I've been here 3 times now, which I feel like is enough to write an educated review. Matchbox earns pretty good marks from me! This will be a pretty thorough review
I've had brunch, lunch, and dinner here. Dinner is definitely the best- and yes, you must try the pizza. I actually didn't try pizza until my second time going, but I'll get to that later.
My first time here, for dinner, I had the Bistro Burger. It's AMAZING! Being a southerner, Washington eating definitely expands my taste palate. I had never had gorgonzola, but after that burger I just wanted to buy some and put it on every burger I could dream of trying to make for the rest of my lifetime. It's perfect- and I think most of the menu items are curated to be just that.
For lunch, I tried the pizza. I didn't expect it to be filling, so I ordered shrimp and grits. Good move, Paige. Not the best shrimp and grits in my life, but definitely a great dish! The pizza was excellent, and I love that the pizza is actually made in the brick oven... I don't know why, but I thought it would be a gimmick.
The only experience I do not have the highest marks for is brunch. I went yesterday, Columbus Day (they serve brunch on Sundays and on Mondays that are government holidays) and I was a bit underwhelmed. No bottomless mimosas was the first disappointment. I have been spoiled by the plethora of eateries that love to offer bottomless mimosas, whether they consist of the finest champagne or watered down ice-champagne. I don't care... it's bottomless and I'll drink until I feel something (lol). However, the Matchbox Mimosa is great - it has patron citronage :-) I ordered all sides: waffle, eggs with cheese, bacon, and fresh fruit. All was okay- but not as great as I had expected given my previous experiences.
However, just so that everyone knows. They made the most divine impromptu dessert creation for my friend and I. She wanted bread pudding, but the manager came out and said that it would be a few more minutes unless we substituted the bananas for strawberries. Everyone must indulge in this delicacy. It was amazing- and all of my visits henceforth will conclude with this dish.
I had THE worst Apple Crisp of my life here! I was so upset because the description sounded great. I couldn't even eat it, the ice cream was the only plus and it was 8 bucks. I wouldn't have mind paying that if it was good but 8 bucks for something I couldn't even stomach... The crisp was so tart and dry it was not a hint of brown sugar or any sugar for that matter. I would not recommend this to anyone.
Review Source:OH MAN OH MAN!!!
We came here on a busy Saturday night right after the Capitals vs. Avalanche game (Avalanche raped by the way).
I called an HOUR before to get on the wait list because I heard it was difficult to get seated plus they were already booked for the night with reservations. The place is a small little building wedged between two other buildings. It looked tiny and it was already packed. I was getting a little nervous about calling ahead of time and was praying they had a table for us. As soon as I got there and gave them our name we were immediately seated- IN A BOOTH! YAY!
This place is 3 floors- the first floor is a bar, the bathrooms, and I think some tables off to the side. The second floor is small- maybe 10 tables. Same with the third floor- which is where we were seated. Our server was Manuel- a young cool guy who was passionate about the food. He was an absolute pleasure, attentative, and professional.
We started with 3 of their sliders, 2 of the oyster shots (v8, cucumber juice, vodka, and a raw oyster), the oyster po'boy, and then for the main- half meatball and half fire and smoke pizza.
The sliders were ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, the gouda complimented the burger so well. The oyster shots were...well...interesting but they were to benefit the Chesapeake Bay so f*** it! The oyster po'boy was pretty good as well- fried perfectly with crisp lettuce and fresh tomato. In regards to the pizza....I was incredibly impressed. The meatballs were spiiiicy! And the fire and smoke was just to die for. Spicy as all hell. The dough was perfect- thin and crispy. I washed all of that down with the Alagash White- a delicious 9% beer.
At the end we got some cute little matchboxes. The prices are fair and definitely cheaper than what I expected for being in area that it's in.
The decor is beautiful- this modern, sleek look with in-unit brick. Very cool, very stylish. If I'm ever back in the DC area- this is a DEFINITE go to!
Had a great time here last Saturday. Â We didn't have reservations, but were able to score a great table. Â They had oyster specials to help raise funds for a the Chesapeake Bay. Â Although my husband and I don't like oysters, Â we were pleased to learn that we could still donate money. Â
It's always a struggle to decide between the menu entrees or pizza. Â We decided to get our favorite, the fig and prosciutto pizza- Â it was as delicious as ever. Â After, we ordered the dessert trio. Â Way too much food for just the two of us, but we were pleased to get a sample of their most popular.
