Summers tears at my soul. This is a place that I desperately want to like, but every time I go, I come away unimpressed. When you look into the windows at Summers, you can probably tell everything you need to know about the place. The mood and decor is fairly drab and the place has a bunch of televisions for sports. Surprise, surprise, it's an unpretentious sports bar. The food is average-to-bad, depending on what your order. Edible, but it's not something that you'll be dreaming about the next week. The drinks are pretty reasonably priced, and from my experience the bartenders are friendly. The place has two real failings, though. First, the waitstaff is not particularly great, other than the bartenders. This isn't to say the waitstaff is rude or unhelpful--that couldn't be farther from the case. Their problem tends to be that they don't speak English particularly well, so if you want anything special done on your meal (e.g. hold the tomatoes), you might have a problem communicating that. Also, they are almost always understaffed, so your poor waiter/waitress is going to be trying to juggle way too many tables at once. This leads into the second problem, which is bad management. Beyond being understaffed, they have a chronic problem in that they apparently need to go through 20 steps to get any television changed. For example, I went to Summers last weekend and asked if they were playing MLB Network, which at the time was playing a Red Sox spring training game. The waitress I asked went to the back room, and returned saying she had asked the manager. Another staff member walked out a few minutes later and told me that the person controlling the televisions (I assume the Wizard of Oz, since I never got to see him) was searching. About five minutes later, and about 10 minutes into the ordeal, I was notified that they couldn't find MLB Network or a Red Sox game. If you're going here with a group of friends, you might have fun. But pray that your game is already on one of their TVs and that you don't get too hungry.
(2)
Frank W.
Great place to watch the world cup soccer matches but don't come here hungry. We waited 1h+ for our breakfast. The food was average and the service actually below average.
(3)
K E.
If you're looking for terrible karaoke on a Saturday night, then this is your place. I think the only reason I actually enjoyed myself is because I was drunk when I walked in. Be prepared to lose a few years off of your life due to secondhand smoke, too. Gag. My hair smelled like complete ass this morning.
(2)
Mary D.
Great place to watch UFC! Best part is that it doesn't get packed and if you get there before 9:30pm there are plenty of seats. You can't reserve a table so make sure you get there early if you have a big party. Wings are decent, and their brownie sundae is awesome! Perfectly moist and warm and fudgy. Service is nothing to write home about but pretty efficient. Overall great place to watch pay per view events.
(4)
Ambrish K.
Wow, I'm surprised with how drastically contrasting all the reviews are. I am guessing that the service at this bar may not be consistent, considering the mixed reviews. Having said that, I had a good time. This bar is conveniently located, the food was good. The bar does have a lot of tv's, and considering it's not one of those trendy bars that people flock too during games (read Laughing Man), it's not usually that crowded, and you can peacefully watch a game with friends. I thought the bar was fine, but that's just me. Verdict: Go see for yourself.
(4)
Maggie N.
Really fun place to go to watch a sports game and have a beer. One of the lady bartenders is super kind and has been working there forever. I haven't tried much of the food, I did try the spinach and artichoke dip which was yummy.
(5)
Sam S.
Can't even tell you how disappointed I was in this place. Was told to come in early the day before by the staff. Arrived an hour early before the game and I was one of 2 people. The food here is weak and I was extremely disappointed. I spoke to a couple people and they said this place shut down for like a couple months and lost a lot of their customers. It's sad but at the same time changes need to be made. The decoration inside is worst then a 1980's Pizza Hut. The TV's are from 1993 The bathroom is extremely small. Amazing location but I cannot express how disappointed I was in this place.
(1)
Phoenix Simone W.
Not the biggest fan. The food is pretty awful, and the whole place seems a bit run down. The service is inexplicably slow, even when there are barely any customers. I came here with a friend because we happened to be nearby and were super hungry. After waiting forever for a waiter to arrive, and then even longer for our food to arrive, we expected the food to be amazing. Nope. There are many other great places to eat in the area, don't bother with this one!
(1)
Prairie S.
After suffering through pretentious, new-fangled bars in the neighborhood which offer small plates of nouvelle cuisine and craft beers with a hefty dose of shallow, over self-conscious hype, I'll gladly settle back to Summers. This is a salt-of-the-earth, genuine, hardworking immigrant owned-and-run establishment, which caters to sports-loving types, especially soccer. I'm fed up of bars in the area which (1) do not screen football (soccer for Americans), much less FIFA Women's World Cup (2) show broadcasts of baseball or golf during world competition soccer and (3) do not have the volume turned up to enjoy the sport. So it's a relief to return to Summers. This place is the real deal where people are out to watch sport, rather than to watch each other while incidentally having a flashy screen backdrop. You'll walk in notice that the screens are not 50-inch flat plasmas, you'll notice the dated interior decor, and you'll settle into a "Cheers"-era plastic padded booth, or at the wooden bar. The wait staff is not likely to be a perky twenty-something Georgetown grad working a second job, it will be an adult person. You'll order middling, typical bar food, (lots of potato skin, fried calamari, mozzarella sticks) and drink cheap beer and feel like the menu is stuck in 1993 (yes it is) but you'll enjoy the friendly service. Michael, their waiter is exceptionally sweet and has sold me on their margaritas even though I'm picky about margaritas. Their wine list is more limited than what I can offer you at my house. But whatever. Get a vodka shot instead and celebrate a goal! Everyone is there because they are into sports. Especially soccer. People share opinions. They yell out commentary. They gasp. They share. There is atmosphere here that you can't get at the fancy restaurants with a bar in front (like Tupelo Honey and Fireworks). These new places shine to turn a profit. They are not shone and cleaned with the sweat and clamour of decades of sports-loving regulars from around this city. In this neighborhood filled with yuppies, this is one place that feels like there is a real heart. It's not fake, it's old and it's not apologetic about it or too worried what you think.
(4)
Irene A.
So I came here to watch the ManU game with a friend prior to going out in arlington. When we called they told us to get there at 10am, when the game started at 11am because the bar would be really really crowded. When we got there at 10am, we were the only people there so we thought we wait till 11am when the game starts. 11am came around and the bar wasn't that crowded what so ever. A little disappointing. We both got egg white omlettes which comes with a side of toast (terrible) and potatoes (also terrible) The service was decent, the waiters were friendly, but the food wasn't that great and the bar wasn't crowded for the game. ya probably won't be coming back here.
(1)
Sharon J.
Try this place!! Great burgers and wonderful service. I can see from previous (dated) reviews that they had issues in the past, but we had a good experience. It is centrally located and they have great happy hour deals. We will be back for game days this fall...lots of TVs to watch football!!
(4)
Shae S.
Word on the street is that SUMMERS, my hot tub time machine, my personal passport to the 80's, is PERMANENTLY CLOSING after NYE 2014/15! Gag me with a spoon! That's so lame.
(3)
Tuve F.
Summers is an Arlington institution and a great place to watch sports, especially soccer. They have lots of big screen televisions, so it's easy to watch from any table. Business does seem slow after their reopening though. I went around noon on a Saturday to watch Arsenal play in the FA Cup and easily got a table just before the game began. Service was good, but my burger and fries were quite average.
(3)
Ivy T.
NEWSFLASH: Summers is OPEN after 5 months closing. Can we get the word out? Business is suffering for this local institution while rumors air. Pro-Tip: if you help the bartenders with their Social Media Fu there may be free beers involved. Number 1 Reasons I love Summers: - All beers are $1 cheaper than Irish Pub across the street - Hot Tub Time Machine to the 80s? Totes. - Great music selection, if you like 80s, Americana, and new wave. - This place is not pretentious and overpriced like the rest of Arlington. Op Summer of Summers: Save Summers Grill!
(5)
Justin M.
Cancelled my sandwich order after waiting for 45 minutes. My wife's margaritas took 30 minutes to arrive and were weak to say the least! Stay away from this train wreck! Watch the match elsewhere or stop at Wendy's on your way in and pack a flask in your back pocket! Terrible!!!!
(1)
Amy D.
My family all got hamburgers and they were all OK. I got a blackened chicken salad. It was terrible. Pretty sure the meat was microwaved or something. Our waiter was very nice and got us out drinks quickly. But can't get over the terrible food. Safe bet is hamburgers.
(1)
Andrew Y.
They're still restocking the pantry and the bar. Service can be slow as they work new servers into the rotation. The food ain't great but the beer is still pretty cheap.
(2)
Kelly J.
I am surprised this doesn't have higher ratings. In fact it took me a couple years to try this place because of the reviews. I will say I'm not a fan of the karaoke because the one time I tried to attend there was smoking ?? But to go for the World Cup showings, it has been awesome. Every screen in the place is on for World Cup and the booths are nice and comfy. I got the Rueben and asked them for roasted turkey instead of corned beef. And steamed veggies instead of fries. It was delicious, and way more affordable than some places in courthouse/Clarendon. I would be willing to come back here with my mate to watch sports any time. Also the main dining room doesn't smell smoky at all, I am very sensitive to that smell..
(4)
Rustin F.
I've been here a couple times, and both times, the staff has been friendly and accommodating. On Mondays, they do $5 cheeseburgers (with fries) and $5 bigger-than-a-pint Fat Tire all night, along with half-price appetizers and $4 pints during happy hour, which lasts until 8p. $5 for a burger and fries is probably cheaper than you'll get at Wendy's, across the street, and it came with table service and tasted pretty good. It wasn't busy when I came, and unlike some bars where the waitstaff are pretty strict about switching seats from the bar to the dining area--generally so they can keep track of tips--the staff at Summers were very chill and didn't seem to care. I'll be back when I need a local dive.
(4)
Chris K.
New to the area and love that it's so close. Food is bar food, which is delicious. Yet to have something bad from the kitchen. The staff has gotten much better recently considering I walked out twice due to crappy service when I moved there. They have really stepped up their game. I am really hoping that the trend continues as football season approaches. Great job, Summers
(4)
Mary Kate M.
Customer service can not, I repeat can not get much worse than this! My boyfriend and I came here for a late lunch, the place was practically deserted with only one other table beside us being here. You would think with not much going on that our server would be extra attentive to us since they didn't have really anything else going on, right? No, not the case. Do you know why I know he had nothing going on? Because he was standing 10 feet away from us with his earphones in his ears playing on his cell phone. Seriously! We were here for about 45 minutes, and it took 25 minutes to get my more than nasty buffalo chicken wrap that had the two items I requested not to be on it. I asked for the tomatoes and onions to be removed. Ugh. I picked them out since I only had an hour lunch break and no tome to replace my order before getting back to the office. I should have asked for the manager right then and there. Obviously that didn't happen due to my time constraint. I had to wave him down to get my water and check. He didn't visit our table once during the meal. Convenience to my work or not, you'll never find me in here again!
(1)
Khris L.
I've been coming here for about 4 years to watch soccer games, especially during the World Cup. I've noticed a lack of interest in the mgmt today when I got there and there were no seats available, however a group of people were holding seats for people who were not even there. With a bar packed the way it was today, this should have not been tolerated. Also they decided to do renovations in another area of the bar during WC season... Poor management again, but I guess they don't care, because avid soccer fans still come to this place. I could've consumed alcohol and food there today, but this was the last time Summers will see my dollars, and I'm not paying to stand up for 98 minutes.
(2)
Annie P.
We came for the World Cup game. Patron camaraderie was great--really fun. There really isn't a bad seat or place to stand in the place. The service and food were, however, dreadful. We ordered 10 minutes before the game started. Half of the order came in about 25 minutes, followed by one more plate at half time which was cold and not what the member of our party had asked for. She sent it back and it was another 45 minutes before there was another cold burger (perhaps the same one...?) delivered to our table. The Greek salad came in the meantime and it was exactly like a salad you would expect from a burger place--Not really edible. If you come for a game, go for the beers and skip the food altogether.
(2)
Henok T.
This is one grimy venue. I came here to watch a Euro Cup match and the bar was crowded. During times like these they force you to order something and jack up the prices. For example, a glass of diet coke will be like $3 just because a game is on. The food seems greasy and unhealthy and the place just has a crusty and dirty type of feel. No idea why this place is such a hit for longtime DC area soccer fans but I know it's been around for a while. It took the bartender forever to notice me and ask me what I wanted. I have not and will not return.
(1)
Mamoon W.
The first time I went there with colleagues, it tool long time to get out food. I thought may be it is one of those days. So I went thee again after few weeks. This time, it took about 45 minutes to get our lunch. Very slow service. The food was as expected. Won't go there for the slow service.
(1)
Robert T.
Surprising past reviews. We came here to watch College Football and the place was near empty. The food was the best sports bar food I've had in awhile. A larger group of people hit the bar near the end of our game and they all seemed to be happy. Must be a hit or miss place, but I'll be coming back. FYI the wings were amazing.
(4)
Joshua W.
The ambiance here is non-existent and there was a confining feel in the place. Not unlike a musty old attic, or perhaps a cigarette smoker friends dusty 'garage slash den'. The haze was really overwhelming and I considered walking out for that reason alone. The lunch service at the bar was fast but the servers seemed irritated and barely spoke a word to me. The club sandwich was about as generic as they come. A true Cisco special! After my eerily quiet and unpleasant lunch I was at least happy to see I had spent under $10. My suggestion: if you like very predictable food then order ahead and go eat in one of the public spaces Courthouse has to offer.
(2)
Emily V.
I went to this place to watch a basketball game - it was - unremarkable. Food was ok. Mostly tasted microwaved. Expensive for the quality. Pluses: the bartenders were nice and it wasn't crowded at all. Though I'm not sure if being empty is really a plus. I have no desire to go back but it wasn't the worst bar I've ever been to either.
(2)
Darthy F.
I got the Philly cheese steak and husband got a summers burger with bacon. Sandwiches were great. Nice neighborhood sandwich joint.
(4)
Sonny R.
Great place to watch sports and drink beer. Don't expect gourmet cuisine. It's a bar!
(4)
Anna S.
I'm reviewing the dinner experience here. (My first mistake was expecting a "dinner experience.") I'm sure it's a fine spot to watch sports and drink; beer is beer. I should also say I'm giving it a rating I usually reserve for service so terrible as to verge into fraudulence, when it doesn't quite deserve that. Edible food was provided. Attention was paid. The bill for a Miller Lite, a split nacho appetizer, soup, and a salad came to all of $20 before tip. Despite the low price, however, I would still call my dinner here a waste of money. It was truly awful--"meh, I've had better" seems too generous. First, there were the nachos, which we ordered without sour cream. They came with a big ball of sour cream on top, but that wasn't worth a fuss--we could just scrape it off, of course. The accompanying jalapeños, salsa, and chili were 100% canned, redolent of cheap taco seasoning and salty can water, but hey, they were nachos at a bar, right? Who cares? Knowing we'd be full from the 'chos (and laughably, despite having ordered them, "on a diet"), we ordered light entrees: chicken Caesar salad with the dressing on the side for him, and a soup of the day--minestrone--for me. The salad came first, with the dressing not so much on the side as totally the opposite of that. This we would have blown off too if we hadn't just spent the past fifteen minutes dodging unwanted sour cream. So Matt pointed it out, politely: "hey, um, oh, sorry, the dressing was supposed to be on the side." Our waitress just stared at him. "I can go get some," she said, uncomprehending, although I don't think it was an issue of native language. "Oh, no, sorry, I think he's hoping to just get a new salad with it not mixed in," I said. She turned and stared at me now. "Uh...hold on," she said and disappeared, leaving the salad on the table. About five minutes later, she emerged again with my bowl of soup and a big plastic container of Caesar dressing stacked on the same plate, plopping it in front of me (not him) with a "here you go." We said oh no, no, we really just wanted to send the salad back and get a new salad with no dressing. "Oh...oh...kay..." she replied, in a tone that said she'd thought all along that's what we'd said, but she simply couldn't believe it. Then she finally exchanged the salad. At this point, we felt like idiot harpy betches because 5 tablespoons of Caesar dressing were clearly not worth it. But wow. My mood was already killed by the time I took a bite of my soup and recognized the same limp bits of carrot, mushily unidentifiable white cubes, and sodium-saturated broth I had been fed so often as a child. It was Campbell's--Campbell's condensed minestrone. The "soup of the day" was in fact 1/4 or so of a $1.50 can of reconstituted chemicals. I'm kinda broke at the moment, carefully budgeting my nightlife and meals out. Rich 2010 Anna would have laughed all of this off and given it a mediocre review. But when you're on a budget, it's just so depressing to waste even $20 on a restaurant meal you would consider too gross to buy for 1/5th the cost at Giant.
(1)
Matt L.
You get what you pay for at this Courthouse neighborhood no frills sports bar. I come regularly for the UFC fights and have never had bad service, food, beer, or unfair prices. The management is responsive to complaints and the owner (I think) is always there on Saturday nights and is always eager to serve. The most refreshing part about this place is that there is no pretension here. I see people come in, all dressed to the nines, serious product and perfume, they take one look at the fact that no eager glares meet them and the furniture looks like Applebee's castoffs, and leave, I whisper to myself, good.
(4)
Mattie C.
This was a truly awful experience. I think this is the first place I have ever walked out of without leaving a tip. We came with a rather large group after watching fireworks for fourth of july. There wree other people there, but it wasn't overly crowded at all, and there were several waiters around. We ordered some beers first and then several people ordered food items such as fries or mozzerella sticks. The food never came. After about 10 minutes of waiting about half of the drinks came (5/10?) and two of them were wrong. After more waiting, we had to ask again for the rest of the drinks. After about 30 minutes of waiting for the food we had to ask again, and again, and again. It never came and the waitress didn't even seem to care. Maybe she was upset that she had to work on 4th of July? The answer was "its coming" and an eye roll. Finally we said forget the food and just asked for the check. Of course the check came with some of the food on it as well as some additional drinks taht were never ordered. She was irritated to fix the mistakes. Everyone at that table can be described as generous tippers in most circumstances. But in this case, we all looked at each other and reached agreement with no hesitation not to leave a tip. It was probably the worst restaurant experience of my life. Looking at some of the other reviews, this does not look like it is an isolated incident. Don't come here.
(1)
Rob K.
This was my second visit to Summers. I was here back in 2008 and ate here. The food was ok, nothing to set the world on fire, but not horrid. I returned to Arlington in November, 2012. My wife and I honestly came in here on a Saturday night because there were several tv's with sports on, open seats at the bar, and 12.00 Miller Lite pitchers (we returned on Sunday). The bartender was very friendly and easy to talk to. He was attentive but not over the top. Yes, as other posters have said, English is a barrier language for some employees but they all seem friendly and attentive. They have NFL Sunday ticket which was an advantage as well. While I wouldn't call this a sports bar, they do. I think of it that is a diner that serves alcohol. Overall, I would go here again. When I go out, I am not looking for the venue to make my good time, I just want a friendly atmosphere for my time out.
(3)
Jon H.
Came here during the UEFA final and it was, as expected, PACKED. Make no mistake, the soccer ball icon on the front of this restaurant is no lie, this is a soccer fan's dream bar. Packed with europeans, americans, all of the like, with a ridiculous collection of 15 or so CRT tvs which they must have gotten a mass discount on over the bar, every seat in the house has a view of the game. They do need to work on their HD/Cable signal, because you can't see the corners of the picture, and hence sometimes you can't see the score/time left. Other than that, pretty good sports bar. Even while it was overwhelmed from all the fans, the bartender did a good job of tending to our drinks. The drinks were decent, not very strong but not too weak. Prices were between $5-$8 for a beer/cocktail. Was a bit annoyed that the waiter/runners wouldn't take my food order and that I had to order at the bar. How hard is it to put my order on my tab? So we had to wait for the 1 bartender to come back to our side to order the hot wings. Hot wings were pretty good, a little too vinegary, but with a big serving of carrots/celery. The blue cheese wasn't very authentic, probably came out of a bottle. Still, couple drinks, some food, and a good time was less than $50 for 4 of us. Good sports bar if you're here for the game and a beer.
