Service was slow. Upstairs was hot. Almost all dish had too much sauce with salty flavor.
Samantha G.
2.5 Super disappointed considering how many positive reviews there were - biggest issue was the food. Shakshuka was okay (also doesn't come with any bread or anything unless ordered a la carte?), twook strips felt like elevated chicken nuggets, and the zalabia was...bitter? Not fully sure what went wrong but it was a miss. I liked the labneh, my partner didn't. I also ordered a tea, and for this being considered a nice restaurant I was surprised it was $4 for a tea bag in a small cup rather than a full kettle. Generally felt like this was an example of presentation over execution. Really surprised this has Michelin stars. I rarely leave negative reviews but both my partner left pretty unsatisfied.
Lance M.
My wife and I went to Ala on 19th street for our 35th wedding anniversary. Our anniversary was on April 7th, which is a Sunday so I made reservations for their brunch for that day. I used Resy for the reservations. When making the reservation there is a box for you to write in any special requests. I mentioned that we were celebrating our 35th and the only thing I requested was a nice table not near the bathrooms. We got to the restaurant and we were seated at a table in the back room which was just outside of their servers water station which was in what looked like a storage room with boxes and Ocean Spray juices. Not very picturesque. There was also no acknowledgement of our reason for being there. I wasn't looking for any fanfare or anything free, but a nicer table and a "congratulations on your anniversary" would have been appreciated. My best guess is that they don't really look at the special request section on the Resy confirmation tool. Our server was good and the food was also good. I would go back, despite the poor attention to the reservation requests. If you are planning on going there for a special occasion I would recommend calling the restaurant directly and letting them know. I don't think they are seeing the notices on the Resy app. One actual service complaint I do need to mention. This was not our server. She was very good. I also don't believe it was intentional, but they should definitely be more aware. There was a couple seated at the table next to us and there isn't a great deal of space between tables. Their server came over to discuss their order and he squeezed himself between our tables with his back side to my wife and I. His rear end was very close to my face. It was pretty off putting. He did this about three times during our meal. They need some better training on spatial awareness.
Vanessa Onwughalu
It’s nice, it was a drinks meet up so I didn’t eat.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 4
Tonislav Damjanovski
Good Middle Eastern food , bit small portions.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Adana Kebab
Bukola Adebayo
I had the best seasoned and rightly spiced chicken shish and kebab here
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Shruti Kulkarni
Hands down one of the best brunch meals I've ever had. I got the batata with toum and harissa, fried halloumi with apple compote and pistachio, and scrambled egg sandwich with grilled soujak. Ali was very attentive, noticed anytime I ran out of water or even napkins. Friendly and accommodating staff, bold ambience, and mouthwatering courses!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Valeria Merino
We went yesterday to dine at Ala. I absolutely loved this place. Very lively with not too noisy. Nice décor. It felt intimate and yet was quite spacious. We ordered the mixed spreads which were delicious as it was the pita bread, home made. Also, the Golder Cauliflower. grilled branzino and the Lokum Kebab -such tender and delicious lamb. Also the fabulous Halva Chocolate Mouse which is vegan, in case someone reading this cares about. There is plenty of choices for vegetarians, vegans, pescatarians or people eating everything. The service was very good and my martini perfect! I will come back many times.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Asim Ayhan
If you're in Washington DC and craving Mediterranean cuisine, look no further than ALA. From the moment I stepped in, I was impressed by the inviting ambiance and friendly staff.ALA offers a delightful twist on traditional Mediterranean dishes, and each bite was a culinary adventure. The flavors were simply divine, and I appreciated the unique interpretations they brought to the table. It's evident that the chefs here are passionate about their craft, as every dish was meticulously prepared with care and attention to detail.Not only was the food exceptional, but the service was also top-notch. The staff was attentive and knowledgeable, making sure that my dining experience was nothing short of perfect.Overall, I can't recommend ALA highly enough. It's a true gem in the heart of Washington DC, and I'll definitely be returning to sample more of their delicious offerings. If you're looking for a memorable dining experience with a Mediterranean flair, don't hesitate to pay ALA a visit. You won't be disappointed!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ariana Scurti
10/10. Excellent food and service. Highly recommend.
