Ivy City Smokehouse — Restaurant in Washington

Im posting late, but I was there May 26th...

I was torn between BBQ & Seafood after a not so great experience for seafood somewhere i won't mention the day before... Arrived here an was seated pretty quickly. Choice a seat on the patio because it was a beautiful day(at the moment ). Standby!! 🤪 Our server was young and I'll say maybe new. He didn't know the specials that were on the board that were posted on a huge chalkboard when hanging up in the inside. We reviewed them but just a glance as we were seated quick and of course being specials wrongly assumed the server would know them. Rather than go inside to find out what they were, or even take a quick snapshot he just said he wasn't really sure he thought what she was inquiring about was for a different day, so my friend went in an looked. Not really a big deal, but definitely an easy learning experience to improvement...don't let the customer leave the table to find out info to place an order.... Anyway... we ordered...from the special of the day😄 . Which was fresh crabcakes, and a side of asparagus, roasted potatoes and a Prosecco for me.... Beverages came our fairly quickly which was great because it was a lkte warm and i was a little parched...HOWEVER 😖Thats when things took a dramatic turn. The sky started switch from a beautiful sunny day to an an angry dark cloud that started to invade the beautiful ambiance that I was enjoying as I was halfway listening to the juicy tea from the other table. (I was totally becoming invested in someone's dramedy) Lost Focus..focus sorry. Our server proactively came out an said he thought we should go inside it was probably goin to rain and didn't want us to get caught in it. He grabbed out item from the table and I walked slow as I could trying hard to get a little more tea about the shady guy and bad date recap goin on at the other table.((. BTW They were kinda loud so I wasn't realllllly ear hustling )) I was overhearing 🧐😂 .. He got us inside and we beat the storm that came. The other tables server was closing the other table out so they weren't forgotten in the rain in case you're still with me...

The crab cakes were AMAZING not skimpy not tricky style with fillers, I did have a few extra more bits of shell than anticipated, but I was able to get rid of them and still keep it cute, my asparagus grilled to perfection. It was not limp or overcooked. It was tender flavorful and juicy. And the one potato I tasted was great...(watching the carbs summer is almost here)). The Maryland crabcakes were actually worth a 2nd order but it was just day 2 in town and I was just getting started so I used restraint...( was back again there 2 days later like I never left. no rain, friendly faces and an AMAZING salad with candied Walnuts, spring mix, I believe gorganzola cheese..Smoked to PERFECTION wings and deliciousness that they called mac n cheese.. it had what tasted like a bit of spicy pimento cheese in it giving an added kick. Only had a few bites but savored every one. And the lemonade was extremely refreshing and ice cold. Service from all was great. The wings.... I should have gotten an order to go. The smoked flavor an seasoning was soo soo good. I'll DEFINITELY return, the menu has a few more item on it with my name on it. I'll be back before the summer ends.

Lastly... weather permitted the rooftop is for sure a cute...

If this is what passes for Bib Gourmand on the Michelin Guide, then I mistrust their judgment. Not only is this place anything but affordable, the food was lackluster.

However, the place is advertised as a down-to-earth smokehouse/tavern but charges the prices and offers the portion sizes of its starred counterparts on the Michelin guide, while not even remotely offering the quality. The oyster po'boy had a tiny portion of the smallest, least fresh, most overcooked oysters I've ever seen. The coleslaw was bland, and the fries' consistency was more like they were boiled rather than fried (not to mention unsalted). The jambalaya was basically all rice and minimal seafood/meat even though it was $40 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), not to mention average-tasting at best. The hidden note at the bottom of the menu where they charge you 2.95% fee for credit cards and don't let you split checks is also not a good look.

The service was slow. We came at opening time when the place had very few people, but it took very long to get our food. I sat facing the kitchen, and noticed that both our appetizers and entrees sat on the counter waiting quite a while for the waitress to bring it (once because she was waiting on the bagels to be grilled, and once because she was busy talking to someone). The waitress was also somewhat unfriendly, albeit attentive, though since there weren't many people there, I can't give her too much credit for that.

I will say it wasn't all bad. The fish sampler platter is a decent price and was generally good. They sell fish in their market downstairs, and I might very well return for that whitefish salad as it is the only reason I gave this place higher than 1 star. The salmon candy cream cheese is worth getting as well, but- pro tip- is also sold at Costco at a more reasonable price/high quantity than the menu's. I do like that they grill their bread/bagels as it imparted a nice flavor.

Overall, I've had better food and better service at most sports bars in the DMV. I don't understand why Ivy City Smokehouse was honored on the Michelin Guide, though it's possible the inspector had a concussion or was completely drunk at the time. Either way, while I'm more than happy to purchase some of their salmon candy cream cheese or whitefish salad, I don't think I'll be returning to the restaurant again. Hopefully this place gets it together, as it does have the potential to be a great place to grab a meal and some drinks. For now, though, it seems to be yet another overrated DC haunt that is resting on...

The Ivy City Smokehouse is a moderately priced ($$) restaurant with an attached seafood market off Rhode Island Avenue in the Washington, DC area. They have market prices on lobsters, crab cakes (made fresh there) clams, etc.

This is an older building with an elevator (& stairway) access to the main entrance immediately to the right (up a slight incline) through the heavy steel doorway you push to go into the main dining area. The atmosphere can get boisterous at times since this building was a converted from an old factory & has a very high ceiling; especially on nights with live music.

Since I was in the mood for fish & chips & k? have heard that this is within the "Top Ten" places to go to have a Fish & Chips ($19) meal. Which I got with a glass of a dark, dry red wine ($12). My sister got a double patti burger with fries & my mom got the standard fish & chips. I try to minimize my fried foods so they allowed me to substitute their Fingerling Potatoes -- which were outstanding -- for their hand-made french fries. I tried the french fries from my sister's plate & they were nicely cooked, seasoned & prepared. We also tried two of their appetizers: fried calamari (squid) & grilled wings & legs. I rated the place 4/5 stars because the calamari was cold -- probably done before the wings -- & chewy (overcooked?). The wings were flavorful -- would get again. Each came with their own dipping sauces which (2/5 stars) & watery as heck. If you are going to have dipping sauces for your menu items the sauce SHOULD STICK & NOT DRIP off the food item you're eating! The tarter sauce that came with my meal was fresh made there (I think, it was their version of).

Ice City Smokehouse also has a great uncovered outdoor patio that is open to the sky. This comes complete with an outdoor full service bar. When used for main events. They might have a overhead cover they set up when necessary.

I will be patronizing this place...