Silo

Service was awesome. Ambiance was great. Food was sub par. We ordered donuts for the table and they came out gooey in the middle. But the remake was nice and crispy, but not sweet at all. Shrimp and grits were soupy, unseasoned, and had a puddle of orange grease on top. I would give it a second shot based on the service alone.

Booooo
We should have walked out when there was no host and the bartender proceeded to chat instead of acknowledging or seating us. But we did not. The menu is a hodge podge of random things, not coherent. My soup came out like warm and bland. The bfs salmon was mediocre at best. The roasted Brussel sprouts were a MESS– Brussel sprout leaves only, not even entire heads came out an oily mess with low quality truffle oil.
The only benefit is all day HH on Sun and a cool ambience. So, come to drink I guess. Stay off the menu.

I have visited Silo a handful of times now and each time I visit I find myself liking it more and more. First off, I like the general aesthetic of this place. With it’s exposed brick walls and it’s concrete floor, Silo definitely has more of an industrial feel than most. I find the dark atmosphere to be pretty cozy, especially during the winter months.
I have been able to visit Silo for both brunch and dinner and in my experience, the dinner far exceeds the brunch in terms of quality food. The dinner menu includes mostly American food with some southern flare. My favorite items on the menu include the krispy brussels sprouts, fried calamari, the eggplant lasagna and the atlantic salmon.
My only complaint about Silo is sometimes the pricing. For instance, my eggplant lasagna was $ 18 versus my partner’s $ 19 atlantic salmon hardly seems right. As a vegetarian, I hate when restaurants jack up prices of entrees that are made out of simple, cheap ingredients, it just seems unfair. Overall, I would recommend.

I love the atmosphere and their half off wine special on Tuesdays!

Went there the Sunday after Christmas. It was after 6 PM and the place was empty. Its not a place that tourists would normally go and we picked a night that no one was really out. Was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food. Was not what I expected. The rack of lamb was outstanding. We had a party of 6 and everyone really liked their meals. Service was good and I was happy with the beer menu. Very nice experience and will go back when am next in town. Like being pleasantly surprised

Didn’t get a very good first impression of this place…
Service: Our server was pretty good, but when I pointed out a leaking water situation, the staff wasn’t really apologetic nor did they do anything about it. On top of that, the hostess grabbed my friend’s purse off her chair without asking and ‘offered to move it to another chair’ to prevent it from getting splashed… we were all taken aback by that… I mean I can’t remember the last time I touched one of my friend’s purses without asking, never mind a stranger.
Food: I got the gravlox… here are my takeaways–
The wedges of bread had no character, no taste, and seemed soggy (or damp?) to the touch, yet dry to the taste. The onions were sour, cuts were random and uneven. The sauce was sour, with too much dill (?). The smoked salmon was possibly the worst I’ve ever had, too salty, with a lingering fishiness, and I was constantly picking scales or bones out from my mouth, which was completely unappetizing.
Although the server was kind enough to split our checks, our group of 6 was charged an automatic 20% (what happened to 18%??). My friends’ meals looked good, but I’m most likely not returning.

Neighborhood feel with a urban industrial style décor. The food is good and so are the drinks. Perfect for the city hipster or professional.

It’s really too bad the person who wrote my friend back about their NYE party being sold out was so borderline rude, because we really wanted to check this place out regardless of whether or not they still had availability 3 days before New Years (we really didn’t expect them to but thought we’d ask just in case). Too bad; guess we’ll never find out if they’re any good.

Delicious delicious food, wonderful friendly service, great beers on tap, attentive bartenders. Could be our new neighborhood spot.
P. S. Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts.

Oh my goodness, yes!!! You must try this neighborhood favorite. Large portions, excellent cocktails, perfectly glazed salmon. I dined with a friend and the atmosphere was lively while still feeling exclusive and private. [I recommend sharing appetizers due to their size.]
The wait staff is classy, professional and outgoing. Ask them to suggest a hand crafted cocktail — they will not steer you wrong! Enjoy!

Service here could have been better. I came here with a friend on a friday night and we were seated immediately. We asked about any specials and the waitress told us about the charcuterie platter (not on the menu) which peaked out interest. I asked what meats and cheeses came with it and the waitress didn’t know and had to ask. When she returned she told us it was two salty meats and two cheeses. So, my next question was does it come with bread or crackers and the waitress said she didnt know and had to ask. Anyways, bottom line was the service should have been more knowledgeable about the menu.

