How is Big Bear Cafe restaurant rated?

Name: Big Bear Cafe
Address: 1700 1st Street, NW, Washington, DC, United States, 20001
Telephone: (202) 643-9222
Price range: $30 and under
Rating: 4.2

Big Bear Cafe

4.2 (10)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

1700 1st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001

About this restaurant

Small neighborhood restaurant serving candle-lit dinners on a vine covered garden patio.

We source from local farms and vendors, use herbs from our own gardens, cure our own meat & fish, and do our own baking, preserves and pickling.

We also source from the farmers and vendors of the Bloomingdale Farmers' Market that we helped to establish in 2009.

We do private events and special dinners upon request including weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners, coursed dinners, and cocktail receptions.

For special events or parties of 10 or more please contact the restaurant at bigbearcafe.events@gmail.com.

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

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Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Contemporary American, Comfort Food, Organic
Hours of operation
Breakfast/Lunch Tue–Sun 8:30 am–3:00 pm Happy Hour Thu–Sat 3:00 pm–5:00 pm Dinner Thu–Sat 5:00 pm–8:00 pm
Phone number
(202) 643-9222
Website
http://www.bigbearcafe-dc.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Private party facilities
Flowering herbs, grape vines and fruit trees cover our garden patio as we we serve candle-lit, family style dinners using farm-sourced ingredients.

Location
1700 1st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
Neighborhood
Shaw
Cross street
R St. NW
Parking details
Street Parking
Additional
Banquet, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Chef's Table, Counter Seating, Entertainment, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Late Night, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Weekend Brunch, Wine

Pink Moon Punch$8.00
red wine, vsop brandy, berry tea infusion, simple syrup
Jolene's Peach Punch$8.00
white wine, vodka, peach tea tea infusion, lavender simple syrup
Big Bear Paw$11.00
bourbon, boomsa cloosterbitter, lemon, simple syrup
Backdoor Lemonade$9.00
rye, san pellegrino limonata
Boulevardier$11.00
bourbon, campari, sweet vermouth

White

House, France, Chardonnay Blend$7.00
Linajes, Spain, Verdejo$8.00
Ganeta, Greece, Txakolina$11.00
Inama Soave Classico, Italy, Garganega$10.00

Rose / Sparkling

Finca El Origin, Argentina, Malbec Rosé$9.00
Francois Montand, France, Brut$8.50

Red

House, Italy Primitivo$7.00
Espelt, Spain, Garnacha$9.00
Hahn, CA, Pinot Noir$9.00
Casa Natal, Argentina, Malbec$8.00

Bottle Special

Ganeta, Greece, Txakolina$30.00

Beer

Stiegl Radler 'Grapefruit Shandy', AT
Uinta Baba Dark Lager, UT
Founders Centennial, IPA, MI
Shipyard "Island Times" West Coast IPA, ME
Butternuts Moo Thunder Stout, NY

