Rose’s Luxury

I waited over a year for the chance to eat here. Either it was too cold to wait over an hour or I couldn’t force anyone to stand in line. Finally… freaking FINALLY a friend decided to join me for the long wait for the infamous Roses Luxury.
I was so worried that it wouldn’t live up to the incredible hype. I am so glad to say that my expectations were blown out of the water. This was single handedly one of the greatest dining experiences I’ve ever had. Our hostesses, Lauren, was absolutely amazing and hilarious. Thank you for the Carolina gold rice!
The food was phenomenal. My absolute favorite was their signature pork habanero with lychee.. It was so good we had to order another. The chicken fried oysters were also amazing.
The desserts. Oh god the desserts. I could bathe in the English pea cake with buttermilk.
I will be back again and again and again. Don’t be discouraged by the wait. If you go on a weekday you’re much more likely to get seated during the first seating if you go earlier than opening.

I’ve been here 4 times. The first 3 times I had no problem with the wait. The fourth time I waited about two hours.
The restaurant is very simple and inviting. The ambiance was wonderful.
Service: was excellent. Every single person who works here. They work with freedom, love and no pressure whatsoever and the service they give is fun, friendly and superb! the servers were very knowledgable. Every dish was fully explained as they were served. I give 5 stars for the excellent service
Price: very reasonable price for a Fine dining restaurant.
Their bread is phenomenal! It’s soft, warm and Tastes like croissant! I always get two :)
Food I’ve tried:
Lychee salad
Chicken fried oyster
Grilled avocado
Carrot dish
Spaghetti with cauliflower
Spaghetti with strawberry sauce
Some kinda pasta with peas
Dessert: the toasty coconut and kiwi gelato was good
Eggplants tart: that was a creative desert! Was really delicious!
English pea cake.
And a lot more dishes I don’t remember.
Over all the food is good. Their pasta is truly amazing. Well prepared littles plates! It’s more like tapas you have to order several plates. And the price is reasonable.
But, I still don’t understand from where the hype is coming from and all those five stars reviews!!! people waiting for hours and almost worshiping this place!!! Yes the food was good but is not WOW! I probably loved the service more than the food
Am I coming back?! Yes, I would come back.
I’m giving 3.75 ***

Been here 1, 2, 3 times now! Rose’s is the best — as every magazine and newspaper says. But… it’s always packed! So hire a task rabbit or head over early on a Mon-​Wed evening.
Cocktails are awesome and the bartenders know their stuff. I’m a fan of the tequila and gin based concoctions but they have a great wine list as well.
Food — Honestly, I’ve never had anything that I didn’t like… not one thing. Highlights:
The pork sausage, lychee/​peanut salad is the BEST! A must order, hands down.
The brisket is better than any bbq place in town.
The bucatini is my fave if you’re craving pasta.
Service — top notch. Everyone is friendly and accommodating.
I’d come back here every night if I could get a seat!

Reserved the rooftop for the rooftop garden tasting menu with 6 friends. You can make a reservation online. It was the chef’s «greatest hits» menu comprised of the favorite dishes from all the rotating menus since Rose’s opened. Amazing food, amazing experience!
Favorite dishes were the trout row tart w/​chive flowers (more, please); pork sausage, habañero, peanut, lychee salad (w/​coconut milk foam); pickle brined fried chicken; popcorn soup w/​lobster (much better than you think). For dessert, the English pea cake w/​mint curd & buttermilk stole the show, though I could just eat the warm shortcake plain without the strawberries for breakfast through dinner.
Everything about this restaurant was well-​considered. The serving dishes and vessels were all unique. The service was attentive and the servers knowledgable about the food. The music was just to my liking.

