Bar Louie
320 23rd St S, Arlington, VA, 22202
Bar Louie Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Arlington for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Arlington for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Arlington for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
320 23rd St S
Arlington, VA, 22202 - Phone (571) 302-7420
- Website https://www.barlouieamerica.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 2:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner, Late Night
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Good For Dancing : No
Alcohol : Full Bar
Happy Hour : Yes
Best Nights : Tue, Fri, Sat
Coat Check : No
Smoking : Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Bea K.
there was not much going for this place. the food was lousy (but fast). inedible bad. the service was poor (not nice and welcoming at all - instead attitude plus all the servers were talking to their friends and ignoring other customers). the drinks were expensive - folks, you're in crystal city, virginia. not DC. not NY. not LA. $10 for a glass of mediocre house wine is insane for some crappy bar in the suburbs. the ambiance was dreadful - we saw several people walk in and literally turn around and walk out because it was so dull and stale. and so dark. it's a shame because I've been to other locations of this chain and I've always liked them. I will never return to this one. not one reason an app, a beer, and 2 glasses of wine should have cost $50. $50!
(1)Maya J.
Today the hostess gave us fair warning when we got to Bar Louie. She stated that she was tired and all of the servers have had a long day and are ready to go home. We arrived at 10:30 pm on Friday night. Who am I to expect service after 9:00 pm on a Friday? We waited about 15 minutes then decided to order food and drinks from the bar since the server never came to the table. Instead of taking our order the bartender stated,"I will send a server over." So helpful! As a manager I would schedule more servers with energy and desire to assist customers on a Friday night when there are NBA playoffs, hockey and a 5k race in Arlington. If nothing else, I was warned so I guess customer service was an over expectation.
(1)Dan C.
Walked in for lunch today, guy at the door tells us we can sit wherever we want. We sit down, look through the menu, pick our drinks, and wait for a server to come by.. and wait... and wait.... A runner comes by with a bunch of food, looks confused when we said "umm we haven't ordered yet" so he apologizes and my friend says, "it's ok, but if you could find our actual server that would be great". A couple more minutes pass and my friends wanted to leave but I seriously had a yearning for some tater tots. So we gave the server a litte more time and continued to wait.. and wait... Got up and left. Seriously, whoever is running this place needs to get a handle on this hot mess ASAP. The location isn't phenomenal and combine that with the oblivious service and I don't see this place lasting too long, despite its success at other locations.
(1)Ericka C.
Traditional American fare. I tried the Watermelon Margaritas and they were delicious. My friend had the strawberry margarita and was equally pleased. A little pricey but a good spot overall.
(3)Gary E.
A good bar atmosphere, upscale but comfortable. Excellent and diverse menu, heavy on comfort food. They know how to make classic cocktails. Great service! Wish I lived closer, it would be my second home.
(4)Buzz L.
A co-worker and I went there for lunch. We read some of the negative reviews on Yelp but decided to see for ourselves. We walked in and stood there for awhile to be seated. No one was in sight. No host, no waiter, not even a bar-tender could be seen. Finally a waiter zipped by us and said to just sit anywhere. We flagged down a waitress for our table. She was pleasant enough but drinks took awhile to get to the table. Food was decent. Had to flag her down again to get the check. Was dang cold in there too. I'd give it 2.5 stars ;)
(2)Rachelle N.
Ask for Victoria! Hands down so sweet and so kind! The staff was so on point and the best service at any bar Louie I've been too! She deserves a raise, she connected with us on a personal level and delivered every time, on time. No lie best time in Arlington ever and will only go back to her and her team! That was service!
(5)Charles E.
There are a few times in life when a meal is so expertly crafted and planned that it is nothing short of genius. Last night, I had one of those meals - The Voodoo Chicken.
(5)AJ G.
How can you get a chip trio wrong? Salsa, guacamole and cheese. The cheese had a plastic layer on top when it got to us and the guacamole tasted like it came out of a seasoning packet. The salsa was not salsa - more like cold tomato soup. What a let down... Also tried the artichoke dip and probably the worst we've ever had. Both were not edible and were just a waste of money. Beer specials during happy hour are the only thing worth it but how do you screw up beer?
(1)Aaron K.
Terrible food, 1 friendly bartender. Received a cold burger the first time. so next, time tried chicken fingers because those are pretty hard to screw up... but, they found a way.
(2)Keith O.
Went on Tuesday when they had $5 burgers. Can't beat that price for the burgers you get. A bit busy so getting our food took a little longer. About 20 min. But server did check on us a few times. Certainly recommended. Will go back to try the other burgers.
(3)Some M.
Awful service. Looking around, no one seems to like being there--staff or customers.
(1)Leah K.
I hate to say this because each time I've been here the staff has been incredibly friendly but being friendly isn't all that is needed when you work at a restaurant. As friendly as the staff may be, the service is terrible and by that I mean dreadfully slow. It takes forever just to get drinks, and I'm not talking about drinks that have to be made at the bar, I'm talking about basic fountain drinks and water. The food is mediocre with the exception of the cheese quesadilla (yummmmm). This place really needs to step it up with the service.
(2)Lauren B.
I ordered the Backyard BBQ burger with fries, but the bartender put the order in wrong, despite me correcting her as she was entering it in the computer when she asked me again what I ordered. Out came a burger with mushrooms and tots (not even part of my order was right!). Thinking I got someone else's order because clearly nothing on the plate was what I ordered, I immediately told our bartender. She apologized and asked me again what I had originally ordered and realized she had put it in wrong but would take care of it. You'd think when your order is brought out wrong they'd quickly try to get you the correct meal. Not so at Bar Louie, instead as more than a half an hour goes by and lots of other people have their food brought out to them, my burger still doesn't come out. When we finally got the bartender's attention, she said that she didn't even put my order for my correct burger in yet? What?! At this point we've been here for almost an hour between the time I placed my original order and still don't have any food in front of me. The manager came over and took the burger off the bill, which was a nice gesture, but I would have rather have paid the $5 for my burger (thanks to the happy hour prices) and had my burger come out sooner rather than so long after I originally placed my order for food! I understand things come out of the kitchen wrong, but for the bartender to then not put in the correct order or even come back in the more than half hour interim to see that I still didn't have a burger was ridiculous, especially considering the bar wasn't even that busy as we had come toward the end of happy hour. The burger wasn't bad, but at that point I was so hungry my judgment was probably clouded and I would have eaten anything. I did enjoy the happy hour priced martini I got. It was the Strawberry Peach Bellini that had SKYY Wild Strawberry, Prosecco, white peach purée, pure, cane syrup, fresh raspberries. It was quite delicious, but I'm just not sure if I'm ready to brave the poor service of Bar Louie quite this soon to go back for the drinks. Although there were quite a few other drinks that looked good on the menu that I would have liked to have tried. If I do, I'll have to remember to eat before going to Bar Louie so that I'm not left starving when they actually remember to bring my correct order out.
(1)Bob B.
Well, another one bites the dust. I've been back a couple times since my first review and the place has been in decline. Tonight was the last straw. Took a friend from out of town there and the service was miserable. From the manager on down to the server and bartender, no sense of urgency and an obvious lack of customer service. I will not be back and I will stop recommending this restaurant to anyone. Place wasn't terribly busy so no reason for it except lousy management. When will restaurants learn?
(1)Gerren P.
My wife and I stumbled in here for a quick bite after I picked her up from the airport. We didn't know this place had even opened but decided to give it a try. It was a Sunday evening and it was not busy at all. The place looks great, service was awesome, and the food was served hot and tasted pretty good for bar menu food. We ordered wings, nachos, and cheeseburger sliders. We would go back for drinks and apps maybe to watch a game or something. I only worry it may be really crowded on busier days, but we will find out.
(4)Jen T.
Really? I had high hopes for this bar/chain restaurant as something new in Crystal City. On MLK day, my BF and I decided to try them out for lunch since this place opened in December. We walked in a little after 12 to no one greeting us. Only a few bartenders behind the bar yakking with what seems to be their buddies at the bar. Then I asked them if we get to choose a seat and the bartender waved us off and said "yeah yeah anywhere." Okay that started out well. We ordered the pretzel appetizer. He ordered the fish and chips. I had the tortilla soup and chopped salad with chicken. The pretzels came in 4 sticks but our server said that the kitchen has to make the queso cheese dip... Why was that unknown before the pretzels were delivered to the table without it? I had one with the honey mustard which was good but not as good as McCormick's. Trust me, I'm a pretzel snob! The soup was super salty with hard to chew chicken. I hoped that my chicken on my salad was better. No luck! My salad had lots of iceberg lettuce and tomatoes and yup, tough chicken bits. I asked for a to go box for my pretzels and my server apologized that he had small containers but could give me two. Oh well at least he tried. There seems to be no management around which creates a very lackadaisical staff. I hope they focus on improvement of food quality and customer service for a revisit.
(1)John M.
We have had two company happy hours there and I have been with friends approx. 3 times. If you are not sitting at the bar you will be waiting long for everything. The bartenders are prompt and vibe there is good but the service at the tables is awful.
