On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Georgetown
Loading...
Was late meeting a friend there for dinner tonight. She got the infamous crab tower. In fact, she ate it all by the time I arrived.
Appetizer: I ordered French onion soup--very cheesy and yummy, with big chunks of soggy bread inside.
My crab cake dinner was perfectly crusted yet with tender crabmeat on the inside. Side of collards, rich and flavorful. Some other cold noodle thing on the side...i didn't bother eating it.
Bread pudding desert was custardy. With swipes of melted choco inside. Good, very good, but more custardy than I'd ever had.
The servers balance five plates on their arm. That's always fun.
-ddb
I got the Hot and famous which is like a four egg omelet with their "famous" chili on top or under...something like that. In my case, I was brought a big fluffy omelet...with no chili in sight. Really? You didn't notice the hot and famous was missing a boat load of chili?
After the order was fixed, I got to try it and it was good, and then I was asked to move tables because a big party was coming. They comped my meal which was awesome but after I moved none of the wait staff every came around again...and I wanted another Coke. Please?
Oh well...I know that's not how this place normally is and they did take care of me. I'll be back.
You would think I'd learn my lesson. In my mind, Clyde's in Georgetown is quaint and comfortable. The reality is that it's cramped and busy. I seem to forget this in between the times I go. Not to say it's a bad experience, it's just a product of their allocation of space. I made a reservation for my husband and I on the Wednesday evening before Christmas for dinner. When we arrived they seated us at the same table I believe that they seated us at the last time we were there and I'm convinced it's the worst in the house. At the intersection of the main hallway into the main dining room and the entrance into the side dining room. My chair was constantly bumped and my coat probably stepped on throughout our dinner. I know that there's nothing they can do about it however if they ever try to seat me there again I will ask to be moved.
The food was wonderful as always though. I had French onion soup which was warm and delicious. For my entree I had grill portobello caps layered with roasted peppers and goat cheese on a bed of garlic spinach. So tasty! I guess that is why I always want to come back despite feeling like sardines while there. As someone who enjoys wine but is not an expert on the matter it makes me happy to see they have such a wide range of bottle choices with a range of choices from very affordable to more pricey.
Overall I like this place and will likely go back because just like getting your ears pierced you kind of forget what the whole experience feels like in the time between.
I have been to Clyde's a couple times, and its ok. It is your typical american steak/seafood/burger place. Service has always been adequate, though nothing really to write home about. It sort of reminded me of a more upscale Chili's or Applebees.
The food was alright, but with all the other options in DC its not really worth it to go out of the way for.
Very quaint atmosphere, excellent service, not a long wait on a Friday night. Very interesting choices on the menu; I got the butternut squash ravioli and it was SO good; I would compare it to Filomenas. Seriously. BF got the prime rib with the delicious potatoes they come with, yum. We were both very impressed, would definitely venture here again. And we noticed the adorable fireplace in one of the rooms, so romantic as well!
My bf and I went up to DC for New Year's and met some of his high school friends at Clyde's. I loved the atmosphere, Georgetown was really cute. I wished it wasn't 10 degrees when we were there so we could've walked around more.
I got the braised short ribs. Very flavorful, but a little dry. The dish came with two ribs on top of mashed potatoes and was topped with a vegetable (small onions, carrots, potatoes, baby bella mushrooms?) medley on top. Both my bf and I really like the flavor of the meat and sides, but the meat was dry and not fall off the bone soft like most braised meats are. I give it a 3.2.
My bf got the turkey burger on wheat with assorted fruit side. We weren't a fan. Again, kind of dry. Pretty bland. Interesting mixture of meat, onion, apple, etc in the patty but it just wasn't satisfying. 2 stars.
Our friend ordered a creole shrimp dish that was great. New Orleans style seasoning gave it a bit of a kick and the shrimp were grilled and slightly blackened which gave it even more flavor. 4 stars!
I heard the brunch is better, so maybe i'll try that next time.
Clyde's had 4-star feel with 4-star food and 4-star bartender.
