Farmers & Distillers

Seats need to be reupholstered.

The fired chicken was really good. On the other hand, the spring rolls and dumplings weren’t great.

Used to love this place and was never disappointed until now. Menu has been altered by removing some items and changing the recipe on others. Our server told us there is new chef since June. Not worth the drive into DC or the price. Will not be going back.

I'd heard about this return for some months and finally decided to try it - boy am I happy I did!
The food is excellent and the serve was friendly and unobtrusive. The restaurant was about 70% full on the day we had lunch and the noise level was just fine. Loved the fish and chips and my table colleagues loved ALL of the desserts (they each tried a different one) but the "Affato" seems to have won out.
All of us were happy and content when we left - what more could you ask of a restaurant. Can't wait to go there again!

No host seating reservations, wait staff slow to serve.

Where do I start--We frequent Farmers & Distillers and it is always a go-to for our larger group dinners because the food is always so consistently good! However, a lot of the time the service leave much to be desired. If you are looking for excellent food with lackluster service this is the place for you. We went with a group of 17 (so unfortunately gratuity was included). They sat us at two tables (fine) but one table was completely ignored for over 30 minutes. After placing a drink order we watched our waitress holding our two glasses of wine standing at the bar chatting for over SEVEN minutes (it got so ridiculous we started a timer). Others, in our party never got asked if they wanted drinks so went to the bar themselves. After taking our dinner order the waitress never collected the menus, never brought plates for appetizers, nor did she bring new silverware for dessert. One person in our party had an allergy and the waitress had very little knowledge of the menu and when asked about specific dishes couldn't answer the questions but said "if you've gotten something before just get that" after telling her it really wasn't what was wanted that time. Farmers & Distillers prides itself on made from scratch dishes but the waitress wasn't even willing to talk with the kitchen to see what dishes could accommodate the allergy. Overall--food was good but as host of the dinner the service was slightly embarrassing. This will probably be the last time we frequent the restaurant with more then just our family.

Great food/drinks. Attentive and friendly service. 2 blks walk to Capital One Arena.

Always a great experience. One of my favorite restaurants. Go on the weekend for brunch you won't be disappointed.

Food was not nearly as good as previous visits. Cold and not as fresh. Variety was lacking. The buffet was not filled and the dishes were not replenished in a timely manner. Waited 30 minutes for a grapefruit...

As always, the holiday brunch was a taste sensation, a culinary revelation. And the service was impeccable and gracious.

My girlfriend and I went to Farmers & Distillers during their President's Day brunch. We're usually disappointed when restaurants essentially force you to pick a prefixed menu and pay a certain amount, but this experience was different. They had a vast variety of breakfast items, fruits, vegetables, salads, and entrees. We both felt as though the many options and endless buffet style was worth the money we spent. We thoroughly enjoyed their guacamole, Chinese fried chicken, and macaroni & cheese. Even though it was buffet style, our server Yoni was always checking in, clearing our used plates, and available for anything we may have needed. We can't wait to visit again for another brunch buffet or to experience their full menu as well.

It was DELICIOUS. The brunch buffet was amazing. The service was awesome. Would definitely recommend!!

Such a great spread for the holiday Brunch. The food was cooked perfectly and the choices were on point. For the brunch there was lunch and breakfast options available. The service was impeccable as well. So friendly and beautiful.

Great food but the literal worst service I have ever had. Server Tiana provided us little to no service. As a waitress myself I was dumbfounded at how horrible she was

We had arrived at 7:05pm for a 7:30pm reservation. We we're not seated until 7:50pm. Lobby was over crowded with barely any standing room. Orders took very long to come out and first choices were not available for at least 2 people in our party. Placed a doughnut order with our meal after seeing the available doughnuts since it was very busy and we're told that they ran out at the end of the meal because they had not put the order in right away.

Save your money and time and go somewhere else. We showed up at our reservation time, but the restaurant said they were behind by 15 to 20 minutes. We decided to go to the bar while we waited, and the hostess assured me that she would text me when our table was ready. It then took us about 20 minutes to get an overpriced mediocre drink. I walked back to the hostess at 8:15, my reservation was for 7:30, and the hostess said that they they had canceled my reservation because I was not at her stand when she called my name. I was told that I would have to wait an hour to get a table.
Farmers & Distillers does not honor OpenTable reservations in my experience and treated my OpenTable reservation as a walk-in. Be prepared to wait if you make an OpenTable reservation at Farmers & Distillers. The restaurant is incredibly loud, to the point where it's difficult to hold a conversation. I was not impressed and will not go back.

Service was very slow. Food was not hot. Fries/side dishes were mushy and cold.

I hae been to Farmers many times; this was a really off night. Overbooked, overcrowded. But I know how good it usually is.