(2)Chan T.
Worst service I have ever received. The two female bar tenders working today were extremely rude and unhelpful. Will not be returning.
(1)Binh B.
This place will take n steal your money! remember to check your bank statement and keep your receipt if you plan to eat here.
(1)Scot M.
Service is SLOW! Bartenders need training. We sat down and waited 5 min at a less then half full bar. We watched the bartenders wander around behind the bar. Do not order a Guinness!! They have no clue how to pour one. Wine selection is very limited. Is this a company standard for this chain?
(2)Amy B.
This is my first time on yelp writing a review so you can say I literally just opened a yelp account to share how terrible my experience was. Not that I haven't had horrible experiences ever in my life before, it is that this one was just exceptionally bad I felt like I had to warn people ever spending their hard earned money at Bar Louie. I went there last night with my boyfriend to get something to eat before a movie. We live in crystal city so this place was on our way to the movie theater since we had decided to take a stroll to the movie theather on a beautiful saturday evening. On a saturday evening, the place was empty. There were 2 or 3 tables outside and some people at the bar. We sat ourselves since there was no hostess by the main door. Not greeted by anyone, we sat there for about 20 mins having plenty of time to decide what we wanted to order off of the menu. Finally our waitress came with apologetic tone of voice, greeted us and took our order since we were ready and hungry. My bf got ham, turkey and brie sandwich with loaded fries on the side and I "ordered" pear salad with bleu cheese. I wanted to make it obvious that I had ordered the salad but I never "got" it because it never came out of the kitchen. When 2 people order food at the same time, how could you bring one soggy sandwich and leave the other one. My bf had the intention of not eating his "meh-looking" sandwich, but after 15 mins or so I insisted that he started eating because, of course, his damn food was getting cold. He took a bite or two, but the texture of the turkey was bland, dry and rubbery and mustard was not evenly spread that one of his bite was filled with mustard, ughhhhh, so he gave up. Not to mention that there was so mucn salt in the sandwich that he went from being normal to having high blood pressure. Oh did I mention he got regular fries instead of the loaded fries we ordered. Just thinking of the whole experience makes me furious and want to scream. How is it possible to take forever on a simple salad which I thought was the easiest thing to make from the menu. Finally, after about 45 mins we cancelled the salad. We would have missed the movie if we waited that few field greens with sliced pears. Server was somewhat friendly but we really did not care at that point. There was at least 3 people working in the kitchen with less than 15 people, most of them either drinking or already got their food. This place is a disaster, I would not be surprised if they go out of busness soon. BEWARE OF THIS HORRIBLE RESTAURANT/BAR WITH BAD SERVICE PEOPLE.
(1)Tim B.
I feel compelled to write a review because there are just too many negative reviews. It's your stereotypical chain bar, which means that the food and drinks are both relatively decent. It's actually a great addition to Crystal City because there are too many other places that are way too pretentious for the quality of food they serve. I like the environment and attitude of the wait staff here.
(4)Miguel R.
Worst service ever. I waited for over half an hour before anyone took our order. They said they were sorry. Yes they are.
(1)Ron J.
I came here for lunch with co-workers recently. When we entered, my co-workers were pretty amazed by the decor and said that they would like to come to a place like this pretty often. The tables and chairs were nice and comfortable, and there were flat screen TVs with games on. Then reality set in . . . Our server came by pretty quickly and she was friendly. She took drink orders. For some reason she took quite a long time to get them to us because the peach iced tea has to come from the bar (which was only a few feet away from us). She then took our orders, which was OK, but for some reason she didn't ask all of us who ordered burgers how we wanted them cooked, so she had to come back and ask again. It took over 45 minutes for us to get our entrees, and the restaurant was not even half full! Ummm, guys, sometimes people have to get back to work, know what I mean? The food was actually quite decent, and our orders were done right. The manager was apologetic about the delays in the food service and gave us coupons for free appetizers. I'm not sure if there will be a "next time" for me, so I gave my coupon to a friend. Maybe the place will get its act together in a few months. To be fair, there was snow that day, and a lot of people didn't show up to work, so maybe the kitchen was short-handed. However, it looked like there were a sufficient number of employees on duty from our angle.
(2)James B.
The food that comes out of the kitchen looks and smells amazing! They have a great tap selection and the bartenders are very attentive. Blair really makes it a fun atmosphere.
(4)Kevan H.
I went just after it had opened, and it was packed. Bar Louie has a great reputation as a franchise, so we were not surprised it was hard to find a seat. It seems like they are still trying to get their service staff together, because we witnessed our waitress walk out and never come back. The hostess took over as our waitress for the moment and got us another round. - The drinks were great - the atmosphere was fun. - If you're looking for a quiet bar this is not the place. I will be happy to go back in a month or so when they have their staffing issues figured out. At which point I would see this as being a 4-5 star review.
(3)Debra C.
Fantastic bar staff, exquisite food, amazing beer selection! Come for happy hour, stay for the great service!
(5)Cat W.
Service is always slow and they run out of food and alcohol all the time. They'll only stay in business because of the location, but I don't see them sticking around for very long unless they change their ways.
(1)Michelle P.
The service we received here was pretty bad. Inattentive bartenders, and they were out of all the ingredients for the first 2 drinks I ordered, on a Friday night!! There are lots of restaurants around here, next time we will probably just go someplace else.
(1)Patricia G.
Too Bad that the Service is ABSOLUTELY Horrible because the food is actually pretty good. That is once it gets there.... EXCRUITIATINGLY LONG wait time... we were a party of five but the place was almost empty so there is positively no way that we should have waited almost thirty minutes for a salad, a bowl of soup, an order of wings, a burger and a meatball sandwich!!!! As I mentioned the service was horrible... had to try to flag down the waitress to refill our water glasses, I mean, really, how simple is it to see empty water glasses and get the pitcher to refill them... simple that is if you actually have a waitress who pays any attention to their table. Again, keep in mind that the place is nearly empty! Once the food did arrive FINALLY... we all were very pleased with our food, very well prepared, fresh and the salad dressing was delicious. We actually had to put more money in the parking meter because we waited nearly 10 minutes to get our check and to add insult to injury, the waitress did NOT remember that we had presented military ID for the discount... therefore, no military discount to be had... We didn't bother to tell her for fear that we would have to wait another 10 minutes for a corrected check. Also, had salad left over, asked for a take out container and some dressing so we could take home (remember I said how delicious the salad dressing was)again, had to wait quite a while to receive the container and the salad dressing was not the salad dressing we had requested!!! Again, didn't ask to correct situation because we didn't want to have to wait another agonizingly long time for service. Oh, and did I mention that the TV's volume was set so high as to be heard in my apartment two miles away!!!! Maybe the horrible service and the loud TV's were the reason the place was nearly empty. Again, too bad because he food was pretty good.
(2)Jacob H.
Most of the Bar Louie restaurants are awesome and provide great service. This one, not so much. The bar tenders are consistently terrible and act completely uninterested in serving anyone or doing their job. Drinks take forever and you have to practically scream at the bartenders to get them to help.
(1)Rob D.
The food here is good and consistent but sometimes slow to come out. The bar staff is excellent though and the Hostesses when in use are always very nice and polite but the wait staff is hit and miss. I recommend sitting at the bar and trying the signature drinks!
(4)Steven L.
Not a fan ... went in for drinks one Saturday night ... I left my credit card there by mistake ... I called a couple days later and asked about it and they said they did not have it ... But would call me if they found it ... they also charged me for an extra tab ... They said they'd check that and and get back to me ... turns out they did have my cc but I found out too late and had already canceled it and they never did call me back about the erroneous charge ... there are too many places in crystal city to even think about giving these guys a second chance
(1)Robert S.
Great happy hour. $3 beers (good selection), $5 wines, $7 martinis (delicious) and the flatbread was good but not great. Food was too salty and overlooked. The Ahi was well done and clearly they used pre-packaged vegetables. It is hard to ruin mussels, but somehow they figured how to do it. Service was slow so sit at the bar unless you like to wait 20 mins until your waitress stops by. Come for the happy hour but don't stay for dinner.
(2)Eric C.
The food was good, decent selection of beers, but the service was terrible. When I first came in, I sat at the bar. The bartender said hold on a minute. It was about 5 minutes and the manager came by and asked if anyone took my order. I said no. So she took my order. The minute she did, the bartender sprinted over and pretended to be my best friend and very attentive. I got my beer and my food order. After that, nothing from the bartender. After my beer was empty for about 5 minutes another bartender came over. She asked me if I wanted another beer. I said I would and a smaller one. She said ok. I got my beer. Then 10 min later the cute guys who were sitting next to me and my originally bartender kept drooling over (why she was ignoring me), asked them if they wanted another beer. They said a small beer. She then said don't go with small one. The big one is several ounces larger for only $1 more. $7 dollars over $8. She even calculated the tax for them. She was 2 feet away from me. I said 3 times, you didn't tell me that. After ignoring me the first 2 times she finally looked over at me with a scowl and yelled, " I wasn't the one who took your order." WOW! Nice service. I like Bar Louie, but just be aware if you go to this location and the bartenders don't feel like you are worth the time, you will get the worst service and yelled at.
