Milk & Honey Southern Inspired Kitchen — Restaurant in Washington

Wait times. We were seated almost immediately upon arrival, but it took about 15 minutes for anyone to take our drink orders. Once our orders were taken, we placed our food orders simultaneously. A preponderance of the orders were appetizers, which arrived in a reasonable amount of time. The issue of time came when my meal, chicken and waffles did not come out for another 20 minutes. More specifically, my wife gently reminded our Milk and Honey associate that my order had yet to arrive. It was clear the order had yet to be placed.

Food Taste and Quality. Milk & Honey is a beautiful establishment, and customers seem drawn to the concept for a good reason. The menu is small enough to keep things consistent and the quality high, but that was not the case. We order the Deviled Eggs, Kale and Watermelon Salad, Braised and Spicy Kale, Crispy Smashed Potatoes, Cajun Seafood Pasta MKT, and the Chicken & Biscoff Waffle. We were excited about the promise of elevated southern food, but the order tasted bland and half-heartedly thrown together. The Deviled Eggs were extremely dry and lacked flavor. The Braised and Spicy Kale sat in a bath of flavorless broth with a few sprigs of kale floating in the middle. The Crispy Smashed Potatoes looked like the burned bits at the bottom of the fryer and had a horrible taste that could not be calmed with ranch dressing. The Cajun Seafood Pasta was ok. The pasta, shrimp/lobster was overcooked, but the sauce was balanced. The chicken and waffles were hard and nearly uneatable, and they almost did not arrive at the table. The saving grace of our order was the Kale and Watermelon Salad. The salad was well-dressed, and the watermelon cubes added a unique texture and taste.

Wait Staff. Milk and Honey is located in a trendy place on the Warf. Moreover, Milk and Honey is one of the few Black Owned establishments on the Warf, which adds to its appeal. That said, the restaurant is small, but it was filled with people during our visit. There appeared to be enough associates to manage the floor, and staff seemingly continued to arrive, but wait times persisted all around us. Our associate took our order and seemingly disappeared, only momentarily popping back up--in passing--to ask if things were ok. We were about 30 minutes into the meal before I could catch our associate to ask for another refill. It was easy to see that the bar was a popular gathering spot for the associates, but the customers did not appear to be their priority.

The Reason for the Low Rating. We expected Milk and Honey to be a dining experience, much like the other restaurants on the Warf we visited. I was surprised that there was a "No Show" charge, $25.00 per person, and you had to input your credit card information to complete your reservation. This was not a deal breaker, but it gave me a strange feeling about what to expect. Our bill was well over $100.00, which was not shocking...this is DC, but I did not expect what would happen next. When we flagged our associate down for the bill, it took several minutes, and when it arrived, there was an additional charge for Wings that we did not order. I addressed the matter with our associate, and she stated that it was a mistake, but she could not remove the wings and could take off one of the drinks on the bill. This was odd. I felt like Milk and Honey were scamming me, and IF I had not caught the "mistake" on the bill, I do not believe our associate would have had our best interest in mind. I tipped the associate 4x times the amount I felt they were trying to take--despite the below-average food quality, poor customer service, extended wait times, and poor reviews. Of note, there is nothing on Milk & Honey's menu that costs $4.00.

I would not recommend Milk and Honey to friends, and I would not consider holding an event there. I expected better and did not expect to feel like I had been taken...

Came to this location because I’d visited another location and thoroughly enjoyed myself service wise. This location, while the ambiance was stellar, the service from the bartenders leaves much to be desired and sadly was highly unprofessional. The bartender, (don’t know her name because she never mentioned it nor was I ever greeted by her or the male bartender with her) African American with beautiful locs was the epitome of unprofessional. Once I was able to get someone’s attention, I asked for a menu, the male bartender working in the well gave me a menu and never said a word. Finally, the other bartender came over and asked if she could get me a drink, while this interaction was short, her smile made me think, “ok this may not be too bad” I ordered a cocktail and when I asked for it spicy, she reassured me, with a slight chuckle, “I gotcha” so I thought, ok, this is going to be a good experience (bc I wasn’t sure at first) I then ordered the salmon and grits with a side of catfish. Finally, after quite a wait (I wasn’t tripping because the place was busy and again, I thought the bartender was going to make the experience worth it) the meal arrived and it appears to be shrimp and grits with andouille sausage with a side of catfish. The bartender attempts to serve me the food and I stated, “I ordered the salmon and grits…” before I could finish she states, “ok so you don’t want this?!?” I ATTEMPTED to express, “no. Also, does the salmon and grits come with the sausage because it doesn’t mention it” She stated, “it’s turkey sausage but I can have them take it off” all the while scoffing and walking away from me as if I offended her blood line by wanting the food I ORDERED. Whilst she continued to walk away, I was basically yelling across the bar to tell her, “I’m pescatarian so I don’t want the sausage at all but also is it cooked with a meat stock”. She was saying something illegible about legal do you want to do and this what you asked for, etc”

