McCormick & Schmick’s

We decided to try them out on our way to an event at Constitution Hall. They are convenient for those riding the metro to Farragut North, as the restaurant is about one block from the metro entrance. I called ahead to make sure casual dining was accepted, and was told they accept casual to formal diners. We knew to expect a pricey dinner so that was no big deal. The Lobster bisque was exceptional and I highly recommend it. There was four in our party and we were not served at the same time, which was my only real complaint. The food is great but servings are fairly small. Not a bad place; however, I would not go out of my way to return.

I should have trusted the other Unilocalers reviews.
We were seated promptly, and our server was polite and friendly. But we hardly ever saw her, and everything took an agonizingly long time to come out. We came for the restaurant week deal. It was almost as if we were immediately put at the bottom of their interest, even though we ordered drinks throughout the meal, ratcheting up our final bill. The food was good, but there are so many great restaurants out there. I’d rather frequent places where I’m treated better, than to return to a mediocre chain.

People usually give low score for this restaurant but I want to give 4 stars to them. The food was delicious. Especially, I love the mussels menu. Bread was warm and good. I didn’t wait a lot. And server John was very nice. It was my first time to visit there and it was fine.

I’ve dined for both happy hour and dinner. This post is in regard to the happy hour– which is Monday through Friday from 4:00 — 7:00PM, and Sunday’s from 4:00-close.
The prices are amazing and the portions are astounding. Seriously you can get a cheeseburger WITH fries for $ 5 and it’s the size of a classic entrée– no skimping. There are (3) $ 3 happy hour items, including edamame. This was my first time trying the edamame here and I wasn’t too thrilled. They were smaller sized soybeans and too much salt was coating them. But still, they were only $ 3.
The $ 5 section includes calamari, Baja fish tacos and the infamous cheeseburger — along with a few other options. I sound the calamari to be a little… Lacking. It’s mixed with fried jalapeños and I just thought the ratio was off. The fish tacos have an enormous amount of fish in them, you get 2 for your order and it really does fill you up. The burger– as I’ve said before– is enormous. Single patty but maybe the best for the money. There’s also a $ 7 and $ 9 section which have delicious items I’ve had previously but not on this visit.
The drink specials are also good. Wine is $ 6, beer is around $ 4.50 and rail drinks are $ 4.
The only negative really is the wait. All times I’ve been to the bar for happy hour– either at the bar or a table in that area– I’ve been met with incredible wait time between ordering and receiving said order. I would actually recommend ordering 2 drinks at a time because by the time they arrive you’ll be empty and waiting for awhile. Otherwise perfect spot for HH!

This restaurant is very close to my office, so I tried it today. Even though many people rated low reviews, my lunch was delicious. Calamari, lobster Alfredo, salmon salad were all good. Service was slow. But I will come back again. Lobster was very fresh!

I’ve been to McCormick & Schmick’s locations all over the country, in at least 3 or 4 different states, and have always really thought of this as a top notch chain where I had great experiences. My parents took me to M&S back in California to celebrate my high school graduation. This location, however, does not live up to the name at all. It’s terrible. It’s like a totally different restaurant.
I’d been to this location once or twice before and had underwhelming experiences prior to walking in the most recent time last night, January 2. But I had a cash back deal through my credit card, was in the area, was starving and like that type of fare so I figured I’d give it another shot. I walked in and the ambiance was lovely — perhaps the only thing about the experience that was on par with what I’ve come to expect from M&S — except for one conspicuous absence: people. The place was completely empty. When I say that I don’t mean not full. I mean empty. There were maybe three other parties in the entire large restaurant, including the bar area, two of which left right as I sat myself down at the bar.
I guess that was a sign.
Bar service was acceptable though, given the fact that I was literally the only person sitting at the entire bar from about one minute after I sat down onward, they could have at least tried to make it a memorable experience. They did the standard minimum. I was not brought bread. When asked what I wanted to drink I asked for water with lemon, which I was given. I looked over the menu and for some reason the thought of shrimp scampi really hit me. Guess I was craving carbs.
I will say this, the restaurant handled my basil allergy better than most. I asked the bartender if the scampi had basil because I’m allergic and he said it could be made without it, so he already knew the drill. You’d be surprised by how many DC area restaurants can’t seem to get something this simple right.
The scampi, which was $ 22.95, didn’t come with anything on the side, not so much as a vegetable, so I ordered a side ceasar for an additional *$ 8.95.* It came out promptly, and the quality of the salad was good, but it was a ridiculously small portion for $ 8.95, and not special enough to merit that price. Even a salad that came with the meal shouldn’t have been that small. It was paltry. At many other restaurants nearby they have $ 9 side salads, too, but they’re massive, designed to go with an app or a cup of soup and fill you up as a part of your meal.
Then my scampi came. It was horrible. I could have received better pasta at an Applebee’s for a third of the price. The shrimp were decent. The pasta, however, was overcooked, flavorless and waterlogged, and it was swimming in a murky scampi sauce that was bland and had the consistency of oil and corn starch. I don’t know if it was supposed to be butter or olive oil but it was more like canned noodle soup than pasta. It had fresh diced tomato in it which is nice if, you know, you’re ordering a pasta primavera. It didn’t go right with the rest of the dish. And a fair amount of fresh parsley. Sorry, nothing makes up for floppy pasta. But I was starving at this point, so I just went ahead an ate it.
They had the smarts to bring me a spoon for twirling my sad pasta, but it was presented in this long boat shaped dish that was hard to eat out of and the handle of my spoon had nothing to rest on so the spoon kept falling in the sauce. It was stupid.
I knew I wasn’t going to be satisfied by this so I asked for bread. They brought out three small pieces of a bread that tasted way too sweet and not at all fresh. Barely made a dent.
Literally the best parts of my meal in terms of quality to price ratio were the whipped butter that came with my table bread and my ice water.
I mean I just couldn’t believe it. After tip this meal cost me $ 40, and that was without any kind of beverage, alcoholic or otherwise. And it had the flavor and quality of crappy bar food, and didn’t even fill me up — I met a friend later and ended up ordering beer and fries.
Don’t waste your time. There’s another M&S in Crystal City 20 minutes away, but honestly I’d just save yourself some money and go to the Daily Grill in Dupont Circle which has slightly lower prices and much, much better food, including a side kale ceasar that’s practically a meal.
It’s really sad, because I’ve always loved this chain and have special memories attached to it, and this was a real let down. Worst part? It turns out my cash back deal had expired two nights earlier so I paid that $ 40 for sub-​par scampi and a doll-​sized salad for absolutely no good reason. I would have gone somewhere else.

