Vermilion - Alexandria

Birthday dinner.

My girlfriend and I came for our anniversary. We visited 2 years ago and really really loved the food. That was the same reason reason why we choose to come back and it was just like we remembered. Maybe even a little better.

Thank you for a great time.

Excellent!

Very accommodating for vegans and vegetarians. It is a go- to date spot for us!

Great service & wonderful meal!

The brunch was fine, with a nice price/value of 22 $ for appetizer and main dish. The tagliatelle
with ragu was tasty yet light. The burger was decent, but nothing special.

Went for a dinner date with my husband, the service by our waiter and the rest of the staff was 4-5 stars. The food was mediocre and disappointing. We chose the tasting menu. The amuse bouche was shredded cabbage with celery with some red spicy peppers mixed up with olive oil, not interesting at all. Next was the cauliflower salad and beet salad. All i could taste in the cauliflower was lemon and the beet salad was nothing special, i could have picked these up at the prepared food section from the supermarket. Next was the risotto, flavor was good, however the risotto grains were hard, so it was not cooked properly. The only good dish was the duck, sauce was good and it was sitting on a bed of greens. For dessert we were supposed to have a pistachio cake, however instead we got a burned banana bread with some green and black ice cream, it was not tasty or appetizing to the eye. We sent it back and got a chocolate cake which was good. All of this was with the wine pairing. The selection of wines were good, however we would get about 3 ounces of wine and no food for at least another 10 to 15 minutes. So by the time the food came we were done with the wine. The tasting menu took about 3 hours. We were one of the last ones to leave the restaurant. Not recommended.

Very Disappointed in my experience on March 1st. The black duct ceiling , loud jazzy music and poorly working gas light gave a casual ambiance at best. I was expecting 5 star in keeping with the prices and past reviews, Waitress proceeds to tell me what she likes. I was not interested in her opinion nor did I need it. Bone marrow appetizer was like an open faced grilled cheese sandwich. Just give me a bone and toasted bread. Duck breast did not have crispy skin. Husband's scallops and oxtail was bizarre. Ox tail was fatty. Wine pour was 3 ounces at best, at 12 dollars a glass , come on. Desserts were boring. Only positive was housemade bread. Won't be going back.

Lovely evening from start to finish. We were greeted with "Happy Anniversary," so the staff had clearly read out reservation. We did the 5 course tasting with wine pairings ($105, which was very reasonable under the circumstances). I found the vegetarian dishes to be superlative: the cauliflower salad was the perfect winter salad, the "pastrami" beets were both creative and delicious -- it was like eating a pastrami sandwich but so light, and the risotto was very lemony and the rice was cooked perfectly. The duck was good but not as amazing as the other courses. The pistachio cake with the canelle of vanilla ice cream was a perfect, not-to-sweet, dessert. Wines were delicious and service was attentive but not obsequious.

We had a wonderful meal at Vermilion. The ambiance, food and service were all outstanding. Just wish we could afford to eat at this level more frequently

A disappointing experience at a long time favorite. A server knocked over the wine bottle, spilling some. When I complained to our waiter I was told that was the last bottle of the wine we ordered. Apologies but no other offer of recompense. Two of our party’s dinners came our during the appetizers. One dinner was cold and the other undercooked. Finally, the waiter offered us “a splash of wine” to make up for the spilled wine.

I have had far better experiences at Vermillion and was embarrassed to bring new-comers to town here this time.

The food was fantastic! Our server Chad was great and recommended a great beer (Triple Cross Falcon Smash) which I also highly recommend. Great ambiance, good noise level. Great spot!

The perfect treat for a foodie. Excellent experience all around.

Food was good, though perhaps not as inspired as on prior visits. Everything felt scaled down in terms of portion size. Not a problem in and of itself, but it seemed that they are trying to get you to opt for a first course, pasta, and entree, plus dessert.

Our evening at Vermilion was spectacular. Food and service were excellent. Interesting supply of vegetarian dishes. Brocolini soup was fantastic, as was the catfish. It was an evening that made you want to come back, and come back soon!

Fantastic food beautifully prepared.
Great mixed drinks and excellent waitress. Gentlemen that brought bread to our table seemed to really dislike his job.

While this was not my first visit to Vermillion, the new (and highly gifted) Head Chef (Chef Inti), provides many new and truly delicious dishes to try. While my first choice is normally the Tasting Menu, this particular evening we did a la carte. I loved the Winter Salad but the Chestnut Soup and Steak Tartare were “over the top”!!! Incredible! I had the Ricotta Gnocchi (which was excellent) and my companion had the scallops (perfectly cooked with a fascinating mélange of tastes – including black truffles - in the center of the dish). And for dessert Vermillion just added a Goat Cheese Panna Cotta. A MUST DO!!! Vermillion’s “front staff” are always warm, welcoming, and helpful, but special praise for their Asst. Manager (Adam) who is delightful and truly wants Vermillion’s guest to have an incredible experience, and to Jasmine (our server), who is a peasure and her recommendations RE dishes and wine were perfect!

