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Kaliwa, Washington, DC
Award-winning

Kaliwa

3.9
3.9
579 Reviews
$30 and under
Asian
Top Tags:


Award-Winning, Michelin Bib Gourmand 2022 Recipient! Kaliwa presents upscale, South East Asian fare accompanied by vibrant cocktails in classy, waterfront digs. Enjoy interpretations of Thai, Filipino and Korean dishes under a sky of eclectic chandeliers, or dine Al Fresca on the patio overlooking the bustling waterfront.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 18 times today
Experiences are available.

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Asian, Korean, Thai
  • Hours of operation
    Mon, Wed, Thu, Sun 11:30 am–10:00 pm Tue 3:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–11:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (202) 516-4739
  • Website
    https://www.kaliwadc.com/
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Cathal Armstrong
  • Location
    751 Wharf St SW, Washington, DC 20024-3433
  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2022
  • Neighborhood
    Southwest Waterfront
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Delivery, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • Private Chef's Tasting

    $70.00 per person

    Dec 5, 2023 only
    Join Kaliwa and The Tasting Collective for a private event featuring five delicious courses of modern Asian cuisine crafted by Kaliwa's newly appointed Head Chef, Stephon McCrea! Throughout the event, you'll have the unique opportunity to hear firsthand commentary from Chef Stephon while socializing with like-minded foodies. So, mark your calendars and prepare for an evening of playful indulgence where fantastic food meets great company! Spaces are limited, so don't miss your chance to join this private Chef Lead Tasting. Book your ticket now! RSVP today and let the gastronomic adventure begin. See you there!
    Private Chef's Tasting Photo

What 579 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

3.9
3.9 based on recent ratings
  • 3.9Food
  • 3.9Service
  • 4.1Ambience
  • 3.5Value

Noise • Moderate

579 Reviews

  1. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    overall1food1service1ambience3
    The entire menu had absolutely no flavor! Growing up in this area and all the diversity I was expecting more from a “fusion” style menu. The kicker is they didnt have any dessert options available this evening… we were there for a birthday dinner! Sadly no nothing likes candles or cake. No one finished an entree… maybe the best thing was the chicken wings!

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  2. OpenTable Diner

    Charleston

    3 reviews

    vip
    2.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    overall2food3service1ambience3
    The food was not worth the price, and the service was very slow.

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  3. MandiL

    Washington DC

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined 3 days ago

    overall2food2service2ambience2
    As a DC local the biggest problem I have with anything at the Wharf is that it's allowed to be mid because the main customer base is tourists and baby transplants. Especially at the price points bars and restaurants have to charge to afford the astronomical rents. Kaliwa fits that model. The food is just okay. There's better thai in the city at much better price points. The place is fine if you are ordering the tasting menu, but immediately breaks down once you decide not to. Some dishes don't come with sides (rice, veg, or other), and food is sent out as it's made. So guests of your party who order a few first plates, guests who order a special, and guests who order a main will all get their food at different times. Not slightly different times. In our table's case it was a 45-minute differential. And the most egregious part of our dining experience was our table of 6 seated directly in front of the emergency exit upstairs. I'm talking the table legs at the base of the stairway and only half of our table would've been able to make it out. We never expect emergencies to happen, and thankfully they rarely do, but this was the anniversary of the ghost ship warehouse fire and I'm sure 36 people didn't expect to that night to happen 6 years ago either. In short, the food wasn't bad, the drinks weren't bad. We just didn't find them worth the price point or experience. Others may conclude differently.

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  4. SandraC

    Washington DC

    7 reviews

    vip
    1.0

    7 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    overall1food1service4ambience3
    We were excited to try but very sorely disappointed. Our party of six ended up waiting over an hour and a half for one of our dishes (Bulgogi) to arrive. The dish we went there to try was on the menu, but when we asked for it they said it was no longer available. Very limited bar (no Campari, no Amaro, etc). Our server was lovely but without the food and drinks, made for a frustrating and disastrous experience. We won't be returning.

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  5. LisaG

    New York Area

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 25, 2023

    overall2food2service3ambience4
    Food was meh. Service was pleasant and apologetic when one of our meals was given to some other table.

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  6. MelanieC

    Washington DC

    70 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    70 reviews

    Dined on November 24, 2023

    overall5food4service5ambience5
    Great service, beautiful location and ambiance. My kids loved their choices and our faves were the Lumpia, Crab Curry and Bulgogi! We will be back!

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  7. Ghuy

    Atlantic City

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 18, 2023

    overall4food4service4ambience5
    A bit pricey. It is a gourmet Filipino restaurant.

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  8. AngiefromPA

    Baltimore

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 17, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Was a great date night option to try something new.

