Busboys and Poets — Restaurant in Washington

Our party of 18 ate at Busboys And Poets (Takoma) yesterday, Sunday evening (Nov 18th). We had a great time. The hostesses were wonderful and lots of fun. Our waitress, Lydia, did a phenomenal job taking 18 orders, getting them all correct, and even rushing the food out for a few for our guests who had to leave sooner than the rest of the party. The kitchen had all the rest of the plates out to the table at about the same time. Portions were very generous. And the presentation on each plate was awesome...totally unexpected for such a casual restaurant.

Not having ever been there before I had no idea what to expect. I love the place. The food is excellent. I had the Spinach and Wheatberry Salad with Salmon added. It was delicious. I tasted a few others' too. I heard no complaints from anyone in our group.

The guest of honor, who lives in D.C., had called to find out about bringing such a large group. We were told that they would be able to seat 10 pretty soon and the rest shortly thereafter as more tables were freed up. Well it turned out that after a not very long wait, they had put together enough tables that we were all seated at once!

I liked the categories I saw in the book section, although I didn’t have time to browse. Some of us enjoyed the trivia and other “entertainment” on the wall TV in the restaurant area.

Not coming from a large metropolitan area, nor spending lots of time in one, I was pleased to see lots of individual restrooms that were all non-gender specific. I'm told lots of places in DC are like that. I wish more places would do that where I live (Western NY). I also liked that there was an extra hand washing sink (really a trough with several faucets) outside the restrooms. Great idea for those who just need to wash hands; thereby not tying up a restroom. OK...so it's everyday normal for most big city dwellers. But in case you are a visitor to the area like me, you will know what it's all about.

There is only one thing that I would like to note. My mom and I had asked for the Vegan Herb Bread to go with our orders. We both expected a bread...you know, soft. What came was like crackers. I liked those a lot, but just wanted to point that out so others would know what to expect.

Looking forward to trying the brunch which I’m told is awesome. And maybe I’ll have more time to work on the trivia...

Whew, this review was tough to write. I wanted to live Busboys & Poets, but it was November 12th, and it was NOT A SUNNY DAY FOR JUNE. (Pun intended).

How it started: I was so excited to visit B & P. I am an East Coast transplant and my colleague raved about this place. I was excited to try something new. I read the origin story, en route from VA and was expecting a really great brunch. Arrived and was greeted by the best painting of Prince. It's off to a good start. Shown to our table by Nesha, she was a sweetheart, cleaned off the table for us and we sat to peruse the menu. She told us our waiter would be over momentarily.

How it went: Eventually, June showed up and his energy was OFF. He very dryly approached and asked what we wanted? Just like that. It was so off-putting that I thought B&P was like Ed Debevics in Chicago where they are intentionally rude. I asked my friend if this was one of those places abs she said no. So when Nesha came back around, I mentioned it to her. After some small talk she told us that the restaurant was very busy they opened the extra section and maybe that's why the server was rude. We decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. When he came back we greeted him with smiles and placed our order. Shortly thereafter, our food arrived... now here's the kicker

We never got water Our creamer spilt when the coffee was delivered and was never replaced We cool pancakes with no butter or syrup (asked twice and was brought cold butter and to go syrup Asked for a to go container, it never arrived, we had to ask another employee Asked for our check and it took so long we decided to pack up our table and go to the front

How it ended: I wanted to love B&P. Sadly this visit was a complete miss for me. The food would bring me back, but being treated so poorly, nah. Mega asked how our meal was. June was standing right there, so I said ask him. He was smug, dismissive, and RUDE. PERIOD. Nesha apologized. She was probably the best part of the whole visit.

Pro tip: ask who your waiter is and if it's June, ask...

During my recent visit to Bus Boys & Poets Takoma Park I experienced a troubling incident that marred what could have been an enjoyable dining experience. As my husband and I came to retrieve our food from pick up as we normally do, the general manager Lewis displayed discriminatory behavior towards us. This included visibly different treatment based on race and gender. I stated to the General manager Lewis we always order here the same thing their must have been an error but I get potatoes and my husband get French fries . He stated well that’s your error not mines . I stated we come here almost daily this is a simple fix but he refused to help us. He insisted we order more food and there was nothing he can do.

I looked over the bar and a family was seated of another race as we spoke to the bar tender about changing the order and we don’t mind just paying for a set of French fries and I could over hear the young lady stating her food was wrong and the General Manager kindly took their food away from the table and brought out what she wanted before we even got ours . No problem at all for this family , not a nasty comment or attitude . The bar tender noticed and also stated he apologizes multiple times displaying empathy and I felt horrible because this means they may be getting treated badly as well as hosts and servers here of African American decent . “In my opinion”

Despite the initial promise of the restaurant's ambiance and menu, the atmosphere was overshadowed by this unsettling behavior. It's disappointing to see such attitudes in any establishment, especially one that prides itself on hospitality. This experience left a sour taste, overshadowing the otherwise decent service and food quality.

I hope the management takes proactive steps to address these issues, as no diner should feel unwelcome or unfairly treated based on...