BRABO

Very disappointed in my experience at BRABO. I had heard decent things about this restaurants and decided to treat my mother and sister to a very special evening there on Friday night. We arrived for our reservation time at 7pm and were seated in a room near the hotel lobby entrance by ourselves. We then waited 11 minutes for anyone to acknowledge that we were seated guests. Not one person offered us water, greeted us or apologized for the wait. Our waiter arrived and promptly filled up our water glasses without asking us our preference. We ordered cocktails and after several minutes only one arrived. My sister and mother waited another 5 minutes for their cocktails. The restaurant was not even busy. I began to feel like we were being treated differently from other guests, which is so disappointing. For a restaurant such as this– every guest should be treated like a VIP.
We ordered our starters and meals. What can I say about the meals? The food was fair. We have eaten all over the world and the quality of the food for was sub-​par at best. My mother received the wrong fish– and although the mistake was noted and apologized for– it was not worth another wait for food. We ordered a cheese plate with cheese that had clearly been sitting out in a warm kitchen for some time (it should not have been served to us) and our waiter joked that it was «extra ripe.» I am happy to pay any cost for a good meal, service and ambiance. This was not our experience at BRABO. I am surprised and shocked. It was embarrassing and I am embarrassed that I took my mother to this restaurant for a special occasion. I could suggest several lovely restaurants in Alexandria that have excellent service and delicious food and you don’t feel cheated. Save your money and your time.

Fantastic experience all around – food, service, and atmosphere!
My husband took me here for my birthday dinner. We opted for the tasting menu with wine pairing.
FOOD: I won’t detail every course, just the highlights. The starter of Bigeye Tuna Crudo with watermelon and cucumber was light and flavorful-​perfect start to a multi-​course meal. My husband, who typically is not a fan of softshell crab, unexpectedly enjoyed the second course – I mean it is tempura battered… what’s not to love?!? The grouper was very interesting, mostly because of the rose they paired it with that really brought out the tomato confit.
When eating at Brabo DON’T SKIP THE DESSERT! I’m usually not a sweets person, but
.gosh the smoked chocolate cake is amazing!
Wine pairings throughout were thoroughly enjoyable. The Riesling stood out the most for us mostly for its mineral crisp flavor profile.
Lastly, our server was very attentive yet not intrusive – exactly what you want on a special occasion dinner out!

Pretty good food but the service was abysmal. The table next to us was seated after we were, and had their appetizers cleared before we even were asked take our order. Took forever to get drinks (both rounds), forever to place order, forever to get check. our server was never in sight. Maybe it was just an unfortunate experience for us since the other tables near us seemed to be served in a normal manner. The food was good, especially the agnolotti and the salad with strawberries. My sea bass entrée was pretty decent. I wouldn’t return though. We took out of town guests and it was embarrassing.

I hate to give three stars to a restaurant and this may be the first time that I do so, but this restaurant defined the three start rating. I am a foodie and so I make an effort to try all the great restaurants in the DC metro and this one just didn’t live up to it. We tried everything from sea bass, to halibut, red snapper (ran out of rockfish), strip steak, octopus, agnolotti, gnocchi, etc.
The agnolotti, and octopus were excellent. In fact, exquisite. Everything else was really quite mediocre and lacking in flavor. The gnocci was simply drenched in butter and oil. I cannot describe how much oil was dripping off of it. The fish were lacking in flavor. Each member of our party was disappointed in their meals. The service was ok. The assistants were great, however our waiter was rather unexcited. Having tried all of the other Robert W. restaurants, I would say this one just didn’t excite.

Food was solid with the exception of the duck (kind of plain). Gazpacho and Agnolotti appetizers were fantastic.
Only real complaint was very slow service. They had one waiter managing 5 tables… Wasn’t really working out for anyone

To put it very plainly: back of the house great work. We both had the chefs tasting which did not disappoint and delivered novelty, flavor, and satisfaction. Only one small hiccup in plating, buy easily overlooked.
Front of the house: a barely mitigated disaster. At this price point, any consumer expects flawless service. I found myself pouring my own wine and making long gazes at assistant waiters from other sections to get my needs met. It comes down to structure and the GM would do well to spend some time speaking with colleagues at other Kimpton properties. More structure is needed, or more experienced headwaiters.
As a loyal Kimpton customer I intend to follow up.

I went her for my birthday and everything was stupendous, from the service to the food. It was a special event for me, and I greatly appreciated the attention the Somm paid to my experience that evening.
Like my last foray into Wiedmaier’s cooking, the execution and layering of flavors was masterful. Why only 4 stars you ask? Because I think Marcel’s is better overall. I can’t put my finger on why exactly. It’s like being able to take a few steps closer to the emperor.