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  9. DeannO

    Baltimore

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 16, 2023

    overall4food1service5ambience5
    Food was bland tasteless. Very disappointing Way too expensive for the quality of food

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  10. OpenTable Diner

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 13, 2023

    overall2food1service5ambience3
    The bar did not have tonic water! The kitchen did not have pork belly! So we didn’t stay. They have a limited menu anyway so not many options to entice us to stay. However, our server was absolutely fabulous! We hope for a better experience next visit.

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  11. BrittneyO

    Washington DC

    11 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on November 13, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    They were out of the blue crab curry and did sub the crab out for shrimp which was still good. Mango salad was amazing !

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  12. SandyC

    Washington DC

    10 reviews

    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on November 12, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We had a great time, loved the food ,and enjoyed the atmosphere at the restaurant.

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  13. CHFogey

    Washington DC

    11 reviews

    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on November 11, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Kaliwa continues to impress. I think this was our fourth visit. We were first introduced to Kaliwa when they participated in Mess Hall's New Kitchens on the Block way back when, and we got a bottle of their Handbag Hot Sauce in our swag bag. Just excellent--wish I could get more (do you hear me, Kaliwa?). The new crispy avocado tempura appetizer was excellent, though watch out, it's really hot straight out of the fryer! Best to cut into small bites. The bulgogi was also outstanding. This was accompanied with the green curry and sauteed bok choy, also winners.

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  14. JohnH

    Las Vegas

    9 reviews

    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on November 11, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great dinner! Had a larger party (7). Kaliwa was one of the few restaurants in the waterfront/warf area that would accommodate us on a Saturday night. Favorites were the Adobo pork ribs tips and the special. The special was a very tasty beef short rib, served with kimchi fried rice. The lumpiang was a great starter. 3 large rolls that were easily halved and shared by almost all of us. Great Drinks too! We will be back!

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  15. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 11, 2023

    overall1food1service1ambience1
    Greeting was poor, hostess was slouching. Food was not so great with the tuna tasting fishy, waitress took our plate as we were still using it. And the bathrooms were filthy. Waste of our time and money

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  16. Zela

    New Orleans

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on November 11, 2023

    overall3food2service4ambience5
    Service was goood but the food was just okay. Veggie blend definitely was not fresh and the food did not come to the table hot. The Adobo tasted more like BBQ sauce than the traditional vinegar and soy blend. Tender but the only thing adobo about it were a few peppercorns. I was disappointed that I essentially got bbq ribs, not adobo. For the price, it was just not great. No one else at the table was particiularly wowed by their food either. I would not go back or recommend.

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  17. CathyR

    San Francisco

    6 reviews

    4.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on November 11, 2023

    overall4food4service5ambience4
    The menu offers lots of great choices . Creative cocktails. Thefood was all delicious - everyone in our party of 6 had a different entree and each was great. The service was exceptional - our waiter was friendly, knowledgeable and professional.

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  18. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 8, 2023

    overall3food3service2ambience4
    Food was okay and the Kare-Kare was actually good. But it took so long (almost an hour) for it to be served. The server apologized for the kitchen issues though.

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  19. OpenTable Diner

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 7, 2023

    overall2food4service5ambience1
    If you love rodents there is no better place. The outside patio is rife with furry friends, but not the kind that fetch. The food was good, service excellent but they literally need to clean up their act outside.

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  20. Nithiya

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 6, 2023

    overall3food4service2ambience4
    Food is good but service wasnt that great. It wasn't busy day but they were sloppy. Missed few orders and didn't even mention until we asked for.

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  21. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 6, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Loved everything we had at Kaliwa. Food and cocktails! Definitely coming back.

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  22. DinerNB

    San Francisco

    4 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on November 5, 2023

    overall4food4service5ambience5
    Decor was lovely, server was very nice. The only thing that’s not great is that the portions of food were pretty small for the $$

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  23. SBasn

    Washington DC

    3 reviews

    vip
    1.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on November 4, 2023

    overall1food1service1ambience3
    Service was barely checked in and had to constantly be asked to even get a drink. They brought out someone’s entree almost 30 mins after everyone else’s. When they finally bought it out the food was cold and soggy. Most of the entrees were barely seasoned.

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  24. MichaelC

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 4, 2023

    overall4food5service5ambience3
    We decided to eat dinner on the patio even though it was starting to cool down (low 60's to mid 50's by the time we finished) and the patio heaters were not working. The food and service were top notch. Really interesting flavors and just the right portion size.

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  25. OpenTable Diner

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 4, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Awesome food and even better service. Marvin was our server and he went above and beyond to make our time well worth it. The food was very good - upscale version of Filipino comfort food which we really enjoyed. The best however were the Korean Chicken wings! That was phenomenal! Will come back again for sure.