At that point I said it’s ok, I’m just going to have the piece of fish. And she states, “do you don’t want this?!?” NO I DONT. lol. I didn’t order that at all.

Finally a manager comes over all the while, the bartender is in the corner in customer sight dragging me to the other bartender loudly. THE AUDACITY. The manager comes over and attempts to problem solve. I stated, “I was trying to tell her that’s not what I ordered, I ordered salmon and grits and the menu doesn’t mention having sausage. I was also trying to ask her if there were other meat products in the dish as I have some food aversions.” While I’m talking to the manager, the bartender is still in plain view with the meal discussing me and it. She then comes over and basically lies and says, “she ordered this but now she don’t want it and I’m trying to get the kitchen to make it over…”

I was so appalled. I was smh to keep from matching her energy.

I told the manager this is highly unprofessional and if she’s going to be behind the bar, I will leave. No way I want that energy serving me anything. Let alone tip my monies to someone some unprofessional and nasty. The manager, while sweet and kind, don’t tell the young lady to refrain from talking, step away from the bar or anything!! APPALING! The manager mentioned something about there’s a butting to ring up the shrimp and grits and choose salmon and a way to ring up salmon and grits. NONE of which has anything to do with me and the egregious way in which I was treated and humiliated. Made to feel like I did something wrong because of a user error.

I might visit again, however, never if that bartender is there.

Unbelievable....

This is not just a review. This is a mirror. And what I see staring back at me hurts to the core.

I am a Black woman who came to support a Black-owned business today — and I walked out ashamed, disgusted, and heartbroken, not because of anything an outsider did to me, but because of what we do to ourselves.

There was one young woman working today — short, with blonde locks — who carried herself with dignity, professionalism, and kindness. She was a light in the middle of darkness. But one candle cannot light a house when everyone else is determined to sit in the dark.

The rest of the experience was disgraceful. We ordered cheesecake pancakes and were served something completely different — no explanation, no apology, no care. And sadly, the food was the least of the insult.

It was the attitudes. It was the snarled faces. It was the loud, aggressive tones. It was the energy of entitlement, bitterness, and laziness.

Our ancestors fought, bled, and died so we could have opportunities like these — and this is what we do with them? Back in the day, Black people worked together. Women helped each other. Men protected women. Children were raised to respect elders. Businesses were treated like treasures, not side hustles. Today, especially in DC, we are loud, angry, aggressive, trashy, and miserable to each other — and it shows.

You can’t even go to a library in DC without seeing it. You can’t go into a restaurant without feeling it. And the saddest part is: it’s not racism keeping us down anymore — it’s us.

I guarantee you people hate coming here not because it’s Black-owned, but because of the company — the attitudes — of so many of the African-Americans working here. Even other Black people feel uncomfortable because there’s no love, no pride, no peace in the room — just tension and rudeness waiting to explode.

There are two types of Black people, just like every race: those who carry themselves with pride and dignity, and those who live to disgrace everything our ancestors fought for. Right now, Milk & Honey is filled with the wrong type.

You are scaring off your own people. You are pushing away every customer who simply wanted to support you, love you, and celebrate you.

And you’re breaking the spirit of every Black person who still believes we are better than this.

Shame on you for letting this happen under your roof.

Shame on all of us who are too scared to call it out.

If you can’t build a business that honors who we could be — shut it down. Because right now, you are handing the world proof that we are not worthy of excellence — and I refuse to believe that’s true.

A business is like a child. Raise it with love, or don’t bring it into the world at all.

⸻

And let me leave you with this:

“When we stop loving each other, we stop surviving. Black excellence is built on Black love — respect, pride, discipline, and unity. Without it, we are nothing but a broken reflection of what we were...