Macon Bistro Larder - Washington

I’m glad I didn’t take the negative reviews too seriously and decided to honor our reservation as I didn’t find the service lacking at all in fact the service was great. The food was as good as I remember pre pandemic. I’ll be back!

BEWARE! I had been wanting to try Macon for a while and finally did. Unfortunately, I wish I never tried it. It was a flat out bad restaurant that's over priced, unfriendly waiters, sticky floors, small portions, lazily prepared food with little flavor that had been reheated, and unsanitary. The worst part of my evening at Macon was after eating looking down and seeing a cockroach scurry by. I nearly puked after seeing this. Then later that night and the next morning I had to keep running to the bathroom. Macon gave my partner and I food poisoning. I hope this review at least helps someone avoid the mistake I made. I was a bit hesitant to eat at Macon after I saw how few people were at the restaurant on a Friday evening. I should have trusted my gut. The one good thing Macon does is branding which they have to excel at to trick people into dining. I would post zero stars if possible. Also, I like to rely on Yelp pictures but these pics of food on here are old and do not even match what they're serving, particularly the biscuits and salmon.

After perusing the menu, my partner and I decided to come here before seeing a movie at the street at the Avalon.Our feelings are mixed about this place. When we first arrived, we were asked by the busser whether we would like to sit inside or outside. At that same moment, another couple was coming in from outside because of the bugs there. Once we sat down, I noticed the bug zapper outside. So, it must be an issue for them.There was only one server on the schedule for the night. This poor woman she was slammed. She was doing her very best to run orders for nine tables both inside and out and acting as bartender when she clearly was not one. Alcohol is the best way to make a profit and they had no bartender. Sad. The busser was clearing tables, acting as host and running food from the kitchen.The chef was also overwhelmed. He was training someone who just stood behind him like a statue watching him cook. Why she wasn’t helping with plating is a mystery.The food was average and nothing to write home about. The salmon was in the pan too long and was accompanied by potatoes that would be great- if they had flavor- and a tomato caper sauce that tasted metallic. The shrimp and grits were so-so. The grits were nice but more like crème of wheat. Really no creativity with flavor in the dishes.Then an older man walked in and went behind the bar. All he seemed to do was bark orders at the server, stand over her shoulder and follow her outside. He then grabbed a drink and sipped it behind the bar. He should have rolled up his sleeves and jumped in to help. But he seemed too concerned about his ego and position -whatever it may be.Oh- Our tart tatin was a 20 minute wait and very underwhelming.We tried to love this place.Management needs to step it up and get their act together or we don’t see this place lasting very long.

Very disappointed. Restaurant was understaffed both at front and back of house. The single server tried hard covering all tables and making drinks (no bartender working), but she clearly had no serving experience. Busser was seating people and filling up water glasses. Kitchen was struggling. Food was okay they tried. What looked like the owner was ordering staff around while getting in the way and doing nothing himself. Restrooms were down the hallway and barely acceptable. Would not go there again.

After perusing the menu, my partner and I decided to come here before seeing movie up the street at the Avalon. Our feelings are mixed about this place. When we first arrived and were asked about sitting inside or outside (by the busser), a couple was asking to be moved inside due to bugs. So we decided on inside. Once seated, I noticed a bug zapper outside so it must be an issue. Service- the poor server was SLAMMED with 9 tables and she was the only one there. It seemed like she had never had a job serving before but did her very best to make sure we were taken care of while running from the outside seating back to inside. She was also playing bartender for the night. She obviously was not a bartender. The busser was not only clearing tables but running food since the server was so busy. They were so apologetic and we felt bad for them. Then, an older man came in and walked behind the bar. It seems all he was good for was pointing the finger, hovering over the server and barking at her while sipping a drink. Seriously, why come? Get your hands in it and help! The food was okay. Nothing wrong with it actually. But it’s didn’t leave us wanting for more. The chef was also slammed and was training someone who just watched what he was doing but didn’t help. So hard to see. Our Tart Tatin took 20 minutes to arrive. The server kept having to ask the kitchen where it was. It eventually came and was underwhelming. Again, nothing to salivate over. Management really needs to step it up. There is potential here. But, if issues are not addressed quickly, we feel that this place won’t last very long.