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  26. MichelleC

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 4, 2023

    overall4food4service4ambience5
    Was very excited about our visit and food that we eventually got were really tasty. Our first two choices were not available or would take a long time to prepare according to the waiter. We found this odd as it was 5 pm on a Saturday. They also did not have any of the desserts available so also disappointing. Overall, good but confused why so much were not ready for guests. I feel it deserves another chance hopefully it’ll be a better experience. Beers were a bit pricey.

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  27. RonaldH

    Washington DC

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on November 3, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Service was great. Very nice dining experience - they got us out in plenty of time to see a show at the Anthem.

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  28. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    4 reviews

    1.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on October 30, 2023

    overall1food1service1ambience2
    Dined on a Sunday evening. There were very little customers so we expected good and prompt service from the server. There was no silverware on the table. It took a while to place our order. He hardly checked on us for our needs like water and condiments. Very disappointing..

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  29. AtulA

    London

    6 reviews

    1.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on October 29, 2023

    overall1food2service1ambience2
    A number of dishes were unavailable. We had a birthday in the group and they were out of desserts… all of them! Disappointing experience.

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  30. RussellS

    Washington DC

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 28, 2023

    overall2food5service3ambience3
    The food was good. Unfortunately, we never got most of what we ordered. One of the side dishes, the Korean Sweet Corn, came about 15 minutes after we ordered. It was tasty. About forty five minutes after we ordered, one of our main dishes, the Shrimp Pad Thai, arrived. It was tasty, although not exceptional. After waiting another 10 minutes we decided to leave and called the manager over. They went to the kitchen to check on the progress of the order, came back and apologized and said that we would not be charged for the meal. While that was the right thing to do, we were disappointed.

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  31. OpenTable Diner

    Caribbean

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on October 28, 2023

    overall4food5service3ambience4
    Seemed rushed - food was delivered out of sequence with limited individual attention

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  32. MKFF

    Chicago

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 28, 2023

    overall3food3service3ambience4
    Food was delayed and came at different times for our party of 8….. Kitchen seemed to be overwhelmed.

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  33. BenF

    Washington DC

    20 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    20 reviews

    Dined on October 28, 2023

    overall3food3service2ambience3
    Food was good and server was fine, but food took forever to be delivered and was delivered unevenly (three salads delivered together and an appetizer delivered 5-10 minutes later and mains delivered individually over a twenty minute period). Not sure we will go back.

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  34. Shelleymarie

    Surrey

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on October 26, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Food was wonderful, especially the tuna and crab curry. Outstanding customer service - thank you Marvin!

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  35. StanC

    Miami

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on October 20, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Whole fish (flounder) was delicious. You order one for 2 adults. Bulgogi is “fusion” version? Did not like mayo in our bulgogi. Waitress was attentive and the restaurant was well decorated.

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  36. DivaBellamy

    Washington DC

    9 reviews

    2.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on October 19, 2023

    overall2food2service2ambience3
    From the bad customer service to food items not being available on the menu, equals a BIG not worth it. Do not recommend and will not return.

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  37. OpenTable Diner

    Baltimore

    3 reviews

    2.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on October 18, 2023

    overall2food2service2ambience4
    The service was slow and the food came out all at different times. We spent 30 just waiting for them to give the check. The food was just okay. Not what I expected.

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  38. OpenTable Diner

    Toronto

    2 reviews

    2.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on October 14, 2023

    overall2food5service5ambience4
    Great food but we did the fixed price menu and wouldn’t recommend it. The food comes all at once and is cold before you can eat it. Great staff but seemingly poor management.

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  39. TerryB

    Washington DC

    10 reviews

    4.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on October 7, 2023

    overall4food5service5ambience4
    Cool night on the wharf but we decided to sit outside to hear the DJ in the area. Food was amazing. The Salmon Crudo was so flavorful. My wife and I shared the Bicol Express and the lnasal na Manok. The pork belly was fried just right and the chicken had a light coconut flavor. We loved it and highly recommend.

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  40. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    3 reviews

    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on October 7, 2023

    overall4food3service3ambience4
    Mango salad had more radish pickle than mango. The yellow radish pickles look like mango but they are not obviously mango.

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Safety precautions

  • Cleaning & sanitizing

    • Surfaces sanitized between seatings
    • Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
    • Common areas deep-cleaned daily
    • Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers

  • Physical distancing

    • Distancing maintained in common areas

  • Screening

    • Sick staff prohibited in the workplace

FAQs

Kaliwa offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (202) 516-4739.

Kaliwa is rated 3.9 stars by 579 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 18 times today
Experiences are available.

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Kaliwa

751 Wharf St SW, Washington, DC 20024-3433

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2022
  • Neighborhood
    Southwest Waterfront
  • Hours of operation
    Mon, Wed, Thu, Sun 11:30 am–10:00 pm Tue 3:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–11:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Asian, Korean, Thai
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Cathal Armstrong
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Delivery, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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