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    Holy Cow

    3.9 (834 reviews)
    ModerateBurgers
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Order Holy Cow Takeout or Delivery

    Holy Cow Photos

    Business Info

    HOLY COW ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Holy Cow

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    The Madison
    Danny B.

    The burgers here always hit the spot! It's a little pricey, because your fries and drink are separate, but overall the quality of food here is really good. And you can't go wrong with the creativity of the burgers here. The only thing is the milkshakes I think are spun to much, and can have that you blended it too much smoky taste at times.

    Del ray burger
    Sharmane G.

    Really solid burger place but I got the fried chicken sandwich. Overall the fries (5/10) were pretty subpar (not crispy or fresh tasting). The burger (7/10) was better than the fried chicken sandwich (6/10). The service was not particularly excellent, just your casual food spot. Seemed like many families come here to enjoy a quick casual bite of food. Perhaps what is good about this place is solid food for a decent price and no frills type of joint where you can pay and go.

    Allison L.

    Great location and space for hanging out in Del Ray! Food was good and probably reasonably priced for the area. I got a build-your-own burger with lettuce, tomatoes, caramelized onions, arugula, and sriracha aioli. It was challenging to eat because of how the toppings were sliding, but it was yummy! The cajun fries too were great! Overall, enjoyed!

    Dining room
    Patty W.

    One of the reasons I go to Holy Cow is because they donate $ to a cause of our choice. They offer a list of"usually" that a patron can select from. So I had to go to Del Ray tonight so decided to have dinner there. Upon ordering, I first said, I'd like my donation to go to the Animal Welfare League...and the cashier looked perplexed I then said Alexandria Animal Welfare League? He responded with, is that a burger? Clearly, he didn't really speak English! Frustrated, I said "never mind, I'll take a ......burger" and he promptly ordered and tallied my bill. Food was good and fries were hot, so it made up for his lack of knowledge about the donation program. There are many burger places and this was the ONE THING that made it worth it...this small token and he ruined it.

    DC Halfsmoke

    Great food. Great communication with the staff on a busy day. Fun concept. LARGE portion. Music was a bit too loud, but it was fine.

    Will M.

    Good place in del ray to grab a burger and a milk shake. Looks more like a restaurant from the outside but feels like a fast casual spot when you order. Burgers were good quality, next time I would a regular burger. Pulled pork made it too messy and couldn't taste enough burger. Stawberry milk shake had the right amount of fruit / dairy combination. Onions rings had a nice crunch.

    My burger and fries. They also have sweet potato waffle fries which were delicious.
    Phil H.

    I went to Holy Cow Del Ray with my son and 2 grandchildren one of the girls had Mac and cheese and the other had grilled cheese. My son and I chose to build a burger. Being able to customize our burgers to exact specifications was truly a treat. We chose not yo do milk shakes even though there were some creative flavors cause we were going to The Dairy Godmother next store for fresh delicious custard. A great pairing of stores. Service was spot on with the staff friendly and willing to assist with any questions. The restaurant was clean and well attended too. Holy cow is definitely a great place for burgers.

    Oreo Milkshake
    Shayla M.

    Holy Cow! Local burger shop that specializes in gourmet burgers and hand crafted milk shakes. This was my first time visiting Holy Cow. I was in search of a place that served milkshakes and a chicken sandwich. There was a chicken sandwich on the menu but I knew that my visitor would not eat the sandwich with all of the add ons. The person at the counter explained that they could make the sandwich any way you like. Now this is the type of service that I love. I also ordered the signature Del Ray burger and an order of fries. The burger was hot and fresh. The Holy Cow secret sauce was a great touch to the burger. The fries came out hot and crispy. The Oreo milkshake looked yummy, but my visitor finished that before I could even get a taste. I would definitely recommend Holy Cow if you are looking for a burger place. They even have a few items on the menu if you are not a meat eater.

    Menu
    Pinky J.

