Boss Shepherd’s

The wait service and the atmosphere were great, but I think we paid just a bit too much for the food. I had the salmon special, which ended up being delicious but the salmon was definitely overcooked. My gf got the spaghetti and meatballs, which she said was good but pretty standard. I would recommend this place for a solid meal if you’re going to the theater right after (it is connected to the Warner Theater) — only issue we had was that they took quite a bit to get our beer (which we were then compensated for).
Will probably try another place next time but I don’t want to take away from the enjoyable time we had.

Happy hour at boss shepherds is a great choice for post-​work meet ups! The HH goes until 7:30 and has a great selection of drinks. The sliders are also delicious; my favorite is the mushroom.

Some of the best food I’ve had around DC. Can’t believe we’ve never been here before. The free «bread» and pimento cheese they give everyone is delicious, they even let us have a 2^nd one. I recommend getting the fried chicken, some of the best fried chicken I’ve had in a while. For desert the chocolate bourbon caramel cake is amazing and I don’t like chocolate cake that much. Looking forward to going back. We were there on a Friday evening and there was a live pianist and he was amazing, playing a beautiful mix of songs. The only issue was the food did feel like it took forever to come out, but so worth the wait.

Stopped in and had a glass of wine at the bar while waiting for a ride home after going to the theater and dinner with a friend (at a different restaurant). Had to ask for my check from a different bartender as the one who served me was nowhere to be found. Oh but she showed up with the manager outside the restaurant as I was leaving, accusing me of not paying my bill. When I explained I paid a different bartender she ran back into the restaurant as I was made to stand there with the manager. Then she came back out to tell me the matter was «settled» as if they were going to let it go. No «sorry we made a mistake, you did pay» just the matter was“settled”, like they were doing ME a favor.
Need I say will never enter this extremely unprofessional establishment again?

The space is nice and the service good here. And I get that it’s a Southern joint wtih a heavy emphasis on the meat. But really guys, would it kill you to offer at least a few vegetarian items, and maybe a seafood dish or two that doesn’t have bacon or some other assorted meat product all over it? There is literally one vegetarian option on the lunch menu, a disappointing, bread-​heavy mushroom sandwich. It kinda feels like the chef actively hates people who don’t eat meat. I’ve been here for lunch twice now and been pretty disappointed on both occasions.

I had lunch at Boss Shepherd’s today with a friend who was very excited to try this restaurant. I usually don’t care for Southern food but I am open to try different food experiences. Both my friend and I are foodies and we were very disappointed today. At the recommendation of the waiter, my friend ordered the fried chicken. The chicken was served on a wooden cutting board with an array of sauces a biscuit and carrots. The presentation was lovely and rustic but the chicken was absolutely tasteless. The golden, crunchy skin and coating that we anticipated arrived soft, oily and flavorless. Unfortunately, my lunch was equally unsatisfying. I ordered the oysters on the ½ shell and the Maryland crab cake. The oysters were fresh but just ok. Worse was the crab cake which was not lump grade and dominated by the flavor and texture of mayonnaise.
The gold star on this review goes to the waiter who provided excellent service and did a great job selling the menu. His eloquent stories and passionate descriptions created the expectation of a great meal but ultimately we were all abandoned by the kitchen.

A friend suggested we try Boss Sheperd’s — not being a huge fan of southern cuisine, I was skeptical, but I enjoyed my meal last night!
We ordered the pot pie fritters to start. These were surprisingly tasty. The flavor of pot pie is on point and even though they are fritters, they somehow managed to have a ‘lighter’ feeling to eat than actual pot pie. Not sure how you did that Boss Sheperd’s, but bravo.
I ordered the burger, medium, with a side caesar. The salad wasn’t anything to write home about (sorry super friendly waiter who recommended it, gotta go against you on this one) but the burger was perfect. Seared on the oustide, juicy and medium on the it, with a lightly toasted yet chewy bun.
I was also a huge fan of the pimento cheese and cracks that come with the table. I found myself continuing to eat that through the meal because I have an obsession with cheese.
My friend’s trout looked nice and came in full fish form but was totally overpriced for the serving size.

I have now been to Boss Shepherd’s twice! One for lunch and the other for a happy hour/​turned dinner. The entire space is BEAUTIFUL. There is a cute little back sitting room with booth/​benches with cocktail tables for an intimate or social setting.
I had the Silver Mojito and the Fried Chicken. The presentation was unbelievable and the biscuit with the honey just completely did me in. This was one of my favorite meals I had in DC during my 2 month stint here for work. Do yourself a favor. and take a trip down the white marble stairs at the corner of 13^th and E.

