This is a very underrated restaurant on Yelp. I've been here at least a dozen times and have always had great meals.

My friends and I held our holiday party in the event space The space and service was fine. However, when we moved downstairs to the bar for a few late night drinks, it was a much different case. I had never experienced such rude and inconsiderate bar staff. We are all adults in our early to mid-30's, professionals who LITERALLY had beers taken out from our hands at 2:01am. It was extremely off-putting and completely unnecessary, borderline harassment. I would have expected a certain level of hospitality from a nicer establishment. Not to mention, our group having spent a substantial amount of money at the restaurant/bar that night. I understand the bar must end the night but the rudeness and harshness was on another level. I can sympathize with bar staff who have to deal with a rowdy, late night crowd but this wasn't the case - having members of our group sober and casually enjoying the company of friends. This is not some dive bar for college kids. I visited this restaurant a few times in the past, but I would never recommend to others after my recent experience. I wouldn't want my friends to be berated while enjoying expensive cocktails and beers. In the future, I will spend my money at a place who welcomes and treats their guests with respect. read more

I was telling fellow yelper Mikkela T when I came here that I honestly came in with lowered expectations, seeing as how they're part of the Liberty Tavern group, and am not a fan of their flagship restaurant. Lyon Hall totally redeemed them and fires on all cylinders. Truly one of the best dining experiences I've had this year! While previous reviews indicated this place is jumping, we arrived on a Tuesday around 6:30 and the atmosphere inside was totally tranquil. We were promptly and cheerfully seated by the hostess (this is a biggie for me, because so many restaurants seem to skimp on the quality of the host staff). Our server, Matt, gave us rocking service. He knew the menu down cold, and didn't miss a beat when Mikkela and I quizzed him on seemingly every item on the menu. Taste, portion size, ingredients, he knew everything without pausing once or having to check with the kitchen. He was truly a server who was able to skillfully guide his customers through the menu and make recommendations based on both his preferences and ours without trying to push the specials or something the kitchen was trying to get rid of. He was totally on the ball, quick with the beer refills, and was able to space out the sequence of drinks/apps/main course/dessert without us once feeling rushed. I started out with a New Holland Kolsch and opted for an appetizer of blood pudding, which was essentially a salad of yummy, spongy blood pudding mixed with greens, croutons, and a very lightly fried egg. These ingredients may seem random, but trust me when I say they complemented each other famously. To the point where I cleared my plate, which I *never* do with salad (outside of clearing the plate into the garbage disposal)! I also had one of Mikkela's duck fat fries, and those suckers were huge! And quite tasty. For my main course, I chose the Hungarian lamb sausage, which had a nicely spicy kick to it, and was served with a goulash that included savory chunks of lamb shoulder with it. Absolutely incredible, and the portion size, paired with an appetizer, was just right (and I'd recommend that if you're feeling more than just moderately hungry, definitely go with an appetizer to start out)! Mikkela opted for the veal with potato pancake and spaetzle. For dessert, I opted for a French press coffee and a few bites of Mikkela's ice cream flight: small scoops of three of the ice creams of your choice (which, for Mikkela's choices, were Earl Grey Chocolate, Smoked Vanilla, and Passion Fruit). You'd think that Earl Grey Tea and chocolate would be a foul, unholy combination created on the darkest of nights in a mad scientist's laboratory, but the kitchen made it work (their ice creams and sausages are all made in-house). The menu does appear to be seasonal, as I went to go check out their menu for descriptions of the food I had tonight, but they weren't listed on the menu on their website--I'd say about 75 percent of what's on their online menu was available while we went. So if you're looking for a restaurant that likes to change up their menu a bit, but still keep some classics on hand, you're in luck. And while they do claim to be a French restaurant, there's a definite Central European (German, Polish, Hungarian) influence. The verdict: this one's an easy recommendation and will most certainly warrant a repeat visit or three. I can't think of one single negative whatsoever, and whether you have a hot date, friends coming in from out of town, the in-laws dropping by for a visit, whatever, there will definitely be something for everyone to enjoy, from the adventurous (blood sausage) to the mundane (burgers). And the beer selection is top notch to boot! read more

Lyon Hall is located about two blocks from the Clarendon metro station. I have been here many times, since Lyon Hall first opened a couple of years ago. It is the same owner as the nearby Liberty Tavern, which I also like. As you may know I love French and Continental cuisine. Lyon Hall is a bustling brasserie in the Clarendon neighborhood of Arlington, VA. Clarendon is my favorite area in NoVA. They serve classic French brasserie and old style German cuisine, featuring mostly locally sourced produce, fish, and meats. Lyon Hall prepares their own baked bread, house-cured charcuterie, and handcrafted cheeses on a daily basis. They offer 23 draft beers including some of my favorites and over 50 brands of beer in bottles. In the warmer summer months you can eat outside curbside, but, that was not the case today due to the fall cool temps and prior rain. My original dinner party of 6 had a reservation at 7:30, but, since my Delta flight was delayed from JFK I postponed my reservation from 7:30 to 8:30. Big mistake. All said I was able to arrive to Lyon Hall at my original reservation time of 7:30. Most of my party also arrived by 7:45, but, now we had to wait a good 45 minutes for our table to be available. I kept on checking with the front attendant. Finally our table was available downstairs (my favorite prime area adjacent to the bar area) a little after 8:30. Because of our circumstances the manager arranged their famous much adored home made pretzels with assorted sauces including my favorite mustard sauce. I had previously looked online at the dinner menu. I had my heart set on their Lobster Tagliatelle with sauce américaine, grilled fennel, tarragon for only $25, but, it was not on tonights dinner menu. Disappointment. So I settled on their less costly seared diver scallops with petite lentils, swiss chard, smoked vanilla bean, preserved lemon sauce for only $23. The four scallops were excellent, but, I wish I had two more or a total of six. Well so much for only $23. I walked away unsatisfied, but, healthy. Lyon Hall service is above average as usual. Tonight was no different. Our birthday girl was the only one to order dessert. Some of the rest ordered after dinner drinks. We were all happy with our dinners. I will return despite some minor imperfections. You get what you pay for. read more

