Editor Pick
1409 Playbill Cafe
- August 26, 2006
- Rated 3 of 5 by
Shady Ady from Hinckley, United Kingdom
The 1409 Playbill Café is located on 14th Street, approximately a 15- to 20-minute walk from the Washington Monument, and is situated in one of the more affluent areas of Washington, in a gay-friendly part of town with a nice, relaxed atmosphere. There is a wide variety of cuisine choices in this area, all at much reasonable prices than you would find in more downtown Washington. My girlfriend and I chose this restaurant, as it was only a few minutes walk from our hotel and was recommended in a number of magazines as having an excellent selection of vegetarian food.
The restaurant, enhanced by colourful walls, which are decorated with paintings, playbills, and head shots of Broadway legends, did indeed have an excellent selection, and although the food was very good and excellently priced for the quality and quantity you received, the service was not in the same league. Where you were supposed to stand and be seated by a member of staff, there was no one there, and after waiting 10 minutes to be seated, we decided to get a menu and seat ourselves. During the whole of this time, we were in full few of the bar staff, less than 2m away, who didn’t once come to our assistance. When a waiter finally came, he made a unsatisfactory grunting sound after passing our table, I believe because we had rudely sat ourselves down instead of waiting to be seated.
After taking our order, we did not see him again, and instead the bar staff brought our food to the table, the same bar staff that had let us stand for 10 minutes to be seated. Saying all of this, though, I cannot fault the food on offer, especially if you are a vegetarian. The jacket potato with broccoli was listed as only a starter, but could easily have served as a main course; it was that big and tasty. Between my girlfriend and I, we chose four vegetarian starters at $3 each, and there was more than enough to go around, even after walking around The Mall all day long. Drinks start at $3, with imported beer starting at $4.
Although I wasn’t that impressed with the friendliness of the staff or the service, I would still recommend this restaurant solely on the quality of the food and the very reasonable prices. The cafe also hosts cabaret shows, music shows, and plays of up-and-coming troupes, and there is a small theatre at the back of the restaurant that seats 50, known as The Phoenix. The restaurant seems to attract a varied, fun-loving, friendly clientele and is a great place to sit with a quiet drink and people watch. More information on menus, shows, and prices can be obtained by phoning the cafe at (202) 265-3055. The restaurant is open from 4pm to 2am Sunday to Thursday, 4pm to 3am Friday to Saturday, and 11am to 3pm on Sunday.
From journal Tales of a Travelling Englishman (Part 8 - Washington D.C., USA)