Gemini — Wine Shop + Dinner — Restaurant in Washington

I was a bit confused about what this restaurant actually is but I’m also not a wine bar kind of person so I plead ignorance 🤪 Anyway I felt I had to do my public duty and report. I came here for dinner for two on a Wednesday night because I read that it made the Washingtonian top 100 list this year. First off, let me say that a prerequisite for coming here is that you be between the ages of 20-35 and very hip. Lol. JK but kind of not. Secondly, that you be willing to wait in line for fabulous food and service, and thirdly that you be willing to be very uncomfortable because you’ll be squished and or standing. But Of course you are! You are young and strong. You don’t need to sit. Sitting is for the weak…be advised, The food is NOT basic. It’s very creative and fresh and yummy and comes out quick. My favorite thing that I ate was surprisingly the fava been with the whipped roe thing. We didn’t have a lick of meat, there were two of us, and we were absolutely stuffed which is saying a lot because my idea of purgatory is vegetarian.

Anyway, so that you know what to expect - on the night that we came, there was a non-stop long lineup for icecream outside for two hours. There are hooks to hang your bike helmet or coat and knapsack- my saving grace.

There are 2 tiny little standing tables inside enough for about 6 people to stand and eat dinner, and outside there are about 4 little tables for sitting to have wine or dinner but they are dinky. The menu is fabulous and priced accordingly (ie. Not cheap). Including tip and tax, we paid $55 each (110 total), and we each had a glass of wine and shared 5 appetizers, plus had leftovers. The serving staff are very friendly and kind and patient with the hordes of people (seriously standing room only and so crowded). Do NOT come here for a cozy quiet night. DO come here if you want a unique, vibey kind of urban young hip experience with creative food.

The interesting thing about the wine is that you either buy it by the full bottle or you drink the only thing that they are pouring. When we were there, it was some sort of fizzy rose type of red, that was chilled and was very good. I forget the name of it. Would I return? Probably not unless I lived in the neighborhood. Do I regret my experience? Not at all.

But I just thought it would be nice to tell the public what to expect since their info is kind of cryptic - not really their fault. I think it’s cause the wine bar dinner idea is a different/unique kind of concept. You have to be willing to subject yourself to pain and restriction😂all in the name of good taste. All this to say, this is probably the one an only time in my life that I will pay for a $50 dinner and eat it standing up and not be mad lol. Really. I’m not mad!!

Oh and the menu- you also have to be prepared to feel like a creeper if you want to see the menu cause you have to stand in line and wait your turn to talk to the order taker person so that she can explain the menu to you. So we creeeped while we were in line and took photos of the menu so we could contemplate while waiting. Guys the line did not let up the...

The concept of a restaurant has existed since ancient times. Recent archaeological discoveries at Pompeii revealed a communal diner, a ‘thermopolium’ under the ashes and lava. The oldest restaurant still in existence is St. Peter Stiftskulinarium in Salzburg, Austria dating back to 802; though the oldest continuously operating dining establishment is Restaurante Botin in Madrid, Spain, having served customers since 1725.

What do all of these establishments have in common? Chairs. Chairs for their guests to sit at and eat their meal.

But not Gemini. They’re different. And if you question it you’re the idiot. When asked if this is the whole dining section here and if it is standing only, the bartender/ice cream scooper/cashier looked at me as if I had asked her what year it is. As if it was completely ordinary for people to be eating full meals squeezed into the front half of a storefront, while seemingly the entire back area behind the counter is available but being used for god knows what.

Parties are left to crowd around at the end of the counter, split two high top tables among 6 people, or scope out and capture ideal territory in the window— a spectacle I witnessed as one party vacated the area and three others picked up camp to attempt to occupy the nook, much to the wait staffs’ clueless astonishment and eye-rolling.

All with no chairs. Anyone with any mobility issues would be humiliated were they to have the misfortune of attempting to dine here.

Did you know that pasta is only an inside- (and standing-) only dish? If you want to sit outside you must forego the delicious yet insultingly portioned selection of fresh pastas.

The strangest part is, we experienced Gemini as it was designed to be. We arrived before the rush and did not have to wait long for a spot or our food like other reviewers. It went exactly as well as the creators had hoped for. The food and wine were excellent! And yet I’m walking away confused, upset, and above all in awe of the arrogance of the foh as they act like all of this is normal, and that you, the guest are being weird by being at all phased by the enigmatic, unpleasant set up.

Three stars. Go for scoops on a weekday,...

Please stop telling people you’ll take their money but won’t make their food until they can successfully fight for a spot in your too small eating area. It’s a gut punch of a feeling to hear that after waiting in line for over an hour and seeing how much open space is unused behind the counter.

This is a huge service experience miss that is only happening because you’re trying to do too many things at once.

Do you want to be a bottle shop, a wine bar, a restaurant, or an ice cream place?

As a bottle shop, it makes sense that you’d reserve half your interior for fulfilling online bottle orders, but it looks like you’re forcing ‘packed trendy bar’ vibes when your front half is overfilled but 60% of the space is empty.

As a wine bar, it makes sense that you’d spend 5+ min per group telling them about all the wines, but it’s a crappy experience for everyone who just wants food. Why not have a wine service line and a food service line? Or at least more than one bartender.

As a restaurant, it makes sense you’d want to make sure everyone has a space to eat, but why allow non-diners to drink inside then? There’s a ton of outdoor seating I would’ve happily used if I could have ordered food and dined outside too.

As an ice cream shop, it makes sense you’d want to wrap up eventually, but it seems like you’d want to time that to coincide with after everyone inside has left. It was an awkward end to the night to leave and pop into yet another long line for the ice cream stand out front only to be told the stand was closed and we needed to beat it.

The food was good. Please don’t let weird service design...