We've been coming to Vermilion for almost 13 years now and it STILL doesn't disappoint!! It's one of the most beautiful restaurants in Old Town with its exposed brick and dim lighting. Especially in the winter time with the white lights lining King St outside. Tonight, we had an amazing meal prepared by Chef Tony. We started with their fried oysters on top of apple slaw and their potato and leek soup. The soup was piping hot with small hush puppy style croutons inside served in a beautiful bowl. It was delicious too! I don't even like oysters, but I liked these. Next came the Betty's buns and beet salad. The beet salad is such an interesting preparation with ricotta, raw and cooked beets, some herbs, orange segments and pistachios. I really enjoyed the brightness of the dish. And who doesn't love a good warm bun with butter? The entrees were really beautifully plated and delicious too. The catfish was our favorite with a delicious broth, poured table-side. I've never had a bison steak before - but this one was perfectly cooked with cippolini onions, chimichurri and sweet potatoes. The plating on everything was absolutely gorgeous. And for dessert - a spongy apple cider cake and creamy chocolate cremeux. I don't even like apples, but this cake was amazing. It had beautiful accompaniments as well. And the chocolate cremeux was served with beautifully poached pears and cranberries. We loved both. Our waiter kept our water glasses full, knew all the details about the menu and was so pleasant and prompt. Absolutely love it here!!! read more

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I was unhappily surprised at the experience at Vermillion during restaurant week. I brought my husband here on his birthday because we had an amazing experience two years ago with a thoughtful menu, delicious bites and cocktails that were well explained. It seemed like the server was very busy tonight (which I understand because it's restaurant week) but we got no explanation of anything on the menu, getting a drink order took about 15 minutes for my husband, and worst of all when I ordered the wine pairing none of the wines came out before or with the courses and nothing was explained at all about what I was drinking. Not even a quick, this is a Cabernet Sauvignon. I was shocked! How do you have a wine pairing where you just fling down a glass of wine and run away? So I had a little blind taste testing with no answers. The food didn't even compare to the last time we came. Everything was fine, but nothing I would return for. We had the beet salad, the acorn squash salad, the short ribs, the bison steak, and some sort of chocolate dessert with pears in it. I had explained some food allergies and although the final receipt had those allergies marked, the dessert came out covered with one of my allergens and I had to notice, chase them down to tell them then wait and get it replaced, which they were very nice about but made me concerned that everything else I've been eating might've not have been safe. Again, last time I was here I felt completely fine afterwards and they were very on top of avoiding cross contamination for my celiac disease. Ultimately, I wouldn't come back here -- I was so disappointed at the experience when I really wanted a special night for my husband's birthday. I was shocked that this was recently named one of the top 50 restaurants in NOVA and had so many positive recent reviews. What am I missing? Majestic café, Josephine, Thompson's Italian are all tastier options a short walk away. read more

They accommodated the gf df needs with a lovely rockfish grilled perfectly with wonderful sides. The cabbage salad was also prepared perfectly to be gf df and was prepared with a vinaigrette that accommodated my dietary needs. The mezcal cocktail was not my speed and was still too sweet. Enjoyed the candle light and gas lamps. One of our diners meals was cooked poorly and two managers immediately rectified it and offered a free desert - the financier - which was delicious!!! Always a solid option for a nicer meal as the price point is definitely on the higher side. read more

Vermilion - Fish and salad - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Service = outstanding! David welcomed us like we were coming into his home. He and Mercedes made us feel like we were the only customers there! Food = absolutely delish! Brunch- Chicken & waffles; eggs and homemade sausage; and wonderful coffee! All yummy! Ambiance = we were celebrating our anniversary & David printed a menu with our names & years together honored along with two cake pops. Then ran after us when we forgot our souvenirs (hey, you'll be old one day!). We also loved how all of the staff waited on each other's tables if anyone needed more water, coffee, etc. We will be back when we're in town next! Thanks for making it special!! read more

I'm so glad we finally got around to trying this place! This is one of the best dining experiences we've had in OT! We will definitely be back. Our server, Noah, was awesome! He gave great recs. We had the gratin, buns, asparagus, and oysters. The asparagus were the only meh part of the meal. I don't recommend them because the texture was unpleasant. The buns and gratin were a MUST! The wine list is yummy and local. We sat outdoors and it was beautiful! The weather was nice so I recommend the patio! read more

