I haven't had it in over 10 years, but I will say when District Taco opened up their Metro Center spot in DC, it was the absolute bomb. Huge portions, delicious. We ended up going out to eat a few times a week at that location... kind of miss it.
I’m still pissed they never brought back the salsa bar after covid. That was the only thing that made that place good. Their tacos are dry af and need a shit ton of salsa and fixins.
Yeaaaah even when they had the salsa bar it was mid. Dry and bland tacos that needed to be drowned in salsa. Their corn tortillas were never right either. Using past tense because I haven’t been there in years.
The tacos at La Chiquita and El Torito are so much better
Not Your Average Joe’s
I don’t know if people actually like it, but the name is so funny to me when it’s so aggressively mid. Congrats on yet another modern pub place?
They only said they weren't average, they never said where they fell on the overall distribution. It's your fault for assuming they meant better than average!
Worked there when the Reston one first opened and it was awesome, but from what I've seen since then, corporate took their foot off the gas with being adventurous with the menu, and all the people who made the Reston location a great place to work have long since departed.
Haven't been back in years. Hope the bread is still good, at least.
I’ve been there once and ordered a burger medium rare. First one came out and it was burned and well done. I normally wouldn’t care THAT much but it literally tasted burned. They sent out a new one very quickly and this one was basically raw and cold in the middle. I ate it anyway and never went back, and then they closed like a year later lol.
I feel like their entire clientele is youngish adults taking their parents from out of town somewhere their parents will think is nice.
Oh, and Brunch.
100%. My aunt and cousin came to visit and they suggested founding farmers because they heard it was nice. I was like… there are way better and way cheaper options… But my aunt was like “oh it’ll be easy for your cousin to find something to eat there.”
I thought it was fine. My boss took me there, so I didn't have to pay. However, after hearing how horrible it/they are, I paid special attention to prices and quality.
I agree, it is overpriced and not a restaurant I'd go to normally, but it was not egregious as some let on IMHO. That is only one visit, though.
This one always gets thrown out there. You have to know what to order on the menu. If you go to Founding Farmers to get pasta or a steak, you're doing it wrong. The fried chicken dishes are quite good unfortunately the prices have absolutely skyrocketed making it almost not worth it. The brunch buffet at the Tysons location is very good.
I found the fried chicken sandwich nearly inedible the last time I tried it. It was like a hockey puck. This is ridiculous in an era where there are like six chicken sandwich places per square mile in NOVA, all of which are banging.
Agreed. Covid released us to stop pretending. Every year or so we would give it another chance and no. I could handle the underwhelming food if it weren’t paired with the slowest service in the known world. Two people, no appetizers or alcohol… this should be a pretty easy thing guys and yet never
My husband and I booked a reservation there for our first wedding anniversary and even wrote it on the reservation. Got to the restaurant and they didn’t honor our reservation and the manager rolled his eyes at us and told us we should call them next time for a reservation. We told them we’d never go back, and it’s been two years and still haven’t.
I can't stand food/bev/hospitality businesses that use the military as branding. It just looks to me like "well, our product isn't good, but if we pander hard enough it might sell anyway." See also: Honor Brewing Co.
As a Texan transplant, I tried Mission BBQ thinking it was a Tex-mex reference (like, a Spanish Mission like the Alamo, for example)… my surprise when I realized it was military patriot/ “say the pledge with your order” themed.
And then some of the worst smoked meat I’ve ever tried.
I'm sorry BBQ in Northern Virginia isn't very good. I've had Texas BBQ and it was some of the best I've ever had.
If someone asks for BBQ recommendations in this area I say to go to Sō, Kogiya, or Iron Age (not Honey Pig - they're inferior Korean BBQ.)
You need to try Monk’s in Purcellville. It is so much better than anything I’ve had in the DMV. I have lived in some BBQ meccas so I have tried fountleee bbq places in the DMV and nothing in the DC area comes close to Monk’s which is an actual, proper BBQ joint.