Filets were excellent, ambiance was outstanding.
So, why 3-stars?
First, this is Georgetown. I was certain that I was in a 4-star restaurant from the moment I walked in the door. My expectations were set. After waiting at the bar for 30 minutes (no problem, it was a weekend night), we were seated at a very cramped table (5 people at a small round). I thought "well, this IS a 4-star restaurant and it IS Saturday night...still holding on to that 4-star review."
Our waiter was friendly but provided underwhelming service... Asked if we needed refills as we sat and we declined. Never checked to see if we got everything we ordered (we did but our drinks were long gone by then and we were thirsty). My filet was excellent, but I was missing the beer I so desperately needed to quench my thirst.
By the time he did check in, drinks arrived with only a few bites of food. Then bus staff cleared four plates while fifth guest was still eating. Bush League!
In short, I had 4 star expectations upon arrival. Food and bartender met those expectations but we only saw our server three times (food order, drinks after meal was half eaten, and check). I bet dessert would have restored my 4-star review but the damage was already done so we decided to leave after the main course.
I've been here a handful of times, for quick lunches, an incredibly awkward first date, and a birthday party. Service was good and food was fine. You could do worse in Georgetown but the menu is pretty uninspiring and there's nothing in the typical options to especially love on. I usually stick with the crab cakes or a chicken sandwich.
Completely unprepared for the off-chance we'd make it to Georgetown (except for a cupcake recommendation), I am thrilled about having stumbled upon Clyde's. I could see from the congested main street that the quaint town the young Kennedy's knew no longer existed. So instead of aimlessly plunging through the traffic, we followed the first parking sign we saw which turned out to be for the most beautiful mall I've ever seen, The Shops at Georgetown Park. I never found out about its stores or rep; we were intent on finding our way out to FOOD at this point. There was some coffee place that smelled amazing just outside the door, but Clyde's was the first sit-down restaurant we passed, and it looked plenty attractive. SG didn't point out until later that we could have entered from the mall. It seemed pretty bustling as we were whisked through the front (couldn't catch the theme), the interesting ocean liner room, and into the sunny airplane room. While we waited, we had wonderful sweet, fine cornbread which prompted people at a nearby table to ask about... they had some eyesight! The Crab Tower, French Dip, Cheeseburger (fries too limp), and Apple Salad with great feta and garlic toast were terrific, but the Chili was too sweet, salty, and burnt. Good prices for an institution!
I usually prefer to try something new, but I'd rather come back here than search out the sure-to-be-over-priced cupcake place!
Crab tower is flippn AWESOME!! Light, refreshing, tantalizing!! Just great! The wrapped scallops are also the greatest. I'm constantly craving the scallops. Best Clydes in the DMV hands DOWN.
best crabcakes
Date Attended: 11/06/09, Friday
Even at 11 pm, this place was still full of people. I had the calamari and swordfish. The calamari wasn't breaded and fried like I'm used to having so it was kinda bland. The swordfish was ok and the beans that came with it were blah. Not really a good combination. Service wasn't exactly spectacular either.
Pros: Exceptional service - they will store your birthday cakes in the refrigerator.
Cons: No one in our party of 20 raved about our orders. Cramped space so large parties are not adviced.
The pumpkin pancakes were AMAZING! wahoo!
The capucinno was just okay.
The buttermilk biscuits were soft and great with the jam.
and I LOVED the ambience. Who doesn't love vintage pictures of places from around the world?!
We went here as part of a wedding event. Good sammys, great services, great drinks. The wings could use some help but to be fair... they WERE in a buffet container.
Definitely a place to have a rehearsal din.
Great place in Georgetown for brunch. They offer the standard menu of most brunch places. Eggs benedictine are my favorite.
We stopped by here for a late night bite after a rowdy game of powderpuff football. I think they have a special late-night menu that's somewhat limited, but it's not listed on their website. I tried the pizza (good for sharing), vegetable soup (not so good), and the bratwurst (yum). I vaguely remember the bratwurst being ridiculously cheap, something like $3.50 for the brat and fries. That's definitely the way to go!
