We were greeted and seated right away . Our server was very courteous. We ordered couple of…read moreappetizers and drinks from the Happy hour menus which was great. We also ordered an entree and a sandwich and they were delicious as well. The owner has kept the prices very reasonable compared to other restaurants in the area and we really appreciate that. The restaurant is very inviting and has a great vibe with the set up , the vibrant colors , the murals and pictures and of course the unique bookstore.

Was craving some gluten free pancakes and Busboys popped up on my search. I'm glad it did…read more Nestled in the walkable Shirlington development, which feels like a mini Reston Town Center, lies a gem in Busboys and Poets. I thought it would be a small coffee shop but it is much more. Ample seating inside with some outdoor seating, it is a fun atmosphere with a mini bookstore as you walk in and the main restaurant in the other half. There's a small stage for when they have different events. It is a positive and fun environment. I ordered the Turning Violet Latte. I am a big fan of lavender flavor and this latte hit the spot. For my food, I ordered the gluten free pancakes and bacon. You never know what you're going to get with gluten free pancakes and these were some of the good ones. They were fluffy with some fresh fruit sprinkled on top. The syrup was the perfect amount needed for these hot cakes. The bacon was crisp and a great add on. They have a robust menu so you can get a lot of great options here. The service was good and overall I had a great time.

Had lunch there couple weeks back and sat outside. Outside area is clean and servers were friendly…read more The food for brunch has a lot of variety and they also give free popcorn! Definitely recommend to try them out.

Located in the Village at Shirlington area. Met a friend here for dinner and it was so yummy! We…read moreloved everything we tried. PARKING: While there's no parking at the restaurant specificallyl, there are several parking garages/lots nearby that don't charge. CORNBREAD: These cute cornbread muffins were complimentary to the table. Overall okay, wish they were warmed upon serving. Still enjoyed them though with the soft spread. FRIED GREEN TOMATOES: This comes with cornmeal crusted fried green tomatoes, crispy basil leaves, and basil aioli. I've never had green tomatoes before and really enjoyed them! BAKED BRIE: This comes with fig compote, toasted almonds, grilled baguette, grapes, and honeycomb. This did not come with enough baguettes. Would not get this again. TAVERN BURGER: This comes with angus beef patty, aged cheddar, crispy bacon, bibb lettuce, red wine shallot aioli, and a brioche bun. Overall, this was very yummy. A little tough to eat the more I ate haha, but overall still yummy nonetheless.

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.

Came here with my mom before I had to drop her at the airport. We both got a green juice and then I…read moregot an iced coffee. The juice and the coffee didn't arrive until well after our meal did. Our server was also absent and took about five - ten minutes to greet us after we sat down. We ordered our food and our drinks at the same time to try to streamline everything. I got the breakfast chilaquiles with a poached egg and my mom made her own breakfast plate with two eggs, poached bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, fruit, and an English muffin. My mom had also ordered an iced tea that still hadn't arrived when the rest of our food and drink had arrived so she canceled it. They sourced a lot of their food from local purveyors, and you can really tell it in the flavor of everything. The sausage was some of the best I've had. Because of all the hiccups, the manager came over and profusely, apologized and even comped part of our meal to make up for the issues. It really felt like they actually cared, and that this was a fluke rather than a regular occurrence, which I really appreciated. Everyone can have an off day.

We wanted to like this place, but it's a big fat meh for me. Place was dirty, the meals we ordered…read morewere okay, I got the pork verde and my wife got a biscuits, my dish was pretty good but the potatoes were too salty. The gravy for the biscuits was like warm. Otherwise the food was okay. Service was good, the host was especially friendly. What knocked this one down for us was the unprofessionalism of the staff. Servers sitting counting their cash while the host was busting her tail off, that wasn't cool. Busboy clearing the table has the buspan on the seat so my wife ended up sitting in a wet spot. Not good. We won't be back. Not worth the money

Every staff member at the Shirlington location deserves an immediate raise or bonus. Last night…read morearound 8:45PM, I came in for a late night dinner. The only food I had time to eat yesterday. I almost always order online so I have my orders saved. In person, I ordered 2 Migas tacos and 1 Street Corn. The Migas come with bacon which slipped my mind because I have my saved orders that indicate No Bacon automatically. I don't eat meat. As soon as my order was delivered, I realized my mistake. I walked up to the counter and tried to order two new Migas with no bacon indicating it was completely my fault that I didn't ask for the modification. There was literal no hesitation from multiple staff members when they insisted on making me new ones for free. And apologizing to me for it not being exactly how I intended for it to be. Like what?! It was my fault! Completely! But they completely took care of me and even checked up on me to make sure the bacon-less Migas tasted good. I don't expect that treatment every time but it was an experience that stuck out as over the top effort for customer satisfaction. Loyal customer for life. Serious about that bonus...

