Moreland's Tavern

“I was searching for a good burger spot in Brightwood. I searched on Google and Moreland’s Tavern was the first place listed in the search results. I went to Moreland’s and was impressed. Upon entering, I was greeted and seated right away by staff. I ordered a regular burger with a salad. My burger was made exactly to my specifications. The burger tasted so good, I did not need to add any salt, pepper or other seasoning to it. My salad tasted good too. All in all, my experience at Moreland’s Tavern was great. I will definitely rate my experience five (5) stars.”

“We’ve been going to this place after our games in the nearby fields for some food and beer. We like it for the food and the outside patio area. Since then, they stopped allowing dogs in the outside area. The food is good. The service has severely gone down hill, not rude but not friendly either. I think today’s the last time we will go here after our games, which is too bad because the vibes and atmosphere is pretty chill.”

“The food was good. However, in our experience the service was lacking attention and sub par. The Food: Mussels in a white wine sauce were fairly good, questionable freshness among a few, but large in size and tasty. The wings were a little crispy, but had a good Buffalo flavor. The Lion’s Mane “Crab cake” was a well done version of a vegan crab cake with mushroom. I was surprised with the comparable consistency to a real crab cake. The Service: Being in the service industry myself, I give a lot of leeway. However, we were greeted by one server who took our apps and disappeared, then was doing what looked like to be roll ups at the table behind us and stopped serving us to maybe take a break. Another server picked up our table after 15-20 minutes of just waiting to be served/refilled, acted like nothing happened, and finally took our main course order. Very disappointed and unprofessional even if it was a shift change. One last small note, a full tavern should have something simple like soda guns. I was charged $4 per can of soda with no refills. Seems a bit odd and pricey at a tavern.”

“It saddens me to write this because I’ve been coming to Moreland’s for years, but after my Father’s Day experience, I won’t be returning. My African American military family arrived at 11:00 a.m. sharp on Father’s Day. I mention “military family” because I want to paint an accurate picture: we weren’t a loud or unruly group. We were five adults, five well-behaved children, and two infants looking to enjoy brunch together. The restaurant was completely empty. Not “a few open tables” empty—completely empty. No one was even sitting at the bar. When we told the hostess we didn’t have a reservation, she went to get a manager. What struck me immediately was how flustered he became the moment he saw our group. He came out red-faced, visibly agitated, and immediately launched into how they were completely booked and there was “no way” he could seat a party of 12. We even asked if we could split into two groups of six and were met with the same response: impossible. We stood there looking at an entirely empty restaurant while being told there was absolutely no way we could be accommodated. The whole interaction was honestly bizarre. Confused, we simply said “okay” and started walking away. As we were already down the sidewalk, a hostess came after us and explained that we could sit on the patio, which was first-come, first-served. We could order through a QR code and have food brought to us. That was completely fine with us. In fact, with children and infants, the patio was arguably a better option anyway. The truth is, by that point we stayed more out of convenience than anything else. Getting five children and two infants back into three separate vehicles and finding another restaurant felt like more of a hassle than it was worth. Looking back, I wish we had simply left. Which raises the obvious question: if the patio was available all along, why wasn’t that the manager’s response from the beginning? Why did he act as though seating us was impossible instead of simply saying, “Our indoor dining is reserved, but you’re welcome to sit outside”? I do not make accusations of racism lightly. However, after reflecting on the experience, I cannot escape the conclusion that race played a role in how my family was treated. The manager’s reaction upon seeing our group, his immediate insistence that there was “no way” to seat us despite an empty restaurant, and the fact that available seating existed all along created an experience that felt unmistakably exclusionary. The interaction nagged at me throughout the meal, especially when my children and nieces and nephews started asking, “Why didn’t the restaurant want us to eat here? The place is empty?” That’s not a conversation I expected to have with children on Father’s Day. When we left about 90 minutes later, both the dining room and patio were still far from full. I counted 8 open tables inside and 5 open tables on the patio at 12:30. I understand reservations. I’ve dined all over the world. But Moreland’s is not a Michelin-starred restaurant with a months-long waitlist. It’s a neighborhood pub—closer to an upscale Applebee’s than fine dining. Yet somehow my family was made to feel unwelcome from the moment we walked through the door. After years of being a customer, that is deeply disappointing.”

“They must be getting a lot of fake 5 star reviews because the food is mediocre, the service abysmal, and the prices have that cute D.C “you know you’re being scammed prices” charm. I got 1 order of mozzarella sticks. It cost $9, for FOUR single pieces. They must be joking! If that’s their cheapest food, and that’s the amount they’re serving, there’s zero way I am going to try anything else. Nice try scammers. Also, everyone’s attitude sucks here, and everyone’s being weird. I tried to pay, I had to ask to pay multiple times, and their manipulative game is try and give me the tip beg receipt only after they deliver the food. Super, super weird. Never going back, please leave D.C”