Florida Avenue Grill

Great breakfast/​lunch spot. Only reason it doesn’t get 5 stars is they brought me the wrong order, which I ate anyway. Grits are first rate!!!

The highlight of my trip to DC. Great staff serving great food. Perhaps the best pancakes that I’ve ever had.

Food: This place has some of the best southern food in DC! Much of the food is greasy and/​or fried and there aren’t many options for vegetarians or vegans so I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone that has a problem with that. Though breakfast is offered, I’ve only visited the establishment for lunch/​dinner. The food has never been over or under seasoned as it can be at other southern restaurants. Desserts such as peach cobbler, sweet potato pie, and some other southern deserts are available as well.
Service: The service is always great if the place is not packed. When the place is at capacity, it can be a while before you are serviced. Sundays seem to be the worst to visit because many people eat here after church.
Value: For a greasy spoon eatery, you get what you pay for! Though I have not had the breakfast, the prices are great. The lunch/​dinner portions are around $ 15-​$ 20 for a full meal which can be shared amongst two people. I’ve been so full that I could never make it to the dessert, but it all looks delicious.
Ambiance: The establishment is a very small diner with limited seating so it can be loud sometimes. Other times, soul music can be heard being played at the perfect volume. Lining the walls of the diner you can find several frames filled with celebrities and their autographs. There is only one bathroom in the restaurant with one stall (don’t wait until the last minute to go, especially if the place is packed)
Location: Located not too far from U Street, there can be very limited parking depending on when one visits the place.

Great service lovely atmosphere, and delicious food!
Street parking… May need to feed the meter (you can use your credit card)

Their dinner options are all homemade – the baked Mac ‘n Cheese is to die for! Place is a bit run-​down and could use a good deep cleaning, but if you love southern home cooking, the food is worth the trip. Wait staff were fun and attentive. It was obvious that this place is a local favorite as well as a place for notables to come (the walls are lined with cheaply framed photographs of famous people like Denzel Washington and Clint Eastwood who have visited in the past). We went back for breakfast a couple days later, and although my pancake was good, the rest was just par for the course diner breakfast.

Since 1944
Old Fashion soul food corner spot on Florida Ave in DC taste like a home cooked meal by your mama.
I ordered the fried catfish over grits with 2 sunny side up eggs. The catfish was perfectly fried… and not too salty and you end that bite with juicy fresh tasting goodness. Can’t forget the hot sauce… there’s just something about it.
The French toast was great… sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon. I didn’t even need the syrup!
I couldn’t eat anymore after this, but will definitely come back for the mac and cheese and hit buttermilk biscuits. MMM!
If you are coming for the Sausage Cream Gravy… it’s only available Saturdays and Sundays.

Florida Avenue Grill is definitely a destination not to miss. Their food is authentic and tasty, and worth the trek from wherever you are. It is located at the top of the curve of Florida Avenue, across from Cardozo’s athletic fields. The grill is situated on a quiet corner between 10^th and 12^th Streets NW. My friend has lived up the block since I met her more than a decade ago. She recommended that I go there a while back and I am glad I did.
One Saturday morning this month, my mother and I were visiting a family friend at Howard University Hospital. From there, we headed north on Georgia Avenue and turned left on Barry Street after the McDonald’s on that corner of campus. We parked in front of a modern building called the Ray. My mother said the last time she was there was the second year of her marriage, the year my brother was born, 1986.
Coming in, a bright faced waitress greeted us with menus and a smile. We found seats at the counter, between the grill and hot bar. It was afternoon, so I decided on ¼ white meat fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and green beans. My mother ordered the veggie platter; collards, candied yams, and potato salad.
We sat and watched the waitresses, all pretty black women, dressed in black with cranberry aprons and hair nets, preparing short orders. The cook designated by his hat, made more substantial dishes like stacks of three fluffy flapjacks. There are pictures above the counter of celebrities and other famous people who have come to eat there. The restaurant can get cramped with activity, and when using the bathroom, shut the door for the light to switch on.
We did not wait long for our food. The heaping portions were delicious and filling. Our meal came with cornbread muffins and butter, and we drank ice water. I tasted everything, and my mom and I could not finish it all. We ordered fried catfish to go and our waitress gave us plenty of take out boxes for all our sides.
The place has a rich history, serving breakfast all day and soul food for more than 50 years. I recommend this spot for quality soul food like your family would make at home. The dishes they serve are flavorful and made with care. I anticipate returning soon, to introduce friends to good affordable food in the heart of the city that sticks to your ribs.

Such good food and great customer service. This is the best diner type experience in DC and great homemade food. Love going here when I’m pretty hungry, for their portions tend to be big.

There were good items and there were not so good items we received. We ordered the fried pork chops that could have been crispier but were a bit soggy. I almost think they were not fried that day but warmed from day before. The chitterlings were just okay… Coming from Texas we know our chittlings. The collards were bland too.
Now here’s the good– the Mac and Cheese was good olé fashion rat cheese mac n cheese. The French toast was tasty and the bacon was crisp. The pineapple upside down cake was made from definitely made from scratch, it was very tasty too. Overall the food was just okay, nothing remarkable. I was expecting better.

