AGORAAwesome placeAgora is a gem in the neighborhood. The food was great, tapas style..The service was awesome, friendly and very quick but was never felt rushed. Would highly recommend this restaurant.6/15/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Turkish food servedGreat Turkish food served tapas style which allows tasting from a wider variety of foods. Standouts: lahmacun, sucuk pide. All plates are great for sharing. Nice atmosphere outside people watching. Excellent and friendly service.6/14/2013 12:00:00 AMSuper food, in the A plus rangeMaybe the best Turkish and Greek food I have ever tasted and I was just at a famous Greek restaurant in New York City. It is a short ways from Dupont Circle in D.C. and convenient to local museums in the area. Order like you are ordering tapas, sampling a little bit of this and that.
They make their own flat bread in a brick oven on the premises and be sure to have it with one of their toppings. Definitely end with the bakalav, one of the best ever.
Yes, the ambience is blah, but who cares? It's the food that will have you raving about Agora.6/12/2013 12:00:00 AMA great after-work spotThe food is great, although the portions were a bit small. If I went back I would simply order more food. Drinks were delicious. All in all a wonderful meal.6/7/2013 12:00:00 AMFun and tasty for a small groupsWent as a group of 4. Each of the "small" plates was enough for all four to have a reasonable taste. They recommend about 2-3 plates per person, which was just about right. The service was friendly and prompt during our Saturday 6 - 7 pm dining time. Every plate was very good to outstanding; although our group varied a bit as to which plates they would label as outstanding -- which means Agora suits many tastes.6/1/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat brunch!I love the brunch at Agora. It is one of my favorite places to go for brunch. The food is awesome!5/27/2013 12:00:00 AMAs always - Very good food!I am a frequent customer and the food is always delicious here. Consistent... Affordable... Sometimes service may be on the slower side (especially on weekends) but the servers are always attentive and ready to please you. Highly recommend it.5/25/2013 12:00:00 AMNice place for groups, goodWe met up at Agora and had a very nice meal. The food was good but wasn't exactly memorable. Decent food and decent prices. Great location and friendly atmosphere. Would we go back, sure, but we probably would not make a specific trip to go to it.5/24/2013 12:00:00 AMDelicious tapasThe Turkish tapas are great for large groups and although its a bit loud the atmosphere is fantastic as are the waiters5/23/2013 12:00:00 AMReally tasty and authenticReally tasty and authentic dishes! Great service and value for a price!5/21/2013 12:00:00 AMPeople watchSit outside and watch 17th Street parade by. Zucchini pancakes, lamb chops, octopus5/20/2013 12:00:00 AMBring your appetite for brunch!!A great place for a great deal on an all-you-can eat brunch. For $32.99, you get all you want from their brunch menu along with all-you-can drink mimosas or bloody marys. Started with the cacik (yogurt, cucumber, dill), dolmades (grape leaves), and kacik (tomato-feta-cucumber salad). All three were good. Would recommend the Pastirma eggs benedict which come with thin slices of cured beef and a really good hollandaise sauce--very tasty. Finished with the stuffed baby eggplant. The bartender was very sweet and very good at keeping my flute filled with mimosas...always a winning combination. Can't beat it for the price.5/19/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Dinner Out with FriendsI am always nervous when I am the one to pick the restaurant, but after reading the reviews on OpenTable, I decided to give Agora a try for dinner out with my "foodie friends." Agora did not disappoint. We started with Fig-infused tequila cocktails, followed by wonderful meza dishes of hummus, okra, kale (which was exceptionally delicious), lamb, sea bass, filet mignon, octopus, baby eggplant and more. Each dish was unique, just the right portion size for sharing multiple items. The staff was attentive, while not overly hanging on us. When we requested to try an unusual wine, our waiter selected a very nice Turkish wine for us and was able to tell us about the region. Upbeat atmosphere, not stuffy, not too crowded or loud.5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMSimply deliciousAbsolutely fabulous food all around at reasonable price points. Service was good in quality but a little slow at times due to how busy it can get5/17/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Turkish/Medi foodThough not a high end establishment, I would take clients, colleagues or even visiting family here. Great place.5/13/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Turkish Food in DCWent here with family and had a delicious dinner and lots of fun. Highly recommend flatbreads and almost all mezes. Entrees seems inexpensive but portions are small so order food to share. Popular place and has large covered outdoor dining area.