    HOLY COW!!!!!! Why haven't I came here long before smh..... I'm so happy I was in a burger & fries type of mood and ended up finding this spot on Yelp! This place is pretty, spacious, clean and well kept! I ordered to-go but next time I'll dine in. The staff were amazing and extremely helpful with smiles and positive attitudes! This is definitely one reason to come back! There's a bunch of paper and pencils to place your order which was so cute and different. I love this idea since it's like building your own custom order and who wouldn't like that. Especially an over the top extra person like me, this helps alleviate tension, stress and anxiety when placing complex orders. BEYOND (VEGAN) BURGER I ordered my burger with cheddar cheese, red onions, lettuce, ketchup, mustard on a pretzel bun. I can't believe I'm about to say this but this burger was way tooooo thick and big (PAUSE) usually that's not an issue but it was way too much for me lol. I kinda wish they had the impossible brand but it was definitely juicy and flavorful. The pretzel bun was so good (next time imma ask for extra toasted and butter). The whole burger was filling and grilled to perfection, next time I should add barbecue sauce to give it that extra bbq taste. REGULAR HAND-CUT FRIES These fries were good just needed some sort of spice or seasoning. Next time I'm trying the fries with something lol, or maybe it needed a tad but more of salt. Overall, I would most definitely come back and recommend to others. I definitely need to try their shakes the next time I come.

    2/3rd build your own burger.
    Diana S.

    Great food. Juicy burgers. Great options. Generous portions. Friendly staff. Milkshakes galore. Come hungry!

    Jada H.

    Man listen. I really had high expectations. This spot always has a decent line at this location so I decided to check it out and see what the hype was about. My burger was so sloppy put together and my fries were cold. Very disappointing. Won't be back. McDonald's would never for half the price lol

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    6 months ago

    If they advertised for discount they should honor it.they didn't so I can't recommend

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    Ask the Community - Holy Cow

    Do you use peanut oil?

    Hi! We do NOT use peanut oil, and we do NOT have any peanuts in the building. Thanks for the… 

    Does Holy Cow flame grill its burgers? thanks, Laurie

    Hi Laurie, Holy Cow has a unique 2 part cooking process, we start the burgers on a char grill to get… 

    Do they have gluten-free buns?

    Yes. If my memory serves me correctly, upon request, they'll free your buns of any gluten! You can also get any order without a bun.

    View All 4 Questions

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    Matt and Tony's All Day Kitchen Bar

    Matt and Tony's All Day Kitchen Bar

    4.5
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    Hands down probably the best restaurant I have eaten at so far this year…read more Amazing food, friendly service, and a nice ambiance. The place can get quite busy so I would highly recommend making a reservation first. We ordered some cocktails which all tasted amazing, I enjoyed the espresso martini the most. Our table ordered the baked oysters and tuna tartare to start. The oysters were seriously so fricking good, I wanted to order another round! The tuna tarate was refreshing and tasted really good as well. I highly recommend ordering the fish curry or their scallop entree. I also got to have a bite of the chicken & waffles and the steak pasta but I would skip on those. Super excited to come back!!

    This was not what I expected to write after looking forward to lunch at Matt and Tony's for quite…read moresome time. But someone has to say it: the king isn't wearing any clothes. My wife and I arrived around 1:20 p.m. on a Thursday. The lunch crowd was still going strong, which only reinforced that we had picked a popular spot. Unfortunately, the experience went downhill almost immediately. When we walked in, there was no hostess to be found. After waiting about four minutes, she finally appeared and offered us a choice between a small table in the corner or one by the bar. Given how busy the restaurant was, we took the table by the bar. About seven minutes later, someone finally came by to offer us water and explained that our server was busy, but she would help us in the meantime. No problem. We ordered the Avo Goddess Salad and asked that it be split so we could share it. A few minutes later, our server arrived, introduced herself, and we let her know we had already ordered the salad and were ready to place our lunch orders. She was very helpful in guiding my wife toward the Old Bay Shrimp Burger. I was excited to order the Shrimp and Grits until I learned it contained Andouille sausage and, according to our server, couldn't be prepared without it. Since the restaurant highlights that everything is made from scratch, that surprised me. I ended up ordering the Ahi Tuna Salad instead. So far, so good. Then came the frustration. We spent the next 20 minutes slowly picking at our salad, growing increasingly hungry and confused. You know something is wrong when guests who were seated after you begin receiving their meals before you. Finally, at 2:10 p.m., our food arrived: my Ahi Tuna Salad and a Pulled Lamb Sandwich for my wife. Except my wife had ordered the Shrimp Burger. When we pointed out the mistake to what was now our third server, she quickly assured us it would be corrected. A few minutes later, our original server returned and took full responsibility. She explained that the lamb and shrimp items are next to each other in the POS system and she accidentally selected the wrong item. She assured us the Shrimp Burger would be out in two minutes and suggested we enjoy the fries that came with the lamb sandwich while we waited. Unfortunately, another ten minutes passed before the burger finally arrived. Here's where things became truly disappointing: the top bun was still cold--almost frozen. My wife ended up removing it entirely and eating the sandwich with just the bottom bun. At best, the Shrimp Burger was decent, but certainly not worth the wait and frustration. As for my Ahi Tuna Salad, it felt like something I could easily make at home, especially considering the $25 price tag. I'm also not entirely convinced the tuna was particularly fresh. I can't bring myself to give Matt and Tony's one star because the atmosphere is genuinely cool and inviting. So I settled on two stars--mostly for how I felt before the experience unraveled. And listen, I get it. Mistakes happen. We're all human. But as someone who eats out frequently, here's one piece of advice: when a restaurant makes a significant mistake with a customer's order, consider taking that item off the bill. Sometimes that gesture is the only reason a guest decides to come back.

