Meze Restaurant was a pleasant surprise. I went during off hours, so it was pretty quiet, but the…read morefood was better than I expected. I had the chicken sis kebab, and it was really good. The service was also good, and overall it ended up being a nice experience.

We stopped in here in May while in town for a conference and we enjoyed our visit. We had a late…read morelunch that day, so just wanted a small nosh and a drink and this was perfect. The mojitos were flavorful and tasty and we really enjoyed our katmar dessert (a phyllo pastry filled dessert with pistachios, cream, and honey). I also had some raki, which was delicious and was a nice way to end the meal. Service was pretty good and we'd recommend stopping in here if you're in the area.

Ambar is one of the best values in D.C.'s dining scene. The Balkan-inspired small plates are…read morebursting with flavor, and the unlimited dining experience encourages you to explore dishes you may not have tried otherwise. Every plate, from the grilled meats to the traditional spreads and pastries, is expertly prepared and beautifully presented. Combined with attentive service and a vibrant atmosphere, Ambar delivers a memorable meal that keeps you planning your next visit before you've even left.

My son and I enjoyed a lovely Sunday brunch at Ambar Shaw the last weekend of March 2026. I was sad…read moreto learn that 6 days after we dined here, a city bus crashed into the restaurant rendering it temporarily closed. I'm thankful it happened early in the morning and no one was seriously injured. I hope that the owners can repair the damage allowing them to reopen this location! My understanding is that they have two other locations in the DC area. During our visit, our service was friendly, quick and efficient. We had the all-you-can eat brunch for about $37/person. We didn't elect the bottomless mimosas though I was seriously tempted! We ate inside since I was worried about the chilly morning, but the enclosed patio looked delightful. I kinda wish we'd eaten out there! Noise levels inside were manageable. The food was wonderful and some dishes like the flatbread pizza were larger than I expected. I'll say I think bottomless brunches are best enjoyed by a group of 3 minimum, ideally 4-6. For two of us, it was hard to sample as much as we'd like, especially if we want to try different things. One gets full faster than you'd expect and I hate to waste food! A couple dishes that stood out to me: the little donut holes were a treat as was the white flatbread. The beet tzatziki served with pita bread tasted amazing! I'm less of a poached egg person, so I can't comment on those options. I didn't take pics of each dish, too busy enjoying them! Definitely worth working AMBAR into your brunch rotation!

Had a wonderful experience at Darvish Kitchen. The restaurant is beautifully designed inside with…read moreelegant Persian decorations and a warm atmosphere that makes the dining experience feel special. The staff was incredibly kind, welcoming, and great at giving recommendations throughout the meal. The food was flavorful and authentic. I got the Persian ghormeh sabzi (herb stew), which was absolutely amazing with rich, comforting flavors, and the wheat soup was also delicious. For dessert, I tried the Persian affogato, which was a nice ending to the meal as well. Overall, a great spot in DC for flavorful Persian food, beautiful ambiance, and excellent hospitality.

I came for a friend's birthday and was excited since I have heard of this restaurant before. We all…read morestarted out with a round of drinks and then some dips. I split the eggplant dip with a friend and would recommend doing the same. It was actually quite big for a dip. It was delicious. The fried onions on top confuse me, but the overall taste and flavor was really good at the dip. It also came with bread as well so just a tip. There really wasn't too much from a vegetarian perspective that was an actual meal, so I did eat beforehand. I did want to give this place a try so I did order the pickled plate and a side of rice. Both were really good, nothing groundbreaking, but they were delicious. I really like that the rice had a nice crispy crust. It was really fun to break and it had a really good moist flavor and texture. Our server was good. No issues or complaints with the service received. It was a pretty busy Saturday night though so I don't think I could've expected anything better. The overall restaurant itself is beautiful. There's so many small and unique touches that really make this place its own. There was one wall that was actually draped with rugs, which is really really cool. It was honestly just a really beautiful space to be sitting in. You can tell that they put a lot of time and attention into the decorations. Overall, I probably wouldn't go back due to the actual limitations of food for non-meat eaters. Well, there are quite a few side options, there's nothing that's really substantial for a meal. I will say that my friends that did or order the larger platters really enjoyed the food and were saying great things about it. I would say if you eat meat and you wanna try something flavorful you should give this a try.

