Went to Kingbird yesterday with some family for brunch. I looked over the menu prior to showing up for our reservation and was a little apprehensive as it was limited. Having a select number of entrees can go either way. It can be good, because it takes the guess work out of making a selection, but you can also find that if there's nothing on the menu that you want, (and you have to end up settling on something just because you're there and the thought of leaving is an option that you really don't want to exercise at this point) the likelihood of you returning is slim. So for our table, it was a mixture of both. The food was great. I got the Brisket Hash and it was amazing; not filling, but flavorful. The wait staff was wonderful as well and that is always a huge plus for me and is a determination when decided whether or not to return. We opted for the bottomless drinks (it's great that they let you switch between them all, you don't have to limited to just bottomless sangria, you can have the mimosa, or bloody mary and switch between the three). One person in our party requested a mixture of a regular mimosa, and wanted peach mixed in; we all thought it was a great idea and wanted the same. Our waitress brought freshly squeezed orange juice and peach puree to our table so that we could make our own mix ins when they refilled our glasses with the champagne; which was quite often-they mean bottomless. That was very much appreciated. Our waitress was leaving for the day and so of course our table gets handed off to the next and he was just as awesome as our initial waitress. We had a late guest who decided to join us almost an hour after the fact. He ensured his experience was just as great as ours even tho brunch was coming to an end (actually 15 minutes beyond). He expressed that he wanted him to get to enjoy the mimosas (as much as time would allow) to be fair. That too was very much appreciated. The service could get no better. Although we all left feeling like the menu could have had more options, we would definitely return based on our experience. It was such a pleasurable one. read more

Went for dinner with a group of friends last night. The restaurants decoration and atmosphere was nice. I would say a little under 50% of the restaurant was full. Sat at the bar waiting for the rest of our party to arrive. Bartender was cordial and got my drink quickly. Once at the table, we ordered our drinks which arrived 20 minutes from ordering. Our appetizers came another 30 minutes after ordering and the main course took another 30 minutes to arrive after ordering. I tasted the following: Hamachi crudo - presentation was nice, but it could've had a little more flavor. Slow cooked cauliflower - good flavor Crescent Farms Duck Breast - good flavor Charred Octopus Campanelle - The pasta was flavorful, but the octopus was extremely salty and not edible Frites truffle parmesan - ok flavor Charred broccoli - good flavor The food overall was ok, but its not a restaurant I would return again for the food. Once the food was taken away, it took them a while to offer dessert menus and even longer to get the desserts. The 3 and a half hour dinner experience was one of the slowest services I have experienced at any restaurant in the USA. read more

Located in the newly renovated Watergate Hotel. This restaurant was truly a pleasant surprise! Highly recommended! I have to admit I went in a little biased since I am not very fond of French food, but everything tasted exquisite :) Honestly, this place was probably one my favorite restaurant finds of the summer. Pros: - Veal was a tender as could be - very well grilled. - Scallops are hard to grill properly, but Kingfish did it right! Pairing it was grilled figs was also a really great move - the sea saltiness of the scallops with the sweetness of the figs was addictive! - Halibut was nice and flaky with a very clean aftertaste! - The orange and chocolate tart topped with "chocolate caviar" was a real treat! I mostly ordered it out of curiosity and had no idea what to expect. Basically, the tart is filled with little "bubbles" (almost reminiscent of the bubbles in bubble tea) that have a subtle chocolate flavor. This dessert was definitely a highlight as I have never tried anything like it. The interplay of textures (creamy mousse, bubble-y "caviar", ice cream, cookie crumbles and fruit) was divine. - We went for dinner on a Thursday and it was quiet and intimate. Might be a bit louder on the weekends. - Very close to the Kennedy Center; a great place to get dinner before or after a show. - Great service! Cons: - None really...had a great experience! read more

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Just had dinner here for the first time and I loved the service. The restaurant wasn't crowded and the drinks and food were great. We ordered from the prix fixe menu and it was tasty and satisfying. Best of all the manager (Raimey) was very friendly and accommodating. Since it was our first time at the restaurant he personally showed us to the roof top which had a 360 view of DC and VA. I will definitely come back here again to check out the rest of their menu. read more

