the hamilton

it is a monster. lots of seats and a music venue. open 24x7. serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sushi! the picture above is of their stairs leading down to the music venue. i hadn't seen these lit up before. very cool. strangely enough, it doesn't have a cavernous vibe as you might expect in something this big. they broke thisrestaurantinto many small sections and bars in order to keep it feeling intimat

we visited the hamilton while on holidays from australia a few weeks ago. it was a treat for our last night in dc. the staff were great and the food, amazing! the sushi was fresh and some of the best i’ve had. hubby enjoyed the fried mozzarella starter and meatloaf main, and the scallops risotto was to die for. the cocktails went down a treat too. the exterior is quite deceiving, you don’t realise just how huge therestaurantreally is. great ambience and not too noisy considering the size of the dining room. absolutely loved it!

i’ve frequented this place the last few times that i’ve visited washington d.c. and i enjoy it every time. the breakfast menu definitely shakes things up especially with the burrito that practically made for hangovers even named after it. the apple pancakes are a great last morning in dc breakfast. there’s nothing the compares to crispy cornmeal crusted catfish on a bun at 1am. the late night sushi is pretty good too. the service is on point no matter the time of day. it’s another cool upscalerestaurantjust like the other restaurants (clyde’s & old ebbitt grill) in clyde’s restaurants group.

this is by far one of the best restaurants i've been to in dc. their menu is extensive, particularly the late night menu. they have reasonably priced snacks and meals that won't break the bank. they also serve full blown entrees, sandwiches, and sushi. there's something for everyone on the menu. our server was integral to the meal, who gave us plenty of recommendations for the menu. he also gave us recommendations of places to eat in the city and in annapolis. he had a plethora of knowledge and was a joy to talk to. everything we ordered per his recommendation was fantastic. i had the cornbread grilled cheese with jam and a cup of shrimp bisque soup. the two complimented each other so nicely, the soup creamy and sweet to the savory cornbread. my brother had the district wings with mumbo sauce, which was massive. the breading on the wings were good, but the mumbo sauce made the dish. we couldn't get enough of the d.c. speciality! it was house made, and you could definitely taste the difference! for dinner, my brother has the crab cake sandwich with slaw and fries. that was by far the freshest crab cake, or crab period, i've ever had. it tasted as if it was caught that morning. we dipped it in the soup and it added an entire other layer of complexity to the sandwich, which we loved. for the quality of food, thisrestaurantis a must go to! the elegant decor of the hotel can be a bit off putting for the casually dressed at first, but the late night crowd is far more laid back than during the day.

the hamilton is the place to satisfy all your cravings. sushi? burgers? steaks? seafood? you'll find it all there. it's a hugerestaurantand it has a performance stage downstairs.

this place is a dc crown jewel! the bar andrestauranthave very elegant bronze chandeliers everywhere. the dining area has signed art work and bronze and marble chandeliers. the staff are incredibly polite and very helpful. i've eaten here with friends every month and love this place. you can even reserve booths that have french doors to close off therestaurantif you want privacy. i've never seen that before, and i think that's a grand idea whoever installed those!

skip it!. one of the worst qualities in arestaurantis when they think they are better than they are, in actuality. the food was not bad, but the calibre of the attitude would make you think that the food should be spectacular -- which it is not. it's just ok. the menu was unremarkable. it's kind of like a hamburger joint with a broader menu and fancy paneling.

the service was not good and the host was rude, talking trash about us, when we requested a particular table. this despite the fact that the place is vast, with little reason we could not have the table of our choice.

overall, it was an unpleasant experience, which was conducive of feeling a knot in my stomach throughout the meal. as i read the reviews, i see others have had very similar experiences. i had been wanting to try this place for some time and i will not be returning.

this place needs to understand that the customer is always right. but you get the distinct feeling that they'll never understand that. if you're really into a goodrestaurantexperience, trust me, this place sucks. unless they come to understand true customer service, just skip it. really.

great service - 11/30/2012. we had dinner scheduled with a mom & dad that recently lost their son - who was a close friend of ours. the scheduled reservation was for a party of 8, which slowly and unexpectedly grew to 13 right after we were seated. we informed the staff (wayne - waiter & bond - manager) and they bent over backward to expand out table & accommodate our seating needs - despite therestaurant(the loft portion) being completely full & beyond busy on a friday night. the dinner was terrific (all aspects from food to incredible service) & i would sincerely ask anyone planning a night for a large group to seriously consider the hamilton.

food fails the ambiance. this is a beautifully directedrestaurantthat bamboozles its diners. the food is worse than pitiful, so much so that mcdonald's and arbys, which both serve food for the unsophisticated palate, rival the food served at this restaurant. even the 7-year-old kid didn't like his cheeseburger and fries. none of us tried the alcohol beverages, perhaps they are more worthy. bottom line, do not go, and if you do, do not order the food.

the question is with such a huge menu and varied cuisines, can the kitchen really master any of them? and moreover, does it have to? the answer to both questions is no. while some dishes were better than others, nothing was outstanding and nothing was offensive. so while the “kitchen sink” approach to cuisine seems inherently offensive to me, i can see how a little of everything, even if mediocre, can often times be good enough. this is especially true when you’re with a group of people who can’t settle on one type of cuisine or when you “need” that late-night, post-drinking grub. i also imagine the hamilton will be a favorite amongrestaurantindustry folks who need to unwind after working a long shift.

4th and last time. so many issues. therestaurantdoesn't appear to specialize in anything and even with the limited number of menu items items, nothing is above average. don't even waste your time with the sushi. they have no idea what they're doing. service is just horrible. horrible. slow, inattentive, and untrained. leadership seems weak as well. often large groups of servers are seen standing in the dining room just chatting. hard to believe this place can have so many issues given it's lineage.

by samantha grieder capital cooking contributor it's 8:30 in the morning and there's already jazz musicians playing on stage. it's fitting, considering the fact that this is a 24/7 operation. located downtown near metro center, the hamilton is a recently opened venture by the clyde'srestaurantgroup . it's food. it's music. and it's, in a word, impressive. there's a whopping 37,000 square feet of space to fill, but it's well appointed. the main dining area, at street level, is where you'll find space for 500. booths near the windows have doors that can close off for a more intimate setting. statues of storks decorate the restaurant. they seem delicate in the midst of such a large space. there also happens to be a sushi bar on this floor, a sign that the hamilton is offering more than just burgers. early on a monday morning, most of d.c. is making its way into the office than here for breakfast. but, unexpectedly, it's not at a standstill. guests are slowly entering the doors of the ha