The Monocle

Went for restaurant week bc it was one of only a handful of places that still had reservations last min. Finding parking nearby was pretty confusing bc everything around says its reserved for Senate parking, so we called the restaurant & the guy told us that we could actually park in the next door Senate lot for free which was a plus (and pretty unheard of)!
Our server was nice, really attentive & the food came out fast! The food was just okay in our opinion (got the crab cakes & filet), but we did enjoy the wine + bread + atmosphere. Also, our desserts were pretty good (crème brûlée & choc cake). Pretty quiet for a Saturday night in the city though.
I would recc going at least once for the experience, but don’t expect to be wowed by the food.

to be clear: I ate here in 2002, but was looking the Monocle up here to see if it was still in business and luckily it is! I was visiting by myself in May 2002 as a tourist and just happened up this lovely piece of the history when I needed a stop for lunch after the Library of Congress, and before the Holocaust Museum. I had the Blue Cheese/​Steak salad and a glass of wine… and then a few more glasses because I met the most interesting gentlemen who bought me a round and it was so enjoyable to chat. I almost missed my Museum apt and had to run across town to get there. Needless to say I will return on my next DC visit, which is long overdue!

What a fantastic gem of a restaurant! I came for a Boss’ Day lunch with a group of my colleagues and had an excellent meal. I worked on the Hill for several years and never knew this place even existed.
It’s a cute little yellow building hidden in plain sight on D street (which means no annoying tourists!). The servers are attentive and the food is superb. The atmosphere sophisticated, but not stuffy. It’s a great place for a long, indulgent lunch, or a romantic dinner for two. Between the delicious herbed focaccia bread and my perfectly prepared medium Delmonico steak, I didn’t want to leave. An unassuming, but amazing place to dine. I look forward to returning.

The Monocle is another must visit establishment for any Washington DC trip for me.
Here at The Monocle, the atmosphere is something I enjoy. As mentioned in another review, it is reminiscent of the 1960s. And really, when did a restaurant such as this since really have class like back in the 60s? I would accept slightly sub standard food just for the atmosphere. But fortunately, this is not anything to consider when dining here.
My calamari appetizer was very good, cooked perfectly and with an excellent taste. My steak for the main course was likewise.
The crème brûlée dessert was good; however, could have been slightly more carmelized on top.
Dinner at The Monocle is not an inexpensive event. But it is one that I would be willing to sacrifice for, just for the experience.

I’d come here for their focaccia alone though I do also love the history and ambiance of this place.
We had a work lunch here, and I loved the food, staff, and service. They were ready for our group on time (actually, we were a little early) and we were shuffled upstairs to their private room right away.
We had preselected the menu, but even still — these guys were crazy fast! We had soups, choice of entrée salads, and dessert… and everyone was done eating in just over 30 minutes! Again, save room for the focaccia. You won’t regret stuffing your face with this bread basket. It’s legendary!

Food is overrated. Service was sub par. Lighting was poor as well. Was not impressed at all.

Very disappointing !! Service was terrible, when we entered, it took a while for the host /​manager to come and seat us, we were almost leaving the restaurant. After we got seated, all the waiters were literally running to and from the kitchen to bring plates, never seen anything like this hectic before even at a fast food restaurant. It wasn’t even overly crowded for the staff to panic this much, clearly they were overwhelmed. I did not feel relaxed at all watching waiters running by me up and down while I was eating my food ! Food was just ok, wouldn’t go back.

