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  • 1789 Restaurant

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Reserve at 1789 Restaurant

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1789 Restaurant
1789 Restaurant

1789 Restaurant Details

  • Dining Style: Fine Dining
  • Website: http://www.1789restaurant.com
  • Phone: (202) 965-1789
  • Hours of Operation: Monday - Thursday: 6:00pm - 10:00pm, Friday: 6:00pm - 11:00pm, Saturday: 5:30pm - 11:00, Sunday: 5:30pm - 10:00pm

    Open for Sunday Brunch on Easter and Mother's Day.

    Closed Christmas Day and July 4.
  • Payment Options: AMEX, Carte Blanche, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
  • Cuisine: American, Seafood, Steak
  • Executive Chef: Samuel Kim
  • Dress Code: Jacket Preferred
  • Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
  • Additional Details: Banquet/Private Rooms, Bar Dining, Beer, Farm to Table, Fireplace, Full Bar, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Private Room, Wine
  • Affiliations: Dine Originals - Member Restaurants

Getting there

  • Cross Street: Prospect & 36th Streets
  • Parking: Valet
  • Parking Details: Complimentary Valet Parking
A word from 1789 Restaurant
Sitting on a quiet residential street in Georgetown, 1789 Restaurant has the charm of a historic country inn. Chef Samuel Kim’s contemporary seasonal menu blends the flavors of fresh regional ingredients into unique and delicious summer dishes. A modern twist on classic desserts by Pastry Chef Ryan… Westover.