3.5 stars... for now. This place is interesting. A new modern Frech restaurant in the middle of Clarendon that offers a completely unique menu of in-house made food that includes fresh bread, hors d'oeuvres, charcuterie, sausages, and a number of entrees. I had the mussels frittes for appetizer, which was incredibly fresh and flavorful and the pork schnitzel, which was equally good. The food here completely blew my expecations out of the water so I plan on coming back. To be honest, I'm thinking this place is too good to be true. read more

Oh, date night, how I love thee. I finally got to try out Lyon Hall during a Friday night outing with my guy, and had a really good time. The place is quite the hot spot, and I'm sure had we attempted to eat dinner earlier than, er, 9 PM (heh), we would've been waiting for a table. As it stood, we were whisked into a little two-person table in the corner by the entrance right away. Lyon Hall is dimly lit, and obviously quite the nighttime hotspot, as during our dinner the vibe seemed to switch from couples in various stages of their dating timeline (there was everything from obvious first dates to old fogeys on their phones... like us, haha) to party central. The food is a combination of French and German cuisine with lots of American flair -- "Alsatian", in other words, but not like the dog. Like the place. That being said, I think that I WANTED to love the food at Lyon Hall a lot more than I did (I still liked it, I just wasn't head over heels for it), having spent time living in Europe (and my boyfriend having lived in Germany for several years). It was all very good, just pricey, and not as authentic as I was hoping, I guess? We started with a cheese board, with 2 of Lyon Hall's house-made cheeses and an imported cheddar. It. Was. AWESOME. Definitely go for the chevre -- it's spreadable and smooth and just a little bit tangy... mmm. My mouth is still watering thinking about it. We also wanted to try the soft pretzels (Yelp has a check-in offer for them, even!) but -- get this. They were OUT OF PRETZELS. I very nearly cried. The waitress was apologetic, but I just couldn't believe that they ran out of one of the items they're most known for! Le sigh. Anyway, onto the entrees -- I got the steak frites, which was cooked amazingly and came with a mountain of fries that bordered on the ridonkulous. They came with 3 dipping sauces -- ketchup, a garlic aioli, and a bernaise sauce, that were delicious too. The manfriend got the pork schnitzel cordon bleu, which was very innovative but unfortunately not all too impressive on the flavor spectrum. It mostly tasted of ham and the pork was so thin that all it provided was crunch in the bites he gave me. The herb spaetzle they came with had the opposite issue -- the flavor was great, but they were a little overcooked, and thus ended up being sorta mushy. He was also less impressed with the German beers available on tap, but I just loved that they had cider on tap. Loooove my cider. :) We ended the night with the kruellers for dessert, having read so many amazing things about the donuts that Lyon Hall serves at brunch. They were awesome -- light and sweet and yumtastic. All in all, it was a good meal. My boyfriend didn't love his dish, but mine was great and I still can't get over those cheeses. The service was quite good too -- they packaged up my leftovers very nicely with extra bernaise sauce and in a much nicer take-home container than your average foam folding box. The location makes parking a wee bit tricksy, but they do have a $5 valet service available, so there's that. I was still super bummed about not getting to try the soft pretzels, but I guess it just means I'll have to go back someday! read more

Most of the glowing reviews for Lyon Hall compliment this member of the Clarendon quasi-monopoly trifecta (as Liberty Tavern, Northside Social and Lyon Hall are all the same business), saying it's a bargain for the quality beating most everything else in Clarendon. Well, it's all a matter of perspective. That's surely how the empire sees things, because it's possible they could hike prices higher and still get the same noisy crowds with few empty tables at peak hours. But the other perspective is, they're kinda cheap. Case in point, at brunch this past weekend, the server (who was just doing his job, probably following orders) offered me coffee to start, but clarified up-front that a French press is $7, while an individual cup of their (I say, "simple") brewed coffee is $3.50. I chose the cup, but what made me laugh is that Lyon Hall charges $3.50 for each cup of coffee, including any refill. I mean, simple brewed coffee -- not individually prepared espresso-based drinks. For a server to swing by a table and refill coffee at Sunday brunch is basically a timeless brunch tradition -- it goes with the institution. At any brunch like this, I'll be dropping at least $20 anyway, so coffee is (and always has been) just an accoutrement for the overall meal, that happens to cost the restaurant very, very little to prepare. This sort of "policy" turns a friendly neighborhood restaurant into a sneaky corporation, equalling under-the-radar opportunism. Until there was Yelp. Oh, it got worse. The only omelette on their lunch menu was vegetarian, so I simply inquired whether a few thin slices of sausage OR ham could be mixed into the omelette. The server matter-of-factly said, "it'll just be like ordering a side of sausage, or of ham," and just proceeded to jot the order down. Before moving on, I asked where is that side on the menu -- and he pointed to a $6.95 appetizer. My comment was, "So, a few slices of ham will be $7?" Again, matter-of-factly: "Yes." Really now, Lyon Hall. Who's being cheap? You're swimming in dough by now; your trifecta restaurant empire is a huge success. Stop this panhandling; now you can make an honest living. read more

