Smoke & Mirrors — Restaurant in Washington

Extensive Review For context, we went on a Saturday night at 715pm.

From booking to arriving, I thought my experience was pleasant. Initially, I booked for 4, but asked to update to 6 — they were very accommodating and easily updated me. Then, of course, people dropped and I dropped my reservation back to 4 and they were very accommodating in that.

ONE Critique for booking: In order to reach an actual S&M staff member, you have to call the AC Marriott front desk and be directed; rather than that, you’ll get an automatic message.

ARRIVAL: Parking is horrendous, but we managed to secure street parking. They did have Valet, but I didn’t want to know what the cost of that was. Lol We arrived about 40 minutes early with hopes we could sit early or just grab a drink at the bar. The hostess was very kind and let us know she would have to seat us closer to our reservation, which was fine. Nevertheless, we spent about 15 minutes taking pictures and stuff (lol) and when we returned, she had a table ready for us.

SERVICE: Our waiter was Khaleel; he was very sweet, soft spoken and patient. I felt like he came around enough that wasn’t hovering, but still attentive. When I ordered another drink, it did take a while so when I asked Khaleel, he apologized and said “the bar was backed up.” 5 minutes went by and he asked if I had received my drink…I hadn’t. He went to check and come to find my drink ticket disappeared…he was very apologetic and within 2 minutes, I had my drink. Overall, he made the our experience very nice. Management was also walking around frequently, carrying plates and checking in so that was nice to see.

FOOD/DRINKS: All of the drinks were amazing! I had the Pear & Walnut salad which was good; maybe a little more dressing, but was satisfying. My friend had the henny strawberry cake as a dessert — she seemed to enjoy it, but would have preferred ice cream instead of the whipped cream. Another friend also bought that same dessert and agreed, ice cream would have been more appropriate.

As an entree we got the salmon and the burger. My friends enjoyed the salmon, but wished they had an option to decide how they wanted bc it was a little over cooked. My burger was cooked how I asked (medium); however, the burger came with cheddar cheese when it was supposed to be provolone. Additionally, the fries seems like they came straight from a OreIda bag…they were curly fries DEF NOT made in house. I would have preferred a fry more “authentic” considering that it’s kind of upscale.

Views were AMAZING at night! We would have sat outside, but it was too cold. Overall, I look forward to returning…maybe for brunch (hopefully, it won’t disappoint). I almost didn’t book bc of the reviews, but I think it just depends on the day, time and the...

We went here for a friend’s birthday. I will admit you’re mostly paying for the view.

The menu is extremely limited and so is their drink menu.

Once you’re upstairs it’s extremely disorganized. Our server was Nicole, she was super nice, but very overwhelmed. So we honestly saw her very few times. We were constantly flagging her down or trying to get someone to grab her.

One of the other servers/staff members named Justice ended up being our go to. She saw we needed assistance and she began just grabbing our drinks and stuff. She also kept checking to see if we were good.

Like I said ppl come here for the aesthetic and to take pics. There was no sign on the door or anything. but this short female would literally RUN from across the restaurant and rudely stand in front of the door and not let anyone outside to take pics. I think her name is was Danica or something like that. She was so rude. I was amazed at how awful she was acting. There was a couple that had just got engaged and she wouldn’t let them outside. She didn’t give an explanation, just rudely stood in front of the door. I swear she she had Superman’s vision because she would literally run from across the restaurant, just to make sure no one went outside.

Here’s the kicker, the manager and other servers had no idea why this female was doing this, because they were telling everyone that they could take pics outside. Which is why they were going there. It was super weird (and we were blessed with a table by the door lol, so we saw the shenanigans all night).

Anyway, the limited menu was good. I ordered a burger and the kale Caesar salad was literally one of the most amazing things I’ve ever eaten.

My friend ordered the wings, they were scrawny. She also ordered the potatoes WITHOUT hemp seeds and each time Nicole brought it, they had hole seeds (literally 3x). Nicole forgot to order the birthday girl’s steak. And since we had all been sharing food, we didn’t notice until we wanted to try hers. So then Nicole says “oh let me check on that” aka let me put it in really quick. The steak was over cooked, so we sent it back.

The drinks are small and overpriced… not worth it.

After we eat, we flagged down Nicole almost 3 different times for the bill. She kept “forgetting”. So, we just sat there waiting for her. We were trying to go somewhere else that night and she was taking forever. About 10 mins later the security from downstairs starts kicking people out talking about they’re closing… we had to tell him on more than 1 occasion we were waiting on the bill.

The way they operate here is unprofessional and is extremely lacking.

My rating is based off of how amazing Justice was, my kale salad and the aesthetic (when lil Ms. Danica or whatever her name is wasn’t...

This restaurant is NOT a 10/10, it’s a 20/10! Smoke & Mirrors was the most hospitable restaurant I’ve been to in DC hands down! The view, the service, the decor, the food, and the ambiance is chefs kiss! It was so posh and laid back, at the same damn time! I’m here to RAVE about the service though.

From the moment I walked in I was greeted & welcomed by Dan and Alexis G. They asked where I wanted to sit, and I asked for a seat that would accommodate my hips. Dan was so gracious and accommodating that he agreed to show me a few seats so that I could pick the one that was most comfortable for me. He did very well, because he got it right in the first try. As small of a gesture, it meant the world to me that he was concerned about my comfortability. Not to mention, Dan is a very handsome man!

Okay, back to the review, lol. My AMAZING waitress Makeya made my entire night! From the moment she introduced herself, I knew I was going to enjoy myself. Makeya saw a spider making a web directly over my table, and asked Aaron to remove it so that I would be more comfortable. Aaron removed it, and I was able to sit comfortably with no worries - thank you Aaron! Makeya then remixed the margarita for me by having the bartender to add pineapple juice & a sugar rim, chef’s kiss - I had 5! Makeya took my order, and checked up on me throughout the night. It started raining and she had another table cleared for me so that I would be comfortable and dry. Comfortability is DEFINITELY one of their specialties.

As far as I’m concerned Makeya went above and beyond for me as just another guest, and she did it with a genuine smile and light hearted & fun personality which I truly loved. Makeya is a gem and very vital part of the wait staff, and deserves every tip, raise, and review she gets! The food was great and the portions were huge! All around I truly enjoyed myself, and can’t wait to come back! When I do return you will find me sitting in Makeya’s section having a ball! Makeya, thank you so much for making my night an unforgettable one, you have no idea how much that meant to me! Dan, Alexis G, & Aaron I thank you for the genuine hospitality and concern as well.

Smoke & Mirrors has a loyal customer in me. I’d recommend any & everyone to make reservations ASAP! Make sure you tip them well because they deserve every bit of it! Thank you all for making my last night...