Iron Gate Restaurant, Washington DC

We went here for our 5th wedding anniversary. Overall, it was a great experience. Our priority was a nice restaurant that had outdoor seating in winter.

The seating outdoors is pretty nice. It has a decent amount of heat from fire pits at the table and standing heaters. I subtracted a star here because if you are a smaller table (e.g. A two top), you may be closer to another table. Unfortunately, we were and the tables next to us were pretty loud.

The food was great. We decided to go with the family table option and it was great. One thing to note here: you must select the same entree and desert for the table.

The service was great, too. They explained what the options were, people checked in with us frequently, and they even wrote a nice hand written note wishing us a happy anniversary.

The price is pretty steep, especially if you opt to go with the family table and the wine parings. Although, I would say it is worth it, especially if you are celebrating a special occasion.

I’m still thinking about the food. This restaurant was the top choice when I asked friends to recommend an intimate birthday dinner spot. They were right.
The cocktail was also incredible.
I’ll add that I’m vegetarian, and mama did they deliver on flavor and texture. The squash knocked my socks off. Squash.

Fantastic food great seasonal ingredients. Visited during restaurant week and it was totally worth it! Make sure to have enough space for dessert course (Bittersweet chocolate Budino) as the portion size is pretty large! Ambience was great, sat outside, they have fire pit for each table. Felt great to return after a couple of years! Goat cheese ravioli, mushroom arancini, roasted carrots. Very vegetarian friendly.

This is 5 star dining. Service was impeccable. I can't wait to go back in the summer and sit outside. Loved the small plate format.

Great atmosphere! Ask for Anita and Shannon for lunch. Had the Maroulosalata salad with Shrimp. Delicious!

We had a small dinner at Iron Gate to celebrate our wedding. The team was absolutely phenomenal to work with, from Dawn and Sarah and their colleagues at Neighborhood Restaurant Group to Nacho and the onsite team. The food was delicious as it always is here. Our guests raved about every course and the team worked with us to create a menu that reflected everyone's needs and preferences. Even though our dinner was in early November, we were able to enjoy a lovely evening on the beautiful patio. Whether you're celebrating a special occasion or simply seeking a fantastic meal, don't miss out on this gem.

I am not one to write bad reviews but feel our experience was so poor that we want others to beware when working with Iron Gate’s events team. We inquired at the beginning of January about their patio/courtyard spaces for a wedding reception in November 2023. I was assured our date was available by the events coordinator and we had a phone call and quite a few emails back and forth planning our reception timeline and potential menu/wine options. We were encouraged to make a dining reservation to see the space and taste the food which we did (and spent $400). I was told there was no need to submit a deposit prior to this and the events coordinator would call us the day after our dining experience to check-in. She never called (not that big of a deal), but when I emailed again to see if we could sign a contract and put a deposit down I was told nonchalantly “We just booked up this date. Can I check other dates for you? Cheers” without so much as an apology! I asked twice if we should put a deposit down earlier in the month and was told no, they would be holding the date for us. We sent about 10 emails back and forth with the subject line “Matt & Emily Wedding 11/3/2023. ” How we were not offered a courtesy notification at BARE MINIMUM that someone else was considering our date is completely unacceptable.

Iron Gate’s excuse is that someone else was covering for their Events Coordinator while she was out unexpectedly and accidentally gave away our date to another party. After a month of planning and booking musicians and a photographer for this date their only solutions are for us to hold our wedding reception from 11am – 3pm (? !) or to change our location to their sister venue 30-40 minutes away on a Fri night during rush hour traffic.

We have wasted a month planning with this venue and $400 on a dinner. We were so excited and now we are scrambling to find another option that fits our needs on the same date. A restaurant manager has yet to call us back (over 24 hours after I called to explain the situation).

What a huge disappointment.

The whole experience was wonderful. The food was delicious and the management and service of the restaurant was exceptional. Some of the kindest people I’ve interacted with. The quality of the food was very good and the menu is different than you would get elsewhere. Highly recommend.

Lovely ambience, delicious food and very friendly hosts - we came here for a Sunday brunch, and the fire and seat heaters kept us warm on a relatively cold day. The food is very well priced for the ambience and for the location. Overall a great experience!

An absolute DC favorite and go-to romantic date night. The Chef's Tasting menu has always impressed, and its seasonal rotation keeps the experience fresh. I recommend a table near the fireplace!

We were very excited to celebrate NYE at Iron Gate, a long time favorite DC restaurant. Unfortunately, it was beyond disappointing. The evening started with a staff member spilling water all over the table, which happens. However his response was it’s just water and the floor is tile…while my friend was trying to avoid getting soaked. Next, we let the server know we wanted to start with a cocktail prior to going into the wine pairing with each course. Things went very downhill from here. Instead of holding on the first course the food started coming, as did our cocktail and our welcome half glass of champagne (although we had been there for 20 minutes). We then had to ask for our wine pairing for the first course. So we had three drinks at one time. At this price point the restaurant should understand how to properly course. We had to request they slow the food so we could catch up on all our drinks. Then once the second course came the server said it pairs with the same glass of wine. He did give us a splash more but again he wasn’t clear and typically with a pairing you get a new wine with each course. From there it was uneventful but the wine pairing was way over priced for what was poured. There were some great dishes and others lackluster and came out cold. The descriptions provided of the wine and food were lacking as well. Lastly, one friend asked for a bit more wine and the server said we’d have to pay extra. When we had already paid $40 per glass of wine for the pairing…insanity. I’ve hosted promotion and team dinners as well as celebrated many other occasions at Iron Gate but sadly won’t be going back. I’m still shocked how much we spent and how horrible the experience was.

Came for the outdoor dining when it was very chilly out. They have a lovely back patio with propane fires and heaters around. When we were seated our waiter offered us blankets, seat warmers, and hand warmers.

The food was amazing and the timing of each course was on point. We never waited more than a few minutes for each next dish. The portions are small, so maybe eat a snack beforehand - I arrived starving and had to eat something afterwards.

The service here is what really blew me away. Their waitstaff is incredibly hard-working - our water glasses were always topped off, plates were cleared promptly, and the way the staff talked with us showed that they were really thoughtful. As soon as I started hesitating looking for the bathroom a staff member politely asked me if I was looking for the restroom and showed me to the door. Shout-out to Nacho for their amazing service!

This restaurant hits all the notes even when they are short staffed. Thanks for the great experience.as always.

Excellent. 200 year old building. You enter past the large iron gate in a nondescript sleepy block on N Street across from the Tabard Inn. The courtyard outdoor seating looked really nice but on a cold day we ate inside near the wood-fired pizza oven. The pizza was my favorite dish, with just the right amount of sauce and cheese on super fresh focaccia bread. Highly recommended and I will definitely return.

Iron Gate is perfect. I am partially biased because I had my wedding here, but the staff’s hospitality and the food are both impeccable.

4.5 stars if I could give it. The experience was excellent, the service was excellent, the preparation of the food was excellent- it just didn't taste that good. Nothing was bad, just nothing was particularly memorable. The venue is beautiful as well. 2 people, 3 drinks total, coffee + tea, tax and tip came out to 280.