Ancora

This restaurant was an absolute gem. Those waiting for the repoening are in for a shock. I just met Robet Kinkhead in Campono and he advised me that Ancora will not be reopening at all. It is CLOSED FOR GOOD. He is working on other projects. I am heartbroken.

We had so much hope for this restaurant. After ½ a dozen visits (we are Kennedy center subscribers) we are done. Surly but impeccable service might have been okay, but surly service and errors is just not excusable.

3.5 Perhaps Ancora is a diamond in the rough. Having been in operation over a year the space is still waiting for the promised makeover. It is nice form an ambiance standpoint but nothing special. I guess I could say the same about the menu. I’m not sure what it is supposed to be, Italian, seafood, American. We had the old Ipswich clams from Kinkaid’s which were great, swordfish, and atlantic char. Flavor was great. Plating was a little underwhelming. The service started out good but declined as the servers workload picked up.
If you are seeing a show at the Kennedy Center, Ancora knocks the socks off the Rooftop Terrace. Would I go out of my way to dine at Ancora if I wasn’t seeing a show. Maybe after the promised renovation.

My significant other and I went to Ancora before a show at the Kennedy Center because we were fans of Kinkead’s before it closed. We absolutely loved Ancora. Our server was attentive, and other helpers were always around to fill drinks and clear off the table.
For starters, we ordered a romaine and cabbage salad, and pumpkin/​sage brown butter ravioli. The salad was great but the ravioli was AMAZING — they should keep that on the menu year-​round! The server also brought a bread basket with a few varieties of fresh bread, along with butter, flavored dipping oil, and a tomato spread. For entrees, we had the veal medallions that were served with a delicious sauce and spinach gnocchi — again, AMAZING. My boyfriend got the venison, which I am not personally into regardless of the restaurant, but he enjoyed it. For dessert, we ordered the mini cannolis (chocolate, pistachio, and blueberry) and a scoop of toasted almond gelato. The gelato was smooth and tasty with almond slices folded in. I enjoyed the cannolis b/​c they were authentic and not sickeningly sweet like you see at most places.
Will definitely come here again, either for pre-​show dining or just because! I hope this restaurant will encourage other things to open in the Watergate, because the area is generally pretty dead.

The food here is at best, boring. The dinner entrees are overpriced and the few times that I have been here for dinner and pasta– the pasta has been raw. The top of the «dumpling» was fine, but the bottom totally raw. The first time we came over for a team lunch, our entrees took a literal 47 minutes to arrive. Yes, I timed it.
The drinks in this bar are overpriced, and the atmosphere is depressing.
An extra star because the tuna and beef sandwich are decent, it’s a shame that you can only get it at the bar.

Going to a show at the Kennedy Center, we figured we would try dinner after the show. Two of us being gluten free (one celiac), we were thrilled to know there were gluten free options. Sadly the chef, and the staff, are not aware of the true meaning of gluten free. — Pastas are cooked in the same water and if you are celiac you are limited to one dish (aside from the apps).
While the meal was decent, it wasn’t something I couldn’t love without. The pumpkin pasta was quite tasty.
Sadly, I can’t say I will return. I am sure this restaurant does quite well being next to the Kennedy Center so my business won’t be missed. But if you are gluten free, make sure you ask lots of questions.

Before going to our event at the Kennedy Center, we usually stop at the restaurant across the street. Unfortunately today the old place is no more and it’s not a good thing. This new place has NO HAPPY HOUR food, just drinks. This is shocking! Anyway, we ordered spaghetti and bruschetta. The spaghetti sauce was delicious and the bruschetta came 5 different ways. Not sure I’ll be back though communal bar snacks and no food on the HH, I’ll pass.

I came here with a Meetup group after attending an event at close-​by Kennedy Center. Although early. The place was empty aside from one other small party. The barkeep was there alone with no wait staff to help him! Before we arrived he said that they were considering closing, though it was long before the posted 10:30 closing time. He gladly offered to play «waiter» for our group of close to ten and was helpful with both the drinks and the food offerings and was even able to provide separate checks for us. After we had spent about ½ hour, the place began to fill – and fill. Our lone barkeep was overwhelmed and our service – as well as others – suffered. Eventually a couple of waiters appeared, but even then the service appeared to be less than optimal.
As for the food. I had a frico appetizer – a thin, crisp Parmesan wafer, which was good but not distinguished from others I’ve had before or have made at home myself. My spaghetti carbonara di Fabriano main dish, listed as a regional variation, disappointed. Although like traditional carbonara it did not have any cream in the sauce, it substituted sausage for pancetta or bacon. This made the dish far more rustic and less delicate than the traditional and not nearly as good. However, the meal was redeemed by a wonderful pear crostata topped with gelato. Also, my aviation drink was a delightful sipper. Cheers to the barkeep!