Our first visit here was for Sunday brunch. got seated quickly which was nice. We love Clydes at Gallery Place so our hopes were high. got Chesapeake eggs which are poached eggs and crab meat over an english muffin - a dish I adore. It arrived room temperature, no heat in it at all. it must have sat for 10 mins before getting picked up to have lost all its heat. ate it anyway, but didn't enjoy it. I told the waitress who apologized and I thought she said she would comp it. We got the bill and she hadn't. They had forgotten to add our hot chocolate and coffee from the bar, so i suppose it was a wash. we're not returning.
Enjoyed a good meal at Clydes in Georgetown last night. Had not been there in a long time and was actually surprised about how decent the food actually was! I was with my fiance and a good friend, both of which are professional athletes, who eat a TON of food... Our favorite app was the buffalo wings which were amazing! They were spicy and crispy just the way I like 'em. I had the cod entree which was actually pretty bland and tasteless. The other two had the cowboy steak (which looked amazing & is HUGE) and the lamb chops (which were just okay).
Our waiter was great. One side note: I went to the restroom to wash my hands before sitting down to eat and it was a horror show in there. Not going to go into detail here but both toilets were disgusting and I'm not usually one to notice something like that. Best part is when I told someone about it they gave ME a weird look as if I was the one who made the mess. Anyways, it was gross... and not taken care of by the time we left. Other than that, great time.
Well, this is disappointing. I feel so bad giving Clyde's two stars, but it didn't deserve more. :(
We went for brunch on a lovely, sunny Easter Sunday. I'd made a reservation, so there wasn't a wait or anything for a table, but once we got to the table, it was a while before our waiter got to us.
Since we'd been waiting for so long, we ordered food and drinks at the same time. I chose a mimosa and a decaf coffee, and my women got mimosas, a Bloody Mary, and regular coffee. I added a few drips of cream to my decaf, and two packets of sugar, stirred, removed the spoon from the cup, put it to my lips and nearly expactorated. This had to be the grossest coffee I've ever had; burnt, but so much more offensive-tasting. The mimosa was okay, but a bit too pungent, much like the coffee. Laura said her coffee was just as unsavory as mine, and her Bloody Mary was HUGE, which wouldn't normally have been a problem, but Good Lord, it was only 12.30pm on a Sunday. Bless.
Foodwise, I got the Belgian Waffle with strawberries and link sausage and was once again gravely disappointed. My waffle wasn't very warm, so the butter couldn't even melt, and even worse, the syrup couldn't soak down into the bread fibers like I like. :(
I was so sad that the culinary experience was so crummy. And the service was odd: we figured our waiter must be new because, although he was attentive, he kept coming to the table every few minutes, even interrupting us while we were talking and things.
I loved Clyde's as a brunch spot while I was in undergrad. I've even got a great memory of Thanksgiving 2005 there, when my mom came up to visit and we had a lovely, lovely dinner. But the food was so unpleasant this time, I can only give the two. :(
Nice place to grab drinks or just enjoy a nice meal with friends.
I met up with a couple of my friends before the Red Sox slaughtered the Nationals back in June. It was nice -- they have a great selection of wine, alcohol, and food. I had a lemon drop martini along with the Crab Tower, which is a definite must have when coming here.
I definitely recommend coming here if you want to have a good time -- there are other places much better and much worse.
Nice casual atmospshere in a great location, but the food wasn't that good. I tried the chili, salmon burger, spinach, and crabcake sandwich. Almost everything was too salty. Our waitress was friendly though. I recommend eating somewhere else in Georgetown.
I will go anywhere for a lobster special and this was the last one I scoped out. For something like $20/lb, you could get yourself a meaty lobster. Unfortunately, they don't advertise that they boil (instead of steam) their lobsters - blech.
We crack open our lobsters only to have a small river of green guts and yellowish water pour onto our plates. It was an absurd amount of liquid. The meat was a little over cooked, from what I remember - probably because they left that poor little lobster at the bottom of some watery pot for way too long, but then again - lobster is lobster and drawn butter fixes everything.