(1)Jim C.
Absolute terrible service. Zero personality and slow service in all aspects. Server was actually rude and ignoring when we asked questions or we tried to get their attention. The restaurant was extremely empty and we still had to wait 20 minutes for each round of drinks and over half an hour for our check. Bar Louie in DC is great, but this place is absolutely terrible. No hospitality or quality of service and not once over 2 hours did a manager even appear to exist on the floor. Terrible shame considering the last two restaurants to go out of business in this space had the same issues, you would think they make an emphasis for a good impression. Highly unlikely to ever return.
(1)Chase B.
Still great as always. Bartenders are nice and friendly.
(5)Kate K.
I haven't written a yelp review in a long time, and felt compelled to tell the world about the terrible experience I just had with a large group here for lunch, but a quick look at other reviews suggests that our exact story has already been told. I'm only retelling it to try to get the average down to one star where it belongs. It's worth noting that we made a reservation for 10 (although a few more joined) and let them know when we sat down that a few people needed it to be a quick lunch, it being a Monday work lunch and all. Here is a brief summary just to reaffirm what others have said. We waited over 40-50 minutes for food to start arriving. Once food finally started arriving, it was still about 20 minutes before the last roasted veggie sandwich and salad came out. I could see this happening if we ordered well done burgers, but a roasted veggie sandwich?! Food in to-go boxes (for those that inevitably had to leave before being served) was coming to our table before most people had their food. We never got a single drink refill, water or otherwise, in 1.5 hours of sitting here. We had to send back one meal, because the meat was undercooked and inedible. We actually had to ask for a discount, and got 25% off. About half of the group also got "free appetizer" coupons., I'd say too bad for the other half, except it's unlikely any of us will come back here for food anyway. Of the many Crystal City lunch options, this is BY FAR the worst experience I've had. Go to Kora, Nerametra, Good Stuff, or even Chipotle, before considering this place.
(1)Azriel M.
The berry mojito is actually not bad, very fruity, with a touch of mint, but personally I feel it lack of wow-factor. It's okay and tasty, but it isn't the kind u would order again and again. 3 stars. Voodoo chicken is flavorful and moist, but sausages are too salty, and too many sauce on plate! Seriously, the plate looks a mess. 4.5 for the chicken, 2 for everything else. Tennessee whiskey cake, just average, no taste of whiskey either, more like a regular cake, it's just sweet. The half cut strawberry is confusing, and blackberries feels separated. 2 stars. Service on the other hand, is really slow, the waiters are quite welcoming, but I wait 10mins for one drink, 15mins for voodoo chicken with the bar half empty. 2 stars.
(3)Christopher C.
There's no real reason to go to Bar Louie, unless you particularly dig places with zero character and moderately overpriced mediocre fare. The reason I went? Needed a place with wifi to do a bit of work while waiting for a friend. Bar Louie has a sign that says free wifi, so I sit down, order a beer, and log on. Can't load anything but google or Facebook. Ask the server of there's something I'm doing wrong. She asks manager. Manager says, apparently, yeah,some bullshit but bottom line, our wifi doesn't actually work. So now Ive got a tall beer to finish while I waste time on my cell looking for somewhere else to go. It's fine if our wifi doesn't work. But take the sign down. I mean come on. Server was nice tho. Guess that counts for something. So now I've got a beer to finish on this
(1)Lisa M.
Predictably average chain restaurant In a city known for exceptional food and drink, I don't know that my prognosis for this place is positive. My date and I sat at the bar an ordered food and drinks. The cocktail list impressed me, ranging from super sugary to beer/liquor concoctions. TO ALL UPSTATE NEW YORKERS - THEY HAVE ITHACA BREWING COMPANY FLOWER POWER!!! Unfortunately, the food just didn't wow. My chicken nachos with black beans were cold, as was my side of queso (which wasn't true queso, it was more akin to Velveeta). The bar staff was perfectly polite apologetic -not rude and not agonizing over it- and promptly brought me some warm queso. Chain quality frozen and pre-made food, with cold drinks and low key atmosphere.
(3)Julie L.
Service is occasionally slow but always friendly. They have a good selection of draft beers and good happy hour prices. I can't comment on the mixed drinks. They do have a strict policy on keeping a paid tab - can't blame them for that. Apparently too many people have run out on their bills. We like it enough to keep coming back.
(4)April R.
I had a friend in town who arrived from the airport on a Sunday. She was hungry, and I knew Bar Louie was close, so I took her there. It was lound and crowded (football games galor" but there were many tables available outside. Since no host/hostess greeted us, we had to walk around and around the bar trying to ask someone if there was someone who could seat us. Finally a server told us we could sit outside. We did, and booooy, did we REGRET it. Place was busy and our service absolutely sucked! We WAITED about 20 min for just about EVERYTHING! Want drinks? WAIT 20 min for them! Want to order food? WAIT 20 minutes until someone comes around. Want extra napkins . . . YEP, you guessed it - WAIT 20 min. Want your food? WAIT 20 minutes for it. Want your bill? WAIT 20 minutes for it. Food was average - I mean, the burger was good, but nothing to write home about. Fish and chips gave two small pieces of fish, and the whole plate of fries. To top it off, the "whiskey apple bread pudding" which the waitress warned had alcohol you could taste didn't even have the SLIGHTEST HINT of whiskey. Save yourself 2 hours of misery and skip this place in favor of a restaurant that CARES about customer service!
(2)Mackenzie K.
went here once. place was packed, the bartender we had was cool and very attentive to us, drinks were solid, but food runners and managers seemed to be "too good" for the customers
(3)Billy L.
Bar Louie turned out to be a nice place to visit close to my hotel. I had a turkey sandwich with brie that was very good, although it was a bit light on the turkey. I felt like I had ate the sandwich with most of the bread left. It had a good beer selection, with some interesting beers that I hadn't tried before. The restaurant was clean, staff were attentive and nice, and it was overall an enjoyable place to visit.
(3)Billy E.
I've been here a couple times. Painfully slow service during happy hour. Burgers are just ok. Each time I go here I hope for better but it just doesn't happen. The martinis were interesting to try at least.
(1)Michael C.
I've been here a few times now since I live and work close. I usually go later in the evening to watch sports, and every time it's been poor service. It is worse because there are staff that do not seem to do much at all besides chatting with each other. The last time was the worst as I got to witness little flies all over the bar fruit, and the staff did nothing about it. It looks nice and the menu is good, but the service is terrible at night at least. Maybe lunch or happy hour is better.
(1)Lynne S.
The food was just ok. The one in Chinatown has better tasting food. The open bar concept was just ok. Music was too loud. The eating utensils (fork and knife) were dirty in all 3 bundles on our table. Our server was cool. Attentive enough for what we needed. Probably won't ever return. Seems unclean, which is strange since this place hasn't been open very long.
(2)Dave J.
Went there last night to watch NCAA and eat. First the positives: Drinks and food...close to a 4 star. Considering its bar food-very good. Ambience and lay out is pretty cool place. Negatives: Service was horrible Appetizer plates not cleared from table Extra drinks, ketchup...etc had to track down the watier. First round of drinks glasses left on table when next round was ordered. Dinner entre's served and all the finished glasses and plates STILL left on table...it was a freaking mess. Had to track down the waiter for the bill. Shameful service. We would have mentioned it to a manager but could not identify one walking the floor. (It was not that busy..they had empty tables). 2 star based on service...we will maybe give it another try...but in Crystal City...there are PLENTY of other choices.
(2)Peter C.
I went there cause nothing else was open after 1 AM. Ordered a glass of wine and got the prohibition pour, can you spare some beyond like 4 ounces? Never got such a stingy pour from house wine. Ordered buffalo wings and barely detected any sauce at all on them.
(2)Jack H.
Great job, Christina! Recommendations were spot on. The Rat Pack martini had me singing like Sinatra, dancing like Sammy Davis Jr and acting like Dean Martin. The Buffalo flatbread reminded me of my home in Oklahoma, and I was totally bewitched by the Voodoo Chicken. I'm looking foreword to summer when you can roll up the windows. Too cool. A sparkling spot in Crystal City.
(5)Hollie P.
Nice beer selection. I can't really judge all the food but the chicken sandwich was delicious. Service was slow and the restaurant was dead. People who were seated and ordered after us got there food before our table. Better service would rate more stars
(2)Mike A.
This place has some great potential but I think they are missing the mark. I had two appetizers at happy hour that were delish. Bruschetta and chicken verde flatbread. Great recommendations from Shania. They have a large selection of beers and wines but everything is layed out weird. Ie. the dishwashing machine has the best view of the TVs. I sat on the side and had to wrench my neck to see anything. Also, it is not uncommon to see 8 waitresses standing together talking at the bar (when it was busy). I also thought it was weird that in a hopping place like this they don't use trays. I saw multiple waitresses carrying 2-3 drinks to a table. They need someone that understands efficiency to help them out. I hope they make it!
