AncoraWe were a party of 9, andWe were a party of 9, and we were in a small room off the main dining room. The food was great, and the service was excellent. We ordered 3 of the apple tarts to share for dessert, and it was just enough and incredibly delicious.5/13/2013 12:00:00 AMNo longer stranded in Foggy BottomWe were happy to see a new alternative for a pre-show meal at the Kennedy Center. But Ancora is more than that: very attentive service, nice low-key ambiance (it will be interesting to see how the upcoming remodel will affect that), and particularly the food - burata, funghi ravioli, scallops, veal... I'm ready to go back and try more, lots more. They were very attentive to our need to move along in time to make curtain time across the street, but next time we want to give a whole evening to the dining experience and a full three courses. It unexpectedly swerved the whole focus of the evening out. I wouldn't hesitate to bring along some friends next time.5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMAt Last......A terrific place to eat before a Kennedy Center show. This space has been plagued by mediocre food for years, so here's hoping Bob Kinkead can make it soar. He's off to a good start.5/10/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat for Pre-Show Dinner or DrinksLove, love, love this place. It's so great to have a really nice Italian restaurant, with wonderful seafood, too, right by the Kennedy Center. We can park either at the KC or valet park with Ancora and be just steps away from the show. We had tickets to KC shows two nights in a row, so we went here the next night, as well, and ate in the bar. I wish we could have ordered the dinner menu in the bar, but the bar menu was still terrific. The wait staff is attentive and professional. Great place -- looking forward to the renovation when they make the outside terrace into something special. My husband and I highly recommend Ancora.5/10/2013 12:00:00 AMMuch better than RiversGood service and good food next to the Kennedy Center. Good wine list. Halibut was excellent as were the mashed potatoes family style. Only one problem. We ordered a rabbit/duck based paste with mustard fruits but the manager who had described it to us as the waitress was uncertain, returned to tell us it was not available. He suggested the pate and we said yes. It was not good. It was hard, cold, not really a pate and not pleasant. Other than that a very good spot.5/9/2013 12:00:00 AMPre-show excellence!We're from out of town and found this gem, literally feet from the Kennedy Center. The service and food were awesome! We also had made reservations on another night for the Roof Terrace restaurant in the Kennedy Center - Ancora beat it on all counts! Avoid the crowds and mass-produced food - this place is wonderful!5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMpretheater gemWe arrived five minutes late for our 6:45 reservation for Ancora with an eight o'clock curtain to make, next door at the Kennedy Center. Our valet parking was $10.00, $12.00 cheaper than the Kennedy Center. We were seated right away. Our drinks came in 5 minutes. We informed the waitress of our curtain time. She took our orders and our food was there in 15 minutes. My spaghetti Carbonara was delicious. My fellow diners were equally pleased. We were on our way up the steps to the Concert Hall at 7:30 PM. We will be back for a more leisurely meal in the near future. Great service, great food.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMa very worthy successor to KinkeadsThe great food Bob Kinkead was doing on Pennsylvania Avenue carries on across from the Kennedy Center -- this time with an Italian twist. Having dined at Kinkeads dozens of times in the past 15 years we were sorry to see it close. Even though we will miss the seafood, it's nice to have a new menu to explore.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMa pleasant surpriseWe did not know what to expect from Kinkead's new resraurant and were pleasantly surprised. The surroundings were a bit plain, but we understand it will close for renovations. The food was outstanding and we had impeccable service. Definitely on our "go back" list.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMWork In ProgressAncora has opened in the space formerly Rivers at the Watergate, where we dined frequently before events at the Kennedy Center. The space itself has not yet changed (we understand that the restaurant will close again in a few months to redecorate) but the menu is completely different. We liked the new offerings, and the quality of the food is very good, but the prices are somewhat higher than before. The positive change that stands out is the speed of the kitchen. While the waitstaff at Rivers was always attentive, the kitchen produced the food so slowly that getting to events on time was sometimes a challenge. Not so with Ancora -- the dishes arrived very quickly and we were in and out in about an hour.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMAt Last !!A fine dining experience in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood. Excellent red snapper, delicious appetizers (the mussels) which are quite satisfying, suberb wine list. Staff is most accommodating and considerate of Kennedy Center patrons.5/1/2013 12:00:00 AMAn unexpectedly wonderful findWe chose Ancora mostly for location (Kennedy Center tickets), without having heard anything about it, though one visit to the bar earlier, just for a bite, was encouraging. We were more than pleased: food, excellent service (attentive but not not fawning or imperious), quiet enough to talk--we will return. At last that venue (home to many failed predecessors) has a worthy occupant. ,4/29/2013 12:00:00 AMThank goodness--a good placeThank goodness--a good place to eat now near the Kennedy Center! The food was terrific, as was the service.
