The Occidental

Excellent service! Beautiful decor and the food was amazing. We had our 1 year old niece and they were so patient and helpful with her. Highly recommend!!

Truthfully - I have had better at the Occidental and when a tab exceeds $100/person; I expect awesome not just ok. Overall, it was just ok. Service was attentive and professional. Environs are always classy and comfortable. Alas, kitchen was a disappointment... a couple of entrees that were off... Bacon Wrapped scallops had wet - seemingly undercooked bacon and the scallop themselves seemed to be on the border of too rare....(something you would not expect from any quality line chef).... Pork chop - a heritage breed that should have been awesome and oozing flavor ... came out over-cooked and under-seasoned. Of course, It is too embarrassing to ask for a salt shaker.... lol. Did not get to taste the Chicken Bobo but I heard it was good. Lastly, I get it with small plates but please, the Smith Island Cake was the high point...couldn't it be just a tad bigger?

The Occidental is our favorite brunch spot in DC. The Food is timely, delicious and of excellent quality and the service is courteous and prompt. This week we dined alfresco with Eddie who was very approachable and delivered great service. We also saw our friend Charlaiane who is equally kind and gracious. Both of these servers aided in making our experience at the Occidental sublime.

We love to come here for Sunday Brunch as it's a quiet retreat against the bustle of DC explorers and natives. This restaurant caters to a refined clientele who can appreciate a quality culinary experience.

Wonderful setting! Fabulous meal. Highly recommend for an iconic D.C. experience.

Excellent service, excellent food, a true DC landmark with unique atmosphere! Reasonable prices for the quality level. Only downside is parking... the Willard charges heavily for the valet service next door. No other good parking options close by.

We were moved from the main dining room to the bar because we wanted a different menu. We sat at our bar table for 20 minutes before I had to get up and order drinks from the bartender because our waitress never came over. After 20 more minutes, I had to get up again to tell the bartender that we wanted to order but our waitress didn't come back after delivering our drinks. The food was good, but the service wasn't.

Great location, staff was almost no existent unfortunately. Food was good not wowing. Nice ambiance

Armando was great as usual. Tremendous experience....as always!

It was very good and the food was fantastic.

4th of juky

It was a holiday weekend and a special menu was offered. It wasn't up to the Occidental standards.

Server was pretentious and ambivalent. Three scallops on an entree plate for $32 and told this was standard. Ridiculous.

Great ambiance - a classic. Fourth of July menu was nice touch. Excellent food and service.

I have been going to the Occidental for many years and have been satisfied. My recent visit was an exception. The waiter failed to order my soup, and the beef brisket was so tough that it could scarcely be chewed. The riesling recommended by the waiter was, however, excellent. All in all, a disappointing evening.

In fairness, we ate there on the 4th of July. They had a special menu and there was no effort from the kitchen to put forth a good meal. We never send back food. We sent back both the mussels and the brisket.

One of the best drinks ever. Food was great. Waiter made a little mistake and then he went out of his way to make up for it. Amazing service!

Salmon was undercooked. Crab cake was chard on the bottom. If folks order steaks and Fri's I would recommend.

This is my favorite restaurant to entertain guests especially if they have never been to the Occidental. The historical significance of the restaurant and the plethora of pictures that adorn its walls creates a memorable experience which is enhanced by the quality of the food and the excellent service which we have repeatedly had. I have eaten at the restaurant since 1961 (obviously with the exception of the years it was closed). I have never been disappointed.

Although the menu would be considered limited by some, we have found it perfect for the breath of the inclusion of a variety of dishes all of which will prepare. It is not overpowering.

This was a family reunion and the menu was perfect for all tastes. Our corner was out of the way, which we liked. The service was impeccable!

Food was outstanding

Service was delayed Did not offer drinks Did not provide salad fork nor replace fork used for salad
The waiter seemed distracted
Maybe another time

The service was awful. I’ll never come back to this restaurant.

Had a great time. Service and food were great. Would recommend

The Occidental is always a good choice. Great for business dinners and love the history. Oysters were excellent and so was the rockfish.

We loved the ambience of the restaurant, the food was delicious and the service excellent. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to friends.

This is a great place to go if your main focus is a summer patio atmosphere. The food is underwhelming and the service was extremely slow, but you don't even mind that much because the beautiful patio with the blue umbrellas in the heart of DC almost makes up for it.

Perfect location for a brunch with family visiting from out of town.

Wonderful meal at the right time & place for our first day visiting Washington DC. We had a Sunday brunch in here after walking around to admire The White House, perfect location to continue the walk to the Washington Monument.

Good food. Good service.

Excellent food and service! We love the history of this restaurant.

Great restaurant and meal.

Great experience! Great ambience amazing food I will recommend

Service was slow, entrees were not good. Had to ask for drink menu. Apps and dessert were the only highlights. Not nearly as good as years past.

Service was sporadic and server kept disappearing for long periods of time.

Great food and service. The location is next to the White House a perfect location in the District of Columbia. A most appealing atmosphere in the restaurant. The price was good compared to other good quality restaurants.

Wonderful place for dinner. Steak perfectly cooked and juicy and I loved the cornbread!

Service was poor from the moment I walked in. Host didn’t smile, wasn’t sure about seating. Person who seated me didn’t smile, printer was broken, thus my order was lost, we were there 1.5 hours, order was wrong when it arrived, and restaurant had a slightly strange smell. I have a lot of business lunches. I wanted to try Occidental since my office is in the Willard Office Building, but will not go there again, if I am deciding a location. The restaurant was far below the standard of similarly priced restaurants, like Joe’s Seafood, where I have never had a bad experience.

Our waiter was inattentive and seervice was slow. The food had a nice presentation, but wasn't tasty. The excptioin to that was the their version of tirasmu, which was truly delicious. We asked twice twice to see the book naming the people whose pictures were on the wall, but never received it.

It was great, couldn’t ask for more. Food was awesome, our waiter was exceptional. The menu was limited, however everything on the menu was delicious.

Fine dining area right next to bar area with screaming children. Diminished atmosphere. Food nothing wowed us. Charchuterie was good. The Hamilton wowed us.
Met couple in hotel elevator that said they were disappointed with Occidental also this year but had liked it in the past, had best meal at. Capital Grill.

The Occidental is a perfect place for a nice business lunch. We had a nice table outside on a beautiful spring day. The service was great. it was both intimate and part of a a fun busy DC location at the same time. Oysters on the half shell were nice and all of us were pleased with our meals. I would recommend The Occidental to others!