Rare Tavern - Washington, D.C.

Food and service were fantastic! The chips were so good! Large selection of foods and the cheese curds are amazing.

MULTIPLE is wrong. Service was friendly, but not very professional or attentive. Expects more from a restaurant of this calibre.

We enjoyed the excellent service, atmosphere, and decor of this restaurant. The menu was impressive and many items caught our attention. The cheese platters were amazing. We were a bit disappointed with the main course dishes. The Tomahawk steak was unexpected and while cooked perfectly, the seasoning and taste were lacking. Despite this, we would consider giving this restaurant a second chance.

The only thing that was lacking at this restaurant was a good piece of beef. Everything else was pretty good, except for the bone-in Porterhouse steak. It was overcooked and lacked flavor, with the charred outside likely being overdone as well. Overall, it was a disappointing experience at a steakhouse.

We were visiting DC for a wedding, and we were looking for a nice place to dine as a family that was near our hotel. We saw that Rare Tavern had mixed reviews, but we decided to give it a try, and we were not disappointed! We were seated right away, and our waiter Carlos greeted our table immediately. He gave us some recommendations in a very unobtrusive way, and notified us that ALL bottles of wine were 50% off, which was a great surprise! For appetizers, we ordered a steampot of coconut curry mussels. It was a generous serving, with a delicious, slightly spicy, Thai-inspired curry broth. It came with a generous bowl of grilled bread. We also ordered the garlic and parsley fries, which were crispy and perfectly seasoned, the endive and arugula salad (which was recommended by Carlos, and did not disappoint), and the kids had garlic rolls, which were tremendous and delicious, covered with a massive amount of shredded parmesan— a steal at $2 each. For entrees, my husband and I shared the 26 oz ribeye. It was a little pricey, but prepared to perfection, served with potato croquettes, which was more than enough for the two of us. We got the side of fried Brussels sprouts, which were a treat! Our daughter got homemade chicken noodle soup (garnished with plenty of fresh dill), and both boys got spaghetti and meatballs. Would not have chosen that at a steakhouse, but must say, I was impressed. The servings were tremendous, with 4 huge, well-seasoned meatballs and melted burrata cheese. We had plenty leftover for the following day. We barely had room for one dessert to share. Carlos recommended the cinnamon roll, which was generously sized and delightful, with cream cheese frosting and delicious honey-flavored ice cream on the side. The service was impeccable. Carlos was delightful and helpful without being intrusive, and the manager also stopped over to check in. The atmosphere is dark, with handsome red leather upholstery on chairs and stools. Highly recommend!