The Dabney has such a great reputation and following in the DC area and, with out-of-town family in for the holidays, was a great opportunity to experience it for myself. Reservations are hard to get so we opted for the heated patio. I checked beforehand and was told it was fully enclosed, protected from the elements, and heated. It was freezing and there were no other seating options. My wife wore her coat throughout dinner and my niece wore gloves during the meal. They provided a blanket...but we did not realize that it was a "blanket required" seating...and clearly was not a blanket solution to our problem. True our table was close to the door...but they should not offer that table on a cold night. So maybe my view of the meal was colored (blue I guess from the cold) by the conditions. We spent $200 per person. That is not uncommon for us but we expect value for the money. There was not much. The menu construction is odd. They encourage sharing small plates, which are not really big enough to share among 4 people. The shareable 28 oz $168 rib eye was plenty big enough to share, but the sides ...1/4 cup of potatoes, 2 tablespoons of chimichurri, and 1/4 cup of carrots did not go very far. The wine list was narrow with very few bottles under $100. Look, everything was prepared very well as you'd expect from a Michelin starred restaurant. It was just underwhelming. The service was just fair...ambiance awful... and food interesting but not great. I'm thrilled we went. We enjoyed the evening. But there are much better options in DC...at least for us.
Jus
We had a wonderful birthday dinner! The food was interesting, tasty and extremely well crafted. The environment was a little more casual than we expected, but that was fine perfect.
Yvonne
Great dinner of ribeye. All the sides were excellent as well as the service. Old fashion cocktail was perfect.
Chris
I rarely go down by myself at the bar, but in this case, my family was not up for going out so I went solo. Ended up having great conversations with the guests to my right and my left as well as the bartenders and stayed over an hour longer than planned. Ended up buying a bottle of their Dabnog, which is a seasonal specialty, and I had a wonderful experience I'll always remember
Alexandria
We went to the Dabney for our anniversary dinner this year. We opted for the pre-fixe and the food was delicious, but overall we were a little disappointed in the evening. We has requested a quiet table in our reservation and were placed in the back of the dining room, but the tables there were so close together it was very uncomfortable. The waiters and runners were squeezing between the tables to serve food, it was really cramped and distracting. And the booth itself was too low for the table, I felt like I needed a booster seat. Again, the food itself was great. Stand outs included the cocktail menu, the fried sugar toads, and the apple fool dessert. We splurge on a meal like this maybe once a year, and we really wanted this to be a special night, but it was kind of a let down primarily because of the seating/ambiance. It was hard to relax and enjoy the food (even though it was a Tuesday and the restaurant was not at capacity). The attention to the menu, flatware, etc. was great, but was not matched by the seating or service. The staff was very friendly, but we didn't feel taken care of beyond the basics. They mistakenly thought we had reserved for a la carte even and we had to correct them for the pre-fixe menu. Our waiter was very nice and answered questions we had about the menu, but did not offer any recommendations, wine pairing suggestions, etc. unless we prompted her. And they didn't do anything special for our anniversary even though we put it in the notes, a half pour of sparkling wine for a toast would have gone a long way. Food was great but I would not recommend for the price point.
Dan
Everything was delicious. In particular, the chicken, cauliflower, and sweet potato dishes were outstanding.
TORI LEIGH
Outstanding food and service, very welcoming, very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their menu and sourcing. This was my second visit to The Dabney, and it was as good as I remembered.
Jameka
Fantastic food and great wine!! Get the sugar toads they are lite and flaky. So yummy! I'll be back here soon.
Roger
Awesome restaurant with exquisite food and drink. Great vibe. Super cool location in Blagden Alley.
Cedar
The food was incredible and your staff was EVEN BETTER! They made us feel so cared for and did an amazing job at explaining what we were ordering. The Individuals in the kitchen are magicians. I cannot say enough about this experience and will absolutely be back.
6 out of 5 stars, one of the best restaurants we've dined at this year. Extremely well run front and back of house, hitting on all cylinders. Do not miss a drink in the cellar before or after.
Josh
Honestly, I was not impressed. This certainly did not feel like a Michelin experience, and I likely won't be back. The bread and butter was actually the best item. The tartine was also good. The ribeye though, left much to be desired. It almost has a “sweet” flavor to it and it really just wasn't memorable at all. It's Sunday now, and that's about the best I can even remember of the dinner. This caliber of food is supposed to make more of an impact. The service was also very lackluster..again, not BAD, but certainly not great. I've had better service at...well, just about anywhere. Inattentive. Slow. And just not very friendly. I won't be returning to the Dabney, nor will I recommend it to others. Just out the door at Amazonia and Causa, I can get a 5x better meal with exceptional service.
Liz
The food, the ambiance, the service - all five stars. The steak was perfect. Every dish was outstanding.
duane
My wife and I had a wonderful anniversary dinner! We chose the a la carte menu and everything had such amazing combinations of flavors. The trout was just outstanding! The Somm recommended a lovely Chablis from a small grower, which matched perfectly with our meal and our server was helpful and attentive without being intrusive.
Justine
We are visiting from Australia and booked The Dabney for my husband's birthday. We were seated right by the kitchen and had an excellent view of Jeremiah and his very skilled team working over the wood-burning hearth which is fascinating to watch. The food is different and extraordinary (sugar toad & grits and grain tartine are knock outs!!) while perfectly proportionate for a tasting menu. All the staff are friendly and engaging and we were fortunate enough to have Jeremiah drop by our table with an extra dish. I wish I lived in Washington so I could visit again!!
