I've attempted to go to Open City many times but couldn't bare the long waits they have every Saturday and Sunday morning. The lines had me intrigued though, so I finally tried it out during an afternoon. The ambience inside is sweet. Big open dining area with a bar. The clientele is diverse but mostly varying degrees of yuppies and hipsters. The wait staff reminded me of the guys at BuyBoys and Poets. They're cool and friendly but spacey. I ordered a chicken cheesesteak but our waitress ended up giving me the wrong chicken sandwich, which I ate anyway and enjoyed. We also tried to use some coupon that the waitress told us had expired, after she walked away from our table to run our check I looked over the coupon that clearly had an expiration date in the future. By then the waitress had ran our check and I didn't bother bringing it up. Bottom line, be prepared to wait any weekend morning. Any other time should be okay and this place is worth checking out. read more

Open City - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I am a fan! My girlfriend and I went here on a rainy Sunday afternoon. We had heard this place is operated by the same people as Tryst in Adams Morgan, and since that is one of our favorite places, we had to give it a try. It hit the spot! We were not surpised by the eclectic atmosphere as it somewhat mimics the feel of Tryst. It was cool and underrated, although a bit dingy in some places - eh, who cares! It adds to great atmosphere! I had a breakfast sampler that was served with french toast (yes, breakfast is served all day!!!!), eggs, bacon, and potatoes, and washed it down with a latte. My girlfriend had a pizza and a chai latte (strange combination, but oh well!). The food is what you would expect - very good, and not stuck up. Perfect. Pros: Great food to go along with a great rustic/eclectic atmosphere. Decent service. Cons: Can't really think of anything...I mean...they serve breakfast all day!! Overall, if you are looking for a place SIMILAR to Tryst, that serves more food...than this is your place. It is not as hipster as Tryst, but it will do the job on a lazy Sunday afternoon! read more

Open City - Latte at Open City - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

Cute little cafe for a quick bite to eat. Atmosphere is cool and eclectic...skittle noisy with the music and talking. My sister and I started out with the spinach dip. Seriously creamy with not a lot of spinach. Wasn't that but it was fine. Then we had the chicken and waffles which was pretty good. Chicken need a little more seasoning. read more

Open City - Chicken and waffles! - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Great cafe! We got the smoked salmon bagel - a classic and very good, with probably double the amount of smoked salmon any reasonable person could eat. Tasty! We also got the chai waffle with Nutella and the banana walnut syrup - I highly recommend this combo! Incredibly sweet, but the cinnamon, chocolate, bananas, and walnuts go together so well. The atmosphere was nice and the cafe was very bright and open. Great location in the area! I'm new to the area and only here a couple months, but I can't help but notice how harsh yelp users are here compared to San Francisco! Wonderful places get some poor reviews. I'm used to being concerned about a place if it has fewer than 4 stars. In any case, I went here with caution and it was a delicious experience...will definitely visit again. read more

Open City - Smoked salmon bagel, chai waffle (add Nutella and banana walnut), fruit bowl, iced latte - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

My husband and I were in D.C. for a work conference and decided to try Open City for dinner. It seemed to have overall good reviews and it was a short 5 min walk from the Marriott Wardman. We ordered the Open City burger, chicken and guac burger, and a side salad. We both agreed the burgers and salad were tasteful, however, we very disappointed with the fries (and I like fries way too much for my own good) they were very soggy. For a $35+ dinner I would expect higher quality in something as simple as fries. Quality of service was good, they were constantly topping off our waters. Although, it would have been nice to have ice water on such a hot and humid day. read more

Open City - Open City burger, chicken and guac burger, and side salad with ranch - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Went here again, Took my mother in law here for breakfast. Eric was our server. Extremely friendly, and I was very happy with his smile and quick service. The door people are also friendly. We had breakfast this time. Pancakes were pretty good. Hash browns were awesome. My Mom in law had the bacon & egg omelette and it had a side salad which looked perfect. My only complaint, is that upon walking in there was a dog eating with people outside enclosed. The tent portion. I don't know if dogs are allowed, but that's a health violation. The dog was rather big, and shouldn't even be in the restaurant. That will effect me on coming here more often in the future. read more

Mmmmmmm this place was yummy! We came here on a Saturday afternoon( 4pm) and sat outside. There was plenty of tables available, inside and out. Once we sat down, the waiter took our order. The cocktails were good but they took a while to come out (not a big deal) since we were just glad to be outside on the nice patio enjoying the weather. The service was still a bit slow, but not terrible so i didn't think too much about it. We ordered the chicken tender appetizer. It came with some orange chili glaze which was AMAZING! I kid you not, I can't stop thinking about them as probably the best tenders I've ever had. We ordered chicken sandwiches for dinner and they were good, but nothing spectacular. Their fries were delicious though. I'm coming back for those tenders.... read more

