I had high hopes but I was disappointed. I came to celebrate my birthday and listen to some live music. The service was extremely slow, the cocktails were absolutely horrible. I have never had a Long Island taste nasty. I ordered some hot honey wings that left a lot to be desired, they did not taste like hot honey and they were too big for me. The chicken and French toast was good, it was a good combination of sweet and savory.
Amber H.
really good food! chef came out and brought it to us which i enjoyed and drink was good
Jazlyn G.
This is my second time coming here and I'm honestly not sure why it has bad reviews. The food is AMAZING , we love eating here. Their mumbo sauce is delicious! We got a mimosa carafe which gave us about 4 mimosas each (a great deal). Our server was nice and attentive. The music was R&B and the restaurant was clean and inviting.
April Jackson
I was a first-time visitor in D.C., and Kitchen Cray on H Street was recommended to me, but they were closed, so I visited this location. I walked in and thought I walked into a club/bar establishment. The music was so loud that I could not hear the bartender who served as host, bartender, and waiter. I went to the bathroom, and a young lady was in there chatting it up on the phone with her boyfriend. I had to wait until she got down talking to him to use the bathroom. Little did I know she was a waitress. Could have fooled me! She was dressed in a green halter top shorts outfit, and I thought she was a patron like me. I was shocked to see she was a waitress. The poor bartender was doing her job while she was in the bathroom chit chatting. The bar tender took our order. BTW, this establishment adds an 18% gratuity plus 5% if you use a credit card and suggest adding tips. Just be prepared. I had the lamb, mash potatoes, and spinach. It was very good. In addition. We had two different waitresses come to our table to check on us. The only feedback we provided when asked how service could be better was to turn the music down. We had to talk so loud just to have a conversation. I have a voice disorder that made that impossible for me.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 2
Donquel West
Sat down for 15 mins no water or nothing so I walked out service needs
Service: 1
Joel Johnson
Food is excellent and well seasoned. This restaurant has great potential but they miss the mark significantly when it comes to service and cleanliness--the basics.This restaurant lacks a presence of leadership and management in the dining area. When you come to the restaurant, the music is blaring with to two stand speakers outward. The employees have no awareness of placement of music devices. I recommend ceiling speaks and/or soundbars. And the employees...I can only speak to my last three experiences. The hostess is rarely at the front for seating and the times I've come, it's not that busy. The waitress seem to be untrained for tables each time are pretty unsanitary and you can always see crumbs and residue from previous sitters. There is no sense of urgency and awareness of the cleanliness because no one is making sure they stay on top of it. I've worked in this industry many years ago in a busier establishment and its not hard or rocket science.BEWARE OF THE 18% SERVICE CHARGE. Waitresses may lie and say it doesn't go to them, but it is indeed a lie. If added on your bill DO NOT TIP additional. I've been to other countries in where tipping is disrespectful and their service 10x better than any restaurant in America (i.e Colombia, Qatar). Tipping is above and beyond the service OR simply writing a tip stating to DO BETTER.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 1
Benard C.
Service was slow. The food was ok. There is a service charge and card fee added to your bill so, review your bill prior to tipping. The cocktails are VERY weak and expensive ($40 for 2-cocktails).
Diana K.
I typically give restaurants a couple of chances before determining if I'd recommend or not. That's what I did with KtchenCray. I'm going to keep this short and as sweet as possible. KitchenCray needs help. Plain and simple. There is absolutely no management and other than the flavorful food (I'll give them that) everything else is a complete disaster. My first experience was on a Sunday for brunch. The place was busy, which is great, but the service was nonexistent. You couldn't tell who worked there, and the bathrooms were a complete disaster. Same situation happened when there just recently for my girlfriend's b-day. We were seated and then after that the night went completely downhill. Placed order for drinks, half table got theirs the other didn't. Took almost 20 mins to get first round. Water...none of that. We finally were able to get water for the table 30 mins later. Forget about the time it took to place our food order. It had to have been at least 45 mins. Food comes out, some plates were lukewarm others were the wrong order. Just a mess. It seemed like they had only one official server working the floor, as that was the only person who could be identified as a worker. No one who was serving had any type of uniform on, workers were all in street clothes. Lastly, at the end of the night it seems like the staff has their own little party, as there were at least 10 employees at the bar, smoking hookah, drinking and not caring anything about closing down the restaurant appropriately. Our table was still full of dirty plates, cups etc...the final straw was my last visit to the restroom, that almost made me lose my dinner. Absolutely disgusting and quite honestly unacceptable. It's not ok to just serve good food and play good music it has to be matched with service. Not sure how this place stays open. I will never be back unless they get their act together. Where's Robert Irvine when you need him.