I was with a party of 10, which turned out to be fantastic because I got to try several different menu items, and as so many other reviewers have mentioned, you would be hard-​pressed to find ANYTHING that wasn’t pretty much perfect. If you are an oyster person, definitely order them at Boss’s. They were fresh, the mignonette was perfect, and they shaved the horseradish at my request. Perfecto. When the server cleared our plates at the end of the evening, I didn’t see a single bite of food left, and the portions were substantial. I had a couple of apps (try the fritters please, OMG) but my coworkers had a variety of entrees, and I have to say the spaghetti and meatballs was a huge hit (who would’ve thunk?). But the showstopper was the fried chicken, which I did not order, because I am very particular about my fried chicken. I spent the entire meal regretting that decision. The service was outstanding (he split 10 separate checks with a smile), the GM treated us like we were royalty, and our evening was absolutely perfect. It’s great to find a place in the District that takes it’s business so seriously and delivers a premium experience at a great value.
But, I’m seriously going back just for the fried chicken.

Went for lunch with to friends.
I made reservation for 3.
The place is practically empty when we get there. We had our pick of seating at 1pm in the afternoon on a Friday.
I had fried chicken. It was just OK.
We shared cookies and milk for dessert.
the cookies weren’t warm. We told our server and she just kinda turned her nose up and walked away saying, «oh they aren’t?» they should be…
BOO!
It seemed VERY dark in the restaurant for it to be so early in the day.
Location is cool BUT — not for people who cant do stairs.

Pros: Friendly staff, good drink menus, location, décor, seething.
Cons: small menu, food is good but not great, Noisy if there is a concert upstairs
The bigger question is would I go again… it has a great history behind the name of the restaurant but it simply isn’t something that I would die to take visitors too. But if you want privacy and a dark setting go for it.

My friend from Philly was in town and we met another couple for dinner.
We arrived early and had drinks at the bar. Fitz, the professional bartender, hooked is up with the Salzerac and the The Governor. The Governor had the large ice cube and the best cherries; the recipe was made up by the bartender; he shared it and showed us bottles of the ingredients.
The host came to us and told us our table had an obstructed view of the TV and the upcoming Belmont and suggested we stay at the bar. We did and watched American Pharaoh make history.
Once seated, our waiter was very engaging and was able to add info to menu items. All this while noshing in some crispy cracker with a cheesy spread.
I got the fried oyster app and it was amazing. Our Waiter told informed us that the oysters are fresh shocked and battered and then fried upon order. You could tell. I had the burger. It was good. The potato bun fell apart a little. I had to ask for ketchup.
This ace is next to the Warner, which is why it was chosen. However, Fitz the bartender, creative cocktails, and the good are reasons to try it it (or in our case, return).

An oddly kind of hidden farm-​to-​table restaurant RIGHT NEXT to the Warner? Talk about a perfect location for dinner before Patton Oswalt’s show on Friday night — I mean, you can’t get more convenient than that.
We started with a bottle of red and the chicken pot pie fritters. I’m not usually a pot pie fan because I can’t get over the whole (pie crust = sweet apple pie) mentality. These simply floored me though — the filling was a creamy, flavorful treat with identifiable insides of carrots and chicken. The exterior was perfectly crispy and reminiscent of something you’d see on a hush puppie. Next time, I might just get two orders of this and call that dinner.
Because I didn’t want to carry leftovers all night, I ordered the petite fried chicken for my main dish. The chicken itself was cooked well and incredibly moist — seriously, I’m not sure how they even managed to make it like that! I also was a fan of the interesting sauce that covered the bottom of the plate. However, two big disappointments: The breading was not nearly as crispy or «special» as advertised. You can even see the difference between this and the entrée version in the photos! In fact, it was generally average — like KFC average I’m afraid. And, I was also under the impression it would come with at least one dipping sauce… it didn’t except for the very limited amount that was on the bottom of the plate. I would have at least appreciated a side of that sauce, since it was actually quite tasty (though sparse)! My fellow diner ordered the ribeye steak with steak fries and reported that it was delicious! I had a bite and it was indeed tender and very juicy! I wasn’t a big fan of the fries, but I’m normally more of a shoestring fries kinda girl.
All and all, go BIG or go home! In other words, spring for the fried chicken entrée (with your pot pie fritters of course!) because the skin has to be more memorable than on the petite, and you’ll score some dipping sauces.

