I went to RARE recently for the first time for a date night. When we walked in, we were greeted and offered to take our coats for us. The 1st floor has the bar and some seating. The restaurant is very classy, dim and romantic. We were seated upstairs and greeted by our waiter. Our waiter was very nice, funny and attentive to our food and drinks preferences. He was patient and checked in on us throughout the night. I ordered the wet-aged NY strip (14 oz) and whipped potatoes which is close to mashed potatoes. The NY strip ( medium cooked) was tender, juicy and seasoned well. I enjoyed the steak, it was delicious. If you want a juicier and more tender steak, you can try the dry-aged bone-in NY strip on the menu. Next the whipped potatoes, I personally think it can add more herbs to add flavor since there's no garlic flavor in the potatoes. It wasn't impressive to me but good enough to still order it. Overall, I had a good experience and good food so I would come back again.
JonG
Hats off to the staff at Rare Steakhouse, The Steak we ordered was done to perfection, Ishmael our waiter was perfect, Prompt service with a smile, Make sure you stop off at the Bar and ask For Angel he will definitely take care of you!! Highly recommended!!
Angela P.
I was ready to leave a 5 star review - until my husband told me his own personal experience that was brought up to my attention the moment we left the restaurant. We were celebrating our 15 year anniversary and they had great small touches that made the experience special. They tailored our needs of wanting a beautiful seating area. Overall food and dining experience with the food/ambiance was pleasant. Our booth was next to the station where they had the servers. My husband is a native Spanish speaker, and informs me they were talking inappropriately about the customers at their tables (how cheap they're being, oh they're not going to get dessert, etc...). My husband personally spoke Spanish to our server out of respect, and yet we declined dessert as we were full - then our server mentioned we were being "cheap". How outrageous. For being more fine dining and costly, it's pretty unprofessional. So, take that into consideration.
Adam L.
Was a fine dinner until the steak came out. I don't know if my order was confused with someone else's, but my medium rare NY strip was basically raw when it came out the first time - like dark red cold center. Which can happen. Nbd. So I send it back politely and ask for the steak to be fired again. It comes back and the server who brings it out looks at my plate and looks at me confused and basically slides it off his onto mine. Completely unprofessional. No apologies. I check it again and it's still way under. At that point I'm like I don't want to eat anymore since my wife is done with her dinner and my steak is still not right. And look, i don't complain much but this is a $70 steak... So at this point we've been there a long time and need to get home to our kids who were being babysat. So I say I prefer to just not have anything since we need to go home... The manager tries to make up for it in a halfhearted way saying he doesn't want me to leave hungry and I'm debating to take it home but he insists I eat there (with like 15 minutes to eat). So the steak comes out and it's not the same cut, but it's cooked right and the manager says "the chef was in a good mood so he made you another". At this point I'm just like whatever and eat my dinner quickly to get out of there. In the end they comped my steak, which was nice, but overall it was a very mediocre experience for the cost ($250 before the comp) and what should've been a special evening
Tyler C.
This was my first time eating at RARE. The ambiance when you walk in is very calm yet classy. It was a Friday night, I thought maybe it would be a little more busy than it was. Our reservation was at 8:30 however they stopped taking orders at 9. Which was an hour before close. Started out with a lemon drop (don Julio) which was perfect. Ordered the salmon, crab cakes. Broccolini and loaded potatoes. The salmon was cooked perfectly, but I do recommend to purchase one of the sauces to put on top. The crab crakes were pretty good. Didn't have much filling. And they didn't taste crabby if that makes sense lol The broccolini (rich broccoli) was great The loaded potatoes were very good as well. BUT do be alarmed that there are piece of pork belly mixed in as well. (For the non pork eaters) All in all I will definitely be returning.
Jennifer-Leigh O.
My boyfriend made us a Valentine's Day reservation, and it was hands-down one of the best dining experiences we've ever had. The dry-aged ribeye was top-notch; the service from our main waiter, Sylvano, and the rest of the team was warm, attentive, and wonderful; and the ambiance makes you feel like you've fallen into the best kind of time machine. Long story short: I can't recommend this place highly enough.
