Reserve 2216

We went here recently with friends because my husband is obsessed with fried chicken and Reserve 2216 was featured in a magazine as having good friend chicken. The restaurant itself is pretty small, but nicely appointed with friendly staff. We started with the fried green tomatoes which were flavorful, but the breading fell off the tomatoes so the preparation could have been better. My husband ordered the hot chicken (not surprisingly) and I ordered the beef tenderlion. We also had to indulge in some mac-​n-​cheese and the gouda tots (I mean, why not??). The sides were really yummy. The tenderloin was fine, but a little dry for my taste. My husband enjoyed his chicken, but he didn’t feel the flavor was «hot” – it wasn’t overly spicey.
This is a great addition to Del Ray and I would definitely eat here again.

Every restaurant in Del Ray should aspire to reach the level of quality that Reserve 2216 offers. Until now, whenever I decide to eat in Del Ray I anticipate a disappointing or at best, tolerable meal.
Reserve 2216’s space is quaint but not cramped. You feel like you’re in someone’s home but not in a weird way at all. The servers/​hostess were very friendly and accommodating/​willing to answer any questions. Even the glassware and cutlery are refined and interesting. The pork chop was PHENOMENAL. I loved the wedge salad and bf loved the deviled eggs. The tuna spread was also very nice but it is rich — next time I would get 2 apps max and order 2 entrees. Excited to go back to try more of the main courses. My only constructive feedback is that we waited quite awhile for the main course after finishing the apps, but I’d rather have something be delicious and worth the wait than average!

Amazing. We had such a fun dinner here, we started with the scallops which were amazing, we had the hot chicken and the bam bam pork chops both equally amazing. However the best part of the meal was the service everyone was so nice and accommodating. We are so happy we got to celebrate a special trip at 2216!

My friends and I go here every other Thursday as a group (Yes I know I posted its not good for groups but we do it anyway and end up with a late reservation). We usually order one of everything but our favorites are the Deviled Steak Tar-​Tar and Joyce Beef Tenderloin. You also cannot go wrong with the Baked Macaroni!
Yes the décor is country, I guess the food mostly is too. Service was great but that might be because most of my friends went to High School with one of the proprietors.
I’m not sure if they ONLY take reservations but it is highly suggested since they are such a small place. Enjoy!

I have way too many good things to say about this place. From the charming décor to the delicious food, I wish I lived closers so I could be a regular. The restaurant is small & although it was a slow night when we went, I will still recommend making a reservation. It would definitely fill up quickly on a Friday or Saturday night. The décor was possibly my favorite part. I saw it described as country shabby chic in another review & that nailed it.
The staff was also so nice. I think the woman who waited on us was named Kelly & she was so friendly. I don’t know how any reviewer had anything other than great things to say about the staff.
OK on to the most important part: FOOD. We started with scallops which we noticed had habanero sauce (my boyfriend isn’t one for heat), so she said she could definitely have the sauce put on the side. The scallops were perfectly cooked & soooo delicious. The habanero sauce was hot so it was a good thing we got it on the side. It also comes with chopped bacon pieces which was the perfect addition of flavor. For entrees I got the hot chicken & he got the shrimp and grits. When she brought the food she told us that she asked the kitchen to keep the shrimp & grits on the milder side since she knew he didn’t like spicy, which was greatly appreciated! The food was very good. Fried chicken comes dry way too often and this was perfectly moist. We enjoyed everything.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Let me start off by saying I am a Southern girl and this is some of the best southern food I have had north of the Mason-​Dixon line. To say this was good is an understatement. My boyfriend and I went here for a date and everything about this place was perfect — atmosphere, ambiance, service — and I haven’t even begun to discuss the food. It is a tiny restaurant but it is absolutely the kind of place we were looking for on a date night.
I ordered the rockfish with andouille and red beans and rice, and it was absolutely fantastic and flavorful. The andouille was spicy just how I like it. My boyfriend thought the hot chicken on its own was a little spicy but with the waffle it was delicious. We both very much enjoyed our meal and I would definitely go back.

Decided to try a new spot. Small, yet nondescript neighborhood restaurant in Del Ray.
Initially we drove right past it. You blink, you miss it.
The décor is country, shabby chic.
Our server was very nice. She did her job without being annoying.
We ordered the beef tenderloin (very beefy without the camouflage of any other flavors). If you want straight up beef flavor with no other notes then order this dish.
I had the shrimp and grits. I go about the region sampling this dish and I must say; it’s pretty good! Plenty of shrimp and rockfish; plus a lovely presentation. I also had Gruyère stuffed tater tots and they were delicious. Everything was beautifully presented. Not pretentious.
Now their wine list is crazy! Bring your credit card if you decide to order. I don’t drink but those prices were insane!
Overall, you get decent value for your money where the food is concerned. The portions are reasonable (I didn’t finish mine). The desserts are limited, so you don’t go here for desserts. Bön appetite!