Yeah I drank the kool-​aid. Was it worth it? Sadly no.
tldr; food is decent but not amazing and definitely NOT worth the 2+ hour wait
I got there a few minutes after it opens (5pm) on Monday and was given a 1 hour window between 6:30 and 7:30pm in which I could be called. I wish they gave a tighter window (like 30 minutes) because really I ended up walking to wherever for an hour and then milling around the restaurant for an hour like a lunatic. Wait time total: 2 hours when I optimistically hoped for 1 only. Read — this is on a Monday for 1 person, I can’t even imagine the horrendous wait it’d be for a Saturday or for a bigger party.
The ambience of the restaurant is adorable and lovely, with simple decorations and an open kitchen, which is where I sat.
Everyone is started off with a potato brioche with butter topped with chives/​bacon.
Pork sausage, habenero, peanuts, & lychee salad: at first the flavors are subtle but the more you eat it, the better it gets! The pork provides the salt, lychee the sweetness, habenero the spice, and peanuts the crunchiness. The coconut is faint and does not overpower the dish. Overall spot on but not amaze-​balls good.
Smoked brisket with white bread, coleslaw, and horseradish: this is definitely meant to be shared, I could NOT finish it all by myself! Again the more you eat, the better it gets! It was especially good when paired with the potato brioche. Brisket was good, but again not amazing.
I was given a free scoop of rose ice cream because I was too full to get dessert. I don’t like perfume-​y ice cream and the texture of the ice cream was strangely sticky but I appreciated the thought!
Food is 4 stars but the time you put into it is not worth it. Lessons learned, there are very few meals in life that are waiting 2+ hours for… Rose’s is not one of them.

BELIEVE THE HYPE!
I was invited for a private rooftop dinner on a Thursday night and I was so excited to come here! This place is so cute! The inside is charming, the décor and lighting is rustic, the private rooftop is like your own little greenhouse and feels like a spot in NYC, even the bathrooms are adorable! I can tell that a lot of attention and thought was put into this whole space.
We were treated to a set menu, filled with dishes that were not on the regular menu, and brought to us by the chefs who gave us a run down on what was what. A lot of the dishes that were served were things I would not have ordered on my own, such as the popcorn soup with lobster, or the pasta with jalapeño and blue crab.
One of our friends had a shellfish allergy and Rose’s Luxury went above and beyond to accommodate her, bringing her out extra dishes to try or leaving out the shellfish on just her plate.
This is definitely a place to splurge and eat at. Reservations are a must!

My boyfriend wanted to treat me to a special meal to celebrate my return to the classroom this fall for my Masters, so he suggested we visit Rose’s Luxury. Of course, as everyone else has, I had heard the horror stories about 2 – 3 hour waits, etc., but we reasoned if we visited on a weeknight, we would be more inclined to be seated quickly. Since My boyfriend works relatively close to Rose’s he left work early so he could be standing in line by 4:30pm. At 4:30pm on a Wednesday, he counted 16 people ahead of him. Since your entire party must be present to be seated, we were seated shortly after I arrived to meet him, around 6pm.
The area we were seated in was near a back bar and just gorgeous! Lots of greenery and sun lights really added to the atmosphere for our meal. Our server was really friendly and knowledgable in her explanation of the menu, specific ingredients, and was able to point us towards both drinks and dishes that were more to our taste preferences. She suggested 5 – 6 small plates, so we ordered 5. This ended up being the perfect amount of food to still enjoy dessert too. Plates are brought out as they are ready, but the pace worked fine for us. The only slow part of our service was receiving drinks. Our first plate came out before our first round of drinks were brought over. I ordered a second which didn’t come until dessert was nearly finished. I ordered two strawberry and mint cocktails-​rum, Pimms, sparkling wine, mint. These were refreshing and not overly sweet. My boyfriend had a rye, lemon, and rose water. While I didn’t try it, he said it was nicely made.
The four and a half star average on Unilocal is very accurate; this was hands down one of the best meals (possibly THE best) I have eaten since moving to DC! We ordered:
1. Pork sausage, habenero, peanuts, & lychee salad: this dish, according to our server, should be mixed together to get a bit of each flavor in each bite. The pork was spot on! I loved the contrasting sweet/​sour from the lychee and the habenero for spice. The crunch from the peanuts added a nice textural aspect.
2. Grilled veal breast, tonnato sauce, parsley & Bonito: the veal was so tender and savory! The pickled onions were a nice flavorful add on.
3. Blue catfish, crispy bread, green tomato relish, and saffron aioli: it was all about the saffron aioli! That sauce was amazing! I wish there had been more than three dollops because my partner ate two of them! The catfish, which is a fish I normally wouldn’t order, was well cooked and flaky. The green tomato relish was a nice contrast to the sweet saffron aioli.
4. Confit goat with BBQ sea island red peas, rice, and garlic breadcrumbs: the goat was quite tender and flavorful. I loved the textural contrasts between the rice and pease. Both went well with the goat (wish there was more goat in this dish) and the rice was very savory and creamy on its own.
5. Spaghetti with spicy strawberry sauce and fresh ricotta: the flavors worked so well in this dish despite the ingredients sounding out of place together! The fresh ricotta added an extra component to the sauce and the strawberries, as they were not spicy on their own, contrasted with a sweet hint that was heightened by the spice. The pasta was also perfectly al dente and thicker homemade noodles. Everything about this dish worked tremendously well!
We also ordered two desserts– a strawberry rhubarb tart and a warm chocolate mousse with rose ice cream. I thought I’d like the warm chocolate mousse more but the rose ice cream was clearly at the center of the dish. There were two small dollops of mousse-​which were absolutely delicious-​but I was expecting the mousse to be front and center. It was still tasty-​I just wish there had been more mousse! The strawberry rhubarb tart with black pepper whipped cream was delicious! I love rhubarb, so I knew this would be a great dessert choice for me! Our server also brought out complementary Cinnamon Toast Crunch ice cream, telling us it took the chef three months to get it right! It was quite reminiscent of its namesake cereal, and, of course, was delicious! Our meal ended with treats with our bill– squares of peanut butter/​sesame seeds, and something salty. I enjoyed these as a nice palate cleanser.
I highly recommend visiting for the experience! Amazing food, interesting cocktails, great service– everything that makes a dining experience one to remember!