(3)
Tammy L.
I can't speak to this place as an overall, but I was there on a random Friday night and it was a surprisingly delightfully weird place and we had tons of fun. We stumbled here with a large crew on a bar crew and expectantly found this sort of weirdly amazing place (diner to your left walking in and fairly empty bar to the right in the back). It looks like the regular restaurant type bar that's all over NOVA but this particular night there was a DJ and some karoke. And with a large group and cheap beers, it was a blast. The bar tenders were chill and I'm pretty sure they forgot to charge us for half our drinks. Definitely a random place to have a surprisingly fun night. I've also heard this place is great for soccer games during the day.
(4)
Jezz Z.
Is it possible to give 0 stars? After living 2 blocks from the damn place for nearly 2 yrs, I finally convinced myself to go. Huge mistake, I should've stuck to my instinct; it did keep me away for 2 yrs for a reason!!! Will Not be returning to this place... horrible, just horrible. The food was stale, chicken wings tasted microwaved, the turkey burger was straight out of a box. Service was terrible, they speak little to no english. The manager or owner or whoever that middle eastern chauvinist dude is, who's always there, I heard only likes to hire asian women, disgusting. I also heard that Ovechkin likes going there... WHAT A MYTH!!!! HIGHLY DOUBTFUL, seriously folks lol. If u want good cheap bar food, go to Bailey's or Union Jack's. I also like Rhodeside grill.
(1)
Tracy L.
This review is for the Karaoke night on Fridays only: Check out the half-basement part of the restaurant and you'll discover a fun place to sing on the top of your lungs with friends. There's no individual room but an open stage. Submit your song requests to the MC and wait for your turn. Most people are pretty nice about giving the brave singers an applause. If you do run into a microphone hogger who happens to be drunk out of his or her mind, just tell the MC to tell the person to shove it. Otherwise, have fun!
(3)
Windi L.
Why white people in Clarendon INSIST on doing rap songs during Karaoke is beyond me. Hell, why ANYONE would do a rap song during karaoke is baffling. What happened to audience participation? What happened to the good, classic karaoke songs from Journey, White Snake and even my favorite Boyz II Men? Went here on a Friday night... I was shocked how DEAD it was. Should have been my first que to roll out but I like a good karaoke bar. Sadly, I had a love/hate relationship with the karaoke DJ. In between songs he would play some awesome house music then some popped collared asshole would attempt to Sing/Rap "Empire State of Mind." Alicia Keys is still pissed off. The people here obviously don't know good karaoke etiquette which is if you're gonna SUCK, suck at a good song! +2 stars for their steak quesadillas. OMG THEY ARE SO GOOD. I would have stayed here longer just to eat more of them but alas, after hearing the worst rendition of Kanye West "Jesus Walks" I had to make like the baby jesus and pop smoke out that muthafucker. Speaking of smoke, you can smoke inside here.
(3)
Felix Y.
I really wanted to like this place, especially when it's hard to find a good sports bar, and even harder to find one that broadcasts soccer. But our experience this past Sunday morning made it really hard for me to think about returning. The food was fine -- I didn't really have any complaints there. It was the service that sucked. We ordered two omelettes, nothing fancy, no weird substitutions or what not, but even after the first half of the match was over, we still had no food on our table. The waitress said they were "working on it." 10 minutes later, still no food. Mind you - the place was busy, but nowhere near packed. It was, after all, only a little bit before 10am on a Sunday morning. We asked another guy where the manager was, and he said the manager was not in. My S.O. then asked, "Well who's in charge? Who do you talk to if there's a fire?" The reply? "No one right now, and there's no fire." Needless to say, that pretty much killed any chance they had of recovery. Oh, and our glasses got refilled only once during the two hours we were there. There are some soccer bars in the city, and I'll go there first before I think about coming back here, even if it means having to go a lot farther.
(1)
Richard K.
4 stars for the fact that is plays my UK sports (Football (the real one, where players use their foot to kick the ball) and Rugby. 2 starts for the food, the only reason I'd eat here is if the game is on and you're hungry. Decor is pretty drab and tired looking.
(3)
Britt P.
Wandered in for lunch and had a burger. The portions were generous but the burger itself was lackluster. $10 and cooked well-done even though I ordered medium. Would probably just go across the street for a better burger. Can't speak to the drinks or anything else.
(2)
Pinaki S.
There's only one reason to go to Summers. To watch soccer. They show it extensively. Their servers (at least bartenders) are always friendly-- try sitting in the back bar. The USMT is 0-2 here while I've watched, so I may not go back.
(4)
Courtnay S.
The food was terrible and overpriced. The fries are the worst restaurant fries I have ever had, and the mozzarella sticks weren't any better. Everything we ordered had obviously been frozen and warmed up. Our waitress was not talkative or friendly. The atmosphere was just weird- no one seemed happy to be there. It was like we had all wandered inside by accident. I will never EVER eat there again.
(1)
James S.
Summers is a heck of a joint. Friendly bar tenders (I think one is named John) and a respectable tap selection are just some of it's wonderful attributes. The pub grub that is offered is mighty fine as well. Totally going back!
(4)
Sunny D.
this place pretty much sucks. service - friendly, but slow and sloppy. food - bland at best, bad even for bar food, chewy/dry/crunchy when it shouldn't be, etc. atmosphere - frat house trying to be a sports bar/restaurant w/ a side of karaoke. price - free wouldn't be cheap enough to make me go back.
(1)
Elina T.
My husband and I love Summers! This place is like our Cheers, a second home to us. You have to take this place for what it is: a cozy neighborhood sports bar. It's clean, staff is super friendly, and they show all the sports you could possibly want -- especially every single soccer game going on around the world, and the food is decent (think sportsbar/diner food, not gourmet). We go for the chicken quesadilla (which is delicious, best quesadilla in town) and the sports. We know all the servers and bartenders and they make you feel like family. We used to come here all the time when we lived down the street and we still go a lot, even though we moved. I'm disappointed with some of the reviews I see here. We have never experienced any problems with the service. If you come here during the World Cup or on a football Sunday, of course you should expect to wait a little longer to get served -- isn't this what happens at any restaurant/bar when they get completely slammed? Don't forget that you came here to watch a game, and not to get a quick mid-day lunch turnaround. I've also never had any problems with the servers not speaking good English. My order was always taken with a smile and no one has ever messed it up.
(5)
Heather C.
I thought that I might have found a decent local bar that's not too overcrowded. The atmosphere is nice, plenty of seating (booths too) but, all good things must come to an end. Once we started looking at the happy hour prices, they seemed like normal bar prices, not a great deal - forgivable. I ordered a regular margarita (at the special happy hour price of $4.50) and wasn't too thrilled. It was definitely made with a margarita mix and had table salt instead of kosher salt; but, it isn't a "specialty" of theirs so I wasn't too surprised. Next, the menu, everything seemed pretty over-priced for what it was. My boyfriend and I both ordered the chicken tender meal - a whopping $13.95 each, which is pretty overpriced for your run-of-the-mill frozen chicken tenders that you can buy in bulk at Costco. Upon the arrival of our food, we asked for some "non-adult" beverages and waited, and waited, and waited for our server to bring them to us. After about 5-10 minutes of us watching her go from table to table taking new orders and checking on other customers, I approached the manager to tell him and he had another server bring our drinks. At this point, I was peeved, but with good service, they could have been redeemed. Unfortunately, our server did not go this route and completely avoided our table for the rest of our stay. As you might imagine, I won't be going back there anytime soon. Perhaps I'll find another local bar to try.
(1)
David K.
Summers is a sports bar in a great location in Courthouse. They specialize in soccer, so if you ever want to watch Premier League or maybe F1 racing, this is your place. During football season it is OK, they have a lot of TVs and several big screens. It's a weird place for some reason though. It's never as crowded as it should be, the food is mediocre, and the staff is never very fluent in English. One plus is it is split into a smoking and non-smoking bar with separate ventilation. Unfortunately, some games are put on only in the dungeon that is the smoking bar. This area is windowless, dark and fills with smoke. With so many sports bar choices in Arlington, Summers is usually my last choice. It didn't make things better when, during a typically uncrowded night, they refused to put on a Padres game and a Mets game for my friend, despite no one watching TV. One other thing, it is a good place to meet people from DC that have to take the Metro since it is right next to the Courthouse Metro.
(2)
JV L.
I go to Summers almost every other week and I haven't reviewed it yet? Here's when this place is busy: soccer games and random team gatherings (ie: it's somehow an Oregon bar). Otherwise this place is nearly empty. Why? I don't know. It's a casual place with great happy hour specials, awesome all day specials, good food, nice servers/hosts, and the location is convenient for Arlingtonians. Plus they show everything! Hockey, soccer, basketball, cricket... any sport that's on, you will find it here. I guess I wouldn't recommend it to people outside a 5 mile radius or people that don't like sports on TVs, but it's great for anyone seeking refuge from the numerous pretentious sports lounges that have cropped up around Clarendon/Courthouse.
(4)
Rob R.
To risk using a phrase that is completely used too often: It is what it is. I came here to watch a soccer match with some friends. To that end, it was good to go. Besides that, I'm not sure if I would make the trip out for this place. Our bartender was attentive. The price was decent considering the location. It was just a touch musty in the bar area I was in. It was reminiscent of watching a game in someone's basement back in the day. I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking to meet up with some friends to take in a sports match (especially soccer). Cold beer, standard bar fare, loads of TVs. Recommend.
(3)
Kevin C.
I don't even know why this place is still open I went here only twice in my life time once in the early 90's and the 2nd time about 10 years later it's no good!
(1)
Christopher T.
Wow, Summers, I can't believe I have never rated this place. 5 stars for Oregon game days, 1 star for all other times, 3 star average. The good: This place is not only the home bar of my beloved Oregon Ducks, but you can smoke in half the bar while yelling at a million different televisions. The staff I know by name treat us incredibly well. They show a bunch of sports and events that nobody else does. I can leave the UFC but I like the Euro-soccer games. By far the most beautiful crowd of people I have ever seen in a DC bar, granted it was only one time during the Barcelona/Real Madrid game but it was something to see. It's right at the Courthouse Metro so us folks from DC who can't master streets with more than one letter or number will not get lost. The bad: It's in Virginia, enough said. The food is marginal at best, stick to simple fare like nachos and only eat when youre hungry and fueled by beers. The rest of the servers are awful, particularly if you get away from the actual bar, table service is slow and unpredictable, you'll just end up at the bar ordering anyway. If the Ducks didn't play here I would really be hard pressed to ever visit. We met up here one night before a film around the corner and in the cold light of day, sober, I couldn't figure out why I ever came here.
(3)
Kim H.
Great place to watch a soccer game!! The atmosphere is good however, the TV's are ancient, food is not that great, and the interior is old. Despite the cons listed, I loved watching soccer here, I mingled with a lot of people and they were all very friendly.
(3)
Alicia G.
Decent place to watch sporting events. SO MANY tv's here! Thoroughly average bar food - I had the wings. Can't complain about the service - we sat at the bar - and my friends are friends with the bartender so we were well taken care of. As someone else mentioned - bathrooms are not the best, but if you're already drunk, then eh, whatever! I've seen worse. It wouldn't be my first pick for sports bars, but I'd come here again.
(3)
JC M.
Breakfast is OK, that's about it. I'm not a big sports fan so having 30 TV's all over the place on different sport channels really didn't do much for me except annoy my eyes. I dunno, go to Ragtime or Four Courts instead. Unless you're a big sports fan freak and need to watch every game that's happening all over the word at the same time. If that's the case this place is golden and you'll probably give it 5 stars.
(2)
Elena P.
I came here once for a Birthday lunch with some friends - two years ago - and still cannot escape the violently ill feelings that erupt when I think about the nasty orange mess that I ate that they call "Chicken fingers." Steer clear of this place unless you're there for the sports because I see a lot of people walking in out and with jerseys and they look happy (and drunk) but I never see any other patrons and the food is vile.
(1)
Danny P.
Knowing I'd be in town this weekend from New York during a critical early-season matchup, but not being proactive enough to take matters into my own hands for putting together a place to watch the game, I let my friends make plans for us to watch the UGA/Arizona State game this weekend. They wanted to impress me, as I feel all people should try more of, and ined us up a bar that boasted a plethora of televisions, wing specials and all the different types of beer I could imagine. Summers is not that place. After failing to check if the bar they selected might also be the home of another collegiate fandom (it was -- Texas), we toodled around the area, now surely missing a majority of the first few series. I don't know the Clarendon/Courthouse area from my ass (which I don't know all that well either, actually) and there's a real dearth of honest-to-goodness sports bars in this area. We settled on Summers because, frankly, there were open seats and we could see through the window the game was on one of the televisions. There's something nostalgic about green checkerboard plastic tablecloths that give me the intimate experience of being in a low-budget Tzotchky's (no flair, as far as I could tell), but it wasn't what I wanted to watch the game. The service was eh, the food was eh and the waitress' lack of English was annoying in so much as my friend made a point of using every S.A.T. word in the English language when trying to order a Diet Coke. That said, both the bartender and the waitress did accommodate us by putting the game on the televisions we requested, but I think that speaks some also to the lack of people there really focused on that Ball State-Indiana matchup. The prices were average and they didn't bother us at all to get out of the booth even after it was clear we weren't ordering any more beer. So they have that going for them, which is nice. I'm sure y'all can do better, D.C., and I'm sure that it's out there. But next time I'm taking the planning into my own hands.
(2)
Rudolph G.
Summers sports bar has a new and improved menu. If you haven't stopped by lately for a sporting event you should at least stop by to try the new menu items. They now have the Salmon burger , the Western bacon & Guacamole burger. I almost forgot to mention the tasty summer's Reuben. They are all served with fries or cole slaw, it can be substituted for a small salad for an additional .75 cents. The "Big Daddy" is also part of the new menu (1lb of beef), along with the 14" bratwurst and it's all at an affordable price. By the way don't forget trivia night on Tuesdays and Karaoke Thursday and Friday nights.
(4)
Chris L.
This place is definitely 4 stars to go see sports. I have been to a couple of sports bars and I have never had the expectation that the food would be stellar. The food here is average at best. The atmosphere and the 20 TV's showing all the sports (Especially EPL, La Liga) you could ever want. It's a great place to hang out with friends and watch your favorite team. I plan on coming here frequently to grab a drink and watch my soccer games!!!!
(4)
M J.
Terrible service. I had my credit card receipt fraudulently altered after payment and know others who also had this happened to their receipt. The next time I was there I opted to do cash tip and when the waitress received my credit card receipt without a tip she accosted me about why I did not leave a tip. Well, lady, there went your cash tip. Avoid this place!
(1)
Matt D.
A friend told me that Summers was a good place to watch a soccer match. We decided to go there to watch some English Premier League on a Sunday afternoon. It's a spacious place, with flat-screen TVs everywhere. I think pretty much everyone who were there were soccer fans. The service was friendly, but man was it slow. My friend, who had been there many times before, told me to expect slow service. My friend said the reason behind it is the owner doesn't want to spend the money and hire more waitresses. On the upside, the slow service meant we didn't get bothered and could concentrate watching the match. I give Summers 3.5 stars. It has a decent beer selection, it's close to the Courthouse Metro stop, has plenty of TVs showing soccer, and the food wasn't bad.
(3)
Roll T.
3.75 stars. Here's how you can assure that you have a bad time at Summer's: 1) You don't realize it's a sports bar and you hate sports 2) You realize it's a sports bar but still hate the fact that they have sports on the multiple TVs 3) You come here expecting culinary delights that will satisfy the longings in your tastebuds for hours 4) You come here expecting a beautiful mahogany interior "club" that happens to have state-of-the-art flat panel screen TVs while serving $9 drinks and $30+ entrees at the "sports" bar 5) You have a poorly shrouded disdain for foreigners and have no sympathy for their attempts to make an honest living (I'm looking squarely at SEVERAL Yelpers on that one. Shame on you!) 6) You came here for the brunch and not for the Premier League football match 7) You are the exact type of pretentious jackass that lambasted this dive sports bar whom I hope to never meet in person ... One more related tangent. It's a major pet peeve of mine when people irresponsibly review a place, and that has happened MULTIPLE times with respect to this place. Look, I despise dance clubs. There is a reason I don't write substantive reviews for places where I clearly already have a biased opinion. I would give Josephine's, Five, Lima, Anjalu, etc. all 1 star based on their music, their clientele, their drink prices, their atmosphere, and their service. The point is that why should I review a dance club when I know I don't like them? Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of this website? Shouldn't we all be responsible and NOT review sports bars if we don't like sports bars? OK, now that we got all that out of the way, I can actually turn to a substantive review. Summers is a sports bar. They have multiple TVs where you watch a variety of sports, and unlike some bars, they actually have the sound on for the game of the majority of fans choice. Summers serves pedestrian level bar food, but they have a couple of options that are decent. I would suggest that you go for their burger, especially if you are there on Monday night when they are half price. Summers does employ people who sometimes do not speak English as their first language. If you intolerant to that, then yes, you should find yourself another sports bar. I've been here multiple times, and I have never had an issue with it. The beers on tap here are nothing extraordinary. What is nice is that you can order a huge beer (22 oz) for less than $5. Sure, it's not premium beer, but you can have a cold beer and eat a burger while watching sports with other patrons who have the same idea. Isn't that the whole point of a sports bar? Based on other reviews of this place, I guess not...
(4)
New to San Pedro C.
If I could give it less than 1 star, I would. The food was mediocre at best. I asked the server what she suggested and she really couldn't help. So I asked her about the alfredo for my son and she goes "it's fine if you like that sort of thing." I ordered a steak sandwich and it was blah. She asked if I wanted a box and I said no, it wasn't that great and she goes "yeh" and walks away. Never going back and we live 2 blocks away.
(1)
GiselleLee L.
Don't come here for the food. Come here for the awesome array of sports simultaneously shown on the many, many flat screen tvs in the place. I had the shrimp alfredo and my mom had the salmon in basil cream sauce. Bland bland bland with a side of blah. In my case the alfredo tasted like a prepackeaged powder sauce packet and in my moms case her salmon was hard and dry. I did however get to see the hawks vs. Heat game, the ducks vs. red wings game and the mavs vs. Nuggets game. Will I come again? Yeah, but not to eat
(4)
Brendan D.
First off I should start by saying I think Venu makes an excellent point- if you KNOW you do not like sports bars, then a) why visit one in the first place, and b) why go through the trouble of writing a sullying review. That out of the way, I like sports bars. Summers was pretty average though. Myself and a buddy went in on 8/29/09 to watch UFC 102, which turned out to be quite entertaining. I normally order these events myself in HD and have a bunch of people over, but due to some outside circumstances it was just myself and one buddy, so we figured we would just go out and see the fights. The cover of $5 was honestly pretty reasonable I thought. The fight was shown only in the back, smoking lounge (which if I am not mistaken may be a legal thing about having to use a separate entrance, and charging cover when showing a PPV event??). In any event that left things extremely crowded, and yes- smoky. I got over the smoke quickly, and got a reasonable seat for the fights, considering how late I arrived. The drinks were on the expensive side- $6 for a Miller Lite, though the drafts were big, I would say 22 or 23 oz. If that was in fact the case, then they are a little bit of a better deal, though its kind of lame being "forced" into the bigger buy. However, once I realized how overworked/ "in the weeds" the bartender was, the forced upsell might have been the way to go. I was a little surprised there was only one bartender downstairs, simply crazy really when you consider the volume of the bar. Part of me felt bad for her ( I have been there) and the other side of me was angry at the management- honestly just unacceptable. In the whole I thought Summers- was "ok" hence the 3 star review.
(3)
Jules W.
