Royal Restaurant — Restaurant in Alexandria

My husband and I visit Royal once a month when our parents come to town. The food is great, the portion sizes are very generous, and the ambiance is quite nice

The last few times the service hasn't been great. Unfortunately, we'll be finding another spot to dine at for the foreseeable future

TLDR: We were waiting for 30+ minutes for our orders to be taken, parts of orders were never received, I never received my meal

Usually we're a party of 5, but today were a party of 9 today. My spouse called at 8am for a 930am reservation to get ahead of brunch crowd . Asking if the patio was open, it was confirmed to be the case and that the heaters were on. My spouse was told the heaters were checked at 530am as was low 40s outside

When we arrived the heaters weren't on. We were told someone was working on it, but they never came on and there was no follow up. We had a baby and an elderly family member with us, so we just grabbed a blanket from the car

There were only 2 other tables on the patio at that point, but it took over half an hour to get our orders taken. During that period, an additional group of 6 came in, were taken care of and even got their food before we did

I asked a staff member if they knew who our server was, and he went to go find someone

The table ordered drinks and food. I had ordered a latte, but was given a regular coffee (another family member said they'd take the coffee) and the server seemed confused that I'd ordered a latte. When it finally came out, it was in a regular drinking glass and lukewarm

I don't know how long we waited for food, but as the patio filled up, other tables got food way before we did. When our food made it to the table, we were missing part of my spouse's and sibling's meal, and mine (Royal pancake breakfast) was missing entirely. We followed up a few times about the missing food

My family was halfway finished with their meal and my meal still had not arrived. I mentioned it to the server who said would be out in a few minutes. It never arrived, neither did part of my husband's or sibling's order, and we weren't able to get refills on coffee or water either

My family gave me parts of their meal. I'm not sure if mine was never put in or the kitchen missed it. It had been 2+ hours since we'd been seated, so I asked the server to cancel my order

There was a gentleman - assuming it was a general manager (he wasn't wearing an apron) - stopping at tables to check on folks. He never stopped by our table and wouldn't even look our way

Perhaps one day we'll return to Royal. We hope others have a...

It was a great pleasure to dine at Royal Restaurant, a historic establishment that’s been around since 1904—over 100 years! They just got new management three months ago, and I was very excited to visit.

From the moment we walked in, we were treated like royalty. We were greeted warmly and seated promptly. Our servers were seriously amazing. They were attentive, knowledgeable, and went above and beyond to ensure we had a fantastic experience.

We had the opportunity to try just about everything on the menu. Starting with appetizers, we had the Royal Smash Sliders, Burnt End Empanadas, and Pineapple Glazed Chicken Skewers. For the main entrees, we tried the Pot Roast Stroganoff, Fried Chicken Thighs, and Smoked Baby Back Ribs with Coca-Cola BBQ Sauce.

Every dish was incredibly amazing:

Royal Smash Sliders: These sliders were absolutely delicious. The patties were cooked to perfection, juicy and flavorful, with just the right amount of seasoning. Simply amazing.

Burnt End Empanadas: Crunchy on the outside, cheesy, and well-stuffed on the inside. The double smoked brisket added a smoky, savory depth that made each bite delightful.

Pineapple Glazed Chicken Skewers: Sweet and savory, these skewers were perfectly grilled, with a lovely balance of flavors from the pineapple glaze.

Smoked Baby Back Ribs: The best ribs I’ve had in my LIFE! They were incredibly tender, falling off the bone, and the Coca-Cola BBQ sauce added a unique, tangy sweetness that was unforgettable.

Fried Chicken Thighs: Cooked to perfection, with a crispy exterior and juicy interior. The chorizo gravy added an extra layer of deliciousness, making this dish stand out.

Pot Roast Stroganoff: Full of rich, comforting flavors. The braised beef was tender and flavorful, and the creamy stroganoff sauce was the perfect complement.

Mashed Potatoes: The smoothest, butteriest mashed potatoes I’ve ever had. They were the perfect side dish, complementing each entree beautifully.

To top it all off, I had the Thornless Flower mocktail, which was refreshing and delightful. It was a perfect balance of floral and citrus flavors, making it a standout drink.

Royal Restaurant is a MUST-TRY! I will definitely be bringing my entire family here very soon to share this exceptional dining experience. Thank you to the entire serving staff for making our visit unforgettable!

I would rate this place 10 stars but I’m...

We'd been patrons of Royal for well over a decade when we lived in Alexandria. Since moving to MD, we would make it a point to visit our favorite restaurants. Now that new management has taken over, after over 100 years of personal, family-owned awesomeness, what made Royal a mainstay for over a century is now GONE.

The decor is totally redone, which to be fair is not all bad. However, it's really DARK now. Sucks all the light and energy out of the building. One can update and refresh or even totally revamp a space without sucking all the light out. The outdoor space is a win, though (because it's outside...with light.)

The food was a disappointment indeed. Although we visited not knowing the new management had done away with the Weekend Brunch Buffet, we gave the menu a shot. My omelet wasn't wven an omelet. It was slightly sautéed veggies and luncheon meat dumped on top of scrambled eggs and folded over. It wasn't even hot when it came to the table. The potatoes, well...there's no point in even mentioning those. There was zero seasoning to any of the food on the plate. The poor bartender was overwhelmed, being by himself. The table of 6 next to us ordered 2 cocktails that took 30 mins to arrive. (We were seated in the bar area so we could all see the bartender working like a human tornado. God bless him.)

The server was nice though. I didn't appreciate the thin manager lady sort of hovering around our tables (not just mine, but the other 4 in the area) like she was trying to hurry us. It was good to see a couple of familiar faces on the waitstaff.

All in all, it was a sad experience knowing that an era has ended and the goodness of what was Royal is now replaced with what will be short-lived trendy sort of ambiance that is "DMV culture." EVERYTHING that made this place last a century is gone. I expect the owners to be chasing the almighty dollar tho, so there will be no adjustment on their part. As long as the transient DC folks continue to cycle in and out, taking mediocrity for excellence, the new owners will count it a win. So...