The Oceanaire Seafood Room — Restaurant in Washington

TERRIBLE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE! DO NOT EAT HERE!! THEY DO NOT TAKE FOOD POISONING SERIOUS! WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE! UPDATE 7: Sent an email on 4/11/22 to the email address below from owner NO RESPONSE!

I dined at this restaurant with my significant other on Sunday, April 3rd, 2022. I ordered the crab stuffed Barramundi, and about 3 hours after eating a portion of the dish I started to have severe stomach pains and experienced nausea and constant vomiting for 3 days straight. I called the restaurant the next day to let them know I had food poising from my POORLY prepared meal. I spoke with Donna, the GM, about this on Monday, April 4th, and Donna said that she could not handle the situation and would have to file a complaint with the corporate office on my behalf. I was told by her that I should receive a call from corporate in the next 24 hours and that this problem would be resolved (one of the many lies that I was told by this establishment). The next day, around 4 pm, I had not received a call back so I called the restaurant again asking for an update on my complaint that was filed. I asked to speak with Donna and was told by the hostess that she was busy and would return my call as soon as possible (I haven’t heard from Donna since). That same day, I later received a call from Hal Hect, VP of Operations. He was VERY UNHELPFUL AND UNPROFESSIONAL. Mr. Hect said the only thing that he could do about this issue is “wait and see” if anyone else calls to report getting sick from the same dish in the next few days. He then recommended I file another complaint, which didn’t make sense to me since Donna had already filed a complaint with corporate. I then asked Mr. Hect if he would file the complaint for me, and he responded, “I am not by a computer right now.” I asked, “Well may you file it when you are at a computer and call me back?” He chuckled and said, “OK.” (That call was on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, and I never received a call back from him that day). That same day, I later called the restaurant back and asked to speak with Donna. The hostess, Stephanie, said Donna was busy with dinner rush but would call back before the end of the day. I told Stephanie that I would hold for her, but she said, “OK,” and hung up the call. My significant other happened to be in the area of the restaurant and stopped by 5-10 minutes after I called. He asked the manager on-duty, Fernando, if he could speak with Donna, and, first, Fernando said that she was busy but still sent the hostess to check if she was available. My significant other waited for the hostess to return. When the hostess returned a few minutes later she informed my significant other that Donna had already left for the day. It is interesting to me that I was told 10 minutes prior by the hostess that Donna was busy assisting the dinner rush and when my significant other comes in and asks to speak with her, she somehow has “already left for the day” during their busiest hours. I know that this was a lie and is just another example of how they are refusing to address their customers with respect and take this situation seriously. My significant other left the restaurant without being able to speak to someone who could assist with this ongoing issue. As a customer who paid $280 plus gratuity for a dish that was puked up in 3 hours due to what may have been undercooked Barramundi, this whole experience was very upsetting. After researching food poisoning from fish, I found that my symptoms were similar to those of staph food poisoning, which is caused by contaminated and/or undercooked food. This is supposed to be a “fine dining” restaurant with elite customer service, and I have been lied to and mistreated continuously since eating there. I filed another complaint to the email address on their website on 4/6/22, and still have not heard back from corporate.

All in all, THIS WAS A TERRIBLE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, from consuming sickening food to dealing with the management. If you want to throw away over $300+ and be sick and unable to work for a week this is the...

On Friday, September 22, 2017, my wife and I, along with a best bud and his daughter, drove an hour and a half in pre-rush hour D.C. traffic to see Dave Chapelle live at the Warner Theater. I’d saved a number of nearby restaurants on Google Maps, and we had another hour and a half to have a bite and a drink before the show. We asked a passerby for recommendations, and after mentioning that he worked at the Warner, he gave us several nearby suggestions including The Oceanaire Seafood Room, which is the restaurant we just kind of ended up in. Our visit wasn’t anything short of top-notch.

Service was impeccable. Our waiter, Tom, was the training film definition of smooth and efficient service. He was friendly and knowledgeable and carried himself with an endearing professional swagger. Our food came out to our table so quickly it was somewhat amazing, and everything was delicious. Tom's recommendations were spot on. We tried the crabcakes (and being from Maryland’s Eastern Shore on the Chesapeake Bay we know crabcakes), clam chowder, the tomato & mozzarella salad and the iceberg salad, and the family-style sides of truffle whipped potatoes, creamed corn, and grilled asparagus, and there wasn’t a disappointing dish on the table. I enjoyed a Stout Old Fashioned while my wife loved her Spiced Pear Mule enough to have a second. If there was one disappointment it was that Guinness wasn't served on draft, but if a bar doesn't sell a lot of a certain beer, particularly a beer like Guinness, I'd rather have a fresh glass from a can, than an already-flat draft. So the complaint is slight, and the glass of Guinness worked just fine.

In an hour and half we were wined and dined and impressed in a 5-star fashion. The Oceanaire let’s you know up front it’s high-end dining, which means it’s pricey, but as a treat on a special night out, our experience could not have been...

Where do I start!?! The ambience was beautiful when we arrived. Lights were low, there was a blue luminate light that traced the ceilings ever so nicely....it was very romantic! A waiter came to take our drink menu, then our actual waiter Nelson came to review the menu with us since we had never been here before. He was so patient and informative of the entire menu, from where the seafood comes from to what pairs nicely together. After we decided, we chose a ceasar salad, swordfish, fruits of the Sea, key lime pie and a coffee. The service was phenomenal! Maybe five minutes after ordering, the salad was out and then less than ten minutes after, the entrees arrived. And the food was Excellently delicious! The Fruit of the Sea entree included one jumbo prawn about half the size of your hand that tasted like lobster, two scallops (grilled perfectly) and resting comfortably in a butter sauce, and one crab cake (which was EVERYTHING!!! ALL Crab - No filler!) oh, and three asparagus. But the seafood was the star of that plate! My husband had the swordfish, which he enjoyed. He said it was grilled perfectly! It is a more firm fish, which is not my preference, however, he loved it! As a side he ordered the lobster Mac and cheese. That was AMAZING! It was Rich yet not too heavy. I enjoyed the fact that there was broken pieces of lobster throughout the dish as oppose to one lump or very scarce pieces of lobster. For desert, key lime pie.... Oh my!......... This jumbo slice of pie (very much so a shareable size) was ever so refreshing and definitely had fresh lime and more than likely lime zest as well. It had such a refreshing zing that was a perfect finish for cleansing the palate after such an exquisite meal. We are from out of town, however, when we come back to town, this is definitely a must stop.

The Oceanaire Seafood Room, you have...