A friend of mine asked to come here based on my last picture I posted of the pot of mussels. I swear I'm a mussel addict. The same could be said for those men that have bulging muscles, oh sorry I'm daydreaming right now....back to my experience. The first time I came, I had the beet salad and the Vin Blanc mussels (garlic, creme fraiche and parsley). The mussel price for lunch was $10.00, what a steal in my book! It was like a endless pot of mussels that I felt like I could have drowned in them. I truly believe every restaurant that serves mussels needs to offer a pasta add-on, so that as you are finished, the broth is made to good use. I can't tell you the number of times that I've wanted to just request some pasta on the side to make my own pasta a la mussel dish. The second time I came here on a Saturday, my friend and I shared the Normandie mussels (blue cheese, apple, cider, creme and parsley). I got the Eggs Benedict with spinach on a croissant! This was the best combination of a benedict due to the flaky croissant etc. My friend got the regular benedict with ham and thoroughly enjoyed hers as well. I think it may have been the butter from the croissant that I could taste when I first bit into it. Whatever the case may be, it was delicious. I mean, who would have thunk it? Replacing the normal english muffin with a croissant. Bravo to the person that changed this up. So happy to have experienced this:) At the end of our meal, my friend and I ordered the donuts as a dessert because a plate came whizzing by our faces for the table next to ours. I always believe you have to read the signs and the sign was telling us to go ahead and order the donuts. All because the presentation was just too appealing to resist. So, the four donuts we received were, apple, maple, and I really can't remember the rest of them, but overall, a happy ending to a great brunch. Overall , Lyon Hall is a great place for some mussels, and their brunch and in particular their benedict and their donuts. I'll definitely be back to try the famous pretzel and other items as well. read more

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Just had brunch here today. What a waste of time and money. The service was mediocre at best... I ordered the short-rib potato hash and it had about a teaspoon of meat in it... And for 14.95 This place is VERY overrated. To summarize my experience: not worth your time. read more

I've been to the bar here--alone and with friends (on separate occasions, I'm not that confused), and I had dinner for my birthday with a few friends. I really like Lyon Hall. I think the service is first-rate. The bartenders, servers etc seem "empowered" if you know what I mean. They're not being pushed around by some dumb management--you know what I mean, you can tell. They enjoy the job. They like giving recommendations, etc. For my bday, we asked for wine recs. The sommelier or manager came over and spent some quality time with us. We tried a few wines, and selected his favorite. Excellent. They make their own sausage, which I'd had at the bar. It is good. I had the chicken and really liked that. I would love to go on Coq au Vin night to check that out. On my bday night, it was a Saturday and there was a DJ who came on at 10 or so? Maybe 9. Anyway, I liked the music a lot and there was a good vibe in the place. One note of caution: the stools are pretty unstable. One man fell off twice, and he didn't seem all that drunk. He split his jeans but my friend wouldn't let me go over and tell him! read more

The ambiance is nice. That's about the only good thing I can say about this place after my first experience. The service is pretty awful. Friendly but incredibly inattentive. We waited about 20 minutes to pay for our 3pm lunch in an empty restaurant. I know how it goes, you're slow, so you hang in the back and talk with your co-workers. But you still have a couple tables, so come out every 5 or 10 minutes. That's your job. Our food was mostly bad. Worst frankfurter I've ever had. It was drier than a scorched desert. The bun and the potato salad we the only things I enjoyed. Found a hair in the potato salad though... My boyfriend got the steak frites, medium rare. Over cooked frites, steak well done. They took it back to re-do, and assured us in 5 minutes he'd have food. 15 minutes later he had a medium rare steak, which was okay, but not great. For our inconvenience, we were comped 1/4 of our bill. Sounds reasonable, but that $6.36 amounts to less than half of the $16.50 we paid for the steak. It took us over an hour to eat lunch at 2pm on a Tuesday afternoon, with only one other table seated in the restaurant and plenty of staff. We won't be back. read more

Good selection of libations Brunch in the NoVa/DC area means more than just eating breakfast for lunch. It can be a weekend event. Pace can be slower, and people enjoy their meals. Restaurants cater to the weekend brunch crowd, and will often extend their brunch menu through lunch and much of the afternoon. Such was the case when we went to Lyon Hall for brunch at almost 2 in the afternoon. Not an excuse, just setting the scene. It was a beautiful afternoon when we came to Lyon Hall. We came to celebrate my friend graduating, and figured brunch was always a good reason to get together. We all ordered a round of drinks. Lyon Hall has a variety of cocktails as well as a decent amount of beers on tap. Manmosas, beermosas, and regular mimosas were ordered by the group. I decided on a mimosa (figured I should keep it classy lol). The bar area at Lyon Hall was probably one of my favorite parts of the whole place. I like how they have a mirrored wall which adds to the space. The counter space at the bar is marble and has a very classic feel. We ordered donuts for the table so we could all try them. They brought out 4 different types, a coffee, berry, and two others that I can't remember. For actual food, I ordered the Lyon Hall Burger, my fiance ordered the french toast. Our food was good. Decent sized portions, good flavors. No complaints here. My burger came out to my liking and with the brioche bun, I was a happy girl. read more

