Washington Dining & Cocktails — Restaurant in Bend

We dined at Washington this past Monday evening. It wasn’t very busy, which I imagine is typical for the start of the week.

Let me start by saying: we’re not in the habit of leaving reviews—sometimes positive but rarely negative. The restaurant industry is incredibly challenging, and we typically give the benefit of the doubt when things aren't perfect. That said, this visit was disappointing enough that we felt compelled to share.

We’ve eaten here many times and are big fans of the Buffalo Chicken Salad, which—true to form—was delicious. The food has always been a highlight.

Unfortunately, the service this time was unlike anything we've experienced in Bend, possibly ever. The woman who sat us, was also our server (possibly named Mary Grace), seated us, and then we waited over 15 minutes without any acknowledgment. When she did return, her first words were, “Are you ready to order everything—food and drink?” I would’ve loved to have ordered a drink 15 minutes earlier while looking over the menu, but we went ahead and ordered.

Our meals arrived, but we didn’t see her again for nearly half an hour. Meal was over, our drinks had all run dry etc. No check-in, no refill—my beer sat empty for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, we could clearly hear her and others chatting at the nearby station. We were seated outside, so it was noticeable.

This felt like a case of complete indifference. It was, hands down, the worst service we’ve had in Bend. We're loyal to places we enjoy, but this experience was a real letdown. Food is too expensive these days and when combined with absolutely terrible service, it is hard to...

We made reservations a week ahead for Mother’s Day. We were traveling from Idaho and ended a seven hour drive with dinner at the grill in Bend. We were a few minutes early and checked in- Two adults, six kids including a baby in high chair. We were waiting quite a while, especially with a reservation. The deck seemed very inviting but were told it was booked even though not full. Indoors, the restaurant was very loud so we waited outside about 25 minutes. We were seated indoors after reminding the hostess that we were still waiting. She could see us from her desk but I felt forgotten.

The food was excellent with gluten free calamari as the star. I had a wedge salad, no dairy, add shrimp. It came covered in blue cheese dressing so I had to send it back. It came quickly back but the shrimp were cold. The waitress did bring me some more shrimp without being asked. My daughter had prime rib and it was just okay. A bit fatty and tough. Her sides were good. The kids had the little bento boxes which were very creative and fun, giving several choices. They are every bite. We seemed to wait forever for water and were never asked about a drink refill. I know they were busy but staffing...

I really wanted to love this place because of the reviews. I had called a week ago to make a reservation and the woman I talked to was super kind and helpful. She asked me if I was celebrating anything, and I told her my friends and I were in town for my birthday. When we arrived, we waited for five minutes before someone came to greet us. Unfortunately the greeter was very cold- no smiles or "welcome in". Almost angry. We were seated in the corner by the door to the patio- didn't look like they had any other way to accommodate our group of 10. Our waitress was also cold- not mean, just not nice or welcoming. No smiles or introduction, very awkward. Thankfully the food came out rather quickly, however my steak was cold and had 5 mushrooms on the side. My husband asked if they do anything for birthdays and the server said she could do a dessert. I said "if it's possible that would be great", but I think she may have forgot? We ended up doing something else for dessert because I never received anything. I was hoping for this to be special birthday dinner with friends, but it left a lot to be desired. Our friends felt...