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    The Capitol Visitor Center Restaurant

    3.3 (58 reviews)
    ModerateAmerican, Cafeteria
    Closed 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

    The Capitol Visitor Center Restaurant Photos

    THE CAPITOL VISITOR CENTER RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Touristy
    Loud
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - The Capitol Visitor Center Restaurant

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    Boring wrap
    Brad W.

    Nothing more than cafeteria food, but with upscale like desserts. We had the chicken ceasar salad wrap which was boring. No croutons and mayo,not ceasar dressing. The cake we picked was vanilla and chocolate, but wasn't good either.

    Alli C.

    Go for the Senate Bean soup. It's worth it. One of the best recipes in history and it's yours for less than $10! Was not impressed by Mac and cheese or dessert Capitol, but the dessert was fun!

    mac and cheese = mac and oil. chicken tenders taste like fish. if i could make it 0 i would! 28 dollars for slop

    Stuffed quail and veggies: special of the month
    Merek C.

    I would be remiss if I didn't write about one of my more peculiar but fun dining experiences from 2024 which was eating at the visitor center for the us capitol building. I know thar that sounds really funny but we were in a pinch before our tour of the Capitol (free to set up) and this place was a perfect spot to grab some grub. How often do you get to eat with visitors from around the country or even the world and congregational staffers and interns in one location. The place is clean and well lit and service is fast and efficient. Pick what you want and go. For me, the big winner on value and taste was the special dish they served which I think is served at previous house innagurations? This time it was a stuffed quail with wild rice and veggies for like 17 bucks and it was solid and tasty too. This dish probably costs more at a restaurant so ima add this as a federal tax refund of sorts, but I digress. Five stars for coming in clutch. Is it something I would drop my plans in DC to go visit? No. But is it worth checking out and for grabbing a meal if you are touring the capitol and around the area? Yes indeed

    Dresser bar

    The Congress and the Capitol Architect created the best food experience on the mall. Fresh food, many options available, reasonably priced. When compared to the Smithsonian food offerings ... The Smithsonian should come see how to feed people.

    Bbq sandwich & macaroni
    J David H.

    Better than expected and staff very friendly. Not to mention a clean orderly operation. They are family friendly. They are located behind the ticketing are on the first level which is really the basement. My visit was over the Summer and it was very busy. The set up is cafeteria style and they have a lot of variety including dessert. Drinks are bottled and fountain. Checkout was smooth in a central area. Restrooms are nearby. I had a roast beef sandwich that was just ok, but a ton of meat. My wife had bbq and macaroni and it was reported as great! I tried and agreed. Yelp has them under category fast food which is not the correct description. Cafeteria is best fit. Prices are fair which seems like a theme in most of the DC museums. 3.5 rounding down with my sandwich being weak. Recommend not skipping in you are hungry and already there.

    BBQ Chicken with green beans. $11.75
    Hydration S.

    The food was good, but nothing special. Food court style with lots of options. BBQ, pasta, sandwiches, burgers, chicken tenders, wraps, salads, and desserts. The location is convenient, and there is plenty of places to sit.

    Portobello Mushroom Sandwich with Ciabatta Bread

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    1 year ago

    Excellent food! Our granddaughters said it was the best macaroni and cheese ever. The white chocolate capitol desserts were adorable.

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    2 years ago

    Excellent food and service. Love the capitol dome white chocolate dessert. Our favorite place to stop while on the tour.

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    Willowsong - Hamachi Tartare

