Kapnos Taverna

Great place for brunch and dinners. The brunch variety different than just simple brunches, the drinks are also good. I had the grapefruit flavored mimosa.
I liked the dinner more than the brunch though. They have mezzes and good options for vegetarians as well. The sizes were pretty small so we had to order quite a lot of plates for a group of six. Most of the dishes were charred so after some time, it started tasting similar.

Decent food and a pretty solid Happy Hour. I would recommend coming during happy hour to try different small dishes because otherwise food is expensive for what it is. Brunch is also pricey but a fun experience.

I have to update this review. I’ve been now many more times and I have to say, I’m a real fan now. It’s really bordering on 5-​stars for me at this point but not quite there yet.
The food has taken a real turn for the better. I’m a HUGE fan of their flatbread and sampler hummus plate they have. The lamb is some of the best lamb I think I’ve ever eaten. And, the wine list is great as well.
The lunch special for $ 15 is amazing as well and highly recommended.

Attended a wonderful Driving & Dining event last night.
— Butlered hors d’oeuvres, non-​alcoholic cocktails
— Test drive: 2016 6-​series, 7-​series, and, last but not least, the i8!!!
— Cocktail party: messy mule!, hola chicas, strawberry blonde
— Mouth-​watering delights: spreads, mezze, meats, desserts (baklava!)
— Interactive cooking demonstrations (baklava!)
— Signed copy of Mike Isabella’s book, «Crazy Good Italian: Big Flavors, Small Plates»
Thanks for hosting, BMW! :)

I’ve always been a fan of tapas-​style places and Kapnos Taverna is the perfect example of that. I was in town for just a few days on vacation and this restaurant was located right across the street from my hotel. My friend and I ordered a bunch of plates, just try it all. Every single part of that meal was fantastic. The Spanokopita was incredible and I wish we ordered more! In addition, we tried the Hummus, Kolokithokeftedes (zucchini patties), Falafel, Swordfish Kebabs, and the Cumin Yogurt Marinated Chicken Souvlaki. For dessert, we tried the Baklava and the Lemon Cake with Labne ice cream. The only complaint we had was that the Falafel was a bit spicier than expected but other than that, the food was spot on. The service was also excellent. Overall, great experience.

I am a huge fan of the Kapnos in DC, so I was very excited to try brunch at this location. The first time I came from brunch they had a buffet option, however this was not the case on my second visit.
There were menu items sounded quite appetizing, but to be honest there were few options, and they were very pricey for small plates during brunch. (The buffet option was much more appealing and had more diverse options for brunch.)
I have a serious obsession with baklava, and to see baklava French toast on the menu my mind was set. While the baklava portion was tasty, the French toast was burned and ruined the meal for me. I was too hungry and the waiter was nowhere to be found so I just ate it.
We left feeling ‘meh’ and actually walked to another restaurant for better priced mimosas and charcuterie to feel our disappointed tummies. I’d brunch elsewhere and save Kapnos for dinner.

If you like Greek food you need to check this place out. We ordered the hummus and spanakopita to start. The hummus was amazing. Probably the best hummus I’ve ever had. We all got the express lunch which is a great deal at $ 15. You get a huge gyro w a drink and a side dish. And even the side dishes are huge. Next time I’m in the mood for Greek I’m coming back.

Had brunch here with the family on a Sunday afternoon and would recommend it highly. Not sure why the place was so empty but it was pretty huge. The food was excellent Starting with their hummus that came with soft, flaky, homemade Turkish bread that came straight from the oven. We loved the brunch entrees especially the baklava French toast. The service was pretty quick and friendly and we loved the space. Definitely going back.

Great lunch service, fine cocktails, but dinner was a big disappointment.
My wife and I were deeply underwhelmed after our Thursday evening dinner. The overall experience was an expensive let-​down. For $ 75/​person for dinner, you can do better in DC.
Highs:
–I had a «Papa-​Bear» cocktail. I’ve had this elsewhere, an anise/​cinnamon-​driven bourbon cocktail, but I really enjoyed it.
–The spreads where delicious — we had the Taramosalata, Hummus, and Favosalata. The Favosalata was a flavor we hadn’t seen before, the scallions and black garlic gave a delicious oniony taste to the lentils.
Lows:
–We were rushed. We had a 9:00pm table on a Thursday, but our food was hustled out to us so that the kitchen could close on time.
–The Roasted Crimini Mushrooms were greasy, flabby, weighed-​down by oil.
–The Spit-​Roasted Lamb tasted as if it had been reheated from an earlier service, it was dried-​out. I’ve had the dish at lunch and it is delicious — but it tasted like leftovers when we had it as an entrée at dinner.
I just couldn’t recommend Kapnos for dinner. Though the Express Lunch is worthwhile.

