The Reserve

I came here for happy hour on a Wednesday. And, honestly, part of the reason I really liked this place was how quiet and empty it was, and the fact that the staff and management could be so attentive.
The wine selection was decent, and the tapas were a mixed bag of great and good. The menu says that you should get 2 – 3 dishes per person, but me and my companion were more than stuffed and left a lot of food behind with 4 dishes between the two of us. And, we both had empty stomachs coming in.
I’d definitely recommend getting the Tuquenos of Queso Blanco with Avocado Dip. Their perfectly crunchy and the cheese complimented the avocado nicely. I’d also recommend getting the Kobe Beef Sliders & Fries. This place seems to fry their food perfectly. And the Kobe beef (get it cooked rare) was delightful.
Next time, I’ll pass on the Fried Chicken Caesar and the Sauteed Mussels. They were both kind of ordinary in comparison to the other two dishes.

The Reserve is definitely a fun place to be on Saturday night!
After the party Washington Life’s last night, I stay around with a glass of Cosmo compliments of the General Manager, for the fun club hours at the second floor bar to see how the evening club event at the Reserve will turn out.
The charming and friendly owner not forget to make a stop and chat with me and my guest, teased me why am I spending the NYE with his competitor, and I convince him that The Reserve is definitely my number one choice and still as my new favorite lounge and club, my new beau, as I write in my last review about this place.
The first impression I got since the first time I attend the party at The Reserve, has definitely intrigue me with it’s charm.
I feel so welcome and loved every time I come back and experience the fun at this place. It is definitely fulfilled the qualifications that I’m looking for. Great ambiance, beautiful place with lovely décor, tasteful and classy. Which always creates a warm fuzzy feeling every time I enter this place.
One more small detail but important, they keep the bathroom clean and smells good, the girl who work and taking care of the bathroom was doing a great job to maintain it that way.
If you plan to bring your hot date, the first floor is definitely the perfect start to indulge your date with some delicious selection tapas from the menu and perhaps to also to pop up a bottle of champagne to enhance your fabulous evening experience.
The second floor is definitely perfect for private party, like birthday party, corporate events, homecoming party and all that jazz.
The third floor is the most happening part at The Reserve. A beautiful décor club, groovy music selections from the DJ, a place to sway at the dance floor with that special someone, or with a group of your fun and happy friends.
Moi, will come back for more. Can’t get enough of you The Reserve!
The Reserve, loving you is easy, because you’re beautiful! :)

Really looking forward to the grand opening. I’ve popped in a few times over the past 2 weeks after work & I’ve noticed progressive changes for the best. It is a new spot and a little tweaking can still be done. Over all this place is great addition to L St.

So new you can still smell the floor polish, The Reserve fits the wine bar/​lounge gap in my ‘favorite places’ to go in DC list. This upscale restaurant/​bar is at the old Ollie’s Trolley location. Table service is available, although both bars are easily accessible and service is excellent. We enjoyed the company of bartenders Rohit and Andy at the first floor bar all night. The dj spins music for both floors from the second floor. There is room to sit, stand, mingle and do a little dancing on both floors. We had a great time and will be returning.

Just awful. Who opens a restaurant before figuring out a decent menu? or how to actually cook the items on your menu with the ingredients you have listed? Who opens a restaurant when it still reaks from paint thinner? Who opens a restaurant when you don’t yet have proper tables for people to sit at and instead make them hunch over makeshift coffee tables for lunch? Maybe they should have opened to friends and family for a few weeks first, to test out all of the awful food/​smell/​lack of tables… before subjecting the public to all of that. Maybe they will get their act together in a few months but I don’t think I would risk a second visit.

The most overpriced tapas bar I’ve ever been to. I went during happy hour but they only had drink specials, not food specials.
I ordered the Tart-​a-​tatin which is just bruscetta. For $ 10 I got 2 tiny pieces of bread with 2 pieces of mozzarella over it. Yes it was delicious, but $ 10??? Then I got the Risotta cake for $ 11 which was 3 inches by 3 inches, I kid you not. So after spending $ 21 I was still hungry.
Word to the wise, don’t buy any food here.
There’s very little seating, so most people have to stand awkwardly.