Prix Fixe Dinner for 2 ($ 55pp)
— Ambiance (⁵⁄₅)
Awesome environment. Upscale but inviting.
— Service (³⁄₅)
Very attentive service at the bar. Every dish explained in detail. One quick note– if you don’t have a severe allergy, don’t even mention it. When asked, I mentioned that I have a light allergy to nuts, and originally the bartender said I wouldn’t be allowed to order the tasting menu unless I had an epipen with me. My allergy to nuts is so light that I’ve never had any issues and ended up having to do quite a bit of backtracking to convince him I would be totally fine. I guess this is because they cite no replacements in the menu. I understand they have some liability to allergic reactions, but lighten up a bit, especially when the patron has repeatedly assured you he’ll be fine! My choice!
— Potato Brioche (⁵⁄₅)
Delicious, fluffy, warm… serious potato flavor. The whipped butter with chives– so delicate.
— Trout Roe Chip (⁴⁄₅)
Pretty good, though the chip tasted a little rubbery.
— Fennel Salad, Jicama, Pickled Shrimp (⁵⁄₅)
One of the best dishes of the night. The pickled shrimp really popped, and who doesn’t like some fennel and jicama paired together!
— Romaine Heart w/​Duck Egg (²⁄₅)
A miss for me. I think the chef was trying to go for various layers of flavors. But each flavor ended up standing out on its own, like, the bitterness of the romaine. Bitterness is fine as a flavor component, but something needs complement it.
— Pork Sausage w/​Habanero, Peanut, Lychee (³⁄₅)
Another sort of initially confusing dish. After it was served, we were told to mix every element thoroughly so that we would get a little bit of everything in every bite. Slowly but surely, the dish grew on me. But still, the flavors were just kind of muddled. Things would have been easier if the lychee had been cut into smaller pieces.
— Confit Goat (⁴⁄₅)
Really flavorful dish. The BBQ sea island red peas and rice were super harmonious with the goat.
— Bucatini w/​Ramps, Blue Crab (⁴⁄₅)
Originally, I thought it fell a bit short, but the pasta is cooked perfectly al dente, and as I ate more and more of the copious blue crab, the dish won me over.
— Smoked Brisket Sandwich (⁵⁄₅)
Was not described as a sandwich on the menu, but am I glad it came as a sandwich. Perfectly grilled pieces of toast and delicate, unctuous brisket honestly created the perfect bite.
— Vanilla Ice Cream w/​Cinnamon (⁵⁄₅)
Simple and delicious.
— Chocolate Mousse, Rose Ice Cream (³⁄₅)
The rose ice cream tasted great. The chocolate mousse, sorta ok. The toasted brioche, however, tasted burnt and rubbery, which ruined what otherwise would have been a great ending.
— Value (⁵⁄₅)
Superb value for a tasting menu of this size.
— Final Word
Great value, which for me, normally pushes the rating up to a 5. However, I found a couple too many clunkers to overlook. The brisket was memorable, but everything else seemed to prioritize creativity over flavor. A worthy spot to revisit but just shy of 5 stars for me.