GusA
The food was magnificent and the atmosphere was very private and reminiscent of by gone days at a fine steakhouse. The service was very friendly especially ay the bar. I would absolutely go back!
My $73 ribeye was tough as leather and had no taste. The sides were very basic nothing special. The bread was like something out of Texas Roadhouse restaurant. Service was fine but it was an expensive meal that wasn't worth half what was paid.
Linda Leitz
Fabulous food delivered with impeccable
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Akshobh Giridharadas
There is a metaphor I use. Being an immigrant in DC is like being a vegetarian in a steakhouse. In the sense, you’ll get a meal (job) but it won’t be the best thing they (city) has to offer. Since you can’t work in government (succulent steaks). Well, this metaphor came true last week. Didn’t have too many vegetarian options, soups were also skewed towards meat/seafood. However, I loved the spinach they served. So all in all, it was fine. But slim pickings if you’re vegetarian.
Guy asked me just as I entered to take out my 10k fur hat. Waitress barely speaks English. Very cold and arrogant welcoming.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Tami Hutchison
It was a great restaurant and I enjoyed having dinner with Mayor Kate Gallego.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joe B.
I enjoyed this place. Attempts to be more upscale than your usual steakhouse but something about the aesthetic fell short for me. Nevertheless, the food was fantastic and my waiter was easy to communicate with. I got an iceberg salad and a ribeye which were both above average and priced moderately. I'd go again for sure
Emily Brown
We had a reservation for 7 and still ended up waiting 30-40 minutes to be sat. It was not so bad because the place was so pretty and had a lot of seating while we waited. Finding parking was difficult and they did not have valet. Everyone enjoyed their food, particularly the aged steaks. The charred octopus as a must-have. Service was okay.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Charred Octopus
Will Fuentes
They were understaffed on NYE at 7pm. Made for less than expected service. Our waiter did their best but they were overwhelmed. The bread, shrimp cocktail, and octopus were stellar. My aged rib eye was excellent. My wife and son both got the wagyu filet and were underwhelmed. We love this place so we will be back. It just was not as good as usual.
I went to RARE recently for the first time for a date night. When we walked in, we were greeted and offered to take our coats for us. The 1st floor has the bar and some seating. The restaurant is very classy, dim and romantic. We were seated upstairs and greeted by our waiter. Our waiter was very nice, funny and attentive to our food and drinks preferences. He was patient and checked in on us throughout the night. I ordered the wet-aged NY strip (14 oz) and whipped potatoes which is close to mashed potatoes. The NY strip ( medium cooked) was tender, juicy and seasoned well. I enjoyed the steak, it was delicious. If you want a juicier and more tender steak, you can try the dry-aged bone-in NY strip on the menu. Next the whipped potatoes, I personally think it can add more herbs to add flavor since there's no garlic flavor in the potatoes. It wasn't impressive to me but good enough to still order it. Overall, I had a good experience and good food so I would come back again.
Hats off to the staff at Rare Steakhouse, The Steak we ordered was done to perfection, Ishmael our waiter was perfect, Prompt service with a smile, Make sure you stop off at the Bar and ask For Angel he will definitely take care of you!! Highly recommended!!
I was ready to leave a 5 star review - until my husband told me his own personal experience that was brought up to my attention the moment we left the restaurant. We were celebrating our 15 year anniversary and they had great small touches that made the experience special. They tailored our needs of wanting a beautiful seating area. Overall food and dining experience with the food/ambiance was pleasant. Our booth was next to the station where they had the servers. My husband is a native Spanish speaker, and informs me they were talking inappropriately about the customers at their tables (how cheap they're being, oh they're not going to get dessert, etc...). My husband personally spoke Spanish to our server out of respect, and yet we declined dessert as we were full - then our server mentioned we were being "cheap". How outrageous. For being more fine dining and costly, it's pretty unprofessional. So, take that into consideration.
