Rare Steakhouse - Washington DC

I had the pleasure of dining at Rare this weekend, where I felt like a vip! Since it was our first time there, our server, Allison, explained the menu to us in great detail and was very knowledgeable about the different types and cuts of meat available. She made great recommendations to us, and didn’t make us feel like she was just trying to “up sell” us. the appetizer bread was amazing! I could have easily filled up on it, but limited myself to half a price. The rib cap and the a5 wagyu were among the best steak I’ve had in my life! The buffalo ribeye had some tough bits and tendons that I had to spit out, but I was willing to overlook this due to the good flavor it had. Still, I would order something else next time (most likely the rib cap!). The sides were perfect, with my favorite being the truffle gnocchi. The manager checked on us throughout the meal and was very kind to offer us an appetizer on the house and a tour of the meat fridge where they dry age the meat! This was something I’d never seen before and something I’ll never forget! Finally, our dessert was fantastic! The cheesecake was one of the best I’ve ever had, and the blackberry semifreddo was even better and a unique dessert that I would gladly order again! The prices here are not cheap, but worth every penny. I will return in the future!

From the moment you step into Rere Steakhouse, you're transported to a world of unparalleled elegance and sophistication. The space itself is a marvel – a truly wonderful setting that exudes both romance and luxurious comfort. Every detail, from the ambient lighting to the plush seating, contributes to an atmosphere perfect for a special occasion or simply an indulgent evening out. But while the ambiance sets the stage, it's the steak that truly takes center stage and steals the show. To say it's amazing would be an understatement; each bite of steak at Rere is a revelation. It literally melts in your mouth, a testament to exceptional quality and expert preparation. This isn't just a meal; it's a sublime culinary experience that will linger in your memory long after the last exquisite morsel.

Fabulous place for a pre- Valentine's Day dinner. Short walk from Farragut North, and you get a nice view of the White House and BLM Plaza on the way. We got a great table upstairs with a view of I St. The $100 30oz ribeye for two was amazing, fabulously marbled with a thick incredibly flavorful bark, one of the best steaks I have had in my life. Bonus is we got a huge bone to bring home for soup tomorrow. Jessica and the entire staff, especially Angel at the bar, were wonderfully attentive and personable, capping an all-around perfect experience. The only two comments I have are that they could use some more options for reasonably priced wine and that once it got full, the dining room got quite loud.

My Wife made a reservation here while on vacation. It is not only a beautiful place the food and our Waiter Jose were top notch! I grew up in Iowa/Nebraska beef country and my 14 oz. NY Strip rivaled anything I've ever has. It was such a great experience we are glad my Wife found this gem!!

We had visitors from Denver and decided to try this place since we were all craving steak. It was delicious!!! We ordered the 80 oz. Tomahawk steak to share, truffle fries and roasted mushrooms. It was all quite tasty, everyone was very satisfied. The only thing was it was a little too cold, we all had our coats on.

I was in town for a convention and decided to give Rare a try since I have never tried a fancier restaurant in DC. I kid you not this food was the best I've had in my life. Everything was delicious, that staff was wonderful and not once did I feel rushed during my meal. I will be going here again. I got the lobster bisque, lobster mac and cheese, wagyu steak, tomahawk steak and mashed potatoes, I highly recommend Rare!

Beautiful restaurant, great food, and great staff. Can't go wrong at all. One of the managers, Eduardo was very helpful and knowledgeable about pretty much everything about that restaurant. The bartenders are really good and super friendly. Will def come back! A+++

Amazing food. Had the japanese waygu. Great service

I came here during lunch time and the restaurant wasn't super busy. The atmosphere was inviting starting from the hostess, waiters and other staff. Here's what I ordered: to start i had spinach, baby kale and Lola Rosa Salad which was excellent and for main course i had bottleneck steak with grilled broccolini, horseradish potato dauphine and dry-aged beef jus. The steak was not just only tasty but also juicy, perfectly cooked in medium rare. I forgot to mention that they gave us garlic parm roll and it was the best pre-meal bread ever. This time, my tummy was super happy. By the way, our waitress, Brittney, was super nice and attentive. I definitely will come back soon.

