219 Restaurant

Eggs Benedict are still as wonderful as they were in 1981! Eva, the hostess, is a gem and made our family brunch an extra special occasion.

My fiance' and enjoyed our evening out, it was on a whim we went. But a great choice. It's been add to our spot list....we will be back.

We enjoyed our visit, with a few small hiccups. Our entrees were both excellent. The house bread was mediocre. The Charcuterie was good but not great. Loved the location in setting of the restaurant. Didn’t love the cigarette smell in the restaurant which was probably attributed to the bar below the restaurant. For the main entrées, we would return again.

She crab soup totally lived up to its reputation. Shrimp and grits -- heavenly! Note for outdoor seating: next door there is a cigar bar. I love that smell, but if you don't, sit inside. It's pretty strong.

Well prepared dishes that are pleasing to the palette. Try the shrimp and grits, they are amazing!

Great ambiance and the she crab soup was delicious!

Wanted something different from the average seafood/American old town offerings and decided to try something new. 219 offers amazing Cajun dishes and southern fare. The jambalaya was amazing. They make the andouille sausage in house. The service was stellar the hostess was knowledgeable about the dishes and wine selection. The only thing to be aware of is that there is a cigar bar upstairs. Walking up and at the hostess station the smell is quite notocible. However once in the main dining area you hardly notice it. Definitely recommend for a cozy romantic dinner.

It was a great experience. Food was great. We requested outdoor dining but they gave our table away just before our arrival, even though we were on time for our reservation. Still they found a nice indoor seat for us. The waiter never came to our table so the hostess ended up serving us and was very nice. Ambiance was wonderful but the chandelier above us kept shaking from the noise/movement upstairs. I figured the issues we ran into were one-offs. Definitely would go again.

The Restaurant had nice a nice atmosphere. The hostess was amazing. The waitstaff was not great. A tall male waitstaff would not even acknowledge our existence, asked for water nothing, bread nothing, he ignored us. The waitress we had tried but the tables she got were odd, they were far apart, like one in the front entrance and another in the back of the Restaurant. The fried chicken was unseasoned. The gumbo was good. Overall an average experience.Out of all my experiences in Old Town Alexandria this was the worst .

Our waitress was inattentive, the food was of poor quality and overpriced. We would never return.

Our server did her absolute best, and gave us friendly service. That’s the most positive part of our review. The restaurant week menu was enticing enough for one of us to try- but the chocolate dessert is the most noteworthy part of the meal. The other ordered the duck breast which came out severely under-rendered. The fatty layer under the skin had not been cooked down properly, resulting in a tough to cut texture. In addition to the mishaps with our meal, the couple seated next to us felt comfortable to start a conversation about the poor quality of their meal. It truly seemed as if the staff were obliviously unaware of the issues and quality of the dinner service.

Had a great time and the food was very good! Service was great, too! The She Crab soup was very good and the shrimp and grits was amazing! Definitely worth going!

Came during restaurant week and was very pleased with the selection. The salmon was cooked to perfection. Portion sizes were also generous

The server Eva the diva was outstanding. She is the reason that I would come back again and again she was that remarkable. Eva made you feel as if you were the most important person in the world doing your dining experience .
Thank you.
G$

The food was great, the service was super, I would definitely return or recommend this place. Hard to find parking but plenty of garages around. The water front is 2 blocks away.

Everything was great. 10/10, would eat there again, and soon.

We unfortunately had a bad experience during restaurant week. The waitress was hosting a party in another room and kept forgetting about our table. I had to walk to the hostess and ask about our entrée because we were waiting for so long. When our entrée came, it was obvious that it had been reheated because the fried chicken was soggy. The crème brûlée dessert was cold when typically it is served warm. Finally when the waitress brought us the check, she quickly asked to take it back and we noticed the reason was because she had forgotten to add the mandatory 20% tip For restaurant week. This is the second time I’ve had mediocre service at this restaurant. The dining room is also freezing cold and I assume they keep the temperature so low to mask some of the cigar smell. The food was not bad and the ambience has so much potential however, I won’t be coming back.

