Good service and good food. Went for a working lunch and had the place basically to ourselves. Smaller menu but made ordering easy.

Stayed at the Fairmont and ate here for their a la carte breakfast. The setting is beautiful if you get a table outside on a nice breezy day. I had the Crab Cake Benedict. Eggs perfectly poached with runny insides. The crab cake itself was a tad soft. I wished it was crisped up a bit longer. Service is pleasant enough but the staff needs the work on coordinating who is taking care of which table as being asked multiple times during your same meal what room you are in gets a tad annoying. Breakfast Buffet has a fair share of options but wish there were more "hot food items". They did have salmon lox which was delicious. For the price they charge for the breakfast buffet, one should get a choice of egg cookings in my opinion. read more

Juniper Restaurant - Crab Cake Benedict - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

We went for brunch with a group of 6 for a 1:30 reservation. Brunch ends at 2 so we ordered several dishes for our group plus unlimited mimosas. The food was good and the portions were nice for sharing. The restaurant wasn't very crowded and the servers provided just enough attention to keep us well fed and our glasses full. I'd say if you're looking for a quiet brunch spot this is a great choice! The service was the best part of our experience. read more

The Juniper is a "greatest hits" buffet at the Fairmont hotel in downtown DC. Dining room is well decorated and appointed. We loved the bacon, eggs, croissants, and (especially) the fresh granola. Unlike most buffets, the Juniper aims for quality over quantity (which we appreciate). Fewer selections means a higher grade and better taste. Stick to the basics and keep the quality as high as possible. We'd encourage the Juniper to 1) give guests some room to enjoy their meal, 2) bring ALL drinks (including juices) to the table, and 3) remember guests' answers to specific questions (drinks, timing, fresh eggs, etc.) When we stood up to get seconds (after finishing our first plate), our "server" chased us down to pay. We politely told him that we'd let him know when we wrapped. Which of course, we did. At $40 plus tip, "servers" need to bring us all our drinks, give us space, and make those empty plates quickly disappear. read more

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I have only had great experiences here Sure, I've waited to get in but they have been busy. Also the people that are there working, are working hard. One cannot make up for necessary staff sick calls. Special kudos to the AM breakfast crew and the host who did an excellent job. That said, the food is excellent I have done the buffet. I cannot eat most of it as I'm vegan and they've accommodated- brought me oatmeal. I've also ordered to go and modified my food and they did a beautiful job. It was delicious, well packed and presented. Looking forward to my next stay so I can eat here. read more

The food and service here was fantastic! We came for a team meeting and we're well taken care of. All of the food was delicious and made hot ! We sat out on the courtyard which was extremely nice and definitely gave off a lounging feeling if you wanted. It was tons of open space and great for social distancing. I had the made to order omelet, which was perfectly cooked. Also something about that grilled tomato really set it off. I eyeballed the crab Benedict but didn't get to try it, please believe it's on the menu for next time. The indoor lobby is full of gorgeous greens and bold golds! The decor is definitely giving off glam vibes. Now I'm ready to come and book my stay there. Fun fact I heard a rumor that they grow their own honey and herbs. There's a beehive on the top of the building. read more

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Very nice ambiance and friendly staff. Food was good. The crab chowder was really tasty and the fish was well balanced. I also recommend the truffle bread. read more

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The restaurant actually IS open. Came here for brunch today. Outside patio looks gorgeous but it was a sauna today so we opted indoors. Service and food were fantastic but think the kitchen still adjusting to reopening. SUPER SUPER SLOW. The server couldn't have been more apologetic and accommodating but I could tell THEY were even uncomfortable with how long the food took to come out. The steak and eggs were cooked perfectly & the brioche French toast was delicious. Keep forgetting about this restaurant...will add back in to brunch rotation. read more

The food was mediocre, the service too. Beautiful restaurant but I expected more. The reason for the 1 star is the service. My mother in law has multiple food allergies and was very specific she could not eat anything with carrots. She asked the waitstaff twice and the server assured her but when her plate came the consistency of the sauce looked like carrot and she asked to confirm with the kitchen. The server assured her but another waiter overheard and snatched the plate away. Carrots!!! Can't mess around with food allergies...the staff needs to be aware that dairy and gluten and nuts are not the only types of potentially dangerous food allergies. read more

I asked for proof that the walnut bread was actually baked on the rooftop... I suspect not still waiting

Had a brunch service here after a wedding the previous night and it was very nice. Very spacious and clean. I ordered the steak and eggs and my partner the crab benedict. My steak was cooked perfectly and she enjoyed her meal very much. Service was fast. Jugs of coffee placed on each table and waterways refilled constantly without having to ask. Definitely a solid brunch spot. read more