Overall, Francais/Belgique viva Alsatian food vibe, sausages, mussels, etc. Welshie and I went for restaurant week. The ambiance is awesome--nice and dark even if you are a little close to other diners. Good music too. The price point at Lyon Hall is great. As is the case with many RW offerings, you're basically getting a free dessert out of the deal. To reap the reward of the prixe fixe here, you need to order the most expensive thing in each category. Welshie went for it and I opted for the $10 Lyon Burger. My burger was (and I never use this word) moist and flavorful, set off by Chimay cheese and a house-baked bun. Delish. The regular fries were a little over-spiced for my liking, but do a fat move and dip them in the butter that comes with the bread at the start of the meal and you'll be fine. Welshie's duck-fat fries were phenomenal. He ordered the steak and frittes as well as the mussles (moules mariniere), which swam in a tantalizingly tasty broth. Profiteroles for dessert. A bit small, but so chocolaty that the paltry portion size was quickly forgotten. I'm not a beer snob/pro, but the beer selection was ossum, and you can get big goblets of Wittekerke for $4. Needless to say I got hammered. The goblet of Wittekerke will hypnotize ya, the combo of the fishbowl glass, golden liquid and my obnoxious drunken laugh had the other diners around us ordering their own glasses pronto. This is a definite neighborhood gem. After being converted to Liberty Tavern brunch by the lovely Tina R., I'm a fan of this eatery family all around. I'll be back, no doubt about it. read more

Wow. This place rocks. It was busy when I went in on a Friday night, dining solo as usual but managed to snag a table. I was looking for something I might not order at home and the server suggested that I try one of their tartare dishes. They have two, one made with filet mignon and the other is done with ahi tuna. I went with the steak tartare which was perfectly done with just enough spices to still let the flavor of the beef shine. A small quail egg crowned the top and it came is thin rosemary crisps. For an entrée I chose the half platter of sausages. Don't let the word "half" fool you. There was more than enough to eat on this platter of assorted sausages and wurst. They have an impressive selection of beers on draft and some nice wines on their list as well. I had to roll myself out the door after dinner. Service was very attentive. read more

Lyon Hall - Steak tartare - Brasseries Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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What a complete disaster! What started out to be a lovely birthday celebration of 12 ended up being a complete and total disaster because of the manager you had on duty last night! It was without a doubt the worst 800.00 I have ever spent! Sue Rasmus Director of Social Networking- Rasmus Auctioneers read more

Our friends asked us to meet here for dinner one night last weekend. We had had a full day, so we each grabbed a shirt and some jeans, threw them on and headed to Clarendon. As we were walking up to Lyon Hall we looked at each other. The outside looks very 40's, and a wee bit fancy. "Are we dressed appropriately for this place?" was the collective thought. We headed in and a wave of relief set over us, casual clothing everywhere. We had a drink w/ our friends at their bar before being seated. As a beer girl, Im excited to come back here. They have some great German/Belgian brews as well as some local craft taps. The taps specials are written on a large chalkboard that watches over the bar area. The actual bar area was packed, so it felt smaller than it was and our bartender was great. The hostess found us and escorted us through the restaurant to our table upstairs. Our waiter was good, though he would leave our table mid order (to be fair I think he was managing the 2nd floor by himself). We ordered a pretzel for the table, and its good we only ordered one. Theyre huge! I loved the mustard and honey mustard butter that it came w/. The cheesy guys at our table only let me get a small taste of the fondue it also came w/, delish. My husband ordered their Lyon burger w/ bacon. He seemed to enjoy it well enough, but he kept commenting that their fries were awesome. I went more traditional w/ the brat. It came split on top of a potato puree w/ napa cabbage and lingonberry. This was one of the best brats ive had outside of a bun. It was sweet and cooked just perfectly. And the creaminess of the potatoes, bitterness of the cabbage and sweetness of the berries was the perfect accompaniment. Their prices are fairly reasonable, especially for the portion size. We'll definitely be coming here again, possibly for one of their upcoming beer dinners. read more

Lyon Hall - Delicious bratness - Brasseries Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

3.25 stars. I've only had two renditions of poached egg based dishes here. The construction of the dishes seems a bit routine; there is no matching different flavor profiles with different breads. For example, my order consisted of poached eggs with lobster, bacon and spinach and the bread base was the exact same as a poached egg dish with squash, a tart hollandaise sauce, and spinach. While there isn't anything necessarily wrong with that, it just seemed to work a whole lot better in the latter dish than the former. At least two different sauce bases were used with the aforementioned hollandaise the clear winner over the cream-based sauce used for the lobster poached eggs dish. It is probably obvious by now that I like the squash based poached eggs dish quite a bit more than its lobster counterpart. For one, the flavor profiles matched. I know people say bacon makes everything taste better, and I generally agree with that, but bacon, lobster, cream sauce, and spinach over eggs did not work. It seemed like two recipes were combined, and much like you wouldn't want to eat a peanut butter jelly and cheese sandwich, you probably wouldn't want to combine these very different breakfast dishes. On the other hand, the squash based dish was remarkable. The hollandaise had an appropriate level of a lemon kick that complemented the tender squash. The runny yolk softened the bread, and the combination of all of the flavor matched. I'd definitely order this dish again. With a range of culinary options that I just started to sample and an interesting bar scene to boot, it is quite possible I would return to Lyon Hall. read more