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Five stars for the service, 4.5 for the food- in making the choice between the 4 and the 5 overall, I grade on a curve, and there are a shade too many true 5 star experiences in D.C. for me to dole out 5 stars for this one. But! The service was impeccable. God-level stuff, like the server is headed over to check on me, sees me lift a fork to my mouth and shovel a bunch of food in, and smoothly & discreetly heads to another table to check on them instead. Perfect recommendations when they were solicited. The exact right balance of solicitousness and leaving me (dining solo while traveling for business) to my lonesome. Complimentary lemon iced cookies to go with the lemon-predominant cocktail I ordered for dessert. Perfection. The food itself was great, and the good news is that the extra .5 stars I alluded to as being missing above can be easily attained by more salt. Both my appetizer (blue crab croquettes) and my main (chicken & liege waffles) could have used a dash more of it. I also could have lived with another piece of foie gras on the waffles. Overall, fantastic. read more

I have been here twice. Both times were just fantastic. If you are a lover of true vintage.... let this place display its wares. It calls home the lower level of the Watergate Hotel. How's that for a stage....the staff are well trained in making you feel the way you should and the food is not overly complex in its offerings. Simply and cleanly prepared resulting in exceptional texture and flavor. It's not a rush in and out deal so leave that at home or shop elsewhere. However, if you were to let the staff know you were time pressed, there's no doubt they would accommodate. But if you are a true yelper, heed my advise here: This is an experience to savor. Enjoy the people and conversation and let this team handle the rest. We got experimental with the Bar staff and they responded very kindly. We order 2 of the Eggplant caviar served in chilled copper pots. I went with simple vodka martinis to pair. I would have licked the bowl in the privacy of my own kitchen. I will leave you with this.... it's my text to the hotel manager the next morning. No doubt, I will return. read more

Kingbird - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This was a really nice experience. I came here because it was located in the Watergate Hotel and I had read they were in the process of finishing up a multi million dollar renovation. I really badly needed to come with a great idea to take my wife and our friends out for her birthday. So this was my first time, so I was a little concerned about making a good impression with my friends on my ability to pick a decent place. Well I have to say, I was impressed right from the front door. My wife noticed right away, how well dressed everyone was, even the front door man looked especially classy. I liked that my wife was impressed from the beginning because that can really affect how the whole night goes. The interior decor looked really good. My friend who dined with us, described it best. To quote him best, "If this were the 60s, this is what they would have envisioned the future to look like." Everything from the couches, lighting, and flowers looked exquisite. Actually the flowers really impressed our female companions who noticed right away, there were no fake flowers to be found anywhere in the hotel. Not only were they extra premium, they were all real from the pretty orchids to the fragrant rose bouquets. We got there a few minutes early, so my and my wife waited at the bar where a well dressed host was kind enough to seat us until our friends arrived. When we were seated, our waiter was very friendly and especially knowledgeable about not just the food, but the restaurant, the hotel, and was overall very delightful to speak with. After our meal was over and we were leaving, he even gave us a tour of the hotel and all its amenities, which I thought was really over the top. The customer service at this place is definitely number 1. Even the chef came out to greet us and we were able to speak to him a bit and that was really nice. The food was so good. I ordered a 55 day dry aged ribeye and my companions ordered Wagyu beef steaks. I can't remember what the ladies ordered but everyone was very pleased with their food. Nobody was drinking alcohol so the waiter got the bartender to mix us some celebratory nonalcoholic drinks. Even after wards, we ordered some amazing desserts. I had like a home made scoop of ice cream with a wafery like cookie which was so creamy and sweet. Although I kind of wish I had the mango dessert, but all in all, very pleasing. They even wrote happy birthday on the strawberry dessert my wife ordered in a way that made the dessert look especially presentable. The only reason I took off a star was because, it took a very long time for us to get our car back from valet, almost a half hour. That is unacceptable because for a while, we were the only ones waiting for a car. Otherwise, I definitely recommend, but keep in mind, there is free parking in the street out front. Also, I hear they are opening a roof top restaurant which I am very much looking forward to visiting. read more

Decently priced brunch here. Excellent service. Tasty food. Less than ideal location. Hard to find after entering the hotel. Quiet if you avoid the open area with all the sunlight. I feel sorry for this place because they do want to be an excellent restaurant but they are hobbled by their terrible location. Watergate will never be hip again. read more