Five stars were not enough to properly rate Rare. Even as the restaurant filled there was still a sense of intimacy and quiet enough for a nice dinner conversation. The service was beyond expectations…attentive but not intrusive. Rare is by definition a steakhouse and it did not disappoint. The dry-aged steak melted in my mouth. My wife opted for the Maryland crab cake which were large and nothing but lump crab…mouth watering even now as I think about it. Rare is the perfect place for that special occasion. Go and enjoy.

I love this place. The food is amazing. A little taste of Wisconsin in the heart of DC. If you have never had fried cheese curds you should go and try them. Great atmosphere. You can be relaxed in the tavern it be fancy up in the steakhouse. Valet parking is available it was only $8. Service was great any personalized.

Fantastic atmosphere, very attentive staff. Steaks were cooked perfectly and the wine list is seemed carefully selected. The manager greeted us and stopped by to check on us and make sure all was to our satisfaction. I highly recommend.

Great steak and sure dishes. NY Strip Steak was amazing, brussel sprouts we're also a hit. The atmosphere is what you would expect from a top quality steak house

Upon booking my reservation on OpenTable, Rare Steakhouse contacted me a few hours before my booking to confirm my reservation. Upon arrival, the place looked and felt expensive. I loved the ambiance. I ordered the filet mignon medium well with the chipotle aioli sauce and creamed spinach. I definitely enjoyed the steak and creamed spinach. Both came out hot and were delicious and cooked to perfection. Prices are a little steep but I enjoyed the food. I also ordered the Tropical Fizz drink and Riesling to drink. Both were good. It's a nice restaurant for a date night or special occasion.

I ordered charred octopus, fried calamari, 4oz wagyu, 20oz 35 day dry aged ribeye, buffalo trace old fashioned

We had a phenomenal experience. The manager helped us find the perfect wine, conversation and service were professional. I noticed some rare spirits in the corner and the waiter brought them over for me to look at them and talked to me about them. We Had the filet, cooked perfectly and very tasty. Desserts need some work, they weren't that great. A must steakhouse in DC!

I visited Rare Steakhouse last Saturday night for dinner and I have to see it has been one of my best steak experiences in DC to date. I was conveniently able to reserve my table online, and there was no wait to be seated upon my arrival. The host even offered me different table options, and I was able to select a table further away from people to social distance. The waitstaff that served me was very knowledgeable of the menu and had me sold on the special that had that evening. The food came out promptly and was prepared above my expectations. I would definitely recommend Rare and I will certainly be back in the future.

Great restaurant. The food was amazing. Staff was a bit slow ,but the food made up for that. Try the tuna tartare for an appetizer. I had the whipped potatoes for a side, and it was amazing. The 10 oz capital cut was cooked to perfection. I finished it with the key lime pie. I think this is one of the best steakhouses in DC. The ambiance is perfect for a date or business. Table settings were correct. Make sure to make an RSVP.

I had the 16oz New York strip and it was amazing, as well as the Mac n cheese and creamed spinach. Would definitely return.

One of the best Old Fashions followed by the most delicious Blue Cheese dressed Wedge Salad and the $70 Ribeye. It was worth every penny. Marvelous dining!

Got the dry aged prime 22 oz bone in ribeye cooked medium rare. It was $70 so pretty expensive for me, but it was honestly incredible tasting. I cook my own steaks from the grocery store and I could never get it to taste this good. It was cooked perfectly and it tasted so good that I ate all 22 oz there, then asked for a to-go box for the bone so I could make sure I got to eat every last morsel. If you have the money, the place is 100% worth it

My son and I were in town for a forum and I decided to treat him to a nice meal. Well this was beyond nice. The rib eye was cooked to perfection. The service is without a doubt top notch. Will definitely be back when in DC.

This is a place you go when you're ready to take your steak dining experience to another level. This might be the best steak in the city. Our service was excellent. The drinks were amazing, even the desert was delicious. Highly recommended.