I stopped in after seeing a sign for the $5.99 lunch special. My soup/salad was average, and my lunch partner got a chipotle steak wrap that wasn't good at all ($5.99 each). Worst of all was the TERRIBLE service. There were only 2-3 tables occupied for each of the 3 waiters, and we only saw our server twice: once to take our order, and once to bring our check, which we waited for 15 minutes after finishing our food. Atmosphere was nothing special for a sport's bar, but they did have ~4 different sports channels on, which is probably nice if you want to catch up on sports news while grabbing a bite. I'm not a fan of the smoky smell, but I DID choose to eat at a sports bar...
(1)
Robin H.
If our cousin wasn't such a heavy smoker, we would never have entered this sports bar. They have a separate room with it's own ventilation system for smokers. But the main dining room is non-smoking. And the burgers are great! They're large and juicy on a kaiser roll. The buns don't fall apart like they do at Ray's or Five Guys. And you can sit in a booth for a long time and not feel like customers are waiting for the table.
(4)
M G.
We went for a weekday lunch. We should always read the reviews before we go. This time we didn't. Big mistake. We were seated promptly after arriving -- this was the best part. To cut to the chase, both orders arrived wrong. The club sandwich came without bacon. Does Summers not know what goes into a club sandwich? The ordered turkey on whole grain bread arrived as beef on a white roll. This one went back but returned as turkey on a white roll. The fries were nice -- this was the second best part. We won't be back.
(1)
Lee N.
I went to Summers for the El Classico Real Madrid - Barcelona match. There was a waiter at the door who saw my jersey and directed me to the side/back bar, which appeared to have been turned soccer central. I counted - I could see 14 flatscreens showing the game from where I was standing (no seats available). For 90 minutes, I was in paradise. They do a pretty good job of showing a variety of soccer games, even the early ones. Just be careful on big game days, because it will probably be packed! This place caters to the soccer crowd... and apparently serves food and beer, too! My Guinness was cold and tasted like Guinness, so I was happy. I could care less about food being average bar fare and drinks being typical - come here for the soccer.
(4)
Liam D.
I've passed by this place a number of times, but never thought about stopping in. This one evening I was in Arlington passing some time and I noticed that the UFC fights were on here, so I popped in for a quick bite and to catch a few fights. Doesn't take long to realize that this place is a big sports bar - tons of tv's everywhere, lots of beer, and a decent looking menu. I had a hickory chicken sandwich and Carlsberg lager, which isn't easy to find on tap - another indication that it's a big soccer bar. I'd say this place is great for an afternoon to just lay low, watch some sports, grab a bite, and have a brew or few. I wouldn't suggest it for anything other than that.
(3)
Jimbo J.
Went there on a Sunday morning to watch English soccer on a busy day of fixtures, however this world famed soccer pub was only capable of showing one game at a time. Resembled a truckstop, but at the top of a hill and with staff whose English skills are 'beginner'.
(2)
John B.
It was Sunday at Summer's, opening day of football season. We had a table to ourselves and several pitchers of beer, and it was just past noon. The place was packed with fans of all stripes, shouting and taunting each other. These guys take the games seriously. There were flat screen TVs mounted side-by-side, four in a row, on one wall, and behind us, there were three other games playing on various non-flatscreen TVs. The service was awfully slow, but the Buffalo chicken sandwhich was perfect, and the fries were done just right. Standing in line for the bathroom, I got to watching a European soccer game with a bunch of mustachioed men in back. It's ok not to be a football fan at Summer's--there is something for everyone. On my way back to my table, I located the manager, and he happily switched on the finals of US Open Tennis. There were plenty of TVs to spare.
(5)
Derrick L.
I stopped going here because the food/service is so bad. Last time I went was for opening day for the Premiership, and my breakfast was absolutely cold. I don't really have a reason to watch sports here anymore with two Irish pubs within 1 block. Won't go back unless there's a match I can't find anywhere else, and then only getting beer.
(1)
Alex S.
Lot's of TV's and decent beer price during happy hour but everything else about Summer's is a joke. Tried it for breakfast once. Some serious English issues with the waitress. Asked (3 times) for milk or cream for my coffee and was given a pint of milk. The food was blah. Second time we went, sat for over an hour and only got half our food. A guy in the booth next to us went off on the waitress.. and just got a nod and OK, not even a feigned apology. Third time (why did I even go back?) had wings and beer for happy hour. Beer is cheap. Wings were mediocre at best. There are about 50 other places in DC/VA where I'd rather watch NFL. Kitty O'Sheas down the street has soccer, which is the only reason I can imagine anyone going to Summers.
(1)
Rachel E.
The food is not good at all here. I haven't been here for awhile, but have come to watch the University of Oregon football games with my college alumni. The flat screens and multiple games are impressive.
(2)
Dan S.
Ugh All the waitstaff i have interacted with, including the bartender, do not speak very good english. The bill is often wrong. Went there with my girlfriend so she could watch her sox game and I could watch the flyers. This also concided with a big Caps game (they had to win to make the playoffs). So what was coming out over the speakers? Some freaking contemporary easy listening shit, totally ruining the atmosphere. This is a crappy sports bar.
(2)
Tim A.
Food, is by, the worst we have had in 8 years living in Arlington. It was so bad we did not eat it. Beer was cold and service was ok-----do not eat here.
(1)
Meghan G.
Average in every way. Generic sports bar decor, generic sports bar menu, generic sports bar staff....are you noticing a pattern. Nothing to write home about, but this place is really a destination for soccer fans (it gets about as crowded as a futbol stadium in spain when a hot game is on) I can't say I would send anyone other than a sports fanatic here, as its just.... sort of average. They have half price cheeseburgers after 4pm on Mondays, and Mon-Fri they have a semi-decent happy hour from 4-7, half priced apps, $2.50 miller lite/bud, and $1 glasses of wine. Seems like a good place to meet for a work happy hour, as the place is fairly large inside and offers ample seating.
(3)
Anna Y.
ugh. what a waste of time. everything was overcooked or dry or just plain BLEH. go for drinks. that's all.
(2)
Mike S.
In a word... NOT!!! The food uniformly sucks and the service is terrible. The last time I went there, my friend and I were seated, and NO ONE WAITED ON US FOR OVER AN HOUR while we just sat there, despite our repeated requests for service. When we asked for some bread to tide us over, they couldn't even manage to bring that. We finally left and went elsewhere. I swore I'd never go back, and I've kept that vow for almost a year now. There are plenty of other restaurants in the Courthouse/Clarendon area and plenty of other places to watch sports. This one's a waste of time. The good news is, a developer is planning to raze that entire block and put up a new high-rise office building on the site. Not a moment too soon, if you ask me.
(1)
Jennifer S.
I do not recommend the food. I've been here for breakfast (and the nicest thing I can say about it is, 'yuck' - Green eggs and ham would be better.) and for lunch during games. Lunch is only mildly more palatable. Typical bar food really. The main attraction here is the sports watching. I have enjoyed watching UConn games here because it has a huge amount of tv's and widescreens to choose from along with hi-fi sound. I think they feature just about every sport under the sun for viewing. I do notice that they attract a huge soccer fan crowd (and not just during World Cup). My only advice is that if you are planning an outing for a bunch of your friends to watch a game together, such as the UConn Huskies (think I'm a fan?), then you should also plan to arrive really early and save seats with physical objects on them. I have learned. Also, I heard they just had a major interior overhaul, but have not seen it personally. Hopefully the menu was included in that.
(3)
Michelle B.
Are you ready for some..... rugby? Summer's has all the international games that the majority of Yanks just can't seem to embrace. The food is so-so, the service is ok, but the TV's are big, the beers are cold and watch out when the World Cup comes to town. They literally show everything: cricket, soccer, rugby, Aussie Rules football, etc.
(3)
Ken S.
I have been to Summers more than once. It is consistently decent food and TVs everywhere. The service is not outstanding but adequate and the location is convenient. I wouldn't classify it as something special but I don't think you'll be disappointed either. Worth a try particularly if you want to watch a sporting event.
(3)
damon n.
ok they have ok food and an ok beer selection but they show pay per view fights and sports for cheap and you don't have to deal with Bailey craziness. so 3 to 4 stars.
(3)
A E.
While the number of flat screen TVs is impressive--feel like I'm in Best Buy or Circuit City--the people who run the place could be nicer. Good place to watch World Cup because no matter where you sit, you generally have great views of no less than 5 TVs. But the breakfast is gross and if you arrive an hour before the match, good luck finding a seat. And if you arrive 45 minutes before kick-off, good luck getting in. They turn people away one second and then let a crowd in the next. The best part is meeting people when you're fortunate to spy a half-full booth and they're nice enough to share, and the 22 oz beer for $6 sounds like a good deal.
(3)
Anna D.
I wanted to go to Four Courts across the street for some St. Patrick's Day grub, but it was packed. Go figure that an Irish pub would be busy for St. Patty's Day weekend. :P So, I planned B it and headed over to Summers. The booth was wholly uncomfortable. Looking down at the worn seat, I could see that someone had once parked their enormous badonkadonk there, causing the cushion and the springs to misalign. My bf and I had to scooch over to the end of the booth to find a semi-comfortable spot. We had barely settled down with our menu's when our server came to take our order. What, so soon? No, we're not ready yet. I ordered the fish and chips (much thanks for Ms. Sarah for making me crave it!) and my bf got the blackened chicken and bacon sandwich. The food arrived in a timely manner, though our refills did not. In fact, the free refills (for water and my first free soda refill) never came. We must have sat for over 10 minutes without having anything to drink at our table. The food was fine. My bf enjoyed his chicken sandwich on a crispy ciabatta bread, and I ate my fish and chips with a fork because the fish kept separating from its exterior bread crumbage. We also had dessert: an apple cobbler and a slice of chocolate cake. The cake was moist but tasted like it came from a box; and the apples in the cobbler were cooked thoroughly but the breaded topping was bland. Our server always seemed like she was in a hurry. She would stop by our table to ask a question and would immediately turn away before either of us could utter an answer. On the positive side, there were plenty of tv's broadcasting a variety of sports. The rugby game with Ireland was pretty entertaining. I don't think I will be coming here to eat by choice again. Unless, of course, it becomes a plan B.
(2)
Justin L.
I have such mixed feelings about this place. As a big soccer fan, they have by far the best selection of European football on the weekends in the area and decent TVs to watch them on. The atmosphere is excellent on big match days too. However, the place is almost always understaffed, the servers they do have are often indifferent or ignorant of the basic rules of service, and the food is mediocre at best. The beer selection is OK. All of these criticisms would be tolerable however, except for the fact that they seem utterly indifferent to their core customers: the soccer fans. I have been here a number of times where, after showing up at 8am, ordering breakfast, multiple drinks and sometimes a second meal, have been FORCED to switch tables and even sometimes pushed into the smoking section because the manager has deemed it necessary to switch the soccer to NFL/college football/basketball/ or even CNN (WTF?!) even when there's literally no one else there to watch it! And this isn't some rare occurrence, it seems a matter of policy. It's simply disrespectful, and a large part of why I don't come here anymore. If you are looking for a casual dining experience with better food I would suggest the Four Courts across the street.
(2)
Bela P.
Don't come here if you value your sanity. Despite having one of the best tv set-ups in Arlington, Summers is generally empty. Why, you ask? Because the servers have absolutely no idea what is going on. On a recent visit, I went up to the bar and sat down while waiting for a friend. There was no bartender. None. I understand that sometimes a bartender might have to pop into the kitchen or run to the restroom, but you'd think they would another server hold down the bar, even just to say "the bartender will be right back". Nope, not at summers. I sat for a good 8-10 mins before anyone showed up. If you sit at a table instead of the bar, you're pretty much asking to be ignored. Come here if you want to watch games that you might not otherwise be able to catch anywhere (soccer/cricket?), but don't expect to order anything to drink or eat without wanting to scream.
(1)
Alex S.
Summers Restaurant is AWESOME. I've been going to "Summers" since 1994, and I love that place. I think it's the best Sports-Bar in all of D.C, specially for soccer. However, before you go to "Summers", you should understand what this restaurant IS, and what it is NOT. "Summers" is a SPORTS BAR, so that should be the main focus of your reviews. They show sports from all over the world, and they even take requests (assuming you know the channel, and the game is being shown). Besides showing you the basic stuff (e.g baseball, football, and basketball), they also show you rugby, soccer (UEFA, CONMEBOL, etc), and even wrestling. In all the years that I've come to "Summers", I've never once had problems with their service. And on the rare occasion when the service has been "slow", it is usually because the place is completely packed (which happens to any place that gets swamped for a special event). I have yet to meet a place that can bring you food "in 10 minutes" (specially when they're packed), unless you go to Subway. "Summers"is NOT a Karaoke Bar (they have Karaoke just ONE night a week, and it is held at a private room AWAY from the rest of the bar), and it is NOT a smoking-bar (the smoking area is at that same "private room" AWAY from the rest of the bar). So if you don't like to hear "bad singing", then perhaps you should consider going on any of the other 6 nights, but if you MUST go on that 7th night (when Karaoke is held), then how about skipping the room where the Karaoke is being held? (specially b/c it is held in a private room with closed doors). Same goes for the smoking. As far as food, "Summers" food is ok, it is not great, and it is not horrible either. But then again, if you're going to "Summers" to get a gourmet meal, then you need help. I do recommend the chicken quesadilla. And their beer is fairly priced.
(5)
Scot W.
Summer's is a great, laid back place to go for a beer, some sports and an appetizers or a quick bite. The food is far from fancy, which is not to say that its bad. The beer selection is reasonable and the prices, especially at happy hour, are very good. I have only ever sat at the bar and can't comment on the table service, although the waitresses seem friendly enough. I usually sit at the smoking bar, though I don't smoke, and must say that the service there is usually pretty good. John, who typically works in the back, is a great bartender...quirky, but good. Need a quick drink, a small, cheap nosh and some sports? If you're in Arlington, head to Summers.
(5)
Jennifer G.
In our never ending search to find Scottish Premier League soccer we happened upon Summers. Actually, the bartender from Kitty O'Shea's told us about Summers. It took a while before we finally made our way here, but I was really pleased once we did! It was relatively early on a Saturday morning. We found our way here quite easily, and finding parking wasn't too tough either. You have to park in a lot, but it was free (well, I think it was!) and not a far walk. There was some sort of street fair going on too, we didn't get a chance to check it out but it looked interesting! Summers has a nice bright bar and dining area. There was a decent crowd there. It was before noon but there were still folks hanging at the bar watching some college football and having a beer- my kinda people! But we weren't here for football- well not American Football anyway! We asked the bartender if she could put on the the Chelsea/Manchester United game that we had come by to check out. Turns out we were at the wrong bar... Summers has two bars! She pointed us in the right direction and we walked over to a room that was shrouded from daylight and speckled with people enjoying some breakfast and soccer. There was waitress service in the room but the bar was closed so we had to hoof it over to the other bar for drinks. Not too bad though- especially since the awesome woman manning the bar was quick to spot us and provide another round of drinks the moment she saw us. We had some lunch since it's not good to drink on an empty stomach. I had a turkey burger and R had a chicken sandwich. Both were good, the fries were especially good. Service wasn't the quickest, but it was just one girl serving the room so it's forgivable. The room emptied out after the conclusion of the Man United game, but some new folks appeared for the other soccer games that were being televised. The food was good, the beer was good, and the establishment itself was good. It was a cool set up for early morning soccer. The one downfall was the mood of the room during the game. There were some gasps and other light noises when there were near misses- but otherwise it was as quiet as a church in here! I wanted people to be making some noise! Maybe R and I will try to stir up some chants or something the next time we're here. For ladies with a fondness for men with an accent- get yourself here on Saturday mornings! It's a virtual United Nations! We'll most certainly be back for some more soccer soon, I just hope they stop serving decaf to the people watching the matches!
(4)
Jake S.
I fail to understand why the food prices here are so jacked up. It's good (the buffalo tender platter is first-class), but 11.50 just seems like too much. Getting past that, I really like going here for sporting events. I hate Mr. Days, so this is the next option in the Court House/Clarendon area. The only reason is because of the televisions... they have a TON of them, and most are high-def sets. It really is a great place to watch football on Sundays and, most recently, the NCAAs. Also, it's almost never crowded, so you can usually get prime seating for whatever sporting event you're there to watch. Fantastic. The service is usually pretty good, the location is fantastic (1 block off the metro), and the beer is reasonable, despite the high food prices. Would be 5-stars if not for the food prices. I wouldn't come here for any reason other than sports , so if you're not into sports, don't bother. If you are, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better spot in the area.
(4)
Clara L.
I met up with a friend here for drinks last night and to catch some of the sweet 16 bball action on tv. Well, this place certainly has enough tvs... and since there were only 2 bball games going on, every other tv had one game and the rest had the other. It was a little overwhelming actually. But during football season, that could be kinda cool. There was a special for 22oz Killians for $4.75. Killians isn't my favorite beer, but it is a decent choice. And for about $5 for that large of a glass? Why not?!? After a couple, I was happily entering into buzz-ville. I did not get any food, but picked at some fries on my friend's plate. Fries were pretty standard for bars. Not complaining. Overall, I had a good time here. It sounds like that is anomalous of the majority (ok more than the majority)'s experience though. Summers wasn't really anything too special... so maybe it was my company that made the night seem better.
(3)
Matt C.
My team (Eagles) wasn't on National TV, so I came here cause they have Sunday Ticket. Walked in as the Skins fans were leaving after losing to the RAMS (ouch)! Decent place. Wings are good, tasty sauce, decent beer prices, and that's about it. The TV's are plentiful, but not the best quality. Kind of an odd interior, feels more like a family restaurant than a bar, but whatever, no biggie. Come here if you live in Courthouse and your team isn't on TV. If you want a more exciting day of NFL viewing, go to Carpool.
(3)
Kathleen M.
I came here to watch the Michigan/OSU game with some serious Michigan fans (we're talking foam helmets, people). Dr. Dremo's wasn't open so we decided to watch the first half at Summers. 4 of us piled in to a booth and prepared ourselves for the drink-fest ahead. At this point I feel like I should interject that the friends I was with are a little slaphappy and like to joke around a bit. Never in a meanspirited way: they're just goofy. Well, our waitress didn't speak English. At all. Couldn't even translate Miller Lite, much less Carlsberg. So we did a lot of pointing and eventually got our drinks. Ordering food was more difficult and it took quite a long time to arrive. It was substandard, but that's kind of to be expected in a place like this. The service got slower as the day proceeded and it took forever to get our checks. I don't see any reason to go back.
(2)
Brian W.
It's a boring, straightforward bar. The food is ok, the prices are ok, and the beer is ok (though they get 5 brownie points for now carrying Rogue American). The only reason I ever go here is to watch football and basketball with the University of Oregon Alumni Club. If not for that, I would likely never visit this bar. But with that said, it gets the job done.
(3)
Lucas K.
Came for breakfast over the weekend. It's a little unusual for a sports bar to offer weekend breakfast/brunch but it beats dealing with the hordes at Brooklyn Bagels (see review). Had the French Toast which were light and fluffy. Homefries were nicely seasoned and not at all greasy. The coffee tasted like an ashtray and the place smelled of stale beer and cigarette smoke. And with a couple Europeans in there watching live F1 racing at 10 in the morning (race was in Singapore) with the volume of whining engines blaring, it didn't make for a good conversation environment. Then again, this is a sports bar that just so happens to serve breakfast, so you get what you pay for.
(2)
Amit S.
what's so frustrating about Summer's is that it has the potential to really be a great place. But I will concur with many of the reviews here, the food is edible, service is poor, and the TVs are the same ones my parents had 10 years ago. If you are there to watch soccer, you're probably okay with the selection of channels, but if you're there to watch college football then you have to beg and plead with the Remote Control Man and even then you probably won't get what you want. Anyway, I really love supporting small businesses in my neighborhood and my initial draw was that it was smoke-free but after so many trips and not seeing any improvement I doubt I will be going there anymore. :-( please let me know if it improves
(2)
C J.
