Epic Smokehouse — Restaurant in Arlington

When we checked in (2/3) of our party, they took us to a 2-top table. When I told them I made my reservation for 3, they told me I didn’t. I get there’s confusion sometimes, I checked my reservation and they checked their system. Another person with the same name made a reservation for the exact same time. They took us to our table. After the experience we had last night, I am very confused as to why this restaurant charges a $15/person fee for no-shows or changes after a certain time — the food and drinks were not that good. so I’m not sure why they feel the need to do this.

The restaurant is small. The booths are situated along the window but many of the tables are obstructed by large concrete posts. There is a large parking lot adjacent to the restaurant windows and we were blinded by headlights for much of the night… when we asked if the blinds could be adjusted we were told no because the entire restaurant was on the same system and would be too dark.

Our server came over almost immediately and offered drinks while we waited for our friend to arrive. Thought the night she was really nice, apologetic about the several mistakes on the order, but very helpful and friendly.

My partner ordered the , a $14 drink. There was no indication that it would be served in such a small glass… we’ve been to many places (more expensive than here) that serve similarly priced drinks in much larger cups. This was really odd, and the server never told us either. Definitely should tell folks before they order that they’re getting a 2-3 fl. Oz. drink that was mostly juice.

Our friend ordered the Blackberry Lemonade. Full of freshly muddled blackberries, but there was no trace of alcohol, and the drink was wildly sweet.

They served us cornbread muffins were flat, hard, flavorless, & cold. We inquired to see if there was any other bread, or butter even to put on the “cornbread” they served us. We were there 2-hours after dinner service started, and our server informed us that they ran out of their “signature fresh bread” & butter, & wouldn’t be making more. I’m confused at how poor of planning happened to have run out of bread & butter that soon after starting dinner service.

We ordered the spinach artichoke dip as a starter, which was fine, at best. The flavor of the dip was good, but dip was basically creamed spinach with TRACES of artichoke leaves. The amount of chips they gave to how much dip they served was also way off.

Mains- My friend ordered the filet (med. rare), bordelaise, mushrooms, and “mashed” potatoes, which were gluey and extremely bland. The filet was cooked well done throughout. We notified the server, the manager came, and took the entire plate to be remade. First came the mash, veg, and mushrooms. Then came the steak about 5 min later. No new silverware was offered. My friend cut into the steak and it was frozen cold on the inside. We again alerted the manager, who apologized, said he was embarrassed, & removed the plate. By this time we had to leave. The 3rd steak was delivered with no new silverware & was cooked well-well done. The manager apologized again and then told us the chef couldn’t come out because he doesn’t speak English, so “he couldn’t come out to talk to us anyway.” One of us in the party is a native Spanish speaker, and the other is almost fluent.

My partner’s crab stuffed salmon over fingerling potatoes was also unenjoyable. The salmon was extremely overcooked & dry, the crab was not “stuffed” rather it was scooped on top of it. The crab stunk and lacked overall flavor. The fingerling potatoes were unseasoned & underdone.

Smoked prime rib was definitely the “star” of the table. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was that there was hardly a sear on the outside of the rib steak, which made it hard to cut. The mashed potatoes were absolutely abysmal. The collards were not tender, & they were overly liquid-smoky in flavor. The overall temperature of the food was not hot either, the food came cooled down when...

If only, if only they had the option like most "smokehouses" of purchasing meat by the pound. Because of this a spot down in Del Ray Alexandria beats them out. Here at Epic, however they do allow you to buy meat of your choice by the 10 oz.

But when you do want to sit down to a meal this is your go to place!

Parking is convenient around the Metro Park area, it's free street parking! The front of the house is so welcoming, it's a nice refresher in DC! We arrived at 12:30 on Sunday after church with no wait!

The waiter we had was high energy and eager to please. We immediately asked about their burnt ends because of another review. Now while they're not on the actual brunch menu they obliged. They served up 10 ounces of burnt ends. Unfortunately we're a dry rub family and these were smothered in BBQ sauce. They were delicious though! Very fatty, next time we know to order dry rub please. (They don't dip in BBQ sauce until they're ordered)

We ordered the salmon & poached eggs over asparagus highly recommend. The salmon is a giant 5 ounce (guesstimate) of grilled to perfection salmon on top of 5 lonely asparagus spears (seriously, don't skimp on my veggies!). The poached eggs were delectable. I did end up ordering a side of sourdough toast to assist with finishing up every bite of this dish!

the shrimp & grits, side of scrambled eggs and bacon my boyfriend finished this dish in under 5 min, it looked very good. the shrimp came tails on which was a little disappointing - maybe we could request tail off? I'd say you got about 2 cups worth of grits and 8 shrimp with 5 sausage pieces (quite tiny don't get too excited).

The scrambled eggs & bacon were worthy of any breakfast place.

$5.00 mimosas for brunch!!

We will definitely be back to order 20 ounces worth of meat :) Also when we want to hang out their drink and dessert menu looked unbelievably original and tasty (funnel cake!)! They have a huge menu, including bar menu, dinner, brunch, breakfast, and lunch!

P.S I'm not understanding the other reviews, this place is not "swanky" (they don't pretend to be they don't even have white table cloths!) The prices are very reasonable for steak in DC, in fact this is on my list of "casual dining". If you want pricey steak places hit up Charlie Palmer, Joe's, Double Eagle etc. But rest assured Epic SmokeHouse can be filed under affordable, trendy neighborhood smokehouse! I think it captures Arlington's unique vibe. It's a smokehouse with floor to ceiling windows and the service is on par with the best moderately priced...

You know…the older I get, the less I like traveling into DC for dinner, hence going out in Arlington or Alexandria is better and generally safer. My friends and I booked a reservation for dinner after a previous party in Pentagon Row. Anyway, we all ordered cocktails or wine. I ordered a Malbec and it paired nicely with the brisket I ordered. Both the brisket and the burnt ends mac and cheese were delicious (now I want to try making mac and cheese in a cast iron skillet at home). My friends ordered the filet mignon and mashed potatoes and the stuffed salmon which they also said was very good. They ordered the whiskey cocktails with bacon and they must have liked it because they ordered more than one drink. To end the meal we ordered the chocolate lava cake which was also great.

The portion sizes were just right. Not too much food but definitely enough to feel full. I thought the price point for everything were very reasonable and it definitely beats going to an over priced steakhouse (cough, like the one in Crystal city).

Honestly, the restaurant wasn’t crowded and we could hear each other talk which was nice. The location was fine to walk to from Pentagon row. I would recommend parking in the above ground parking in the Pentagon row parking lot and walking from there. It’s safer especially if you’re out late, the lighting by the parallel street parking across from Costco isn’t great and people have been carjacked there late at night. Just park in above ground Pentagon row parking lot, which is always busy and well lighted, cut through the pentagon city mall, go up the metro escalators, and walk through the strip mall and exit the Costco exit…the restaurant is right across the street...