two words to describe this place: playful eating.
a lot of the food here is definitely a mix of flavors that i would have never thought would go together, but it works. their menu changes seasonally so i wont really go into what we tried, but i DO want to encourage/​challenge you to try the dishes that sound a litttttttle weird in terms of flavor combos because those are the ones that wowed us in flavor profile.
the pork sausage, habanero, peanuts & lychee salad is definitely a must try (i believe this is 1 of 2 dishes that is always on their menu, so that tells you something about this dish!). another interesting dish we tried is the spaghetti w/​spicy strawberry sauce & fresh ricotta. yes, strawberry sauce + pasta. im still not sure how i feel about this dish haha… but like i said, the food here has so much flavor and textures that it will make you think, which i thought was fun.
the menu is tapas style so i would order 2 – 3 dishes more than the number of people in your party. i think the tapas style fits well with the food here since the flavors are pretty unique; so sharing allows you to try more of the items you like and pass on the ones that don’t really suit your palate.
theres a lot of vintage/​hipster vibes going on here… from the ambiance and décor to the servers. i really enjoyed the experience as a whole and think that roses’ luxury should be a place worth trying in DC… at least once.
**WARNING: the wait CAN be brutal though. we put our name down at 6pm, was told our table would most likely be ready by 845−9pm. rose’s was on our dc bucket list, so we sucked it up and decided to wait. we went couple houses down to grab drinks and small apps to appease our hanger and came back at 845pm. we waited another 1.5 hours and wasn’t seated until 10pm. the wait time can vary from what is told, so mentally prepare yourselves.

Let me the first person to review Rose’s Luxury and mention the seminal hip hop group Public Enemy. Ya’ll remember «Don’t Believe The Hype»? Whether Aaron Silverman has any fondness for this song is unknown to me, but its obvious from start to finish that he’s got vision and it ain’t blurry. There’s a lot of cynics out there in society that love to watch our pillars fall in complete schadenfreude. They tell you things are overrated, to not believe the hype, well I can first hand say there’s no hype here… there just «is». That «is», is simply one of the best restaurant experiences I’ve ever had.
Yes, we all know the story, no reservations, waiting in line (thanks to my friend Joe A. for getting there early and posting up), but did they deliver what they promised? Absolutely, and then some. The staff was phenomenal (knowledgeable, courteous, and confidant), from our server John C., to the busser & food runners, everyone was professional without being over the top. Joe and I fought over… errrr…shared everything across the board with the exception of our cocktails, of which I imbibed in the Rye, Rose Water, and Sweet Vermouth cocktail as well as the Tequila with jalapeño and grapefruit.
The pace of the meal was spot on from starting out with their house made potato bread with whipped butter spread to the pork sausage, habanero, peanuts & lychee salad to the grilled romaine heart, duck egg, crispy potato with herbs & buttermilk to the complimentary goat & bean salad to the Peruvian-​style chicken with fried yucca and sweet potato ceviche to the smoked brisket, white bread (buttered & warmed), horseradish sauce & slaw… least not forget dessert which included a coconut milk ice cream with burnt coconut, lime & kiwi and a complimentary offering of ice cream topped with Cinnamon Toast Crunch dust. When the check arrived it came with their take on a middle eastern sesame brittle (except it was a different seed that I can’t recall at the moment).
Overall when it comes Rose’s Luxury don’t believe the hype, experience it!
Thanks to Joe House (@HousefromDC) for his high praise of this place and pushing me to finally take the plunge.
Dined 5−27−16 (pre-​Nats game)

We arrived at 430 on the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend and got in with no problem. The line was long but they only seat full parties so we were able move ahead of a lot of people ahead of us. The dinner was very good but not the best we ever had.
We had the catfish, sausage lychee salad, goat confit, boucatini, and the brisket. Our server was awesome.