My friend and I went to a movie in Georgetown and decided to finally try Alara. I had walked by…read morebefore and was always intrigued by it -- the beauty of the space visible through the windows definitely caught my attention. And the atmosphere did not disappoint. Gorgeous, chic, and inviting. The bar is especially beautiful, with warm lighting that feels welcoming while still being dim enough to create a romantic vibe. It's definitely a place where I'd happily linger over cocktails. We're big on sharing, and honestly, I think that's the way to approach a Mediterranean restaurant like this. It gives you the chance to try a little bit of everything. Drinks The Summer in Santorini was my favorite -- incredibly well balanced, beautiful, and fabulous. Definitely a drink I'd order again. My friend had the Strawberries & Cream, which she enjoyed. We also tried the espresso martini, which came with some gorgeous artwork on top. It was a little too coffee-forward/strong for me, but my friend liked it. Food We were served a bread basket, with olive oil and vinaigrette. I liked the idea, but the bread was quite dense and doughy, and a little difficult to tear apart for dipping. The tzatziki was good, although it leaned pretty heavily on the dill for my taste. The chicken kebab was a little salty on its own, but paired wellwith the tzatziki, the flavors worked really nicely together. The feta in phyllo was probably the most interesting presentation. I was surprised that it came more like a spring roll than the traditional triangles I was expecting. The flavor was good, but the phyllo was fairly thick, which made the filling feel a little lost. My friend and I actually started brainstorming how we'd serve it differently -- maybe more like a flatbread/pizza with some hot honey on top. Just a thought! The shrimp, though, were definitely the star of the night for me. That was the dish that really stood out. Overall, I enjoyed Alara and would definitely come back. I don't think everything we tried was spectacular, but there was enough that I want to explore more of the menu. Next time, I'd like to settle in for more of a multi-course dining experience and try some of the entrees. And I'll absolutely be back for the cocktails. Beautiful space, fun atmosphere, and definitely worth exploring -- especially if you're in Georgetown and looking for somewhere that feels a little special.

Second time back, equally as delicious! The cocktails and mocktails are excellent. So good. And the…read morefood is delicious. Needed some dairy free items, so tried the muhamarra, stuffed eggplant, and kibbeh. It was absolutely delicious. Excellent service, street parking is available but not easy, and there is an automatic 20% service fee (that they said is not a tip).

Extremely friendly service and great ambiance. We were here on a Saturday night and they had a live…read moresaxophonist, who played throughout our entire meal and it was lovely. The food was delicious as well, we had several dips with bread to begin, both were on point, and then graduated to the grilled platter for two which also impressed. Will definitely be returning to this neighborhood gem!

I had a very disappointing experience here. All of our food was served cold, which is unacceptable…read morefor dishes like Turkish kebabs that should be hot and freshly prepared. The entire order came out in about 10 minutes, which made it seem like everything was pre-cooked and just reheated. The French fries were clearly undercooked and tasted raw. The ayran was also extremely diluted more like salted water than a proper yogurt drink. We brought these issues to the staff and asked to speak with a manager, but no one came. Instead, our concerns were dismissed. We barely touched the food because the quality was so poor. Overall, very disappointing service and food.

Went to this restaurant because I was interested in their manti (dumplings) and Tabbouleh salad. So…read moreI made a reservation for lunch, but these items were not on the lunch menu -- note that on their website there was only main menu and weekend brunch menu. Luckily, the manager asked the kitchen to do a special order for me, so I was able to try both of them! Moreover, when he learned that I wanted to make the manti, he even carefully explained to me how it was cooked! Thanks a lot!!! The Yara's Manti was basically small, boat shaped, half-covered dumplings baked in oil, then topped with yogurt and pine nuts. This is completely different from how Turkish or Afghan manti is made, thus having a different flavor as well. The baking procedure gave some crispiness to the dumplings, while the oil helped them to maintain sufficient moisture. These dumplings went well with the yogurt; I also tried sprinkling some sumac on them and it was great. However, the yogurt tend to get mixed with the oil when you move the dumplings. it would be better if they serve the dumplings (and toppings) in a separate, heated container. Yara's Tabbouleh is a creative twist to the traditional Tabbouleh. Besides the usual ingredients, there were diced beets and pomegranate arils. Both added some refreshing sweetness to the salad, and the beets also some hint of earthiness. The freshly baked pita was also delicious. Each piece weighed ~55-65g and was topped with sumac. Paired well with the other two dishes. The restaurant had a beautiful decor. At lunchtime there were not many people so it was relatively quiet. I will go there again the next time I visit DC! And I want to thank the resturant again for offering me the opportunity to try these dishes!

Food is easily a 4.5-5 stars and really enjoyable so if I recommended based on just food alone, yes…read more100% go there. Their hummus was creamy and in my top 5 of the DMV thus far. Their mandu dumplings are extremely flavorful and their za'atar flatbread is simple but perfectly crisp and spiced. There were some hiccups with brunch when I went. My first pet peeve is when a menu online lies and they changed their AYCE (which is why we went) to a more expensive pick 3 items type thing (it is full portions so still filling but was disappointing). It was hard for us to get service, our drink was priced incorrectly on it, and it took some hounding to get some of our dishes out (I think our server forgot to put one in and just said it takes a while/ we had finished the rest of our food practically). I'd come back and try again at least because their food is flavorful and good.

