Marcel's Fine Dining Experience

This has been a very disappointing experience because I made a reservation for 8pm through the online system, giving my phone number and email.
At 7.30pm got a text message reminding my reservation at 8pm.
Arrived at the place, we found out that the restaurant...was been temporarily closed on a paper sign on the door.
No one took the time to give us a call informing of the closure.
This is unacceptable because they had all necessary information to get in touch with me.
In a magnificent way of taking the Pisa, the following day got a mail requesting to rate the restaurant experience.
No other to say.More was been temporarily closed on a paper sign on the door.
No one took the time to give us a call informing of the closure.
This is unacceptable because they had all necessary information to get in touch with me.
In a magnificent way of taking the Pisa, the following day got a mail requesting to rate the restaurant experience.
No other to say.

We were a party of 4, going out to celebrate a graduation. We pre-paid the 400 dollars required for 7PM reservation for a party of 4. Let’s start with not being seated in the main dining room. Instead we were seated in the bar area...at the table nearest to the restrooms, even though the restaurant was empty and remained empty throughout our entire 3 hour meal ordeal. We were treated like second class citizens. Not prioritize throughout our meal. We had to be animated and vocal to get the attention of the wait staff. Our expectation for a Michelin starred restaurant, is to receive a superb meal with service to match. Given that we ordered the 6 course meal, we expected the delivery of the courses to be well orchestrated for a satisfying meal. Instead we waited 30 or more minutes for the early courses, only when closing time approached, did the wait between courses reduced to be a little less than 30 minutes. If you are going to stretch out each course, then there should be offerings to cleanse the palate, none was offered. Bread was not offered throughout the meal, even though some of the courses required bread to get the most out of the dish. Needless to say for a $200.00 per plate dinner, it was a very disappointing meal. My advice to anyone that will patron this establishment, be prepared to be underwhelmed. Would not recommend.More at the table nearest to the restrooms, even though the restaurant was empty and remained empty throughout our entire 3 hour meal ordeal. We were treated like second class citizens. Not prioritize throughout our meal. We had to be animated and vocal to get the attention of the wait staff. Our expectation for a Michelin starred restaurant, is to receive a superb meal with service to match. Given that we ordered the 6 course meal, we expected the delivery of the courses to be well orchestrated for a satisfying meal. Instead we waited 30 or more minutes for the early courses, only when closing time approached, did the wait between courses reduced to be a little less than 30 minutes. If you are going to stretch out each course, then there should be offerings to cleanse the palate, none was offered. Bread was not offered throughout the meal, even though some of the courses required bread to get the most out of the dish. Needless to say for a $200.00 per plate dinner, it was a very disappointing meal. My advice to anyone that will patron this establishment, be prepared to be underwhelmed. Would not recommend.

We were part of a group that dined in the separate group dining room. The food was fabulous, and the service was on point. I liked being able to have a conversation without having to strain to hear or shout to be heard. My Sound...Print dB check showed a quiet 65 to 70 dB range. The piano is in the bar area, so it was pleasant and unobtrusive background music.More Print dB check showed a quiet 65 to 70 dB range. The piano is in the bar area, so it was pleasant and unobtrusive background music.

OK, so its expensive but, fine dining seems to be thin on the ground over the pond. We booked a table for a Sunday night. We were surprised to share the restaurant with 5 more diners all evening. This didn't detract from a great foodie...experience.

Its probably best summed up by saying the menu comprises of around 12 small sharing plates that are plated beautifully. All the dishes were freshly prepared and flavoursome. Generally a million miles from run of the mill American fried food.

Service was very professional and friendly. All the staff wore smiles. The wine by the glass selection was very impressive. It would be very easy to run up a bill of 500 dollars for two people depending on how many courses you select. However, it was a welcome change and we would return.More experience.

Its probably best summed up by saying the menu comprises of around 12 small sharing plates that are plated beautifully. All the dishes were freshly prepared and flavoursome. Generally a million miles from run of the mill American fried food.

Service was very professional and friendly. All the staff wore smiles. The wine by the glass selection was very impressive. It would be very easy to run up a bill of 500 dollars for two people depending on how many courses you select. However, it was a welcome change and we would return.

