Park Cafe

Currently closed for renovation. No opening date provided.

Closed. Park Café is no longer in business.
Here’s to hoping the little café spot turns into a destination for the neighborhood when it finally opens its doors again.

The only reason I can think that people are writing good reviews is either a) they are being paid, b) they are fake accounts set up by people who don’t really exist or c) they have never eaten at a good restaurant before. Or it could be one of those idiot «web defender» companies trying to make a buck by writing false reviews.
I live on Lincoln Park and couldn’t be more disappointed in Park Café. We’ve been there four times and each time it’s been more and more bizarre and just flat out bad.
The place is ALWAYS empty. I’ll ask this of the so-​called «good» reviewers: why, if it’s so darned good, is NO ONE ever in there? Capitol Hill has many restaurants that are usually very busy.
Someone else had mentioned that the prices are just strange. I concur with this. We’ve been in there for a couple of glasses of wine and dessert and ended up paying 70 dollars. What the hell? Another time we went in there and the food, when it finally came, was only slightly warm.
I don’t know how this place stays in business. Either this guy must not have a mortgage, or just not care. No one wanted this place to be good more than we did and it just wasn’t.
I wish it were better, I only live a couple of blocks away and I WANT to like it and WANT to go there, but it just doesn’t even come close to being worth the large amounts of money you’ll spend here for a mediocre (at best) dining experience.
Again, I live on Lincoln Park and have no reason for writing a bad review.
Park Café, if you’re reading this, PLEASE, make an effort to woo your could-​be loyal customers (neighbors) back into your establishment by charging fair prices and providing good food instead of ripping people off and paying people to write false reviews. Your neighbors want you to succeed, but we’re not willing to pay through the nose for crappy food!

The food, the service, the décor… where shall I begin? In all honesty I wish I could rate this zero stars. I have never written a Unilocal review and was compelled to after this experience. We were out on a Sunday early afternoon (prime brunch time) looking at houses and stumbled upon this wonderfully located café; it seemed like it would be ok. We walked in and the place was deserted. We were greeted by the waiter/​owner who was complacent, aloof, and just plain out of it. He brought us water; white specks were floating in it. The tablecloth was filthy. The mimosa tasted like tang, the coffee was undrinkable. The omelet, which was described as fluffy was like a dry shoe. The French toast was dry, hard, not cooked in the middle, fake maple syrup. No one asked us if things were ok, oh and about 5 minutes after getting the coffee came we had to get up and ask for milk.
A kid cleared our plates and when we asked for the check he started yelling CHECK in the back. It came about ten minutes later.
I didn’t eat the omelet and no one asked why. We left starving and went to eastn market for a real meal, yes we had to go eat again, we were starving after not eating here. After 13 years living in dc this is our worst meal ever.

As many have mentioned, Park Café has a great and unique location — looking out onto Lincoln Park. And, given the reviews we didn’t know whether to give it a try, but, we’re so glad we did. We dined at Park Café on a Saturday night. Great music playing… nice ambience, we had the place to ourselves. A couple of caveats — the server was at first a little nervous but gained confidence as the meal progressed. And, this is not the place to come if you want the latest in culinary wizardry — definitely no foams or tiny pieces of protein on top of six layers of something or other! But, very solid food. Everything was cooked to perfection with great flavor.
We started with the seared sea scallops atop risotto with some kind of pesto sauce drizzled around the plate. It was delicious. We’d come back just for that alone, and, great value at $ 8. We also had the pear blue cheese salad, which was good, but, fairly standard.
For the mains, we tried the grilled wild boar and the evening special — branzino fish. Both were cooked perfectly and came with impeccably executed sides — steamed broccoli and steamed spinach with mashed potatoes. Could not fault anything — all delicious and perfect portion size.
From the reviews we expected the server and manager to be more engaged in telling us about the wine. We asked about the cheapest bottle of shiraz, and, respected the fact that the manager did not try to sell us on anything more expensive. He communicated that it was a very good pick, and, it was indeed.
For dessert we split the white chocolate cheesecake, which came with strawberries and was delicious (although no biscuit base?!) It was out anniversary, so, we were particularly stoked to get 2 glasses of delicious port on the house.
All in all this was a great, romantic meal. We really enjoyed it and were not at all disappointed, but don’t expect some of the frills and whistles of some other DC restaurants in this price range.

