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This place was cool it's definitely a meet up spot! The food is cool the cabbage wasn't seasoned like i anticipated but it was ok . The salmon was really good though . I would go back for the pasta . Our server was sweet and answered the questions . Nice lil spot.
Food looks better than it tastes...just hear me out! We decided to close out Black History Month by supporting a Black-owned establishment, very intentional, very on brand for us. It was also my first time trying Malawian cuisine, so I was genuinely excited to experience something different. I went with a group of friends after an event, which worked out perfectly because we were able to taste a little bit of everything. I ordered the Brussels sprouts as my starter; they were good, nicely seasoned. My only issue? Timing. They didn't come out first. Everyone else had their food, and my "starter" came right before my entrée, which kind of defeated the purpose. For my main, I had the shrimp and salmon rasta pasta. It was good...creamy, flavorful, but definitely spicy. Not unbearable, just be prepared if heat isn't your thing. My mocktail was refreshing and good too... just small. A couple real sips and it was gone. Overall, the service was good. They were accommodating and made sure our group was seated comfortably, even moving tables around so we had a better setup. I appreciated that. The ambiance was very Black eclectic: cool R&B vibes, nice energy, a solid spot to gather and vibe. Checl out my pics! I'll be rating each dish I tried on a 10 point scale. Would I return? Probably not. It wasn't bad; it just didn't wow me. And in the DMV, there are way too many other spots on my list to try.
Tried Lydia on H, an African/Caribbean fusion spot with a nice, cozy, and intimate atmosphere. Staff were friendly, attentive and polite. We started with the mac and cheese, which unfortunately wasn't a hit it tasted like the cheese was forgotten altogether. The Brussels sprouts, however, were really good and cooked to perfection. For my main, I ordered the whole fried snapper with fries (wasn't in the mood for rice). While it was fried well, it was heavily breaded and didn't have much flavor. Overall, the space is lovely, and I'd say it's worth trying at least once to see what works for you.
Stopped by for Taco Tuesday. Great music. Good service. Themed nights (e.g. karaoke, ladies night) and happy hour. They also have a good rewards system, earned $6 off next visit. Even though I'm not local, I'd return for those reasons. The food was just okay. Jerk chicken tacos- 3/5 small. Chicken moist but lacked flavor. Needed a sauce, got some jerk on the side which helped. Mac and cheese- 4/5 creamy, cheesy cooked well. Solid mac. Could use a little flavor, like there's salt but no body if that makes sense. Virgin mojito 3/5 okay, everyone makes them different. But $8 for whats essentially gingerale with lime & mint is on the expensive side. (Usually pay $4-5). Rum cake- 1/5. Ordered to go. Not good or worth $12 for this slice. But honestly I should have known when I was told the fried oreos were better. Rum cake is essentially just an infused pound cake, but I honestly I can't tell you what this tasted like. The sauce gives Nutella and the cake was crumbly as you can see. I honestly am so upset I didn't not look at it before I left.
THIRD TIMES THE CHARM! This is my second time dining at Lydia's on H (third visit). My first time was Valentine's Day, and the restaurant, while calm, was chaotic, AKA the full menu was not available. The second attempt to dine there, the staff member (whose name I forgot, please charge it to my head and not my heart!) informed us before we sat down that the evening service was a limited menu. To entice us to return and ensure consistent customer-centric service, the bar manager invited us to return on the first night and asked the staff to inform us when we arrived. Sure enough, the next day, when we arrived, there was a note for the staff informing them that they should be expecting us. The vibe in Lydia's is always chill! The music is always good and at a volume where you and others can still enjoy each other's company with conversation if desired. Overall, the food, service, and ambiance at this establishment should be the standard for many others. Well done, Lydia's. We are excited to come back and try the steak-and-cheese egg rolls next time.
