Old Engine 12 Restaurant

A group of us went there on a Monday night for my daughters birthday as we were visiting Washington. Service was fantastic, food was incredible and the kids loved the fact that they were eating in an old fire station. Would recommend without hesitation.

I was upset that the old Engine 12 had disappeared until I tried the new cuisine... Incredible! Huge improvement, try everything. Very flavorful and well presented. Adding to the new menu, Tymothy was a great server. I was much impressed!

Celebrated my graduation at Old E10. Service for our large group was both personal and exceptional. All ages (11 to 80) enjoyed the creative and delicious food. Try the chicken and donuts. Everyone in my party wanted to return to try other items on the menu. Parking can be tricky, but we all found spots within a block on a Sunday afternoon. Sit outside or inside. The day that I was there offered pleasant spring weather and the bay doors were open which added to the already inviting atmosphere. Will be back! Thank you for making my graduation day special.

Classic American fare. Relaxed atmosphere. Loved the remodeled firehouse. Fantastic food and we were able to watch both the baseball and hockey games from the bar. Ordered the Scallops with Polenta, brussels sprouts and loved every morsel. The food took slightly longer to come out due to a wedding in the upstairs ballroom, and they offered us a totally unexpected drink on the house. Would definitely go back.

This is our second time at Engine 12, started with the Buffalo wings, with nice thick blue cheese and shaved celery, a nice touch. I had the shrimp and grits, my husband had the lasagne, both were absolutely delicious and generous portions, we needed doggy bags for both. We shared the bourbon, bread pudding, another winner.

Awesome food music and people here! This place is a must visit establishment! Top quality. This guy Arshan that works there is the best, treated us like royalty! Thanks Old Engine! Deep Tech was the best Sunday brunch to date!

The red snapper is everything! Wasn't expecting the whole fish lol but can't get enough of it and brunch is just as unique...props to the chef. I always appreciate a good presentation and Spark delivers with their dishes from appetizer down to the dessert.

What a fantastic Gem! The jerk pork chop was to die for...seriously! Service was top notch. We will definitely be back...again and again. Thank you so much to the chef and his team for a fabulous evening.

Everything about this place is amazing. Service is impeccable. Restaurant is beautiful. Peter and the kitchen staff are doing awesome things in the kitchen. Doubles give you a quick look into Trinidad cuisine.

An oasis of spices, mango, cucumber, chic peas and meats on North Capitol. Just returned from a visit you the Civil War museum and walked up the street to find this place. Tasty, Good service, beautiful space. Recommend.

This is an awesome restaurant for groups. The food is served family style making it easy for everyone to share and the atmosphere makes it a great place to have some drinks and hang out.

The new decor is amazing. It's a good place for group outings. The new menu has a lot of options to share. The calamari is my favorite! We went right after work, around 5 PM. The bar tender was okay. Forgot our orders couple times but maybe because there were too many of us. They have a nice outside seating and I would imagine it would be perfect for evenings and late night outings. I haven't been that late yet.

My girlfriend brought me here for my birthday and it was amazing. First, you're in an old firehouse, which is already awesome. Next, our server, Eric, was great and steered us to the right food and drink. I love whole deep fried red snapper and it was great. The brisket was the most tender I've had in DC and put actual BBQ/smokehouses to shame. The Mack and cheese was amazing. I basically want to live here. Highly recommend!

Sometimes I cry thinking about how good that porkchop, kale, and mead was. I've only been once and am dying to go back. Our whole table shared bites of food and everyone was blown away by each dish. Our waiter was incredible, and went out of his way to make us feel welcome. The atmosphere is great. I highly recommend dining here.

Absolutely fantastic! Best barbecue I’ve had in DC by far with incredible service. The head chef was around interacting with everyone, we had a birthday at our table and they took extremely good care of everyone from the beginning. There are so many things on this menu that are unique must-tries, the chicken, the avocado beignets... the B R I S K E T is the best brisket in the city I promise you. Do not miss it. Also Tymothy was the bomb, we will be back soon!

