Maydan

Went here on a Saturday at 5:15 pm without a reservation, but we were seated outside. Tried the Tawle experience. It took roughly 2.5 hours in total. Starting with appetizers, the selection consisted of pickled veggies, fried cheese (with honey - my favorite), with three dips hummus, tahini and a spicy one. The second course was 2 types of salads, roasted carrots and chicken. All of them were really good. Finally the main course, we got the lamb shoulder (for an additional price) , rib eye and cauliflower. The lamb shoulder and the rib steak was amazing both are a must dish. The service was good and polite.

Maydan is a great place to dine with a large group you don’t mind sharing food with. The more people, the more items you are able to try. The meal is served family style. Quality and flavors were very good! Definitely a fun dining experience. Can be tricky to find because entry is speakeasy-ish. There will be an unmarked door staff will let you into.

This place lived up to its hype and was more reasonably priced than I had anticipated (we ordered a la carte and split several plates though). Delicious food!! Every plate had amazing flavor. The swordfish kabob and Omani shrimp and apricot semolina cake stood out for me. The bread was also delicious. And the service was top notch. Everyone was so friendly from the moment we were walking into the door to the moment we were walking out of the back door. The ambiance is great too. Looking forward to coming back.

I came to DC over the summer, to see the sights and eat the food. The sights didn't disappoint. Absolutely iconic stuff that revitalizes your confidence that this country can be frustrating at times, but that progress always prevails. The food also didn't disappoint, and I feel like Maydan is a great example of what I mean here. Gone are the days of the Michelin Guide being mostly about fancy French cuisine or high end sushi. If you look at the Starred DC restaurants, you'll see Indian, Colombian, Peruvian, and Middle Eastern, here in Maydan. First of all, I love a Starred restaurant in which you can order a la cart. It makes this great food more accessible, which is good for everyone. Finding the place is almost like finding a speakeasy. It's located down an alley, and the door is definitely not clearly labeled. It's not labeled, but the door certainly stands out. When you walk to where Google Maps wants you to go, you definitely should feel like you're in the right place. Just have faith and open the door. Luckily, I was right, and I followed my hostess through the grill and bar area and up the stairs to my table. What a vibe. It felt like some sort of underground club scene, like in the movie Blade. You walk by their massive grill that is cooking with real wood and fire on giant metal grates. You feel the heat as you walk by. When you get seated, you'll be looking around at the contemporary Middle Eastern décor for the rest of the night. I was lucky, we got seated above the giant hearth, so I could glace down occasionally and watch them cook their veggies and meat on the licking flames. Very cool. That was five long paragraphs about not a lot, so let's finally get to the food. While I am happy that they offer a la carte stuff, their version of a tasting menu, their Tawle Menu, I just could not turn it down. It was too much good stuff and it was designed to be eaten community style. Instantly sold. It came out in about four different courses. The first block of food was three beautiful dips and that sweet, charred Halloumi cheese. Along with a plate of veggies and a type of flatbread that reminded me of a pita, and the server made it clear to us it was all you can eat, which is perfect. Everything was good. The best thing was the Muhammara (walnut, roasted red pepper, pomegranate molasses). Very deep and peppery and sweet, with nice chunks of walnut throughout. Unless you're a cheese person, then you'll think the Halloumi is the best. Then, you'll get the chicken, some roasted veggies (I had asparagus), and a couple of nice, fresh salads. The chicken was juicy and charred to perfection. So were the veggies, and it was blasted with harissa and lemon and chives and stuff. Keep some of your bread and dips, to pair with this course. Somewhere in the middle of that course, you'll get your Center Plate. Your main event. I got the Ribeye (adjika, blue fenugreek). And you'll also get the four condiments (Toum, Chermoula, Tahina, and Harissa). Take all those and slather it over every bite and get some bread and just have a good time. Overall, this was a really amazing evening. The atmosphere, the service, the food. It's on par with some Two Starred restaurants I've experienced before. Looking back, I'm pretty sure this was my 2nd favorite meal of the trip. If I come back to the area, I will definitely be coming back.

This restaurant was very highly hyped. The talk of the town and I feel as if the experience was pretty mediocre. Don't get me wrong the restaurant is nice and the menu is vast but if you've been hyped up by your friend group and internet you may end up disappointed. The atmosphere is great and the restaurant is huge. The entrance is a little hard to find. The food was alright. There isn't anything on the menu where I'm like "you have to try this". Overall I think it's decent enough to try for a date night. I may have just gone on an off night.

100% worth the visit! Stopped in here on a weekday night around 5:30 and snagged a seat at the bar. Diners at the bar can still order the full menu, which is nice. Collin at the bar took great care of me! They have a variety of dishes, hummus, salads, roasted cauliflower, chicken, lamb, etc., and ALL of it is supurb. The open fire is a really cool feature and is very cozy in chillier weather. Looking forward to coming back and dining with a bigger group to try their full table menu!

A popular restaurant in DC that requires reservations far in advance. It's a little hard to find. One needs to walk down the alleyway and enter through a door on the right. Throughout the meal, the staff were incredibly kind and the food was flavorful and filling. While the Tawle menu for $75 per person is probably the way to go rather than ordering à la carte, there are some great menu items that aren't on the Tawle menu. I really enjoyed the Cara Cara Orange Salad. Their ribeye was delicious, perfectly seasoned and melt in your mouth. Their hummus and dips are incredible, although the bread does cool down rather quickly. I was a little disappointed by the drinks as they were on the pricier side, but the food is well-worth it. The atmosphere is cozy and quaint, although a little dark for my liking.

Beautiful food. Cozy atmosphere. The food is cooked over an open fire and it gives such a great flavor. There wasn’t something I ate that I didn’t like. The serve team were responsive and available, they kept our naan plate full. You definitely do not leave hungry. Depending on what you get, 3-4 dishes per person should be enough.