Clyde's has been a staple in my DC dining routine for years - and I never tire of it. I don't think that it's over-hyped or a tourist trap, but really good food. I was there the other night with an out of town guest and it was still impressive. We started the night with a round of drinks at the bar while waiting for our table - it was busy and we were not in a hurry. Unfortunately they called out our party's name and we didn't hear it. After sitting there for a bit I was curious what was going on - after apologizing profusely they paid for our drinks at the bar. That type of service and class doesn't come around too often.
After being seated we ordered appetizers - the crab tower is to die for! It was basically a really big California roll. No filler - and half an avocado on top. Then we ordered our dinner - my boyfriend had scallops and in his words "they were real scallops" - which is hard to find. Our guest had rockfish, which is a great local fish and it was done very well at Clyde's. I had corned beef, we were there on St. Patrick's Day after all. For desert, creme brulee and they do have really good creme brulee.
I've had the burgers here, soups, brunch, mixed drinks - you name it and everything had been good. I enjoy the dining experience, especially when you can get a table by the window to watch the action go by. This place is an institution - if you come here on a Saturday, especially in high tourist season, it'll be packed with tourists and shoppers. It's on M St - what do you expect?
Clyde's has a great atmosphere and is located right in the heart of M Street. Yes, it is expensive, but considering that it is in Georgetown and that they have decent food and drinks, it is in line with what you would expect to pay. The burgers are delicious, the service was efficient and friendly. Overall a great time. Yes, I do plan to come back!
Visited this place with my roomies for a very late night dinner - we arrived after 11pm and they still had a steady stream of customers, though most were flocking towards the bar. Good place if you are hungry for good old fashioned American food. The hosts were very friendly and eager to make sure that we were comfortable in the booth they seated us, while our server was friendly as well (even though he was obviously tired).
Not quite sure why, but this place reminded me of Cheers (the old TV show).
I ventured to Clyde's after a long flight. I had checked into my hotel, I was tired, and I needed some grub. Clyde's totally did the trick.
It has an upscale pub vibe, and it's very large so I didn't need a reservation. I was seated in a comfortable booth and was served very quickly and promptly. The highlight of my dining experience at Clyde's would have to be the vegetable pizza. It was well seasoned, and not too big.
I would totally eat here again. It's friendly, the food's good, there's not a long wait, and it isn't overpriced. Who could ask for anything more?
Checked out this spot for dinner during a recent visit to DC. Wait was about half an hour so we decided to chill at the bar. The bartenders were very friendly and accommodating as were all the locals at the bar. I was even able to get some good tips on other places to check out while in the area.
Dinner: Couldn't really make up my mind so I asked the server, she recommended the salmon so I went with that. FAIL! The salmon was BLAND! Asked my server to send it back, she said she had to charge me so I begrudgingly ate it. My friend's meal was great according to her. I was definitely disappointed. I was ready to tip her a buck but she rectified the situation and offered a free dessert! SCORE! Got the strawberry shortcake and it was alright not great but FREE!
Probably would give it another shot but next time order something else, and maybe read some reviews on here!
YUMMY!!! This place was sooo good. I enjoyed the food here as well as the atmosphere. It got really crowded fast.
Highly recommended! Especially the Salmon burger (fi you enjoy seafood)!!!
I went here for my Thanksgiving dinner (I know, I know, it was a month ago, but better late than never?) and it was a solid offering of traditional food. I got turkey, roast beef, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet corn, green beans, and a peace of pecan pie (also had a choice of pumpkin or apple). It was a lot of food, but kind of small portions of all of it, but it still added up to a lot of food.
I really enjoy Thanksgiving sides more than the actual turkey, and they didn't disappoint. The turkey was a bit dry; however, the roast beef was delicious. I was also happy because we had a cute waiter. Cute guy at the bar and cute guys sitting next to us. That is something I couldn't get if I was with the family!