2014 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence; Zagat Top Ratings in Food, Service, Decor, and Most Popular; DiRona Award Winner; 3 Stars from 2014 Washingtonian magazine.
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Awards voted by OpenTable diners
  • Diners' Choice WinnerBest Overall
  • Diners' Choice WinnerBest Ambiance
  • Diners' Choice WinnerBest Service
Diner Reviews
  • "Sloppy fine dining service. Serving to the right, reaching over, intrusive comments from front waiter (told me not to eat too much bread because I'd ordered so much food, wow), courses on top of each other or 25 min apart. Food was really mediocre. Bread served cold, amuse bouche nothing special, fennel completely dominated fazzoletto and crab did not shine, ham was dry. Went to Olivia macaroons instead of dessert to save the night. From Richmond with a truly impressive burgeoning restaurant scene and used to hold dc's scene as superior, but I could have gotten a far better meal at home. I've seen culinary feats there that would make your chef blush. Bad bathroom. Great valet was best service all night.Don't usually like to review but . . ."
    Dined on 7/19/2014
  • "So, we got there a little early. Sat at the bar and had some drinks. "Bob" was absolutely fantastic. Got seated. Ordered from the first/second course menus.... FABULOUS!!!! We were impressed and dying to get our food. We ordered the steak, duck, cod, and rockfish. The steak was reportedly great but the other three were highly disappointing. Duck fat was hardly rendered.... was greasy and fatty, not cooked as it should be. The cod and rockfish were incredibly overcooked and dry... so disappointing. We got desserts. They were fine, nothing to rave about. So, needless to say, we were off to a great start but ended up being rather disappointed. The wine was good the whole time, though! :)"
    Dined on 7/18/2014
  • "I took my girlfriend of six years to this special restaurant. The servers took extra good care of us and made very good recommendations."
    Dined on 7/17/2014
  • "The fish was perfectly cooked: the best I've ever had in a restaurant. It was moist and tasty. Service was very attentive without being cloying."
    Dined on 7/17/2014
  • "The restaurant was great. Appetizer of the day was good. The Virginia Ham caught my eye and was recommended by our waiter. The ham was so dry that it would separate in strings of meat. I needed water to wash it down. My wife's filet was great. Deserts were also good. I had two glasses of wine with dinner...the restaurant charged me for three. I had an after dinner libation (vin santo) which was $22 a glass. The charge on my bill was $88. This plus the extra glass of wine I was charged for but didn't order brought my bill to over $100 more then it should have been. I will no longer order the ham and I will be sure to check my bill. Did they think that I wouldn't notice?"
    Dined on 7/16/2014
  • "It was a great evening. The service was excellent, the appetizers and main courses were fabulous. Dessert choices were a little disappointing, but that didn't color an otherwise great evening!"
    Dined on 7/15/2014
  • "I cannot believe how amazing the service was. I went there for my 1 year and told them before hand to have wine ready. But they went above and beyond on everything. Best service I have ever received. The food was delicious and looked amazing. It was art."
    Dined on 7/14/2014
  • "We celebrated our 24th anniversary there which was our first time there. We had a reservation for 5:30 pm for the first reservation of the day. It was very nice and quiet then and no notable groups started arriving until approximately 6:30 pm. The food is tasty and unique and the wine list is very good, however, as the driver I declined any alcohol. Since I work at remaining fit for my age I drank only water and only had two courses for the meal. The portions are very small and most Americans will require three courses to fill up. The head waiter and his team of servers and attendants were consummate professionals in every sense of the word. Never once did my water glass get empty. The complementary parking was an added treat."
    Dined on 7/13/2014
  • "Excellent service. jackets were optional but everyone came in one. I didnt but was treated well nonetheless. Very very good service."
    Dined on 7/12/2014
  • "EVERYTHING WAS GREAT. COMING FROM NEW YORK CITY, THE PORTIONS WERE A LITTLE BIT SMALLER THAN WE WERE USED TO, BUT THAT ONLY MADE IT HEALTHIER ."
    Dined on 7/12/2014
  • "We went to 1789 on the recommendation of a friend who used to live in DC. We were celebrating the wedding of my gay friends and the staff was amazing. I mentioned in my Opentable res that it was a special occasion and they printed a congratulations menu just for the boys and were all around fantastic. The food was fabulous and service was impeccable. Highly recommend! And Robert (French pronunciation) was a total a sweetheart. Everyone at the restaurant treated is so fabulously and with such respect it was awesome."
    Dined on 7/11/2014
  • "Service and food second to none. I will definitely be back. If you are looking for a special place for that special event this is your place."
    Dined on 7/11/2014
  • "We had a wonderful dinner at the 1789. The service was wonderful, and the server were knowledgeable about the food and how it was prepared. They were very helpful and welcoming. The food is really good, and the ambience beyond expectations. We had the scallops as an opener, and the Hangar steak, and the Duck as entrees. Everything was elicious."
    Dined on 7/10/2014
  • "The 2 best things about this restaurant are that it is not noisy and they have complimentary valet parking. The food is good, if not fabulous. Chef is into foams and powders. They are fun to try."
    Dined on 7/7/2014
  • "I had a lovely time at 1789. My boyfriend and I have never been to this restaurant, and needless to say it's one of our favorite restaurants now. The staff was great, very attentive and friendly. The atmosphere and the interior design were beautiful."
    Dined on 7/7/2014
  • "​1789 Restaurant created a special atmosphere for my birthday. When we entered 1789 we shed our cares at the door. It is an old tavern type building with different rooms. I could picture it at Christmas. Jacket was required, although most men took their jackets off at the table(?)and there were 2 guys who were dressed very casually, no jackets at all. Being unsure, I wore a dress which added to my feeling elegantly formal. Wait service was impeccable. The menu was basic, but limited. My husband ordered the steak special and I ordered red snapper. They almost ruined the snapper by pouring consomme on it - why? We spent hours there. Felt like a date night, and we are married 40 years."
    Dined on 7/6/2014
  • "We have been devoted fans of the 1789 for years -- our "Go To Place" for special occasions. But I'm not sure we will return. The descriptions on the menu are pretentious -- almost silly -- and the menu was truly limited. The meals' ingredients are "in" but nothing special or particularly delectable. My husband had a ham dinner that was almost awful. (Giant Food has better ham.) My Rockfish was very good but I've had similarly good Rockfish at restaurants for much less. The tidbits offered by the chef as special treats don't compensate for unexceptional dinners. Our suggestion: expand the menu; simplify the dinners and ingredients; lose the pretentious descriptions. If you don't we won't be willing to pay the price."
    Dined on 7/5/2014
  • "1789 never disappoints. From the classy decor, to the formal yet friendly service, and the outstanding quality and creativity of their food, it remains one of the better restaurants in DC that consistently maintains its standards."
    Dined on 7/3/2014
