Mouthwatering Southern in Washington

Mad Cow Grill - Brandywine

★★★★☆ 3.5 (66) • $$

"I've been supporting this establishment for years. First the Laurel location & now here in Brandywine. Some of my go to items are jerk salmon, curry shrimp, shrimp tacos, and the popular Rasta pasta... the herb coconut Parmesan sauce is yummy but I ask for light sauce now. Consistent Quality. In the interest of time, I place all my orders online. The staff is accommodating and Mad Cow is very friendly to the cycling community. My bike club has organized rides departing from both locations and we dined outside after the rides. One issue that can easily be addressed. I enjoy plantains but no longer order from here due to the shabby quantity. Mad cow charges $6 for a side and there are normally 5 or less pieces inside the cup. I won't run down the list of places that charge the same amount but you get much more. Aside from that, it's good! . Support!!"

Hen Quarter Prime

★★★★☆ 4.3 (80) • $$$$

"I had dinner last night with my cousin, who was visiting from New Orleans and craving good Southern cuisine. I figured this new spot would be worth a try, and overall, it didn't disappoint! The ambience is absolutely gorgeous. We went for dinner, but I can only imagine how stunning it must be during the day with the waterfront view. It's a great setting for catching up with family and friends. The food was really good and definitely reminded me of home. We started with oysters, corn, cornbread, and deviled eggs--all delicious. I also tried a pickled martini for the first time; while it wasn't my favorite, it was still an interesting experience. For dinner, we had the catfish and grits, chicken and waffles, and the hanger steak with fries. Everything was well-seasoned and flavorful. The service was solid--friendly and attentive. The only reason I'm giving four stars instead of five is that while everything was good, nothing completely blew me away. Still, I'd absolutely come back and recommend it to anyone looking for quality Southern-inspired food in a beautiful setting."

Carolina Kitchen

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (61)

"Treated myself to a "cheat meal" for lunch so I decided to give this newly opened location a try. Because it was lunch time, I did take out instead of dining in.Upon entering, I noticed that the restaurant's decor was well put together and very appealing -- it was so colorful and inviting with flowers, elegant chairs, and cultured portraits. Definitely much better decorated than other Carolina Kitchens I've gone to. Thankfully, there wasn't a line for takeout so I was able to just walk in and place my order. The overall spread looked good. I got the fried whiting, collard greens, and black eye peas. My food was flavorful and thoroughly cooked . I also got a buttered cornbread muffin and it was good also! The taste of the food was similar to the taste to the food at other locations that I've tried, which isn't necessarily a bad thing but most times the food tastes different pending the location. I guess the franchise deserves a "A" for consistency.Overall, my experience was okay -- not bad but also nothing to rant and rave about."

Kitchen + Kocktails

★★★★☆ 3.6 (593) • $$$$

"Paige was my server and she was absolutely amazing I would rate her service 10/10. I ordered the salmon bites as an appetizer and they were seasoned to perfection, although it tasted like the pink salmon in the can it was a 7/10. The Vegan bowl was the only disappointing part of the experience. I ordered it with Salmon and luckily I added the salmon because the vegetables were a 0/10. As a vegetable lover I was extremely sad, I had been craving some vegetables since I'm visiting from California and hadn't really sat down to eat real food. The establishment was really nice and aesthetically pleasing. The music was at the right volume that I could hear my guest but not overpower the conversation. Overall I would definitely come back but I would stay away from the vegetables. Also, the drinks were amazing. No comments there."

Miss Toya's Southern Kitchen

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (149) • $$

"My husband was in the area so he picked up some banana pudding to bring home to me. Great flavor but there were only two vanilla wafers. Add more and it'll be a 5."

Southside 815

★★★★☆ 3.7 (620) • $$

"Came here for brunch and had a nice time. Service was very fast. I got the blackberry margarita and veggie frittata. I enjoyed the frittata although it definitely needed hot sauce for a kick. It came with a side of cornbread which was pretty good. Margarita was perfect for a hot day. Sitting outside in the shade under an umbrella on a sunny day elevated our experience. Overall, food was good and service was great. Portions were huge."

