For world class live music, New Orleans inspired cooking, and that laid back Big Easy vibe, there"s only one place in Washington DC to go. Located at 2519 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, just steps from the Foggy Bottom metro, Bayou brings together the award winning cuisine of executive chef Rusty Holman, hand crafted New Orleans cocktails, and a rotating line-up of both local and national recording artists. With two funky floors of dining and dancing, Bayou suits any occasion. Whether it's grabbing a quick po'boy at lunch, sitting down to a three course dinner, watching the game with a cold Abita, or grooving the night away in our intimate concert space, Bayou is DC's number one spot to laissez les bons temps rouler.
Open for Lunch and Dinner Tuesday-Sunday Brunch served Saturdays and Sundays.
"This was not the first time we have been to Bayou but it was definitely the best. Everyime we go it just gets better and better, which is hard to belive because it is so good! Our waiter, John, was outstanding and because of him we actually ordered food we may not have. The mushroom bacon soup should be on the menu always! If they have it, order it! Loved the fried green tomatoes and you can never go wrong with their mac n cheese. The only problem here is that they only give you one biscuit per customer at the table, and you have to wait a while before they bring you more! They should just bring at least two per person, save the time later. It's a little pricey so we rarely get drinks with our meal, but the food is always delicious."
Dined on 5/05/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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"It is so hard to find quality Cajun food in DC. Bayou on Penn solves that problem!! I went with my Godmother to celebrate my birthday, and was WOWED by not just the amazing service (and it was our server's first day!), but the superb quality of the food. Be sure to try the crawfish/andouille cheesecake--sounds weird, but your taste buds will thank you eternally. Truly just amazing food and service. That was my first time there, but I will most definitely be back--I've already told all of my friends!"
Dined on 04/27/2013
2006
Special Features: good for groups, great for outdoor dining, neighborhood gem, great for lunch
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"Very welcoming! The hostess had us seated upstairs near the bar but it was way to noisy for us so she happily moved us to a table downstairs. The wait staff were very helpful and polite. The food outstanding!!!!! Looking forward to our next trip to DC so may enjoy more of their increditable food!"
Dined on 04/27/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem
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"The food at the Bayou is excellent. We ate upstairs to hear the music. As the night went on it became a crazy scene of standing room only and super loud! Be prepared and wear ear plugs if you want to keep your hearing~"
Dined on 04/13/2013
2013
Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, good for groups, late-night find
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"The drinks and food are great. Shrimp and grits were wonderful. The BBQ shrimp po'boy is a bit odd, though, because the bread is hollowed out, shrimp are inside, and the whole thing is swimming in the sauce. An interesting take on NOLa BBQ shrimp in a po'boy format, but not something I'd eat again."
Dined on 04/13/2013
2004
Special Features: vibrant bar scene, good for groups
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"Very good food, but we were at the table 1 1/4 hours before dinner was served ... And they were told we were going to show and needed to be served sooner."
Dined on 04/13/2013
2012
Special Features: neighborhood gem, great for lunch
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"My husband and I came here for Easter brunch. I had hoped the options would be a little more extensive since they advertised a "special menu," but the only addition was steak and eggs. I went with the Grand Marshal Benedict and it was amazing. The Bloody Mary's were perfectly spicy. The only downside was that our server initially forgot to bring us our drinks which also left us unable to order our food, but once she came back the service was great."
Dined on 03/31/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for brunch, special occasion
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"I had the Fried Green Tomatoes with Roasted red pepper aioli, corn salsa, goat cheese which was delicious. The tomatoes were very crunchy and the aioli were perfectly spicy and the goat cheese added creaminess to balance out with bite of the arugula. The only drawback for me was there was only 2 tomatoes which I thought wasn't enough! I had the Shrimp & Grits as my entree with Andouille sausage, tomatoes, sautéed spinach, and jalapeño cheddar grits. It came with 6 large juicy shrimp and I kept putting a little sausage, tomato, spinach and grits in every spoonful. The Decatur Street Po' Boy platter was super dry from the bread to the chicken tenders to everything. I just wanted to dip the whole sandwich in water."
Dined on 03/06/2013
2006
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, neighborhood gem, hot spot
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"From a Louisiana native: It's hard to find authentic creole and Cajun food around here. I'd much prefer it if this and other places purporting offer it would stick to the REAL thing and not mess with it. Silly "fusion" preparations of one sort or another don't appeal to me. The music was a nice NOLA soundtrack, but food-wise this was yet another disappointment."