We had an excellent experience at Bretton Woods. It was our second retreat. The place was serene. The surroundings were clean and given they have sporting facilities like golfing etc., it's a place to have a retreat and spend quality time.
We enjoyed the food and the servers were very nice.Start your review...
Looking at a selection of Yelp reviews for Matchbox Chinatown, it's interesting to see how mixed the responses are. The first review I read rated it 5 stars, raving about the service and food compared to the next review which spoke of poor service and an empty restaurant. Personally, I found Matchbox Chinatown difficult to rate myself, so I sort of understand why reviews differ so much...
It started off badly. My friend and I were super excited to try Matchbox Chinatown so we booked in advance. It was a horrible and wet night, so we walked into Matchbox dripping wet. According to the girl at the desk, there was no reservation in my name. She looked once and that was it. No apologies or further inquiries, apparently we just didn't have a booking... therefore we could stand awkwardly in the door and wait. My friend and I were disappointed, such bad service is hardly an appealing way to start a night out.
Luckily, things dramatically improved from here. Whilst we were originally told it would be at least 40 minutes wait, we were ushered to a table a lot quicker than that. The service well and truly redeemed itself, with an absolutely lovely waitress. Right from first glance, I loved the diversity of the menu. Even better, the food lived up to expectations and was excellent!
My friend and I had the mini trios to share, which I'd highly recommend as all the dishes were delicious. The crab rolls were surprisingly the standout (yum!) however the bun-less burgers with onion were great too. I found the scallops were perfectly cooked. In regards to the mains, my friend ordered the salmon and vegetables - another dish cooked extremely well. Personally, I couldn't go past trying the pizza. Italian salami and it tasted fantastic.
We couldn't resist ordering desserts. The coffee and doughnuts (beignets) were even better than ones we'd been recommend in New Orleans. The coffee was a Kahlua cream so good that I wished it was an endless supply. I'd eaten way too much already but this dessert was so good, I couldn't stop eating.
All in all, I was very impressed with Matchbox once we got over the initial hiccup with the missing reservation. Our waitress luckily made up for what was unpleasant service to begin with and the food really was excellent. My advice would be confirm that you definitely have a booking and then enjoy what Matchbox Chinatown has to offer!
First of all, the pizza here is fine. The "large" is a smallish thin crust pizza and at $22, it's nice split between 2 adults but meager for any more than that - I thought it was overpriced and pretty greasy (we ordered the meaty pizza but still.). The delicious slider plate was also pricey - $18 for 6 bite sizers. The price would have been fine if it wasn't for the truly awful service.
We waited 40 minutes in a mostly empty restaurant and the waiter mumbled incomprehensibly and was constantly trying to upsell us into more entrees (when we said we were there for pizza) and wouldn't stop describing the specials in minute detail. He rolled his eyes at us, and when we finally cut him off he was very rude and only came by once after that to drop off the check.
Fine food but a lot of attitude for a pizza joint.
What an amazing restaurant!! Great setting in the Chinatown area of DC, with a wonderful decor and an atmosphere full of friendly and fun staff. Skylight dining on the second floor and numerous rooms and nooks to eat in.
Try their Prosciutto, Arugula pizza drizzled with Honey for a sweet delight. Try their Meatball with spicy chipotle sauce as well. Both were really well done and the taste was phenomenal!! I had them split my pizza in half, one side with each of the two styles described above.
This will be a return stop every time I visit DC!!!
I came to this restaurant for a late Saturday night dinner with a group of 6. We were seated immediately. The service was exemplary. Our waitress even split the bill into six, according to what each of us ordered, without even having asked for that. Â The atmosphere of the restaurant is also appealing, lightly dimmed with cozy booths. The roof is partially glass paneled, so the effect is probably different during the day.