Open City - Pretty marg - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

Open city is my go-to place when in DC. Breakfast is their strength. And they serve it all day. Their wifi is solid and the place has a good atmosphere. Their music is very eclectic and the place just has a good vibe. If you need a quiet place to work/study, this place might be a little loud for you. But if you like a healthy amount of background noise, this is your place. Their staff is amazing. It appears that they like working here and I think that makes a big difference. Overall, it has a relaxed vibe and it might take a few minutes to put your order in, and it might take a few minutes to get your food, but what's the rush? Just relax, enjoy the music, the people, and maybe get a little work done. Or chat with a friend. Oh yeah, and their happy hour beer prices are awesome. read more

Open City - Even rainy days don't keep me away from Open City. - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I really did not enjoy my time here. Service a little slow, but the problem for me is that I couldn't tell who worked their. One guy looked like he walked right off the street into the kitchen. I arrived around 10 pm on a Sunday and ordered the chicken and waffle, big mistake. The waffle was mediocre but the fried chicken was just bad. The chicken came it out very dark and greasy. I can tell by the color of the chicken that it was cooked in old grease. My GF ordered western scrambled eggs with grits and toast. It was OK nothing special. I do not think I would return to this place. read more

Open City - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Grabbed brunch here when I was in town for a bachelorette party across the street from the Omni Shoreman Hotel. What a perfect little spot. Lots of character in this place from the animal crackers as garnish for your coffee to the perfect playlist ;) My mother-in-law is Colombian and frequently makes arepas so I consider myself a pretty good judge of these little startchy cakes, and the Arepas Benedictos didn't disappoint. The avacoda sauce poured over them is what makes the dish. Overall, menu has a lot of variety and offers the basics, too. All at a fair price with a fun atmosphere. read more

Open City - cutest cup of joe in town ;) - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

Open but closed. Over half of the tables are open and there is a 45 minute wait. The surly hostess will tell you that she is seating people but that isn't happening. Don't come here. read more

UPDATE NOV 28 (minus 1 star) This is by far the worst service I've had so far! We sat down and it took 13 minutes to get water and have someone notice us and say hello. Our food didn't take that long but no one checked on us throughout the brunch and I had to repeatedly ask for more water. I had to wait for my french toast to get cold until I finally got someone's attention and asked ANOTHER WAITER for syrup because the waitress never came by to make sure everything was good with food. Seriously, I've been here 4 times and have never had good service. ******************** Delicious food! I got the California Omelet with no sour cream and I shared French toast. The French toast was so soft and cooked perfectly! Super delicious. The California eggs were amazing. Just cheese, red onion, pepper and guacamole. I'm not sure how they cook simple ingredients like that and make it taste so incredible. Awesome homemade Bloody Mary too. I took stars off because the service was garbage. Our server took like 15 mins to greet us and then didn't really come and check on us. Other than that, success. I would come back! read more

I just took a couple of friends to lunch, and I'm giving five stars for the service, which I always consider more important than the food. (The food was ok, sandwiches, good coffee) but Open City is near my place and I've been here quite a few times over the years, usually never impressed with the service or attitude of the server, or lack of genuine courtesy/friendliness. Today was different, we had "Rachel" who was professional, genuinely friendly, fun and very funny. I hope she sticks around..... read more

We had breakfast here with friends. I ordered the French toast with bacon. My husband ordered the hash brown bowl. The food was was good. The service was excellent. We had a large party. Carla, the hostess, was very accommodating and figuring out our how to seat our large party. Our waitress, Mercedes, was really helpful and timely. read more

We came for brunch recently and really enjoyed it. It's a light airy space with a lot of windows, so on a sunny day it got a little warm, but the sunlight was nice so I can't complain too much about the heat. We started with coffee - it was hot and strong, just how I like it. From there, I had the hashbrown bowl. It was sooo good. Potatoes topped with mushrooms, jalapenos, bacon, cheese, and an egg. Would highly recommend it. It was very filling though, so only get it if you're hungry. My fiance got the bacon and cheese omelette. He said it was good and had a lot of bacon in it. It was also pretty big and looked very filling. The service was a little slow, but not terribly so. I'd definitely go back for brunch! read more