So, I am really happy to have another option for pre-​Kennedy Center dining, but I’m struggling with this review because my husband had such a negative opinion of his meal. So… I’ll go with 2 stars — my «A-​OK» combined with his «Eek! Methinks not.» Here’s why…
Our party of 4 arrived at Ancora and were seated at a booth and immediately we felt a bit cramped… and none of us are… well, big. The restaurant wasn’t very crowded at this point and we asked to get seated at a table as opposed to our booth. It took them a few minutes to check but moved us shortly after.
The bread arrived and it was very good. I liked that it came with butter, the tomato tapenade, and the olive oil. I ordered a glass of Barbera and my husband ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc (the other two members of our party didn’t order any wine). The waitress brought our wine over separately but spilled mine while pouring — so she gave me a little more because I know she felt bad.
First, our appetizers — I ordered the stracchino salad and my husband had the watermelon salad. Both were great, although I was surprised when my soft cheese came in a little cup! One of the managers, noticing my confusion, let me know to spread the cheese on the bread. Oops! My first time with stracchino, who knew? I was a bit embarrassed but glad he came to my rescue so I could enjoy the dish properly.
Then came our meals. I had ordered the Branzino and my husband had the snapper. My dish was great — it was almost like a bouillabaisse with a big piece of rockfish, shrimp, and mussels along with roasted cherry tomatoes and a tomato broth. My husband’s dish, however, was the full fish — still intact with bones. Unfortunately, this made him really angry — despite being listed on the menu as «roasted whole snapper» he didn’t realize it wasn’t going to be de-​boned. The fish was actually delicious but he hated having to pick around all the bones. He actually left about half the dish out of frustration. I felt bad for him, but I was trying to focus on the positive — it WAS delicious, despite the bones.
Since he left half his dish, he ordered dessert (I didn’t have any so can’t comment) and I ordered a coffee, which was good (wonder what brand they use).
So, bottom line? I thought it was good and again, am glad to have another pre-​Kennedy Center option that I will return to. My husband did admit that he’d try it again as well, although he’d ask a lot of questions before ordering and perhaps just order a pasta. I’d definitely return, and perhaps order the pasta as well. I’ll be sure to update my review when we do, it’s only fair!

We went for dinner before a show at the Kennedy Center. The show was at 7:30 and our 5:45 reservation left plenty of time to get to our seats on time. So convenient!
Service was a little strange (quirky is the word that comes to mind for our server). I ordered the whole roasted snapper and was told the server would filet it tableside. Someone other than our server delivered our dinner plates, and then I sat and waited for a few minutes until I asked the nearest staff member about this. They took my plate away (which was weird), gave it to someone else, who brought it back and started to filet it – just as our server came in, shooed the first person away, and removed the bones herself. Then she told me how important it is to do a good job, but I still had 15 or so bones as I ate? Very strange.
The food was delicious though — bread was great, and others I was with had the halibut, flounder, and duck. Dessert (and cappucino) was good too (cannolis and a chocolate dessert that came with marscapone mousse and pistachio gelato).
Overall the food was good, but the service strange. Not sure I will go back, but it was really nice to be so close to the Kennedy Center before the show.

My parents and I went to Ancora last week before going to see a show at the Kennedy Center. We had planned to go to the Kennedy Center’s Roof Top Terrance restaurant, but changed our minds at the last minute because we’d see the bad reviews on Unilocal.Ancora was a very pleasant discovery!
We didn’t have a reservation so we sat at a «high table,» but that was totally fine. We all started with salads – artichoke salad, which was light and refreshing, and the watermelon/​feta salad which was pretty and unique. I had the hamachi (tuna) crudo for my main dish, which was very small but I liked it. It was a few very thinly sliced pieces of raw tuna with cucumber, grapefruit, and mint. My dad had an enormous red snapper in its entirety – it looked really meaty and he kept exclaiming how good it was! My mom had the crusted halibut which was also very pretty to look at and she said it was tasty. For dessert, we shared a pistachio gelato with some sort of cake and cherries. It was big for just one person, so we were glad we shared it!
The service was good – we were seated immediately, our waitress was attentive but not overly so. We were struck by the variety of dress among the clientele. Some people were dressed up while others were very casual (as is common at the Kennedy Center as well). Everyone left at the same time, around 7:15pm, just in time to walk across the street for the show. Overall, a pleasant experience!

