Domku Bar & Cafe

Love this Petworth brunch spot, perfect for a cozy meal with an assortment of coffee beverages and delicious meals.
My boyfriend got the which was wonderful. Breakfast Lamb Turnover– Sour cream pastry dough filled with spiced ground lamb & an egg, lightly fried in butter.
I ordered the Raspberry Almond French Toast {V} Almond-​crusted challah filled with raspberry jam, which quenched my sweet breakfast craving. There were maybe one or two staff taking care of the restaurant, so try to get there right at open for personal service.

I love Domku! I live right around the corner and have been here so many times. Plus I’ve been to a few Scandinavian countries — I’m a winter weather lover! So this is my go to place for Scandinavian food! The atmosphere is COZY… the food is absolutely delicious! The various fish dishes are cooked to perfection. Coupled with mimosas and I’m a happy camper! Even the little pancake balls are a perfect appetizer/​dessert.
I heard a rumor this place might be closing — I am PRAYING that isn’t true…

We love Domku! Brunch is amazing, love the raspberry almond French toast, and the latkes with eggs. Dinner is also great, the sauerkraut pierogies are my favorite. Very unique menu, and very adorable décor. One of the nicest places to go out in our neighborhood.

The rating is solely based on service (food tasted great).
The service was slow and inattentive given the dining room was half full during a brunch hour.
A 10 min wait for the menu and water.
A 20 min wait for a cup of tea (after reminding).
A 30 min wait for the first glass of mimosa (after reminding).
Perhaps, they were understaffed. They were quick to bring a check before I finished my drink though.

Been a few times for brunch with generally the same experience — impressive eats brought by understaffed servers. Recently went around 2pm during a busy Sunday rush, so I felt sorry for the servers. Food/​drinks came out here and there (with the exception of entrees, which all came together, relatively quickly). Just be aware that bottomless mimosas will be brought when the servers get around to them.
You wouldn’t know from the menu, but they have food for every appetite:
–Getting ready for the beach? Order the Norwegian pancake; yes, carbs, but ultra thin with a scattering of berries on top (you can always order a side of egg…).
–Walk up from Columbia Heights with an appetite? Order the mushroom latke with egg and spinach, yum.
–Just finish fasting for Ramadan and have an urge for Scandinavian comfort food? Order the jam-​filled almond french toast — a 9″ x 5″ x 2″ pastry that will send you straight to heaven. Too heavy to be fluffy, too tasty to be excessive, it’s just too.
Home-​made scones are also worth acknowledging (cranberry & cardamom — what a combo!)

The food here is good but overpriced. For example, my plate was overly simple. The potatoes were just large cut pieces of potato, while the sausage was plainly presented. The pierogies were also good but didn’t even come with any sour cream. This overly simple preparation and presentation of food doesn’t justify the prices at Domku.
The service here is also pretty bad. My friend and I waited over an hour to get our food. We should’ve known the service was slow after the waiter took several minutes just to seat us. This seemed to be a problem with other tables too. One group got tired of waiting and just sat themselves. They also grabbed menus for themselves after the waiter failed to get it for them.

The food was ok, but def nothing special — we also waited 2.5 hours for an order of Swedish meatballs and an order of kielbasa. We would’ve left, but the server kept telling us our order was on its way! The food tasted fine, but not $ 18 plate of meatballs and $ 18 plate kielbasa fine. And def not the 2.5 hour wait.

Lovely little restaurant in Shaw. They have great cocktails. I got a better root one. I also tried some of their infused vodkas — caraway and cardamom. They were really good and smooth. The beers rotating on tap were a good selection too. For food we got a salmon and herring platter. The fish was really fresh and well cured. We also just had to get the Swedish meatballs. The meat, sauce, and mashed potatoes were all melt in your mouth delicious. I was really pleased with my dinning experience here. It’s a bit overpriced though.

I studied abroad in Denmark and have been looking forward to coming for brunch for a long time. It was delicious! We had aebleskiver as an app, which I could eat for days. They have homemade scones on Sunday which were also fantastic. A little pricey, but worth it for a special treat on a lazy Sunday.