The Dabney has such a great reputation and following in the DC area and, with out-of-town family in for the holidays, was a great opportunity to experience it for myself. Reservations are hard to get so we opted for the heated patio. I checked beforehand and was told it was fully enclosed, protected from the elements, and heated. It was freezing and there were no other seating options. My wife wore her coat throughout dinner and my niece wore gloves during the meal. They provided a blanket...but we did not realize that it was a "blanket required" seating...and clearly was not a blanket solution to our problem. True our table was close to the door...but they should not offer that table on a cold night. So maybe my view of the meal was colored (blue I guess from the cold) by the conditions. We spent $200 per person. That is not uncommon for us but we expect value for the money. There was not much. The menu construction is odd. They encourage sharing small plates, which are not really big enough to share among 4 people. The shareable 28 oz $168 rib eye was plenty big enough to share, but the sides ...1/4 cup of potatoes, 2 tablespoons of chimichurri, and 1/4 cup of carrots did not go very far. The wine list was narrow with very few bottles under $100. Look, everything was prepared very well as you'd expect from a Michelin starred restaurant. It was just underwhelming. The service was just fair...ambiance awful... and food interesting but not great. I'm thrilled we went. We enjoyed the evening. But there are much better options in DC...at least for us.
We had a wonderful birthday dinner! The food was interesting, tasty and extremely well crafted. The environment was a little more casual than we expected, but that was fine perfect.
Great dinner of ribeye. All the sides were excellent as well as the service. Old fashion cocktail was perfect.
I rarely go down by myself at the bar, but in this case, my family was not up for going out so I went solo. Ended up having great conversations with the guests to my right and my left as well as the bartenders and stayed over an hour longer than planned. Ended up buying a bottle of their Dabnog, which is a seasonal specialty, and I had a wonderful experience I'll always remember
We went to the Dabney for our anniversary dinner this year. We opted for the pre-fixe and the food was delicious, but overall we were a little disappointed in the evening. We has requested a quiet table in our reservation and were placed in the back of the dining room, but the tables there were so close together it was very uncomfortable. The waiters and runners were squeezing between the tables to serve food, it was really cramped and distracting. And the booth itself was too low for the table, I felt like I needed a booster seat. Again, the food itself was great. Stand outs included the cocktail menu, the fried sugar toads, and the apple fool dessert. We splurge on a meal like this maybe once a year, and we really wanted this to be a special night, but it was kind of a let down primarily because of the seating/ambiance. It was hard to relax and enjoy the food (even though it was a Tuesday and the restaurant was not at capacity). The attention to the menu, flatware, etc. was great, but was not matched by the seating or service. The staff was very friendly, but we didn't feel taken care of beyond the basics. They mistakenly thought we had reserved for a la carte even and we had to correct them for the pre-fixe menu. Our waiter was very nice and answered questions we had about the menu, but did not offer any recommendations, wine pairing suggestions, etc. unless we prompted her. And they didn't do anything special for our anniversary even though we put it in the notes, a half pour of sparkling wine for a toast would have gone a long way. Food was great but I would not recommend for the price point.
Everything was delicious. In particular, the chicken, cauliflower, and sweet potato dishes were outstanding.
Outstanding food and service, very welcoming, very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their menu and sourcing. This was my second visit to The Dabney, and it was as good as I remembered.
Fantastic food and great wine!! Get the sugar toads they are lite and flaky. So yummy! I'll be back here soon.
Awesome restaurant with exquisite food and drink. Great vibe. Super cool location in Blagden Alley.
The food was incredible and your staff was EVEN BETTER! They made us feel so cared for and did an amazing job at explaining what we were ordering. The Individuals in the kitchen are magicians. I cannot say enough about this experience and will absolutely be back.
Restaurantji Recommends
6 out of 5 stars, one of the best restaurants we've dined at this year. Extremely well run front and back of house, hitting on all cylinders. Do not miss a drink in the cellar before or after.
Honestly, I was not impressed. This certainly did not feel like a Michelin experience, and I likely won't be back. The bread and butter was actually the best item. The tartine was also good. The ribeye though, left much to be desired. It almost has a “sweet” flavor to it and it really just wasn't memorable at all. It's Sunday now, and that's about the best I can even remember of the dinner. This caliber of food is supposed to make more of an impact. The service was also very lackluster..again, not BAD, but certainly not great. I've had better service at...well, just about anywhere. Inattentive. Slow. And just not very friendly. I won't be returning to the Dabney, nor will I recommend it to others. Just out the door at Amazonia and Causa, I can get a 5x better meal with exceptional service.
The food, the ambiance, the service - all five stars. The steak was perfect. Every dish was outstanding.
My wife and I had a wonderful anniversary dinner! We chose the a la carte menu and everything had such amazing combinations of flavors. The trout was just outstanding! The Somm recommended a lovely Chablis from a small grower, which matched perfectly with our meal and our server was helpful and attentive without being intrusive.
We are visiting from Australia and booked The Dabney for my husband's birthday. We were seated right by the kitchen and had an excellent view of Jeremiah and his very skilled team working over the wood-burning hearth which is fascinating to watch. The food is different and extraordinary (sugar toad & grits and grain tartine are knock outs!!) while perfectly proportionate for a tasting menu. All the staff are friendly and engaging and we were fortunate enough to have Jeremiah drop by our table with an extra dish. I wish I lived in Washington so I could visit again!!
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