Maketto — Restaurant in Washington

I'll start by saying that the food is tasty, albeit pretty expensive for the portions.

But the real reason I gave the place 2 stars is because of two things, one the restaurant has complete control over, and one the restaurant chose to do nothing about.

The ordering system was designed (poorly) for the height of covid. Everyone scans the QR code and can review the menu from their phone, and order from their phone. But then that means everyone at the table has to set up their own payments, and it really just makes dining as a family more difficult, no option for communally ordering for the whole table and paying at the end. And, cause it's 2021 and people think they are justified charging for everything, this system that makes life more difficult charges a fee for every item ordered, and then gratuity is automatically included on the bill. So in practice you are charged a fee to use a system that removes the waiter from the dining experience, and then you are forced to give a set tip to the servers that have done the bare minimum of service. Frankly, I think this practice hurts the waiters, everyone I know has been tipping above and beyond as a recognition of covid. But when there is mandatory gratuity (which really should just be factored into the price of the food so as to not be purposefully deceiving), it takes away my incentive to leave what would have been a larger tip. Our waiter did his best impression of a pre-covid server and that was very much appreciated, and with that effort he should have been given the opportunity to get a bigger tip, but the restaurant wants to try to sneak charges in instead. The ordering system is a huge detraction from the dining experience, and dining out is as much about the food as the experience. Hopefully Maketto will realize this soon.

Second was an incident that occurred which was beyond Maketto's ability to control, but their reaction to it was not.

A homeless man, who appeared to be mentally unstable came into the restaurant demanding shoes. The staff allowed him to have free reign for minutes, and only when he got within two feet of our table did one member of the staff actually step up and do more than threaten to call the police. It was a difficult situation, I acknowledge that, but there were numerous staff members who walked away, and left their customers exposed. I had to be ready to protect the members of my family cause the restaurant was not going to do anything with the angry and increasingly aggressive homeless person. All of that situation was difficult, and I was disappointed the staff did not react better, but I do know it is not a situation that they were likely trained for. Still, poorly executed by them. However, where they truly failed in their service was after the homeless man made his way out of the restaurant. There was no acknowledgement from the staff, no apology, no checking in on their customers to make sure they were okay or remained satisfied with their dining experience. The term "service industry" did not apply that night, and the premium we paid for the privilege of going out to dinner was not worth the experience. I hope management/ownership reviews the circumstances and improves the dining experience for future customers, because the place and people seem otherwise great. But as it is, I have no desire to go back and cannot recommend the...

I’m so glad we came across the DC episode of Somebody Feed Phil just a couple of weeks before our trip. This is my husband’s first visit to the city. Although it’s my 3rd, my 1st visit was almost 30 years ago and my recent 2nd visit was for a short conference and everything was arranged so it did not count. We had no idea where we would eat until we watched the episode. Maketto was one of the places featured. It looked good and a reservation was made!

It was very easy for us to reach the restaurant in the H Street NE neighbourhood via Metro Rail and the DC Streetcar from The Mall.

After spending an entire day walking the length of The Mall and visiting the Capitol and the National Gallery of Art, we were eager for a nice and leisure dinner so we opted for a table in the courtyard near the back of the restaurant. We felt relaxed as soon as we sat down. Our server José was extremely helpful providing us recommendations. Someone who I think is the owner came by more than a few times, too.

We ordered:

Crispy Gruyère Dumplings, Cambodian Noodle Salad with Pork, Cambodian Style Pho with Chicken, and Drunken Shrimp Fried Rice

Did we order too much? YES! But did I regret it? NO because they were soooo good.

First came the gooey cheesy dumpings. They were perfectly paired with a spicy chunky beef sauce. José told us it’s the same sauce they use for the Spicy Beef and Rice Bowl (topped with a fired egg). I could eat that every day.

Then it was a fried rice. When we saw the portion, we knew we would be in trouble. The aroma and flavour were so addictive that we stopped ourselves from consuming the whole dish to make room for the rest of our order and I’m glad we did.

The noodle salad was refreshing. The soup base of the pho was light with a slight tang but also rich in flavour. Both had very generous portions of their respective protein. I’m glad there was a good balance of dark and white meats in the pho and the white meats were very tender.

We packed the rest of the noodle salad and fried rice to go. I tried to finish the pho but my gut was already sticking out an inch further than half an hour before so I stopped.

I’m looking at the leftover fried rice in the hotel room now and I think I’m...

Due to the hype surrounding this restaurant, I decided to try it during Winter 2024 Restaurant Week since it was a good deal. When I walked into the restaurant however, the vibes were instantly off. I was directed to seat myself. Once I turned around to sit down, I heard the FOH staff who told me to find a seat, a young woman, start muttering something I could not hear. I turned around only to find the other FOH staff, another young woman, giving me a dirty and rude look. I brushed this off since I just wanted to focus on my upcoming meal so that their rude behavior did not ruin my meal.

Unfortunately, things did not get better since the first FOH staff spoke to me in a condescending tone regarding using the QR code to order and to pay. It's 2024. I know how to use a QR code. It isn't rocket science. Oh well. At least she read off the menu and pointed out things that were new for just restaurant week. But she disappeared after that and so I had no other opportunity to inquire about things on the menu before ordering based on my gut. How I was treated was vastly different from how she treated another customer who came in like 5 mins after me: she was pleasant and extremely helpful. Quite interesting.

For the food, I ordered the Taiwanese Chicken Salad. It was delicious and quite filling for a starter. The only negative was that the fish sauce was too much and so, it was quite salty and literally ruined my hard palate. But, I finished it because it was that tasty. Next, I got Pork Lo Mein. This was quite oily and not as flavorful as I expected it to be. Unsure if the saltiness of the Taiwanese Chicken Salad clouded my taste buds. But, I would not recommend. For dessert, I had the mochi beignets and they were just okay. I should have ordered the apple almond cake instead.

Overall, my experience at Maketto was tainted by the FOH staff members attitude and customer service. Perhaps, the owners are aware of this and so that's why an automatic gratuity is included. It's as if they know that customers would be unlikely to tip their rude, inconsiderate waiters. Your FOH staff should be better trained on how not to gossip about their customers right in...