Blue & White Carry-out

★★★★☆ 4.2 (150) • $

"Staple spit in the City of Alexandria serving up some unique dishes kind of diner style on the go. Cash only accepted and don't expect fanciness but it has all the delicious dishes you can find simple and for less. Their deep fried chicken is crunchy, juicy, greasy but flavorful. Don't let the cover of this book fool you. Stop by soon!"

Suga & Spice

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (174)

"Girl's day out and first visit. The establishment is very clean, polite staff and plenty of options. I ordered the seafood omelette with cheese grits. Both items were cold and asked for another serving of grits. The eggs were topped with crabmeat and shrimp. Unfortunately, it was much too salty for consumption. The others in my party thoroughly enjoyed their meals. All agreed that the eating utensils should be upgraded as what we used was of poor quality. I would definitely make a return visit and request no salt especially if you're already using Cajun spices."

Kaveri South Indian Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.5 (77) • $$

"Husband and I came in on a weekday evening. We stumbled upon their dinner buffet.Pros-Unfortunately, I don't know any of the names of the dishes at the buffet. I did try a little bit of everything. I really enjoyed the food. It tasted fresh and loved the unique different types of spices used.-There were so many vegetarian and non-vegetarian options-The customer service was outstanding. I'm not sure if it's the owner or manager but he really catered to us. Explains the origin of the food or dish to showing us how to eat the food properly to get the authentic experience. Felt like a mini food tour.-Prices are reasonable.-Ambiance was quiet. This is not a fancy restaurant and had catchy Indian music playing.Cons-Wished they had labels and a small description of the food to know exactly what I was eating.-Parking lot is tight"

Hen Quarter

★★★★☆ 3.9 • $$$

"The food was excellent and the service was good as well. We got the fried and blackend catfish, both were delicious but I think I preferred the fried to the blackened. The food was hot, well seasoned, and came out in a decent amount of time. The service was fine, no complaints, and the upstairs dining area makes for a nice ambiance as you get a nice view of the street and other shops. I'd definitely recommend for anyone looking for a good southern dish!"

The Players Lounge

★★★★☆ 3.8 (61) • $$

"It's a little old fashion and may need to be updated a bit but the food is clean and delicious! l like the way that the food is delivered and it taste so good, especially the spaghetti and the potatoes or Western fries. It's a good place to get a great meal."

Andrene's Soul Food & Caribbean Cafe

★★★★☆ 4 (339) • $$

"I absolutely love Andrene's Soul Food & Caribbean Cafe. I ran across this spot on the humble. I was in the area because the traffic was detoured. I had a taste for Caribbean cuisine so decided to give it a try. I'm so glad that I did. I had the chicken curry and my son had the curry goat and oxtails. It was BOMB!!! This is my new spot. I had been looking for a good spot since Sweet Mango closed."

The Hitching Post Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4 (368) • $$

"Honestly everyone and everything here was good.1) Turkey necks2) Lamb 3) Drinks... I live in the south so of course I have opinions about southern cooking. This place is doing it right ;)"

Dogwood Tavern

★★★★☆ 3.6 (568) • $$

"Clearly this is a great spot. It's always packed. People will flock to places with good food, service, and atmosphere. This place has them all! At first, I was on the fence as the younger hostess seemed to look over me for seating more times than one for those who tipped him upfront or maybe it was because I was a party of one. Who knows, but that was my perception. Needless to say the older hostess was more than pleasant. He quickly cleaned a hightop and asked me if that was ok, which it was. My sever was fabulous. She was great with menu recommendations and the daily chef specials. I ordered and everything came quite quickly. The food was phenomenal. I consider myself a burger connoisseur, and the burger was great!! Thumbs up!!"

Della J's Delectables

★★★★☆ 4.3 (927) • $$

"I ordered 2 individual Thanksgiving meals from Della J's this year. The meal options sounded good so I went with a white meat turkey meal and a brisket meal. Each meal came with a choice of bread (I selected cornbread for both) and 2 sides (choose from the regular menu). I knew it was a lot of food but I wanted options and to try a few things from this restaurant.I didn't like that individual meals had to be ordered the day before TG as takeout meals. That meant they were hot so you had to reheat them for TG, while the meals for larger parties came chilled with reheating instructions. It's like those ordering individual meals were being treated differently (and not in a good way). On to the ordering process. I called around 12:30pm the day before TG and was told they were backed up and to call back in an hour. I called back more than an hour later and got the busy signal a few times and the call wouldn't go through. Now I was getting nervous that I might be left without a plan if I couldn't get through. But finally did get through and placed my order. Had to provide a credit card over the phone for payment. I was told the order would be ready in about 20 to 25 minutes and received a text in about that amount of time.I picked up my order and when I asked if there were reheating instructions was told no. I do think the customer service could be a little friendlier. Anyway, I checked that everything was there and left. Food smelled good on the drive home too.Fast forward to TG day. I decided to heat it up in the oven instead of the microwave. I was excited to eat but the food left me underwhelmed. First off why in the world they put the gravy on the turkey knowing people would be reheating it the next day, I don't know. It seemed to create a plastic like seal after reheating. Kinda gross looking. Overall the food had just a little flavor but I was expecting more for a restaurant like Della J's. I tried not to add salt but once I did, things tasted a little better (and I'm not one to overly salt my food). Out of everything, the best were the sweet potatoes and the cranberry sauce. I've had brisket elsewhere and this one seemed to be cooked in a bbq-like sauce that was just ok. The most disappointing was the Mac & cheese. Very very greasy and also lacked flavor. The cornbread was dry, but after using butter and sprinkling with salt, it tasted better.I hate to say it but Della J's did not satisfy my TG food craving."

Mid Atlantic Seafood

★★★★☆ 3.7 (252) • $$

"Catered an order through Mid Atlantic with only a 2 hour notice. The food was amazing! The timing saved me and pick up was on time and ready to go. Seriously can not recommend this place enough! I ordered a platter of fried shrimp, cornbread, Mac & cheese & sweet corn! My office couldn't get enough of the flavor."

Succotash Prime

★★★★☆ 4.1 • $$

"The Succotash happy hour is insane.I almost didn't believe the hours and prices at this Happy Hour because the venue was so nice! The food was fantastic and amazingly priced. The staff were also so nice!We got the sangria, cornbread, cauliflower, wings, and we couldn't be happier with our order! Happy hour is somehow til 8pm M-F and Sunday evening??? Bar only and upstairs seating.Am already planning to go back!"

Henry's Soul Cafe

★★★☆☆ 2.6 (194) • $

"I went here to grab lunch and noticed how bright the lighting is throughout the cafe. Although it's small, there was enough room to sit down and wait for my order. I ordered the beef liver and onions with a side of Mac and cheese and candied yams. Cornbread was also provided. The liver was very tough to chew on but well seasoned. The macaroni and cheese tasted slightly watery and the noodles were soggy. The candied yams were a bit too sweet for me. I also ordered a slice of sweet potato pie, and that was too sweet for me (not pictured). I've had better soul food and will go elsewhere."

Restaurant 55

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (9)

"Amazing - everything is delish. They say the empanadas are their staple but I disagree. The empanadas are my least favorite but they are still good. We love love love this place!"

ELife Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.7 (293) • $$

"One of the only Vegan spots in this area. Fresh, pretty good. Very nice staff and customers. Wish there was a sense of urgency - took 30 minutes to get food in the takeout line."

Mallard

★★★★★ 4.5 (34)

"I was super impressed with Mallard. It was by far some of the best elevated American food that I had in recent memory. I've decided that this spot is making it into my go-to places as I was blown away. Each dish we ordered was impressive and packed with flavor. My favorites were the duck, steak and the banana pudding dessert. You also can't go wrong with any of the cocktails.Make sure to make reservations because this spot was full on a Friday night. It even has a nice homey and southern vibe to it - which was nice. The highlight of the evening was getting to meet the sous chef Alejandro who came out to greet our table."

C & E Southern Bites Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.4 (7)

"We got the fried shrimp platter that was delicately fried, nice pieces of shrimp and not oily like some places. The chicken wings were fried the same and very meaty. Some wings look like they've been found in a dumpster. Not these! The yams made me feel like I was having Thanksgiving in September. The Mac and cheese was lighter than most. Not overly cheesy which actually worked out because sometimes it takes over the meal. The hush puppies were slightly sweet with bits of corn inside. The coleslaw was the absolute best I've ever had. The collards were a bit salty yet tender. The gentleman taking our order was very patient and kind. His mom is from NC and they know how to throw down some good eats! As for ambiance it's your typical fast food type vibe. I'd definitely come back!"

Carolina Kitchen Bar & Grill

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (766) • $$

"Carolina Kitchen has been a staple in thr DC area for awhile. This is the first time I did delivery. The food was packaged thoughtfully for delivery, making sure my fried foods wouldnt get damaged. I can appreciate that. My only big grip was that i didnt get gravy with my mash potatoes. If I would have gone in person that would have been an option."

Pinky's Eatery

★★★★★ 4.5 (107)

"Pinky's catered a birthday party at the American Legion, Post 206 in Chesapeake Beach today. The food was incredible! Keith fried fish on location as well as burgers, hot dogs and Chicken. Tiffany served pasta salad, potato salad, the world's best Mac'n Cheese, greens were to die for, fresh sweet potatoes, salad and a few other items. If you are looking for someone to make your next event special, consider Pinky's. You will not be disappointed."

The Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4 (526) • $$

"We came here on vacation from Florida to DC and checked out Washington's Mt. Vernon Estate and then had dinner here right after. It was really cool.The atmosphere was great, loved the colonial feel of this place and very quick service. We had the Jamabalya and Pot Pie and they were both delectable. Very good food and service! Cute place to go to right after the trip to the estate"

Moi Moi

★★★★☆ 3.8 (90)

"Moi Moi is a great restaurant. If you love West African, Caribbean, and American food, this place is for you. I went this summer and made it in again. I hosted a large group brunch a week ago. I coordinated it with the manager a week prior to the event. The manager wasn't there, but When we arrived, our table was plated and the reception was very warm. For my drink I had a Mandingo ! It was strong. For brunch, I ordered the coconut French toast which was delicious!!!! I highly recommend. The servers and the Sunday manager were excellent and as our group grew, they made amazing accommodations. I met one of the beautiful bartenders who is from Boston (which I am ) so it made the experience even more homey ! I also tried the suyA which was delicious and the jerk chicken. During the dining experience, the chef came out and I was able to introduce myself and tell him how good his food is !! Everything was seasoned perfectly. This family run restaurant is a different place for date night, mixers, corporate meetings or girl nights."

Kitchen Savages

★★★★☆ 4 (184)

"After a quick staycation in Baltimore my honey said I didn't have to drive to BMore for crab cake egg rolls, (I LOVE those things). He talked up Kitchen Savages and said they had them too and that I could go to DC for them. Keeping his title as the "BEST" to do all things, he brought me here to immediately try them out. Whoa! Okay, okay, so let's be honest, Kitchen Savages is in the hood and it's NOT giving "hood" vibes. Inside the restaurant, it's quite impressive. They have IKEA plates (which are super cute) and the ambiance gives an allure of upscale. Employees hands down, professional and on point! Service is fantastic. Let's get into it!Chicken and Red Velvet Waffle - Alexa play, Can't get enough by Tamia. Oooooooooooooooooooweeeeeeeeeeeeeee! You all see the picture, it was delicious! Eggs - Yummy! Signature Seafood Deviled Eggs - Alexa play, Yes by Beyoncé. Ermahgerd, can you love food this way? I'm guilty! Cleans my drool as I'm writing this. Crab cake egg rolls - Alexa play, Faithfully by Journey. I'm going to give them kudos but not sure they beat my beloved BMore staple. Maybe I need more and another go round. Good but not the best I've ever had. Overall my handsome partner in crime does it again, "food", a love language that only taste buds could share! Yelpies, this place gets my stamp of approval but use caution and go during the day. Ladies you can dim your lights on attire. So badly want to give them 5 stars but the price for the area, I'm not sure I'd come back just for the food at this price point. Worth every penny just not in this location."

Georgia Brown's

★★★★☆ 3.6 • $$$

"Nice ambiance. Good service. Not worth it food. We went on a Wednesday evening because of the jazz music. Reservations recommended.$32 for a gin and tonic. $20 for the Steel Magnolia cocktail. Crazy prices for below average cocktails.Deviled eggs were bland and boring. The devils on horseback were yummy. Our dining mates likes their fried chicken and gumbo. Both of which were $30-some dollar entrees. The $65 jumbo lump crab cake and $41 devil shrimp were completely not worth it. The best thing was the aoili sauce that came with the crab cake. Neither dish has much flavor. And both were rather dry. The mac and cheese was meh. The fries were ok. The other sides went basically untouched. Very disappointed in those massively overpriced entrees. In sum, not at all worth the cost. If the prices better matched the food quality, it would've been ok. Thankfully, the service and ambiance helped. So it evens out to 3 stars."

The Angry Jerk

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (158)

"This review is for takeout.I ordered pickup. The food took about 30 minutes to prepare, though the estimate was 10 minutes. The wings were so worth the wait!! I got the mumbo jerk wings and they're like Asian, sweet but still a little jerk. Fantastic. There's about 12 in the box. What I cannot recommend is the Mac n cheese... avoid at all costs.The restaurant is very small on the inside, less than 20 seats total. They play very loud lounge type music. The staff is relatively friendly. I'll certainly be back to try the "make your own bowl" option but will definitely put in an order for those wings again too."

King & Rye

★★★★☆ 3.6 (197) • $$

"We did the igloo dinner in December and the food was so good. The tomahawk was cooked to perfection. The duck fat potatoes and macaroni and cheese balls were reordered at least 3 times each. Highly recommend the private select old fashioned and the cast iron skillet cookie with ice cream for dessert at the end. You will leave feeling very fat but also very happy."

Langston Bar & Grille

★★★☆☆ 2.6 (234) • $$

"I have not been back since they re-opened recently. That being said, I LOVE the food. I have never been disappointed with the food or the staff. The place is small, warm and welcoming. I really like it. My only complaint is the speed of service. I have been four times and every single time it took forever to get our food. This may have changed with the re-open but I can't say. I guess I will have to see when I go back. Like it is so slow you could pre-order from Baltimore, drive to NE DC and take your time parking and maybe your order will be ready. Maybe..But if you have time to sit back, sip on your drinks, chit chat with your party and wait for your food for only God knows how long... I think you should give it a try."

Barrel & Crow

★★★★☆ 4 (575) • $$

"We were here for New Year's Eve. It was very good. Our table started with the wings, which were very good, fried green tomatoes, good. We then had salmon, mussel special, beat salad, burger, and ravioli. All were very good. The mussels special was just good. The flavoring was ok. Honestly, if I wanted mussels, I probably would have gone across the street to mussel bar, so my mistake. Service was on point. I mean. It's New Year's Eve. It's busy. That's hard to do and they did it. All in all. It's a great place to go for upscale American bar food with a twist."

Ruby's Southern Comfort Kitchen

★★★★☆ 3.8 (591) • $$

"My last visit to Ruby's was disappointing at best. Sinha really the same food in the new building? Oh and no Mac and Cheese..."all out"...how does that happen. I guess the rent for the new place has limited the ingredients. And for the price I'll stay away...for now.BTW this isn't a knock on the service or the people. They are still good the food just isn't as good as it used to be."

ZELLS Kitchen & Lounge

★★★★☆ 4 • $$

"I visited this place in search of a good spot to take my family for a meal. Since moving back to Prince George's County from Northern Virginia, the local food scene has been a big topic of discussion in my household. With that in mind, I want to leave an honest review in hopes of contributing to the community I grew up in.First, the location of the restaurant made it difficult to find. Bigger signs or something to make it stand out more would be helpful. I circled the building a few times before finally spotting it. Even then, I wasn't sure if it was open--it wasn't very clear.When I walked in, the staff greeted me warmly and seated us at a table. We started looking through the menu, and based on Yelp recommendations, I ordered the wings (mango and BBQ, I believe). My wife ordered an omelette, and my daughter got a side of sausages and hash browns.The wings and sausages were good, but everything else was just okay. The hash browns were too salty, and the omelette wasn't well-executed--it just wasn't enjoyable.On the bright side, we received a complimentary glass of champagne, which I thought was a nice touch.Overall, I don't feel comfortable giving this spot 4 or 5 stars. I debated between 2 or 3 stars because the vibes and food quality didn't quite hit the mark. The prices were on par with a high-quality restaurant, but the experience and food didn't match those expectations.This business has potential, but the location and food quality need improvement."

Auntie’s Eats

★★★★★ 5 (4)

"Where do I start?! The oxtails were beyond delicious. The flavors were everything. I have also had the shrimp pasta!!! OMG! I was mad when I finished my plate. For the amount of food you receive it is worth penny spent. Auntie puts her whole foot in these dishes!"