Proper 21 - F Street — Restaurant in Washington

It’s been one of those days—meetings, emails, endless back-and-forth. So, I decide to take a break and drop into Proper 21 for a little solo escape. The place is right in the heart of Downtown DC, and I’ve heard a lot about it. I need somewhere to unwind, but also somewhere that feels a little different than the usual spots. As soon as I step in, I feel the energy. The vibe is loud, but in a good way—almost like being in a club but with the comfort of a great bar. There’s a mix of people all enjoying the night, laughing, chatting, and the music’s just right. Not too overbearing, just enough to create that lively buzz. I make my way to the bar, and the bartender greets me right away. I’m in the mood for something easy, so I go for a cider on draft. It’s crisp and refreshing—exactly what I need. While I’m sipping, the bartender recommends the smash burger. I’m not sure what’s so special about it, but I figure why not go with it? I also grab some wings—buffalo and gold rush. People around here seem to love those flavors, and I’m not one to pass up on a good recommendation. The place is busy but not overwhelming. It’s got this clean, sleek feel, and the TVs around the bar are showing some game. I catch a few highlights, but honestly, I’m more interested in the food. The wings come out first, and I dig in. The buffalo ones have that perfect balance of heat and tang, but the gold rush wings? They’re a game changer—spicy, yes, but packed with flavor. I’m hooked. As I’m finishing the wings, I hear a conversation a few stools down. Someone’s raving about the service here, specifically about a bartender named Diana. They’re talking about how she turned their night around after another restaurant messed up their reservation. That sounds pretty impressive, I think. I can definitely see how someone could feel taken care of here. The staff is friendly, and everything flows smoothly. The smash burger comes next. It’s juicy, flavorful, and honestly, it’s one of the best burgers I’ve had in a while. The fries are perfectly crispy, not soggy, and seasoned just right. The whole meal comes together perfectly. I start to relax, feeling the weight of the day lift off my shoulders. But as the night goes on, I realize I’m not ready to call it a night just yet. So, I pay my tab and decide to take a little walk. I’m looking for somewhere to wind down after this great dinner, and I remember hearing about a place called PullUpDC. It’s not far, so I head over. When I walk in, it’s got a completely different vibe—chill, laid-back, and the perfect place to just relax. I grab a blunt, kick back, and soak in the atmosphere. It’s a great way to wind down after such a fun night at Proper 21. The perfect end to a great...

Not off to a great start. I went here while on travel and arrived at the restaurant with two other companions. For those that are keeping track, that’s 3 of us that went. A while after we had already had a couple of beers each and ordered our food, 3 others that we knew showed up and were sat next to us. They then ordered their own meals and drinks. Then, 2 more people we knew showed up and were sat next to us as well. Again for you score keepers, that three groups of people showing up to a restaurant at three separate times, that happened to sit next to each other. Well, when the time came for the check, the server brought one check. This was very odd cause we were all there separately, with the largest group being 3 people. We asked to split the bill individually and were told “we can’t do that”. We all kinda looked at each other in disbelief to what we were hearing. The server said the best she could do was split it up by table. Again, not okay. I told her that we’re all responsible for ourselves and will pay our individual bills. Again we were told that she couldn’t do that. So, I talked to the manager. It was the same story with her. So, I said “listen, either you can split the bills individually or you’re going to be out of luck. The manager and server both left the table to “talk” I guess. Then, the manager sent the server back over who repeated the same garbage to us. Again, I reaffirmed our individual positions as we didn’t show up as a large party. We just happened to end up at the same place. This is bound to happen when there is a large group in DC for business. Finally, the manager split the bill but added 20% gratuity on each of our individual checks. Bottom line, this place is shady and turns a great dinner experience into a terrible and awkward argument. We won’t be back, and you shouldn’t go here either. Just go to Old Ebbitt Grill and pay $0.49 more for a beer. Better environment and no ridiculous back and forth about how people pay for their...

Maybe it was an off night, but we had a horrible experience. We were in town for a show at Warner Theater and decided to stop here for dinner. We were sat almost immediately at 5PM - which was great! However, we sat and waited for someone to come by our table for at least 15 minutes. Eventually the manager walked by and I flagged him down to mention no one has stopped. We were sat in the bar area and they were progressively getting busier, so we figured we just got missed and things would be fine moving forward. The waitress (who was also one of two bartenders) got our drink order and our appetizer order. The appetizer and drinks came out quickly (within 10 minutes). After we got the appetizer - no one came back by for another 20 minutes at which point the other bartender came over and got our food order and second round of drinks. We waited 30 more minutes and the only food that had been brought by was our previously ordered (and eaten) appetizer. I said “Oh we already had those.” Thinking this was just an error in the kitchen, we continued to wait. At this point it’s 6:15 and our show started at 7. The second bartender came by and said “I see you’re still waiting on wings.” To which I confirmed and then said we had to go and couldn’t wait so please bring our check. He brought the check and lo and behold a second order of truffle fries was listed on our check. I had to get him to take it off since we only had one order but it made us think he never actually put in wings - just another order of fries. The sad part is, we had decided on entrees while we waited for our first appetizer but in the time it took for someone to come back by, we decided to just do a second app instead. It’s not fair to staff to seat tables in their section if they’re clearly understaffed. It causes poor experiences for customers leading to...