The 1.5 hours wait is totally worth it! They don’t take reservations and we camped out about 45 minutes before opening time at 5 pm. But the type is real and the food is phenomenal (with a capital «P»)!!
On the outside, you see a cute, tiny house. But once you walk inside, the ambiance is very lively with a homey touch. They also have an intimate balcony that hosts small parties too. We started with seating right in front of the open kitchen where all the action takes place and the rest of the evening was spectacular.
The lychee salad with peanuts, habanero and pork was unexpectedly, out of this world good! It was the one dish we had to order after reading about it on food blogs and it’s no joke; it’s that good. I guess this is culinary magic when you pair different unrelated ingredients to produce such a nice effect in your palate.
We also had biscuits with a salivating spread, as well as the fried chicken, that’s lightly seasoned and fried to perfection.
My now husband had the smoked biscuit for his entrée and he loved it. He’s a BBQ and biscuit snob so I know it’s legit for his standards. I had the amazing bowl of tomato stew filled with succulent prawns, clams, squid, and a plethora of flavors just popping in my mouth. I couldn’t stop drinking the broth and I licked the bowl clean!
The evening ended with a grilled peach and ice cream dessert, which took another play on ingredient and texture pairing and it was the added magic to end the night.

One the top tapas in DC. Check my hack to learn how to get a table. Definitely impressed how they processed those waiting.
Food (4 Stars) — Unique tastes and seasonal menu. Amazing small plates average $ 12 – 15.
Ambiance (4 Stars) — Young DC crowd moderately loud. Two bars upper & lower if u don’t want to wait for a table. They also have a kitchen counter facing the open kitchen. Overall there are about 9 tables on the 1^st & 6 upstairs w 4 front outdoor seating & upper back.
Service (4 Stars) — Quick & friendly
Jimmy’s Hacks — First you need to arrive early. Weekender start lining up @ 1:30. We got here @ 4:30 and line was 6 stores down w/​about 60 people standing in line. Weekdays avg 20 people and always get in. Line is made of a mix of single people waiting for their group or complete parties. We got a table shortly after they opened @ 5p on a Sat rainy afternoon.
On the weekend w a lot people waiting one of the managers came out around 4:45 to count parties and shares your prospect of a table. With 60 people inline complete parties were able to get seated immediately and one past us weren’t guaranteed. If you want to get here early for a party they’ll take reservations up till 10:30p.
Group seating you can have one wait for groups (guy in front of us was waiting for 10) they will process each as you wait in line once they open. Once you are reserved they’ll send u a text when to your group table is ready.
Note… reviews maybe updated after future visits. If you find any of my hacks or reviews helpful pls follow & like my review for more. Thx

After dining here last summer, this review has been a long time coming. Rose’s is not just an amazing meal, it’s an experience… And it’s one that, as you glance back at it again and again, will make you both happy and sad: rejoicing in happiness at the meal you shared but sadly reminding you that it’s been too long and it’s time to return.
Sure, there’s a crazy (3 hour) wait and they don’t take reservations, but you don’t have to wait at the restaurant and the food is so damn good that you’ll hardly remember waiting and if anything, it’ll only make you appreciate the meal even more. Beyond the food, what made dining at Rose’s such a unique evening was the service. Our waiter not only wanted us to have a lovely meal, but be an active part of it, constantly suggesting items off the menu and making sure that we tried all the good stuff.
Then, there’s the food. Its mostly small plates so we just went down the list and shared almost everything. One that easily stood out (though its not on the menu anymore) was the Korean Fried Catfish w/​Rice & Other Goodies. Perfectly crispy and tangy, and the «other goodies» added the base and an excellent slaw to go with it. There was also the signature pork lychee salad which is light, lovely, and different. The rest of the dishes, which were mostly various pastas, were all great too. A dish here or there was only okay (such as the stuffed avocado) but given the abundance of fantastic dishes, it was easy not to get caught up on it.
My favorite though, dessert. The English pea cake, get it. Its a must. It doesn’t sound much like a dessert, nor does it look like or even taste like a dessert, but it is unforgettable. Its not really sweet or savory, just different. If you venture to get it, eat it slowly and let it dance on your tongue as it comes alive and you start to realize this is not like any dessert you’ve ever had before.