Brunch here is always a good thing and it's all day so I can sleep in til my hearts content. I'm partial to the royale combo, it includes French toast or pancakes, sausage or bacon, eggs, hash browns and toast (I usually sub for a croissant or biscuit). But I have had the breakfast pizza and chicken and waffles and all are equally delicious. On a nice day the outdoor seating is delightful and nice people watching. Usually order a reasonable priced more than enough carafe of mimosa or Bellini. The food is definitely affordable as well. Nice spot if your in NW, going to the zoo or coming from Chevy chase/Bethesda. read more

Open City - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Loved the vibe of this place and of course breakfast good too!!! looking forward to coming again read more

Open City - Chaitealatte... beautiful - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I've been here a few times, and there are always issues. The latest visit almost landed me in the ER or worse. My boyfriend and I came the other day. He ordered the chai-puccino and I ordered the iced coffee. The iced coffee came out looking like tea, so I asked for the chai-puccino as well. To eat, I ordered one of the pizza/flatbread options on the menu (Mean Green) that was listed as having spinach, basil, and cheese. It sounded good, and I was looking forward to it. However, it came out and it looked like spinach artichoke dip on a flatbread. We asked three different staff members if there was artichoke, which I'm ALLERGIC to, and they all said no. Finally, after my boyfriend insisted that someone check with the kitchen/manager, the manager confirmed that it was a spinach AND artichoke. It honestly looked like they just took premade dip and slathered it on the flatbread. I was understandably upset, but no one apologized and the manager didn't even bother to come to our table. The waitress asked if I wanted anything else instead and not being sure about the validity of the item descriptions on the menu, I asked for the lemon ricotta cookie. Of course they didn't have it that day. I didn't get anything else, so they only charged us for my boyfriend's entre item. Frankly, a little surprised they would charge us at all, given the situation. Open City, it's ridiculous and frankly irresponsible that you don't have accurate descriptions of your menu items. Not having them is dangerous to your customers who have allergies. Staff also talk to customers and give recommendations/answer questions based on the menu, so it's really management's responsibility to ensure that staff have correct information to provide service. read more

Great breakfast spot. The menu has alot of variety outside of the traditional favorites you'd expect at a diner. The dining area was extremely large inside and out but you should still expect a sizable wait if you're coming on the weekend. The bakery/coffeeshop attached has a killer cold brew too! read more

This place stays open and successful because location, location and location. It is an alluring place to eat because of the decor and physical orientation near hotels and the metro. It LOOKS like it should be awesome but is so incredibly average to below average. Out of the 5 meals on the table, one, the pizza, was a smidge above average. And that was for my daughter. The chicken tenders might as well be from a quality, but still frozen, freezer box variety. The "Reuben" is a deceptively vegetarian option (my father in law was epileptic. Our fault for not reading it carefully, but it was still a blah). The pizza bread comes a with dull sauce and the bread itself needed something to lift it. The lentil soup was a staggeringly dull, watery and flavorless concoction. The Kale Caesar with salmon was passable upon ordering extra dressing. Best thing? The Miller Lite tallboys that quenched our thirst on a hot evening. The service was good, but a few warnings about some of the underwhelming offerings (that soup!!) would have gone a long way to some good will. Thing is, because of where is located and the variety, people will constantly get lured into it. It's just really, really, really average. I guess that it's moderately priced also has something to do with it. Pass...but we'll probably end up there again. I hear it does better at breakfast/brunch. read more

The jerk chicken mac and cheese will SET. YOU. FREE. The apple pie is superb. Matchlessly nice service, too. We regretted not going back here for breakfast. Eat here! read more

Came here based on the menu and reviews. When we arrived, we had to wait for 30mins. After being seated, it was a while before we actually were served our drinks. I order the lavender hot chocolate, which I could only taste a hint of lavender. As for food wise, the waitress served my friend the wrong dish, which was fine as she had apologize, but after that incident, she purposely avoided us and would not attend to us. I had the woodley grilled cheese with a side of scramble egg. My friend had the OC burrito and my other friend had the breakfast pizza. The woodley grilled cheese would have been good if they didn't have the pepper jam in it, which gave it a strange taste. As for the big breakfast pizza, they didn't cheap out on the large pieces of bacon, but if it's a breakfast pizza I think they should incorporate more things on it that relate to pizza instead of just having 2 sunny side egg, bacon, a scoop of guacamole and lots of cheese on it. As for the OC burrito, the inners of the burrito had a strange taste due to the sauce. The table next to ours even abandon a large portion of their meal. Maybe we had high expectations, but the wait for this place was not worth it. As well, our waitress was not nice to us. I give her props for greeting her regulars well, but to avoid us when we asked for the cheque is uncalled for. Not to mention, we asked to have. Side order of hash brown, and she forgot. As a result, had a bit of my friend's hash and it was mediocre. Best thing about the meal was surprisingly our chili fries with ground beef. I'll be sure to not visit this place when I'm back In D.C. unless it's the last place open very late. read more

See all

Poor service and mediocre food. The space is nice, but unfortunately a slow and rude wait staff ruined the experience.

