Best Restaurants for Special Occasions in South Riding

I made reservations here for a Christmas brunch with my family and Wow! I am so happy I did! My family and I had a fabulous time and a fantastic brunch here at Old Ebbitt. Our server, Jasmine, gave excellent recommendations and was an incredible server. She was very warm and inviting, which is something we always look for. The french toast, chicken and waffles, eggs Benedict, crab and artichoke dip, and raw oysters were all top notch and delicious. From start to end, everything was perfect. This is where you want to have brunch in DC. Thank you, Old Ebbitt!

From the beginning, service was very professional, efficient and courteous. The food was AMAZING!!! One word to change your life: Salted Caramel Cheesecake. An experience all on its own. Definitely on our rotation! So many choices to try! We will be back VERY soon.

Always enjoy dining here. Tonight was the first time that we were disappointed in our food. The Parisienne Gnocchi were great but were barely warm when served. They did reheat them and they were definitely a keeper in the menu. My beef stroganoff was very minimal on the meat and heavy on the pasta. It should have been the reverse. The salmon was not cooked as requested but good. The fare was bland and all the vegetables were barely cooked. This is a first there. We attribute it to maybe extra staff brought on for the holidays. But we still love it here!!

Philomena is a pillar in the DC community and for great reason. When you first walk down the, many steps, you enter your known as house. During the holiday season, the restaurant is decorated from head to toe with Christmas celebration. The staff are all extremely courteous and helpful And always dressed amazingly. The food is outstanding. All portions are large enough to share so get a few dishes and let your table enjoy old world Italian cuisine. Anything on the menu is a score in my book. But don’t forget always leave room for dessert. The cannoli are amazing!

We had a table for 7 and service was terrific, and he made sure to tell me what had my allergens in it. We ordered the small flight plate, charcuterie board and calamari. Rave reviews for the calamari - crisp not greasy. Charcuterie was pretty good overall - love that they had braseola not prosciutto. The cold shrimp cocktail, chicken wings (not buffalo) ribs on the small flight were all flavorful and delicious. So easy to overcook shrimp but these were perfect. The only item not fantastic was the bone marrow. The Wagyu Coulette filet was the best - very tender, very flavorful, and lean.