We went here the other night dinner. Not a sole in the place at 7:00 PM which made me wonder a bit. First impression from the exterior was that this was going to be a busy, cute little place, which it is striving for but just isnt delivering on.
The service on approach was ok but the fruit flies were probably the worst I have ever experienced. They didnt bite but rather just annoying and somehow ended up in our drinks. There had to have been a good two dozen of them.
Anyways, The salad was tasty and flavorfull. I ordered the Fillet and my wife had the duck. Both dishes were prepared very well and sides were also quit tasty. Portions were European in my opinion but just enough with a beer. The waiter/​owner was helpful and knew his wine from what we could tell. Food was a 4– 4.5.
What brought down my overall rating was the fruit flies, missing canned lights with electrical hanging out of the ceiling and general drab appearanceof the entire bar area. Perhaps the Patio experience would have brought this up to a 4 or even 5.

The only reason for any stars is the location and view. The food was such a disappointment. Salt & pepper would have made all the difference in the world. Bring your own.
Risotto was not made with Arborio rice, but regular rice. Buffalo mozzarella was fine after adding salt.
The steak was cooked perfectly, without a touch of flavor. The sea bass special was good, yet again the sides had no salt or seasoning.
The desserts were pre-​made leaving the mouse cold, hard and stuck in the glass. Crème brûlée was cold leaving the top missing the crackle a crème brûlée needs.
Coffee was served luke warm, watered down.
What a waste for such a lovely restaurant and location.

Park is good, not nearly as great as it could be.
We arrived really early and received fairly atttentive service. The scallop ceviche was exquisite! Might have had a cracker to serve it on but scrumptious! The pizza needed to be warmed more but it was OK. The bahh (lamb) was delic, the wild boar just OK. We had the spinach and the wild rice but the portions could definitely be larger.
Despite the lack patrons (3 tables including us) they seemed to forget about us. I was looking forward to the white chocolate cheese cake and coffer but when they took so much time to remember us, we bailed and walked home.
It would be nice if the wine list included a wines by the glass. My Savignon Blanc was OK, not great.
Park Café has HUGE potential, and I will go bacl to see of they ever meet it. Hopefully they meet it soon.

2.5 stars.
I would be tempted to return to Park Café for a quick drink before strolling to Capitol Hill if the owners were more interested in their patrons. Despite sweltering summer conditions, they insisted that the open front windows added a romantic touch to the evening, while actively trying to persuade several of our party that only pisco sours would be the appropriate drink of the evening, at one point even declining to make champagne cocktails. They also declined requests for printed checks, instead yelling several totals at the table and leaving us to cobble together our payments. In truth, the appetizers were enjoyable, particularly a golden shrimp tempura that embraced a light cloud of flavor, and a nicely textured risotto finished with basil oil (though the scallops need better searing and more delicate seasoning). But even when visiting friends in the area, I would decline an invite to Park Café unless the service drastically improved.

I had been looking forward to going to the Park Café for some time because it looks so charming. It was charming and the food was good. The check was slow in coming, but that’s the normal way of doing business in Europe. They clearly don’t want you to feel rushed.
The appetizers were better than the entrees and we were feeling pretty good about this place until we got the bill. The sides had been added on as an additional $ 8.00 each. My husband and I each had about ¼ cup of mashed potatoes and about 3 tablespoons of sauteed spinach. Ouch. Plus a $ 10 cup of nothing fancy coffee. I do feel more than a little ripped off. The menu does not mention that sides are à la carte.
Up until the bill came, my husband had made the decision to bring our friends with us for his birthday dinner. But we won’t be going back.

I like the romantic and laid back atmosphere. The food is great, but yes the portions are small and it’s slightly overpriced – but I’lll pay a little extra to get away from the hustle and bustle of the busy restaurant districts. It’s a great change of pace from 8^th St SE for example. Give it a shot, and be laid back about it – and ask about off the menu wines; they have a great selection.