Juniper Restaurant - Crab benedict - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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We went for a breakfast during a hotel stay, with a mixed result. Good: Service was friendly and professional. Eggs were cooked well--they correctly poached the eggs for me. Partner's hot chocolate was good. Less Good: In the steak and eggs dish, the steak was overcooked (ordered medium, came out on the well end of medium well) and the meat itself was fairly flavorless. Definitely a bit disappointing. Coffee was certainly overpriced and fairly flat in flavor. Not unpleasant, just not really particularly good. Some of the fruit was a bit on the 'visually not fresh' side. Eek. At the price point, probably a 2.5 star experience that I'll round up to 3. But I'll probably check out other breakfast options in the area next time before coming back here. read more

Located inside the Fairmont Hotel, Juniper Restaurant receives 5 stars overall for food, service, ambiance, and value. Dined for 2 at 6 pm. We were the first diners of the evening so we chose a window table. Serving staff followed right after and offered bottled, sparking, or still water. Malbec, Luigi Bosca, Mendoza, 2016 $15 - Not too sweet, not too dry. Brussels Sprouts With Lardons $9 - If you're a fan of brussels sprouts, Juniper has the best brussels sprouts I have ever ordered/consumed! Small sized sprouts which IMO have a perfect ratio of flavor (inside was also flavored). Lots of crispy leaves!!! Maryland Crab Cakes Espelette remoulade $17 - approximately 3 oz of two crab cakes. Espelette remoulade was the perfect "tarter sauce". Scallops Sweet corn, pancetta, green tomato $29 - the largest thickest scallops I have ever seen with cut steamed corn on the cob. Kudos: the scallops were NOT salty (every time I order scallops they're too salty). Perfectly cooked crust. Snickers Parfait $12 - layers of mousse, chocolate mousse, whipped cream, crushed oreos topped with peanut brittle. The peanut brittle was my favorite part of this dessert lol. + friendly and excellent serving staff and server (water refilled 3 x during dinner) + cushioned bench, hard chairs, + new cloth napkins for dessert read more

Juniper Restaurant - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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We had the most delicious lunch on their patio - great service and ambiance. I had the tuna ahi salad which was delicious! Highly recommend

We came to eat breakfast here when staying at the Fairmont in DC. Though it is marketed as a restaurant and its own entity, the room we were seated in felt like an events room at the hotel and not a restaurant or what was shown online. Service was efficient and drinks were promptly refilled. We all opted for the buffet breakfast. This was disappointingly small, especially considering the high price point of the buffet and the calibre of the hotel. The food was still tasty though and we appreciated being able to go back for seconds. read more

It takes a lot of confidence for a manager to automatically charge a 20% tip on a group of 8 when some of us had to wait close to 30 minutes for a fruit plate and bowl oatmeal while others got served right away (that they could have dished up from the buffet after we made them aware 15 minutes into the wait and the manager 20 minutes into the wait). Food was appropriate for what was served. read more

We came here to have their modern high tea. This is offered on weekends only. It is $40 per person, $50 with champagne, $55 including rose. I decided to go with just champagne. Located in the Fairmont hotel, the restaurant is beautiful. I was surprised that there were not many people doing high tea, there were maybe 3 tables having high tea at most. I really like the modern concept- your food comes in a Bento box! You get a mix of savory sandwiches and sweet pastries like cake, and scones. The food was good, but it did not blow my mind. I love scones and I feel like the scones could be better. The scones were American scones- triangular, sweet and slightly hard on the outside. I personally prefer British scones- round, less sweet, with a light texture. I really love the scones served at the Peninsula in Hong Kong. Overall, it was not bad, but it was not super amazing either. read more

This place is excellent-- it was hard to pick the star of the dishes. The octopus was definitely the best I've ever had. Well seasoned and crispy, it's light citrus marinade works so well with the aioli.. sigh, I controlled myself from licking the plate ‍ My mom had the chilean sea bass sitting in a seafood broth.. she needed to collect herself after a few moments it was so good. And for me, the scallops with pancetta, sweet corn & green tomatoes.. EXCELLENT! read more

Juniper Restaurant - Octopus appetizer - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Very nice restaurant. Was eating here for a brunch buffet and I found it interesting on how it was laid out. Apparently, they give you the hot foods as the entrees that you pay for (well, you pay for everything); however, there are complimentary cold foods (croissants, fruit, cinnamon sticks, etc.) that you can help yourself to infinitely. The two dishes I tried for the entrees were the grilled octopus and the Eggs Benedict. The grilled octopus was unique, never knew one could eat the suction cups on the tentacle as well. It was very chewy and meaty. I honestly wonder what the actual head would taste like. read more

The food was good. Service was terrible! There was only one waiter for the WHOLE restaurant. We had a party of 16. It took over an hour to get our drinks, an hour and a half for the first dish to come out and it was piece by piece. Nothing came out at the same time except the Brussel Sprouts and they were short one that took 15 min for that to come out. read more