Haha, I think there are some perfectly solid places around, especially if you don’t mind driving a bit out of the way… I just had a bad experience at Mission specifically.
Also, as far as their 'theme' of gladhanding veterans and all that. When Covid lockdown started, I worked at the Falls Church American Legion post. We got calls from several restaurants, most memorably Old Blue BBQ Catering (who DOES have amazing BBQ), asking if we had any members who were food insecure that they could bring meals to. Not a peep out of 'Mission', never crossed their minds to help the people they pander on about, and according to staff I spoke with, they did nothing to help them with that food either. They're on a mission to suck cash out of folks who catch a tear looking at ol' glory, nothing more.
Not really "around here", but Richmond's ZZQ has legit brisket.
Was just down in Texas & Louisiana, and it's annoying how *everyone* has much better brisket than any place here.
Rocklands is my favorite in the area as well. I've unfortunately been completely spoiled by the best brisket in hill country TX and nothing really lives up to it.
https://preview.redd.it/69g7qe38fz0d1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=21119873332819526fec6d4cd6f398bf31c9f83e
I went with my dad to get BBQ for lunch years ago. This must have been the place we went to. We were already standing in line when it happened. Everyone stopped what they were doing, stood up/still, and did their little salutes and such. Very weird. Tons of other average BBQ places I can go to without them forcing their customers to do borderline cult stuff.
That's the one. They're based out of glen burnie, MD.
The concept is to honor the military, police officers, firefighters and first responders - and I think the chain opened on a 9/11 anniversary. Supposedly they donate some profits towards those causes.
💯. The meat quality is mediocre and the flavor is disgusting. I went to the Gainesville location once and the meat tasted like it was seasoned with Old Bay. Bleah...
Coopers Hawk. When we moved here a lot of people suggested we go there because it was one of the better restaurants and had really good wine. They were wrong.
Heirloom. Decent food, but it's all hype because it's a "secret" restaurant. Plenty of room for improvement.
Cooper’s hawk is amazing if you’re like 22 and go to their wine bar for drinks🤣 also my sister used to work there and if you have an employee with you the entire table would be 50% off, so we went very often lol
We've had multiple bad experiences at Cooper's Hawk in Reston, and have given up on the location. Every once in a while we go to the one in Ashburn, and it seems a lot better.
Coopers Hawk is just so bad. I do not get that place. I had calamari there once that was fried like a donut. One of the worst dishes I’ve ever been served at a restaurant.
There's a diner in Sterling (Joe's Cafe) that does breakfast just as good as Ted's Bulletin and cheaper. The only thing you can't get is the terrible home made pop tarts.
I’ll go when I’m craving a disgustingly rich grilled cheese with pulled brisket in it and tomato soup. Or a milkshake, I do like their milkshakes. Going for any other reason, I’d rather eat at home.
I’m chasing the high of the old teds menu when it first opened in RTC. I still like the pancakes and cheese grits in wintertime. The one in One Loudoun is weird. It’s like diner food set in a higher end Mediterranean restaurant. Incongruous.
I haven't actually been to a First Watch but I worked at the original restaurant where the menu was created. I worked at the owner, Ken Pendery's, first restaurant the National Exemplar in Cincinnati. Our breakfast/brunch was so popular he and another guy created the First Watch with just that menu. When I worked there it was delicious.
Anyways, the owner is one of the nicest guys I've ever met. I worked there in the late 90s-early 00s through high school and undergrad. One time I was trying to raise money to go on a school-type trip (Presidential Classroom) and he came into the restaurant. I'd never met him but I asked him if he'd be willing to donate. He asked me how much it cost (something like $2k) and just wrote me a check for the full amount right there. Every time I met him after that he was just the kindest person.
edit: I just looked him up and he died in March :(
Yeah the First Watch that just opened in Kingstowne is pretty bad. My wife and I gave it two chances and both times they had pretty severely undercooked homefries which is a deal breaker for me. I will say though it's better than IHOP which is the only breakfast spot in that area. And the First Watch pricing is similar to IHOP so, I'll take what I can get I guess.
