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Bistro 1521, Arlington, VA

Bistro 1521

4.3
4.3
72 Reviews
$31 to $50
Filipino
  • Innovative
  • Good for special occasions
  • Romantic
Bistro 1521 is a Filipino Restaurant - Bar based in Washington D.C. that offers a variety of authentic Filipino dishes with a unique fusion style of cooking, which evolves from influences of Spanish, Malay, Chinese and USA. The combination of enriched native ingredients and style of cooking will leave an amazing and unforgettable taste that guarantees to excite the palate.

Bistro 1521’s Filipino style of hospitality is top-notched and it’s our priority that our guest will have an amazing and memorable time with us and it’s our goal to bring you the best experience and to make sure that you’ll come back for more!
Year “1521” is a significant part of history upon the discovery and exploration of the islands of the Philippines.

In-House & Outside Catering
KAMAYAN "Boodle Fight"
Filipino Street Food Friday Night
Live Music (featuring OPM)
Karaoke Night
Check our website for more information

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Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

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Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Filipino
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu 11:00 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:00 am–11:00 pm Sun 11:00 am–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (703) 741-0917
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Catering
    We can also accommodate massive parties<br /><br />by closing down the restaurant.<br /><br /><br />Comfortably Seated at the Dining Area<br /><br />Minimum Guests Seated: 80<br /><br />Maximum Guests Seated: 130<br /><br />Maximum Guests Seated/Standing (Main Bar Included): 200<br /><br />​
  • Private party facilities
    We can set your event from a chic lounge for a pre-fix dinner or a buffet-style dining to a formal conference table for an engaging lecture or meeting to larger corporate happy hours or group parties.happy hour from 3 pm - 7 pm onlyBistro 1521’s Private Room is packaged with a private bar and a designated bartender/server for your guests.Perfect for corporate meetings, and training seminars by dayand ideally suited for evening cocktail hours, wedding rehearsaldinners, birthdays and anniversaries or any group event,comfortably accommodating 25 - 35 guests.

What 72 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

4.3
4.3 based on all time ratings
  • 4.2Food
  • 4.3Service
  • 4.1Ambience
  • 4Value

NoiseModerate

72 Reviews
  1. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on 15 February 2020

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    First time review! Too bad it has to be for such a poor experience. Started badly with a delayed seating of about 20 minutes. Valentine's day menu (my bad for choosing to go out on a busy day/night...but it was a Friday and had hoped for a nice meal out). Limited "tapas" style menu with one free drink for a fixed price. Fine, though not ideal. We were not instructed we could order off the regular "limited" menu before placing our tapas order. Tapas being smaller, pre-prepared items (lumpia, skewers, soup, sliced beef in sauce) should have allowed for rapid service but didn't. We placed an order for 3 items apiece and then proceeded to wait patiently for 20 minutes. No bread, hors d'oeuvre, or other pre-meal items. Midway through our wait our waitress asked if we wanted to place our order...despite the fact that we hadn't received our first. Bizarre. Waitress did not return until another 20 minutes after we had received our first round of tapas. Placed an order and then proceeded to wait another 15 minutes. By this time, not only frustrated but also hungry we asked for the check so we could move on. Paid for bill but did not leave a tip. Regret that as I know it was likely not the waitresses fault. I do hope that the restaurant will take care of her with the sizeable bill that represented our poor eating experience. Frustration during the meal was worsened by a couple of things: unavailability of a beer that was on their featured list for the special evening event. Again, bizarre. And food on the "featured" menu was bland, especially compared to the bountiful and fragrant platter ordered by the adjoining table. Won't be returning but I do hope that the owners of the restaurant think to invest more time in providing its patrons with a better experience.

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  2. JonB

    Chicago

    13 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on 9 February 2020

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food here was incredible. I am so mad at myself for not noticing this place sooner. We will absolutely become regulars here.

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  3. Ellen

    Washington DC

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on 27 January 2020

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    It would be great if your servers are Filipino so they can explain well to your customers more about the food from the menu. Other than that all is good.

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  4. gastronomique

    Washington DC

    8 reviews

    vip
    1.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on 25 January 2020

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    We never ate / drank bc we had to wait so long to be seated/ served.... they’re definitely under staffed

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  5. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    10 reviews

    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on 9 January 2020

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    The Chicken Adobo was absolutely delicious. Space is bright and welcoming. Definitely adding to my lunch rotation for sit-down meals (though I know they do take out as well)

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  6. BeverlyP

    Washington DC

    86 reviews

    4.0

    86 reviews

    Dined on 9 January 2020

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    My four member book club met here for dinner to discuss the book...the book took place in the Philippines. Chicken noodle dish was delicious and about $12. Also tried the deep fried lumpia which were thin snd the chicken filling really hot...and tasty. My friends also got wine. Our booth could have seated six Restaurant was full on a Tuesday night but not too noisy for us to discuss our book. Only downside is underground parking about a block away was $11 for 1-2 hrs and there is no metered parking right in front or across the street from the restaurant. Service was friendly and knowledgeable.

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  7. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    8 reviews

    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on 29 December 2019

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great Filipino food which reminded us all of my father who was a great Filipino cook. Service was perfect. Will definitely return!

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  8. OpenTable Diner

    New York City

    3 reviews

    1.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 21 December 2019

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Food is precooked and reheated. Chicken was dry and hard, sisig was chewy. Fresh lumpia was really rancid, even the manager acknowledged this. No apology. The waiter laughed at me when I complained about the food as if he heard it all before.

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  9. catc

    Washington DC

    7 reviews

    3.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on 14 December 2019

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 2
    We had not been here before but decided to go based on the recommendation of a friend. Our waiter was very good, the food was so-so and the noise level was exceptionally loud due to a live band. We could not hear each other at all once the band began to warm up and then to play.

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  10. JackieB

    Washington DC

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 30 November 2019

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Absolutely delicious food, average service. Also affordable.

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FAQs

Bistro 1521 offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (703) 741-0917.

Bistro 1521 is rated 4.3 stars by 72 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

Is this your restaurant?
Claim this listing

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Bistro 1521

900 N Glebe Rd Arlington Virginia, 22203, Arlington, VA 22203

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Corner of 9th Street &amp; North Glebe Road
  • Area
    Arlington
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu 11:00 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:00 am–11:00 pm Sun 11:00 am–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Filipino
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Garage Parking Lot - We do not validate parking ticket.
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Gluten-free Options, Patio/Outdoor Dining
  • Phone number
    (703) 741-0917
  • Catering
    We can also accommodate massive parties<br /><br />by closing down the restaurant.<br /><br /><br />Comfortably Seated at the Dining Area<br /><br />Minimum Guests Seated: 80<br /><br />Maximum Guests Seated: 130<br /><br />Maximum Guests Seated/Standing (Main Bar Included): 200<br /><br />​
  • Private party facilities
    We can set your event from a chic lounge for a pre-fix dinner or a buffet-style dining to a formal conference table for an engaging lecture or meeting to larger corporate happy hours or group parties.happy hour from 3 pm - 7 pm onlyBistro 1521’s Private Room is packaged with a private bar and a designated bartender/server for your guests.Perfect for corporate meetings, and training seminars by dayand ideally suited for evening cocktail hours, wedding rehearsaldinners, birthdays and anniversaries or any group event,comfortably accommodating 25 - 35 guests.
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