For the price and service hiccups, Brabo just doesn’t live up to the high rating Unilocalers have so graciously awarded them. Some dishes were good like the grilled octopus and the foie gras. At $ 26, I would expect that foie gras appetizer to be delicious. The chilled gulf shrimp gazpacho was just bizarre — the dill-​gin yogurt needs tweaking, way too tart.
The sea bass was boring, I thought the quality of the fish wasn’t what it could have been, but the tapenade helped a little. The lamb was the best executed dish with the white miso and persillade coming together nicely, but the lamb was chewier than it should be. There was only one bartender working on the Monday evening when we dined, resulting in a 20 minute wait for a first round of cocktails, which were not comped. We also waited a very long time between appetizers and main menu. I would come back to Brabo and sit at the bar, have a couple of manhattans and the foie gras and then go somewhere else. Unfortunately, Alexandria is and continues to be just a sea of average dining options.

Okay, this is for the combination of two evenings…
First night, GREAT bartender that was engaging, and made an amazing whiskey sour for me. Had ricotta agnolotti and it was good. (4+ stars)
Second night, met a friend. Had a bite of the foie gras, and that was good. Whiskey sour was mediocre. Cheesecake was very uncheesecakey. Add in a lack-​luster bar experience (just okay whiskey sour, served with a side of condescension «its made the classic way, with egg whites…» assuming I wouldn’t know what that meant).

Nice, classy, modern are the words I would use to describe this place. This place’s atmosphere really goes nicely with the Alexandria look and feel from the cobblestone to the interior, you really do not feel like you walked into an outlier type place.
I came here for happy hour, which was on the pricier side, but I have to say that the atmosphere and the service saved it. I wouldnt come here every day or make this my go to spot, but it is one of those options where you want to go and «treat» yourself. The cheese platter was quite small even for the happy hour price, which was a bit disappointing, but luckily the wine and the bartender kept me engaged so I didnt focus on how many bites I was taking in.
Overall, I would try this place again for their other options, but mostly for an occasion.

Went here for my birthday dinner. The food was beyond Devine. A girlfriend and I went. I had the tasting menu and she ordered off the menu. Chef was able to help with her gluten free meal and our waiter help picking a dessert she would like. I also got the wine pairing with the tasting menu. My food was so good I seriously wanted to lick some of the plates. Loved having a girls dress up place to have exquisite food and perfect wine for each plate. Phillip helped with the wine definitions and our waiter was spot on.
Posting picks too. Hopefully I do it justice.
Loved how the aroma of the dishes was intoxicating. All my senses were stimulated while eating my dinner.

Lucky for me I live a short walk from Brabo, so we’ve dined here several times, however our visit last night for my mother-in-law’s birthday was simply outstanding. The food, wine, service were on par, despite a few hiccups, but we had a splendid evening and I’m glad that Brabo continues to deliver an exceptional dining experience.
We started off ordering a couple of glasses of Cava and I was in the mood for some Burgundy, so I asked the server what she recommended within our budget. To my chagrin, she responded that they didn’t have very many bottles at that price point and they were listed on the menu in increasing prices, and I could choose, which one I wanted. I was like WTF? I have never received such a flaccid response, especially from a restaurant that features $ 2,000+ bottles of wine on their list. She may have realized her idiocy by the look on my face and offered to bring the sommelier over.
Thank goodness the sommelier was beyond competent. He recommended a bottle of 2011 Edmond Cornu & Fils Ladoix Burgundy, which turned out to be spectacular! Very bright lush fruit notes of bing cherry, and raspberry with a looooong superb finish. I savored every sip of this wine. For just $ 79, this was a superb recommendation and even my mother in law enjoyed it despite preferring white wine.
For my starter I order the special, which was a jumbo lump crab raviolo. It was excellent. A fistful of fresh lump crab encased in delicate raviolo. Complimented well with baby asparagus and the sauce was a very light cream sauce that did not overwhelm the crab. My wife ordered the tuna crudo, which was also superb. Very tender tuna, and amazingly bright citrus sauce that complimented the fish. Very well done.
For my entrée I ordered the NY Strip Steak, which they had served with mushrooms and potatoes in a demi glacé sauce and served over a bed of spinach. I ordered it rare plus, and it was served cooked perfectly. In fact, they had even cut the steak before serving and it retained the juices beautifully. It appeared to be at least a 16 oz cut, so I ended up sharing with the table and everyone agreed on how tasty the steak was.
Overall we had an excellent dinner at Brabo. Despite my wine hiccup, which interestingly the table next to us actually called out the server on her lack of even basic wine knowledge. I presume she gave them an equally silly answer when they inquired about the wine. Other than that we thoroughly enjoyed our meal and I’m looking forward to our next visit!