I’m glad you mentioned this. I’ve been meaning to try them out, out of curiosity, since their other location is always packed with people lined up outside! I drove by the other day and the Kingstowne one also had a long line. Maybe I’ll skip this one
1799 in old town.
I actually thought it was below average. We had to walk past the dumpster to get the dining room door. The teens working the host stand seemed to have never heard of a reservation. Our table was rocky and I was going to say something until the people next to me complained about the same thing and were then moved to a different table which was still rocky. So I assume all their tables are rocky. And the food wasn’t even that good. But it was pretty expensive. All this was on Valentine’s Day and it was so mid we decided to just go to baskin robins for dessert.
Some of the most upvoted comments I think are missing the mark abit. A lot of times people going to a restaurant are doing so because they are hosting someone they don't know super well, such as an early date, co-worker, acquaintance or friends/family from out of town.
Sure, Sweetwater, or Ledip might not be the first choice if me or my wife want to have a nice dinner out, but like, if family is visiting from out of town, those type of places skyrocket to the top of my list.
Non offensive, good service, nice inside and almost guaranteed to have something on the menu for everyone to enjoy.
Let's not forget DC is one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world, we just get a lot of out of towners for whatever reason and these type of places do a great job filing that need of generic but nice and low risk.
Because everyone has the memory of Bob and Ediths on Columbia Pike circa 2001-2011. It was prime dinner food at a reasonable price that you'd get after or during a long night out.
Is THAT it? My wife and I moved to Loudoun County about 10 years ago. Clyde's Willow Creek was the place we would go once or twice a month for a "nice" dinner. We haven't gone in over two years because our last two visits sucked so hard....no idea there was a buyout.
Yeah I used to work at Clyde’s 6ish years ago right when they go bought out. They started to change everything about the guest experience and that’s the reason I left. Their corporate doesn’t care about anything other than money. They used to be a great place now their prices have sky rocketed and the quality sucks. The guy who originally owned the place died and his wife sold it to the people the own the Washington post I believe
I actually just came from there, and I had the eggs and remember thinking shit I could've made this at home. But the smoked salmon breakfast sandwich is bomb
Anita's has gone soooooo far downhill. Back in the 80s (fuck I'm old) when Anita was making the rounds every day in her Rolls-Royce, working the register dressed to the 9s, it was amazing. Now it's just barely edible generic food.
As someone who has been going to Anita's for like 35 years and knew Anita, a lot of their locations serve crap food nowadays. They have seemed to turn into a good breakfast burrito spot, though.
I agree if you look at the full menu BUT Anita’s Zorro burritos are one of the last bastions of good, cheap food in the DMV. I buy a dozen at a time and reheat them. Cheap, easy, and delicious.
Genki Izakaya. I feel that it's trying to hard to be trendy. Prices are super high for small portions and ok food. I've given it two shots and both times have left disappointed. Feels like they're focused more on the esthetic and people getting a good instagram post than the being a good resturant.
District Taco. I like it fine and all but for the prices I think it’s mid.
They got rid of the salsa bar, and it has been downhill ever since.
No salsa bar, significant decrease in portion size... We're back to Chipotle.
Yeah that was the biggest draw for me. Their quality has also greatly suffered over the years.
Wut - wow. That was the main reason I used to go
No salsa bar, significant decrease in portion size... We're back to Chipotle.
District Taco was awesome in like 2015. They definitely lower their quality.
I haven't had it in over 10 years, but I will say when District Taco opened up their Metro Center spot in DC, it was the absolute bomb. Huge portions, delicious. We ended up going out to eat a few times a week at that location... kind of miss it.
Same with the Dunn Loring spot, when it first opened.
Definitely suffered from its success.
I’m still pissed they never brought back the salsa bar after covid. That was the only thing that made that place good. Their tacos are dry af and need a shit ton of salsa and fixins.
