The good part is the food was fantastic and they accomodated food requests for gluten free options. Lamb shoulder, scallops, cauliflower and steak were outstanding. Service was OK for a crazy busy Saturday evening. The one BIG drawback was the noise level was equivalent to an atomic blast...in each ear. The architect in our group said its a fairly easy problem to solve but the tin ceiling was an accessory rather than a necessity. Like Jewelry. Tone it down, PLEASE. Food 4+, Service decent considering, Noise -1.5. read more

Evening Star has gone way downhill. We moved out of the neighborhood, but we're looking for a place to eat outside and they had availability (now I know why) so we decided to try it out. The gin and tonic with extra lime I ordered came out as a gin and soda with lemon. The food was not made with quality ingredients- heirloom tomato salad had zero flavor, teeny tiny asada skewers were basically hamburger on a stick, blah. The rest of my party had nothing any better. Everything was brought out at once including the one dish I specified we wanted as an appetizer. The staff all seemed young and inexperienced - they were nice enough, but didn't seem to know much about service. It's obvious ES isn't a priority for the Neighborhood Restaurant Group anymore. They should get on their hands and knees and beg Will Artley to come back. At one time eating at ES was a top notch experience, every dish was better than the one before. I could get better food and service at a chain restaurant now. If you want a place to sit and have a beer or a glass of wine, it's probably fine, but don't waste your money eating here. read more

Awful experience yesterday. Grant it they super busy during art festival. But shouldn't have to ask server to wipe off our grimy table, flag him down for silverware & napkins, flag him down (not easy) for beverage refills, wait FOREVER for simple order - burger & egg sandwich, flag him down for check- and finally get check with just a total & no items shown. Only plus- sandwiches good. read more

This place really have a cute front seating area and back patio which definitely something that drew me to dine here for the first time. Also after reading a bit more the day before, they have a new Executive Chef which should be a good sign of exciting dining experience. They have really nice selection of local beer too which is something that my boyfriend enjoyed. We ordered zucchini fries, burritos, and chicken sandwich. Zucchini fries was so good. The burrito and chicken sandwich were served with really well-seasoned and crispy fries in generous portion. The burrito can have more of the pork rather than the tots since it was already served with fries! I love the batter in my chicken sandwich just not a big fan that they use dark meat instead of white meat! So it's a bit gooey. Also I did not find any pickled in my sandwich, but the coleslaw was not disappointing. This place has so many potential behind its beer selection! Would come back for the beers and zucchini fries. read more

I have been to Evening Star on several occasions and have always had great experiences- food, service, drinks, atmosphere. Great spot to take people to, always a hit! read more

I met up with friends here around 6:30pm on a weekend because they wanted dinner and I wanted drinks. It was a first time here but I have heard a lot about how popular it is so I was surprised when they said they could fit us in for a table after a 20-min wait even though we didn't have reservations. While we waited, we sat in the back bar which is called the Majestic Lounge. It's small and nothing fancy just the usual sports memorabilia. They do have some cool vintage furniture and decor. We had a few 4-ounce tastes of their craft drafts. I highly recommend these small tastes so you can try a whole bunch of unique brews for $2-$4 a piece...full beers won't squeeze you for more $7 a piece. When we got to our table, the bread basket with honey butter was everyone's favorite. I had a few more 4-ounce tastes...you have to try a few to see what you like! I ordered the arancini fritters...there were 6 or 8 per order. They were okay--I think this particular batch had a little too much mascarpone that made them a little pasty and overpowered all of the other flavors. I did sneak a couple of bites of my friend's Pan Seared Halibut which was delightful and very flavorful. The andouille stuffed calamari was SO GOOD. Service was good...especially in the lounge area. I will definitely come back here for dinner or brunch when I am much hungrier! read more

Del Ray is home to so many unique businesses, and Evening Star is no exception. Four of us went to dinner on a Friday night. We made reservations, which is good since they seemed booked until 9pm. Their food is all unique; even their fried chicken isn't just a drumstick with flour. My favorite appetizers were the sweet potato gnocchi and the fried brie over pepper jelly. Both look a little odd when they appear at the table, but they are so delicious. read more

