The dining room was nice, the company fantastic. The food was a pleasant surprise and filling. I started off with lentil soup followed by a nicely spiced vegetarian dish. The bummer was the waiter who leaned over my food and nearly flipped over my drink.
Barbara8211
We have been enjoying the Fourth Estate for many years. We bring all our out of town guests. Every guest has been impressed. You can count on the atmosphere being one that you can enjoy your guests and the food is always excellent.
LizzyN
I usually love the NPC. The atmosphere, food and service is usually great. I love that the head chef is a woman. They validate parking. I've eaten there with and without the Travelzoo discount. This time, the service was not very good. Not sure if the waiter expected a low tip since we were using the Travelzoo discount or not. I haven't experienced this on previous occasions though, so it wouldn't prevent me from returning, with or without the discount. We had the crab cakes and halibut which were very good. The apple cranberry pie was excellent. Highly recommended
TomK
The Fourth Estate offers an excellent dining venue for lunch or dinner preceding or following a conference or a cultural event in the vicinity. The photographs of notables who received awards at the Press Club enhances the hallways and restaurant itself and is a welcome step back into our history from the days of FDR.
JoshuaK
The service is always stellar. The crabcakes were fantastic, packed with big chunks of lump crab meat. The lamb shank was cooked perfectly. The Toffie pudding dessert is not really pudding; it's like a British pudding, which is more like a cake. Wow, was it awesome! We will keep coming back over and over and over again.
jdiffy
Very enjoyable; service broke down a little as we were finishing and the restaurant was getting busy. Overall though, we had a delicious meal in a nice setting. Place is a tad dated - and based on reviews, we were expecting a view of the city - of which there was none. Not sure what has changed - but it only minimally impacted a nice evening out.
DebraR
I have eaten at this restaurant many time and it never disappoints. Its my go to place to enjoy a fabulous meal. The menu, which is always different is fantastic and the service impeccable.
WorkenehT
I was very disappointed with the whole thing. It was only 4 of us and the service was bad, the food was bad. just waste of money and time for me to bring my wife and friends to such a place. We all were very disappointed and what a waste of money.
Jp C.
I've been a Press Club member for many years and have always loved The Fourth Estate restaurant, a crown jewel hidden in DC. I brought guests here even when the restaurant's patronization was significantly reduced for reasons I never figured out why. The restaurant has always been good and I've not had any complaints, nor have my guests. However, tonight's visit was very disappointing from the start. The four of us were give a square table off to the side and near the kitchen area. The table was crowded, smaller than we'd like for comfort and our knees and feet hit or rested against the aluminum structure that held the table up. I thought we had wooden legs? Guess those tables have been replaced? When I saw the round 4-person table in the center being vacated, I asked for our party to be moved to it. I could tell the manager was not happy with the move. I told him I would like to think that members would get a little better treatment than non-members. He simply said most people enjoyed the view from the table we were at. I said the view stunk, it's a view of the interior of the building, I was having dinner with and preferred to view them. Once we relocated, Eberto, our waiter asked for our order. We ordered our appetizers and he asked for our entree orders. We told him we can only eat one thing at a time, so only order one course at a time. He wasn't happy but accepted it. As we were eating the appetizers, the manager came and asked for us to order the entrees. I expressed my dislike of being rushed when eating and he said the kitchen was closing soon. (I don't understand why the kitchen closes at 8:30 pm on a Saturday night, but later on weeknights. Doesn't make much sense to me in DC). When the entrees were delivered we noted the very easily seen lack of consistency between the very same entrees two of us and six guests of ours had the night before. The steak was thinner and lacked the blue cheese crumbles listed on the menu and we had the night before. The crab cakes were much bigger tonight than last night. Consistency is important especially when I'm bringing guests and bragging to them how great the restaurant is. As we were eating the entre our check was given to us. I asked why we couldn't get desert. Elberto then took our desert order. In contrast, last night everything, except the small crab cakes, was great as always. As a side note - Our executive chef (Susan) is fantastic and has created interesting menus for years. The current menu includes roasted rabbit and the soup if "the day," last night and tonight was lamb and goat soup (really?). Those items may be selling well, but I know none of us last night or tonight (a total of 11 people) even considered ordering either item, even though we wanted soup. I see this as a lost revenue potential for the restaurant. Maybe more traditional soup and less exotic meats are best? Bottom line - although very stressful and disappointing tonight, but mostly good last night, I highly recommend this place. Hopefully there will be more consistency in the future.