Kapnos Taverna is a restaurant that serves classic and coastal-​inspired Greek dishes. It is one of the Mike Isabella Concepts restaurant and the sister restaurant to Kapnos on 14^th Street in Washington, DC.
While Christine C. was waiting for the rest of the party to show up, she ordered a bubbly Passionfruit Mimosa and a Favosalata Spread. The Spread consisted of a purée of yellow lentils, scallions, black garlic, and pine nuts, drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and served with a warm, fluffy, flatbread.
When I arrived, I ordered a Pineapple Mimosa, which consisted of a blend of Cantina Montelliana Extra Dry Prosecco and pineapple juice. It was probably the strongest mimosa I’ve had. I expected it to be more fruity.
For starters, we shared the Hot Mezze — Fried Brussels, which consisted of brussel sprouts fried in olive oil, garlic, dill, lemon juice, and pomegranate reduction and served with garlic yogurt. I felt like some of the brussel sprouts could have been cooked more thoroughly. The other person in my party thought that the brussel sprouts were a bit on the bitter side.
For brunch entrees, we ordered Stone Oven Baked Eggs, which was resembled a frittata filled with potato and other green vegetables that was prepared /​served in a cast iron skillet and topped with crispy lamb and feta cheese; Traditional Gyro with Chicken, which consisted of a warm flatbread topped tzatziki, shredded romaine lettuce, pickled onions, radishes, and tender cuts of white meat chicken. It was largest and tastiest gyro I’ve ever tried; and Spit Chicken & Waffles, which consisted of salty, crispy, and juicy rotisserie dark-​meat chicken and Belgian waffles topped with greek honey, chili flakes, and crispy grains. There was a miscommunication between our party and the server about a pepper/​spice sensitivity but the server was nice enough to send a plain version of the Spit Chicken & Waffles without the chili flakes and crispy grains.

For tapas (small plates), this was impressive. Our serve, Dave, did a fantastic job making recommendations for us. He was accommodating and certainly gave us the benefit of the doubt before ordering anything. Even though it gives off the impression that this place provides small plates, they aren’t THAT small.
The food items that my family got for this venture were the 3 spreads w/​pita (I liked the cheesier one, we got one that was spicy and one hummus-​y one). The latter two weren’t the best. However, our vegetables, as in the cauliflower (not impressed), the brussel sprouts (really good), and the fries (good too according to them), were definitely on the spot. Yes, the pita is fresh too and you taste that.
The meats we got were really good too. We got lamb, swordfish, octopus, and souvlaki. All of it had great flavor and taste and were definitely something I would get again, especially the lamb and souvlaki. The octopus was also a surprise hit for us and had amazing taste and size too!
I would return here again.

This is my third or fourth visit to Kapnos and it never disappoints. I had a busy morning and was starving, protein and fuel needed. My intention was to order the falafel gyro. Instead, I ordered the Scrambled Eggs Gyro.
OMG! Order this. Eat this. You won’t be able to eat it all. In fact, split it with someone. Perfectly scrambled eggs, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, potato hash, fresh dill, tzatiki, a drizzle of olive oil, on a big a** pita.
I also ordered the spiked coffee. So doggone good!
In the past, I’ve ordered the salmon gyro and the falafel gyro. The pita is quite large so, the salmon portion is less than plentiful. My $.02. The falafels were just the right amount though.
The menu is extensive. So, I’ll be back. Spacious, great atmosphere, lots of windows and light, and über friendly service. Bön Appétit!

