Avoid Food at the Woodley Park National Zoo In DC

(Picture of the $4.50 Grilled Chicken burger served at the Panda Grill.)

The visit to the National Zoo at Woodley Park in Washington DC was awesome. See pictures here http://www.flickr.com/photos/drbeachvacation/sets/72157605253774678/ .

Some tips if you are going with kids.

Go in the morning: It seems like most of the demos are in the morning around 11.3o. The zoo opens at 6 a.m so a early start will help you avoid the crowds

Take a stroller : Its a long walk from the Woodley Park Metro and also within the Zoo you have a long walk so if you have small kids a stroller is a must. Most places are stroller friendly.

Update : From PattyHankins Cleveland Park Metro is same distance to the zoo as Woodley Park Metro. Walk is flat - not uphilll

RestRoom Lines : The rest room lines at the visitor center are large but at the Panda place there are smaller lines.

Bird House : This is a great place for the kids an they can see the birds in the cages and in the indoor and outdoor bird houses.

Food : Take your own food or eat at the good restaurants outside the zoo. After the long and slow moving line the picture of the Chicken burger is what we got and it was not eatable unless you liked bland tasting chicken between a bun.

Granted Zoos have a duty to serve the animals and are not supposed to be experts at catering but this is a prestigious zoo in the capital city and should have the formula right.

I used the contact page at the ZOO web site to send a link to this picture. I was happy to get a prompt response from Amy:

I would like to apologize for your experience at Panda Grille on May 25,2008. We are in the process of changing to a higher quality chicken filet and will begin offering it in the next week or two.
During the spring, we hire many new cashiers and each learns at a different pace. We are working with all of our new cashiers to ensure they provide efficient, courteous service.
I hope you will have the opportunity to visit the zoo again soon and that your experience at our facilities more enjoyable.

I wrote back and asked the question "Is it typical that the burger does not have any vegetables like tomatoes, lettuce etc? "

The reply from Amy:

At Panda Grille, we do not serve vegetables on the sandwiches because we do not have the prep/kitchen space at this time. We have a fixings bar with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles at the Mane Restaurant.

I am not sure if I can comprehend this but one thing I am sure of is that ou are better off going out or bringing your own food. Of course the table next to us seemed to enjoy the chicken tenders.