Open City

I really enjoyed the toasted pear salad and the peanut butter cheesecake was TDF. Being an out of stater I was thoroughly impressed. However, what knocks these guys down a notch is the inability to call-​in ahead. I’m here for a conference and only had a few minutes to spare. I ordered to-​go and got there faster than anticipated, so I asked if it hadn’t been made yet, if I could eat in. Eventually the «issue» was raised to the manager who then took care of it, but it really didn’t have to be that big of a deal or deemed a problem. Anyway, all in all not bad experience and I’d recommend it to a friend, but probably won’t be coming back myself due to the slower nature. Enjoy.

I’ve been here a number of times and, on the whole, my experience has been ok. Not great, not terrible, just… ok.
The reason today’s visit gets one star is two-​fold:
Firstly, on a trip to the bathroom I was greeted by a large cockroach. I’ve always felt that the bathrooms here were a little grimey, but seeing a cockroach took things to a whole other level. This may or may not be unfair, but it immediately led me to think about the state of the kitchen.
Secondly, the reaction of the staff is what was, to me, a little more troubling. When I returned from the bathroom, I approached a server and asked if I could speak to the manager. When the server asked me why, I described to him my bathroom experience and said that I felt that management should be made aware of the fact that there are cockroaches in the bathroom (to be fair, I only saw one. I am assuming where there’s one there are more). He said that he would pass along the message, but also pointed out the manager to me and said that i was free to talk to her if I wanted.
By the time I finally spoke to the manager she had already been alerted to the cockroach situation and quickly and quietly thanked me for bringing it to their attention. What bothered me about the exchange what its brevity and the fact that there was no «sorry». Also, when it came to leaving and settling up I half-​expected my coffee and muffin to be comped, but when the manager handed me my check there was no attempt made to make up for my cockroach experience or as a «thank you» for highlighting the problem. It was only a coffee and a muffin, but still. It’s the principle.
So there you have it, not the most pleasant Wednesday morning one can ask for. You have been warned.

Excellent for brunch! Portion are big especially for lunch. Quality is great. Waiter was really nice and fast.

Open City is a great place for a casual meal! I’ve been here a few times, and am always impressed by their food. I very highly recommend their hashbrowns — it doesn’t matter the time of day, because these things are delicious! I also love the fried chicken sandwich.

Customer is mediocre and if their staff was more friendly and showed better hospitality it would definitely make up for the lack of quality of their food.
Their coffee is great! it’s Tryst :)
The food is oily and never cooked right.
Also you can’t order your coffee drinks over the phone even if you are ordering a togo order. BOO!
I will admit I had high expectations of this place from the reviews and because it sort of reminded me of Urth Café in Los Angeles. However, after visiting here over a dozen times this is nothing like Urth Café! I will go to Tryst in the future.

Good, Friendly service.
Not so great food, everything I ordered fell short of my expectations. Waste of 30 $
Open City Royale — Eggs Scrambled (Forgot the cheese I asked for, & I’m assuming I paid for)
I had cheese in my muffin?
Grits clumpy.
Pancakes flat.
All in all I went during the 2016Blizzard.
Maybe the cashier was cooking.

Open City is a great place to visit for a weekday meal, but on the weekends… brunch especially may not be worth it. Placed almost directly near the Woodley Park Metro station, this restaurant is not only convenient, but consistently delicious. Offering a wide variety of American fare at affordable prices makes this place an instant favorite (not to mention the animal crackers served with each hot drink!)
My one and only complaint about Open City is the wait on the weekends. I have never been there on a weekend and not had to wait an hour to be seated. This is especially the worst in the winter when it is FREEZING out. In addition, they do not offer any place to wait so you are forced to A. wait outside (fine if it’s nice out) or B. hangout in the nearest Dunkin’ Donuts for an hour.
Moral of the story? Avoid Open City during peak hours on the weekends and you won’t be disappointed.