Evening Star. While I think the prices are high for what they serve (typically the entrees range from $18 - $30), I do think they execute the dishes well, generally offer good service, and have a respectable beer list. We dined at Evening Star on a whim this Wednesday night and were lucky enough to secure a table on the outside patio. After browsing the beer list, I settled on the Terrapin Hopsecutioner IPA as I was in the mood for a hoppy beer, but the keg was tapped, which was annoying. For our meal we started with the crisp iceberg lettuce salad, which was basically the classic wedge salad. Plenty of bacon and fresh iceberg lettuce smothered in bleu cheese, it was the perfect starter for a humid June evening. For my entree I ordered the buttermilk fried chicken, which was excellent. The fried chicken sat atop mashed potatoes and collard greens and then smothered in sausage gravy. I'm not the biggest fried chicken fan, but the dish was very well balanced, and the crispy fried chicken, combined with the mashed potatoes and gravy made each bite delightful. I would definitely order this dish again. Unfortunately I ordered a side of fried crispy kale with garlic and parmesan to go with my dish and the kitchen (or the server) forgot it. Overall, I like Evening Star's concept of elevated southern food, and I'm a big fan of places that offer patio seating. While I think the prices are a bit high for what they offer, and the portions are moderately sized, I'm a sucker for well executed southern food, and Evening Star fits the bill. read more

Very disappointed in the food and how concerns about the food were handled by the host/management. I tried to send back a mushroom toast that sounded good on the menu but was just dry toast; leathery, desiccated, unseasoned mushrooms; and dried almond chips. I was told by the host that it was my palate at fault and that "charred mushrooms" might not be to my liking. I love mushrooms and I spit these out. I'm very frustrated at the low quality of food in a place I liked, and even more so at being chastised for objecting a completely inedible dish. *Update after a post from management that said "I'm sorry you took my suggestion [to order something else] so poorly." Ok, first, that's not actually an apology if my reaction is the problem. Second, the suggestion was to order something else, because my concern with desiccated mushrooms on dry toast was attributed to an issue with my taste. Third, my friends were finishing so I didn't want to order anything else and delay them - it took a while to catch someone's eye and mention the problem. Fourth, that could have been a good dish, so if the mess-up was because of something that happened in the kitchen, or it's just a poorly conceived/executed dish in general, just say so. I worked in the restaurant industry for a long time, including in the kitchen. That's ok. What's not ok is suggesting that an absolutely inedible dish is a question of taste. Thanks for the meal comp, but the experience was much the worse for the way a badly cooked dish was handled. read more

This is my go to spot for a casual brunch in Alexandria. I always get the Bacon, Egg & Cheese sandwich, and even though it's simple, it's quite possibly the best I've ever had! The French toasts are delicious too. I'm a huge fan of bloody marys and they never fail at Evening Star Café. I love how it comes garnished with bacon and a mini grilled cheese. Although the place is pretty small, I've never waited more than 30 mins for seating. The servers are really friendly and accommodating. I recommend to anyone who wants to enjoy a quality brunch outside of DC. read more

Four stars for brunch out the evening star café. For brunch I had the fried chicken and waffles and Maria had the chorizo hash and eggs. Let me tell you, the fried chicken was juicy and tender! The chef came out and delivered meals, which was a nice touch. I think this is the best chicken and waffles I've had in a long time. The chorizo hash was also very good, but it's not your spicy chorizo that you might expect. When I come back, I'll be getting chicken waffles. read more

Evening Star Cafe - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Duck hash was horrid, nearly inedible. A mound of old black bean glob with stale french fries burying a few strands of duck and any discernable duck flavor. Disinterested waitstaff too busy with their phones to even ask how was the meal. read more

We are usually here a couple of times a month as this is one of our favorite spots in Del Ray. We went this evening, and we love the refreshed menu! Between the three of us, we had the scallops, the salmon (served over perfectly prepared spaetzle!), and the meat loaf, all of which were outstanding! We also ordered the Brussels sprouts and sweet potato as appetizers and were not disappointed. We will be back soon (again!). read more