Texaz Made
After seeing the chef/owner on The Best Thing I Ever Ate yesterday, my daughter decided we should visit while in the DC area for Spring Break. We could here the DJ spinning the 90's to present from the front patio section. The nostalgia, for me was evident. A drawback was the amount of time to be seated because there was no hostess at the front. The crab blt was sold out - the entree my daughter wanted. She had a burger instead but the shrimp was missing and brought out later. My salmon, crab, shrimp, spinach w/ cheesy grits were amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Blackened Salmon
Shan S.
We were in our way to a different restaurant and upon arriving noticed it didn't open for another 15 minutes. We did not want to wait so we figured we would go to KitchenCray which we passed on our way to the other restaurant. We ordered the wings, fried chIcken sandwich, and shrimp and grits. The shrimp were super rubbery and dried out. I ate a few then I feared I may get sick and didn't finish them. They had to have been old. The consistency and texture made it evident the shrimp was old. The sausage was also dried out and hard. The sauce and grits were alright however it tasted like they used a kraft American cheese square in it... The chicken sandwich was also dry. Despite the food coming out pretty quickly neither dishes were that warm. The wings were good however this was definitely some Virginia style mumbo sauce not true mumbo sauce you would get at a take out in Dc. After we received our food a man with a camera aka club promoter came by and asked to take pictures and a table near us ordered a hookah. We soon realized this is more of a club than restaurant. The music was bumpin as well. This would probably be a great nightlife spot but I would not go there for food. I bet the drinks and night time vibes are great for the area.
I ordered the catfish and grits and it was served warm (not hot) but it was okay. I liked the atmosphere: the color scheme was nice and the R&B music was good but it was played very loudly so it was difficult having a conversation at the table. The service fee was a bit outrageous in my opinion, with an additional credit card fee. At least they include that information in the menu, I guess.
Carla B.
I visited this location for a birthday brunch. I've visited the Lanham location several times so I expected the food to be good and of the same quality. Now, the food I ate was good but I had other issues during my experience. I ordered the chicken and French toast with a side of crab grits. All was well until I found a long piece of hair in my plate. This was minutes after another guest found a piece of hair in their food. Needless to say, that was a turnoff. They did fix the issue and brought out a new plate of food. I would've preferred the money back though because I wasn't really interested in eating anything else after that. They also don't serve hot drinks like tea and coffee which we found off for a breakfast. The music was on point at first. It was mostly 90s and 2000s. After a while it switched to more recent music and the vibe of the brunch changed. The music wasn't edited so there was a lot of cussing. It didn't bother me but it was too much for the children and elders there. This restaurant has a lot of potential to be great but there's a lot of room for improvement.
Paul
Took mom here for brunch on a Sunday. The music was LOUD. Unexpected but okay, no points lost if that's the experience they want to offer.Ordered beers, served flat and in plastic cups.Wings were dry. Very dry.Deviled eggs were about what I'd expect pre-made from a grocery store. Serviceable but not worth whatever they charged.Love to support local and small businesses but this place just wasn't good.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Tony L.
Service to go. Pick up schedule for 7pm not ready till 7:30. Looked in bag and was missing the kids meal. Employee emptied out the bag to verify that it was missing. Once home i was highly disappointed but the fried chicken sandwich. It seemed like a thigh instead of a breast.
Tyrone L.