this is for the BAR only
we came here after a bad meal at the oval room on NYE
i got a spanish coffee which was great. the ambiance is nice, lots of big screen tvs and the bar tenders were quite jolly
i was surprised that they were closing at midnight on NYE but no biggie. at some point, i would be open to trying them for a meal.

Great swordfish, mashed potatoes and yummy veggies.
Beautiful inside! Old architecture and lighting really adds to a cozy atmosphere.
Dinner with friends — perfect service and my dinner was great!

I don’t know if McCormick and Schmick just brought out the «D» team for Veteran’s Day, but I was very disappointed tonight. Not only did our server forget to put our order in, the food was so bland. There was no «parmeasean» in the parmeasean crusted flounder or «truffle» in the truffle frites. I don’t know if the cooks just forgot to season all of the food, but I wish I would have stayed home and cooked myself.

I ordered the center cut ribeye medium rare. It came out medium. I sent it back (which I never do). It came back out medium again… maybe even more done than the first one.
The bacon wrapped shrimp appetizers were good. The seared tuna appetizers were over seasoned which is a weird thing to say but the tuna is such a mild flavor, the seasoning over powered it. I might go again but wouldn’t order steak.

Every year I take my husband out for a nice steak dinner for his birthday (and many more in-​between just because). This year I originally made a reservation for Double Eagle but he said he really wanted to try McCormick & Schmick’s. I should have known better when I received a call from the Chinatown location informing us they are shutting down and asked to move our reservation to the K Street location.
Service was just bad. Drinks too forever to come from the bar and a simple vodka tonic was served without a lime or a straw. The Caeser salad was limp and was worse quality than I make at home. My clam chowder was probably out of a can.
When we were first served our entrees the waiter came running back and took them away because he served the wrong table. I have never had a waiter put down food, walk away and then take it away. Incredibly bad management of table running. When our food did arrive it was overcooked and served with mushy steamed veggies. The lobster mash had about two pieces of lobster meat and was not that amazing.
At every other streak restaurant we’ve ever been to for a birthday or special occasion they have always brought out a dessert or at the very least a glass of champaign. I cleary listed birthday celebration on the reservation but it was ignored. We skipped dessert and had cake to celebrate at home.
I will not be returning to a McCormick & Schmick’s anywhere.

Great experience! Came for happy hour and had the sweetest, most attentive waitress, KeKe. The calamari was soooo good… I actually enjoyed the fried veggies (fried veggies?!?) more than the calamari. I was in a greasy sort of heaven! And the mojito is delicious! I watched the bartender make it very carefully and it was perfect. I had the upside down apple pie with ice cream for dessert. Really? I’m a happy lady. :-) Thanks McCormick and Schmicks!

