Lovely meal overall. Came here for dinner on a Friday evening. The restaurant lacked signage and was a little hard to find. It's located in the Melrose Georgetown Hotel and has a distinctly "hotel-restaurant" feel. In other words, the ambiance lacks character. But the service more than made up for decor shortcomings. Our waiter was very helpful and personable. I ordered a quail dish that was cooked to perfection. Not overly garnished - just simple yet well-prepared. If you're looking for a pleasant spot to enjoy a dinner prepared with fresh, simple and quality ingredients, I'd give this a try. read more

Surprised it was so quiet on a Saturday night. We had a wonderful pre theatre dinner then walked to the Kennedy Center. We had soft shell crab, lobster blt salad, lamb chops and delicious ribeye with maple bacon and Brussels sprouts..yummy!! Good low key service. read more

Went for their Valentine's Day dinner which was $90/pp and five courses. The regular menu is priced around $20-$30 for main courses, $10 - $15 for appetizers. The service was excellent. The maitre d' came by to check on us frequently and even turned up the heat when he saw I had put on my coat during the meal. Beautiful, romantic ambience. Wine was about $10 - $15 a glass. Bottles start at $50 and go up from there. read more

My friends and I went to Jardenea for restaurant week and were really disappointed after all of the great reviews. The location was nice and the service was very good but we really felt the food was not up to par at all. My crab bisque was pretty good, one friend had the mussels (which she thought were overly salty and had some sandy grit), my other friend had the goat cheese salad which was pretty good. For our entrees 2 of us had the sea bass with grits and 1 had the swordfish (so overcooked my friend couldn't finish it- ended up being taken off of our bill), I thought the sea bass was well cooked but the grits didn't have much flavor, my friend felt the sea bass wasn't anything special and didn't like the grits at all. For dessert the chef's special was a fruity mousse cake which none of us liked, it was dense and dry. We were graciously offered a different dessert option and received the creme brulee- unfortunately one was mostly burnt and the other two had areas with a scrambled egg rather than a smooth texture. We each tried different cocktails which none of us were impressed with. I was impressed with the attentiveness of the staff and manager and I believe they handled the situation the best way they could. They offered my friend a free meal in the future vs removing the swordfish from our bill . It's possible the poor food was due to the restaurant week rush but unfortunately none of us are interested in giving this restaurant another try. read more

$16 lobster roll - basically mayo and possibly imitation crab mixed with slivers of lobster. It was good but not worth the amount paid. It also did not state on the menu that I was getting three appetizer like sliders. My friend ordered a burger($14) and was told that they were out of the brioche bread (something to the effect of it going "bad"). This was concerning right away. They gave her the option of white or wheat bread. Also to note, this was at noon, not any odd time. Overpriced, and just okay. Won't be going back. Nice waiter though. read more

It's a little hard to find as others have noted, inside the Melrose Hotel off of the lobby. The menu had some nice items but was a bit limited. One fish dish and one chicken dish were fine but nothing spectacular. The service was indifferent - no issues, just people who seemed to be going through the motions. The place was not crowded when we went, so maybe they had an off night. There are a lot of good restaurants in the area, and this one did not stand out for me. read more

The ambiance and service here were lovely. My dining companions had wonderful sea bass but I have to say my stuffed chicken breast was as dry as sawdust. The polenta accompanying it was quite tasty though. All in all, fine but a little disappointing. read more

I've never seen 8 people so satisfied with a meal. We all loved the place. Decor, staff and food were spot on. Papperdell was the table favorite, but we were glad we ordered a variety as it was rich. Short rib was generous as it was tender. Bass, crab cakes, squash, salads and soups rounded out the meal. Can't comment on desserts as we were too full to contemplate another bite. read more

What a quiet yet delightful restaurant. Our party all took advantage of the restaurant week menu. 3 of us had soft shell crab as appetizer; it was the best app we had during our week long visit to DC. The duck, sea bass and ribeye entrees were all cooked to perfection. The service was slow, hence one less star. Otherwise, a great evening. read more

My fiance and I are staying at the Melrose and had to try Jardenea. It was surprisingly not crowded, so it was nice and quiet, good for a romantic evening. The bread was very fresh and came with good olive oil and a delicious sun dried tomato kalamata tampenade of some sort. I got the grass fed beef filet which I enjoyed a lot - very nicely cooked. My fiance got the chicken risotto, which was perfectly fine. The waiter was attentive and friendly. The only disappointment was the toasted smores dessert, which came out cold, not warm as you would expect. Overall a pleasant evening though. read more

Located in the lobby of the Melrose Hotel. Very nice decor, good service. A little drafty near the front doors. My wife and I both had fish. Line caught Halibut and wild Salmon. Both prepared excellently. Beet salad was great. Good selection of wine by the glass. We will go back. We are staying at the Melrose Hotel which is also an excellent find. read more

