Highlands Cafe and Grill

Alejandro was amazing—-attentive and gave excellent customer service. The food was spectacular!!! Will be back the next time I am visiting the DC area. I had the blackened salmon and it was delicious. Got the grits with cheese also and it was flavorful and satisfying. Can’t wait to return.

Great customer service and delicious food in Hillcrest. Recommend the blackened salmon with lemon caper sauce, lamb chops, brussel sprouts with bacon and craisins, steak, and fries. Pricey, but not too bad for DC, with ample parking. Not a long wait around 5:30 pm on a Friday night, though they were busy. They quickly accommodated our party of six with two children by putting two tables together. They had two high seats available. The kids menu isn't written down but our server told us about grilled cheese, pasta, or chicken fingers with fries for them. For my pre-k aged child's birthday, the host brought a complimentary cheesecake and sang happy birthday, which made my child feel special. We liked that the restaurant was up front about its 20% service charge and that any tip would be "additional" because DC law eradicates the need for tips. Only areas for improvement were that we heard the phone go unanswered for a bit, and about a 5-minute wait between the first and last dishes to arrive. But we plan to go back!

I loveeee Highlands! I use to go to the original location on 14th street over ten years ago. My last time visiting that location was 2 years ago and it was as good as I remembered. I just discovered this location on Pennsylvania Ave. I love that I can get breakfast anytime. The food is great and it is the closest I can get to a home cooked meal. I didn’t take a photo of the sweet potato square but please try it! It’s so good! Now that I know about this location I will go more often. Update: the lamb chops were okay, it had a sauce or glaze on them but it didn’t taste like anything.

The vibe is great here. The food was good also. We did have to wait a little while but it was worth it. I love that they also support a nonprofit. The customer service was very good. It was cool to see people playing double dutch when we left.

I have not had the pleasure to actually dine in at this establishment. However I did order to go from this establishment via Uber Eats. I ordered the Ginger Chicken Pasta with the Chocolate Muffin and man saying this food is delicious is an understatement, this Ginger Chicken Dish is heaven to my palate and the muffin is sooooo delicious 🤤. The portion is substantial and the price is reasonable even through Uber Eats though I prefer to go to the actual establishment myself. This place is a must attend and dine.

My husband recently brought home the most delicious lunch! It had braised beef, spinach, and mashed potatoes. He saved half for me, and I have to say, it was absolutely fantastic! I can't wait to visit again soon!

First time going to Highlands. A very interesting restaurant. It’s one kinda small but very intimate. The drinks the food were delicious. The wings were piping hot, but the sauce that came with could’ve have been a little more tasteful. It was very bland. But overall I will definitely go back and give this restaurant and chance to redeem itself. The servers were pleasant and polite and I love that.

The Highlands Cafe and Grill is a brand new restaurant in the Penn Branch Shopping Center but behind it and next to the Planet Fitness. I went today for breakfast with the family, and it was a great experience. This place has a great neighborhood feel to it, which is good considering I live about a block from there. The service and food were great, as were the portions. You can tell the menu is rooted in family recipes and classic dishes, some with a modern twist to them. They do breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and they have a bar inside as well. About 40 people in all can enjoy themselves inside. Penn Branch needed a restaurant we can call our own, and Highlands Cafe and Grill delivers on that.

Was invited by a friend and her daughter and ended up having a great time. I ordered the shrimp omelet with grits and it was delicious. I also had 2 beers which was great. The service was excellent! In a mall on the backside where the dmv used to be. Great updated and modern look inside! After I learned about the purpose of the place I was glad to support! I would recommend this place!

I've heard great things about the food, service, and the prices. I'm a sucker for a great mural and this place has a beautiful atmosphere that radiates joy. As for the food. I ordered the blackened salmon, with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach. Everything was seasoned perfectly and the food is amazing. I can't wait to try something else on the menu. I hear that the breakfast is phenomenal.

I will forever love this place! I used to go to the one uptown but now this one is closer to my house. The food is always consistent! Drinks are good and sometimes great! The customer service is always great! They know us when we walk in we come here so much lol my favs are the gumbo, turkey club, shrimp and grits, blackened salmon so many things are good here. The painting inside are so pretty and it's always nice and clean inside! Love love love it here!

I've been to the original location on 14th st NW, but this was my first time visiting the Southeast location. The ambiance is very eye catching, when you first walk in you notice this beautiful mural on the wall and the customer service was excellent. My mother and I had the deep fried salmon, garlic spinach, and jasmine rice with a lemon butter caper sauce which was amazing. The salmon was fried to perfection and the spinach was so flavorful. We didn't eat anything else the rest of the day that's how full we were from our meals. I also had a chance to speak to the owner Chef Moe and hear his story about his upbringing in DC and his rise to opening up Highlands. I highly recommend checking Highlands out and enjoy some amazing food.