Can I add more stars?! No? Ok, I’ll just settle with 5 stars.
I’ve been meaning to try this place out for a while now. I’ve looked at the menu a few times and thought it could have 1) been over hyped for expensive food or 2) the most delicious food… It was the latter.
My partner arrived at 430 on a Friday to stand in line to get our name down at 5. He got there right on time. We were able to be seated at 545. FYI if your whole party isn’t there, you can’t be seated.
We got to sit in the most beautiful area downstairs with such lovely lights above us. It was wonderful paired with natural light.
To start of, our waitress was amazing. She was charming, sweet, and very knowledgable. She really made our experience so much better. I even told her about my gluten sensitivity and she brought me back the menu with hand doodles of smiley face and frowns indicating what I could and couldn’t eat.
Food:
–the bread and butter (I couldn’t eat it, but my partner was all about it… I may have just ate the butter because I had no sense of control)
— the carrots, onions, yogurt (pretty good)
— bbq goat with rice (this was complimentary, i wanted to eat this all night)
–Peruvian chicken (delicious!!! The flavor was perfect and tasted so well with the jalapeño chutney… also the yuca fries were bomb!!)
Drinks
— tequila and jalapeño (my favorite!!!)
— rum, carrot, cinnamon (good)
— vodka with toasted coconut (tasty, but a little too sweet)
— scotch with sherry (good, but a little strong)

Am I a hater?! I’m seriously questioning my experience at Rose’s because after reading the reviews, I thought for sure I was going to die at Rose’s and just hide in the back of the kitchen gorging on everything in sight and reaching next level food euphoria… then promptly being taken to jail city.
I did my research I knew that Rose’s had made it on the «50 Best Restaurant’s in the US» list, I had to get my butt in the door… on a whim… I came here on a Friday night right around 9PM, and thought for sure there was no way I was going to be able to eat at Rose’s. I had heard from everyone and their dog, that you must get in line when doors open or you won’t have a fighting chance at getting to eat. So of course when the hostess said we can seat you right away at the bar, I thought what did I do to deserve such a wonderful fate??? Seriously, I had to pinch myself in disbelief, then remember to rub it in all my friend’s faces that I didn’t have to wait and they did. haha kidding.
So I glided up the stairs, to find my seat at the bar, with the most lovely bartender ever. She was honestly like the Pioneer Woman of bartenders, not based on looks but on the fact that she had this gracious and homey feel about her demeanor. But sadly, the drinks we ordered were just okay, It takes a lot for me to hold the caboose and tell the whole world about drinks (go to coco sala for my fave cocktails in dc).
Onto the meal we ordered a hodge podge of items:
+Free bread (with bacon sour cream) is it wrong that I didn’t enjoy this bread but I enjoyed the butter/​sour cream mixture!
+Sake Marinated Oyster
+Charred Carrots
+Crispy Pig’s Ear Salad
+Pork Sausage Salad
+Hand-​cut Chitarra cacio e pepe
(I can report that all of these dishes were inventive and presentation gorgeous, but really nothing stood out to me as being the food that rocked my world, I believe the hype killed my experience, after each dish came out I was thinking it would get better)
Desserts:
+Key Lime Pie with Marshmellow fluff (A twist on the modern key lime)
+Coca-​Cola Tiramisu (Wow!!! I loved this, please try this)
+Cinnamon Toast Crunch (Yes, 10-​year old Ching thanks you)
(The desserts truly redeemed the evening for me!)
Service was phenom! & overall glad I tried it at least once.