    Willowsong

    4.2(45 reviews)
    1.1 mi

    First off: this is no longer the Moon Rabbit restaurant. I never remembered the name. Only the…read morelocation. And the bunny logo. That restaurant moved to Penn Quarter a year ago and it's been about 4 years since I last went. I didn't even think I was in a new restaurant until I couldn't find the gold rabbit logo. The interior of the two restaurants is similar enough and having rolls with salmon roe topping your honey miso butter is not far off from what you might have found eating a fried chicken dish with a subtle Vietnamese twist at Moon Rabbit. The concept of WillowSong is nothing new: farm-to-table. But the flavors are beyond what we could of expected! The waiter explained how the chefs source their food from farms within a certain geographical radius. I definitely recommend a visit here for a special dinner that will leave you wanting to come back. The house made milk bread was served piping hot. The aroma - as I picked one roll up - was so indicative of bread you knew you were going to enjoy. The honey miso butter was not typical, and I loved it. It had a citrusy aftertaste and was not too sweet. I didn't eat the salmon roe - mentioned earlier topping the honey miso butter - but it was an interesting juxtaposition. The Squid Ink Oricchiette - black elbow pasta - was lovely. I asked the waiter, "Which is more popular here, the sea bass or the oricchiette?" He confidently said that if he had to choose, it would be the oricchiette and the Yelp reviews say the same. There was an inherent subtle heat and the jumbo lump crab meat was tasty. The squid ink pasta was cooked perfectly al dente and the tomato jus herb crumble was well-seasoned. The micro greens garnish added such a nice, crisp crunch. The citrus olive oil ricotta - underneath of the pasta - had a good balancing effect. The grilled maple citrus pork chop - when featured - is a not-to-miss! The flavors were divine. You got the sweetness of the maple sauce and a really nice sear with the char-grilled aftertaste. Just the kind of flavor I look for. Cutting into the pork chop was easy as it was so tender. All of the herb and vegetable flavors in the charred gratin (Swiss chard simmered in a creamy garlic sauce) really came together for something delightful. The Swiss chard was cooked well, yet had a good crunch with a definite farm-to-table flavor, straight from the garden. We were here on a weekend night. A rowdier after-9pm crowd formed for a televised game. I've seen it much busier here on weeknights at Moon Rabbit, before 9pm, and the waiter said the crowds here are similar. I liked that it was more bustling on the boardwalk and calmer inside of this restaurant, before the sporting event crowd around the bar. There are so many restaurants to choose from at the Wharf, and many of them are packed and touristy. When you step inside of WillowSong, there is no crowding and the environment is calm. I would next like to try the Hamache Tartar. It is made with chili oil, preserved lemon, scallion, cashew, Eva's Garden mouse melon, serrano and cilantro. The staff said the breakfasts at WillowSong are very popular and are from 9am to 1pm. Cornmeal pancakes? Hello. Look at the Yelp photos to see the breakfast offering deliciousness at WillowSong. If the birthday dessert that we enjoyed was any indication, I would have to believe him. It was a chocolate brownie-like pastry with granola and graham crust, flowers and fruit. The dark chocolate ganache was decadent. This was a hazelnut dessert which I would have never ordered because I find the flavor overpowering. They kindly surprised us by bringing out a dessert they chose, with a lit candle and singing. I was so glad that the hazelnut flavor was subtle and that it did not taste like a Nutella dessert. The birthday dessert was subtlety-flavored with hazelnut but chocolatey and rich, otherwise. I think there was oatmeal or granola in it. This was a decadent experience. Love that the restaurant has margaritas and sangrias on draught. In the sangria you can find: mango purée, white wine, apple brandy and soda water. Would love to try, next time. As much as I love the Vietnamese fusion fare at Moon Rabbit, I was equally as delighted with the more global dining experience at WillowSong. And the lovely, warm service.

    Unassuming and delicious!…read more Food - everything we got was cooked well and large portion size. Calamari was fresh and crispy. Duck Ragu was interesting. Squid ink pasta was prob my favorite great flavors. The new sweet potato appetizer was refreshing and birthday slice a nice surprise. Service- they took great care of us. Very attentive and knowledgeable about the menu and restaurant concepts. The chef came and chatted with us. Drinks- espresso martini was nice and wine solid Vibes- decor was simple and classy. Nice patio on wharfs Main Street. Happy hour- solid food and drink offerings at a decent price

    Photos
    Willowsong - Old fashioned

    Old fashioned

    Willowsong - Yummy 'birthday' cheesecake

    Yummy 'birthday' cheesecake

    Willowsong - Outside

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    Outside

    The Salt Line - Oysters

    The Salt Line

    3.9(853 reviews)
    1.3 miNavy Yard
    $$

    Outside Bar. Service was great. Bartenders (Alexia great Ink & Jason) were friendly, smiles every…read moresingle customer. Fish Sandwich was really tiny but with Fries or Greens It was really good. Decided to order the Waterman's Catch(table behind me had ordered it OMG) Best thing about it, the Cole Slaw. It has a vinegar base. So good. Everything was fried hard hard hard batter peeled off( order not so hard) Comes with Fish(only had small piece fried so dark dark brown) 4 Scallops but there were 3 tiny pieces of deep fried crusty something that we thought tasted like Calamari. Subbed out Oysters for extra Shrimp. A lot of Shrimp, batter peeled right off so that was good for dipping in the Cocktail Sauce. Fries were ok. Order with Fish Sandwich we're so much better. Great price for $$. Good Music. Great view. Lots of laughs throughout bar. Would be good bar for Drinks and try the Baked Pimento Crab Tip...next time.

