The Inn at Little Washington Review

I was a big fan of the Michelin guide and been visited 15+ restaurants list in their restaurant guide, it always help me discover more inspiration restaurant.

According to the guide, The Inn at Little Washington rated 3 stars on food and service. I made an appointment for me and my friends at The Inn. However their service really disjointed us.
Their reservation page showed they had valet parking service, but when we arrived, the parking reception staff just told us where the parking lot was and did not provide valet service.
Although we arrived exactly as appointment time, we still wait for about 15 minutes. After that usher showed us the way in, but no one offer a coat check until we had been seated and asked for it.
He piled up 5 coats directly instead of holding them separately.

Our table were arranged by the side door, people kept walking in and out. The cold winds kept blowing my back and made me feel cold with my dress. There are several times, they did not close the door tightly, leaving a wide gap, but no one came to close it, which made me felt even worse. Even after I told them the gap situation, same situation still happen. Eventually, I had to stood up and close it for myself.

Most of their food taste good thought, but waiter did not introduce the ingredient neither told us how to eat them. They offered a wine package which contain 6 glasses of wine, one of my friends thought 6 glass of wine would be too much and only want to order only one of them in the package. However they said that these specific type of wine is only for package. I really can t get it why can t they just prepared some extra for other customer whom wanna try? Then, we end up ordered another kind of wine, he helped us open the bottle but he always forgot to add wine for us when someone finish his. We need to serve ourselves !


While we were tasting the food, there was a FLY flying in the middle of our table. We had to keep waving to kept it away from our food. I felt like their hygiene situation is highly questionable.
When we were finish and ready to left, no one returned our coats back, and I did not know where my coats is. We asked someone for our coat, he bring us the coats back, but still PILE all 5 coats up without separate.

The whole trip is SO SO SO DISPOINTED!!! It s completely unexpected that we almost need to serve ourselves the whole night, their service is not much better than a mid-level BUFFET or Cheesecake Factory !

Even thought their food taste good, the service really drag the whole experience down. And they rate 3 stars on both food and service. In my own opinion, The Inn at Little Washington Restaurant is DEFINITLY NOT WORTH this high rate !!

We're so used to a "5-star" system that Michelin's three stars seems out of place. To better understand, a Michelin one star will trounce most of our regular 5-star ratings hands down. Adding two more Michelins, well, that's simply in another league all by itself. It's the only Michelin 3-star in the DC area and it's an hour and a half away! That's a LOT of area restaurants it bests, by a long, long shot.

It's a charming Inn that's both elegant and quaint. Attention is paid to absolutely every detail and the staff are everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. They are polite and diligent, always proper yet relaxed. It's absolute perfection. The food is unconsciously perfectly balanced with every bite of every dish. How you can do that over and over again is beyond me and the culmination of absolute discipline and passion honed over years. Michelin is absolutely correct, it's worth going out of your way for -- This truly is one of America's top food experiences.

They've a Beautiful Garden and Hotel/ Fine dine in or out

Amazing experience, wonderful food, exquisite wine pairings. Very expensive, so be aware.

A great time. The food is out of this world. The service is even better. The grounds are fun to walk. Not enough praise from me. We went there for 20th anniversary. Perfect for that special event.

Hmm. I'll say I was actually disappointed overall. Don't get me wrong the food wasnt bad but wasn't the 3 star level I was expecting. I was expecting the waiters to be pretty attentive but that wasn't the case at all. Comparing to Pineapple and Pearls, everyone there was very kind and courteous and really personable. Whereas here, some of the descriptions of the dishes was just very surface level. Another thing that disappointed me was the advertised wagyu. I was expecting the fatty kind straight from Japan. Instead we got American wagyu as anyone who has had the real stuff from Japan, the differences are drastic.

Quaint, we'll appointed and managed historic Inn. One of the finest restaurants east of the Mississippi.

If you ever get the chance and want a once-in-a-lifetime experience, book a room and have dinner in the kitchen. Unbelievable service, amazing accommodations, and food that makes you think you've died and gone to heaven. It's worth every single penny. No kidding.