The Juniper Restaurant is located inside the Fairmont in Georgetown. This restaurant offers a Modern American regional cuisine that pride themselves in using locally-grown and sustainable ingredients in their breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner menu items. A couple of dear friends and I came here for their Sunday brunch, which offered a nice spread of various breakfast meats (bacon, turkey bacon, and breakfast sausages), braised beef with spaghetti marinara, seared haddock with bearnaise sauce, roasted fingerling potatoes, roasted broccoli rabe and asparagus, mini buttermilk pancakes with warm maple syrup, raw oysters on shells, ready-to-eat snow crab claws, jumbo-sized cocktail shrimp, mini bagels and house breads, lox, cheeses, cured meats, muffins/croissants/danishes, an omelet station, fruits, and even a dessert table (fruit parfait, chocolate mousse, apple tarts, cookie sandwiches, chocolate covered strawberries, cookies, mini tarts, and muffins). Everything was laid out in an organized way, and it was visually appealing. I was a fan of their luscious juicy jumbo cocktail shrimp, their already cracked snow crab claws (my favorite par of a crab, but they should thaw it out a bit more as they were still slightly frozen), the bacon, the mini croissants, and the juices (I had the grapefruit) (just note that there were some gnats flying around the main buffet and especially the dessert table). The restaurant itself is gorgeous, with its pillars, wooden tables, and plush booths and armchairs, and it was quite comfortable! Our server was Ms. Liv, and she was attentive, efficient, and super sweet; Mr. Phuc later joined in service and made sure that we were having a great time and everything was satisfactory! I was confused in how this place was not packed for a Sunday, as their brunch offerings were delicious and generous; for a small upcharge, you can also add unlimited mimosas and Bloody Marys to your meal. I was a little sad to hear that they had gotten rid of including a main entree with the brunch option, as that offering has been long gone for a while. Just note - come here for an appetite, so you get your $$$'s worth! +Sunday brunch :D +small upcharge for unlimited mimosas and Bloody Marys +located at the Fairmont +ask for Ms Liv. and Mr. Phuc :D +free street parking on Sundays! read more

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Katie captured our Restaurant Week lunch experience here superbly well, so there's not a whole lot that I feel the need to add. I'll touch on some differences specific to my meal, and highlight some general points of the shared experience. First, without a doubt, this is one restaurant that is a -stellar- deal during RW. Considering the cost of most entrees alone is generally pricier than the RW lunch cost, you cannot go wrong in terms of obtaining value for money, at least during lunch. Let's start with that. Add on to it the sheer quality of the food, and it's like icing on the Sprinkles cupcake. Instead of the soup du jour (which Oscar pronounces with this adorable accent), I opted for the Roasted Virginia Quail. I'm a little unclear how they picked the bits and pieces I got, but I'm pretty certain I was served three legs and a breast attached to a wing. They were savory and cooked to perfection, and just tender enough. While the quail itself was fine, I was really enraptured by the root vegetables. I had carrots and celery for sure with my dish - diced into little little cubes. I think there may have been something else in it too. Fennel? I couldn't quite tell. They were flavorful and crunchy, while still being cooked through. Loved the texture and the bright veggie flavors. Katie already covered the steak frites madness, so I won't go much into detail about it other than to say it was a seriously -generous- portion. It's a good eight hours later and I'm not quite hungry yet. I'm not sure what's in the aioli that the frites are served with, but it's creamalicious. I was a little bit tempted to scoop it up with my knife and consume it from the dipping bowl. Except that would have been inappropriate. And again, as Katie already referenced, the dessert trio was beyond impressive. I even asked Oscar to share our compliments to the pastry chef - they were each so distinct, yet perfectly crafted. If I had to pick between the fruit crumble, vanilla creme brulee, and the chocolate lollipop, I'd definitely have to go with the lollipop. And not because it was served erect on my plate. It's really hard to impress me with a chocolate dessert. I feel like they're a dime-a-dozen, and they all end up tasting pretty much the same. This one was creative, playful, and deliciously decadent, all at the same time. Also of note... I was served a small glass of simple syrup on the side with my iced tea. I've never seen that anywhere else, but it was a detail that I thought was supremely thoughtful, and just goes to show that down to the finest points, Juniper has everything covered. The only slightly annoying factor during our meal, which we managed to look aside quite well, there were two little flies (fruit flies?) buzzing around our table the entire time. We couldn't make them go away. And they were teeny tiny. Definitely not a houseflies. Outside of these pests, I could not have asked for a more satisfying holiday Monday lunch! I think that Ruth's Chris might have just been one-upped as the best bang-for-your-buck during DC Restaurant Week. Kudos, Juniper! read more