My new happy hour spot!!! (esp. since there aren’t too many options in foggy bottom). Amazing grilled calamari and delish oysters with the perfect house white wine. The free olives and breadsticks to snack on are a nice touch. The patio is gorgeous, although unfortunately too soupy outside to enjoy. Will be back with a larger group!

3.75 Stars
You really can’t ask for a better location: in the Watergate complex, overlooking the Potomac and across from the Kennedy Center; you have a captive audience! Yet, restaurants keep failing in this space. Enter Ancora, Bob Kinkead’s most recent venture (I guess you can’t keep a good chef down). Again, this place focuses on seafood, but with more of an Italian bent. There’s a separate raw bar and salumi menu (four types of East Coast oysters when I was there, including Maryland Choptanks) in addition to a lunchtime sub menu (average price: $ 10).
I started with the calamari with polenta in red sauce and topped by pesto. At first I thought they’d made a mistake because the dish I received did not look like squid, but upon closer inspection I noticed that the rings were arranged tightly to resemble a log or piece of bread. For a main I had Merluzzo Acqua Pazzo a seafood stew which resembled a spicy cross between cioppino and bouillabaisse with cod at its center, surrounded by clams, mussels, and a scallop, with a slice of toasted bread on the side.
The food was good, and while I realize that Ancora is still a work in progress and effectively remains a «pop-​up» until complete renovations, there are still a couple of things they could do better. The wines by the glass for instance. For a restaurant that focuses on seafood, having only four whites by the glass just seems irresponsible (the list of red wines by the glass isn’t much better). They do have a few bottled and can beers, including DC Brau.
The space is nice: there’s a curved, 16-​person bar with the main dining room located in back and a beautiful patio overlooking the river. While the décor is a bit dated, Kinkead could probably get by without renovating, but I’m sure he want’s to put his personal stamp on the place (and has investors willing to pony up some cash to do so).

We ate here before seeing a show at the Kennedy Center and in a word it was, disgusting.
I should have known it would be a terrible experience when our drinks took 20 minutes to arrive. The rest of the meal consisted of similar long waits between courses. Our entrees came out with plates that were practically on fire — a tell tale sign that they were sitting under a heat lamp for way too long. They found it ok to substitute almost rotten grapes for the melon in the prosciutto and melon appetizer. My wife’s gnocchi consisted of three pieces of gnocchi buried in a pool (I’m talking olympic size here) of oil.
I frequented Kinkeads and was always quite happy. I have a hard time believing this is the same Robert Kinkead. He’s either completely absent or completely given up.
You’re better off eating at at the deli, Cup’a Cup’a, a few doors down. The food there is infinitely better than the overpriced slop you’ll be fed at Ancora. My stomach still turns just thinking about it.

As with many of the reviewers, we tried Ancora before a show at the Kennedy Center. With distressingly few good options within easy walking distance, we were happy to have an alternative to Kennedy’s Rooftop.
The atmosphere is very pleasant, with views of the Potomac from the patio. The food was very good, as you would expect from the nature of the establishment, but, frankly, not the over-​the-​moon experience we were hoping for given the Kincead Connection. My wife’s scallops were nicely cooked, but, perhaps a tad under-​done as she had some mild stomach issues later. My lamb shank was very nice. Desert, a chocolate mousse, was a nice size for two to share.
The restaurant was very busy with pre-​show diners and it was clear that the wait and kitchen staff were hard pressed to accommodate this time-​sensitive group. We had to snag the waiter to give our orders and, again, to get our check. Drinks and food did come promptly, but I heard some murmuring of concern from some other tables.
Overall, I think they still have some work to do balancing staff and the rhythm of a restaurant that is bound to have lots of pre and post show patrons. Still, it was a pleasant experience and we will be trying them again.

This was an exact 3 star experience. All the pieces are in place for it to be higher, so a 3 star rating is pretty low in my estimation.
The food was good and I think this is a nice follow-​up to Bob Kincead’s last venture. However, with the kind of experience that name brings to the business, I was expecting things to be more fine-​tuned than they were. The overall sense was that this place is coasting on name alone.
The service was very spotty. Our waitress was not very attentive and did not provide drinks in a timely fashion whatsoever. She was also very unapologetic about the lag — somewhat of an attitude that we should be so lucky to be experiencing such a place. We did visit when during its opening weeks, but that is when special attention should be paid.
The food was good. On par with the prices. Nothing too extraordinary, though. That, coupled with the sub-​par service, makes me wary to return. I expect more.