Very nice place for Happy Hour! Really good drink specials and bar menu. I had a delightful Strawberry Vodka. Loved it. For food, my friend and I ordered the crab croquettes and salmon sliders with fries. Very good options. The decor is very modern and sleek. I like that it wasn't too loud and you can have a decent conversation. Service outstanding. We were waited on by Cal or Kyle -- I didn't get the spelling of his name. read more

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Incredible experience! Quickly became one of my favorite spots in DC. The fact that Kinbird still only has 14 reviews baffles me, but don't let that stop you from paying them a visit. Here's why: A++ 5 Stars!! Design: If you like a beautifully designed restaurant, in a historic, very recently renovated building, your going to like Kingbird before you even walk down the steps. The design of the restaurant is awesome, right down to the Ron Arad furniture and carefully selected barware. The food: Do you like blue duck tavern? Well if you do, you'll probably like Kindbird. The food feels familiar in the best way. Ingredients scream quality, everything is cooked perfectly and brought out on time. Here's what we got: 1x Croquettes $16- A+ 1x Fricassee $16- A+ 1x Steak Tartare $16- Did'nt try it, hear it was killer 1x Grilled Octopus $14- A+ 2x Chicken and Waffles $34 each- A++ Awesome, would definitely order again 1x Halibut $34- A++ Wish we had ordered one more! 1x Burger $24- A- 1x Brussell Sprouts $9- A+ 1x Mushrooms $13- A+++ Maybe my favorite dish 2x Rittenhouse Rye Sazaracs $12 each 1x Sagamore Manhattan $19 each + 4 glasses of assorted wine . $16-$18 each The Service: Excellent! Charles was our waiter and couldn't have been more helpful! If you liked Blue Duck service, your going to get it here, since a ton of their staff came from the Park Hyatt...which is a good thing and will make you want to return...A++++ We couldn't have had a better experience. Will be back soon!! read more

Very disappointing pre-show brunch. We had a party of 4 with all of us ordering different entrees along with Bloody Marys and Sangria. The meals took about 25 minutes to arrive along with the drinks, even though we had ordered the drinks before the food. We found all four entrees, the Whiskey Burger, the Bolognese, the Short Rib Hash, and the Lump Crab Scrambled Eggs extremely mediocre and unfulfilling. The worst aspect were the drinks, which were watered down and far worse than I could have made myself. The Bloody Mary specifically seemed to taste of tomato juice with a drop of vodka, somehow costing 17 dollars each. Overall, for 160 dollars, we left hungry and underwhelmed. I have no intention of returning. read more

Summary: Incredible brunch. Beautiful space and impeccable service. For the price point, Kingbird beats most other brunches in DC by wide margins. Kingbird's bottomless deal ($17) is comparable to many other DC restaurants' brunch offering, but their drinks are FAR superior. The sangria is well flavored and not too sweet, and the bellini was strong but balanced. Our glasses were promptly refilled. While many other restaurants' bottomless brunch drinks are almost undrinkable, Kingbird seemed to use high quality ingredients in their cocktails. This made the $17 feel like an absolute steal. The complimentary bread is also delicious. I had the baby gem wedge ($12). It was beautifully presented and surprisingly delicious. I don't often order salad at brunch, but I have found myself craving this one since then. My brunchmates also enjoyed their dishes - the chicken and waffles ($24), crab benedict ($24), and baked eggs ($16) all received rave reviews. I also had the brown butter ice cream ($3) which was served with flaky, sugary butter cookies. It was absolutely divine - probably some of the best ice cream I have eaten in DC! I was told it was a seasonal flavor, but it really should be a permanent menu item because it is truly something special. The service was attentive and the drinks and food were well timed. I appreciated the efforts of the staff to make us feel special. read more

Meh. A party of six of us trusted Kingbird with our pre-Kennedy Center show on a busy Saturday evening. The ambience was loud and happening and not in a good way.. This ambience was reminiscent of an Outback Steakhouse and not...... the Watergate. After being seated, we were eventually Wine was ordered ("check").....15 minutes later.......still no wine...... The food was acceptable but not exceptional.... read more