Have you ever gone on a first date and the restaurant is filled with the ambiance of romance with delicious food, but the date, itself, wasn’t so hot?
This was it. My first worst evening over fine dining. I was superbly uncomfortable, but the entrees were so delicious. I guess it counterbalances the dining experience.
Their pastas are made up of the freshest ingredients and compliments well with each other. I was loving the meat entrée. It was a glorious, gourmet feast. It’s just too bad that the date was awfully awkward.
Compliments on petite sweets at the end. Service was wonderful and attentive. Time to return to this place with a much better companion.

I’m not sure where to begin, I’ve been eager to try this Rose’s Luxury for a while now because it won «The Best New Restaurant of 2014 Award». With that said, I hate to say that I was kind of disappointed and I’ll be happy to share with you why. To begin, they do not take reservations and that we knew before we went. Luckily we didn’t have to wait long to be seated. They only open for dinner and they usually have about two groups for dinner. I went for dinner on a Thursday night with a party of six and believe it or not, we sat down at 7:30pm and didn’t end dinner until 11:30pm. That’s right… 4 hour long dinner!
For starters, we had Caviar Service. Followed by that are: the Pork Sausage, Habanero & Lychee Salad, Chicken Fried Oysters, Charred Carrots, Cacio E Pepe, Veal Breast, and lastly Family Style Smoked Brisket.
My favorites of the night would have to be Caviar Service, the Lychee Salad, and the Smoked Briskets. I love how the y used thin little chips for the caviars and didn’t take away from the caviar itself. The lychee salad was light and refreshing and the sweetness of the fruit really brought out the dish. Who would have thought to combine those two ingredients, but it works. Lastly, I love the simplicity of the family style smoked brisket. They used regular white bread that you can get at the grocery store and the meat was cooked perfectly.
To finish off for dessert, we had Coconut gelato, with kiwi and edible rose peddles keylime pie, and the rose ice cream with chocolate mousse with wafers. The desserts were what I enjoyed most from the night. But my favorite would have to be the keylime pie. The tartness from the pie was much needed to balance the saltiness from our main courses.
All and all, I thought it was overrated or maybe my expectations were a bit too high. The food was respectable, I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. My biggest critique would have to be the fact that each dish were brought out to far apart. By the time we finished our first course, it was about 20 – 30 minutes before they brought out our next course, and each course after. The portion size were pretty small so we were hungry again by the time they brought out the next course, and that’s why dinner was 4 hours long. Despite the usual wait time, the service there was incredible and why I can see this place having high ratings. Our server was very friendly and attentive to our needs. And I really liked the fact that our server was very knowledgeable when asking for her opinion and recommendations, and she even gave us a few recommendations from the wine list which I really appreciated.

This is as good as it gets. It’s my hands-​down favorite restaurant in DC right now. This is the «Hamilton» of the DC food scene because the people in that kitchen are downright inspired and the public can’t get enough. They’re challenging themselves to think of food in new ways and consider each bite.
This food will take you through a spectrum of emotions — surprise, excitement, anticipation, satisfaction, and the same sadness you feel when you finish a good book (why is it over?!).
Ok, now for tips on dining here:
1. If your heart is set on dining here — get there before it opens and get in line, even if it’s long. It moves quickly. They do a first round seating and then take names for the wait list.
2. There’s a bar upstairs that is first come first serve — but seriously don’t cut that line to B-​line it for the bar.
3. If you’re on the wait list go have a cocktail at one of the other awesome bars in the area first! Recently Senarts has been my go-​to, but maybe now that spring has sprung — head to Pacifico for a rooftop spicy margarita ;)
Price-​wise i am so grateful they’re not charging more… the value is there. It’s 100% worth it.

