J. Gilbert’s – Wood Fired Steaks & Seafood - McLean

Appetizer Calamari was not fresh. It seemed like it was frozen and microwaved. Entree was so-so Surf and Turf with 4 oz of Filet Mignon. Crab cake and scallops were good. Filet Mignon was very good. Soup bisque was good. Onion Rings borderline of fair and good. Bad Calamari.

Desert was ok. Although the Manager said to order a desert on the house since we are celebrating our wedding anniversary, but when we received the bill, we were charged. I paid for it instead of complaining. Need more communication between Manager and server.

Overall experience - Server was very good and very attentive. HOWEVER, the surf and turf promotion was not reflected in the final Bill. SO check final bill for accuracy, even though we've said that to the server prior in ordering. I expected more accuracy from the restaurant's system. For the price, I'd still prefer Flemings. Morton's or Ruth Chris. J Gilberts is like Outback but with a price like Flemings, Morton's and Ruth Chris. Will I come back? I will give them one more chance to prove i'm wrong.

3rd time @ this place .. My GF and I first tried this place on valentines night and it was excellent.. I signed for their mailing list and they frequently send me specials etc. Last night was surf and turf night ... OMG .. when I tell you this was cooked to perfection, couldn’t have asked for it any better . My GF got hers medium and I did medium well and I knew my GF’s was prepared perfect because I wasn’t offered any😅.. you had a choice of crab cake or shrimp . I did crab cake and she did shrimp .. both prepared perfect .. they do a tag team with the wait staff which I like my only complaint was they brought out the entree b4 the appetizer.. this was quickly taken care of by removing it from the bill..

Next stop is brunch


Go try this place it’s worth it

We had a family dinner at J.Gilbert's Saturday evening. One of our party ordered the bone-in steak @ $49. Our waiter highly recommended another cut of meat which would add 5 ounces of protein to the meal. Our son-in-law took the bait. The bone served with the steak was huge which made for a picturesque plate but didn't add any value to the dish. This was especially evident when the check arrived with a $75 charge for the steak. We were not told what the "upcharge" was before ordering. In hindsight we should have asked.
The service provided otherwise was mediocre at best: Water glasses not refilled; additional drinks/wine not offered nor was coffee/tea at the end of the meal.

Food was great! Felt like our server was rushing us a bit, but otherwise the experience was fine.

This is a lunchtime review. I always enjoy visits here. The food is very good. The drinks are inventive and tasty and the ambience is conducive to easy conversation with my fellow diners. They have valet parking but I've never had to use it at lunch time because spaces were always available close to the door.

This is a frequent dining spot, especially because we've figured out how to avoid having David as our server. This visit was a three friends get together from near and far. Server was delightful and food was excellent (2 steak frites and 1 steak salad). Since it was a celebration, there was a delicious bottle of red blend selected. When the check came, the bill was about $105 before tax. One of the guests contributed $40, which was deducted and the two credit cards offered split the rest. Tip was left between the two credit cards totally about $16, shy a dime or so to even out to round dollars. Because of one person using cash, we didn't do the math right as we usually leave 20%. So we were at a 15.2% with those calculations. Imagine our surprise when the server followed us to the parking lot to ask us if we'd left additional cash on the table. Totally stunned.

Always a great stop for beef....bone in ribeye...yum!

As with each prior visit the overall dinner experience was excellent.

The food and service was very good. The parking is a problem. There are only a very few handicapped parking spots and a significant number of clients are "white haired", as my daughter noted.

Our server Lydia and our hostess Marina were outstanding. I often dine at J.Gilberts but this was my first time for brunch. I will be back!!

Birthday celebration

Food was great - friendly wait staff attentive, but not overly so. Great time.

Great food and atmosphere for dinner. Our entrees were exactly as we ordered. Service was attentive without being overbearing.

Service was rushed. Entrée before appetizer finished. No mint jelly available for lamb chops.

We are big fans of J. Gilbert's for its convenient location, good food and pleasant ambiance. You can have a nice meal and a good conversation in a comfortable setting. Service is efficient and professional, food is always served timely. It's not inexpensive but we see good value for the money.

Anniversary

Service was very friendly, food recommendations were good and food very delicious.

We go to J. Gilberts and have never been disappointed............continue with the character of your operation and loyalty to your customers.
Tammy Alvarez

As always, great service, food and a wonderful experience.

J. Gilbert's is by far the most popular restaurant in McLean, Va. The food is always good as is the service and atmosphere.