Sooo, this was quite possibly the worst brunch experience of my life. That sounds hyperbolic, because it's actually quite difficult to mess up brunch, right? Evening Star accepted that challenge, exceeded it, and proceeded to carve a new subterranean floor for brunch experiences. This was the first time I was going to eat there so I made a reservation for my family and showed up promptly at the building where the sign said "Evening Star Cafe" on the top. Seems reasonable right? WRONG! There's a much smaller sign that says we should report to the "hostess stand at the front porch." There's a small eating area on the left side of the restaurant, so we thought maybe that's where we should go. However, no one was there, so we went inside. We waited awkwardly at the front of the restaurant for a good five minutes in full view of at least three staff members who scrupulously ignored us. It's a small area, so it actually took effort for them to go out of their way to say nothing until finally one of them deigned to explain that we needed to go halfway down the block to the right, past a completely unrelated business, to a larger patio area that is not labeled "Evening Star Cafe." Huh. OK. We got there, explained to the hostess that we had a reservation, and were told to wait longer. Another group showed up without a reservation and the hostess told them that there would be a 10 minute wait. After about 10 minutes for us, a server finally showed us to our seat and gave us some water--can't say who since he never said his name or greeted us with the typical "welcome to XXX eatery." After we sat down, the hostess's friends showed up and she flung her arms around them and hustled them to a table--no wait for them. Oh, you're THIS kind of place, Evening Star. After we sat down our server pointed us to one of those QR code things, and I asked for a paper menu because I had seen the server inside giving someone else a paper menu, I have 47 unwanted menus in my phone, and you can't catch COVID from paper; the theater of it is aggravating. He wordlessly returned with one, but did not follow up to actually take orders from it. I had questions about the menu since it was first time there. Sucks to be me! I guess Evening Star thinks I should just figure it out! Frustrated, my husband loaded our order into the QR menu. Aaaand of course it's one of those places that requires you to tip 18% AT THE TIME YOU ORDER regardless of the quality of the food or service. You're really batting a thousand, Evening Star. So I suppose after all that warning, I shouldn't have been surprised by the soggy waffle, desert-dry chicken, or stingy mimosa. I should've been prepared to get up from my meal to track down a server to bring some sugar for the ice tea since there was none on the table and apparently the servers have gotten out of the habit of checking on people occasionally. I should've guessed that I'd have to leave my comment about the food here, since no one stopped by to see if we were happy with everything and if we'd like anything else. Indeed, after we finished, we sort of wandered away from our table and back to our car without any further interactions with the staff. The hostess was away from the stand busily entertaining her friends, so no one was there to even pantomime interest in our experience or to encourage us to return. No worries! We know you don't care! And we won't be back! P.S. I've seen the anemic, form-letter responses to other Yelp reviews from Evening Star's management about how COVID is tough on restaurants and that they've had to adjust, blah, blah. Sure, but I've had perfectly lovely experiences all summer from other eateries experiencing the same pandemic, and they're not using COVID as an excuse for rude/nonexistent service and underwhelming food. They're upping their game to encourage people to dine out. Evening Star acts like it's on a mission to drive people back into lockdown mode. I suppose I should thank them for my rediscovered appreciation for what I'm able to create in my waffle iron, but that's the only positive thing that came out of my visit. Congratulations, or something. UPDATE: I had an absolutely lovely conversation with the general manager, Eloise. She expressed how much pride she and the chef take in their work, and she was deeply disappointed that my family had a poor experience. She said she talked with the staff about the review to learn from it. She also said she understood why I felt the way I did and gave me the choice to come back for another try or refund our brunch. I said that some of the things that fell short would be tough to fix in a week or two, but her heartfelt effort to make up for the experience made me reconsider coming back. We agreed that I'd accept a refund now, then use return in six months for a guaranteed nice time. More to come in February! read more

My guests weren't as impressed with this place as I was. I really liked the food! The café itself is really small and therefore seating is an issue for brunch after 12, and parking is street parking, so good luck on both fronts. I would highly recommend the duck hash. It was amazing and the flavor and seasoning was just right. According to other yelpers this place has a garden on the roof and grows some of its own stuff? Well that might explain why the food seemed fresher. Really good. My guest didn't enjoy the crabcake benedict. He said It was decent but he gave his visit 3 stars, and said the duck hash was much better than the benedict. We also shared the French toast which like other yelpers complained, has a limited amount of pecans and bananas on it, and the pecans were just pecans, not caramelized at all. But the French toast itself was well made , but slightly on the greasier side. Couldn't finish all my pieces bc of that,...it almost looked deep fried as opposed to pan fried like French toast normally is. the ambiance is really nice with some very eclectic lighting fixtures. They look like one of those robotic lego kits were used to make them. Service was really great and they went above and beyond to accommodate us. read more

Evening Star Cafe - Crab cake benedict - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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This is one of my favorite places to brunch in Alexandria. It is a little more on the expensive side, but it's delicious and a nice treat! They have a wide variety of options with traditional brunch items and brunch items with a twist. One of my go to places in Alexandria and del ray. Great family atmosphere (not during Covid of course) and friendly and fast wait staff. read more

This was our second miss in a row. The cocktails and wine were wonderful, but the goat cheese and beet salad came without goat cheese or beets -- when we sent it back we got beets but no goat cheese, which left us with a slightly more interesting starter but still rather bland. (The waitress's explanation was that this was a new menu item). The main course came next -- my steak was perfectly cooked but the only accompaniment -- sweet potato fries -- were so dry they were almost inedible. Unfortunately our server did not check on us again until our meal was finished. We appreciated our server adjusting the meal price but I would recommend that menu items are ready to offer customers before they are offered on the menu. We love this place for their locally sourced food and location -- so we will be back. read more