Non-Alcoholic

San Pellegrino, Italy $2.50

Sparkling Water
Limonata
Arranciata Rosa

What 10 people are saying

Big Bear Cafe reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

4.2

4.2 based on all time ratings

4.2Food
4.2Service
4.4Ambience

Noise • Moderate

10 Reviews

E
Episky
Washington, D.C. Area117 reviews
4.0
Dined on October 24, 2015
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
We were a party of 3. The worst thing was 2 of us ordered the same thing but only one of us was left with no food. The third person's dish didn't come till one of us was nearly done eating. Besides that it was a wonderful night out. The burger was delish. The farrow rissotto was surprisingly yummy. The Old Fashioneds were very smooth. The waiter was very apologetic and we'll blame the snafu on the tiny kitchen.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Washington, D.C. Area1 review
5.0
Dined on October 8, 2015
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
I took my wife here for her birthday and we also had our wedding reception here. They have taken great care of us every time, it is clear they care about their customers. Plus, the food is amazing! The outside area is beautiful as well. They also have a great selection at the bar and great mixed drinks. We will be going back to Big Bear many times I'm sure and I would recommend it for any occasion. Great place, great experience!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Washington, D.C. Area1 review
5.0
Dined on August 27, 2015
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Loved that you could reach up and pick a few grapes from the vines there.
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V
Variety4
Chicago / Illinois20 reviews
5.0
Dined on July 1, 2015
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Delicious food. Variety for different tastes and diets. Waitress and chef were able to make slight adjustment for no saturated cream fat and low sodium, while staying true to the entree.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Washington, D.C. Area2 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 11, 2015
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Unique, summertime ambiance outside. Definitely a neighborhood gem.
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AF
AnnF
Washington, D.C. Area2 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 28, 2015
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
This is our fourth or fifth visit to Big Bear Cafe and we will keep coming back. The outdoor seating is very pretty, surrounded by an herb garden and underneath a network of grapevines. Indoors is rustic, but really well done. I'm not a huge foodie, but I've always liked the food and foodie friends have said they like it as well. They used to have awesome interesting drinks and while they were in between bartenders, the wait staff was nice enough to whip up some really interesting cocktails. We love the feel and the food and look forward to the next visit.
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1
1522
Washington, D.C. Area16 reviews
4.0
Dined on January 25, 2015
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Good food, great service, casual neighborhood vibe, not too loud at 8:00 on a Saturday night. Would definitely recommend the risotto and burgers. However, have only eaten here once on a cold winter night with 3 friends. Have not had the brunch menu which is highly recommended online or had the pleasure of sitting in the outdoor dining space, which is also highly recommended online. Look forward to returning for brunch in better weather.
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q
qtestreet VIP
Washington, D.C. Area13 reviews
4.0
Dined on September 18, 2014
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Healthy and tasty food, nice ambiance, cute terrace and good energy
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K
Kelly
Washington, D.C. Area8 reviews
4.0
Dined on August 15, 2014
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
This is the third time I've been to Big Bear for dinner. It was an excellent experience, per usual. We were celebrating a birthday with 13 people, and we sat outside on their patio. It's so wonderful out there - vines all around you, lights hung above you, not noisy. The drinks were delicious - especially the old oak tree cocktail and their sour white beer. Ordered the mac and cheese to start, which comes in the cutest little cast iron skillet. Definitely tasty, with a spicy kick, and not overly cheesy. Had the short ribs for dinner, which were cooked and seasoned so perfectly, as well as awesome greens and couscous. The plum cobbler dessert was my favorite. Service was excellent, though food took a while to come out. Overall delicious!
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N
Nichole
New York City55 reviews
4.0
Dined on June 8, 2014
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
Big Bear is our normal morning spot for coffee and breakfast out on their patio, but we decided to give dinner a shot! The lighting, vines, patio, etc. is beautiful and would be great for friends or for a date. The food was absolutely delicious. We had a group of 7, so we tried much of the menu. Seriously- food is awesome; however, it took forever for us all to get our food (1+ hr)... likely because we had a larger group (and they have a small kitchen). I'd suggest going in a smaller group or plan to hang out for a while.
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FAQs

Big Bear Cafe is rated 4.2 stars by 10 OpenTable diners.

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

Is this your restaurant?

Claim this listing

1700 1st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001

Additional information

Cross street
R St. NW
Neighborhood
Shaw
Hours of operation
Breakfast/Lunch Tue–Sun 8:30 am–3:00 pm Happy Hour Thu–Sat 3:00 pm–5:00 pm Dinner Thu–Sat 5:00 pm–8:00 pm
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Contemporary American, Comfort Food, Organic
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Street Parking
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Banquet, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Chef's Table, Counter Seating, Entertainment, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Late Night, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Weekend Brunch, Wine

Website
http://www.bigbearcafe-dc.com/
Phone number
(202) 643-9222
Private party facilities
Flowering herbs, grape vines and fruit trees cover our garden patio as we we serve candle-lit, family style dinners using farm-sourced ingredients.

Big Bear Cafe

About this restaurant

Not available on OpenTable

There’s more to explore

Additional information

Drinks

Cocktails

Pink Moon Punch$8.00

Jolene's Peach Punch$8.00

Big Bear Paw$11.00

Backdoor Lemonade$9.00

Boulevardier$11.00

White

House, France, Chardonnay Blend$7.00

Linajes, Spain, Verdejo$8.00

Ganeta, Greece, Txakolina$11.00

Inama Soave Classico, Italy, Garganega$10.00

Rose / Sparkling

Finca El Origin, Argentina, Malbec Rosé$9.00

Francois Montand, France, Brut$8.50

Red

House, Italy Primitivo$7.00

Espelt, Spain, Garnacha$9.00

Hahn, CA, Pinot Noir$9.00

Casa Natal, Argentina, Malbec$8.00

Bottle Special

Ganeta, Greece, Txakolina$30.00

Beer

Stiegl Radler 'Grapefruit Shandy', AT

Uinta Baba Dark Lager, UT

Founders Centennial, IPA, MI

Shipyard "Island Times" West Coast IPA, ME

Butternuts Moo Thunder Stout, NY

Non-Alcoholic

Sparkling Water

Limonata

Arranciata Rosa

Overall ratings and reviews

FAQs

How is Big Bear Cafe restaurant rated?

Not available on OpenTable

Additional information