Everything was great

An enjoyable evening well served

Great restaurant! Very unassuming from outside, but dining area is beautiful. The food is fantastic and the waitstaff amazing. Great spot for a casual date.

Food was OK, but not good value for money. Ambiance great. I have been here a while ago and found it much better then.

Used open table’s special requests options to let the restaurant know it was our wedding anniversary. Clearly, they didn’t pay any attention to that (or didn’t care) as we were sat us in a dark corner in the very back of the restaurant, right underneath a draft fan. Every time someone enters the restaurant through the main door, this draft fan kicks on and if you’re sitting in that back corner, you get hit with a very cold draft. It doesn’t help that the restaurant is already pretty cool (around 67–68F). When we complained they said they were trying to adjust it, but honestly it never got any better. That temperature is probably perfect if you don’t get stuck underneath that fan, but if you do I hope you’ve got a light jacket or sweater. The waitress was not great. We were seated for 10 minutes before anyone came to our table and even offered us water. It took another 5-10 minutes after that before our waitress finally came to our table. I might have understood if the restaurant were busy but it wasn’t busy at all. The drinks were acceptable but nothing special. The food however was excellent, fairly priced and came out pretty quick so that was great. All in all, I’d say it was a mediocre experience. I wouldn’t recommend it for any kind of special occasion, but for a casual bite it’s not bad - just make sure you bring a light coat. Sitting outside is recommended if the weather is nice.

Great location, atmosphere and food. I would certainly return although the wine list is weak and leaves a lot t be desired.

Local restaurant in Old Town Alexandria with hardy food. I was there with friends for Sunday Brunch. Kind of noisy especially with music piped in. Food offerings are nothing special but the portions are generous and everything is cooked nicely. Eggs were not overdone. Home fries were too salty for my taste. Craft beers on tap. Good desserts. Service was prompt in the beginning but we had to flag down a waiter to get our coffee orders in when meal was done.

it was pretty and food was okay but the price was crazy expensive.

Fabulous meal, great service despite the place being packed. Convenient location. An Old Town gem.

We had good service (except my water glass never got refilled after I asked). We had the chips and onion dip. The chips were a little small and the dip was OK. The fish and chips - the fish as prepared and presented very nicely. The fries were too soggy. The coffee was so so. My
husband’s steak frites and creamed spinach were very good. Loved the history of the building and the ambiance. We will definitely dine here again.

We went to the Firehouse for my wife’s birthday and they did not disappoint! The servers were attentive but not hovering, the timing of the appetizers and apps to entree where right on time. The food was excellent! I had the prime rib and my wife got a salad.

The food here was great. We went for Easter brunch and all enjoyed our meals. The service was a little subpar, however. We had a reservation, and still waited at least 10 minutes to be seated (along with several other groups). Once we were seated, things moved somewhat slowly through the meal, and with a toddler speed is alwasy a factor. I would still give it a second try because the food was declious and the building itself is really interesting, but it was disappointing how disorganized the service seemed to be.

Food and service were excellent.

Food was terrible and so was service. I do not recommend going here

We dined here several years ago and food was good. Something has changed. The food was just not very good, and the wine list was terrible. We had 3 different dishes at our table. No one was pleased. Wine list was mostly Virginia and Maryland wines. I'm ok supporting local wines, but the wines we ultimately selected from the few choices just weren't that good. This restaurant needs an overhaul. I do not plan to return.

solid experience, lots to offer, their wine list needs to be update

We went for brunch and it was great. The food was delicious. Our service could have been better but the food was great. We could hear each other which was great. They had us in a smaller dining room with a fireplace but the fireplace was a little hot. We were sweating a bit. Overall good food and we would go back.

The $28 scallops seemed overpriced. The 5 medium scallops were served on a plate with a few roasted vegetables. I was quite disappointed in the dish. My friend loved her Thai muscles.

Through the Open Table app I was able to make a reservation that included a note that this was a 'first date' and that a special spot would be nice. Columbia Firehouse while it has that energetic bar vibe when you walk in, it also has a third floor fireplace room perfect for a romantic or special occasion. It was perfect and the wait staff gave us the space to take our time with ordering and not being overly attentive so that my date and I could get to know one another. Food was fabulous too - from the raw oysters and mignonette to the salads and perfectly cooked seafood entrees.

We always love it here. Great food and an awesome atmosphere in a great setting.

The service was fine but the food was not a good value-the scallops dinner was over $28 and it was 5 scallops and a few pieces of broccoli and cauliflower. I like the location but there are a lot of other options in Old Town.

I wasn't very impressed with the quality of food. We ordered the onion rings but we had to send them back because they were extremely greasy. The waiter's reply was "well it's fried". Agreed, however, they should not be dripping grease. When my burger arrived, it was more well done than medium and the fries were dead cold. I had to ask for fresh fries. At this point, I lost my hunger. I will not return.