Dined on 03/05/2013
2008
Special Features: neighborhood gem
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"Requested table near stage and instead was seated in furthest corner alcove from stage in front of very drafty window. Could not see stage at all. Food became cold quickly. Stairs are treacherous. Firetrap upstairs."
Dined on 03/02/2013
2005
Special Features: late-night find
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"Great food. The waiter Chaka was excellent! A large group of 20+ were waiting when we were about to order dessert. The staff asked if we were done so they could prepare. At first I was not happy to be asked if we were done because I felt rushed. The manager was very accomadating guaranteeing us a seat at the downstairs bar, free dessert and free cocktail. I give 3 stars for service instead of 5 because of this request only. We were meeting a friend we hadn't seen in over year and I made resevations for our party of 3. I feel the restaurant saw dollar signs instead of thinking it through. We are 3 Sales Executives that could bring clients for a large Fortune 500. I dine clients 3-4x/week."
Dined on 03/02/2013
2010
Special Features: neighborhood gem
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"This place is just okay. We were seated in the upstairs area for dinner and it was so loud due to the bar crowd that my dinner companion and I could barely hear each other. The food was so/so. The prices are fine, but our server was just inattentive enough to be annoying.
Probably OK for a quick lunch of something fried or a happy hour hangout, but seriously nothing special - and hardly comparable to actual food in New Orleans. DC should have something better to offer. This was the equivalent of Olive Garden claiming to be Italian food."
Dined on 02/21/2013
2013
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"Solid cajun food in a casual neighborhood setting. Nothing fancy; refreshingly unpretentious. Perfect for a chill lunch or dinner if you don't want to bother with more than jeans and a t-shirt."
Dined on 02/17/2013
2011
Special Features: neighborhood gem
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"I went to this restaurant on a "romantic" night for Valentine's day. They had a special menu, not cheaper than if you choose for the card, the only difference was a glass of champagne, unfortunately it did not say if it was real champagne, French, or Californian. Though only French can be called champagne!!! The food was excellent, the service perfect. My only CRITIC is why do restaurant in DC feels the need to have TV screen playing sport? I mean this is VALENTINE DAY, turn off that TV, put on some candles and create a romantic atmosphere"
Dined on 02/14/2013
2012
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"The Hurricane was one of the brunch specialty drinks and for $5, I got a bang for my bucks! Disappointed by the bbq shrimp po boy but the oysters casino and shrimp n oyster po boy made up for it."
Dined on 02/10/2013
2002
Special Features: good for groups, great for brunch, great for outdoor dining, kid-friendly, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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"We had a 9pm reservation, and we were not seated until 9:45. The hostesses were not that friendly, and made no effort to make our 45 minutes wait any more bearable."
Dined on 02/09/2013
2012
Special Features: vibrant bar scene
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"Everything was really good. 2 friends took me there for my birthday & we all shared a salad & 3 entrees. All were great. They even came out with a bowl of ice cream with a candle in it!"
Dined on 02/05/2013
2006
Special Features: neighborhood gem
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"I didn't love it. It's definitely qualifies as a dive. It's not the cleanest place in the world. We went on a Friday night and there was a band upstairs playing. The band was great but the noise was not. The place is not large enough to accommodate the noise level. Downstairs our ears were rattling and we had to scream to talk."
Dined on 02/01/2013
2011
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"We really enjoyed our visit to Bayou on Penn. We were in Washington for the inauguration and Bayou on Penn was a pleasant walk from our hotel. While not overly loud inside it was an energetic crowd inside with lots of tables filled with groups. The food was awesome and the service spectacular. My wife had the blackened catfish and I had the shrimp and grits. Both were well prepared and nicely presented. A definite place to go back to on our next visit."
Dined on 01/20/2013
2007
Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, good for groups, neighborhood gem, hot spot
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"Great restaurant with fabulous food. It was more casual than I expected, but that was a nice surprise, rather than a turn off. Our waiter was very friendly, and he made good recommendations. The hostesses were also friendly and checked back to see if everything was okay. We went during the NFL playoffs, and the game was playing on multiple TVs in the very small downstairs section. That might be a turn off for some, but we were into the game, so we were cool with it. There is another dining room upstairs for those who don't want the TV intrusion. They have late night live music on Fridays and Saturdays."
Dined on 01/20/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, late-night find, neighborhood gem
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