This one gets extra stars because they were literally the only place in the greater DC area playing the finals of the Asia cup. And we were the crazy crew that went to a bar at 8 am on a Sunday, drank beer and watched Iraq win! :) Their breakfast was also good, but a bit expensive for the quality of food. To be fair though, it's about on par with the area. Parking was difficult even at that time, so I can't imagine on a Saturday night! How can you fail with soccer, beer, and breakfast on a Sunday morning?
(4)
Jason P.
Even though this place was only a block away from my apartment I only had to go once to know never to go back. The service was absolutely terrible. My two roommates and I joked at the time that we must be on some sort of hidden camera show because there really didn't seem to be any way to screw anything up any worse. First, we were left standing at an empty hostess podium for about 10 minutes before someone came to seat us despite the fact the restaurant was nearly empty. Several servers walked by and completely ignored us. Once we were finally seated, we waited another 10 minutes before we saw our waitress. She barely spoke English. She took our drink orders and another 10 minutes later she returned with the wrong drinks. We're not picky (beer is beer, right?) so we let it slide. After another wait, she finally took our food orders. When the food finally came out 40 minutes later. Our glasses had been sitting empty for the previous 30 minutes. And she somehow managed to screw up ALL THREE orders. The food we did get was ice cold and absolutely awful. The chicken fingers looked like the kind you buy frozen at the grocery and throw in the oven. But it looks like they were burnt, then refrigerated, then microwaved until lukewarm. And finally, to top it off she somehow even managed to screw up the check. This place is just pitiful.
(1)
Matt T.
I thought it was pretty impressive that there is a bar that advertises itself as a soccer bar. On a World Cup Saturday it was full of rowdy and drunk internationals, which added tremendously to an otherwise drab atmosphere. Seating was a disorganized mess and nobody really took responsibility for our table and we had to wait a long time for the bill (after asking for it about three times). But I thought the turkey sandwich was good and prices were reasonable. Not a bad spot to watch soccer, just not a great place.
(3)
Krissy R.
If I never go back again I will be happy. This place is unimpressive and smelly, and the food is typical and unexciting. I ordered a burger because it's usually pretty difficult to mess up a burger, but Summers managed to do just that. I'd rather skip lunch than pop over to Summers for food.
(1)
Monty C.
I have been frequenting Summers ever since I moved to Arlington 5-ish years ago. Why have I waited this long to write a review? Every February my native Hoosier blood begins to boil in anticipation of March Madness and I instinctively seek out the best place to watch multiple simultaneous basketball games. For me, my annual search ends at Summers. OK fine, so maybe you need to be an ESL instructor to properly communicate your food and drink orders, but the food is passable pub grub (it has slowly gotten better over the years) and the drink specials (namely the jumbo Long Hammer IPAs) are decent. Most importantly, the entire building is absolutely slathered in flatscreen TVs with the most comprehensive sports packages in the area. People go to Summers first and foremost to watch sports. World Cup soccer, Oregon football, and NCAA basketball tournament games push this place to capacity. One more point to remember, "Joe" the tall Maltese gentleman that looks like some sort of evil genius with monstrously bushy eyebrows, seems to be the only manager with a full understanding of all the satellite packages. He is the ticket to the game you want to watch.
(3)
Jaye V.
There's a reason why I'm giving it 4 stars, but it's my secret spot for something. If I tell you what that is, it won't be a secret anymore :). And no, I don't know the owner or anything. The food is definitely 2-3 stars, depending on what you order, but the beers are good and cold off the tap. Most of the waitstaff and cooks are Asian, and the food reminds me of going to sports bars in foreign countries -- with their (kinda strange) interpretations of Western bar & grill food. If you find yourself here, do yourself a favor and don't order anything Tex-Mex off the menu. The flour tortillas were like crackers, and the meat and peppers were like an Asian stir fry with lots of soy sauce. Order something that has less room for error, like a burger or sandwich.
(4)
Liam O.
Pretty mediocre. I work around here so I used to go in for lunch every once in awhile. I guess it's okay for a few sports fanatics, they seem to have a pretty wide range of games on at all times. The last time I went here, my booth smelled like piss so bad that even changing booths didn't help, so we just got up and left. To reiterate, that was the last time I went here.
(2)
Bela P.
Don't come here if you value your sanity. Despite having one of the best tv set-ups in Arlington, Summers is generally empty. Why, you ask? Because the servers have absolutely no idea what is going on. On a recent visit, I went up to the bar and sat down while waiting for a friend. There was no bartender. None. I understand that sometimes a bartender might have to pop into the kitchen or run to the restroom, but you'd think they would another server hold down the bar, even just to say "the bartender will be right back". Nope, not at summers. I sat for a good 8-10 mins before anyone showed up. If you sit at a table instead of the bar, you're pretty much asking to be ignored. Come here if you want to watch games that you might not otherwise be able to catch anywhere (soccer/cricket?), but don't expect to order anything to drink or eat without wanting to scream.
(1)
Alex S.
Summers Restaurant is AWESOME. I've been going to "Summers" since 1994, and I love that place. I think it's the best Sports-Bar in all of D.C, specially for soccer. However, before you go to "Summers", you should understand what this restaurant IS, and what it is NOT. "Summers" is a SPORTS BAR, so that should be the main focus of your reviews. They show sports from all over the world, and they even take requests (assuming you know the channel, and the game is being shown). Besides showing you the basic stuff (e.g baseball, football, and basketball), they also show you rugby, soccer (UEFA, CONMEBOL, etc), and even wrestling. In all the years that I've come to "Summers", I've never once had problems with their service. And on the rare occasion when the service has been "slow", it is usually because the place is completely packed (which happens to any place that gets swamped for a special event). I have yet to meet a place that can bring you food "in 10 minutes" (specially when they're packed), unless you go to Subway. "Summers"is NOT a Karaoke Bar (they have Karaoke just ONE night a week, and it is held at a private room AWAY from the rest of the bar), and it is NOT a smoking-bar (the smoking area is at that same "private room" AWAY from the rest of the bar). So if you don't like to hear "bad singing", then perhaps you should consider going on any of the other 6 nights, but if you MUST go on that 7th night (when Karaoke is held), then how about skipping the room where the Karaoke is being held? (specially b/c it is held in a private room with closed doors). Same goes for the smoking. As far as food, "Summers" food is ok, it is not great, and it is not horrible either. But then again, if you're going to "Summers" to get a gourmet meal, then you need help. I do recommend the chicken quesadilla. And their beer is fairly priced.
(5)
JC M.
Breakfast is OK, that's about it. I'm not a big sports fan so having 30 TV's all over the place on different sport channels really didn't do much for me except annoy my eyes. I dunno, go to Ragtime or Four Courts instead. Unless you're a big sports fan freak and need to watch every game that's happening all over the word at the same time. If that's the case this place is golden and you'll probably give it 5 stars.
(2)
Jennifer G.
In our never ending search to find Scottish Premier League soccer we happened upon Summers. Actually, the bartender from Kitty O'Shea's told us about Summers. It took a while before we finally made our way here, but I was really pleased once we did! It was relatively early on a Saturday morning. We found our way here quite easily, and finding parking wasn't too tough either. You have to park in a lot, but it was free (well, I think it was!) and not a far walk. There was some sort of street fair going on too, we didn't get a chance to check it out but it looked interesting! Summers has a nice bright bar and dining area. There was a decent crowd there. It was before noon but there were still folks hanging at the bar watching some college football and having a beer- my kinda people! But we weren't here for football- well not American Football anyway! We asked the bartender if she could put on the the Chelsea/Manchester United game that we had come by to check out. Turns out we were at the wrong bar... Summers has two bars! She pointed us in the right direction and we walked over to a room that was shrouded from daylight and speckled with people enjoying some breakfast and soccer. There was waitress service in the room but the bar was closed so we had to hoof it over to the other bar for drinks. Not too bad though- especially since the awesome woman manning the bar was quick to spot us and provide another round of drinks the moment she saw us. We had some lunch since it's not good to drink on an empty stomach. I had a turkey burger and R had a chicken sandwich. Both were good, the fries were especially good. Service wasn't the quickest, but it was just one girl serving the room so it's forgivable. The room emptied out after the conclusion of the Man United game, but some new folks appeared for the other soccer games that were being televised. The food was good, the beer was good, and the establishment itself was good. It was a cool set up for early morning soccer. The one downfall was the mood of the room during the game. There were some gasps and other light noises when there were near misses- but otherwise it was as quiet as a church in here! I wanted people to be making some noise! Maybe R and I will try to stir up some chants or something the next time we're here. For ladies with a fondness for men with an accent- get yourself here on Saturday mornings! It's a virtual United Nations! We'll most certainly be back for some more soccer soon, I just hope they stop serving decaf to the people watching the matches!
(4)
Jake S.
I fail to understand why the food prices here are so jacked up. It's good (the buffalo tender platter is first-class), but 11.50 just seems like too much. Getting past that, I really like going here for sporting events. I hate Mr. Days, so this is the next option in the Court House/Clarendon area. The only reason is because of the televisions... they have a TON of them, and most are high-def sets. It really is a great place to watch football on Sundays and, most recently, the NCAAs. Also, it's almost never crowded, so you can usually get prime seating for whatever sporting event you're there to watch. Fantastic. The service is usually pretty good, the location is fantastic (1 block off the metro), and the beer is reasonable, despite the high food prices. Would be 5-stars if not for the food prices. I wouldn't come here for any reason other than sports , so if you're not into sports, don't bother. If you are, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better spot in the area.
(4)
Clara L.
I met up with a friend here for drinks last night and to catch some of the sweet 16 bball action on tv. Well, this place certainly has enough tvs... and since there were only 2 bball games going on, every other tv had one game and the rest had the other. It was a little overwhelming actually. But during football season, that could be kinda cool. There was a special for 22oz Killians for $4.75. Killians isn't my favorite beer, but it is a decent choice. And for about $5 for that large of a glass? Why not?!? After a couple, I was happily entering into buzz-ville. I did not get any food, but picked at some fries on my friend's plate. Fries were pretty standard for bars. Not complaining. Overall, I had a good time here. It sounds like that is anomalous of the majority (ok more than the majority)'s experience though. Summers wasn't really anything too special... so maybe it was my company that made the night seem better.
(3)
Matt C.
My team (Eagles) wasn't on National TV, so I came here cause they have Sunday Ticket. Walked in as the Skins fans were leaving after losing to the RAMS (ouch)! Decent place. Wings are good, tasty sauce, decent beer prices, and that's about it. The TV's are plentiful, but not the best quality. Kind of an odd interior, feels more like a family restaurant than a bar, but whatever, no biggie. Come here if you live in Courthouse and your team isn't on TV. If you want a more exciting day of NFL viewing, go to Carpool.
(3)
Kathleen M.
I came here to watch the Michigan/OSU game with some serious Michigan fans (we're talking foam helmets, people). Dr. Dremo's wasn't open so we decided to watch the first half at Summers. 4 of us piled in to a booth and prepared ourselves for the drink-fest ahead. At this point I feel like I should interject that the friends I was with are a little slaphappy and like to joke around a bit. Never in a meanspirited way: they're just goofy. Well, our waitress didn't speak English. At all. Couldn't even translate Miller Lite, much less Carlsberg. So we did a lot of pointing and eventually got our drinks. Ordering food was more difficult and it took quite a long time to arrive. It was substandard, but that's kind of to be expected in a place like this. The service got slower as the day proceeded and it took forever to get our checks. I don't see any reason to go back.
(2)
Brian W.
It's a boring, straightforward bar. The food is ok, the prices are ok, and the beer is ok (though they get 5 brownie points for now carrying Rogue American). The only reason I ever go here is to watch football and basketball with the University of Oregon Alumni Club. If not for that, I would likely never visit this bar. But with that said, it gets the job done.
(3)
Lucas K.
Came for breakfast over the weekend. It's a little unusual for a sports bar to offer weekend breakfast/brunch but it beats dealing with the hordes at Brooklyn Bagels (see review). Had the French Toast which were light and fluffy. Homefries were nicely seasoned and not at all greasy. The coffee tasted like an ashtray and the place smelled of stale beer and cigarette smoke. And with a couple Europeans in there watching live F1 racing at 10 in the morning (race was in Singapore) with the volume of whining engines blaring, it didn't make for a good conversation environment. Then again, this is a sports bar that just so happens to serve breakfast, so you get what you pay for.
(2)
C J.
This one gets extra stars because they were literally the only place in the greater DC area playing the finals of the Asia cup. And we were the crazy crew that went to a bar at 8 am on a Sunday, drank beer and watched Iraq win! :) Their breakfast was also good, but a bit expensive for the quality of food. To be fair though, it's about on par with the area. Parking was difficult even at that time, so I can't imagine on a Saturday night! How can you fail with soccer, beer, and breakfast on a Sunday morning?
(4)
Jason P.
Even though this place was only a block away from my apartment I only had to go once to know never to go back. The service was absolutely terrible. My two roommates and I joked at the time that we must be on some sort of hidden camera show because there really didn't seem to be any way to screw anything up any worse. First, we were left standing at an empty hostess podium for about 10 minutes before someone came to seat us despite the fact the restaurant was nearly empty. Several servers walked by and completely ignored us. Once we were finally seated, we waited another 10 minutes before we saw our waitress. She barely spoke English. She took our drink orders and another 10 minutes later she returned with the wrong drinks. We're not picky (beer is beer, right?) so we let it slide. After another wait, she finally took our food orders. When the food finally came out 40 minutes later. Our glasses had been sitting empty for the previous 30 minutes. And she somehow managed to screw up ALL THREE orders. The food we did get was ice cold and absolutely awful. The chicken fingers looked like the kind you buy frozen at the grocery and throw in the oven. But it looks like they were burnt, then refrigerated, then microwaved until lukewarm. And finally, to top it off she somehow even managed to screw up the check. This place is just pitiful.
(1)
Monty C.
I have been frequenting Summers ever since I moved to Arlington 5-ish years ago. Why have I waited this long to write a review? Every February my native Hoosier blood begins to boil in anticipation of March Madness and I instinctively seek out the best place to watch multiple simultaneous basketball games. For me, my annual search ends at Summers. OK fine, so maybe you need to be an ESL instructor to properly communicate your food and drink orders, but the food is passable pub grub (it has slowly gotten better over the years) and the drink specials (namely the jumbo Long Hammer IPAs) are decent. Most importantly, the entire building is absolutely slathered in flatscreen TVs with the most comprehensive sports packages in the area. People go to Summers first and foremost to watch sports. World Cup soccer, Oregon football, and NCAA basketball tournament games push this place to capacity. One more point to remember, "Joe" the tall Maltese gentleman that looks like some sort of evil genius with monstrously bushy eyebrows, seems to be the only manager with a full understanding of all the satellite packages. He is the ticket to the game you want to watch.
(3)
Jaye V.
There's a reason why I'm giving it 4 stars, but it's my secret spot for something. If I tell you what that is, it won't be a secret anymore :). And no, I don't know the owner or anything. The food is definitely 2-3 stars, depending on what you order, but the beers are good and cold off the tap. Most of the waitstaff and cooks are Asian, and the food reminds me of going to sports bars in foreign countries -- with their (kinda strange) interpretations of Western bar & grill food. If you find yourself here, do yourself a favor and don't order anything Tex-Mex off the menu. The flour tortillas were like crackers, and the meat and peppers were like an Asian stir fry with lots of soy sauce. Order something that has less room for error, like a burger or sandwich.
(4)
Liam O.
Pretty mediocre. I work around here so I used to go in for lunch every once in awhile. I guess it's okay for a few sports fanatics, they seem to have a pretty wide range of games on at all times. The last time I went here, my booth smelled like piss so bad that even changing booths didn't help, so we just got up and left. To reiterate, that was the last time I went here.
(2)
New to San Pedro C.
If I could give it less than 1 star, I would. The food was mediocre at best. I asked the server what she suggested and she really couldn't help. So I asked her about the alfredo for my son and she goes "it's fine if you like that sort of thing." I ordered a steak sandwich and it was blah. She asked if I wanted a box and I said no, it wasn't that great and she goes "yeh" and walks away. Never going back and we live 2 blocks away.
(1)
GiselleLee L.
Don't come here for the food. Come here for the awesome array of sports simultaneously shown on the many, many flat screen tvs in the place. I had the shrimp alfredo and my mom had the salmon in basil cream sauce. Bland bland bland with a side of blah. In my case the alfredo tasted like a prepackeaged powder sauce packet and in my moms case her salmon was hard and dry. I did however get to see the hawks vs. Heat game, the ducks vs. red wings game and the mavs vs. Nuggets game. Will I come again? Yeah, but not to eat
(4)
Matt L.
You get what you pay for at this Courthouse neighborhood no frills sports bar. I come regularly for the UFC fights and have never had bad service, food, beer, or unfair prices. The management is responsive to complaints and the owner (I think) is always there on Saturday nights and is always eager to serve. The most refreshing part about this place is that there is no pretension here. I see people come in, all dressed to the nines, serious product and perfume, they take one look at the fact that no eager glares meet them and the furniture looks like Applebee's castoffs, and leave, I whisper to myself, good.
(4)
Matt T.
I thought it was pretty impressive that there is a bar that advertises itself as a soccer bar. On a World Cup Saturday it was full of rowdy and drunk internationals, which added tremendously to an otherwise drab atmosphere. Seating was a disorganized mess and nobody really took responsibility for our table and we had to wait a long time for the bill (after asking for it about three times). But I thought the turkey sandwich was good and prices were reasonable. Not a bad spot to watch soccer, just not a great place.
(3)
Krissy R.
If I never go back again I will be happy. This place is unimpressive and smelly, and the food is typical and unexciting. I ordered a burger because it's usually pretty difficult to mess up a burger, but Summers managed to do just that. I'd rather skip lunch than pop over to Summers for food.
(1)
Brendan D.
First off I should start by saying I think Venu makes an excellent point- if you KNOW you do not like sports bars, then a) why visit one in the first place, and b) why go through the trouble of writing a sullying review. That out of the way, I like sports bars. Summers was pretty average though. Myself and a buddy went in on 8/29/09 to watch UFC 102, which turned out to be quite entertaining. I normally order these events myself in HD and have a bunch of people over, but due to some outside circumstances it was just myself and one buddy, so we figured we would just go out and see the fights. The cover of $5 was honestly pretty reasonable I thought. The fight was shown only in the back, smoking lounge (which if I am not mistaken may be a legal thing about having to use a separate entrance, and charging cover when showing a PPV event??). In any event that left things extremely crowded, and yes- smoky. I got over the smoke quickly, and got a reasonable seat for the fights, considering how late I arrived. The drinks were on the expensive side- $6 for a Miller Lite, though the drafts were big, I would say 22 or 23 oz. If that was in fact the case, then they are a little bit of a better deal, though its kind of lame being "forced" into the bigger buy. However, once I realized how overworked/ "in the weeds" the bartender was, the forced upsell might have been the way to go. I was a little surprised there was only one bartender downstairs, simply crazy really when you consider the volume of the bar. Part of me felt bad for her ( I have been there) and the other side of me was angry at the management- honestly just unacceptable. In the whole I thought Summers- was "ok" hence the 3 star review.
(3)
Jules W.
I stopped in after seeing a sign for the $5.99 lunch special. My soup/salad was average, and my lunch partner got a chipotle steak wrap that wasn't good at all ($5.99 each). Worst of all was the TERRIBLE service. There were only 2-3 tables occupied for each of the 3 waiters, and we only saw our server twice: once to take our order, and once to bring our check, which we waited for 15 minutes after finishing our food. Atmosphere was nothing special for a sport's bar, but they did have ~4 different sports channels on, which is probably nice if you want to catch up on sports news while grabbing a bite. I'm not a fan of the smoky smell, but I DID choose to eat at a sports bar...
