Le Diplomate

Ridiculously good!

Authentically French and easily the best brunch in DC.

Amazing dinner but had to wait 30 minutes even though we had a reservation which was disappointing. The waiter was excellent but hostess was not pleasant.

Short, rushed service - food was salty and cold. Overhyped in our opinion.

They cancelled our reservation 30 minutes before and offered no condolence or alternative option.

Excellent food, service, and atmosphere! Wish I lived here to come back regularly

Our server Laura was wonderful. The food was excellent. I am a “spoiled guest” from NYC and I was so impressed.

My husband and I chose to dine at Le Diplomate for a last date night before the arrival of our baby. Everything was wonderful from the festive decor out front to the fun ambiance and delicious food inside! I highly recommend for a date night, dinner party, or special occasion.

Food was amazing! It really felt like the server was rushing us. And our entrees came before we had come close to finishing our appetizer. I expected better than that of a restaurant this highly renowned. Also very noisy.

Enjoyed food grad, mushroom soup, scallops and a chocolate and hazelnut cream dessert with espresso whiskey ice cream! All delicious. We sent back a mushroom tart that was not to our taste and the manager, Lenny, came over to express concern, which led us to discover the delicious mushroom soup. Great food, great service, great ambiance. we come here once a year when we visit DC!

Well all I can say is it’s going to be very hard to beat the food we had here on this trip! Everything was delicious!

Great service, thanks Nabil for making my birthday dinner special!

We came here for my son's birthday. I wanted him to get a "fancy restaurant" experience in a place that he could get a really good burger and this fit the bill. The food was excellent. He got the cheeseburger and I got the beef bourguignon. Both cooked perfectly, great taste, 5/5. He also got the apple tarte with vanilla ice cream for dessert and he pretty much demolished it so that must have been good too. I got two drinks and I was pleased with both.

The service was not bad, but it was extremely rushed. The waiter came up, said happy birthday to my son, and immediately asked what we wanted to eat. Before I could even take a breath we had put our food orders in. The waiter seemed almost annoyed when I ordered a second drink and my son got a dessert. We are from out of town so we wouldn't be back either way, but considering what the final bill was I think I was just looking for a little bit more on the service side.

Great food and service- they changed out our meal for us quickly after we realized that there was pork in it.

As always, Le Diplomate does not disappoint. Given the prices, we do save this place for special occasions, and as we were celebrating our 14th wedding anniversary, it was in order. Food was terrific, service was exceptional. They even sent us sparking wine with dessert as a nod to our celebration. Great location and an even better vibe. Highly recommend.

Food was wonderful but the service was terrible!!!

We found Le Diplomate about a year ago and try and go as often as we can! It reminds us so much of Paris. The atmosphere and landscape of the restaurant is exceptional. The food is amazing! The service is impeccable. We truly enjoy our experience each time we go!

Food great, dessert fantastic, creme brûlée!

Always a great spot with friends. Have had better service but that will not stop my return. Food and ambience were amazing!!

I was a true lover of this place. However, in my last experience I ordered an onion soup and a piece of rubber band was inside it! I told the manager about it and although he apologized, he did not do anything else. He did not even offer a treat or other perk due to the disgusting experience. I would have though such a successful restaurant would at least offer they recurring customers some sort of treat when extremely something gross is in their food. I am never coming back.

I loved everything about the food and service at Le Diplomate when I went there for brunch with my teenage brother. We had the escargot and the gougères to start. Both are kind of addicting. My brother loved his steak frites and my lobster omelette tasted great. I also ordered a Clouseau from the cocktail menu. It was balanced, delicious, and beautifully presented. Le Diplomate will definitely be on my list of places to visit again next time in DC.

waiter was weirddddddddd. he was short and condescending. food is ALWAYS good tho.

