Palm Restaurant

A good friend’s visiting DC, so we decided to kick off the three-​day weekend with dinner at The Palm, a classic restaurant that’s been on my list for a long time, and this classic certainly didn’t disappoint.
I got to the restaurant a little early, so I decided to just saddle up to the bar and order a cocktail, and the Mary Pat behind the bar was incredibly welcoming, making this first-​timer feel right at home. She makes a mean cocktail, too!
Once my friends arrived, we were seated towards the back of the house, surrounded by the caricatures adorning the walls that The Palm is famous for. I started my dinner with a small Caesar salad, perfectly dressed, with just the right amount of parmesan to complement the dressing. One of my buddies started with the lobster bisque, which he said was «out of this world».
It is The Palm, after all, so my inaugural visit had to feature a steak, and I opted for the filet mignon. I like my steaks medium-​well and it’s amazing how few places can actually get that right, but the folks at The Palm did, butterflying my filet, seasoning it simply, and serving it with a great brandy peppercorn sauce. The three of us split several sides, including the creamed spinach, the sautéed green beans with pancetta, pepper flakes, and pine nuts; and one of the house specialties — the Half and Half: half freshly made cottage fries, half fried onion strings. They’re ridiculously addictive and were a great complement to my filet.
To round out the entrées, one buddy had the chicken parm — I got a taste of it, and it reminded me of the chicken parm you’d find in Little Italy in New York. My other buddy went for the crab cakes, which he said were good, but not as good as he’s had elsewhere.
At this point, we were thoroughly stuffed and passed on dessert, but we have it on good authority — my friend’s mom — that the cheesecake is excellent.
What really makes this place great is the service, and our server Jimmy took great care of us throughout the evening, from taking us through the menu to suggesting the perfect side dishes to giving us the history of the restaurant. He’s a great guy, and you should definitely ask to be seated in his section when you head to The Palm DC. Jimmy also helped dispel my preconceptions regarding the restaurant — I had always thought of The Palm as a stuffy place but, now that I’ve been, it’s really one of those comfortable places you can go to dressed casually and just enjoy some really good classic cooking. My next visit will be for lunch, since the menu’s a little different — and I already have my eyes on their Bozzi Burger!
FUN FACT: The Andy’s Mixed Green Salad is named for Andy Cohen of Bravo TV fame. Who knew?

Very disappointing experience. Food was very poor and service was completely unacceptable. I will never take another colleague here again for many reasons

I would not return to this restaurant primarily due to the service that my party of five received tonight. For the quality of food and price you are expecting to pay when you decide to eat here, the service falls far below the mark. Our server was dismissive and cold at best, and it really added an atmosphere of discomfort on what should have been a relaxed and enjoyable evening.

I’ve had better service at Outback Steakhouse. Three of our party ordered the special cocktail, a raspberry fizz drink, and all three had to send it back because it tasted of gin and nothing else. Our waiter was rude, slow, and brusque with our menus and food. When we told him that we were eating there for a happy hour appetizers/​drinks/​dessert type of meal (we still spent over $ 200) he was visibly annoyed and for the rest of the night he emanated disapproval as he begrudgingly continued to serve us. Our bread basket and dishes were whisked away without asking whether or not we were finished eating. The only reason why this review gets two stars is because the food was good, particularly:
— Bacon-​wrapped scallops
— Brussels sprouts
— Sesame seared Ahi tuna
— Flourless chocolate cake
If this steakhouse chain wants to compete with local restaurants that provide MUCH better service for a fraction of the price, don’t treat patrons in this way.

Great place for a special occasion. Love the ambiance and view from the front room, and the food is fantastic.

The palm certainly has delicious food, but I’m not sure if it is worth the hefty price tag. The service is exceptional. However, I made the mistake of scheduling a business lunch at The Palm and it was SO incredibly loud. I could barely hear myself talk, let alone the other members of my party. I definitely will not schedule any reservations here for business purposes again. But as I stated, the food is great if you are willing to pay a premium.

I’ve been a loyal, enthusiastic customer for over 50 years, however, dinner there last night was a disappointment. While the service and waiter were exceptional, the prime rib, (chewy and stringy), supposed NY cheesecake, (dry, thin slice), and coffee (hot, black water) were not what I expected. Further, the prices and noise level were in the stratosphere. $ 16 for a premium vodka on the rocks? Dress code? Men and women in T-​shirts, shorts, and ball caps? The Palm needs to step back and step up to its reputation. It’s good that there are many fine alternatives in DC.

