A complete vibe! I…read morecame here with a coworker of mine the day before 4th of July for lunch and drinks, and I left full and happy. There is a parking garage around the corner of the restaurant so that makes things very convenient. The inside decor is gorgeous and is chic but also funky fresh. I got grilled octopus over a bed of bean salad that had pieces of pomegranate in it - 10/10. The savory taste of the octopus paired against the sweetness of the salad was really delicious. For desert I got the baklava option that comes with ice cream - INCREDIBLE. You have to order it if you come here.

The food is good with lots of options. I was just there this evening as I need a quick place to…read morework before an event. My Tito's and soda water, with a lime, was nearly $18. I double checked to make sure I was charge for two drinks or a double and it was confirmed the amount was correct. The bill included a $2 mixer, which again was soda water. Mind you this was on Wednesday at 6:45 PM. Just giving everyone a heads up so if you go. I definitely won't be going back.

Everything about this restaurant was outstanding! We ordered one of each appetizer and all of them…read morewere great!

I've forgiven them for the brunch experience. This spot remains one of my fave Mediterranean in DC!…read moreThe food and flavors are amazing and it's a great spot for a date or happy hour with friends. The labneh is always a must!

Stopped by ala on Friday afternoon, September 11, and discovered their All Day Happy Hour as a nice…read moreway to start the weekend. My cocktail of choice was the Khavyar, which featured gin, Portan cucumber, dill, and lemon. Refreshing, crisp, and a great start to the afternoon. For food, I tried the Hummus + Pita, Za'atar Pide, and Tawook Burger. I sat at the bar, where Isabel was gracious, welcoming, and attentive throughout my visit. There was a nice crowd, pleasant music, and a relaxed energy. I tried the Hummus + Pita, Za'atar Pide, and Tawook Burger. The standout for me was definitely the Za'atar Pide. Made with Palestinian za'atar, creamy feta, and labneh, it was flavorful, savory, creamy, and easily my favorite dish of the afternoon. I would order it again without hesitation. The Hummus + Pita was a great start, and the Tawook Burger with two breaded chicken breasts, cheese, onion, mesclun, tomato, and house-made sauce on brioche was hearty and satisfying. Good food. Pleasant atmosphere. Attentive service. And much love for that Za'atar Pide! I'll be back for it.

Was invited to try Ala through a fellow Yelper and grateful for the introduction because this place…read moredelivered-ish. The all day happy hour menu is the move and we took full advantage. The Batata Hara: fried potatoes with garlic were dangerously good. Overpowering with the garlic but in the absolute best way possible. The Karahab fried brussels sprouts and the Tawook chicken breast burger were both delicious and well executed. The only miss for me personally was the ribeye gyro but that's less about Ala and more about me finally confirming that gyros and I are just not meant to be. The food gets a solid 5 stars. The seating situation however deserves a conversation. Yelpers were directed to either the bar or outside with no other options offered. The weather cooperated and it wasn't a bad experience outdoors but when the hostess specifically stated that Yelpers sit at the bar or outside, that landed differently. The restaurant appeared beautiful from what I could see and assuming the inside was as lovely as it looked, that felt like a quiet form of segregation that the restaurant should probably revisit. Guests are guests regardless of how they found you. Our waiter was attentive and never forgot about us which is always appreciated. Overall a great experience with one note worth addressing. I'd return but hopefully at the main table next time.

I was in Washington D.C. for the weekend and tried this amazing Mediterranean place for lunch. My…read morefriend who recommended this place has been obsessed with the food here and I can totally see why. We ordered mushroom kapnista, Halloumi pide, zaatar pide, htipiti and everything was so delicious. I'm not sure if I enjoyed the combination of dates and mushrooms together but really loved the smoky mushroom by itself. I was also very impressed with the Zaatar pide, it was cheesy and delicious. For desert we ordered greek yogurt with apricot and it was probably the best thing we tried here. The ambience is classy and they have ample of seating space. The overall meal didn't cost us as much as I thought it was, the prices were fairly reasonable!

We wanted to try something we don't normally eat. If you love Greek food, I would guess this is…read moresome of the better Greek food. We don't love Greek food, but we're pretty impressed. Lots of flavor with the different sauces and spreads. The meat kebabs were good too. I loved the pickled onions and the tomatoes and couscous that came with it. All in all it's a really yummy flavorful healthy tasting dish. Loved the fried cauliflower and the yummy green sauce it was on. Beet salad was good too. We didn't love the baba ghanoush or the bread they bring to the table. It's pretty bland and lacking in flavor. Would've preferred some naan. But everything else we enjoyed. Chocolate cake was yummy too. I'd recommend giving this place a try. For us it was a 3.8.

