Peacock Café — Restaurant in Washington

I am writing to formally express my deep dissatisfaction following a recent dining experience at Peacock Café in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. On July 11th, 2025, I dined at your establishment and ordered the Chandon Spritz, Caesar Salad, and Crab Cake with fries. While the culinary quality was commendable, the overall experience was marred by a serious lapse in sanitation and an equally troubling disregard for customer care.

During my meal, I witnessed a live centipede crawling across the table where I was actively eating. Understandably disturbed, I immediately brought this to the attention of our server, who reacted with visible shock and summoned another staff member. A second waiter arrived to relocate us to another table—an appropriate initial step, but unfortunately, this is where the service and accountability ended.

What followed was not only disappointing, but entirely unacceptable: despite the unsanitary and health-compromising nature of the incident, I was still presented with the full bill, without so much as a verbal apology or acknowledgment of the event’s seriousness. Upon requesting to speak with a manager, I was greeted by an individual identifying himself as "Hussein." I explained the situation to him directly, only to receive a dismissive and frankly insulting response: “This is how D.C. is sometimes. We have bugs around the city. Another customer came in with a mosquito from outside.”

This comment was wholly irrelevant, inappropriate, and demonstrated a lack of professionalism and customer care. Comparing the presence of a centipede crawling on my dining table to a mosquito entering the premises with another guest shows a clear misunderstanding of the gravity of the issue.

The presence of such pests in a dining environment is not only a serious health code violation but also a breach of the basic standards of hygiene and service that any customer—especially one visiting your establishment for the first time—should expect. To be told, “Let me know next time you come in,” as if this incident were a minor inconvenience, is a gross understatement of the matter at hand.

This experience was not only unacceptable but also deeply disappointing. I would expect, at minimum, a formal apology and an acknowledgment of the seriousness of this issue. Further, I strongly encourage immediate steps to ensure sanitary conditions within your restaurant are upheld to the highest standards. The lack of accountability and appropriate response has left a lasting negative impression that, frankly, discourages any intent to return.

Please consider this a formal record of complaint. I reserve the right to escalate this matter to the appropriate health and safety authorities, should no action or response be...

If you are on a gluten free diet, this restaurant is a real treat. This is the ONLY restaurant I know of in the entire DC area that offers gluten free French toast!!! It is really yummy. It is gluten free cinnamon raison bread that they make into French toast. It is served with maple syrup that has few slices of bananas in it. It is always served warm. (Be sure to look for the bananas. If the French toast is served with sliced strawberries, that is the wheat based French toast.)

This restaurant also has gluten free bread so most of their sandwiches can be made gluten free upon request. And they can make their eggs benedict gluten free by using their gluten free toast.

It is a very pleasant experience dining here. I usually dine outside. They are located on a small street in Georgetown. Georgetown can be crowded but on this small street, it is never very busy. On a nice weather day, it is a pleasant experience to eat the gluten free French toast while enjoying the weather.

The service is always good too. I enthusiastically recommend this restaurant.

July 2025 update: I had the Peacock omelet today. It was great! It was a nice mix of ham, cheese, onions. They also have gluten free desserts including a cheesecake that is GF because they use ground walnuts for the shell. Definitely worth visiting if you are on a gluten free diet. It really is great food with great service. I like sitting outside on a sunny day. It's very pleasant and not very loud. (They are on a quiet street.) It gets harder to find restaurants that are quiet enough that I can actually converse and not shout. At this restaurant, at least when I am outside, it's quiet enough I can converse. Highly recommend!!

Aug 2025 update: I had the flourless cheesecake. It was super!! This is the ONLY restaurant I know of in the entire DC area that has a cheesecake WITH a crust that is gluten free!! HOORAY! The crust is made of walnut. All I care is it tasted great and it definitely had no wheat. (I am fairly sensitive so I would have gotten sick if it had wheat.)

I also had their corned beef hash with the gluten free bread. It's great food and great service. Highly...

My dining experience at this restaurant was nothing short of phenomenal! Initially I was unimpressed; the decor could use some rethinking to create a cozier environment, the bathroom was dusty, a little bit messy and the ceiling looked like it had been swollen from a leak and wasn't gonna hold much longer🤔😒...... BUT! ..... The FOOD WAS REMARKABLE.😍 The presentation, mixture of flavors, attention to detail by the kitchen left nothing to be desired! I got the 3course meal special (which has an appetizer,meal, desert and even includes gratuity!) [Also shown are a chicken rigatoni and a seafood jambalaya] My choices were watermelon salad, mushroom risotto, and duo sorbet. All I can say about my meal is that my taste buds we're in heaven! Finding truly FRESH fruit is always a struggle for me when it comes to eating at restaurants, so 2 thumbs way up to Peacock Cafe for doing it right!! The fruit in the salad was crisp, juicy and sweet, (a fruit lovers trifecta) and topped with Feta cheese. OMG I could it this all day😊😋!! The mushroom risotto tasted like... Well, mushroom risotto! It had a rich yet subtle flavor of all things mushroom and I love mushrooms, (another struggle of mine when eating out) but once again, Peacock Cafe got it right! The sorbet was rich and creamy and the flavors weren't too overpowering, it was a lovely retreat for my mouth after such a delectable meal! This place has great choices for meat lovers, and veggie lovers alike. Drink menu is also extensive and includes something for everyone's palate. I ordered a glass of Lemoncello, (my first time having) and I can understand why the glass was not delivered full. The drink tasted as potent and lemony as it smelled. But I cannot dispute the freshness of this item either! This place gets 5 stars from me and I'm picky. I appreciate the attention the kitchen paid to the little things, it warmed this food lover's heart... And I am not...