Can’t really call this place a hole in the wall but it’s established and seasoned like one. This place has been here since 1944 and I can see why. The food is good and the staff is nice. I love broken in little dinners and family run spots like this. They’re not the most modern nor is it squeaky clean but that’s what does it. It’s all in the food. You don’t need a lot of advertisement when your product is good and that’s what you have here…

This place IMHO is the best place to get some really good soul food. Everything on the menu really is about comfort food.
The smothered pork chops here are the best with a great hearty onion gravy that sticks to every part of that chop! Getting hungry just thinking about it. The sides are so delicious. The okra and tomatoes or the corn bread dressing is just about as good as it will get.
The pan fried chicken is just delicious it is absolutely stunning how thin the coating is to protect the juicy meat inside.
If you eat this too often then you will have a problem but as a cheat day meal and maybe if your feeling a little bit down then this would make you right as rain!
Cheers and happy eats!

I’ve passed by this place so many times and this morning I finally decided to pop in for some Saturday morning breakfast. I ordered two plain hot cakes (they’re usually served topped with cinnamon and sugar) and a side of home fries and loved every last bite. The pancakes were fresh off the griddle and perfectly fluffy and the home fries were just the right amount of crispy.
I went around 9 AM and had no problem getting a seat at the counter, although it was totally packed by the time I left. While the service wasn’t very personal, I loved the quintessential bustling atmosphere of a neighborhood diner. My only regret was not trying the Florida Ave Grille sooner!!!

I came in for breakfast today to treat myself for my birthday. Server came by once but my aunt just happened to call as he walked up so I asked for one minute to get her off the phone and then I proceeded to wait for an additional 25 as other patrons were cleared out and I continued to wait. Kind of sucks considering I come here all the time.
So, I walked out. Will chalk it up to miscommunication?!

A total DC institution. Best place to get a greasy breakfast and dine amongst a diverse group of DC people! The place is a little grimy, the food super greasy, but sometimes you just need a good cheap breakfast, and Florida Ave Grill is the place to do it!

There are days when you need a hearty diner breakfast. GOOD NEWS: this is a place to get one!
Love:
— diner still has the charm of opening in 1944!
— Miss Bertha’s Breakfast Special ($ 11.95) is my recommendation
— mac & cheese = more plz
Not so love:
— Service can be a hit or miss. I sat at the bar near the water and it took awhile for me to flag a waiter down.
— Space is very small inside
— Prices are comparable to elsewhere
There are other diners around that can do something better, but the historic identity of this diner really speaks to me and I love that.

9 February was International Pancake Day. We are new to the area and were browsing the Internet to find a pancake place to celebrate. Florida Avenue Grill pop up with awesome reviews.
It was a amazing experience to walk into a time machine. Thank your for lovely food and outstanding service. We will absolutely be back.

Great little gem in the city. It’s not the newest building but they have the best food. We sampled something called scrapple didn’t like it, other people ordered it.
I ordered the fish and grits and it was great. The batter isn’t seasoned that much but it works for me since I use more hot sauce than the average person on all my food lol. My boyfriend had the Bertha pancake special he said it was great and kept trying to eat it all. It didn’t work. The food was great it’s a definite must try.

The food is good and made the way it’s supposed to but prepare for DC lines for what should be just a normal, casual meal in the south.
The catfish was juicy, hot and fresh and had the most perfect crust. The mac and cheese was not overly mushy and had a lot of good tangy flavor (unlike Ms Mary Mac’s!) and they have impeccable collards. I also really enjoyed the biscuit with it’s margarine yellow color. Least favorite, I gotta be honest, is the fried chicken. Not the worst I’ve had but pretty run of the mill. It’s hilarious to say that even though we come to places like this for «authentic», «down home cooking», this was too much like something I would have made in my kitchen. I have yet to find a piece of chicken I like better than Popeyes (maybe it’s that MSG?) Gotta plan about 2 hours if you want a meal here though. Service is on the slow side and there is a wait.

I finally made it here after hearing rave reviews from friends about this spot that time seems to have forgotten. It’s exactly what I expected this local diner to be – greasy, no frills, slightly disorganized, cheap, and oh so unhealthy. I sat at the counter to avoid the longer wait for a table, and really enjoyed watching the food being prepped (so. much. butter.) and avoiding a table of girls instagramming their grits (thanks, DC).
Definitely worth the wait to try out this local joint, though perhaps it’s better to go there in the winter. The small space certainly gets warm with the fryer and limited air conditioning.

So I called ahead for carry out because the way you guys on Unilocal were raving about this place I thought it would be slammed with people. Just kidding because I walked in and there was more staff than people. My food was ready as soon as I got there which I like. One of the waiters told me that I smelled really nice. So basically we’re off to a good start. I paid bill and left to go home to eat my meal.
Chicken — It was fine. Nothing to write home about though. To be honest, I have had better chicken at Popeyes. I’m not saying this to be rude because we all know Popeyes chicken is BOMB.
Mac & cheese. — Pretty good actually. Much much better than the «Mac & cheese» from Oohs & Aahs (another near-​by soul food spot)
Mashed potatoes — OMG so good. Basically crack.
Corn bread — see above but use the apple jam!
Biscuits — I haven’t eaten them yet because when I touched one it was hard as ROCKS. I’m more of a soft biscuit kinda girl so I’m going to have to put these suckers in the oven before I make a comment on them.
Overall, worth checking out. I think next time I would get catfish instead of fried chicken.
I wrote all of this out and now I realize that I sound like a total fat ass. I went to the gym today I swear!
Happy eating!