Front Porch

Atmosphere: 5 stars — The atmosphere doesn’t get much better than front porch on a sunny afternoon, especially for parents. The kids can hang out and color while the adults get twisted on bourbon slushies.
Food: 2 stars — We ordered the hummus, fries, hush puppies, pork croquette. All were pretty terrible except fries. For the price, it was not what I expected. I don’t even know what else to say about the food. The bourbon slushy was really good and they have a great selection of beers.
Service: 4 stars — It’s a casual place so I had no expectations to be coddled and checked on every few seconds so it was on point.
Overall: 3 stars. For the price, it’s really underwhelming. The food was just so not what I would expect from a restaurant in this area at this price point. It might be worth going for parents looking for a good balance for a kid friendly place that serve cold drinks.

We just sat and waited and watched to parties of comparable size get seated before us after having checked in twice… once after the first estimated time and once after the first group that sat before is was seated. UNACCEPTABLE! Feel free to contact me if you would like to make this right… oh by the way… we were with someone pregnant too!

Invited some friends in for the pork roast… totally looking forward to it… until it came time. Arrive early and expected to wait. Our party was the first on the wait list. When we were finally seated 90 minutes later, we didn’t get the chance to sit down before the waiter was trying to take our food orders. He actually stated he didn’t care about the drinks. When I stated I wanted to order drinks first and then the food, he instructed the rest of the waitstaff NOT to serve us. Why? Because they were now trying to just rush people through in an attempt to save their botched plan. You can’t let the first wave of people sit around and socialize for 90 minutes and the rush the second… poor business practice and planning. It’s also a bad idea to treat customers in that manner!

Looking for awesome food, great drinks and exceptionally friendly service??? Go elsewhere.

Wonderful outdoor space, so-​so service and food. We ordered the croquettes and hummus and decided against ordering our mains there. While an interesting concept, balls of spaghetti squash are not croquettes, however, the pork croquettes were quite good.

One star for the ambiance and that’s it. I waited for tater tots for 45 minutes (probably an hour). First they came out with barely any cheese then I sent them back and they came back with the cheese unmelted. Sent it back again, and had to wait a very long time– all for tater tots. This all happened on a pleasant fall night because there were only two waiters handling a lot of tables. Meanwhile the owner was at Evening Star on our way out (which he also owns) which wasn’t even crowded. POOR MANAGEMENT FOR BOTH EVENING STAR AND FRONT PORCH. We thought we’d give the associated restaurants a second chance but we are disappointed. This is the type of management that opens up more than one place that are all 1 – 2 stars, and may have done very well before with only one restaurant open.

It’s really simple people. Good weather. Good drinks.
Sure throw in good food and friendly staff, and you just get 5 stars!
Absolutely a place to bring loud friends, outdoorsy dates, or your journal/​book. The Front Porch has their draft beers listed on the board, a full bar in the back, and a small menu of simple to complex appetizers to keep you sitting on the front porch. Now remember, on a bad weather day, don’t choose this trendy spot, because, guess what… there’s no indoor sitting!
Thankfully they are owned by the same restaurant and bar located 2 doors down so you can always enjoy the owner’s accomplishments in food and drinks in those two spots as well.
Nevertheless, cheers for the great weather in the mid-​atlantic and the quaint neighborhood of Del Rey.

I’m sorry, but I just can’t get over the fact that I had to pay $ 3.50 for a children’s apple juice (x 2 = $ 7.00). And since it’s not listed on the menu, and seeing the waiter carrying a huge jug of Mott’s Apple Juice, I ordered it for them. That, and with the over abundance of flies, and a burger with a very soggy bun I again left this place unimpressed.
Again, sorry, but paying over $ 10 for a children’s menu item + juice just really rubs me the wrong way.

Came here for a drink the other day and I have to say that I fell in love. This place has the cutest setup with family style picnic tables on gravel, placed right along Mount Vernon Ave (which is ripe with people watching potential). The have a great rotating beer selection and, as expected since they are adjacent to a wine shop owned by the same people, a great wine selection as well.
The wait staff was VERY friendly and quickly got my friends and me our drinks. Not much else to say here except that if you are looking for a place in one of the cutest suburbs of DC to enjoy a drink on a sunny, warm day, look no further than Front Porch!

Looks nice but couldn’t get a seat or a server. There were no fewer than 30 people in the small outdoor space and one of the two servers was out chatting with her family on the street for a while. So I left.

Best Bourbon Milkshakes! Very relaxed area to hang out in the evenings.
Pros: Dog friendly! Food is pretty good
Cons: you need to get here early since there is limited seating and it goes fast! Noisy children are allowed to come in. While their parents drink away their troubles the kids are off throwing rocks and screaming and crying. Please just go elsewhere.

Though it states it is a dog friendly patio, dogs must be kept on the other side of a fence. Soooo in reality you can NOT come here with your dogs. Alexandria city rules, but some places make more effort than they have here to be accommodating. We will come back sans pups in the future.

Cutest outdoor venue. Love the relaxed atmosphere, great beer selection and simple delicious food. My boyfriend and I shared the mussels and fried chicken sandwich which came in the perfect portions to share between us. They have a great beer menu including a cask beer and my favorite local brew — Optimal Wit by Port City. Their crushes were very popular amongst guests as well.
Perfect place to bond with friends and make new ones. Between the young families and puppies in the neighborhood, this place is cuteness overload x100.
Will definitely be returning again. And again… and again.

