Old Ebbitt Grill — Restaurant in Washington

The oldest operating restaurant in Washington DC has gluten-free options! Old Ebbitt Grill opened in 1856 as Washington DC's first saloon. In 1920 it moved to its current location across the street from the White House.

This was my second time to this restaurant. We had a party of 4 for a post-graduation dinner.

GLUTEN - FREE

Old Ebbitt Grill does have a marked menu but still tell your server if you have Celiac disease like me. I told my waiter and he said that although the the salmon is marked "gluten-free," that's a misprint on their new menus. That's so dangerous but it's also a reminder yet again to trust nothing and advocate for yourself.

FOOD

This place gives you water in a carafe to serve yourself. Every time we got a new carafe, the water was straight up warm. I know Europeans visit DC and they don't like ice, but why serve warm water on top of the no ice?

What we ordered that is marked gluten-free on the menu (prices do not includ tax or gratuity.)

Leidy's Duroc Pork Chop $34.99 16-oz. rib chop, bacon-braised Swiss chard, cheddar grits soufflé, charred scallion-caper vinaigrette. (The grits soufflé tastes like cornbread. The dish was fine, a bit dry, but I prefer the pork chop at Perry's Steakhouse.)

My husband and I both ordered the same dish, the pork chop, which is marked gluten-free on the menu. Mine came out with a bamboo allergy marker on it.

Linz Heritage Angus Ribeye $55.99 16oz boneless steak, bordelaise, roasted fingerling potatoes, charred asparagus, bearnaise butter.

1/2 Dozen Mix & Match Oysters. $22.99 Served with cocktail sauce & classic mignonette. (This also came with a bag of gluten oyster crackers on top, so make sure to tell your server no gluten garnishes.)

Gluten-free Bread. $1.99 If you ask for gluten-free bread when the complimentary bread comes out, your gluten-free bread roll will be $1.99 upcharge.

AMBIANCE

Unfortunately we were sat in the atrium which was incredibly hot and the table water was lukewarm. I wanted to leave to go somewhere cooler the whole meal. I was annoyed the second they seated us there because you're basically in the enclosed lobby of an empty office building. Part of the experience is sitting in the Victorian dining room. If I had known they were going to seat us in the atrium, which I didn't even know was an option, I would have cancelled my reservation.

The dining room, although loud, is much nicer and decorated in a Victorian style with real gas lamps. Make sure to indicate on your reservation (which we had) for which room you'd like to sit in (which we hadn't.)

My husband was annoyed because someone's wandering toddler kept coming up to our table and getting in the way of staff. There were also children on phones and iPads watching cartoons without headphones. This should not be allowed and management needs to tell parents that their children need to be seated and no they can't play media without headphones. It's ridiculous that this is even allowed at this type of restaurant.

Overall, I wish we would have cancelled our reservation. Between the hot atrium and warm water, the annoying kids, gluten-free misprints on the menu, and just okay taste, all four of us said the dinner was...

I came to Washington DC over the summer to tour and see what this place was all about. In the process of figuring out where I wanted to eat, an early frontrunner was of course the Old Ebbitt Grill. This place is one of the oldest eateries in town, and one of the most famous. I mean, over 15,000 reviews? That's rare. Definitely had to check this place out.

When you enter this place, you're automatically enveloped in luxury. Elaborate booths and chair with green, velvety upholstery. Gas burning lamps as your lighting on the columns and the corners everywhere. Beautiful, huge, patriotic paintings on every inch of wall where there weren't already mirrors. Just lovely.

Speaking of just lovely, the service was just lovely, as well. We had a guy who made us feel like we were his only table. He was really good. He was also really good at sneakily asking us if we wanted to add on something to our meal, looking for the yes, but not warning us of the upcharge. I'm sure the normal richie riches don't have a problem with that, but for us normies, just be careful.

They make a really big deal about their oysters, so I couldn't not order some. I ordered the Oysters Rockefeller (spinach, watercress, garlic-herb butter, Parmesan). These were nice an big, spinachy, buttery, and cheesy. Basically perfect. We slurped them right down. Delicious.

For my entrée, I had the Duroc Pork Chop (roasted sweet potato, bacon braised collard greens, caramelized apples, apple-mustard glaze). I was promised an upper-class pork chop, and I got it. Perfectly cooked, very moist and juicy. Looking back, I think my pork chop had different side items, but either way, I was very happy. Best chop I've had in a longg time.

I also got to try the Bacon-Horseradish Glazed Meatloaf (whipped Yukon gold potatoes, Swiss chard, cremini mushrooms, bordelaise). Also very good. Obviously, if it wasn't good, it wouldn't be on the menu. Beautifully cooked meatloaf, accompanied by a very high quality mash, very fresh chard, everything just meshed very nicely.

We ended the lunch with the Salted Caramel Bread Pudding (vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce). Decadent. A very well saturated bread pulling, a good salt ratio all throughout, and it was very warm, so that cold vanilla ice cream on top was like a ticking time bomb of hurry up and eat this. So fun. So good.

Overall. this place lived up to the hype. The service was good, the atmosphere was on point, and the food was high quality. I will definitely come...

I’d give them six stars if there was an option. Sadie’s bartending skills were off the hook, just like the aesthetically pleasing coat hangers placed immaculately throughout the restaurant which perfectly coincides with the overall ambiance of that incredible historic restaurant, #vibes. Money Mo Maurico (I hope that’s how you spell it 😅), make’s espresso Martinis to die for, he always slings them drinks down my gullet, in the most professional way as possible. Bartender Todd remembered me after only one visit, Gonzo, Margaret Anne, Jodeci, Mike Peters, Matt, Andrea, they know how to make you feel right at home. Two bartenders there are also great and you can tell this isn’t their first rodeo, but they like the cowgirls so I’m not sure what happened to them but they are all exceptional nevertheless. Service is always top notch, when I do decide to have a bit more of a formal experience, either with a friend in town, a few of my buddies, or even by myself, that standard never changes. Tutu, Gabby, Candace, Eric, Jenny, Fabian, Mike, Johnny, Remy, Roberto, Halle, Angie, Linda, Justin, Kurt, Kurtis with a K yes (oh yes it is indeed with a K I asked for proof, just joking around, that I’d came out so quick I will never question the spelling of someone’s name again), Phillip, there is a gentleman who kind of looks like master splinter I believe his name is Ross but he is always a character, those are just to name a few, but I can not recount the last time service at that restaurant was anything less that extraordinary. It’s difficult to put in words how exemplary of an establishment this is. As busy as they are you can tell they are all professionals. The management is obviously very well tenured as the restaurant seems to always flow smoothly. Even though my father is a born and raised Washingtonian, he had never been to Old Ebbit Grill, and he loves oysters, his experience with oysters has been based around the wharf, so of course when I got the opportunity to take him out there because the Old Ebbit Grill is a whole new ball game. He got oysters every way you can get them, Raw (always freshly shucked to order), Fried, Rockefeller, (They can steam them as well but that is a path I do not recommend venturing on, as they are far from clam strips.) 6/5 stars keep it going Old Ebbit and Cheers to 2056!...