My dining companions and I were left really confused about all the positive reviews for this place. Our experience certainly was not reflective of a 4.5 star restaurant.
Upon walking in, the ambiance is wonderfully quaint and charming. The screen door is a nice touch. The place just exudes warmth and does a nice job of getting you into that «Southern» frame of mind.
Service was adequate, but a bit cold. Nobody was interested in chatting, and smiles seemed few and far between. Maybe it was especially busy and the servers were stretched thin, but for a casual-​ish Southern-​themed restaurant, I would have expected greater effort at making guests (particularly first-​timers) feel comfortable and welcome.
The food is where things really took a nosedive, but first, I’ll start with the better items: The starter chips and cheese dip were extremely addictive, the pork chop was apparently very good (I did not try it), and the hush puppies were a big hit. I found the house cocktail list to be interesting and reasonably priced.
Now for the bad: The deviled egg tartar were overly-​spicy, really killing the flavor of the steak, and with my first bite I got a tough piece of fat that was inedible. The smoked rockfish bruschetta was shockingly bland, the flavor of smokiness nearly imperceptible. My friend and I were surprised and disappointed to find that our fried chicken was dipped in a hot sauce, which again destroyed the natural goodness of fried chicken. My girlfriend got an iceberg lettuce salad, expecting a more traditional wedge salad, but instead came doused in some strange vinaigrette that she couldn’t even describe.
Recommendation to the restaurant: Either update the item descriptions on your menu, or have the server describe the item as each person orders. For instance, «Hot Chicken» does not tell me that the chicken is spicy. I assumed «hot» was a stylistic descriptor referring to temperature, and I think this is a reasonable assumption. The steak tartar states «dijon,» but this doesn’t begin to describe the intense amount of spice in this dish.
Maybe this was an off night for the kitchen, but regrettably I don’t think anyone in my group will be returning to Reserve 2216.

I don’t often give 5 stars (more of a 4-​star guy), but Reserve 2216 is awesome. I really had no idea it was even located here. Had a few friends in town for the 4^th of July weekend, and Reserve fit us in. Everything that came out was perfect. I was highly impressed and this may be my new favorite spot when I want to impress some friends or spend a few extra bucks for a special occasion.
The staff is great, the food is great, and the atmosphere is great.
Just be advised it’s small, and you should certainly make a reservation.
Highly recommended!!!

Food is unbelievably good. We had steak tartar deviled eggs, scallops and fried green tomatoes as appetizers. All were spectacular. Not good. Spectacular.
Then we shared shrimp and grits. Wow. Being from NC, and knowing good grits, these were good not great. However, the shrimp and grits combined with the rockfish, were delectable.
The atmosphere is quaint, small, good music, friendly people and is a hidden gem. Six tables in the whole restaurant. This place is ridiculous. A must go. Period.

I was so excited to eat here for my birthday. It’s an adorable space with very friendly staff and cute décor. I am sad to say, while the food was good it was a bit underwhelming for my expectations. I still think it’s worth a go if you haven’t tried because perhaps I had built it up too much in my head.
I think the saying, «hipsters gonna hip» probably exemplifies this restaurant.

I’m pretty sure I have a new favorite restaurant and it’s the Reserve 2216. I am also pretty sure I have Unilocal to thank for this wonderful find! I saw the small but thoughtfully crafted menu as a result of a search for dinner in the area and made a reservation for 2 for Saturday at 630. Unfortunately, this just so happened to be right smack dab in the middle of a downpour.
The door is located to the left of the Del Ray Pizzeria if you are facing the building from across the street and is pretty easy to find if you know what you are looking for. There is a skillet etched into the glass door, but that is it as far as signage goes. Fortunately, I knew this so we didn’t have to wander around in the rain for too long.
You walk up a flight of stairs to the hostess stand, which is between the 6 seater bar and the small dinning room. I think I counted about 20 seats total; there are a few two tops, a couple 4 tops and a large communal table in center of the room, plus the small bar. After the hostess showed us where to stash our umbrella and we were seated at the end of the large table.
We were greeted immediately by Darrel (who turns out is the GM), who first went over the cocktail menu with us and then the regular menu. I love going to a restaurant where the staff is so passionate about their food they have a hard time making a recommendation, and this was definitely the case here! After ordering cocktails and receiving house made chips and cheese spread, we ordered scallops to start and I ordered the hot chicken, while my husband ordered the pork chop. Darrel stopped by our table so frequently (but not obtrusively!) I felt like I was dinning in his house versus in a restaurant. He provided truly exceptional service!
Our scallops came out quickly and we were immediately taken with the presentation. The plate was beautiful and each scallop was seared perfectly! Also, the honey habenero sauce they came plated with was absolutely to die for! These scallops were so good that the bacon garnish wasn’t even needed (I feel really weird typing this – because who doesn’t want bacon… but seriously, the dish doesn’t need it).
When our main courses came out we were equally as impressed with plating. My husband’s pork chop with it’s huge protruding bone was quite a sight! My hot chicken smelled so good I barely had the restraint to take a picture of it before diving in and it did not disappoint! It is back of your throat spicy with a gradual heat that is perfectly complimented by the acid in the collards and the sweet in the corn bread waffles. Seriously. So good! Also, they give you very generous portions. I couldn’t finish my meal as much as I wanted to.
So when they dropped off the dessert menu and the hostess mentioned the strawberry pie that she loved, that they currently had on special, we knew we had to try it even though we were stuffed! And.Oh.My.Goodness. I’m pretty sure all other pie for me will have to live up to this one. It was soooooooo good! I could only take a couple of bites of it since I was so full, but my husband had no problem polishing it off. lol.
I loved everything about the Reserve 2216. The whole feel of the place is awesome! The dark walls and country décor are very pretty; you feel like you are in a very chic, but rustic home. I also really loved the intimacy of such a small dinning area. Couple that with amazing food, and impeccable service, and I feel like I will be raving about this place for a while!
Absolute perfection! What a great place to review for my 500^th!