This was a romantic 10th anniversary visit. We love to try new things and are hard to impress but this was a truly wonderful dining experience. It would feel more hospitable to open a few minutes prior to the first reservation on a chilly November...night but otherwise it was a perfect evening. The service is friendly, personable, and excellent. Each dish was a new experience, the rabbit dumplings, roasted squab, and artic char were particular standouts as well as the amuse bouche. Their bread is the perfect combination of lightness with just a little bit of buttery crunch on the crust. The cocktails were perfectly made. I can see why this restaurant is a dc staple and look forward to returning in the future. Thank you to the hard working staff and Chef Jenn for all you did to make our night special.More night but otherwise it was a perfect evening. The service is friendly, personable, and excellent. Each dish was a new experience, the rabbit dumplings, roasted squab, and artic char were particular standouts as well as the amuse bouche. Their bread is the perfect combination of lightness with just a little bit of buttery crunch on the crust. The cocktails were perfectly made. I can see why this restaurant is a dc staple and look forward to returning in the future. Thank you to the hard working staff and Chef Jenn for all you did to make our night special.

I was really looking forward to a 5-star experience and so very much regret to say this was not that.

For anyone who knows A Chorus Line, you'll know the famous number Dance: Ten; Looks, Three. 

The setting and the food were 10. To be fair, the service...wasn't quite 3, but it was a lot closer to 5 than you'd reasonably hope/expect? for a restaurant whose entry-level tasting menu is $110 before drinks, service or anything else.

Some notes:

--Upon sitting at our table for 10 people, a few of the otherwise lovely place settings were missing napkins. Attention to detail alert?

--Our waiter was very high-spirited, which would have been great except that it became clear that he wasn't up to his A game, maybe resulting from the night before when he shared a few times that the restaurant had hosted a 7-course tasting menu with wine pairings that had kept the staff there til the wee hours

--After we ordered a couple of bottles of bubbly to get started, it took quite a long time before our orders for food were taken

--During that interval, I didn't see our waiter again to be able to order wine for when our food arrived

--Our first course was then served without any wine having been ordered, let alone served. When I asked our waiter about this, he brought the wine list and I quickly chose a bottle of white and said that I needed another moment to pick the red

--The white wine did come soon enough for our guests who were drinking white to enjoy that with their first course

--It took quite a while for our waiter to take my order for the red wine, though not as long as it took for the red wine to finally arrive

--Everyone at the table had long finished their first courses, but I hadn't eaten mine, as I'd wanted to enjoy that tasty bison tartare with--spoiler alert--red wine

--The staff tried to clear the first course plates a few times and asked if everything was ok with my uneaten bison tartare. I said that I'm sure it was though I was waiting for the red wine I'd ordered to enjoy it with

--When the red wine finally came, there wasn't any acknowledgement of the delay other than maybe a mumbled "had to get it from the cellar"--unlike any other wine there?

--The second and third courses were served mostly without incident although not always to the guests who'd ordered them

--Remember that red wine? Apparently our service team didn't, as I had to ask to have it poured when our guests' glasses were empty

--Onto the last course. One of our guests at the outset had been very clear about his nut allergy. When he was served a dessert he hadn't ordered that had nuts and we flagged it to our waiter, he literally laughed it off by joking to a fellow server about whether they were trying to kill one of the guests that wouldn't be great for business. I'm sorry, did I miss the part about when anaphylactic shock had become a joke? 

--As for the check, I'm still sorting out with the friend in our party who'd made the reservation with the $100 per person deposit why she'd been told both before the dinner and during the dinner that her deposit would be refunded as I was paying for the whole check, when that's not what ended up happening. 

Again, in sum, the food and setting were lovely and enjoyed by all of us. But the thing I've heard from other restaurants lately about "Please forgive us for any lapses in service, staffing is tough these days" didn't seem to fit for a place like this, especially when we heard that one of the team serving our table has been there since the restaurant opened.More wasn't quite 3, but it was a lot closer to 5 than you'd reasonably hope/expect? for a restaurant whose entry-level tasting menu is $110 before drinks, service or anything else.

