the hamilton

wow! what a wonderful experience! the cheese board (we opted to try 3 varieties) is the best in flavour and value that i've ever had at a restaurant. served with walnut raisin bread and a simpler crusty bread, in addition to a house-made fruit chutney and a sweet, nutty chutney. we picked types of cheese that we wouldn't find easily at home: black and blue, goat cheese (maryland); cabot clothbound, cow cheese (vermont); and red row, raw cow cheese (virginia). all three were delicious!

the southern fried chicken (sandwich) was nothing short of amazing - and they use hormone and antibiotic free, humanely raised chicken. the rosemary truffle frites were also a winner. my dining partner also gave a thumbs up to the pulled pork sandwich.

we're definitely going back on our trip, as they also have a great lineup of live entertainment!*
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*the sushi served in the music venue (lower level) wasn't impressive, and the same cheeseboard i raved about earlier (while still excellent) was served with less amount of bread and chutney than what is served in the main restaurant. they should ensure that the dishes are consistent between the two spaces for a seamless experience.

service very slow, painfully so!! food was just ok, nothing to rave about. sat us behind the bar, ugh, so loud could not engage in conversation without shouting!! would not go back!

food was good, service a little slow (time it took for the food to be served) and the menu was well priced for the area. we had a good variety of food types and everyone really enjoyed their meals. would go back.

the sushis are to-die-for! my sister and i are huge fans of fusion sushis and i have to say this is by far the most creative sushis i have come across. kudos to the chefs. we ordered quite a few things from the 'hamilton signature rolls' and i have to say the dynamite, fire dragon and fire cracker rolls were my favourites! they tasted amazing too! every bite was a burst of flavour and texture. my mouth is salivating writing this review. it was that good! the lobster rolls are also a must! plain fresh lobsters sans overpowering mayo or spices on a crispy, buttery bun - it was heavenly. top of my list next time i am in dc.

good atmosphere, the food was ok but the service was horrible. very inattentive wait staff. salads arrived at the same time as entrees. waiter didn't remove plates after we were done eating and plates stacked up. waiter forgot to bring our dessert.

nice lunch spot. we stopped in here for a late lunch after spending much of the day touring the city, so it wasn't very busy when we were there. it has a nice, relaxing atmosphere. i had a salad with beets that was really good. the fish tacos were great! nice selection of craft beers on tap, which i loved. the prices were reasonable for the location in downtown dc near the white house.

christmas eve dinner. had few options in dc on christmas eve and hotel suggested the hamilton. it looked pretty fancy but we took a look at the menu and found it to have lots of options from burgers to sushi and the prices were reasonable . the decor was lovely and the waitress was attentive.

good food, but truly rancid service. pros: food was good, and the price was reasonable. decor is pleasant.
cons: breathtakingly bad service from check-in staff, management, and waiter. our party of six was seated 40 minutes after our reservation time, and after 3-4 rude blowoffs when we asked about progress. at last we were led from the check-in station toward...not our table, but a hallway where we were left alone for another 15 minutes, standing with nothing to do. the waiter was hopeless, disappearing for long periods and then returning to ask us to pass him table items he could easily have reached. even paying and getting parking validated was nearly impossible. the staff, including management, seems stuck between hopeless and helpless. it seems like no one is in charge or even trying to make things work for customers. we were polite at all times but never received even a simple "sorry." and for heaven's sake, could mgmt please buy a box of pens so people can sign their charge slips?

falafel. yummm


-----25 sep, 2014-----

bbq brisket. amazing!!

the hamilton burger. overcooked egg, under cooked medium-well burger


-----30 aug, 2014-----

disappointed. i had high expectations for the hamilton. we arrived about 1 on a saturday. not especially crowded, but not dead. we had to ask to have a server come see us after about 7 or 8 minutes. we ordered the hamilton burger ($13, plus $3 extra for fries) and chicken and biscuits ($15, no discount for 86-ing the two fried eggs). the medium-well burger was underseasoned and underdone. the fried egg on the burger was sunny-side well-done. the chicken was over and bacon under. the fries, however, were stellar.

service was abysmal. runners served us. our waitress never checked on us or even asked how we liked the meal when she ultimately cleared the table. we had to ask for the check about 10 minutes after finishing.
we weren't alone in noticing the (lack of) service. a party seated after us left after about 10 minutes before a server ever stopped by.

over-priced and poorly executed food served by an inattentive and indifferent wait staff.

we had both come straight from work and were absolutely famished. we decided to split a $40 pitcher of sangria rather than order two drinks a piece at $10 (or more) per cocktail, and after some mulling over the menu decided upon our dinner entrees. and then we sat. for 15 minutes. without even a glass of water. finally, a waiter — not even our waiter — noticed us with our full menus and empty glasses. he promptly took both our drink and dinner orders and searched out our

great service and good food. liked the variety of the menu but not overwhelmed by the options. sushi was excellent! would definitely go again.

i was here back in september. i had a burger. i added bacon and avocado. it was by far the best burger i have ever eaten. it was cooked perfectly with thick bacon and half of an avocado. the roll was amazing and chewy and was a great price. i can't wait for a few weeks to be back in dc to go there again.

1st time. like, but too loud!. saw moon shine society (super classy and talented) and the main act, indigenous
on feb 4, 20114 at the hamilton live. also, very talented but gave way to not being able to hear the music because they were just to loud!

best salmon dish i have ever had!. i didn't expect to have the best salmon entree dish i have ever had at a business dinner. twenty of us walked a few blocks to the hamilton on a recent saturday night, after a long day of meetings. we weren’t very surprised by the décor; this is business-dinner sort of place, with paneled walls and dramatic art. but, we were surprised by the friendly, responsive service and great food. we ordered bottles of white and red wines – i don’t remember what they brought us, but it was very good!
and, cheese plate (can’t quite figure which one it was) and meat appetizer (sopressata) were absolutely delicious. i ordered the crab soup (pretty good) and the pan seared salmon with french lentils, sautéed spinach, and crispy prosciutto. the salmon was perfectly marinated and cooked – by far the best salmon dish i have tried. too bad i had to leave dc the next day; i would have definitely gone back for the salmon again. overall, this is a great place for dinner – the service is wonderful and the food is very, very good.