Do not try to book a private event at The Palm DC. I had been working with Jennifer Hayes, Sales and Marketing Manager, to host our Board meeting in the restaurant’s private space. She had been responsive and cordial. As we were approaching the final stretch, I asked her via email about some of the negative reviews I saw here regarding private events at the Palm. She went silent. She did not respond. So I forwarded the email back to her requesting a response. She sent a very quick and short response stating that the space had been booked. I tried calling but she would not take my calls. I was stressed as our meeting is only a few weeks away. Finally I asked her supervisor, Michael Melore, if he get her to respond. Finally she called back. I asked how the space got booked so quickly after we had been working together for a week and were at the final steps just a day before. She offered no explanation. So I requested another date that she had opened. Before we ended the call I asked once more about the negative reviews on Unilocal.She stated that she was not willing to answer such an inappropriate question. Huh??? How is that inappropriate??? I explained to her that we would paying a hefty amount of $$$ at her restaurant and I wanted to make sure that the Board would received a great experience in return. As I persisted, she became more uncomfortable and dismissive. Finally she abruptly ended the call. I sent an email to Jennifer and Michael asking to end our relationship due to her unprofessionalism. I heard nothing back from either. I assume that the situation is my fault for conducting research before spending the company’s $$$ and expecting a «sales manager» to utilize their skills and finesse to assure me we would be satisfied. Jennifer has been with the Palm for over 6yrs and has obviously become very «comfortable». She also relies on the demand over supply and name recognition which means she can afford to be lax (and downright rude) in terms of her customer service and approach. Because of that, her supervisor has no real need to hold her accountable or expect her to even behave like a highly motivated professional. A question about negative reviews should never intimidate a true sales professional. My advice, if you are planning a private event there are way to many options in DC that are more than willing to work hard to earn your money. Go elsewhere.

We have loved the Palm for years. We live in Los Angeles and used to frequent West Hollywood before they ruined it, moved it to Beverly Hills and turned it corporate. The Washington location is everything we loved about coming to the Palm. Old school steak house ambiance, great food and fabulous service that caters to their guests every needs. Our waiter Tim was over the top accommodating and made is feel like a rock star. I would truly would not ask them to change a thing. A 10 out of 10 dinning experience in DC. We look forward to coming back.

Add an extra star for exceptional service — went for a friend’s birthday, and everyone we interacted with was very friendly. But the food was nothing amazing — sides were OK, but multiple steaks in the party came out undercooked. if you want a top-​dollar steak experience that has more substance to it than just the name, Ruth’s Chris is it.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Came here for dinner on Christmas Eve like I have been for years. I’ll never be back. I was served the veal parm after I ordered chicken and my mothers meal was completely inedible. I was furious that this meal cost me over a hundred dollars and two out of three of us left hungry. The management never even acknowledged the mistakes. They removed the two dinners from the bill, but never offered to remake them. Well, I’ll never go back. I can find a lot of Italian restaurants in this town that are 10x better then The Palm.

Expecting a Ruth chris quality filet and that level of, service. waiter was mia, and steak was mediocre.
Won’t be back.
Lots, of options for great steaks this was dissspointing.