Juniper is a restaurant I had seen on Opentable a ton whenever visiting their websites. I was meeting some people for dinner in DC one night and Juniper just happened to be within walking distance of their hotel and the menu looked pretty good so that's what we went with. We sat down and made our drink orders. The two wines that were ordered were a couple pretty hefty pours and the people who ordered them were quite satisfied! We started off with the bread and honey butter. This is a must get if you go into Juniper. The bread is baked fresh and has a crunchy outside and soft inside. The honey butter is just stupid good. It's pretty sweet and the bread with the butter eats more like a less sweet cake, but it was incredible. HAVE TO GET THE BREAD WITH HONEY BUTTER. I ordered the grilled strip loin medium rare and they pretty much hit it on the head. The steak had an awesome sear and you could taste some grill in every bite. It was served with artichoke and pomme puree and green beans. Great dish and I'd order it again. Others in my party got the shrimp and lobster risotto. I sampled and confirm it is delicious, albeit pretty tomato-ey. The food is pretty reasonably priced considering what else restaurants charge you in DC. I'd say on the lower side of $$$, so the check was bearable. If you've ever been on the fence about Juniper or you'd like to go to a restaurant with a fancy feel but not break the bank, this could be your place! read more

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I've always loved Juniper. It is one of my favorite restaurants in DC because of its beautiful ambiance and delicious food made with quality ingredients. Juniper is located inside the beautiful Fairmont hotel in the heart of Washington DC. I sometimes wonder why Juniper has such mixed reviews and is not as popular as Blue duck tavern (which is located right across from Juniper and also inside a hotel- Park Hyatt). If I had to be brutally honest, the food can be inconsistent here. Some things can be the best things that you've tasted in DC, whereas others may be mediocre to disappointing. However, despite these flaws, Juniper still is a precious place where I just love coming to. 1. Juniper offer the Best brunch ever, yes I mean the BEST in DC. Everything tastes marvelous and the food quality is at least whole foods level. Amazing. Their market fresh brunch costs $48 per head. Ouch. I am sure a lot of people would choke at the almost outrageous price, and would not even consider trying this place out. However, when considering the quality of the food you can get here, it is actually a golden value meal. The reasons are: a. They offer you all you can eat chilled JUMBO shrimp here. Yes, they are JUMBO shrimp, and these are delicious!!!!!!! They are not overcooked either and cooked to perfection. Super juicy and sweet shrimp. Yum. b. All you can eat snow crab claws. I personally preferred chilled shrimp over the crab claws, but I know that these are very expensive. It is also prepped so that you don't have to crack the claws yourself. c. All you can eat buffet + full size entree of your choice. I couldn't believe that you can also order a full size entree on top of the buffet food. So it's actually not buffet, but buffet+ regular restaurant food. I ordered poached eggs with braised ribs, and this was the only dish that I actually would not recommend. It lacked flavors, and tasted too plain. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the crab cake entree (2 full sized crab cakes- which during regular dinner costs $36) that we ordered and ended up taking them back home. 2. Food quality of Juniper is truly astonishing. I know that they have their own honeybee hives and farm honey, but you can really taste that superb quality in every bite that you take. Juniper absolutely has one of the best pastries I've had in DMV area. It sounds silly, but their bread tastes expensive because you can immediately tell that quality ingredients were used.... lol. Especially, the blueberry sticky bread that I had was mind blowing, and I wish they opened up their own bakery. Even the bottomless mimosa was outstanding. It has slightly thicker texture, and you can really taste that finely ground fruit in it. 3. Impeccable service. Our server was so sweet and attentive. He kept coming back to pour mimosa (my glass was never empty) and making sure that we were 100% satisfied. It was wonderful. In conclusion, Juniper is a true gem and I cannot recommend this enough. However, the entree food quality can be a little inconsistent as I previously mentioned, so brunch might be a good place to start. I definitely had one of my best dining experiences here. Their GORGEOUS garden is also a perfect place to impress your lady friends. :) read more

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Loved loved loved my lunch today at Juniper! Came here for a lunch meeting and everything was superb! Crab cakes were amazing. read more

Juniper Restaurant - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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We are staying at this beautiful Fairmont hotel and decided to have dinner here for our first night. We started off with the honey walnut bread with honey butter. SO delicious. My only problem was that it wasn't fresh. They had obviously microwaved it prior to serving because once it cooled down it hardened immediately. Like rock hard. Fresh bread won't do that after only sitting out for 20 min. We also had the calamari to start. Comes in a tasty sweet chili sauce. For entrees we had crab cakes, porkchop, the fish of the day (salmon) and a seared scallops shrimp risotto special they were having. All were very delicious and cooked perfectly. For desert we had creme brûlée (served piping hot which I did not like. Burnt my tongue!) and their devils food cake which was decadence on a plate The service could use a little work. Took forever for someone to come by and take our order and then when we asked for the check it took 10-15 minutes just to receive it. Mind you they weren't busy. Only saw one other table besides ours the whole meal. read more