Some notes:

--Upon sitting at our table for 10 people, a few of the otherwise lovely place settings were missing napkins. Attention to detail alert?

--Our waiter was very high-spirited, which would have been great except that it became clear that he wasn't up to his A game, maybe resulting from the night before when he shared a few times that the restaurant had hosted a 7-course tasting menu with wine pairings that had kept the staff there til the wee hours

--After we ordered a couple of bottles of bubbly to get started, it took quite a long time before our orders for food were taken

--During that interval, I didn't see our waiter again to be able to order wine for when our food arrived

--Our first course was then served without any wine having been ordered, let alone served. When I asked our waiter about this, he brought the wine list and I quickly chose a bottle of white and said that I needed another moment to pick the red

--The white wine did come soon enough for our guests who were drinking white to enjoy that with their first course

--It took quite a while for our waiter to take my order for the red wine, though not as long as it took for the red wine to finally arrive

--Everyone at the table had long finished their first courses, but I hadn't eaten mine, as I'd wanted to enjoy that tasty bison tartare with--spoiler alert--red wine

--The staff tried to clear the first course plates a few times and asked if everything was ok with my uneaten bison tartare. I said that I'm sure it was though I was waiting for the red wine I'd ordered to enjoy it with

--When the red wine finally came, there wasn't any acknowledgement of the delay other than maybe a mumbled "had to get it from the cellar"--unlike any other wine there?

--The second and third courses were served mostly without incident although not always to the guests who'd ordered them

--Remember that red wine? Apparently our service team didn't, as I had to ask to have it poured when our guests' glasses were empty

--Onto the last course. One of our guests at the outset had been very clear about his nut allergy. When he was served a dessert he hadn't ordered that had nuts and we flagged it to our waiter, he literally laughed it off by joking to a fellow server about whether they were trying to kill one of the guests that wouldn't be great for business. I'm sorry, did I miss the part about when anaphylactic shock had become a joke? 

--As for the check, I'm still sorting out with the friend in our party who'd made the reservation with the $100 per person deposit why she'd been told both before the dinner and during the dinner that her deposit would be refunded as I was paying for the whole check, when that's not what ended up happening. 

Again, in sum, the food and setting were lovely and enjoyed by all of us. But the thing I've heard from other restaurants lately about "Please forgive us for any lapses in service, staffing is tough these days" didn't seem to fit for a place like this, especially when we heard that one of the team serving our table has been there since the restaurant opened.

Really gone downhill. The tasting menu is great if you are on a paleo diet and eat pork and shellfish. If not, very few options. Amuse-bouche cratered tastebuds with too much spice. Rest of meal too spicy and no vegetables. Had we not been forced...to make a deposit of $200 for the reservation, we would not have stayed for a meal.More to make a deposit of $200 for the reservation, we would not have stayed for a meal.

We hadn’t been to Marcel’s restaurant since December 2019, shortly before we all had to bunker for COVID-19. When we returned, little had changed (except the masks) and that is a good thing! Marcel’s is an institution of consistent, polished quality that you can rely...on through thick and thin, which keeps drawing us to their dining room.

Granted, Marcel’s is not for everyone. It is one of the few jacket-required places left in Washington, and it doesn’t play to over-hyped trendiness in the food world. I consider Marcel’s restaurant to be one of those places of understated elegance (I think of the Chicago Peninsula hotel in much the same way). It’s not uptight and fussy for the sake of being uptight, but it is to give order and calm, so you can focus on the high-quality food and service while not being distracted by a lot of trendy "noise."

My other general shout out to Marcel’s restaurant is that they truly know how to be flexible with dietary restrictions. This clearly shows a culinary competence (and effort to please its customers) often lacking in so many other restaurants. Before we looked at the menu, our server said that he remembered our lactose allergy from our last visit, and the kitchen is more than happy to make whatever dish we wanted on the menu without dairy. The ability to adjust, and not eliminate, means a lot!! (For example, the last time we went to Tail Up Goat, they eliminated most of the menu because it had dairy with no ability to modulate to the needs of the customer!!?? This is not a good look for a Michelin-star restaurant.)