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Had a nice experience dining upstairs with friends. It's a bit on the pricier side but you can tell all the dishes are thoughtfully crafted and sourced from local ingredients (they pride themselves on their local partnerships with farmers). The prime rib and chicken were both very tasty. I've heard the downstairs offers a different menu so we'll certainly be back to try that one! read more

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Came here for my parents 54th wedding anniversary. They seem to end up here every year to celebrate another year with each other. The food and service and meals were amazing. Ended up with the chefs tasting because obviously you can't choose from the amazing menu. So so good read more

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We had an absolutely incredible Valentine's Day dinner at Vermilion, and we're still talking about it. First, our server JOHNATHAN was spectacular. Truly above-and-beyond service from start to finish. He was knowledgeable about every detail on the menu, offered thoughtful guidance without being pushy, and made the entire experience feel personal and intentional. You can tell when someone genuinely enjoys what they do -- and that was exactly the energy he brought to our table. Now the food... wow. We're huge foodies and love trying new spots, and this easily ranks as one of our favorite dining experiences yet. The scallops were perfectly executed -- beautifully balanced and full of flavor. And the vegetarian "beef" tartare (made with carrots) completely surprised us in the best way. Creative, vibrant, and absolutely delicious. Between the exceptional service and the outstanding food, this was such a memorable evening. We're already looking forward to coming back -- for both the cuisine and to hopefully be seated in Johnathan's section again. read more

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I stopped here during restaurant week for dinner and it was a good experience for a delicious meal. They use local ingredients with a mid Atlantic focus and I enjoy every bite. The fried oysters appetizer was a good choice to start off the meal, such tasty pops of flavor. The fried catfish was so crispy and perfectly cooked and the sauce was so good to dip in. The lemon olive oil cake to round out the meal was rich and not too sweet. The service was prompt and it wasn't very crowded on a Tuesday night. The vibe gives converted cigar lounge so if you want more of an old fashioned feel, would recommend checking it out for a drink or a nice dinner. read more

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The food and service are always top notch! The manager came over to check on us several times and we were seated at a beautiful window table upstairs. read more

Cozy ambiance in the tavern area with candles and holiday music. Food was good overall and loved the farm to table aspect. There are 2 menus - tavern and table (course menu 75$ per person table must opt in) that you can order a la carte. Table ordered hush puppies (very lightly fried), Bettie's buns (3 salted solid bready buns), cauliflower soup (good good), steak (was mediocre), and the squash dish (amazing). Apple cake for dessert was great. Service was slow - it took over 15 minutes for a beer on tap and over an hour for food. It would have been nice to have been told what was on the plate (eg what are the 3 dressings with the hush puppies). It seemed the staff delivering the plates were very rushed as the table agreed a few dishes were slammed/ slid on the table. read more

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A few friends and I stepped into Vermilion for a little snacky-snack and had a great time! Things to note: 1) If you're looking for a casual, request to be sat at the Tavern which allows you to dine from their bar and dining room menu. 2) Vermillion is all about supporting and highlighting the growers, watermen, and purveyors of the mid-Atlantic region and their menu changes fequently due to the day-to-day seasonality of their ingredients. 3) Loved their wine list and interesting non-alcoholic drink options 4) Foodwise, I tried Bettie's Buns (a tad too sweet and soft for my liking), the sunchoke soup (my first introduction to a sunchoke, and hopefully not my last), and the crispy potato gratin (so simple, but oh so good). My friends loved the crispy fried oysters and lobster beignets. 5) Our server Eric was great -- helpful, informative, and not-too-overbearing. I'll definitely come back to try the rest of the menu! read more

Old Town is foodie heaven and Vermillion is one of the spots. It's been a while since the last time I visited this place. They've changed chefs since then. But the experience is always consistent and the food is always going to impress. Great date night restaurant. read more

We went to Vermillion for their summer restaurant week 2025 and added the wine pairing as well. The salads were good and light for an appetizer with a nice balance of flavors. The Strip Loin was good and cooked perfectly, but the dish as a whole lacked a standout quality in the steak, sauce, or potatoes that would make it worth the $20 up charge. For dessert I went with the Chocolate Cremeux, which was interesting enough, but the dish mixed together quickly and I wasn't able to enjoy it as much after the first few bites. Overall I would recommend Vermilion, especially as a date night spot, for its great service, quality food and interesting menu, and of course the charming ambience of its dimly lit dining room with spacious seating. read more

