Elements on Level One

We had made an open table reservation, but when we got there they told us they weren’t using open table anymore… And they were also closed. Somehow we ended up getting a table even though they were closed. We got dessert and coffee and it was pretty good but didn’t blow me away. I’d go back to try dinner there another time.

In our continuing quest to find the elusive hotel that still serves a «rooms full of food» weekend brunch buffet, we’ve come up empty-​handed, especially in the Northern VA area. No need to suggest Beacon or the Kennedy Center in DC, been there, done that, want to stay closer to home. Side note — if anyone has any suggestions, please message me!
For what it is here at an otherwise unassuming airport Hyatt, there was a surprisingly good brunch for $ 19 per person that is supposedly available until 12:00 PM. Bear in mind, however, they weren’t busy at all by the time we showed up at 11:20, and by 11:40, we were being hustled and hurried to get a second plate. They had the sliding doors closed to the buffet tables prior to noon… not cool.
As for selection, there aren’t «rooms of food,» but you will find more than your standard Continental Breakfast. There is an omelette/​egg station, with MTO omelettes (egg whites, too), cage-​free eggs, with a good selection of omelette fillers (fresh jalapeños, i.e.) and good local hot sauces. There’s your requisite breads and pasries station, with two functioning toasters. Nothing special in the breads/​pastries department. There’s also an intriguing area where they had more «European Continental» choices such as cured meats, smoked salmon, gherkins, capers, Manchego cheese, and apples.
Some of the other notable items were the chicken sausage, super-​crispy and thick bacon, and the availability of soy milk. There was also pre-​made French toast, but it wasn’t very good. Cereal selection was better than usual; some organic and healthier options. Also good fruit, but I sense it had been well picked-​over by the time we arrived. Oatmeal (didn’t try any) of course, plus all the toppings, and surprisingly, they had some good nuts/​seeds/​trail mix options.
Coffee was decent enough, but server never came over to refill (or ask us how we were doing, clear plates, etc.). I also liked that there was Stevia available on the table, as well as real cream, and three varieties of Austrian d’Arbo jam and organic d’Arbo blossom honey.
I would like to come back earlier in the morning and see how much more plentiful the fruit options are, and not to be hustled into leaving prior to their posted closing time.

Angus Burger — if you like sweet onions and horseradish you’ll like this burger a little more. It’s hard to mess up a burger. Vegetables seemed fresh and bun was good.
Chicken tortilla soup — soup is poured over chicken, avocado, and tortilla strips. Strong in flavor, lime/​lemon flavor made me squint. Also, a little on the salty side. Would’ve liked it to be hotter.
Calamari — my friend and I both felt it was much saltier than we have had elsewhere. Couldn’t finish it because too salty.
Penne pasta (vegan) — light in flavor compared to the previous dishes. Was not bad.
While the food wasn’t the best I give them a star for effort. They try to do new things and add details here and there (like flakes in the butter, pouring soup at the table, herbs on fries). Plus the servers were nice. I typically don’t expect too much from hotel restaurants and this isn’t an exception.
I posted pictures of all the dishes we had, hope it helps.

My wife and I decided to eat at Elements after obtaining a gift certificate for the restaurant and we are very glad we did. The food was great and the staff was very friendly. We were tempted to get a few drinks from the drink menu but did not, every drink on the menu was very appealing. The restaurant is in the Hyatt hotel near Dulles airport and is a very relaxing atmosphere to relax, eat, and maybe even have a drink. Don’t hesitate to try it!

It was ok, I’d go again, just wouldn’t be in my top three options. The staff rules. They attended to every need we had, just didn’t think the food was that great.

The food here is delicious, and I had an enjoyable meal here. The only reason keeping me from returning is the price. It was definitely priced for a business hotel, but for a resident of the area, I can easily get that same quality of food elsewhere for about half the price.
Highly recommend the mushroom ravioli. The dish was perfection.
The marinated rib-​eye steak was good but the cut had a thick border of fat around the steak. (I would have preferred it to be more lean.)
The complimentary bread was good. I liked the salted butter that came along with it. The coarse salt on top was a nice touch.
I would have loved to order the dessert where the special was cheesecake, beignets, and chocolate, but our bill total for our two entrees was already close to $ 50.
The wait staff was attentive and very friendly.
The restaurant was clean but our seats had crumbs on them.

