Rita, Bob, Max, Debbie, and I went to Café Riggs in the Riggs Hotel for dinner. Valet parking cost $20.
The Café Riggs Patio and Garden Terrace offers sheltered al fresco dining in the heart of Downtown Washington, DC. With views of the National Portrait Gallery, the patio is the perfect place to meet friends and family for an outdoor brunch, dinner, or glass of wine while taking in the sights and sounds of Penn Quarter.
Next to the hotel is a sidewalk. On either side of sidewalk there are seating areas with large umbrellas over the side closest to the building and a fully built “temporary structure” on the other side of the sidewalk including heaters in the ceiling. When it is really hot it would likely be quite uncomfortable.
The entire Café, inside and out, has seating for 158. There is space inside the hotel to which an additional 100 seats and tables can be added, bringing total capacity to 268.
Our server, Geovarie, has worked here since the restaurant opened roughly 2 years ago.
We had a “table” composed of three small tables set side by side.
It is quite noisy. The area on the other side of the sidewalk sticks into the street. There are numerous cars, trucks, and motorcycles passing by on a regular basis. While they cannot be seen they can certainly be heard.
There is an endless stream of people walking on the sidewalk dressed in every kind of “costume” that you can imagine from every day going to work clothes to looking like they are going to or from a costume party.
Mike, Rita, and Max had Agnolotti – lobster, sugar snap peas, lemon butter.
Rita added Cucumber and Caviar on crackers while Mike added broccoli salad, and cauliflower
Bob – had Roast Chicken and Debbie chose steak frites
Mike added the Non-alcoholic – Peach fizz
Rita ordered Palet D’OR chocolate, hazelnut
Mike ordered a Chocolate Souffle which comes with Raspberry compote, and vanilla ice cream
The restrooms are located toward the back of the restaurant.
The floor is covered by streams of longitudinally set alternately dark and light tiles.
There are two wall-hanging urinals separated by partial walls open at top and bottom. The urinals are of different heights. There is within the restroom a commode room with a separate lockable door. There are full tall horizontal and vertical commode pipes on the walls. The area includes a diaper changing table which folds into wall. There is a marble table with two oblong circular wash basins with separate wall hanging mirrors.
Café Riggs
Riggs Hotel
900 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
202-638-1800