Amazing food and phenomenal service... well worth the drive!

Phenomenal. Was always our go to celebration place. I'm sorry to hear O'Connell and Lynch split up, they made a great team.

Everything you d expect from a 3 Start Michelin!!!

The decor was impeccable to the Colonial era, taking a step back in time with quaint town of Little Washington.

Every course was divine and well deserving of the 3 Star rating, 9 courses in total to treat a welcoming palette. The staff was easily accommodating to any adjustments of the pre-fix menu.

Well worth the journey, to this impeccable establishment!

We brought our food truck out for the farmers market and met some great folks! Didn't get to stay at the inn

A hidden jewel with the misty beautiful views, great food, great attention
A place to indulgent your self and forget about the world

Fantastic service and hospitality, the food was totally worth the visit. Definitely order the cheese plate for dessert and enjoy the awesome cheese puns!

This is, of course, one of the finest restaurants in the DC area. It's been around so long - about forty years! I just went back for our thirtieth wedding anniversary and it was fantastic as usual. It's more of a dining experience than just a meal - it's far enough from DC that you kind of need to stay somewhere after you eat instead of driving back to the city. The Inn itself is quite expensive, so I like to stay at the Middleton Inn down the road, which is itself very nice and quite a bit cheaper.

The restaurant spends a lot of time and effort on the whole dining experience, from beginning to end - usually several hours later. Everything is about the experience. But the food is also incredibly creative and delicious as well. There's a wide variety of vegetarian options also. I can't say enough good things about it. It is of course quite expensive, so it's a destination instead of just another night out. But it's worth it!

Four of us ate at the Inn this past Wednesday (a good night to get in, since it was not completely full) and it was an exceptional meal, though a very expensive one. My favorites were the chilled beet fettuccine with caviar (I disagree with someone's earlier review saying it was boring; this dish was fabulous); carpaccio of lamb loin with caesar salad ice cream (sounds weird but even our picky eater guest loved it); the seafood custard; the Coho salmon poached in olive oil; and the Virginia bison short rib with foie gras. Only slightly less superb were the ballotine of rabbit and the duck breast. I personally did not care for the tuna and foie gras confit with truffles and thought the chocolate hazelnut mouse dessert was just OK. The "apparently a pear" dessert was almost too gorgeous to eat but we devoured it anyway.

Fantastic restaurant on French infused food. The wait staff is impeccable, patient in helping you choose the right food and making the experience memorable.

Great restaurant. Thank you Patrick and the team at the Inn at Little Washington. You guys changed my life.

Very nice time last night. Social distancing in place.

Very cute little place with nice decor. Restaurant food was interesting to say the least but not a sustainable meal.

We didn't stay overnight, but we did go to dinner with two of our friends, and we all got the optional wine pairing. Everything was amazing. We all chose the Gastronaut's menu, where two of chose the veal, the other two chose the duck, and two of us chose the cheese course instead of the peach desert. It was all amazing. The menu was whimsical at times, like when the tun was served in a can, and the play with different textures was what we have come to expect from Michelin starred restaurants. My only critique, was that there were two moments where the service was lacking. The first was when the water was spilled on our table when they were filling the glasses, and got on the menu/a little on me. The second was that the wine pairing was not explained for one of the courses, and we had to flag them down to learn what we were drinking, however they mentioned that that, that only happened because they did not want to interrupt our conversation. Regardless, I will be eventually going back, and looking forward to another meal here.

Feeeling cooped up? It's their house but they're free range. Nice to see those dahlias in late October.

Five star hotel and dinner. Wow to the chef. Food allergy safe.

Unbelievablely a perfect 2 night stay. Above superior accommodations, inviting public areas and food and beverages beyond perfection. Restful, caring, happy place because of its owner, Jim McConnell, and staff. Highly recommend.

Thankful for the opportunity to have dinner here. Delicious food and wonderful ambiance.