I went there with my wife for Valentine's Day. We love the atmosphere, love the food, I love the service. The price was very good, considering it was Valentine's Day and it was in the heart of Washington DC. Great value. Food was excellent
LenaSavvoy
It LOOKED like a regular shrimp cocktail, but it tasted FANTASTIC! Perfectly lemon-poached and tender, the shrimp we're the perfect vehicle for the dark arugula and creamy horseradish. Our entire experience was Extraordinary. Francisco made us feel welcome, and then Cecilio made us feel comfortable. The lobster ravioli was perfectly cooked. Our stuffed salmon and cracked crab dishes were delightfully decadent. And the Napoleon desert was creamy and heavenly.
CaryP
The scallops entree and the rockfish entree both were superb - done exactly as requested, seasoned beautifully and accompanied by asparagus spears that had the bottoms of the stalks shaved to ensure tenderness from end to end. The only complaint was that they had run out of comment cards so that my dining companion and I could not rave about the meal in writing!
Alice J.
Sea scallops (succulent) and the Weekend at the Beach cocktail were wonderful as was the grilled shrimps appetizer. Bread basket contained warm baguette with a side of garlic butter and Boursin cheese, delicious. The asparagus next to the sea scallops was full of fiber. Hard. No longer tender. Probably too old. A pleasant (small) restaurant on the 13th floor of the National Press Club building (inside the Club; the front desk will open the gate for you as you step out of the elevator) with friendly and efficient service. Very attentive. A few guests seem to be regulars, as the host and waiters knew them and were chatting with them a bit. Menu was small but they had a long wine list and several cocktails. The bathroom was small (2 stalls only) but clean and pleasant. Overall it felt upscale. It's interesting they had automated faucets that dispensed soap, water, and then ... even hot air to dry your hands! See the photos. It's an all-in-one unit. Pretty fancy. You'd dry your hand right at the sink. We came at 6 pm on a quiet Tuesday evening. We overheard the other table, they were here because -- like us -- they were going to National Theatre next door for a show afterwards. Convenient location. We counted a total of four tables dining including us, between 6 and 7:15 pm when we left. The atmosphere was civilized, relaxed. Heavy wood paneling. Quite a "gentleman's club" vibe as all the other tables were older couples.
Michelle
The quality of food at the fourth estate has really improved. Our meal was delicious. The crab cakes were excellent with no filler. The rockfish was tasty and crispy. The lamb was tender and succulent. I would definitely recommend the restaurant.
Wife says "Best burger I've ever had."
The dining room was nice, the company fantastic. The food was a pleasant surprise and filling. I started off with lentil soup followed by a nicely spiced vegetarian dish. The bummer was the waiter who leaned over my food and nearly flipped over my drink.
We have been enjoying the Fourth Estate for many years. We bring all our out of town guests. Every guest has been impressed. You can count on the atmosphere being one that you can enjoy your guests and the food is always excellent.
I usually love the NPC. The atmosphere, food and service is usually great. I love that the head chef is a woman. They validate parking. I've eaten there with and without the Travelzoo discount. This time, the service was not very good. Not sure if the waiter expected a low tip since we were using the Travelzoo discount or not. I haven't experienced this on previous occasions though, so it wouldn't prevent me from returning, with or without the discount. We had the crab cakes and halibut which were very good. The apple cranberry pie was excellent. Highly recommended
The Fourth Estate offers an excellent dining venue for lunch or dinner preceding or following a conference or a cultural event in the vicinity. The photographs of notables who received awards at the Press Club enhances the hallways and restaurant itself and is a welcome step back into our history from the days of FDR.
The service is always stellar. The crabcakes were fantastic, packed with big chunks of lump crab meat. The lamb shank was cooked perfectly. The Toffie pudding dessert is not really pudding; it's like a British pudding, which is more like a cake. Wow, was it awesome! We will keep coming back over and over and over again.
Very enjoyable; service broke down a little as we were finishing and the restaurant was getting busy. Overall though, we had a delicious meal in a nice setting. Place is a tad dated - and based on reviews, we were expecting a view of the city - of which there was none. Not sure what has changed - but it only minimally impacted a nice evening out.
I have eaten at this restaurant many time and it never disappoints. Its my go to place to enjoy a fabulous meal. The menu, which is always different is fantastic and the service impeccable.
I was very disappointed with the whole thing. It was only 4 of us and the service was bad, the food was bad. just waste of money and time for me to bring my wife and friends to such a place. We all were very disappointed and what a waste of money.
