Char Bar

I had such high hopes. Nothing seemed original, just other foods grouped to make something else. From can, tin and box to plate. Encourage your cook to be a chef, someone who knows about food more than molding a beef patty. You deserve a second chance and I hope you survive but dairy is looking better and better.

We tried to dine at Char Bar today but the restaurant was filled with smoke. We asked the hostess if there was a problem with the ventilation. Her unhelpful reply was «I don’t know». We tried but had to leave after a few minutes.

After a whole saga that you can read below, I received a nice call from the owner apologizing and asking me to return to the restaurant. He said he is aware of the issues and trying hard to fix them and to please give them another chance.
For the Yiddish speakers out there, this kind of «mentsch» move definitely warrants an updated review.

Best kosher restaurant in Washington, DC! The service and the food are fantastic! Vegans should check out the «William’s Burger»!

While yes my first and only visit was a couple of months ago, I still feel the need to write a review. The service is meh. My friend and I waited awhile to be seated, and when finally seated, it took our server awhile to come over and take our orders. When our orders were finally taken, we also waited quite awhile for our food. I ordered the Western Burger (which consists of the burger itself, pastrami, caramelized onions, and sauteed mushrooms). I’m not really sure how they forgot the mushrooms, but they did, so I told the server to just give it to me on the side. (I wasn’t gonna send back the whole burger after already taking a bite out of it). The burger was pretty bland, and not juicy. Some sauces on the side would have been nice. Many kosher establishments in New York provide sauces on the side.

Never before have I submitted a review, but the deplorable service convinced me to sign up. I came here on the recommendation of a good friend. He said that when it comes to Kosher food in the downtown D.C. area, this was the cream of the crop. I went on the impulse with a friend, and we sat down at a table for two. We were both not wearing a kippa, and I had sweatpants on and he had a tea-​shirt on. We were getting looks from the management. When I stood up to go to the bathroom, I was hawked by the hostess, which made me feel really uncomfortable. Next, they were badgering us about ordering. I thought this was strange but let it go. I ordered a burger at medium, and my friend ordered a pastrami sandwich. The food came in two minutes. We got our food before other tables that had been there before us even ordered! The burger was RAW on the inside. They were trying to rush us out of there! I found this incredibly rude, especially since we were paying around 45 dollars for a hamburger and a pastrami sandwich. If you are going to rush me, at least cook my burger. My friend also noticed this and told me I should send it back. I decided not to, and just decided I will not come back.
The burger was subpar, undercooked, and the staff rude. I do not care about the availability of kosher food in DC, I would rather take the train out to silver springs than be treated in such a degraded fashion.

Food was good when we eventually got it. Fries ice cold. Service is TERRIBLE!!! Wait staff does you a favor by taking your order and then taking your money, with an attitude. No service in between those two actions. No water refills, no «how’s everything?» As the only kosher place in town, it’s a shame that owner does not take more pride in setting an example by providing better service. From many other reviews, seems that I am not the only person who will not be leaving any of my money there any time soon.

Very simply put, this was the worst deli sandwich I ever ate in my life. The meat was old, dry, and tasted like it had been reheated, I think more than once. I imagine that if you bought pastrami at Costco and let it dry out, this would be the result.
It was so bad that I asked them not to charge me. And they didn’t. However, they did not seem that surprised by my revulsion over the sandwich. This makes me think that it may not be such a rare occurrence.
Related to this, I did not find the attitude toward customers to be particularly friendly or warm.
My Takeaway: stay away!

Last night with a group of friends I ordered a veggie burger. Besides being served last after all of us waited for 45 min for food, the food was served cold. My burger was served hardly cooked. I took the plate back to kitchen area after waiting for my waiter for more than 10 minutes. The chef came out and told me to «shove the food up my ‘ss» and then he threw the plate across the room. The manager never spoke to me to apologize nor the chef. After a friend told the manager about the incident and all our complaints, he compted our meal. It was a horrible experience. It’s very sad that they don’t have any competition in the kosher market in Washington. I don’t recommend anyone ever go there.

the new place is clean very nice,
they were out of sugar, tomatoes and avocado… this should be staples in any restaurant and if run out of should be replaced immediately not told they were ordered for the next week.
the food that we ordered was tasty and very good.
prices same as NY prices but if they want to survive they should try harder– some of the waitresses and waiters should try to be more accommodating and welcoming not so abrupt.

