Didn't have dinner here but really enjoyed the Oreo dessert and champagne in the lounge/bar area. We initially wanted to go up to the rooftop but it was a little too cold. Looking forward to enjoying the views up there when I'm dressed more appropriately for the weather - hopefully they put in better outdoor space heaters too since temps are dropping quickly! read more

What an AMAZING experience. From the lobster roll to the Hanger Steak to the Chicken and top it off with the Key Lime to the Cookies and Creme. Guillermo was an excellent waiter. Fantastic experience. We're from San Diego where restaurants are plentiful. Estuary is among the best. read more

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Very nice ambiance. The place is located in the Conrad hotel and has very many nice shops in the area. The food was very good. I went for the brunch prix-fixe menu for $45. For the price and for what you get it was worth it. We started with a mimosa. The pastry was a tiny palmier measuring about 2 inches - just enough for two bites. I got the beef tartarte which was excellent. And for the entree I got the cod - it was tasty but a bit salty and all you can really taste is the salt. In addition, I also got the infamous maryland crab roll. It was small. I would suggest not sharing this one. The crab roll was good however I had a lot of crab SHELLS in my roll which was disappointing especially in an upscale restaurant like this. So just be careful as you bite into the sandwich. Overall: good ambiance, the food could be seasoned a bit better and the crab in the crab roll could have used a bit more picking of the shells before serving it. read more

Went for a birthday dinner and everything we had was amazing. We had the sashimi, grilled peppers, Parker house rolls and much more. Set in the new Conrad hotel, it was a beautiful location. Definitely going back! read more

Estuary - Cocktails in the bar area. - Seafood Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I'll start with the positive- drinks were good and when they didn't have the Japanese whiskey I wanted, the server was helpful and knowledgeable to recommend a good alternative. The service overall was good. Everyone was friendly. I wasn't impressed with the beef "tarte" tare. It had an onion ring around it, which didn't make sense to me and didn't add to the rest of the dish. We also had the shrimp cocktail which isn't hard to mess up. Our third app was the tuna tartare which was the best app we had. Everything came together with a hint of an Asian flavor which was a nice touch. For our main course, my date had the aged rib eye and I had the cedar plank salmon with risotto. His rib eye tasted good. I had one piece and it was fine but didn't blow my mind. I can't speak for the rest of his dish. My cedar plank salmon was good, but I didn't finish the risotto, similar to the beef tartare, had an ingredient on there that didn't pair well, sunflower seeds. For dessert we had the smith island and the cookies and cream. The smith island was okay but also disjointed with the caramel popcorn and strawberry sorbet coming together for a mediocre taste. I liked the cookies and cream and don't have anything bad to say about it. The chocolate mousse, dark chocolate bark and "cream" all tasted good together. Overall, the things I didn't like felt like all the ingredients didn't come together for whatever flavor profile they were going for. Maybe I had too high of hopes, but I don't think I'll come back or recommend estuary to friends. read more

Super delicious meal and very well plated. Worth the time and money. The white asparagus were so tender!

I received food poisoning. The only reason I am giving two stars instead of one is because my first time at Estuary was wonderful. On return, though, my food poisoning coupled with my experience with management have quite unfortunately sullied this restaurant for me. I will spare readers the details, but I finished my meal around 10:30pm and woke up around 4:00am, violently ill for about nine hours and out of commission the following day. My date and I split all the small plates and dessert, but each of us had our own entree. Due to a food allergy of hers, she (thankfully) was not subjected to my chicken. Process of elimination. I contacted the restaurant and spoke with the manager. I was then contacted by the hotel's food and beverage security (apparently that's a thing?). At each point I was questioned as to my order, my symptoms, and whether I had seen or would be seeing a doctor. I was made to feel like a liar. There is simply no way I could have made it to a doctor while I was so ill. It also would have accomplished nothing, and after it had run its course would have accomplished even less. We've all had food poisoning at some point. You know it when you have it, and it's also painfully clear when and where it came from. After tip and tax, I spent $240 on a meal that did not even stay with me. At no point did anyone try to make things right, whether it be even a partial refund, a comped meal or anything more than words. Perfunctory apologies will not get me to recommend or return to Estuary. I was assured that I the hotel manager would contact me. This never happened. Should anyone at Estuary or the Conrad read this, please do the decent thing and actually reach out. The Voltaggios are my favorite chefs. I frequent Family Meal and Volt in Frederick, and have patronized both Aggio and Range. I do not think Bryan or Michael would be pleased to learn that this happened under this manager's watch. I know I wasn't. read more

Great food! The attention is great for a business lunch do try the scallops and the hangar steak! Brand new hotel with an amazing architecture! read more