(1)
Robin H.
If our cousin wasn't such a heavy smoker, we would never have entered this sports bar. They have a separate room with it's own ventilation system for smokers. But the main dining room is non-smoking. And the burgers are great! They're large and juicy on a kaiser roll. The buns don't fall apart like they do at Ray's or Five Guys. And you can sit in a booth for a long time and not feel like customers are waiting for the table.
(4)
Lee N.
I went to Summers for the El Classico Real Madrid - Barcelona match. There was a waiter at the door who saw my jersey and directed me to the side/back bar, which appeared to have been turned soccer central. I counted - I could see 14 flatscreens showing the game from where I was standing (no seats available). For 90 minutes, I was in paradise. They do a pretty good job of showing a variety of soccer games, even the early ones. Just be careful on big game days, because it will probably be packed! This place caters to the soccer crowd... and apparently serves food and beer, too! My Guinness was cold and tasted like Guinness, so I was happy. I could care less about food being average bar fare and drinks being typical - come here for the soccer.
(4)
Liam D.
I've passed by this place a number of times, but never thought about stopping in. This one evening I was in Arlington passing some time and I noticed that the UFC fights were on here, so I popped in for a quick bite and to catch a few fights. Doesn't take long to realize that this place is a big sports bar - tons of tv's everywhere, lots of beer, and a decent looking menu. I had a hickory chicken sandwich and Carlsberg lager, which isn't easy to find on tap - another indication that it's a big soccer bar. I'd say this place is great for an afternoon to just lay low, watch some sports, grab a bite, and have a brew or few. I wouldn't suggest it for anything other than that.
(3)
Jimbo J.
Went there on a Sunday morning to watch English soccer on a busy day of fixtures, however this world famed soccer pub was only capable of showing one game at a time. Resembled a truckstop, but at the top of a hill and with staff whose English skills are 'beginner'.
(2)
John B.
It was Sunday at Summer's, opening day of football season. We had a table to ourselves and several pitchers of beer, and it was just past noon. The place was packed with fans of all stripes, shouting and taunting each other. These guys take the games seriously. There were flat screen TVs mounted side-by-side, four in a row, on one wall, and behind us, there were three other games playing on various non-flatscreen TVs. The service was awfully slow, but the Buffalo chicken sandwhich was perfect, and the fries were done just right. Standing in line for the bathroom, I got to watching a European soccer game with a bunch of mustachioed men in back. It's ok not to be a football fan at Summer's--there is something for everyone. On my way back to my table, I located the manager, and he happily switched on the finals of US Open Tennis. There were plenty of TVs to spare.
(5)
Ambrish K.
Wow, I'm surprised with how drastically contrasting all the reviews are. I am guessing that the service at this bar may not be consistent, considering the mixed reviews. Having said that, I had a good time. This bar is conveniently located, the food was good. The bar does have a lot of tv's, and considering it's not one of those trendy bars that people flock too during games (read Laughing Man), it's not usually that crowded, and you can peacefully watch a game with friends. I thought the bar was fine, but that's just me. Verdict: Go see for yourself.
(4)
Derrick L.
I stopped going here because the food/service is so bad. Last time I went was for opening day for the Premiership, and my breakfast was absolutely cold. I don't really have a reason to watch sports here anymore with two Irish pubs within 1 block. Won't go back unless there's a match I can't find anywhere else, and then only getting beer.
(1)
M G.
We went for a weekday lunch. We should always read the reviews before we go. This time we didn't. Big mistake. We were seated promptly after arriving -- this was the best part. To cut to the chase, both orders arrived wrong. The club sandwich came without bacon. Does Summers not know what goes into a club sandwich? The ordered turkey on whole grain bread arrived as beef on a white roll. This one went back but returned as turkey on a white roll. The fries were nice -- this was the second best part. We won't be back.
(1)
Alex S.
Lot's of TV's and decent beer price during happy hour but everything else about Summer's is a joke. Tried it for breakfast once. Some serious English issues with the waitress. Asked (3 times) for milk or cream for my coffee and was given a pint of milk. The food was blah. Second time we went, sat for over an hour and only got half our food. A guy in the booth next to us went off on the waitress.. and just got a nod and OK, not even a feigned apology. Third time (why did I even go back?) had wings and beer for happy hour. Beer is cheap. Wings were mediocre at best. There are about 50 other places in DC/VA where I'd rather watch NFL. Kitty O'Sheas down the street has soccer, which is the only reason I can imagine anyone going to Summers.
(1)
Rachel E.
The food is not good at all here. I haven't been here for awhile, but have come to watch the University of Oregon football games with my college alumni. The flat screens and multiple games are impressive.
(2)
Dan S.
Ugh All the waitstaff i have interacted with, including the bartender, do not speak very good english. The bill is often wrong. Went there with my girlfriend so she could watch her sox game and I could watch the flyers. This also concided with a big Caps game (they had to win to make the playoffs). So what was coming out over the speakers? Some freaking contemporary easy listening shit, totally ruining the atmosphere. This is a crappy sports bar.
(2)
Tim A.
Food, is by, the worst we have had in 8 years living in Arlington. It was so bad we did not eat it. Beer was cold and service was ok-----do not eat here.
(1)
Meghan G.
Average in every way. Generic sports bar decor, generic sports bar menu, generic sports bar staff....are you noticing a pattern. Nothing to write home about, but this place is really a destination for soccer fans (it gets about as crowded as a futbol stadium in spain when a hot game is on) I can't say I would send anyone other than a sports fanatic here, as its just.... sort of average. They have half price cheeseburgers after 4pm on Mondays, and Mon-Fri they have a semi-decent happy hour from 4-7, half priced apps, $2.50 miller lite/bud, and $1 glasses of wine. Seems like a good place to meet for a work happy hour, as the place is fairly large inside and offers ample seating.
(3)
Anna Y.
ugh. what a waste of time. everything was overcooked or dry or just plain BLEH. go for drinks. that's all.
(2)
Maggie N.
Really fun place to go to watch a sports game and have a beer. One of the lady bartenders is super kind and has been working there forever. I haven't tried much of the food, I did try the spinach and artichoke dip which was yummy.
(5)
Prairie S.
After suffering through pretentious, new-fangled bars in the neighborhood which offer small plates of nouvelle cuisine and craft beers with a hefty dose of shallow, over self-conscious hype, I'll gladly settle back to Summers. This is a salt-of-the-earth, genuine, hardworking immigrant owned-and-run establishment, which caters to sports-loving types, especially soccer. I'm fed up of bars in the area which (1) do not screen football (soccer for Americans), much less FIFA Women's World Cup (2) show broadcasts of baseball or golf during world competition soccer and (3) do not have the volume turned up to enjoy the sport. So it's a relief to return to Summers. This place is the real deal where people are out to watch sport, rather than to watch each other while incidentally having a flashy screen backdrop. You'll walk in notice that the screens are not 50-inch flat plasmas, you'll notice the dated interior decor, and you'll settle into a "Cheers"-era plastic padded booth, or at the wooden bar. The wait staff is not likely to be a perky twenty-something Georgetown grad working a second job, it will be an adult person. You'll order middling, typical bar food, (lots of potato skin, fried calamari, mozzarella sticks) and drink cheap beer and feel like the menu is stuck in 1993 (yes it is) but you'll enjoy the friendly service. Michael, their waiter is exceptionally sweet and has sold me on their margaritas even though I'm picky about margaritas. Their wine list is more limited than what I can offer you at my house. But whatever. Get a vodka shot instead and celebrate a goal! Everyone is there because they are into sports. Especially soccer. People share opinions. They yell out commentary. They gasp. They share. There is atmosphere here that you can't get at the fancy restaurants with a bar in front (like Tupelo Honey and Fireworks). These new places shine to turn a profit. They are not shone and cleaned with the sweat and clamour of decades of sports-loving regulars from around this city. In this neighborhood filled with yuppies, this is one place that feels like there is a real heart. It's not fake, it's old and it's not apologetic about it or too worried what you think.
(4)
Irene A.
So I came here to watch the ManU game with a friend prior to going out in arlington. When we called they told us to get there at 10am, when the game started at 11am because the bar would be really really crowded. When we got there at 10am, we were the only people there so we thought we wait till 11am when the game starts. 11am came around and the bar wasn't that crowded what so ever. A little disappointing. We both got egg white omlettes which comes with a side of toast (terrible) and potatoes (also terrible) The service was decent, the waiters were friendly, but the food wasn't that great and the bar wasn't crowded for the game. ya probably won't be coming back here.
(1)
Shae S.
Word on the street is that SUMMERS, my hot tub time machine, my personal passport to the 80's, is PERMANENTLY CLOSING after NYE 2014/15! Gag me with a spoon! That's so lame.
(3)
Sam S.
Can't even tell you how disappointed I was in this place. Was told to come in early the day before by the staff. Arrived an hour early before the game and I was one of 2 people. The food here is weak and I was extremely disappointed. I spoke to a couple people and they said this place shut down for like a couple months and lost a lot of their customers. It's sad but at the same time changes need to be made. The decoration inside is worst then a 1980's Pizza Hut. The TV's are from 1993 The bathroom is extremely small. Amazing location but I cannot express how disappointed I was in this place.
(1)
Sharon J.
Try this place!! Great burgers and wonderful service. I can see from previous (dated) reviews that they had issues in the past, but we had a good experience. It is centrally located and they have great happy hour deals. We will be back for game days this fall...lots of TVs to watch football!!
(4)
Phoenix Simone W.
Not the biggest fan. The food is pretty awful, and the whole place seems a bit run down. The service is inexplicably slow, even when there are barely any customers. I came here with a friend because we happened to be nearby and were super hungry. After waiting forever for a waiter to arrive, and then even longer for our food to arrive, we expected the food to be amazing. Nope. There are many other great places to eat in the area, don't bother with this one!
(1)
Tuve F.
Summers is an Arlington institution and a great place to watch sports, especially soccer. They have lots of big screen televisions, so it's easy to watch from any table. Business does seem slow after their reopening though. I went around noon on a Saturday to watch Arsenal play in the FA Cup and easily got a table just before the game began. Service was good, but my burger and fries were quite average.
(3)
Ivy T.
NEWSFLASH: Summers is OPEN after 5 months closing. Can we get the word out? Business is suffering for this local institution while rumors air. Pro-Tip: if you help the bartenders with their Social Media Fu there may be free beers involved. Number 1 Reasons I love Summers: - All beers are $1 cheaper than Irish Pub across the street - Hot Tub Time Machine to the 80s? Totes. - Great music selection, if you like 80s, Americana, and new wave. - This place is not pretentious and overpriced like the rest of Arlington. Op Summer of Summers: Save Summers Grill!
(5)
Justin M.
Cancelled my sandwich order after waiting for 45 minutes. My wife's margaritas took 30 minutes to arrive and were weak to say the least! Stay away from this train wreck! Watch the match elsewhere or stop at Wendy's on your way in and pack a flask in your back pocket! Terrible!!!!
(1)
Amy D.
My family all got hamburgers and they were all OK. I got a blackened chicken salad. It was terrible. Pretty sure the meat was microwaved or something. Our waiter was very nice and got us out drinks quickly. But can't get over the terrible food. Safe bet is hamburgers.
(1)
Andrew Y.
They're still restocking the pantry and the bar. Service can be slow as they work new servers into the rotation. The food ain't great but the beer is still pretty cheap.
(2)
Kelly J.
I am surprised this doesn't have higher ratings. In fact it took me a couple years to try this place because of the reviews. I will say I'm not a fan of the karaoke because the one time I tried to attend there was smoking ?? But to go for the World Cup showings, it has been awesome. Every screen in the place is on for World Cup and the booths are nice and comfy. I got the Rueben and asked them for roasted turkey instead of corned beef. And steamed veggies instead of fries. It was delicious, and way more affordable than some places in courthouse/Clarendon. I would be willing to come back here with my mate to watch sports any time. Also the main dining room doesn't smell smoky at all, I am very sensitive to that smell..
(4)
Rustin F.
I've been here a couple times, and both times, the staff has been friendly and accommodating. On Mondays, they do $5 cheeseburgers (with fries) and $5 bigger-than-a-pint Fat Tire all night, along with half-price appetizers and $4 pints during happy hour, which lasts until 8p. $5 for a burger and fries is probably cheaper than you'll get at Wendy's, across the street, and it came with table service and tasted pretty good. It wasn't busy when I came, and unlike some bars where the waitstaff are pretty strict about switching seats from the bar to the dining area--generally so they can keep track of tips--the staff at Summers were very chill and didn't seem to care. I'll be back when I need a local dive.
(4)
Chris K.
New to the area and love that it's so close. Food is bar food, which is delicious. Yet to have something bad from the kitchen. The staff has gotten much better recently considering I walked out twice due to crappy service when I moved there. They have really stepped up their game. I am really hoping that the trend continues as football season approaches. Great job, Summers
(4)
Mary Kate M.
Customer service can not, I repeat can not get much worse than this! My boyfriend and I came here for a late lunch, the place was practically deserted with only one other table beside us being here. You would think with not much going on that our server would be extra attentive to us since they didn't have really anything else going on, right? No, not the case. Do you know why I know he had nothing going on? Because he was standing 10 feet away from us with his earphones in his ears playing on his cell phone. Seriously! We were here for about 45 minutes, and it took 25 minutes to get my more than nasty buffalo chicken wrap that had the two items I requested not to be on it. I asked for the tomatoes and onions to be removed. Ugh. I picked them out since I only had an hour lunch break and no tome to replace my order before getting back to the office. I should have asked for the manager right then and there. Obviously that didn't happen due to my time constraint. I had to wave him down to get my water and check. He didn't visit our table once during the meal. Convenience to my work or not, you'll never find me in here again!
(1)
Khris L.
I've been coming here for about 4 years to watch soccer games, especially during the World Cup. I've noticed a lack of interest in the mgmt today when I got there and there were no seats available, however a group of people were holding seats for people who were not even there. With a bar packed the way it was today, this should have not been tolerated. Also they decided to do renovations in another area of the bar during WC season... Poor management again, but I guess they don't care, because avid soccer fans still come to this place. I could've consumed alcohol and food there today, but this was the last time Summers will see my dollars, and I'm not paying to stand up for 98 minutes.
(2)
Annie P.
We came for the World Cup game. Patron camaraderie was great--really fun. There really isn't a bad seat or place to stand in the place. The service and food were, however, dreadful. We ordered 10 minutes before the game started. Half of the order came in about 25 minutes, followed by one more plate at half time which was cold and not what the member of our party had asked for. She sent it back and it was another 45 minutes before there was another cold burger (perhaps the same one...?) delivered to our table. The Greek salad came in the meantime and it was exactly like a salad you would expect from a burger place--Not really edible. If you come for a game, go for the beers and skip the food altogether.
(2)
Henok T.
This is one grimy venue. I came here to watch a Euro Cup match and the bar was crowded. During times like these they force you to order something and jack up the prices. For example, a glass of diet coke will be like $3 just because a game is on. The food seems greasy and unhealthy and the place just has a crusty and dirty type of feel. No idea why this place is such a hit for longtime DC area soccer fans but I know it's been around for a while. It took the bartender forever to notice me and ask me what I wanted. I have not and will not return.
(1)
Mamoon W.
The first time I went there with colleagues, it tool long time to get out food. I thought may be it is one of those days. So I went thee again after few weeks. This time, it took about 45 minutes to get our lunch. Very slow service. The food was as expected. Won't go there for the slow service.
(1)
Robert T.
Surprising past reviews. We came here to watch College Football and the place was near empty. The food was the best sports bar food I've had in awhile. A larger group of people hit the bar near the end of our game and they all seemed to be happy. Must be a hit or miss place, but I'll be coming back. FYI the wings were amazing.
(4)
Joshua W.
The ambiance here is non-existent and there was a confining feel in the place. Not unlike a musty old attic, or perhaps a cigarette smoker friends dusty 'garage slash den'. The haze was really overwhelming and I considered walking out for that reason alone. The lunch service at the bar was fast but the servers seemed irritated and barely spoke a word to me. The club sandwich was about as generic as they come. A true Cisco special! After my eerily quiet and unpleasant lunch I was at least happy to see I had spent under $10. My suggestion: if you like very predictable food then order ahead and go eat in one of the public spaces Courthouse has to offer.
(2)
Emily V.
I went to this place to watch a basketball game - it was - unremarkable. Food was ok. Mostly tasted microwaved. Expensive for the quality. Pluses: the bartenders were nice and it wasn't crowded at all. Though I'm not sure if being empty is really a plus. I have no desire to go back but it wasn't the worst bar I've ever been to either.
(2)
Darthy F.
I got the Philly cheese steak and husband got a summers burger with bacon. Sandwiches were great. Nice neighborhood sandwich joint.
(4)
Sonny R.
Great place to watch sports and drink beer. Don't expect gourmet cuisine. It's a bar!
(4)
Mattie C.
This was a truly awful experience. I think this is the first place I have ever walked out of without leaving a tip. We came with a rather large group after watching fireworks for fourth of july. There wree other people there, but it wasn't overly crowded at all, and there were several waiters around. We ordered some beers first and then several people ordered food items such as fries or mozzerella sticks. The food never came. After about 10 minutes of waiting about half of the drinks came (5/10?) and two of them were wrong. After more waiting, we had to ask again for the rest of the drinks. After about 30 minutes of waiting for the food we had to ask again, and again, and again. It never came and the waitress didn't even seem to care. Maybe she was upset that she had to work on 4th of July? The answer was "its coming" and an eye roll. Finally we said forget the food and just asked for the check. Of course the check came with some of the food on it as well as some additional drinks taht were never ordered. She was irritated to fix the mistakes. Everyone at that table can be described as generous tippers in most circumstances. But in this case, we all looked at each other and reached agreement with no hesitation not to leave a tip. It was probably the worst restaurant experience of my life. Looking at some of the other reviews, this does not look like it is an isolated incident. Don't come here.
(1)
Rob K.
This was my second visit to Summers. I was here back in 2008 and ate here. The food was ok, nothing to set the world on fire, but not horrid. I returned to Arlington in November, 2012. My wife and I honestly came in here on a Saturday night because there were several tv's with sports on, open seats at the bar, and 12.00 Miller Lite pitchers (we returned on Sunday). The bartender was very friendly and easy to talk to. He was attentive but not over the top. Yes, as other posters have said, English is a barrier language for some employees but they all seem friendly and attentive. They have NFL Sunday ticket which was an advantage as well. While I wouldn't call this a sports bar, they do. I think of it that is a diner that serves alcohol. Overall, I would go here again. When I go out, I am not looking for the venue to make my good time, I just want a friendly atmosphere for my time out.
(3)
Anna S.