$ 260 for a meal for two? I usually don’t care, but here?
This will sound similar to previous reviews — — because I failed to listen to those reviews, even though I read them several times before going to this restaurant. But I was like «oh, those folks are just being picky.» I was wrong.
I’ve lived on Capitol Hill for 20 years, and always wanted to visit this place because it looks so inviting and intimate and casually formal, and its within walking distance. I avoided it because of the reviews, but during the snow days, decided it was time. I want it to succeed so I can have a nice place to trek over to.
Ambiance is great and the food is not bad at all. Not outstanding, but not sub-​par. It’s worth about $ 130-​$ 150.
But $ 260? Please. I mean — PLEASE. That’s ridiculous.
When we arrived, we stood at the front door (of this small space) and it was about 3 minutes before they noticed we were there. Fine, whatever. We were seated at the bar, where the owner, behind the bar, was pouring himself several glasses of scotch on the rocks and didnt notice us, even though we were seating right in front of him. Fine, it seemed like a promising opening to an interesting evening.
He wasn’t very friendly, but we were prepared for that (due to the reviews, hey). When the whisky-​voiced woman next to us, at the bar, asked for another glass of wine, he schtuck his schnozz right into her glass, schnozz touching round the rim like an lime zest, then schnozz into the opening of the wine bottle like a cork, and pronounced «nope, that’s not it.»
Which is fine. Would be amusing for $ 150. But after paying $ 260, it was stupid and gross.
I kept thinking that Chef Ramsey would run roughshod over this place — — crap piled into the dark corners, clutter here and there and everywhere — — yet it’s a great space and has enormous potential. Somebody else needs to run this place.
And this place is rarely busy, but it this night it was full (not chaotic) and everyone was getting served the exact same meal, so its not like workers were stressed. The waiters weren’t rude, like previous postings said, but frankly borderline embarrassed by the owners boorish behaviour.
I am the most reasonable foodie you will ever meet. I am just as happy at McDonald’s as I am at CitiZen, or eating the strange mish mash prepared by a neighbor with a smile on my face. I grew up with no money, and now that I have money, I still give the benefit of the doubt, because I was a waiter once, and nights are busy at restaurants, and customers can be jerks, and people have off nights. Right?
But did I listen to Unilocalp? Noooooooooh. But previous posters were correct. $ 260? The couple at the table next to us were shocked when their bill was $ 240. They were like «wha???/!» I snickered at them knowingly, due to my secret knowledge of the previous posters. Indeed my bill would be much lower. Until the bill showed up. I was like «wha!!!» If you want to experience sticker shock, this is the place.
And just like the previous posters said, when the bill showed up, it was from an old-​fashioned calculator, or something. The «waitress ticket» (you know what I mean, they have those cheap ticket pads in a $ 260 meal-​for-​two place) had just three entries, and the calculator ticket attached had five entries — — just listings of money, no listings of what anything cost. There was no menu, but a fixed menu that everyone ate from but only heard about verbally. Who knows what you were paying for.
I didn’t complain because — — again — — I had been warned, so why pitch a fight when frankly it was my own fault?

2.75 Stars
I like to give a place the benfit of the doubt, so I’ve given Park Café three shots, but they’ve struck out.
To echo other reviewers, this place has a fantastic location next to Lincoln Park, the food is good, and they have a great wine selection (particularlly New World Wines) but none of these factors, nor the small portion sizes, justify the high prices. My duck breast, although cooked pefectly and plated beautifully, was tiny; there was a lot of white space on my plate, if you know whant I mean. Granted, the place doesn’t get much foot traffic (although I did stop by once on my way to a Nats game when they were still playing at RFK stadium, but even then, with throngs of people walking by, the place wasn’t even half full).
The owner is Chilean, and to his credit, he took a chance on a location that was still pretty marginal when it first opened, but he needs to allign the prices more with the neighborhod. Everyone desparately wants this place to succeed, but prices would have to be about 25% lower to entice me back again.

This place used to be quite good, about 4 – 5 years ago. It’s been in a death-​spiral for the last few years, though. The first time I went, the waiter was fantastic. The food was quite good. The second time I ate here, the waiter remembered me from 8 months previously, and the meal was quite good.
The last time I ate at Park Café, there was no waiter – the owner served us – the food was so-​so, and we waited an eternity for our check.
Haven’t been back since, but I did talk to our neighbors, who said that when they ate here recently, the owner sat at a table in the dining room with a table full of paperwork, drinking wine.
Way too expensive for this level of food/​service.

Lovely perch on the park, with an owner who at one point probably loved having a restaurant. He doesn’t smile much anymore, and seems tired. Sadly, the same could be said of the food.
I ordered duck, which came out seared, underseasoned and sliced. No sauce. The vegetables on the side were bland. Other comments about the diminutive portions are accurate.
Our waiter was a rastafarian with a questionable commitment to personal hygiene, the manifestation of which wafted from his armpits each time he visited the table.
After requesting the check, we waited 30 minutes for payment to be resolved, and I noticed similar issues at other tables.
I’m told the owner will be selling soon, and talk amongst the neighborhood is that this location would make a great coffee shop. We’ll see. But for now, I’m sorry to say that I won’t be returning to the Park Café any time soon.