I ate at Silo last night for date night. The boyfriend and I were celebrating our four-​year anniversary. We had made a reservation but it turned out to be unnecessary because they plenty of tables available. Everything we ordered: the ahi tuna poke appetizer, the beef short ribs, and the burger were excellent. The cheese on the burger was not melted, but, to be fair, we did order our burger rare and it didn’t spend much time on the grill. The portions were appropriate for the price, everything was seasoned beautifully and we ate every last bite. Oh man, the short ribs…
Besides the food being excellent, the experience overall was pleasant. Our server (shame I did not get his name) was very friendly and gave us ample time to make our decisions. He also surprised us with a dessert for our anniversary, which was above and beyond what we were expecting.

This place is a great happy hour, date or meet up spot if you’re looking for somewhere nice but not terribly pricey where you can hear and see the person across the table from you. While it’s technically in Chinatown it has a much different feel than the other spots nearby, much smaller, and more of a boutique feel to it. The food is good, if not a bit pricey for what it is. Happy hour is good not great, so come for the ambiance, not the deal.

DO NOT EAT OUTSIDE IN THE EVENINGS!
We wanted a place to eat dinner that was puppy-​friendly and checked out Silo. Eating outside at one of their 3 makeshift tables was a huge mistake! During the course of what we had hoped would be a relaxing meal, we were continuously harassed by people trying to sell us flowers and homeless people trying to get money or food from us. At no point did management or anyone on staff stop this despite there being 2 tables being served outside as opposed to only 1 inside. The table inside happened to leave as a boisterous group walked by and this group proceeded to taunt and curse at them. One of the members of this group walked right up to our table and snatched food off of our plate. When I went to confront them (which was a poor decision) they threw bottles and rocks at us. Again, no one on the Silo staff was present for this and no one thought to call the police after SIlo was made aware of this.
While I do not think SIlo can control the atmosphere outside, they could have provided some very basic measures that could have limited our meal being ruined. Recognizing that this is a high-​traffic area, the staff definitely could have been more attentive to what was happening outside whether by staffing someone at the door or just doing more frequent rounds. We were there for a meal and relaxing experience, and it should not become our job to continuously stop people from trying to sell us things, beg for money or food, or steal food from our plates.
I also want to be fair, the food was ok, although certainly not good enough for us to return. SIlo frequently changes their menu, and being in the neighborhood, I have eaten here a few times. They seem to have a solid brunch crowd and it can be a popular spot after the games at the Verizon Center. The décor inside is rather bland, but the exposed brick is a nice touch. It is dimly lit, which adds to the ambiance, and has large windows so that passers-​by can see what is going on inside, and patrons can people watch (or staff can avoid helping their customers).
Silo seems to have undergone several transitions and appears to be trying to figure out what it wants to be. If it does not figure this out soon and correct issues like the one I described, it will have a difficult time competing with other restaurants in the area, particularly those that take care of their customers sitting outside.

The Colonel and I went out for dinner, and I had bookmarked Silo, likely after something in the WaPo Sunday paper. I could not remember why I bookmarked it, however, and that became something of a theme. Short story — attractive restaurant, competent service, good food, but nothing really stood out. I would go again if I happened to be right in that particular area.
We had the calamari and fried green tomatoes for appetizers. Both were attractively plated and someone in the kitchen is clearly a dab hand with a deep fryer. The calamari were quite good, and paired with onions and sweet hot peppers. The fried green tomatoes were too thickly cut for my taste, but still good, and I appreciated the different crust and sauces for the two dishes.
The Colonel had scallops and succotash, which he liked. The scallops were delicious, and the succotash was so creamy it was ‘like a corn chowder’. I personally had enough succotash growing up with grandparents in Tulsa who were born at the turn of the last century, thank you very much!
I had a burger, and it had the common failings I note in a LOT of DC burgers — trying too hard. Buns should not be artisinal. They should smoodge. Yes, brown them a little, but they should have a low profile, like the roof limits in DC. The onions and cheese were more appropriate to onion soup (which I love) but too much! The meat was very good and cooked the way I like it. The fries were, like all fries nowawadays, way overdone, and since I know the person in charge of the fryer is a pro, this was a deliberate choice.
Look, fry serving people of America, copy McDonald’s fries and be done with it. No one goes to In and Out for the goddam fries!
The ambience was kind of generic, with exposed brick and metal chairs and IKEA tables that were a little too wide to hold hands across. Our candle was not lit till after we paid the check :(
The server was business-​like and did not evince any personality (despite the place being empty except for the bar, which was doing a decent business). This being Saturday in August when DC empties out, don’t take that for being the usual!
The drinks came after our apps arrived, which was odd, and they were nothing special. My Pretty Rickey tasted like a soda, which was about what I expected, so nothing wrong with that, just not amazing.
All in all, a very competently run place with good food that had space on a Saturday at 7.