I've been a Press Club member for many years and have always loved The Fourth Estate restaurant, a crown jewel hidden in DC. I brought guests here even when the restaurant's patronization was significantly reduced for reasons I never figured out why. The restaurant has always been good and I've not had any complaints, nor have my guests. However, tonight's visit was very disappointing from the start. The four of us were give a square table off to the side and near the kitchen area. The table was crowded, smaller than we'd like for comfort and our knees and feet hit or rested against the aluminum structure that held the table up. I thought we had wooden legs? Guess those tables have been replaced? When I saw the round 4-person table in the center being vacated, I asked for our party to be moved to it. I could tell the manager was not happy with the move. I told him I would like to think that members would get a little better treatment than non-members. He simply said most people enjoyed the view from the table we were at. I said the view stunk, it's a view of the interior of the building, I was having dinner with and preferred to view them. Once we relocated, Eberto, our waiter asked for our order. We ordered our appetizers and he asked for our entree orders. We told him we can only eat one thing at a time, so only order one course at a time. He wasn't happy but accepted it. As we were eating the appetizers, the manager came and asked for us to order the entrees. I expressed my dislike of being rushed when eating and he said the kitchen was closing soon. (I don't understand why the kitchen closes at 8:30 pm on a Saturday night, but later on weeknights. Doesn't make much sense to me in DC). When the entrees were delivered we noted the very easily seen lack of consistency between the very same entrees two of us and six guests of ours had the night before. The steak was thinner and lacked the blue cheese crumbles listed on the menu and we had the night before. The crab cakes were much bigger tonight than last night. Consistency is important especially when I'm bringing guests and bragging to them how great the restaurant is. As we were eating the entre our check was given to us. I asked why we couldn't get desert. Elberto then took our desert order. In contrast, last night everything, except the small crab cakes, was great as always. As a side note - Our executive chef (Susan) is fantastic and has created interesting menus for years. The current menu includes roasted rabbit and the soup if "the day," last night and tonight was lamb and goat soup (really?). Those items may be selling well, but I know none of us last night or tonight (a total of 11 people) even considered ordering either item, even though we wanted soup. I see this as a lost revenue potential for the restaurant. Maybe more traditional soup and less exotic meats are best? Bottom line - although very stressful and disappointing tonight, but mostly good last night, I highly recommend this place. Hopefully there will be more consistency in the future.
Restaurantji Recommends
I went there with my wife for Valentine's Day. We love the atmosphere, love the food, I love the service. The price was very good, considering it was Valentine's Day and it was in the heart of Washington DC. Great value. Food was excellent
It LOOKED like a regular shrimp cocktail, but it tasted FANTASTIC! Perfectly lemon-poached and tender, the shrimp we're the perfect vehicle for the dark arugula and creamy horseradish. Our entire experience was Extraordinary. Francisco made us feel welcome, and then Cecilio made us feel comfortable. The lobster ravioli was perfectly cooked. Our stuffed salmon and cracked crab dishes were delightfully decadent. And the Napoleon desert was creamy and heavenly.
The scallops entree and the rockfish entree both were superb - done exactly as requested, seasoned beautifully and accompanied by asparagus spears that had the bottoms of the stalks shaved to ensure tenderness from end to end. The only complaint was that they had run out of comment cards so that my dining companion and I could not rave about the meal in writing!
Sea scallops (succulent) and the Weekend at the Beach cocktail were wonderful as was the grilled shrimps appetizer. Bread basket contained warm baguette with a side of garlic butter and Boursin cheese, delicious. The asparagus next to the sea scallops was full of fiber. Hard. No longer tender. Probably too old. A pleasant (small) restaurant on the 13th floor of the National Press Club building (inside the Club; the front desk will open the gate for you as you step out of the elevator) with friendly and efficient service. Very attentive. A few guests seem to be regulars, as the host and waiters knew them and were chatting with them a bit. Menu was small but they had a long wine list and several cocktails. The bathroom was small (2 stalls only) but clean and pleasant. Overall it felt upscale. It's interesting they had automated faucets that dispensed soap, water, and then ... even hot air to dry your hands! See the photos. It's an all-in-one unit. Pretty fancy. You'd dry your hand right at the sink. We came at 6 pm on a quiet Tuesday evening. We overheard the other table, they were here because -- like us -- they were going to National Theatre next door for a show afterwards. Convenient location. We counted a total of four tables dining including us, between 6 and 7:15 pm when we left. The atmosphere was civilized, relaxed. Heavy wood paneling. Quite a "gentleman's club" vibe as all the other tables were older couples.
The quality of food at the fourth estate has really improved. Our meal was delicious. The crab cakes were excellent with no filler. The rockfish was tasty and crispy. The lamb was tender and succulent. I would definitely recommend the restaurant.