Lydia's is a whole vibe! Walked right in and sat at the bar and to my surprise it was happy hour on a Saturday and I love that! I tried the jollof rice which was so good and the jerk wings literally had the meat falling off the bone. The beef patties had the perfect amount of beef in them and they were nice and crunchy! I love a good happy hour with good prices! The service was great and the bartenders were super friendly! Food came out fast too which is always a plus for me! I'll definitely be back because the food was good and the vibe is nice! Can't beat a good music and food combo. Bathrooms were clean. I didn't get a chance to go upstairs because I didn't need to. The bar was a great place to chill.
The customer service is pretty good and the food is good. I went there for a brunch event and had a good time. I also got the bottomless rum punch. I was a little shocked at the prices for the bottomless rum punch. At first I was told it would be $30 then it went to $44 per person I think in my opinion it's a little too high for bottomless mimosa bottomless rum punch Special but nevertheless everything else was pretty good. Make sure you get there early to find parking and I love the aesthetics of the top floor and the bottom floor. Check it out!
Food I was really looking forward to this brunch, but the food was a big letdown. The buffet was supposed to open at 1, but nothing was ready until about 1:30--and even then, the rice and cabbage were cold, the salad was served dry with no vinaigrette or Italian dressing, and the waffles didn't come out until 2:15. Unfortunately, they turned out to be frozen store-bought waffles . The buffet menu listed curry chicken, jerk chicken, goat stew, and fried fish tenders, but none of those dishes were available. Instead, we had to ask multiple times for basic things like dressing, sauce, and even hot honey for the wings (which finally came at 3:25 and was really just hot sauce). To make matters worse, shared tongs were being used for meat and waffles, the syrup was cold, and we had to reuse the same plates each time we went up. The video shows exactly what was offered on the buffet, but I've also included an image of the menu they advertised for comparison. Service Our server London was the saving grace of the day--she was kind, attentive, and kept us informed despite the chaos. Unfortunately, it was clear the restaurant wasn't prepared: one server arrived late, the chef apparently didn't even know brunch was happening until that morning, and the owner/manager was nowhere to be found. We were asked to pay before eating, while another group later told us they weren't asked to do the same, which felt inconsistent and frustrating. Ambiance The space itself was clean and cozy, with neatly set tables and football games playing on the TVs, which helped set a nice vibe . The restaurant is small, but it had potential to feel inviting if the execution had matched the setup. I want to support Black-owned businesses and truly wish this experience had been better, but the lack of preparation, missing dishes, and overall disorganization made it really disappointing.
Invited out by friends and didn't do any research so I didn't have any expectations. They have "taco Tuesday" which is what we came for. They have a $5 marg... if you want it flavored there's a $3 up charge. It was not that great, either the liquor was cheap or the mix was lacking something and they gave us the tip of the lime. One of my friends ordered a cheese quesadilla, it came out first yet it was luke warm at best. Amongst the rest of us we had the fish, shrimp, and chicken tacos. The tacos had a great taste but the proportions are insane. These were basically mini tacos. Not really worth the $10 and definitely not worth the $6 up charge for the shrimp. I ordered the Brussel sprouts after reading other reviews. They were really good, they aren't fried which I think would have put them over the top. Service was... Hassan, the manager, left a lot to be desired. It took a while to get him to take our order. He didn't really listen and we had to repeat ourselves and he seemed quite annoyed as we asked questions. The icing on the cake was when he brought the checks... one of my friends assumed gratuity was included and didn't add anything additional, he made a point after she paid to say "gratuity is not included, but I probably should have." It was 5 of us and service was subpar considering how empty the restaurant was. The vibe is really nice and the space is cute. I would love to try again and see if service can be better.
