There are places I go, and there are places I end up. Cafe 8 is one of those places where I end up. It’s never the centerpiece of a planned evening out, but whenever I do go there I always think, “why don’t I come here more often?”
Its quiet at lunchtime during the week, making it a great place to meet a business colleague. It’s family friendly, so we’ve also made it our destination with kids in tow (they love the curtain of beads in front of the bathrooms). Want to splurge a bit? The cigar borek and cheese pide are worth the calories. If you’re feeling more restrained, the delicious mix of flavors in the shepherd’s salad still won’t make you feel like you’re missing out. The wine list is reasonably priced and whatever we’ve ordered has always been a crowd pleaser. There’s great people watching in the front and the patio in the back is perfect in the spring. The service has never let me down and when they bring the check, it doesn’t break the bank.
Cafe 8 may not be the flashiest spot on Barracks Row, but there’s something to be said for a place that is consistently friendly and reliable. Now I think I’ll go have myself some falafel.
Cafe 8 424 8th Street, SE Washington, DC 20003
Totally agree. Never think to head there, but always very happy with the meal once there. Plus, they are great for takeout!
Don’t go there more often because it reeks of cheap industrial soap.
Sorry, after walking past many times and finally stopping to try it, our experince there was so awful, we paid and left based upon undrinkable sangria and inedible appetizers.
The service here is horrible. I’ve given it several shots and it sucks every time. Can’t believe they’ve stayed in business.
hmm, I’ve been a few times 3-5 at least and I have never had anything but a good meal with attentive service. Now the place that was there before…that place was awful.
Put me down in the awful column. The worst restaurant meal I’ve had in DC.
Funny how the experience has been different for folks. I’ve always generally been happy – but I too never set out for Cafe 8 – but sometimes end up there.
We’ve only had great service there. Some of the dishes don’t work, but you can’t go wrong with one of the hummus and a kebab.
If anyone thinks that they serve the worst food in DC, then they clearly have not been to Banana Cafe, Fusion Grill, Trattoria Alberta, or Old Siam. And I’m obviously excluding Tunnicliff’s, but I think it’s a given that no one would recommend the food there.
Actually we like Tunnicliff’s pizza better than the much-lauded 7th Hill.
The service at dinner time has been lovely. At lunch the waiter didn’t speak much English but he was nice and managed to get us what we wanted. This isn’t the best food in DC, but it’s certainly not the worst. The Kebabs are on par with what I’ve had elsewhere (and the gyro meat is better), the bread is good and the salads are reasonable. The dip combo verges on excellent.
Funny, we also like Tunni’s pizza better than 7th hill for “everyday” pizza (though 7th hill is great for the right situation).
I think the kabobs and pides at cafe 8 are usually good and I have always had nice servers who were attentive. I’m sorry to hear others had bad experiences there…I’ve never heard these complaints about cafe 8 before.