Ultimately giving it four stars, but I think the Yelp universe has it right at 3.5. Good ambiance and excellent service on a Saturday night but overpriced. (Dishes discussed will include the Beetini signature cocktail, walnut bread with honey butter, Juniper salad, soup of the day, crab cakes, fish and chips, tea.) The restaurant is located inside the Fairmont Hotel in DC, which is in that newly renamed West End area between Dupont, Georgetown, and Foggy Bottom. When you walk into the hotel there is a lovely terrace/garden right ahead, and a small, cute bar on the left. If you think you're likely to get a cocktail to start, you may even want to show up a little early and grab it at the bar instead so you can enjoy the nice view. We got a table by the window which was much appreciated. However, this part of the dining room was piping in a different kind of music than the front and it was not conducive to eating, like an up-tempo elevator style. We started off with the beetini. The big thing at Juniper is that they have a beehive on the roof so they make their own honey. The beetini has vodka, tequila, lemon, and honey. It comes in a nice, short stemmed frosted martini glass. Unfortunately, the lemon is so pronounced it drowns out the other flavors. I found that it was like having a really acidic lemonade and vodka. Could not finish it. My wife enjoyed hers so it's a matter of taste. For $14 though, I was thoroughly unimpressed. We moved on to the walnut bread with honey butter. Yelpers don't lie. This is good stuff. The butter is salted and that goes wonderfully with the honey. A great starter. Then we had our salad and soup of the day. The Juniper salad is large with lots of veggies. They should offer a smaller, side version too, but you're getting your money's worth (for salad, anyway). The soup of the day was a roasted butter squash with whipped cream that was very nice after a dash of salt. For the main course I had the crab cakes and my wife had the fish and chips. The crab cakes are very good. I saw no filler in them. Even by Maryland standards they are very good crab cakes. Crab cakes shouldn't be that expensive, though, even for a signature dish, so dropping the price a few dollars would elevate them into excellent territory. Truthfully, they may be the best crab cakes I've sampled in the District so far. Despite its proximity to Maryland, DC is not a good town for crab cakes, so Juniper definitely impressed us on that front. The fish and chips were a very creative spin. Instead of the usual cod or haddock they use catfish, which the chef, from what the waiter explained, believes more sustainable. They also use cornmeal for the batter. My wife really liked it. I'm not a big fan of catfish, and I dislike the texture of cornmeal breading, so they were definitely not my thing, but I'm not sure the chef could have done anything about that. Just know that it's a very different experience from traditional fish and chips. The fries were very good. We ended with tea. The restaurant has loose leaf and it was definitely good tea. Service was excellent from both our waiter and busboy. I'd go back but the sticker shock is slightly steep for what it offers. read more

(3.5 stars) I have mixed feelings towards Juniper. I came here for breakfast with some friends and while some of the food was absolutely delicious, the rest of it fell flat. It was a little bit on the expensive side and the portions were particularly small. The blueberry pancakes in all honesty may be some of the best you'll ever have. They were so fluffy and fresh. They didn't need syrup but it didn't hurt to add some anyway. The jumbo lump crab cake benedict was also tasty but it wasn't as memorable as the pancakes. I ordered the Pennsylvania mushroom and asparagus omelet and it was mediocre. I definitely wouldn't order it again. Not that it wasn't enjoyable, but the omelet itself was one-note and the sides were underwhelming. The mushrooms dominated the omelet completely, the potatoes/onions combination was rather bland, and the tomatoes were overcooked to the point where they were pretty much tasteless. Not an awful meal but not one I'd suggest getting, especially when there are plenty of better options such as the blueberry pancakes! read more

Juniper Restaurant - The Pennsylvania Mushroom and Asparagus Omelet - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Juniper restaurant is located inside the fairmont hotel on intersection of 24 and M. Great location!!! The hotel it self is so pretty. The lounge it's right in the lobby and every time I come to the lounge there is a pianist. So I'm not sure if the pianist is here everyday or specific days. But it is a perfect spot for a date! It's a relaxed atmosphere. They have like a garden/outdoor patio. I gotta say the setting is absolutely gorgeous and romantic!! Perfect for an intimate dinner or a high tea with girlfriends. I'm definitely planing to bring my fabulous girls, Have some tea, drinks, dessert and girls conversation :) I'm pretty sure they would love it! The food was delicious!! I'm right now writing this review and craving another meal there. The chef uses the best ingredients and you can immediately tell from the first bite. I know because I'm following the chef on Facebook and everyday I see his updates from where he gets his vegetables, fruits, meat, preparation.... And I assure you, he picks the best farmers that have the best ingredients. today he is using spring valley farm and orchid-Eli and misty cook. You can check it out! I've also heard that they make their own honey!! I think they raise their own bees and that's the best way to get a good quality honey! So, I've tried the restaurant week menu $35 but some dishes has extra charges between $5- $10 extra. depends what you order. Everything we have ordered was mind blowing. Tuna tartar +$5 was my favorite! Fresh and Well seasoned. Burrata cheese with heirloom tomatoes was very refreshing. The braised beef was deliciousness, cooked to perfection, it literally melts in your mouth. And it has this hint of sweetness that I so very much enjoyed. Chicken was really good too, perfectly cooked and full of flavor. Dessert: we ve'had peach and blackberry cobbler! I disliked. It wasn't my favorite the cinnamon was overwhelming. The chocolate cake with salted caramel ice cream was pretty tasty! Overall the food was incredibly delicious, the atmospher was pretty cool and the service was outstanding! I can't wait to come back!!! read more