A three day weekend in our nations Capitol! McC and Schmicks is a block from our Hilton. Looking forward to a five star dinning experience on our one free night. I brought nice cloths. She brought the little black dress.
I believe it was the worst restaurant experience I’ve ever had. We tried to call for two day to make reservations. No one ever answered the phone. When we got seated the phone rang and rang. No one ever looked at it. Standard operating procedure to not answer the phone I guess.
It took 30 minutes to get a glass of water. No joke. A half hour. And the place was one third full at best. Not busy at all. Our actual drinks were wrong. Our soft drinks were brought with no ice both times. When my girlfriend asked if they have Cuervo she was handed a wine list.
While we were ordering, in mid sentence another waiter grabbed our waitress by the arm and pulled her away to tell her about something she did wrong. Right behind us the manager was being told by a customer that it was the worst service he ever had and getting pretty loud about it. All the while the phone just kept ringing.
That’s not all of it but you get the point. I’ve had better service at a diner. It was amazingly bad. I’ve seriously never seen anything like it. Especially when you pay $ 120.00 for a meal. If I could give it no stars I would.

It will be a struggle to say something positive but I thought long & hard, and there is ONE thing — the décor is very appealing & upscale. Nice bathroom although not kept up.
It all started when we walked in and there was No one at host stand then he shows up and just said hold on & runs off. He comes back and asks if we have a reservation. Hahaha. How would we get a reservation when we called for 2 days, and no one EVER answers. We sat next to the host stand, and they NEVER answered it.
Happy hour advertised but no explanation or info on specials. Our Waitress wouldn’t know how to explain it; serious language barrier. So I ask for Cuervo — she says ‘what is that?’, I say tequila, she gives me a wine list. She came back says no Cuervo, I order Reposado 1800, comes back says only has Milagro silver, I say I want gold comes back gives me Glenfiddich & gives my guy a double Sauza (so she says, looks & tastes like a mint Julep.) No diet coke, no water, No lime, not tall, oh, and no ice in drink?! Then an odd occurrence when another Waiter yanks her away mid sentence taking our order to yell at her for some other mistakes. Around the same time another customer is making an angry complaint to host. So onto the food: Salad ok, not great. Potatoes need butter. Mac okay. All bland. Seared scallops really good according to my guy. Deceptively attractive until you get to know it! No wifi unless ATT. Asked for check — Took two times asking before it finally came. Just to put it in a nutshell, we will never go here again!

I’m not too impressed with this place. Came here for restaurant week. Maybe it’s just this location. The bread was nothing special. The mac n cheese needing salt and pepper. The crab soup was nothing special. The strawberry goat cheese salad was horrible. The lettuce not the walnuts were fresh. I didn’t eat more than 2 bites. The beef medallions were very good and flavorful though! The upside down apple pie was nothing special either but the cinnamon ice cream that can with it was very good! Service– our waitress was slow and keep forgetting our order.

Came for thanksgiving dinner n was surely disappointed… Wasn’t even going to write review but felt it necessary to… Everything started off great we were on time for our reservation and seated promptly… Next came to take app order n drinks… My boyfriend was the only one to take part of their three course thanksgiving feast n thank goodness… The kids ordered pasta n a burger n I ordered the salmon lets just say portions were tiny and my bf complained that the turkey was dry n bland… We ordered dessert to go over all the service was great but food wise no one really left happy or full Washington DC has other restaurants that’s far better

I came here with my family for a birthday dinner and was not as impressed as I had been at other locations. Our reservation was for 5:30 and there weren’t a lot of people in the restaurant. Despite our table being one of a few there, the service was very slow. We ordered drinks and they took a good 15 minutes to come out. One of our party asked for a bowl of soup and Caesar salad but never got the salad.
My other complaint was that they don’t have any parking. Being in downtown DC, parking is impossible and I found it incredible that this location doesn’t offer valet parking or even validation.
Despite my disappointment in the service and parking, I loved my dish! I had the shrimp and andouille Mac and cheese which was delicious! I would definitely order it again.

This review only pertains to a brief visit to the bar. I was in town on business and stopped in for a quick drink around 3:30 on a weekday afternoon. The bar was virtually empty with plenty of staff, but a complete lack of service. My colleague and I ordered a cocktail and had quite the wait despite the empty bar. The only upside was the cucumber cocktail I ordered was great (as it should be for $ 10!).
This is just one of the many reasons why I prefer to seek out locally owned independent places vs chains — better service and more engaging staff. This place just happened to be conveniently located for us.
I would not go back.

Atmosphere: kinda boring
Prices, pretty good
I like drinking there but then I go somewhere fun after that.

Standard McCormick and Schmick’s food. I ordered the Salmon BLTA. It was okay. The portion was huge though. I could only eat one half and murdered the old bay seasoned steak fries tho.
The service is always great and friendly. I also came here for a staff happy hour after work and they were really accommodating because we went from a private room, which was entirely too small for the turnout that actually came out. We moved from the small, private room to the bar, where happy hour was happening. Unfortunately the bar was slammed and it was really difficult to get a bartender’s attention. Once I did, they were very quick and friendly.
Then our group wound up getting a table instead and we ordered a bunch of delicious appetizers and wine. I still give McCormick & Shmick’s three stars because they have great customer service but typical food for fare and pretty much the same throughout their other restaurants across the country.