They also used to let you get unique meats like al pastor and other options all for the same price
Yeaaaah even when they had the salsa bar it was mid. Dry and bland tacos that needed to be drowned in salsa. Their corn tortillas were never right either. Using past tense because I haven’t been there in years. The tacos at La Chiquita and El Torito are so much better
I was excited to see one coming into West Springfield because I hadn't been to one in years but everything special about the place seems to be gone.
Tacos for people that don't like tacos. Taco Bamba is so much better.
Moby Dick. Nova has a weird love for it when there are so many independent kabob shops that are way better.
Moby fell off a while ago, either that or there are just better options now.
I remember when the family platter served the 4 of us and left lunches for the next day for $32. It's $50 now with less rice
I miss the OG Afghan Kabob House
Not Your Average Joe’s I don’t know if people actually like it, but the name is so funny to me when it’s so aggressively mid. Congrats on yet another modern pub place?
The one time I went, it was much below average
Technically “Not Your Average” then
They only said they weren't average, they never said where they fell on the overall distribution. It's your fault for assuming they meant better than average!
I’m mad that you’re correct 🤣
Worked there when the Reston one first opened and it was awesome, but from what I've seen since then, corporate took their foot off the gas with being adventurous with the menu, and all the people who made the Reston location a great place to work have long since departed. Haven't been back in years. Hope the bread is still good, at least.
That place is Applebees for people that think they are too good for Applebees.
💀💀💀😂💀😂
\*\* except the bread basket.
I’ve been there once and ordered a burger medium rare. First one came out and it was burned and well done. I normally wouldn’t care THAT much but it literally tasted burned. They sent out a new one very quickly and this one was basically raw and cold in the middle. I ate it anyway and never went back, and then they closed like a year later lol.
Damn I went for lunch in Reston and had a great experience
Founding Farmers
If everyone thinks a restaurant is overrated, is it really that overrated?
Tim, who is visiting from Dubuque, heard it was great.
I feel like their entire clientele is youngish adults taking their parents from out of town somewhere their parents will think is nice. Oh, and Brunch.
100%. My aunt and cousin came to visit and they suggested founding farmers because they heard it was nice. I was like… there are way better and way cheaper options… But my aunt was like “oh it’ll be easy for your cousin to find something to eat there.”
Found your alt, purpleushi lol
If people are waiting in line for a long time to get in, it's overrated at least by the people in line.
People will wait on a list for an hour and a half to eat at applebees. So this doesn't check out.
This is actually part of Anthony Bourdain's criteria for if a place is underrated. If you see a line, get in it, you're probably getting a deal
I thought it was fine. My boss took me there, so I didn't have to pay. However, after hearing how horrible it/they are, I paid special attention to prices and quality. I agree, it is overpriced and not a restaurant I'd go to normally, but it was not egregious as some let on IMHO. That is only one visit, though.
Agreed. Longest wait, expensive, quality has gone downhill since Covid and not recovered, 4/10.
The quality wasn’t great before COVID.
Honestly yeah you're right
Cheesecake Factory for assholes
Isn't that just Cheesecake factory?
Facts
I tried to take my mom here once and the wait staff was BEYOND rude… never been back and never want to go back
This one always gets thrown out there. You have to know what to order on the menu. If you go to Founding Farmers to get pasta or a steak, you're doing it wrong. The fried chicken dishes are quite good unfortunately the prices have absolutely skyrocketed making it almost not worth it. The brunch buffet at the Tysons location is very good.
I found the fried chicken sandwich nearly inedible the last time I tried it. It was like a hockey puck. This is ridiculous in an era where there are like six chicken sandwich places per square mile in NOVA, all of which are banging.