Nice atmosphere. Very comfortable and calm and classy. The service has been tremendous both times I've been here. My friend and I each gave a resounding 25% tip the last time we were here - our server knew everything there was to know not only about the food selections but also the beers available. She was fantastic and we let the manager know it on our way out. Extensive beer menu. For any restaurant, this is an instant foot-in-the-door to my lovefest. The food here isn't so much "French" as it is "European" as it features food items typical to not only France but Germany and the UK as well. The tartine of snails and the steak tartar were pretty good. (But if you want amazing steak tartar, you need to go to Bistro La Bonne in DC.) Last time I was there I had the black pudding salad appetizer. It was really quite good, although probably too big to be a true appetizer. The pork schnitzel is really tasty! I never would have normally ordered it, but the waitress recommended it and I was rewarded with a great dish! I guess I just hadn't had the best schnitzel in my adventures in Austria and Germany. Sorry schnitz - didn't mean to stereotype! My friend loved his filet mignon, and my other friend demolished his ribeye. Next time I go I think I'm going to have to get that ribeye - it looked great, an awesome cut of meat, and the French fries cooked in duck fat are so good you'll wonder why everything isn't fried in duck fat (it's because most ducks do P90X). My last time there I had the rabbit confit stroganoff. This dish was okay... not so full of flavor, however. The rabbit was completely boneless and tender, but maybe it needed a sauce with some more kick because the rabbit itself wasn't strong enough to give the dish much personality. Entirely too many egg noodles too, which seemed to dilute the dish. However I did find it hilarious that they put little tiny carrots in with it. What's up, doc? Nothing, because I'm eating you and your stupid carrot NOM NOM NOM. They have a great list of sausages too. I'm itching to sample a few of them. I KNOW, I OPENED MYSELF UP TO IT. Go! Go on! Joke away! I also need to go back to sample their cheese tray. Yum. All things considered... check this place out. It's repeat-visit-able. And isn't that what you really want to know? If a place is good enough to be repeat-visit-able? Well I've spelled it out for you. It is. You're welcome. read more

Many of the food items are quite decent and reasonable. Their beer and wine lists are good. I was expecting a somewhat classy feel to it, but with close to 100 guests spilling out of the bar area yelling at each other, it was far from class. The wait staff were pretty overwhelmed. And all the clams that we had were very sandy-- a big letdown. I would give this place another shot when they have passed the initial chaos. read more

Oh, I just died in your arms tonight It must've been something you fed (me). Okay, while the Cutting Crew may not have written those exact words, I'm pretty sure I might have died and gone to heaven last night after the AMAZING dining experience I had at Lyon Hall. There is something exciting going on in the Clarendon dining scene and ironically, you can find it across the street from Mister Days. The space is large and airy, but not overwhelming. Big picture windows put you right in the action on the bustling street outside. If you can't find something on the beer, wine or cocktail list to tickle your fancy, then you should become a teetotaler, because, really? The drink offerings are vast and varied. The menu runs the gamut of traditional French/Austrian fare, without being heavy or staid. And, Dr. Granville Moore's might want to watch out, there's a new kid on the block serving up inspired preparations of mussels - I went the spring garlic, english peas, fontina cheese in a lemony broth route while my companion had the daily special preparation - summer squash, pecorino cheese, and olives! Save room for dessert, of course! My recommendation would be the banana tarte tatin! And, if you need to use the restrooms, be prepared for an interesting and creative surprise. Last, but not least was the service. Do yourself a favor and find Jack's section. Service was well-paced, polite and solicitous, without being overbearing. Jack even made sure to ask us if we would like some extra bread to dip in our delicious mussel broth - that's always a win in my book. And, he didn't blink an eye when I managed to get spaetzle all over the table. Don't ask. All in all, have I raved enough? read more

Lyon Hall - I was hearing my friend calling it as 'Lion Hall', even though I walked right past it I didnt think that was the place she was talking about. It was funny. It was a more upscale bar like Liberty Tavern and the crowd was similar. It was not as crowded so we were able to a table. There was a red headed DJ who was spinning music up on a console, it's not my scene but it's nice place to hang out. read more

I like this place. I like the decor. It's like French-subway-chic. Or something. My husband took me here for a late Mother's Day brunch. We had to stop by the Pacers store nearby, but baby needed to eat first. We were greeted by the host, who seemed a bit frazzled but helped us fairly quickly. We got one of the last tables outside on a gorgeous day, so that was an instant score. The host promised we'd be taken good care of - and he didn't lie. Our waiter (I wish I had gotten his name) ended up being pretty great. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I knew from a quick glance at the reviews that I wanted to try the donuts. Homemade donuts? Mmmm. So we ordered a plate of those and some fries (we were hungry!). The waiter came back a few minutes later and said they had sold out of the donuts. I was sad, but had a back-up plan: the Muesli. Our starters came out fairly quickly - and then the waiter showed up with a plate of two donuts. He had checked the kitchen and there were two left! So, he brought them to us, free of charge, making us the envy of many tables around us. The donuts - YUM! There was a fairly plain donut, with powdered sugar. Yummy, fluffy, soft; can't go too wrong. But the star was the square donut with orange icing. Triple yum! It was soft and chewy with a great, light orange flavor. I could have just had a few of those and been satisfied. The Muesli - Again, YUM! The granola with the honey-drizzled yogurt was just the right light touch. I would have stuck to just berries for the fruit on the side; I feel like that would have been a better mix than fruit salad. But, I like fruit and ate it up just the same. The fries were good, but after the Muesli and the donuts they fail to stick out in my mind. For my main breakfast I tried to order the waffles, but they were also sold out of those. Another back-up plan: the mushroom omelette. I'm sure the waiter felt bad telling a pregnant woman "no" twice - which is why I think he put in the extra effort and brought us the donuts. Heads up - the omelette was HUGE. There must have been 4 eggs to that thing. The mushrooms on top were flavored well - maybe a bit of balsamic? - but I didn't get that same flavor with the mushrooms in the omelette. I also ordered a side of lamb sausage (I need a ridiculous amount of protein these days). My husband really dug it. I thought it was good, but there was some spice I didn't quite like - but I couldn't put my finger on it. Also - just a trippy note. I was NOT expecting to see my husband's face when I came out of the bathroom stall and walked over to the sink (because there's no mirror but the two sides of the room are mirror-image). Very cool, surprising design. Overall, I left happy with the service, mostly happy with the food and with a very full belly. read more