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Rotating menu of delicious farm-to-table food inside a space with a historic feel to it. This being said, my experience coming here for dinner was ruined by the horribly long time it took for me and my GF to get our food (~1 hr 15 min) It was very surprising that the food took as long as it did because they literally only have 4 entrees on the menu and the place wasn't even full when we first got there. The waiter was aware of how long it was taking for us to get our food, and he was apologetic, but then it took a while to flag him down to get the check as well! Very disappointing since I liked the actual food a lot The place has outside seating and 2 levels of indoor seating (with the lower level having large bar area) as well. The outdoor seating apparently has an additional menu that is not available if you eat inside. They have a tasting menu, but the whole table is required to partake in order to do it read more

Vermilion - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Lovely spot with great drinks and foods. Love the deviled eggs on the menu and the dips are always good. Service is excelente with attention to details and it's a nice cozy environment. read more

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This is long over due since I went here a little bit ago. One of the better meals I had in a long time. A good amount of the food was spot on as well as our cocktails and wine choice. ( Annabella Cabernet). It would have given them 5 stars but the restaurant for me needed a bit of a cleaning. That's one thing I feel that it can be controlled; a little dusting, clean silverware before being placed down for service. It's the little things that make a big difference; especially in the beginning of service it wasn't very busy. read more

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Vermilion has a small brunch menu but packs some nice flavors depending on your selection. The fluffy pancakes were delicious. I would highly recommend that dish. The avocado in our tomato and cucumber salad was overripe but still tasty. Coffee was ok but I could've used a stronger brew. Customer service was excellent, ambiance was cute and quiet- it's nice when you can hear each other talk. Overall, we enjoyed our meal! read more

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It was a very cute location! The food was great! I had their spin on chicken and waffles for brunch and it was absolutely delicious! The cornmeal waffles were something I had never had before but will definetly want again! It made them a bit more savory than normal which I loved! It was also nice that they offered multiple different sauces to go with it on top of the traditional maple syrup. The only thing that soured our time there was the service. It took us a long time to get waited on and served. It wasn't super busy but even the tables that got seated after us were served before. I may give it another try hoping this was one off. read more

I would highly, highly recommend Vermillion. The food is wonderful and the people and service are top notch. The restaurant is quaint and beautiful, and especially romantic. If celebrating a special occasion let them know and they will provide you and your guest(s) a royal treatment. The farm to table dinner option for two or more is an experience you cannot miss. The food is wonderful and worth trying the whole menu! read more

What an amazing experience!!! We went to celebrate a family member's birthday and it was perfect! To start, the place is so tastefully decorated and incorporated the original flare of the old building. Jonathan was our server. He was so helpful and fun. He made great suggestions and took great care of us. We got the family style menu, in which everyone got to sample everything off the menu, plus some! The tomato panzanella was delicious along with the roasted autumn squash. Our favorite entree were the catfish and the short ribs. The apple cider cake was our favorite dessert. If you are in Alexandria and need a special spot to enjoy a meal, this is the place to go! read more

Location Just off King. Parking Street Service So friendly-love this staff!! Atmosphere Classy casual-like Clydes without the crowd. Seating Bar, tables in the bar, dining room, upstairs, outside front ( water coloring on select nights). Food and beverage Happy hour menu is the BEST!! Love the boneless lightly-VERY lightly breaded wings on a bed of lemon aioli. The anchovy toast-AMAZING-spinach cream-not runny on a craft bread. Olives served-generous medly-about half a cup! We went back and had the pineapple kale salad-stir it up for the ricotta(?) on the bottom. Super good! I had the top left of the drink menu-excellent-recommended it to another customer with happy results. Summary If you are in Alexandra and want quality food and drink in a classy but casual atmosphere-this place is a MUST! read more

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Saw the menu outside decided to give it a try. I had the catfish dish beet salad food was amazing. Jerson our server was exceptional wish I wasn't just passing thru would definitely be my go too. My husband had steak and he was equally satisfied thank you read more