The restaurant is beautiful and the service was really fantastic. However, the food was disappointing overall. Beautifully plated but nothing special about the food. read more

My husband and I chose to kick off the holiday weekend with a nice dinner at Estuary. Five stars doesn't begin to cover it! The service and the wine and the food were beyond expectations. Such a lovely experience! We shared several 'For the Table' dishes and both had an entree, perfect way to do it. Highly recommend! read more

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Tried to do this three times on Open Table and got kicked off but they deserve a review so now here is the shortened version in five quick notes. 1. We dined for 4...actually almost 5 perfectly curated hours. 2. The service is exceptional. The training their staff recieve must be impeccable considering how well the chef's vision was explained. 3. Our favorites (yes we ate quite a bit) included the avocado salad, bricohe and crab, cod and hanger steak which was perfectly cooked medium rare. 4. We loved the wine (Malbec, Proseco and another one that escapes me) and had plenty of it. We looked it up to get it locally. 5. The occasion was celebrating my sweethearts and they granted us a quiet area, tasteful birthday acknowledgement (we didn't want the song or the big hoopla) and service without being too disruptive. My point, we are eager to return to most likely try their brunch. Lovely. Highly reccomend and worth the cost. p.s. Since nothing is perfect and we were probably just too greedy given the occasion, I would say skip the fries (he had to try them) they are overburdened by the Old Bay Seasoning and compared to everything else not very good. read more

Fantastic food and service. Ordered the oysters and the lamb pastrami. Great unique dish. The sommelier was very friendly and engaging. I ordered the key lime desert and it was so unique and very interesting. The Som poured some desert wine for free and topped of a great evening. read more

Came her for the first time for a dinner with my sister and her husband and my dad and his wife. Was very interested to see the new Conrad hotel and try the Voltaggio brothers newest restaurant. Overall, things were lovely. We started our night at the bar with a cocktail before heading into the restaurant. I had a gin gimlet, which was beautifully balanced. The ambiance in the bar and the views were wonderful as well. When we went into the dining room the hostesses were welcoming and showed us to our table right away. When we got to the table, everything was lovely, but I will say the booth seats felt a bit low. For our first course, we split various plates including the crab roll, the tuna tartare, the shrimp cocktail, the Parker house rolls, and the avocado confit. Everything was delicious, but without a doubt my favorite was the tuna tartare. For the second course, I shared the flank steak and ordered a side of the "grits." The steak and mashed potatoes was delicious and a good size to share. The grits were good too, but a bit too sweet for my liking. For dessert, we got the fluffer butter which was the most disappointing part of the meal. It felt like it had been too overcomplicated for the dessert it was intending to represent and, like the grits,was too sweet for my taste. Overall, I'd definitely come back to this restaurant and bar. The service and ambiance were stellar and the food was very good. read more

We stayed at The Conrad hotel and my daughter and I came down for a quick bite to eat upon arriving. I was told by Conrad's front desk employees there was a kid friendly menu for her so figured it would be easy and fast. After we arrived at the restaurants we were told by a couple different people there were no kid friendly options for her. I ordered a burger and fries so we could share which were really good. There was someone walking around, not sure if it was a manager but I again asked about anything he suggested for my daughter he then told me there were in fact kid friendly options (grilled cheese and a few other options) she chose grilled cheese but at this point she has eaten so many fries she wasn't really hungry. This happened 2 different times and both times I felt like kids weren't really welcome by the responses and attitudes I got. Wish this was communicated with all staff. Either your kid friendly or your not. read more

Good food, the puffer fish concept was more exciting than the taste. The calamari, crab roll and steak was delicious. The service was very polite but lunch ended up taking almost two hours on a week day. That seems a bit excessive, the expiation was that the kitchen was busy..hopefully in time they will be able to support a business lunch. read more

Really 4.5. Service is really good and almost too good. The waitress was a bit over the top to keep us on schedule but she backed off when she got the message we were not going to rush it. The food was very good but not exceptional and they brought out a couple unexpected bonus tidbits. Food and drinks was $100 person with tip which seemed like a lot to me but I guess that's the norm around here for this type of place. The drinks are where they drain your wallet. Luckily we pre-gamed or it would have been a lot more. read more

4.5 stars for the food. To be honest I didn't have high expectations for Estuary b/c I wasn't too impressed with their other restaurant, Volt, in Frederick, MD, years back. But I was pleasantly surprised with the quality and innovativeness of the dishes at Estuary. The setting is wonderful, in the the beautiful Conrad hotel with vaulted ceilings, dim lighting, and unique artwork and decor. My recommendation is to stick with any and all of the appetizers / small dishes. They were fairly small portions, but if your goal is to experience interesting and unique flavors and textures, they're the way to go. The main dishes were less interesting and of course more expensive -- skip 'em! read more

