| Address | 500 8th St., Washington, DC 20003 |
|---|---|
| Hours | Mon-Thu 11am-10:30pm; Fri-Sat 11am-11:30pm; Sun 10am-10pm |
| Phone | (202) 543-5906 |
| Fax | (202) 543-3588 |
Pretty decent place. I was there for happy hour, and the margaritas are pretty good - not strong at all, but the price is right at $3 a pop! Nice guys doing the bartending, and some pretty good free eats on the 2nd floor during happy hour. I'll be back if I'm ever in the neighborhood, but won't go out of my way.
A reliable neighborhood joint with some stars - the pulled pork and fried plantains are diet-busting hits - but mostly solid food and friendly service. It gets loud at dinnertime. Go early to snag a prime outdoor seat.
This place is really cute, and the outside tables are a great place to eat when the weather is nice. Their chips are kind of greasy, probably because they cook 'em in too low a heat, but whatever. The salsa may be homemade, but it's more of a puree than a chunky veggie fest. It does cling to the chip, though. The carnitas was pretty good, the pork was fantastically tender, but kinda bland. I would have loved just having the grilled veggies with the beans and rice that this order came with. My friend ordered the plantain quesadilla, which looked very tasty and was so large that half of it got packed up for home. I'd go back again, but judging by the other reviews, I'll stick to my off-hours lunch time.
After reading on the reviews, I had my doubts about the Banana Cafe, but I had to meet a blind date there. I started off with the mango margarita. It was ok, nothing spectacular. But after being in Costa Rica and having fresh mango drinks there, my expectations are very high.
The chips were greasy, which disagrees with me, until I eat them. Greasy means tasty, although unhealthy. The salsa was good and fresh, but my date ate most of it!
She had a mojito, I tasted it and thought it was just ok. The one at Cafe Atlantico just can't be beat.
I had the Cuban Picadillo at my date's recommendation. It was very good. I would get it again without hesitation. It was kind of like a sheppard's pie without the potatos. It had ground beef and raisans in some kind of tasty sauce.
As for the service. I didn't think it was bad as much as I thought it was way too relaxed. It is also understaffed. But knowing that going into the game prepared me for it, so it didn't bother me. And sitting outside in nice weather for so long was fine with me.
We gravitated to the upstairs bar area as usual because the wait for a table downstairs was about an hour at 8pm on a Friday night. After jostling for seats upstairs, we got drinks right away but had a difficult time getting refills and ordering food. This used to be more of a neighborhood spot and wasn't as crowded but I guess that's what happens when people discover a good thing. Once we did order, the food came out within 15 minutes and was great. The upstairs menu is much more limited but has fabulous plaintain quesadillas. With a pitcher of their sweet sangria, you're all set.
I have been going to Banana Cafe for 4 years. I want to say I love this place, because I really do... sort of. I love the ambience. Really colorful, fun, and in-sync with the food options. They offer this vegan good options, tho not numerous. But the service is SOOO hit-or-miss. Last time it was waaaay out of bounds horrid. And half the food on my vegetarian sampler plate was cold when it arrived - not sure if it was because it sat under a luke-warm heat lamp for 15 minutes or because the kitchen wasn't doing their job. Either way, very dissapointing. Neverless, I rated it a 3 - sometimes it's a 5 sporker, last time, no better than a 2. Give it a shot, but hope for the good service.
Decided to try Banana Cafe's happy hour. I had been a few times before and was fairly satisfied with their food. Happy Hour is definitely a different story. Food was overcooked and greasy. It also arrived 35 minutes after happy hour had already begun. Service was good when the bar was empty, but once the crowd starting arriving it was too much to expect the bartender to tend bar and wait on all the tables. Margaritas, $2.50 during happy hour, were strong and tasty.
I'll go back to Banana Cafe, but not back for Happy Hour.
Thank god this meal was relatively cheap because, frankly, this restaurant is worthless. I'll give it one compliment--it was decorated nicely. It had a fun atmosphere that complemented the tropical Latin American cuisine. However, the other aspects of my experience will keep me from returning for a long time, if at all. First of all, my party of 8 was only given 2 menus, of which we had to share. Despite being utterly cheesy, this is somewhat admissible. Waiting an hour and a half for the food to arrive, however, is not. At one point, plates of food were put in front of us only to be taken away three minutes later because of a table mix-up. The waitstaff was not apologetic for the wait and neglected to refill our drinks after repeated requests. Furthermore, the food that finally did arrive was average, at best. I had the chicken burrito. Although this dish looked appetizing in presentation, its appearance was, nevertheless, deceiving. I have left Taco Bell more satisfied. Deceiving appearances seems to be the theme of this restaurant. While the food and atmosphere appears tantalizing, one soon discovers the dissapointment that Banana Cafe truly is.
I love Banana Cafe. It's consistently good, and the vegetarian combo is delicious and big enough to split with a friend. The mango margaritas and mojitos are also quite tasty.
Seated outdoors on a gorgeous day, we were treated to the special of the day: mango margaritas with very fresh mango!! Carribean vegetarian sampler was delicious. Salsa too, though the chips were thin and greasy. Lovely setting, however our waiter was not very attentive throughout our meal and especially at then end when we waited nearly 20 minutes for our check. Definitely worth a trip for the food and cocktails, however not a good option for an hour lunch break.
This is a local restaurant that I frequent, and the food is always adequate and usually superb. The biggest downfall is service. There is rarely a rush to get anything to your table quickly. It's a great place for a small dinner party, but it is often loud so a table larger than for four or six would make it difficult for everyone to communicate.
The 8th Street Corridor in SE DC is really the new place to check out on Thursday nights. We recently headed to Banana Cafe to take advantage of the outdoor patio on a warm night. Though we were just meeting for dessert and drinks, I can say from previous visits I have always found the food to be tasty and the ambience to be very pleasing. I enjoy the fact that although close to Capitol Hill, Banana attracts an older clientele, and for a reasonable price one can enjoy the company of friends and a pleasing outdoor seat on a great summer night. My friend also highly recommends the banana bread pudding!
The taste and presentation of the food was very good, however the food took about 25 minutes to prepare, but the placed seemed rather full. The restaurant itself is loud so it's difficult to have a private conservation but the salsa music is great and the atmosphere reminds me of Miami! Try the mango margerita, they're fantastic!
My pork was uncooked in the middle, but I still love and highly recommend banana cafe. When I discovered that my entree was not cooked all the way through, the waiter immediately took it away and had the cook redo the entire meal. The mango margaritas are a fresh fruity thick treat. The food was refreshing, well flavored, and a great bargain. Ambiance is perfect for anything from a quiet date to a large group outing.
This restaurant is probably a great place to get margaritas and beers, but we found the meat to be full of grizzle and tough. We tried one of the steaks and the Cuban sandwich and were not impressed. This is a bummer because the atmosphere is very cool and vibrant. Will maybe try again for happy hour. Excellent salsa.
The Cuban sandwich really steals the show. I'll be back, and back again, for that excellent sandwich.
I read the menu special that I ordered as chicken breast stuffed with cheese and plantains. Disappointedly, I received cheese and plantains rolled in a thin layer of chicken or another way of putting it a gutted chicken breast filled with cheese and plantains. Although, I left with leftovers it was inadequate for me to ever return.
This place has great mexican food. The ambiance is a little strange but the food makes up for it. try the spinach quesadilla. To die for!