What a treat in the Del Ray section of Alexandria. This place is so perfect. First, it’s reservations only and they seat about, at most, 30 people. It’s above DRP and is situated more like a chefs table. Open kitchen, two servers, who couldn’t have been nicer, and more knowledgable about the menu and the source of the ingredients. A menu that’s small, but incredible, and very handcrafted to the utmost perfection.
We had the scallops to start… delicious! Then we had he Upperline salad, which was simple, yet extremely elegant.
For entrees we split the Grilled Culotte and the Shrimp and Grits, which had Rockfish in it as well! Amazing! Paired with a great bottle of Piedmont, Italian wine! Amazing to say the least.
They change the menu for the seasons and make every effort to please you and your palate.
We will be back very soon! Very, very soon!
Thanks for a wonderful evening!

M and I decided to try Reserve 2216 for dinner, as we’d heard good things about it since it opened recently. We sat down to look at the menu and were immediately provided with a small bowl with sweet potato chips and a dip of what I thought was butter with herbs at first but M said it seemed to be soft cheese. It was a great combination.
We started with an appetizer of Brussels sprouts with sweet potatoes and caramelized onions, which had a zesty sauce. Then, we ordered a mesclun salad with goat cheese, walnuts and a vinaigrette. The nuts tasted spicy and pickled, which went well with the other ingredients. Both dishes were well crafted.
We decided to get small plates (tapas style) rather than entrees and were happy with that decision. The scallops were accompanied with spicy chopped bacon, which was sublime. The sausage and kraut was on the sweet side, it was not our favorite but was not bad overall. As we ate, I spotted mac & cheese passing by for another customer and we requested it as a side. The cheese was saucier and gooier than other versions and the mac was spiral shaped — it was sooooooo yummy good, like dessert.
Overall we enjoyed the food, the service and the atmosphere and will plan to go back to try more dishes, as the menu changes regularly.

This would be five stars if not for the dessert. Small space, very casual ambiance. Parties of two are generally seated at a communal table for eight. Small bar with seating for about six.
Menu leans toward southern upscale entrees. Started with Metairie shrimp. Great quality shrimp cooked perfect. Nice and light spicy cream sauce.
Wine list is pretty small. We had nice a bottle but would like to see more options by the glass.
Entrees were hot chicken with waffles and collards and pork confit hash. Both were amazing. Best hot chicken outside of Nashville. Note that this is really hot. Collards were excellent as well.
Pork confit was great. Tender pork shank with great hash.
Only disappointment was dessert. It was just awful. Peach cobbler that was burnt around the edges. The peaches were hard and inedible.
Service was fantastic and they did take the dessert off the bill. Would definitely return. They just need to find a better pastry chef.

