Restaurant Nora Review

We spent our 6th anniversary at Restaurant Nora on Saturday night. I am sure we will find our way back here...some day.

Our waiter seemed angry, was not attentive, and was flat out rude.

I requested a nice, quiet and special table. Upon arrival, this 'special' table was not ready. We waited 30 mins and were sat in the middle of the restaurant, only to be moved to a table right next to it. Pretty disappointing, given the wonderful atmosphere at Nora.

I had the braised short ribs, and was impressed. Perfect portions! My wife had the Duck. While flavorful, it was very tough and chewy. Cherry Pie was the best we had ever had. Decent food, horrible service all packaged in a wonderfully beautiful atmosphere that, on this occasion went to waste.

One of the best meals that I've had in DC so far. The ingredients were fresh and I appreciated the effort to source everything locally and organically. The appetizer courses were amazing.

Great food and service. Not cheap but very worth it.

Wear a suit. Kind of stuffy, but you might see a senator or 2

We had an unfriendly waitress who really had no manners. When paying $40+for an entree, they should have better etiquette. Let ladies order first, take drink orders, clear appetizers before bringing main course, and bring coffee when ordered with dessert! Got charged for coffee but never got it! Food was good, not fabulous. For the $, not worth it.

One of the best restaurants I've been to in a long time. Everything was really, really nice. Nothing over the top, just very subtle nuance in their creativity and excellent quality.

Very expensive but worth the money, never had so much fun eating food haha was absolutely FANTASTIC!!!!

This was a great hidden gem. It has great Italian food and is tucked right behind embassy row.

Surprisingly great food. Normally a place built on a gimmick like all organic food doesn't actually have the taste to back it up. This place does. Best gin and tonic and scallops I have ever had. Wonderful asparagus and cheesecake too. Fantastic service and nice welcoming environment in the restaurant to top everything off.

Came for my birthday. Place was excellent. Food was amazing

Good food and service but a bit on the stuffy side. Not a place I'm in a rush to get back to.

Although it is very, very expensive, the food is amazing. I got the black cod served over some greens and it was the best fish I have ever tasted. I also had a delicious fillet mignon and a great roasted beat salad.

They have delicious food I think the owner is Arabian Girl

The overall area was Outstanding, inspite of my Parking Ticket. And love the open Bar setting, just wonderful. Keep up the great job and see u Friday @ Happy Hours...

not a whiff of servitude from the serviers here- too busy pushing wine- uneven food and service

Respectable businessman. I am here to serve you in training your staff in customer service. Atte. Speaker Carlos Rosales from Guatemala.

I'm happy that I got to try Restaurant Nora before they officially close doors at the end of June this year. They have been around for almost 40 years executing the farm-to-table concept. In fact, they were the first certified organic restaurant in the country back in 1999.

Last year, one of my best friends and former coworkers gave me a gift card to Restaurant Nora. I was excited to come here and once I heard that Restaurant Nora was closing on June 30, I quickly made reservations to ensure that the gift card was put to good use.

For starters, I ordered the roasted mushroom soup while my BF ordered the grilled asparagus and smoked ham with roasted morrels, shaved pecorino in a lemon aioli. For the entree, I ordered the braised short rib ravioli. My BF ordered the housemade fettuccine with smoked ham and roasted morrels and asparagus in a rosemary mustard sauce.

Food-wise, I thought everything tasted good. I thought the soup, grilled asparagus, and my braised short rib ravioli were delicious and well-prepared. I actually felt that I got a substantial amount of ravioli, definitely more than I was anticipating. The flavors of the short rib The fettuccine dish was not a lot of food, especially at almost $20. It is a very small serving so if you pick this dish, be sure to order an appetizer. Dishes are certainly a bit expensive for the amount of food you're getting, but just remember that you are eating at an organic restaurant in Dupont Circle.

Our server, though polite, floated around, didn't check up on us, didn't come to discuss the food when our plates arrived, and was generally absent. All in all, it was a 3-star experience. I'm glad to have tried Restaurant Nora before the doors close.

Not recommended. We know and have enjoyed fine cuisine from Switzerland to New York to Grand Cayman and beyond, and Nora is not up to par. Prices were very high (4 ppl, $400) for mediocre and uninspired. They may be the first certified organic restaurant, but they cannot ride on that coattail any longer. We had their first seating and there were too many staff still setting up and talking to each other a little too loudly while we were starting to dine. Appetizers 3.5 stars out of 5, entree 2/5 and dessert 1/5. Our server, however, was attentive, warm and friendly.

The original organic restaurant with an ever-changing menu and respectable wine list. Very accommodating to special dietary needs.

Absolutely the best dining experience with the freshest menu. This iconic restaurant will be missed!

Great food. Highly representative of its style of food.

great hotel and service,spacious room, quality food.

Food was ok for price ($120 for two), but not great. Atmosphere (warm, unpretentious, and cozy) service (adequate) were ok--nothing spectacular. Overall, just an ok experience.

From an appetizer of lobster and hearts of palm salad with delicious fresh herbs to an incredible veal roast over mashed celeriac and a delicious poached pear for dessert, our eyes and taste buds were dancing with joy! Our dietary More

Restaurant Nora was the first certified organic restaurant in the United States. Housed in a building originally constructed in the 19th century as a grocery store, the main dining room has been artistically transformed and decorated with a collection of museum quality antique Mennonite and Amish crib quilts. The eclectic menu, serves organic new-American cuisine in Nora s own creative style.

A superb meal at a great price for fine dining.
We did the 3 course tasting, with an additional starter to share, and a bottle of wine.
The staff was helpful and very plesant. Service got slow waiting for dessert and coffee, as the restaurant began to fill up rapidly. But if the company is good, you won't mind the uninterrupted time to chat with old friends.