The Thanksgiving meal was a 4 star, but seeing as it isn't what they serve regularly, I will reserve more judgment until I go back another time.
Clyde's markets itself as a semi-upscale Steak place that often features seasonal seafood dishes like Copper Salmon, crab cakes or lobster. It does none of these dishes justice. In the end, it is nothing but a growing chain of restaurants that delivers mediocre food at mid-to-upscale prices. It also delivers the ambience and atmosphere of a Chili's. The steaks are adequate but not great, and usually not prepared as well as I'd like, with medium rares coming out medium well. The service is adequate, probably graduates of several years working at the local Applebees or Cheesecake Factory.
Again, it's fine, but nothing special. It's where the soulless couples who work away their lives as attorneys in Tysons Corner where they work and live go "out on the town" on Friday night, to be followed by a 8 PM showing of the new Adam Sandler comedy, and then a quick bout of unsatisfying sex before bed, only to repeat their boring and uneventul week.
I've never been clear on why 20-somethings like to utilize Clyde's as a bar also. The Georgetown Clyde's bar fills up on weekend nights, making it even more cramped than usual. It has all the ambience of your local Applebees bar, minus the crock pot pump cheese and stack of crumbling, stale, Army surplus tortilla chips.
I agree with Will Y that it is one of the most overrated DC establishments. There isn't a more empty experience than visiting this restaurant.
I visited Clyde's on the basis of the Washingtonian's crab cake top 5 rating. My visit was on a Thursday night arriving about 8. The wait was 20 minutes.
As I was stag, and found acceptable seating at the bar, I ordered my meal there.
I selected the crab cake sandwich as 8 is late enough that I didn't want too much. I substituted the side salad for the fries as my neighbor had a plate with unappealing fries.
The single crab cake was good. Fresh crab, properly cooked, minimal filler, very tasty. The portion was small enough that I wished I had ordered the two cake dinner. The salad was okay. The greens were fresh with good variety. The croutons were nicely done. The tomato dice was ripe and tasty. The blue cheese dressing was home made with one tiny bit of blue cheese chunk. The potato roll was a bust. Might as well have provided a grocery store wonder bun.
Service was friendly, prompt, and competent. No complaints.
I will go back to try more from the menu. My portion mistake was a first time vistor error, not Clyde's.
My neighbor at the bar who had the poor appealing fries had a steak that looked very good. He was a clean plater.
Perhaps the most over-hyped establishment in the world. Clyde's is a real tourist trap. I can't tell you how many times I've ordered something only to have it arrive clearly different than its described on the menu. Do yourself a favor and pick ANYWHERE else on M St. Thank me later.
Side note- I hear that there is now a "Clydes to go." I will investigate and update.
PS: The locale in Georgetown has a little-known happy hour menu available only upon request that makes Clyde's a much better value.
Chocolate croissant bread pudding... not as good as the old chocolate chip bread pudding but a decent substitute, I guess.
Cuuute bartender, friendly service :-)
Great Food, not terribly expensive either for Georgetown. It has 1789 service and food quality but much more affordable. Try the duck confit and crab cakes.
Our waiter looked like a model. Damn, he was fine! He should have gone in to modeling instead of waiting tables.
The beer order was mixed up, he forgot about us, and we had to go speak to the manager to get service. He later returns to ask if everything is OK? Um, yeah, everything is OK now that we found someone else to tend to our table. Thank you.
The food is OK. It is the kind of place where you go to satisfy everyone in your group. You can find something to eat. I got the turkey burger with brown rice, oats, and apples cooked in to the meat. My sis-in-law got the crab cake sandwich, and her husband got the bacon cheese burger. We also got a crab and artichoke dip and prosciutto wrapped melon for appetizers. My sis-in-law and I got mojitos and her husband got a Heineken (after two attempts)
The crab dip was good. Our dream model server forgot bread for the crab dip and we had to wait. By the time we got the bread, the dip was almost cold. I like my dip to be warm, not room temperature. The prosciutto wrapped melon was interesting. It was a big slab of melon wrapped in prosciutto and baked. I have never had cooked prosciutto and it definitely did not appease me. And it was topped with strawberry compote. The flavors did not blend and the cooked prosciutto did not sit well with us. They should not have baked it.