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good stuff! ordered the honey wheat walnut loaf, beef carpaccio and crab bisque. ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. - walnut loaf came out warm with this incredible maple syrup butter and all of it melted in my mouth. this is a must. - beef carpaccio was an extremely generous serving - i've had carpaccio at other places before, where they smear it thinly onto the plate, making it the lightest portion ever and then charging you $100. not this place. this was a whopping dose of raw delicious beef! coifed with a quail egg and served with micro greens and bread. - blown away by the maryland crab bisque. soooo flavorful. i can't even express how amazed i was. huge pieces of real crab meat in there. splash of creme fraiche on top. 4 stars b/c the service was mehhhhhh. i think they forgot i was there after they seated me. i had to ask for almost everything, not offered. i asked for the check and forgot about me again. there is a courtyard with this restaurant, which seems lovely, but i refused to explore that option since it was 40 degrees out (which might as well be the arctic tundra to me). anyway, if you're staying at the hotel, or even if you're not, this is a great place to treat yourself to some legit food. read more

Juniper Restaurant - Honey wheat walnut bread with homemade honey butter - MUST GET THIS! - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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This was my first visit back to Juniper since they've introduced a new menu that features family-style dishes that gave us a chance to sample lots of delicious entrees including the scallops (cooked perfectly), whole striped-bass, and Herb Roasted Chicken. read more

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The best pancakes I've ever tasted! The server suggested the pancakes over the french toast and I'm so glad she did. They were light and fluffy but also a little crispy around the edges. They were perfectly sweetened and presented with powdered sugar and fresh berries. I only needed a drizzle of syrup. The only downside was the price, $16 for 3 pancakes but it was a treat so I don't regret it. If you want bacon or sausage it is sold separately. The service was a little slow but that didn't bother me much. However, if you are in a rush perhaps the buffet is a better option. read more

We decided to stop in here for restaurant week. We weren't sure what to expect but I must say we were all pleasantly surprised! Juniper is a hidden gem inside the Freimont Hotel. The hotel and restaurant are beautiful! From the moment we were sat, the wait staff was very attentive and even offered recommendations. We started with appetizers of salad and the walnut bread with honey butter. The bread. Oh. My. Goodness. It was absolutely incredible...almost addictive! The butter actually had honey in it and was perfect with it. Definitely highly recommended! Our entrees were the catfish and salmon. The salmon had a nice surprise layer of cornbread at the bottom. The catfish and fries were seasoned and fried to perfection. For dessert we opted for chocolate cake, blackberry and peach cobbler, and the sorbet. They were all delicious and the perfect ending to our meal. We were even greeted by the head chef Mariah who came to our table and spoke with us for a while. She was very sweet and gracious and we complimented her on the excellent meal! I would definitely return and recommend you check it out!!! read more

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Bottom line: not worth the money. You can get great food at this price point elsewhere. Juniper is not a bad place, and in fact it has cozy seats in a very nice, albeit old fashioned, dining room, with a pleasant looking outdoor area in the hotel's inner courtyard. The problem is that it's the epitome of average food at ridiculous prices. They're selling a $24 burger. Whaaat? Maybe you can get away with that if it's the tastiest dang burger in town, but it is forgettable. It is not seasoned much and just doesn't have much flavor to speak of. The one plus is that it comes with a side of home made potato chips, and those were amazing. Best part of the whole meal. We also tried the sea scallops, which are served with a side of carrots, grains, and wasabi foam. This dish also was just ok. It sustained life for one more day, and that's about all I have to say about that. For two entrees, no appetizers, and no drinks, the bill still came to $60. You don't even get bread, which is $6 more. You can get a $30 entree that blows your mind at plenty of other establishments. If we did not have a groupon, I might have been disappointed, but if you have one, why not give it a try. read more

