The Monocle Restaurant — Restaurant in Washington

Today, we were incredibly fortunate to visit a unique restaurant, Monocle, located on Capitol Hill. We initially chose it due to its proximity to our hotel, but it turned out to be a true "Washingtonian gem." Opened in 1960, this restaurant has been operated by the same family ever since. The menu is concise, which we believe highlights the culinary excellence presented in merely five dishes. We were in search of "authentic American steaks from real American beef from real American cows." What we received far exceeded our expectations. Both steaks we ordered were exquisitely prepared to perfection. We both agreed that these were the best steaks we've ever had the pleasure of eating in our lives. #Masterpiece

As if the meal itself wasn't enough, our server, Marinos Apostolopoulos, provided us with a genuine journey through the history of this establishment. We are deeply grateful!

Given its location near the Capitol, the restaurant has been visited by at least half of American politicians over the last 60 years, including Presidents Nixon, Kennedy, Bush, and Clinton. Celebrities like Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, among other incredible individuals, have also frequented this place. The number of VIPs and their dedications displayed in their own photos hanging on every wall is truly astonishing.

One of the servers celebrated his 50th work anniversary here two months ago with a surprise party for 250 people, an event that was featured on the front page of the Washington Post, which we had the opportunity to read.

The place is beautiful, with incredibly friendly service and excellent food. The wonderful experiences we had will stay with us forever. It's worth traveling for moments like these.

We highly recommend it and would love to...

I just had the sweetest experience at The Monocle for lunch. I popped in about an hour and a half before my train home to New York. The restaurant was fairly empty and I wasn't really craving anything on the menu, so I was prepared to be disappointed, but hungry enough to stay. I sat at the bar and ordered the most DC meal I could concoct - a vodka martini and the filet mignon.A man in a navy suit with a kind face and white hair greeted me at the door and helped me tuck my suitcase into the coat closet. He followed me to the bar and poured my drink and told me a few cute stories about his dog, and their trips to New York. My steak came out within ten minutes, and was a prefect medium rare. The red wine sauce was delicious, and I managed to drip it all over the sleeve of a white cardigan. Navy suit noticed me dabbing at it, and brought me a cloth napkin and a bottle of soda water. (Pretty sure I got the stain out.) As I was calculating how long I could procrastinate my departure I realized the lights had gone down a few notches. I looked out the window and realized the weather had gone from 80 and scattered clouds to full blown tropical storm. I ordered an Uber to drive me to the station, and grimaced when I saw he was 17 minutes a way. Navy suit got straight on the phone and called an employee who was due in soon "Are you nearly here? We have a young lady who needs a ride to the station. Just pull up out front and pick her up". I ended up finding a closer Uber, but was so touched at his hospitality that I had to document it! He even followed me out to the car with an umbrella. What a gent. Thank you Monocle, please give this sweetheart a raise...

I went here with a couple friends to celebrate a birthday, and we were all very impressed with the food, the cozy atmosphere, and the friendliness and professionalism of the service staff.

I got the hanger steak with a side of the potato gratin, and a slice of cheesecake with pineapple. The steak was really tender and flavorful, and it came with a mushroom sauce that was a perfect addition of flavor to an already excellent cut of meat. The potato gratin side was really buttery, and the cheesecake had a really interesting flavor with a hint of lemon in addition to it being rich and creamy. The house made bread is also an absolute go-to.

The staff here is maybe the highlight of the experience. They're all really professional and knowledgeable, but beyond that, they're very friendly. They chatted with us at one point during our meal, and explained how they've all worked here for decades each, and that they feel like one big family. It definitely translates to their demeanor with the customer - it felt like we were talking to an old friend, and it definitely added a lot to the cozy, intimate experience that this place was overall.

Apparently, due in part to the proximity to the Capitol, this restaurant is a popular spot for many politicians, evidenced by all the portraits on the walls of various political figures from both parties who have enjoyed a meal or several here. They might not be very adept at their actual job of legislating, but they know a good steak when they taste it apparently 😂.

An easy 5 out of 5...