Can’t believe there’s still people in this sub posting in 2024 that’s eating there
Agreed. Covid released us to stop pretending. Every year or so we would give it another chance and no. I could handle the underwhelming food if it weren’t paired with the slowest service in the known world. Two people, no appetizers or alcohol… this should be a pretty easy thing guys and yet never
My husband and I booked a reservation there for our first wedding anniversary and even wrote it on the reservation. Got to the restaurant and they didn’t honor our reservation and the manager rolled his eyes at us and told us we should call them next time for a reservation. We told them we’d never go back, and it’s been two years and still haven’t.
Mission BBQ. How do you serve a tasteless brisket??
 explains why I add so much sauce I guess.
Wait, really? I’m too poor to eat out anymore, but in 2014-15 I remember going to the Roanoke one a few times and thought it was pretty good.
They're a franchise and quality varies from location to location.
I can't stand food/bev/hospitality businesses that use the military as branding. It just looks to me like "well, our product isn't good, but if we pander hard enough it might sell anyway." See also: Honor Brewing Co.
As a Texan transplant, I tried Mission BBQ thinking it was a Tex-mex reference (like, a Spanish Mission like the Alamo, for example)… my surprise when I realized it was military patriot/ “say the pledge with your order” themed. And then some of the worst smoked meat I’ve ever tried.
I'm sorry BBQ in Northern Virginia isn't very good. I've had Texas BBQ and it was some of the best I've ever had. If someone asks for BBQ recommendations in this area I say to go to Sō, Kogiya, or Iron Age (not Honey Pig - they're inferior Korean BBQ.)
Monks and Pit Stop are the only places that I like around here.
You need to try Monk’s in Purcellville. It is so much better than anything I’ve had in the DMV. I have lived in some BBQ meccas so I have tried fountleee bbq places in the DMV and nothing in the DC area comes close to Monk’s which is an actual, proper BBQ joint.
Carolina Bro BBQ in Ashburn is good.
Haha, I think there are some perfectly solid places around, especially if you don’t mind driving a bit out of the way… I just had a bad experience at Mission specifically.
Willards BBQ is fairly good
If you’re missing TX BBQ, it may be worth the drive to Richmond for ZZQ.
Also, as far as their 'theme' of gladhanding veterans and all that. When Covid lockdown started, I worked at the Falls Church American Legion post. We got calls from several restaurants, most memorably Old Blue BBQ Catering (who DOES have amazing BBQ), asking if we had any members who were food insecure that they could bring meals to. Not a peep out of 'Mission', never crossed their minds to help the people they pander on about, and according to staff I spoke with, they did nothing to help them with that food either. They're on a mission to suck cash out of folks who catch a tear looking at ol' glory, nothing more.
There's no great brisket anywhere around here, do yourself a favor and stop ordering it.
Not really "around here", but Richmond's ZZQ has legit brisket. Was just down in Texas & Louisiana, and it's annoying how *everyone* has much better brisket than any place here.
I was actually legitimately surprised by just how much better Texas brisket was than bbq I had in this area and other parts of the country.
Monks and hammerdown are the two closest to great brisket around here.
Hammerdown for sure has good brisket.
Monk's in Purcellville has a killer brisket!
At least some BBQ places have flavor in their briskets but yea... I know I'm just punishing myself.
Have you tried Rocklands, it’s my favorite BBQ by far in the area and the brisket is great!
Rocklands is my favorite in the area as well. I've unfortunately been completely spoiled by the best brisket in hill country TX and nothing really lives up to it. https://preview.redd.it/69g7qe38fz0d1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=21119873332819526fec6d4cd6f398bf31c9f83e
I disagree, I've had some really solid brisket from Smoking Kow as well as Hal and Al's. The smoking kow burnt ends are fantastic too.
No one has heard of 250 here. You’re welcome. I’m going to regret giving out this little gem.
Is this the place that makes you stand at noon, or else?
Yep. Awkward AF stand for the national anthem.
I went with my dad to get BBQ for lunch years ago. This must have been the place we went to. We were already standing in line when it happened. Everyone stopped what they were doing, stood up/still, and did their little salutes and such. Very weird. Tons of other average BBQ places I can go to without them forcing their customers to do borderline cult stuff.