Get in here yall! They got parking! I love that I can park in the lot and not ride around until someone leaves. The food was pretty decent to where I'll give it another shot; just wasn't blown away. Very nice staff, my server just never came over. We also didn't have utensils so had to wait for someone at the bar to see us aimlessly lookin for someone to notice us. Iced coffee not great but the chai tea made up for it. Highlands has the most beautiful mural inside. It was a nice place to go grab a bite and chat with friends and family.

Highlands Cafe and Grill is a D.C. institution and I'm so glad they opened a location East of the River. Located by Planet Fitness in the Penn Branch Center, there's a spacious parking lot right outside. The inside is a single, cozy dining room with along bar and a waiting area. Wait to be seated or order takeout at the register. Waiting only 10 minutes for my to-go order, the po boy sandwich was really flavorful and the roll it's on is soft. The lava cake was good too. (It had a slight raspberry taste to it.) Service was friendly and quick. The space's walls are decorated with murals of the community as are the inside of the restrooms.

This place gives an urban vibe. I love their food they never disappoint . My most recent order was the Cesar salmon salad. The salmon was cooked just right.

Great parking, great service, great food, and great music! I've heard about Highlands and I'm so happy that I've finally given it a try. We went for dinner and drinks and both were delicious. Can't wait to try them for breakfast.

How? How is this review on this establishment so high? Were some of these reviews inadvertently on this location and should have been for the location uptown because NO! My food lacked seasoning (so essentially FLAVOR). To be fair, I ordered through UberEats and some of the presentation was list during the transport. You can't lose FLAVOR though! Definitely a big disappointment!

This is my update to the original review I posted about eight months ago. THIS time, the service was horrible. And I'm not even talking about the wait staff. I'm talking about just getting seated. Mark down the date of this review: February 18, 2024. Took my wife, my son, his girlfriend and the grandson to get something to eat. This was on a Sunday. We get there at 12:30 PM. I asked how long was the wait for a table for five, and I was told 15 to 20 minutes. Seemed reasonable. As we're waiting, we're looking at the tables that cleared out. Mostly seating for two. There was a manager who came over and said "I haven't forgotten you, I'm waiting for this one table to clear and I'll get your party seated." Fine. So we're in the waiting area, and I'm looking at the table he's waiting to clear. They stopped eating and began watching some video presentation on a laptop. The guy looked over at them but was afraid to say anything. So I made my way up to the host desk and spoke to another guy. By now, it's 1:25 PM (55 minutes have passed since we first arrived). I asked him about the people at the table and his response was "do you want me to ask them to leave?" My response: "yes. They're not eating anymore." His reply was that he couldn't do that. He asked would I want him to do that to me, and I replied that I wouldn't take up space and cost him business. We left. Ended up going to Silver Diner in the Navy Yard area. Think about this: we got there at 12:30 and waited 55 minutes. Those people were there well over one hour and took up space. Once they stopped spending money, they should have left, or, because the restaurant was absolutely full, been asked to leave so that other paying customers could sit down and eat. You wonder why money doesn't stay in the community? THAT is why. Poor customer service.

I have visited this restaurant more than a few times and the food as well as the atmosphere is exceptional - I highly recommend this restaurant establishment. The food is delicious

Ok so we came here to support a local neighborhood "gem" or " nightmare". I walked in and had to ask a for a hostess to seat us although it was only like 6 pple in the place eating. Ok moving on I sit and I remove my coat and noticed it was "brick" aka cold. So I ask the server if she can turn up the heat or on. She states she can't due to pple sitting where the thermostat was. Weird. This happens after I order an appetizer which was the wings and a sex on the beach cocktail. So I decided I will eat my appetizer and drink my drink and leave. Wings are ok, the drink tasted like juice I'm pretty sure nooo alcohol was involved in the making of this drink . Waitress comes back for my order and I asked for the bill . She looked suprised and I honestly don't know why. It 0 degrees in there,I asked for a cocktail and you gave me grapefruit juice. Go figure. Will I come back here ? I don't think so . Would I recommend ? Not to my friends. Good luck

Food was awesome, ordered from DoorDash . I got the pork chops and they were delicious!

A great contender for a neighborhood spot. They need more servers and a better wine selection but their food has always been on point. Knowing their history, I just want to express my pride in their persistence and hard work and my best wishes for CONTINUED success. I'm not a local but it will remain on my short list when I'm in the area.

I have to welcome the new gem of PennBranch Highland Cafe and Grill Lots of variety

This was my first time at Highlands Cafe and I will be back. Great food, decent prices and ok service. The portions were a good size. My friends and I had 4 drinks, 3 appetizers and 3 entrees for $150 (20% gratuity automatically added). Highly recommend!