We ate at Lyon three months ago, so I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing that it's taken me so long to write a review. I suppose the benefit of doing so is my memories are stripped down to the barest details of things worth remembering. There's probably a joke about prom night in there somewhere, but I'm too lazy to find it. Anyway, what I do remember about Lyon is that overall the experience was extremely pleasurable with only a few minor issues that I would like addressed the second time. (Hey, maybe the prom joke just made itself!) So lets see what I can remember here... The hostess had us wait at the door for our party instead of suggesting the bar. The waitress was cool when she wasn't snort-laughing with friends at the next table. The Charcuterie was yummy, but the waitress explained them incorrectly. The Steak Tartar was awesome and reminded me of France last summer. The Duck Fat Fries were just plain okay. The mussels were good, but not great. The Bratwurst Kaiserkrainer was as delicious as it was hard to say. The Creamy Herb Spaetzle was the best thing of the meal. The beer menu looked great, but I sadly didn't sample it for personal reasons. Giggity. read more

I went here for my birthday dinner this year, and I was glad I did. The pork schnitzel was amazing, and the frites were nice and crisp. The beer menu is extensive, and they offer a dollar off their "Session" beers during happy hour. That means you can get a BIG goblet of Grolsch for 3 dollars. The atmosphere was great too, very modern, but not cold. The bathrooms have a euro vibe in that the mens and womens sinks face and are open to each other---a great way to check on a potential mates hygiene. Very glad to have this place in my neighborhood now. read more

The atmosphere of this place is fantastic! Easy to get to, and it's easy to find a parking spot in the residential areas. I've been here for dinner and for happy hour. The dinner was alright - the waitress was super nice. She gave us any tasting of wine we wanted before we actually ordered a glass. The entree options weren't too expansive, but I enjoyed the scallops. The veggie pasta was good as well as the sea bream, but both were nothing special. They weren't worth the price. For happy hour, the deals are great. I got the soft pretzel which was HUGE! The mustards it came with were delicious. The drink specials were good too. I got the house special for $5 which was worth it (it has ginger beer, vodka, etc.). People ordered the burger which got positive reviews. Apparently the mussels are absolutely fantastic as well. Bottom line: this place is good for large groups at happy hour. The outside patio area is nice as well. Go for happy hour! It's from 3pm to 7pm. read more

My review is purely on the food. The food is not so good. Spend your money else where. Atmosphere: Loud. Good for the date you are unsure of, the noise can help fill in awkward silences. Scene: young professionals that wanna be seen and possibly meet other singles. We went Friday night at 8pm and the bar area was packed! There are high top tables where you can sit and order food too. Everyone was all dressed up, girls in hooch gear. Interestingness: the bathrooms in basement has no wall in between men and womens sink area.you can talk and flirt all night long and maybe jump the wall if you get wild enough. Decor: modern trendy pub feel Price: average to high for dc area. They have half and full order price entrees $17/28. Stuff like that. Service: staff seem friendly. The server We had was nice. He looked like Matt Damon. Food: we ordered 2 appetizers, 1 soup, 1salad, and 5 entrees for four people. Hot items arrived cold for every course. Also food itself was less than mediocre in terms of flavor. Mix green salad was good. Squash soup was super bland. Our friends raved about mussles here, it arrived cold and broth was bland. I had one mussle. Entrees ordered were: rib eye, pork chop, veal chop, scallops, and gnocci. The descriptions sound really good but don't let it fool you! Parking: there is street parking nearby, we had good luck finding a spot behind the restaurant. Our friends didn't want to make a big deal to the server about the food because it's not his fault. We just won't go back. Try it for yourself of course, you might have better luck! Recommendation: go to restaurant 3 or blvd wood grill instead. read more

I visited here for brunch with some friends, and the food was decent enough but service was pretty mediocre. Our large group was able to get a last minute reservation, which was appreciated. We did get seated right away and our drink orders were taken fairly quickly, but it then took forever to get our drinks and put in our food orders. I just ordered coffee instead of any mimosas, and it still was incredibly slow for something a restaurant should have readily available during the brunch rush. They were also slow to bring out all of the entrees, and several people had to wait on their meals after most of us had been served. I had their "French" version of avocado toast, which was avocado on a croissant with a poached egg. It wasn't bad, but it was certainly lacking in any "je ne sais quoi". My friends all seemed to enjoy what they ordered though, so perhaps I just ordered the wrong thing. Our favorite from the whole meal though probably was the fresh basket of bread and butter they brought out before the meal- it was much more delicious than the croissant in my dish. The price of brunch here a little expensive, and I'm not sure it's worth it for what you get with both service and quality. There are definitely other much nicer brunch places in Clarendon with comparable prices and better service. read more

Excellent HH menu including soft pretzel bread with spiced mustard, tasty frites,and a homemade frankfurter with shortrib meat that I understand even appeals to those who aren't hot dog fans. They have beer specials and a laid back vibe that makes this a perfect place for a HH after work. read more

