Del Ray Café — Restaurant in Alexandria

Came with a party of seven for dinner, and we were very excited based on reviews. Upon arriving, despite having three members of the party who were elderly, very young, and one pregnant, we were sat at a long picnic table with no seat-backs or padding. If that was the only fault, fine. However, that was unfortunately far from the case.

The service was highly unusual and particularly bad. Two servers alternated serving our table, orders were taken long after sitting down, no bread was brought to the table despite asking, drinks were wrong and brought to the wrong people, bus boys did all serving and didn’t communicate at all, the servers were not particularly nice and showed no interest in our table or liking to the food, and food service was slow and disorganized. Overall, service was inadequate, unfriendly, disorganized, and slow.

The food was terrible and massively overpriced. The cream of pumpkin soup was watery and tasteless; the onion soup came out cold for some and scathing for others; the veggies that came with our meals were boiled, unseasoned, and just mush; all vegetables tasted and felt like they had been frozen; the gnocchi was served in a sauce that tasted rancid; the Dover sole was smelly, tasted spoiled (did not eat), and was filled with bones despite being “de-boned”; the soufflé had a soggy bottom with liquid sitting in it; and the steak was low quality and had no flavor. Overall, the food quality was what I might expect at a 24-hour diner that charges $10 per plate.

The pricing was absurd. Note that, without any alcohol, we spent over $100 per adult, solely on soups, entrees, and a few shared desserts. They are charging Michelin-guide pricing for a local, low quality French bistro. Completely unacceptable to charge over $50 for an entree served with frozen, mushy vegetable and inedible pasta.

Finally, atmosphere was generally drab. The plates used were plain and old. Glasses were cloudy. Carpeting and blinds were in need of updates. And stairs up to the second floor dining space went last a kitchen that was chaotic, lacking order, and dirty. Fish was in a cooler drawer that was left open as the line cooks were cooking (probably why it tasted spoiled).

Would not...

Update to my July review:

August 2025: We had such a great experience at DelRay Cafe in July 2025 that we decided to return. While the food was still excellent, the service was disappointing. Here’s what occurred:

The young greeter told us he had two seats available outside, so we followed him to be seated. However, he abruptly stopped, pushed me both menus, and said, “Hold these.” He then completely disregarded us as he bent down to greet a passing dog. While we stood there waiting, he ran back inside to grab dog treats and began feeding the dog, chatting with its owner and others nearby. We stood there in disbelief as he engaged with the dog for about five minutes.

Finally, he turned his attention back to us, but after allowing the dog to lick and eat from his hands, he reached for the menus to continue seating us outside. At that point, I had to decline. It was surprising to see him prioritize a dog over the customers. We love dogs too, but there’s a time and place for everything. This greeter really needs training to understand his priorities.

July 2025: If you find yourself in the area, Del Ray Cafe is an absolute must-visit! From the moment I stepped inside, I was enveloped in a warm and inviting atmosphere that set the stage for an unforgettable dining experience. The food? Simply phenomenal! Each dish is crafted with care, bursting with flavor and beautifully presented.

But it doesn’t stop there—the service is equally outstanding. The staff is attentive, friendly, and genuinely passionate about providing a top-notch experience. They go above and beyond to ensure that every guest feels special and well...

I went to Del Ray Cafe with my daughter for her birthday. We went in right at 4:00 when they had just opened . We were very hungry and looking forward to eating some good food. The restaurant is outdated and definitely needs a make over. We decided to do the appetizer and main course from the Restaurant week menus and order desert from the main menu. For appetizer I ordered DRC salad and my daughter ordered the seafood . My salad was good, as my daughter was taking her second bite, she saw a hair in her food. So there was our first disappointment. They changed that with a new one. For main course I ordered the Black Angus Steak with Pomme Frites and Bearnaise sauce which was additional $10.00 , my daughter ordered Freash Tagliarini pasta with wild mushrooms and white Truffle oil. I ordered my steak medium. My daughter’s food was ok. My steak was very hard and unchewable. I was extremely disappointed. I called our waiter and told him the steak was really bad , he smiled and said ok. He took my plate. For desert we ordered raspberry soufflé and Grand mariner souffle . They tasted disgusting. We took one spoon and didn’t eat anymore. They did bring a little puff pastry with a candle for her birthday , she said that tasted good. We told our waiter that the Soufflés tasted horrible , he said oh Soufflé is not for everyone!!!! We said we have had Soufflé before and this is nothing like it . He didn’t offer any break on the bill or offered any apology . Very...