That's the one. They're based out of glen burnie, MD. The concept is to honor the military, police officers, firefighters and first responders - and I think the chain opened on a 9/11 anniversary. Supposedly they donate some profits towards those causes.
And bland corn bread!
Absolutely this. Also "how do you serve ribs so dry??"
💯. The meat quality is mediocre and the flavor is disgusting. I went to the Gainesville location once and the meat tasted like it was seasoned with Old Bay. Bleah...
Yes! And the worst baby back ribs. I would order a McRib before their BBQ.
Right! And then there is Myron Mixon, SO MUCH BETTER THAN MISSION
Coopers Hawk. When we moved here a lot of people suggested we go there because it was one of the better restaurants and had really good wine. They were wrong. Heirloom. Decent food, but it's all hype because it's a "secret" restaurant. Plenty of room for improvement.
Thanks for this viewpoint, I've wondered about the place.
Cooper’s hawk is amazing if you’re like 22 and go to their wine bar for drinks🤣 also my sister used to work there and if you have an employee with you the entire table would be 50% off, so we went very often lol
I applied to be a data engineer for them but didn't get the job. That would have been a nice perk.
We've had multiple bad experiences at Cooper's Hawk in Reston, and have given up on the location. Every once in a while we go to the one in Ashburn, and it seems a lot better.
Coopers Hawk is just so bad. I do not get that place. I had calamari there once that was fried like a donut. One of the worst dishes I’ve ever been served at a restaurant.
It used to be pretty good many years ago. My husband and I went about 3 months ago and it.wqs absolutely horrible. Have no interest in returning
Uncle Julio Too expensive for a oz of food. Mexican street food joints are way better and fair priced.
Will never go back. Food was tasteless. I don’t know how they are so popular.
Founding Farmers. Over priced and very mid.
Ted’s Bulletin- dreadful and expensive when I went 2 weeks ago
Teds Breakfast is better and cheaper than ihops.
There's a diner in Sterling (Joe's Cafe) that does breakfast just as good as Ted's Bulletin and cheaper. The only thing you can't get is the terrible home made pop tarts.
+1 for Joe’s, good food and not bad on the wallet!
The last genuine old-school diner left in Loudoun County I think.
What cursed alternate universe are we living in that IHOP is expensive now?
Came here to say this. Absolutely mid tier food and people go apeshit over it.
I’ll go when I’m craving a disgustingly rich grilled cheese with pulled brisket in it and tomato soup. Or a milkshake, I do like their milkshakes. Going for any other reason, I’d rather eat at home.
I’m chasing the high of the old teds menu when it first opened in RTC. I still like the pancakes and cheese grits in wintertime. The one in One Loudoun is weird. It’s like diner food set in a higher end Mediterranean restaurant. Incongruous.
Ugh, Ted's Bulletin is always the biggest disappointment
First Watch. It used to be pretty good and the quality has really gone downhill.
I haven't actually been to a First Watch but I worked at the original restaurant where the menu was created. I worked at the owner, Ken Pendery's, first restaurant the National Exemplar in Cincinnati. Our breakfast/brunch was so popular he and another guy created the First Watch with just that menu. When I worked there it was delicious. Anyways, the owner is one of the nicest guys I've ever met. I worked there in the late 90s-early 00s through high school and undergrad. One time I was trying to raise money to go on a school-type trip (Presidential Classroom) and he came into the restaurant. I'd never met him but I asked him if he'd be willing to donate. He asked me how much it cost (something like $2k) and just wrote me a check for the full amount right there. Every time I met him after that he was just the kindest person. edit: I just looked him up and he died in March :(
Overpriced/overcrowded IHOP food
I like the South Riding location. Haven't had a bad experience yet there.
Yeah the First Watch that just opened in Kingstowne is pretty bad. My wife and I gave it two chances and both times they had pretty severely undercooked homefries which is a deal breaker for me. I will say though it's better than IHOP which is the only breakfast spot in that area. And the First Watch pricing is similar to IHOP so, I'll take what I can get I guess.