I can't say one thing that wasn't perfect about the entire experience. From the decor to food to the drinks. It was all perfect.

Every bite is delicious. Garden is beautiful. Service is perfect. A dining experience.

We couldn t make it around 3 pm (check in time) because of work. We arrived in our casual clothes around 5:29 pm. Our dinner reservation was at 5:30pm. Your front desk staff could have made accommodations to move our reservation at a later time so we could freshen up and dress for the occasion.Some of the reviews stated they received welcome cocktails; we never received any. Here we were sitting in the dining room in our flip-flops, and so far, our experience was mediocre. Valet was wonderful! Certain food was okay and some were delicious. Due to the wagyu steak not being cooked medium well (this is due to my medical condition), I became ill later on. The waiter didn t realize we had paid for wine pairing beforehand, that experience didn t go well. We also wanted the cheese cart and dessert as well, that request was ignored. The service was wonderful at first, then went straight downhill afterwards. We sat with our wine glasses empty for a long time. Not the experience we expected for a 3-star Michelin restaurant. After dinner we made our way to the Mayor s house, where we found a few dead bugs inside. I didn t bring my cpap machine since my condition isn t severe, however, I would need to sleep a bit longer. I woke up around 11am and found out breakfast was at a certain time. No one explained to us how breakfast works or the times. I was absolutely livid. Part of the reason why I wanted to stay at the Mayor s house was to dress up in one of my summer dresses with make-up on, hair nicely done, and to eat breakfast in the private garden. The experience was ruined. I became even more stressed.We appreciate you accommodating us quickly and still allowing us to eat breakfast outside. When we went to eat our breakfast, there were a lot of ants. Ricky (wonderful waiter) helped to clear out the ants. We also had to call front desk to request for housekeeping to clean the house (we didn t know what to expect since we weren t staying in a hotel).
Our check out wasn t till Sunday, we were ready to check out that day and should have. We appreciated the complimentary bottle of champagne, but the experience was already ruined and we felt like we were not welcomed. The vibe was off.We understand a lot of businesses are closed at this time, but your front desk not offering to tell us about any tours or activities to do is unacceptable. We didn t know of any activities to do, so we went to the retail shop; wonderful customer service, thank you. We managed to figure out the times for afternoon tea, however the experience was disappointing. No lunch was offered nor a menu. We had to think of teas off the top of our heads. We had a small tasting of miniature foods, which was delicious, but we really wanted lunch. Why did the front desk not offer us the main tour? The main tour was absolutely lovely and we enjoyed learning about the history of the inn. We had no idea what to do after the tour ended and decided to walk for a bit. When we came back to the house, we had bugs to deal with. At this point I was stressed, livid, and our experience was not what we expected from a highly reputable award-winning inn.I took pictures of the two bugs and went to the front desk. Sorry I inconvenienced you. Housekeeping dropped off a bottle of bug spray and I was thinking I needed this last night for the spiders.When we were in the bathroom getting ready, he went to check on the noise I heard and was startled to find a staff member inside our house. Made us extremely uncomfortable that the staff member sneaked in and didn t knock or even yell out a hello. We also inquired about afternoon tea before the drive back home so we could eat something light; front desk said nope it s at 3pm. We didn t want to stay any longer and were happy and relieved to be leaving.
For the experience we had, the price tag wasn t worth it. We could have stayed at one of our 5-star hotels we frequent with spa services included and much better experience with impeccable customer service for the fraction of our bill. Never again.See full review on another site.

I went here with my family and were able to secure a table in the kitchen. It was definitely an event. When they say that the kitchen tables are kind of dinner and a show, they are not kidding. The staff are all incredibly professional, enthusiastic, and friendly. The food was delicious and crafted with an almost fanatical attention to detail.

The combination of incredible food, and the theatre of the restaurant makes for an incredible experience. Definitely one worth seeking out.

Such an excellent experience. I hope to explore the other tasting menus soon!

This is a place I wish everyone could go to at least once in a life time.