Had a lovely lunch today. The shrimp salad was delicious! Whatever you do don't skip the cornbread! read more

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I lunched at Juniper last week, and they served me a pathetic excuse for a lobster roll. I suspect you can get a comparable "seafood sensation" at Subway. You can certainly get a better lobster roll from the Red Hook Lobster Pound food truck, for a scant 16 bucks. Let's do a little compare and contrast. How they described it: "Maine Lobster Roll: tarragon mayo, fried capers, brioche roll, portobello fries, lemon aioli, house made blood orange soda" - $26. How I'd describe it: Maine Lobster - there were a couple small, square red pieces that didn't visually identify as lobster. They tasted chewy. Might as well have been imitation crab. Mayo - overpowered what little lobster flavor there might have been. Capers - were they even there? Brioche roll - tasty and well toasted. But it completely dominated the paltry amount of "lobster" in the roll. Portobello Fries - tasty but overly battered. Reminded me of tempura vegetables at a cheap hibachi joint. Lemon Aioli - served in a small ramekin to dip the fries in. Mostly superfluous. Blood orange soda - Literally a joke. It was a tiny, novelty glass soda pop bottle with maybe 1 shot of soda in it. It was served on top of the plate with the food, which was warm. Therefore, the soda was also warm. Overall Value: maybe $10 The service was also slow. I'm all for allowing guests time for conversation, but it took unusually long for the waiter to take our order. I will never be returning to Juniper after this disaster. Blue Duck Tavern is across the street at the same price point with far, far superior food. read more

The Juniper Restaurant, located in the luxurious Fairmont Hotel in Georgetown is a restaurant that you will want to try. I especially enjoyed having lunch there and tasting the seasonal menu while dining in a lovely courtyard setting. Be sure and order the cast iron skillet bread. Tip: As soon as it comes to the tabletop it with the fantastic butter and honey. The honey is sourced on-site, and it is a decadent delight! Weather permitting - the courtyard is a fabulous place to dine! read more

Katie's Restaurant Week Winter 2009 Report Card Dining Companion(s): Kevin L. 1st Course: The Soup of the Day: Lentil Soup. It was good, plentiful, and warming on the brisk day. A good start for the rest of the meal. (Usually 8 dollars) 2nd Course: Steak-Frites. Ordered it medium rare and it was prepared as such. The frites were perfect, served with both ketshup and an Aoli (which Kevin loved, I am not a huge mayo person, so it was just okay to me). The arugula salad was nice with a blue cheese that had good bite and dried figs. Delicious, and BIG portions. I know someone had complained about that here before, but my experience was opposite. (Usually 21 dollars) Dessert: STAR OF THE SHOW! The chef's sampler is the only option for the RW menu, but never fear there is something for everyone on this plate of goodness. First strawberry/apple crumble--nice and tasty, but the weak member of the plate. Then the vanilla creme brule--AMAZING. Lots of vanilla caviar throughout---makes the vanilla taste intense. And finally the chocolate lollipop--chocolate ganache goodness. (Usually 9 dollars) Tea Service: Very nice. Little pot of water provided, along with two tea bags of earl grey (nothing special), a lemon in cheesecloth, and my very own little jar of honey (I got to break the seal, and I wanted to pop it in my purse to take home-but held myself back). Service: OSCAR WAS AMAZING. Ask for him. He was a smiler----And I like a smiler. Atmosphere: Nice and light. A bit stuffy, a nice place to take grandma when she is in town. Extras: Bread Basket, with various breads, good but nothing amazing. Value: 38 dollar lunch for 20.09. Holla! read more