Great ambiance, pleasant and attentive service, well-executed food, and really good about handling food allergies. A 4 instead of a 5 because of value - it's pretty expensive for the portions. In particular, I was charged a normal price for a glass of soda and given a glass of ice with a can of diet coke. If a customer is paying $30+ for an entree I think they've earned free refills on their soda. I came in pretty late on a weeknight after attending a knitting class up the street, as one does, so it was pretty empty and I sat at the bar. They were out of the two pescatarian entrees that most interested me. Given the timing of my visit I will give them a free pass on that one. However, it's a small menu, so being out of one or two things really limits the options, especially for those of us with dietary restrictions. I ended up ordering two small plates - the smoked corn elote and the tomato panzanella. I was very impressed by how seriously the staff took my basil allergy when I inquired about the panzanella. They kept an ingredient list right there at the bar that my bartender consulted, and even though she didn't see basil on the list, she still climbed the stairs to the kitchen to go check with the chef. It's a good thing she did because they often shred a little basil on top as garnish. My panzanella later arrived promptly, sans basil. It was good, though not quite what I was expecting. Typically when I think of panzanella it has large crouton-like chunks of bread in it, and can be filling. This was more a portion of cut cherry tomatoes laid out on a bed of what I think was ricotta? with some dressing on top, and then heavily dusted with breadcrumbs. It was flavorful, and the breadcrumbs packed a nice crunch, but it made the dish a lot less filling than I anticipated. The smoked corn elote, however, was a showstopper. Pretty spicy given just how much jalapeno was included - which made the lack of refills on my diet coke that much more notable - but the smoked flavor really added another dimension to this dish, which I have had in many places and usually find tastes pretty much the same. This was probably my favorite version of this dish to date, though I could personally do with a little less jalapeno just for because of the heat level. Jalapeno was both chopped into the dish and layered in slices on top. Since both my dishes were light and almost dip-like in consistency, it would have been nice to have some bread on the side to make it a bit more substantial. Holistically speaking, however, I think this was a nice dining experience and I suspect it would have been even better during a normal dinner service. read more

Vermilion - Smoked corn elote and tomato panzanella. Not massively filling, but extremely tasty. - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Super glad i found Vermilion when i was looking for restaurants in the area. I highly recommend sitting upstairs, along the windows. I loved being able to look down on the street, as it was a particularly nice evening. Our party of two started with the bread and butter/jam. It was very good, but a very small piece of bread. Our other starter was the Grilled Octopus. I thought the warm celery root slaw was a great addition to the plate. It took us a minute to remember what it was. My main was the Casconcelli, braised pork ravioli. Service was fast and friendly. I definitely recommend ordering the 3 dishes that I had, as they were all very good. I'll have to come back to try some of their other dishes. The restaurant is quite large, with seating downstairs, upstairs, and along their bar. I noticed that there was only paid street parking in the area, which i easily used the park mobile app to pay. read more

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We loved it! The food, the service (Jonathan the waiter was fantastic), and the ambiance was all great. We did the farm table and are so happy we did! Would definitely go back. read more

Service was excellent, especially considering the bad hand they were dealt -- inedible food and corporate reps poorly handling hosting and management. For the price ($135 per person) I expected to not only eat but thoroughly enjoy every "course." Instead I tried to force down each bite (what was considered a course). Won't be returning. read more

This place is 4-stars when compared to everywhere I've eaten but 5-stars for Alexandria, a city where they give 5-stars to Resturantes I wouldn't let my dog eat at they are so bad. This Resturante is on the cusp of getting at a minimum a Bib Gourmand with a future potential for a star. A few things they need to tighten up to include: more intentional vice aggressiveness serving (a lot of plates thrown down at once), servers need to explain each dish as it is served (hit or miss if it was explained), décor and ambiance was nice though I would ditch the bathroom wall paper and change out the faucet hardware for something more elegant, add a wine pairing, and lastly the dessert needs to be elevated. read more

Service is the best I think I've seen in any restaurant this year. Two gentlemen covered our table and both were very helpful. The food was beautifully arranged and delicious. Our party shared a Maple Squash and an Heirloom Summer Tomatoes starter. My main was the Pork Porterhouse. All were exquisite. [Caution to Yelp! users:] Use their website to access current menus. Photos of menus on Yelp! are hard to read and may not be updated. read more

I came during Restaurant Week, and it was an expensive mistake. It took us 3 hours to eat, the service was so slow. There was a loud crash of plateware during our visit. The menu was very limited and mediocre. The server told us the oysters in the oyster appetizer were large--they were small. The bathroom floor was sticky. The decibel level was on the loud side. Overall, just very disappointing. read more

Finally back from pandemic closure, and just as good as before. While they may not have a chef's tasting menu, or wine pairings, every dish we had at our table was perfectly executed. The ribeye carpaccio, the sardine pesto toast, scallop crudo, baby goat...all winners. Service was perfect, pacing between courses was spot on, and wine selection has a lot of options at affordable restaurant prices. Can't wait to see whe. They start up a tasting menu, bc we'll be back for sure. read more