Love Domku — we frequent this place for weekend brunch. It’s really kid friendly — which is a plus for me — but be prepared on weekends for their to be loads of kids. The Domku Bloody Mary is spicy, their brunch options are varied but tend toward heavy. My husband thinks the prices are too high. We have always been impressed with the wait staff — they are attentive and professional. They take reservations but we haven’t ever had to wait for a table. The interior space is decorated nicely but it’s tight. It never feels rushed. Food quality is excellent.

This place is really good! My friend took me to brunch here this past weekend and I’m glad she did bc I had never heard of it before and live in the neighborhood.
The place is cute and cozy with a great brunch menu. My friend had the raspberry almond pancakes (or some similar fruit topping, cant remember), but it was seriouslt delicious. I had the roasted tomatoe omelette which came w a green salad. So yummy and light and healthy! The pancake balls were also so soft and I will definitely get those again as an appetizer. I also loved the cute french press they gave my table when we ordered a carafe of coffee.
Overall: good food, cute, lowkey brunch spot for an intimate meal.

Awesome Brunch! The Norwegian Pancakes were great! We ordered both the savory and sweet ones and both were equally tasty. The Æbleskiver was was awesome too and works great as an hours d’ouvres. The café itself was very cute and the service was wonderful. Check it out, it’s well-​worth the hike!

I will say that there are things I really didn’t like about it. It’s quite expensive, and I can’t figure out why, given that I’m paying to go to a little place in Petworth and wait for one overworked server to get to us while we listen to irksome regional pop music. So why the four stars?
Mainly because those are some really fantastic lentil mushroom balls. They call them «vegetarian meatballs» as if that is appealing or makes sense, but what’s in a name anyway? The menu offers some eclectic and interesting Eastern European creations, clearly labeled for vegetarian/​vegan and such. It’s a small menu, but an appealing one. The fried goat cheese with blackberry sauce was no slouch either. I felt like it was five stars for the food, and three for other considerations, which I’m averaging out to four based on some incredibly scientific formula.
It’s unique, and pretty much anyone ought to be able to find something to try. Worth trying, in my opinion.

Not sure why some of the reviews arent good here. the place has really good food (i like all the polishs stuff). Cool atmosphere and nice décor.
will def come back again

I brought my parents here for dinner on Saturday, after I enjoyed my meal so much last time. It was just as good!
We started off with the panko-​crusted goat cheese with the blackberry sauce. It was delicious, and there were enough cheese pieces for each of us to have one. We split two entrees between the three of us, which ended up being plenty. The first dish we split was the Swedish meatballs, which were fantastic just like the last time.
The second dish we tried was the kielbasa, which came with apples, red cabbage and grain mustard. We each had a sausage and my parents ate the apples and red cabbage. We finished off the meal with the Swedish almond cake, which was everything I remembered. Just delicious.
Domku is still a wonderful, off-​the-​beaten-​path place for a terrific meal, with a cuisine you still can’t find too much in D.C. Love it!

I can’t decide if this place is a café or a dining establishment with the décor but the food here is wonderful and affordable, the all too often missed sweet spot in DC.
Both the mushroom and sauerkraut, and potato and bacon pierogis were flavorful and hearty and delicious. The beet soup was delicious and not too heavy. I enjoyed the gravlax platter as well, though the potato pancakes were a standout: flavorful, lightly fried, yet almost luscious. I couldn’t get enough.
The cocktails were pretty innovative and great. Of the ones I tried, the carrot-​based gin (?) cocktail was refreshing and well-​balanced and the standout. A friend also had a cocktail with pickled herring in it which was tasty and briny, but not for the faint of heart.
I’ll definitely be back, especially since it seems like it would be easy to get a table on a weekend, though I guess now, the secret’s out!