A hidden gem. An outstanding gluten free, farm to table meal. Delightful sangria. I can say the bread looked and smelled wonderful, but I really can't say more about that. I enjoyed the Spring Asparagus Salad to start the meal. It was large enough to share. My main course was the Grass Fed Fillet of Beef. The beef was like butter (best said with a NY accent) and cooked to perfection and the potatoes were the best darn potatoes I have ever had. Dessert. I do love dessert. Often times being gluten free means being stuck eating food that is good by "gluten free standards." I do not buy into that flawed theory. Excellent food, especially desserts, are either delicious or they are not. The Caramel Crème Brûlée was a top notch home run!! Another gluten free option was a chocolate souffle; next time. All of my expectations were exceeded. read more

The waiter/staff were so hospitable!! if you're not sure about something on the menu don't be afraid to ask! Our waiter Jose gave some great suggestions!! The bar had a stellar happy hour; can't beat 5 dollar drinks & appetizers IN GTOWN I came for a Business meeting.. We held our meeting in the lobby/bar area and the staff did a wonderful job bringing out ALL OUR drinks and orders in a timely manner! I will be back here for happy hour read more

Ambiance is a little strange... It's actually in a hotel lobby and when we were there for dinner there was a cocktail hour going on in the next room that was so loud we could barely carry on a conversation. The menu is expensive and honestly not worth the prices. Also, the cocktails were very small and very potent, which is not my preference. Paid over $100 for a dinner for two. If I'm going to pay that much I expect to be wowed and unfortunately I wasn't. read more

Everything was delicious, although the portions of the same dish three of us ordered were so different - it was almost funny. The service was great but a bit too slow for lunch, unless it is a business lunch. For that reason, I would prefer to go back there for a dinner if next time. read more

Dinner in was just the ticket on a cold night. Good was good but beware! Restaurant staff run bills as room service with forced 20%,service fee hotel guest or not. read more

One of my new favorite restaurants in dc. The food is magnificent and the service very good. What also makes this restaurant unique is there is very little noise and you can comfortably have a conversation with your guests. Good for business and also for a date night. read more

Came here for breakfast since I was staying at the Melrose hotel. Was kind of confused on the actual location of the restaurant. There was no sign that said where it was. Asked the staff and they pointed me in the direction of the restaurant. No staff greeted me until 5 to 10 minutes later. Once we were seated we moved tables a few times because each one was dirty. If I wasn't so hungry I would have just left. The waiter was very nice and apologetic. Food was good. Got the waffle and the crab Benedict with potatoes. Coffee was good too. read more

Went for for dinner before theatre at Kennedy Center. The prix fix menu ($44.00) seemed reasonable. I ordered the "Duck Confit" for an appetizer and was told by our waiter that it would be at least a 30 minute wait. I agreed to wait and asked him to just bring it out whenever it was ready. He returned to our table telling me it was going to be longer than 30 minutes and I should order something else! Obviously, there was no duck confit being served last night. The food was just OK. It was over salted, under spiced and my medium well beef tenderloin was overly well done and dry. It needed more sauce. Dessert was just OK. A bottle of seltzer water was $7.00! There were only 3 other people in the restaurant for dinner last night. That tells you something. Won't be returning or recommending to anyone. read more

Amazing food, it's weird that you have to either wonder around or ask someone where the restaurant is located inside the hotel. Don't let that stop you, the food is worth the inconvenience. read more

When the food is fresh and thoughtfully raised, you can taste it. That is the case with the food prepared at Jardenea. Even the lettuce had wonderful fresh flavor. I had great food and service and highly recommend it. read more

The food was excellent -- if not a bit pricey. I had the Caesar salad (very creative presentation) and the pappardelle (very rich flavors). My wife and in-laws also enjoyed their food very much. We were well taken care of, with multiple servers (and, perhaps, managers) pitching in. One word of caution: If you're expecting to use valet parking, it's not always available. I ended up parking several blocks away on a less-than-warm evening. read more

Nothing tastes as good as welcome feels. Don't get me wrong, the food here is outstanding. Fresh and well prepared. But it's the staff that really puts it over the top. Very friendly, attentive, and above all, welcoming. read more

This is a lively restaurant. The food is excellent and interesting. Appetizers were amazing - pork BLT sounds odd but it was the best, ever, and filling for an appetizer. Try it! Beet and goat cheese salad was good though the goat cheese tasted more like ricotta. Delicious dressings. Crab cake appetizer is very good. All crab though no lumps. Fresh and yummy. Crab bisque had a nice bite. The cocktail list was quite good. Entrees were also good. Bathe waiter was s bit odd. Over talkative though good service. It is quiet and trendy. Try it out. read more