If you’re looking for an outstanding venue for a business lunch in the Herndon area, look no further.
The menu is fantastic, the wait-​staff extremely attentive, quiet and they provide a discount if you work for one of the surrounding businesses.
The crab cake sandwich is the best I’ve ever had and their flavored iced tea is incredible!
One of the best hidden gems in the area!

I really felt compelled to write a review on this restaurant because of how terrible our dining experience was here. Maybe it was what we ordered, but the food was mediocre, at best (and rating on a strong curve). I knew eating in an airport hotel restaurant would not be 5 star dining, but did not think it would be this bad.
We came here because I was running a race in Loudon the next day and i saw that they had a penne pasta on the menu and figured it would be a good pre-​race meal. WRONG. But I am jumping ahead… let me start from the beginning. We both ordered drinks.
My mom ordered a kettle one with olives and the woman who was serving us (whom I think was also the hostess) exclaimed, «WOW! You must like to drink!» We were both taken a little by her comment and when i proceeded to ask the difference between the chardonnay’s she said she didn’t know but I should try the pinot grigio. I hate pinot grigio, and I asked for chardonnay. For appetizers we both ordered the spinach salad with goat cheese with balsamic dressing. I should have known to ask for the dressing on the side (again, my mistake) because this salad was drenched to the point where it was almost inedible. With our appetizer plates still in front of us the waitress brings out our main courses… penne pasta with chicken for me, and the pork loin for my mom. Here we go – the pork loin did not resemble pork at all, in fact, it looked more like 2 chicken cutlets pounded paper thin. It was so tough my mom could not cut through the meat and sent it back and asked for another piece since her’s was too tough. The penne was so overcooked it was almost gooey and fell apart when I tried to dig my fork in to it. The chicken was incredibly over salted, but also the highlight and best part of the dish. Ten minutes after my mom sent back her dish a new plate arrived with pieces of meat that were way thicker than the first. It was also nothing to write home about… over salted and doused in a butter sauce. Let’s just say it did not taste or resemble the pork loin I am used to.
I figured they would comp part of our meal for the pork problem, but since it’s a hotel restaurant, they probably don’t care much about customer service. I left dinner completely unsatisfied and pretty angry that we just spent almost $ 100 on a meal I wish I could forget.

Located in the Hyatt, this nice upscale restaurant offers a great selection of meats, seafood, and pasta. I got the filet mignon and it was cooked like I asked. The décor inside is nice and the service was excellent. It was my graduation dinner and the server was nice enough to decorate a slice of cake (on the house) with «Congratulations» on it. There is also HH from 4−6PM with appetizer and drink specials. Overall, I would definitely come back!

I ate here for dinner last night with a dining companion. The restaurant looks modern and clean upon entering with some nature pictures the meld into the wall.
Upon being seated our server asked us if we would like bread. With our confirmation he went to the back to heat it up. A couple of minutes later we were given warm bread with a small dish of unsalted butter with salt on top which was delicious. For dinner my dining companion and I decided to start off by ordering the calamari. It came out pretty quickly, was served with a marinara sauce and lemon and tasted good. The batter was light and not overwhelming allowing me to taste the calamari. In addition to the appetizer I also ordered the beet salad. I was disappointed in the lack of lettuce/​greens on the salad but they did have a lot of beets. Overall the taste was ok but it was not anything special. Finally for my entrée I ordered the whole wheat pasta and added chicken. The greens, reds and whites in the presentation made the dish look nice. Sadly the chicken was dry and the large amount of basil in the pasta was not to my liking. In my opinion the best part about the pasta was the sauce and pine nuts. My dining companion had the spinach salad which he enjoyed and the mushroom raviolis which he thought were underwhelming.
The bottom line for me is that I would probably not come back to this restaurant. It is out of the way and did not really give me any reason to come back. However, if I was staying in the Hyatt where it was located I would probably give it another try. It should also be noted that the staff was very cordial and worked hard to make us happy.

Usually hesitant with restaurants within hotels but a friend tipped me off on this place. Atmosphere was very quaint and service was great!
The bread you get while waiting for the food is yum; perfect amount of crusty outside and soft inside. I ordered the whole wheat penne with grilled chicken and roasted veggies as my entrée. It was very good and just the right amount of food!
If you are looking for a new place to try in the local area, give this one a whirl :)

It’s over-​priced… Food are ok. Wait staffs are willing but. that’s about it.

Lovely food, lovely atmosphere, classy, very good food, good service! Good experiences eating here and their lobby bar, numerous times each this wknd.