There’s something about going to these massively popular restaurants that always leaves me feeling somewhat dissapointed afterwards. Enough with the hype people. It ain’t THAT great.
Let’s start with probably the most controversial thing about this restaurant: the excruciatingly long wait times. I get it, you feel like you want it more because it’s SO in demand and they act like they don’t need it… so you want it more. Lots of hooplah surrounding this. We came during a cold, February Saturday evening and when deciding what time to arrive, I tried to scour the reviews to see if coming in winter vs summer changed wait times. I figured, SURELY in 30 degree weather, it will be less of a scene. So our über dropped us off at 4:45 and what we saw was already a line, probably 65 deep already. Are you serious? Arrive at 3pm if you want a table right away, you say? Not only am I NOT willing to do that, I don’t WANT to eat at 5:15pm. Get a life.
So we wait in line until around 6. When we get up there, they take our number and say we’ll probably have a table around 9 – 10. I knew immediately they were over-​exaggerating to get us to bail. Old trick of the trade from my waitress days. So we accept and walk over to Barrel to wait. At 6:15pm, Barrell is packed to the gils! Annoying. We stay there a couple hours. Around 8:30 we move closer to Rose’s and at 8:45 we get a text that our table is ready. Just as I suspected. We were seated at approx 9pm. Let me tell you something: I don’t give a shit how allegedly mind blowing this food is, life is too short to wait 5 hours for f-​ing dinner. We’re already irritated and frankly, pretty drunk from DRINKING while waiting for the last 3 hours.
We’re seated at the chef’s table. That we liked and was actually pretty cool. Our server had that overly-​familiar nature wherein she curses to try to be relatable and down to earth. Not working, honey. I ask if they have a dry rose. They do not. We order a couple of the cocktails. They’re pretty good, not amazing. One thing I will say we loved about Rose is the lively, casual ambiance in a somewhat upscale restaurant; two factors that are hard to come by. We love nice food but don’t love a stuffy ambiance and that casual, entertaining vibe is something they perfect here.
We decide on a few small plates: oysters, the sausage/​habenero/​lychee salad that everyone raves about, confit goat, and the mezze rigatoni dish. Actually, we were going to order winter citrus salad with fennel but at the waitress’s suggestion we went with the oysters. I asked if they were better than the winter citrus salad, to which she said, «fuck yeah». Enough already.
Oysters were overrated. Tasted like fishy-​sushi with a slice of green apple. And I love oysters, but it needed a little spicy remoulade or something. Too acidic, not enough savory. The chef ended up sending over a sample of the winter citrus salad and it was okay, as well. Now, the sausage/​habanero/​lychee salad was, in fact, mind-​blowing. Actually, it was the best thing we ate here our entire meal. Incredibly complex; savory, sweet, and spicy! Perfection. Confit goat was fine, a little bland. The rigatoni was good, had some heat to it, but nothing I couldn’t make myself at home. Nice freshly shaved pecorino, I will say that. But aside from the sausage-​lychee dish, still waiting to be wowed at this point!
We decided to order the family style brisket sandwiches. These were pretty great. That horseradish spread was amazing and the slaw was different and structured so well. I will say the brisket was a little too fatty and marbled but still had great flavor. These were a very close second to being the best thing we tasted here.
We passed on dessert because we were thoroughly stuffed. Their cocktail game is okay. Their small plates are a hit or miss. And the best family style option is definitley the brisket. I could do without the overly familiar service but I can see how a lot of Washingtonian cerebral-​types really get off on this. They like feeling like they’re part of some «cool crowd», where the waitstaff curses and you think you’re somehow exclusively selected to eat at this highly-​coveted restaurant. As I looked around, a lot of those types there. Dare I say dorks? I do.
Ultimately, we will NEVER return to Rose’s again. I can think of probably 25 amazing dinners I have eaten in DC that I can get a table at immediately. Why would I EVER put myself through this again? You’re not that cool, Rose. You’re just not. And after reading many of these reviews, it sounds like there are two schools of thought after leaving this place: the dorky, cerebral types who quote Bön Appetit magazine about Rose being the best restaurant in DC and believe it is the coolest place on earth. OR everyone else who’s pissed at waiting 5 – 6 hours for a quasi-​decent dinner and wants to punch the person who established the ‘no reservations’ system in the face. We are the latter.