Albi

Located in Navy Yard, there are plenty of parking lots and other options. We took a lyft here and were sat immediately with an option to check our coat at the front. Our server was friendly and attentive, explaining the menu. We opted for the a la carte menu instead of the tasting ($145/pp).We ordered a 1/2 bottle of sparkling wine which was a little acidic and paired decently with the starting dishes. While we didn't finish it before we switched to our bottle of red and main, they did help us keep it chilled until our dessert courses which was great. We ended up not finishing our red wine and they re bottled and corked it no issue from the decanter it was in. Our sommelier was great and was very helpful with all of our wine inquiries.We started off with Coal-Fired Mushroom hummus which was delicious and came with a pita that was seasoned amazingly. We loved it and we asked for more for our second set of dishes ~ Grilled Octopus Shish, Wood-Fired Malfoof and BBQ'd Warak Dawali. Everything was seasoned beautifully and tasted amazing. I loved the BBQ'd Warak Dawali. I never had stuffed grape leaves and the lamb neck in it was fantastic.For our main course, we ordered the BBQ'd Lamb Kebab which was very tender. There was some ground lamb that was cooked around cinnamon sticks which was also amazing but didn't really have too much of a cinnamon taste which was interesting.We also ordered the Majadarra (crispy-chicken fried rice). While not our favorite, the dressed lettuce it came with was refreshing. For our dessert, we ordered the apple cider soft serve which was so refreshing after all the food. We definitely ordered a lot of food for the two of us bit had no issues with boxing things up which we retrieved at the host stand.Everything was amazing and a greatly priced dinner. I definitely look forward to coming back to try their set course menu.

We came here for my birthday dinner a few years ago and sat at the Chef's table. We got to watch them prepare all the food and really immerse ourselves in the experience.Service was excellent and atmosphere was fun. The menu was set and we did enjoy the dishes. However for a Michelin Star restaurant, I like to be wowed by at least one dish. While everything was good, nothing was particularly memorable. For the price and star, there are other spots which have more impressive dishes so we likely won't come back. Still one of the better spots in the Navy Yard area though!

I think this may be my favorite meal of 2024! We dined at Albi's Chef's table and had an amazing view of the kitchen. We opted for the wine pairing to go with our tasting menu. The food was outstanding. Everything was so fresh. The spreads and pita were delicious. And for relatively healthy fresh ingredients, the flavors were very rich! I think I dreamt about this meal for days afterwards. The service was very attentive and pleasant! One critique is that some of the wine is a little experimental. There were a couple wine pairings that we were not so fond of, but we still enjoyed trying them. I 100% would come back here, and I hope to do that very soon!

One of, if not the best restaurant in DC. Everything about this restaurant is dialed in and exquisite.Cocktails and wine list are great. Food is amazing and the service staff are attentive and friendly.

This place is probably hands down my favorite restaurant in Washington DC. It is located at The Yards and it is a James Beard winner. So far, this is the only restaurant that is a James Beard winner that didn't disappoint. I highly suggest making reservations before heading here. We ended up getting a seat at the bar. We got the coal-fired mushroom hummus. I highly recommend this hummus. I was a bit scared of them putting an egg yolk in the middle but it honestly really made it taste better. I really liked how char like the hummus was. For the cocktail we got the za atar tini. I wasn't a big fan of the zaatar tini. I guess I was more intrigued on the cocktail containing olive oil and zaatar. It definitely didn't make a tasty drink (maybe part of a tasty dish).Baba ganoush was also charred. I really liked the pickled raisins and pine nuts. We also got the bobos chicken as our entree. I really liked how this chicken seemed very fresh. The dish overall was pretty good. Knafeh was the dessert we ordered. This dish was very sweet. I loved the pistachio on top of the dish.

Truly the best dining experience I've ever had. I booked Albi well in advance for my husband's birthday and it was such an amazing treat. We decided to order items a la carte and ended up wayyy over ordering because everything sounded so good. My cocktail was incredible! I love anything with lavender and pomegranate, and this drink had it all. The food...oh my god. Literally every dish we ordered was packed with flavor. Each bite I took was an experience in itself. I honestly don't think I've ever had food like this before. My favorite dishes were the tuna kibbeh naya and lamb kebab. The tuna dish just tasted so fresh! And the lamb kebab was juicy and seasoned perfectly.The service was amazing as well. I'm definitely not used to restaurants where plates and silverware are changed so frequently, but our server was on top of it! Overall, an amazing meal. Will definitely return for a special occasion because I can't afford this quality of a meal too often haha

What a wonderful experience from start to finish! We will be adding this to our favorite DC spots.We had friends in town and went to Albi to celebrate my husband's birthday. It's a nice space with an open kitchen. When we got to our table, there was a nice sign at his seat wishing him a happy birthday.Our server offered up the Sofra, a five course meal at $145 pp where the chef prepares the menu. After looking at the prices, we opted for a la carte--we still had a five course meal and saved at least $100 total from Sofra. Maybe they offer you a free extras to make it worth it? Our friends were so impressed they kept asking the group about their favorites and discussing if it was possible to recreate some of the dishes at home. The highlights?--Pickled fennel which was brought out as a snack with olives. I was surprised how good this was as the pickling cuts the usual sharpness of the fennel --Mushroom hummus with fresh out of the oven pita--BBQ lamb kebab - this is a big one for me because I am particular. I don't like my meat too rare or fatty. This was neither AND the kefta meatballs that come with it? Chefs kiss!--Apple cider soft serve - not overly sweet and so refreshing. There were also bits of candied pecans that added a great texture. My friend ordered the frozen halva bar which was basically a vanilla ice cream bar coated in chocolate with sesame pieces. Not a stand out to any of us.