Seriously disappointed. Try to use restaurant week as an opportunity to check out new restaurants so trekked over to the Hill for dinner this week. Reviews were good so we looked forward to a good meal.
Upon entry it was pretty empty, no big deal. The people in front of us were in jean shorts and casual but figured tourists hit it up so guess that’s why.
The menu looked good so we ordered apps, entrees and they told us we’d get told the desserts after we ate.
Honestly the waiter seemed annoyed he had to serve us despite it being empty.
The apps were good. Loved the calamari — one of the best. The salad was decent. Nothing to complain about. Unfort it went downhill from there.
My salmon had a very strong flavor to it. Not sure if it was the onions they added that overpowered it but I just wasn’t feeling it the filet mignon had an up charge which didn’t online but nonetheless we ordered it medium rare. It came pretty much rare but not wanting to make a fuss we didn’t say anything since the waiter already seemed annoyed. The steak itself had a weird aftertaste which I can only assume was from the wine sauce but honestly never had a red wine sauce with that weird of a taste.
Dessert we were told were four items — well three really but they repeated one 2x. When I asked about a dessert from the online menu he was annoyed and told me whatever I got would be good. Hmm okay.
Went w the key lime pie — or lemon curd pie as they call it. It was pretty bad. I never leave dessert but I ate maybe half. It tasted watered down and not like key lime or graham cracker. Very disappointed. The other dessert choc cake was nearly as disappointing.
We both left with a bad taste in our mouths and not just from the food.
No wonder Feds don’t like to do much work — they prob feel sick from eating at places like this! Okay maybe that was harsh but could be some truth to it!

Classy Washington restaurant frequented by Hill folks; friendly service, good food, intriguing atmosphere.
I came here with a large group after an event on the Hill. We selected the Monocle mainly because it is a classy restaurant close to the Capitol Building. I should note that while it is a nice restaurant, the atmosphere is not strictly formal, though I would recommend dressing to impress. If you have guests from out of town, or you yourself are visiting DC, I would recommend the Monocle for its atmosphere if nothing else. The walls are inscribed with various phrases you’d expect to read in «This Town,» which was a source of endless amusement and interest for the non-​Washingtonians in my party, and the restaurant has a very clubby feel to it that makes you think a Congressman is right around the corner (and one probably is).
The service was friendly and attentive, and very efficient considering the size of our group. The food was good, but probably won’t knock your dress socks off. I had the baby arugula salad and vegetarian pasta; the first fresh and light, the other creamy and savory. One member of my party had two appetizers for dinner — the calamari and curried oysters — which she said were very good. We had a slice of the homemade cheesecake, which was also quite good.

I was in town for business and took a recommendation from the concierge at my hotel. The atmosphere was very nice and had a fine dinning feel. We went for dinner and wore shorts and a t-​shirt and it was no problem. Great location next to Capitol. Now the food, I found it to be excellent. I had a Caesar salad that was very good and then an 8oz filet that simply may have been one of the best I have ever had. Cooked just right and incredibly tender. It was served with au gratin potato which I normally would not eat and they were fantastic. Even the bread served with the meal was on point. Our server was friendly and attentive. Would recommended this place to anyone.

Remarkably unremarkable.
It’s a stone’s throw from the Capitol. There’s frequently a member of Congress or a cabinet dining there. And it’s old.
But It’s «old school» in the way tassled loafers and wide ties are. Unfashionable is not the same as classic. The décor is drab. The ancient photos of legislators on the walls might make a political obsessive happy, but it gives the place the whiff of a mausoleum. It’s shabby chic without the chic.
The food also seems to be going for fashionably unfashionable, but mine was really just pretty mediocre. The salad was limp. The Crab Conrad had a dome of flavorless crab topped on an undercooked, tough portobello mushroom. Required a lot of work to eat something so boring. And The Monocle’s vaunted service wasn’t so much seamless as it was showy. Loud pronouncements of the specials and florid descriptions of desserts, but throughout the meal, dirty plates and empty wine glasses sat neglected.
There are many disappointing restaurants in D.C., and nothing about the Monocle is genuinely bad. But it’s not good, and considering the profile and prices it maintains, it’s success is a bit of a mystery.

You can’t any better for a DC experience. This place is the best! Without a doubt, the best experience in Washington DC.
Food, atmosphere, great staff, excellent service.
You gotta go here.

Underwhelming at best! The history and nostalgia of the restaurant is nice but it falls far behind many DC restaurants in terms of the quality of food, service and atmosphere. If you like feeling like you are in 1960 you may enjoy the atmosphere. Good quality was below average — frankly it was bland and lacked any sort of excitement. The service was of average quality. Friendly and efficient but not exceptional. If you want white table cloth and expect everything that comes with it, try somewhere else.