We stumbled upon Reserve 2216 on Thursday and popped in for dinner. Lucky for us Del Ray was abandoned due to the snow storm, so we walked in and practically had the place to ourselves!
The place is tiny. I counted just 8 tables plus a communal table in the middle of the room, and a small bar with maybe 4 – 6 seats. The room lighting is dark, and the walls painted black reinforce that feel. Very cozy room, and for those romantic types there’s a tiny two top in the corner near the window.
We started off with a few drinks. They have a few beers on tap, which are scribbled on the chalkboard, and a small, but reasonable wine list. I went with a Port City Essential IPA on draught.
The menu is also small, and changes from time to time. I loved the fact that they served a bowl of fried pickles and mustard for free! Very cool. They were delicious too. Maybe too tasty as I had to restrain myself from spoiling the rest of my meal!
We started off with the Metairie shrimp, which were shrimp sauteed in a spicy cream sauce. The shrimp were large and tender. The sauce reminded me of a sriracha meets a creamy alfredo-​style pasta sauce. According to our server it’s a dish, that originated in the Metairie area of New Orleans. Nonetheless the dish was fantastic. Our fav of the night! Ohh… and the homemade cornbread croutons added a crispy texture.
For our entrees we played it safe and went with the Grilled Culotte, which was a huge cut of 12 oz steak. It was cooked to our asking, but reminded me more of a flank steak as it wasn’t very fatty. It was a tad undersalted, but after adding a dash it was delicious. I loved the fact that this dish includes a skillet of steaming hot macaroni & cheese. The mac and cheese was outstanding. Not overly cheese, but just very, very balanced and crispy. Yum.
We also ordered the Hot Chicken, which as you can infer was the southern style fried chicken and waffle. This dish is any southern food lover’s dream. The fried chicken included two pieces a leg and breast. The chicken was crispy, but not oily. It was served with more the spicy sauce reminiscent of the Metairie shrimp we had earlier. The dish also came with collard greens, cauliflower and a cornbread waffle. I thought the cornbread waffle was very good and I appreciate the fact that they did not go overboard with the waffle and kept it a plain. Overall it was a delicious dish and while I enjoyed the Culotte, I think the fried chicken was my favorite of the two entrees.
Overall we had a fantastic meal. The service was friendly and attentive, the food was excellent, and the overall experience was superb. Reserve 2216 is a hidden gem in Del Ray and for my own self serving purposes, hopefully it stays that way! :)

Such a wonderful addition to the hood. This place has such a rich menu of wonderfully creative dishes (that rotate) I want to try the whole menu. The have some really fantastic dishes here, he deviled tartar is amazing, the scallops, the shrimp, the short ribs, so many winning plates. As for the main courses, the hot chicken takes the cake, a wonderfully spiced piece of rich, moist chicken with a waffle that has jut a touch of maple, such an awesome dish. The service is top notch and the wine list has a few really great value bottles on it. Everything was awesome, we can’t wait to go back! Be sure to end your meal the the pudding or donut, both are winners.

Another Awesome Dinner!!!
Valentines Evening dinner.
Service was timely, friendly, & knowledgeable.
Food was divine.
Love dining at the Reserve above Del Ray Pizza — what a treat!

What a wonderful new place; I cannot wait to go back! The entrance is to the left of Del Ray Pizzeria, and I love the fact that you go up some stairs and enter through a plain, unassuming door — it seems like you’re going to a very exclusive restaurant or just someone’s apartment, and no one knows anything about it!
Two of us made a last minute reservation, and while no table was technically reserved for us, there was space at a communal table as well as the bar. We chose the bar seating, and it was great. The hostess was nice as she offered to take our coats, and even though we were late, she was friendly and didn’t seem to mind. We were presented with a few food and drink menus, printed on thin paper.
Pro: the dinner itself was flat out incredible. I had the fried chicken with vegetables and spoon bread, and my companion had the pork chops with gouda tots and brussel sprouts. We were in love after taking just one bite! My chicken was spicy, crispy, and flavorful, and the spoon bread was an excellent addition to cool things down. The veggies — radish, cauliflower, and cucumber — were delicious as they had been pickled. Altogether, it was an amazing flavor combination. The pork chops, gouda tots, and brussel sprouts was also a very-​well constructed plate. We had nothing but good things to tell the bartender (who acted as our waiter) about our food.
Con: the dessert was, unfortunately, a let down. There were three options, and we decided to go for the blackberry cobbler. It was perfect to share. Around the edges, it was so burnt, it was black in color. It even smelled burnt. It was quite disappointing; we didn’t finish it. However, the middle part with the ice cream was quite good. It was a good ending to the meal.
Overall, the atmosphere was very cool. Water comes in mason jars, the tables are large enough for people to sit down and have a good time, and the people working there are super friendly. Prices are also good for what you get. The portions of food are huge — I saw someone eating the scallops appetizer, and it looked like an entrée! Also, the menu is not large, so if you have picky eaters, leave them at home. For vegetarians, there is one main vegetarian entrée in addition to some salads.
Bottom line: even though the dessert was a definite miss for me, I am looking forward to my next visit here. Dinner is simply amazing!

Dined here with friends who live nearby and can’t wait to come back. The flavors are bold (food and drink) and nothing on the menu will disappoint as it is all very thoughtfully curated. My faves are the tartare and the fried green tomatoes. Plus they have a great after dinner drink (ask for the «Julie»). Service is super friendly, and it is an intimate dining room (in a good way).