This place is quite good– the prices are a bit expensive (when you keep kosher you need to be use to it by now and you don’t really have different opinions).
The food is good and fresh — the place is very nice design.
(It’s a much better then old Ellis place)
my only wish is that all waitresses will be more nice and welcome (some are and some not)

We were so happy to find Char Bar in DC, as the few other kosher restaurants were either on summer vacation or in Maryland. We liked it so much we went twice! My son had the hamburger and fries; this was quite possibly the best hamburger he’s ever eaten, it was that good. The second time we returned, we had two other outstanding dishes. The whitefish ceviche was an awesome appetizer! Next we split the chicken fajitas, which came with sides of guacamole, black beans and rice. This was to die for! Great atmosphere and service as well.

Came here to meet some people. I absolutely do not keep kosher — not even close, hah! So anyway, I was a bit skeptical of this place, frankly.
Anyway, I can really only attest to the burgers here. I had the Hickory Burger, medium rare. It was really, quite probably, one of the best, if not the best, burgers that I’ve had in this city. I’m not honestly convinced that the pulled brisket isn’t actually pulled pork in disguise, it tasted so good. It was actually cooked perfectly medium rare, the burger both melted in your mouth and didn’t fall apart in your hands (a rare quality for a burger). I really would come back except that I’m never in that neighborhood. I really should go back…
Also had some hummus dip to start… it was hummus, not much to say about that… it’s hummus.
Everyone at the table who ordered a burger thought it was great. I tried some of theirs as well, which were very good.
Ambiance was meh — very bright. Service was a bit slow, but we weren’t in a rush.

Nice place. Food was great. Staff, nice and helpful.
Well; In NYC can find better kosher restaurants, but this one would be good even in NY.
In short: great experience. Exceeded our expectation.

I ate here a few weeks ago with my wife and a few friends. A few of us didn’t feel well after the meal (indigestion/​diarrhea). We shared a hummus plate, so that might have been the cause.
My wife left a review here, and I would have left it as that. However the owner, Marc Zweben, responded to the review, and instead of showing any kind of concern, he decided to ridicule my wife, and educate her on antacids (very condescending). The worst part is that Marc appeared to be genuinely concerned in his private messages with my wife. It was unfortunate to find out that was simply an act so he could publicly ridicule my wife.
Normally, if a restaurant makes me run to the bathroom, I won’t discount returning to try it again. However when a restaurant’s owner shows more concern for his own ego than the safety of his food or the concerns of his customers, I have no interest in returning. I’m also going to suggest another restaurant next time my friends suggest Char Bar.

Char Bar was a disappointment, I’m afraid.
We came here as a group for dinner. We shared a hummus plate and fries as a starter, but the fries didn’t come until the actual meal. The actual meal took a while to come but when it did it was lovely. I had a burger and it tasted great.
But then, after the meal, we each got sick. So whether our meals tasted great or not, getting sick says it all. Not a place to eat.

I spent six days in the DC area about a month ago and ate almost every day at Char Bar… I even took out over the weekend when I couldn’t get there, so I’ve eaten most of the stuff on the menu… here’s what I would focus on.
Steaks… awesome cuts of meat, cooked well but little seasoning. When speaking to one of the proprietors he told me that they don’t season the meat because people complain when they do… really? I overlooked this because I had spent 11 hours on planes and was just happy to get something «real» to eat. The sides of baked potato and salad were mediocre. If I was really hungry, I’d order this again, ask them to season the meat with some salt and pepper and go for it. So I ask, why don’t they have a couple of «sauce» options like what I’ve seen at other steakhouses (Peppercorn?)
Burgers… awesome all around. Fries are disappointing but I’ve had worse.
Chicken… don’t bother. not well cooked, not well seasoned, not well…
Salads… not bad, but make sure that the actual salad is fresh. mine was a bit soggy, but I enjoyed it.
Booze… none to be had while I was there but the proprietor told me that they’d be getting their license in mid to late December… which is right about now. I can tell you that a great glass of wine or beer would have been well appreciated with any of my meals.
Service… pretty good, certainly better than the old kosher Alternative. I spent most of my time at the bar, but even while seated things were good.
Atmosphere and Décor… love the new vibe and place.
I’ll be back there again the next time I’m in the DC area.
Next time I’ll try some of the other menu items and hopefully a decent glass of wine or beer.