I have been to the Palm for a couple of Christmas parties in the past so was looking forward to celebrating my anniversary dinner here. When I made reservations I mentioned it was for an anniversary and requested a nice booth. When we showed up, all the staff congratulated us and were very warm and friendly. There was also a nice signed card from the entire staff at the table. Nice touch.
We started out with a couple of perfectly-​crafted cocktails; lovely dirty martini with blue-​cheese stuffed olives and a Manhattan. Perfection. We started off with the bacon-​wrapped scallops; not too bad, bacon overpowered the taste a bit and the balsamic it’s served with I found to be unnecessary and unappetizing. But scallops were plump and flavorful.
Now, onto the best part: the amazing wine list! Let me tell you, I’ve seen many a wine list, but the way they have organized their wine into regions, categories, tannins is PARTICULARLY impressive. Great labels, great vintages. We went with a Stag Leap’s blend from ’12 around the $ 70 range. Wonderful.
So I ordered the bone-​in ribeye with the brandy peppercorn sauce and my bf ordered the filet, Oscar style; both MR. We also ordered sides of: mushrooms, creamed spinach, and hashbrown potatoes, family-​style. Family-​style is a HUGE portion, so I would probably not suggest that, especially if you’re going to be ordering so many sides. We found the creamed spinach to be okay, the mushrooms to be pretty good, but the hashbrown potatoes kind of lacked flavor (and salt). I would recommend sides of: goat cheese mashed potatoes, asparagus fritti, and the leaf spinach (not the creamed spinach). Much better sides.
Our steaks, however, were phenomenal and cooked to perfection. His filet was SOOO flavorful and tender and my ribeye was bursting with smokey flavor, my mouth is watering thinking about it right now. If ever there was a doubt that The Palm has declined in quality and is overrated, I am here to debunk that today; their steaks are not to be rivaled. The dessert, on the other hand, was a huge fail. I had heard great things about the carrot cake but sadly, it was a frozen, dry cake on a plate. VERY little cream cheese frosting. Excuse me? The frosting is the BEST PART. I could tell they had just grabbed it out of the walk-​in; sad, sad carrot cake.
Our server was great though. Friendly, warm, made us feel welcomed and comfortable. Made it a special, celebrated occasion. They were going to sing a little anniversary song for us but we nixed that. We don’t need all that. But the gesture was appreciated. Overall, they really know how to make a special occasion memorable. Amazing steaks, welcoming service, and lively atmosphere makes The Palm a class act in my book.

I was expecting The Palm to be more up to the challenge of the corporate holiday lunch. The food was disappointing, particularly the fish of the day: a trout stuffed with crab meat and swimming in this bland cream sauce. The side dishes were brought out family style, the asparagus was okay and the fried onion straws were an odd addition, boring and soggy. The most disappointing element was the service. Every staff member we spoke to was snippy and made a handful of us hesitant to ask for the drinks we actually ordered. The initial table set up was odd, like an «E» shape where the people in the center had their backs to a large part of the group. When we asked them to make a more reasonable set up that didn’t exclude a handful of our staff, it was met with resistance. They eventually agreed, but not without voicing their displeasure. Overall the experience ranged from awkward and uncomfortable to boring and bland food. Not ideal given the amount an outing like this costs.

Fantastic food; too loud. I came here with a work holiday party and we were all blown away by the food. We got several seafood and several steak dishes and they all were awesome. Unfortunately conversation was difficult because we couldn’t even hear the person across the small table.

I came here for holiday party and the service was excellent. Servers made sure everyone had a drink in hand and food was continuously being passed around. While I understand that this was a special occasion the food was decent. The seafood was excellent but their sliders were not the greatest. The bread was super hard and stale. The calamari was paired with a creamy sauce which was excellent. I have to say that the drinks were extremely strong which is a good thing but almost painful to drink. I would love to come back and try their steak. I highly recommend the seafood.

Went here for a large group dinner. The place is like a zoo (and this was a Wednesday night, not the weekend).
We sat for about 10 minutes with no menus. Asked two different servers for menus, and had a third server come back and ask if we’d like anything to start with. Kind of hard.without.a menu…
There were two waiters for our table, and they didn’t communicate. Placed drink orders (simple, two ingredient drinks, not specialty), and they never showed up. By the time we got them, the ice had melted.
The horrendous service aside, the food wasn’t anything to write home about. My filet was rubbery and essentially flavorless.
The worst part was someone in our party had a birthday, and the servers must have asked about 5 times if it was ‘really’ their birthday. Nothing says insulting like having someone question if you’re lying about an adult’s birthday…
Wouldn’t return, wouldn’t recommend.

This review is long overdue. I have been going to the Palm regularly for the last year and the food never disappoints. However, what truly sets the Palm apart from other restaurants is the exceptional customer service. The staff goes above and beyond to make me feel like a valued customer. John is my favorite waiter — he is such a lovely person. The Palm is a place where I look at my check and know that it is worth every penny.

I always have great meals, and great times, at this DC institution. In addition to the steaks, I enjoy the ahi tuna, soft-​shelled crabs, chicken parm. Split the sausage platter recently as a starter with my son. Very good. Tim is a great waiter, and Michael the GM will take good care of you. Just have fun!

Up to Palm standards. Wait staff is friendly and attentive, wine list is good and covers a broad price range.
It is LOUD. don’t know if it is the acoustics, or the crowd, but it can be a little disconcerting. Been to many Palms across the country, and this has been the loudest.

One of my favorite chain steak houses, never had a bad meal. Service was good and I look forward to going back.