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We ordered only shareables because there were no vegetarian large plates. Of the five things we ordered, two were great, two were okay, and one was not good: 1. The BBQ cauliflower was very good. It was an interesting take on the typically sweet-sauced BBQ cauliflower that's available at a number of other restaurants. 2. The street corn was smokey and delicious. 3. The bread was warm and delicious, but we had to tear it in half to share it. It's weird to call something a shareable and only serve a single item...for more than five dollars. The most expensive dinner roll I've had. 4. The beets with yogurt were acidic, which normally I'd expect to pair well with the mint yogurt, but the flavor just didn't hit for me. 5. The final dish was the pureed sweet potato. We should not have been interpretive in reading "pureed." We imagined something like a mashed sweet potato dish. This was strained, baby food. Although the flavor of sweet potato was good, the texture was more than I could do as it was served by itself, not a puree as part of a complete dish. We had glasses of wine that were nice selections. We've been wanting to try Vermilion for a while, and I'm disappointed that it was not a great dining experience. Staff and atmosphere were great though. read more

Outstanding! Our server Jonathan was excellent, and the food was one spectacular dish after another! I'm often disappointed when I go out to dinner because my husband is such a great chef but alas the Vermilion exceeded my expectations. Recommend the Farmers tasting menu! For dessert, the cheesecake was amazing. read more

Sat at the bar. Excellent personable friendly bartender. Interesting well crafted drinks. Nice wines. Excellent ambiance. We didn't eat but the food looked amazing and smelled really good. read more

The dishes were pretty good. I particularly enjoyed the Beet dish - marinated beets on top of a delicious mint labneh. Yum! The Panella cake with caramel apple ice cream was pretty divine - a lightly sweetened, yet savory cake accompanied by creamy ice cream. The remainder of the shareables were pretty good as well. Our server, Eric was great - prompts and courteous. The ambiance was stunning - the rustic decor was quite alluring! read more

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This was an exquisite dining experience for me - they were very accommodating and arranged for a vegetarian tasting menu thanks to their friendly and kind manager - absolutely amazing service and food - Bravo! 5/5 read more

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Go for the bread and butter !!!!!! We returned a second time during our trip exactly for that! Good date night place as it's a bit dim inside even during the day. Bartenders were knowledgeable and helpful. Some menu items are exclusive to the time of day. read more

Vermilion - Bread and butter service - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

So cue beautiful weather and an itch for Sunday brunch at a new spot! This is what led us to Vermillion Sunday 3/26! Greeted warmly upon our arrival and sat at great little table..water followed promptly and then our server Zach arrived to take our drink order! The Blackberry 75 my dining companion ordered was delicious! My V Mimosa with clementine juice was flipping fantastic! We ordered 1/2 dozen oysters with fennel granita that the only complaint was and I am quoting "there were only 6 of them" ...lol Him: chicken and waffles! Verdict RIDICULOUSLY GOOD! Me: the Rosada farms burger..which I will go back for again and again We were given a ricotta pancake To share by the lovely manager and OMG..TO DIE FOR!! Our whole experience from Start to finish was impeccably executed and we cannot wait to return. read more

Overall, this meal left much to be desired. Although there were 2 menus given to us, it felt difficult to put together a complete meal. We started with the artichoke soup which was beautiful but lacked flavor and for 18$ the portion was tiny - truly just a few spoonfuls. We had the arancini which had a unique flavor and were probably my favorite dish of the meal. We also had the bison tartare which was topped with a heap of grated Parmesan, mushrooms, and garlic aoli- those toppings ruined the dish. A good tartare doesn't need that and it really only took away for the flavor. For entrees, we opted for the bison hanger steak which was just okay- quite gamey in flavor but the chimichurri sauce helped to elevate the flavor. Finally the double ravioli which tasted like a potato dumpling. I enjoyed this dish but the cranberry sauce and heaping of Brussels sprouts took away from the actual ravioli which I liked. Overall, I think this is a restaurant you can skip it's mediocre at best. read more

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I recently tried Vermilion as a part of my Imbibe DC promotion. I ordered the "Is The Chef From Virginia?". The cocktail was well-balanced, smooth and something you can enjoy and slowly sip while at the bar with friends or family. To accompany the drink, we split "crispy potato gratin" and the Spring Trumpet Mushrooms. Everything on the menu was locally sources and extremely fresh with a menu that rotates frequently. The service was impeccable and ambience was dark and sexy. Great vibe for a late night drink. read more

Vermilion - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia