Alara

I went to Alara Restaurant with my family last Friday. We liked that they presented Mediterranean cuisine with a different interpretation. We also liked the beautiful decoration and the service provided made us very happy. The bar caught my attention, I tried cocktails that I have not seen in other restaurants. The later closing hours are also a good option.

Was my first time at Alara and it was a great experience. food was excellent we had Htipiti, cheese pie, tabbouleh and shrimp dish. I definitely Recommend all of them! Mo was the manager at the moment and he was great he came to check on us and make sure everything was ok. He knew the food very well and he was very polite.

Very promising from the social media posts. A good addition to this Georgetown neighborhood. Food was pretty tasty but service was not on par. Our primary server probably had a bad day. Seemed absent-minded. We had the shakshuka (tomatoes with eggs), soujuk (Balkan sausage), Adana kebab, Alara burger (double patty), and cheese pide (Greek flatbread with mozzarella cheese).

Alara has been a neighborhood gem since they opened and deliver a delightful experience. Not only just for a consistently excellent service, warm ambiance, outstanding cocktails menu and; it’s also having an European style music choices moved the restaurant to another aura. Food was exceptional!

We came for the opening night and Alara really impressed us. The atmosphere was amazing and the food was top level - theres so much variety and amazing plates! The drinks were really top notch! The halloumi and the baklava were ones to remember

Last night my first time visiting Alera with my girlfriend. It was a late night Valentine’s Day dinner and we were fortunate enough to find a restaurant with a kitchen still open. The host stand isn’t directly in front when you enter so we had to get the Host’s attention. The host did not seem to know what they were doing. They asked us first if we had a reservation we said no. It appeared as though we wouldn’t be seated but then we were asked if we would be fine with a high top. We accepted because we just wanted to eat and grab drinks and celebrate Valentine’s Day. Upon sitting down we were not greeted for 15-20 mins. At that point I saw an open table So I asked if we could move there. The host promptly let us move to the better table. Even then another 15 mins passed without a server coming to our table. We had to ask a busser to get our server. At this point my girlfriend wanted to leave but it was too late go anywhere else. When the server Michael approached us for the first time he asked us if we were ready to order. My girlfriend ordered a simple glass of wine and I ordered a cocktail recommended by my server who turned out to be the bartender. Before we could place our food order; mind you we had 30 mins to decide. He walked away with out one highlighting the food or let us place an order. Another 15 mins passed and he comes back and asks us what we were waiting for. So clearly he never put our drink orders in. From there he also didn’t take our food order. Time passes and he only brings her wine. I sneak in when I get the chance what we wanted to order. Our food literally touched the table before my drink did. We were barely checked on and other tables seemed to take more priority. After all of this I asked to speak with the manager and I explained that I am a server myself and that the service was not great. Valentine’s Day is supposed to be special and no matter how busy the restaurant it is a servers job to make his guest feel special and attended to. Also the drink I got was basically a mojito and not what the bartender explained it as. We were offered free dessert but I believe the drinks should have been comped. The food was great drink was average. I would love to return but I’m afraid that the service would remain the same if I were to visit on a busy night!

If you want to have a nice dinner with your friends, I definitely recommend Alara, you will never regret it. We couldn't believe how nice the ambiance was even before we walked in. When you walk in, you feel like you've come to a really special place. The service was also nice, fast and attentive. Our waitress did everything to make sure everything was fine. Everything from the starter to the main course was delicious. Also, don't forget to try their signature cocktails! If you want to try unique Mediterranean cuisine, I definitely recommend you to visit Alara. I will definitely be back.

It’s ok, there are better spots in DC for Mediterranean food. The taste was a solid 6/10, nothing amazing. It has a nice romantic atmosphere. The only thing that deserves a 10/10 is the back lava.

It's a new place at goergetown everyone living near by was looking to have it.. Finally, it's here.. The menu will include Turkish, Greek, and Lebanese Mediterranean classics, as well as meze and hot and cold dips. A big selections of food serving in a romantic low light place.. opening late night kitchen for dine in is something we need specially for Ramadan so we can have a healthy tasty sahour here.. Highly recommend.. come to see me here!

I was incredibly disappointed with my experience. I had made this reservation over a month in advance to celebrate a milestone. When we arrived, the restaurant was packed, which made me hopeful for a great time. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse. The server rolled her eyes at me when I asked for some time to decide on my beverage, even as I ordered a mint tea in the meantime. She seemed visibly frustrated with me. When we ordered appetizers, we still had food on our plates, but she removed it from the table and rushed us to order entrees. When our main dishes finally arrived, she insisted that we needed to order more immediately. I'm not sure if it was because her shift was ending or if they were trying to rush us out, despite the fact that we had only been there for 27 minutes. As we were looking at the menu for a nightcap and dessert, she sent another employee to take the menu away from us. I didn't even get the chance to order dessert. In total, we were there for only 55 minutes.

