Agora DC Mediterranean Restaurant

Someone from this business manages this listing.

Learn More

Review

547 reviews

#49 of 2,559 Restaurants in Washington DC₹₹ - ₹₹₹, Mediterranean, Turkish, Greek

+1 202-332-6767+ Add website

Hours

Sun

5:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Mon

4:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Tue

11:30 am - 3:00 pm4:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Wed

11:30 am - 3:00 pm4:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Thu

11:30 am - 3:00 pm4:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Fri

11:30 am - 3:00 pm4:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Sat

5:30 pm - 11:00 pm

Improve this listing

Ratings and reviews

4.5

547 reviews

#49 of 2,559 Restaurants in Washington DC

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

Learn More

PRICE RANGE

₹840.00 – ₹3,864.00

CUISINES

Mediterranean, Turkish, Greek, Middle Eastern

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

meals, features

Location and contact

1527 17th St NW, Washington DC, DC 20036-6233

Dupont Circle

+1 202-332-6767

Improve this listing

Spreads / Girişler

Htipiti**

Roasted Red Pepper, Feta, Thyme, Olive Oil

$9.50

Baba Ghanouj**

Smoked Eggplant, Tahini

$9.50

Hummus**

Puree Of Chickpeas, Tahini

$9.00

Labneh**

Strained Yogurt, Garlic Confit, Zaatar

$9.00

Cacik**

Strained Yogurt, Cucumber, Mint

$9.50

Taramosalata* **

Cod Roe Mousse, Olive Oil, Fresh Lemon Juice

$9.50

Does this restaurant offer highchairs for toddlers?

Yes

Unsure

Details

Manage this business?

About

A-g o· rah\: a gathering place A Mediterranean Mezze Restaurant located in the heart of Washington D.C. is the go-to gathering place for all occasions. Executive Chef Dimo Kolouas, offers tapas with a variety of eclectic dishes inspired by the flavors of Turkey, Greece, Lebanon and more. In addition to its versatile food menu, Agora offers an award-winning selection of wine, locally crafted and Mediterranean beers, house-crafted cocktails and Raki, known as the lion’s milk of the Mediterranean.

PRICE RANGE

₹840.00 – ₹3,864.00

CUISINES

Mediterranean, Turkish, Greek, Middle Eastern

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, After-hours

FEATURES

Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Table Service

Contribute

Write a review Upload a photo Ask a question

4.5

547 reviews

Excellent

308

Very good

167

Average

Poor

Terrible

Emerald-Diamond

New Orleans158 contributions

Good Portions and Food

Aug 2020 • none

I came here after discovering that a restaurant in DC served Turkish wines and of course, it was also restaurant week. I visited on a Sunday evening and sat inside. Fortunately, I had the dining room to myself. The dishes and utensils were wrapped in plastic and all wait staff wore a mask. This restaurant provides 4 courses for $35 during RW. The sampler (bread and spreads) was so filling that I only really had room for one more meal. I ordered the brussels sprouts, chicken and creme brulee. The brussels sprouts were delicious and again quite ample. The serving was enough for 2. The chicken was only average and I initially had concerns if it was thoroughly cooked. Well, I'm not sick so I guess it was. The creme brulee was not what I expected. So, that’s a dish I didn't finish and quite frankly I was stuffed at this point. I believe you definitely receive your money's worth. I plan to visit again for happy hour as I didn't have room to even enjoy a cocktail. BTW, service was slow and it bothered me that no one removed my finished meals. I had to hand them these plates after they served my next course.

Written 24 August 2020

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.

daryl l

Palatine6 contributions

Wow!

Aug 2021 • none

We were with some people that had been here before, and they were sure we wanted to experience the unlimited brunch. It was great! Lots of choices, and I wish I could have eaten more. The "Agora fries" served with egg dishes were not worth eating, but everything else was great!

Written 6 August 2021

Yolotl

Prior Lake54 contributions

Nice ambiance, good food, service OK

May 2022 • friends

Nice ambiance inside and outside. We sat outside on a nice night and enjoyed ourselves. The three of us all really liked the multiple dishes we had, and for the type of food I thought the prices were very reasonable. The service was not great, not attentive and they forgot several things (refill water, another drink, etc). We chopped it up to staffing issues many restaurants are experiencing.