It should be noted that I had high expectations for this place but it was mediocre. The potions were tiny and the flavor profiles were confusing. We had the chef's tasting menu and the first dish was tuna with eucalyptus, which left a weird taste in my mouth. The second course was a gnocchi dish and were surprised to find the plate consisted of a small salty mushroom in the center surrounded by four fluffy but tiny yolk balls. I would recommend if you do try this place to eat first, otherwise you will leave hungry. I have to say the service is exceptional. I only wish the food was better. read more

This was one of our favorite experiences during our two night stay at The Conrad. It did not disappoint. The service was wonderful and the food was fresh and so original. We would go back in a heartbeat. read more

Wonderful food and even more incredible service! Our food was a bit slow in coming out, but the manager came over to apologize and paid for our whole meal. I was so pleased with our experience here and really appreciated the establishment's care for the customer. read more

Estuary is good but did not wow me. They have very good quality fish, but compared to other places nearby, for similar price range, I have had better dinners. I would recommend the blue crab roll and the octupus. The chicken was actually much more interesting than the fish entrees so I would recommend that! read more

In town for the night and stopped in for dinner. Rikki, our server, was wonderfully knowledgeable on the menu. From the oysters to the tuna tartare & swordfish schnitzel to the cookies & cream dessert... it was wonderful. Thank you!! read more

Estuary is amazing. Have been here for breakfast and lunch. Love the Tuna Tartare appetizer. Breakfast terrific. Great views from the restaurant. Very serene atmosphere. A place where conversation is possible with great food. A go to! read more

Not as polished for service at the bar as I would hope but very friendly. The Maryland crab roll is divine, don't deny yourself. The play on tuna tartare is quite good. read more

Delicious and snazzy-- highly recommend. Not cheap, but worth it because of the quality of food, super nice drinks, and great service. Yum!

Dinner here was wonderful but brunch left something to be desired. The avo toast comes with a full avocado, which is fine, but the herbs aren't well incorporated and it's also ice cold with a Luke warm egg. Overall disappointing and small for the price. Our Aperol spritzers also took nearly 20 min to arrive. :( read more

Review for the bar - bartenders friendly but overwhelmed. After receiving out drinks, the bartender did not acknowledge us for nearly an hour. Sat there with empty glasses for 30 minutes trying to grab the bartenders attention. We live next door and we're hoping this would be a regular spot, but won't be returning until service is drastically improved. read more

I was a guest at the Conrad Hotel and thought I'd treat myself to an upscale dinner. I watched the Voltaggio brothers on Top Chef and couldn't resist the opportunity to check out their creations. I arrived to the restaurant without a reservation. The staff was incredibly warm and welcoming, and showed me to my two-top table (with a view). I don't usually like to dine alone, but decided I'd be just fine without company. I started with the Rhino Sour, which arrived shortly thereafter. I am a whiskey fan, but was underwhelmed for the $16 price. A server stopped by with bread sticks and pimiento cheese. They were crisp and the cheese was complimentary. Good start. I was then treated to a complimentary "roasted garlic sorbet" with something else I didn't hear the server say. Essentially, one bite to get started. I'd never experienced garlic in a sorbet, or anything sweet for that matter. It was odd and interesting but didn't knock my socks off. My incredibly wonderful female server looked over the menu with me, and asked if I had any allergies or concerns. No allergies, but wanted to limit portion size. She suggested the Crab Roll, Ceviche, and Octopus. I had a bad experience in Mexico with Ceviche, so I passed on that. I opted for the Crab Roll, and noticed Bone Marrow on the menu. I'd never had it and went for it. I didn't have a long wait before the Bone Marrow arrived. It was a beautiful plate, with a large bone flanked by two tomato-jam toasts. The first bite of the marrow was difficult to stomach. I was not prepared for the texture. For the second bite, I made sure to combine the toast and marrow, but found the cold tomato-jam unsettling. The server returned and asked how I liked it. I felt bad telling her that I did not enjoy it at all. I did tell her, however, I was happy to have the experience. The Crab Roll arrived. There was 1-2 oz of crab (plus dressing) on a buttery brioche bun. It was rather small, but I suppose that's to be expected in a higher end restaurant. The Crab Roll was fantastic, from the lightness of the crab to the last buttery crumb. I had been ogling the Caramel Apple Sangria for dessert, but the server suggested the Cookies and Cream. I took her suggestion, but was, like the drink, underwhelmed. I'd say it was the most disappointing of all the courses, and I should have gone with my gut. The server returned and asked if I enjoyed the dessert. I'm certainly not a complainer at a restaurant, as I'm sure it is often a thankless job. I felt guilty telling her it was "just ok". She sweetly half-apologized, but she shouldn't have to. I asked, she made a suggestion. She brought my bill, and had removed the Bone Marrow. This was surprising, as it was the most expensive thing I'd ordered. All in all, the customer service at this place is phenomenal. They really know how to take care of their guests. Estuary's staff is clearly guest-oriented, professional, and genuinely invested in creating an inviting environment. I might have given 5 stars if my food choices were different. Just because I didn't care for the taste/texture of a dish does not mean the dish was "bad". It may just mean I don't care for that particular flavor or texture. But in the end, I chose those items. I'd be interested in returning to try an entree or two in the future. read more