THE GOOD AND BAD THE GOOD: Food 4.5 / 5.0: The food was not just good, it was great! We truly enjoyed eating there. Several dishes were solid 4.5 / 5 stars. We ordered more than we can eat. Ambiance 4.5 / 5.0: They did a great job but we did feel it was a bit dark. When we went in around 5:10pm it was well lit up. Around 5:15pm they really dimmed the lights down. It's a beautiful location, but really no need to dim the lights so much. Service 4.5 / 5.0: Was great! Polite and prompt staff, helpful to decide what to order. They had solid recommendations. Music: 4.0 / 5.0: mostly nice chill house vibes, but a few songs in there with chilling guitars / screeching that were enough to give you indigestion. Chill house is good. Keep it that way, low volume for 6pm dinner. No need to go club-style before 10pm. THE BAD: THE BILL (DC WAGE SURCHARGE:) 0 / 5: Absolutely ridiculous. This is what will stop us from going again. The bill came out and we noticed a 20% DC Wage Surcharge, to "help cover wages" of employees. I thought this was the tip. When we asked about it, we were told that was not the tip. The employee informed us the "DC Wage Surcharge" was only to help pay the cooks, but not the servers. If we left no tip, the server (he was great) wouldn't receive anything. On top of subsidizing the cooks pay, you also need to pay a tip for the server. So... we're expected to pay 40% GRATUITY for our meal? Seriously? Suggestion: Increase your prices on food, but don't slap your patrons with 20% for "DC WAGES," then 20% for your servers. Most other restaurants charge 2% or 3%, not 20%. As much as we enjoyed it we will not return for this reason. We all felt cheated.

Welcome to Georgetown, Alara! This modern Mediterranean eatery had just opened up, and they offer, brunch, lunch, dinner, and even a late night menu. We decided to check them out for an early dinner; we started off with: +Roasted Mushroom Hummus +Muhammara - prepared with marinated roasted red peppers and walnuts +Karniyarik - roasted eggplant with spicy ground beef +Sigara Boregi - feta cheese and parsley, wrapped in a homemade dough +Dolmades - stuffed grape leaves with rice, pine nuts, and raisins; served with a yogurt sauce +Falafel - served with a yogurt sauce +Butter Shrimp - prepared with sun-dried chilis and Mediterranean spices +Moussaka - with eggplant, potatoes, ground beef, bechamel sauce, and cheese +Kibbeh- stuffed with ground lamb and beef, onions, walnuts, and parsley +and, a Cheese Pide - a Mediterranean flatbread topped with mozzarella cheese and Greek oregano For our mains, we shared: +the Lamb Shank - served over Ottoman rice +a Branzino - pan-seared, served with Anatolian-style potato salad and asparagus +and, a Chef's Mix Grill - with lamb chops, Adana kebabs, chicken shish kebabs, kofte kebabs, and lavash-wrapped Adana kebab Staff were friendly; note that a 20% service is automatically included on all checks... They're open late, so perfect for night owls. +20% service charge automatically applied to all checks

my friend made a long-awaited reservation at Georgetown's hottest new Mediterranean restaurant Alara and unfortunately, only the mezze platter arrived--our full order was never served! to start, our reservation was set for 8 and we arrived within the grace period and had to wait for our table, but the group was in good spirits and ordered a round of drinks with some initial apps (mezze platter, spiced ground beef hummus, and tzatziki dip) all were tasty, and we adored the sesame seed pitas, BUT THAT WAS ALL WE GOT TO EAT! shortly after apps came out, we placed the rest of our order for kabobs, salads, etc. along with another round of drinks, 10pm rolled around and still no food in sight. we brought this up to our waiter, who gave us a confused impression and the manager was unaccommodating to try to make things right on the spot (he offered a complementary dessert, which we didn't want considering we hadn't had a meal yet) alara had potential, but definitely has some kinks in service and hospitality to work through first.

We came on a Sunday around 11:30am. We were seated immediately although it took our server some time to take our order and serve water. He didn't say anything when he came to the table - didn't introduce himself. We asked each other if we wanted anything to drink and then told him our order. In any case later on he was polite and checked in on how our food was. Ironically, the table next to us was complaining about their food to the server. Our food came very quickly and we were pleased with that. We had the following: 1. Vegetarian moussaka - pretty good. Flavorful 2. Avocado toast with halloumi - it came with one slice of toast and approximately a quarter of an avocado thinly smeared on it. Two small slices of halloumi. And wait for it... ONE poached egg. For the amount of food, this was very overpriced. 3. Falafel - three pieces. Soft and not dry. Difficult to compete with yellow cafe across the street though. 4. Fattoush Salad - saddest of them all. Tasted as if there was store bought dressing in it. The lettuce leaves were old and unappetizing. Picture attached. We didn't eat it. Ambiance was nice. Overall experience - wouldn't come back. There are better places nearby.