It will be even better when they renovate their space4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMWent before NSO symphony.Went before NSO symphony. Service was excellent. Food was very good.4/25/2013 12:00:00 AMfirst impression of AncoraAncora meets a need in the Kennedy Center area for an alternative to the KC Terrace Restaurant, and those of us who thought Kincaid's the best DC restaurant have been eager to see what Bob Kincaid would do for an encore. He's moved from imaginative seafood to imaginative Italian, but this menu is a bit heavy. I read one review complaining that the portions were too large, but I didn't find that to be the case. I left full -- isn't that the idea at a restaurant? -- but I do miss Kincaid's. My spaghetti carbonara was rich but a bit dry; they must have used a dozen eggs for my portion alone (I'm exaggerating, of course) but I had no problem finishing every bite. Service was excellent throughout, and the sommelier recommended a great wine.4/24/2013 12:00:00 AMA New TakeRobert Kinkead's latest iteration, Ancora, deserves an encore! He has fashioned an Italian cuisine in a prime setting overlooking the Potomac river and the Kennedy Center. Both the stomach and the eye have much to relish!
The restaurant will be remodeled this coming summer, as I understand it. It won't be an easy task, given the physical configurations of the interior.
Food was uniformly delicious. My asparagus salad with fava beans was different and tasty. Swordfish was cooked just right. My one quibble was the portion size. I would have liked a little more fish and a little less crusty zucchini.
All in all, an excellent contribution to the area and a boon to those going over to a performance at the Kennedy Center.4/24/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful meal!We ended up going at the last minute, and couldn't have been more delighted! Food was superb - outstanding salads, ravioli with sweetbreads - ooh la la! Chef Kinkade came out to the tables to greet diners. Make a point to go.4/23/2013 12:00:00 AMFriendly staff and great food.Friendly staff and great food. Perfect for dinner before a performance at the Kennedy Center.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMFabulous food... all aroundFabulous food... all around great !! Bob KinkeaD HAS DONE IT AGAIN !!!!4/19/2013 12:00:00 AMMy friends and I dined atMy friends and I dined at Ancora on Friday night and had a truly exceptional meal. The veal ravioli was one of the best dishes I have ever eaten. It was superb. My guests had swordfish and short ribs and both raved about their meals as some of the best restaurant food they had in a long time. We have chefs in our families so we do know good food and the food coming out of the kitchen at Ancora is top notch. I can't wait to go back!4/19/2013 12:00:00 AMLooking forward to returningLooking forward to returning in November, once staff is accustomed to the new menu! Great experience!!!4/17/2013 12:00:00 AMoutstanding food... we'reoutstanding food... we're returning this week also !!! great addition to foggy bottom..4/12/2013 12:00:00 AMContinual improvementsThe addition of the outdoor dining is a great plus. It is pleasant enough that the jet noise can be overcome for the ambiance4/9/2013 12:00:00 AMAnother Bob Kinkead GemBob Kinkead has again put together a fine dining experience with Ancora.4/9/2013 12:00:00 AMIncredible ExperienceWow....Bob Kinkead has a winner on his hands, even cooking in a substandard kitchen! The plans for the new 'compound' sound incredible and will put Ancor on the map, especially when you can step out of Ancora and go directly into the KenCen. The menu is amazing and covers everything from fried olives, arancini, stuffed jalapenos to pastas, fish dishes and outstanding desserts. Our party had the salmon, scallops and everything in between......fabulous!!!! It was so good to see many staffers from Kinkead's came with him. Love, love, love this place and will return. They close mid Nov until Valentine's Day to refurbish, catch their breath and proceed to shock and awe your taste buds!!4/8/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent overall experience.Excellent overall experience. If you've got a show at the Kennedy Center, stopping here before or after may be your best bet.4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMFaithful Kinkaid's customerI really miss Kinkaids but open to this new experience. With the upcoming renovation, I am looking forward to the addition of Grilled Fish, which was such a treat at Kinkaid's4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMThis is a great addition toThis is a great addition to the Kennedy Center area, and the restaurant did a terrific job of pacing the service and getting everyone to the theatre on time. Oh, yes, and the food was terrific - this should be a destination restaurant, not just a pre-theatre place.4/5/2013 12:00:00 AMCan't wait to go back!As expected, everything was over the top fantastic.. had a wonderful staff taking care of us, food was fabulous. liked the Italian feel of the menu with the various courses..