True story: We came to Lyon Hall on a Friday in October. It was crowded, but I noticed that there were four empty tables on the Washington Blvd (aka the forgotten) side of the restaurant. It was a pleasantly warm night, so I walked up to the hostess stand and asked for a table for four outside. "It's going to be about a 30 minute wait." (I look over my shoulder, out the windows, at the four empty tables) "Are you sure?" "AT LEAST 30 minutes." Interesting. We're good sports, so we made our way over to the packed bar and started thinking about those empty tables. Watching them as they continued to sit, lonely and diner-less. Wondering, who were those tables saved for? After 20 minutes, I again approached the hostess, and again asked, "Do you have any open tables outside?" (Dead stare) "No, sorry. It's going to be a few more minutes". As the minutes ticked by, our guesses about who was coming to Lyon Hall became more grandiose - was it a politician? Local celebrity? Tom Keirein? Surely it must be someone important, because they just sat there... empty. For 30 minutes. After two glasses of wine, I decided enough was enough, and went back up to hostess stand. Same hostess. "Hi, are you seriously not going to let us sit at those empty tables out there?" (Dead stare... looks outside.) "Oh... okay." (Hands us menus, seats us at the empty table with a smile, like I didn't just lose 30 precious minutes of my life because of her). And that was that. WORST. HOSTESS. EVER. Food was okay though, so whatever. 2 stars. read more

Lyon Hall is a French inspired bar that compliments its ethnicity with its menu and draft choices. Unfortunately for them I'm American and enjoy wings and bloody steaks instead of wine and snails. The crowd is a bit older compared to other spots in Clarendon but they do have a substantial beer menu. read more

Came here for brunch this past weekend with friends. I ordered the steak tartare and it was very tasty. It was a bit on the salty side with the rosemary crackers, but they provided a nice crunch and the sauce really elevated the taste of it. I also got a side salad--nothing super exciting but not expensive either. One of my friends was fairly disappointed by her schnitzel--it was basically falling apart and hard to eat and she said it had been better previously. There also seemed to be a lot of confusion over who our server was. For one of my friends to wait over 15 minutes for coffee seems like a pretty big brunch faux pas. read more

I had a delicious dinner here with friends! We shared a number of things: pretzels, brussels sprouts, a mussel pot, french fries, and I got a french onion soup. All was delicious. It was fun to try all the dipping sauces for the pretzel! They also had a great wine list. I can definitely understand why it's one of my friends' favorite restaurants! read more

Lyon Hall is my go-to in Clarendon. It never disappointing and we can typically get a table without waiting more than 15 mins. First things first. THE HAPPY HOUR. It goes from 3-7pm and is the best in the area. $5 decent wine, $5 signature cocktail (SJF=moscow mule), and $6 pretzel! Plus other food deals. The pretzel comes with mustards and this amazing cheesey sauce that I also order on the side of my fries. It's addictive. Dinner: The free bread at the start is extremely tasty and the salty butter is lovely. I love the burger and the fries are crispy and awesome. The veggie sides are always good. Mussels are good I always like whatever the seasonal gratin (because cheese) Brunch: I typically order a side of scrambled eggs, a croissant, and sauteed spinach. All done very well! There is also a lovely ambiance. The space is designed well and feels romantic, not too loud even when it's crowded. The restroom is also pretty cool. In the summer, sitting outside is the best. They have nice umbrellas and shady spots and the people watching is great. read more

I got food poisoning from the mussels here on 1/11/2015. I was very sick for about a day. Please make sure your food is completely cooked. I want to leave an objective review, but food poisoning makes me pretty biased. read more

I really liked the food and drinks at Lyon Hall, but the sardine-like seating arrangement makes me wonder how often I'll really feel motivated to go back. We had a reservation at 7pm on Saturday night, and we were seated immediately when we arrived. I asked the waiter for a drink recommendation for something a little bit sweet, but not fruity. He recommended their specialty, sagey Manhattan (I can't remember exactly what it was called), and it was exactly what I wanted. Our waiter was great, as was every other employee we encountered. Their homemade bread and pretzel appetizer were heavenly for this carb-lover, and perfect to soak up our pre-dinner drinks. I loved all three of the dipping sauces. But then things kind of went south. The tables are tiny for the amount of things they put on there, and the tables are really close together, so much that you really can't ignore the conversations at other people's tables. We had our bread basket, our pretzel appetizer, and a drink and a water for each of us, and our tiny table was completely covered. When I reached to the middle of the table to tear off a piece of pretzel, I realized there was no way I could accomplish this without knocking something over. I asked my dining companion to do this for me, and he promptly did so, knocking over an entire beer onto the floor and breaking the glass in the process. Because the tables are so close together, the drink and broken glass covered the floor under our table as well as the next table, and the proximity made it really difficult for the busboy to clean it up properly. Through the rest of the meal, I felt really paranoid and mildly stressed out about knocking things over, because we had to literally stack dishes on top of each other to fit our entrees on the table. I had the classic mussels in white wine sauce, and they were divine. I don't often use the word "divine", but they really were cooked perfectly in a wonderfully balanced, buttery sauce that was great for dipping the bread and pretzels in. For dessert, I had a coffee creme caramel, which was very enjoyable and surprisingly strong on the coffee flavor. Now that I'm recounting the meal, I do think I'll go back, because I would gladly eat/drink any of these things again, but I'll probably go at a less busy time/day. read more

