Brasserie Liberté — Restaurant in Washington

Recently revisited this spot a few times for brunch / lunch after the world began reopening in the wake of COVID-19. While Brasserie Liberte maintained the same incredible atmosphere and commitment to service that I loved before the world shut down, I was shocked that all of my favorite plant-based options had disappeared! Aside from their salads and a few small appetizers, most of Brasserie Liberte's menu is centered around their meat and seafood (which, to be fair, does seem absolutely incredible). Their salads are still delicious -- I've developed a minor obsession with their endive and bitter greens salad, which I order every single time I come here, but I am a bit disappointed that there aren't any other choices anymore. Even so, still love the staff, the classy yet casual vibes, and the general energy of this restaurant.

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This place is absolutely delightful! Everything about it is essentially perfect -- the food, ambiance, and service are all stellar. I happened to be here for lunch, but Brasserie Liberte is so incredibly versatile and would work for virtually anything, whether you're stopping by for a casual meal with friends, family, or coworkers, or if you just want a drink at their bar.

Let me start with the ambiance. First and foremost, the decor and furniture are beautiful. Everything is very casual, relatively quiet, and everything, even the lighting, is great. There are large windows in the front half of the restaurant that provide an abundance of natural lighting and just really give the whole place a lively and wonderful vibe. I visited in late January, but I'm sure that their outdoor seating is also delightful when the weather is a bit better. However, if you'd prefer a dimmer and more muted space, the back half of the store is more shielded from the light and creates a cozier environment. This is truly a space that can suit everyone's preferences.

The food is also delightful. I had the carrot grain bowl and was truly pleased with my meal. I'm not sure if there was anything that really stood out or struck me as something to call home about (although I must say, their white wine vinaigrette was pretty good), but it was certainly a delightful meal at a really reasonable price. The portions were also quite large -- my single salad could feed me for two meals.

The service was also awesome. Our server checked on us relatively frequently and always made sure that our every need was met quickly and efficiently. Our water glasses were never empty, and we were definitely well cared for. However, my positive impression of Brasserie Liberte's service began outside the restaurant. I must admit that I'm fairly directionally challenged, so I got a bit lost on my way to the store. However, I was lucky enough to bump into one of the restaurant's employees while I was wandering in circles around a courtyard a few meters to the left of Brasserie. They were kind enough to walk me to the restaurant while still on break.

All in all, I loved the food and ambiance, and greatly appreciated the quality of the service. Would highly recommend this spot for a casual meal with...

I came for an early Friday Night Dinner with my significant other. The brasserie was tucked on a side street, and it was hard to tell how busy it was until we went inside. There is a large bar in the front, and several tables well spaced apart for the main core of the restaurant. It was certainly busy - when we arrived we overlapped a bit with the Friday Happy Hour crowd and towards the end we overlapped with the diners (many of who appeared to be on dates). It was a bit loud, but I could still hear my partner and waiter speak to us. The decor is lovely and to my style (lots of red and dark wood with a scattering of tiles).

We were seated towards the front. We arrived not horrible hungry, but wanted to try a few of the dishes I had heard recommended. My partner and I each got a cocktail, and decided to split the following: The French Onion Soup, the Macaroni au Gratin, the Liberte Salad and the Coulette Frites. We were also served bread and butter as we waited for the food to come out.

My cocktail, a gin-based Mule, was very refreshing and what I had needed after walking around Georgetown. The French Onion Soup is what I had heard most about, and it was very flavorful and enjoyable, even on a warm afternoon. The Mac and Cheese was very creamy and also delicious - if we had not ordered steak I would have tried this with bacon. A sprinkle of a little pepper made it even more delicious. The Liberte Salad was solid, albeit not particularly spectacular (although was much more filling when I had mixed in some of the steak with it).

The Steak Frites (ordered medium-rare) satisfied what I was looking for. As I alluded to earlier, I wish I was bit more hungry to fully enjoy this, but I still appreciated the steak (although the steak leaned a bit more rare than medium - a lesson for if I order steak here again to get medium). My significant other and I especially enjoyed the seasoning and crispiness of the fries - and couldn't stop munching on them.

To satisfy my sweet touch, I ordered a tiny scoop of ice cream with an espresso - a nice end to the night that appropriately satisfied my craving. My significant other was more ambitious and got the Chocolate Mousse cake which we had heard and saw looked great, and I can confirm it was also quite delicious, especially when paired with the 10-year port she ordered as a compliment.

Overall this was a very good experience, and I would be happy coming here again for a brunch, happy hour, or casual yet romantic dinner. However, knowing how many other great Old World restaurants there are in Georgetown I still want to try, it may be a bit before I make my way back...

I had dinner at Brassier Liberte with 4 friends last night. The food was 'good' but not outstanding. But I had issues with the service.

My first complaint was with the sommelier. I asked him about 3 wines. I told him that I was looking for a "Big Bold Red" under $100/bottle. I had identified a Syrah, a Zinfandel and a Cab. He asked if I would prefer a wine that was complex or simply fruit forward and bold. I told him that I was looking for something that was fruit forward and bold. He returned with a French Burgundy which was not on the menu and is made from Pinot Noir A Pinotis a complex wine and not particularly bold. He justified it because it "was his last bottle." I rejected that and he returned with a Bordeaux that we accepted. I didn't love it, but it was acceptable. But it was not "fruit forward and bold." We ordered a second bottle and I ordered the Cab that I had initially suggested. To my taste, it was better and about 2/3rd of the price of the Bordeaux that he suggested.

Tastes are subjective and I can not fault him for the choice of the Bordeaux, but the Burgundy was inconsistent with my requests.

But my disappointment came when I got the bill and I was charged for THREE (3) bottles of wine, not the two (2) that we ordered and received. When I pointed this out to the manager, he apologized and initially offered to refund the price of the extra bottle of wine, but NOT the mandatory service charge or the tax on the bottle that we neither ordered or received. He said that the card was already charged so all he could do was refund the extra charge for the wine and not the 33% associated with the service charge and tax! This is dishonest at best.

In my opinion, he should have apologized (which he did) + refund the ultimate costs of the erroneously charged item (which he only did after I pressured him) AND he should have said, 'please come back and I'll give you a free drink/dessert/etc. to give us another opportunity to make things right.'

Instead, I had to fight to get the restaurant to refund the overcharge and although they did apologize, they did not offer anything which demonstrates that they were legitimately remorseful for their error. Offering a free dessert or cocktail for a future visit is a small gesture and was the least that they could offer for their error. The initial offer, to refund the cost of the erroneously charged item, WITHOUT the associated service charge/tax, is an insult and was unjustified.

The food was not so great that I would return to a restaurant that does not value its customers enough to acknowledge an unequivocal error...