With the Potomac as your backdrop, Ancora’s patio is perfection this time of year.
When I dined here, it was a beautiful spring day. I sat with my good friend to soak up a little sun, a light breeze, take in views of the water and enjoy a glass of prosecco and some bites of bruschetta.
Located in the historic Watergate complex, the restaurant is literally just a stone’s throw from the Kennedy Center, so it’s the perfect pre/​post place to grab a bite if you’re attending a show. It’s also a good choice if you’re looking to catch up one on one with a friend in a laid back environment with a little privacy,
Service was excellent and the Bruschetta Rustica provided a nice array of flavors (shrimp with garlic, beans, tomatoes, artichoke, eggplant caponata.)
Definitely a great patio to check out before the DC summer heat comes in full-​effect!

I was excited to check this place out after learning it was Bob Kinkead’s new restaurant.
The décor was nice, with a clean fresh ambiance while still preserving an elegant and upscale feel.
I especially liked the big open bar area out front by the window. You can tell some thought went into the design and layout of the place. It was pretty busy when we went, but never felt too crowded or loud.
You could take a date here, or come with a group — it’s set up for both.
Although it is still fairly new the staff seemed to already be up to speed. Very knowledgeable and courteous wait staff, and the food came out quickly.
The food was spectacular, as expected from a veteran kitchen. I anticipated getting seafood as that is their specialty, but couldn’t resist trying the rabbit. It was SPECTACULAR. Perfectly cooked and well seasoned. We tried a couple great appetizers as well, including a great pasta dish. And the fried olives… yummm! If you liked Kinkeads they still have the staples from that menu, but I liked that they branched out a little more this time.
I tried a couple different cocktails which were quite good. They seem to have a large and unique selection of liquors and bitters. I didn’t try any wine, but I always had good wine at Kinkead’s, so you can probably count on finding a good bottle here as well. The server recommended a prosecco for my wife which she said was very good.
It’s awesome to have a place to grab a top-​notch martini and a bite before a show at the Kennedy Center, but it’s also worth making a special trip for this place.
I highly recommend trying this restaurant!

Went here for a weekday lunch. There was no one at the door to greet me, so I just wandered through the empty bar towards the dining room.
Service was an issue. Our waiter was brusque. The tiny table was overcrowded with dishes and glassware from the minute we sat down — and the servers seemed not to notice. They tried to squeeze our entrees onto the table without removing any of the dirty (and empty) dishes from the appetizers or the unused glasses. The server asked me to pick up and hold the dirty dishes so he could slide my entrée underneath. Not good, and certainly not acceptable at this price point.
The food, on the other hand, was quite good — and certainly an improvement over the last place that was in this spot! The bread basket was full of nice options and we had our choice of seasoned olive oil, some kind of pickly-​spread, and of course butter. We started with the polpetti (meatballs) and mussels, both of which were plentiful and tasty. Our main dishes (both pasta) were also very good and promptly served, although there were sadly very few clams in the Linguini Vengole.
The dessert list looked promising but I had to get back to work, so we finished with a merely adequate $ 5 cappuccino.
All in all, a decent lunch, although the service certainly didn’t reflect the $ 70 price tag for two people (that’s without booze and pre-​tip, folks). I’m sure they’ll do fine at that location anyway…

3.5 stars. I don’t know. This place seemed off. My dad loved the old Kinkead’s and we’d dine there whenever he came in for a visit. Knowing that the place closed and this one opened, we made reservations here instead.
We arrived and gave the hostess our name for the reservation. She says, «I think I remember how to do this.» Huh? We were shown to our table and it took about 5 – 7 minutes for our water glasses to be filled. However, to our extreme delight, our waiter was a stalwart of Kinkead’s whom we remembered fondly. His service was excellent.
I ordered the tuna carpaccio and the mushroom ravioli, and my father had the octopus and the three meats (sweetbreads, veal mignon, beef cheek).
My carpaccio was fine, but sliced a bit thickly. My dad’s octopus was sparse. He remarked that at his favorite place on Bleeker St in NYC, he’d get 3x as much octopus for ½ the price. Our entrees were okay. I got six ravioli, which were a bit dry on the edges, in a mushroom sauce. The sauce was great. There were also two lonely mushroom halves in the sauce. For mushroom ravioli I would have expected more mushroom. Dad enjoyed the sweetbread and the mignon, but said the beef cheek was overcooked.
By the time we were departing it was almost 10 PM and the place was deserted. It was difficult to flag down a waiter or anyone to ask for our checks. We ate well, but its just not the same. Although it’s more expensive, I think Fiola in Penn Quarter offers a much more refined Italian dining experience