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To quote another Unilocaler, «Front Porch is an extension of Evening Star café next door. It’s a very simple concept. They have metal frame chairs, patio furniture and long wooden picnic tables, coupled with a… cocktail, wine, and a very robust beer list. They serve only appetizer type foods…»
Now not quoting – This is a cool little place that Unilocalers can come and relax after a long hard day in the office or kick it on the weekends. This is an entirely outdoor location associated with Evening Star Café (part of NRG: ChurchKey, Rustico, etc.) As the other Unilocaler described, this little place serves only appetizers so don’t come here looking for a full meal.
Ambiance: 5 Stars, can’t get any better than kicking it with a quality craft beer and sitting in the late afternoon sun.
Beer: Just like all NRG locations, this place has a quality craft beer list.
Food: Appetizers only and buyer beware – some of these are amazing (right taste & portion is the correct size) but others are way too large and lacking flavor. The price on all of these currently is less than $ 10 so that is good…
Brand Name: NRG has lived up to their reputation by adding this place onto Evening star.
The Good: Ambiance — there isn’t a better place in Del Ray to kick it and have a relaxing drink alone or with some friends. There are no TVs here so face to face communication is key.
The Bad: The food is hit or miss for the time being. I am sure they will figure it out but as for now, I wouldn’t depend on this even if you are a little hungry – just go inside and pick something up.
The UGLY: Even though they have a great beer & wine list, Planet Wine (also owned by NRG) is right next door (between Front Porch & Evening Star). Any Unilocaler can grab a bottle of wine and bring it on over to Front Porch but not the same with the wide selection of craft brews – There are some weird legal reasons why wine is acceptable but beer is not. I wish I could just have the beer list from inside Planet Wine (but not NRGs fault).
Over all – 3 stars mainly because of the hit or miss food.

Winter respite very clean and correct level of background music, not crowded.
Coffee is fresh and of course food is responsibly prepared.

I miss this place after the summer/​fall. First come, first serve with seating… which can make it a hit-​or-​miss, depending on the wait. Otherwise, I love this place for happy hour or just to catch a drink with friends. One of their specials this past warm (er) season was a bourbon slush — to die for. So damn delicious. Also a big fan of the zapis (open faced pizza/​sandwich things) they had as well — tried the duck and Greek ones which were yummy. Love their mac-​n-​cheese side. Sometimes I just order that! And their crab fritters were a must.

Had a nice time with friends hanging out here on a late summer evening. The wait staff was pleasant, and attentive, making sure our water glasses were full. We ordered a few beers, and there list is definitely better than the average place. It felt comfy, relaxed, and the food was enjoyable. We got the brisket sandwich. If you are in Del Ray, check this place out.

Great place in Del Ray to casually hang out, enjoy the weather, some simple food from Evening Star kitchen with friends. Great little nook that is truly like visiting someone’s front porch. Relaxed ambiance, great place to unwind.

Man, it’s about time Front Porch got it’s own listing. It’s an extension of Evening star, but is so philosophically unique it really should be discussed individually.
FP is an outdoor, no frills homegrown organic hangout where folks can gather at picnic style tables and adirondack chairs. it’s great for socializing and meeting locals. who LOVE this spot. The food is all locally sourced, frequently from the property itself, and they offer interesting bar foods like tacos, mini pizzas on flat bread with clever names, and jambalaya.
The best part of the front porch is the drinks. The Majestic lounge has 15 – 20 great craft beer taps and a slew of old fashioned cocktails which are all available outside, but they ALSO feature (only at the porch) bourbon slushies and other frozen drinks. That’s right, you heard me; bourbon slushies. They’ve been featured in Thrillist and other know-​it-​all local publications, and they are a special treat on warm summer nights. Very unique, and wholly delicious.
I’ll always have a soft spot for front porch, because there just isn’t anything quite like it. Very similar to a friends beautiful outdoor deck space, but with great finger foods and tremendous drinks.

Front Porch is an extension of Evening Star café next door. It’s a very simple concept. They have metal frame chairs, patio furniture and long wooden picnic tables, coupled with an interesting cocktail list, wine list and a very robust beer list. They serve only appetizer type foods, though if you tried you could make a meal out of it.
While I didn’t sample any of the food, a friend and I stopped here for a couple beers and it was very nice (weather permitting as it’s entirely outside).
If I had any complaint it may be that the décor is perhaps TOO simple. I don’t necessarily want to sit on cheap metal furniture for too long, or a bench without a back on it, before I’m anxious to move on. Maybe that’s the point. This isn’t a destination place, it’s somewhere you go for a before or after dinner drink to kill an hour or two, maybe when there’s an hour wait to be seated or your reservation isn’t for a while yet. It was also a little obnoxious that there were strollers and children running around here. It’s a bar. Just because it’s outside doesn’t mean you should be making it a park with screaming children. That is the kind of thing that would keep 21 – 35 year olds away for sure.
Stop by, have a beer, enjoy the fresh air. That’s all this is, and accomplishes these goals pretty successfully.