Busboys and Poets — Restaurant in Washington

Its unfortunate I have to write a bad review, but it's not all bad. Giving 5 service stars solely for Brads excellent customer service.

On 3/20/24 at around 8:30am I visited this location. I was excited as this is the first Busboys and Poets location. When I walked in, noticing two employees standing behind the front desk, I greeted both of them with a Good Morning and a smile. Both of them blankly stared at me. As it was 8:30am, I knew the business was open so I was confused by the blank expression. There was one other customer in the establishment who was already started on the morning coffee.

I asked if I could get a table, they turned and said you can sit anywhere. Then they asked if I wanted a virtual or physical menu, I chose the physical and sat down. I was quickly greeted by Brad who was very friendly and attentive in trying to salvage the experience of the two employees prior. Brad was very knowledgeable of the menu and was able to answer all questions, even providing some tips on how to get the tea steeped just right.

Now as I awaited my breakfast, I noticed the cold treatment I received from the two employees was not just for me, it was for each customer that came in after me. One person walked in, greeted the staff to which they were met with a blank expression and she sat down without being offered a menu. Brad noticed and quickly remedied the situation by obtaining a menu for the customer. Two other individuals entered waiting at the front as the two employees had retreated behind the bar noticing the individuals at the front but not moving to help them. Brad then met these customers and all the ones after them at the front with a good morning and welcomed them into the restaurant. Honestly, outside of cooking the food Brad was doing everything else from serving to working the front greeting/seating people despite there being two other employees there. If it was not for Brads excellent service, I would not have come back to this establishment.

I am a long time fan of this establishment as I have been to many of the other location, but as I mentioned this was my very first time here. If Brad is going to continue being put in a position to make up for the lack of customer service of two other employees he definitely should be compensated for that. I hope when I return to this location in the coming weeks there are employees at the front that are welcoming and friendly to all customers coming into this...

Y'all - stop 🛑 the presses this place is AMAZING!!!! I MEAN IT!!! My husband got the Egg and Cheese burger, my daughter and I got Shrimp and Grits, her friend got French Toast and our nephew got Red Beans and Rice and the Vegan Scramble. We ALL enjoyed our meals!!!! The service was impeccable and they have a bookstore with a great selection. I was able to purchase a book I've been wanting for awhile. Don't hesitate to visit this place and support them with your business. You ABSOLUTELY will not be disappointed. The vibe is beyond cool and the food is even better. Bless yourself with this experience if you're ever in the DC area. You're more than welcome for the recommendation!!!!!

Update: (Late August 2023) - Visited this location while dropping our daughter back off at college. This was a must stop while we were making a "mad dash" to the airport. I missed it on our last visit to the area and wasn't going to do that again this trip. We ordered ahead to avoid waiting because time was of the essence. When we arrived the order wasn't ready. We took the time to peruse the book store and make a couple of purchases. We continued to wait and after a while I approached them and explained we'd ordered ahead and needed to get going.

Finally our order arrived and we were off. Our bill was a little over $60 for two orders of Shrimp and Grits which I don't remember paying that much on our last visit. It's my favorite so I went on and paid it. The issue is while at the airport walking to our gate the food fell out of the bag they provided and onto the ground. The packaging they used for the "To Go" order was flimsy and soaked through the paper bag breaking the bag and spilling the contents everywhere. This broke my heart ❤ and I was really upset 😡 because not only did I waste my money but my husband and I had our mouths all ready for this food and it was completely wasted in a disaster of a fail to correctly package our order. To add insult to injury they charged extra for the "eco friendly" packaging that was a total joke. Extremely disappointed in the experience all the way around. Sadly, I have to adjust my rating to reflect such a...

This restaurant was recommended to me by a friend, and I'm glad I indulged while I was visiting DC.

To start off, the atmosphere was really chill, kind of gave off a Beatnik vibe. There are a lot of great artworks hanging in the restaurant that added to the presence, which many are for sale. They also have a bookstore in the front part of the restaurant, and they host an open mic for poets on certain days.

The lunch/dinner menu selection is modest, and I believe their specialty is more seafood based, I ended up ordering the fried chicken plate which comes with one or two fried chicken breasts, your choice, mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy and collard greens.

The food came out quickly and was at a good temperature, not super hot, and not cold, right in-between. The chicken was excellent, great flavor, good seasoning, and done to perfection. The breast was boneless, all meat, so no need to pick around any bones. The mashed potatoes had a good texture, nice flavor, and were complimented by the light mushroom gravy, which itself had good flavor. The collards were flavorful, but I would have preferred them cooked just a little more, they were slightly hard in texture, but not overly so. I also would have liked some garnishment on the side for the greens like tomatoes, onions, and some vinegar, this doesn't make or break them without, it's a preference.

So, unfortunately, my server wasn't the greatest, which is the reason for only four stars. She was very detached, not super friendly or engaging, and she didn't even check on me during the course of the meal. I had ordered a mango juice at the beginning of the meal and she completely forgot about it until the table next to me ordered a juice as well and she finally brought it out, by then I was almost done with what I was eating. On top of that, the juice was super warm, and was served with no ice, I'm not sure if that's common practice, but she didn't even bother to ask.

All in all a great spot for anyone looking for some good food, and a...