Written 30 August 2022

aj192018

Seattle197 contributions

Didn't Like the food

Sept 2020 • none

We had a reservation for a large party indoors during the pandemic. They split us among three tables (as required). I appreciated their efforts to keep everyone safe. I simply didn't enjoy the food. The service was extremely unorganized (I think partly due to the size of our party). We were there for their bottomless brunch. As someone who cannot drink, I always wish there was a way for me to simply pay for my food and not have to pay for alcohol that I won't be consuming. I won't be returning here, there wasn't a single menu item that I enjoyed. They do designate GF items on the menu which is appreciated.

Written 18 November 2020

alexisrachelletx

Nashville1624 contributions

Okay brunch

Mar 2020 • none

I had brunch with a friend at Agora recently. While I enjoyed the brunch, I wasn't blown away by any of the dishes we had. We got one dish from each section of the brunch menu (they offer a bottomless brunch for $39.99, but we weren't up for drinks so stuck with a la carte items on the brunch menu). From the girisler/spreads section, we got the htipiti (roasted red peppers, feta, and olive oil), which was okay, but nothing special. From peynirler & aparetif/cheese & cures, we got kasar (medium hard sheep's milk cheese with orange marmalade, which was also okay (two slices of cheese for $10 seemed a little steep, and the marmalade didn't seem house-made). From Ara Soguklar/cold mezze, we tried piyaz (cooked Northern white beans mixed with red and green peppers, cucumbers, red onions, parsley, oregano, olive oil, and vinegar), which was pretty good but simple and maybe a little underseasoned. From brunch mezze, we got the sujuk scrambled eggs (sujuk is Turkish beef sausage). This dish was also pretty good, very simple. With scrambled eggs, I always worried that the eggs are going to be overcooked/scorched/browned, but these were pretty close to how I prefer eggs to be cooked, and there was a good amount of sujuk in the scramble. From pideler/flat breads, we got the Peynirli pide (flat bread topped with feta, mozzarella, and diced tomatoes), which was okay. The bread was good, but I don't think our pide had any feta on it, so it was a little too simple (just mozzarella and a few cubes of tomato) and a little dry. Last, we got a side of sujuk, which was delicious (had been sauteed after slicing). The service was okay, and the restaurant is homey. Overall, it wasn't a memorable meal, even though Turkish is a cuisine I really love to eat. Unfortunately, it didn't stand up to other restaurants I've eaten at in DC. I know some people who really love it, so I'd probably give it a second chance if someone else picked it for a meal, but I wouldn't rush to go back otherwise.

Written 16 March 2020

Teresa G

Washington DC5 contributions

The Worst Restaurant Experience Ever

Jan 2023 • friends

Went to Agora for lunch today (during DC’s Winter Restaurant Week) thinking we’d get the set $25 lunch menu that’s currently on the restaurant’s website and dated Jan 16-22. We arrive and are told that menu is not available on the weekend (the manager condescendingly says “everyone knows this”) and we MUST get the $48 bottomless brunch. Really? I even showed the manager the website with the restaurant week menu that is labeled Jan 16-22…and today was Jan 22. He refused any kind of alternative, so we left. The kicker? Resy charged me a $30 cancellation fee because the restaurant apparently reported as if we didn’t show up at all. This restaurant is trash. There are much better places in DC with top notch Middle Eastern food that will treat their customers with a shred of decency.

Written 22 January 2023

Hakan A

Dear Teresa, I apologize for the confusion that you had about The Restaurant Week Lunch Menu. However, when you make a reservation through our reservation system, you receive the highlight of our brunch menu which clearly says that we only serve brunch on the weekends. When I stopped by your table, I clearly explained to you why we were not able to serve you from our Restaurant Week Lunch Menu, and I also told you that we were happy to accommodate your party with our brunch menu. After the explanation that I gave you, you tried to force me to serve you the $48 menu for $25 which was not going to be an issue on my side, yet you kept saying that if I did not do so, that you were going to a write a bad review on social media platforms which you did. I would like to let you know that we are not a bargain basement and we were courteously trying to accommodate you as much as possible. Thus it’s disturbing that you would write the negative comments you did. Lastly, you had two different reservations on our system, and the table was under your friend's name, so you did get charged for, but your friend did not get charged. After I called you to learn which credit card got charged for the cancellation fee, I started the refund process for the cancellation fee. Talking about hospitality, one person from your party ordered a glass of wine, and before you left you did not even ask for the check, so I did decide to serve you a complimentary a glass of wine. Thank you for your understanding. Best, Hakan Alagoz General Manager