We went to this restaurant with high hopes that it’s a Michelin star restaurant and we were very disappointed! When food came out the dishes looked visually very nice but they didn’t taste the way I would put them in the “Michelin star” category. It’s was very average to say the least. Not only that the chicken dish was raw so we had to sent it back. Bottom line I was very disappointed for a meal that I spend for $200! No way I will be coming back here or giving my recommendations to anyone!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
Lois R.
Ate here on Sunday with a group of extended family and we had a wonderful meal. We were seated upstairs and I'm unable to climb stairs. They do have an elevator that staff must take you because it takes a very meandering route behind locked doors. Our size group was required to order the prix fixe but everyone was satisfied with the available choices. My son thinks we ate all but two of the items available. Daughter-in-law and I shared two from the first course, fried halloumi and spinach croquettes. I liked the halloumi but loved the croquettes because of the texture. We also ended up with an order of batatas on our table that nobody claimed so we all tasted, and I liked the texture of them as well. For an entree I chose the sausage and cheese sandwich because I wanted the protein. Liked the filling a lot but it was too much bread for me with dessert coming. I got to taste all 3, but was glad I ordered the baklava, which was a small portion but SO good. Second choice would have been the chocolate mousse which had a very intense chocolate flavor.
Sabah Hanif
Went for my daughter's birthday.Food was above average,the star i took away was due to kebab being burnt from one side ,but the rest tasted great .The ribs, adana and everything we ordered tasted like authentic turkish food. There was one man on the floor who was running like a headless chicken but was serving 6 tables. The place was jam packed and a bit noisy for us, therefore, took a star away. The manager was great because he catered my request.Overall a good experience.RecommenedParking: Parking lot right next to the restaurant. We paid $13 for 2 hours on Saturday.It was not charging hourly but for just parking so flat rate
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dolma, Iskender Kebab, Adana Kebab, Lamb Chops
Clifford Yeung
Despite ordering strictly from the gluten free menu, I had a member of my party get severely sick. She has celicac disease and experienced extreme nausea and vomiting shortly after our brunch.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Kevin Huh
Food all around excellent. Lighting and atmosphere are a bit cold and sterile on 2nd floor. The pita are simple but
Service was slow. Upstairs was hot. Almost all dish had too much sauce with salty flavor.
2.5 Super disappointed considering how many positive reviews there were - biggest issue was the food. Shakshuka was okay (also doesn't come with any bread or anything unless ordered a la carte?), twook strips felt like elevated chicken nuggets, and the zalabia was...bitter? Not fully sure what went wrong but it was a miss. I liked the labneh, my partner didn't. I also ordered a tea, and for this being considered a nice restaurant I was surprised it was $4 for a tea bag in a small cup rather than a full kettle. Generally felt like this was an example of presentation over execution. Really surprised this has Michelin stars. I rarely leave negative reviews but both my partner left pretty unsatisfied.
My wife and I went to Ala on 19th street for our 35th wedding anniversary. Our anniversary was on April 7th, which is a Sunday so I made reservations for their brunch for that day. I used Resy for the reservations. When making the reservation there is a box for you to write in any special requests. I mentioned that we were celebrating our 35th and the only thing I requested was a nice table not near the bathrooms. We got to the restaurant and we were seated at a table in the back room which was just outside of their servers water station which was in what looked like a storage room with boxes and Ocean Spray juices. Not very picturesque. There was also no acknowledgement of our reason for being there. I wasn't looking for any fanfare or anything free, but a nicer table and a "congratulations on your anniversary" would have been appreciated. My best guess is that they don't really look at the special request section on the Resy confirmation tool. Our server was good and the food was also good. I would go back, despite the poor attention to the reservation requests. If you are planning on going there for a special occasion I would recommend calling the restaurant directly and letting them know. I don't think they are seeing the notices on the Resy app. One actual service complaint I do need to mention. This was not our server. She was very good. I also don't believe it was intentional, but they should definitely be more aware. There was a couple seated at the table next to us and there isn't a great deal of space between tables. Their server came over to discuss their order and he squeezed himself between our tables with his back side to my wife and I. His rear end was very close to my face. It was pretty off putting. He did this about three times during our meal. They need some better training on spatial awareness.
