Old Ebbitt Grill – A DC Landmark

Food and history collide in this old world watering hole.  Established in 1856 it is originally a boarding house.  It is Washington DC’s oldest pub.  The likes of President McKinley is said to have lived there during his tenure in Congress, and Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Andrew Johnson, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt and Warren Harding wetted their whistle their at one time or another. 

Through the years the bar may have changed location but never lost its original style.  Teddy Roosevelt supposedly bagged the boar’s head located on the main bar. 

The Old Ebbitt Grill serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.  It still serves a full bar selection of traditional spirits.  You never know who you may be sitting next to for lunch.   The wait can be up to 45 minutes so be sure you have time to savor your dish at these prices you do not want to dine on the run.

 

 The Sautéed Seafood Salad includes a wide variety of seafood including mussels and calamari tossed with roasted red peppers and Portobello mushrooms.  The mussels were some of the best I have tasted, not gritty but well cleaned and fresh.

Looking for something heartier then I recommend The Good Burger made with jalapeno-onion marmalade.  The meat was freshly grinded and made to order not pre-cooked like some establishments to get you in and out quickly.  That is perhaps why the wait is so long everything is made when you order.

There is something for all tastes for instance the Margarita Shrimp Tacos to the French Dip Sandwich you cannot go wrong.  The dinner menu is more upscale with Grilled Rib eye Steak to Cape Cod Day Boat Scallops with citrus-mustard vinaigrette.  Don’t forget about dessert where you can have sugar rush with the Peach Melba Jar, poached Peach Melba sauce, vanilla ice cream, blackberries and whipped cream served in a mason jar.  Yes it is too good to be true.

I give it 3 Forks Up.  It is pricy and there is a wait no matter what day of the week so come prepared.  The food is splendid and it is one of those places you have to go to just to say you have been there for history’s sake.  I recommend that you go for drinks and appetizers to save some of your hard earned dollars.  Washington DC is known for its food but I find it quite pricy to eat out.

 Located at 675 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005.