A very pleasant little restaurant and a great stop after the zoo. I had the brisket sandwich with fries and a cocktail. The drink was great, and the sandwich was divine. It was bar food but elevated above what I normally would expect. The fries were good but not worth the additional price. The beer selection is a bit thin, but the cocktails make up for it. A bit on the pricy side, but I felt the quality was worth it. The atmosphere inside is cozy and fun.

Love walking over to Dukes for a burger and drink! The impossible burger is great too. A cute and charming little burger joint that is one of the best places to eat near the Zoo.

There are limited options at zoo so we stepped out to eat and best decision we made that day. Amazing little place with super nice staff. We couldn’t find a table so we sat at bar and staff made us feel very welcomed. Sockeye bowl was amazing. The forbidden rice was one the best I had. Wife ordered chicken tikka which was good too. Atmosphere was very relaxed and staff took extra effort to make everyone very comfortable.

First time there, will be coming back for that burger :) Our total for 2 people was 60-70$ (2 proper burgers, side of mac and cheese, side of fries, and 2 lemonades) The burger was amazing. I LOVE messy burgers. The Fries were also really good. Wasn’t a fan of the Mac and cheese, (great cheesy top layer, bottom was too watery/greasy.) My only major downside was the staff sat us at a very tiny table, we had a hard time getting our plates to fit on the table comfortably. Wish they would have sat us at the larger tables that were empty. Great hole in the wall spot <3

The food was a mix. We enjoyed the impossible burgers and cheese-steak ("taken with liberty"), the kids barely touched the mac-n-cheese (too oily, tasted weird) and the sockeye bowl was way too salty. We sat outdoors which was nice, because it was very loud indoors. The staff was very nice. The dishes don't come with any sides so overall the meal can get expensive.

This was a nice extension experience from their mainstay Duke's Grocery with comparable food and service. The ambience was a bit lacking, I was seated (too closely) next to a bunch of kegs, and it just didn't have the energy of the regular Duke's during a Friday lunch hour. This time around, I had their famous burger. Though the two patties felt superfluous, I enjoyed the flavors from all the trimmings: melted gouda/pickles/charred red onion/sweet chili/rocket/garlic aioli with the perfectly cooked patties and brioche bun. I opted for the addition of bacon, yum. Awesome that this place is right across the zoo. Will have to stop by next time.

Wonderful little place right across from the Zoo. Good prices on sandwiches and drinks, and the amble seating outside or inside. Would recommend the ribeye sandwich and thick cut fries.

Great food, excellent service, fun atmosphere, happy hour specials all afternoon. We walked in with 2 kids after spending the morning at the zoo. The staff was really great with the kids. Lots of vegetarian options as well.

The proper burger is juicy and tasty. Very unique. And shout out to the wonderful spicey aubergine! After a long day at the zoo, this place is the bomb.

UNBELIEVABLE BURGERS!!! As I write this review hours after eating here, all I can think about is how good the burger was. I'm not sure what sauce they used, but the ingredients went together so well. It was by far one of the best burgers I've eaten in a long time. The staff are all very friendly and it only took them about 5 minutes to have the burgers ready. Would HIGHLY recommend going

This is the best D.C. restaurant I have been to. The food is amazing, and spicy when you want it, and the drinks are delicious. The Mac n cheese there is the best I've ever had. The waiters are super nice and they bring the food very quickly. Honestly one of my top 10 restaurants ever.

Love their burger. The sauce and the fresh patties in the burger were great. I heard the sandwish is delicious, too.

My son got triple mousse chocolate cake. Delicious. I had the proper burger, it wasn't the best I've ever had but it was very tasty. Fries got devoured and they have fresh squeezed orange juice! Elote was yummy too!

Went here because people said it was good. First off, the food was mid. Burger is not the best in DC. Not even top 10. It was a regular, expensive meal for no reason kind of place. Salad is arugula, whaaaat? you will get arugula on everything. Cheers! On to the next spot!