The food was very good. The bar area is great to converse with others and meet new bar mates. The staff were quick and responsive when asking for additional items. Look forward to coming back soon.
I had high hopes but I was disappointed. I came to celebrate my birthday and listen to some live music. The service was extremely slow, the cocktails were absolutely horrible. I have never had a Long Island taste nasty. I ordered some hot honey wings that left a lot to be desired, they did not taste like hot honey and they were too big for me. The chicken and French toast was good, it was a good combination of sweet and savory.
really good food! chef came out and brought it to us which i enjoyed and drink was good
This is my second time coming here and I'm honestly not sure why it has bad reviews. The food is AMAZING , we love eating here. Their mumbo sauce is delicious! We got a mimosa carafe which gave us about 4 mimosas each (a great deal). Our server was nice and attentive. The music was R&B and the restaurant was clean and inviting.
I was a first-time visitor in D.C., and Kitchen Cray on H Street was recommended to me, but they were closed, so I visited this location. I walked in and thought I walked into a club/bar establishment. The music was so loud that I could not hear the bartender who served as host, bartender, and waiter. I went to the bathroom, and a young lady was in there chatting it up on the phone with her boyfriend. I had to wait until she got down talking to him to use the bathroom. Little did I know she was a waitress. Could have fooled me! She was dressed in a green halter top shorts outfit, and I thought she was a patron like me. I was shocked to see she was a waitress. The poor bartender was doing her job while she was in the bathroom chit chatting. The bar tender took our order. BTW, this establishment adds an 18% gratuity plus 5% if you use a credit card and suggest adding tips. Just be prepared. I had the lamb, mash potatoes, and spinach. It was very good. In addition. We had two different waitresses come to our table to check on us. The only feedback we provided when asked how service could be better was to turn the music down. We had to talk so loud just to have a conversation. I have a voice disorder that made that impossible for me.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 2
Sat down for 15 mins no water or nothing so I walked out service needs
Service: 1
Food is excellent and well seasoned. This restaurant has great potential but they miss the mark significantly when it comes to service and cleanliness--the basics.This restaurant lacks a presence of leadership and management in the dining area. When you come to the restaurant, the music is blaring with to two stand speakers outward. The employees have no awareness of placement of music devices. I recommend ceiling speaks and/or soundbars. And the employees...I can only speak to my last three experiences. The hostess is rarely at the front for seating and the times I've come, it's not that busy. The waitress seem to be untrained for tables each time are pretty unsanitary and you can always see crumbs and residue from previous sitters. There is no sense of urgency and awareness of the cleanliness because no one is making sure they stay on top of it. I've worked in this industry many years ago in a busier establishment and its not hard or rocket science.BEWARE OF THE 18% SERVICE CHARGE. Waitresses may lie and say it doesn't go to them, but it is indeed a lie. If added on your bill DO NOT TIP additional. I've been to other countries in where tipping is disrespectful and their service 10x better than any restaurant in America (i.e Colombia, Qatar). Tipping is above and beyond the service OR simply writing a tip stating to DO BETTER.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 1
Service was slow. The food was ok. There is a service charge and card fee added to your bill so, review your bill prior to tipping. The cocktails are VERY weak and expensive ($40 for 2-cocktails).
I typically give restaurants a couple of chances before determining if I'd recommend or not. That's what I did with KtchenCray. I'm going to keep this short and as sweet as possible. KitchenCray needs help. Plain and simple. There is absolutely no management and other than the flavorful food (I'll give them that) everything else is a complete disaster. My first experience was on a Sunday for brunch. The place was busy, which is great, but the service was nonexistent. You couldn't tell who worked there, and the bathrooms were a complete disaster. Same situation happened when there just recently for my girlfriend's b-day. We were seated and then after that the night went completely downhill. Placed order for drinks, half table got theirs the other didn't. Took almost 20 mins to get first round. Water...none of that. We finally were able to get water for the table 30 mins later. Forget about the time it took to place our food order. It had to have been at least 45 mins. Food comes out, some plates were lukewarm others were the wrong order. Just a mess. It seemed like they had only one official server working the floor, as that was the only person who could be identified as a worker. No one who was serving had any type of uniform on, workers were all in street clothes. Lastly, at the end of the night it seems like the staff has their own little party, as there were at least 10 employees at the bar, smoking hookah, drinking and not caring anything about closing down the restaurant appropriately. Our table was still full of dirty plates, cups etc...the final straw was my last visit to the restroom, that almost made me lose my dinner. Absolutely disgusting and quite honestly unacceptable. It's not ok to just serve good food and play good music it has to be matched with service. Not sure how this place stays open. I will never be back unless they get their act together. Where's Robert Irvine when you need him.