All of the glasses at the restaurant stank like they had never been washed correctly. My water tasted disgusting even after asking for a new glass. I was able to drink the wine because it overpowered the taste, but even my wine glass smelled gross. The server was pretentious, but not very helpful when I asked for recommendations. Our drinks (which we ordered first) came after the appetizer, which is really bad form for a restaurant of this quality. No apology given -- I had to ask for my drinks a second time and it still took another 5-10 minutes. By that time my food was cooling off. The food was good but not so much better that it justified the hype or the not-so-great service. Anyway, it left a lot to be desired.

mushroom soup, salad verte, macaroni gratin, roast chicken

The food was delicious and the service was outstanding! We felt like we were in Paris.

Pricey place but great food. The service is impeccable.

We have dined at Le Diplomate many times in the past and always found it to be a delicious meal. However, we had multiple disappoints on this trip. We arrived on time for our reservation (a relatively early 5:30), but seated in the very back corner next to the service station. Our waiter was obviously rushed and inattentive. The onion soup arrived cold with the cheese hard, but good luck getting anyones's attention once discovered. The Vegetable Tagine was tasteless even with the Harissa added. When we asked for more bread, it was brought to the table next to ours. The one star is for the bread, which is still excellent.

We had originally requested out door seating and when we arrived there was none available. The hostess asked us if we would like to be in the outdoor covered area, brought us to see if we would like it and it was a perfect solution: not as noisy as the main dining room.

We did not mention GF - but 2 of us have gluten issues - guess that was our fault.
Disappointed that there was no Froze.

But service was lovely and we had a nice time.

Lovely french brunch spot - options for outdoor patio seating, indoor glass room or classic restaurant original ambiance.

Amazing avocado toast and lobster omelette. Service was very efficient.

Pretty overrated. High end restaurant, but service was that of a TGIFridays. Asked the server for a wine recommendation, his response was he wasn’t too sure because he didn’t drink wine. The person who brought the wine just poured two glasses, rather than offering to taste the wine. This isn’t the level of service you expect from a restaurant that offers an expansive wine without a bottle less than $60.

We love le dip. It’s always our go to spot. But we could tell there is a new chef. Everything was different. Lots of vinegar and extra salt on my favorite dishes. The tuna carpaccio and the warm shrimp salad which are the best I have ever had in the past. I was so disappointed. The only dishes that were just as good were the snails and the onion soup and of course the famous breads and baguette. Amazing. We will be back. I hope they just dial it back to the old recipes. We loved them!

Great food but very noisy service was excellent. All courses were wonderful. Perfect appetizers, flavorful entrees and marvelous desserts.

This is our second visit here. The front check in staff were rude and blunt because we arrived 20 mins earlier than our reservation. We were happy to wait at the bar but this seemed to be an inconvenience. This is a busy restaurant but the staff could do with some basic training. We sent coffee back that was cold. The time before was great this really poor. There are plenty of restaurants in DC so we will look around for an alternative next time.

Surprise amuse bouche of gougeres happily received and enjoyed, the gruyere perfectly melted. Escargot, with small baguette for the sauce filtering down from tender fruits de mer. Excellent. The plat du jour was Dover sole meuniere, my only regret that I didn't have more baguette to enjoy the sauce, I did not think to ask our server, who was attentive without being overly so, a true talent. After the meal, my sister and I decided we needed to return to France, that seems to sum up the evening.

Le Dip lived up to the hype surrounding the restaurant. The food was sublime, the drinks refreshing and the ambiance lively. I will definitely be returning.

Whenever I come to SC this is a must for dinner!

Birthday celebration! Everything was great!

Loved it. Wonderful menu fun lively atmosphere. A little noisy inside for a business meeting or date but great for a gathering of friends.

Be prepared for a heavy, yet delicious meal. I had the escargot , macaroni au gratin, lobster risotto and the duck a l’orange. While everything was delicious the duck was by far my fave! A beautiful duck cooked to medium and served with spinach and fingerling potatoes! I will certainly return!

Service was excellent
Wine and drinks were very good
Appetizers were very good
My steak was mediocre—too chewy
Dessert was excellent