(3)Pegah Y.
This Bar Louie location just opened recently. I visited with a friend for happy hour about a month ago and it was PACKED at 6:30pm. We managed to find two seats at the crowded bar and decided to order hamburgers (they have $5 hamburgers even after their happy hour ends at 7). I was really excited for my hamburger, but a series of mishaps led to our experience being less than ideal. We placed our orders around 6:45pm. I ordered the Southwest (pepper jack, fresh jalapeño, guacamole) with tater tots and my friend ordered the Backyard BBQ (cheddar, barbecue sauce, bacon, fried onion strings) with regular fries. We also ordered both the berry mojito (Cruzan Black Cherry, fresh blackberries and strawberries, mint leaves, pure cane syrup, sparkling water). We got our drinks fairly quickly and I got my hamburger on time, but my friend's burger was taking forever. It finally came out but they had given her the wrong order! They had brought out a completely different burger with tater tots, instead of fries as she'd ordered. The waitress apologized and sent it back and we proceeded to wait another 45 minutes. At this point, my food was getting really cold (I wasn't going to eat before my friend got her food). We asked the waitress / person behind the bar about where her order was and the waitress realized she had never asked the chefs to revise the order. So we had waited 45 minutes for nothing! She apologized profusely and then went to put in the order yet again. 30 minutes later, my friend's correct order finally arrived. We ended up leaving around 8:30pm. The food wasn't really that stellar either. It could be because my food had gotten cold, but the hamburger just didn't taste very fresh and the bread was stale. Anyway, that was a TL:DR story, but long story short, the service is terrible. I had experienced similarly terrible service at the Bar Louie in Chinatown about two years ago. There are better happy hour locations in Crystal City.
(2)Kisha M.
Came in on Veterans Day and had the short ribs and beef brisket, it was very good. The drinks are very very good. Get the Grand Lemon Drop!
(3)Rosalyn B.
We waited over 20 minutes just for appetizers, no drink refills and the guacamole came out brown. After requesting a manager the waitress interrupted our conversation and the manager justified the brown guacamole by saying they don't make I daily but were making some as we speak. He later brought out the most bland guacamole I have ever tasted.
(1)Stephanie L.
HORRIBLE!!!! DO NOT waste your time. Not only is the food disgusting, the service is atrocious! Our actual waiter was really very nice, however, there were multiple problems with our food and the manager was a complete a-hole. One of our orders was the ahi tuna sandwich and it tasted as if someone had dumped an entire salt shaker on top of it. It was awful. We also go the Cali chicken sandwich which was mundane. Nothing bad to say about it, but definitely nothing good. The rest of our group got burgers. Everyone in our group complained that they were not cooked properly and were over salted. When we spoke to the manager he basically told us that we had to deal with it. The worst customer service I have ever seen in my life. He actually called us "stupid" for not knowing how food is seasoned and presented in the restaurant business. We had people drive over an hour to come to meet here for dinner and it is safe to say that none of us will ever even remotely consider coming back.
(1)Homer M.
Tuesday 5$ burger nights are the shiznit after a workout. The burger selections are plentiful and include tots! They'll even do it turkey if you want, no extra charge. Also, be sure to ask for Danielle - she will definitely take care of you.
(5)Don M.
Great bar atmosphere. Drinks are great. Food is pretty good. Remember people, this is a bar/restaurant. Not 5 star dining. Relaxed and casual. Good service.
(4)George P.
The place it's nicely decorated and the staff is pretty cool but they mostly serve domestic beer. The top shelf liquor was not too badly overpriced. It's a bit of a trendy bar and if you like that sort of thing, this might be a place for you. Our bartender was very nice but could not tell us what draft beers they sold without looking at a menu.
(2)Andrew A.
Service was great but they were short staffed so it was slower than normal. Was hoping to watch collage basketball but they don't get Big Ten Network (-1 star). Breakfast burrito was decent. Too much burrito, not enough breakfast insides. The chicken nachos were right on. Prices were fine for the portions.
(3)Daniel P.
Positive first; the bruschetta was good even though it was prepared in the laziest way I have ever seen. So a friend and I came here to grab a drink after work on Friday. We ended up having some of the worst service I have ever had in a bar. We were told we could have a drink special when we ordered but then the waitress changed her mind when she brought the bill. The other waiter that was helping displayed an almost unbelievable amount of attitude when he brought out a drink instead of the check like we asked for. Then, when we asked for a pen to sign with, we got this overly dramatic motion of him pulling out the pen, not to hand to us, but to reach way out to him as he held it straight in the air. If the service had been any worse I would have thought we were being pranked.
(2)Renae O.
Some of the worst customer service I've ever experienced. I sat at the bar and had to get my own plate and napkins after receiving my appetizer. My salad was not correct and when I asked to get a new one, it was basically ripped from my hands. The server who returned with a new one for me was pleasant, but bartender never acknowledged me or any other customers.
(1)Hamida N.
Bar Louie in Arlington was great when they first opened. Recently their service is less than desirable. The bartenders don't want to be there or pay attention to only their regulars. They ran out of two things for their signature drinks. Really???? What kind of a bar manager doesn't order enough supplies to make the signature drinks. For shame! On another night a party of 5 waited for 15 minutes to flag down wait staff. It was a slow Wednesday night and the place was nearly empty. (First bad sign) The party of 5 were uber patient while their order took 30 minutes and the wait staff told them they ran out of beef for hamburgers. Seriously????? Bar Louie in Rockville two weeks ago in comparison had the supplies needed for the signature drinks. The waitstaff and bartenders we're superb. The calamari was hot and delicious. No issues. Suggestions for patrons - drive to Rockville Suggestions for Bar Louie Management - hire better managers - hire better bartenders (dc professional bartending school would be a great start) - pay more attention to patrons
(1)Alton G.
Slow service even though there was about 20 people in the entire place. Food was terrible - I ordered the crispy chicken sandwich and the breading reminded me of a piece of chicken from Long John Silvers. I also ordered a mango margarita, it was soooo sweet I almost went into a diabetic coma. 10 thumbs down!
(1)Harris W.
Bar Louie is certainly your typical chain restaurant when it comes to their menu selection, although their burger are pretty great, so we somehow keep on coming back. Why somehow, you ask? This restaurant has quite possible that worst service I've ever seen. Whether it's packed or empty, it usually takes an average on 15-20 minutes for the staff to even acknowledge our presence. Drinks come out 20 minutes after being ordered, appetizers come out with your meal, and/or your order is just plain wrong. These are all things that have happened at least twice here. If you're looking for cheap burgers, check them out on Tuesdays - otherwise, avoid this place like plague. After six months of it, I can safely say that they just don't care how bad their service is.
(1)Jen A.
I thought all chain restaurants have standards but this was way under par. Ordered a rare burger that came well done and was very small. My husband ordered the ahi tuna sandwich that was very dry. Fries and tots were cold. Waitress was beyond terrible and went MIA during the entire meal so we couldn't even complain. Is it too much to think when you get fries and a burger you may want some ketchup too? Only reason I'm giving it 2 stars is because the bar itself is really cool with an open atmosphere. Will never return unless it's for drinks only
(2)Eric P.
The service in this location is so bad we had to leave and they're out of calamari how can you be out of calamari ugh not coming back here ever
(1)Aja C.
Never go here if you are in a rush! A group of us went for lunch and it took over two hours to receive our food. When we did receive it, my turkey burger wasn't all the way cooked. We went there a second time after the lunch hour rush and it still took over an hour to receive our food. Not really sure what the problem is here.
(2)Bill A.
Terrible service, and I will never go back. It took more than an hour to get our food--no explanation offered for the delay. My wife's sandwich came out five minutes after mine, with no fries. Mine was cold (it wasn't supposed to be). But the worst thing was that at the end of a night of horrible service and lackluster food, the waiter brought me only one copy of the credit card receipt. Both he and the manager denied there was anything amiss when I asked for my copy of it. I feel like not only did they give me lousy service, they were going to award themselves a generous tip by writing whatever they wanted on the copy. I literally had to make a scene just to get my copy of my receipt--I had to raise my voice and insist they were trying to cheat me until they agreed to fetch the copy. As bad as our waiter was, the others didn't seem much better--it seemed like the waitstaff was stoned. There were people who hadn't seen a waiter for ages, and we'd see two or three of them sitting smoking cigarettes across the street. I have no idea what's going on there--it's like they're not even vaguely aware of the concept of customer service, or are actively hostile to it. Rather than apologize for anything, the manager tried to suggest that I wasn't patient enough with a waiter who's still in training. First, I didn't lose my patience until they refused to give me a copy of my receipt--if anything I should have been losing my patience in the first 30 minutes while waiting for drinks, assuming of course that I could have found anyone to complain to (I suppose I could have gone over the smokers' lounge and waited for someone to show up). He also suggested that I had been there earlier in the day and had been complaining to another manager. Right -- like I hadn't had a bad enough experience a few hours before and came back for a second helping.