Let me preface this review by stating that the dinner menu at Juniper has been completely overhauled. They no longer have my favorite dishes (foie gras, lamb chops) and the dishes that remain on the menu are nowhere close to the standards of the dishes that I wrote in my previous review. That being said, I went to Juniper to try their brunch, which in my opinion is probably going to be your best brunch option in the DC. The "best brunch" can mean a lot of things to different people. My first and foremost criteria in judging a restaurant is the quality of the produce. Over the years, I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to cook phenomenal food if you don't have great ingredients. Lots of restaurants will use msg, butter, sugar, salt, etc to make up for cheap ingredients. That doesn't work for me. That being said, quality of ingredients is especially important for me during brunch since the menu items are usually very simple compared to complex dinner dishes. While there are many exceptions to what I'm about to state, in general, if you were to use organic vs. your 5 cent eggs for a breakfast dish, there is going to be an astronomical difference. Unless you are a terrible cook, you'll be far ahead with better produce because the dishes are relatively simple and difficult to screw up. This pretty much sums up why I love Juniper's brunch. They have very simple dishes with top notch ingredients (which I dare say is far far better than what you can find at higher end grocery chains like whole foods). As proof, I personally know an ex-manager of the Fairmont hotel who told me their purchasing price for the fresh snow crab claws. THEIR costs are $25/pound and that was over 2 years ago. If whole foods were to sell that, you are looking at upwards of $35/pound retail price. Yeah....where in DC are you going to find a restaurant serving something like that during brunch? I cannot possibly state how fantastic their meat cuts were....they are far far better than boar's head meat cuts. Whatever they serve, it's about 1-1.5 grades above that and tops every meat that I ever purchased at Whole Foods. The prosciutto was also fantastic. The $24/pound Prosciutto di Parma (which is my favorite prosciutto from a grocery chain in the local area) sold at Whole foods comes nowhere close to what I ate here. The list does not end here. I can go on about how wonderful their blueberry pastry was...and how I thought it was leaps and bounds better than any baked good that I tried in DC or how great their sausages were, which is better than at least 10+ sausages that I bought at whole foods. I also loved their minomas. You get two choices (raspberry and fresh squeezed orange juice) with a mix of Domaine St. Michelle. While I acknowledge that it's no Dom, that is a pretty decent champagne to use and it'll be crystal clear that you won't be able to find such quality mimosas in the DC area. As for negatives, Juniper has: 1. Weak prepared dishes such as the crabcakes (you get to choose 1 entree from a list of 6). Despite that, it wasn't a complete flop....because the ingredients were fantastic (it's blue crab). We had eggs and braised beef (not shown on website menu) which was a disaster but the individual components tasted ok despite the massive fail on execution and seasoning. 2. Expensive price. It's $48 and that's going to make some of you choke. Opentable gives you 1000 points for a brunch reservation so that brings it down to about $43 per person for 2 people. Considering what you get, it's a very very fair value compared to what you get at other brunches where you pay ~$30. 3. Stuffiness. Lots of people mention this as a negative. For me it isn't. This is a very classic restaurant. The diners are usually 40-50+ and may be dressed in suits/jackets/dresses despite the lack of a dress code. Jeans are perfectly acceptable, but some may feel uncomfortable. This is definitely not the scene where you get drunk and rowdy on a typical DC Sunday brunch In sum, I cannot give enough praise to Juniper and to me it's worth the $43 (without tip/tax) for this quality brunch. If you are bold enough and are a brunch nut, I think it's worthwhile to go pay a visit. Plan ahead and maximize what you can get out of it since there is no brunch time limit! read more

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What on earth...??? Is this a real restaurant? Or was I just in an upscale waiting room for 2+ hours? My boyfriend and I went to Juniper last night for dinner. We should have stopped trying to go during the day. He called the hotel no less than 10 times to make a reservation, only to be transferred to Juniper's line, which never got answered. It took us until 7pm to finally get a person that would take our name. When we got to the restaurant, they informed us that they still needed a few minutes to get ready for us, and since we were early, we grabbed a seat at the hotel bar. Despite the host's claim that he would come get us, he never did, so we walked over 5 minutes past the res time and low and behold, they were ready. Good to know. We were seated, and proceeded to spend two hours having a meal that I wouldn't even actually call a meal - especially for a place that is supposedly upscale. The manager told us about an off-menu special they would be able to do for us, and then he left and we waited roughly 20 minutes for a server to show up. We waited so long that at one point we were just sitting in silence with a bunch of scattered paper menus around us like it was term paper time or something. After the waiter showed up, he took our order for 2 entrees and 1 app. He left, we waited. 45 minutes later, there was no app but our entree was served - except it wasn't the entree we ordered. It looked so far off base (should have been a seafood pastry pie, we were served a soup) I asked for an explanation because nothing we were looking at was what was described to us. She sent the chef out, who told us that the pastry crust had "run out," so he had given us filling. Excuse me? The dish isn't able to be made correctly, so you just serve it halfway without asking if maybe we could pick something else? How would you like it if you ordered pizza and I threw sauce and cheese at you? Sorry, no. Especially at a place in the Fairmont Hotel. We mentioned the app that had never come and he promised to correct it. 20 minutes later, we were super busy with our sitting (because that is what this meal actually is - being charged for sitting), when a small pot of risotto came to our table. Crunchy, bland, and lacking in that gooey consistency of a well done risotto. The waiter came back for his fourth whole trip in two hours, and tried to give us dessert menus. We cut him off, and got the check. The crazy thing is that everyone working there knew it sucked. The waiter saw we left zero tip, and barely commented. The chef who made the risotto saw us leave and mumbled some kind of goodbye while avoiding eye contact. It was one of the worst meals I've ever had. The fact that the waiter came over four times, and each time uttered one sentence at us, was insane. I was serious about feeling like I was in a waiting room - I'd estimate that we spent 15 minutes having dinner out of a 2 hour waiting period, and it was a dinner that was incorrect, sized like an app, and literally took place backwards. read more