoming. Definitely one of my favorite meals I've had in a while and will come back as soon as possible. Parking can be rough Friday-Sunday but there is a few garages nearby.

Craving for some Middle Eastern eats, we decided to check out Albi…read more We started off with: +the Crispy Kibbeh - kibbeh is one of my favorite snacks, so I was excited to find these on the menu +Jericho Dates - blistered, and prepared with ras el hanout and brown butter +the Mushrooms Lightly Smoked on hummus - with confit egg yolk and black garlic; served with wood-fired potato pita +and, the Sfeeha - wood-fired lamb meat pies, topped with toum and lemon juice For our mains, we ordered: +the BBQ'D Lamb Kebabs - marinated in dill yogurt +the Maqluba - softshell crab upside down on rice with ramps and crab fat yogurt; served with crab dagga gazawiya smashed tomatillo, dill seed, and chilis; note that this dish runs out Service was friendly, and the space is cozy and intimate; loved the seating setup and the coal fire oven! We were thinking of trying out the Sofra, but we decided to order a la carte; maybe next time! Metered and garage parking in the area. +shareables +friendly staff +metered and garage parking available

Visiting after a few years...and not disappointed. Jose Andres restaurants are never a miss…read more Service is amazing, the decor is beautiful and matches the cuisine, try all of the dips, the seared halloumi with sour cherries, spanakopita with home made phyllo, can't go wrong with fries topped with garlic yogurt, and while i would typically order the octopus.. i recommend the lamb shoulder. Order the Lamb Kleftiko - tender smoked lamb shoulder with salad wrap and spreads. Lamb is particular and this was just so delectable - not gamy, not too smoky, and paired nicely with a recommended beverage. The creative menu options will not disappoint. The culinary genius, the well informed staff and immediate service are all wins. Whether you are a local, or tourist - this is a must to stop by!

It's just a step below the other Jose Andres restuarants here in DC…read more FYI: it's all small plates/small portions. And actually, that FYI is one of my knocks, there's just less bang for your buck portion wise here. Everything is very flavorful and well done though. My Chicken Kouvetsi, while tasty seemed to have not that much chicken. Many bites were just orzo and tomato sauce. I needed more chicken. The bread is complimentary and very tasty; hilariously, after we asked for more, they just kept bringing our group 2 baskets. This review sounds very negative for 4 stars, but Zaytinya is niceand the food is tasty. Just know all the above going in. It's also very noisy,to the point where it was hard to hear everyone at our table and our server had a hard time hearing us. They probably need to update their soundproofing or just have fewer tables. That actually led to some confusion about the "for the table" lamb dish we ordered, which seemed to come out as sliced lamb, seasoned as described on the menu, on a plate. Frankly, for the price it didnt seem like enough for our group of 6. Also, there were 2-3 flies around our table before we sat down. They eventually left, but that probably should signal there's more mess there than just wiping down the table takes care of.

TLDR: it's like a 3.5/5 personally. The entrees were good but nothing worth going out of the way…read morefor. The fries were very floppy and left something to be desired. My wife and I stopped here on our way to NYC since we had some time until the train arrived. The restaurant has a cafe feel to it throughout with an actual cafe to the right as you walk in. We started with the fries to munch on, but they were floppy and a bit oily. Left something to be desired. I ordered the lamb tagine for my entree. I would say that the tagine had good flavor but there was only a little lamb in the sauce from what I could tell. And some of the couscous was very hard as well. My wife got the beef kabob and it was better overall in terms of flavor and completeness. The service was fine and what you expect from a sit down restaurant. Nothing blew us away about the interior either but it's very cafe themed throughout. It's newer feeling a modern inside. It's right down the street from Union Station so not that far if you decide to take the train.

I expected more because the prices were a bit high. I'm someone that appreciates value in portions…read moreand pricing. If one doesn't match up then it's not the place for me. I felt the prices were high and the food quality wasn't great. It felt very Americanized and wasn't bursting with flavor. The food took some time to come out so it was definitely a sit down kinda restaurant. The ambiance was nice. It felt like a place you'd have a business luncheon. Options were clean, not greasy (except the fries) or things that would have you feeling gross. They have a full bar with mocktails. Located fairly close to the train station it was around a 10 min or less walk. Beef Kabob platter 6/10 Za'tar fries 4/10 greasy, not crispy, no flavor Tandoori chicken shawarma 6/10 Overall I probably wouldn't get this again.

Maydan is amazing. FYI, it's the green door that has their name on it. It's obvious, but for some…read morereason, none of us in our group clocked that and we accidentally ended up confused and in thier event space. XD. Anyway, misadventure aside, our group of 6 was in the upstairs room. For groups of 5 or more they have you do the tasting menu but we asked to do a la carte and they allowed us. We got a lot of food, all of which I can't remember, that included the shakshukah, one of the salads, 3 of the spreads, the veggies and a few others. The cocktails drew rave reviews as did my wife and i's mocktails and we loved how substantive the list was. The fresh, constantly coming bread was amazing. Everything was delightful and incredibly tasty and well seasoned. One note: the bathroom music is REALLY loud (it's the same music as in the restaurant) so if you've got loop earplugs or ones you can easily pop in that don't block out your company, that'll help. Oh and also, the currently on offer bitter orange sorbet isn't actually bitter. It's just the name.