The food I had here was hands down the best food I have ever tasted. For an upscale restaurant, they do an amazing job at ensuring your comfort without being awkward about it. The staff was incredibly genuine and very knowledgeable. Chef Patrick O Connell has continually nailed it year after year with this place.

I recommend doing the wine pairing with each course. Prior to going here and doing so, I had no idea how incredible proper wine and food pairing could be.

The decor is worth the trip itself, it s very funky which I enjoyed. I feel that it really is an insight to Chef Patrick O Connell himself, and the attitude he brings to the industry.

You will leave one happy person after going here, I can t say enough about it.

Amazing food! Everything was perfect totally worth the money.

Overpriced, good food, small portions, not my thing, had a great time because of the friends in my group!

Most overrated dining experience ever. The one star is for the location.

Worth every penny.
Worth the wait.
Amazing food and experience

I fell in love with this wonderful place. It's so peaceful and warm from the moment you roll on to Main St. you see why The Inn is a travel destination for people who are willing to travel from far and wide to experience this old world feeling place. Staff, Stay and Satisfaction- Full 5 Stars.

My wife took me here in 2011 5 stars I d give it ten. Best bday experience ever.

It was a true delight.
So elegant, so refined.
This place is beyond food or location, it's a whole that is bigger than the sum of its parts.
Food was great, as expected, service was great, and all of that would not prepare us to the end, as we walked outside, well past 12am, to see someone from the staff changing a wheel to a guest tire. It is that much the care for details and well being of their guests is regarded.

Will def come back.

Amazing food! I got the caviar and the stake and adored it. Truly one of the best things I have ever had.

Everything was perfect, as usual. There is no detail too small to not be amazing. This is something truly to behold.

A wonderful place but defenitly a cultur clash! I have been eating in several 3 star Michelin restaurants all over the world. But this kitchen is by far not on a 3 star level. Good products well prepared but cooking? ?? For this price sorry I call this a joke. But probably it is just because I am not an American!!!

Absolutely fantastic 2* Michelin one of the highlights of my trip to USA

Possibly the most spectacular meals I have ever had! Also, by far the most expensive. The staff at the Inn were impeccable and actually quite fun. A fabulous weekend, but beware the price is high.

Over and over my eyes excited my tastebuds for the piece of edible art that would hit them shortly. Each time my tongue danced with pure joy from the tantalizing gift that was received. As soon as you approach this timeless cozy inn, everything slows down. The drive alone melts the stress away from your being. The experience of The Inn at Little Washington will stay with you forever. We ve been blessed to be invited with my husbands God parent more than once. We ve even had the lavish indulgence of staying there. If you love art & the true passion of artists expressing themselves for you as the guest of honor, go to The Inn. If you don t believe me, watch the documentary on PBS.

Fanciest meal I ve ever had, but not the most delicious

The absolute pinnacle of perfection when it comes to food, service and accommodations. The stay from start to finish is simply first rate and almost completely flawless. Having eaten here a number of times, I've never had even a Course I'd say was mediocre or a breakfast that wasn't top shelf. I've eaten at many of the three star Michelin places and if you were to rate those places by food quality and flavor, I think the Inn would be in the top 3. Their consistency is also amazing, which I can't say for Eleven Madison Park (which belongs at the bottom of the 3 star Michelin rankings, and frankly really should be down graded to two) or Per Se (inconsistent). The staff, even though it obviously changes from time to time, are also friendly, professional and never over bearing. Amazing from the minute you get there til the minute you leave.

Beautiful ambiance, simply charming and wonderful accomodations as expected from such; superior service, all around comfortable, relaxing, romantic environment. To top it off, probably one of the best meals I have had in my life. Restarant food is not overrated like many with its price tag. The food is unique, flavors are not only bursting in every bite, but complex and very well thought. The menu selections are great for any type of taste buds. The bread pop overs were to die for!; but so was so much of our meal to be honest. There are not many ( or any i have dined in for that matter) restarants deserving of a true 5 stars AND/OR to pay over $100 bucks a plate even, but this one I would actually say is finally worth both. I felt i got exactly what i paid for and loved every bite that melted in my mouth. High recommend!!! Save the $$ from a few visits at the mediocre restarants charging almost the same getting 5 stars, and try this. You will demand that the next time you pay over $100 for a meal, they step up their game!!! You will not and can not possibly regret having a meal here.