I came to Domku for vegetarian night (every Tuesday!) and had a great evening. My experience with Scandinavian food is minimal, but I am now a fan. It is about a 10 minute walk from the Petworth metro. My friends and I sat at the bar and had great service.
The pierogi special that night was my favorite menu item. They were topped with little pieces of caramalized onion which gave great flavor to the rich doughy dumplings. The cabbage rolls were good (although not pierogi good!). The rice had a perfect, sticky texture and the tomato sauce on top gave it a nice savoriness. Finally, I had a the eggplant appetizer that tasted like a chunky baba ganoush. It came with these crispy thin crackers which had great texture.
Happy hour drink specials were $ 5 hour wine and $ 1 off draft beers. They had a small but enticing selection of beers including a cherry blossom beer (yum!) I had the grog, which is wine mixed with vodka, cardamom, and other spices. Not only was it delicious but it will get you feeling tipsy in two sips.
Overall, the I would rate the experience at 4 stars. I can tell there are some dishes here that are all stars based on reading the reviews. I will definitely have to come back.

First off, one must know this is a potato’s lovers paradise. I’m serious people: potato pancakes, pierogies, and a side a potatoes are waiting for you! And if potatoes are not your fave, make sure to read the menu, so you don’t accidentally order your meal, and then realize (almost) every dish had potatoes. Hilarious mistake on our behalves.
This neighborhood café is an interesting mix of Scandinavian and Polish influences, from the décor, to the wine list, and food items. Corey S. and I opted for the bacon & potato pierogies and cabbage rolls to start, accompanied with some Macedonian wine. A great place to share dishes, and try to save room for desert if you can– as the Swedish almond cake looked ridiculously good.
Also, please do yourself a favor and order the Swedish meatballs, as we ordered the vegetarian ones, and decided we made a huge mistake. At least it came with a side of potatoes.
Next time, I will save room for dessert, try to order more than one item without potatoes, and make sure the Blackberry fried goat cheese is back in season.

If I could give Domku zero stars, that would be way more accurate. Apparently, they do not like to serve people who come by themselves. After visiting the farmer’s market, I decided to have a nice lunch at Domku. There were many people sitting outside, and several dogs, so it looked like a great place to have a nice lunch outside and enjoy the fall weather with my dog.
I went inside and asked if I could sit at an outdoor table. I was told that would be fine and headed back outside. There was even already a nice water bowl outside by our table.
In the time I was seated there, a couple next to me had ordered, and were served drinks, as well as their food. A table of
Four arrived, sat down outside, and was given menus and drinks.
I spoke to another waitstaff person, and she had told me she would bring me out a menu and her next two trips back outside, she came empty handed.
When I asked to speak to the manager, they replied she was busy.
Unacceptable. Rude and extremely disappointing. Shame on you, Domku.

Went to visit an old middle/​high-​school friend that I hadn’t seen in years up in DC and she recommended dinner at Domku! I said I was interested in some Polish food, and Domku has Slavic/​Scandinavian fare, plus it was walking distance from her place in Petworth.
We went right around opening time, which was good because several tables were reserved and by the end of our meal, the restaurant was fairly full. Our waitress was great; friendly and also very patient/​helpful in understanding the menu.
The restaurant has high ceilings and a very modern vibe, and I remember the restroom being unusually dark!
Our mutual friend (also a former middle/​high-​school classmate) joined us for dinner, and the three of us reminisced and caught up as we shared pierogis and the pickled beet and carrot salad as appetizers. The salad was particularly unique as it came as a cylindrical tower with alternating layers of carrots and beets. It was quite good! The pierogis were great too.
For my entrée, I ordered the red onion pie. I love flaky pastries, and the pie was a shortcrust pastry. It was warm and delicious, and came with a side of mixed greens. The portion was small-​ish, so fortunately, I had also ordered a side of Janssen’s Temptation (potato anchovy casserole) to fill me up.
Overall, the food was excellent, with notably stunning presentation/​plating. A little pricey for sure, but worth a visit for their unique offerings. I hear their brunch is pretty amazing too, so I might have to check that out someday.