Impeccable service, innovative cuisine, friendly staff, romantic ambiance. Wonderful anniversary brunch! One of our favorite Old Town Alexandria restaurants, Vermillion always surprises and delights!

This small restaurant was hard to get a reservation in and now we know why. The food is delicious, prepared perfectly, and fresh and cooked to perfection. The setting is quaint but trendy, the waiters know all about the food, and the chef is creative. We will definitely come back! The celery root ravioli appetizer was something I’ve never had before and I loved it.

Amazing food and fabulous waitress! Had a wonderful evening. We will be back!

Host and wait staff were very friendly and attentive. Each appetizer and entree selected by everyone at the table was of outstanding quality. Highly recommend this establishment.

From the moment we sat down, there seemed to be a non chalant almost flippant attitude of the servers. On several occassions they would fill my drink and ignore my dates empty glass. When I asked about how the menu presented was different from what I had seen on the website earlier, I was told I was mistaken. After the meal the manager approached and offered his apologies and stated that indeed the menu had changed and that he was also very sorry for the service we had received. Every place has a bad apple or a server who may have a bad day, but the impression I received from the 3 different servers who came by our table, was an attitude of aloofness and a feeling that we should be thankful that they had taken the time to serve us. Food was good but the service and price ruined an otherwise wonderful evening.

This restaurant never disappoints. The catfish, the salad, the soup, the grilled chicken sandwich were all perfection. Oh, and dessert! Fabulous. I love a restaurant that is so reliable in every possible way. Thanks, Vermillion!

Great service, terrific food and as usual, a great experience.

The main course was too salty??

Quiet evening at Vermillion - the perfect location for a belated Valentines date. Our server Chad was wonderful and treated us to complimentary sparkling wine and a chefs special appetizer. I ordered sea scallops while my ordered the catfish - both delectable! We love coming to Vermillion and will definitely be back!

Best place to Dine in Old Town Alexandria - the Tasting Menu was Great!

Food was good; service ok. No atmosphere whatsoever. Food came out within ten minutes of ordering. We ate and left. Felt like a fast food joint.

Vermillion is a great place to sit and enjoy conversation over some excellent food. The service was just right--neither too in your face nor on another planet. We didn't feel at all rushed, which is another way of saying that we felt welcome.

Vday N/A
No

Fantastic food and a great view of the neighborhood. The staff was great also. The pre fix price for brunch was an excellent deal. Plenty of great tasting food.

I was expecting a higher level of service. From the moment I walked in, I didn’t feel the warmest welcome from the hostess who showed us to our table to our server who seemed preoccupied due to the restaurant being busy because of the holiday. The prefixe menu items were lacking but flavorful and the wine was ok. Based on the reviews of this place, my expectations were a lot higher unfortunately, Vermilion did not deliver. Perhaps on a normal night, the experience is better. Would probably not return as the food and overall experience was not worth the money we spent.

Great quality of food and drinks! Enjoyed out Valentine’s Day dinner here.

Excellent customer services, great food, and wine. Great dining experience.

Fun location, found a parking spot around the corner.
Waiter must have been having a bad day. A little off, slow.
They cram the tables together so the people next to you can hear everything you say.
Food was fantastic. The lunch appetizer, entree, dessert is a great option.
We’d go back.

Our experience was amazing! We always enjoy our dining experience at Vermillion. Our server, Patrick, was excellent as well. He suggested some wonderful options that we normally wouldn’t have tried and we loved them all! Phenomenal dining experience, again!

Not our first time at Vermilion but likely our last. We went for my wife's birthday dinner, but they couldn't find our reservation (I triple checked before and afterwards -- it was definitely their mistake). We were then sat at the table closest to the door even though other two-tops were available, which I found highly inappropriate since my wife is 6 months pregnant and it was very cold outside. Unsurprisingly, no mention of my wife's birthday was ever made throughout the entire meal.

It just seems like they don't know what vibe they're going for: the food quality and prices say upscale, but the hostess was wearing Uggs and did not act like it was the sort of place you take your wife for her birthday dinner. Also, our waitress was terse and never looked at me once throughout the entire meal, which normally wouldn't bother me but my wife even mentioned it unprompted on the way home because she noticed and thought it was weird as well. I could nitpick more (like how my cup was refilled with the wrong beverage and how I received a mere 3 scallops for $29), but the food really is inventive and delicious even if it's not quite worth the price. Unfortunate because we had a great experience the first time we went.

Food is really good, service is a bit slow. Asked for a hot tea that never came. Overall a decent experience, but expect to have a long meal time.

The place to be seen on a Friday night in Old Town it seems! Southern charm with lots of glam. My server was new but friendly. She had not tried the menu or the cocktails (not a good indication of the training). She said the catfish was frozen, hamachi unsure of source, beef was local...I went for the tasting menu. One plate - the spaghetti with crab meat - came out cold. The sauce was tasty but the dish was cold. Pairings were good. Pistachio cake was homey and OK. One of the hostesses came by to ask me how everything was going but she was quickly tapped on the shoulder by another man-host to "get going/move out of the way".

Outstanding anniversary dinner. Great food, great service. Highly recommend!