Elephant & Castle

Reviews

• CL

  Carla Luvender

  2 days ago
  5.0
  Popped in for lunch during FIFA on July 3. Our waitress was "Trip" She was awesome and so was the food. Trip has been with them for many years and is a definite "expert" on what to eat & drink. My husband had the Bee's Knees Martini = a must have. He had the chicken pot pie for lunch. I had the Leek / Potato & Cheese Pot Pie. They both came with a delicious side-salad. Not to be missed is the bread pudding. Definitely put this on your list of places to eat when visiting DC. It's right downtown and can be easily found in your "travels."
• RD

  Regina Dyer

  3 days ago
  2.0
  I visited Elephant & Castle three times while working the Great American Fair during my 45-minute lunch breaks, and unfortunately, each visit was disappointing. You would think management would anticipate the crowds with such a major event taking place just a block away. With the fair drawing around 200,000 people for the nation's 250th celebration, staffing should have been planned accordingly. I worked in the restaurant industry for over 20 years, so I understand that employees call out and staffing shortages happen. However, management should have contingency plans in place, whether that's scheduling more staff or bringing in extra bartenders during major events. On my first visit, the bartender—a very nice Hispanic gentleman—eventually took care of me, but it took a long time to be greeted, receive my food, and get my check. Even though the service was slow, he remained friendly and professional. My second visit was on July 4 after the fair was rained out. The bar was absolutely packed, the bathrooms had no air conditioning, and it was extremely hot inside. The bartenders were clearly overwhelmed and frustrated because there simply weren't enough people working. To make matters worse, they had run out of ice. Standing in the heat just trying to order a cold beer was incredibly frustrating. My third and final visit was yesterday. There were two female bartenders working, both of whom were obviously busy, but once again there wasn't enough staff to handle the crowd. I was hoping to grab a quick bite before returning to work, but I wasn't acknowledged after arriving. When I finally asked for service, I was met with a rude, "We'll get to you." One of the first lessons I learned in my 20-plus years in the restaurant business was to acknowledge every guest quickly, even if you're busy. A simple greeting and "We'll be right with you" goes a long way. Unfortunately, I didn't experience that here. My biggest complaint isn't the bartenders themselves—it's the lack of preparation and poor management. The staff appeared overwhelmed because they weren't given the support they needed to handle the volume of customers. During one of the biggest events of the year, that's simply unacceptable. Unfortunately, after three disappointing experiences, I won't be returning.
• ED

  Elizabeth Douglas

  4 days ago
  4.0
  The manager didn't plan well with it being a Saturday and the 4th. We had to wait over an hour for a table. There were plenty available just not enough staff to run them. Also, outside seating was closed, lots of tables out there. If you have a walker, wheelchair, or scooter I don't recommend eating there unless the outside is open. They aren't ADA compliant the only way to the tables is stairs. Once we were seated it took 10 minutes before someone came to take our drink order. The fact that they were only offering the world cup menu instead of the full menu was a little disappointing. I understand that it's a pub & listed as a soccer bar however the TV's did not have to be so loud that the staff was having to bend over the table at each person to take their order. The customers weren't that loud just the volume of the TV & not all of them, thank goodness. The temperature was way too hot especially in the restroom. Yes, the outside temperature was high yesterday however waiting to be called we sat in the outside tables & it was cooler than inside.
• JJ

  Jenni4Design

  Jun 26, 2026
  3.0
  We went here after the DC pride parade, and FIFA is going on too, so I get it was busy. I don't mind that we waited a bit for food because it was good when we got it. We sure would have liked some drinks though. Some of the table were lucky enough to get their drinks refilled once. Others never got refills at all. And we asked a couple times. It was definitely really loud, but again to be expected with the environment but worth considering if that's overwhelming for you. Our server seemed to be running all over the place, but the tables around us had a different server... and drinks. I can't say it's an experience I'd recommend or likely want to repeat. Oh, and we didn't get menus so did the barcode menus from the coasters, but then asked if they had paper menus. So then when my husband tried to order from the online/barcode menus the server told him he could only order off the paper menu. I don't know if we pissed him off or what. He sure seemed like it.
• GK

  Glen K

  Jun 21, 2026
  5.0
  My wife and I visited the Washington, DC, E&C, for dinner, on Friday, June 12th. We were cheerfully greeted upon entering and quickly seated at a comfortable booth table. Our server, Trip, quickly greeted us, happily explaining the numerous Happy Hour choices and taking our drinks order. Trip returned quickly with our drinks and took our dinner order. We love the A&C menu because it has a consistent fare of delicious choices of entrees and main courses. After taking our order, Trip quickly delivered our entrees. The flatbread and mini sausage rolls were delivered hot, fresh and delicious. Our entrees were delivered shortly thereafter, allowing sufficient time to enjoy our entrees without rushing. Our dinners eye also served hot, fresh and delicious. During our meal, Trip returned multiple times to insure everything was to our satisfaction. After enjoying our meal, Trip brought us the check, making sure we enjoyed our meal and that we understood that we were free to remain as long as we liked. Later, as we got up to leave, Trip returned to thank us and say good bye. Trip's time and attention made our experience extremely pleasent and enjoyable. We will definitely return to A&C and highly recommend this location for your DC dining needs.

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