Restaurant Finder

Poste Moderne Brasserie

Cuisine: Contemporary Neighborhood: Downtown

Based on 8 reviews.

Address	555 8th St., Washington, DC 20004
Phone	(202) 783-6060
Fax	(202) 783-4222

Rater Comments

These comments express the opinions of individual Restaurant Raters, not those of Washington City Paper.

Review by dcampb on November 25, 2008

This place was fine. If someone really wanted to go there, I'd go, but I am not in a hurry to go back.

One gripe--they pretended as if the Opentable 35 dollar deal didn't exist. Mind you, only one of our party was planning on ordering off of it, but they made no mention of it. I also hated our odd waiter, but he was efficient enough.

Review by monkeywlu on January 17, 2006

This is my favorite restaurant in DC, but I assume it's probably because I've always gone right after work, when servers can focus on you and the kitchen isn't fatigued yet. I bet it's another one of those places where you shouldn't order food after 9pm because at that point it starts making its money off alcohol. However, I personally have never had a bad dish here - entree, appetizer, or dessert. The lavender margarita isn't as good as it could be-- the flavors don't mix together at all so it's kind of like drinking bath salts, but I order it anyway because it's strong as hell and I want to encourage the creativity that shows up and succeeds to great effect elsewhere on the menu - coffee-crusted duck breast that perfectly matches bitter ground coffee and moist, fatty duck, and the grapefruit and tuna combination appetizer with fried ginger that again perfectly matches diverse flavors and textures. However - neither of these is currently on the menu - Poste's changes frequently, which I like. Poste's cold mango soup with hyssop is one of the ten best things I've ever eaten, hands down, so I hope that becomes a fixture. I scooped out every drop, even using my fingers. The fries with truffle oil, which do stay on the menu, are great too. I look forward to my next visit... just thinking about it makes me hungry. I'm reducing the score for ambience though because you have to walk all the way thru the restaurant, the lobby of the Hotel Monaco, and then up the stairs to get to the bathroom, and also because sometimes the music sucks - bad Euro-disco, especially at 6pm, is not excusable... it's called dinner music for a reason...

Review by lem124 on January 14, 2005

I have visited Poste twice in one month and had almost the same meal on both occasions-they were the only items that sounded appealing on the menu. The arugula salad is light, mixed with fresh herbs and figs. A nice start. The truffle french fries are inventive. The Poste burger is pretty great and the Amish chicken is fine-nothing special. The only dessert I've tried was very nice-5 tiny rosemary doughnuts with a shot of hot cider and some apple butter. Very nice dessert but there should be something else on the menu that sounds as good. Overall a nice place that can be a bit pretentious (just *try* to get tap water in this place) but offers a standard meal.

Review by stacelaine on June 29, 2004

We dined early because we had theater tickets and the restaurant could not have been more accommodating. Our waiter was attentive, but not hovering and his suggestions were helpful without being directive. I had heard so-so reviews, but this was a wonderful choice. We will definitely return.

Review by CoachBrody on May 27, 2004

Poste has a fabulous courtyard for warm weather seating, but the food still needs work: it is formulaic, inconsistent and relatively unimpressive. Still, it is such a pleasant spot, that it is worth an occasional visit.

Review by CobCobb on May 18, 2004

Great food, good ambiance, but awfully pricey and the service was not without its flaws. The duck was excellent accomponied by some marvelous foie gras, and my sister's pork tenderloin was simply divine. I would certainly return, but probably not on a busy Friday or Saturday and not when I'm picking up the check!

Review by Spyboy on May 5, 2004

The courtyard patio is a lovely street escape on a nice day; and the inside of the restaurant looks great as well. Wonderful french fries served in a paper cone, very tasty hanger steak sandwich, excellent Poste burger, good selection of wines by the glass.

Review by kensingtonite on May 4, 2004

This is one of the Kimpton Group's new restaurants. It's located in and old Post Office sorting room. Hence, the name. The skylights provide natural lighting for the really beautiful old interior of the place. Much in keeping with the rest of the Kimpton restaurants, the food is excellent. You really can't go wrong. It always seems strange to order french fries in a nice place, but please do. They're really great!

Review by CoachBrody on April 26, 2004

The decor is great, but the food was just mediocre. The crab fritters -- an appetizer -- were dry and flavorless; as an entree, ahi tuna over a potato cake was better, although still lacking in flavor.

Still, the restaurant has a lot of potential and the outdoor tables will be a fabulous evening spot in the summertime.