Had a great Valentine's dinner here. Excellent food and service.

Exceeded our already high expectations. The staff is extraordinarily professional. Every one knew who we were. We were treated as honored guests from the moment we drove onto the property. Food was exquisite. Service immaculate. It was an unbelievably relaxing and sensuous experience.

For 3-Michelin Stars, you'd think the place would at least meet the standard of 1-Michelin Star: "A very good restaurant in its category." Tremendous attention was paid to create the appearance of luxury and indulgence; however, it is not a feat of any skill to make caviar appear so. If the goal is make a memory by spending money, this is the venue; however, if you're trying to experience excellence in cuisine, better look elsewhere.

Your idea with the mannequins is really great! They look adorable. Btw: the picture and text made it to the news in South West Germany

Been there many times over past 30 years. It has only gotten better.

This review is for the restaurant only, not the hotel. We visited about a year ago (May 2016). If this were a standard restaurant it probably would be a 4.5-star review, but because of the price and reputation of this place, I believe it's reasonable to hold it to a higher standard. At a place like this you expect perfection, and they fell short on just a few notes.

Firstly, the food was amazing. Everything we tried was delicious, no complaints there whatsoever.

We had told them when making the reservation that it was for my birthday (they had asked if there was a special occasion), but when we arrived, they said "this is an anniversary celebration, right?" Why ask if they're not going to get it right?

Toward the end of the meal we ordered a bottle of dessert wine, and it took a very long time to retrieve it. They did apologize for the delay and noted that they'd had to pull it up from the cellar, but even considering that, it was a long time. A place with this type of reputation needs to be prepared for anything on their menu to be ordered.

Finally, when getting the check, the maitre d' said the wrong name when handing the credit card back to us (on the order of saying "Wilson" instead of "Williams", to give an idea of the level of wrong-ness). He literally had the card in his hand and could have looked at it seconds before.

So on the whole still a very good experience, but the few missteps were enough to detract from what should have, for the price, been perfection. Especially because the nature of at least 2 of them (the occasion and the name) were simply the result of the staff not paying attention to detail and missing some very easy-to-get-right low-hanging fruit.

By far the best meal I have ever had. Everything was perfect from the impeccable service to the perfectly curated music. The food was so good and thoughtful to the point I wish I could be a regular here. I normally shy away from places like this but had to try it as everyone raves about it. I was not disappointed and would rate this as the best meal I have ever eaten. I know the staff knew I liked it as I cleared every one of the 7/8 plates brought out to me. Met the chef who was super nice. I love the mannequins that fill the empty seats during covid. I see why this place is so hard to get a table even with the price but it is so worth it at least once.

Simply splendid. This Two Star Michelin restaurant and inn is magnificent. Every detail is taken care of. Our party celebrated a both a birthday and a wedding anniversary last night. Our menus and desserts greeted us with the appropriate good wishes. If you are looking for an elegant and exquisite experiece, The Inn At Little Washington offers it.

Wonderful NYE celebration! Walking around town in the afternoon we caught the staff posing for a staff picture. And the facilities manager Mark.

Came here to celebrate us and our birthdays. The decor of the place is very interesting, and nicely fits the house and location. The staff was exceptionally friendly, attentive and extremely professional -- probably one of the best that we have came across. We had three fixed menu choices - we went with the menu of the moment. All of them looked quite delicious. The food was well prepared, and tasty... simply amazing. The only thing that I was not too keen on was the pigeon, but had to give it a try. Definitely a place to come back on a special occasion.

Food lived up to its extremely lofty reputation and then some. Every course was executed to perfection with the halibut truly sensational. The wine pairings were nothing extraordinary though so may have been better off choosing by the bottle.