Our party of 7 visited Highlands purely based on a Google search, and trusting the reviews. Fortunately, everything was excellent! Our server was Albert, and he was kind, attentive and efficient. We enjoyed every dish thoroughly, from the delicious soup to incredible wings, to curry chicken, to the Chicken melt sandwich to the Branzino whole fish. The restaurant itself is small, and a bit of a challenge to find, especially if you are not a local, but it is very nice inside, and we had no wait for our party on a Wednesday night. Prices are reasonable, and portions are generous. We plan on going back in the morning for breakfast!

A rare fantastic dining experience in SE DC. The spot is rather small but we have successfully dined with over 10 in our party twice. The service is excellent, the food phenomenal, and the pricing just right. Everyone enjoyed their food with no complaints. We will happily patronize this business. The only thing that kept me from giving 5stars is the location on the backside of the shopping center which can be a little tricky to navigate at night.

Hidden Gem This place is special. Pretty new to the neighborhood but will be a strong staple in due time. Great place to meet for drinks with friends or take a date. The ambiance is quaint, mostly two seat tables but they can accommodate large parties (we had a party of 10). They don't take reservations but get there early enough and they are happy to seat larger groups. To the food.....BOMB! Around the table there was lamb chops, New York strip steak, full branzino , gumbo, seafood soup, beef short ribs, Cubano sandwich, Caesar salad, spinach dip, fried green tomatoes, crème brûlée, all...of it...was...excellent!!!!!! Due yourself a favor and try it out. Thank me later and....you're welcome . Oh, and ask for Walter if you're there on Thursdays. He's an amazing host and serves up deliciously refreshing cocktails!

Took a while to get wait staff. I got an omelette which was delicious. The Belgian Waffle was hard and the toast was rock hard almost hurt my teeth. My waiter was attentive once I got one.

This spot has been added to my regular rotation of local restaurants and my go to spot! The food is really good, portions are great, the service is amazing, and parking is the best. It's a gem in SE, DC. We needed Highland Cafe & Grill in the neighborhood. Food I've had: salmon burger, grilled ck sandwich, highland salad and salmon, and few breakfast items. I try something new every time I visit. The only thing I did not like was the coffee.. that's minor. This spot is a must!

The Best Chicken and Waffles ever! ... and the service was on point! This was great!!!!

Service was fast and good. The food is very tasting. It's about time this side of Southeast DC got a decent spot to enjoy a nice platter, good music, nice atmosphere and something for a casual diner.

THIS little gem HERE!!! Let me tell you!!! I have been here ten times already, and that's not a joke. The food is AMAZING! The staff is awesome. It's a nice, family run joint, placed right where it was needed. I recommend the shrimp and grits. But, you're not gonna go wrong with anything here. I've almost had the entire menu. Definitely come. And then come BACK!

Best soul food I've had in a while. Loved the salmon and the bread pudding. The service was amazing! Henry and Albert were absolutely attentive. The decoration on the walls were inviting! Loved everything and will be back.

Food was delicious. Everyone at the table (7ppl) ordered something different and everyone enjoyed what they ordered. Great grits, great breakfast potatoes. Definitely order Juanita's Breakfast if you come. Our server was very, very nice and attentive.

My first visit was 6/10/23 after Church with some members. We all enjoyed our meal. The food was great and good service. The manager came to introduce himself. Ambiance was interesting with artwork on the wall, clean restrooms. I will return soon. Good price for a variety of breakfast choices. A must try location in Ward 7.

As a local of the 14th street location - this one did not disappoint! Dare I even say the chicken melt might've been better here Alejandro was very attentive and great to our table of 6. This location is larger, but still brings the cozy neighborhood feel. Definitely will return!

This is a neighborhood gem with great food, service and prices. We have been several times and have never been disappointed. The space is beautiful too. We will be back.

This place was recommended by my friend's cousin. I enjoyed the ambience. The staff was very attentive & courteous. The food was good. I ordered the blackened salmon with sautéed garlic spinach & rice. It was soft enough that it melted in my mouth. I would recommend this place to other people. I gave it 4 stars because they forgot the okra in the

The food and service here was like a 5 star dinning experience, the oxtails were so amazing me and my gf can't wait to go back

The food was fresh and delicious. The service was great and the ambiance is chill and relaxing.

Highlands Cafe is a great establishment that is/was needed over here in SE. This is my 3rd or 4th time here and I have not been disappointed! My favs are the Blackened Salmon & French Toast!! My mom got the short ribs and gave them a 10/10!! My daughter had the noodles but she said they could use some more flavor other than soy sauce. I had the bread pudding today and hated I had to share it!! Next time, I'll get my own. So nice to have a quality restaurant in my hood!!