(1)Jenée P.
The service is good and I like the atmosphere. The food however needs drastic improvement. I got the mac and cheese and it had to be the worse mac and cheese I have ever had.
(2)Alex M.
The worst service you could possibly get in the food industry. Sat for a few minutes with friends and clearly realized that the wait staff doesn't pay attention to the customers. Went to the bar to get a drink in real time and also placed and order for food to go, that I'd pickup and take later (knowing I'd be there for at least half an hour). Went back to grab a second beer and the bartender was talking to his friend for so long that I had to ask a server to tell me how I'm supposed to order a drink from behind the bar. She then yelled to him; and he came over, and when I asked him about where I'd be able to pick up my sandwich, he blamed me for closing out and said I'd get my meal where it was ordered...(at the bar). I ordered this sandwich 40 minutes ago. I got my beer and no acknowledgement of where my food was. Ok. Finally, when I left I had to talk to the same guy and have him find my food on the kitchens outgoing box which has been sitting there for awhile. He asks me for fries or tots, and I say "tots" and I see them just throw them into the carry-out container.
(1)Brian F.
Waitress Katie was great! Super personality and terrific service. Couldn't ask for more.
(5)Joe G.
This was one of the only spots open after 11pm on a Thursday night. I am on West coast time so it was still early and wanted to have some fun. Lots of music, guy playing guitar and singing 90s alternative hits. Drinks were inexpensive and wide variety of drinks. The group I was with had lots of fun. Not sure why this place has so many negative reviews. Try it out. Happy drinking!
(4)Jason H.
Your food is lousy. Your beers are 8 bucks. There are no liquor prices on your menu. Get a grip. "Bar Lousy"
(1)Angela S.
I've been here 3 times so far and I'm going there again today. Love the cocktails and the happy hour apps are all good so far.
(4)Liton K.
I simply couldn't agree with the review as most people are so quick to pull the trigger without giving anyone a chance. I came here tonight randomly and although I only dine in places that has much better review but everything was closed near by so my only option was Louie ! And I have to say I am so glad that I came. Tuesday's they Have $5 burger and totts/fries deal, not just hamburger but chicken, turkey, and veggie. I mean c mon, you can't even buy good meal at McDonald's for that cheap ! So I thought the portion might be small but it's actually decent size burger and very tasty as well. The place was clean, management was on point, good bar music. It felt lively even with not that many people around. Nia is a great server along with Travis the bartender, both are very knowledgable and super friendly. Spend a long time with us and explained the menu, usually servers rushed but it was quite pleasant here. My opinion, this places deserves much better review but once again, most Yelpers trained to write bad reviews than good. Sad to say ! Wish this business all the success in the world and hope more people give them another chance
(5)Brendan S.
Biggest waste of $50 since I bought a play station 2 game. Horrendous service. Awful food. Worse atmosphere. Unclean. I'm not exaggerating. I have been in cleaner rest stop bathrooms. I would sooner eat warm tuna fish on a hot metal bench in shorts than return to this "establishment"... Ever. Yuck.
(1)Justin M.
The only reason I am giving this place two stars is because I actually only enjoy the food. The service is subpar and inadequate at best. Lastly they don't care about their patrons. It's okay. It'll be the last time me or any of my military friends will eat here. 15% off or not. It's not worth it to be treated this way.
(2)Chris S.
It's five stars if Krisi is working the bar. She makes great drinks, fast, and is friendly (and gorgeous). Unfortunately, it seems she only works a couple nights a week and I haven't seen the other great bartender, Victoria, for ages. If they aren't working, it's mediocre at best. Why do I keep going? If there is another place in Crystal City where you can get a martini after 11pm, I don't know what it is. It's been up and down in the year and a half they've been open. Some nights very good, others terrible. Krisi and Victoria are great bartenders. If they are working the service at the bar and quality of cocktails will be great. Otherwise it's a roll of the dice. Some of the bartenders are terrible, many of whom don't know how to make a proper martini. One recent visit it was closing early on a Saturday night! They advertise that the kitchen is open late as the bar, but for unexplained reasons at 11:30pm one night they were only serving 10% of the menu. This place needs new management. Another night, the kitchen was open late as advertised but the bartender was gone doing Heaven knows what most of the evening. I waited 20 minutes for a second beer and only hung around for it because I had not finished my tater tots. 25 minutes later I was bailing out without a second beer. I bet the bartender wondered why he didn't get a tip. It is a nice space. High ceilings, bar in the center tables and banquettes around the sides give a open feeling. Free wi-fi. Uptempo music but not very loud. Actually possible to hold a conversation-- at least during the start of Happy Hour. After 6:30 or so they crank up the decibels quite a bit. Still not too too loud but at a point where a raised voice was needed to talk or order a drink. Nice Happy Hour prices but at times my server wasn't sure exactly what drinks qualified. One night my first martini was very good but the bartender committed a major faux pas by pouring my second martini into the same glass as the first (despite a row of iced martini glasses sitting three feet away). Thus, it wasn't as cold as it could have been and did not have a fresh twist. The loaded tots are great, as is the shrimp tempura and the chopped salad. I wish they had a better dessert selection. If Krisi or Victoria is behind the bar, I highly recommend it. Otherwise, expect to be disappointed.
(2)Niamh B.
I've been here twice. Both times were terrible. Against my better judgement, after having a bad experience the first time I was convinced to come back. It was a semi busy night and no tables had been cleared. Not even one. We cleared the plates onto the table beside us. No one came around for 20 minutes. I went to the bar only to be told that it was table service. We left. No food. No drinks. Nothing after 25 mins. Not going back which is a shame as it's right across the road!
(1)Marie B.
Yuck. We ordered the baked macaroni and cheese with grilled chicken. Let me tell you...it was NOT baked. Baked usually means a browned cheese on the top crust...nope. It was just plain pasta mixed with cheese not enough for a sauce. Then the chicken...cubed chicken sprinkled on the top of the pasta...seriously I could have done that at home! My husband ordered the Voodoo chicken...he didn't need to take a bite to know this wasn't going to be good...the chicken was served cut in the middle: 1.) you don't do that- you take out the moisture and it dries up the chicken 2.) you don't do that- because this says to me you were checking if it was cooked properly and you should know this as a chef without cutting into it. Certainly won't be eating here again. Cheap food for a pricey dollar.
(1)Edna C.
[WHEN THE BAR WAS HIGH] There were a number of things that Bar Louie did right--a solid menu of various food and dranks to appease picky eaters, a friendly server who gave us separate checks without our asking, the posh but comfy furniture that couldn't be any more appropriate for happy hour. I got the lomo saltando ($17) which seemed to be a gamble at a place that was not the least bit Peruvian, but it turned out quite well with juicy steak, non-soggy fries, and veggies to make me feel marginally less guilty about eating steak and fries. I also got the whiskey splash ($10) which was good as well--not too sweet to be like girly cocktails but not too hard-core to border on undrinkable like scotch. [WHEN THE BAR WAS LOW] Overall the food was not bad, but I was slightly underwhelmed by their signature loaded tots. The tater tots were uniform and obviously previously frozen, and I found it somewhat unimaginative to pile cheese, bacon, and jalapenos as it just tasted like a deep-fried baked potato. Other issues I had were what I initially thought to be culture clashes but now appear more to be rant-able faults.: Apparent culture clash #1: At first I thought I was just undergoing some sort of culture shock after coming from the busy city of SF to find the service here painstakingly slow, but after reading other reviews expressing the same opinion, I realize that my Yelp restaurant critic side job may not be so narrow-mindedly amateur after all. It wasn't too busy, yet everything came at a snail's pace. To use my last benefit-of-the-doubt forgiveness, it might have been because of the nature of the bar that they don't want to rush you, but it was difficult even to just flag them down because servers did not walk by often and when they did, it was brisk. Apparent culture clash #2: Coming from the hometown of Instagram, I thought it might be a strange request in Virginia for me to ask the server to take a picture of us, which would have explained why they put it off. I had to ask two different servers (both of whom said they were busy and would come back) and had to wait so long that all our food was halfway finished by the time the first server finally came back to take it. But snapping a picture hardly takes a minute, no matter how anti-Instagram Virginians may be.
(3)Mina C.
Okay, so after that first horrendous experience, my coworker asked me if I wanted to go back. I agreed, again it was a Friday and we arrived at the bar around 345. Yeah, it was the first Friday of January so we got off early and after 2 weeks of being out of the office we needed a drink. This time was COMPLETELY different. Our server was sooo sweet and really funny. We had a couple glasses of wine, flat bread, and salmon sliders. Funny thing is when we sat down the server told us happy hour was going to start in 8 mins and if we waited, we'd get 1/2 priced flat breads and $5 wines. UMM... he RECOMMENDED we waited. He brought us some waters and when the clock hit 4 he came back RIGHT away to take our order. Amaze. Flat bread - we choose the roasted veggie. SO DAMN GOOD. If you love roasted veggies, this will be your jam. Trust me. The only really weird part was the fire alarm went off... in the middle of happy hour. We had to wait outside in 30 degree weather for about 20 mins.. we both had wine and food left so we really didn't wanna just leave. Plus we wanted the wine. Nay, WE NEEDED THE WINE. Woot. I am glad we came back.