Was a fine dinner until the steak came out. I don't know if my order was confused with someone else's, but my medium rare NY strip was basically raw when it came out the first time - like dark red cold center. Which can happen. Nbd. So I send it back politely and ask for the steak to be fired again. It comes back and the server who brings it out looks at my plate and looks at me confused and basically slides it off his onto mine. Completely unprofessional. No apologies. I check it again and it's still way under. At that point I'm like I don't want to eat anymore since my wife is done with her dinner and my steak is still not right. And look, i don't complain much but this is a $70 steak... So at this point we've been there a long time and need to get home to our kids who were being babysat. So I say I prefer to just not have anything since we need to go home... The manager tries to make up for it in a halfhearted way saying he doesn't want me to leave hungry and I'm debating to take it home but he insists I eat there (with like 15 minutes to eat). So the steak comes out and it's not the same cut, but it's cooked right and the manager says "the chef was in a good mood so he made you another". At this point I'm just like whatever and eat my dinner quickly to get out of there. In the end they comped my steak, which was nice, but overall it was a very mediocre experience for the cost ($250 before the comp) and what should've been a special evening
This was my first time eating at RARE. The ambiance when you walk in is very calm yet classy. It was a Friday night, I thought maybe it would be a little more busy than it was. Our reservation was at 8:30 however they stopped taking orders at 9. Which was an hour before close. Started out with a lemon drop (don Julio) which was perfect. Ordered the salmon, crab cakes. Broccolini and loaded potatoes. The salmon was cooked perfectly, but I do recommend to purchase one of the sauces to put on top. The crab crakes were pretty good. Didn't have much filling. And they didn't taste crabby if that makes sense lol The broccolini (rich broccoli) was great The loaded potatoes were very good as well. BUT do be alarmed that there are piece of pork belly mixed in as well. (For the non pork eaters) All in all I will definitely be returning.
My boyfriend made us a Valentine's Day reservation, and it was hands-down one of the best dining experiences we've ever had. The dry-aged ribeye was top-notch; the service from our main waiter, Sylvano, and the rest of the team was warm, attentive, and wonderful; and the ambiance makes you feel like you've fallen into the best kind of time machine. Long story short: I can't recommend this place highly enough.
The food was magnificent and the atmosphere was very private and reminiscent of by gone days at a fine steakhouse. The service was very friendly especially ay the bar. I would absolutely go back!
My $73 ribeye was tough as leather and had no taste. The sides were very basic nothing special. The bread was like something out of Texas Roadhouse restaurant. Service was fine but it was an expensive meal that wasn't worth half what was paid.
Fabulous food delivered with impeccable
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
There is a metaphor I use. Being an immigrant in DC is like being a vegetarian in a steakhouse. In the sense, you’ll get a meal (job) but it won’t be the best thing they (city) has to offer. Since you can’t work in government (succulent steaks). Well, this metaphor came true last week. Didn’t have too many vegetarian options, soups were also skewed towards meat/seafood. However, I loved the spinach they served. So all in all, it was fine. But slim pickings if you’re vegetarian.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Guy asked me just as I entered to take out my 10k fur hat. Waitress barely speaks English. Very cold and arrogant welcoming.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
It was a great restaurant and I enjoyed having dinner with Mayor Kate Gallego.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I enjoyed this place. Attempts to be more upscale than your usual steakhouse but something about the aesthetic fell short for me. Nevertheless, the food was fantastic and my waiter was easy to communicate with. I got an iceberg salad and a ribeye which were both above average and priced moderately. I'd go again for sure
We had a reservation for 7 and still ended up waiting 30-40 minutes to be sat. It was not so bad because the place was so pretty and had a lot of seating while we waited. Finding parking was difficult and they did not have valet. Everyone enjoyed their food, particularly the aged steaks. The charred octopus as a must-have. Service was okay.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Charred Octopus
They were understaffed on NYE at 7pm. Made for less than expected service. Our waiter did their best but they were overwhelmed. The bread, shrimp cocktail, and octopus were stellar. My aged rib eye was excellent. My wife and son both got the wagyu filet and were underwhelmed. We love this place so we will be back. It just was not as good as usual.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Garlic Rolls, Charred Octopus