Had a wonderful dinner here tonight with friends. The food was excellent and the wine selection is amazing. The staff is attentive but gives you space to talk and laugh. And the desserts, pudding and cake were excellent. This is my go to restaurant. Love it. read more

#fallingstar #nostarcafe. Finally went back even though I knew better. The service is absolutely abysmal and it seems like they don't want or need my business. I am a 25 year local who patronized this business form the beginning. Will never step foot in here again. They need to train their employees in simple customer service skills. read more

Did carry-out dinner here and it was delicious - bolognese, a caesar salad, and swordfish ready within 15 minutes and prepared beautifully. A classic spot in Delray, Alexandria without excellent service. read more

Delicious and fresh brunch food for reasonable prices. We had the sausage egg and cheese biscuits, fried chicken and waffles, and more biscuits for good measure. Recommend getting there early or having reservations as it was constantly busy however you can wait in the back bar for your table and have a drink or four read more

Evening Star Cafe - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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We came for brunch around 11AM on a Sunday, and although it was full, we were seated immediately. We split one of the toffee cinnamon rolls, which was very tasty. The sausage breakfast sandwich was also very good. It is quite tall, and I ended up taking off the top biscuit and eating it as a open-faced sandwich. The decor in the restaurant is also a bit kooky, but it has a charm to it. This place has solid, standard American brunch fare. read more

Evening Star Cafe - toffee cinnamon roll - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Really enjoyed our meal in their new backyard area. Food was great as always, service was great, and everyone wore masks. We really appreciate the efforts they've put into keeping things safe! read more

Still waiting for Evening Star to get back to the level of food they had in the late 2000s. Went the other night and had a chicken sandwich. It was dry but with good flavor and limited crunch. Then had a Caesar salad that was a bummer. Huge hit of anchovy flavor, powdered Parmesan cheese and no croutons. Finished out with yummy beer on tap but pint beer prices for what was much less than a pint. read more

Took my family out to dinner here, and everyone enjoyed it. It wasn't busy at all--I almost felt like we were the only people in the restaurant. Then again, I think it was a Monday or Tuesday evening. We had a large group and a young baby, and they were very accommodating. Pleasant wait staff. Great food. read more

Wow this place has gone so far down hill. Don't waste your money. I went there today and my food arrived 1 hour after we ordered and it was stone cold. My daughters salad had no dressing on it and it was supposed to be stressed. My chili was ice cold. When I complained to our server, she simply shrugged her shoulders. I remember when this was a decent restaurant and the chef cared! No more. Over priced and food not goodness read more

Nice and friendly staff with great food. I had a chicken fried sandwich with fries. The chicken was very good and the fries were awesome....I washed it down with a very tasty blood orange mimosa. I will eat there again and I would recommend this restaurant to others. read more

Evening Star Cafe - New American Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

This was a horrible dining experience. $152 for horrible food. Slow service (although waitress was nice). The meatballs appetizer was cold. The meals were cold. The swordfish tasted sour! The pasta? Hamburger Helper is better. Breadsticks are gross packaged snacks. Will never go back. As we left I warned another couple looking at the menu with a gentle "move on!" I hope they did. Saving someone else a lot of money and literal gut ache! read more

Visited Evening Star for restaurant week and had a horrible dining experience. Ordered the friend Brussels to start. Server brought a bunch of black, burnt Brussels. Inedible looking but I tried them and they were as horrible as they looked. Manager swung by and kindly offered another dish. As I was starting my new first course, server brought the second course - totally unconcerned that I had just started my salad. As I was eating my salad - they then threw down my dessert . So now I have a luke warm salmon dish and a melting dessert stacked up on my table next to my salad. ‍ I then tried the salmon and it had to be the saltiest unappealing dry salmon dish I've had in a very long time. Put that aside and tried my melted desert. Server swings by and asks if I'm taking my entre and salad home - I let them know I didn't plan to. They then asked w/judgment- so you want me to trash it? Yep! Icing on the cake - as we were wrapping up - restaurant had emptied out but it still wasn't closing time - a person swung by to tell us they were going to start vacuuming but it would be REALLY loud. We put an end to that and asked to speak to the manager. Offers a glass of wine for our troubles but we were done. Won't go back. Bad food + bad service. read more

Had a dinner there with family just before Thanksgiving. The place filled up in no time, reservations are a must. Aside from being super welcoming, the food and libations are fantastic. There is something for any kind of eater or foodie, and this vegetarian was very happy with the offerings of that night. The menu changes seasonally. The only issue we had was that it was very loud, quite past energetic. It may be the beautiful old tin ceiling, but we had to shout to make ourselves heard. Don't let that keep you from going, you'd miss out on a great dining experience. read more