Amazing food...great atmosphere. The brisket sliders melt in your mouth on a Hawaiian roll. The jerk pork chop was tender and juicy paired with root vegatable that tasted like heaven on a plate. Everything was outstanding. Loved the location, a redesigned Firehouse with original brick decor. Stop by you will be pleased with what the chef has to offer.

Came here with a friend during a trip to Washington. The food was amazing! We tried the fried curry chicken and calamari, the best I have ever tasted. Our servers were super friendly as well! I will definitely come back if I am ever in Washington again and would recommend this place to friends!

If you like Caribbean dining, then you will love this place. The red snapper was cooked to perfection. I also highly recommend the candied kale. Finally, this is the only restaurant in the area that sells Diet Birch Beer. All the food is flavorful and unique. The atmosphere is open Industrial with a touch of History.

1st time eating at this restaurant. My husband and I went here for date night and we were very happy with our choice. Our server was Fanny and she was great. Food was excellent. Good sized portions. Very tasty. Not too expensive. Great atmosphere. We'll be back.

Love this place. Really nice people and amazing food. Fun twists and combinations. Love the sauces and dips. Definitely try the whole red snapper. Huge and awesome-one is enough for the whole table. Wings and brisket are also amazing. Dont skip the sides, they're worth it. Dessert is also fantastic and playful- popsicles, etc.

Best neighborhood place for a DELICIOUS meal and something different. I love going for happy hour and getting a meal of the jerk wings, the unmissable Double, and the pork sliders. The mystery rum of the day is always good. Just a great atmosphere, friendly service, and great cuisine.

I came here for Sunday brunch. The food quality is excellent. I had coffee, the curry breakfast potatoes, French style scrambled eggs and the coconut French toast with lime curd. The French toast was my favorite! The wait staff were attentive. I’m not a fan of the A la carte style menu but I would still recommend the restaurant if you’re in the area. Total bill was $26.00 before taxes and tip.

This is a Caribbean INSPIRED restaurant. Emphasis noted. Small-ish portions compared to what you would expect from a traditional Caribbean restaurant. The food was great and this place was really fancy! A little pricey but you get what you pay for. Wasn’t what I had expected but I was happy. The dressing on the salad was actually my favorite part! I always get teased for ordering a side salad but this time I think I lucked out!

Went here for brunch. Love the menu but needs bottomless Mimosas.

Had the smoked brisket bowl for lunch and it was very good. Need to come back for dinner.

Our waitress was warm and accommodating. Food was good. Enjoyed the jerk wings. Oxtail was great! Mac and Cheese a little deceiving no macaroni.... spaghetti noodles with smoked cheedar, you may like it. However I wasnt a fan. My friend ordered the red snapper it was a bit dry but the sauce that came with it was AMAZING!

I've only been for the happy hour and I have to say it was worth it. Drink and food specials that are so needed on this side of the District. The wings were spicy without being overdone and by my standards it means that I can come back again and enjoy other things. Friends got the sliders and chips and both looked really good and were enjoyed to there was nothing left on the plate. As far as the restaurant itself, it's HUGE. Not going to lie, if you are meeting friends here make sure that they or you indicate where you are at in this place. There is a bar upstairs and downstairs. The staff were great on directing me to where to access the upstairs bar....all the way in the back and up the stairs, and yes it looks like you are going into the kitchen before you hit the stairs.

Cool little venue for small music/dance events. Fun original architecture. The upstairs bar has a sorry beer selection and awful well liquor. The main bar downstairs may be better.

Really delicious, great beer selections, very good and friendly service. To be honest, even if the food wasn't that good I would go back for the professionalism and excellence of the service. Fortunately, the food is that good.

The building is actually an old firehouse that was used by the DC fire department, and they kept most of the old pieces. The food was really good (I had the largest muscles I've ever eaten in my life). The only downside is that if they have a party upstairs that it is VERY loud.