(3)Laura H.
My boyfriend and I visited here for dessert on a Friday night around 9:30 and it was pretty empty. We grabbed a booth and were quickly greeted. I ordered a flying dog IPA, which at $7.60 is way too much for that beer, especially since it's served in a smaller glass and is semi-local. Anyways, They only have two options for dessert- a key lime pie concoction or a giant chocolate cake. We went with the chocolate cake and at $9.45, I had high expectations, although I knew it was not homemade. When it came out, the size was gargantuan - about half of a whole cake at any bakery. The chocolate ganache icing hit the spot, the cake was semi-moist and not too dry. The whipped cream and Chocolate sauce gave it some extra flavor. We took half of it home just due to the size. When we got the check, there was an extra beer added on which was immediately removed once we brought that to the server's attention. Still $19.27 is, IMO, too pricey for a single beer and dessert from a chain restaurant. Will I come here again- maybe, just not for dessert.
(3)Raul O.
My colleague suggested we tried 5$ burger on a Tuesday evening. I ordered Fried Louie and it was the best tasting burger I ever had! Thanks.
(5)Dennis M.
On the plus side....our waitress was a STAR! So the place deserves a bump to 2.... After a successful Hesi (nursing exam), we all decided to celebrate. We started with drinks. My friend ordered a watermelon margarita, it was so sweet she had to send it back for a blue moon. Our drinks initially took over 10 mins to make, which included draft beers (Haram!). This was annoying because we were the only ones in there at 11am. Don't judge us! It's 11pm SOMEWHERE. Food Calamari- was OK but the menu says cocktail sauce, it was more like spicy ketchup. 2 Burgers, friend's med-well and mine was rare and still moo'ing (I'm a savage I know). The burgers were pretty good for 10-13 bucks it should be. The Four Tacos Plate was very bland according to my friend. I felt bad for her because she was the one that ordered the Watermelon Kool-Aid margarita. The Verdict: For prices that high I don't think we'll be coming back. Drinks took too long to make (in an empty place) and the food was bland or "just OK." Worst part is I spent 20 bucks (892.22 Philippine Peso) there with tip!!!
(2)Kristia B.
I was a bit surprised that the place was not packed on a Saturday night, but I digress. I was starved so I ordered the Chicken parm sliders (pesto marinated chicken thighs with tomato, spinach, Asiago cheese, marinara, pesto mayo, served with fries) $10 and the Verde Chicken Flatbread (grilled chicken, housemade salsa verde, red onion, jalapeno, queso fresh cilantro) $12. I was very impressed by the customer service. I was dining with two other guests, one of whom was not pleased with her drink from the bartender. The wait staff and manager were determined to meet her satisfaction and were successful. Though I had to wait for my ginger ale, I was glad to see how much they wanted to redeem themselves. I loved it! There was no delay with the food, which was delicious. The sliders were amazing! The flatbread was not as exciting in terms of the flavor, but I did not leave a crumb behind. I liked the booths, great for groups and sports night. Mixed experience, but we left on a high note.
(5)Brittany D.
Went here on the sunday after halloween, the food was great the drinks where great. I got the brie salad Add salmon. Reasonably priced.
(4)Danielle W.
Meh, it's a typical chain-style dining experience. I've come in here twice for happy hour or dinner-time dining. Both times the bar was not really that crowded but we sat in the area anyway. Which made me confused as to why our food came out extreeeeemely slowly. To start, we were able to determine our food and drink order before the waiter even came over for the first time to introduce himself (sort of an accomplishment for me as I'm rather indecisive!) The food took a bit over a half an hour - odd when I ordered a wrap and my boyfriend ordered soup. The next time we saw our server was when he was delivering the check. He was MIA for a lot, so it was hard to get a water refill or some more ketchup for my tots. Overall, the atmosphere was nice, clean, and modern. The staff SEEMed friendly when they were around, but I just was underwhelmed by the customer service, timing, and overall quality when the food did arrive. Ok, but not something I'd go out of my way for.
(3)David H.
I was here on a laid back Sunday afternoon when the place was pretty empty. It's a large place with high ceilings but I'd imagine it can get packed during the week since there aren't that many bars in the area. The service was friendly and very attentive when I was there but then again they weren't busy. They supposedly have free wifi according to the sign out front but I it wasn't working when I was there. They have some interesting drinks such as the Peach Lightening (Jacob's Ghost White Whiskey, DeKuyper Peachtree, white peach purée, lemonade, and cherries) and the Mason/Dixon (Seagram's Sweet Tea Vodka, SKYY Citrus, fresh brewed tea, pure cane syrup, and fresh lemon). Both are tasty and served in glasses which look like mason jars which is a nice touch. They're a little pricey at $10 but welcome to DC on that count. I didn't try any food but they have a decent menu and I'll be back here to hit their happy hour and try some food. This place isn't anything earth shattering but it seems to a be a solid addition to the Crystal City area.
(3)Paul G.
Wow. I understand the low service rating now. Self seating. So we sat ourselves, and a waiter asked us to get up and find another seat because he meant to take the table for some group still hanging at the bar. I guess our money isn't as good as someone else's. They could have seated themselves at any of the three tables near where we were or taken the lounge area that seats 15 if it was a large party, well before we sat in the open space. We skipped 2 tables that had reserved signs. I have never been asked to move off before. Won't be back to Louie's.
(1)J F.
Having been here several times and leaving extremely disappointed, I was hesitant to try Bar Louie again, but so glad I did! There must have been a change in management, because the service was stellar and the food was delicious. I'll be back!
(4)Shellie D.
Bar Louie has two stars? I am not sure what other reviewers were expecting from Bar Louie but I never expected much. I had low expectations for this place and they never disappointed me. I would never come here outside of HH or lunch. While they are not culinary extraordinairess, they have pretty decent bar food. Bar Louie is one of the few bars that can serve food were everything isn't drenched in oil. My coworkers and I love coming here for HH. I really think Crystal City needed this place. Our server was super sweet and didn't mess up anyone's order. It was about 11 of us and we were ordering all throughout the night. The bar appeared clean but the bathroom really grossed me out.
(3)John C.
This place has a ton of potential in an area in desperate need of a happening bar on the east side of Jefferson Davis (and 23rd). There were plenty of young people from what looked like the Crystal City work scene there at 6:00pm when I got there and the staff was quick with a smile and pleasant to deal with when we didn't want to sit in the back area. So on to the food and drinks... The beer selection was solid, but really needs a bigger selection of locals to be different in this market. I didn't order any mixed drinks so I can't comment on the quality or speed to deliver those. As for the happy hour food...pretty decent flatbread pizza and chicken sliders. I'd have to say the humus was below average as it was dry and the rest of the mix with it was questionable quality/flavor. I think this is a case where Yelpers can give some direct feedback to the management and hopefully get them to fix a few things to help save this place. It's in a great location and if you think Baley's and Jaleo suck as much as I do for smoke, bad service and pretentiousness, this place could really be a shining star in that location. Let's hope the manager is a Yelper...
(3)Howard R.
Walked in for a relaxing meal and was bombarded by the loud music. I used to be a radio DJ and love my music loud but this was out of control. So I ordered an old fashioned. After all this place claims to be the place for cocktails. Sickly sweet. Enough grenadine for a diabetic coma plus the ice was falling out of the glass. I ordered fish tacos which come four to a plate. I asked for two chicken and two fish tacos. They told me this was not possible. Absolutely astonishing! Only plus was the attentive waitress. Just don't bother. There are a plenty more places in Crystal City around 23rd street.
(2)Arthur G.
I've used this restaurant for informal business meetings the past few months. The food is adequate, not spectacular and the place is always clean and well staffed when I've been there. I wouldn't say there's anything remarkably spectacular about this but it's sold and at lunch time isn't so busy and rushed that you can't get a good seat or hear the person you're conversing with. My most recent visit was today and the server was attentive, friendly and courteous. She didn't interrupt when I was in mid sentence with a client but instead waited at which time, I broke off the conversation and recognized her. I truly do appreciate this. As for the food, I had the BLTT (bacon, lettuce, tomato and turkey) and it was good but again, not spectacular. I'm not sure I'd order it again. The tater tots had a hint of something like lemon to them and I actually enjoyed them quite a bit. Parking can be a bit tricky but I'm usually able to find some street parking within 3-400 yards away and there are some pay lots close by. Overall good, not great or spectacular.
(3)Jeff G.
Very disappointing. Had on football when we came in. Ordered drinks and ate. Had a nice server. Asked to change the channel to football three times and was told by two bartenders and the manager they were too busy to push a button to ESPN. They had CSI on all tv's with a great game on. The manager told us directly she had to run food and couldn't as she talked in kitchen. So we left and went to another bar with the game as they lost our money. Management and bartenders will kill this place. No wonder it wasn't crowded. Should have read the reviews and heeded them. Avoid this place for sure. Unfriendly.