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    Del Ray Cafe

    Del Ray Cafe

    4.1
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    As first time Alexandria vacationers, Del Ray was a pleasure to go to. We loved the cozy and home-y…read morevibe of the place and all the staff greeted us warmly. Our food was also great! Their menu had a full Breakfast - Brunch/Lunch - Dinner options. My family and I were all satisfied with our food orders. This was a great recommendation for first time Alexandria visitors like us.

    Service - 1 Star Noise/ambience - 1 Star…read moreFood - 2 Stars Price/Value - 1 Star Reservation process - 5 Stars After hearing good things about this spot, I finally decided to stop walking past it and actually check it out. My cousin was running errands in the area, so we made a reservation for a weekday afternoon. It was very easy to reserve online the day before. We were seated upstairs to the right in a very sunny room with skylights, wooden rafters, and a thin carpet. Unfortunately, the carpet isn't thick enough to muffle sound, so it was very noisy. Our server, Nadir, seemed distracted, using his phone in a corner of the dining room, and wasn't too attentive. Another female server helped him manage his tables and took my drink order. My cousin ordered the veggie quiche and I opted for the French dip. Nadir asked if I wanted cheese and I assumed it came with cheese, so I said sure. When he then listed four different cheeses, I chose Swiss. When it arrived, it was clearly not Swiss. When I pointed it out to Nadir, who was nowhere to be found until we were ready for our bill, he said, "At least it is all natural cheddar!" Hmm... Then I saw that it was $4 for cheese. Our lunch total was $60 (no alcohol). My cousin said she will not be returning due to the low quality of food and service. I'll likely give it another try, but my expectations will be much lower next time, and I'll probably just order takeout instead.

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    Railbird Kitchen

    Railbird Kitchen

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    Discovered this restaurant for Alexandria's restaurant week and really glad I found it!…read more It's a smaller space but very intimate, dimly lit, and well decorated! We were immediately greeted when we walked in and our server/bartender was extremely welcoming and friendly! We chatted for a bit and really loved the quality of service he provided. It was personable and professional. We tried the wagyu burger (perfectly seasoned and cooked, juicy!) and the hot chicken sandwich (crispy chicken, delectable sauce, overall 10/10 and a MUST). The appetizers we got Brussel sprouts (very bitter, a little soggy, overall a bit disappointing) and the ribbon fries (they were basically chips, but not seasoned or salted) topped with a mayo-based sauce that was pretty good but also pretty disappointing. We didn't have room for desserts but the main dishes and drinks were good! There is a speakeasy counterpart that is right next door with incredible cocktails. Excited to try it out soon.