Great meal and great service

Terrible experience. Staff miscommunication and they lied to our faces a handful of times to try and save face. Would never go back. Entrees (fried chicken and shrimp n grits) took an hour and a half and we were told they’d be free as tables around us ordered the same entrees and received them before us. Only received 20% off and entrees were charged. Had to repeat our issue 4 different times and fight for us to have them take off the entrees and keep them because they wanted to keep our money. So ridiculous. Owner is rude and inconsiderate of customers. Servers were nice but should have owned up to the mistakes and fought to make things more right. Wasted two hours of our time here and we are a party of 2 and didn’t even eat a full meal.

For full review, please visit my yelp account as open table doesn’t allow for a certain amount of text. Be warned, dine elsewhere.

Great overall experience

Reported me as a no-show even though we got there early! They need to pay attention to their reservations...a bit frustrating when I have to waste my time defending my actual attendance so my account doesn’t get shut off - especially after spending $160.

Loved it! Great atmosphere, food & service. Went upstairs for fun music after dinner.

Many years ago I had been to this restaurant on several occasions and found excellent food, drinks, service, and the upstairs seating area was next to a separate jazz bar which was fun. On this occasion, we both ordered the Lamb Bolognaise which was good but all of the restaurant, even the nonsmoking area, smells heavily of cigarette and cigar smoke. There is an outside seating which is covered but the smoke finds it's way from the downstairs bar to this area also. I do like the smell of cigarette smoke even though I quit several years ago but not so much while I eat.

Great Evening! The Shrimp and Grits offering was outstanding and Eva made sure that all was perfect for the birthday celebration that was planned. Noise level in the main dining room was “energetic”, so Eva was kind enough to relocate us to the bar area for a quiet desert and coffee. We’ll be back!

The restaurant had a nice ambiance and the food was something a little different which was nice. Really enjoyed the live music and cigars upstairs after dinner. Would not recommend going super late as the music could be heard downstairs around 9-9:30.

The food and service were excellent. Wonderful historic setting with character and ambiance.

The service was not the greatest. The food was not that good and the dessert was just ok. I did like the ambiance and location of the restaurant. Probably would not recommend or go back. There was nothing outstanding to warrant a repeat visit. I've had New Orleans cuisine and they missed the mark. Sorry🤷🏽‍♀️

Great food and great staff!

Great food, as usual. Happy, friendly staff. We don’t come often - perhaps we should change that.

Fantastic food and service! We will be back!

This restaurant is excellent from the service greeting, to the outdoor seating to the wonderful service. Plus the chef is into what they do because you can see it in their details. This is my third time here and my first for my business colleague and she loved it. Try anything on the menu and it will be good. Including dessert.

The duck was delish, it is a MOST have

Service was very good and food was prepared plated nicely and was hot. The fired cauliflower was delicious as was the lamb bolognese pasta. The shrimp and grits as well as the gumbo ya- ya was very flavor-able and was well liked.

Prices are a little high.
Worst crab cake I've ever had. Tasted as if it was frozen.

Had a great dinner and thoroughly enjoyed the live band. The band was very loud at times, but overall it was a quality experience in Alexandria.

We had the most fabulous time and the staff, in particular Martine, was wonderfully accommodating to make our date night unforgettable. The band that night, Mike Kelley and Friends, were amazing. Def would go back .

It was our first time at 219 and we absolutely enjoyed it. The food, service and ambiance was great for my husband and I weekly date night. We also went upstairs to the cigar lounge and enjoyed the band. Everyone was friendly. We will definitely come back again, and will invite our friends to join us.

Mother’s Day dinner

I really enjoyed my experience. This is probably my new favorite restaurant. The scene was really nice and the ambiance was really nice. Both the indoor and outdoor spaces were really comfortable.

The food waa simply amazing. I started with the crab soup and it was some of the best that I have ever tasted...and I always get the crab soup or bisque when I see it on the menu. My wife started with the crab cakes and she was pleased as well. The main course were crawfish etouffee and shrimp and grits. Both were incredible.

The upstairs ever be with the cigar bar and band was really nice. The downstairs bar was not my favorite but people enjoyed it.

I would highly recommend this place to anyone for any occasion.

Took my husband here for his birthday and we really enjoyed ourselves. The food was amazing from the Shrimp n Grits, Jambalaya, to the Duck w/Brussell Sprouts, everything was tasty and the service was great!