I really wanted to like this restaurant because I’m a fan of Chef Mike Isabella. Unfortunately, I was utterly underwhelmed. I love Mediterranean food; it’s probably my favorite cuisine, so I was quite disappointed.
PROS:
— it was a nice space with a nice set-​up in a nice location. I’ve always been a fan of the open kitchen style and we were seated at a table right by the chef, so it was entertaining to see him plate and put dishes out for service.
— out of all the 7 mezzes we ordered, the only one I enjoyed was the Peloponnesian style meatballs. It had great flavor, texture, and kick to it.
— frappé was yummy.
CONS:
— food wise, and I don’t want to sound like a know it all, but I love to eat good food and the 6 out 7 mezzes we ordered were all quite problematic. The preserved lemon in the marinated mussels was too tangy and although the pomegranate attempted to add sweetness to the mussels, it just didn’t work. The arugula in the roka salata was soggy; and roka salata is one of my favorite salads; dressing was ok, but walnuts were too sweet. Both the cheese saganaki and taramosalata were so-​so but nothing compared to what they serve in Nostos. The spit roasted lamb was just ok — sort of lacking in flavor and burnt instead of smoky. I’ve had spit roasted lamb at an Anatolian restaurant before and this was overcooked, and tough to eat. Finally, it goes the same for the charred octopus — charred but no longer tender octopus and quite flavorless. The bell pepper garnish on top didn’t help either.
— service wise, Kapnos Taverna needs a refresh on what it means to be in hospitality industry. Our particular server seemed anxious and rushing. He forgot our meatballs and they came 10 mins after the rest of our mezzes. He also forgot our frappes at the end of the meal. We had to follow up several times. THERE WAS ZERO RHYTHM in service, which is so important if you’re paying $ 16 for one mini octopus tentacle, I think. Some of our food came 4 minutes after we placed our order, without our libations even arriving. Pace and timing are important in the dining experience too, if you ask me.
Safe to say I’m not coming back to this location. If I want Greek food, I know better than to wander off to Arlington because I have Nostos right beside me and they serve excellent Greek meals. I will check out Kapnos Kouzina Mosaic when it opens because it is steps away from me. I hope they train their staff better and make more of an effort with the food. Luckily, I live right by the Requin pop-​up and Mike Isabella Concepts still has a star in my book because we decided to have dessert here instead and Requin’s profiteroles were little bites of redemption.

This review is for *Restaurant Week*
I came here with a group of 8 and we all ordered from the cheaper Restaurant Week menu. (It was an all or nothing kind of deal as they usually are) We were worried we would still be hungry but that was not the case at all.
Portions were big and I was already full after the 2^nd course. My favorites of the night were the hummus and tzaziki dip with their fresh fluffy bread and the lamb. Service was great about refilling our drinks and bringing out food out at the same time.
I was a little disappointed that the baklava sundae did not actually have a piece of baklava in it :/​
I will definitely come back to order off of their regular menu. The place was packed so definitely make reservations if you are going on a weekend night.

For all the good ratings in the Washingtonian, I thought this was going to be a happy restaurant visit. Yet most of the dishes were underwhelming. I don’t know if I chose the wrong dishes?
The best out of the lot was the grilled octopus, but the serving size was minimal so there wasn’t much to share. The tzatziki was nice. The crispy eggplant was drenched in an overwhelmingly sweet sauce. The lamb had a nice flavor but there seemed to be more skin than meat. All in all, I have no special desire to go back. The service was OK, though the waitress kept on refilling my daughter’s water glass, which was so giant and heavy that she could not lift it. Most restaurants have smaller water cups or glasses for kids these days.

I REALLY wanted to love this place. I love greek food and Mike Isabellas Italian spot, Graffito, downtown.
To be fair, this was restaurant week. Its not the best time to judge a place, but these are my initial impressions.
2 restaurant week menus were available a 4 course for $ 35 and and 5 course for $ 55…none of us saw a $ 20 difference between the menus and went for the 4 course. We had all (4 of us) looked at the restaurant week menu online and immediately noticed some glaring changes — no salmon tartare, no brussels sports and no octopus. I get that the menu is subject to change and they have the right to change it but those were pretty big items to pull and are higher ticket items off of their regular menu (they were available a la carte).
The food, was… ok. The tzatziki was great, the hummus was good and the melitzanislata was ok… the roasted beets salad was beautiful but didn’t pack a lot of flavor.
The zucchini fitters I got for one course (a substitution from the initial menu) were underwhelming, the ones you can get at Plaka Grill in Vienna have much more flavor for $ 7. The roasted cauliflower packed a nice kick with chilis but didn’t have a lot of flavor otherwise, it probably could have been cooked a minute or two longer. My friend who got the lamb said it was dry, almost like jerky. My other friend loved the chicken dish.
We did order the brussels sprouts and the octopus off of the regular menu. The sprouts were good but I don’t know if they were worth $ 12.
3 of us got baklava for dessert — and it was very nice.
Overall, it was fine but not great. I might be interested in going back not during restaurant week. But for the money I would rather head downtown to Zaytinya or in to Tysons for Nostos… or for a more causal atmosphere and a quarter of the price to Plaka Grill in Vienna.

