The Royal Dc

My cousin said “Hey, let’s go to this Latino Michelin Star restaurant” and after eating at The Royal, I know why they received the star. Service was great, atmosphere was cozy/private, and the flavor of the food was out of this world. What I like about Michelin Star restaurants is that you can tell every ingredient used in their dishes and drinks were studied and well thought out. Each bite/sip creates a narrative of flavors that I just can’t get enough of. Highly recommend. Parking was easy but we did go on a Thursday.

Great ambiance with quick service and solid, albeit occasionally muffled-flavor, food. -- Two friends and I came on a Sunday afternoon for a late lunch. We were hoping to get in earlier, but all the times between 10:30 and 1:30 were completely booked. Because of our timing, we had just missed Brunch. I had heard a lot of great things regarding The Royal and was excited to try the afternoon/evening food regardless. The decor and ambiance inside is fantastic. There's a healthy amount of greenery inside beside the brick walls across the ground floor and the lofted area. The pods outside along the street are also very pretty and surrounded by greenery. A subtle touch I also liked was the use of old church pews as booths (which I wish I got a picture of). The restaurant has converted to a full digital, order from your phone operation. While I know a growing trend that can assist in speed and efficiency for both customers and wait-staff, I'm a bit more traditional and prefer the direct interaction with the servers. I have also noticed it can sometime make it more difficult to get assistance if they are not checking the floor outside of food runs. That said, I did not experience issues today. The food situation is small plates a la carte - although there are a mix of plates meant to be shared (such as the fries and sprouts), and others better served eating alone (arepas and sandwiches). My friends and I decided to each order one dish for sharing and one for solo consumption. For sharing: - House Fries (solid and easy eating, although not particularly special) - Cheese Arepa (cheesy and good, but again not very flavorful, more of a snack) - Crispy Brussel Sprouts (generally I dislike Brussels but I liked these, likely because sprout flavor was minimized and focus was on everything else which was indeed flavorful). - Crispy Pork Belly (delicious, especially the pork itself! Quite a bit of toppings going on that probably subdued some flavor but was still enjoyable to eat) For myself, I also got the Hearts of Palm Arepa - a veggie option with a bunch of vegetables served with Chimichurri on the side. While solid, it again wasn't the most flavorful and a bit disappointing. Again, I attribute some of the muffled flavors to the overabundance of ingredients rather than focusing on featuring less ingredients with enhanced flavors. I also had two non-alcoholic drinks from the cafe, both which were solid but not particularly spectacular (although the Lemonade with Espresso was refreshing, energizing, and fun to try). Overall I had a great time and enjoyable experience, although honestly the food left me a bit disappointed. As $10-$20 per plate and the rave reviews I've heard I was hoping for bursting flavors. I would like to come here again for a cocktail or two (and perhaps in time for brunch), although I don't feel compelled to come here again for a full dinner.

Great coffee and breakfast! Bites you can’t find at a typical breakfast/brunch place, and good prices. Super cute ambiance inside and great outdoor seating!

Everyone who works here is really nice. The bartenders work really hard to get your drinks out quickly. The food is good, portions are a bit small for the pricing but everything that I tried was tasty and well made. The inside is not super big so when it's crowded it can feel a little cramped, especially getting to and from the restrooms. The vibes are good though and you can usually find parking on the surrounding streets.

I finally got to try this little spot after passing it dozens of times - and what a gem The Royal is! I met a friend for lunch and we both got arepas which were so fresh and delicious. The staff were all very warm and welcoming, yet chill and unpretentious (my fave combo!). On the way out, we spotted some amazing lunch dishes and the bar area looked so appealing. Definitely looking forward to going back in the evening to take advantage of the evening food and cocktail menus.