I went here on Sunday after spending some time at the zoo. It was COLD, so me and my friends were looking forward to warming up with some coffee (and some alcohol) at a nice café. We were seated in their sun room, which had a nice breeze coming from the cracks in the windows (they are open during the summer) AND the fans that were turned on at full blast. We all kept our winter coats on and asked to be seated indoors, once a table opened up. This was of course after we waited about 10 minutes or so for someone to take our order, get us some water, etc. Our server said we’d be next on the list, and that it shouldn’t be more than 5 – 10 minutes of waiting.
Our server brought us our drinks after we had flagged him down, but never mentioned again being moved indoors. We waited… and waited… and then things took a turn for the worse! It was around 4 pm and they started closing up the area we were sitting in. We ended up getting locked inside the area, having to exit the restaurant and re-​enter to go to the bathroom, get our server, etc. This has got to be one of the worst customer service experiences I’ve ever had — to be locked in an area of the restaurant, not to mention an area that requires you to wear your winter coat!
While the food and drinks are good at Open City, stay away unless you want lousy customer service paired with a long wait! If you really like the food here, go to The Coupe, The Diner, or Tryst (their other locations) for similar grub/​vibe. You’ll probably be treated a lot better than we were at Open City!

Open city has been a go to staple for me. Easy choice for after work when I don’t feel like cooking or weekend breakfast– again, when I don’t feel like cooking. Kyle is truly a gem of a bartender– always one to check on both how I and my meal are doing.
Tonight– braised short ribs with a substitute of broccoli for the seasonal veg. Fantastic dinner for a winter night in the neighborhood. Recommended if you, like me, yearn for a familiar Sunday night dinner.
Now, negatively – The glass of wine they serve could be a few dollars cheaper. It’s a pricy pour for the atmosphere and the quantity in my stemless glass but always enjoyed. Please consider a price reduction happy hour.
Thanks open city

This place is my favorite thing about Woodley Park.
Loves:
+ Cute dining areas (both indoor & outdoor)
+ Good selection of food
+ Great value of food
+ Warm atmosphere
+ Side of sweet potato fries ($ 3) are plentiful
Not so love:
— Chai waffle ($ 8.75) left me craving for more chai. It’s more of a drizzle only, and I wanted moreeee :(
— Air vents. Fine when it’s summer but it was annoying on a cold January night.
My experience is overcome by how I felt about the chai waffle that I was sooo amped for, but I do believe there are better breakfast options and I wouldn’t be shy of coming back to try something new. After all, it is a cute place!

Came here with a group of friends for some pre-​Zoo Lights grub around 6pm — the place became became very crowded shortly after (tried to come here for brunch a few times but it was always packed with a 45 – 60 minute wait time).
I had the cheeseburger (medium well done) which was on a very good potota bun (similar to Shake Shacks but larger). The fries were not too bad though too soft for my tastes. Drink selection was top notch — the hot apple cider was the perfect choice for a 40 degree January afternoon.
The only downside was service was a bit lengthy (it was only one waiter servicing about 4 tables — maybe increasing the staff on a holiday weekend would help).
They also had a nice patio with a fire pit that looks fun to hang out in while drinking hot drinks and eating warm baked goods.
Recommend.

Open city is a really great place to eat in Washington DC for breakfast lunch or dinner. I have a group of friends that come here to eat every time that they’re in Washington DC.
A group of friends that I was with said that they wanted to take me here for dinner. From the outside open city doesn’t look like much there’s outdoor seating and it’s on the corner of the street. Parking is a pain in the but it’s all street parking there is no sidewalks.
Once we got inside the place was packed. The bar area was filled all of the seats were taken the only place that we could sit was in the sunroom. The sunroom had windows all over but there was walls going around the entire room. When I got to my seat I put my hand on the table and I noticed the wood table was extremely warm. I couldn’t figure out why the table was warm I thought that they had heated tables or something. I looked up and they had heat lamps coming down from the ceiling to warm you up during the wintertime.
Our server Elliott was awesome. He was very pleasant and was very knowledgeable of the menu. I was freezing and just wanted a couple black tea and Elliott had a bunch of different T recommendations for me.
The food here is pretty much all scratch made or homemade. The menu is pretty simple. Our waiter Elliott did tell me that a lot of people come here for breakfast. I noticed when we walked in that there was a whole display case filled with donuts cakes and other homemade baked goods.
We ended up getting an appetizer of some sort of mushroom pizza. I don’t like mushrooms but I tried anyway and it was pretty good. There is a lot of vegetarian options on their menu. If you know somebody that is a vegetarian open city is probably a really good place to take them. I ended up getting a cheeseburger with each New York cheddar bacon and chipotle mayo on the side. The burger was very good. I wanted to eat the whole entire burger but I couldn’t I was too full. Everybody that I was with ordered something different everybody also said that they really enjoyed what they were eating.
Overall open city is definitely a place that I’m coming back to when I’m in Washington DC. The prices here are reasonable and the food is great. If you are in Washington DC or around the area I highly recommend coming to open city.
PROS:
— great food
— homemade deserts and baked goods
— vegetarians will love this place
CONS:
— hard to find a parking spot