Was over crowded and under staffed. Arrived 5 minutes prior to our reservation and the table was not ready for another 20 minutes. It also took our waiter another 10 minutes to see us once we were at our table. Was an okay place, ambiance was awesome, but service based performance was not the caliber that was expected for this type of restaurant.

Very good food. Servers a little unpolished. Atmosphere great. Right price.

As a Firefighter (and a perpetual foodie), I search out restaurants such as this when I travel. I must say that I had high hopes for Columbia Firehouse. After walking 9 miles around DC, I was ready for an amazing dinner. Unfortunately we were underwhelmed. The things that went well..the atmosphere was awesome. The space was very cool. The French Onion Dip was amazing as well as the homemade chips. The crudite that was an option with it that we got upcharged for..not so much. My 50/50 burger was very tasty. The fries where perfectly done and tasty as well. The wait staff was amazing as well..very attentive. Now the things that could use improvement. My kids who are mac and cheese enthusiasts tell me it was bland and did not have much flavor. I had a small taste and agreed. The order of Steak Frites was under cooked and very tough and was sent back. The fries and sauce were very good. We were offered a replacement meal and when it was brought out..it was not what we had ordered. We were very understanding, things happen it was a pretty busy night. This is where the staff stepped up and immediately got the correct meal. Which was perfect. My Wife's entree (Scallops) was good, but she felt it was on the small side for portion. All and all it was okay..was just hoping for more. Thank you to the staff. I write reviews on Opentable not to criticize, but to offer constructive criticism to help places improve.

Everything we ate was served cold including the Irish coffee twice!

The food was excellent. Service was ok. Portioning on the calamari was very weak but the entrees were large and really delicious.

Small portions for the price and I am pretty sure the “Lobster” on the Maine Benedict was Crawfish

This was our first visit as we are new to the area and had friends in town. The service was terrific and friendly. Our server recommended her favorites upon request. It was prime rib special night and our friends loved theirs. The steak frites, muscles and beet salad were also excellent choices. All served with buttery buttermilk biscuits on the house. We never felt rushed and it was a liesurely evening.

Food lacked flavor and was extremely greasy. There are better places in Old Town. Asked waiter for an opinion between two items (Skirt Steak and 50/50 Burger) on the menu. On our way out of the restaurant, he spoke ill of the one (the 50/50 Burger) as it was too greasy because of the bacon. Not returning to this restaurant.

Awesome burgers, chili, salad and shrimp scampi. The wait staff was excellent as well.

We've been here in the past, and the food was really good, but this time the steak was simultaneously overcooked on the outside, while still being borderline raw in the center. Super chewy, impossible to cut, and overall very disappointing.

Service personnel were fine, and courteous, seated us promptly at nice table. We were seated for early dinner at 5:30. Food came out promptly but was uniformly overcooked. Rolls were reheated, hard, stale, and flavorless. Duck looked parched and it was. Salmon was the best entree of the four that we ordered but it was excessively seasoned with salt. Can not recommend based on quality of food.

Ambience was very good, the staff could have used more help. We went for a special occasion, a birthday. The filet was very good, however never received steak sauce after asking twice. The ribs were just ok and the bar b que baked beans were not very good. The wine list was very nice. Dessert was disappointing, as they didn’t have the desserts (which were on the menu) that we wanted. Settled for raspberry sorbet, only to have strawberry sorbet brought to the table with an explanation that they were also out of raspberry. Shortbread cookies are more of a sugar cookie. You’re obviously paying for ambience, not the best menu. All in all, our experience on this night was that it was overpriced for what we received.

Service was bad. Took forever to get our order.

Took our server about 10 minutes to greet the table. My wife and I both finished our waters before he showed up. I got the steak frites, ordered medium, and it came out like I was eating beef jerky. For $19, that's not great value....fries were the best part of the meal. Not worth my effort or the money to return. Good beer selection.

Food was good. Service was a little sloppy. Restaurant generally a little too loud for my taste.

It was an “off-hour” & not too busy and the host kindly accommodated my request for a cozy private table — in the charming small lower dining room — it was perfect!!
The service was superb, the food delicious, but most of all, the setting was ideal. Thank you!

We have been told by many friends that this was a must try spot in Alexandria! We had been looking forward to our reservation for a week, but we found ourselves very let down. As soon as we arrived for our reservation, we were told that our table wasn't ready yet, and that we would need to wait. We were early, so we didn't mind waiting, but when we looked around, there were many empty tables. After a few minutes of waiting, the hostess took us to our table which was in the basement of the restaurant, where nobody else was sitting. On a busy night this would have been fine, but we felt like we were being hidden from everyone else, and we really missed out on the ambiance. The tables around us were dirty, as there was nobody cleaning them. The service wasn't good. It took a while for us to be approached by our server, and he never checked in on us after our food was delivered. While the food was good, the overall experience was not. For what we paid for, and for all the hype we heard about ahead of time, we were nothing but disappointed. If you're going to make the trek from DC to have date night in Alexandria, this should not be your destination.

Service and food was great. Our waiter, Dennis, was very attentive and provided us great service.