I was Very Disappointed to find that the restaurant Overcharged me for TWO different items. By 'over charging' I mean that the price on the bill was higher than the price on the menu. Although the difference was small, one item was increased by $1.00 and the other was increased by only $0.50, I was upset by the restaurant's very casual attitude, 'Well you were only overcharged by $1.50 does that make that much of a difference to you?' While that is true, the overcharge was small, its a principle issue to me. They didn't even agree to correct the overcharge until I pressed the issue, and even then they were not apologetic about it. How many guests don't notice errors like this? While I believe that it was an error, I think that the restaurant should have been apologetic and immediately offered a voucher for a return visit, free desserts or SOMETHING, rather than acting like I shouldn't have bothered to notice a mistake that was less than 1% of the total bill. I like J Gilbert's, their food is good, but they need a Serious Attitude Adjustment. There are other good Steak houses in the area.

We arrived a few minutes late, but were seated promptly

The brunch was enjoyable and our server Henry was extraordinary!!!

While we normally have an enjoyable time at brunch here, this time was not up to par. The food made us sick. The service was okay, but not very attentive. Made us rethink a follow up reservation.

The food and service were outstanding I highly recommend the restaurant
My wife and I are looking forward to coming back

Loved our waitress. Loved having the small dining room. The coconut layer cake with pineapple ice cream outstanding.

J. Gilbert's will always have a special place in my heart. It was my first dining experience during my relocation to the DMV in July 2012. Whenever I am in town and want to impress... J. Gilbert's is my GO-TO!!! Deon is an AWESOME MEMBER of the wait staff. Ask for him by name during any visit. DRINK RECOMMENDATION: Bourbon Basil Smash! My Bone-In Ribeye (Cowboy Cut) and my date’s 6oz Filet was COOKED PERFECTLY at Medium. Compliments to The Chef! You cannot go wrong with this choice. OH YEAH.... TWO WORDS.... SUNDAY BRUNCH!

Excellent food and service. Noise remains an issue.

Great time celebrating my friend’s birthday!

This is a good restaurant if you like an old-fashioned, dark ambiance restaurant reminiscent of the 70s or 80s. Good service and food. My only complaint was that I ordered the special "surf and turf" and did not realize I would be charged for 2 entrees (one for the lobster, one for the filet) that totaled over $63.00. I thought that was price gouging. This isn't Ruth Chris. If you don't mind the potential sticker shock, go for it. Otherwise, stick with ordering from the menu where the prices are listed.

Our visit this time was much improved over the mad rush of Valentine's Day. We enjoy the usual perfect service and outstanding cuisine. This is an excellent restaurant with a fabulous wine list.

We were celebrating a birthday and received great attention and service from our server Keith. He had an excellent knowledge of the menu and explained everything very thoroughly and gave us recommendations. He also was just a very nice person and we enjoyed talking to him. The food was delicious and the managers and other staff were great as well. Keith was a stand out though and we plan on asking for him the next time we eat there. We appreciate the management and especially Keith and the excellent cooks for making our birthday celebration so special. I’m glad to see that you value customer service there. If every guest is treated the way we were J. Gilbert’s will be around a very long time.

Food was not very good and not much attentiveness by the staff

Service was slower than usual. Waiter seemed to be spending a lot of time going back and forth between tables.

Always solid food and service! At the corner of 123 and Old Dominion, it's a true McLean landmark.

Steaks were good, as were sides. Disappointed in the blue cheese potato chips. They used to be more blue-cheesy, less sauce. Service ok.

I love J. Gilbert's - it's got a classy yet laid back ambience, great steaks (particularly the ribeye and strip steak), a nice variety of cocktails and drinks, and my favorite appetizer--Maryland crab bisque, with lumps of real blue crab in the center. The food is always excellent and cooked to order pretty accurately. The service can be hit or miss. The most recent time I was here, our server was very friendly and affable, but he did forget an item twice - once was an extra serving of bread we asked for (that we eventually got when I asked a second time), and once was for the signature J. Gilbert's steak sauce. He did seem quite busy with other tables, and so he didn't refill our waters until we flagged him down, even though he passed our table multiple times. Between the two of us that dined, we got an appetizer each and a steak entree each - after tip, it totaled to about $150. Pricy, but it's good quality food.

We love coming to J. Gilbert's for dinner. Whether is just my husband and I coming to dinner ourselves or if we're bringing our senior staff, the experience has always been top notch with great attention to detail. The atmosphere is very relaxing and inviting. The food has always been on point and cooked to perfection!! You will not be disappointed.

Enjoyed our dinner at J. Gilbert's.
Everyone on the staff was very accomodating and the dinner was delicious.

It's about an hour drive from my home, but always willing to take the trip! J. Gilbert's never disappoints! Highly recommend.

The food was great but the server was border line hostile.