Long story short: This tastefully designed restaurant benefits from its location (by the Potomac and in a hotel that has a STUNNING rooftop bar) as well as the Watergate's history. The food was good, not amazing, but the four of us were wowed by the drinks and desserts, which were designed/prepared perfectly. Note to management: The hostess with a terrible attitude who seated us during the evening of July 20 really gave the place a bad vibe from the beginning. Long story: Four of us went for dinner on a Saturday night (reserved on Open Table) and were promptly taken by the African-American hostess to a table in the middle of the restaurant. We asked to be seated in the booth right beside the table and she informed us it was for four people, not five, which we said was no problem as we could easily fit (and in the end, the fifth person did not show up anyway). The woman was visibly annoyed and rudely told us we would have to wait while the table was cleaned (it had already been cleared and just needed a wipe). My guests looked at me in wonderment after she scowled at us and gave us the cold shoulder from that point on. We were not in anyway demanding, and if we had known she would have turned on us if we made a request, we would have kept our mouths shut! Anything to have avoided her bad attitude, which surprised everyone and was a terrible first experience. The menu was simple, mediterranean cuisine that is on the pricier side but that's expected for a hotel restaurant (estimate around $115 per a person if you're going to get an appetizer+main+1 drink and share a dessert.) Our waitress, Mila, was nice and attentive. There wasn't a long wait between putting our orders in and getting the food. Our mains were good though not stunning or anything. What got oohs and ahhs were the drinks and desserts (beautiful presentation+delicious). You can do valet parking and pay $12+tip if you get the receipt redeemed at restaurant. What makes this experience special is the hotel's beautiful decor and the rooftop bar, which often lacks seating, but has a beautiful view even for a quick visit. read more

Kingbird - Perfect desserts. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Drinks were good. Kids menu ok. But it's 2020 so shocked to see lack of a single plant based option to be accommodate a vegan diner. Wow. Sad. read more

Kingbird - Kids menu - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Wonderful restaurant, Jason Gray was amazing helping us with our reservation. The shrimp was cooked to perfection and the popular pineapple was such a delicious drink. Will be coming back, very lovely! read more

Kingbird - Jeff Gray was so kind and helped us out with our reservation. The food was delicious. The shrimp was cooked to perfection. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I could not have been more disappointed with my experience at Kingbird. We arrived on time for a pre-theater reservation. There was another group that had walked in just ahead of us. Both groups stood at the front desk, which was unattended for over five minutes. The first group was finally greeted, someone took their coats and they were taken to their table. My boyfriend and I remained at the front desk. Five minutes later, the host returned-we gave him our name and, without even really acknowledging us, simply said "okay." Then turned and left us again. A waitress finally took note that we were standing there and she attempted to help - in the end, we were at the front desk for over 15 minutes. No one took our coats. When we were finally seated we order a bottle of wine and our meals (at this point hoping to not rush through eating in order make our show on time). The wine took over 20 minutes to arrive. Bread showed up around the same time but with no butter. Appetizers were average. Entrees were another story. My boyfriend ordered the NY Strip medium rare, I ordered the short rib. The steak was over cooked but still okay. The short rib however was completely inedible ... more like a slab of fat and gristle with a bit of meat - I could hardly cut into it. After sending it back (much to my embarrassment, I've never done that before), I encouraged my boyfriend to at least eat his meal... he was finished before mine came back (as a gentleman, he did share :) Dessert was also average at best. The creme brûlée and the cappuccinos were burnt and we had to rush through them. While our server seemed horrified by the issue with the meal, she also seemed stretched thin. Someone (not sure who, she didn't introduce herself) came over to ask what went wrong, but didn't really apologize. No part of the bill - $207 pre-tip was comped. We will not be back. read more

Excellent dinner that is within a few minutes of walking to the Kennedy Center. Definitely worth it if you have a show coming up around dinner time. Fried chicken and waffles was WONDERFUL. Selection of wine is great too. Service was lacking a little bit with my waiter, but I don't expect that's the usual case. I was a bit peeved when my waiter would say "I'll be right back," and then I would see him running back and forth from the kitchen to other tables 10 times before coming back to mine. I'll happily be back at Kingbird nonetheless. I'll bump the rating up if I get better service next time. read more

We made reservations for restaurant week several days out to ensure we had brunch plans. The night before we get a call from management letting us know they aren't honoring the deal tomorrow despite there being no indication otherwise. This is highly unprofessional and inconsiderate given that this means we now have less than 24 hours to find new reservations, all because of ignorant management that was too greedy to honor the deal they advertised. Are your margins that bad you can't honor the promotion you chose to participate in? You're going to waste the time of your staff to call all of your reserved guests to tell them you've changed your mind, instead of doing their job. Don't you think that's an inefficient use of your wage expense? You're going to get a lot of cancelations likely a much lower number of diners, which means far fewer upsells on drinks and other premium purchases. Did you analysis on the extra 20 dollars include this? I really can't wrap my head around just how inconsiderate it is to decide not to honor a promotion at the 11th hour. Will never dine here. Fiola Mare down the street or Blue Duck Tavern are both just fine premium experiences themselves. read more