Date night at the zoo. Didn’t want a long trek to grab a bite and this is perfectly located across the street. Seated quickly. The Proper Burger (-pickles and sweet relish), so bloody good. I normally get my burgers medium but they only have medium rare and well. I got well and it was the best burger I’ve ever had. My date had a Reuben and fries but he didn’t seem impressed with either. But that burger!

I make a routine of going here a few times each year when I visit the zoo. It never disappoints. The staff is friendly and accommodates special requests. I cannot stop raving about the "elote locos", which might be the most delicious thing I've ever eaten. Reviewers complaining about prices are ridiculous. It's high quality food creatively designed by private chefs. If you want cheap food, there's fast food down the street.

I nearly wanted to leave one star. Positives = location and friendly staff and nice runny egg. The first red flag was a 6 dollar freshly squeeze orange juice that was not freshly squeezed— a child could detect this. The food came out in about 5-10 minutes and that was the problem. The beans made the bread soggy. Also, banger was just barely cooked enough. Sorry but the food quality is average and the execution was very poor. A helpful tip: toast the bread longer, cook the banger, tomato and mushrooms longer. And no need to lie about the orange juice. It’s a great location so it’ll prob be successful but if you’re truly looking for great food this is not it.

We went to Duke's Counter twice because we live just nearby. The first time we got chicken tenders and fish and chips and weren't so impressed. Service was fine but food/taste was just so ordinary. That's the reason why we didn't go back again until a year later and only because it's one of the few places that were open on July 4th. We ordered fish and chips (it's in kid's menu) and this time I decided to leave this review because it was pretty bad. The fish tasted like those frozen fish you can buy at a supermarket. It was rubbery and awful. Fries are thick and soft. We won't come back here again. Its really too bad because the location is great. Staff is friendly. But food just needs a lot of improvement.

Ordered 2 burgers to go and it was very delicious and comfortably filling. We had leftovers, usually when I get fast food I’m still hungry because there isn’t enough protein. Well— these burgers had it all. The burgers before at zoo bar were decent at 10 bucks.. but these burgers are twice as good so the price is right. Enjoy!

Stopped in for a late lunch in this heat. We were greeted at the door and quickly had a giant bottle of water at the table. Everyone was friendly and ready to take our order. My phone couldn't scan the QR for menu, I was given a paper version. Didn't have time to take pictures of the food since it was all so good! Thanks for the good food and great service!

Great stop after the zoo, had the Blackberry bourbon lemonade, very refreshing and they didn't hold back on the Bourbon. Wings were outstanding, nice level of spice, not breaded or fatty. Perfect level of crisp. Also go the hummus plate, big portion, nice veggie, excellent naan. Beet salmon with goat cheese on bread also good. Large portion sizes even on appetizer dishes. Excellent service, we sat at the bar for lunch. Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating.

I went here after visiting the zoo with my husband, daughter, and mother-in-law. We weren't disappointed, but also not blown away by anything. My husband and I both ordered the supposed "best burger in DC" and it was good, but not especially amazing. I ordered fries with mine and they were also adequate, but not incredible. My daughter had the kids' mac and cheese, which at $13 is just too pricey for a kids' meal. She said it was fine, but it had a metric ton of cheese congealed on top (not browned, just melted), which made it difficult and frustrating for her to eat. My MIL had avocado toast, which she seemed happy with. It was very crowded, even at an off-peak time, and service was a bit slow and inattentive. All in all, this place is fine if you really need to eat by the zoo, but I wouldn't make a special trip. The prices are, as expected, very high because of the convenient location; but, I honestly feel like the $14 burger and fries at the zoo's Elevation Burger are just as good as the $20 burger and fries here.

Went to Duke’s Counter after walking through the Christmas lights and displays at the National zoo on 12/16/23. We ate outside under a heat lamp looking across the street to the zoo. The restaurant employees were so nice and friendly. We both ordered their Proper burger. It was fabulous! Loved the food and the view. Would definitely go back!