Came here for restaurant week on a tues night. All their food is really good. Sat by the bar and bartender was really cool. He made some really good cocktails too! Though normally this place is rather expensive. The restaurant week was really worth it!

Since we were unable to have dinner out, my fiancé and I visited Brabo on our anniversary for brunch. First and foremost, all of the staff were very attentive and went out of their way to make our occasion memorable. We were allowed to pick out the location of our table, several people wished us a Happy Anniversary, and when the bill arrived, we received a 12% discount. All of these accommodations did not go unnoticed.
To start, my fiancé and I shared the five onion soup, which was a great modern rendition of the classic French onion soup. We also ordered a mimosa and bellini, which were a great value considering the nice champagne and fresh-​squeezed juice.
For our meals, we ordered the brunch burger and the salmon belgian waffles. The brunch burger is HUGE! The menu also does not mention that it comes with fries and multiple dipping sauces. Although it was good, it just wasn’t right for me. The homemade sausage patty was so enormous I had to cut it in half to eat it and it tasted more like a bratwurst/​hot dog than the traditional pork breakfast patty I was expecting. The fries were great though, especially with all the sauces (and even the jam that came with the biscuits!)
The real star of the show was the perfection that is the salmon belgian waffles. You receive three miniature fluffy belgian waffles that are topped with smoked salmon, herb crème fraîche (which is a creamy cloud of heaven) roe, and marmalade. It is by far one of the best dishes I’ve had in a long time and worth every cent. My fiancé and I fought over each bite until the very end.
All in all, it was a great and memorable meal and I can’t wait to come back for brunch another time for the salmon waffles!

DO we have 15 stars? Jeff, our server of the evening, is a fantastic wine wizard who will take your meal from fantastic to «knee weakness», when he suggests and pairs your meal. We were lucky to be there for restaurant week — a steal at $ 35 for 3 course meal. AMAZING. Our octopus dish was crazy flavorful, but the nice chunks of flesh were a tad on the chewy side. However, the Absolutely FABULOUS porcini and chestnut soup — sex in a bowl — silky, creamy, seductive. My fish in a delicate wine broth, was perfectly cooked, delicately luscious paired with a beautiful leek risotto. Smoky chocolate mousse was bizarre — delicate and flavorful with a «bacon» hint — lovely, although the toffee pudding was to die for. Ask for Jeff, and let him be your wine guide — he is FANTASTIC. Classy and clean, all staff is friendly, super professional and eager to help you have a great experience.

Don’t confuse this with the Tasting Room. They’re both by Robert Wiedmaier. Brabo has more of an upscale vibe whereas the tasting room is more casual. We came in on a Saturday night for dinner. it was still early, and we ended up going to the bar. Btw, Happy hour is until 6:30. Half price small plates (which are not really small). Had the Grenache French red wine, and it was good. First time I finished a full glass. Service was superb! The bartender/​server was very attentive, and he gave us good recommendations! He also offered to split the food for us. Bread was good. We had the Burger (one of the best in the DMV by the way), Lobster fritters and steak tartare. We also shared the Grilled octopus and Braised veal. All the dishes were fantastic! Dessert was on the house. It was dulce de leche with a twist. It was also good! Did not have to order a second dessert, although I wanted to. I was just too full. Overall, wonderful dining experience. Will be back for those mussels and white wine, and more dessert! Not bad at $ 80ish for all the food mentioned above plus a glass of wine and beer.
Just a note to the business: It might be a better idea to place the receptionist closer to the entrance because people get confused as to where to go as soon as they get in. The bar might be busy, and not be able to lead them to the receptionist behind that post.

Small portions
Friendly staff
Interest dessert
Very loittle sitting.
I would never come here expecting good food. I would only come back if a business meeting took place here and I absolutely had no other choice.

Walked in without reservations on a rainy Saturday night. Yay! Wine selection was fantastic, and I appreciated our server’s efforts to pair wine with food. Our meals were good. We had the branzino filet with shishito peppers and steak with mushrooms. Everything was cooked perfectly and presented flawlessly.
The only drawback– our server was nice enough, but I think we were expecting a little more over-​the-​top, quality service for the price we paid. I’m thinking Blue Duck Tavern-​type service; where the server learns your names, what’s the occasion, builds rapport, etc. Still have yet to find that quality of service on King Street. Was hoping BRABO would be the place.