Cozy, solid brunch fare on a sunny patio made up marginally for an otherwise rocky customer service experience.
Twenty minutes into an estimated 25-​minute wait time for a group table on the patio, a gentleman helping the main hostess with seating informed us that since the patio had only a single server, we would have to wait until she was «unbusy» to be seated (there were two tables open). When my husband asked for a time estimate he snapped, «Didn’t you hear me? I said there’s only one server. When she gets unbusy I’ll let you know.»
It was unnecessarily rude and inexcusable in a service context. We were baffled why the man would even deliver such useless information without providing an alternative, like sitting inside. After appealing to the main hostess, she asked the manager to assign an additional server to the patio (Open City management please note: in the future, redistributing waitstaff is the suggested alternative to giving the above-​mentioned gentleman a customer-​facing role. Ever.)
After a 45-​minute total wait, we were seated. The food was all very good, although with varying portion sizes: Open City burrito, mushroom reuben sandwich — small; brioche french toast — average; breakfast pizza — huge. Unique touches like the hash brown «squares» and BBQ Bloody Mary — complete with bacon, pickle spear, and dry rub garnish — put the selection just above your standard brunch menu. In addition to the patio space, the bustling indoor seating feels more spacious thanks to high ceilings and an additional back room.
Food 3.5÷4, Service 1, Ambiance 3

I’m a fan! We have had 2 meals here in 5 days, so you know we like it! We’ve had 2 dinners here this week. The place gets busy, so go at an off time or expect a wait. I had the fried chicken and waffles both times and loved them. The chicken is a leg and thigh which made me skeptical, but it was yummy. The waffles were perfect, not too mushy or overdone. The only change I’d make is to have thicker syrup.
The waitstaff is good and attentive. The food comes out quickly.
We got a cookie on the way out and it was delicious. Don’t miss the baked goods and desserts near the entrance.
We tried to go here for breakfast, but the 25 minute wait (even in the rain) deterred us. This is one popular place!
We’ll definitely be back and next time we’ll stop in for breakfast.

Stopped by Open City for breakfast on a Saturday morning and it was already busy. They have a modern old look with wood grain, but aim for a hipper vibe with blaring music and big screen TV’s near the bar area. Sat at the bar due to its available seating and service was fast.
Ordered the Open City Royale with unknown expectations and it arrived quickly. For $ 13, you get a huge plate of food. The French toast was delicious and the Hash Browns were square like McDonalds HB, but twice as large. Only disappointing part was the Toast, it was barely warm.
Overall, when you first read Open City’s entry, you see they have over 1000 reviews. They are well deserved as I was surprised with the quality and quantity of my breakfast, it was good! I hope to return at some point to try more items from the menu.