Weak — old school in a bad way. I did not have a good experience.

The Palm is your typical DC steak restaurant. On any given evening you’ll run into SOMEONE from the political realm, if you’re into that kind of thing. The wait staff are very friendly and knowledgable, only professional and seasoned waiters at The Palm.
Every steak restaurant has great Caesar salads and the Palm’s was no exception. My steak was perfectly cooked and I love that they have béarnaise which is my favorite steak sauce (not all the DC steak joints do). Instead of the typical mashed potatoes, The Palm serves up goat cheese mash. I was a little skeptical at first as I generally don’t like goat cheese, but it was so silky and mixed right in I could barely pick up the extra goatiness. For dessert we split the donuts (SO MUCH YUM) and the cheesecake.
It was a lovely evening with friends and we will certainly be back.

Is there a shortage of spices at this restaurant? Or has no one introduced them to the Chef?
My husband and I came on a Thursday afternoon and were greeted by a nice, albeit over-​the-​top waitress and sat us in a nearly empty restaurant. I ordered the french onion soup, which completely lacked of flavor, and the parmesan chicken. To our surprise, the spaghetti had to be ordered separately from the parm. What sense does that make? I thought I would go along with it until I tasted my partially burnt chicken sitting in the most watery and flavorless marinara sauce I’ve ever had. I could not believe what had just been served to me.
My husband ordered a sandwich and the waitress asked, «Would you like fries with that?» to which he replied yes. Little did we know that she would charge $ 13 for a plate of fries. $ 13? The waitress had made it seem as though the fries had come with the sandwich.
The best part was that each time the waitress would set our food down, she would exclaim, «Well, here it is! The best food you’ve ever tasted!» Um, I think not. Hands down, this is one of the worst restaurants (if not, the worst) I’ve ever been to.

Great food. Great staff. Great environment. The lobsters are delicious!

I judge a chef by how they cook a filet. Here for a special event, but ordered rare filet, as did my tablemate. Both had weird overcooked sear on the top (well done) which ruined the steak. After cutting off top 2in it was cooked well. That’s crazy to me. If you can’t cook a rare steak correctly, something is wrong. I’m assuming it wasn’t the head chef, but he/​she needs to quality control the kitchen. Would never come back here if I were paying for it…
This didn’t figure into my review (because I think service from one waiter is a tough way to judge a restaurant) but…
A little annoyed that one of the servers figured I wouldn’t notice the difference if he switched the wines I was drinking. I did buddy– it was only my second glass (tasted surprisingly like the chardonnay everyone else was drinking. Hmm)
Update: ok we just got dessert. Now it’s 2 stars down from 3. The chocolate cake for dessert tastes like onions or garlic. I’m guessing they store it in the same place as garlic or onions. Oh man. 3 strikes.

My co-​workers and I came here for dinner last night and had a wonderful meal, as well as a really top notch waiter, Jimmy, who knew seemingly everything there was to know about the menu and the history of The Palm.
This was my first time dining at The Palm (at any location) and I was really pleased! The entire atmosphere was preferable to other, similar multi-​location high end steakhouses. The cartoons and caricatures were really interesting, particularly given the location and political powerhouses who choose to dine here. There is such a story and so much history in this establishment — how can you not love that?
We started by sharing a lobster — and a 6 lb one, at that. We were told that all of the lobsters they use are freshwater caught, and thus a big guy like ours is just as good as a smaller size (it wasn’t chewy at all). For dinner I got the 9 oz filet mignon, which came out with a nice almost charred sear on the outside while still really tender on the inside. I opted not to have them top it with a sauce and in retrospect I probably would have liked it even more with bearnaise. We also split several sides, and let me tell you — that creamed spinach is INSANE. Seriously, if you like creamed spinach get this ASAP. So worth the price and calories!
A really great spot for a nice evening out where the $$$$ is no concern. You will be taken care of well.

DC power houses, and the staff to keep them happy. Yum. Bar snacks are just as tasty as the main dining room, with a great \selection such as Lobster sliders, lamb lollipops, and several other items to keep all happy. It can get crowded, but if you order at the bar, the expediter brings it out hot from the kitchen.

What a great steak house!
We randomly walked in one night to grab a bite. My buddy and I walked in without reservation. This was no problem for the Palm. We were welcomed and sat without hesitation. As soon as I was sat, we had a server waiting to take our drink order. He was attentive and sharp. If waiting tables were an Olympic sport, he’d be Michael fucking Phelps.
I started off with a old fashioned, it was top notch! I ordered several more… I also ordered a ribeye, it was one of the finest steaks I’ve ever had.
For a «standard» steakhouse, they were anything but standard, they were extraordinary!