I felt bad for the servers they were over stretched! Hire more people

Was looking forward to dinner here, but ended up disappointed. We had 6:15 reservations for 2 and we got there early at 6:00. We were told we were all checked in but they would seat us at 6:15. By 6:25, we were still waiting and when I asked, I was told, oh so sorry. I asked did you forget about us and she said, "Well...." I took that as a yes. My drink was disappointing. I ordered a whiskey cobbler which had so much crushed ice it was like a slushy. My husband ordered the baked shrimp which he said was delicious but was supposed to come with string beans and carrots and came with string beans and broccolirabe. I ordered the scallops which were cooked just right, but the dish came with grits, quinoa and diced sweet potatoes that were cold and not cooked well enough. I didn't realize how carb heavy my dish was and how super carb light my husband's dish was, so obviously we shared. All in all, not the best dining experience. I live in Gaithersburg and will stick with Founding Farmers in Bethesda instead of driving to D.C. to this restaurant which did not live up to the Bethesda location standards.

Out table was able to be sat down earlier than expected. Staff explained featured items with great detail, making them sound delicious! Bread ordered for the table could be a meal by itself, very delicious! Entree’s and cocktails were outstanding. Overall ambiance was great!

The prime rib was excellent!

The manager, Melissa, is truly amazing! (Scott, an additional manager, is cool as well!) But did I say how awesome Melissa is??? Great people!

Had the turkey dinner and was amazed at all of the food that was on the plate! Even attracted some people from a table across from to inquire what it was!
Cuisine was great!

Best brunch! Best waiter service for a buffet. The waiter treated me and my girlfriends like royalty. Food was excellent. Can't beat the ambiance. I have gone before but not for brunch.

Might have just been the holiday weekend, but most recent experience wasn't anything I'm used to when it comes to Farmers & Distillers.
-made reservations for 1:15 but didn't get to our table until 1:40;
-had to wait (5+ min) for plates at the buffet area;
-had to wait (5+ min) for silverware;
-drinks (diet coke and one cocktail) took 20 minutes to get;
-usually F&D is on their game with replenishing buffet items, not the case this time around. Many items were out and slow to replace, if at all.
-was told they "were out of spoons" when I asked for a utensil to eat ice cream sundae with (and this was after waiting 10 minutes and visually saw our server mouth "Oh! her spoon" when she was cleaning up another table).

I'll be back, but will have to rethink timing (thought the end of the brunch run would easier on everyone) as well as who is coming along so that expectations can be fair.

Total pandemonium at check-in desk. Party of 2 - seated almost 40 minutes past reservation time. Buffet was pillaged and not refilled 45 minutes prior to advertised closing. Nor were “passed items” anywhere to be found. Wait staff were scarce. This was my second and last visit to weekend brunch. I had hoped the first terrible experience was a one off, but apparently not. Perhaps a better experience if you arrive within first couple hours, but forget about it anytime after noon.

Excellent service, excellent food.

Made early reservations for Saturday brunch based off of rave reviews. Did not disappoint. I recommend early rather than later. Hostess held people from sitting so as to not overwhelm buffet/dining room. The offerings on the brunch buffet were very special and obviously fresh. Turnover of offerings was brisk. Do not pass up corn bread if it's there. If you think you're not a buffet kind of person, I urge you to consider this one. My only regret was not having the capacity to eat all that I wish I could. On the pricey side but definitely worth it.

Went for breakfast, they had it as buffet style. It really wasn’t worth paying $76+ for two people. The food was average and nothing spectacular

I would have given them 5 stars in service, but we never received our appetizer. Also our coffee arrived after our desserts were finished. The upside, management did apologize for the appetizer mishap and comped one of our desserts.

Our server, Ryan, was phenomenal! Very knowledge about the food and drink menu. He gave his honest opinion of everything and helped guide us to pick the best options for our dining experience.

We started with the f&d mule and the f&d julep, both were delicious though I would say the drinks were small for the price. The food was excellent, we had the crab melt and the fish/chips/beer, both were tasty with reasonable portions. For dessert we split the maple bread pudding and it was an absolute success. I could have at the ice cream until I was sick. Our server Manny was attentive and knowledgeable, even during the busy Saturday after valentine’s day (or make up valentine’s day as I like to call it) he kept our table supplied with water and checked on us regularly. All around great experience and I’m looking forward to returning.

Would not recommend this place. My husband had hair in his food and my steak after the second time they brought it out was all fat. Totally overpriced. It was nice they didn’t make my husband and I pay for our dinner we didn’t eat but we were still stuck with a bill for our drinks and appetizer. After hair in your food and two steaks that couldn’t be eaten you would of thought the manager would have done something more. Don’t go here choose another place to eat.

The hostess had an attitude and was especially unpleasant. The water came to the table lukewarm. The chicken which was supposed to be the highlight was dry and over-cooked. Putting a ramekin in the Mac and cheese is poor plating in my opinion. The best thing on my plate was the glazed donut. I was somewhat disappointed, because I thought the food would be on par with Founding Farmers. It definitely was not. I doubt I’ll be returning.

Food was good, even cold. We had to switch it to carry out after waiting over an hour for our order. The service was not very good, but the food ended up being delicious. Will try again when we don't have other things to do.

I have 3 kids and each likes different foods. The menu is diverse enough that each of them ordered something they really liked. The dining experience was fantastic. We made reservations easily, and only had to wait a few minutes after arriving. The waitress was really helpful and polite. We will definitely come back.

Everything was excellent. The food was very tasty and there was a good variety to choose from.

Birthday celebration for my mom. Food, service, everything was perfect!! F&D never disappoints!

Food was great but the service was exceptional. Thanks Jade, you’re the best!