Down On Mainstreet

Down on Main Street in downtown Washington North Carolina is a wonderful restaurant with great service, wonderful food, and a terrific atmosphere! We were there for a late lunch and it was a terrific place to go. The staff welcomed us and seated us quickly, and our server gave great recommendations and followed up to our table perfectly when we needed more water or drink fill up or to order. Super comfortable well times in no inconvenient moments at all. I had the shrimp and grits lunch… It was divine. The shrimp was perfectly cooked. The grits were firm, but tender, and the sauce was rich. It felt like exactly the food. I should be eating when visiting North Carolina. Super delicious. My friend Bill had salmon and rice and a house salad. Everything was super fresh and everything tasted great. (according to Bill). I would visit this place again in a heartbeat for the excellent atmosphere and flavors… It’s on my list!

My wife and I stopped into this local gem on our little bar hopping self guided tour of Washington(little Washington). If you like to sit at the bar I highly recommend you stop here before you go to some of the “ritzy” places in the area. Honestly, after our trip to all of the top restaurants of Washington this down to earth home style restaurant was our favorite. You could feel the sense of community at the bar and the banter between locals was fun and made the experience inviting. I had so many laughs in my short time and I’ll recommend this place to anyone.

I visit Down on Mainstreet every time I go to Washington. The food is always excellent. The only reason I gave our server 4 ⭐s was because they had a full house and she seemed to be the only person waiting tables. Nothing to do with her, just that they need another server during the lunch shift. If there is only one server, they are rushed and may not hear everything a customer needs. There were 3 others with me and we all enjoyed our food immensely. I had a Reuben and it was the best one I've had in a very long time. The sweet potato chips/fries were delicious. Beer prices were very reasonable also. Will absolutely recommend & return!

We came in for lunch around 1 pm on a Wednesday and the place was pretty busy! We were promptly seated and placed our order for unsweet tea (which was very good) and a starter of their crab and shrimp dip (pictured) - which was delicious! For our entrees, hubs had the Big Joe's Chicken Philly (Fire grilled peppers and onions, tender chicken pieces in a hoagie and covered with swiss cheese) with a side of their sweet potato fries (which were like waffle fries). I tried their "Nauti Philly" (Shaved ribeye with sautéed onions and mushrooms -without the bell peppers) with their home made potato chips and a pickle. This was one of the best sandwiches that I've had in quite some time. The ribeye was flavorful, tender, and perfectly seasoned, covered with some American cheese in a fresh hoagie roll. Even though we were full, we tried their Peanut Butter Cream Pie, which was delicious and served cold, which was perfect on a hot summer day! Not including tax or tip, (and the 4% fee for using a credit card - very annoying), the bill was about $58.00. Overall, the best food I've had all week in Washington, NC! I would highly recommend and gladly return! 10/10

3 out of 4 in our group had the shrimp and grits which is an offering that this restaurant is famous for! It was a delightful dish with a marriage of wonderful consistencies. Creamy sauce with several shrimp over crispy fried grits was heaven on a plate. 1 of our group chose the grilled salmon with a side of kale and the green beans. The salmon was cooked to perfection with a hint of rosemary. A light and tasty option for those that are calorie conscious. The service was wonderful, and our waitress was very attentive. She came to the table in a timely manner - even though the restaurant seemed to be at peak seating- and kept our drinks full. After we ordered the meal it arrived in a very reasonable amount of time. It’s worth noting that we had a reservation for 7 pm and our table was waiting for us. It was great to be able to walk right in, as some members of our party were handicapped and would find it difficult to stand in a waiting area for an extended time. Overall we were thrilled with the service, the cleanliness of the restaurant, the timeliness/ friendly attitude of the waitstaff and our order. The food was delicious and we felt it a good value for the price. We will definitely be back and enjoy taking guests there for a great “local” meal.

This was by far our best dining experience over the last 3 days while visiting the area. We had to wait 30+ mins for a table, but it was well with the wait. The service was top notch. Our waitress was very attentive. The mango habanero wings were just as great as the ones our local bar does. They were crispy, hot and large. The club sandwich was excellent as well and pretty much to tall to bite. My only suggestions would be to add more bacon to cover both layers since it was pretty much lost in all the turkey, ham and bread. The homemade chips could also be cooked a bit longer since they were mostly soft. Despite all that, this was still a 5 star experience for us.