Written 24 January 2023

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

John C

28 contributions

Great food, terrible service

May 2022 • family

We went to Agora for a family dinner celebration with my daughters and other family - a party of 8. I was concerned at the beginning when we sat at our table for 15 minutes before a waiter came to get our initial drink orders. His comment was “ so are you ready now”. This was the first time we had even seen this guy!! Through the night we ordered lots of food and we brought some of our own wine so the plates (mostly serving dishes) and empty drink glasses were piling up and they never removed any so the table got very crowded and difficult to share dishes (which one reason to go there)! Finally we got our desert (mostly ice cream and mouse) and we had no spoons on the table - we waited 5 minutes and asked three waiters to bring us spoons for our now melted deserts. All in all we had a good time due to being together and enjoying the food but it could have been an excellent night if anyone paid attention to us throughout the night.

Written 7 May 2022

leroibabar

Alexandria49 contributions

Great food, but noisy and spotty service

Jun 2023 • friends

Food was delicious - Turkish, Greek and broadly Mediterranean. Seven of us ate outside on a beautiful day — but the neighborhood and restaurant were very noisy, making it hard to hear each other. Big delivery trucks park in the middle of the street with loud generators running, and Agora was crowded at lunch. Service was “spotty” with long waits for some items and no effort to coordinate the arrival of dishes. Plus they impose a 20 percent tip for groups like ours, which would be okay if the service were better. One person takes the order and various people deliver various dishes at various times, which soul also be okay if they didn’t forget items and didn’t make you ask every server in the restaurant for your missing dishes.

Written 15 June 2023

globetrottheworld

Lexington202 contributions

Average menu, below average service

Jul 2022 • none

We wanted to see what the fuss was about so we went here one weekday evening. The place is deceivingly big inside and also has some covered outdoor seating, yet we had trouble getting a seat. We realized later that it was not the seating that was the problem, it may be lack of staff. Plenty of tables were empty throughout our meal. Their menu is fairly limited and very same-y. The drinks look ok but we did not have any. The menu is really limited if you are vegetarian. The one reliable item is the pitta bread basket and you can get the sampler accompaniments which include about 9 types of "dips" to eat it with. The other things we ordered were so-so. The wait was terrible as was the service, there was only one lady who was our server and she spent more time inside than outside with customers. No one asked to top up our glasses or whether we wanted anything. Menu also came in quite late after we sat down. All in all - nothing to write home about. Avoid until they get their service act together.

Written 19 July 2022

herculesmom

138 contributions

Small Plates to Share or Try Solo

Sept 2023 • solo

Great place to share dishes but also works if traveling solo. The food here was flavorful. There were so many choices on the menu from cocktails to food items. The service was attentive. The waiter recommended two to three items to start and stated they were “small” appetizer serving sizes, but I was full with two items. Ordered the hibiscus lemonade, ottoman rice (outstanding), and grilled chicken (first bites while still warm from being cooked were the best bites). Served with fluffy Turkish pide bread and excellent extra virgin olive oil for dipping. Indoor and outdoor seating. Sat inside for the air conditioner and to escape mosquitoes. Great inside atmosphere. Water glass kept full. Locals to travelers hanging out. Casual dress. Definitely a place to visit again.

Written 6 September 2023

Tantalum

Chalfont88 contributions

Solid Menu, Below Average Service

May 2022 • none

Agora is a solid choice for Mediterranean cuisine. An interesting menu of small plates and dishes should make for a very interesting evening. However, I can only go by the observations of my friends as my dinner never came. Ever. While it did make it awkward for everyone at the table to enjoy their dinner while I sat there waiting, all the plates ordered seemed quite well done. And if you are curious, our waitress disappeared completely for at least a half hour, and upon returning expressed no surprise my meal had not arrived, not much interest. She then disappeared for another ten minutes before returning and informed me she had put the order into the kitchen and to expect it soon? I was about to ask a question when she turned quickly and walked away. When she did return, again without my dinner I asked for the check, as we were going to continue our evening with drinks at another location. Did I have to ask my phantom dinner to be taken off the bill? Yes. Would I return? No. While the food is solid, the service is stressed past any ability to be professional. Not my idea of a fun evening.