This is one of the few restaurants that accepts reservations on open table and where you can buy a
gift certificate. The lounge has a happy hour from 4 – 6 pm and the draft sizes are generous. Average entrée is around $ 28, but don’t count on the dishes listed on the online menu. Our waitress informed us that it is at least 2 years old!
We started our meal with a few apps: portabello mushrooms, caesar salads and crab cake. The mushrooms took longer than expected so our waitress hooked us up with jumbo shrimp cocktail. The highlights were the crab cake and shrimp cocktail (but I’m not sure if you can order that from the menu). As for the entrees, we were disappointed all the way around. The lamb chops and steak were both cooked well done (when asked for at medium rare). The paella was a joke. The tuna was salty. There is not a choice of chicken or mushroom pasta! If you want chicken then it is placed on top of the mushroom pasta. And our main complaint with desserts was the misadvertisement of «heath bar topping.» We thought it meant actual heath bar pieces, but it was crushed peanuts and liquid caramel.
Although the food wad subpar, they made up with great service. We didn’t even complain and waitress comp’d 1 app and all 3 desserts. Would I ever come back to eat here? No thanks.

Missed the happy hour so ended up at the restaurant. Decent considering it’s a hotel restaurant. Had the ribeye after reading the other reviews. Nothing spectacular but cooked as ordered with baked potato & asparagus. Also had the scallop appetizer which was actually very good. BUT interestingly enough, when I ordered it the night before for room service, I got 3 scallops and when I ordered it at the restaurant, I got 2! Which reminds me, I also tried their chopped asian steak sandwich which I thought was flavorful.
Service is excellent, both room service and at the restaurant. If I had wheels, I would’ve like to try the numerous Thai/​Vietnamese restaurants that popped up via Unilocal

When out in the vast wasteland of Dulles hotels, I’m not saying the Hyatt was great, but they have a great bar especially if Stepanie is bartending! She cranks on martinis and stories from New York. This helped pass the night in a hotel with way too many kids and tour buses.
The full dinner menu was tasty. Even the ahi tuna in land-​locked northern va was pink and fresh.

I had a blackened ribeye with risotto and broccolitini and shared a bottle of La Crema Pinot Noir with my colleague.
The steak was perfectly cooked and very flavorful, the risotto was delicate and creamy, and La Crema makes an excellent PN.
Broccolitini sucks. Not just here but everywhere I’ve had it. It’s tough, not especially flavorful and well, I think it just exists because of it’s «cute» name.
I didn’t pay which always helps bump up the stars, but the food and service were good and we enjoyed our meal.

I don’t frequent hotel restaurants, as they tend to be very expensive, without any guarantee of food that matches the pricetag. It really depends on what the hotel has invested in their kitchen, especially in the staff, and most especially in the chef. The trend in recent years is for high investment and excellent fare, but I’m still too poor to risk my money much on maybes.
This particular evening, however, I was invited on the bill of a generous friend, who was staying at the Sheraton, but, outraged by their lack of Jack Daniel’s at the bar (seriously, what is that about?), repaired across the street to the Hyatt restaurant.
They mixed an me an excellent seven and seven. They serve wine from beakers. (I just thought that was neat.) The seared ahi tuna is delicious. The lamb chops were delectable. The risotto was pretty good, though I’d rather have had the potatos that were on my friend’s plate.
The décor of the place is striking. We actually dined both nights nights in the bar, which occupies most of the lobby. It has a great atmosphere at night, can’t say for the daytime.
Oh, and the waitress was very cool, didn’t even slap KB when he tried to give her an affectionate tipsy kiss on the cheek.
Pretty darn good.

I frequent this place for work lunches and have never had a bad meal. Nice outdoor meets modern décor. Salmon salad is a great lunch choice, but crab cake sandwhich isn’t anything to write home about.

Located inside the Hyatt, you are a captive audience to hotel restaurants when you get in late and need to get up early the next morning. Fortunately, there are decent several restaurants a stone’s throw away on Centreville Rd.
It was trying to do an Alice Water’s number showcasing local ingredients and wines. Results were extremely fru-​fru fancy shmacy without allot of there there in the end. Really hard to get the fixing for a basic diner. I tried mixing and matching a bunch over overpriced appetizers but was never really satisfied. I’m used to seeing $ 27~30 entrée items at a fine restaurant and don’t mind paying for a great experience, but that just didn’t fit with one should expect from a hotel restaurant. Don’t get me wrong: I’m happy to praise creative and innovative restaurants but it just wasn’t a good fit with its environment.