Immigrant Food at The White House — Restaurant in Washington

TLDR: Excellent, creative fusion food in a casual setting. A little pricey.

Located one block from the White House, Immigrant Food celebrates America’s diversity through creative fusion fare. Chef Enrique creates culinary representations of America’s unique mix of global cultures and cuisines.

I sat outside underneath a red and cream colored umbrella. There were multicolored rugs underneath the tables and different flowers and palms decorating the seating area. The tables outside had QR codes so that I could seat myself outside, order, and pay all from my phone.

I ordered the Old Saigon Sandwich which was made up of adobo chicken, an Asian cabbage slaw, chile garlic mayo, and Asian dressing on a toasted baguette. The bread had a nice crisp crust with soft and fluffy crumb. The sandwich was flavorful, filling, and fresh. I enjoyed that it had a hint of spice, although I would’ve been happy with it being more spicy. To drink, I had the Agua de Jamaica: a traditional Latin American iced tea made of Hibiscus flowers. It was very refreshing and balanced out the spice in the sandwich nicely.

The food runners were accommodating and my food came out quickly. Sitting outside did get to be a bit loud since there was a building under construction across the street and you’re only a few feet away from the road. It was pricey given how much food you get, but I’d still come back to try their other foods, as the food was creative and tasty.

Overall, this is an excellent establishment and I’d definitely suggest coming here- especially if you don’t have to find and pay for parking!

“Immigrants make America great again… and again… and again… and again.”

@chiarascrumbs...

I was really excited to eat at this spot this past Sunday but the lack of communication is the reason why this isn’t a 5/5. My party and I went to brunch on Sunday and ordered the Old Saigon Sandwich, Shakshuka with arepas, and the Zucchini Greek bowl.

1. Someone in my group couldn’t have the labneh and asked the waiter if it was possible to not add it or have it on side. They said it wasn’t possible since it’s mixed and that was okay with us but then we heard the servers in Spanish talk about our table saying “I just don’t understand why she doesn’t order it, she just wants a salad” and proceeds to laugh right behind us. It just felt like we were being difficult or had high demands when we just wanted to see if some flexibility was possible due to my friends dietary restrictions. In the end, they brought us the bowl without the labneh and we were thankful.

2. the Shakshuka with arepas My friend and I ordered this and when it came out it with pita bread instead of the arepas. Apparently, they didn’t have the arepas available. The pita bread was still good, but I would’ve appreciated being made aware of this substitution beforehand. I was caught off guard and not in a good way.

I know there’s plenty of reasons as to why my first experience was the way it was but I hope it can be better as I would still return. I really loved the atmosphere and the staff seemed very friendly minus the ones talking in Spanish behind...

This restaurant has the right idea but they mess it all up with surcharges and small portions. The flavors are there, maybe a couple of details like cold plantains on a hot meal, but the turnoff with extra charges and small portions are just too steep to ignore.

The food is great, authentic and a lot of variety with a full meal portion that will leave you hungry. Just not enough there, really small portions. Then the surcharges, omg, the extra charges are outrageous. They will add a 5% on your bill for a wellness charge. We are from out of town so we asked what the charge was, the waiter told us it was since the pandemic a city charge thing for restaurants. After we left we inquired a little as we had eaten at multiple restaurants in the area and never paid this fee. Well, it’s not a city thing, it’s a restaurant thing hiding their extra fees so they can lure you in with apparently “reasonable” prices.

Then there is the 20% mandatory gratuity joke for groups of 4 or more. So pretty much every family or friends that come here will get charged an extra 20% for small portions and regular service.

All in all, not a good experience. We will not be back. The price we paid here surpasses many local restaurants with WAY better food, ambience and service.

Do yourself a favor and skip this place. At least until they get their act together. Shame because their food is really good, just not...