would love to see pre fixe meals options to really take you thru the Italian experience of five courses.4/5/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent choice for pre theater/coExcellent choice for pre theater/concert when attending a Kennedy Center function.4/4/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat location, quality experienceIt's good to have a quality restaurant so close to the Kennedy Center, especially after Rivers closed. The office building location could have been decorated with more charm, but it was left fairly plain-looking, depending mostly on large window views of the Kennedy Center and a bit of the Potomac as its "atmosphere." The menu, while limited, was interesting, and the fare was good – except my fish dish, a crusted fluke, was rather tasteless and soft to the point of mushy. Service was warm and efficient -- overall, a great place.4/4/2013 12:00:00 AMMuch ado about littleAlthough the service was superlative the food was overly rich and the portions were too large. The restaurant is attractive although the artwork leaves something to be desired. Good lighting and comfortable seating makes this a pleasant place for a business lunch or dinner.
Flavors are good but the food just seemed a little too heavy, a little too much, a little too pretentious. One departs feeling a little too full, a little too uncomfortable. This happened with two out of the three of our party.4/2/2013 12:00:00 AMgreat food, great locationgreat food, great location - will be even better once renovated and when weather allows for outdoor seating.4/1/2013 12:00:00 AMFood was quite good. ThisFood was quite good. This was my third visit in less than one month. so working my way through the menu and trying many dishes.4/1/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat location by KennedyGreat location by Kennedy Center. Excellent service and delightful food choices. Definitely worth repeating....3/28/2013 12:00:00 AMwelcome back Bob. Wonderfulwelcome back Bob. Wonderful meal; service will improve as the kitchen settles in. Wonderfull for dinner before the Kennedy Center but easy to get to from Virginia as well as D.C. and will become a regular dining spot for us.3/28/2013 12:00:00 AMWhat a terrific meal we had.What a terrific meal we had. We started with appetizers -- frito misto and calamari. While I am not big on fried food, the treatment of the vegetables and seafood was delicate and delicious. The grilled calamari in a bed of polenta was fabulous. I will order this again. For our entrees we had a pasta dish and the scallops. They were outstanding.3/27/2013 12:00:00 AMAncora is a HUGE improvementAncora is a HUGE improvement over Rivers. Menu is interesting. The food was very good, perhaps a tad over-salted although you don't notice that as you eat. Just later, when you're thirsty at the KC. Staff were appropriate but didn't hover. Good experience.3/27/2013 12:00:00 AMJim LittigThe service was exceptional, the menu ad good variety and the pasta was the best I have had in DC.3/27/2013 12:00:00 AMbest restaurant near the Kennedybest restaurant near the Kennedy Center for a wonderful dinner. Always loved Kinkeads and this does not disappoint. Space could use a makeover..,.3/25/2013 12:00:00 AMI was a major fan of Kincaid'sI was a major fan of Kincaid's and still miss it. I was looking forward to trying Ancora and I was not disappointed. The food was excellent and the service was wonderful. It is a great place to go if you are attending an event at the Kennedy Center, but don't wait for a Kennedy Center event to try Ancora.3/25/2013 12:00:00 AMSince it's right across theSince it's right across the street from the Kennedy Center, it's a welcome alternative to the Roof Terrace. The food is tasty, the service friendly and the atmosphere is a bit shabby but will be updated after the Ken Cen seasson has slowed. Only problem: they claim they will validate parking but since tyou have to pay in advance ($12) that does't seem to work.3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMI hope this restaurant works.I hope this restaurant works. It is so good to have great food right near the Kennedy Center. As a seasons ticket holder, the area has been a food wasteland! Kudos to Ancora.3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMI have eaten there three times.I have eaten there three times. Each time the selection of Italian foods differs. Appetizers can be large for one, but the quality, taste and service at Ancora is excellent.3/22/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food was quite good andThe food was quite good and the service very attentive. I thought the wine by the glass list was a bit short ... and expensive although probably not unusually so for the DC area.3/22/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food and a wonderfulGreat food and a wonderful prelude to events at the Kennedy Center.3/21/2013 12:00:00 AMAttentive to need to get toAttentive to need to get to a performance at Kennedy Center.3/21/2013 12:00:00 AMWhat a great addition. Kinkead'sWhat a great addition. Kinkead's wonderful cooking but with a different focus from his eponymous seafood
restaurant. An imaginative menu and excellent service.3/20/2013 12:00:00 AMOf course it's perfect forOf course it's perfect for pre or post-performance at the Kennedy Center. We had a very pleasant dinner.3/20/2013 12:00:00 AMEverything was notable--food,Everything was notable--food, service, friendliness. We will certainly return.3/20/2013 12:00:00 AM