Good brunch spot. They open early and they are poppin by 10 on the weekends. The cappuccino was great albeit a bit tiny. Everything we tried for breakfast was great, especially the pancakes. If you're looking for a diner-esque spot with breakfast food and lunch/dinner this is it. read more

Really tasty food and cooked well. They really know their way around breakfasts. I've eaten there twice on my stay here in DC and I would recommend it to anybody staying at the Marriott or in Woodley Park. The restaurant is pretty old in a little bit dirty but the service is fairly polite. And, as I said, the food is fantastic. read more

Stopped by here with the family when we arrived. We came in after 10 pm and they were still open. We were sat down right away and the server was very friendly an attentive. We all ordered drinks and they were prepared well. We ordered 2 pizza pies. One was half plain with bacon and the other was buffalo chicken. Well I didn't expect much from a diner and pizza. But they were ok, obviously pizza is not there specialty. But at 10 pm you usually migrate towards pizza. Overall the restaurant is very nice. It was clean and the service was excellent. I would definitely come back and try something else outside of pizza. read more

The breakfast options are incredible! My favorite is the Fried Chicken Biscuit. There are so many different tastes in each dish! Five stars!

Open City is a fairly casual diner sort of venue with a good variety of menu options and breakfast available all day. The food is more or less what you'd expect from such a venue, fine overall but nothing in particular to write home about. The prices are competitive and perhaps a good value for DC. Service can vary a bit especially when it's particularly busy. My only major qualm about it is that the patio area always attracts a lot of bees during the summer months--so I'd probably stick to ordering breakfast fare inside, if it were me. read more

Food is good. Presentation and ability to customize food options is always a plus. They offered plenty of gluten free options. And the coffee tasted like blueberries, which was a huge plus. Lost 2 stars as they do not accept Discover card. read more

My BFF and I periodically hang out in the neighborhood where this establishment is located. Great spot for fresh quality dining any time of day. Our favorite time to go is brunch when you have the option of sitting inside or out in the sunroom area. Depending on time of day, the wait can be a minute, but almost never crazy long. Just grab a coffee or tea and do some people watching. As for our last meals there, we both had the vegan scramble with mixed fruit and toast. A very satisfying meal for vegans and carnivores alike. We split an order of pancakes that were fluffy with the perfect amount of crispness around the edges. Geez... I might have talked myself into another road trip to the District. read more

This could just be my tastebuds, but I was expecting a little more flavor. Don't get me wrong, the food was good, but it wasn't anything to write home about. If I visit the area again, I'll stop in and try a plate other than the hamburger. Oh, no refills on soft drinks. read more

Open City - Basic Cheeseburger. Could use a bit of seasoning, but filling and hearty. Bon Appetite! - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Something has changed. It's been a few months since we've been here but this has always been our favorite spot to drive from Maryland, about 40 minutes away. Anytime we coming to DC we always make sure that we bring our family and friends to this place but after tonight's visit I'm not sure that we will anymore. The food was good and the service was pleasant, but the menu, vibe, service, and selection was not why we made this our D.C. staple. We are used to having that 'OMG I wish we lived closer so we could eat here all the time!' to tonight's 'It was ok.' We will give OC another go but it's a big city and there are a lot of restaurants. We will update... read more

Decent food, obscene waits. This may be the best breakfast joint in Woodley Park, but unless you want a hotel buffet, the options are sparse. And after you've been waiting 45 minutes for a table on a weekday morning, ANY cup of coffee is bound to be delicious. While the pancakes and french toast ARE excellent, the service ranges from mediocre to atrocious -- so bring your patience and settle in for a long wait. On a recent visit, we waited outside for almost an hour, while the hostess randomly seated parties like an auctioneer at a cheap flea market, instead of going by the list she had in front of her. Our server was marginally better, but I had to keep flagging him down for coffee refills and the check. With better management, Open City could be a great local restaurant -- but in the meantime, I'll take my business elsewhere. read more