Staff are just as nice as ever, and food was solid as usual. Now that I'm part of Bamba Nation I'm…read moregetting to be more of a regular.

Penbrook delivered a genuinely impressive breakfast experience, starting with amazing service and…read moreconsistently great food. The standout of the morning was the breakfast side potatoes--crispy, seasoned perfectly, and easily something I'd come back for. The breadbasket came with three pastries, which felt a bit smaller than expected, but the almond croissant more than made up for it. On the heartier side, the chicken and waffles were extremely filling thanks to the dense waffles, so definitely a dish to tackle with an appetite. One of the biggest surprises was the brunch salad with salmon, which ended up being one of the best salads I've had in a long time--fresh, balanced, and satisfying. The breakfast sandwich was another highlight: so good that it's now the new standard I'll compare all other breakfast sandwiches to. The smoked salmon bagel was also a fun experience, served deconstructed so you can build each bite exactly how you like it. Not everything was a hit--the French toast wasn't my favorite--but the overall meal was strong enough that it barely detracted from the experience. Brunch offers a few additions beyond the regular breakfast menu, but overall it's very similar to their standard breakfast, just with a couple of extra options. It tends to get full on the weekends to make a reservation. Bottom line: Penbrook is a beautiful hotel restaurant that punches above its weight--excellent service, memorable dishes, and several items worth returning for.

Service: A+ Food: A+…read moreAmbiance: A+ Highly recommend! Our sever, Mr. Michel, was A+ Centrally located, close to everything

Decided on Firstwatch in Fairfax because it is a large facility with minimum wait time…read more Firstwatch do not take reservations. They use a wait list approach. We were seated rather quickly. The service was excellent, we had nine in our party and the server was friendly and responsive. The ambieance was family oriented with several large groups at other tables. The food was well presented with everyone generally pleased with their choices. Two notable issues were the cheese grits...was a two out of 5. Next time I will try the butter grits. The biscuits and turkey gravy was a three out of five. Overall filling but had to take the bottom of the biscuits..over done.

The food is awful. They put some disgusting oil vinegar and god knows what mixture on everything…read more They even put it in my ham and cheese sandwich!!! What were they thinking? I could not eat the sandwich.

Service and ambiance is great!!! Food was delicious…read more Deviled eggs omg Watermelon martini yum Salmon over hash and spinach. Incredible. Chicken sandwich truffle honey....and tots filling and great

I reserved in advance and arrived on time for a 21st birthday brunch in DC. We drove over an hour…read moreand told the restaurant it was a special occasion, asking to bring a cake--we were told "of course." From the start, the hostess was the only positive part. After seating, we waited 10-15 minutes and two different people had to ask if we'd been helped before she came over and got our server. The server barely introduced herself and only asked whether we wanted tap, spring or sparkling water. We barely saw our server and when we did, it was unpleasant. When she returned, she said, "y'all know what y'all want," which felt inappropriate for a 21st birthday celebration. Considering that she didn't ask about appetizers. It just felt like we were a bother. Then four out of five meals arrived first, but the birthday girl's food came about five minutes later. We waited to eat until her meal arrived, and my grits were already congealed. Refills were limited to water from the hostess, dessert was never offered, and the server left the check while the adults were in the restroom with two teenagers at the table. We would've ordered dessert. Even the cake felt handled last-minute. The hostess retrieved it from the fridge, added the candles, and offered plasticware and to-go boxes instead of plates, which seemed odd. We discussed the cake beforehand, and after it arrived I told the hostess she could cut a piece if she wanted. Then the server yelled "no" rudely over the table. It felt like she was upset we brought a cake, and communicated to the hostess that we wouldn't get plates or actual silverware, despite being told beforehand it was fine. Overall, the service felt unwelcoming and inattentive, leaving the meal far below what we expected. We didn't even feel comfortable taking pictures. We will never ever be back and I have already steered my friends away from your establishment.