Shockingly bad service. I felt bad for recommending the venue. According to friends, service was excellent prior to the shut down. That’s not the case now. We arrived a little after 6 pm (tix said doors open at 6 pm). We were told “they” were running behind and we could have a seat until they notified us the doors were open.We were sitting in the bar area downstairs but there was no bartender. We were ushered upstairs about 6:25 pm and told we were the first to arrive but could order our drinks and food through the app. Every staff member we spoke to made it seem like we were inconveniencing them. We scanned the qr code and there was no option to order food.We sat there another 15 minutes before we were finally able to flag someone over. We’d seen about 6 staff members upstairs just talking amongst themselves across the room. One walked by and said he’d find a server to help us and we never saw him again.Gary walked over and introduced himself. He was mumbling and we could barely understand a word he was saying. He kept telling us we should be able to order using the app, and I pulled it up on my phone to show him it wasn’t working.Then, he leaned over and grabbed my phone from me. He smelled absolutely putrid and I guessed he was either high or intoxicated. It was so gross - and I was wearing a face shield the whole time. My partner had on a mask. We both smelled him. Gary kept saying he’d take care of us, but we had to request everything like 3x. He told us we should know which wine we preordered for the table. But, what was the point of reserving a bottle if they don’t keep track of it? Another staff member approached to tell us she just “turned it on” and we could order food now. We were confused as to why everything was so unorganized and slow.A party of 4 older women walked in and sat at the table behind us. I was surprised to hear Gary make a lewd joke, which I found gross - but that party didn’t seem offended. It definitely wasn’t professional. Later, we heard the same party yelling at Gary over the bill. They asked to bypass the app and use physical menu’s for him to take their order. Big mistake. Apparently, the bill was incorrect. They wound up leaving early.The food was good and we enjoyed the performance, but we were ready to get out of there asap. Terrible service, and not worth the price for a subpar experience.
According to friends, service was excellent prior to the shut down. That’s not the case now. We arrived a little after 6 pm (tix said doors open at 6 pm). We were told “they” were running behind and we could have a seat until they notified us the doors were open. We were sitting in the bar area downstairs but there was no bartender. We were ushered upstairs about 6:25 pm and told we were the first to arrive but could order our drinks and food through the app. Every staff member we spoke to made it seem like we were inconveniencing them. We scanned the qr code and there was no option to order food. We sat there another 15 minutes before we were finally able to flag someone over. We’d seen about 6 staff members upstairs just talking amongst themselves across the room. One walked by and said he’d find a server to help us and we never saw him again. Gary walked over and introduced himself. He was mumbling and we could barely understand a word he was saying. He kept telling us we should be able to order using the app, and I pulled it up on my phone to show him it wasn’t working. Then, he leaned over and grabbed my phone from me. He smelled absolutely putrid and I guessed he was either high or intoxicated. It was so gross - and I was wearing a face shield the whole time. My partner had on a mask. We both smelled him. Gary kept saying he’d take care of us, but we had to request everything like 3x. He told us we should know which wine we preordered for the table. But, what was the point of reserving a bottle if they don’t keep track of it? Another staff member approached to tell us she just “turned it on” and we could order food now. We were confused as to why everything was so unorganized. A party of 4 older women walked in and sat at the table behind us. I was surprised to hear Gary make a lewd joke, which I found gross - but that party didn’t seem offended. It definitely wasn’t professional. Later, we heard the same party yelling at Gary over the bill. They asked to bypass the app and use physical menu’s for him to take their order. Big mistake. Apparently, the bill was incorrect. They wound up leaving early. The food was good and we enjoyed the performance, but we were ready to get out of there asap. Terrible service, and not worth the price for a subpar experience. I felt bad for recommending the venue.
Nice David Hollister concert. Waistrees came to our table after we ordered to explain how to order. Not a great place for a concert especially since we were packed together with no elbow room. My friend thought we paid for a specific table but we were later moved somewhere else. I think if a person is expecting to sit somewhere specific it should be honored and not moved at company's discretion. Wings were ok. Mushrooms were spectacular. Had a daiquiri listed on online ordering but doesn't make anymore. The spritz with the titos vodka was really good. The ketel drink was good too.