Now, on to the food! Just like our last visit, we ordered five courses. However, you can select 4-6 courses. We are big eaters, but I think six courses would ruin the experience with too much food. The other thing we really like about Marcel’s restaurant is that our server constructed our menus (but you can pick whatever you want). Our server did a great job of balancing fish and meat and giving each of us different courses. He did select foie gras for both of us because he remembered we both really liked that from our last visit! It’s that kind of attention to detail that makes you want to return! The standouts for us this time among the fish were the crispy snapper and the scallops. For the meat, the duck was once again the winner. Marcel’s can really prepare a succulent duck! And of course, the fois gras! If you like it, it is very decadent and prepared with that great balance of sweet and savory. For dessert, I was going to scale down to some sorbet because I was getting full, but our server talked me into the dark chocolate and blackberry mousse bombe. I’m really glad that I followed his advice! I couldn’t finish it, but I was glad to eat what I could. It is packed full of flavors and has just the right amount of sweet, but not over the top. It was a great way to finish a great meal.

The wine was also well selected. I believe that I wrote in my last review in 2019 that I thought the wine prices were reasonable for this price point and that the wines were competently paired and enhanced the food. I believe both remain true for this visit.

For the price, we had the four-course tasting menu for two people, four glasses of wine, and two foie gras supplements. The total price including tax and tip was about $490. Because of the extra attention to detail, we tipped 25+ percent. Considering all of the attention to detail, the well-orchestrated service, high quality and adaptable cooking, we believe this warrants the price and continues to represent a good value.

We continue to wonder, since the DMV started giving Michelin ratings, where is Marcel’s star??? We believe Marcel’s restaurant is more deserving than many other recipients. However, Marcel’s restaurant will continue to be part of our rotation for the foreseeable future, regardless of the Michelin guide!More on through thick and thin, which keeps drawing us to their dining room.

Granted, Marcel’s is not for everyone. It is one of the few jacket-required places left in Washington, and it doesn’t play to over-hyped trendiness in the food world. I consider Marcel’s restaurant to be one of those places of understated elegance (I think of the Chicago Peninsula hotel in much the same way). It’s not uptight and fussy for the sake of being uptight, but it is to give order and calm, so you can focus on the high-quality food and service while not being distracted by a lot of trendy "noise."

My other general shout out to Marcel’s restaurant is that they truly know how to be flexible with dietary restrictions. This clearly shows a culinary competence (and effort to please its customers) often lacking in so many other restaurants. Before we looked at the menu, our server said that he remembered our lactose allergy from our last visit, and the kitchen is more than happy to make whatever dish we wanted on the menu without dairy. The ability to adjust, and not eliminate, means a lot!! (For example, the last time we went to Tail Up Goat, they eliminated most of the menu because it had dairy with no ability to modulate to the needs of the customer!!?? This is not a good look for a Michelin-star restaurant.)

Now, on to the food! Just like our last visit, we ordered five courses. However, you can select 4-6 courses. We are big eaters, but I think six courses would ruin the experience with too much food. The other thing we really like about Marcel’s restaurant is that our server constructed our menus (but you can pick whatever you want). Our server did a great job of balancing fish and meat and giving each of us different courses. He did select foie gras for both of us because he remembered we both really liked that from our last visit! It’s that kind of attention to detail that makes you want to return! The standouts for us this time among the fish were the crispy snapper and the scallops. For the meat, the duck was once again the winner. Marcel’s can really prepare a succulent duck! And of course, the fois gras! If you like it, it is very decadent and prepared with that great balance of sweet and savory. For dessert, I was going to scale down to some sorbet because I was getting full, but our server talked me into the dark chocolate and blackberry mousse bombe. I’m really glad that I followed his advice! I couldn’t finish it, but I was glad to eat what I could. It is packed full of flavors and has just the right amount of sweet, but not over the top. It was a great way to finish a great meal.

The wine was also well selected. I believe that I wrote in my last review in 2019 that I thought the wine prices were reasonable for this price point and that the wines were competently paired and enhanced the food. I believe both remain true for this visit.