I had arranged to meet an old friend in DC. I checked out Unilocal reviews and found Boss Shepherd’s. Based on these reviews, I made a reservation. My buddy and I started out with drinks and appetizers in the bar. We pushed our dinner reservations out an hour since we were enjoying the bar atmosphere. They carry a good variety of bourbon.
Once we sat down for dinner, we enjoyed a selection of more apps and a nice dinner of ribeye steak and fried yukon potatoes. Everything was cooked to perfection. We enjoyed our dining experience. Service was good.

The fried chicken really is good.
I seriously considered making that my whole review. I’m not a fried chicken fanatic like some, on an endless quest for the best fried chicken, so I was not expecting to be as impressed as I was. But, in an effort to be more informative…
Overall, portion sizes were generous, which should please people who have trouble ponying up $ 24 for fried chicken. We split the entrée two ways, with a side, a salad, and an appetizer. The biscuit and the three sauces that came with the bird were excellent, but the «seasonal vegetable» was potatoes. Not really a vegetable in my book, but it was winter and they were well seasoned. Collard greens were tangy and satisfying, if not the best version I’ve had. I was less impressed by the bone marrow appetizer and the simple green salad, but it’s not easy to make a salad sexy. I don’t know what went wrong with the bone butter.
Service was not up to par for a restaurant at the price point. We said we were catching a show (and this cannot be uncommon since they’re right next door to Warner Theater), but our server still disappeared for inordinately long periods of time. We had to flag someone down, even though the restaurant was not busy.
If Boss Shepherd’s was closer to my office, I’d be back often. The bar looked cozy, and their classic cocktails were solid. Plus that fried chicken comes in a smaller appetizer portion, which would be the perfect happy hour dinner.

Great place to dine in DC. Centric, cozy atmosphere, awesome varied cuisine, friendly and knowledgeable staff, is all you need to continue coming back to this spot.
I had the most popular dish on the menu, which is the southern fried chicken with the three dipping sauces, finger licking good. However, I have had the French onion soup, steak and fries, shrimps, clams and wings and you really can enjoy the seasonings, meals and confections that the expert chef has so gracefully prepared for us.
Whether you are meeting for lunch or Sunday brunch. Happy hour or dinner. Social gathering or drinks. Private meeting or just a special occasion celebration, you can not skip on considering this place, as each encounter is personalized making you feel like you are at home!
Go check it out for yourself and while sipping on that well deserved drink, enjoy the chips with pimento cheese!
Cheers!

I LOVE this place. Its uniqueness combined with unpretentiousness are two qualities that I find rare for a restaurant in the middle of DC. It stands out in an understated way, while pulling off a high quality atmosphere and food. Hats off.
Anyways, I’ve been here twice. The second time I came for a pre-​Warner Theater Show (right above the restaurant btw) which also happened to be the celebration week of Boss Shepard himself (January 30). Whiskey shots were a $ 1 and fried chicken entrees were reduced to $ 18 from $ 24. Now my bf asked «why is fried chicken so expensive» to our kind waiter, who replied, «this is a different kind of fried chicken.» It really is. You can taste the high quality of fresh chicken with amazing flavors. The trio of sauces that accompany the fried chicken entrée are all to die for — smoked egg, house made hot sauce, and honey. Yum. With the cornbread and seasonal veggie that also come with the fried chicken, there is a chorus of alleluias that will play on your taste buds. Meals start with complimentary pimiento cheese and salted flatbread, all served in fun ware.
Our waiter covered the whiskey shots since it also happened to be my bf’s bday week and was super sweet to us the whole meal. I’m really impressed with the whole experience here. There are a ton of great seating areas, my favorite now being the lower lounge area which makes you feel like royalty surrounded by comfort and privacy.

Finally used my raffled prize aka $ 100 gift card with my husband and grandma at dinner tonight.
I reordered some of the highlights (fried chicken and pot pie fritters) from the Unilocal elite chefs tasting dinner and sampled a few new dishes (gulf shrimp and trout). The fried chickens and pot pie fritters were as amazing as I remembered. However, my gulf shrimp were undercooked (still partially raw) and grits could use a bit extra tomato jam to balance out the cheesiness. The tiny trout was overwhelmingly fishy and lemony sauce didn’t do much to mask it.
We ended our meal with their apple crumb cake and a scoop of honey lavender ice cream. The Apple crumb cake had the consistency of a muffin. I actually preferred the biscuit with honey from my main entrée of fried chicken to be my dessert instead. My scoop of honey lavender ice cream — looked like someone had already taken a bite out of it — couldn’t believe they actually served it like this. The honey was overpowering and way way way too sweet.
Love the concept of farm to table but Boss Shepherd’s just didn’t deliver. Service was spotty — our host noticed we were left looking all over wondering where our server went and sent another server to take over. Overall — thank goodness for the giftcard — the fried chicken was good but definitely not $ 24 good.

