Agora DC

“Abbas was amazing! We had an incredible time, my first time at Agora and everything was great. Service provided by Abbas was excellent. He gave us great recommendations for food and drinks were bomb! We’ll definitely be back!!”

“Excellent food, atmosphere, and service. Leo took wonderful care of us, was attentive and charming but never intrusive. We made a reservation and were sat immediately upon arrival. The fired cheese and sampler plate were great to start, enjoyed some scallops, two kinds of grilled chicken and some dumplings. Ended with a chocolate dessert. Wonderful evening would absolutely go again! Thank you”

“We went for our team dinner during Restaurant Week, when the restaurant was offering a special five-course menu. We all opted for the prix-fixe experience and also wanted to add a few items from the regular menu. At first, our waiter didn’t seem sure how Restaurant Week works and told us we could only order from the set menu. We checked with the manager, who confirmed that ordering additional items from the main menu should be fine. Once that initial confusion was cleared up, everything ran smoothly. And the food is truly outstanding from the first course to the last. The trio sampler is a great way to start, and I especially loved the hummus; it was nice and thick, exactly how I like it. For my main, I ordered the grilled Mediterranean sea bass, and it was cooked to perfection—tender, flavorful. Every course that followed was just as impressive. Service after the early hiccup was excellent. The servers were attentive, friendly, and kept everything moving at a comfortable pace for a team dinner. Other than the initial commotion, we had a fantastic experience overall. This is definitely a place we’ll be coming back to again and again.”

“Agora is a lovely Turkish Mediterranean restaurant with a very cozy and charming vibe. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, making it a great spot for a relaxed meal or a casual night out. The food tastes great overall, with fresh ingredients and well-balanced flavors. That said, the portion sizes are on the smaller side, which is something they could improve. Aside from that, everything else was quite enjoyable. Their tea and desserts really stood out and were especially good — a perfect way to end the meal. Overall, Agora offers a great atmosphere, tasty food, and delicious tea and desserts. With slightly more generous portions, it would be even better.”

“Went there twice to taste different kinds of Turkish dishes. One time for dinner and the other for lunch. Overall the food was good. The serving size of the dishes I ordered were medium to small. The service was far less satisfactory than food. I tried the following dishes: 1. Complimentary pita: ~40g per piece. Not salty and paired well with the other dishes. Definitely get some! 2. Lahmacun: The lamb+beef mixture was tasty. It came with 4 pieces. 3. Branzino: ~6oz. The fish was grilled to perfection; juciy tender, and the skin was nicely charred. It was served with freh parsley and seasoned grilled tomato (salt+oregano I think). 4. Imam Bayildi: Half of an eggplant topped with sauteed onions and tomatoes. While itself was pretty normal, it went so well with the Ottoman rice. 5. Ottoman Rice: The true highlight of all the dishes I tried! It was basically Basimati rice cooked with dried apricots, raisins, almonds & pine nuts mix, and seasoned with black currant. Overall it was warm, earthy and lightly smoky. The apricot slices added some delightful sweetness and juiciness to the dish. Should pair well with Labneh, chicken and seafood. But to be honest, I can simply eat this stuff along for a whole meal! 6. Tabbouleh: They went against the traditional recipe by substituting the bulgur with quinoa and added some pomegranate arils. I liked the special texture of quinoa. The sweetness of pomegrante arils also enriched the flavors. However, I had to constantly spit the seeds when enjoying the salad. 7. Kofte: Adana style ground beef patties. Just like what I make at home haha! I ordered it as an add-on to my salad at lunchtime. It came with only 2 pieces which weighed no more than 3oz in total... Despite the delicious food, service was disappointing. The first time, the dinner, was Okay. While my food came out slowly, at least my server was aware of it and asked me how I liked the dishes. The second time, the lunch, was horrible. Even before I was seated, my server made feel that he was reluctant to serve me, and emphasizing that I had to order asap. "Luckily", I had already decided what to order. After I got my dishes, no one in the restaurant asked me if the food was Okay. And at the check, my bill was thrown onto my table. In comparison, the two ladies dining next to me came even after I started eating, but were greeted warmly and were given lots of time to decide what to order; not to mention that the staff gave them lots of suggestions, asked about their dining experience, and even chatted with them about sightseeing in DC, etc. Such discrimitory treatment is really unacceptable.”