I love this location. The food is wonderful. The bartenders are great. The cartoon drawings n the walls are fun. If you are expecting a quiet conversation, you won’t get it here. This is a place for a fun celebration.

I’ve been to this Palm location at least a dozen times and a few other locations in various cities. First, this restaurant hasn’t always rang a 5 star bell for me every time I visit. However, I will admit that the one or two times I’ve left slightly disappointed was more my fault than theirs.
I don’t write a lot of reviews because I don’t think it’s fair to judge a place on Unilocal until you’ve visited AT LEAST twice. It’s probably still pretty difficult to write an objective review until the third of fourth visit.
My last visit was a few months ago but I had already made reservations for a date night with my girlfriend this Friday. So curiosity on how one of my favorite spots paired with a surprise fit of insomnia tonight lead me to Unilocal.I decided to read a few reviews…
At first I was pretty surprised to see a few 3 and occasional 2 star reviews. I mean I’m no sucker and according to the latest Washingtonian I’ve patronized more than half of the top 25 from restaurants judged last year. I’m not a food snob but I sort of think I know what I’m doing. I went to Volt before top chef aired and a buddy of mine from elementary school is the lead server at Komi. I thought to myself «what the hell?»
Until I read about 10 or so of the sub 4 star reviews and it clicked…
All of the people that gave 3 stars or below came from one of two types of experiences:
«I’m not much in to steak but…» And then some nonsense about being dragged there for work/​an event/​large group blah blah blah. Ok babe, we get it. You’re a great humble bragger that likes taking pictures of your food more than eating it. Or you are probably just pissed that your boyfriend hasn’t taken you to BlackSalt yet because let’s face it, you’re probably not worth it.
And then there’s the «I know steak and this was not the best steak I’ve ever had» guy. Guess what buddy, you went to an upscale family style Italian restaurant that happens cook pretty great steaks too. No, they are not the best that I’ve had either but, they’re pretty damn close on a good night. Next time celebrate your birthday some place where you know the menu and that you know you’re going enjoy, like an adult.
The food is awesome though because here’s what you’re supposed to get. In order:
A Martini (you drink yours with gin and she drinks hers with vodka)
Shrimp cocktail if there is a female at your table. Just order it because she wants all of them but, might let you have one. Other than that I tend to think apps are for chumps unless your girl prefers oysters on the half shell… if so get a dozen and you can skip the salad.
Just the gentlemen for the evening? Caesar salad with anchovies. Married or with your girlfriend who is worth marrying? Split the wedge salad and ask them to toss it for you lightly. This bears repeating: split it.
Any f*$&@*%# entrée you’re in the mood for. If it’s not cooked perfectly to your expectation then do not accept it. You’re not expected to pay for something that you don’t want to eat, especially if it’s wrong. Don’t feel bad or get embarrassed. Be polite and they will fix it. This is a place where if you’re not a jerk and somehow they actually mess up a prep twice then some people just got fired.
If you get a NY strip steak without their brandy peppercorn sauce, you’re doing it wrong. And don’t call it au poivre. Remember this is an Italian joint with a seafood soul. They don’t give 837 loyalty members a free steak on their birthday, you get a 3 – 4 pound lobster.
You know what? The service isn’t always that «fast», because it’s not really supposed to be. The servers might not even come off as that friendly but, half them get Christmas presents from members of Congress. They’re surprisingly not super friendly to them either but, they know how to wait a table in an old school way.
I think that’s what makes this a five star experience for me. Just go in, act like a gentleman or a lady and just be prepared to spend what the evenings really worth. If you do this place right I think it’s your own fault if you don’t have a 5 star evening.

Let me just say that the ambiance is very nice… but that’s about it. The food… the quality of food is ridiculously overpriced for what you get. The crab cake was wet… the steaks came out burnt and we ordered asparagus which came out fried only to find out there were three different kinds. We were not informed of the different kinds until after the fact.
I’m sure the original Palm was one of the best restaurants in town back in 1926, but today… not so much. I was really disappointed and maybe it was because I was a part of a larger party. One pro, they have complementary valet and a coat check. Also the service was okay, some waiters/​waitresses were better than others.
We won’t be returning… unfortunately.