Mediocrity at its finest, or the finest at its most mediocre? Both are apt descriptions for my summer restaurant week dinner at Brabo. Like a latter ‘not-​a-​doctor’ offspring of impressive parents, this restaurant is not the crowning jewel of Robert Wiedmaier’s legacy.
Disclaimer: My review is in all its clarity as the wine list was way too overpriced for me to indulge in and dull my senses through.
The concept is certainly my favorite kind: seasonally changing menus, locally sourced, erudite descriptions, and fanciful plays on food combinations. $ 35 for a three-​course meal is a steal in DC. Given the VERY limited restaurant week options, we had basically everything:
1^st:
Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho (Gin Marinated Cucumber, Micro Basil, Piquillo Pepper) — 4*
It’s on their regular menu for a reason; it is DELICIOUS. Gazpacho can always be such a hit or miss since it’s basically just tomato… but with the right tomatoes, seasoning, oils dripped in, consistency pureed, and time period cooled.
Smoked Trout Parfait (Trout Roe, French Beans, Pickled Pearl Onions) — 4*
Looks like a block of tofu and just as fun and wiggly to cut into. Was not memorable as far as apps go, but good enough.
2^nd:
Chesapeake Blue Catfish (Yuzu Kosho Rub, Roasted Napa Cabbage, Red Bell Pepper, Orange Blossom Butter) — 3.5*
Large portion size! Very high quality catfish and great orange blossom butter and yuzu kosho rub. Roasted napa cabbage and red bell pepper was bland as all get out though. Basically ruined the meal.
Grilled Angus Bistro Filet (Roasted Shitake Mushrooms, Garlic Spinach, Caramelized Onion, Red Wine Jus) — 2*
Too much soy, not enough robustness to the flavor. Somehow both too bland and too salty.
Spinach cooked to absolute mush. Filet was of a very high quality.
3^rd:
Honey Sagamite Waffle (Blueberry Compote, Oat Streusel, Sweet Corn Ice Cream) — 5*
Fantastic Ice cream! I wish the waffle was crunchier but it was cute and pretty delicious. Compote was a little too runny. Oat Steusel was delicious, crunchy, and very honey-​y.
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Service was prompt and attentive. Too attentive… I am not a fan of attentiveness… I like when the service is efficient but basically invisible. Like Jetson-​era robots.

BRABO is impressive on paper and underwhelming in person. It smacks of a place you go when someone else is footing the bill.
BRABO is a very high end restaurant in Alexandria, putting it in a great position for wealthier foodies in the area. The design of the restaurant is a mix of old and new American, though I’d personally say it errs on the old American style more than the new. Prices are rather high, especially for the portions provided, which can get hilariously small. Service is responsive and kind, if not slightly pushier than I’d like (things bordered on awkwardness at times).
I tried everything on the tasting menu, and will break it out accordingly:
— Wicomico Oysters on the Half Shell — Underwhelming. It’s hard to beat Baltimore on this, but I was genuinely not impressed. The actual taste of the oyster didn’t come through at all — there was just way too much jicama. The roe helped, but marginally.
— Tempura Battered Soft Shell Crab — Tasty. The crab was perfectly cooked and delicious, but I’m not sure if the pickled carrot and champagne mango really fit the dish. Also, it was half a crab.
— Red Snapper Fillet — Not memorable for whatever reason.
— Grilled Berkshire Pork Loin — The combination was decent, but the loin itself was somewhat flavorless. That’s pork for you, but I really expected a bit more of an attempt to flavor it, especially given the incredibly small portion size.
— Pan Roasted Veal Sweetbreads — A solid number of well-​cooked and delicious sweetbreads, but the squash and tomatoes felt like an afterthought.
— Yuzu Posset — Light, flavorful, and rather fun. The «matcha shortbread» was the size of a damn matchstick, though — no clue why it’s listed so prominently.
— Fig Torte — Tasty and warm. Very almond-​dominated, which I liked.
Honestly, I don’t see myself going back. I’m no stranger to high-​end cuisine or high-​end price tags for food, but I just don’t see the value here. I honestly felt like BRABO was being stingy with me — something I should never feel at a place that commands such a high price tag. What I did get was decent, but did not stand out amongst other, better restaurants in the area — I’ve had better meals (that had a better command of flavor and pairing, no less) at cheap hole-​in-​the-​wall ethnic places.