I have been twice in the last two months - both times for an early dinner before shows at the Kennedy Center. I want so badly to like this restaurant...it's so convenient if you're going to the Kennedy Center, but service needs to be quicker. The food is excellent and the staff is perfectly pleasant, but it's almost as if they've never been trained. Both times we waited 20+ minutes at our table before we even got water; cocktails take forever; food arrives before drinks, entrees arrive before appetizers; you might want a second glass of wine, dessert or even coffee, but you pass because you're worried about how long it would take. I'll try again, but I hope service improves. read more

I came to Kingbird with friends as a treat before our Kennedy center concert of Handels Messiah. We got their late due to traffic. My friends called us to pre- order because we wouldn't have much time. We were ushered to the back of the restaurant which was kinda vacant, so the waiter rushed to confirm our orders and came back very quickly with our food. I had the sea bass. It came with wild mushrooms and Kale and a fizzy green sauce. I looked at the fish- they said pan seared it looked poached. Very white. No sear to be seen. The fish was just okay. My advice if u like Chilean sea bass is to not buy any other type of bass that doesn't say Chilean if u expect that thicker yummy flaky fish. I had wanted a dessert. No time. It took me 10 minutes to hail the waiter for a glass of wine. So. With wine my tab was $80 something for slightly cold tasteless fish and questionable service. And the portion was so small I left hungry. Not impressed. I do have to credit the waiter for rushing the food out. read more

World class all around From hello to goodbye a pleasant experience all around. The servers are wonderful and the wine was perfect. You have to try their special potato chips. This measures up to any five star world class restaurant out there. read more

Kingbird was great. We had Darko as our waiter. He took great care of us. We came here for restaurant week but only to figure out it's lunch only. He took care of us and provided exceptional service. read more

Deliciously delightful. We are staying at the watergate hotel for a mini-Babymoon and frequented this restaurant for in-room dining and brunch. The hotel offers a basic brunch for $25 or a full menu. I had the pancakes while my husband had the eggs. Both were delicious and had a beautiful display. The service was great and we went back several times. The only reason that I am giving 4 stars is the full menu is lacking any light items like a banana or oatmeal (and guests shouldn't have to pay an additional $25 if they order off the full menu as well). We didn't make a big fuss but it would have been nice. We will be back! read more

We went their on Sunday night, early evening as we were going to Kennedy center for a play. First impression is a slick décor, on the cold side. We were greeted by a host, with a professional welcome but as the décor not very warm. We had the Watergate Manhattan to start, and the presentation was flawless. We had the Tuna tartar for appetizers, really tasty. Cod fish and pasta for main course, two expensive dishes that leave you with regrets. it was amusing to see how our waiter was pissing off half of her tables by her lack of urgency and care. The busser (petite Latino girl) on the other hand was great. I am glad that I tried this restaurant but for the price, I was expecting more on the food and service. read more

Food is overrated and lacking seasoning. I was expecting it to be a lot better for the location. Service however was excellent!

Located inside The Watergate Hotel. The highly rated reviews were misleading. I came with high expectations only to be disappointed by the service and the food. Perhaps coming from Southern California has spoiled my tastes and expectations but I did not care for any of the items ordered. Scallops appetizer was sliced too thin, asparagus topped with proscuitto was nothing worthy to write home about and the caesar salad was not memorable. The trout entree was unappealing due to its soggy skin. If a fish dish is served with its skin on then the skin must be crispy not soggy which gives it that slimy texture and very off putting. The ragu bolognese pasta was mediocre and the whiskey cheese in the burger was too overpowering. Service by our waiter was a bit on the aloof side. The highlight to this dinner was visiting the exquisite restroom, lol. read more