This place was a good time. I didn't have plans for my birthday, but my sister and friend made sure I went out to celebrate me. I use to bartend at Roses Dejavu on H street, so we love H st. We saw Lydia had Caribbean fusion options on their menu. Honestly the food was not what we expected and over priced in our opinions especially for the portion size. The drinks were strong and good. Also high priced, not sure how much each drink was. The bartender didn't show us an itemized copy of our bill she just handed us a handheld to swipe our card. Very odd. She could have possibly over charged us. My friends didn't want to make an issue since it was my birthday. So they just paid. It was a karaoke night and there seemed to be a packed house of karaoke night regulars. We stayed for a few karaoke performances we loved the crowd interaction. The space is small downstairs we did not go upstairs because it was closed off for a private event. We did notice a lot of the other patrons did not order much food and only a handful of people had cocktails. We did see a lot of water. Maybe this was due to the high pricing of their items .... I would return, especially for the hookah!!!! It was the highlight of the evening. The hookah guy was very friendly and accommodating. Our server/bartender forgot to put our hookah in so when she did he was upstairs attending to the private party. So when he finally got around to us he was very apologetic and we appreciated his approach to correcting the bartenders fumble. His hookah was bomb! Please offer a variety of dipping sauces that elevate the dishes you serve. That orange sauce was not good especially in everything!!
I loved the vibe here. Great music and a chill vibe here. A neighborhood favorite. For the food we had the oxtail Rasta pasta, the salmon and shrimp Rasta pasta, and the cheesesteak egg rolls. The food was just okay, nothing special; same with the cocktails. Our server was nice, but because the place was crowded and she was the only one serving, things took a little longer than it should've.
This probably isn't representative of the full experience but I ordered the deep fried Oreos from uber eats. It was a deal of 2 orders for the price of 1 (so about 6 items for $11) and I thought it was a good offer. It comes with a raspberry syrup and serves as a sweet dessert option. I've gone to Lydia on H before and ordered the lamb flatbread, which I also recommend.
The Oreos were expensive but the vibe was so nice, the people were chill, and the bar tenders were awesome
2 years ago
11 months ago
Came here on a Friday night and the place was pretty empty! Thought that meant service would be fast but that was a lie. Ordered appetizers at around 9pm and they didn't come out until 9:30pm. We thought we should put in our entrees because we were hungry so we did that around 9:10pm. Our entrees didn't come out until around 10pm! And we all got our food at different times so one of my friends food were cold because they wanted to wait for us. The 2 starts is for the Brussels sprouts and the goat stew which were good, however the service and not getting my correct order (the goat stew was supposed to come with kale instead of cabbage) it got knocked down 3 starts. And then after it took her 15-20 minutes to get our checks, only to see that there is an auto gratuity of 20%, so the service did not reflect the price at all. I think this place may be cute to go out and have drinks, however as a restaurant I would not come back read more
I'd recommend dining here for the jerk wings at least once. They were perfectly spicy and tender! Like perfect. I live two minutes from a great jerk spot but will travel 20 mins for these wings. I also had cabbage and jollof rice. Both were very tasty. Come here and enjoy the chill vibes. They played great R&B all night primarily from the 2000s era so sing along and enjoy the nostalgia. At the bottom level there are high tables suitable for groups and also a few tables to serve two people. Bar seating is available if you want to watch a game! They had a few tailored drinks. I had the H Street Trolly it was a smoked old fashion. Pretty cool to watch them light it up though it took a while for them to find the torch and the drink certainly had smoky notes. They also serve hookah. Upstairs take a gallery walk and enjoy Black art! Service was okay but I can tell it will only get better. I think a few of the workers just need more experience. The manager and doormen (we went when it was sooo cold outside) were so nice! I'd definitely dine here again. Grab you picture on the lit up green wall before you go! read more
2 years ago
Guess we came on a bad day, because the service was not good at all; we were there a little over 1hr (no lie) before we received water & place an order. It was two other parties as well that were complaining as well. The chicken was good, but my waffle was drenched in hot honey sauce. Due to long wait, I didn't even send it back because I was over it. Also, the menu is overpriced IMO; $25.99 for chicken and waffles is excessive. Another thing, they charge $2 for flavored mimosa. They did have a DJ that did have a nice rotation. read more