I am a tough reviewer that is why I gave it 3 stars instead of 4. The reason why is bc the service was a little poor the waiter hardly came around and when he did he was grumpy. He didn’t know how the food was on the menu but the food was great. My sister and I had some pretty good filets. The soup was good as well. Overall it was a good dinner I would recommend it for a nice dinner

We went here for dinner and the food was absolutely amazing. The crab was delectable and steak was cooked perfectly. Service was absolutely amazing as well! Would definitely recommend and go again!

Service wasn’t great. Waiter rarely came at all, and frequently mistook orders. Asked for iced tea, got Heineken beer. What the-​? Guess the waiter was tired.
Environment: Old atmosphere Capitol Hill style.
Had the NY Strip steak. Ordered it well done, it came back medium cooked. Didn’t have time; was in middle of a business meeting. Ate anyway. Chow was decent. Doesn’t come with sides, have to pay for it separately.
My whole meal — iced tea, steak, asparagus, and desert: over $ 100, not including tax & tip.
Would I recommend the Monocle to others? Definitely not.

The Monocle is a one of the older restaurants in Washington and I really want to like it the traditional décor is pretty, the service good, and the wine program pretty interesting for a very conservative old-​school restaurants that both JFK and Richard Nixon frequented. (There are rumors, probably untrue, that JFK would use an upstairs room for amorous encounters.) If you’re into the questionable game of D.C. celebrity watching (wow, that’s the Secretary of Health and Human Services!) you’ll get your fill here. It’s a clean, pleasant place to have a meal. If you’re a tourist wanting to get a taste of «old D.C.» eating here can be an experience. I’ve been to dozens of events and fundraisers here and they do a good job putting them on.
My problem: the food it’s not very good. Salads can be limp and I’ve been served chicken that was overcooked. The hamburger, which is darn hard to screw up, is probably the best choice at lunch. Particularly at the price points they charge, driven by the location and the preponderance of expense accounts amongst their regulars, the steaks which sit at the center of the menu are below average for D.C. steakhouses. Deserts, surprisingly, are well above average: the berry cobbler (not always on the menu) is particularly good. This isn’t a bad place. I’m sure I’ll be back when invited. But it’s not a place I’d seek out or spend my own money.

The Monocle is the place to be seen where many who is who in DC go to make deals, or so I was told. Colleagues took me to check it out on Wednesday. Our Hotel Concierge knows the owners. She got us in, all 10 of us. The service was impeccable; our waiter was friendly, attentive and very helpful. He was very apologetic when my coffee was cold and had replaced immediately. Everyone in the party was happy with the entrees and appetizers. I had the crab meet on a portobello mushroom, it was to die for.
A huge disappointment was that they ran out of crème brûlée…my colleague wanted to cry because apparently they are known for it. My chocolate cake was heavenly… planning on returning soon.

Really enjoyed the crab cakes (like many other people have rated). The cakes had plenty of crab meet and not too much breading. Nice lunch in a comfortable setting.
The gentleman that was there with me had the salmon and said it was nicely done and tasted very well.
Very competent staff. They knew when we were talking and when it was appropriate to do plate pick-​up.
Easy walk back to The Hill; even in the heat.

Monocle is a place to see and be seen, not in a Hollywood sort of way.
It’s a very conservative place. The food was probably the worst I’ve had in DC though. Considering its reputation and location, I was shocked. Everyone in our party was very disappointed. I had the salad with avocado, and there were three pieces of avocado and two or three other pieces of vegetables. It was heavy on iceberg lettuce. There are no vegetarian options, unless you count sides.
There’s something very stale about the atmosphere too. It isn’t cozy. It seems like it needs more lights or something. It feels very stuffy.
My boss was not feeling well, so I asked the waiter for some fresh ginger for the tea. The waiter just said, we don’t have ginger. I didn’t push the issue because I was trying to be discreet; it was a business meeting. But, I was shocked the waiter didn’t even check the kitchen. How could you not have ginger? Ok, I don’t normally go to steakhouses, so maybe I’m wrong to assume that.