helpful if somewhat overwhelmed servers.5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMgreat local spot...not sure that I would drive acoss town for it, but it is a grat alternative/addition to the DuPont Circle area. Good, sometimes great Mediterranean food. Clearly fresh and not made in bulk, and some fresh takes without being odd. Service was fine, though it was a quiet lunch, so they weren't under much pressure. There is a good prix fixe menu as well. Wish it was in our neighborhood!5/7/2013 12:00:00 AMLove it!We go to dc every spring for a meeting. We make sure to hit Agora every time we visit.5/5/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat brunchWe had the bottomless brunch, very nice, I will definitely be going again.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMgreat for brunchLoved it - had a group of 8 for brunch, left full and happy! :)5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMAmazing Food/Amazing PriceGreat Brunch-highly recommend to anyone. Food is outstanding-you can order anything of the menu for a fixed price that includes drink. Very inexpensive for what you get. I've been here twice and will definitley be back. One of my favorite spots in DC.4/28/2013 12:00:00 AMComing Back for MoreI could not have been more pleased. They nailed it with the brunch scene. It was a great deal, and we were able to try many different small plates. The drinks were very good, and all items were served/plated with the nicest presentation. I can't wait to go back for brunch again, and show this place off to more friends.4/28/2013 12:00:00 AMReliable reasonably pricedReliable reasonably priced Turkish/Mediterranean meze near Dupont Circle. Not 5 star and not über-trendy, but nice atmosphere (brick wall, wine bar) and food. A good choice if you are in the neighborhood. Was staying at Hotel Rouge nearby for business and it was a good choice for dinner close to the hotel. Not touristy. Better than expected.4/26/2013 12:00:00 AMWe vacationed in Turkey threeWe vacationed in Turkey three years ago and discovered Agora shortly after our return. We relive the experience a bit every time we visit Agora. It reminds us of the many wonderful restaurants we went to in Turkey -- except with a better wine and beer selection. Service is prompt and friendly, the food is great, and the atmosphere lively. It is difficult to get a reservation sometimes, especially when the weather is nice. And, the small-plates format means the tab is a bit pricey -- though worth it! I recently visited the restaurant for lunch for the first time and -- it's a bargain with tasty and affordable salad and sandwich combos.4/24/2013 12:00:00 AMMy party did the pre fixeMy party did the pre fixe brunch deal: It was worth the value to be able to try lots of items on the menu and have unlimited brunch drinks. The food was great overall; I really enjoyed the Mediterranean flavors, and the hummus was so smooth! So delicious!4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMPricey for what you get.Pricey for what you get. Good outdoor seating. Tasty.4/16/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent food! Some of theExcellent food! Some of the best in DC. Great for groups.
Sitting on the bottom level inside is ok - the lights are a bit harsh, looks more fluorescent than natural. Upstairs dining is great with some nice views if you get a good table.4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMWent for the bottomless brunch.Went for the bottomless brunch. Food was amazing. Tons of vegetarian options and every single dish was absolutely delicious! Drinks were good as well. Best brunch I've been to in a long time!4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMBrunch=DivineI'm a frequent bruncher in the Dupont area, and Agora is the first place I've gone to twice. The bottomless is the way to go, both food and drink-wise. You'll want to try many of the things (I'd say the actual Mediterranean foods were best fyi), from the dips to the cheeses, and they can add up if you aren't going all-in. The boys liked it for the variety in drinks (you can get cocktails as well as mimosas), and we often ran out of room as the food came out.
Tips:
Go HUNGRY and try a little of a lot of things
Try to get the waiter to leave a pitcher on the table. The downstairs is small and can get crowded, so sometimes the service gets held up
If you can sit outside, that neighborhood is really nice
It books up, so make reservations early4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMAlmost too noisy to talkFood & service were great, but I left with a sore throat from having to talk loudly.
Interesting that the noise ratings (to me) are backwards -quiet is only 1 star; and there's no rating for "too noisy".4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMGee, this place is just awesome.Gee, this place is just awesome. You have to be in the mood for small bites and shared plates...but every morsel is exquisitely prepared. The vegetables and fish burst with freshness and flavor (I didn't try any of the meat dishes). Can't get enough of this restaurant.3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMThe best moderately pricedThe best moderately priced restaurant on 17th Street. The quality of the food - ingredients and preparation - is always excellent. Mostly small plates. Try any of the Turkish dishes. Our neighborhood favorite.3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMDelicious savory middle easternAfter living and traveling in the Middle East we're always thrilled to find excellent middle eastern food and Agora surely delivers. Overall a 4 rather than a 5 as our bill quickly climbed to $200 for 4 people - add tip and it's an expensive meal for small plates. Not enough food for a hearty eater but plenty for an average one. Other than price the meal was terrific and the service was harried but very good. Mon-Fri 4-7 has a better value happy hour menu at the bar so you may want to test out their menu and drinks there.3/19/2013 12:00:00 AMWe really enjoyed our dinner.We really enjoyed our dinner. Food was excellent, especially the chicken with pita. (Wasn't aware it was tapas beforehand.) Great place for couples or groups.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMWe had a great time. ReadWe had a great time. Read many Yelp reviews and was a bit concerned. We did not experience any of the issues recounted in YELP3/10/2013 12:00:00 AMI read a number of unfavorableI read a number of unfavorable reviews for this place along with the good and most of those reviews had to do with an unpleasant staff. I took a chance because they take reservations on a Saturday night which is unusual and I had somewhere to be afterwards. The restaurant turned out to be more than I expected. The wait staff were friendly and helpful as my date and I were ordering food that was unfamiliar to us. In no case did I see bad behavior and can only guess that the guests who found the staff unfriendly were perhaps being unreasonable themselves. There are 2 sides to every story. The food was great even though I didn't know what I was eating half the time but it was exactly as described. Would I go here again? Absolutely.3/9/2013 12:00:00 AMOne of Dupont Circles bestThe food is consistently very good and reasonably priced--as are the wines. However, they should fix the espresso machine or back it up with a few 4, 8, and 12-cup never-fail stove-top espresso makers.3/8/2013 12:00:00 AM