For the price, we had the four-course tasting menu for two people, four glasses of wine, and two foie gras supplements. The total price including tax and tip was about $490. Because of the extra attention to detail, we tipped 25+ percent. Considering all of the attention to detail, the well-orchestrated service, high quality and adaptable cooking, we believe this warrants the price and continues to represent a good value.

We continue to wonder, since the DMV started giving Michelin ratings, where is Marcel’s star??? We believe Marcel’s restaurant is more deserving than many other recipients. However, Marcel’s restaurant will continue to be part of our rotation for the foreseeable future, regardless of the Michelin guide!

Outstanding French food served in a most classy manner. Atmosphere superb.
Wine incredible. All personele very friendly.

Absolutely wonderful, from the staff to the food to the service. Impeccable and worth every penny. We will be back.

Marcel’s was a wonderful, fine dining experience. The RW group has done a fabulous job not letting the pandemic impact them too much or ruin the classic French-Belgian experience. Except for the masks, the tables left empty for distancing and the boarded windows (DC riots)...More

Marcel’s, how we’ve missed you! This has been a grueling 8 months for lovers of fine dining. Take out is fine but can’t replace that luxurious feeling that a very professional staff (both front- and back-of-house) will see to it as a duty that you...More

Imagine the lovely dining room with half the tables gone so the nearest other party is on the other side of the room. Imagine being served by the host, with the only other interaction being with the silent but attentive young lady refilling your water...More

We had a fabulous evening at Marcel's. The service from the front of the house was perfectly balanced between attentiveness and discretion. The food was beautifully prepared and presented and delicious in every way. Marcel's is elegant and we enjoyed the evening very much. What...More

This review is for a reservation i made over a month ago for dinner on Saturday February 22nd. I have to say that I am supremely disappointed in not being able to eat at Marcel's. I've eaten at Brasserie Beck quite a few times and...More

In March, we dined at Marcel’s by Robert Wiedmaier, and had a lovely dinner. We had just flown into DC from New Orleans, where we had been dining wonderfully, so Marcel’s was a great extension of what was shaping up as a “food tour,” though...More

For the last 42 years, my husband and I have been celebrating my birthday by going to a top-rated French restaurant. As New Yorkers, we had a choice of restaurants with ”reasonable” prix fixe lunch menus. Our first, in 1978, was Lutèce. We paid $26...More

I've been to Marcel's a few times over the last 10 years. The food and service are quite good. All four at our table agreed the scallops were the best we'd had. I thought the foie gras was superb. Recommended.

We hosted a wonderful birthday dinner at Marcel's for 12 guests and everyone raved, including veteran foodies and world travelers. The service was excellent, welcoming and helpful without interrupting conversation. The menu changes frequently, and one stand outs were the La Belle Farm Duck Breast...More

We went to Marcel's after seeing My Fair Lady. We arrived at 5:00 for a 5:30 reservation (the play was over earlier than expected) and we were seated promptly. Service was great and we liked what was on the Pre-Theater menu so that is what...More

Fantastic dining experience. Got the 4 courses and every single bit was noteworthy! Two couples all enjoyed it w/ many comments like "Can you believe how good this is?" "Or OMG I haven't had food this good in I can't remember." Truly an amazing meal!...More

Visited on a quiet Sunday evening in December. Service was outstanding as described by several other reviewers.... perfectly timed and unobtrusive. Well spaced tables. No up selling on wine. Our waiter recommended the 4 course dinner which was more than enough food for my wife...More

Over the holiday weekend we were looking for something interesting to experience and landed at Marcel’s restaurant.

Great food and oustanding service were aligned well.

Our server was extremely engaged and used the term “flexibility” throughout. This is always welcomed.

We selected the five-course tasting...More

The food is still great and service friendly and professional. We had a lovely evening.
• However at $940 for 4 people ( including a bottle of wine and service) seems to be pushing the limit, hence the missing star .

Very nice ambiance - quiet, relaxing. Excellent service. Waiter explained items on menus very well and gave good recommendations for dishes. Quality of food was impeccable.