Beautiful restaurant. Seriously love the vibe in there. Super lively energy and the service was very friendly. Food was very tasty- recommend the chef's mix grill so you can try a bunch of different things. All the dips were great, but would've loved if they gave more bread in the basket! Mon cherie cocktail was also very nicely done! Would definitely recommend and certainly go back!

Alara is a great addition to Georgetown. The place is absolutely beautiful and the service and food was incredible- there is a big variety of amazing plates! The drinks were really top notch! We will definitely go back. Loved it

When the bill was presented we were informed of a 20% surcharge to cover operational costs even though we were a party of 2 people. We were then encouraged to tip the server separately as the surcharge would not go to him! The restaurant should inform guests of this charge beforehand rather than springing it on them at the last minute.

wonderful wonderful wonderful. Mayada is an exceptional host! new favorite restaurant in DC

This was my first time attending the opening day of a restaurant and I was super excited. It was super busy. Almost a little crowded but I knew that must be due to the opening of a new restaurant so I didn't mind. My friends and I ordered the fixed menu. Our reservation was 8pm and we didn't leave till 12am. Not because we were taking our time, but because the service was so incredibly slow and each course took forever to come out. We were so close to just asking the last courses to be boxed up. The orders were also messed up a few times. Trying to remain patient was hard but again we let it go due to the first day. Our server was sweet but they did not come ask how our meal was and if everything was okay. To make it even more interesting, my friend ordered an espresso martini & they brought her a glass half full. We thought it was a joke but when we looked closer, it looked as if it was half drank! We think the server accidentally placed down a drink that was meant to be taken away to be washed... it was disturbing. But also almost laughable. We thought we were punked. For what it's worth the food and cocktails that were correct were tasty. The hummus was delicious and so was the chicken kebab. The creme brulee was not my favorite. The baklava was good but tastes a lot like the ones I pick up from a local small business. I hope in a few weeks-months things are better because it has a lot of potential. This was just my experience unfortunately :/

the food was very good, the shareable plates it a fun evening HOWEVER - mgmt adds a 20% service charge to cover costs, and this DOES not go to the wait staff. These costs should be included in the menu prices, it's a total ripoff! if you go, please be sure to tip your server, this is not their fault

20% surcharge before tips, why??? food and service were below mediocre, and the management did nothing to mitigate the issues we had. Will never be back here.

We went to alara yesterday dinner.. food was good .. services by maya made our experience unforgettable. We had one of our friends' birthday that we mentioned about in our booked and she took care of that surprise well.. thank you guys.. will be back soon

The food was mixed, sigara borekis were really great and crispy, mushroom hummus was bland, and the grape leaves were better than average. But despite paying with the credit card reader at the table, someone managed to double charge me for one meal. I've called three times and am seeking a refund from my bank. I won't eat someplace where I can't trust the staff, that's bare minimum.

Food was mediocre. We had salmon, hummus, and branzino. Nothing unique. Bread was good. This restaurant charges a DC area wage surcharge. Our bill came to 123.85 and they added a 24.77 surcharge - none of which goes to the server for tip. So then you need to add another 20 percent on top of that. As a restaurant owner myself, this is fraudulent. I would not support this behavior.

First, I want to say this restaurant might have potential but they really need to work on their service. Service was incredibly slow (we did not receive our menus for ten minutes among other things), the old fashioned was undrinkable- far too syrupy, the wrong wine was brought out twice (after specifically pointing on the menu to which wine we wanted), the food was all brought at one time (including the main) then they rebought the main out to us after being heated under a lamp for 20 minutes. Nothing was offered besides a ten dollar discount on a $250 meal. There were some nice elements- the ambiance, hummus, moussaka were all good.

Got served raw chicken in one of the dishes. Plates dropped once every 10 minutes or so one of which ricocheted and hit me in the face. Ambience was nice however definitely crowded and hard for the servers to move around. Parts of our order never made it to the table (we were not charged for this). The servers continuously brought food to our table that we did not order. Lastly our table was surprised to see a 20% DC wage surcharge which is a fee we assumed was the equivalent of a gratuity charge. This was not the case but instead a deceptive fee from the owners to cover costs of operations (with the 20% fee and 20% tip we left we ended tipping 40% of our total bill!). I get this place just opened but after this experience I don't think I will ever eat here again .