I decided to take my out-of-town visitors to open city for brunch on Saturday. Since we were a party of six we had to wait for the entire group to be there before they would seat us which was fine and we waited for approximately 10 minutes,. Once seated, it took approximately 12 minutes to have somebody acknowledge us and another seven before they took our orders. I ordered the chicken and waffles and a bloody Mary. Everyone else ordered The California scramble. After about 15 minutes the food came out which is always delicious because their food is really good but I waited approximately 10 minutes for the syrup which never arrived, so I got up and walked back to the server station and asked for a syrup, and it appears that I annoyed the server, meanwhile my chicken and waffles were getting cold. once we finished eating our food we had to wait another 20 minutes for the check, and the only reason why they came by with the check was because we had to flag somebody down in order to pay, mind you at this time the restaurant was not busy at all. We asked to split the bill four ways and that also seemed to annoy the server. I know that when you have large groups, and we had six people, four adults and two children, that they automatically add a gratuity into the bill which we were all fine with. It was not until I got home that I discovered that I was charged $45 for chicken and waffles and one bloody Mary which in total should have cost $25. The chicken and waffles cost $16 and the bloody Mary was nine dollars. I am always a very generous tipper but I never tipped 20 bucks on a $25 check that was just insane so the server was tipped $80 on a $180.00 ticket. We all felt totally ripped off. read more

We had a party of six and Waiter Fredy (name based off receipt review later) tried to totally rip us off. Service and food was ok but....it was late on Fourth of July night so instead of looking at bill I handed fredy my cc to expedite checkout. Our bill was $124 and he added a mandatory tip of 20% and then another mandatory gratuity of 30% which made the bill around $200. He figured I wouldn't look at it since he handed me his handheld pos system to sign which included both tips that he had entered. Totally crooked move. I removed the additional 30% tip and tried to amend the mandatory 20% tip but could not. I signed and left because we were exhausted. Bottom line is he put a mandatory tip of $75 on a $124 tab. Buyers beware!!!! read more

I basically like the food, and the proximity to work and my apartment . However, I tend to prefer the Diner-across the bridge in Adams Morgan-even though the menu is basically the same. Why? The latter seems less skittish with me, an African American man. It drives me crazy when the wait staff tries to get all "black" with me, seconds after using standard conversation with a white patron. And I have had a few instances where (sitting at the bar) the staff person took the white customer's order, even though I had been seated first... Not good, to say the least. read more

This place was fine. The prices were good and the portions were generous. I would recommend sitting outside since the inside is nothing special (just some wooden chairs and tables and barely any decor). However, the soup was unnecessarily heavy. It said tomato and basil, which I assumed for a starter would be light, but it was actually really thick and dairy-based and tasted like pizza sauce. The salmon and wild rice were standard and if anything, bland without my drizzling some lemon on them. My friend ordered a grain bowl, which really was a collection of canned vegetables (chick peas, carrots, onions) placed in spoonfuls around a plate. Very standard place, not super impressed. read more

Open City - Grilled salmon - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

Nasty food. Rarely do I write a bad review. Ordered a pizza and it was so nasty I threw the entire thing out after one bite. Do not recommend eating here. Trying to help others not waste their money like I did. read more

Finding parking is hard but that's anywhere. So be prepared. My rating is not based off that FYI. I was impressed with there lavender mocha that was really good. My cousin ordered the banana foster cream waffle thing that was SUPER good BUT the banana slices were HARD! I didn't like that at all. Then I ordered the open city platter and it looked good on picture (the picture I took the menu doesn't have pictures) but when I started eating into it nothing was hot! The toast! Man the toast was hard to bite into. You know when you toast bread and leave it out for a minute THEN eat it..it's almost as though my plate was there for a while then he remembered to bring it to me. Idk, but the same for my French toast it was cold, in general it all was. I was thoroughly disappointed but I wasn't gonna ask them to "stick it in a microwave" if I wanted microwaveable food I could've stayed home in my opinion. And to ask for another plate is always worrisome to me. ANYWHO, crowded spot for sure (my rating is not based on that either, crowded spot means good spot in my opinion. Anyway, I'm sure on a good day the food would've been bomb!....unfortunately wasn't for me.... read more

Open City - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

Service by Andres was legitimately terrible, and involved extra charges that were not communicated in advance and were absolutely not justifiable. Food was okay (mediocre at best) but certainly underwhelming for what ended up being a thirty dollar solo lunch break. Total scam. Literally reactivated my Yelp account just to register my massive disappointment with this place. Avoid if possible especially while traveling or in a hurry. Thanks. read more