Pretty amazing. Food, service, and wine were all superb.

The dinner was outstanding: food, wine, preparation, presentation, and service. Truly worthy of a Top Ten Restaurants in the World designation.

I can see what all the hype is about! The whole experience was amazing. We just did the dinner at the restaurant. The food, service, and ambiance was perfect. An excellent first 3 Michelin star experience! They even made us custom printed menus for our anniversary! At 238 per person (plus tax and gratuity), this is definitely a special occasion outing, but I highly recommend making it out here! We had the seafood and gastronauts tasting menus, and everything was absolutely delicious and a delight to the palate. We did not do the wine pairings, but had a cocktail with dinner, both of which were also very good.

Incredible food, friendly and knowledgeable staff, perfect experience. Oxtail Consumme was the unexpected star but every dish was delicious. Wish it didn't have to end.

The food, the service, the location. It was all perfect. Easily a top 5 meal of my life. We stayed on a Monday night which was much cheaper than the others, so that helped.

Overall it is a good restaurant, they do take care of everything, but the experience was not particularly memorable. Small portions, stratospheric prices, our table was very close to another, no privacy

I took my mom here and she loved it. As an added bonus I really did too.

This my 3rd visit to the Inn, my first to eat in the kitchen. From the grand entry into 'the kitchen' until Patrick bids you adue, it's a wonderfull time. So many ingenious dishes, such perfect service, you feel like family, but momma never cooked like this.

There are certain things everyone should do in their lives: experience your first kiss, fall in love, go on an adventure, and dine at the Inn at Little Washington. It's a dining experience like no other; a memorable event you'll never stop thanking yourself for enjoying. The service is incomparable. The food is the most delicious that has ever crossed my palate. It's the most expensive dinner you'll ever have, but it will also be the best....tenfold.

Great experience and well worth the money. Food was delicious and the atmosphere being in the kitchen was incredible. Highly recommended for anyone looking for an upscale food experience. Be sure to get the table in the kitchen.

The Inn at Little Washington finally and decisively cured me of my interest in pursuing Michelin Star experiences. I've been numerous one and two star restaurants but this was my first experience with a 3-star establishment. I recognize that my expectations were set rather high, but they were not so lofty that they could not be met.



The service was fine. Setting plates down simultaneously isn't that exciting anymore. The staff was not condescending, which was a delightful change of pace but was otherwise unremarkable perhaps because of their invisible hand intention.

The problem is that it was only "fine." Given their accolades, I expected more than "fine." We all left hungry and stopped at Popeye's for Spicy Chicken Sandwiches on the long trek home -- another poignant example of something that is dramatically over-hyped and disappointing.

The only reason that this review is 2/5 instead of 1/5 is because of Cameron the "Cheese Whiz."

Went to Inn at Little Washington some time ago. It is beautiful and picturesque. Food was top shelf. Be prepared to pay and pay more. Only drawback was for those prices expected a better table. My wife and I were put in a very small nook which typically would have been fine... except we were put in there inches away from another couple. It was almost like a forced double date. Again, for the money, would have expected a little more privacy or a better table. Otherwise, was very good.

Impeccable decor and service with great attention to small details.

This place looks like a palace, the food is wort of a king and the staff makes you feel like a royal.

Absolutely wonderful. A meal to remember and an unbelievable beautiful setting.

I expected amazing food (which they more than delivered), but what stood out the most was the amazing service we received. Tyler and Cameron, the Tea Master, made our stay even more memorable. Coupled with amazing puns, great food, and cute details they added for my birthday made this a dining experience we will never forget.

Very possibly the best restaurant in the United States!

We came here w our baby before the stupid shut down and had an amazing experience. Everything was wonderful from beginning to end. One happy family trip. We will be back as soon as is possible.

Amazing food and the service definitely rates the 3 Michelin stars.

Extraordinary food, service and sights! We stayed at the Claiborne house . We were treated like royalty, a tour of the house, the kitchen, the personalized menu. Everything was wonderful!!