After seeing the chef/owner on The Best Thing I Ever Ate yesterday, my daughter decided we should visit while in the DC area for Spring Break. We could here the DJ spinning the 90's to present from the front patio section. The nostalgia, for me was evident. A drawback was the amount of time to be seated because there was no hostess at the front. The crab blt was sold out - the entree my daughter wanted. She had a burger instead but the shrimp was missing and brought out later. My salmon, crab, shrimp, spinach w/ cheesy grits were amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Blackened Salmon
We were in our way to a different restaurant and upon arriving noticed it didn't open for another 15 minutes. We did not want to wait so we figured we would go to KitchenCray which we passed on our way to the other restaurant. We ordered the wings, fried chIcken sandwich, and shrimp and grits. The shrimp were super rubbery and dried out. I ate a few then I feared I may get sick and didn't finish them. They had to have been old. The consistency and texture made it evident the shrimp was old. The sausage was also dried out and hard. The sauce and grits were alright however it tasted like they used a kraft American cheese square in it... The chicken sandwich was also dry. Despite the food coming out pretty quickly neither dishes were that warm. The wings were good however this was definitely some Virginia style mumbo sauce not true mumbo sauce you would get at a take out in Dc. After we received our food a man with a camera aka club promoter came by and asked to take pictures and a table near us ordered a hookah. We soon realized this is more of a club than restaurant. The music was bumpin as well. This would probably be a great nightlife spot but I would not go there for food. I bet the drinks and night time vibes are great for the area.
Restaurantji Recommends
I ordered the catfish and grits and it was served warm (not hot) but it was okay. I liked the atmosphere: the color scheme was nice and the R&B music was good but it was played very loudly so it was difficult having a conversation at the table. The service fee was a bit outrageous in my opinion, with an additional credit card fee. At least they include that information in the menu, I guess.
I visited this location for a birthday brunch. I've visited the Lanham location several times so I expected the food to be good and of the same quality. Now, the food I ate was good but I had other issues during my experience. I ordered the chicken and French toast with a side of crab grits. All was well until I found a long piece of hair in my plate. This was minutes after another guest found a piece of hair in their food. Needless to say, that was a turnoff. They did fix the issue and brought out a new plate of food. I would've preferred the money back though because I wasn't really interested in eating anything else after that. They also don't serve hot drinks like tea and coffee which we found off for a breakfast. The music was on point at first. It was mostly 90s and 2000s. After a while it switched to more recent music and the vibe of the brunch changed. The music wasn't edited so there was a lot of cussing. It didn't bother me but it was too much for the children and elders there. This restaurant has a lot of potential to be great but there's a lot of room for improvement.
Took mom here for brunch on a Sunday. The music was LOUD. Unexpected but okay, no points lost if that's the experience they want to offer.Ordered beers, served flat and in plastic cups.Wings were dry. Very dry.Deviled eggs were about what I'd expect pre-made from a grocery store. Serviceable but not worth whatever they charged.Love to support local and small businesses but this place just wasn't good.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Service to go. Pick up schedule for 7pm not ready till 7:30. Looked in bag and was missing the kids meal. Employee emptied out the bag to verify that it was missing. Once home i was highly disappointed but the fried chicken sandwich. It seemed like a thigh instead of a breast.
The food was very good. The bar area is great to converse with others and meet new bar mates. The staff were quick and responsive when asking for additional items. Look forward to coming back soon.