I had an incredible experience at Rare Steakhouse! The food was absolutely amazing. every dish was perfectly prepared and bursting with flavor. Our server, Patricia, truly made the night special. She took the time to explain all our options and checked in with us regularly, ensuring we were well taken care of. Her attention to detail and warm personality made us feel right at home. I highly recommend Rare Steakhouse, and if you’re lucky enough to have Patricia as your server, you’re in for a fantastic experience!

The service was excellent, and Japanese Wagyu was definitely worth the price. One of the best, if not the best I’ve had. Everything was fantastic.

I had such a wonderful experience at RARE Steakhouse & Tavern! The vibe is warm and inviting, and the staff made me feel so welcome from the moment I walked in. My steak was cooked perfectly—juicy, flavorful, and honestly one of the best I’ve had in a while. The sides and cocktails were just as delicious. It’s the kind of place that feels relaxed but still special, and I’d definitely come back for another great meal!

This is a good steakhouse. Good service, nice ambience, and quiet. Makes for good conversation. Their chopped salad is the best I've ever had - amazing! The dry age ribeye is OK, not bad, I've definitely had better - but overall really recommended for DC.

On a trip to DC we wanted to have a nice dinner. We were greeted by a very nice man who led us to our table. Jessica our server from El Salvador was the sweetest friendliest and best server! The steaks were good so was the fish. My daughter and I both had the fillet mignon it was done and cooked perfectly however the crust lacked spice and flavor. We had the cheesecake that was dry but flavorful. For the price it was not worth it however the atmosphere and service was exceptional.

Docking a star simply for the price. It’s great but it’s just too expensive. It’s priced like a Michelin star tasting menu. Our server, Ishmael, was probably the best thing about our meal. What a lovely guy, the best service I have had in recent memory. The food was excellent, really top notch. Highly recommended, especially if you don’t mind paying.

Excellent bison steak with creamed spinach and parmesan fries sides also very good. Service was faultless, being smart, friendly and able to judge when ready to order more drinks etc. Close proximity to White House which is good for visitors to DC but seemed a bit pricey also.

Definitely recommend trying out. Have not had a full meal here, only drinks. However the wiscotch egg is a curious happy hour taste. Very busy at the bars for happy hour. There is a separate happy hour menu, with reasonable discounts (no bargains).

Wagyu was so soft that it practically had a tuna tartare consistency. If I had to get this again it would be medium well and not medium. Medium for the porterhouse was better consistency of cooking - perfectly pink and good flavoring. I think I needed an additional 30 seconds of cooking for that Wagyu. Faust Cabernet bottled wine was recommended for full bodied selection. Asparagus tasted as if it was blanched first then grilled. I like the ambience. Traditional steakhouse. Service was impeccable. 5 stars for the servers.

Steak was delicious but be forewarned that the menu outside is for downstairs. If you say you want a quiet place to sit they will put you upstairs, which is elegant, but the price option are double the downstairs prices. That said, if you want an expensive steak dinner, this is the place to splurge. And their cheese dinner rolls are quite amazing.

Rare was good once they finally acknowledged us. We sat for quite a while before we had our drinks. Once they took our order, everything was good. We had the Wisconsin Cheese Board. I totally recommend this! We also split a Ceasars Salad, Roasted Mushrooms, whipped potatoes, and a filet. Everything was really good. I don't know if I would get the potatoes again, but only because I thought they were mashed, not whipped. For dessert we had chocolate ice cream. The Ceasars salad was the best I have had!

