RT's Restaurant

I love finding restaurants that you weren't expecting to be a hit! I found RT's on accident.
The restaurant is tucked away in a row of various shops on a busy block. There's a parking lot across the street for you to park.
I ordered a shrimp poboy sandwich. Now the sandwich is typically only served at lunch times. The restaurant wasn't very busy so they let me go ahead and place the order.
The sandwich was great. It also came with an order of homemade shoestring French fries. By the time I got home they were not as hot or crispy as they probably were when I got them.
I also ordered the chicken and andouille gumbo. The gumbo is served over rice. The portion size was good and I was also given some bread which I enjoyed dipping in the gumbo.

I can't believe it's been three years since my RT's review. This place is still so good. I recently got takeout to celebrate a special occasion, and the meal lived up to all my expectation.

I ordered the gumbo and the imperial etoufee, both of which were delicious. The portions are well sized and easily fed two people plus a bit of leftovers. The seasoning is outstanding, from the main dishes themselves to the rice. It reminded me of visiting New Orleans.

Sometimes I see my old reviews and lament how places have changed, closed, or faltered. Not RT's. The food remains outstanding, and I'll definitely be back.

Sat the bar on a solo sunday funday. It's on a nice street with street vendors. I came for the food and wasn't disappointed.

The she crab soup was very good. I can't tell if the base was store bought but amount of sherry was spot on. I would probably say that if I wanted she crab soup, I'd go here from here on out.

They had some soft shells and they were delicious. I should have asked for capers but that's just my preference.

Drinks were well made.

All in all, a tasty treat.

I can't speak to the dinner experience though I'm tempted to try.

RT's, please stand up and take a bow, because you did the damn thing!

My friend and I came here on Friday, 1/26/2024 at around 5:30pm. We did not have a reservation and when we arrived the restaurant only had a couple of tables seated. We were seated promptly and shortly after being seated someone brought us two waters. Our waitress, Stephanie, greeted us quickly, went over some menu details, pointed out their 3-course restaurant week/prix fixe (this is the correct spelling, look it up LOL) menu and made some recommendations.

We both took her up on the restaurant week prix fixe menu and I ordered all of her suggestions, for my appetizer I got the chicken andouille gumbo, for my entree I got the 5 oz crab cake and for dessert I got the chocolate mousse. EVERYTHING was spectacular, the gumbo was so freaking meaty, hearty and well seasoned. The crab cake was ALL crab and no filler, it was moist and broiled to perfection. Listen to me when I tell you, I am not really a dessert fan, you will NEVER find me ordering dessert, I'm a savory over sweets girl, but the mousse was bomb! The mousse was not too sweet, perfect texture, and just yummy!

Lastly the service, Stephanie was gReAt! Stephanie was personable, attentive, she checked in with us and asked us if it was okay to send in our entree order while we had our appetizers, which showed excellent customer service. She was grade A+. Additionally, there seems to be a team approach to service, someone else filled our waters, my water never went below half full, the manager (or possibly owner) took our check, when I tell you customer service was perfect, believe me please!

I'm glad you read my review to the end, but get your booty up and check this spot out. I am already planning my next trip back!

Creole in DC?

I was a bit skeptical but even more intrigued to check this place out. I came in on a Saturday afternoon and we were seated pretty quickly. The staff was friendly and helpful since it was our first time visiting. We ended up getting the mussels, chicken & andouille sausage gumbo (cup size), and the shrimp & crab etouffee. Everything was good but if you've had creole food in New Orleans, it won't be the best you've ever had. I think it's decent if you have a fix for creole food - overall rate the food 3.5/5.

FYI: street parking is limited so check out the parking across the street.

Ordered take out and picked it up in restaurant! I saw some reviews saying they were great Cajun and they were 100% right! I ordered the crawfish etoufee and all the flavours were there without being overwhelming which is easy to do when people try to hit Cajun flavour and just overseason. The area was a location and exterior was a little underwhelming but the restaurant itself was well kept and has that mom and pop, been here forever energy. I was greeted quickly and the service was quick! I would def go back and try other items at the restaurant!

This place has great reviews and my bf decided to bring me here for a lunch date. We showed up and it's a very small and quaint restaurant. I didn't look it up, but it gives off the vibe that it's been there for years. It was pretty empty when we got there but a few older couples popped up as we sat there.

Service was good/quick and the food was overall pretty good. I got steak and frites because I'm not a huge seafood lover but always open to trying it.

If this place did a building refresh it would probably be 5 stars all the way.

While we were there we ordered adult beverages. In one of the pictures, you can see the margarita my bf ordered. Well it apparently looks just like their lemonade. While we were there a family came in (with children) and she was carrying our second round of drinks with their order of drinks and as she got to our table, she said "shit" and looked as the glasses as if she was trying to recall which one was the margarita. Successfully she handed him the margarita and he of course tasted it immediately! It was right, but still a funny moment that could have happened to anyone.

The ambiance is alright. It's not a super upscale or classy looking spot if that's what you're looking for. It's more of an old timey (mom and pop) feel restaurant. Some would say it has character. There were a lot of older grandparent looking folks there as well. I did a walk-in and he said there were no tables available. So if you're trying to go, set up a reservation in advance or you might have to sit at the bar. I sat at the bar but no one noticed me and I was the only person at this very small bar. I had to get up and ask someone to assist me.

The service once I got assistance was okay. They were decently quick with bringing things out. Gratuity is included in your bill FYI it's 20%.

The food was good. It didn't blow my mind, but it was delicious. I would say they don't season the broiled Jumbo lump crab very much. They just give you old bay at your seat on the side and tar tar sauce. The appetizer - the Jack Daniel's shrimp and lump crab was really good. The shrimp was a bit rubbery so slightly over cooked, but the sauce was delicious. For $14 it's a very small appetizer but maybe you're paying for the crab? There MKP for the lump crab cake entrees were $39. That's a standard amount and does come with two sides.


Tips:
There's street parking but not a ton of it and random garages behind building

Make reservation in advance

Tip included and it's 20%

This place never disappoints! I love the service, food, everything. You have to come and experience for yourself.

This restaurant is amazing! I went for my birthday dinner and the food, customer service was 10 out of 10.
I will definitely be going back!!