1 year ago
4 years ago
Closed and shutdown by the city --- no Motown Christmas. Very disappointed that there's no soup for me, nor was there a Motown Christmas. I trek all the way from Bethesda in a car to the train, in a train and then a trolley. My dear friend made the trip from Clarksburg, MD. We were looking forward to experiencing a cultural celebration of Christmas of old. When what did we see and spy out of our lil eye, a yellow sticker of doom, that said the place had been shutdown by the city. I had to get tickets for the Motown Christmas. The owners could have updated the reservation website to send a message, the restaurant website or even a simple note on the door. All we saw was the sticker of doom. All wasn't lost, we found a Asian fusion place close by, but that's another story. read more
2 years ago
Vibe was great. Small area for intimate conversation. Loved the music and the food! The beef patties were our favorite! read more
4 months ago
1 year ago
1 year ago
3 years ago
This was my first time at Lydia's. I found the venue to be very intimate, somewhere cute for a date. I was there for an event so the top floor was reserved. The menu looked yummy and the restaurant offered a deal for $25 to get a meat and sides. Everyone raved about it. Due to the event being a bit crowded I think the venue was overwhelmed so my service was a bit slow. I'd try them again. read more
1 year ago
1 year ago
5 years ago
Went for happy hour and a friends birthday. The vibe and food were on point. They had a DJ on a Wednesday y'all. Service- Everyone we interacted with was friendly, helpful, and attentive to our needs. Cocktails- creative names and flavor combinations. Try the warm heart of Africa. My glass of red wine was good too. Food- was the star! We got jollof rice, fries, beef Pattie's, fish fingers, steak and cheese sandwich, Mac and cheese. Everything was well seasoned and enough to share. Vibe- upstairs has a loungey feel and downstairs restaurant style setup. Great music and atmosphere. They have hookah too. It's a feel good spot with tasty food and drinks! read more
5 years ago
I visited Lydia'a on a Friday with a few friends. From what we were told, this restaurant cuisine was a blend of African and traditional American dishes. Overall...I wasn't impressed to be honest. We sent a lot of food back to the kitchen. A friend sent back the mac-n-cheese (it didn't taste good), the jollof rice tasted bland (someone said it tasted like rice with tomato sauce only l), and the suya was dry and over cooked. My African friends were not impressed to say the least. I did try the plantains and they came out completely black. They were burned. I ate one and that was it. On the bright side, the wings, fries, and brussell sprouts were good. No complaints with those. As for drinks, my old fashioned was mediocre. I also tried the Lady Lydia and it was just okay. The mules were good. They did have hookah and my friends said it was very good. The hookah staff was definitely on point. I think I would try this place again but maybe for brunch instead. read more
I popped in for the late night happy hour and had a great time. It was ladies' night and the live band sounded great. The beef patty and Pinot Grigio were a nice light combo for the time frame and there was no long wait. My friend had an old fashioned which Traci made perfectly with a smile. Could easily see this place as a regular spot. read more
2 years ago
1 year ago
Super fun ambiance and incredible DJ spinning fun songs and afrobeats during our dinner reservation Saturday 8pm - we did need to move our seats closer together as it was a tad loud but just be prepared for that. Service was awesome, despite only 2 servers, they were bustling around making sure everyone was being taken care of. They even apologized for our drinks taking so long as the bar was backed up- BUT- I got the sense the cocktails are not prebatched and for that I will ALWAYS have patience!! The wings were awesome, oxtails on point, cabbage fresh and tasty, plantains crispy on the outside and tender on the inside- the grilled fish was excellent. No fishy smell, and with 2 sides. It's expensive at $80 but again it had two sides and was very flavorful and fresh. I wanted to drink the hot sauce it came with lol. What also surprised me with the Mac and cheese. If you reach my reviews you know I'm a gluten free - attempt to be dairy free person.... But when I saw the crisped up pieces, and the fact there were some kind of herbs in it- I tried and bite and WOW !! Better than Hells Kitchen Mac and cheese by Gordon Ramsey honestly- which was the last time I cheated and had some! We're excited to go back! read more