Written 9 June 2022

Khoi N

Washington DC4719 contributions

Amazing brunch options

Jun 2022 • friends

I have been eyeing this place for some time now. Finally made reservations recently for a friends bday brunch. This place was packed on a busy Saturday and there was a line out the door. We went for the bottomless brunch. It came with unlimited dishes including Bloody Marys and Mimosas. Some of the starters here were delicious. The truffled eggs, tabbouleh, smoked salmon and htipiti. Very strong Mediterranean and Turkish flavors. They have an extensive list of egg or eggs benedict dishes as well. We loved the salmon, kiymali benedicts, and the kavurmali fried eggs. Service here was great. We let our server bring out what ever she felt was best for our palette. After noticing a lot of egg and spreads we asked her to switch to more dishes with meat and she was quick to oblige. Even with a packed top floor filled with plenty of diners we got our food rather quickly and had 0 issues with any plates. This is a great place to enjoy some quality brunch options. Fun vibes and wide variety of plates.

Written 6 July 2022

Capital202

Washington DC84 contributions

Slow Service, Deceptive Pricing

Jun 2024 • friends

Agora has potential, but the poor service, dry food, and deceptive pricing make me not want to come back. It has a nice ambience, and the cocktails are inventive. But the service is very slow - it took 15 minutes just to get a menu and order a drink - and the food was dry by the time it got to our table. To top things off, Agora adds a service charge then asks for an additional tip when you pay, then reverses the tipping order on the screen: 30%, 25%, or 20%. It's clearly meant to deceive customers.

Written 10 June 2024

elizabeth

Washington DC9 contributions

Illegal service fee, and they charge tax on it to boot

Mar 2024 • friends

Mixed experience at Agora. Deducting a star due to the illegal junk fee, which is not disclosed on the menu, as required by DC law. Takes a lot of nerve to charge tax on the junk fee - that’s brazen. DC’s Office of Attorney General has been getting so many complaints that in 2023 it provided two guidance letters to restaurants as well as detailed information on its webpage, yet Agora still chooses not to comply with the law in any respect. Agora’s prices are already high so if they raise their menu prices more, it might impact their business. But that’s not a valid reason to sneak in an illegal junk fee, just because they can. See photo. Restaurant staff was friendly, from the hostess to the servers. The food was pretty good, but two out of three food items that we ordered were very pricey for the size. A cooked eggplant dish for $12 was very small, 5-6”, half of an eggplant. About 5-6 bites. Cauliflower was a good sized portion and around the same price. I asked the server before ordering the eggplant how big it was, he said everything is tapas sized, and my friend who had been there recently said the cauliflower was a good portion, so we were surprised to see the mini eggplant. The spread sampler was $22 and for the quantity it was ridiculously overpriced. As others have commented, that’s about $5 a tablespoon. With tax and 20% tip, the spread sampler comes to $29. We had to flag someone down to ask what each of the spreads were, he was nice. When the check came, there was a junk fee of 3.5% ( 5% for larger parties,) nowhere disclosed on the menu as required by law. It was also an insufficient description of what the money is used for. Restaurants have started charging junk fees, which they often use for wages, or anything really, they can just put it in their pocket unlike tips, which are legally required to go to servers. Everything about it was out of compliance with DC law, we asked for it to be removed and it was. Guessing most people pay it without question.

Written 9 March 2024

Alan B

Amble4 contributions

A great find

May 2023 • solo

I ate here two nights in a row. The first time I was looking for a light meal so had a starter and dessert, my server was very helpful, polite and treated me like royalty. The food was good and I enjoyed the experience so much that I went back the following night. A Friday night and it was very busy but they found me a seat at the bar. Again great service and great food

Written 14 May 2023

…

Showing results 1-15 of 501

AGORA DC MEDITERRANEAN RESTAURANT, Washington DC - Dupont Circle - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor