The Monocle

The Monocle is a local gem with tons of DC charm. From the moment we walked in, the staff made the experience unforgettable--they were incredibly friendly, attentive, and gave excellent recommendations.I started with an espresso martini made with tequila, and it was one of the most well-balanced cocktails I've had in a long time. For my entrée, the staff insisted I try the pork chop. I was skeptical at first, but I'm so glad I listened--I practically licked the plate clean. It was perfectly cooked and came with green beans and gratin potatoes, both absolutely delicious.My date ordered the ribeye with creamed spinach, and both were outstanding. The creamed spinach had the perfect balance of cheese and cream sauce--rich but not overpowering. The ribeye is served with a spicy butter, but our server thoughtfully put it on the side, which was much appreciated since it would have been a bit too spicy.And let's not forget the bread! They serve both French bread and focaccia, and both were excellent.Overall, it was a fantastic Valentine's Day dinner, and I'll definitely be back. Highly recommend!

I apologize in advance for no pics of this special place or the amazing food. This is an iconic long term main stay of Washington DC. It is a special place where many politicians have come to enjoy an amazing meal, drinks and conversation. I have been here a few times and this time was a stop for lunch. I enjoyed the jumbo lump crabmeat imperial, a glass of wine and the classic crème brûlée for dessert. I cannot express enough praise for the crabmeat imperial. The ingredients were absolutely perfect, moist, tender and fresh. It really is a piece of art! The super knowledgeable staff recommended a glass of the Yealands Sauvignon blanc and it was a great pairing. Dessert was my all time fave dessert-crème brûlée. If a crème brûlée has a thick hardened toasted sugar top that cracks with the back of your spoon, you know it's going to be good. This was sooooo good. The prices are higher but seriously the history, ambience, great staff and amazing food are worth every penny spent! Def recommend!

Off Capitol hangout...great atmosphere for anger together, and good food.We had an opportunity to meet with a member of Congress and then follow that meeting up with a meal and some drinks.Harris was an awesome server and handled our group of about 15 with ease.I ordered the Hanger Steak, medium rare, it was very good. It was covered with a cognac mushroom sauce which enhanced the flavor of the meat. I also ordered the mushroom and oysters side, which was surprisingly good. I enjoyed my side over the potato au gratin, and the green beans and carrots.Folks from party ordered the NY Strip, which was sizeably generous. The halibut presented well and for good reviews. Two from my table ordered (and didn't share) their creme brulee. I chose to dessert on a Knob Hill, neat.Great experience at a traditional steak restaurant, in a not so traditional location.

We were visiting and taking the train back to Richmond. This location is walking distance to Union Station. The guy host was so friendly and overall the service was good. The pictures all over the restaurant were pretty cool too. This place isn't cheap. The food options are what I would expect for a "White House dinner" or something like that so that's pretty cool but it's not amazing or a dinner I would necessarily remember. It served its purpose and convenient.

When I sat down at our table, I took in the scenery and immediately noticed the wall of prior patrons. I had this vision of DC insiders having these perfectly tender steaks with a glutinous amount of steakhouse sides, paired with uncorked bottles of wine and a (cigar) smoke filled ceiling. For me, this kind of ambiance is worth the price of admission. I drank a mescal old fashioned and a rum based punch from the drink menu. (Both drinks were good) I'm pretty sure the house bread had a decent amount of rosemary in it. I like that personally. The house salad with avocados and hearts of palm was a great call to start the festivities. My 14 OZ NY sirloin was very tender and flavorful. Some of my steak slices made their way in the red wine sauce that accompanied my wife's Filet Mignon. That was also delicious and perfectly cooked. My crispy onion rings were not so crispy, but still enough crunch to satisfy that urge. Our side of potatoes au gratin was a 10 out of 10. The staff was fantastic and our server was excellent. It was a checklist experience for me and I'm glad we went. I look forward to taking my son here in the future to getting his read on the food and the ambience. I would recommend it.

Nothing short of perfection. Everything we had was simply done well. To top that all, service was personable, genuine, and top-notch. A six-decade-long restaurant located next to the Capitol serves delightful food with a rich history of congressional diners. We had the burrata and grilled octopus for appetizers. The slices of tomatoes with the burrata were very good. The octopus was cooked perfectly. We had the linguini clams, bone-in ribeye, new York strip, and spring chicken. All were flavorful. For dessert, we had the cheesecake with pineapple, creme brulee, chocolate panna cotta, and coffee ice cream. I love cheesecake but the way they did it here was out of this world with thr pineapples. I was a skeptic at first, but it was mind-blowing. We will certainly return because it was just that good.

I start this review with the fact that this visit was for a large party during lunch hour because I believe it plays a part in the quality of the meal to a certain degree.The service when we arrived was quick and efficient. The server took our orders quickly and he was on top of filling up our drinks during the duration of the meal. The salad was bland to say the least and was already served on the table upon arrival. For our entree we had a chicken or steak option. I ordered a medium temp steak, which I believe was the hanger steak on their menu. The steak was under cooked and lacked seasoning. The side item was the star of show and it was the chef potatoes. The potatoes were well cooked and the sauce was delicious.Overall this was a underwhelming meal. The ambiance of the restaurant was neat and you can tell there is a lot of history in this building. Unfortunately the meal was so forgettable that I simply can't give it another try when there are so many good options in the area.

We loved our experience at this place. Great cocktails, quality food, friendly, genuine staff. Well try to come back here! It was the first date with the most beautiful woman. And the waiter was very pushy and asked tactless questions, not allowing us to be in personal space, which spoiled the impression a little.

Really rude people work here. As an intern I took my dad here and regretted this decision within 1 minute of walking in. I was so embarrassed as the host was extremely rude to my dad and I since I guess we were not senators or lobbyists, just normal Americans. Once we sat down I decided we would only get a drink and leave, finding dinner elsewhere as the bartender and host were total jerks.

What a pleasant experience. We had been walking around all day and were definitely disheveled tourists. We walked in thinking they will never let us in, we're under dressed and look a mess. John said we have a table for you, and had the maître 'd seat us. The meal was very tasty, the ambiance was definitely old school but also current DC and we had a delightful time. Members of Congress were all about, including some very well-known Senators. John was very friendly, came over and talked to us and made us feel at home. If you are in the area, we highly recommend this establishment.