Came here recently for a gf's birthday recently Saturday night--restaurant has a chic fancy vibe,…read moreloved it! French/Mediterranean style, the food was pretty good and service was great--our server Julio was helpful recommending us dishes to try and was attentive all night. Escargots was a great start, wasn't a huge fan of the Mini Tartelettes Crab & Caviar overall taste. For entrees, would recommend Loup de Mer au Fenouil (whole branzino) and La Paella de Cassoulet (confit duck leg)--both wonderful dishes, flavorful and huge portions, but note, it's more on the salty side so if you're a savory person like myself, it was delicious! For cocktails, we enjoyed the Nina Rose & Dirty Vodka Martini. The bartender also made really good White Tea shots too! Birthday girl got a complimentary birthday balloon cake with a candle which was sweet. Later in the night, they have a live DJ playing music so it gets popping here!

Well... buckle up. This one's loaded…read more We had a Saturday summer restaurant week 7:30pm reservation for 4 of us, and it was 2 of our birthdays. Upon being seated in a gorgeous booth- we realized we couldn't hear each other as a bday party of 12 people were set up in the center of the restaurant... and they were LOUD... it was so unpleasant I had to ask for a manager. Come to learn - multiple other tables had complained as well.... They offered us another table but it was not conducive for an intimate feeling... so we risked staying hoping they'd wrap it up. The manager was lovely and poured us 4 glasses of prosecco as an apology. The food is spectacular- lots of incredible seafood options included in the 3 course $65 RW menu and not one smell of fishy-ness. The sauces and execution are truly delicious- I've lived in the Mediterranean and in France and this is the real deal. Tons of gluten free dairy options which is so amazing. Service was nice and pleasant - not mind blowing. The manager also comped an additional incredible desert and I appreciated that. By the time we got our check at 9:45, another table of 10 was seated at the center of restaurant... and the noise level started to ratchet up. I looked at our check and realized the extra desert that was comped was actually charged to us ... and it was a $22 desert... obviously asked for a refund which they obliged. The establishment is a year old and I think it's having a small identity crisis still - it's stunning inside with an elegant feel and some people dressed in an impeccably classy manner ... and others ... dressed as though they're headed to the club or a pop concert... by no means should a restaurant with such elevated dining where apps are $20 plus and entrees $40 plus feel like you're having to yell at your dinner companions at 7:30pm. Perhaps they need two seatings & advertise that from 9:30pm onwards large parties and noise levels will exponentially increase .. We may still go back since it meets a lot of our dietary needs with upscale flavors- but I hope they figure out with the ambiance !

I love CAVA!!! This…read morelocation can be super busy depending when you come. I order online and pick up for faster service. Customer service always nice , food is great. Reasonably priced. I just wish they give you a bigger serving. Chipotle I get more but hey that's jus me being picky lol

Very nice atmosphere and the staff here were top notch. It was recommended that this location is…read morebetter than others. The food is prepared directly in front of you where all can see similar to Chipotle. The fried pita chips are worth it. *** Be aware adding extra meat on your order is $7.

Went here with my husband for our anniversary, and had a gift card. We chose outdoor seating…read morewithout seeing it, I had previously seen pictures of the inside and assumed the outdoor vibes would be just as fun and vibey. I was very wrong. It was literally in the alley, and was giving Covid setup. Definitely would not recommend the outdoor area to anyone. There was no music, the decor was fine but again, looked very subpar and you could tell everyone else that arrived and sat outside after us had the same thoughts. Now to the food. I will say all of it was good, but for the price? I could find another Middle Eastern adjacent restaurant in DC for less money. It was a little outrageous in my opinion. We did choose the tawle experience. The dips with good, and came with endless flatbread. But it was interesting how some of the portions were huge and then others felt like they were skimping. We got huge portions of pickled vegetables and a giant salad, but then when it came to the shrimp kabobs we ordered, we got 5 pieces of shrimp. I will say the steak portion we chose we large, but then again for dessert, it was just a half mason jar size of a chocolate mousse to split...It was just interesting. Several of the staff knew it was our anniversary and they could've given maybe an additional dessert or a glass of champagne but nothing. Again for a restaurant of this caliber, you would just expect more. I say all of this to say, we did have a gift card that covered most of our $300+ meal. But if I were going without that, I would've been even more disappointed. I know people have raved about this place for years, but the original chefs have changed, and I'm understanding more why they've lost their Michelin star. It was good/fine but was far from exceptional.