Moving on to the food, I shared the large fire and spice pizza and 9 sliders with three people. The servings were large and it was more than enough for the three of us. The sliders came with heaps of onion straws which were quite good. The pizza is not very spicy, contrary to its name, but it was delicious. Loved the sliders as well.The one thing I didn't like was that there was not a broad range of condiments, only ketchup, but our waitress was very accommodating and mixed some honey and mustard to make a sauce for the onion rings. Overall, I enjoyed this dinner and I will definitely go back!
I am a huge fan of Matchbox. I literally crave the fig and prosciutto pizza. It also tastes delicious cold for leftovers. I love the huge booths for a bit a privacy and quiet. It can get very noisy, especially at the height of the dinner rush. Even when the reservations are all booked, you can easily call ahead to put your name on the waitlist. Servers are lovely, and the front desk is nice too.
Also love the bartenders! A friend and I were celebrating belated birthdays and we got the royal treatment. The bartender made us a special grapefruity cocktail which was incredibly yummy. Love this place.
My sister and I went to check this place out. It was her birthday so we wanted to try something new. The restaurant looked well kept. the Décor was lovely and it had a warm, relax feel to it.
I love pizza so I ordered their meat pizza and my sis tried the sea food. She had scampi and crab sandwich.
The service was ok, I have experienced better. I would definitely call in ahead for seating. especially on weekends for obvious reason. But we only waited about 10 mins.
I do feel the servers could be a tad  up beat or at lease act like they love their job.
Our server seemed as though we were taking up her time. I told her it was our first time here. you would think she would sell their main or popular dish...nope she said "ok so you need more time?"
I guess she felt we would take up her precious time to go over the menu?
But the food was ok. I did not like the pizza bad choice it was a bit too greasy. My sister did not like the crab sandwich but her Scampi was good.
Nothing special about this place the food was just ok service could be worked on. People don't like to feel they are being rushed out of a restaurant when they come to relax and chat it up and I had that feeling with that particular waiter
So good.
Love the sliders and onion rings. Delicious! The bun is so buttery and crisp, yum. And I like the flavor of the onion rings, it's sweet but also savory. I like the touch of parmesan cheese.
We ordered 2 small pizzas, fire and smoke, and the spicy meatball. I love both of them! Great flavors and great sauce. I also love the thinness of it, which makes it's so delicious.
I wasn't sure how busy this place would be on Friday evening. So I tried making reservations via opentable but nothing. So I called in and they said I can put my name on the list, and they'll sit me within an hour. So I called around 5:15pm but I arrived earlier than 6:15pm, and there was another a table ready for us! I am not sure how long the wait usually is but call in ahead of time if you plan on coming here!
We left with our tummies satisfied and happy. This location is close to the Smithsonian and the metro stop. It's a great place to get food after visiting all the tourist stops nearby. I love that the area is so busy and there's lot of foot traffic, so you know you're in the right place.
Good Pizza in Chinatown?
When my husband and I Â were visiting Washington, D.C. we were surprised how different Chinatown is in D.C. versus San Francisco. This area is nice. And there are good non-Chinese food joints around. This is not your classic Chinatown, but it was a good experience.
The pizza here was good. Not too busy on a Friday night. Got seated right away. The place looked small walking in but it seems there are three stories to this restaurant.
Ambiance is nice. It has the industrial brick and modern loft feeling. People of all kinds dine here. Birthday parties, families, and buds having a beer. It was very comfortable with the average noise.
Service folks were nice and attentive. Refills came immediately. They also helped with pizza choices.
Food was good! I had the Pesto Chicken Pizza. It was very tasty, but you really can't go wrong with pesto and cheese, come on! My husband had the italian calzone. It was good too.
The pizza dough for each dish is really what made it very good. You could tell it wasn't some average pizza dough recipe. Someone actually added some dimension to the pallet like honey or something more. Maybe it's the water, that is what everyone says when a pizza dough is good.
All in all great find in Chinatown. Glad we visited the place
Came here after seeing the reviews.
It was a very good experience.
The place smells wonderful when you walk in the door. The entire place smells of the wood oven.
When I arrived there was a short 4 minute wait for a table. I was seated on the 2nd floor.
I had the spicy meatball pizza, it was awesome. The meatballs were sure spicy, they weren't kidding. If I was to order it again I would ask for reduced garlic. It had so much garlic on it that I could still taste it for breakfast the next day. LOL.
