Rare Tavern

Rare Tavern reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

1. P

   Packersgirl VIP

   Washington DC44 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on March 18, 2019

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The food and service were fantastic! The chips was so good! Great variety of food and the cheese curds are amazing.
   

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2. DO

   DOUGM VIP

   Baltimore2 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on March 17, 2019

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 3

   MULTIPLE orders wrong. Service was friendly, but not very professional or attentive. Expected more from a restaurant of this caliber.
   

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3. C

   Carlitin

   Washington DC20 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on March 10, 2019

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We loved the service, ambiance, and decor. The menu was great and many things catches our eye. Cheese curds were AMSZING. We are rating lower on food because of the main entree. The tomahawk was something we were not expecting. Idk if it was the dry aged component in it, but it seemed to be perfectly cooked but seasing and flavor wise was not great. I would give this restaurant a second chance
   

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4. n

   none

   Washington DC6 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on March 2, 2019

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   The only thing lacking really was a good piece of beef. Everything was quite good, except for our bone in porterhouse. It was properly cooked, but lacked any real flavor, the charred outside was likely a bit overdone, but really no flavor with the meat. Disappointing when you are at a steakhouse.
   

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5. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Philadelphia3 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on February 17, 2019

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We were visiting DC for a wedding, and we were looking for a nice place to dine as a family that was near our hotel. We saw that Rare Tavern had mixed reviews, but we decided to give it a try, and we were not disappointed! We were seated right away, and our waiter Carlos greeted our table immediately. He gave us some recommendations in a very unobtrusive way, and notified us that ALL bottles of wine were 50% off, which was a great surprise! For appetizers, we ordered a steampot of coconut curry mussels. It was a generous serving, with a delicious, slightly spicy, Thai-inspired curry broth. It came with a generous bowl of grilled bread. We also ordered the garlic and parsley fries, which were crispy and perfectly seasoned, the endive and arugula salad (which was recommended by Carlos, and did not disappoint), and the kids had garlic rolls, which were tremendous and delicious, covered with a massive amount of shredded parmesan— a steal at $2 each. For entrees, my husband and I shared the 26 oz ribeye. It was a little pricey, but prepared to perfection, served with potato croquettes, which was more than enough for the two of us. We got the side of fried Brussels sprouts, which were a treat! Our daughter got homemade chicken noodle soup (garnished with plenty of fresh dill), and both boys got spaghetti and meatballs. Would not have chosen that at a steakhouse, but must say, I was impressed. The servings were tremendous, with 4 huge, well-seasoned meatballs and melted burrata cheese. We had plenty leftover for the following day. We barely had room for one dessert to share. Carlos recommended the cinnamon roll, which was generously sized and delightful, with cream cheese frosting and delicious honey-flavored ice cream on the side. The service was impeccable. Carlos was delightful and helpful without being intrusive, and the manager also stopped over to check in. The atmosphere is dark, with handsome red leather upholstery on chairs and stools. Highly recommend!
   

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6. SS

   SteveS

   Washington DC6 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on February 16, 2019

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   This was the best dinner. The food and service top notch. Thanks to Karen our lead server for a truly special night of outstanding service and fun.
   

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7. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Washington DC1 review

   2.0

   Dined on February 16, 2019

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 3

   We have come to rare many times since it’s been open. They have amazing happy hour deals at the bar. Unfortunately we made the mistake of eating at the tavern tonight instead of the steakhouse. We waited over an hour for our food and then the waitress offered to cover our one garlic roll ($2) when our bill was ($150). A manager didn’t check in to ask us about our dining experience and the food was shbpar. Our experience tonight would have turned us off the entire restaurant if we had not had much better experiences upstairs. Do yourself a favor and don’t bother with the downstairs restaurant. Go to the bar or upstairs!
   

   Rare TavernResponded on February 18, 2019

   Dear Anonymous - We appreciate the feedback. While we're proud of our steakhouse (and appreciate the love), we are equally proud of our more relaxed Tavern and would love a second chance to show you we're more than just a great happy hour. If you're willing, please email me directly at drew@raredc (Opentable won't let us write out our full email addresses on public comments) to talk about having you back in as my guest so we can show you who we really are. Hoping to see you soon. -drew
   

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8. BG

   BradG

   Washington DC24 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on February 15, 2019

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We went to Rare Tavern for cocktails and snacks. The cheese curds were great. My wife is not a fan, but I loved the sweetbreads. Our server was great.
   

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9. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Washington DC1 review

   1.0

   Dined on February 15, 2019

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   When you make a reservation for this place on Valentine's Day on OpenTable, there is a button that says something along the lines of: Valentine's Day Menu Click Here. When you click on the menu, under main menu, it lists the prices in the images I have attached. These are not even close to the prices they were charging. The bill was about $50-60 more than the prices advertised on the Valentine's Day menu as listed on open table. When I asked the server, she did her job, speculated on it being a reporting error, and asked if I wanted to speak to the manager. Do I want to be that guy that makes a scene and starts making a fuss about the bill while on a Valentine's Day date? No. No I do not. So I paid and went on with my night. But it left a bad taste in my mouth. Will try Fogo next time.
   

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10. s

    scott VIP

    Washington DC22 reviews

    1.0

    Dined on February 14, 2019

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 2

    The food and service was horrible. Will not be going back. And you don;t even get points from this restaurant.
    

    Rare TavernResponded on February 15, 2019

    Scott - We are disappointed that your experience at Rare didn't meet your expectations - or by the sounds of it our own. We always appreciate the feedback, but would love to hear a bit more about your visit so we can improve. Further, if you're amenable, I'd like to invite you back in on us. You can email me directly at drew@raredc and hopefully we can show you who we are. -drew
    

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