I was really excited to see The Reserve open its doors this week — I work in the neighborhood, and there aren’t a ton of upscale afterwork options for drinks or dinner.
But after meeting friends there for drinks and dinner, I won’t be going back until the spot works through some growing pains. To start with, the music inside was so loud, it was impossible to carry on a conversation (it got even louder with the addition of musicians, who played along to the music being piped through the system). So, we moved outside.
The food advertises itself as «tapas» but that seems more like a way to serve teeny-​tiny portions for high prices. We ordered 5 dishes, all $ 10-​$ 16 a plate, expecting that to be enough for three. The tuna, steak, and risotto cake were all very tasty — but each were about the size of one mini-​hamburger (sans bun). For $ 16, I definitely expect more than a piece of steak about the size of a scallop and two (two!) potato crisps on the side. The cheese plate was the heartiest option, but was served with a tiny amount of mini-​toasts (maybe six?) — and when we still had more than half the cheese left and asked for more toast, we were told it would come with a charge. Nothing irks me more than a restaurant that serves a paltry amount of bread with your cheese plate/​dip/​etc. and then overcharges you when you ask for a little more. Service fail.
The food was certainly tasty, which is a good start. But the service, portion size and general atmosphere are still not up-​to-​snuff for what I’d expect of a restaurant in this price range. I might go back in the future… but only after I’m sure it’s improved. A better bet might be to sit outside for drinks for their lower-​priced happy hour — but then go elsewhere for dinner.

Two of these reviews appear to be fakes — written by first-​time Unilocalers who both give five stars to a joint that has been open less than a week.
The dead giveaway is the wording of the reviews, which sound like they come straight off a press release.
I guess planting positive reviews on Unilocal is what passes for a smart marketing strategy among the PR big brains these days.
The Reserve is yet another pretentious overpriced place to consume alcohol — just what DC needs.

Great place. You have some options: upstairs for a private party with some close friends or downstairs for some wine tasting and a date for 2. And it’s cool how they have an open kitchen with a bar you can sit at and watch the chef cook.

Reserve is a spanking new tapas bar in downtown DC. Although there wasn’t a «real» sign on the outside of the building, the faux brick façade, bright lights and attractive ladies and gents dressed in black manning the entrance called attention to the location. When I walked inside, it smelled new… there were still hints of drying paint but not in a bad way… sort of like new car smell. The floor was shiny, the candles were lit, the band was playing downstairs and the dj was spinning upstairs. Yes, all of this was going on at a «tapas» bar. It was opening night so I’m not sure if this will be happening at all times but it sort of felt like a little too much. The décor seemed to me like a pub on its wedding day, if that makes sense. Too dressed up and not really able to pull it off.
Happy hour: $ 5 glasses of their merlot or some white wine I didn’t pay attention to. The merlot was great and it comes in a huge wine glass=bonus. Other specials were $ 5 rail drinks. There weren’t any tapas specials, which was a little disappointing especially considering the prices and the small portions.
Now, the food: $ 13, grilled coconut shrimp skewer, $ 15, lamb kebab. $ 28 later, I should be full. Was I? Sort of but by no means did I feel like I had $ 28 worth of a meal. The shrimp was not cooked enough and the sauce was watery. The lamb kebabs were quite tasty, however they were lamb meatballs and sort of reminded me of the frozen kind you buy at the grocery store. The scoop of spinach served under the kebab was delicious and I think I would have rather had a bowl of that than anything else I ordered. My friend got a vegetarian cheese dish, which was incredibly small for the price. My advice to you – do not come here hungry. This seems like a cool place to have a glass of wine and chat with your friends but it’s not a restaurant by any means.
So my final opinion – check it out but don’t expect it to become a favorite.

The speak-​easy styled Reserve replaces what was once Ollie’s Trolley near L Street and 15^th. It’s an unusual place to find an upscale tapas and wine bar. But although there are no signs advertising its location, the restaurant easily stands out from the street given its earth-​toned stone façade and gas-​lantern styled lamps that are a stark contrast to the shale-​colored office buildings to each side of the Reserve. So much for its unassuming nature.
The décor is lends itself to luxuriously smoke rooms atmosphere with luscious red walls, and polished wooden interiors, and leather seats. With the exception of a communal bar table in the middle of the room, there are no other seats except lounge sofas.
The Reserve is not somewhere I would expect to dine often but the food is respectable. The prosciutto and mozzarella panini ($ 8) was light with a fragrant pesto and garnished with fresh leaves of arugula. Nothing extraordinary but satisfying enough for lunch. The lunchtime menu is limited to sandwiches and salads but luckily nothing is more than $ 10. I’ve yet to see the wine list but Happy Hour specials — I’m told — are $ 5 for beers, rails, and wines normally priced at $ 8. Although it’s noteworthy to point out that Happy Hour extends from 3PM to 9PM.
Opening day was busy and not without its obstacles. The credit card machine was broken, parts of the upstairs bar is still under construction, and there were still installing drink mixers for the beverage dispenser. I’d suggest waiting for another week or two before visiting the Reserve to finally get on its feet.
For my part, I’d award 4 Stars on the potential I see in the Reserve. It’s certainly a welcomed change in the Midtown area. [Original Visit: September 16, 2009]