A few years ago (2-3), I went to Odeon Cafe and had a really great Italian dinner. The food was delicious, service was good, and had an overall positive experience. When a couple of friends wanted to go to brunch one Sunday, I didn’t hesitate to mention Odeon Cafe since a different friend had recommended the place. Since I enjoyed my meal the last time I was there and so did she, I thought this would be a great brunch…
- Food:I ordered the Cafe Odeon Benedict eggs. The entire plate was cold and the poached eggs were terribly overcooked (the yolk was completely hard). The potatoes had no flavor. One friend ordered the salmon crepes which was the loser of the table. The crepes were too thick, doughy, and chewy. There was no salmon flavor whatsoever. The winning plate was the salmon egg white omelet, but it was also cold. However, the eggs were nicely cooked with a nice salmon flavor.
- Service: Despite an empty restaurant, the server rarely appeared. When he did stop by the table, he was nice.
- Atmosphere: There are two stories and in the summer, the windows in the front open. On the left-hand side, there’s a bar (about 12-15 stools).
- Attire: Casual
- Price: $$
- Overall:Did the restaurant change owners? Did they get a new chef? Who knows? Stick to the egg white omelet with salmon for brunch and it’ll be OK. I haven’t been in a long time for dinner but would love to hear from you about your experiences…
Details:
- Hours: Brunch: Saturday & Sunday: 9:00am – 4:00pm; Lunch: Daily: 11:30am – 4:00pm; Dinner: Nightly: 4:00pm – 12:00am
- Address: 1714 Connecticut Ave N.W.; Washington, DC 20009
- Ph: (202) 328-6228
February 11, 2009 at 2:12 am
I love Odeon Cafe and have always thought it was my little secret but I’m really not surprised about your experience. I think this happens a lot with good restaurants that try to capitalize off of the brunch crowd. The way I see it is that you shouldn’t try brunch if you’re not going to be great at it. And many restaurants are just not. But that’s ok if your lunch/dinner food is really good.
February 11, 2009 at 6:57 am
Thanks for the comment City Girl! It’s good to hear their lunch/dinner is still delicious. I’ll have to go back and try it again sometime — will keep you posted!
May 23, 2009 at 1:43 pm
On 5/23/09 I sadly write this review because I visited Cafe Odeon on 1/2/08 and it was one of the best dining experiences ever. The owner was on site and he ensured our first visit was one to remember. The service was impeccable and the food was incredible. So much so I often thought of it fondly and have been raving to everyone. Sadly, that was then this is now.
On 5/21/09, I revisit Cafe Odeon with a date having full expectations of another incredible experience. The waiter was completely rude, rolled his eyes at every interaction, walking way while I was in mid-sentence and was basically uninterested during the entire dinner. I ordered the Cleopatra (remembering its delight from my last visit) and my date ordered the lobster ravioli which we promptly returned. He said it was like a tire on the outside and cardboard on this inside. There were about 8-9 ravioli COVERED in some kind of sauce. No lobster was anywhere to be found on the meal. The waiter almost said he couldn’t take it back. I didn’t even entertainment such ridicouslessness and basically just ignored his statement saying “He’ll have the Cleopatra instead. Thank you”. Of course, as expected the waiter rolled his eyes and replaced the meal. Even the Cleopatra, their signature seafood pasta meal, was just OK. It was a far cry from the first fresh, incredible meal I experienced. The pasta seemed fresh but the tomato cream sauce had clearly been sitting around for awhile and was slightly sludge like. The seafood was also not freshly made. So much so the mussell shells were still cold as I picked them up by the shell to remove the mussell. The seafood just had hot sauce poured over it. At best all I can say is it was edible, just barelyl!!!
The waiter never returned during our meal however we did see him holding 15 minutes conversations with other restaurant patrons. That left us convinced the waiter could have a personality but had chosen to be completely disrespectful and rude to us during our visit.
I do plan to write a letter to the owner because this was such a distinct difference from my first visit. I don’t plan to ever return. I wanted dessert but i wasn’t about to give this establishment another dime of my hard earned money. Good luck with your experience if you choose to try Cafe Odeon. I should note we are an African American couple. We were the only minorities in the restaurant. I would hate to think the waiter’s attitude and service was racially motivated. Nonetheless, no one deserves this type of service and for $75 it was a total rip-off.