I had a very disappointing afternoon tea at the Kingbird last Sunday afternoon. The portions were scant, there was no offer of milk or lemon for tea, I had to request Devonshire cream and jam for the scones, and worst of all -- no one replenished the tea pots with hot water so the tea went cold. I was also annoyed that, while the Kingbird used loose leaf tea, they did not provide strainers so everyone had tea leaves in their tea. The bread on the tea sandwiches was dry and, if you're taking youngsters, be warned that the sandwiches contained a little caviar and salmon roe. I expected a lot more for $55. Pretty location and nice Royal Albert China and the sweets (especially the mini pop tart) were good. read more

The food was ok - I ordered the lobster roll and the app was so unmemorable that I cannot even recall it after less than a week of visiting the restaurant. The lobster roll was one of the smallest lobster rolls I have ever ordered and it was also not the best i have had. I gave this restaurant 3 stars as opposed to 2, because the staff were exceptionally attentive! read more

Kingbird is my husband and I's favorite place to celebrate. We came here once on a whim and got the dry aged porterhouse to share. It was seriously so good that we dreamt about it and obviously have been back for it. One time there was a mix up with our reservation and the manager made sure to make it right and took care of us once the problem was fixed. We really appreciated that level of care. The mushrooms are also very good, mash potatoes are always a solid side, but when we ordered the foie gras we didn't care for it too much. It was a bit too sweet. Other than that everything we've had here was very good. We enjoy the atmosphere and service as well. read more

The view (on he roof) and service is what gets it three stars. We went for the Sunday tea which was bland and unexciting. Not worth the time. read more

Do not go pre-theatre. Its a disaster. We were there two hours before the show. We told them we were pre-theatre. First, the table wasn't ready for fifteen minutes (they said it would be 5), Then, when seated we told them that we were pre-theatre and had limited time. Nevertheless, the entrees showed up - at different times!!! - with the last one showing up fifteen minutes before showtime. We didn't have time for desert (and it was a pre-fix menu that included it)! While apologetic, the waitress was awful. She should have been attentive and pushed the kitchen. All told a terrible experience. The food seemed ok. But the AC wasn't great either. The only redeeming feature was that they comped us for the meal because they knew they screwed up. read more

It cost me $100 and 2 hours of my life that I'll never get back. This food in the so called Back Room was laughable. First they brought an amuse bouche on a wide rimmed bowl with dry ice coming out of the middle. The two nibbles fell in the hole filled with dry ice so that had to bring more. I got the 3 course prix fixe and started with escargot- no butter, no garlic, no flavor, but the Parmesan foam on top. The next unimpressive dish was the ribeye tip. It was the size of a postage stamp and didn't taste much better. There were pickled mushrooms and some other micro veggies served with It. The final course was supposed to be a Pear dessert, but we couldn't figure out where the pear was. The only edible item was the toasted gingerbread with foie gras peanut butter and some kind of jelly The portions are microscopic and certainly not worth the price. Tom Sietsema is cracked if he thought this was a good place. One of the worst I've been to in years. read more

We are staying at the Watergate for the 4th of July and dined at Kingbird while here. Bread and chips were brought out for starters and both were excellent. The gourmet potato chips were out of this world! I ordered the chicken and waffles and my husband ordered the short ribs. Neither will disappoint you. The service here was very attentive and we were well taken care of. We will definitely come back when we are wanting to dine somewhere really nice. read more

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Service was excellent! The charred avocado was exceptional. Really enjoyed the marinated skirt steak with broccoli and need to know what the other vegetable was. I cannot seem to figure it out, looks like cucumber but doesn't taste like one. Taste was perfect. Will be back read more

Incompetents. I went here for brunch with my sister - something we were both really looking forward to due to the nature of this restaurant, as well as the famous story of the hotel. We had secured our reservations for a Sunday brunch, and all seemed well until we arrived. Upon registration, we were essentially ignored for 10 minutes by the host, and when he finally paid attention to us (after we physically had to tell him to do his job and seat us) we waited another 15 minutes to be attended to by the wait staff. Finally, after we hailed a waitress to take our reservations things seemed well. They took their time despite the restaurant not being fully booked but we decided not to let that annoy us - as there were bottomless cocktails. The food was decent, but the bottomless cocktails were the highlight. Finally, the waitress comes to take our checks and after she had returned them she discovered she had made an error. Only she didn't actually make an error and she charged me TWICE for the brunch. Despite calling numerous times (over 10) no one at the front desk answers, no one at the restaurant answers, and I have no way to get back my $50 something on brunch. Don't go here. Go somewhere else with bottomless cocktails. If they can't do something as simple as take your order and charge you appropriately it's not worthwhile. Note: it's now been 3 weeks and they have yet to contact me or refund my money. Jerks. read more