It seems that Estuary is still working the kinks out. Food is fine. Service is very good. The wine list has many fine but young wines; and not all look affordable. The ambiance is a bit off-putting. The hotel entrance is cold climatically and architecturally. This continues at the restaurant level, accessed by the elevator. High ceilings, open undulating spaces, stone floors... All a bit soulless and almost airport-like... (We were seated next to a strip of A/C vents by the window and had to move.) Food, as in many Voltaggio operations, is fine but other elements detract from its enjoyment. Tables are very small and there are huge square placemats that take up a lot of space. Add some glasses, the bread basket, wine bottle, and there's not much space left for the plates to be shared. Both food and wine service are very good: professional and amiable... The hitch was that the plates were not delivered in the proper order. We asked for ceviche and tuna crudo first, followed by the mozzarella and the octopus, all to be followed by the final dish of lamb. After the amuse bouche of rice cracker with nasturtium yogurt, we were served the ceviche, then the octopus, then the lamb and the mozzarella at the same time (chaos on the table). The tuna had been forgotten. After I asked the server not to charge us for it, it appeared as desert. The moral of the story is that the kitchen should pay attention to orders and not send plates out as they please. Finally, some of the dishes (the octopus, for example) have fabulous sauces that demand to be sopped up with decent bread (which exists; it accompanied the mozzarella); the bread sticks look nice but won't do the job. The lamb comprises an excellent loin but the pastrami of the ribs is almost half fat. The ceviche can do without the carrot fish. Mozzarella, embedded in a skin of tomato is fun to try once. The tuna did not work very well as desert. So, it looks as if Estuary will need some time to work these kinks out. read more

Nice looking restaurant with kind service. Prices not bad and food was pretty solid, if unexceptional. Crab rolls good, as was calamari and Parker house rolls. Tuna jamon, ceviche and avocado confit not as delicious as they looked on menu...Burger they made for my sons was great. Desserts were very very good, especially key lime and cookies and cream desserts which were both multi layered/textured and multi-flavored in a way that worked... We got really bad food poisoning for the 3 adults who tried the beef tar tare( we think it was this although one of the dessert a less likely possibility)that hit within 12 hours and ruined our trip downtown. Perhaps buyer beware for any raw food but this was really hard... May try again, but probably not for this place we really wanted to like... read more