The Almost Ladies Night was ok. The preshow was fun. The DJ and her co-host were funny and very entertaining. The massages by Hands in Motion were amazing! Thanks to Darrel and Gabby for that. The food was hit or miss. We order the duck tacos, crab cakes, brussel sprouts, mushroom goat cheese risotto balls, and cauliflower. For dessert we had the dark chocolate mousse and the s'mores lava cake. Drinks we had the two of a kind and something else. There were a few things that I really liked....the Crab cakes were awesome with no filler but they could have kept the corn salsa that comes with it . The cauliflower was spicy and crispy. They were very good. The risotto balls were really good as well. My best friend said the duck tacos were flavorful but the brussel sprouts were lacking flavor.
Great venue! Very intimate. Not a bad seat in the house. Very friendly staff. The reason I did not give five stars is b/c their food/drink service left much to be desired. The food was good. The drinks were good, but receiving your order was a mess. The table numbers are on wine bottles in the middle of the table. I get it looks nice, but it's not functional. The table number gets covered since the bottle is in the way, the servers can't see the number, so items are just being delivered randomly. It has to be costing this establishment money to have to remake orders that are delivered incorrectly. It seems every table around me had the same issue. Maybe they can find something to affix on the table to help the staff and make the experience better.
Loved seeing and listening to the Chuck Brown Band at City Winery, Washington, DC! The ambiance was amazing.They did get our orders mixed up and never brought out half of the food but the music and vibe was so good that I won't take off but one star. We'll give them another shot to get it right as we want to go back for other artists. But they do really need to get the food orders straight. The show ended and some people in our party was never served.
What a disappointment all the way around. We first fell in love with City Winery when we lived in NYC between 2010 and 2013. The music drew us in but we became regulars because the food and wine were so phenomenal. It made date night extra special to splurge on good music, good wine and good food. And the short ribs and potatoes were my husband’s favorite! We were elated when the DC winery opened. But after a few initial visits, we realized the concept in DC didn’t match what we experienced in NY. The set up wasn’t as comfortable and it lacked the warmth and overall charm. And the food. Last night was the final straw. We had selected a high top (since we normally pick bar seats and those are no longer available, probably due to covid) but we had a half obstructed view. To their credit, we were able to move. But the menu was also bare bones and very unimpressive. When we did get our drinks eventually, the wine was incorrect (although the waitress did comp it), though it took another half hour after that to replace it. And even then their chardonnay doesn’t taste right. The wines were subpar all the way around, so when I tried to simply switch from white to reds, to see if those were any better, we waited 45 more minutes after ordering and finally gave up. Never got the order. We even had tickets to a show but left before the main act, because the experience was so disappointing and just not a fun evening. I wish I could say the problem was just a lack of staffing, but it’s clear the food menu is no longer a priority and the customer’s overall experience is not top of mind. We heard multiple customers complaining around us. We won’t be back. It’s a 45 minute drive to get there and not worth the time or the money. However, we pulled up the menu in NY to see if those short ribs are still on the menu and they appear to be! So we haven’t given up on City Winery just yet, only the one in DC.
We went last night to see Lyfe Jennings and it was great, food too but short staffed but our waiter DJ was very patient even though the chef was super backed up he kept coming to see if we needed anything. But the venue was nice. There is one thing I didn't like though ? we got to our table at 6:45pm and we couldn't order food at all, so we had to go downstairs to eat after Lyfe finished singing.
We visited this venue to see a live band. The band was amazing. We arrived early to make sure we had good seats in front with a clear view of the stage. To sell more tickets, the manager brought more chairs and tables out later during the show so our view of the band was blocked during the second half of the show. The kitchen offered a very limited menu and it was almost impossible to get our waiter to come back to our table. We waited almost 20 minutes just for water. When he did take our order, he’d leave items off or write down the order wrong. 5 stars for the entertainment and 0 for the service.
One of my favorite venues in DC. Good amount of space and Really good acoustics, even in the back.Music continues as you visit the bathroom so you don't miss a beat.Had a bit of an issue with getting a salad in a timely fashion. They ran out and had to give a substitute but didn't inform of the delay and pending switcheroo before bringing it out to our table.Only other issue we noticed was the lack of good airflow, it was stuffy and a little hot with a full house. A bit concerning considering the times we currently live.Most people kept their masks on during the show so it was less concerning that they haven't upgraded the ventilation.Overall, staff was very nice and the show had a really good vibe. Thank you!