Park Café is a great little gem hidden past eastern market on the Hill where hipsters, staffers, and the rest of the scum of that area dare not tread. The atmosphere is very romantic as I took my better half to celebrate our two year anniversary, and it could not have been any more romantic. The music was soft in the background playing Spanish light rock and the lights were dimmed to perfection where we both felt we were the only one’s there. I told the owner it was our 2 year anniversary upon making reservations, and he rewarded us by finding his best Pinot Noir for dinner.
For appetizers, I had the Rissota with scallops and she had the shrimp tempora. For an appetizer for one, it was the perfect size. The tempora melted in my mouth like butter while my risota had a beautiful plating with pesto sauce surrounding the plate as if something out of a TV reality show. The scallops I was able to cut with the edge of my fork and were cooked perfectly, while the risoto had just enough blending of cheese and rice that it complimented the scallops better than I could imagine.
Entrees — I had the special: NY Strip Buffalo steak with wild rice. I orderered it Medium Rare and it came out just that, a perfect medium rare for a flat cut of meat that almost never happens in DC. Great meal. She had the petite fillet with mashed potatoes. The potatoes must have had some type of apple in it for it had a very faint sweet taste that was suprising but welcomed. Her cut of meat came out as intended, close to 6 oz and cooked so well that it too needed little effort to cut through.
For a wine bar that is 4 stars, the bill was as if we came to a 3 star restaurant, or a Clyde’s that non-​locals seem to love. This is our 4^th venture to Park Café, and each time we are very satisfied and recommend it to all of our friends and neighbors.

Unfortunately, I don’t always have the opportunity to check Unilocal before I go eat somewhere. Most of the time, I escape unscathed. This would not be one of those times. Park Café has all the makings of a nice place for brunch. A great location, cozy interior, paintings by local artists… The yuppie inside of me was dancing with joy. Sadly, that dance party ended early.
The food is not bad, it’s just not really good either. My omelet was a little overcooked but was stuffed with gooey, delicious cheese. My real problem was that it came with exactly 5 cubes of potatoes and miniscule slivers of fruit. I know I’m not at Denny’s, but when I’m paying $ 14, I expect to be satisfied. The dancing yuppie inside was now replaced with a chubby fat kid. A hungry chubby fat kid. The menu is also limited. I don’t mind a small menu, but if you bring vegetarian or vegan friends, they might not like you.
The coffee was very good, and was priced as $ 2.50 on the menu. When we got the bill, it was actually $ 4 per person. For $ 4, I can get a skinny no whip soy chai latte with two pumps of sugar free vanilla or whatever the chumps at Starbucks are drinking these days.
The service is harder to describe. Our server was friendly, but wore sunglasses the entire time. Inside. I think she is European. That still doesn’t make it okay. There were also only 3 other tables in the restaurant and it appeared that we were all sharing the same tiny pitcher of cream. If I can afford $ 4 for coffee, I deserve my own thimble of cream.
$ 23 later, and Im still hungry.

It’s a little pricey for the caliber of food, yet it is charming. I am in love with their baby sea scallop appetizer. I’ll go back there just because it’s convenient (two blocks from my place) and also because the milieu of balance between dedication to service and personal space is a rare commodity in tactless DC.
It’s owned by an elderly gentleman from Chile who has a penchant for gourmet food and impeccable fine dining service. The place has a reputation of being a fancy place to take a date. While it is great for intimate epicureans, I also enjoy taking a good book there and dining alone. It’s also a good place to impress visitors from out of town rather than taking them to a loud, currently-​hip joint in Georgetown.

Okay guys let me first say yes this is not your everyday dining restaurant… YET. Picture the perfect little restaurant. Add a touch of five star dining class and whole lot of warmth and you have Park Café.
My boss introduced me to the place a few years ago and I have been in love ever since. Start with the Pear Salad… very good. I almost always have the caramelized chicken which is excellent. The beef is good too. Most people have mentioned the portion sizes are not huge but they are filling. Now for the third course… dessert. Ladies and gentlemen if you like sweets then welcome to heaven. The desserts are the best in town. Homemade chocolate mouse, tiramisu to name a couple.
Wine, wine, wine! The owner, Alicione, has an super collection in the cellar. Ask him about his suggestions. He is extremely knowledgeable and knows his wine.
Last but not least I hear there is a bar coming soon and a bar menu which will be slightly less in price. He is talking a gourmet burger and a glass of wine for $ 20. I’m looking forward to it. Sounds similar to Café St. Ex.

Even though I live in the neighborhood, it took a while for me to get to the Park Café. I was not disappointed upon arrival for dinner. The place is pretty much the epitome of cute and intimate dining. When we arrived, the place was somewhat empty (owing to the weather), so the staff was very attentive. The wine selection is wonderful. Dinner was delicious (the Pear salad was very good, but not exactly a novel invention).
But be warned: this is a splurge restaurant. We spent a hefty sum here, and the portion size is only moderate. I wouldn’t say that you would leave hungry, but definitely not the place to go if you’re looking to tie the feed bag on. Although the food is very good, the price and portion size are major reasons that I haven’t been back yet (although I’d like to return). It strikes me as a special occasion/​someone else is paying/​periodic stop type of restaurant.
Still, it is definitely a place worth trying, even if it’s too pricey to become the neighborhood dinner mainstay.