My husband and I were visiting from the Bay Area and wanted to visit the Watergate Hotel and have dinner. We were overwhelmed with the quality of service, food, and ambiance. The restaurant is beautifully decorated. It has a unique style. Definitely a type of a place you should dress up to. The food was phenomenal. I had the perfectly medium rare lamb and my husband had the fried chicken. For the appetizer we got octopus (I wanted to order 3 more orders of that!). Cocktails are great as well. Should we be traveling back to DC, we are definitely coming back! read more

For dinner, around 6pm, I asked the host at Kingbird if we needed reservations and he stated that we would be able to get a seat without them so I opted to not put them in. His statement was that because of the weather, it doesn't seem to be that busy so we would have no problem getting a table for two in the next hour or so. We proceeded to the Whisky Bar in he Hotel and ordered a couple of cocktails which were tasty. Around 7pm, we decided to get some dinner and were as previously told, were seated immediately but in a very embarrassing fashion. The host brought my wife and I to the far back of the restaurant which appeared to be a closed-off section of the restaurant (red booth area where nobody was being sat). Next to our table was clearly another table being used for staff to fold napkins. Within minutes, we were getting odd stares and giggles from other staff members as they were trying to determine why we were back there. I immediately requested to get a table in the main restaurant area as the looks from others were quite embarrassing. Once they moved us to a "real" table, the host and a couple of servers, within a few feet of us, starting having a discussion as if there was disapproval of moving us to the new table in the main dining area. It was very awkward and off-putting. We managed to keep the table and there were several others tables that were open as well so I don't know what the fuss was about. We were soon greeted by the server who shared with us a special and he left so we would look at the menu. A few minutes later, he asked if we were ready to order. I ordered a Foie Gras appetizer and my wife, who wasn't feeling to well, told the server that she did not want any of the appetizers. The server insisted that "the menu is intended to be a three-course meal". She had to insist to him that she did not want an appetizer. I found his pushiness very unkind. On the server's third trip back, my wife was able to decide. Food arrived in a good amount of time. My wife ordered the scallop entree and she said it was great. The Foie Gras paste on brioche was tasty but had no foie gras flavor, just a creamy custard. On the other hand, my beef tenderloin entree was completely bland of flavor. It had 2 pieces of tenderloin already cut, each no bigger than my thumb, a mysterious green sauce that had very little taste, 4 small slivers of something pickled in vinegar and and 4 mini boiled potatoes that had no seasoning - that was it for $41! The meat was cooked to temperature but was definitely under-portioned, not even 4oz, was barely warm, had an odd flavor and was void of seasoning. I could have made that dish at home for less than $4 and it would have actually tasted a lot better! I was hungry so I chose to eat. We weren't checked upon for a good 10-15 minutes after the meal arrived. When the host came by, he asked us how things were, I explained to him that the dish had very little flavor; he offered to get me some salt and pepper! Most high-end restaurants that have an issue with food usually get a visit from the chef or a better response than that. There was a very nice lady on staff that recognized my wife had a cold and offered some tea with honey, that was the highlight of dinner. After the food was delivered; our server seemed missing-in-action for quite some time. A table seated next to us became very impatient as the server had to be hailed down by them as he kept over-looking their seating. In one hour I was so hungry from the tiny over-priced portion that I ordered a Dominos pizza and ate most of it. Customer service in the restaurant not very good at all and the food was "meh" for the price of it. I do not recommend. read more

I just had the most amazing brunch here today. From the moment I was greeted at the host stand my guest and I were made to feel incredibly special, and also right at home. Our server was warm and attentive, and went the extra mile to make sure we had everything we needed. The real star of the show, however, was the food and the chef, Drew, who took care of us. He provided table-side service for each dish and the presentation was beautiful, whimsical, and inspired. Everything tasted even better than it looked, and beyond that the food just made my guest and I feel good. Our experience at Kingbird brought a ray of light to a cold grey winter day. If you are looking for a delicious meal with an extra special touch, this is the place for you. I can't recommend it enough. read more

Came here for a birthday dinner. The design of the restaurant was truly amazing. The food was truly amazing, fresh and flavorful.