  • "All the food that was brought was fresh, and delicious. The scallops were crisp and tender, the ravioli was flavorful, the rockfish was cooked to perfection. Also, the summer special made everything that much more reasonable."
    Dined on 7/3/2014
  • "We celebrated our 35th Anniversary here with delightful food, attentive service, and a relaxed setting that allowed us to converse about important things."
    Dined on 6/30/2014
  • "Staff is outstanding...so attentive and accommodating. Food is creative, inventive and expertly prepared. We were given a souvenir menu that was printed in house congratulating us on or 25th wedding anniversary, along with a card signed by the staff. Weakest part were the desserts, but the French pressed coffee and Madeira made up for it."
    Dined on 6/30/2014
  • "We had a great dinner for our nine year anniversary. The service was great (I could have tolerated a little bit more personality from our waiter) but overall a great night out. I found the price to be quite reasonable considering the quality of the food. They had a somewhat limited wine by the glass menu, but extensive list by the bottle."
    Dined on 6/29/2014
  • "The food and service are outstanding. The Summer menu, a fixed price 3-course meal from the regular menu is a great value. The day boat scallop appetizer was a beautiful and delicious beginning. The quality of food and service continue to be excellent. Free valet parking in Georgetown is a real plus."
    Dined on 6/29/2014
  • "The waiter was excellent (bald French man, thick accent) and joked with us many times, and offered good menu advice. The food itself was delicious, and the environment was dark and wooden."
    Dined on 6/28/2014
  • "One of the last "true" white tablecloth restaurants. Wonderful food, excellent quality--just as trendy as any of the new wonders but without the too cool for school attitude."
    Dined on 6/28/2014
  • "We went to 1789 after years (decades actually) of wanting to try it after being undergrads at Georgetown many years ago. It was worth the wait! The food and ambience were great, and the service and attention were truly fantastic. I made a brief comment on OpenTable about it being our anniversary, and by the time we arrived everyone at 1789 knew it--from our first greeting by the hostess, to the excellent waiter Robert, to the maitre'd, to the menus printed with Happy Anniversary, to the complimentary dessert cookies, and even more. It would have been a memorable experience even if the food was wasn't good, but it was very good--especially the gnocchi with snails, the scallops, and the lamb. We definitely won't wait so long before we return!"
    Dined on 6/26/2014
  • "food was amazing, but it is the service that sets this place apart; highly recommend for a special occasion; at in one of the small, intimate dining rooms on the second floor"
    Dined on 6/26/2014
  • "They were very sweet to recognize my wife's birthday with a special menu, which they rolled up into a scroll and tied with gold ribbon as a souvenir at the end of the night."
    Dined on 6/25/2014
  • "My husband and I had a great time at 1789. We indicated that it was our anniversary on our reservation and as a result they had menus that stated happy anniversary on them. They also have us a card signed by the staff. It was a nice gesture. We were seated in a quiet little area where we were truly able to enjoy the food and each other. The fois gras was great and the duck breast was cooked perfectly. The waitress was friendly and attentive to our needs. We would go back for sure."
    Dined on 6/23/2014
  • "New chef is updating menu. The new duck is quite nice if only a bit overpriced, but the flavor was on. Rabbit a little overcooked, but the complex flavor from the varied preparations mostly made up for it. Well done."
    Dined on 6/22/2014
  • "When we reserved we indicated it was our wedding anniversary and throughout the evening we were congratulated by staff, given special menus, and a final card from staff and management. The service was outstanding and the food was excellent. Definitely a "special occasion" place!"
    Dined on 6/21/2014
  • "1789 is a Georgetown institution that deserves its venerated status. The ambiance is refined yet comfortable and the service is excellent. The scallop and duck appetizers as well as the rockfish and cod entrees were perfectly prepared (the menu changes daily). Complimentary valet parking is a huge plus in this neighborhood."
    Dined on 6/21/2014
  • "One of my absolute favorite restaurants. Always a great meal and impeccable service."
    Dined on 6/20/2014
  • "We ate at 1789 for my birthday and it was delicious! The food was great! We started with salad, the squid ink pasta, and duck strudel. Although my husband was hesitant with the strudel, he decided to trust the chef and just loved it! The staff was also very attentive and really took the time to explain the menu. And the menu was so creative! For mains we have the lamb, pork, and leek fritters (I'm vegetarian). The staff also found out it was my birthday and gave me a menu with the date printed on it and a birthday card. How lovely?! I would definitely recommend going for a special occasion. Yum!"
    Dined on 6/20/2014
  • "It all started when my fiancé and I were brought a small piece of steak tar-tar, followed by three different types of bread accompanied by oil/butter of all sorts of flavor. We split a vegetable medley, which was fantastic. I had the leg of lamb and she had the steak. I would go back again!"
    Dined on 6/16/2014
  • "Creative menu, beautifully presented, delicious! Set in old Georgetown tavern which my parents took me to when I was growing up in DC over 40 years ago. It was great then and is great now. Very upscale and yet charming. Highly recommend. This restaurant has everything: great food, great service, great ambiance!"
    Dined on 6/16/2014
  • "We love the thought of 1789, it is the reason we keep coming back. The food is not imaginative and the wait staff seems uncomfortable and not at all in sync, Very polite but not efficient or seemingly trained in service."
    Dined on 6/15/2014
  • "Food and service were excellent, but it is a very old crowd. We took our hip 20 something kids with us and it was a bit of a turn off for them, even though the food was excellent. Deserts were a bit disappointing."
    Dined on 6/15/2014
  • "Located in the richly historic Georgetown University neighborhood, 1789 is old meets new. While you may feel like you've just stepped back in time with cozy dining rooms and candle lit tables, the menu offers a diverse modern menu with a fresh take on old favorites. Bon appetite!"
    Dined on 6/14/2014
  • "I had heard that the new chef was making big changes since the last star Chef left, but we found little of that evidenced. The dining room still feels like it is part of another period of time. The meal was very pleasant if somewhat rushed. While indeed cucumber soup was a bit of a surprise, having been billed as gazpacho, brussel sprout salad was a pleasant find. Little else seemed changed. The main courses of short rib dumplings were tasty but not very "toothsome" with little texture. I find myself wondering where to find some ruffage. We will try it again."
    Dined on 6/14/2014
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Diners' Choice Awards
  • Washington, D.C. Area Winners
  • American
  • Special Occasion
  • District of Columbia Winners
  • Best Overall
  • Best Ambiance
  • Best Service
  • American
  • Romantic
  • Special Occasion
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Plan your next party here
Location and atmosphere make 1789 Restaurant the perfect choice for private events. It has all the charm of an elegant … country inn, and is situated right in the heart of Georgetown.

Private rooms are available for luncheons, dinners, weddings, business meetings and cocktail receptions. Continued
Great for events up to: 56
More details and contact info ›