We had Christmas take out. I think the thing to get here would be the meat and burgers. Being that I do not eat meat (or keep Kosher) and this was mom’s idea, she stuck to getting things I would eat (I wish she had just gotten herself a burger so I could eat the requisite Xmas Chinese food). And I will be honest about the meat, lately I am a little bit of a flexitarian (see le diplomate;).
I have been schlepped to many a Kosher establishment in my tenure as daughter. I can say Char bar is a steady middle rated place, not great, not a salt bomb like others — but then NYC and LA have a LOT more kosher options.
Our salad had beautiful fresh ingredients in it, but the lettuce itself was soggy. The other salad, beets and asparagus, was fine, flavorless but not offensive. Being that I know Mexican food inside and out, the «ceviche» was a bit offensive to me, it is nothing like ceviche if that is what you are looking for, out side of some red onion and cilantro, it IS EXACTLY like pickled herring. If you like pickled herring, it is not bad at all. Just don’t expect ceviche, and the chips are super oily. I appreciate the chef is trying to branch out — but it does not work, just call it pickled whitefish with chips. That sets expectations better. At the very least, cut the fish, it was like a side of fish in every bite. French fries were soggy — maybe because it was take out.
For me it is a miss. For mom, she was happy eating kosher. I still think what to get here is the MEAT. and avoid the other stuff. I am stunned this is the only place in the District with Kosher food.
***update — she went back for chix salad and brought me fries. They were good this time. Not incredible, but good and nicely seasoned. Her chix salad smelled good and she loved it.

Let’s get one thing straight: The food at CharBar is way, way better than the food at Eli’s ever could’ve dreamed of being. I don’t keep kosher but went to CharBar with a friend who does & I would go back with or without her. Where Eli’s was the District’s only, sort-​of-​sad, solo kosher restaurant, CharBar is a real restaurant that just happens to also be kosher.
The food at CharBar is, in my humble opinion, more deserving of five stars than three. I’m a BIG fan of their pulled beef sliders, which are incredible — juicy, cooked perfectly, served with a heap of onion rings. They’re huge, & they’re served five to a meal, which is sort of crazy, but it means that you’re almost guaranteed to have leftovers. Their other menu options sound tasty, too, with a few different kinds of creatively topped burgers, standard deli-​style sandwiches with a twist, & upscale entrees like ribeye & glazed duck that run as much as $ 36. The atmosphere is nice, too — clean, sunny, a little fancier than its hot-​dog-​serving predecessor.
I dock two points from CharBar’s review, though, because, as at Eli’s, the service is absolutely abysmal. It’s so bad that it’s actually sort of bizarre. By the time I arrived, my friends had already ordered sodas; it took the server 15 minutes to return to our table or bring me a water. They brought us two cups of tea despite the fact that we only ordered one; we watched them do the same for the table next to us, except with soup. I ordered my sliders without pickles; they arrived with pickles, but our server never returned for me to mention it to her. And by the time we finished our food & requested our check, it took another 20 minutes for her to bring it to us. By the time we left, we’d been there an hour & a half… for lunch.
CharBar’s food is good enough to make it a successful restaurant, even amongst those who don’t keep kosher. Unfortunately, as the only kosher game in town, I suspect that they know they can do good business regardless of the level of service they provide, & so — again, as with Eli’s — I doubt they feel any real obligation to step it up. I’d like to see them prove me wrong.

This place only recently opened and it has a lot of potential although there are definitely some kinks that need to be worked out. One of the main ones is that the service seems rather unattentative. Twice I have walked into the restaurant without being acknowledge a) for a couple of minutes or b) at all. The first time we decided to just leave and go somewhere else because we were so hungry. The second we did takeout and I ordered the house burger.
I was actually really impressed with the burger itself. The meat was really tender and flavorful. I have to say it was one of the best undressed burgers I’ve had in quite some time, i.e. without any fancy sauces or toppings to adorn it. Just lettuce, tomato, meat and bun… and it was great. Their bbq and hot sauces were both solid and tasty choices for pairing with the burger. The burger came with french fries, which had some nice seasoning to them but they were unevenly prepared. Some were stuffed with potato while others were essentially empty. A more balanced offering of fries would enhance the quality of the dish.
Beyond the actual food itself, there were still further issues with the serivce. When we placed our order, the waitress did not write down any of it. And, as one would expect, there were some erros in our meals. We ordered a side of onion rings and they forgot to give it to us. Moreover, the burgers were supposed to come with pickles yet mine did not have one. Again, these are small issues but they are ones that can be readily resolved. Definitely a place I plan to frequent and one that has great potential if it addresses some of the concerns mentioned above.