Joe Theismann's Restaurant — Restaurant in Alexandria

Had Better. I used to go to Theismann's when I worked in Alexandria many years ago. They've changed. At about 10% full (at best) the service was markedly poor. We arrived at 4:05 was shown to our table then greeted at 4:10 by a waiter who said he wasn't our waiter. There was a team meeting and our waiter would be with us shortly. We ordered an appetizer. About 40 minutes later our waiter appeared, our water glasses having been empty for at least 20 minutes. Ordering was a chore as the waiter was more interested in his electronic ordering tool than actually getting the order correct -- though the device is probably also to blame as most software folks believe they have everything mastered but know very little. Luckily he read back the order and we were able to correct it. The first part of the order arrived but was delivered by another waiter (a practice I abhor) so of course he didn't know who ordered what. (the waiter should remember this). He also got part of the order incorrect as the Clam Chowder was to arrive with the meal. I had the French Onion Soup which was marginal. It was overcooked and the meat detracted from the flavor. When the main meal arrived, parts of the order were missing and the waiter had to go back and fetch them, forcing me to wait even longer. I had the Filet Mignon which was stringy and tasteless. It was tender and cut nicely but if not for the horseradish on the side would have been difficult to enjoy. The potatoes had a good flavor but were overcooked. The asparagus tips were outstanding but the meal came with large steps with no tips as well. These were tough and stringy. The sauce could have had a nice flavor if it hadn't been I thought I was eating a spoonful of salt. My son had a Reuben Sandwich and stated the fries were excellent but the Reuben was extremely greasy, was stingy on the sauce and sauerkraut. We also had the hot fudge sundae which was okay but not impressive. It also had a strong salt flavor which detracted from a dessert. In the end we left and because of the long wait up front exceeded the parking...

Quality of food and service has slipped. We used to come here all the time, and I wanted to give this visit a pass, but so much went wrong I doubt we’ll be back. We ordered the wings, naked, with joes buffalo. They came naked alright, with no sauce. NBD we asked the waiter to bring some, we did have to ask twice, and on the second ask he brought sauce… BBQ sauce. We let it pass. Wife got the Caesar, dressing was so salty she couldn’t finish it. I got the Cuban which comes with a special mustard, it honestly tasted like someone had dropped a couple drops of mustard into a ramekin full of salt, and I’m actually a little desensitized to salt and tend to like things saltier than most. Also, one side of my sandwich had no cheese? I found the cheese later as it was all on the one side of the sandwich, except it wasn’t Swiss like it was supposed to be but very clearly was mozzarella? I couldn’t finish it, and it upset my appetite so much I couldn’t finish my fries either. I ain’t skinny, I’ve almost never left a meal unfinished. I didn’t feel like mentioning anything to the manager as I felt after the buffalo sauce back and forth we didn’t want to waste our time. It was so bizarre I wanted to laugh, until the almost-sixty-something-dollar bill came (neither of us had any alcohol). When we lived a couple blocks away we used to get wings from here all the time because 1) they were our favorite 2) we knew COVID had hit the restaurant business hard and wanted to do what we could to support local businesses. I really don’t want to give up on Theismann’s after one bad experience, but we have to be choosier these days (thanks inflation) and so much went wrong it’s just not worth the roll...

On Easter Sunday, my partner and I were in the area and randomly walked in to have brunch. Upon entering, we approached the host stand and requested a table for 2 — we were immediately told by the host (I believe he may have been the manager on duty based on how he was dressed compared to the other hosts) that only bar seating was available and we needed a reservation to sit at a table. Fair enough we thought and left.

I then took the initiative to go check availability, as the restaurant was half empty, and saw a reservation for 11:45am (this was in 5 minutes from the time we walked in and was not mentioned by the manager at the host stand), which I booked. We re-entered and I told that same man, we now have a reservation. After seeming almost annoyed, he walked us to a table (in a crowded section) up front, where seemingly all the other black patrons in the restaurant were seated at the time. We requested a booth and again, seeming annoyed, he walked us to our seat. We immediately sat down and discussed how we felt discriminated against.

The food was amazing and honestly it was one of the best lump crab benedicts I’ve had. We also had great service from our waitress who went above and beyond to make us feel welcome.

As a customer, I believe it is crucial to address incidents of potential racial profiling and discrimination. It is disheartening to see such behavior still exists in this day and age — that it would almost ruin an opportunity to dine there. I hope others reading this that may have experienced something similar, feels validated. I also hope that the restaurant spends time looking into this further so that future customers receive...