I looked up their website and found that they have other locations. I am sure I will be visiting another location soon.
Out of towner, visiting with some friends. They brought me to Matchbox and raved about the pizza. So, when in Rome...
I ordered a custom pizza with mushroom and kalmota olive. It was cooked to perfection and I've been day dreaming about it ever since!
Shout out to Miss Mo - She was a great waitress! Her recommendation of the apple crumble dessert  was everything she promised it would be. Delicious :)
Stumbled in here on a Thursday night before going to a comedy show!! Â We came right in and sat at the bar, got in a few football games while we ate! Â This place was very cool! Â The bartenders were very nice and were extremely attentive for it to be such a busy place!! Â
We ordered the Matchbox pizza and were extremely pleased! Â It hit the spot! Â Oddly enough, the large was too big for the both of us and we shared it with a friend who came in later! Â The pizza came out quick, it had a great crust and was very delicious! Â
We totally enjoyed our meal while at the bar watching football games! Â If I am in the area, it will definitely be a contender for a next visit! There are a lot of options in the Penn Quarter area, this is def a good one!
My expectations were high as I enter this restaurant, that was based on the great reviews here on yelp. I was here at around 2pm on a sunday, and the time was deliberate because I don't want to be waiting because I don't have any reservation. The host was very uninviting and uninterested but I could not care less, I came here for the food. The server made up for the host' unwelcoming attitude, she was very pleasant. I ordered Lumpia and Mini burgers, both were great especially the Lumpia, which is very close to authentic Filipino Lumpia. The shredded onions and gouda cheese made the sliders special. My entree was their Matchbox Meat pizza. There was nothing really special with the pizza. The ambiance was great, I was seated on the 3rd floor, but the first floor/mezzanine ambiance is way better. I spent $38 for all three meals.
Pro: Ambiance, Mini Burger, Lumpia
Con: Uninviting host
Will I comback? Definitely
How else can I rate this place besides an A-OK? When my boyfriend and I came in around 1:30 - 2:00 pm this past Saturday, this place wasn't packed like it usually is so why did it take the greeter a minute or two to figure out where to seat us?
Why did the person who showed us to our seats not hand us menus when we sat down? Why did she walk us up two flights of stairs, show us to our table, and then tell us, "I'll be right back with the menus."?
Why did our server speak to us in a hushed voice, awkwardly making eye contact, and delivering a monologue about something when we just wanted to eat? Why did it take probably 5 - 10 minutes for him to check back on us and take our orders? Why didn't he take the credit card as soon as I pulled it out when he came with the check?
Well, all the poor service aside, at least the food was good. Bf and I split a small pizza that was half Fire & Smoke (fire roasted red peppers / spanish onions / chipotle pepper tomato sauce / garlic puree / smoked gouda / fresh basil /(very spicy)) and half Prosciutto & Black Mission Fig (roasted garlic / mozzarella / gorgonzola / black pepper honey) for $14.00 It's about six small slices.
We also shared the beet salad that cost $10.00 and had arugula, goat cheese, candied walnuts, beets, and grilled ciabatta with a delightful balsamic dressing.
The food here is really good, if not small portions and expensive. We decided it was good we only ordered these two items to share because it was enough to get a taste.
The Fire & Smoke isn't really very spicy but our combo was perfect for us to get a little meat and enjoy some veggies. The ciabatta in the salad was awesome, and I really liked that we were able to get a nice small salad and pizza to share.
Luckily, another server came to our server's rescue and took our order and checked in on us. In the end, I didn't really want to give a 15% tip but I did.
Typical "fancy-pants" D.C. restaurant where the decor and the attitude heavily outrank the quality of the food and service. Â It's a good thing that I wasn't in charge of picking the place for our gathering, because it definitely wouldn't have been here.
We had a party of 25 - now, admittedly, that's a lot of people, but they said when we called to reserve that they could handle it, no problem, come on in. Â When we got there, the staff argued with us that we couldn't all sit together - "it costs thousands and thousands of dollars to reserve a room to seat all of you together and you need to pay that beforehand". Â Oh, really? Â Then why didn't you tell us that over the phone instead of wasting our time? Â "Well, I guess we can do it this time." Â Thanks SO much for your condescension. Â As I'd said, if there were time, I'd have hauled ass (and 24 others with me) to a different locale for our party. Â To add insult to injury, this is one of those automatic tipping joints - if you're going to get an automatic 20 percent on top of what your overpriced pizza already costs, you're GOING to seat us together. Â It's as simple as that.