2nd visit. Server cleaning off tables slopping water on guests tables. Cajun chicken with shrimp, chicken and sausage with green and red peppers, whole fish with rice, plaintains, and oxtails. Lights kept flickering on and off for a few minutes. Food tasteless. Service ok. Service was nice. Parking available. Will not revisit.

The service the customer service is the best kind of service. The business is family owned and they pay attention to details and treat you like a family. The food is great the bar tender is even better. Ask for Henry or Albert!!!!!! Their customer service is amazinggggggg. He knew what I wanted and executed it! The cooks in the back!!!! Let me tell you, there is an own window and you can see them cook, not only do they enjoy their job but they execute the food so well!!!! I recommend 100%

My friend and I visited this establishment for the first time and was very disappointed. We both got take out orders. I arrived home expecting to see a Cajun Mardi Gras dish with all of the ingredients that were listed in the description. My dish lacked the grilled chicken and the andouille sausage. Please check your take out order before leaving this establishment. First and only time to patronize this restaurant.

You go to order and they have a bunch of spanish people taking your order 6 times between each other and can't get it right. Then catch an attitude like your wrong. I'm the customer not you! You at work doing customer service. At no point do you catch an attitude when you wrong!! It's ridiculous! I had to walk out this time. It's not worth my money or time to be treated like it don't matter to them. When you go to SE you get SE shit. That was my last time spending my money over there.

We took my niece there for her 25th birthday. The food the atmosphere and the food was delicious. She really enjoyed herself. My son goes here on a regular. Great food brunch/lunch/ dinner

No fuss, good food and kind service. A great neighborhood spot. We had breakfast on Saturday. Now I'm going to try lunch.

My first meal in DC! This food is amazing. Shrimp, Poboy, wings, shrimp and grits, salmon cake, brussels sprouts and wow they were all remarkable. I don't know who is in that kitchen but give them a raise! This one of them meals that need to be accompanied by a nap. I love your work Highlands Cafe tens across the board.

Food is phenomenal cooked with a lot of love Service is good Ambiance is modern comfy wonderful The Cheers of SE people know you and treat you like family much needed in SE sooo happy to have this and not another 24 tobacco place Open face shrimp omelette ,gumbo and Branzino fish!!!!

The wait staff. They suck. I bet you they are like this when the owner is there. I met her when the store first opened and she is such a sweet person. However, I don't think she knows how her employees treat customers - not taking the care to make sure customers are satisfied. Yesterday, Sept. 10 at the S.E. location, I ordered food. Specifically, just sides because I don't eat meat. I waited for almost 30 minutes for sides. I decided to check in on my order. The wait person at the register turned to ask another wait staff about my order, she ignored him, gestured to him, and proceeded to service another table. I expressed I have been coming there for a while and had been satisfied with service. At that point, I requested a refund. I will not return to Highland again. I will travel out of the neighborhood for food. If it wasn't for local people in the neighborhood showing support and love for this business, this establishment wouldn't thrive. I refuse to spend my money where the service SUCKS and I am being mistreated after I spend my money!!!!!

I absolutely love this place. Food is excellent and service is so personable. Shrimp and grits and curry chicken are a winner. Recently had the turkey burger... Delicious!!!...such a needed place for Ward 7.... try it .you will not be disappointed...

This review is based on the service only. I have been there a few times to eat because I always support local business in ward 7 and 8 because there are not many of us. I am a business owner in ward 7 and have referred many of my patients to this restaurant. I went there today ,around 6:30 PM, restaurant was not busy, and I went to sit a the bar, as I often do. There were 2 parties totaling 3 people at the bar with 2 chairs open. I asked a gentleman next to an empty seat if this seat was open and he said he was waiting for a few people to come so, I went to the other side of the bar and sat next to the other party. I sat down and the waiter said that the guy was waiting for 7 people and the bar and it was reserved. If an area is reserved put a sign in that area. There was never a reserved sign on the bar and the bar seats 5 people. I decided to leave and I will never return or recommend this restaurant again.

The food was delicious, the staff was friendly, and the ambiance was vibrant. It's a win for Ward 7! I'd definitely recommend!

Food is great, especially the fried green tomatoes. Expect longer wait times during peak hours but worth the wait.

On several occasions, I have dined in at Highlands at Penn Branch with fine results. Today, I ordered takeout. It was obvious that my order had been forgotten. After inquiring and then waiting further, I received a fresh turkey burger and less than french fries. I don't recommend takeout unless you have time to waste.

I went there after church. The food definitely exceeded my expectations. The servers were very professional. I have told friends and family that they definitely need to support this establishment.

Great food, great customer service I will be going here again. I'm glad they have one in the SE area