If you like bland food and disinterested service you should try this place. Over the course of the last 6 weeks I have frequented this place mainly for coffee and yogurt in the am. They always have new people working behind the counter, No real management over seeing the operation.
This mornings new person seemed to know nothing about how too do his job, he kept wiping his eyes and yawning while handling other peoples food. He charged me the wrong amount and when I asked what had changed he was both rude and offensive as became angry that I would ask the question seeing the mistake was in my favor, which was beside the point and who knew. Then this rude unfit excuse of a person got even with me by charging me for a cup of yogurt but when I got back my office I found that it was only a table spoon of yogurt in the container. HaHa, this is not a restaurant, it is somebody’s idea of a profit center, nothing more, nothing less, never again…
Up-​date: took the two spoon fulls of yogurt that I was charged on a cup bass, the manager said that it was correct, no integrity on top of bad service and over charging

Open City is a restaurant in Adams Morgan/​Woodley Park, a quick walk from that metro station. The restaurant has two large rooms, an outdoor dining area with umbrellas for shade, and a bar. The food is one step up from traditional American diner fare and includes vegan, vegetarian and gluten-​free options labeled on the menu. The restaurant is popular, so you will probably have to wait for a table. I came in on a Sunday afternoon at 1:30pm with a friend and we were seated in 10 minutes.
I ordered the tofu scramble ($ 9) and La Crème smoothie ($ 4) that had peaches and mango. The portions are a good size and enough to satisfy you. During peak hours, it might be difficult to get the attention of your server. The volume in the restaurant is very loud even though the tables are nicely spread out. It must also be from the structure of the building. There were a couple instances that I had to yell for my friend to hear me. It’s a busy and chaotic restaurant, but the food is pretty good and likely to please all. It is definitely not on my list of top picks for brunch, but I would recommend trying this place out.

We ate a couple of lunches here in June while visiting DC and staying across the street at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.
We were in DC during, from what I gathered from the locals, a very unseasonably hot week in June. That made coming to Open City for lunch and waiting on a table pure torture. Like most Woodley Park restaurants there is no indoor waiting area. The host/​hostess stand is outside on the sidewalk and that’s where you stand while waiting on a table. So, when it’s crazy hot you get to bake on the sidewalk in front of their south-​facing restaurant. They have an umbrella out, but it’s mostly to shade the host/​hostess and watching everyone try to cram under it is amusing.
They have both indoor and outdoor seating, but there was no way I was going to sit outdoors on such a hot and humid day. So, we waited for an indoor table.
The dining room is crowded. Not just with people, but with furniture. They have crammed so many tables into their dining room that I honestly do not understand how it passes a Fire Marshall inspection. You cannot move you chair without it rubbing someone else’s.
No free refills on iced tea. That genuinely pissed me off. It was a hot day and I’m a tea drinker and I had to pay full price for every refill. Why? If you want to sell some oddball floral tea, then fine, but don’t stick it to me on the price. Go get some standard iced tea (Luzianne, Lipton, etc) and fresh brew it and give free refills.
Food here is great. Wonderful selection on the menu and everything we tried was good. My wife tried their Salmon & Bagel Plate and I tried both their Open City Omelet and their Open City Burger.
Restaurant was clean and well-​maintained. Restrooms are in the basement, but I never wandered down there.

This is a solid place to grab brunch after a visit to the zoo. Definitely take advantage of their outdoor seating on a beautiful day.
Things to try!
— Pacific chai latte: I got it iced, so it was a refreshing and tasty drink. Plus, all their drinks come with animal crackers!
— Hummus plate: The carrots and cucumbers had a lot of flavor and crunch on their own and worked perfectly with the hummus
— Chai waffle: It was fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside, just how I like my waffles. I only wish the chai flavor was more evident.
— Hashbrown bowl: It’s a simple dish, but it’s a tasty, filling meal for brunch.
Things to pass over.
— Arepas Benedictos: I wasn’t a big fan at all. The pork was a little dry, and the corn arepas were too thick and didn’t add much flavor. Although the avocado salsa was the most flavorful part of the meal, I wasn’t impressed.

Four stars for the Pacific Chai Tea Latte. I always get it with soy milk and the chai spice is very flavorful and warming. I love how each crafted latte is accompanied with animal crackers (though, the crackers were sadly missing last time I was there… Womp womp).
I’ve only been here for breakfast and some of the breakfast items can be hit or miss. I do like that their hashbrowns are baked into little mini loaves of golden brown goodness with hints of cheesiness.
This place is packed during weekend brunch hours!