There's still technically 2 months left before 2026 ends, but I think this may be the best meal…read moreI've had this year. What an incredible spontaneous hangout and surprise by my friend that lead to this memorable meal! Thank you, again Not only was the beet borani beautiful, the sweetness of the beet mixed with the garlic and rosemary paired very well with the warm and fluffy bread. The fire kissed asparagus are the best asparagus I've ever had in my life. The char was perfect and allowed the asparagus to be the best version of itself. The bed of both cream and herb sauce it laid on top of gave it other dimensions of flavored when paired. It was good on its own or eaten with the other protein dishes we ordered. The chicken shish taouk was juicy, well seasoned and very good with the toum! The seared scallops were the biggest, sweetest and my favorite dish of the night (though I 100% would say everything we got was so so good). The natural sweetness of the scallops paired with the various sauces were delightful. The serpent drink had a sour but creamy foam texture that was fun to sip on throughout the meal. Shout out to Nari, our server sharing her love of garlic and giving us a sample of the carrot havuc which did not taste like carrots at all but more of this light almost sweet potato-like dip with a fun crunch from the crispy onions & for compting our turkish coffee gelato, which was strong and creamy and best way to end the meal.

I've come to Iron Gate for several business lunches, a solo meal, and have hosted a private party…read morehere. I consistently find the food to be great, and the atmosphere is charming, while the service can be hit or miss. It's easy to miss walking down the street, and then you enter through essentially a hallway that doubles as a long slim bar. Through that hallway you'll exit into a courtyard that feels warm - literally and figuratively - year round. There is an indoor converted carriage house to dine as well. It's a surprising setting given the more corporate feeling surroundings. A Mediterranean inspired menu rotates seasonally and they have a great wine and cocktail list. When I held a private event here they were easy to work with and very accommodating to make the evening special. When I've dined with a group or by myself I have sometimes found service to be slow and it hard to get waiters attention.

Fantastic service, mixed results on good and drink, for restaurant week during summer 2026. Long…read morestory short, it was overall a good experience and I'd try it again in a different season. I think I'd prefer to sit outdoors although maybe when it's less hot and humid, as it was a bit loud indoors. The sesame feta with watermelon was delicious and maybe our favorite dish overall. The tomato panzanella was okay but the tomato could have been more ripe. I'd heard about the focaccia but something was off when we went--something was very clearly missing, maybe salt, and it just tasted like a pretty dense vehicle for oil. They change the focaccia seasonally and may have just been having a bad day so I'd try it again but it was not great. The gnocchi was very good and very filling. The chicken was good, and the dill lemon sauce was nice. The desserts were all good--the phyllo cheesecake with peaches, a chocolate pudding, and a cheese plate with blue cheese and a Pennsylvania pecorino. Two of us tried the Hermes drink first and unfortunately it was very underwhelming. It tasted like slightly alcoholic water, but didn't have much flavor. The blueberry lemon cocktail was much more interesting.

Came for lunch today with a couple of friends. I ordered the Seasonal Chili Crisp Roasted Squash…read moreBowl, which was very good and very filling. The bowl came with a tasty pita. Also ordered a container of Pumpkin Spicy Hummus, which was good. The Hibiscus Lemonade was flavorful and refreshing. There's not a lot of seating in the restaurant, but we were able to grab two small tables in the corner and sit for about an hour. The restaurant is very well lit and comfortable. The Staff were helpful and friendly.

So much yum! We came in just for the ice cream - so this review is just about the soft serve. It's…read morethe perfect little sweet treat for a warm day. They have indoor seating and a cute little outdoor seating area as well. For soft serve, at the time we visited, they had vanilla tahini, cinnamon apple, or swirl. They have a few mixins. We each got a different one. The cookie seemed to be a favorite. The halva dust tasted good but the texture may not be popular for a lot of people. The service was great, very friendly and extremely fast given the lunch rush. I really enjoy their store bought dips and I can't wait to come back in and try other menu items!