Cane — Restaurant in Washington

Food is a solid 5-star! Unique taste of the Caribbean, the jerk chicken wings are a must-order, so as the fried Snapper even at $49, and the brisket & ox tail stew too. Finger-licking good!

Unfortunately, waiting staff was not trained on food allergies, nor do they know some basic allergenic food ingredients are in certain menu items.

Same as already reported by another reviewers 5 months (now I just read it after I got home as I feel compelled to give other foodies and potential patrons heads-up): this restaurant pays fair wages & benefits, so they added the 20% Service Fee. It was automatic and printed on the very very bottom of the itemized receipt not the signature page. When I asked the waitress, it was not clearly explained whether they get to keep those or not. “Do you guys get to keep these as tips?” She pointed at the ceiling saying “it’s to pay for all these.” (Eh? Electricity cost or what?) So I asked politely with a clarifying question more specifically whether tips should be added, then I got a classic DC non-answer like a politician! Come on! Really? The reply was “it’s explained there.”

Why do I have to beg for an answer while servers/waitresses/waiters are supposed to be either upfront about those charges and be honest and transparent about tipping. I tip good everywhere I go when services and food are great, so I was guilted into tipping even knowing it will skew the cost way up like what the other reviewers said.

Anyways, just a little silly or an unnecessary “feel taken advantage of” moment to wrap up my evening despite scoring a wonderful dining experience with family and friend. So be warned: tips are technically included into the “Service Fee” that is per the owner as waiting staff and kitchen staff both get to share them. Owner of this restaurant should either print “optional” next to the Tip line or require the waiting staff explain clearly in a gracious manner to the patrons when bringing the check. Not ok to give patrons a hard time or a non-answer to answer a simple question. Again, I apologize to have to leave a 3 stars review, food is 5-star, tactic around tipping is unethically 0-star. So I rounded up to a 3-star review as a courtesy.

Updated after discussing with restaurant owner on 11/27/2022 I've revised my rating from 3-star to 4-star as the owner Andru did genuinely apologize for the new staff's behaviors and acknowledge the training gap and actions needed to make the "20% Service Fee VS Tips" better understood. They didn't mean to trick or cause frustrations upon customers. I felt the sincerity and accepted the actions taken to right the wrong, not even about the money but about fairness. I trust that this will be remediated for the betterment of future patrons too. So yes, the accountability demonstrated by the owner definitely earned them back another star and my respect. ...

We’ve been here twice so far and it’s been great both times.

TL;DR - great food, long wait times after 6, oxtail sells out frequently, the chutneys are good but everything already has so much flavor you really don’t need them.

First though, if you come anytime after 6 be prepared for a pretty long wait time, they don’t take reservations and it can be anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour.

The space is really small, and a bit cramped but it’s got a hole in the wall kind of atmosphere. You end up a little smushed against other customers but not so much that you’d be touching. The noise level is pretty loud, but not shouting level.

The food: we haven’t had something we didn’t like off the menu yet.

Oxtail: very tender, fairly flavorful, and falls off the bones. This sells out pretty often later in the night so come earlier if you want to try it! Has a good amount of fat on it though, so if you’re not a big fan of that probably not for you.

Crispy Kale: delicious mix of texture and flavors, the kale really is very crispy, reminiscent of the teas tire of dried seaweed without the chewiness. There are bugs of corn in here than are hard and crunchy and you don’t really get the strong flavor of kale at all. Great side to mellow out the heaviness of the butter and oxtail.

Hops: the bread itself is nothing amazing, a bit dry and cold - but the butter is unique. Has a smokey flavor that really gives it its own flavor as opposed to just plain butter, I liked it, my other half not so much so to each their own! It’s on the saltier side.

Eggplant choka: pretty good, nothing astounding, it was an eggplant purée with onions, was good to top on the hops and as a different taste to cut away from the heaviness of some of the other flavors.

Omnivore box: so good! All the components were super flavorful and the meat was very tender. We got beef and lamb and both were cooked really well. This was the first thing we tried from this restaurant and solidified our desire to come back a second time. We also got this with the chutneys but honestly everything had so many flavors already it wasn’t completely necessary but still helped to...

After searching for a high-quality dining experience in DC, we landed on Cane--a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant. As Caribbean natives, we were excited to see a Caribbean spot earn that recognition, especially after several days in DC craving food with real flavor.

We had read mixed reviews ahead of time, with common complaints about portion sizes and a lack of authentic seasoning. We were also a bit wary of the automatic 20% front-of-house service charge added to the bill. Still, we decided to give it a try.

The space itself is cozy and inviting--definitely has that modern "hole-in-the-wall" charm with a good vibe.

Starters: We ordered the Geera Pork Belly, Jerk Chicken Wings, and Chinese 5-Spice Chicken. All three dishes were well-cooked and tender, but none delivered the bold, layered flavors we expected from true Caribbean food. The spices were muted, and the dishes lacked the punch and depth you usually find back home.

Mains: We had the Escovitch Fish and Paratha. The fish was seasoned, but it didn't come close to what you'd expect from escovitch--no vinegar tang, no pickled pepper zest, none of that signature zing. The paratha also missed the mark entirely; it didn't resemble traditional paratha in texture or flavor.

Drinks & Dessert: The Trinidad Rum Sour was far too bitter and unbalanced. For dessert, we took away a currant roll, which unfortunately was dry and inedible.

Pricing: Cane is overpriced for what you get, especially once the 20% front-of-house fee is tacked on. The portion sizes and lack of authentic flavor just don’t justify the high cost—especially the escovitch, which felt like the worst value of the night.

Service: Service was indifferent—not rude, but not warm or memorable either.

Final Thoughts: If you’ve never had authentic Caribbean food, you might find Cane enjoyable for the ambiance and presentation. But for anyone who actually grew up with those flavors, it’s more style than substance. The food is Caribbean-inspired, not Caribbean-rooted—and definitely not worth...