I'm all about a nice hidden jewel. The staff was so nice and the ambiance was perfect. I love dark walls because it makes the space feel so cozy and intimate. They had all the things me my friends wanted. Good drinks, food and hookah. The music was a plus. The tacos were good and my wings were fantastic. I will definitely be back. read more
Very unique establishment. Went to brunch and a day party. The food was set up buffet style. A good variety of food. Mixing the Caribbean and African culture. The food was good. The owner and chef kept the food replenished which I loved. The bottomless mimosas and rum punch were on point. The music was popping. They even have hookah. Got a chance to chat with the owner about the establishment. He was very very nice. Me and my line sister will definitely return. Especially for dinner. Rui they are doing a black history month pop up. And I can't wait to see it. I missed the Motown Christmas one. read more
3 years ago
I had a great time. The vibes were great with the DJ and the atmosphere. The food were so great as well. I recommend the jerk wings and steak egg rolls. As far as service, it was a little slow and could have been better. The wait staff was personable and had great attitudes. Lydia's is a great place and you will definitely have a good time. read more
3 years ago
Food is torch. Everything was great. I love this place. The African vibe is the best in the DMV!!! read more
My friend invited me for an Afroween party. We were in the upstairs space. The music was amazing! Different djs spinning live Afro beats. The service was quick. The jerk chicken falls right off the bones. The filling in the egg rolls is spices to perfection. And the drinks were nicely mixed. read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
I'm going keep this review real. The food at Lydia's on H was tasty . The portion sizes could've been bigger for the price. The drinks were not strong for the unlimited rum punch and margaritas. Also, they charge a service fee along with gratuities. We came here for brunch at ended up paying over $200 simply not worth it. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
Celebrated a friend at the Sunday brunch, I'm not big on Caribbean food so I opted for the chicken and waffles for $25.99. First it comes covered in powdered sugar and parsley Wings (5) were seasoned (maybe too much for some), but they had flavor. The waffle on the other hand was not edible. There was NOTHING fluffy about it. Seems as if it was premade then microwave. Couldn't even cut it. Two of us had ordered it and both were inedible. There was nothing else I wanted so I opted to just pay for the chicken. They took $7.80 off of my meal, so I paid $18.19 for 5 Wingettes Their wing order with 6 wings is not even that much. But hey, lesson learned!! Don't go to a Caribbean fusion restaurant for brunch!! read more
3 years ago
Came here on a Sundays afternoon after the brunch crowd on purpose. I like that they have a late happy hour even on a Sunday. The slushie drink was even but one get one. The food was not good though. We all got wings and fries. The wings were all drums. 3 orders of wings were drums. And to top it off, the drum looked like it was broken in half on all of them. It was the strangest thing. They also had too much breading on them. I think the food quality has gone down. I hope they improve. read more
4 years ago
Great place to come hang with a small group or your significant other. I recommend coming during the happy hour or late night menu. read more
4 years ago
This was a real treat. I came here on a Friday night during restaurant week. Service was outstanding, and they were very accommodating. HANDS DOWN the best dining experience I've ever had while being on H St. The food was out of this world. (African and West-Indian inspired dishes with just a touch of soul) Black Chef, AWESOME food, great music, lovely ambiance, best service. Food was very flavorful, perfectly seasoned, and the right amount of spice 10 stars read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
3 years ago
3 years ago
We went on a Friday night at 10PM and it was PACKED! The music and vibes were so good instantly. The servers were so nice and fun. The drinks were small but tasted great. The hookah was pricy ($70) but it was A LOT, you really get your $$ worth so the price was worth it. The food was 10/10; some of the BEST wings I have ever had to date. I got the hot honey wings, garlic shrimp flat bread and a strawberry lemon drop. Overall great experience I will definitely become a regular here!! read more
2 years ago
More info about Lydia On H
1427 H St NE
Washington, DC 20002
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(202) 601-7913
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https://lydiaonhdc.com
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Lydia On H - lounges - Updated September 2026
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