We are so lucky to have Red’s in our neighborhood! Pros: covered outdoor dining right on Lake Thoreau, food is always incredibly fresh, fast service and friendly staff. They add in new menu items seasonally but always offer their classics like the chicken sandwich (can’t go wrong!). If you are looking for a brunch/lunch/dinner spot in Reston, definitely check out Red’s.
The service was incredible, we must’ve had four or five servers asked to help us throughout the course of our meal. And the food was much better than I remember the last time I was there. The crab dip in particular was awesome and the bread and the salads were very fresh. I will be back!
Location and interior are lovely, it feels great to eat lakeside on a nice day. Staff was attentive and friendly, not a problem there.My overall impression of the food, though, was a tad underwhelming. The portions were very generous, but the flavors left more to be desired.• Calamari came out and virtually none of the breading was attached, so it was just squid.• Goat cheese fritters were overwhelming goat cheesy (expected, sure, but there was more to it) so no other flavor could shine through.• Fried chicken sandwich tasted very under seasoned. I expected more of a punch but could barely taste the minimum salt and pepper. The breading was unevenly fried, where some bites were excellently crisp but others were soggy.• Onion rings receive same critique as calamari where the breading was all falling off, and it wasn’t as crunchy as one would look for in an onion ring.Final thoughts are it was a very delightful restaurant, aesthetically pleasing. The portions will fill you up, though the food was inconsistent in quality and just shy of excellence.
The location is quaint and sitting in the back patio is relaxing overlooking the River. The service was more or less satisfactory as they seem to work in a team concept covering each other’s tables. The menu however is well overpriced for the quality we saw. My wife ordered the cod special in pomodoro sauce. The dish came out plated well but there was no side accompanying it for $30.00. I had one of the driest turkey sandwiches I’ve ever been served. I don’t know what other customers experienced but this would not be a repeat location for me. Almost $60.00 for essentially fish and chips. There are much better options in the area.
Our server , a young lady whom I regretfully don’t recall her name…Bar?) was so informative, responsive and courteous. You could tell she enjoyed her work and her recommendations were spot on. So yes, both the service and meal was exceptional. Good cold draft beer too.
I believe there was a bit of racism going on (wine glasses filled less, staff inattentive to the point of ignoring us and not treating us as well as others who were also dining at the same time. We all left in a worse mood than we arrived. Food was mediocre - the only positive was the patio seating by the lake.
Update: Thank you to the owner for inviting us back.We’re glad we gave this place a second chance. The food was great & the service was excellent!! We also really enjoy the view outside. We will be back!We really enjoyed the food but the service was horrible. After we received our food we were not checked on once. We sat an extra 45 minutes waiting just for the check. We asked two different people to please find our waiter & he still never came to the table. Finally after going to the hostess he had someone come to our table who loudly stated “don’t you understand we’re short staffed”. Which we completely understand but not to be checked on at all & to be spoken to like that is unacceptable.
Ate here for brunch today on the patio with a table of 7. All the servers were super friendly and accommodating for all of our sauce requests ? And all of our food and cocktails were delicious ? They included the tip which made it so much easier for all of us since we were all on separate checks
We were looking forward to visiting based on previous reviews. Unfortunately our experience was very disappointing. We were seated promptly but we had to wait for nearly 15 minutes to place our drink order. We also placed an order for appetizers at that time. The appetizers came 15 minutes later but still no drinks. We asked the waiter if he could check on our drinks and he almost rudely replied “don’t worry, they’re coming.” Our appetizers were nearly finished when our drinks arrived. The waiter throughout was not engaged and was not the least but professional. The food overall was good. The service overall was some of the worst service I ever received at an upper end restaurant.
Excellent food and service!! We had the private room for a family celebration and everything was perfect. From the timely email communication to our request to bring in a cake and then borrow a lighter for the candles, our experience couldn’t have been better!