The Lab at Armen's Barrels

Very nice menu, high quality meals, good cocktail and wine choices and great atmosphere. Nothing like it in Washington. We all had a great time and will be back.

Went tonight for $15 burger night and both. Burgers were very tasty! Always love the fries here as well. Tried the calamari for the first time and the serving size was very good. Could easy serve 3-4 as an app. Very flavorful and crunchy. Peanut butter pie is amazing. Always love the ambiance of this place with the barrels. Service was solid but only recommendation is watching the customers drinks more closely bc the glasses are small and filled with glass so they go down quickly.

The service was incredible. I didn't expect Mathias' impeccable service, but he was so polite and charming. He truly made the experience memorable. The ambiance was moody and dark, which I love. When I say dark, this place is extra dark. Great date spot. Make sure to make a reservation. I was told this place can fill up. My date and I visited on a Tuesday at 5:00 and we were one of three tables being used. It was fairly empty otherwise. I do wish the decorations on the walls were better. I didn't think a place coming off as more upscale would have a 4-part 3D canvas print of a wine bottle scene. Seems too tacky. I also wish that the inside of the barrels that make up the tables were painted or finished in some way rather than not. The food was good for the most part. I thought that the lamb was just okay. The steak was okay-meh for the price. The risotto and the poutine were flavorful and the best tasting of the dish. The Manhattan cocktail / drink was amazing. Parking lot is huge, free, plenty of space. Overall I think it is overpriced for the food but if it is locally sourced that's a main important factor for me to be willing to pay that price.

If you're not local, you might not know that this was a skating rink in its past life. Growing up hitting the rink as a kid, I found that fascinating. They have electric sliding doors from the main entry to the dinning area (the switch to exit was to the left of the door). We did note that they had some of the smallest tv's by the bar area. I'd say just remove them, as they take away from the ambience of the place. Our waitress, Mya, was great. We weren't feeling the cocktail menu but she saved us, and made my wife a blackberry mojito and me a Bourbon smash from Angels Envy which was refreshing. She was very open to feedback and genuinely just wanted to please us. We ordered the crispy brussel sprouts with bacon to start which were perfect. Main courses were the 14oz ribeye and the 8oz prime filet, both ordered medium rare. The prime filet was super tender, melting in your mouth almost, the ribeye was a little chewy. If you're torn, get the filet, even though it's smaller.Desert was the peanut butter pie, very good. From other site reviews it seems most get "sticker shock" when they get the bill and then are a lot harder on them for reviews, which I agree, if this was a $100 meal I'd give them 5 stars, but for twice that, it could use more refinement, and while the steak was cooked perfectly, Capital Grill is still my favorite. My wife also stated they needed a better cocktail menu for women, we got lucky with our waitress being a bartender but others may not be. Overall, we enjoyed our meal and service and its worth a try.

We had a great dinner! The atmosphere was nice, food and drinks were delicious, plus the staff was so friendly and helpful. Not only our server but the whole staff. The chef came out at the end of the night to introduce himself and ask how our meals were. He even put us deep with the daily specials. Just make sure if you go Friday or Saturday to make a reservation!!

Well isn't this place an absolute delight! My husband surprised me with a journey out to The LAB for our anniversary. This place had been on my list since I saw them a few months ago but we never really had the occasion to head over this way. Man am I disappointed that I hadn't gotten over here yet. The ambiance is dark and cozy and the food was some of the best I've had in recent memory. I loved the mushroom cheese that came in our charcuterie board and the nduja is something that I've wanted to try since seeing it featured in Chopped (haha). We also got the everything rolls with the beef tallow candle which was a very unique offering. I tried sturgeon. It was well seasoned and delicious. The potatoes and chantarelle mushrooms were a delicious accompaniment. My husband got the prime rib which was the daily special. Today is was mesquite smoked which added a different layer of flavor to the otherwise traditional taste. All in all, this place was awesome! Heather was also a phenomenal server. In really looking forward to getting back out here!

First time at this restaurant. The cocktails were very good and the service was exceptional. I had the salmon and risotto, and both were very flavorful and prepared nicely. Husband had a steak which he also enjoyed. I started with the cream mushroom soup while my hubby had the salad. The portions were nice. A new chef just started and even visited our table. Highly recommend!Note that the lighting is very dark and they don't serve complimentary dinner rolls which can be a turn off to some. I would suggest that they adjust the lighting a bit.

The foos here is always spot on and delicious! When you first pull up to the outside of the building you'll want to turn around and run however, go inside. Food is great and the ambiance is cute. A little dark to read menus but otherwise, all is good. Steaks are always cooked to perfection and their duck is amazing!! You can't go wrong with a dinner at the Lab!!

Armen is amazing! I stopped in for a bite to eat on a long drive and the owner was so helpful telling me about the restaurant and his products (that have won multiple awards). Bought several bottles of his award-winning vodka to give to friends to try and have told several friends that it's worth the drive (about 3 hours from us). Some of our friends are now going in May for dinner.

My sea bass was amazing, the servers were very attentive, Mason - the barman - made me the best drink ever, and I really enjoy the atmosphere of this place.