A couple friends and I made a reservation for November 5 on October 1. After hearing so many positive reviews on Albi and knowing that we could enjoy a 1-star Michelin restaurant without making a nasty dent in our wallet, we were so, so excited.We arrived around 6:37 and left after an hour and 45 minutes. Our server told us her favorites and the popular orders. She was attentive in making sure we got enough water. We got our first plate of food about 15-20 minutes after ordering and the second one came pretty shortly after. However, we waited about 25-30 minutes for our third plate. Overall, service felt really slow today and we noticed other tables looking around, too. Also, the utensils here are not really good at scraping up the sauces on the plates, but not sure if that was just our problem.COAL-FIRED MUSHROOM HUMMUS (5/5) - 22The mushroom hummus was definitely the best thing we had from Albi and I can see why it's so popular. The egg yolk mixed in the hummus made the texture extra smooth and creamy. The mushrooms were so smoky and tasty. The pita bread was soft and fluffy. Everything about this hummus was perfect. It left us with high expectations to what there is to come.YELLOWFIN TUNA KIBBEH NAYA (2.5/5) - 24We were told to make lettuce wraps using the tuna tartare, pickled vegetables (cucumber, radish, and onions) and other garnishes like mint and garlic sauce. Not the biggest fan of this one. The tuna was really thin and felt very flat. The garlic sauce was pungent and tasty which was the only highlight. I enjoyed the pickled radish, though. My friends who typically liked cucumbers felt like it didn't add much to the flavors. Overall, this one fell short of expectations and we weren't impressed.SWEET + SUMAC CARROTS (5/5) - 21The first bite of the carrot was the best bite because it had that smoky charred flavor that reminded me of a charcoal grilled steak -- yum! Our server recommended us the carrots and told us she normally doesn't even care for carrots. She was not wrong. The carrots here are special. It was sweet and there were nice little toppings like peanuts and dates along with a really smooth, nicely whipped goat labne on the side. Overall, pretty solid and our second favorite.BBQ'D WARAK DAWALI (3/5) - 28This was stuffed grape leaves with a few pieces of lamb belly and some garnish/sauce on the side that was a mixture of molasses (?) and cinnamon. The stuffed grape leaves were OK, nothing too special. One of my friends did not like the grape leaves. The lamb belly was nicely seared and flavorful but there were only like 4 pieces LOL. The sauce on the side was good and the sweetness was perfect.SMOKED CHICKEN MUSAKHAN KEBAB (1.5/5) - 72The pita bread was on the bottom with a huge layer of caramelized onions, topped with some pine nuts and then two big chicken kabobs perched on top. The chicken was well cooked and super juicy, but some pieces were overly salty. The pita bread was good but it was ruined by the unbearably sweet onions (cooked with molasses?) that ruined the flavor. The balance of flavors did not make sense and even when we scraped the caramelized onions off the pita bread, it was still way too sweet because the sauce seeped through it. Additionally, this was not most definitely not worth it for the price given the quantity and the subpar quality.We understand that there can be off days, and the menu does change seasonally. Unfortunately, we didn't enjoy our experience at Albi and we probably won't be back -- maybe for the hummus we'd be back. One of my friends thought it was the best hummus he's ever had and it's definitely up there for me.

The service is 5 stars! They give you a warm towel before your meal, clean plates and silverware every course and the staff is professional and courteous. Sujek hummus with pita: 10/10. The hummus is flavorful and the pita is a giant pillow dusted with garlic. I could seriously just eat this!Wood-baked shush barak: 5/10. The dumplings were hard on the edges and I could've done without ordering these.Smoked chicken kebab: 9/10. This is huge! Enough for 4 people. The sauce on the bottom is tangy and delicious.

Came for dinner at 9pm on a wednesday. The place was still packed i almost forgot it was a week night! We really wanted to do the sofra but i goofed the reservation so a la carte it was. Here's what we got:Crab hummus- good, not the best ive ever had, but still very solid. My partner really enjoyed this oneFattoush- ordered purely on the waitress' recommendation! We wouldnt normally gravitate to something like this, but it was surprisingly delicious. I could've eaten a whole plate of just the pita bits aloneYellowfin kibbeh- get this. No explanation needed.Bbq lamb kebob- good, but not $82 good (sorry!) it was super tender, had a nice crust on the outside and the meatballs on cinnamon sticks were sweet, but id say just stack up on some other mezzes insteadHalvah bar- i loved the clusters of salt on top with the sweetness of the halva. The nutty crisps made me feel less guilty about indulging Affogato- the labne soft serve was divine! I was expecting a froyo type situation, but it was much more rich and less tart. Would come back to try another one of these.