It's a great Steakhouse and at $80 for a steak it should be. Everything's a la carte so if you have a few drinks you're easily 150 a person

The food, service, and atmosphere at Rare steakhouse are phenomenal. We had a reservation for 7:30 pm on Valentine’s Day, and arrived early so we could have a drink at the bar. The host was very kind and held our table until we were ready. The service at the bar was a little slow, but friendly. We each had a cocktail and ordered the cheese curds. The cheese curds were fantastic! Just like the ones we crave from Wisconsin. The cocktails were mixed perfectly. Once we were ready to eat, we were seated right away. Our server was very knowledgeable and attentive, if a little hard to understand (he spoke softly and had a thick accent). To start, we shared a wedge salad. The bacon was cooked perfectly, and the blue cheese was generous and really flavorful. The salad was huge and I’m glad we split it. We ordered the scallops and a 10 oz Capital cut steak, wet aged. The streak was cooked perfectly and had a delicious crust. The scallops were seared perfectly and were exceptionally cleaned, no grit. We ordered the creamed spinach and loaded potatoes as sides. The creamed spinach almost tasted like spinach dip, it was topped with a high pile of Parmesan cheese. Our dinner was accompanied with two delicious Parker house rolls. Everything tasted great. My only gripe is the price. I think you can find similar food and service for about 10-20% less in the city. That said, I’d go back in a heartbeat (if someone else was paying).

It’s a huge restaurant with 2 floors. We went there on a Friday night and downstairs dining room was completely closed and upstairs was open which was not a bad thing as you have street view. Service was good. Tried the calamari and octopus for appetizers and they were good but nothing special. I had the aged ribeye for main course with the loaded potatos. The steak was cooked but a bit though but the potatoes were delicious. I couldn’t say this was the best steak or meal I’ve had but all around it was good and at best it’s a 3 star restaurant!

Had a business meal here with one colleague. I tend to default to a filler when I’m ordering steak out. But, I love a properly prepared ribeye. The only place I’ve had an EXCELLENT ribeye, some medium rare BUT with the marbling melted enough to add its glorious flavor to the meat, was at Shula’s in Orlando, FL. I asked the waitress how the prepares their ribeye and explained what I wanted (as above). She confidently told me their kitchen can do that. They didn’t. The cut of meat was .. not to the standard I would expect from this level steak joint. There was a LOT of marbling and it wasn’t hot enough where it melted. Could not finish it. Broccolini was decent, although could use more flavor, but good. Mashed potatoes were good. Nice and mashed and smooth. After dinner drink Grand Marnier was delicious. Overall management remedied the situation, but likely because I brought attention to it. The waitress stopped by when the plates were delivered, then did not roll back around for well over ten minutes. By then, the window for swapping it out or such had passed. I had to ask for the manager, and the waitress thought I was joking. I’m not hating on her, but again, for the caliber of restaurant, the experience needed to be a lot better. Ultimately I experienced a GREAT steak at Morton’s. I quit recommended MORTONs over RARE.

Food is overall too salty for me. The dining area is kind dark but the table lights are too much for the eyes. Friendly stuff! I had my very first Maryland-style crab cake.

Interesting place for sure. Starting out I didn't really care for the ambiance. It felt dated. On the way upstairs I was asked to remove my hat which put a damper on my mood. But on to the food. We started out with the octopus appetizer. Which was really good. Maybe the best thing I had, it was really tender and flavorful. Next we shared 4 ounces of the A5 Wagyu at $30 an ounce. We ordered it medium rare and it was definitely tender and melted in your mouth but not the greatest thing I've ever had. Will I get A5 again? Yes. Will I get it from here again? No. Moving on to the main course I got the bone in ribeye with truffle butter and grilled shrimp enchantments. I ordered my steak medium rare and I felt it was more on the rare side. My first few bites were cold but the steak was decent. The truffle butter was a good enhancement. The grilled shrimp on the other hand were not my favorite. They had a char to them that tasted exactly like a dirty grill. For the sides we got lobster Mac, creamed spinach, mushrooms and brussel sprouts. The sides were all fairly good besides the mushrooms and I love mushrooms. They had some kind of after taste that I did but care for. Then for dessert I got the vanilla cheesecake, it was good, didn't feel super heavy but I would have liked a thicker crust. Overall the experience was kinda average. Nothing blew me away. I have my favorite steakhouse in DC already and I was just exploring other options. This one doesn't come close.