I'm reviewing the dinner experience here. (My first mistake was expecting a "dinner experience.") I'm sure it's a fine spot to watch sports and drink; beer is beer. I should also say I'm giving it a rating I usually reserve for service so terrible as to verge into fraudulence, when it doesn't quite deserve that. Edible food was provided. Attention was paid. The bill for a Miller Lite, a split nacho appetizer, soup, and a salad came to all of $20 before tip. Despite the low price, however, I would still call my dinner here a waste of money. It was truly awful--"meh, I've had better" seems too generous. First, there were the nachos, which we ordered without sour cream. They came with a big ball of sour cream on top, but that wasn't worth a fuss--we could just scrape it off, of course. The accompanying jalapeños, salsa, and chili were 100% canned, redolent of cheap taco seasoning and salty can water, but hey, they were nachos at a bar, right? Who cares? Knowing we'd be full from the 'chos (and laughably, despite having ordered them, "on a diet"), we ordered light entrees: chicken Caesar salad with the dressing on the side for him, and a soup of the day--minestrone--for me. The salad came first, with the dressing not so much on the side as totally the opposite of that. This we would have blown off too if we hadn't just spent the past fifteen minutes dodging unwanted sour cream. So Matt pointed it out, politely: "hey, um, oh, sorry, the dressing was supposed to be on the side." Our waitress just stared at him. "I can go get some," she said, uncomprehending, although I don't think it was an issue of native language. "Oh, no, sorry, I think he's hoping to just get a new salad with it not mixed in," I said. She turned and stared at me now. "Uh...hold on," she said and disappeared, leaving the salad on the table. About five minutes later, she emerged again with my bowl of soup and a big plastic container of Caesar dressing stacked on the same plate, plopping it in front of me (not him) with a "here you go." We said oh no, no, we really just wanted to send the salad back and get a new salad with no dressing. "Oh...oh...kay..." she replied, in a tone that said she'd thought all along that's what we'd said, but she simply couldn't believe it. Then she finally exchanged the salad. At this point, we felt like idiot harpy betches because 5 tablespoons of Caesar dressing were clearly not worth it. But wow. My mood was already killed by the time I took a bite of my soup and recognized the same limp bits of carrot, mushily unidentifiable white cubes, and sodium-saturated broth I had been fed so often as a child. It was Campbell's--Campbell's condensed minestrone. The "soup of the day" was in fact 1/4 or so of a $1.50 can of reconstituted chemicals. I'm kinda broke at the moment, carefully budgeting my nightlife and meals out. Rich 2010 Anna would have laughed all of this off and given it a mediocre review. But when you're on a budget, it's just so depressing to waste even $20 on a restaurant meal you would consider too gross to buy for 1/5th the cost at Giant.
(1)
Courtnay S.
The food was terrible and overpriced. The fries are the worst restaurant fries I have ever had, and the mozzarella sticks weren't any better. Everything we ordered had obviously been frozen and warmed up. Our waitress was not talkative or friendly. The atmosphere was just weird- no one seemed happy to be there. It was like we had all wandered inside by accident. I will never EVER eat there again.
(1)
Jon H.
Came here during the UEFA final and it was, as expected, PACKED. Make no mistake, the soccer ball icon on the front of this restaurant is no lie, this is a soccer fan's dream bar. Packed with europeans, americans, all of the like, with a ridiculous collection of 15 or so CRT tvs which they must have gotten a mass discount on over the bar, every seat in the house has a view of the game. They do need to work on their HD/Cable signal, because you can't see the corners of the picture, and hence sometimes you can't see the score/time left. Other than that, pretty good sports bar. Even while it was overwhelmed from all the fans, the bartender did a good job of tending to our drinks. The drinks were decent, not very strong but not too weak. Prices were between $5-$8 for a beer/cocktail. Was a bit annoyed that the waiter/runners wouldn't take my food order and that I had to order at the bar. How hard is it to put my order on my tab? So we had to wait for the 1 bartender to come back to our side to order the hot wings. Hot wings were pretty good, a little too vinegary, but with a big serving of carrots/celery. The blue cheese wasn't very authentic, probably came out of a bottle. Still, couple drinks, some food, and a good time was less than $50 for 4 of us. Good sports bar if you're here for the game and a beer.
(3)
Tammy L.
I can't speak to this place as an overall, but I was there on a random Friday night and it was a surprisingly delightfully weird place and we had tons of fun. We stumbled here with a large crew on a bar crew and expectantly found this sort of weirdly amazing place (diner to your left walking in and fairly empty bar to the right in the back). It looks like the regular restaurant type bar that's all over NOVA but this particular night there was a DJ and some karoke. And with a large group and cheap beers, it was a blast. The bar tenders were chill and I'm pretty sure they forgot to charge us for half our drinks. Definitely a random place to have a surprisingly fun night. I've also heard this place is great for soccer games during the day.
(4)
Jezz Z.
Is it possible to give 0 stars? After living 2 blocks from the damn place for nearly 2 yrs, I finally convinced myself to go. Huge mistake, I should've stuck to my instinct; it did keep me away for 2 yrs for a reason!!! Will Not be returning to this place... horrible, just horrible. The food was stale, chicken wings tasted microwaved, the turkey burger was straight out of a box. Service was terrible, they speak little to no english. The manager or owner or whoever that middle eastern chauvinist dude is, who's always there, I heard only likes to hire asian women, disgusting. I also heard that Ovechkin likes going there... WHAT A MYTH!!!! HIGHLY DOUBTFUL, seriously folks lol. If u want good cheap bar food, go to Bailey's or Union Jack's. I also like Rhodeside grill.
(1)
Tracy L.
This review is for the Karaoke night on Fridays only: Check out the half-basement part of the restaurant and you'll discover a fun place to sing on the top of your lungs with friends. There's no individual room but an open stage. Submit your song requests to the MC and wait for your turn. Most people are pretty nice about giving the brave singers an applause. If you do run into a microphone hogger who happens to be drunk out of his or her mind, just tell the MC to tell the person to shove it. Otherwise, have fun!
(3)
Windi L.
Why white people in Clarendon INSIST on doing rap songs during Karaoke is beyond me. Hell, why ANYONE would do a rap song during karaoke is baffling. What happened to audience participation? What happened to the good, classic karaoke songs from Journey, White Snake and even my favorite Boyz II Men? Went here on a Friday night... I was shocked how DEAD it was. Should have been my first que to roll out but I like a good karaoke bar. Sadly, I had a love/hate relationship with the karaoke DJ. In between songs he would play some awesome house music then some popped collared asshole would attempt to Sing/Rap "Empire State of Mind." Alicia Keys is still pissed off. The people here obviously don't know good karaoke etiquette which is if you're gonna SUCK, suck at a good song! +2 stars for their steak quesadillas. OMG THEY ARE SO GOOD. I would have stayed here longer just to eat more of them but alas, after hearing the worst rendition of Kanye West "Jesus Walks" I had to make like the baby jesus and pop smoke out that muthafucker. Speaking of smoke, you can smoke inside here.
(3)
Felix Y.
I really wanted to like this place, especially when it's hard to find a good sports bar, and even harder to find one that broadcasts soccer. But our experience this past Sunday morning made it really hard for me to think about returning. The food was fine -- I didn't really have any complaints there. It was the service that sucked. We ordered two omelettes, nothing fancy, no weird substitutions or what not, but even after the first half of the match was over, we still had no food on our table. The waitress said they were "working on it." 10 minutes later, still no food. Mind you - the place was busy, but nowhere near packed. It was, after all, only a little bit before 10am on a Sunday morning. We asked another guy where the manager was, and he said the manager was not in. My S.O. then asked, "Well who's in charge? Who do you talk to if there's a fire?" The reply? "No one right now, and there's no fire." Needless to say, that pretty much killed any chance they had of recovery. Oh, and our glasses got refilled only once during the two hours we were there. There are some soccer bars in the city, and I'll go there first before I think about coming back here, even if it means having to go a lot farther.
(1)
Richard K.
4 stars for the fact that is plays my UK sports (Football (the real one, where players use their foot to kick the ball) and Rugby. 2 starts for the food, the only reason I'd eat here is if the game is on and you're hungry. Decor is pretty drab and tired looking.
(3)
Britt P.
Wandered in for lunch and had a burger. The portions were generous but the burger itself was lackluster. $10 and cooked well-done even though I ordered medium. Would probably just go across the street for a better burger. Can't speak to the drinks or anything else.
(2)
Pinaki S.
There's only one reason to go to Summers. To watch soccer. They show it extensively. Their servers (at least bartenders) are always friendly-- try sitting in the back bar. The USMT is 0-2 here while I've watched, so I may not go back.
(4)
James S.
Summers is a heck of a joint. Friendly bar tenders (I think one is named John) and a respectable tap selection are just some of it's wonderful attributes. The pub grub that is offered is mighty fine as well. Totally going back!
(4)
Elina T.
My husband and I love Summers! This place is like our Cheers, a second home to us. You have to take this place for what it is: a cozy neighborhood sports bar. It's clean, staff is super friendly, and they show all the sports you could possibly want -- especially every single soccer game going on around the world, and the food is decent (think sportsbar/diner food, not gourmet). We go for the chicken quesadilla (which is delicious, best quesadilla in town) and the sports. We know all the servers and bartenders and they make you feel like family. We used to come here all the time when we lived down the street and we still go a lot, even though we moved. I'm disappointed with some of the reviews I see here. We have never experienced any problems with the service. If you come here during the World Cup or on a football Sunday, of course you should expect to wait a little longer to get served -- isn't this what happens at any restaurant/bar when they get completely slammed? Don't forget that you came here to watch a game, and not to get a quick mid-day lunch turnaround. I've also never had any problems with the servers not speaking good English. My order was always taken with a smile and no one has ever messed it up.
(5)
Sunny D.
this place pretty much sucks. service - friendly, but slow and sloppy. food - bland at best, bad even for bar food, chewy/dry/crunchy when it shouldn't be, etc. atmosphere - frat house trying to be a sports bar/restaurant w/ a side of karaoke. price - free wouldn't be cheap enough to make me go back.
(1)
Heather C.
I thought that I might have found a decent local bar that's not too overcrowded. The atmosphere is nice, plenty of seating (booths too) but, all good things must come to an end. Once we started looking at the happy hour prices, they seemed like normal bar prices, not a great deal - forgivable. I ordered a regular margarita (at the special happy hour price of $4.50) and wasn't too thrilled. It was definitely made with a margarita mix and had table salt instead of kosher salt; but, it isn't a "specialty" of theirs so I wasn't too surprised. Next, the menu, everything seemed pretty over-priced for what it was. My boyfriend and I both ordered the chicken tender meal - a whopping $13.95 each, which is pretty overpriced for your run-of-the-mill frozen chicken tenders that you can buy in bulk at Costco. Upon the arrival of our food, we asked for some "non-adult" beverages and waited, and waited, and waited for our server to bring them to us. After about 5-10 minutes of us watching her go from table to table taking new orders and checking on other customers, I approached the manager to tell him and he had another server bring our drinks. At this point, I was peeved, but with good service, they could have been redeemed. Unfortunately, our server did not go this route and completely avoided our table for the rest of our stay. As you might imagine, I won't be going back there anytime soon. Perhaps I'll find another local bar to try.
(1)
David K.
Summers is a sports bar in a great location in Courthouse. They specialize in soccer, so if you ever want to watch Premier League or maybe F1 racing, this is your place. During football season it is OK, they have a lot of TVs and several big screens. It's a weird place for some reason though. It's never as crowded as it should be, the food is mediocre, and the staff is never very fluent in English. One plus is it is split into a smoking and non-smoking bar with separate ventilation. Unfortunately, some games are put on only in the dungeon that is the smoking bar. This area is windowless, dark and fills with smoke. With so many sports bar choices in Arlington, Summers is usually my last choice. It didn't make things better when, during a typically uncrowded night, they refused to put on a Padres game and a Mets game for my friend, despite no one watching TV. One other thing, it is a good place to meet people from DC that have to take the Metro since it is right next to the Courthouse Metro.
(2)
JV L.
I go to Summers almost every other week and I haven't reviewed it yet? Here's when this place is busy: soccer games and random team gatherings (ie: it's somehow an Oregon bar). Otherwise this place is nearly empty. Why? I don't know. It's a casual place with great happy hour specials, awesome all day specials, good food, nice servers/hosts, and the location is convenient for Arlingtonians. Plus they show everything! Hockey, soccer, basketball, cricket... any sport that's on, you will find it here. I guess I wouldn't recommend it to people outside a 5 mile radius or people that don't like sports on TVs, but it's great for anyone seeking refuge from the numerous pretentious sports lounges that have cropped up around Clarendon/Courthouse.
(4)
Rob R.
To risk using a phrase that is completely used too often: It is what it is. I came here to watch a soccer match with some friends. To that end, it was good to go. Besides that, I'm not sure if I would make the trip out for this place. Our bartender was attentive. The price was decent considering the location. It was just a touch musty in the bar area I was in. It was reminiscent of watching a game in someone's basement back in the day. I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking to meet up with some friends to take in a sports match (especially soccer). Cold beer, standard bar fare, loads of TVs. Recommend.
(3)
Scot W.
Summer's is a great, laid back place to go for a beer, some sports and an appetizers or a quick bite. The food is far from fancy, which is not to say that its bad. The beer selection is reasonable and the prices, especially at happy hour, are very good. I have only ever sat at the bar and can't comment on the table service, although the waitresses seem friendly enough. I usually sit at the smoking bar, though I don't smoke, and must say that the service there is usually pretty good. John, who typically works in the back, is a great bartender...quirky, but good. Need a quick drink, a small, cheap nosh and some sports? If you're in Arlington, head to Summers.
(5)
Christopher T.
Wow, Summers, I can't believe I have never rated this place. 5 stars for Oregon game days, 1 star for all other times, 3 star average. The good: This place is not only the home bar of my beloved Oregon Ducks, but you can smoke in half the bar while yelling at a million different televisions. The staff I know by name treat us incredibly well. They show a bunch of sports and events that nobody else does. I can leave the UFC but I like the Euro-soccer games. By far the most beautiful crowd of people I have ever seen in a DC bar, granted it was only one time during the Barcelona/Real Madrid game but it was something to see. It's right at the Courthouse Metro so us folks from DC who can't master streets with more than one letter or number will not get lost. The bad: It's in Virginia, enough said. The food is marginal at best, stick to simple fare like nachos and only eat when youre hungry and fueled by beers. The rest of the servers are awful, particularly if you get away from the actual bar, table service is slow and unpredictable, you'll just end up at the bar ordering anyway. If the Ducks didn't play here I would really be hard pressed to ever visit. We met up here one night before a film around the corner and in the cold light of day, sober, I couldn't figure out why I ever came here.
(3)
Kim H.
Great place to watch a soccer game!! The atmosphere is good however, the TV's are ancient, food is not that great, and the interior is old. Despite the cons listed, I loved watching soccer here, I mingled with a lot of people and they were all very friendly.
(3)
Alicia G.
Decent place to watch sporting events. SO MANY tv's here! Thoroughly average bar food - I had the wings. Can't complain about the service - we sat at the bar - and my friends are friends with the bartender so we were well taken care of. As someone else mentioned - bathrooms are not the best, but if you're already drunk, then eh, whatever! I've seen worse. It wouldn't be my first pick for sports bars, but I'd come here again.
(3)
Elena P.
I came here once for a Birthday lunch with some friends - two years ago - and still cannot escape the violently ill feelings that erupt when I think about the nasty orange mess that I ate that they call "Chicken fingers." Steer clear of this place unless you're there for the sports because I see a lot of people walking in out and with jerseys and they look happy (and drunk) but I never see any other patrons and the food is vile.
(1)
Amit S.
what's so frustrating about Summer's is that it has the potential to really be a great place. But I will concur with many of the reviews here, the food is edible, service is poor, and the TVs are the same ones my parents had 10 years ago. If you are there to watch soccer, you're probably okay with the selection of channels, but if you're there to watch college football then you have to beg and plead with the Remote Control Man and even then you probably won't get what you want. Anyway, I really love supporting small businesses in my neighborhood and my initial draw was that it was smoke-free but after so many trips and not seeing any improvement I doubt I will be going there anymore. :-( please let me know if it improves
(2)
Danny P.
Knowing I'd be in town this weekend from New York during a critical early-season matchup, but not being proactive enough to take matters into my own hands for putting together a place to watch the game, I let my friends make plans for us to watch the UGA/Arizona State game this weekend. They wanted to impress me, as I feel all people should try more of, and ined us up a bar that boasted a plethora of televisions, wing specials and all the different types of beer I could imagine. Summers is not that place. After failing to check if the bar they selected might also be the home of another collegiate fandom (it was -- Texas), we toodled around the area, now surely missing a majority of the first few series. I don't know the Clarendon/Courthouse area from my ass (which I don't know all that well either, actually) and there's a real dearth of honest-to-goodness sports bars in this area. We settled on Summers because, frankly, there were open seats and we could see through the window the game was on one of the televisions. There's something nostalgic about green checkerboard plastic tablecloths that give me the intimate experience of being in a low-budget Tzotchky's (no flair, as far as I could tell), but it wasn't what I wanted to watch the game. The service was eh, the food was eh and the waitress' lack of English was annoying in so much as my friend made a point of using every S.A.T. word in the English language when trying to order a Diet Coke. That said, both the bartender and the waitress did accommodate us by putting the game on the televisions we requested, but I think that speaks some also to the lack of people there really focused on that Ball State-Indiana matchup. The prices were average and they didn't bother us at all to get out of the booth even after it was clear we weren't ordering any more beer. So they have that going for them, which is nice. I'm sure y'all can do better, D.C., and I'm sure that it's out there. But next time I'm taking the planning into my own hands.
(2)
Rudolph G.
Summers sports bar has a new and improved menu. If you haven't stopped by lately for a sporting event you should at least stop by to try the new menu items. They now have the Salmon burger , the Western bacon & Guacamole burger. I almost forgot to mention the tasty summer's Reuben. They are all served with fries or cole slaw, it can be substituted for a small salad for an additional .75 cents. The "Big Daddy" is also part of the new menu (1lb of beef), along with the 14" bratwurst and it's all at an affordable price. By the way don't forget trivia night on Tuesdays and Karaoke Thursday and Friday nights.
(4)
Chris L.
This place is definitely 4 stars to go see sports. I have been to a couple of sports bars and I have never had the expectation that the food would be stellar. The food here is average at best. The atmosphere and the 20 TV's showing all the sports (Especially EPL, La Liga) you could ever want. It's a great place to hang out with friends and watch your favorite team. I plan on coming here frequently to grab a drink and watch my soccer games!!!!
(4)
M J.
Terrible service. I had my credit card receipt fraudulently altered after payment and know others who also had this happened to their receipt. The next time I was there I opted to do cash tip and when the waitress received my credit card receipt without a tip she accosted me about why I did not leave a tip. Well, lady, there went your cash tip. Avoid this place!
(1)
Matt D.
A friend told me that Summers was a good place to watch a soccer match. We decided to go there to watch some English Premier League on a Sunday afternoon. It's a spacious place, with flat-screen TVs everywhere. I think pretty much everyone who were there were soccer fans. The service was friendly, but man was it slow. My friend, who had been there many times before, told me to expect slow service. My friend said the reason behind it is the owner doesn't want to spend the money and hire more waitresses. On the upside, the slow service meant we didn't get bothered and could concentrate watching the match. I give Summers 3.5 stars. It has a decent beer selection, it's close to the Courthouse Metro stop, has plenty of TVs showing soccer, and the food wasn't bad.
(3)
Roll T.
3.75 stars. Here's how you can assure that you have a bad time at Summer's: 1) You don't realize it's a sports bar and you hate sports 2) You realize it's a sports bar but still hate the fact that they have sports on the multiple TVs 3) You come here expecting culinary delights that will satisfy the longings in your tastebuds for hours 4) You come here expecting a beautiful mahogany interior "club" that happens to have state-of-the-art flat panel screen TVs while serving $9 drinks and $30+ entrees at the "sports" bar 5) You have a poorly shrouded disdain for foreigners and have no sympathy for their attempts to make an honest living (I'm looking squarely at SEVERAL Yelpers on that one. Shame on you!) 6) You came here for the brunch and not for the Premier League football match 7) You are the exact type of pretentious jackass that lambasted this dive sports bar whom I hope to never meet in person ... One more related tangent. It's a major pet peeve of mine when people irresponsibly review a place, and that has happened MULTIPLE times with respect to this place. Look, I despise dance clubs. There is a reason I don't write substantive reviews for places where I clearly already have a biased opinion. I would give Josephine's, Five, Lima, Anjalu, etc. all 1 star based on their music, their clientele, their drink prices, their atmosphere, and their service. The point is that why should I review a dance club when I know I don't like them? Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of this website? Shouldn't we all be responsible and NOT review sports bars if we don't like sports bars? OK, now that we got all that out of the way, I can actually turn to a substantive review. Summers is a sports bar. They have multiple TVs where you watch a variety of sports, and unlike some bars, they actually have the sound on for the game of the majority of fans choice. Summers serves pedestrian level bar food, but they have a couple of options that are decent. I would suggest that you go for their burger, especially if you are there on Monday night when they are half price. Summers does employ people who sometimes do not speak English as their first language. If you intolerant to that, then yes, you should find yourself another sports bar. I've been here multiple times, and I have never had an issue with it. The beers on tap here are nothing extraordinary. What is nice is that you can order a huge beer (22 oz) for less than $5. Sure, it's not premium beer, but you can have a cold beer and eat a burger while watching sports with other patrons who have the same idea. Isn't that the whole point of a sports bar? Based on other reviews of this place, I guess not...