It’s nice, it was a drinks meet up so I didn’t eat.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 4
Good Middle Eastern food , bit small portions.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Adana Kebab
I had the best seasoned and rightly spiced chicken shish and kebab here
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hands down one of the best brunch meals I've ever had. I got the batata with toum and harissa, fried halloumi with apple compote and pistachio, and scrambled egg sandwich with grilled soujak. Ali was very attentive, noticed anytime I ran out of water or even napkins. Friendly and accommodating staff, bold ambience, and mouthwatering courses!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We went yesterday to dine at Ala. I absolutely loved this place. Very lively with not too noisy. Nice décor. It felt intimate and yet was quite spacious. We ordered the mixed spreads which were delicious as it was the pita bread, home made. Also, the Golder Cauliflower. grilled branzino and the Lokum Kebab -such tender and delicious lamb. Also the fabulous Halva Chocolate Mouse which is vegan, in case someone reading this cares about. There is plenty of choices for vegetarians, vegans, pescatarians or people eating everything. The service was very good and my martini perfect! I will come back many times.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
If you're in Washington DC and craving Mediterranean cuisine, look no further than ALA. From the moment I stepped in, I was impressed by the inviting ambiance and friendly staff.ALA offers a delightful twist on traditional Mediterranean dishes, and each bite was a culinary adventure. The flavors were simply divine, and I appreciated the unique interpretations they brought to the table. It's evident that the chefs here are passionate about their craft, as every dish was meticulously prepared with care and attention to detail.Not only was the food exceptional, but the service was also top-notch. The staff was attentive and knowledgeable, making sure that my dining experience was nothing short of perfect.Overall, I can't recommend ALA highly enough. It's a true gem in the heart of Washington DC, and I'll definitely be returning to sample more of their delicious offerings. If you're looking for a memorable dining experience with a Mediterranean flair, don't hesitate to pay ALA a visit. You won't be disappointed!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
10/10. Excellent food and service. Highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
We went to this restaurant with high hopes that it’s a Michelin star restaurant and we were very disappointed! When food came out the dishes looked visually very nice but they didn’t taste the way I would put them in the “Michelin star” category. It’s was very average to say the least. Not only that the chicken dish was raw so we had to sent it back. Bottom line I was very disappointed for a meal that I spend for $200! No way I will be coming back here or giving my recommendations to anyone!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
Ate here on Sunday with a group of extended family and we had a wonderful meal. We were seated upstairs and I'm unable to climb stairs. They do have an elevator that staff must take you because it takes a very meandering route behind locked doors. Our size group was required to order the prix fixe but everyone was satisfied with the available choices. My son thinks we ate all but two of the items available. Daughter-in-law and I shared two from the first course, fried halloumi and spinach croquettes. I liked the halloumi but loved the croquettes because of the texture. We also ended up with an order of batatas on our table that nobody claimed so we all tasted, and I liked the texture of them as well. For an entree I chose the sausage and cheese sandwich because I wanted the protein. Liked the filling a lot but it was too much bread for me with dessert coming. I got to taste all 3, but was glad I ordered the baklava, which was a small portion but SO good. Second choice would have been the chocolate mousse which had a very intense chocolate flavor.
Went for my daughter's birthday.Food was above average,the star i took away was due to kebab being burnt from one side ,but the rest tasted great .The ribs, adana and everything we ordered tasted like authentic turkish food. There was one man on the floor who was running like a headless chicken but was serving 6 tables. The place was jam packed and a bit noisy for us, therefore, took a star away. The manager was great because he catered my request.Overall a good experience.RecommenedParking: Parking lot right next to the restaurant. We paid $13 for 2 hours on Saturday.It was not charging hourly but for just parking so flat rate
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dolma, Iskender Kebab, Adana Kebab, Lamb Chops
Despite ordering strictly from the gluten free menu, I had a member of my party get severely sick. She has celicac disease and experienced extreme nausea and vomiting shortly after our brunch.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Food all around excellent. Lighting and atmosphere are a bit cold and sterile on 2nd floor. The pita are simple but
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hummus Spicy Taboon, Pistachio Baklava