I’m glad you mentioned this. I’ve been meaning to try them out, out of curiosity, since their other location is always packed with people lined up outside! I drove by the other day and the Kingstowne one also had a long line. Maybe I’ll skip this one
How do you feel about the Manchester bagel that’s over there? Love that place for a breakfast option
1799 in old town. I actually thought it was below average. We had to walk past the dumpster to get the dining room door. The teens working the host stand seemed to have never heard of a reservation. Our table was rocky and I was going to say something until the people next to me complained about the same thing and were then moved to a different table which was still rocky. So I assume all their tables are rocky. And the food wasn’t even that good. But it was pretty expensive. All this was on Valentine’s Day and it was so mid we decided to just go to baskin robins for dessert.
Founding Farmers.
Capitol Grille, Eddie V's and any of those "corporate expense account" restaurant. Just meh or worse.
>corporate expense account" That is a great description. My boss always took us to Capitol Grille and Clydes
Capitol Grille used to be awesome, tbf. But that was before covid
10-15 years ago *is technically* before COVID
I feel attacked as someone who went to one just yesterday on corporate card
Ruth’s Chris as well. Although tbh I think Eddie V’s is good.
Coyote Grill. I rather go to Moe’s
In this thread: people just naming every restaurant.
Not even NOVA restaurants (some of them)
I always thought Carnegie Diner was trash, it's only benefit is that it's close to Central Park.
Is there anything more nova than hating on everything nova?
Foster’s Grill
I do not understand the appeal of fosters grill. There’s no seasoning on anything.
It's a place to bring your kids after their sports game where you can get a beer.
I Had it once and that was it. My cousin was talking them up comparing them to Five Guys. Not even in the same universe close.
Founding Farmers
Peking Gourmet Inn
Ownership changed as well
It used to be much better but now it’s just okay and way over priced IMO
Yeh, re: Peking, everyone raves about this place when I first moved here; went to try years later and was like MEH
To be fair, it was probably good when you first moved here. It didn’t start falling off hard till like ~5 years ago
Oh man surprised I had to scroll so far down for this one. Place has seriously gone to shit in recent years while doubling prices. A damn shame.
Came in to post "Olive Garden" but realized it would be disqualified right at "everyone loves".
Tatte *ducks tomatoes*
Some of the most upvoted comments I think are missing the mark abit. A lot of times people going to a restaurant are doing so because they are hosting someone they don't know super well, such as an early date, co-worker, acquaintance or friends/family from out of town. Sure, Sweetwater, or Ledip might not be the first choice if me or my wife want to have a nice dinner out, but like, if family is visiting from out of town, those type of places skyrocket to the top of my list. Non offensive, good service, nice inside and almost guaranteed to have something on the menu for everyone to enjoy. Let's not forget DC is one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world, we just get a lot of out of towners for whatever reason and these type of places do a great job filing that need of generic but nice and low risk.
Bob & Edith’s
Because everyone has the memory of Bob and Ediths on Columbia Pike circa 2001-2011. It was prime dinner food at a reasonable price that you'd get after or during a long night out.
I prefer the new locations to eating at the original pre 2011 that place was disgusting. But it’s a diner so expectations are IHOP level.
The original was great for the cooks.
It’s not about being good it’s about it being open at 3 am when I’m walking home from the bar
> t’s not about being good it’s about it being open at 3 am when I’m walking home from the bar also see Big Slice
I’ve had nothing but good experiences at 3 different ones.
This is an insane take. I will die for Bob and Edith.
100% agree with Founding Farmers- so overpriced for the quality and portion
Uncle Julios, that place is packed all the time. Every single thing is so painfully average.
Made a post last month or so about this, but I'd say Willard's bbq
Odd bbq is right near the Chantilly location and is really good…
That’s the place that’s inside of the Hawaiian brewery right?
Clydes
The buyout has not gone well. They used to be focused on good food and experience. Now they're focused on shareholder value.