The chocolate dessert was too dense and nearly bitter to the taste with the dark cacao that was used, easily fixed with an extra scoop of home spun ice cream. If that's the only complaint I can make on the food... then I guess I will happily return.

It is very good restaurant to live and to make party.It is the place where we can get best service as like our home.All dishes are very testy and different from others.I like this restaurent.

The Michelin guide has a good summary. The ambiance creates a sense of well-being, which is fitting with the food served, as it is a certified organic restaurant.

they are really the best company over the quality and their respective services.really awesome!

Even for one who doesn't pick a restaurant because of its organic sourcing, Nora has it figured out. Organic or non-organic, their service is spot on and they are extremely knowledgable about their wine list and how to pair it with the meals. The pork chop was perfectly juicy and tender and the monkfish was flaky, tender and served piping hot. The dessert of molten chocolate cake is worth throwing any New Years' cleanse out the window.

IF you are in the mood for delicious, healthy but also fulfilling then turn to Restaurant Nora:America's First Organic Restaurant. I would recommend for an appetizer the roasted butternut squash soup and for the main course the seared day boat scallops (they are seriously to die for). To top off your dinner try for dessert the Flourless Molten Chocolate with Cappuccino Ice Cream. You will leave Nora's with a happy face :)

Not Now I'm keeping my HUSBAND from W8ing to get in da RESTROOM

Went with a group of 4 for a late seating. Shared a few appetizers and entrees. The avocado crab salad and grass fed filet were both outstanding. Probably the best prep of grass fed beef I have had.

The food is beautiful. Presentation is clearly important and thought out. The chef is at the top of her (?) game and there's no other restaurant in the city where the food is locally and if at all possible organically sourced. But you will pay for that level of exemplary food... out the wazoo. Still, excellent. No doubt.

Perfect dinner. Food is tasty and surprisingly light from starter to entrees and dessert; everything simple but has a twist of extra yum yum flavor. The drink selections were tasteful. The service is superb too. Best of all, all farm to table for the last 40 years without being superficial. What a gem . And love all the quilts framed on the wall, gorgeous !

I ate here last month with the band I manage currently. The place is exquisite. We really enjoyed the wine selection. The dessert menu was great.

Not the place to go if you are looking for a filling meal but the food is so good, we will be going back

While DC has been sprouting restaurants spouting top chef namesakes -- Nora has been a stalwart of DC for over 30 years. Nora promises a delicious meal and an atmosphere perfect for special occasions. First off, yes its expensive, but the price is palatable based on the service, the atmosphere, and the food. I came here with no set expectations other than hearing it was a good place to eat. I left wanting to come back.

The service is amazing, servers will check your coats/food so you can comfortably talk to your date and even hail a cab while you wait. At no time did I find myself staring at an empty plate or trying to find someone to get another drink.

The atmosphere was amazing - the dining area I was in was reminiscent of an old french restaurant with exposed stonework, excellent spot lighting and overall perfect mood lighting...even the art was interesting!

Finally the food -- we ordered the lamb which literally came falling off the bone, and the steak which was perfectly seasoned and cooked. I would highly recommend the shrimp and mussel starter -- it was fantastic!

Overall I had a great experience here, and would recommend this restaurant as one of the best occasional dining locations in the district!

At this point the accolades for this organic-food restaurant are well-known and I don't add much by repeating them. For me, Nora's was the answer to the question whether there is an observable qualitative distinction between the taste of organic and non-organic food. Everything that I tasted at Nora's tasted more of what it should taste like, which is to say that, the tomatoes tasted more intensely of tomato than I have experienced to date. Similarly, the lamb tasted more intensely of lamb. Even the vegetables themselves were so full of their own flavors that I was actually licking my lips after eating them. So for me it was a wonderful education. One thing that I would improve on is the beer selection. I realize that the organic requirement does narrow the field somewhat but I would try and broaden the available choices if possible. My personal preference would be for some fine wheat beers from Germany and the Czech Republic.

Overpriced, crap service unless you're a neighborhood regular, and mediocre food. Pretentious to the max - e.g., they don't have a wine selection, they have a "wine library".

The server didn't listen, bringing us bread after we just said we didn't want any, and bringing still instead of sparking water. One server told us we could substitute a dessert on the fixed price menu - his colleague said "who told you that?". One sever put our valet parking on the bill, but didn't tell the valet, leading to me having a verbal altercation with the valet I'm the street where he tried to get me to pay and didn't believe i had!

I've eaten at Eve, In at Little Washington, Citrinelle, Le Bernadin, Green's, and many wonderful organic and non-organic restaurants all over the US and internationally, and for the price this was flat out the worst experience I've ever had.

I have subsequently heard from others the regulars have a very d different experience with the service - but for $30+ per entree i expect to be delighted and surprised, not bored.

P.s., we arrived at 6:30 and trees, they were still seeing then set up for dinner - really disorganized.

Woow this place is rocking the atmosphere is so good i love this place i wish am gonna stay long the food so nice and i also found a man for .me mmmmm you'll have to try this place wow mavelious

outstanding food and service. the decor could be improved a bit.

Love the food! The space is warm and lovely. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable.

I came here for my sister's birthday. This place was just perfect. The food was awesome and served in perfect sizes, the decor was very nice and the ambience quiet. Generally appears to be an older crowd that attends here. I can not wait to come back here again and try the normal menu. The tasting menu is a must try and leaves you wanting to come back again.

Delicious food, all Organic which is important to me. Quiet, relaxed ambiance. Service was good and portions are just right! Will be back for a family celebration!