I am constantly craving Southern food, so the instant I heard about Boss Shepherd’s fried chicken, I was sold. The restaurant is gorgeous– really bright and open, in spite of being located underground. The décor is modern saloon, which works well with the crowd of almost exclusively business people in suits.
Based on other Unilocal reviews we had to try the pot pie fritters, and they did not disappoint. How can you go wrong with pot pie filling wrapped in dough, fried, and served with a delicious creamy sausage gravy?
The fried chicken was enormous at nearly half a chicken and it was simultaneously moist, flavorful, and crunchy. The wax beans and biscuit perfectly complimented the chicken, as did the trio of sauces (although the honey was my favorite!).
What really topped off the experience was the fantastic service– the waitress was attentive and helpful, GM/​Partner Daniel Mahdavian took great care of us, and Paul Cohn himself stopped by our table multiple times to make sure everything was to our liking. Overall, a fantastic experience, and I will be back to try the brown butter trout that everyone keeps raving about!

«Give this place 5 stars!» That’s what my husband said after we finished our meal.
Before going into DC today, I went through my bookmarks and passed along a few suggestions to my husband as to where we could have dinner. He decided he wanted to try Boss Shepherd’s. When I asked him why, he mentioned that he would like to try the Pork «city rib» roast. As for me, I had my eye on the fried chicken.
We got here around 5 p.m. and the manager told us that they weren’t ready to serve dinner yet but he would seat us and have our server take our order in about 10 minutes, which was fine with us. Actually, it took far less than 10 minutes for our server to come to our table. He was friendly with a good sense of humor and well versed when it came to the menu.
I started out with a mixed drink, The green hat lime rickey which had vodka in it. This was a decent drink if a bit on the weak side. Still, the lime flavor came through. My husband had a Chardonnay (and he can’t remember the name of it — all he remembers is that it was so good that he actually ended up having a second glass of it).
The meal comes with a complimentary plate that consists of pieces of crisp bread and some spreadable pimento cheese. It was all very tasty.
So…I ordered… the fried chicken. This dish consists of «12-​hour brined ½ chicken, buttermilk biscuits, fairy tail [sic] eggplant, smoked egg yolk sauce». In reality, instead of eggplant, there were wax beans which I didn’t mind as I do like them. Also, in addition to the smoked egg yolk sauce was some honey and some very spicy bbq sauce.
My husband ordered (of course) the pork «city rib» roast. This dish comes with sweet creamed corn and baby leeks.
As for the fried chicken — believe all the good things you heard (or may hear) about it! Honestly, it’s probably the best fried chicken that I can recall ever having. The ½ chicken consists of 3 pieces — a breast, a thigh and a leg. The breast meat was really moist and that’s impressive. The skin was crispy, simply flavored but quite good. I passed along the chicken leg to my husband and he, too, raved about it. If you are a fried chicken aficionado, IMO, you really must try it here!
The wax beans were tender crisp and the flavoring was applied sparingly (basically some butter and salt). The buttermilk biscuit had a crisp crust and soft, moist interior.
The smoked egg yolk dipping sauce was amazing as it is unique — smooth egg yolk with the smoke flavoring being an unexpected, but enjoyable taste. The bbq sauce has quite a bit of heat to it.
As for my husband’s pork chop — he asked for it to be cooked medium rare but it came out medium well. Despite that misstep, he said that it was very good quality meat that retained its moistness. As he was finishing it, the manager came by to ask how everything was. I told him that my husband wanted to gnaw on the bone and the manager told him to go for it LOL!
We decided to share a dessert. My husband wanted crème brûlée which I agreed to have. It was unique as it was a chocolate version and came with some dark chocolate pretzel and almond bark on the side. I’m not a big dark chocolate fan but my husband really liked this. The crème brûlée was smooth, silky and creamy and was a mix of milk and dark chocolate.
My husband had a cup of coffee along with the dessert. It was brought to the table on a small tray that had a small old fashioned milk bottle that had some cream in it. Plus there was some packets of sweeteners on a small plate.
From the service to the food, it was a pleasurable dining experience. The manager is very friendly and takes the time to chat with diners. He was very pleased to hear that we enjoyed our meal and that we will be back.
All totaled before the tip, the meal cost $ 116 + change — a splurge to be sure but worth every penny!