(1)Amy S.
I wish I'd have read some of these reviews before choosing this restaurant!! I was visiting the D.C. area from MN and was staying in Crystal City. My mom and I wanted to find a place to watch the Minnesota Vikings game and decided to not take any chances and have a place chosen Saturday night with confirmation that we'd be able to watch the game. We were recommended Bar Louie as a great place by a few other tourists we'd met earlier in the day and decided to stop by Saturday evening. When we walked in, we were greeted by a really friendly server/host. I told him that were were looking for a place to watch the Vikings game the next day and he told us that we should come to Bar Louie (he was very friendly and enthusiastic). He said that one of the other servers was from MN and also liked to watch the Vikings, so it would be on. PERFECT! The next day, we arrived 20 minutes before kickoff. My mom was wearing her MN Vikings t-shirt and as soon as we walked in a female server approached us and asked if we were there to watch the Vikings game. Yes we were. She showed us to a table near the bar and pointed to the TV that our game would show on. I ordered a beer, we both ordered food and waited to watch the game. Since there were 3 TVs on and only one with sound (not the TV we were advised to watch), we didn't notice until kickoff that the game was not the Vikings game. We asked our server and she asked a manager if they could turn the channel to our game and were told that no, the Vikings game would not be put on our TV, the game that was currently showing would stay on and not only that, but no TV in Bar Louie would be showing the Vikings...it was too late now. When we told the manager that we'd stopped in the night before and were assured the game would be shown and also that the server that day had specifically told us that it would show, he offered to buy our meals and pay for my beer. I appreciated the offer to a point, but the whole reason we chose this particular place was to watch the game, not eat food while the game was happening, so we left. I can't review the food as we never even saw our meals, but I can tell you that this restaurant does not have a customer service policy that I can recommend. There are other sports bars nearby. (Buffalo Wild Wings is right down the street...we ended up watching the game there and had a great meal and really above and beyond service, too, btw). If I were you, I'd skip Bar Louie.
(1)Jaime P.
After a long day walking around DC sightseeing, my boyfriend and I were looking for a place close to our hotel to eat. It was after 10pm and we didn't have many options because other places were closed. This place had a great atmosphere. There was even live music playing. We walk in and there was no one to seat us, so we seated ourselves at a booth. The menu looked good but unfortunately we didn't get a chance to try anything. Literally no one came to greet us after over 15 minutes of waiting so we just left. My boyfriend and I even moved booths (because the one we were sitting at had an odd smell for some reason..). Three different staff looked at us while we were sitting in the booth but not one of them ever acknowledged us. It wasn't even busy so there was no excuse. So we walked around the corner and ate at Chili's. Had an attentive, super friendly waitress and great food. Sorry Bar Louie, you just missed out on my $40 I spent on dinner/drinks and the $10 tip I left the waitress at Chili's all because of your horrible customer service. I should have listened to the reviews on Yelp. I would have saved myself 15 minutes of waiting at a restaurant that clearly doesn't care about customer service.
(1)M. A.
Bad service. Bad food. Chicken nachos had a little warm cheese. I asked for cheese. Never got it. The jalapeño peppers were dry and not even a slight tingle. They appeared to be old. Waitress was sweet and never refilled the drinks on the table. Terrible. Find another place to eat.
(1)Nadine F.
I am extremely ashamed to say that I went to Bar Louie three times during their opening weekend, three days in a row. And I went back one more time after that. They just had such amazing deals for that opening weekend, with free appetizers and $2 martinis, that I couldn't resist. Most of the food we had was insanely good for being free, but probably just OK if you're paying full price. The flatbreads were all acceptable, the boneless buffalo wings were better than Buffalo Wild Wings, and the nachos were passable. Some of the martinis were good for $2, but they were all really weak and certainly not worth the regular price. I felt like I had basically robbed them by taking advantage of the opening weekend specials, so I agreed to go back a fourth time. Thinking I was paying full price, I decided to order just a house wine and buffalo wings. The service was really awful. It took 20-30 minutes to get my wine and longer for the wings. I can't complain too much, because in a group of four people, they ended up giving us most of our food and drinks for free to compensate for the poor service. HOW DOES THIS PLACE MAKE MONEY??!!!
(3)Leslie R.
What the hell. I go outside for two seconds to go smoke a cigarette and the bartender thinks I'm skipping out on tab even though I'm a regular there..wow. You can't assume that smokers who step out are gonna bail out on the tab. It wasn't like I was far away from the establishment.
(1)Teresa B.
Oh my! I'm not a fan of reviewing a place that is newly opened (one month) but this place needs some constructive criticism. Hence, the liberal 3 stars that should have been a solid 2. The negatives: 1. So many employees standing around, yet none could make the eye contact essential for proper service. 2. We ordered a plethora of appetizers and menu items, and none of them stood out as flavorful. 3. I ordered Szechwan wings, expecting a spicy zing. Um, it tasted like thick Teriyaki sauce. 4. My friend ordered the Blackberry, Orange & Brie salad of mixed greens, brie, oranges, blackberries, pecans, bacon, basil, bacon vinaigrette, with shrimp as an add. It was delivered without the shrimp. Yes, they made up for the mistake by eventually serving an abundance of meh shrimp, and at the end of eating it she realized there were no blackberries. 5. The "traditional" Buffalo Wings were nothing like the traditional wings we had ever tasted. I rate this on my BF's shrug test. Meh. The positives: 1. The hostesses' were awesome and friendly. 2. I might give this place one more try in the next few months. But it's not on my radar.
(3)Mark R.
I thought BW3s had terrible service till I came here. The management and the owners obviously don't care that Crystal City regulars are feeling slighted at their establishment. There is a packed bar and three bartenders and they are obviously playing favorites. We've been waiting to order another round of food and drinks for 30+ minutes. We are spending lots of money here and this shitty service is going to be reflected in the tip. This place has potential if the management team would step up and train their employees. There is no reason why folks sitting AT the bar are waiting as long as we are for refills.
(1)Jay D.
Came here on a weekend visit . Personally food was great and so was the atmosphere. Bf had the fish and chips I had the chicken pasta everything was delicious and our waiter Michael was wonderful.
(4)Tony W.
Ok, below is my pervious review. Because the location is perfect where we live, we had to go back. Now we have been back twice in the last month. The first time back was ok, it was a Sunday evening. We sat at the bar, the bartender was great we had a couple drinks and some apps. Really enjoyed the humus platter I would recommend it. No problem, very encouraging. We decided to go back this past Sunday around 6:30pm about the same time as last time. Sat at the bar again, there were 4 other people at the bar and a couple servers standing at the service bar area. No bartender, waited about 10 min and left. Seems to be hit or miss, so I guess we will be back and hope for another hit, just can't beat the location. So much potential, great location and I was expecting the same kind of place like their other location. It is hard to tell who is staff and who is costumers unless they are behind the bar.
(2)Alan K.
Alright, I'm not proud to admit this. During the ridiculous grand opening promotion period, I ate and drank at Bar Louie not once, not twice, but THREE times. THREE. DAYS. IN. A. ROW. The deals were just too good to pass up. Free apps and $2 martinis? Sure, I had my doubts after the second day. There's only so much cheesy, salty, fried goodness a man can take. But I'm not known for my self control, especially when it comes to the aforementioned goodness. And yes, I regretted day three, but there's a silver lining: As I sat on my couch with a mild stomachache and a two-martini afternoon buzz on a Sunday, I was able to reflect upon my previous review and revise it mentally so that you, fellow yelper, could learn from my mistakes. My many, many mistakes. So first off, the drinks: I was previously absolutely blinded by the $2 price tag. While all the martinis I tried were pretty good, they were all overly sweet for my taste. There's no way I'd pay the $7 happy hour price much less the $10 regular price for any of those drinks, barring perhaps the traditional ones that are all booze and olive juice. Because even though I'm not a sharp dresser and I still can't quite grow a beard and I really don't care for vodka that much, about halfway through a dirty martini I start to really believe I look and talk like Jon Hamm. Over the course of the three days we tried six appetizers, so here's the breakdown: - Meatballs al Forno: Very good and hearty! Served with parmesan toast to scoop up the leftover sauce and blobs of cheese. - Chicken Nachos: Giant and covered in something that looked like liquid nacho cheese but tasted a little better. Not bad but not something I'm going to order again. - Loaded tots: Same cheese sauce as the nachos but the addition of the bacon and olives made it way way too salty. Blech. - Boneless buffalo wings: Pretty damn legit junk food to stuff your face with. No reason to ever go to the awful BWW around the corner ever again. - Buffalo chicken flatbread: Tasty; I will definitely be exchanging currency for this in the future. - [other?] chicken flatbread: Something with chicken, pico de gallo, and other stuff. Flavors were good but the damn thing came out soggy.