Visited this place on 22jan2017. So the theme of this review is gonna be focused on time. Because they always tell you it doesn't feel as long as it really is. 1 hour wait. From sitting to getting water 7 minutes. From water to our server 2 minutes. From ordering to our salad 6 minutes. We ordered the apple salad and it was ok. Also got the duck confetti and it was delicious. Finished with the frenchtoast and it was amazing. They use bread pudding as the bread and a peanut butter mouse in lieu of syrup. This dish had only two ways of going. Really good and really bad. Shockingly it was really good! 4 stars because service is slow but that may be more because they appear understaffed. In regards to time the meal was worth it! read more

I have only been here for brunch a few times but I'm going to definitely eat here as much as possible. The chicken and waffles are pretty great. I had a side of sausage patties and they were damn good. Their coffee is spot on, the service impeccable, and they serve some excellent craft beer! Working in the restaurant business is tough. Chef Jonathan Till, GM Geoff Bosworth (their names are at the bottom of the menu which is a nice touch) and the rest of the staff are the reason why people choose places like this as their go-to comfort food spots. It's obvious that a lot of thought and hard work goes into everything they do and I hope this place stays profitable for a very long time. read more

We have been to evening star multiple times and every time has been wonderful. We recently brought our friends from out of town, and I can say that the food was not the wonderful as before. I ordered a noodle dish and it was so boring, along with the chicken dish my husband ordered. The service was excellent and the appetizers were delicious! Of course we will go back, but might be ordering something different. read more

I have tried this place 3-4 times over the last 6 years for different meals because so many people say it's good. It's not. It's actually really terrible. The food is awful. The service was awful too. After today, I will not go back. This morning for brunch (no fresh fruit on a brunch menu really? In Del Ray?)...they had "berries and yogurt" so I asked for just the berries instead of homefries, they brought the thawed from frozen berries out to accommodate my request but the berries were MOLDY. They brought me another bowl but didn't take it off the bill or anything. My poached eggs were gross. I've never had a good meal there, ever. I don't know why people like it. There are way better places to eat on Mt Vernon Ave. Unless you want to sit at "front porch" for just a drink, avoid this place and the moldy berries read more

I went here with my wife and brother for dinner. I ordered a custom burger, and it was great. Wife had goulash, and the brother had the salmon; they all enjoyed the food as well. No issues with the food, but...... The only thing that really keeps me from rating better is that the level of noise was/is frustrating to deal with. The overall noise from everyone talking at their other tables or booths makes it very difficult to have a conversation. If there was some type of cubicle, privacy barrier, etc that could be used in the dining room in the front, it would have been a perfect dinner. read more

I went here last Friday night with my husband and our 2 year old daughter. Im always nervous bringing my child to restaurants. But it was very accommodated for her as well. There were other families there and that her kids meal was a Cheeseburger which we brought the respite home and eat it the next day and it was still really good. We went for restaurant week where my husband and I both got an appetizer entrée and dessert and both of it was phenomenal. It was very welcoming and the manager walked around which was really nice to know everyone was being taken care of. Can't wait to go back again. read more

Excellent appetizers, fantastic main courses, dessert options were phenomenal. Great service and a cool vibe. We'll be back soon.

Evening Star is my favorite brunch spot, and not just because they have duck hash (which I always order because it's delicious and I feel fancy). I love the little booths and the eclectic decor. Every waiter/waitress we've had has been friendly, competent, and attentive. Whenever the in-laws are in town and we need a place to eat, Evening Star is a top choice. I think it fits Del Ray perfectly - it's quirky, quality food without being insanely pricey, and close to a bunch of other awesome local businesses. It's become tradition to go window shopping or stop by the weekend farmer's market close by after enjoying our meal. No complaints from me! read more

My family came here for Saturday morning brunch (around 10 AM when they open). We had great service from our waiter, Fred, who was very patient with us, accommodated our substitutions, and checked in on us frequently. He always had a smile on his face, and at the end of the meal we all agreed that he was an outstanding waiter. The food was great, too! We all got something different - pulled pork hash, omelet, pancakes - but it was all delicious. Charming atmosphere, great service, yummy food...so glad to have another wonderful brunch place to put in the rotation. Thank you, Fred! read more

Food was delicious! We had the Tostada and the French Toast with Peanut Butter Mousse and Banana. Service was great, a bit loud on the inside so we ate outside. The patio seating is great, people may bring dogs, again the staff was super friendly! read more