(4)
Robert H.
Summers tears at my soul. This is a place that I desperately want to like, but every time I go, I come away unimpressed. When you look into the windows at Summers, you can probably tell everything you need to know about the place. The mood and decor is fairly drab and the place has a bunch of televisions for sports. Surprise, surprise, it's an unpretentious sports bar. The food is average-to-bad, depending on what your order. Edible, but it's not something that you'll be dreaming about the next week. The drinks are pretty reasonably priced, and from my experience the bartenders are friendly. The place has two real failings, though. First, the waitstaff is not particularly great, other than the bartenders. This isn't to say the waitstaff is rude or unhelpful--that couldn't be farther from the case. Their problem tends to be that they don't speak English particularly well, so if you want anything special done on your meal (e.g. hold the tomatoes), you might have a problem communicating that. Also, they are almost always understaffed, so your poor waiter/waitress is going to be trying to juggle way too many tables at once. This leads into the second problem, which is bad management. Beyond being understaffed, they have a chronic problem in that they apparently need to go through 20 steps to get any television changed. For example, I went to Summers last weekend and asked if they were playing MLB Network, which at the time was playing a Red Sox spring training game. The waitress I asked went to the back room, and returned saying she had asked the manager. Another staff member walked out a few minutes later and told me that the person controlling the televisions (I assume the Wizard of Oz, since I never got to see him) was searching. About five minutes later, and about 10 minutes into the ordeal, I was notified that they couldn't find MLB Network or a Red Sox game. If you're going here with a group of friends, you might have fun. But pray that your game is already on one of their TVs and that you don't get too hungry.
(2)
Frank W.
Great place to watch the world cup soccer matches but don't come here hungry. We waited 1h+ for our breakfast. The food was average and the service actually below average.
(3)
K E.
If you're looking for terrible karaoke on a Saturday night, then this is your place. I think the only reason I actually enjoyed myself is because I was drunk when I walked in. Be prepared to lose a few years off of your life due to secondhand smoke, too. Gag. My hair smelled like complete ass this morning.
(2)
Mary D.
Great place to watch UFC! Best part is that it doesn't get packed and if you get there before 9:30pm there are plenty of seats. You can't reserve a table so make sure you get there early if you have a big party. Wings are decent, and their brownie sundae is awesome! Perfectly moist and warm and fudgy. Service is nothing to write home about but pretty efficient. Overall great place to watch pay per view events.
(4)
Anna D.
I wanted to go to Four Courts across the street for some St. Patrick's Day grub, but it was packed. Go figure that an Irish pub would be busy for St. Patty's Day weekend. :P So, I planned B it and headed over to Summers. The booth was wholly uncomfortable. Looking down at the worn seat, I could see that someone had once parked their enormous badonkadonk there, causing the cushion and the springs to misalign. My bf and I had to scooch over to the end of the booth to find a semi-comfortable spot. We had barely settled down with our menu's when our server came to take our order. What, so soon? No, we're not ready yet. I ordered the fish and chips (much thanks for Ms. Sarah for making me crave it!) and my bf got the blackened chicken and bacon sandwich. The food arrived in a timely manner, though our refills did not. In fact, the free refills (for water and my first free soda refill) never came. We must have sat for over 10 minutes without having anything to drink at our table. The food was fine. My bf enjoyed his chicken sandwich on a crispy ciabatta bread, and I ate my fish and chips with a fork because the fish kept separating from its exterior bread crumbage. We also had dessert: an apple cobbler and a slice of chocolate cake. The cake was moist but tasted like it came from a box; and the apples in the cobbler were cooked thoroughly but the breaded topping was bland. Our server always seemed like she was in a hurry. She would stop by our table to ask a question and would immediately turn away before either of us could utter an answer. On the positive side, there were plenty of tv's broadcasting a variety of sports. The rugby game with Ireland was pretty entertaining. I don't think I will be coming here to eat by choice again. Unless, of course, it becomes a plan B.
(2)
Justin L.
I have such mixed feelings about this place. As a big soccer fan, they have by far the best selection of European football on the weekends in the area and decent TVs to watch them on. The atmosphere is excellent on big match days too. However, the place is almost always understaffed, the servers they do have are often indifferent or ignorant of the basic rules of service, and the food is mediocre at best. The beer selection is OK. All of these criticisms would be tolerable however, except for the fact that they seem utterly indifferent to their core customers: the soccer fans. I have been here a number of times where, after showing up at 8am, ordering breakfast, multiple drinks and sometimes a second meal, have been FORCED to switch tables and even sometimes pushed into the smoking section because the manager has deemed it necessary to switch the soccer to NFL/college football/basketball/ or even CNN (WTF?!) even when there's literally no one else there to watch it! And this isn't some rare occurrence, it seems a matter of policy. It's simply disrespectful, and a large part of why I don't come here anymore. If you are looking for a casual dining experience with better food I would suggest the Four Courts across the street.
(2)
Mike S.
In a word... NOT!!! The food uniformly sucks and the service is terrible. The last time I went there, my friend and I were seated, and NO ONE WAITED ON US FOR OVER AN HOUR while we just sat there, despite our repeated requests for service. When we asked for some bread to tide us over, they couldn't even manage to bring that. We finally left and went elsewhere. I swore I'd never go back, and I've kept that vow for almost a year now. There are plenty of other restaurants in the Courthouse/Clarendon area and plenty of other places to watch sports. This one's a waste of time. The good news is, a developer is planning to raze that entire block and put up a new high-rise office building on the site. Not a moment too soon, if you ask me.
(1)
Kevin C.
I don't even know why this place is still open I went here only twice in my life time once in the early 90's and the 2nd time about 10 years later it's no good!
(1)
Jennifer S.
I do not recommend the food. I've been here for breakfast (and the nicest thing I can say about it is, 'yuck' - Green eggs and ham would be better.) and for lunch during games. Lunch is only mildly more palatable. Typical bar food really. The main attraction here is the sports watching. I have enjoyed watching UConn games here because it has a huge amount of tv's and widescreens to choose from along with hi-fi sound. I think they feature just about every sport under the sun for viewing. I do notice that they attract a huge soccer fan crowd (and not just during World Cup). My only advice is that if you are planning an outing for a bunch of your friends to watch a game together, such as the UConn Huskies (think I'm a fan?), then you should also plan to arrive really early and save seats with physical objects on them. I have learned. Also, I heard they just had a major interior overhaul, but have not seen it personally. Hopefully the menu was included in that.
(3)
Michelle B.
Are you ready for some..... rugby? Summer's has all the international games that the majority of Yanks just can't seem to embrace. The food is so-so, the service is ok, but the TV's are big, the beers are cold and watch out when the World Cup comes to town. They literally show everything: cricket, soccer, rugby, Aussie Rules football, etc.
(3)
Ken S.
I have been to Summers more than once. It is consistently decent food and TVs everywhere. The service is not outstanding but adequate and the location is convenient. I wouldn't classify it as something special but I don't think you'll be disappointed either. Worth a try particularly if you want to watch a sporting event.
(3)
damon n.
ok they have ok food and an ok beer selection but they show pay per view fights and sports for cheap and you don't have to deal with Bailey craziness. so 3 to 4 stars.
(3)
A E.
While the number of flat screen TVs is impressive--feel like I'm in Best Buy or Circuit City--the people who run the place could be nicer. Good place to watch World Cup because no matter where you sit, you generally have great views of no less than 5 TVs. But the breakfast is gross and if you arrive an hour before the match, good luck finding a seat. And if you arrive 45 minutes before kick-off, good luck getting in. They turn people away one second and then let a crowd in the next. The best part is meeting people when you're fortunate to spy a half-full booth and they're nice enough to share, and the 22 oz beer for $6 sounds like a good deal.
(3)
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Address :1520 N Courthouse Rd
Arlington, VA, 22201
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Street Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Music : Background Good For Dancing : No Alcohol : Full Bar Happy Hour : Yes Best Nights : Fri, Sat, Sun Coat Check : No Smoking : Yes Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Robert H.
Summers tears at my soul. This is a place that I desperately want to like, but every time I go, I come away unimpressed. When you look into the windows at Summers, you can probably tell everything you need to know about the place. The mood and decor is fairly drab and the place has a bunch of televisions for sports. Surprise, surprise, it's an unpretentious sports bar. The food is average-to-bad, depending on what your order. Edible, but it's not something that you'll be dreaming about the next week. The drinks are pretty reasonably priced, and from my experience the bartenders are friendly. The place has two real failings, though. First, the waitstaff is not particularly great, other than the bartenders. This isn't to say the waitstaff is rude or unhelpful--that couldn't be farther from the case. Their problem tends to be that they don't speak English particularly well, so if you want anything special done on your meal (e.g. hold the tomatoes), you might have a problem communicating that. Also, they are almost always understaffed, so your poor waiter/waitress is going to be trying to juggle way too many tables at once. This leads into the second problem, which is bad management. Beyond being understaffed, they have a chronic problem in that they apparently need to go through 20 steps to get any television changed. For example, I went to Summers last weekend and asked if they were playing MLB Network, which at the time was playing a Red Sox spring training game. The waitress I asked went to the back room, and returned saying she had asked the manager. Another staff member walked out a few minutes later and told me that the person controlling the televisions (I assume the Wizard of Oz, since I never got to see him) was searching. About five minutes later, and about 10 minutes into the ordeal, I was notified that they couldn't find MLB Network or a Red Sox game. If you're going here with a group of friends, you might have fun. But pray that your game is already on one of their TVs and that you don't get too hungry.
(2)Frank W.
Great place to watch the world cup soccer matches but don't come here hungry. We waited 1h+ for our breakfast. The food was average and the service actually below average.
(3)K E.
If you're looking for terrible karaoke on a Saturday night, then this is your place. I think the only reason I actually enjoyed myself is because I was drunk when I walked in. Be prepared to lose a few years off of your life due to secondhand smoke, too. Gag. My hair smelled like complete ass this morning.
(2)Mary D.
Great place to watch UFC! Best part is that it doesn't get packed and if you get there before 9:30pm there are plenty of seats. You can't reserve a table so make sure you get there early if you have a big party. Wings are decent, and their brownie sundae is awesome! Perfectly moist and warm and fudgy. Service is nothing to write home about but pretty efficient. Overall great place to watch pay per view events.
(4)Ambrish K.
Wow, I'm surprised with how drastically contrasting all the reviews are. I am guessing that the service at this bar may not be consistent, considering the mixed reviews. Having said that, I had a good time. This bar is conveniently located, the food was good. The bar does have a lot of tv's, and considering it's not one of those trendy bars that people flock too during games (read Laughing Man), it's not usually that crowded, and you can peacefully watch a game with friends. I thought the bar was fine, but that's just me. Verdict: Go see for yourself.
(4)Maggie N.
Really fun place to go to watch a sports game and have a beer. One of the lady bartenders is super kind and has been working there forever. I haven't tried much of the food, I did try the spinach and artichoke dip which was yummy.
(5)Sam S.
Can't even tell you how disappointed I was in this place. Was told to come in early the day before by the staff. Arrived an hour early before the game and I was one of 2 people. The food here is weak and I was extremely disappointed. I spoke to a couple people and they said this place shut down for like a couple months and lost a lot of their customers. It's sad but at the same time changes need to be made. The decoration inside is worst then a 1980's Pizza Hut. The TV's are from 1993 The bathroom is extremely small. Amazing location but I cannot express how disappointed I was in this place.
(1)Phoenix Simone W.
Not the biggest fan. The food is pretty awful, and the whole place seems a bit run down. The service is inexplicably slow, even when there are barely any customers. I came here with a friend because we happened to be nearby and were super hungry. After waiting forever for a waiter to arrive, and then even longer for our food to arrive, we expected the food to be amazing. Nope. There are many other great places to eat in the area, don't bother with this one!
(1)Prairie S.
After suffering through pretentious, new-fangled bars in the neighborhood which offer small plates of nouvelle cuisine and craft beers with a hefty dose of shallow, over self-conscious hype, I'll gladly settle back to Summers. This is a salt-of-the-earth, genuine, hardworking immigrant owned-and-run establishment, which caters to sports-loving types, especially soccer. I'm fed up of bars in the area which (1) do not screen football (soccer for Americans), much less FIFA Women's World Cup (2) show broadcasts of baseball or golf during world competition soccer and (3) do not have the volume turned up to enjoy the sport. So it's a relief to return to Summers. This place is the real deal where people are out to watch sport, rather than to watch each other while incidentally having a flashy screen backdrop. You'll walk in notice that the screens are not 50-inch flat plasmas, you'll notice the dated interior decor, and you'll settle into a "Cheers"-era plastic padded booth, or at the wooden bar. The wait staff is not likely to be a perky twenty-something Georgetown grad working a second job, it will be an adult person. You'll order middling, typical bar food, (lots of potato skin, fried calamari, mozzarella sticks) and drink cheap beer and feel like the menu is stuck in 1993 (yes it is) but you'll enjoy the friendly service. Michael, their waiter is exceptionally sweet and has sold me on their margaritas even though I'm picky about margaritas. Their wine list is more limited than what I can offer you at my house. But whatever. Get a vodka shot instead and celebrate a goal! Everyone is there because they are into sports. Especially soccer. People share opinions. They yell out commentary. They gasp. They share. There is atmosphere here that you can't get at the fancy restaurants with a bar in front (like Tupelo Honey and Fireworks). These new places shine to turn a profit. They are not shone and cleaned with the sweat and clamour of decades of sports-loving regulars from around this city. In this neighborhood filled with yuppies, this is one place that feels like there is a real heart. It's not fake, it's old and it's not apologetic about it or too worried what you think.
(4)Irene A.
So I came here to watch the ManU game with a friend prior to going out in arlington. When we called they told us to get there at 10am, when the game started at 11am because the bar would be really really crowded. When we got there at 10am, we were the only people there so we thought we wait till 11am when the game starts. 11am came around and the bar wasn't that crowded what so ever. A little disappointing. We both got egg white omlettes which comes with a side of toast (terrible) and potatoes (also terrible) The service was decent, the waiters were friendly, but the food wasn't that great and the bar wasn't crowded for the game. ya probably won't be coming back here.
(1)Sharon J.
Try this place!! Great burgers and wonderful service. I can see from previous (dated) reviews that they had issues in the past, but we had a good experience. It is centrally located and they have great happy hour deals. We will be back for game days this fall...lots of TVs to watch football!!
(4)Shae S.
Word on the street is that SUMMERS, my hot tub time machine, my personal passport to the 80's, is PERMANENTLY CLOSING after NYE 2014/15! Gag me with a spoon! That's so lame.
(3)Tuve F.
Summers is an Arlington institution and a great place to watch sports, especially soccer. They have lots of big screen televisions, so it's easy to watch from any table. Business does seem slow after their reopening though. I went around noon on a Saturday to watch Arsenal play in the FA Cup and easily got a table just before the game began. Service was good, but my burger and fries were quite average.
(3)Ivy T.
NEWSFLASH: Summers is OPEN after 5 months closing. Can we get the word out? Business is suffering for this local institution while rumors air. Pro-Tip: if you help the bartenders with their Social Media Fu there may be free beers involved. Number 1 Reasons I love Summers: - All beers are $1 cheaper than Irish Pub across the street - Hot Tub Time Machine to the 80s? Totes. - Great music selection, if you like 80s, Americana, and new wave. - This place is not pretentious and overpriced like the rest of Arlington. Op Summer of Summers: Save Summers Grill!
(5)Justin M.
Cancelled my sandwich order after waiting for 45 minutes. My wife's margaritas took 30 minutes to arrive and were weak to say the least! Stay away from this train wreck! Watch the match elsewhere or stop at Wendy's on your way in and pack a flask in your back pocket! Terrible!!!!
(1)Amy D.
My family all got hamburgers and they were all OK. I got a blackened chicken salad. It was terrible. Pretty sure the meat was microwaved or something. Our waiter was very nice and got us out drinks quickly. But can't get over the terrible food. Safe bet is hamburgers.
(1)Andrew Y.
They're still restocking the pantry and the bar. Service can be slow as they work new servers into the rotation. The food ain't great but the beer is still pretty cheap.
(2)Kelly J.
I am surprised this doesn't have higher ratings. In fact it took me a couple years to try this place because of the reviews. I will say I'm not a fan of the karaoke because the one time I tried to attend there was smoking ?? But to go for the World Cup showings, it has been awesome. Every screen in the place is on for World Cup and the booths are nice and comfy. I got the Rueben and asked them for roasted turkey instead of corned beef. And steamed veggies instead of fries. It was delicious, and way more affordable than some places in courthouse/Clarendon. I would be willing to come back here with my mate to watch sports any time. Also the main dining room doesn't smell smoky at all, I am very sensitive to that smell..
(4)Rustin F.
I've been here a couple times, and both times, the staff has been friendly and accommodating. On Mondays, they do $5 cheeseburgers (with fries) and $5 bigger-than-a-pint Fat Tire all night, along with half-price appetizers and $4 pints during happy hour, which lasts until 8p. $5 for a burger and fries is probably cheaper than you'll get at Wendy's, across the street, and it came with table service and tasted pretty good. It wasn't busy when I came, and unlike some bars where the waitstaff are pretty strict about switching seats from the bar to the dining area--generally so they can keep track of tips--the staff at Summers were very chill and didn't seem to care. I'll be back when I need a local dive.
(4)Chris K.
New to the area and love that it's so close. Food is bar food, which is delicious. Yet to have something bad from the kitchen. The staff has gotten much better recently considering I walked out twice due to crappy service when I moved there. They have really stepped up their game. I am really hoping that the trend continues as football season approaches. Great job, Summers
(4)Mary Kate M.
Customer service can not, I repeat can not get much worse than this! My boyfriend and I came here for a late lunch, the place was practically deserted with only one other table beside us being here. You would think with not much going on that our server would be extra attentive to us since they didn't have really anything else going on, right? No, not the case. Do you know why I know he had nothing going on? Because he was standing 10 feet away from us with his earphones in his ears playing on his cell phone. Seriously! We were here for about 45 minutes, and it took 25 minutes to get my more than nasty buffalo chicken wrap that had the two items I requested not to be on it. I asked for the tomatoes and onions to be removed. Ugh. I picked them out since I only had an hour lunch break and no tome to replace my order before getting back to the office. I should have asked for the manager right then and there. Obviously that didn't happen due to my time constraint. I had to wave him down to get my water and check. He didn't visit our table once during the meal. Convenience to my work or not, you'll never find me in here again!
(1)Khris L.
I've been coming here for about 4 years to watch soccer games, especially during the World Cup. I've noticed a lack of interest in the mgmt today when I got there and there were no seats available, however a group of people were holding seats for people who were not even there. With a bar packed the way it was today, this should have not been tolerated. Also they decided to do renovations in another area of the bar during WC season... Poor management again, but I guess they don't care, because avid soccer fans still come to this place. I could've consumed alcohol and food there today, but this was the last time Summers will see my dollars, and I'm not paying to stand up for 98 minutes.
