First of all, I went extremely hungry, but I was even more impressed than I thought I would be! The restaurant has a subtle honeysuckle scent when you walk in that I found to be charming. The beet salad and short rib were unbelievable!

Delicious food
Delightful waiter
Smelly candle at Host Desk

Took my fiancee here for a romantic birthday dinner. Food was delicious and featured really interesting, unusual flavor combinations. Everything we tried - cocktails, several wines, appetizer, entrees, desserts - was excellent. Our waiter was friendly, knowledgeable, and kept the wine flowing.

If you like quality meals, you really should give this place a try.

Sweetbreads and tuna tartare were both very delicious starters! Shared the coffee scented beets and while good, didn't notice either coffee or rhubarb. There was a very large party at the bar, but it didn't impact either the kitchen's timing or our server's attention - it was perfect! The basement location makes this restaurant extra cozy. I am definitely recommending that my friends try it out.

It is one of the best restaurants that I have been to in a long timely

Honeysuckle had been recommended to me by a friend just last week, so this week when looking for someplace special to go , we decided to try it.
The restaurant had a cozy, elegant feel and I loved the decor, (with only one notable fail - the massive tv at the bar that can be seen from anywhere in the restaurant).
The food was amazing - beginning with the chef's pea soup amuse bouche - it tasted like Spring. The fois gras and beet appetizers were both excellent and the duck entree was one of the best duck dishes I've ever had. Even the bread basket blew us away.
The only disappointment - there was not one dessert that appealed to us and it was a birthday celebration so we were ready for dessert.
I highly recommend the excellent food at this charming restaurant.

Food had no flavor and seemed similarly unappetizing as Vidalia Onion became at the end. Honeysuckle is no improvement. The service was fine as was the ambience. Won’t go back.

The staff of Honeysuckle went out of their way to make my boyfriend's 30th birthday a memorable experience (complimentary champagne, candle on the dessert, extra attention from the waiter). It's the perfect venue for a special occasion. The food and service were both amazing and we will definitely be returning in the future!!

Anniversary

Service was great. Bread basket amazing. Hospitality on point. Food left something to be desired.

Really great food and the service was wonderful. Had some of the best cocktails around as well. We went for our anniversary and they were so thoughtful about it. Just a fantastic place overall.

Fantastic food. Incredible service.

Meat was overcooked. Sauces were basic, thick and tasteless. Service was slow and unpracticed. The ambiance felt a little depressing in the dark basement of an office building. Everything on the menu was about $5 more per item than it should have been. The menu, overall, was uncreative and unremarkable.

Another anniversary? Yep... two years. Time to get planning. I scoured the depths of the interwebs looking for the best location where my girlfriend and I could celebrate.

Early on in those searches, I came across the Honeysuckle gem. I was very intrigued by the world wide web photos and even more so when reading about the chef/owner. He came to DC via the great state of South Carolina, as did I just recently. I went back and forth hashing it out to find the perfect place for my lovely lady and finally settled on 'ol Honeysuckle.

A hidden lil gem on M street near the famous Golden Arches, you enter through the large doors and immediately head downstairs where a great time awaits your presence. A reservation is highly recommended. With our reservation set, we were promptly seated when we arrived. After looking over the drink list, we settled on very nice bottle of bubbly to add to the celebration. As an app to munch we chose the Ahi Tuna Tartare - which was very delicious! They also provide you with a bread basket that is mixed with some delicious and moist banana bread. For our entrees we had a tough time choosing, but we decided to split the wild ramp risotto and the beer and honey braised short ribs.! Oh, those short ribs just melted in your mouth. Then you shovel some of the wild ramp risotto down your throat hole ... wow, so creamy and delicious!
They also dropped off a yummy looking dessert menu, but we opted out of that.

Overall, for my budget it was a bit pricey (Yes, I know it's DC) to go on a regular basis - but I would definitely return and would also like to try the lunch options.

Had the shrimp and grits and they were not good - almost no grits and the shrimp heads and guts really made the small amount of grits taste bad. Charged for bread even though we spent almost $300 - seemed really classless. Very quiet so good for group but I won't be back.

Wife’s birthday - didn’t feel rushed at all. Food was delicious. Great drink menu options.

Was visiting DC for business and ended up at Honeysuckle for dinner with colleagues. The ambiance was fantastic and so was the service. The food was unexpectedly good. Everything in the menu with foie gras was out of the park!! (including dessert). A must visit restaurant in you are in DC.

The four of us (two couples) tried Honeysuckle on the strength of a recent "best new restaurants" list. I was intrigued by the touted "Nordic/Southern" cuisine, which I have to say I don't really get why any of the food would be considered either of those. BUT, the food was delicious! We got there early enough to drink at happy hour prices at the bar; nice hand-crafted cocktails at very reasonable prices! For dinner my companions all had the foie gras appetizer (essentially, a single foie gras egg Benedict) which all declared delicious, if filling. I started with the coffee-scented beet salad, which was interesting and delicious, and then tried the skate which was a special, and was exquisitely prepared -- cooked perfectly, with a delicious sour cherry salsa-like sauce. My companions all had the duck breast and raved about that. Excellent wine list (no sommelier). No room for dessert! One of the best things about this restaurant is that the noise level was such that conversation was easy; no shouting necessary! I wish more restaurants would take a page from Honeysuckle. Anyway, all round excellent restaurant and a very positive dining experience.