    The Salt Line, Washington DC (Navy Yard)…read more Scoping out the Navy Yard, trying to find a restaurant for the six of us on the Wednesday that Bruce Springsteen was performing at Nationals Stadium, I spent the prior Sunday at The Salt Line (which is about a 10-minute walk to the stadium). I was there during brunch service and found a menu that covered a lot of bases. My main interest was seeing if they still offered fried clam bellies, a rarity in the D.C. restaurant scene. Nope, no bellies, but on offer under the brunch appetizers were Stuffies (three baked top neck clams, smoked linguica, lemon, breadcrumbs, house hot sauce, $13), along with more traditional starters, including clam chowder ($7 cup, $12 bowl), fried calamari (roasted garlic pomodoro sauce, fried cherry peppers & artichoke, lemon, $15). I ended up ordering the North Shore Roast Beef sandwich (horseradish cream, BBQ sauce, American cheese, onion roll, with fries, $19). More than enough for brunch and lunch the following day. Service was good, and the meal was excellent. Note the Salt Line's transparency, where it explains that "DC restaurants have been operating with dynamic and significant increases in labor wages, food costs, and the general cost of doing business in DC. We have chosen to implement a 4% operational surcharge - which does not go towards gratuity - as the most comprehensive way to address this." Seems to me to strike a decent balance, but I'm not all that up to date about the living wage issue in the services industry. In any event I respect The Salt Line's management for being up front about their surcharge policy.

    Photos
    The Salt Line - SHRIMP COCKTAIL

    SHRIMP COCKTAIL

    The Salt Line - Crab Roll with crispy Brussels sprouts substituted

    Crab Roll with crispy Brussels sprouts substituted

    The Salt Line - Restaurant View

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    Restaurant View

    matchbox

    matchbox

    4.1(587 reviews)
    0.8 miPenn Quarter
    $$
    Happy hour specials
    Kid friendly

    Matchbox is undefeated to me! I've had so many occasions here for their brunch because it's just…read moreworth it! This time I came in for their lunch special and met my cousin to catch up. Parking for me was pretty easy as I found street parking right in front of the restaurant, my cousin parked in the garage. This matchbox is pretty big and it was decorated really nice. We were seated immediately for lunch and our server assisted us with the lunch options. I chose the mushroom pizza and soup. And my cousin had apple pear and soup of the day. For the $14.99 price it was worth it we had pizza left to take home. Pizza * Margherita * Pepperoni & Hot Honey * Fig & Prosciutto * Truffle + Wild Mushroom * Chicken Pesto Salad * Simple Salad * Caesar Salad * Apple Pear Salad Soup * Cream of Crab Soup * Soup of the Day

    Service is fantastic! Ambiance is a sporty vibe, fun-filled,…read moregood for groups. Food is okay. For $34 All-You-Can-Eat Brunch and the opportunity to sample EVERYTHING, yes, you read that right, EVERYTHING, on the menu, within 2-hours, is a steal and downright criminal...but you won't be arrested, just FULL! For an additional $25, you can have All-You-Can-Eat Drinks. You can choose from Bloody Mary's, Strawberry Lemonade Margaritas, Peach Bellinis, Old Fashions, again, robbery. They keep the food and drinks coming. We sampled everything from the Pesto Chicken Pizza. Small sized vs personal. Fried Chicken Wings come with either Old Bay, Mambo Sauce or Buffalo. Can't go wrong with either. You get about 4 in the sample. Catfish is fried and seasoned to perfection. Comes with a side of bland and our initial serving was cold grits, as if they were pre-plated. The portion is about 2 full tablespoons, in a miniature 2.5 oz. stainless steel sauce round. Steak and eggs with potatoes is a slivered serving of steak, cooked to your doneness but unseasonably and tough. Eggs scrambled with Cheddar. Potatoes were small round home fries. 3, 6, 9 Burgers are Beef Sliders topped with a mound of shoestring Onion Rings. You can choose between a leg or breast for their Chicken & Waffle. The Waffle's, two (2) pieces of one (1) half (2 quarter pieces.) There's SO MUCH to choose from. We didn't even get to the Pancakes and French Toast offerings. Again, you have two (2) hours to Eat ALL You Can. In, the words of my Beloved grandmother, "Don't let your eyes become bigger than your stomach." Good for groups and those who are budget-conscious, who want to maximize their entire experience.

    Photos
    matchbox
    matchbox
    matchbox

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    The Capitol Visitor Center Restaurant - tradamerican - Updated June 2026

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