(3)Chris A.
Dining DISASTER I guess I should have looked at the Yelp reviews before I went here - how a restaurant can generate this many negative comments in just a few short months since opening is beyond comprehension. I apologize for the length of this post, but our night out turned into a three hour tour that even Gilligan would have recognized as insane. Three of us went to Bar Louie at Crystal City last night a little after 7pm for dinner. I had been to the Bar Louie at Gallery Place (DC) and Fenway (Boston) and always had decent, if not very good, experiences. Why should this location be any different? When we got there the USA-Portugal soccer game was still going on; understandably, the whole restaurant was crowded. We decided to forego watching the remainder of the game and sat outside. While there was no one else out there at the time, there were menus on a couple of tables and plates on several others. That would lead you to believe that a waiter had recently been through there. After about 15 minutes, I went inside to let the bartender know that people were sitting outside (a few other tables sat down after us). She was very nice, and informed me that she'd send someone right out. Well, 15 minutes later that had not happened. A gentleman from the table behind us walked in as well to inform them (they were a big party, maybe 7-8) and by now all of the patio tables were full. Yet, 10 minutes after that (40 minutes after we arrived) no one had come outside to wait on any of the tables. By then, every other table except ours had departed in frustration (we should have as well, but we were looking forward to their food). So I went inside again, and spoke to the same bartender, who informed me that the patio was closed today. So, in the 25 minutes since she said she'd send someone over, she had found out that the patio was closed and NO ONE came outside to inform people of that, and no one thought to put up a sign on the door saying "Patio Closed, Please Sit Inside." At this point I was pretty furious - we had wasted 45 minutes and were starting to get hungry. By then, the USA game was over and the place cleared out; yet all of the tables had yet to be bused, so we sat at the bar. I asked to speak with a manager (Mike, I believe), who was very nice and said he would cover our first round of drinks and appetizers. Fair enough. All three of us ordered diet cokes, and then we split the loaded tots and szechwan wings. Both were very good, especially the tots (the wings were a little small, but still tasty). However, it took nearly 35 minutes to get them. The bartender apologized for the long wait (theme of the evening) and then disappeared. We had intended to order our meals once the appetizers arrived, especially seeing as how long it took to get them, but then we couldn't get her attention for nearly 20 minutes. When she finally said "you good?" I said "we'll order our meals now" - and then she walked away!! It took another 10 mins for the male bartender to come ask if we needed anything, and then we said we'd like to order. At this point, he started busying himself with moving glasses around and then looked up, as if in disgust, and said "well are you ready to order now, or do you need more time?" Oh, we're sorry - we thought maybe you'd acknowledge us or take out a pen and paper. Our bad. Any way, I ordered the Louie burger with loaded tots as a side; my girlfriend ordered the spicy chicken sandwich with a mac and cheese side, and her sister ordered the California chicken club with a side salad. Needless to say, it took about as long to get our meals as it did our appetizers. By then we just wanted out, so we ate about half of our meals and brought the rest home. My burger was very good, cooked as I asked, and topped well - as were the tots again. My girlfriend's sandwich was also very tasty, as was the mac and cheese. However, her sister's California chicken club contained neither cheese nor avocado - two of the things that make it an $11.50 sandwich. At that point, not wanting to wait any longer, she just ate the sandwich and focused on getting out of there. At the end, when the bill came, we told the male bartender what the manager had said about the drinks and apps being on the house. He approached a different manager, who informed him that the manager I spoke with had already left for the day and hadn't conveyed that information to him. Then the bartender said that the new manager offered to compromise and cover drinks and one appetizer. But when the manager came over, he said no, they'd honor the previous manager's offer. So we paid the bill, picked up our food, and walked out of Bar Louie in Crystal City - almost three hours to the minute from when we first stepped in - vowing to never, EVER, return to this horrible location. The food at Bar Louie is good - but I don't know if it's good enough to warrant visiting any of the chain's locations ever again
(1)Leah S.
Can't beat $5 burgers on Tuesdays. The kitchen used to be hit or miss, but I am consistently pleased with the juiciness and flavor of the burgers. The service can be slow, but sit in Danielle's section, and you'll be fine.
(4)Endrias L.
This place has a nice feel to it, but the service is horrible. 20 minute wait on a server. The food was so bad I sent it back for something easier they couldn't screw up and they never brought it out. I ordered a vodka soda and lime and it came out with no lime so I asked the server for one. His response was it is going to be a while smh and it never came by the way. No worth spending your money on.
(1)J D.
Ok! Came back for more. A little better, however my friends turkey burger was raw. Hopefully, she doesn't get a bacteria and die. Service was friendly this time!
(2)Jevon D.
I usually am not one to write negative reviews but this place really makes me question Yelp's decision to not let you rate a place less than one star... Here's what happened: We went here in a large group of 9 or so on Saturday night and the restaurant wasn't very crowded. We were seated very quickly, which was nice, but then things started to go downhill VERY fast.. When we put our drink and food orders in, it took about 20 min before our drinks came. Even worse, they seemed to be completely screwed up-one person in our group ordered a "Long Island" and was instead given a "Goose Island" (not even remotely the same kind of drink). I ordered a Sam Adams Boston Lager and was presented with an IPA. Even worse, when I tasted it and told the waitress that it wasn't a Sam Adams-she actually told me that it was! (keep in mind these were $7 beers) Not only that, we were never given water that we requested-so much so that we just went to the bar and ordered glasses of water from there. Finally, after about 40-50 min our food came and, not surprisingly, there were issues-I ordered the ham, turkey and brie sandwich which came WITHOUT TURKEY (seriously, how can you screw this up?). By this point, I decided to cut my losses and didn't want to risk waiting another 40-50 min for another sandwich so I just ate my overpriced ham sandwich. Finally, when our checks came, there were even more issues-the waitress told us we could have individual checks (we politely asked when we were 1st seated) but somehow the order still ended up being messed up. One person in our group had ordered three beers and got three separate checks for the same amount! (this could potentially set off a fraud alert with some credit card companies as well) All in all, this was by far the worst dining experience I've EVER had in the DMV area in the almost 5 years I've lived in the area.. I hope they can get their act together, as I don't think Restaurant: Impossible usually visits chains but who knows.
(1)andre s.
Ufff... the worse.... food take forever, and then the potstickers were microwaved and the lettuce cups were horrible. lettuce was hot from the heat lamps... (no wonder why...) and super expensive! potstickers+chiken lettuce cups+ 2 small glasses of wine= 54 $$$$ i left have of the appetizers on the plate and the bartender didn't even ask why... no more bar louie for me
(1)Jenn C.
We had a really nice experience here, and were pleasantly surprised there was a decent bar with food underneath the Buchanan. We had a few draft beers - both from local breweries - and they were great (Heavy Seas Loose Cannons & Devils Backbone Vienna Lager). It's a shame they don't have a wider variety of beers. Most of their draft offerings are otherwise boring & standard fare. No complaints about the food from us. We had the verde flatbread (half price since it was happy hour) and then later munched on chicken parm sliders that were very good and had an air of healthiness to them since they add fresh spinach & a slice of tomato to them. We also had the hummus platter, which I thought was just OK. Service was very polite, though I'll agree with the other comments about it being slow. I liked our waitress though, and we weren't in much of a rush so it wasn't a big deal. I'll also agree that there was something about it that felt dirty...sticky...like a dive bar the morning after.
(3)Joe H.
I don't normally like to review places where I haven't even eaten. Giving a bad review because you didn't like the juke box selection or there was a crying baby is pretty ridiculous to me. But sometimes you have a moral obligation to save your fellow humans from a terrible experience. We showed up later in the evening. Many of the places in CC were still open, but we didn't want to be rushed and this place is open until 2am, so it made sense. I checked the reviews on Yelp, most of which were bad to terrible, so I guess I only have myself to blame. But I've been to other BL locations and was happy so I decided to take a chance anyway. We walked in and the place was about half full. There were staff members walking around everywhere. We waited for a few minutes and not a single person even acknowledged our presence. Maybe my cloaking device was still turned on or something. We went and sat down at an open table that happened to be under an uncomfortably bright light. It felt like being in a display case at the mall, but hey, at least nobody can miss us. I normally don't like to just sit anywhere, because I understand that it throws servers for a loop when they are trying to cover specific sections. But I wouldn't have had to worry about which sections were being covered if I didn't have to stand at the door for an eternity. Anyway, we fumbled with our menus, taking our sweet time to consider every possible drink and food combination. Finally, we just put our menus down and sat there, watching staff members zip all around the place. We were there for probably close to 30 minutes and not even a single person acknowledged us, and we finally left. I've never been so happy to see a Buffalo Wild Wings in my entire life. This situation is even more unforgivable from a national chain. When you go to a chain, it's not for the microwaved Sysco potato skins, it's because you assume somebody figured out how to build a better mouse trap and somebody at headquarters is minding the store. I hope this was just because the place is new and they are able to iron things out. If ever end up in Crystal City again, maybe I'll give them another shot.
(1)