Mahogany Restaurant

This place must have closed. They don’t answer their phone (a recorded message says it’s a «non-​working number») and there’s no contact link on their web site.

I have been here 3 times for fantasic shows but have only eaten here once. We will return for the shows, but never again for the food. I had the tuna tar-​tar and crab soup and my husband had the shrimp and grits. ALL of our food was horrible! The tuna tar-​tar was mixed with frozen vegetables and a mustard sauce that looked like cat food. I am usually one to eat something no matter how bad it is, but this I could not stomach. The crab soup had a piece of shell in almost every bite indicating that they did not pick the crab shells out of the meat before serving it. My husband’s shrimp and grits were ok. They were served semi-​warm and got cold quickly and hardened up. We each had 2 beers with the meal — and the bill came to $ 70! That is a whole lot of money for some of the worst food and bad service (we had to walk up to the bar to get our 2^nd round of drinks because we could not find our server).
Update: Went to another great show here last week and saw a HUGE rat run accross the floor! Once the show was over and everyone was out of thier seats I also noticed large holes in the corners of the booths where rats had chewed through. So gross! I really do wish they maintained this place.

Second review of this place. It is now «Hominy». Which is a type of corn.
Seriously went downhill in a matter of 2 months. Most fo the menu items are different (save for a few appetizers) and the portions shrunk like a wool sweater on hot.
The server infomred me in no uncertain terms that «this is a new restaurant» when I was wanting to know what dish would be similar to the one I had previously. Well f*** you too, Princess. His tip was less than 10%.
I would NOT recommend it.

This place is very easy to miss. Even with me looking for it, I had to double-​back before I realized it was in Bohemian Caverns.
We tried a couple of their martinis (including the Mahogany) — nothing remarkable. My mom had the salmon with asparagus and potatoes. I had the jerk chicken pasta. We were told by the server that, in his opinion, these were the 2 best entrees on the menu. I was not impressed — at all. Service was good. Décor was nice. Food left a whole lot to be desired.

Last nite, I had dinner with a friend at Mahagony for Restaurant Week. We were greeting by a very friendly host and seated by an even nicer waiter, Dustin. He was awesome! We ordered the Blueberry and the Bohemian martinis, both of which were fantastic. We offered our compliments to the bartender, Will, who was kind enough to stop by our table for introductions. Our second round of martinis –the Black and the Mahagony– were good, but not as «POW!» in-​your-​face good as the first round.
Next, we ordered the wing appetizer w/​ginger buffalo sauce and the catfish fingers. The fingers were tasty but were not as crisp as they looked. My friend really enjoyed the wings, which were spicy and delicious.
For dinner, we ordered the jambalaya and the shrimp and grits entrees. Really creamy grits with good flavor. Both dishes were well-​portioned and yummy.
Dessert involved fried oreos and strawberry shortcake, which we’re highly enjoyable, although the shortcake toppings could have been a bit sweeter. My guest and I loved this restaurant because it was not your typical DC surf/​turf, fancy Italian, Asian-​fusion, all-​organic, go-​to spot.

Mahogany is a well-​dressed restaurant located in the same building as Bohemian Caverns. The wood is dark, the menu is a simple page in length, and the tables are few. Except for the occasional clatter from the ceiling above it’s easy to forget you were just walking down U streets seconds ago.
Mahogany’s menu offers a slightly-​upscale Cajun/​Southern twist: catfish, jerk chicken pasta, crab cakes, to name a few choice offerings. There’s also a fair wine list and full bar.
I had the crab cakes, available as appetizer or entrée (a difference of one crab cake and about $ 8). The crab cakes were deliciously plump in size, packed with little filler, and didn’t require any sauce to enjoy. We also shared the fried catfish, a bland fish that lived up to past expectations here, coated in a slightly spicy batter. We finished off dinner with bread pudding and deep-​fried oreos. The oreos were obscured with a thick layer of batter and a generous zig-​zag of strawberry coulis, completely obscuring any oreo flavor that might have survived the deep-​frying experience. Though I had been excited to order the oreos, they provided a sad finish to my meal.
Throughout the meal service was spotty — I was seated after my party and had to flag someone down to receive water (the water glass glaring at me in its emptiness). We also ordered wine that we waited too long for — our appetizers didn’t appear particularly speedily or slowly but still managed to appear for the bottle of wine ordered at the same time. Though we were checked on a few minutes after each course arrived, our waitress would then disappear until we were uncomfortably ready to move on. Given the relative smallness of the restaurant and the lack of guests, I was surprised at this inattention.
In a pinch for a nice restaurant on U Street Mahogany will do, otherwise brave the wait down the block or look elsewhere.

I would say that I can’t believe there aren’t more reviews for this place, since it’s so damned good, but I have a feeling it’s because it’s so darn under cover. Walking down U St., you don’t really notice Mahogany, primarily because the restaurant’s name is on a modest vinyl banner and not on the building itself. And while the front of the building has potential, the paint is faded and you can’t really tell what gem hides inside.
That said, let’s move on, just as you should move on down there to get some incredible food! It’s definitely all about French Southern yumminess, and is less crowded (way less crowded) and more affordable and authentic than Georgia Brown’s.
My mom had the salmon (loved it), my dad, the critic, had the gumbo (loved it), my girl had the shrimp and grits (LOVED it) and I had the jerk chicken pasta (OMG). Really, the pasta tasted like no other pasta or jerk sauce I’ve had. Oh and the Catfish Finger appetizer — they don’t actually have fingers, but they sure taste incredible! Scrumdilliumptious!
The server was funny, sweet, knowledgeable and a great advocate for the establishment. They have a full bar with great cocktails and an extensive wine list. And the restaurants itself is classy (with a ‘c’, not a ‘k’), but not pretentious. It’s too bad there aren’t more people eating here because I want them to make it in the restaurant world so I can go back when I’m back in DC!

a hidden gem in the u street corridor. bf and i went here for restaurant week and were amazed. the food was delicious and the staff was friendly and attentive.
i had a salad to start (very fresh), chicken for my main course (perfectly prepared!!) and ice cream for dessert. we were both impressed with our meals.
the wine selection was spectacular– and very reasonably priced.
also, the décor is gorgeous. there is definitely an appreciation for the jazz culture of u street evident in the décor and the dark woods in the restaurant create a very nice ambiance. i hope to return very soon!

We ate here on a Saturday night in June. It was wonderful. Excellent service, decent prices, and yummy food. Rick had the roasted chicken w/​braised kale. I had the portobello mushroom. For dessert we had the pear tartlet.
Drinks were good, too. My mojito was just right, and Rick enjoyed his Lucifer beer.