Best Restaurants for Groups in Foggy Bottom

The food was so good but the experience was disappointing. This was probably my third or fourth visit to P&N and I am never disappointed with the quality and flavors of the food! This time we were a bit disappointed with the service: -We ordered the "catedral" mistakenly thinking it was a pitcher and referred to it as a pitcher. When the drink came out we were surprised it was not a pitcher and then wondered why the server did not clarify that our order of the "pitcher of pisco, the catedral" was in fact not a pitcher but just a large glass -1 out of the 2 entrees was served when we were still half way through the apps so our two-top table was pretty packed between the two plates of appetizers, the bottle of water, the glasses of water, our cocktails and now the entree -Why not wait until the appetizers are finished to serve the entree? And why serve one entree out of the two and not serve the entrees together? -My steak was cold. The pasta was warm but my steak was straight up cold -Server eventually was a bit MIA. No water refills. No offer for a dessert menu. We had to waive our server down multiple times to either ask for something, to order something else or to have plates cleared from the table. The most frustrating aspect of the visit had to do with OpenTable rewards. P&N is listed as a restaurant that accepts OpenTable rewards. The reservation was actually even made through the OpenTable reward page and the redeemed reward can only be used at the restaurant where the reservation is made. It was then disappointing to hear that P&N would not be accepting my reward. I tried to have a conversation with the manager but she refused to honor the reward and ultimately said "theres nothing else I can do." I had to really push for the restaurant to provide a gesture for the reward issue. I will say that despite the disappointing service every one was extremely nice and professional. I just wish the experience had gone better and matched the excellence of the food.

Joes was a great manager and checked on us a couple of times. Our server, Annie was great as well. The food was good. The scallops were delicious but a little too much mushrooms for my liking in the risotto. It was louder than I thought it would/should be, but it was fine. The tables for two are kind of small and close together with other tables of two so you are in everyone’s conversions and plates. I would go back.

60 Vines was excellent! This was our first visit, and I definitely recommend it. Our waiter was knowledgeable and his recommendations were perfect: from the wine selections to the food pairings. The wine flight is the way to go as there are too many nice wines to choose from. We only had the shareable plates but they were all outstanding: the bacon-wrapped dates (if you think you don’t like dates, try this!); the mussels; the barratta ; and the blistered peppers. I can only imagine what the mains are like if the small plates are this good.

Went for Christmas dinner. Foggy Bottom was one of the two locations that had the a’ la carte menu which was why I picked the location. It was a little crowded waiting for our reservation time and they were behind but we expected that and didn’t mind. There were three of us and we all were happy with our meals. We had wings and the corn bread skillet for appetizers. The wings were really good. I’m not a fan of corn in my cornbread but it still tasted good. I had fried shrimp with fries, coleslaw and corn bread. The shrimp and fries were really good. The coleslaw was a little blah. Our other two diners had a platter with ribs, cheeseburger sliders and fried chicken and coleslaw. They both loved theirs but also were not fans of the coleslaw. The staff was friendly and professional and fast. We enjoyed talking to them and the two different sets of patrons sitting beside us. We had a great Christmas dinner despite it not being an “traditional” Christmas dinner and would come back again.

There was a private event that required we be seated in a private dining room that was cozy and comfortable. Despite this huge event happening, our service by Gustavo was incredibly attentive and timely. What a warm and wonderful human being! Chef Todd Gray always manages to hire the best staff out there. They are incredibly personable, knowledgeable and caring about their work. The food is always scrumptious and top notch. Equinox is our go-to plant-based restaurant for sure. It's always a celebration of food, love, ambience, and fabulous service. We adore it there.