In April my now wife and I hosted our rehearsal dinner at Silo and it was certainly one of the highlights of the weekend. We live in the area and have been there for dinner and drinks on many occasions. The food & cocktails were always fantastic, so we were intrigued to see if they might be interested in hosting a private party.
From the very start Reza (the owner) was always responsive. He gave us varying menu choices, allowed us to pick some signature cocktails and even went and purchased flowers on his own dime to make sure the setting was perfect. He set up a projector for my father to make his toast and accommodated a bunch of last minute requests without batting an eye.
If you haven’t been there for a meal, you certainly need to change that. If you have any events coming up. Do yourself a favor and see if they can host it. You won’t regret it!
A+ across the board!

I came here on Sunday for brunch before I left DC. My husband and I got there 5 minutes til 11am (opening time). When we arrived, the double doors were open and there were two dudes at the hostess table. We asked if they were open and the first guy says yeah! Do you have reservations? And we said no and the other guy cuts in and says «actually we don’t open for another 5 minutes, you can have a seat at the bar» so we just shrugged and sat at the bar. A few minutes later, other couples were walking in and getting seated as we were continually ignored. Later the bar tender came up and said «are you two ordering drinks or waiting for a table?» And we said we are waiting for a table and he says «oh» and walks away, finally a waitress comes up to us and asked if we have been helped and we said no and she nicely seated us.
This was my first time for brunch and I really wanted the eggs Benedict, but unfortunately it was sold out at 11:15 am… when they opened at 11am. So I ordered the open BLTE a slice of bread with bacon, lettuce, tomorrow, and sunny side up eggs). It came with a side of fruit and potatoes.
While I was sad that they didn’t have the eggs Benedict, I was 100% satisfied with my open BLTE! It was amazing! This sandwich came with several strips of bacon, fresh tomatoes and lettuce and perfectly cooked sunny side up eggs. The delicious meal made up for the poor service.

Silo has great potential but the brunch was not a great experience on my recent Sunday visit. They appeared understaffed as it took very long for our drinks to come out. In fact, our food came out before our cocktails and we ordered the drinks before the food! I don’t think there was an excuse for this as everyone had beer or mimosas except for me — I got the Rosemary old fashioned. The other bummer was that we told our server we were in a rush since we wanted to get to the Wizards game. The food was also just ok. I had the fried chicken and eggs and it was not very meaty. The chicken came out chopped into pieces which was nice but the actual meat on the pieces was not substantial (may have just been our portion).
The Rosemary old fashion was actually tasty but it arrived about 10 minutes after our food! There was actually no excuse for this since the bartender was done making our drinks and chit chatting with patrons at the bar. The drink delay wouldn’t have been that big of a deal but it impacted our bottomless mimosa drinking time!
I would give silo another chance as I have been for dinner and the experience Washco better.

Update: came here for brunch and had a fantastic time!
There was a large group of us coming in, so we made sure to have reservations. I got there early and the bartender was really friendly and helpful.
They had our table ready for us, and got us our bottomless mimosas quickly. Great deal! Our waiter probably should have brought us a pitcher at the rate we were drinking them, but somehow he always appeared right next to me to pour more, even when I wasn’t done yet.
Food wasn’t incredible but was tasty. I ordered the french toast which came with eggs and bacon. I tried the fries and they were really good, so I regretted not getting something with fries.
My experience was better this time around and I’m looking forward to trying more of their menu in the future!

Me: «It’s interesting that there are so few items on the brunch menu; I’m surprised they’re not better-​executed.»
Husband: «they just get you drunk so you’ll think the food is better.»
PLUNK! The waiter then slammed down a FULL bottle of champagne on our table… like a mic drop… and walked away. CHEERS to the birthday girl!
DISCLAIMER: apologies from the «sober judges» from my table to fellow patrons and waitstaff for my ostensibly «celebratory» table mates… buuuut it was someone’s birthday.
So, there is a strategy with some establishments’ «bottomless brunches.» For Silo, it’s «focus on the mimosa refills — rip those half-​full glasses out of patrons’ hands and refill, fill, fill!» Not as much mind paid to non-​drinking patrons (my coffee was neglected over a two-​hour brunch) or food quality (one person’s fried chicken was served dangerously undercooked and it wasn’t replaced for over 20 minutes).
I came here with a group of 9 for a birthday brunch — mission accomplished for the birthday girl — Elite Kendal Ann M. and fellow Elites Alex S. and Phoenix Simone W. — the mimosas were a huge hit. We all races initially about the ambiance — really cool loft-​chic industrial space and bumpkin’ music. Our waiter was friendly, but disengaged. The truffle fries and potatoes smelled intoxicating, but the fruit sides were watery and oozed into the steak and eggs.
Nice thing about the bottomless $ 14 option here is that they don’t kick you out after two hours like some other brunch spots. Hell, you could pass out on the table here and they’ll leave you alone.
However, if you’re here for a more food-​focused brunch, you may leave feeling a little more meh.