Our burgers were just OK. My turkey burger was bland. I did not taste any apples. I did feel a few grains of brown rice but, that was it. The fries were OK. My sis-in-law liked her crab cake sandwich and her husband liked his bacon cheese burger.
The drinks were well prepared. I liked my mojito.
Overall, an average dining experience. I will not return unless there are no other options in the area. Service improved after we talked to the manager and got another server.
I would have given another star if our model waiter dropped his pants but, that is not appropriate to ask for....right??
Great ambiance, great service.
We got in at 11:45 PM, right before the kitchen closed and had an excellent burger and a couple of chili dogs. Then, picked up ordered the chocolate bread pudding for the wife who was kicking back at the hotel.
I could definitely get used to the Blue Moon beer.....
wow, i love clyde's but this was my least favorite clyde's experience. our server was like, why are you here? why are you speaking to me, and why are you asking me for things?! It was really frustrating. the menus were crumpled, no manager ever came by, the bathrooms were bad and there was a line out the door to the bathroom! this is clyde's this is supposed to be an upscale restaurant with impeccable service. i was so disappointed.
and the food was just alright. we both ordered crabcakes, which as always were amazing. but the server was clueless as to whether you could add a crabcake to a meal and how much it would cost. i mean aren't you trying to upsell? we got the barbeque hush puppies which were overfried, and except for the coleslaw on the side, were pretty tasteless. the prosciutto-wrapped scallops were really good though, not amazing, but good. with my crabcake, i ordered sumac crusted chicken, which sounded amazing, feta, pita chips, chic peas, cucumbers and mint, but it was not the way the menu made it sound-like this crispy pita encrusted chicken. the pita was soggy, the chic peas were just chic peas, there was no feta, etc. i was really disappointed with this entree, which might be why they have removed it from the menu of other clyde's restaurants.
the only other thing you should remember is that the clyde's label wine is a great deal. pinot grigio was great, and it was only $5.50. what a deal! my fiance also had a caribbean cooler cocktail, that was pretty tasty, but also super sweet.
all in all, i would recommend going to any clyde's but this one!
Meh. After reading a couple of yelp reviews, I expected Clyde's to be offensively high priced and mediocre. Only the first came true. I ordered a steak salad while my friend got the salmon. After a 20 minute wait, the food came (btw the waiter does this elaborate serving procedure where he balances the plates on his extended arm). There was plenty of steak, the iceberg lettuce was fresh and the blue cheese was fine. It was straight forward food. I wasn't blown away by it, but it didn't make me unhappy either. I was pretty satisfied. One thing was that once we were finished, the waitress took about half an hour to pick up the check. We had to literally flag her down to take it away. Also, one steak salad with no drinks, no appetizers, no desserts came out to....almost $20! But if you're in Georgetown and aren't picky about your food, this isn't a bad bet.
Clydes is a good place to grab a burger for lunch with friends or colleagues. It's pricey because it's a nice sit-down place located off M St. If you're upset about the price go to Roslyn or further to a nearby dive. I'd rather settle for their prices then get ripped for a sandwich at the Dean and DeLuca by the mall. Only thing is that the restaurant gets overwhelmed with college students closer to dinner which is bad for an old fart like me.
Open Kitchen's Prix-Fixe…
Falls Church, VA
15 % off The Entire Check
Silver Spring, MD
Neighborhood: Georgetown
Category: Breakfast & Brunch
Washington, DC
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Georgetown
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Georgetown
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Georgetown
Category: American (Traditional)
When the sun goes down, you'll find me here...well…
Even though it doesn't come close to being my…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
Fantastic capital city. My exploits in the…
Some of the places I frequented while living in DC…
Places in the DMV that have burrowed through my…
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
When I'm sick of eating at my desk, I'm out…