The boyfriend and I had Lyon Hall on our list of brunch destinations, and finally made it happen this past Sunday--courtesy of reservations with Open Table. The hostess immediately led us to our table and set us up with menus. It took our waiter a little while to come get our drink orders, which was slightly frustrating, but once he did that things ran very smoothly. Spurred on by the delicious smells and presentation of the donuts on the neighboring table, we decided to put in an order of donuts to go with our French Press coffee. I don't care for chocolate (I know, I know) so I can't speak to the Chocolate Red Velvet and Chocolate Orange donuts, but the Banana Caramel and Glazed donuts were fantastic! The boyfriend tried some of the chocolate donuts, but agreed that "my" flavors were much better. Because eating 3 out of 4 donuts wasn't enough, we then went for brunch entrees. I went with the Hungarian lamb sausage, accompanied by scrambled eggs, and arugula salad, and German potato salad. Be prepared for some pretty strong spices in the sausage. Because it was so incredibly flavorful, I didn't finish the sausage (or maybe it was those daggum donuts), but I loved how unique my dish was. The boyfriend ordered BBQ Poached eggs, and WOW! The presentation was so beautiful! I didn't try this dish because I don't do partially uncooked eggs (and chocolate. I know, I know), but my boyfriend noted that the eggs weren't truly poached. Mind you, he ate them. He just mentioned they weren't the best poached eggs he had ever tried. He liked the barbecue, although please note it is not a traditional barbecue flavor--the spices are very unique. Before I forget...the BATHROOMS ARE CRAZY. I had a little trouble finding them, and didn't understand why my boyfriend told me they were "weird." There I was, washing my hands, looking in the mirror like I sometimes do. Wait. Why can't I see my face. I am confused. Whaaaattttt. These are communal sinks! Weirdest thing ever. Lyon Hall is definitely on my list for a happy hour and future dinner. read more

Gnocchi, Hake, and goat cheese ... oh my! First time coming to this establishment and I must say, I am pretty impressed. I do love their sister restaurants (Liberty Tavern and Northside Social), but this place is a bit different with it's own personality. Our server was awesome! Probably the best service we have had in a long time. He recommended entrees, told us which were his favorites and allowed us to try several wines to find the one we liked best. For this reason only, we will definitely be back ... but let me get to the food :) We decided to order one main entree and go with a salad an hors d'oeuvres and one side dish for splitzies. We ordered the special, which was a Hake (fish); the Tomato salad comprised of softened tomatoes, peaches, basil, red onion, goat cheese, and croutons; Gnocchi Parisienne using all flour Gnocchi (not potato), stewed tomatoes, summer squash and basil; and a side of marinated olives. We also decided on a white wine which is now our favorite ... Closerie De Lys Rouge ... amazing! Of course the complimentary bread was amazing ... a blend of coffee and chocolate ... 2 of my favorite things! The Hake was one of the most flavorful, moist, buttery fish I have had. It melted in your mouth the minute it hit your tongue. The tomato salad was another first for us as it was a mixture of softened tomatoes that fell apart as you picked them up with your fork, sliced and grilled peaches, basil and thinly sliced red onion that complimented the goat cheese perfectly. I have had several varieties of Gnocchi before, but not a Gnocchi made with just flour. It was also cooked perfectly and had a fantastic flavor of basil mixed with fresh stewed tomatoes and squash, a definitely must have as a starter to your meal! A few minutes into our dinner we noticed we didn't receive our marinated olives. When the server came over we let him know and he apologized and brought them to us within minutes. I've always had marinated olives that were refrigerated, but not here ... these were warm! Warm, marinated olives ... awesome! He wound up not charging us for them since they came out late ... gotta love the way they take care of their customers! The menu is definitely diverse and even the pickiest of eaters can find something here. If you are a beer drinker, they have a wide variety of beers from across the world ... you are bound to find a favorite. And for the cheese and charcuterie lover ... they have a section dedicated to you! Definitely coming back here ... next time, it's the pork belly or the crab and lobster burger! read more

I've been to Lyon hall twice, once for lunch and once for dinner. My date and I were so impressed by how delightful lunch was that we went for dinner. The first time the food was great, service and atmosphere was good. The second time was pretty awful. Our server was not friendly or pleasant, she was actually rude. If it weren't for the back staff she would have fell on her face. She didn't acknowledge us at all and messed up our order. When we told her the order was wrong she argued with us. Service aside this restaurant has great food, unfortunately that got overshadowed. There are way too many great restaurants in Clarendon to settle for terrible waitstaff! read more

No stars. Absolutely AVOID this place. A waste of a good location and good concept. Red wine served late and cold. Appetizers stone cold. Two major wait staff accidents involving shattered glass and spilled wine--no apologies. Steak frites served stone cold and expensive. Wait staff untrained, unprofessional and SLOW. Can't imagine what's going on in the kitchen. This place won't last. No one in our group will ever go back. read more

He loves me, he loves me not, my love it, my love it not. Petals ON: Delicious bread. Great location. Superb home-made ice cream. Smoked gunpowder tea flavor, anyone? Attentive intuitive waiter. Varied beers. Petals torn OFF: Salad was too oily and flavorless. Who knew it could be done badly? Fries in duck fat. I love duck and fat, but these four fries almost made me gag. Pork tenderloin with pork belly and winter veg. Cold and tough. Closed on Mondays (yes, I know that's old school but really?) Pretentious hosts and atmosphere. Can I pluck another flower? Will I spend $65 to do so? read more