Some restaurants serve an excellent meal. Maydan creates an experience…read more This reservation had been on my wish list for quite some time, and when everything finally aligned, it exceeded every expectation. The restaurant itself is stunning. Walking in, you're immediately greeted by the massive open hearth where much of the cooking happens. Watching the chefs tend the fire throughout the evening adds another layer to the experience and sets the tone before your first bite even arrives. Our server explained the tasting menu ($95 per person) and optional wine pairing ($75 pp), but we decided to order à la carte--and I wouldn't change a thing. We started with the Carrot Havuç spread. It was impossibly light, silky, and beautifully whipped. I'll admit, the bread seemed understated at first, but after the first bite, it became clear that the spread was meant to be the star. Every bite was packed with flavor. The lamb shish kebab was incredibly tender, juicy, and perfectly seasoned. The Omani shrimp arrived with five enormous shrimp that were cooked flawlessly. Then came the whole roasted chicken. Watching it roast over the fire as we entered made us excited, but nothing prepared us for how incredible it would taste. It was, without question, some of the best chicken I've ever eaten. Moist, deeply flavorful, beautifully seasoned, and delicious completely on its own. It came with an accompanying sauce that was excellent, but honestly, use it sparingly--you don't want anything distracting from the chicken itself. When a dish can stand entirely on its own, that's greatness. Since it was a whole chicken, we happily went home with leftovers (which felt like winning the lottery). The cocktails deserve their own standing ovation. A special thank you to Nancy upstairs-- Great bartenders don't just make drinks--they elevate the entire experience, and she certainly did. The Serpent was beautifully balanced with bright citrus and herbal notes, while the Medina Palmer was refreshing, unique, and one of the most memorable cocktails I've had in a long time. Every drink felt carefully crafted rather than simply mixed. In the beginning of our night they asked if we were celebrating anything and I immediately answered, "my friend graduated from nursing school." Little did we know, they came with glasses of bubbly at the end of our dining experience to celebrate! Such a lovely gesture to end our evening. The word that kept coming up throughout dinner was divine. Service was warm, knowledgeable, and genuinely enthusiastic about guiding us through the menu. A few practical tips: * Reservations book well in advance, so plan ahead. * Street parking is limited. We chose to Uber and were glad we did. This was one of those meals where every course made us look at each other and say, "Wow." I can't wait to return.

Randomly stopped here on a night walk, wasn't super busy so I decided to check it out and i was not…read moredisappointed at all! To say the least the guys were super friendly and helpful with picking out what I should order they recommended the lamb and chicken. Everything was Hot, fresh and flavorful so memorable! You can have a kabob a lot of places but a lot of places don't have Mango Lassi! I was pleased to see real authenticity throughout their menu so stop by if you have time for lunch for quick grab and go dinner option.

The food is so good and so cheap here. The portions are enormous (the pitas are huge and the…read morefalafels are the size of a hamburger patty) and you get the food quickly on cute little red trays. Order at one of the kiosks and then wait for them to call your number. There's also free water cups which was nice. I'm honestly astounded there's any bad reviews about this place, they're so nice and the food is so good, yet still enormous portions and low prices.

Same taste regardless of where you go, and the customer service was pretty fast…read more Not too many people actually eat at Halal Guys in Washington, D.C. compared to what you'd see in New York, but I did appreciate the convenience of the Washington Union Station location, where you can sit down and eat without feeling too disturbed since there isn't a lot of food traffic. I think it's relatively new, and as they continue expanding into the D.C. area, it seems like you're more likely to get a quiet meal there.

I come here on occasion for lunch when I'm in the mood for "something different." It's never busy…read morewhen I go, and yet somehow, it always takes about 10+ minutes for food. Service is friendly but slow. As a fast casual place, you would think that the food would be ready to scoop to get you your food quickly. The first time I visited, I ordered the falafel, and they made it to order. While I appreciate that frying to order means the proteins are hot and fresh, it's not good if you're in a rush or trying to catch a train. Another time, I ordered the beef gyro at the counter, thinking it would be quicker than the falafel, but it still took about 10 minutes to get my order fulfilled... and no other customers were in the store. I'm not really sure what the hold up was... there were a few employees simply standing around. We have ourselves another fast casual restaurant at Union Station that isn't so fast. The small platter is about $12 (before tax; $13 and change after tax) and they also have a regular platter for $1 more ($13 before tax; $14 and change after tax). The regular platter container is technically bigger than the small, but I didn't find the serving size of the regular platter to be significantly bigger than the small. The platter comes with your choice of protein and rice, sauce, plus lettuce, tomato, onions, and green peppers (if you so desire). I don't do spicy, so I skip the red sauce and only ask for the white sauce. The white sauce is good, but not quite flavorful enough to be a dressing. The toppings add nice freshness and crunch to the platter, but it eats a little bland (I guess this is where the other sauces come in). It also comes with a side of pita (yum!). I do like that they honor the app, which has rewards like free drinks and sides with purchase. I wouldn't go out of my way to come here, but it's good every once in a while.

Delicious loaded fries, baklava, and dips! Extremely easy to order and quick pick-up as well. If…read moreyou're in the area (or especially if you want to bring food back to Metrobar!!), this is the way to do it!

Really enjoyed this newest option inside the Bryant street market. I got a falafel wrap with fries…read more It took about 13 minutes for it to be made, so you know it's fresh (but be prepared to wait a bit). The fries were absolutely delicious. I love the seasoning blend they use. I wish they had a feta or tahini dipping sauce instead of just ketchup and honey mustard. I'll be back!