It was a great evening, the waiter Adam was top notch and the food was very good.

I would recommend this to all my friends.

A marvelously imaginative menu from a well-regarded chef; Honeysuckle exceeded my expectations both in food and ambiance. The service was very attentive without being overbearing.

Overall needs to up the game on service and food.

From the warm welcome, all the way thru dessert, this was a wonderful experience. The food is innovative, and beautifully prepared and presented. We started with citrus cured loch trout, and ahi tuna tartare -- small feasts for the eye as well as the palate -- and we greatly enjoyed the Nordic touches. For entrees -- Shrimp and Grits, which included large, tender, briny prawns, and Spice Crusted Duck Breast -- both elevated beyond the usual preparations with unusual spices, sauces, and sides. The service was flawless. We were celebrating a special occasion (though never announced it), so we splurged on a bottle of wine from their "Showstoppers" list, as well as dessert. Particularly appreciated is the ambiance -- a rare restaurant in D.C. that allows for conversation.

We have eaten hear a few times and like this restaurant because our corporate visitors are from the west coast and they like a restaurant with local flare. it seems the service has gotten slower over time however the food and the Ambiance is on point every time. There were multiple times our party of five had to ask for additional drink refills and a dessert menu. The young lady that helped our table seemed much less stressed towards the end of our meal than she did at the beginning. She was friendly and had a smile on her face but I think she had a lot of tables and had a lot going on. Our order was correct and delivered in a timely fashion and even though our reservation was somehow cancelled through OpenTable (most likely a computer issue) they seated us promptly!

I realize it was Mother’s day and very busy but I believe the restaurant would know that ahead of time. We had 1:00 reservations and it seems like the buffet was running low on a lot of the foods which were not replaced quickly. A few of the salads and fruit bowl were so far back on the counter it was difficult to reach. Our server came around to check on us but didn’t take away dirty plates until there was a high stack of them. Overall I have liked this place when ordering off the menu but would not go back on an occasion where a buffet was the only option.

Very nice, good food, good service, and good atmosphere.

The food was fantastic! We highly recommend!!

Overall, the food was so-so. My wife had rack of lamb that was good, my chicken and dumplings was taste-free. My appetizer of fois gras was tasty, but when I asked for some bread to have with them, I learned that the restaurant doesn't serve bread. Whoever heard of a restaurant that didn't serve bread? They offered muffins, but they had their own flavor that didn't go with fois gras. The service was slow. We rarely saw our waiter. In sum, a disappointing evening.

Loved Honeysuckle, the service was spot on and the food delicious. Beginning with the Banana Bread, through the Scottish Trout (more like Salmon, meaty and moist) to the Fois Gras Ice Cream, we loved it. It is downstairs in the former Vidalia space, very worth the steps! Try it, you will love it. No, I don't work there or have an connection. It was way too quiet at lunch mid week for the quality of experience.

Took my spouse to here for our anniversary, and made a note in the reservation. The host and staff made sure to wish us happy anniversary several times, and provided complimentary drinks. They were extremely hospitable.

The combinations are quixotic. THE most unusual presentation of shrimp and grits. These are not your mother’s shrimp and grits! Tuna tartare was divine as was the beet salad. Fabulous presentation. Very special meal!

Delicious food, great service, cool cocktails, cool mural in the bar area and art in the upper dining room. Apps, mains, and dessert were all so good. The trout app was especially good. Neighborhood gem!

Fun and adds a new vibe to the neighborhood. "Underground' surprise!
Perfect for groups not looking for nice casual - think relaxed - yet good menu. For my tastes, I didn't quite care for the beet salad - not so many beets and the strawberries were under ripe - but the duck, trout, and all other entrees were big hits with our group. Will come again.

Delicious food but server was not in a rush at all, we were there 3 hours for a Thursday night dinner

The service was impeccable, from the amuse bouche to the desserts that we swore we wouldn't finish (but absolutely did). The breadbasket lived up to the hype, and the creative cuisine kept us interested. Highly recommend, would return.

Good food. The atmosphere was very stuffy.

Excellent dinner of very fine salad, ,succulent short ribs with honey/beer; an exciting rhubarb dessert.

Food is amazing - Brad is a superstar - can’t wait to go back!

The food was so fresh and seasonal. Delicious. I'd recommend the short ribs and lamb chops, but all was great. Our waiter was outstanding.

Great surprise and addition to the DC food scene. Everything was delicious esp. the bread - do not pass on it. Funky decor. Reasonable wine list.

New to us, this was an Open Table recommendation. The service was good, attentive but not bothersome. The food was incredibly good, obvious slow cooking and fresh ingredients. The Carolina influence was there, but not as prominent as expected. There were a lot of dates and special events at the other tables, and it was nice to see people dressed to dine.