Talk about a hidden gem!…read more Saying that we enjoyed our time at Afghania would be the biggest understatement of 2026. It's a little higher up than some of the more commonly known restaurants but we are so glad we made the trek. Everything we had was a hit, there were no misses and that's rare- especially since our group totaled 6 people. That's a lot of people to impress. We were only a couple bites into our dinner when my mom said "we have to come back here again, and soon" For starters we had the assortment of dumplings. All delicious but my favorite was definitely the pumpkin. Sweet, and flavorful. If you're not a huge fan of spice, like myself, skip the spicy beef dumplings. I mean, it's in the name. Our table bought a variety of things and sampled all of it as dinner. We got the beef tenderloin and chicken, the chicken and ground beef, the Kandahari vegetarian flights, and the Moguhli (the one thing I hadn't sampled (hint, it was also spicy). The beef? Tender. The chicken? Juicy. The difference varieties of prepared rice? Flavorful. The drinks were also a hit. I had a mocktail that was mild in taste, with a hint of sweetness yet refreshing (the name is slipping me at the moment). Dessert? To die for. The cardamom tres leches was the best dessert I'd had at a restaurant in a while. I would make a trip back to Afghania just for it. The service was also amazing. Our server was very patient (we were a table of six, ¼ bilingual, ¼ just French speakers and the rest English speakers), and also very knowledgeable as everything we ate came at her recommendation. The décor is tasteful and in no way overbearing : white table clothes, artwork that depicts the culture, and it was overall a very cozy and intimate vibe. Hands down, a wonderful experience.

The food here is great. We thoroughly enjoyed our appetizer and both entrees. Lots of flavor in…read moreeach dish and the chicken was cooked perfectly. The portion sizes are large as well so we got to take home some leftovers. However, the service is not up to par unfortunately. The staff all seemed new and there were only three servers for all the tables and they were also serving the downstairs bar. When we arrived for our reservation we had to wait at least 10 minutes for them to acknowledge us. There is no waiting area because of the size and layout of the restaurant so it's probably best to just wait outside. Once seated it then took quite a while to receive water and place our order for drinks and the appetizer. When we were eating the appetizer one of the servers came over and asked if we had the bread yet. We said no and then he went and got us the complimentary bread basket that the other tables already had. I will also note I saw a few cobwebs in the ceiling corners upstairs. If the service improves I think I could give this another chance.

My Little Chamomile has been on our list to try together since it opened last year, and we made a…read morereservation for last Wednesday. Our server recommended some good options for us and was very thorough in making sure there was no cross-contamination with my friend's allergens. TEKMIL FAVA - 14 Incredibly delicious dip that's incredibly dill-forward. The bread that came with it was just OK, but the citrusy and herb combination was addictive. We would definitely recommend it! ZEYTİNYAĞLI ENGİNAR - 24 Not the biggest artichoke fan, but my artichoke-loving friend really enjoyed this. It was soft with the perfect texture, but not my favorite. MERCIMEK ÇORBASI - 14 This red lentil soup had a runnier consistency which was perfect. It came out hot, and topped with buttery bread crumbs that was crunchy and tasty. I love soup and would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good lentil soup. ÇÖP ŞIŞ - 23 The tomato paste/sauce was so fresh and sweet, topped with fresh herbs and lavash (type of flatbread) as the base. Definitely eat this as fresh as possible. Underneath the flatbread were five lamb skewers, which was smoky and flavorful. The combination of the savory lamb and fresh tomatoes was phenomenal. MANTI - 24 These are delicate and small beef dumplings mixed with a creamy yogurt sauce and spices. The dumpling skin was perfectly thin, and the beef was well-seasoned. The sauce was a bit much, but it complements the dumplings well in moderation. KEŞKÜL - 13 The almond pudding was addictive -- not too sweet and slightly nutty, making you want more and more of it. This was definitely our favorite dessert of the night and they were incredibly generous with the amount of almonds they give you! REVANI - 15 A bit dense, sweeter than I'd like -- this is a corn flour cake with some whipped cream and rhubarb jam on the side. Our server said this was one of the "less sweet" dessert options, so the ones we didn't order are probably a lot sweeter. Food was good, and we had a great experience! Nice ambiance, and they were quite packed on a Wednesday evening. They're also on inKind, so we were able to pay with the app and save on our meal.

An outstanding restaurant! I recently went here with my wife for a celebratory dinner and had a…read moregreat experience. Although a bit loud, My Little Chamomile otherwise has a great ambiance. We had great service from getting seated at our reservation time to getting the check in a timely manner. Our server took the time to walk us through the menu, offering recommendations and answering our questions. We shared several small plates mezze style with fresh pide (bread), all of which were delicious: Enginar Dolmasi: The blossoms were perfectly cooked, the lemon provided great acidity, the onion crunch, and the rice creaminess. Girit Ezmesi: The star dish-rich, creamy, the right amount of salt, tons of delicious cheese, amazing with the pide. Manti: Well-cooked beef dumplings, perfect dough texture, and a delicious yogurt sauce. Taze Bakla: I loved the unique texture of the fava beans, the dill provided great freshness, and the yogurt creaminess. Közlenmiş Patlıcan Salatası: The eggplant was nicely cooked and smoky, with good added flavor from the peppers and garlic. We shared the Tel Kadayif for dessert, which had great crunch, sweetness, and texture. I would highly recommend My Little Chamomile for your next date night or celebratory occasion!