It's always difficult to rate restaurants like Estuary, because there are so many elements to dining, and to grade them on a 5 star scale is somewhat unforgiving and generally too poor in fidelity to make serious judgements. I'll give Estuary a 5 because I think it's a great place and worth trying, but I'll also try to include some critiques. I think the first thing to understand is that Estuary is a hotel restaurant - more specifically, the restaurant for DC's Conrad hotel. Therefore, unlike a standalone restaurant with its own storefront, Estuary is very much integrated into the hotel. This was a bit of a shock to me, as I have eaten at Volt, Family Meal, etc. and there is a stronger sense of individuality. You basically enter Estuary from the third floor lobby (which in of itself has to be appreciated for its architecture and its spare, chain-mail curtained decor.) There is no door to the restaurant or a big fancy sign - just a divider that forms the rear of the bar. You turn left and a fairly non-descript table is where the maitre'd is located. This continuous conjoining of spaces was a little jarring to me - and very different from other restaurants. The second thing to understand is that Estuary is pumping a lot of emphasis into the "stuff" that makes up the restaurant. For example, the coasters - normally paper napkins at most places are stitched, high-count fabric. The kitchen is built around a Molteni range, which reminds me of a more sedate version of the fiery "Open Hearth" concept found in Jeremiah Langhorne's "The Dabney." The placemats are padded leather. The utensils rest on a brushed metal block to separate them from the table. The meat knives are made by Forge Laguiole with carbon fiber scales, an option that I didn't even know existed. The custom-printed, thick fabric napkins are from Garnier Thiebaut. The menus are basic paper affairs, with metallic print enscribed with Estuary's locavore Chesapeake Bay theme. Third is a realization that I have made with most restaurants like Estuary: Dining at the restaurant is partly an exercise in learning about it and what it has to offer. This is more than obvious when it comes to the food. For example, it's difficult to describe the two amuse-bouche that came before the appetizer. The most pedestrian description I can give is that they were breadsticks, croissants stuffed with jelly, and some kind of crisp, yet melt-in-your-mouth, large ultra-thin rice-cake-ish thing covered with edible flowers and some kind of powder, along with a dipping...sauce? If the intent was to start with something virtually indescribable, then they succeeded. The taste, which was good, was almost secondary to the initial surprise and the pop-in-your-mouth texture. I don't know for sure, but I'm almost convinced that this was meant in part to throw us a bit off balance as diners. As if to tell us, "You think you know everything, but you really don't..." We ordered the crab roll, which seems to vary in presentation from photo to photo. Ours sadly did not come with flowers, but did have the signature crab-shaped crackers. It had a surprisingly sweet flavor and good flake. My wife ordered the Hangar Steak. I ordered the Lamb Pastrami. Note: This is not food you shovel down like so much Chipotle or Moby Dick. Take your time with this stuff. My wife wasn't a particularly big fan of the grits (which were too "genuinely gritty" for her. They were placed on the dish by the server at the table from a miniature stainless pot) or the bone marrow and shallots on the side, but she considered the hangar steak itself delicious. The Lamb Pastrami was quite a good surprise - a generous cut of lamb belly (which I have never had) and the loin which were also cooked to my taste. The dish came with a large black sea-salt covered cracker, the purpose of which was mystifying to me. It found its purpose as a foundation for the bone marrow I was gifted. Therefore, ask questions. You will have to ask "what is this?" and "how do I eat this?" Learn and then participate. On word of caution: The Peach Tea Cheesecake was our chosen dessert and it was probably too unusual for my wife. The initial shock came with the intentionally missing part of the edible covering. She was expecting "The Cheesecake Factory" and got a very light whipped dessert topped with a little bit of ice cream. She loved the nuts and small peaches, however. There is a hilarious review that described this dessert as too heavily deconstructed and in some ways, I agree. If, as a diner, you know your taste is more traditional, then please try the other choices! The amuse-bouche that came with the check were absolutely delicious. The chocolate was, of course, textured just go that you could detect the cacao powder melt in your mouth, but not so much that it just disappeared. The other was almost like a candied corn bread...again difficult to describe but delightful. read more

The small plate experience at Estuary is delightful. We were there for a family celebration and it started out so well. But when the entrees arrived, things went downhill. I had hanger steak that was inedible--it could not be chewed. Since I was a guest, I didn't think I could send it back. Almost everyone in our party suggested that the entree course should be skipped. And our servers sort of disappeared between entrees and dessert. When desserts did arrive, they did not disappoint. This restaurant has an interesting, if complicated, approach to dining. read more

Some friends and randomly ended up in this spot after initially intended to visit their rooftop bar. But we were actually glad the rooftop was closed because we had a great experience at Estuary. The appetizers and cocktails we ordered were all delicious; but the customer service just elevated the experience even more. We were taken care of by Bria Cook who worked with the bar staff there and she was exceptional. Her recommendations and knowledge of the menu/drink offerings; as well as her fun, warm demeanor just had us making conversation with her because we enjoyed her as much as we did our food, cocktails and the view. I highly recommend this spot and ask for Bria when you get there! read more

Outstanding restaurant. Impeccable service in a beautiful setting. The architecture of the Conrad is unique, and at the same time relaxing and modern. It's a profoundly classy yet somehow not too pretentious setting. I ate at Estuary with two family members. We started off with a creative (but not so tasty) amuse bouche. The bread service was unique and great, however. Then we shared a number of appetizers: the crab roll (very fresh and outstanding), Parker House rolls (same story, dips are delicious), tuna tartare (not a fan, but that's a me thing, I think), and calamari (so good). We then shared the cod entree, which was impeccably cooked and very very good. Estuary continues to shine with its desserts. Cookies and cream was my favorite, though others preferred the excellent take on key lime pie. With beers, the total cost for all of these dishes was right around $100, which I found surprisingly reasonable. Thanks to the fun (but very professional and attentive waitstaff), the experience itself was memorable, as each dish plays with expectations. Expect to be impressed at Estuary. And either before or after your dinner, stop by the Conrad's rooftop bar for stunning views and perfect service. read more