Marcel's by Robert Wiedmaier, Washington DC

I am not a regular to these fine dining establishments, but I treat myself every so often. The food was good. Portions were more than average size for such an establishment. The service is what sets it apart from the others I've been to. Top notch.

We had a great evening dining at Marcel’s. They do a great job setting up the atmosphere there to enjoy dinner and your company. Food was delicious and the service was prompt and very attentive. Highly recommended to make a reservation and visit.

Haven't been to Marcel's in a few years and certainly glad I came back. They were accommodating for my requests for only fish, vegetables and little butter/cream. I enjoyed the calmness and European-style professionalism of the service, it felt very unique to DC. I learned that Marcel's is the same owner as Brasserie Beck!

I've been going to Marcel's for many years, and it's always amazing from start to finish. My husband and I recently went for my 30th birthday and the team took every measure to make sure we had a memorable experience. We started with cocktails at the bar where we chatted with the regulars. The bartender is truly a master at his craft. We then enjoyed a 5-course dinner. The boudin blanc is a menu mainstay, and a must. Our waiter, Mark, regularly checked in on us while regaling us with stories of his experience in the industry. The staff at Marcel's are true professionals, prioritizing a level of service that is too rarely seen these days. We will keep coming back to this DC institution.

Great meal.the setting and food are a bit tired.the staff varies from super attentive to slightly dismissive.

My wife and I have been going to Marcel’s for a number of years for our wedding anniversary. The pandemic interrupted our patten for a couple of years. We went back this year for our 41st anniversary and Marcel’s did not disappoint. It has not lost its charm. The food was wonderful, the lobster flan especially stood out, and the service, especially from server Vinnie, was great.

Wow! Excellent dinner. Definitely old school/traditional vibe going on. But the meal was great! The lobster flan was out of this world, and the fois gras was astounding! They were the winners…and the chocolate bomb cake was unbelievable! Was the winner of the desserts we had! Very expensive… crazy expensive for our normal budget, but was our anniversary and my husband wanted to splurge. Seeing pics on here showing that people got a plate that said ‘Happy Anniversary. ’ That would have been nice to receive as they knew it was our anniversary. The steak was disappointing. Had gristle which should not have my for the price of the meal.

Came here based on the high reviews and also for a special occasion.

The staff was friendly, and we had no issues with people being rude/mean like other reviewers have stated.

My wife and I each did the 6 course meal. I was expecting from the pictures a nice amount of food.
However, what came out was shocking. IE: Pan seared scallop = 1 scallop on the plate with a tiny garnish.

We have been to France/Italy, many many times (was just in Italy last month for two weeks). Most food is of a decent portion size and is excellent quality.
The food here was good, but it was insulting how small the portions were. Go to Italy and order gnocchi and you will get a plate full as just an appetizer. Here, you will receive 5 pieces.
Want bread with your meal? You will receive 1 single slice.

We spent $500 for a meal, and it was ridiculous the lack of actual food received.
I do not mind paying high amounts of money for quality food but at the same time I don't want to leave hungry.

This is the first French/European restaurant that I've ever been to that I've actually felt insulted with how little food was actually made/given to me for the amount of money spent.

I should have expected this being in DC.seems to be a common and acceptable thing, but this really is insulting to European food.

I would not come back again just on the fact that I left hungry. Don't buy into the hype.

This was without a doubt the absolute best dining experience I've ever had in my life. Every aspect of the night was without equal, but to expand:

-The cocktails and wine selection were amazing. My wife informed Doug (our server/sommelier) her wine preference and he came back with a perfect selection. I tried 3 different cocktails and still can't decide which is my favorite.
-The food I'll never be able to so justice. Every single plate we received was potentially better than the last. The sides and sauces may even outshine the protein on the plate. The ricotta dessert may have stolen the show, however, it was divine.
-The service was without a doubt the best we've ever received at a restaurant. Everyone we interacted with was superb, but I have to give Doug a shout out as our main server as his service was second to none.

If at all possible, do yourself a favor and dine here, you won't regret it.

I come here often when I'm in town for business. The last time was just prior to the 'winter white' switchover around October.

I love to make a meal out of Foie Gras and Lobster flan while my colleagues swoon over craft cocktails. Always an elegant evening.

Let's start with the positive part of this experience:
1- Food quality was good
2- Service was fine
Now, what didn't work for me:
1- The portions of the food are WAY TOO SMALL. We ordered from the 6 courses, and we still left hungry.
2- Too Expensive for the amount of food you are receiving. 6 Courses + two glasses of wine + one Bloody Mary + Tip + $520 for two people and left hungry
3- There is an up charge for some of the food selection on the menu. So, you pay the fix Price and then extra if you select couple of the options. If you are already charging people that high, there shouldn't be additional charges for the food on the menu
Add a Full Menu with full portion instead of sampler and offer that to your customer so if they want to have a larger portion, they can select one and actually leave full and satisfied. I don't mind spending Money of good quality of food and leave full and satisfied.

I lived in France for so many years and I went to French restaurant all my life, I never ever seen any French restaurants to serve food the size of spoon for $130. It was absolutely shocking and ridiculous.

We had a wonderful time celebrating our anniversary. Food was amazing as always, and this time I had the foie gras which is an absolute must. Special thanks to Jonathan, the Captain, with his vibrant character, and Moez who made the night so memorable!

Our waiter had a booger fall out of his nose into my water cup. For the most part I had a good experience. The food was OK the shrimp was cooked to perfection absolutely beautiful I’ve felt like going down to Northwest to spend $400 on food. Now the steak was not that good the steak could’ve been better but it had a good feeling after it so I felt good after I ate it. Now here’s the thing about the waiter. The waiter decided he was going to come and ask heyDo you want any water? I said why would I want water when I could order wine and I said I want the wine. The waiter said OK we have a special tonight and I said OK I’ll take the special and because I will I don’t care what I’m drinking I told the waiter excuse me but can I please have another fork because the fork that I got was all dirty had like a little crumb on it was kind of dirty so the waiter said OK no problem and when he bent over a piece of booger fell out into my cup. (The waiter had a stuffy nose) Absolutely disgusting no apology from the waiter at all absolutely ridiculous I was so angry that I left a lot of the food behind because I just couldn’t get it out of my mind.

Anyway excellent restaurant but bad bad experience.

I would give this place 10 stars out of 5.
The menu is extensive and a tasting menu that has a lot to offer. Our server knew exactly trough out the time what he was doing.
We just had the most wonderful dinner and looking forward to come back. The food is beyond amazing, spectacular and absolutely delicious. The balance of flavor and texture is so well balanced……. We were just blown away. Highly recommended!