    So originally we signed up for an Experimental Zero Proof Cocktail night with Captain Gregory's but…read moreit ended up being a Railbird event (or both places?). Makes sense, a little more room out there anyway. We haven't been on this side of the place since it was a Sugar Shack so it was nice to see the new concept. The seats are mostly at the bar was maybe 3-4 tables around the rest of the restaurant. We got a small taster when we sat down which was really good but I do not remember what it was. The zero proof menu we were there consisted of a Blueberry, Fauxgroni, and a Honey cocktail. We got the Blueberry and Fauxgroni to start. Both were made in front of us and had very cool looking details, especially the Fauxgroni's ice cube. The Blueberry was delicious and the honey foam on top was great with it. We figured since we were there we should also grab dinner which was fully available too. Not a huge menu but had snacks and sandos with a Japanese influence. We started with the Oysters Trio and Tater Tots. The oysters came in these ceramic oysters which was pretty cool and they had an amazing flavor to them. Little sweet, little sour. The tater tots were also great because they're tater tots but the sauce really changed the flavors for us. We also got two sandos, the Hot Maple and the Miso Honey. The sandwich's were a good size. So much flavor packed in each bite. The Hot Maple had a ton of bacon jam and combined with the red onion it was a salty, sweet, sour, crunchy rich sandwich. The runny egg on top was a nice touch. The Miso Honey had a strong truffle flavor but the honey sweetness came through nicely. Also very crunchy. Lastly we got two more drinks off their regular menu, the Coffee Bean and the Hibiscus. The flavors in the Coffee Bean worked so well together. I would say it was one of the best cocktails I've had in a long time. The Hibiscus was pretty solid too but I only had a few sips. To end, as a part of our experience, we got these complimentary yuzu lime donuts. I guess as a call back to Sugar Shack maybe? They weren't bad, a little crispy but the flavor wasn't strong. Definitely a cool experience. I might not pay $20 for the zero proof experience itself but I would come back for their food and cocktails because I would say it was all on point.

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    Havana 151 - The Loft at Lena's

    Havana 151 - The Loft at Lena's

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    (1.6k reviews)
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    Walking in and it's instantly an immersion of all your senses. Mere steps into the main dining…read moreroom, my son and I glanced at one another with our mouths wide open in amazement. Lighting? Immaculate. Energy and vibes? Outstanding. Attention to details? Superb. We were there as a family celebrating my daughter's birthday. We felt like we were in DC, enjoying a night on the town. Logistics. Parking seems like it can be a bit tight. There is valet and self parking with a smaller garage underground. You walk a few steps to the restaurant and take the elevator up to the loft. Ample seating/ table options throughout. It seems like no decorative detail was left out in planning and creating our own Havana in Del Ray. Drinks. Our party had a glass of rose, pineapple mojito, and the honey badger. All were refreshing and delicious. Food. There is an Italian menu and the Cuban menu. We all opted for the Cuban options. We ordered the ropa vieja( stewed beef with rice and plantains) Presentation was great but was a bit salt heavy. The rice helped counter it, which was good. Birria tacos. 10 out of 10. Portion, delivery and taste were excellent. They are served with a side of guac and pico. I would go back there all the time for those alone. Cuban sandwich. This was a bit on the salty side too but the fries that they served with it were incredible. Thick cut, fried to perfection with sprinkling of salt. They saved the dish for me. Lastly we had the mojo roasted chicken. Excellent portion, chicken was succulent and delicious. Served with rice and beans which complemented perfectly. We ended the night with a surprise of complementary cannolis for the birthday girl. All and all a wonderful evening. We will be back for sure.

    NOTE: This Review is for Lenas Wood Fired Pizza & Tap, the Restaurant Portion, not HAVANA 151. I…read moredid not see any reviews for the Pizza and Tap, so I am entering my review here. I was told by friends Lena's Pizza was just great, so four of us went on July 2. Parking is in the back in a small deck or street side, and somehow that took a fair amount of walking around the block before one gets inside. Now it was crowded and noisy with people watching the World Cup, plus the hard surfaces meant no sound absorbing elements so it was REALLY loud. The menu print size and lighting make the menus hard to read. Our server was very matter of fact and not very personable while taking our orders or following up. While the crown did decrease, service was still slow and a long wait for food. I got what is normally called a "Hawaiian" pizza and ice tea. The pizza tasted good but was spartan with toppings. One of my friend let me try his more traditional pizza with meats and the same thing was true. I was unenthusiastic with this establishment which was just OK. I would be willing to go back - but hope for a better overall experience.

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    Upstairs at Havana 151

    Holy Cow - burgers - Updated July 2026

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