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“This is a must for anyone who loves food and hate pretentious food people”
Review of Tail Up Goat

Tail Up Goat
Ranked #161 of 3,066 Restaurants in Washington DC
Neighbourhood: Adams Morgan
Restaurant details
Neighbourhood: Adams Morgan
Reviewed 10 November 2017

This place rocks.. Sat at the bar, had a wonderful cocktail , the wine list is smart and interesting and not overpriced. The food, well its clever, fun , incredibly tasty and the surprises in your mouth will keep you coming back.. The service is some of the best in the city and there is not once ounce of attitude about what they are doing , it feels like a local bar with incredible food. Oh just sneak out go sit at the bar alone, chat it up with the bartender and take their recommendations. They know what they are doing and you will meet some nice people to boot.

Date of visit: November 2017
    • Value
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Thank KAC4405
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviews (260)
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133 - 137 of 260 reviews

Reviewed 8 November 2017

..and that's exactly how I felt when I left this restaurant... first of all, it was a perfect entrance... less than five minutes from getting in, I was seated and drinking happily... I sat at the bar cuz i went solo.. I began with the bialy, perfectly crunchy unlike the bialys I know, it dissolved in my mouth with the trout roe, the candied fennel stems and duck egg blending together seamlessly. The garganelli with the octopus ragù had an unexpected crispness of flavor, almost algal, somewhat bitter, but not quite, and definitely pelagic, spectacularly underscored by the crackly Aleppo breadcrumbs. Fantastic, but not for everyone. For dessert, I had the parsnip and pineapple cake with rosemary and olive oil ice cream, with a glass of passito. Amazing wines. Given that beginning, there is definitely enough on the menu to go back for more. Bravo!

Date of visit: November 2017
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Thank 944giorgiog
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 7 November 2017

Located in the bustling Adams Morgan community, an area that has been hot for years in terms of its nightlife but only recently as a DMV dining destination, Tail Up Goat opened in February 2016 to great initial reviews and has yet to slow down, an 8pm reservation with two local friends on a Saturday night finding the dining room absolutely packed and bar standing two-deep as the streets teamed with young adults dressed to impress for an early Halloween.

Owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Jon Sybert and Jill Tyler along with Bill Jensen, the three having previously worked together at Johnny Monis’ celebrated Komi before deciding to take a chance to do their own thing, Tail Up Goat is described as a “comfortable neighborhood spot” featuring “soulful and sophisticated” cuisine and although the intent may originally have been as such there is little doubt the restaurant has now become something bigger as tables on either side sported diners from out of town, one group from Boston and another overheard as visiting from Austria.

Taking a unique approach to small plates by focusing each days menu around fifteen choices, five sections of three items each including bites, appetizers, breads, pastas and dishes intended for two or more, guests entering Tail Up Goat are quickly greeted at a hostess podium directly in front of the bar area before being led around the edge and past the pass to a tightly spaced dining room where wooden tables and gentle lighting compliment a glow from the kitchen, the service pleasant and efficient despite rehearsed conversations about “everything is great” and “Chefs recommend 2-3 plates per person.”

Delaying the order by several minutes thanks to conversation, nearly five years of catching up beginning quickly and continuing throughout the meal, it was finally after a third prompting and a tasty housemade Shrub that the decision was made to order six savories divided into three courses, the opening round of two Breads finding Wild Wheat topped with slightly metallic tasting Chicken Liver plus Carrots and Onions while the Squash Quick Bread fared far better beneath creamy Feta juxtaposing toasted Farro and Oats plus sweet and sour roasted Kabocha.

Never one to pass up Baccala, the version at Tail Up Goat one of the restaurant’s few consistent features, suffice it to say that the creamy orbs of Salt Cod are undoubtedly worth the $2 each alongside pickled onions and Cauliflower Cream, the flavors all marrying effortlessly into something greater than the sum of their parts with a similar compliment due for the Tagliatelle placing tender ribbons of Pasta beneath spicy Pork Ragu, crumbled Ricotta and crunchy Black Pepper Breadcrumbs.

Pleasantly surprised by the laminated Garlic Knots with Cheese Fondue but unfortunately let down by the signature $55 Lamb Ribs for two, a big plate of fatty Meat cooked fork-tender but largely overwhelmed by far too many Mustard Seeds and an astringent sourness from the combination of Sumac , Lime and Yogurt it was with just one of three Desserts that dinner came to a finish, the Date Cake moist and dense but not too sweet with a subtle balance of condiments including stiff Mascarpone, candied Hazelnuts and Burnt Strawberry Jam.

Date of visit: October 2017
    • Value
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Thank endoedibles
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 6 November 2017

Had dinner with friends at this wonderful (but hard to book!) place. The highlight may have been the faultless, friendly, efficient service...but the food is hard to beat too.

This is super-cool, fire-driven, on-point deliciousness. The menu is nicely brief & full of interest. Hard for anything to beat the rabbit sausage and the garlic knots...oh, except for the lamb ribs - one of the finest share plate experiences I've had.

Added bonus: after your meal wander the neighborhood - a great mix of quiet middle-America suburbia and crazy bars!

Date of visit: November 2017
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
Thank DrJFK_on_the_road
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 3 November 2017

This is the best restaurant I've tried in DC. Staff are friendly, the food are delicious. I strongly recommend the sweet potato and the lamb.

Date of visit: October 2017
Thank JackieGiusti
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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