Food is very tasty. The atmosphere is appealing. Got a chance to meet the chef. Very concerned about the quality of the food. Nice brunch on Sunday. A variety of delectable dishes . Most impressed the the variation of avocados. Great experience.

The food was good but the portions are tiny. I paid $35 for the St. Louis style ribs and it didn't come with any sides even though it is advertised that grilled items come with mashed potatoes. Maybe the prices are worth it if you eat in the restaurant but do not order for delivery.

The ambiance is pretty cool. The food was just ok, great presentstion but I expected it to be a little more flavorful. I got the jerk pork chop which was really moist but lacked flavor, not like the jerk seasoning you get from a Jamaican spot. My fiancee had the oxtails first, then had to send them back because they were too fatty. Once again, presentation was pretty but the food was just "ok". He ordered the grilled rainbow trout which I thought was better than my pork chop but he thought it was too much butter garlic sauce overpowering the entree. The service was cool but the waiter made it seem like the food was the best in DC...smh. He told us that was the reason why he works there part time because of the food....smh yeah right!

It's very unorganized here. Not sure if it was because there was a party upstairs or what but it started off with there being no host to seat us. The wait was long and it seemed as if our server was taking every table in the restaurant by himself with minimal assistance. The Jerk wings are really good, the only real highlight of the evening. Probably wouldn't go back.

It's an old firehouse converted into a restaurant and bar. It was a bit drafty inside and I ended up having to put my jacket back on (this was even after a drink). The food was ok, nothing spectacular given the price of each menu item. A friend wanted to try it out since it was relatively new to her area, but not sure if it's worth me making the trip out there again. Nothing bad but nothing great.

The place is certainly improving from the days around the opening. Food has always been good but the atmosphere needs a lot of work. Last time I was there for brunch they were playing hotel lobby music???

Food was decent, but it sure took a long time to get our order. Everything was slow. The waitress later explained that the normal chef wasn't there the night we visited, which was nice of her to explain this to us; but even simple appetizers took a long time. The place is neat to see. It really is an old firehouse. There's old pictures of the place back in its firehouse days. The fireman's pole is still there in front of the bar as well. From our experience, go for the decor, but don't expect immediate attention or service.

First I’ll start by saying we had the best waiter attending to us. He was great and did his best despite being short staffed. Next, the food was mediocre sadly. The restaurant came highly recommended but it just didn’t meet our expectations. I ordered the pork belly and polenta (coo coo) off the brunch menu and the pork belly was too dry and crunchy (not in a good way) and the polenta didn’t look or taste like any polenta I’ve ever had. I think ultimately the menu’s descriptions were insufficient and didn’t give accurate descriptions of the meals. An example of this is that the breakfast potatoes. Reading the menu you’d expect cube cut potatoes that are baked or fried. What we got was potatoes cooked in some curry like sauce. It was more of a potato porridge than breakfast potatoes. I was disappointed with the whole meal experience.

Underwhelming, overpriced food, uninterested and slow service. Literally the only draw is the cool building, and they manage to make that sort of unpleasant with the numerous huge TVs blaring over the bar -- with low light in the rest of the restaurant, they light up the whole place.

Aesthetically, this place is cool. A historic fire department complete with sliding pole....however, the service was pretty deplorable. We had a large group (nine) with very few others in the restaurant. However, our waitress definitely forgot to place our appetizer orders until we were finally able to flag her down 30 minutes later. We then asked her to split the check and she instead gave us a check and pen with everything on it and basically told us to figure it out. We then asked a second time for her to split it up for per diem purposes and although she said she would, she just never came back to our table. As for the food, the kale soup was awful. It tasted like chemicals had been added. I informed our waitress and asked to switch foods. She said I was the third person to say so about the soup but then proceeded to keep it on the check. Getting it taken off was yet another headache. If three people said the soup tasted like chemicals, why would it still be served?? On top of it all, this place was over priced. Just don't go here unless all you want is happy hour drinks.