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Lafayette Restaurant, Washington, DC

Lafayette Restaurant

4.8
4.8
1610 Reviews
$31 to $50
American

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 19 times today
  • Good for special occasions
  • Fancy
  • Charming
Washington’s destination for power dining, the Lafayette Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With large windows opening onto Lafayette Park and the White House, this sun-lit dining room is one of the most elegant settings in the capital and is certain to complement any dining experience.


Additional information

  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    American, Continental
  • Hours of Operation
    Breakfast Mon–Fri 6:30 am–11:00 am Sat, Sun 7:00 am–11:00 am Lunch Mon–Fri 11:30 am–2:00 pm Brunch Sat, Sun 11:30 am–2:00 pm Afternoon Tea Sun 3:00 pm–4:30 pm Dinner Mon–Sat 5:30 pm–9:30 pm
  • Phone number
    (202) 638-2570
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Executive Chef
    Nicolas Legret
  • Catering
    Private Dining available for groups of up to 16 guests.
  • Private party facilities
    Private Dining is available in our Lafayette Restaurant. Views of Lafayette Park and exquisite cuisine and service guaranteed!
  • Neighbourhood
    Downtown
  • Cross Street
    H Street
  • Parking details
    There is a parking fee of $12.00 via hotel valet parking.
  • Public transit
    McPherson Square, Farragut West, Farragut North
  • Entertainment
    Our pianist Tom Vogt is playing every Monday – Saturday evening and for Sunday Brunch
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Vegan, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 1,610 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.9Service
  • 4.9Ambience
  • 4.5Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Washington, D.C. Area

    Best Ambience

  • Washington, D.C. Area

    American

  • District of Columbia

    Best Overall

  • District of Columbia

    Best Service

  • District of Columbia

    Best Ambience

  • District of Columbia

    Romantic

  • District of Columbia

    American

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Lafayette Restaurant in Washington, DC, offers an exceptional dining experience with "excellent food" and "first class service." Guests praise its elegant atmosphere and talented piano accompaniment. Ideal for special occasions, it features a "beautiful dining room" and a "magical experience." Despite some mixed reviews, it remains a "must stop" for many.

1,610 Reviews
  1. Deborah

    Washington DC

    10 reviews

    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    A fabulous lunch! Nice menu, very attentive service, good food, nice presentation! Dining room was festively decorated!! Always a pleasure to dine here !

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  2. Susan

    New York City

    29 reviews

    5.0

    29 reviews

    Dined on December 7, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The service, the atmosphere and the food are all wonderful! Highly recommend.

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  3. Justin

    New York City

    14 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    14 reviews

    Dined on December 6, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing food and atmosphere. My goto place when in DC and want an elegant high quality experience for breakfast, brunch, or dinner.

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  4. Julie

    Palm Springs

    10 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on December 4, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food was absolutely amazing… Loved the piano music! The ambience was incredible

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  5. Tracy

    Dallas

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 4, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Everything was amazing! Staff, service, food, wine, atmosphere!

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  6. Adrian

    Washington DC

    14 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    14 reviews

    Dined on November 30, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing dining experience, but be prepared to need to hit Taco Bell on your way home. Service was fantastic and the food was amazing, but good lord my toddler eats more. We both left hungry.

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  7. Chris

    Denver

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on November 23, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing steak, cooked perfectly. Scallops were great! Piano playing, great atmosphere. Valet was perfect and the speakeasy type bar downstairs where the bathrooms are was amazing. Will definitely come back here, great date night!!!

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  8. Paul

    San Francisco

    5 reviews

    1.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on November 17, 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    Dropped nearly $500 on dinner for two. Horrible service and screaming kids. Wait staff appeared discombobulated and hotel manager could not have cared less. When I relayed our poor experience, he said, and I quote, we will try to do better next time. There won't be a next time.

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  9. Meredith

    Washington DC

    26 reviews

    5.0

    26 reviews

    Dined on November 11, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    As always, wonerful food and superb, flawless service in a magnificent setting. From the gracious parking valet to the delectable, complimentary birthday dessert, it was a memorable experience.

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  10. Sonia

    New York City

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 7, 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 5
    Vastly and impressively DISAPPOINTED!! Filet Sole, as the most expensive entre on the menu ($95) was Red Lobster grade! The only bread items were raisin bread or sourdough! When I requested plain French bread, and they brought Texas toast...and it even was a poor imitation of that! I requested souffle while placing the initial order, knowing it should take time to make, and the waiter only found out at the end of our meal, that the chef could not make it! Undoubtedly, the waiter completely forgot to order it, and then requested the chef too late. The waiter barely understood English such that he would get 50% of our requests correct! For instance, we requested a specific sequence of our order, and, while he outwardly indicated that he understood, he got it all wrong and brought all the dishes out at once. The wine never got poured on time, such that I finally just grabbed the bottle from the bucket and served ourselves. There were many more little failures in food and service that even Waffle House staff would not commit, and which are unforgivable in a restaurant that used to be first class dining experience. This restaurant needs a complete shakedown, starting with the chef! Ah, for the days 10+ years ago when Charu still was there. I fear the management might be powerless to make the needed changes, either due to finances or due to the employees being able to run the show? So sorry we even bothered to even make advanced reservations for a purely devastating experience. We will never come back, unless there are well-published reviews by established gourmands

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FAQs

Lafayette Restaurant is rated 4.8 stars by 1610 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 19 times today
Google Map for Lafayette Restaurant

800 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    H Street
  • Neighbourhood
    Downtown
  • Hours of Operation
    Breakfast Mon–Fri 6:30 am–11:00 am Sat, Sun 7:00 am–11:00 am Lunch Mon–Fri 11:30 am–2:00 pm Brunch Sat, Sun 11:30 am–2:00 pm Afternoon Tea Sun 3:00 pm–4:30 pm Dinner Mon–Sat 5:30 pm–9:30 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    American, Continental
  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    There is a parking fee of $12.00 via hotel valet parking.
  • Public transit
    McPherson Square, Farragut West, Farragut North
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Nicolas Legret
  • Entertainment
    Our pianist Tom Vogt is playing every Monday – Saturday evening and for Sunday Brunch
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Vegan, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (202) 638-2570
  • Catering
    Private Dining available for groups of up to 16 guests.
  • Private party facilities
    Private Dining is available in our Lafayette Restaurant. Views of Lafayette Park and exquisite cuisine and service guaranteed!
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  • Terms of Use
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  • Cookie Preferences
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