The service was slow and, at times, inattentive. Â I asked for a takeout box when my meal arrived and I got a look like I had three heads. Â "You want one ALREADY?" Â Yes, Dumb Dora, I do - I'm not going to eat the massive portion of food that you brought, I'm taking some home for my husband. Â It's not your job to question my motives - it's your job to bring what I asked you to bring and smile nicely, that's what you earn that automatic twenty-spot for. Â It's also your job to bring it after I ask for it once, maybe twice - not four times.
The food was merely average. Â I had the Matchbox Chicken sandwich - and quite frankly, this stood out about as much as a Burger King entree. Â The only difference between the two was that the portions at Matchbox were, admittedly, quite a bit more generous than BK. Â Otherwise? Â Mediocre at best. Â It wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either, and for a place that charges as much as Matchbox does, it needs to stand out. Â
Admittedly, the pizzas looked good, but I didn't want a lot of food, so that's not what I ordered. Â I should have stuck to my original plan, had one drink, and politely excused myself - but, lesson learned.
The food wasn't bad, but it was just.... meh, and the crappy service pushed it over the edge. Â Sorry, but not a fan, and I won't return.
(The majority of our party pretty much agreed with me after the experience. Â Teaches them to ignore my recommendation! Â Hah.)
I've been here a few times for lunch and it is consistently good, albeit a bit crowded. The pizzas are tasty but a bit overpriced for what you get. The salads are also good and again overpriced for the quantity of food. Â The burgers are also very good.
Great place for drinks and appetisers
The food is good but unless you are getting a special, it's a bit more $$ than it should be.
DC in a day - that was the plan. Â Fly in around 9am - fly out around 9pm. Â Spend those 12 hours eating and drinking around the town. Â Â My friend picked this place to check out - I wasn't all gung ho on it. Â I was thinking it would be like a Bar Louie, or some small chain-type restaurant that you could find everywhere. Â The reviews on Yelp were good, but I still wasn't a believer.
We stopped here for drinks and apps, not wanting to fill up too much at any one place we went. Â They sat us upstairs, bypassing a bunch of the downstairs tables. Â I probably would have rather sat downstairs - it was more open and bright. Â Â The atmosphere over all was nice - tables were very close together. Â It was probably 2ish when we got here, so not real crowded.
We went with 2 of the local beers - can't remember which ones. Â The one my friend got was the hoppiest beer I ever tasted, and I was NOT a fan of that. Â I had a smooth, mellow beer and loved it. Â Our waiter was awesome, and I wish I could remember his name. Â We chatted him up about the town and had him suggest a few places to check out next.
We opted for the tuna tartar and an appetizer trio of crab cakes, scallops, and the bun less burger. Â We argued over which was better - the crab or scallops. Â I'm going with the scallops, but both were really on point and awesome. Â The burger was good, but you can get that anywhere. Â I loved the tuna tartar. Â Â
I'm really happy that we went here and pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the food, service, ambiance. Â I would absolutely come back here and highly recommend to visitors & friends!
Grabbed some dinner here with the family while on vacation in DC. Â We used call ahead seating and got a table within 5 minutes of arriving.
The food was solid. Â I especially enjoyed the fried green tomatoes and the mini burgers. Â The shrimp and watemelon salad was not my cup of tea. Â We ordered a large pizza also. Â The chicken pesto was a little dry, but the prosciutto and fig was delicious.
My only complaints for this particular evening were the shrimp and watermelon salad got lost in the shuffle and we received it at the end of our meal. Â Also, they had a special, I guess that there's a limited supply. Â We intended to order it, but by the time we got around to it, they had run out. Â This is understandable, but it would have been nice to know so we could have "reserved" one. Â Also, the special consisted of many ingredients from the regular menu, so I don't understand why they couldn't throw one together.
Beyond that, we had a great server. Â Prices here are fair and the building is awesome.
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