Duck Duck Goose - Dupont Circle

So this is actually a (very late) review of the Bethesda location that closed. But this is a chain and someone recently told me of a similar experience at the dupont location, so here I am saying my peace.

It was right after the end of the pandemic. The mask mandate had just been lifted in Montgomery County. Me and my wife showed up for our reservation. It was a small space so there's literally a table that you can sit at without taking a single step from the hostess podium.

The owner came out and raised her voice at us that we didn't have a mask (the mask mandate had lifted, we were both vaccinated). This was literally one step through the door. We still kept spares in your pocket so we quickly put ours on. After she left the hostess seated us at THAT table, one step left of the podium. So we literally got yelled at for not having our masks on for the two steps it took to get us to our seats.

It was a weird night after that. The hostess seemed apologetic about the whole thing, and so did the waitress. We tipped extra to make sure they knew no harm no foul. But I'm still miffed about that owner/manager/whatever

The fois gras was really good though

Good

Vegetarian options: OK

Dietary restrictions: OK

Parking: OK

Kid-friendliness: Good

Wheelchair accessibility: OK

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3

So I'm not going to be like a few other reviewers and knock random stars off for minor inconveniences that don't have to do with the restaurant. Note, the food I describe below may be outdated due to the rotating menu.

The food itself is superb. The guac with caviar and fried cheese came out and was a perfect appetiser. I personally don't think fois gras isn't a preferred food for me, but the flavor meshed well with the burger I got. The duck leg we got was also cooked to perfection.

The service was great as well. The servers were friendly and knowledgeable about every item on the menu, their best pairings, and were able to help us come up with a good 3 course meal with drinks - apps, main, dessert.

Food, service, and atmosphere were top notch. So if you're debating whether to come here or not and are put off by the sub 4.5 ratings, look at the 4 star ratings from the obviously hard to please people, their reviews generally say the food is really good.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: DDG Burger, Duck

Food was great. Service and atmosphere great. But even then, still

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Duck

We had a DELICIOUS brunch! The croque madame was the best I’ve ever had. Incredibly flavorful and rich - I already want it again. My boyfriend got the French toast - decadent, balanced, on a dense and delicious bread. There wasn’t a crumb left on our plates. Such fantastic

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Amazing service, best place for cozy dinner!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Duck Confit

Flavorless chicken sandwich - and over sauced. Forgotten fries. Numerous mosquitos (indoors) and even a bird flitting by.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 2

Service: 3

An amazing selection of very tasty food, great service, great atmosphere.Recommended ?

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We were very disappointed by the experience. The food came out cold, the server would walk away as we were still talking to him, and it was just an all around strange time. Some of the dishes were delicious, but it was all incredibly inconsistent. The server did say that it was the first day with the new menu, and we recommend you order off the regular DDG menu and not the new bistro menu. The dining area is cute.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 1

Insta: dmv_reelsUpdate nov 11 2023: Ok so it's my second time here. The first time was a year ago and it was incredible. Atmosphere, food, everything was great. Second time I was disapppointed both food and atmosphere. We got French onion soup, beef tartare, Duck confit, escargot, and risotto. I only recommend getting duck confit and French soup. Beef tartare was SO SALTY. And escargot had a weird after taste that seemed not fresh. Risotto was alright. Also they messed up with drinks. They didn't get our check and it took forever to get them our check. The music they played did not go with the atmosphere and that was distracting. Overall just a mediocre experience for a fancy price. I don't know what happened between the first and second time but I hope they improve.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 3

Recommended dishes: Duck Confit

A culinary experience.
Lovely ambiance.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

So I'm not going to be like a few other reviewers and knock random stars off for minor inconveniences that don't have to do with the restaurant. Note, the food I describe below may be outdated due to the rotating menu.The food itself is superb. The guac with caviar and fried cheese came out and was a perfect appetiser. I personally don't think fois gras isn't a preferred food for me, but the flavor meshed well with the burger I got. The duck leg we got was also cooked to perfection.The service was great as well. The servers were friendly and knowledgeable about every item on the menu, their best pairings, and were able to help us come up with a good 3 course meal with drinks - apps, main, dessert.Food, service, and atmosphere were top notch. So if you're debating whether to come here or not and are put off by the sub 4.5 ratings, look at the 4 star ratings from the obviously hard to please people, their reviews generally say the food is really good.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: DDG Burger, Duck, Steak Frites

It was my first time coming to the duck duck goose best restaurant in DC. I loved it the quality of the food the service the drink it was amazing. Will be back soon.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

After a meal, many restaurants leave me feeling noticeably poorer. I actually walked out of this one feeling rather wealthy...!I happened upon this spot during an inadvertent tour of Dupont Circle; I was looking for a bagel shop across the street from my hotel and ended up with my head turned around, but I found Duck Duck Goose on the return trip.From the outside, it looked inviting enough, and any photos you find online are bound to be accurate, but lacking in the sublime goodness of being there in person for obvious reasons.After examining the exterior (and what I could see of the interior), I scanned menu stationed outside, set up a reservation online on Resy and at 6pm that evening we were greeted by a welcoming and very competent mature gentleman who offered some great guidance on meal choices, as he led us to our seats.After taking in the floral decor at the entrance and the clearly audible, but tastefully subdued music, we sat down at our table and began to sample their burgundy escargot (in the shell) and their rather savory french onion soup. The rest of our party joined us for our double date, but I'd be lying if I said I remembered what they had; outside of the surprisingly tasty broccolini appetizer, as my face was buried in the soup.The wife enjoyed a branzino special our server suggested, and I enjoyed their duck breast pithivier. We washed it all down with a tasty riesling they offered and some Saratoga sparkling water.Nearly three hours in, I really wasn't ready to depart, but a short stroll would get our metabolisms going again, so the wife and I ordered their bread pudding (very tasty) and a chocolate tart (not too sweet and even tastier) before we said our farewells.Two days later, we had to go back to the restaurant one last time before leaving the area to indulge in those desserts again and the manager; a rather sharply dressed gentlemen, greeted us warmly after recognizing us from the night before.He asked for our feedback, and I'm gonna tell you like I told him: "The place is sublime, and only someone looking to nitpick could find much to criticize."And I stand on that....

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Bread Pudding, Duck Confit, Duck, Burgundy Escargot, Frites, Dinner

Perfect for lunch meetings .

Yes lunch time .

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5