Villa Yara — Restaurant in Washington

When we first arrived, we truly thought we’d love this place. The decor is beautiful and inviting, with a subtle floral scent that adds a calming touch without being overpowering, creating a lovely ambiance both inside and on the patio.

The menu looked fantastic, and we ordered the hummus with lamb, Yara’s tabbouleh, arnabeet (cauliflower), and the sujuc jibne (cheese flatbread with ground sausage).

While the staff was friendly and attentive overall, there were a few service issues that left us a bit disappointed. Shortly after being seated on the patio, we were hit with a strong smell of bug spray being applied to the decor nearby. While it’s understandable to take steps against mosquitoes, spraying repellent near dining guests during service felt like poor timing and planning.

Unfortunately, mosquitoes were still an issue. Just a few bites into our first dish, my partner (who rarely complains) had already been bitten a.number of times. When he asked if we could move indoors, the initial response was an offer of bug spray. Most diners don’t want to douse themselves in repellent at dinner, and considering the restaurant was mostly empty around 6 PM, checking for an available indoor table would’ve been a more thoughtful first response. Fortunately, we were later accommodated and moved inside, which we appreciated.

Another small but frustrating moment was when our server asked if we preferred sparkling or still water. I instinctively said “still,” only to realize after it was poured that it came from a bottled brand, not the tap. Tap water wasn’t mentioned as an option, and this type of subtle upsell for a $9 bottle of water without transparency feels misleading and leaves a negative impression.

We also mentioned in our reservation that we were celebrating our anniversary, and while we don’t expect anything extravagant, it was a little surprising that there wasn’t even an acknowledgment. A simple “Happy Anniversary” goes a long way, especially when many restaurants make a small effort to help guests feel special during celebrations.

As for the food:

The standout dish by far was the cauliflower. It was absolutely delicious and worth returning for.

The hummus with lamb was solid, though it could’ve used a bit more seasoning or brightness, like salt or lemon. Coming from a Middle Eastern background, I’ve had a lot of hummus in my life, and while this was good, it lacked a bit of vibrancy.

The tabbouleh was fresh and well seasoned, but the substitution of pomegranate for tomato didn’t fully work; the pomegranate was too sparse to offer the needed acidity.

The sujuc jibne was a bit underwhelming. We were expecting spiced ground sausage as listed in the menu, but instead received a few thin slices of sausage beneath the cheese. This may be traditional, but for those unfamiliar, the wording in the menu felt misleading, and with the small amount included in the dish it underdelivered.

We may give it another try, as the food quality overall was high, and we’d like to explore more of the menu. That said, we hope future visits feel a bit more thoughtful and upfront—especially when it comes to service...

Ufff! A lot to say about this experience -Hostess: I went with a friend 2 weeks ago without reservation, a Friday around 8:00pm, the lady from the reception was very rude and bad attitude, we asked for a table for two and she told us “we don’t have” so we said “oh okay, do you have any space in the bar for us?” And she answered “no, we don’t” we saw some spaces empty on the bar, and we really wanted to try the food because the restaurant was recommended so we asked her “okay, maybe we can wait for a table or space in the bar” and in a very bad way she said “we don’t have space, we don’t have a free table, you need to come back in two hours, maybe it’s gonna be something available” and in that right moment a couple from the bar left the place and we said “oh we can sit there, that’s free now” which she said “no” first but without any explanation and a guy from the bar came to us and said “girls you can sit here” (cleaning the bar and putting the chairs together for us) I don’t want to think she was discriminating/ being racist with us because of how we look (we’re Latinas and we were dressed normal because we just left our offices minutes ago) but the interaction with that lady was very rude and uncomfortable, we have a video about that moment and how she mistreated us… then we saw her kissing, hugging and being nice with a lot of eastern looking people but with us she was totally different, she was making space in the bar and trying to squeeze everyone there to fit a couple (well dressed and seems like models) and then 2 girls more (the same, very well looking and dressed), even she asked us to move and sit more close so she can fit one more chair… weird right? But she did it, first with us she didn’t had more space for anyone and then suddenly she was making space for 4 people, how we should feel about it?

The food: it was good, the prices are a little bit expensive but it was good

The service: too bad… everything late, they toke the order late, they came with the food late, 30 minutes later the first 3 plates which 2 of them where wrong, then 30 minutes more for 2 more plates, then after we asked for the check they came with 3 plates when we were living and 1 of those plates were wrong too… the waitress was too late and no one came to ask us anything, it was a waste of time and money.

And the forced 30% tip… they don’t tell you that before you sit, they don’t have that detailed in the menu.

I will not come back again, I will not recommend this place to anyone, we don’t have any problem to pay whatever the restaurant wants if the service is amazing, the food can be good or bad, but when you have a good service you forget everything and you appreciate the effort, but in this case the food was good but the service too bad. I had a lot of expectations and excitement about this place and now I’m very disappointed.

Not recommended if you want to be treated with respect and kindness and value your money...

My bestie was in town so on Thursday when we made plans, I suggested we do brunch at this spot since it had recently popped up on my IG feed. They weren’t on OpenTable or Resy but their IG page had a link to their site to book a reservation, which I did for 1pm. Mind you, my friend is from a different state so her time here is limited and valuable.

She arrives there at 1 and they at her outside , under the sun with no umbrella. It was a very sunny day so she asked to be moved. By this time , it was around 1:20 and I’d joined her. When I sat down, only her side of the table had been set up with plates and napkins. No complementary water or menu. After patiently waiting for service, since no one attended to us, I nudged a waiter for a menu. At this point, it was around 1:45. (So 45 minutes into reservation and we were just getting a menu). At the same time, I noticed that 3 groups around us getting sat and attended to. We finally ordered our appetizers and a drink just to get things going and it got worse. ALL the people that set down and ordered after us, received their food. Mind you, it’s now 2:15 and we don’t even have our food. At this point , I spoke with a manager to communicate my dissatisfaction. I wanted to leave immediately but my friend wanted to at least try the food we ordered. We of course asked for the check at this time.

Food: the few items we had an opportunity to eat were bland. The potato was extremely dry and the cheese rolls undercooked. The fried cauliflower didn’t have much flavor as well.

After we repeatedly said no to dessert. The manager decided to send it out. We didn’t eat it. By 2:30, we paid for our $100 check and went on our way. I was still hungry and extremely shocked about the experience. I’ve never been to a restaurant that selectively serves their patrons. I was the only person of color and of course I can easily make an assumption but I won’t. However, after this experience, I don’t plan on returning and brining any of my family and friends.

I love mediterranean food and I was so excited to discover what I’d hoped to be a gem but it was unfortunately not the case....