Excellent service; very knowledge and attentive wait staff. Experienced their new fall season menu. We were a party of eight with variable tastes and each chosen dish was spot on. Nice wine list. Lots of sampling of each individually dish and overall agreement that dishes represented the fall season. Lovely, quiet dining dining room that was conducive to conversation. read more

Went for breakfast and was actually surprised how good it was considering the place was empty. The pancakes were definitely among the better ones I've had. Service was a little strange but good experience. read more

Jardenea - New American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This place exceeded my expectations! My family and I came here and the food was DELICIOUS!! After reading a bunch of other reviews, I was expecting slow or rude service. Our server was probably the best and most attentive waiter I've ever had!! If you come here I guess it's worth asking for Derek because then you can have as wonderful an experience as we did! Will definitely be coming back here read more

We're very glad that we dined here before our show at the Kennedy Center. The food was outstanding and so was the service. My companion ordered the $44 pre-theater three-course meal and was quite pleased with the crab cake appetizer, citrus sole meuniere, and chocolate lava cake with ice cream. I sampled all three of his dishes and found them delectable. I ordered the maple duck with carrot puree, which was tender and scrumptious. The chef has come up with innovative recipes, such as kale simmered in apple juice for an extended period, which made the kale sweet, soft, and delicious. This restaurant also pays attention to the details, so the coffee was good. A rarity: they had soy milk for my coffee - hooray! The bread was hot and delicious and the waiter thoughtfully brought both butter and olive oil because he knew that I prefer my food to be dairy free. We'll be back soon! read more

I had such a nice dinner with my folks that came in from Florida, it was a great experience. good food and service was inpacable, Manager helped us with wine selection. Food was delicious, i had crab soup,little spicy but i really like it, as entree i had the Lamb (i'm still thinking of it) my mother and GF had the hawaiin Mero, they raved about it, prices are very reasonable and wine selection is great. the food took a bit longer to come out, but it was worth it, i do recommend the place read more

Fabulous Thankgiving dinner. Thank you. Enjoyed the smoked duck and a 'll s o Turkey dinner. Ford's

Restaurant in the Melrose Georgetown hotel. We liked it so much that we returned a few nights during our stay in DC. Great food and very good service. The grass fed filet of beef is a great choice read more

Strange that the place did not appear to have a host stand and it was confusing where the restaurant started in the hotel lobby, but the food was wonderful and the decor refined. read more

Had a lovely ladies dinner here one Tuesday evening. We basically had the place to ourselves, except the bustling patio. Our server was a little over attentive, but then my dining companions are pretty attractive, so I guess it can be understood. We had the cheese plate to start and the avocado and both were great. Of our entrees, two were delish, and the fish was extremely fishy and not a favorite. Overall, nice spot for a farm to table meal. read more

Though it is small, the pairing of flavors and the atmosphere are phenomenal. The Hawaiian sea bass in particular is amazing

great food, creative presentation and friendly staff!

Fabulous service, great ambiance. Food was perfection - the crab/avocado salad was so fresh and tasty, my husband had the lamb which was also divine. read more

I was skeptical that a restaurant in a hotel could deserve so many great reviews, but Jardenea does. The food was really outstanding. We had oysters, salmon, Caesar salad served in a pyramid shape, and veal scallopini with some delicious parmesan orzo. All were excellent and the service was great too. read more

Stopped by for lunch today. The food was very good but the place was hard to find; no signage that I saw, you have to know it's the hotel's restaurant and ask for it (or get lucky and stumble upon it). Service was ok, if a little pushy (and slow, paradoxically). But a good meal nonetheless. read more

Exceptional food.. Would definitely come back here.. Came for brunch and best omlettes we ever had.. Everyrhing looks good..

Happen to be reading the yelp reviews of this little gem of a restaurant and it was spot on. Thanks yelpers for the recommendation. I hope this restaurant doesn't get too popular. I totally concur with Cara's review. I'm so frustrated with the restaurant scene in DC. I am burned out on the 14th Street corridor (my hood)--overhyped, overpriced, and tough to get a reservation. The food at Jardenea was simplistic, amazing, and reasonably priced (relative to other high end restaurants). Loved the complimentary warm bread and soft butter. The mussels had an amazing flavor profile. Shrimp and grits were cooked just right and had the right amount of seasoning. Partner really enjoyed the sea bass, which seems to be a popular choice. As for the atmosphere, I liked the fact that it was not crowded and noisy so you could have a good conversation during the meal. I also loved the restaurant decor--hotel was nicely decorated as well. I know this is weird to comment on, but the restroom was exceptionally clean and smelled really well. I recommend taking a walk around the hotel after dinner. Super hip. read more