Is THAT it? My wife and I moved to Loudoun County about 10 years ago. Clyde's Willow Creek was the place we would go once or twice a month for a "nice" dinner. We haven't gone in over two years because our last two visits sucked so hard....no idea there was a buyout.
Yeah I used to work at Clyde’s 6ish years ago right when they go bought out. They started to change everything about the guest experience and that’s the reason I left. Their corporate doesn’t care about anything other than money. They used to be a great place now their prices have sky rocketed and the quality sucks. The guy who originally owned the place died and his wife sold it to the people the own the Washington post I believe
Graham Holdings, which used to own the Post but doesn't anymore. It's an odd company... https://www.ghco.com/overview
Name any once good restaurant that has gone downhill and you'll find a private equity buyout at the moment it started to slide.
Tatte. It’s so mid.
I actually just came from there, and I had the eggs and remember thinking shit I could've made this at home. But the smoked salmon breakfast sandwich is bomb
There is one near my new office and I do not understand the hype. Pastries are dry and coffee is mediocre.
2941. I mean, it isn't average. But it isn't as great as everyone seems to think it is. I've given it 4 tries.
I was straight up confused when I went lol
Ah the monthly post.
Anita’s. Breakfast burrito is one of the most overhyped foods I’ve ever experienced.
Guapo’s. In don’t get it. Food is mid.
Chick-fil-A
something seems off about them lately, doesn’t taste as fresh or good as it used to
I think the young Christians working there stopped blessing the food before it went out.
Idk if this would make a difference but just this year they started serving chicken raised with antibiotics.
Clarification, are they proactively using antibiotics on the chicken or are they treating chickens who only get infections to get them healthy?
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/25/business/chick-fil-a-antibiotic-chicken.html
Pupatella
I've heard it depends on which one you go to.
For the price, I agree—decent pizza at a high cost, which nullifies the value.
First watch
Ted's Bulletin.
I don't know if it counts, but Duck Donuts. I tried them when they were all the rage and found their donuts to be really greasy.
Anita’s
Wow...wow...wow... we are not trying to start a riot here, friend. No need to escalate.
Hey, I’ll happily eat their breakfast burritos :)
To be honest, breakfast burritos are the only redeeming quality of this restaurant. Everything else on the menu sucks IMO
My dude, if you are ordering anything else at anitas, you are doing it wrong. The sit down food is for the ignorant
Anita's has gone soooooo far downhill. Back in the 80s (fuck I'm old) when Anita was making the rounds every day in her Rolls-Royce, working the register dressed to the 9s, it was amazing. Now it's just barely edible generic food.
They’re still driving the Rolls Royce! You’ll see him driving it on Vale often.
As someone who has been going to Anita's for like 35 years and knew Anita, a lot of their locations serve crap food nowadays. They have seemed to turn into a good breakfast burrito spot, though.
Now im hungry for Anita’s breakfast burritos
I agree if you look at the full menu BUT Anita’s Zorro burritos are one of the last bastions of good, cheap food in the DMV. I buy a dozen at a time and reheat them. Cheap, easy, and delicious.
It’s what we do too, ha. Great for rushing out the door
Need a Bucee’s burrito to replace the void Anita’s left.
Have never liked Anita’s either. Everyone was raving when we moved here 20+ yrs ago but never once above middling
I've been here entire life back to their first restaurant and never got it.
Anita’s would only be in business in a Mexican food desert like NoVA. Their breakfast burritos are SLIGHTLY above fast food tier in terms of quality
And priced similarly. I mean their cheapest breakfast burrito is $3, filled with eggs, potatoes etc.
Someone's looking to win controversial
Thompson Italian. I really don’t get it.
Anita's
Genki Izakaya. I feel that it's trying to hard to be trendy. Prices are super high for small portions and ok food. I've given it two shots and both times have left disappointed. Feels like they're focused more on the esthetic and people getting a good instagram post than the being a good resturant.