I actually can’t think of a reason not to rate Kapnos Taverna 5 stars.
I’ve been there twice — once for dinner with friends and once with my husband on New Year’s Day taking advantage of their happy hour. The food was fantastic and we’ve had a great time both times.
So far, my favorite dishes have been the dips (I’ve really enjoyed the hummus, the Tzatziki, and I didn’t hate the eggplant which featured red pepper prominently, which is pretty significant), This past time, favorites included spanikopita, the charred octopus, spit-​roasted lamb, and the cheese saganaki, although it was too filling to finish. On my prior visit, favorites included the short rib souvlaki and the special of the evening which was kapama.
The happy hour is a steal there. Tons of dishes that you’d find on the normal menu for significant discounts, along with a good number of wines by the glass at reasonable prices.
I wish it was closer, and I definitely look forward to Kapnos Kouzina when it opens in Mosaic. I’d be a regular if I lived in Arlington.

I love Greek food and this place did not disappoint! I would give this place a 5 star but the dishes we ordered were good, but not awesome wow kinda dishes that set them apart from any other good Greek restaurant. I’m stingy with my 5’s.
We came on a Sunday afternoon, they have an «all you can eat buffet» for brunch on the weekends 11am-​3pm ($ 25.00). We didn’t see a lot of people approach the buffet.
The service was good. We were seated right away. The restaurant had a good vibe, spacious and clean.
We opted for small plates. Tapas mmmm!
*Spanakopita– was good
*Crispy eggplant– delicious, loved the sauce
*Falafel– was salty
*Hummus-​was really good. I thought that was actually a stand out
*Saganaki-​tasty
We came hungry and left satisfied. This was a lot of food for 2 people.
The bread they served was really good, served warm… It wasn’t as dense as most pita breads.
We’ll definitely come back again. There are more things on the menu we would like to try.

Fantastico! I went for the last lunch of DC Restaurant Week 2015. It was the best choice.
Price: $ 22 for 3 courses menus
Taste: Delicious and unique. I do not know about Greek dishes well. So I could not guess the ingredients. Delicious adventures.
Portion: Petit healthy size. I wanted a little bit more.
What I tried:
Choose 1 item per course:
first
melitzanosalata smoked eggplant, peppers, walnuts, feta: 5 stars Mouthwatering.
roasted beets strawberry, walnut, coriander ladolemono: 5 stars I really want to know what the dressing is.
second
pireaus shrimp metaxa, lemon, charred bread: 5 stars Delicious. I wanna rice with this great curry sauce.
spit-​roasted lamb ancient grain salad, tzatziki: 5 stars Wow good!
third
baklava pistachio, praline, orange sorbet: 4 stars I want lots of Rosewater for it.
greek sundae baklava, chocolate, vanilla, cherry: 3 stars I want fresh crème and more cherries and crispy stuff.
Waiters: Nice but more ;)) please.
Interior: Cool and modern.
Parking lot: Street parking.
I can not wait for the next visit!

As a BIG fan of Greek cuisine, I was really excited this place was here. Went tonight. I was extremely disappointed.
First, the describe the food as ‘to share.’ I ordered chicken souvlaki. It was essentially 4 chicken nuggets served on a plate for $ 11. I’m not even exaggerating. I thought they had brought me the wrong dish. Not sure how this was supposed to be to share!!!
Dining companion got the spit-​roast lamb. It looked ok but it definitely was NOT enough to share, or we’d both just be hungry.
Dessert: Got some ice cream. 2 spoons were set at the table so we assumed that meant a decent amount of ice cream. Unfortunately, it was the 1 scoop photo shown here.
The whole experience here was super disappointing. The food was ‘ok’ but not nearly worth the price. Either make the dishes cheaper OR serve reasonable amounts of food. Doubt I’ll be coming back.