(2)Annie P.
We came for the World Cup game. Patron camaraderie was great--really fun. There really isn't a bad seat or place to stand in the place. The service and food were, however, dreadful. We ordered 10 minutes before the game started. Half of the order came in about 25 minutes, followed by one more plate at half time which was cold and not what the member of our party had asked for. She sent it back and it was another 45 minutes before there was another cold burger (perhaps the same one...?) delivered to our table. The Greek salad came in the meantime and it was exactly like a salad you would expect from a burger place--Not really edible. If you come for a game, go for the beers and skip the food altogether.
(2)Henok T.
This is one grimy venue. I came here to watch a Euro Cup match and the bar was crowded. During times like these they force you to order something and jack up the prices. For example, a glass of diet coke will be like $3 just because a game is on. The food seems greasy and unhealthy and the place just has a crusty and dirty type of feel. No idea why this place is such a hit for longtime DC area soccer fans but I know it's been around for a while. It took the bartender forever to notice me and ask me what I wanted. I have not and will not return.
(1)Mamoon W.
The first time I went there with colleagues, it tool long time to get out food. I thought may be it is one of those days. So I went thee again after few weeks. This time, it took about 45 minutes to get our lunch. Very slow service. The food was as expected. Won't go there for the slow service.
(1)Robert T.
Surprising past reviews. We came here to watch College Football and the place was near empty. The food was the best sports bar food I've had in awhile. A larger group of people hit the bar near the end of our game and they all seemed to be happy. Must be a hit or miss place, but I'll be coming back. FYI the wings were amazing.
(4)Joshua W.
The ambiance here is non-existent and there was a confining feel in the place. Not unlike a musty old attic, or perhaps a cigarette smoker friends dusty 'garage slash den'. The haze was really overwhelming and I considered walking out for that reason alone. The lunch service at the bar was fast but the servers seemed irritated and barely spoke a word to me. The club sandwich was about as generic as they come. A true Cisco special! After my eerily quiet and unpleasant lunch I was at least happy to see I had spent under $10. My suggestion: if you like very predictable food then order ahead and go eat in one of the public spaces Courthouse has to offer.
(2)Emily V.
I went to this place to watch a basketball game - it was - unremarkable. Food was ok. Mostly tasted microwaved. Expensive for the quality. Pluses: the bartenders were nice and it wasn't crowded at all. Though I'm not sure if being empty is really a plus. I have no desire to go back but it wasn't the worst bar I've ever been to either.
(2)Darthy F.
I got the Philly cheese steak and husband got a summers burger with bacon. Sandwiches were great. Nice neighborhood sandwich joint.
(4)Sonny R.
Great place to watch sports and drink beer. Don't expect gourmet cuisine. It's a bar!
(4)Anna S.
I'm reviewing the dinner experience here. (My first mistake was expecting a "dinner experience.") I'm sure it's a fine spot to watch sports and drink; beer is beer. I should also say I'm giving it a rating I usually reserve for service so terrible as to verge into fraudulence, when it doesn't quite deserve that. Edible food was provided. Attention was paid. The bill for a Miller Lite, a split nacho appetizer, soup, and a salad came to all of $20 before tip. Despite the low price, however, I would still call my dinner here a waste of money. It was truly awful--"meh, I've had better" seems too generous. First, there were the nachos, which we ordered without sour cream. They came with a big ball of sour cream on top, but that wasn't worth a fuss--we could just scrape it off, of course. The accompanying jalapeños, salsa, and chili were 100% canned, redolent of cheap taco seasoning and salty can water, but hey, they were nachos at a bar, right? Who cares? Knowing we'd be full from the 'chos (and laughably, despite having ordered them, "on a diet"), we ordered light entrees: chicken Caesar salad with the dressing on the side for him, and a soup of the day--minestrone--for me. The salad came first, with the dressing not so much on the side as totally the opposite of that. This we would have blown off too if we hadn't just spent the past fifteen minutes dodging unwanted sour cream. So Matt pointed it out, politely: "hey, um, oh, sorry, the dressing was supposed to be on the side." Our waitress just stared at him. "I can go get some," she said, uncomprehending, although I don't think it was an issue of native language. "Oh, no, sorry, I think he's hoping to just get a new salad with it not mixed in," I said. She turned and stared at me now. "Uh...hold on," she said and disappeared, leaving the salad on the table. About five minutes later, she emerged again with my bowl of soup and a big plastic container of Caesar dressing stacked on the same plate, plopping it in front of me (not him) with a "here you go." We said oh no, no, we really just wanted to send the salad back and get a new salad with no dressing. "Oh...oh...kay..." she replied, in a tone that said she'd thought all along that's what we'd said, but she simply couldn't believe it. Then she finally exchanged the salad. At this point, we felt like idiot harpy betches because 5 tablespoons of Caesar dressing were clearly not worth it. But wow. My mood was already killed by the time I took a bite of my soup and recognized the same limp bits of carrot, mushily unidentifiable white cubes, and sodium-saturated broth I had been fed so often as a child. It was Campbell's--Campbell's condensed minestrone. The "soup of the day" was in fact 1/4 or so of a $1.50 can of reconstituted chemicals. I'm kinda broke at the moment, carefully budgeting my nightlife and meals out. Rich 2010 Anna would have laughed all of this off and given it a mediocre review. But when you're on a budget, it's just so depressing to waste even $20 on a restaurant meal you would consider too gross to buy for 1/5th the cost at Giant.
(1)Matt L.
You get what you pay for at this Courthouse neighborhood no frills sports bar. I come regularly for the UFC fights and have never had bad service, food, beer, or unfair prices. The management is responsive to complaints and the owner (I think) is always there on Saturday nights and is always eager to serve. The most refreshing part about this place is that there is no pretension here. I see people come in, all dressed to the nines, serious product and perfume, they take one look at the fact that no eager glares meet them and the furniture looks like Applebee's castoffs, and leave, I whisper to myself, good.
(4)Mattie C.
This was a truly awful experience. I think this is the first place I have ever walked out of without leaving a tip. We came with a rather large group after watching fireworks for fourth of july. There wree other people there, but it wasn't overly crowded at all, and there were several waiters around. We ordered some beers first and then several people ordered food items such as fries or mozzerella sticks. The food never came. After about 10 minutes of waiting about half of the drinks came (5/10?) and two of them were wrong. After more waiting, we had to ask again for the rest of the drinks. After about 30 minutes of waiting for the food we had to ask again, and again, and again. It never came and the waitress didn't even seem to care. Maybe she was upset that she had to work on 4th of July? The answer was "its coming" and an eye roll. Finally we said forget the food and just asked for the check. Of course the check came with some of the food on it as well as some additional drinks taht were never ordered. She was irritated to fix the mistakes. Everyone at that table can be described as generous tippers in most circumstances. But in this case, we all looked at each other and reached agreement with no hesitation not to leave a tip. It was probably the worst restaurant experience of my life. Looking at some of the other reviews, this does not look like it is an isolated incident. Don't come here.
(1)Rob K.
This was my second visit to Summers. I was here back in 2008 and ate here. The food was ok, nothing to set the world on fire, but not horrid. I returned to Arlington in November, 2012. My wife and I honestly came in here on a Saturday night because there were several tv's with sports on, open seats at the bar, and 12.00 Miller Lite pitchers (we returned on Sunday). The bartender was very friendly and easy to talk to. He was attentive but not over the top. Yes, as other posters have said, English is a barrier language for some employees but they all seem friendly and attentive. They have NFL Sunday ticket which was an advantage as well. While I wouldn't call this a sports bar, they do. I think of it that is a diner that serves alcohol. Overall, I would go here again. When I go out, I am not looking for the venue to make my good time, I just want a friendly atmosphere for my time out.
(3)Jon H.
Came here during the UEFA final and it was, as expected, PACKED. Make no mistake, the soccer ball icon on the front of this restaurant is no lie, this is a soccer fan's dream bar. Packed with europeans, americans, all of the like, with a ridiculous collection of 15 or so CRT tvs which they must have gotten a mass discount on over the bar, every seat in the house has a view of the game. They do need to work on their HD/Cable signal, because you can't see the corners of the picture, and hence sometimes you can't see the score/time left. Other than that, pretty good sports bar. Even while it was overwhelmed from all the fans, the bartender did a good job of tending to our drinks. The drinks were decent, not very strong but not too weak. Prices were between $5-$8 for a beer/cocktail. Was a bit annoyed that the waiter/runners wouldn't take my food order and that I had to order at the bar. How hard is it to put my order on my tab? So we had to wait for the 1 bartender to come back to our side to order the hot wings. Hot wings were pretty good, a little too vinegary, but with a big serving of carrots/celery. The blue cheese wasn't very authentic, probably came out of a bottle. Still, couple drinks, some food, and a good time was less than $50 for 4 of us. Good sports bar if you're here for the game and a beer.
(3)Tammy L.
I can't speak to this place as an overall, but I was there on a random Friday night and it was a surprisingly delightfully weird place and we had tons of fun. We stumbled here with a large crew on a bar crew and expectantly found this sort of weirdly amazing place (diner to your left walking in and fairly empty bar to the right in the back). It looks like the regular restaurant type bar that's all over NOVA but this particular night there was a DJ and some karoke. And with a large group and cheap beers, it was a blast. The bar tenders were chill and I'm pretty sure they forgot to charge us for half our drinks. Definitely a random place to have a surprisingly fun night. I've also heard this place is great for soccer games during the day.
(4)Jezz Z.
Is it possible to give 0 stars? After living 2 blocks from the damn place for nearly 2 yrs, I finally convinced myself to go. Huge mistake, I should've stuck to my instinct; it did keep me away for 2 yrs for a reason!!! Will Not be returning to this place... horrible, just horrible. The food was stale, chicken wings tasted microwaved, the turkey burger was straight out of a box. Service was terrible, they speak little to no english. The manager or owner or whoever that middle eastern chauvinist dude is, who's always there, I heard only likes to hire asian women, disgusting. I also heard that Ovechkin likes going there... WHAT A MYTH!!!! HIGHLY DOUBTFUL, seriously folks lol. If u want good cheap bar food, go to Bailey's or Union Jack's. I also like Rhodeside grill.
(1)Tracy L.
This review is for the Karaoke night on Fridays only: Check out the half-basement part of the restaurant and you'll discover a fun place to sing on the top of your lungs with friends. There's no individual room but an open stage. Submit your song requests to the MC and wait for your turn. Most people are pretty nice about giving the brave singers an applause. If you do run into a microphone hogger who happens to be drunk out of his or her mind, just tell the MC to tell the person to shove it. Otherwise, have fun!
(3)Windi L.
Why white people in Clarendon INSIST on doing rap songs during Karaoke is beyond me. Hell, why ANYONE would do a rap song during karaoke is baffling. What happened to audience participation? What happened to the good, classic karaoke songs from Journey, White Snake and even my favorite Boyz II Men? Went here on a Friday night... I was shocked how DEAD it was. Should have been my first que to roll out but I like a good karaoke bar. Sadly, I had a love/hate relationship with the karaoke DJ. In between songs he would play some awesome house music then some popped collared asshole would attempt to Sing/Rap "Empire State of Mind." Alicia Keys is still pissed off. The people here obviously don't know good karaoke etiquette which is if you're gonna SUCK, suck at a good song! +2 stars for their steak quesadillas. OMG THEY ARE SO GOOD. I would have stayed here longer just to eat more of them but alas, after hearing the worst rendition of Kanye West "Jesus Walks" I had to make like the baby jesus and pop smoke out that muthafucker. Speaking of smoke, you can smoke inside here.
(3)Felix Y.
I really wanted to like this place, especially when it's hard to find a good sports bar, and even harder to find one that broadcasts soccer. But our experience this past Sunday morning made it really hard for me to think about returning. The food was fine -- I didn't really have any complaints there. It was the service that sucked. We ordered two omelettes, nothing fancy, no weird substitutions or what not, but even after the first half of the match was over, we still had no food on our table. The waitress said they were "working on it." 10 minutes later, still no food. Mind you - the place was busy, but nowhere near packed. It was, after all, only a little bit before 10am on a Sunday morning. We asked another guy where the manager was, and he said the manager was not in. My S.O. then asked, "Well who's in charge? Who do you talk to if there's a fire?" The reply? "No one right now, and there's no fire." Needless to say, that pretty much killed any chance they had of recovery. Oh, and our glasses got refilled only once during the two hours we were there. There are some soccer bars in the city, and I'll go there first before I think about coming back here, even if it means having to go a lot farther.
(1)Richard K.
4 stars for the fact that is plays my UK sports (Football (the real one, where players use their foot to kick the ball) and Rugby. 2 starts for the food, the only reason I'd eat here is if the game is on and you're hungry. Decor is pretty drab and tired looking.
(3)Britt P.
Wandered in for lunch and had a burger. The portions were generous but the burger itself was lackluster. $10 and cooked well-done even though I ordered medium. Would probably just go across the street for a better burger. Can't speak to the drinks or anything else.
(2)Pinaki S.
There's only one reason to go to Summers. To watch soccer. They show it extensively. Their servers (at least bartenders) are always friendly-- try sitting in the back bar. The USMT is 0-2 here while I've watched, so I may not go back.
(4)Courtnay S.
The food was terrible and overpriced. The fries are the worst restaurant fries I have ever had, and the mozzarella sticks weren't any better. Everything we ordered had obviously been frozen and warmed up. Our waitress was not talkative or friendly. The atmosphere was just weird- no one seemed happy to be there. It was like we had all wandered inside by accident. I will never EVER eat there again.
(1)James S.
Summers is a heck of a joint. Friendly bar tenders (I think one is named John) and a respectable tap selection are just some of it's wonderful attributes. The pub grub that is offered is mighty fine as well. Totally going back!
(4)Sunny D.
this place pretty much sucks. service - friendly, but slow and sloppy. food - bland at best, bad even for bar food, chewy/dry/crunchy when it shouldn't be, etc. atmosphere - frat house trying to be a sports bar/restaurant w/ a side of karaoke. price - free wouldn't be cheap enough to make me go back.
(1)Elina T.
My husband and I love Summers! This place is like our Cheers, a second home to us. You have to take this place for what it is: a cozy neighborhood sports bar. It's clean, staff is super friendly, and they show all the sports you could possibly want -- especially every single soccer game going on around the world, and the food is decent (think sportsbar/diner food, not gourmet). We go for the chicken quesadilla (which is delicious, best quesadilla in town) and the sports. We know all the servers and bartenders and they make you feel like family. We used to come here all the time when we lived down the street and we still go a lot, even though we moved. I'm disappointed with some of the reviews I see here. We have never experienced any problems with the service. If you come here during the World Cup or on a football Sunday, of course you should expect to wait a little longer to get served -- isn't this what happens at any restaurant/bar when they get completely slammed? Don't forget that you came here to watch a game, and not to get a quick mid-day lunch turnaround. I've also never had any problems with the servers not speaking good English. My order was always taken with a smile and no one has ever messed it up.
(5)Heather C.
I thought that I might have found a decent local bar that's not too overcrowded. The atmosphere is nice, plenty of seating (booths too) but, all good things must come to an end. Once we started looking at the happy hour prices, they seemed like normal bar prices, not a great deal - forgivable. I ordered a regular margarita (at the special happy hour price of $4.50) and wasn't too thrilled. It was definitely made with a margarita mix and had table salt instead of kosher salt; but, it isn't a "specialty" of theirs so I wasn't too surprised. Next, the menu, everything seemed pretty over-priced for what it was. My boyfriend and I both ordered the chicken tender meal - a whopping $13.95 each, which is pretty overpriced for your run-of-the-mill frozen chicken tenders that you can buy in bulk at Costco. Upon the arrival of our food, we asked for some "non-adult" beverages and waited, and waited, and waited for our server to bring them to us. After about 5-10 minutes of us watching her go from table to table taking new orders and checking on other customers, I approached the manager to tell him and he had another server bring our drinks. At this point, I was peeved, but with good service, they could have been redeemed. Unfortunately, our server did not go this route and completely avoided our table for the rest of our stay. As you might imagine, I won't be going back there anytime soon. Perhaps I'll find another local bar to try.
(1)David K.
Summers is a sports bar in a great location in Courthouse. They specialize in soccer, so if you ever want to watch Premier League or maybe F1 racing, this is your place. During football season it is OK, they have a lot of TVs and several big screens. It's a weird place for some reason though. It's never as crowded as it should be, the food is mediocre, and the staff is never very fluent in English. One plus is it is split into a smoking and non-smoking bar with separate ventilation. Unfortunately, some games are put on only in the dungeon that is the smoking bar. This area is windowless, dark and fills with smoke. With so many sports bar choices in Arlington, Summers is usually my last choice. It didn't make things better when, during a typically uncrowded night, they refused to put on a Padres game and a Mets game for my friend, despite no one watching TV. One other thing, it is a good place to meet people from DC that have to take the Metro since it is right next to the Courthouse Metro.
(2)JV L.
I go to Summers almost every other week and I haven't reviewed it yet? Here's when this place is busy: soccer games and random team gatherings (ie: it's somehow an Oregon bar). Otherwise this place is nearly empty. Why? I don't know. It's a casual place with great happy hour specials, awesome all day specials, good food, nice servers/hosts, and the location is convenient for Arlingtonians. Plus they show everything! Hockey, soccer, basketball, cricket... any sport that's on, you will find it here. I guess I wouldn't recommend it to people outside a 5 mile radius or people that don't like sports on TVs, but it's great for anyone seeking refuge from the numerous pretentious sports lounges that have cropped up around Clarendon/Courthouse.
(4)Rob R.
To risk using a phrase that is completely used too often: It is what it is. I came here to watch a soccer match with some friends. To that end, it was good to go. Besides that, I'm not sure if I would make the trip out for this place. Our bartender was attentive. The price was decent considering the location. It was just a touch musty in the bar area I was in. It was reminiscent of watching a game in someone's basement back in the day. I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking to meet up with some friends to take in a sports match (especially soccer). Cold beer, standard bar fare, loads of TVs. Recommend.
(3)Kevin C.
I don't even know why this place is still open I went here only twice in my life time once in the early 90's and the 2nd time about 10 years later it's no good!
(1)Christopher T.
Wow, Summers, I can't believe I have never rated this place. 5 stars for Oregon game days, 1 star for all other times, 3 star average. The good: This place is not only the home bar of my beloved Oregon Ducks, but you can smoke in half the bar while yelling at a million different televisions. The staff I know by name treat us incredibly well. They show a bunch of sports and events that nobody else does. I can leave the UFC but I like the Euro-soccer games. By far the most beautiful crowd of people I have ever seen in a DC bar, granted it was only one time during the Barcelona/Real Madrid game but it was something to see. It's right at the Courthouse Metro so us folks from DC who can't master streets with more than one letter or number will not get lost. The bad: It's in Virginia, enough said. The food is marginal at best, stick to simple fare like nachos and only eat when youre hungry and fueled by beers. The rest of the servers are awful, particularly if you get away from the actual bar, table service is slow and unpredictable, you'll just end up at the bar ordering anyway. If the Ducks didn't play here I would really be hard pressed to ever visit. We met up here one night before a film around the corner and in the cold light of day, sober, I couldn't figure out why I ever came here.
(3)Kim H.
Great place to watch a soccer game!! The atmosphere is good however, the TV's are ancient, food is not that great, and the interior is old. Despite the cons listed, I loved watching soccer here, I mingled with a lot of people and they were all very friendly.
(3)Alicia G.
Decent place to watch sporting events. SO MANY tv's here! Thoroughly average bar food - I had the wings. Can't complain about the service - we sat at the bar - and my friends are friends with the bartender so we were well taken care of. As someone else mentioned - bathrooms are not the best, but if you're already drunk, then eh, whatever! I've seen worse. It wouldn't be my first pick for sports bars, but I'd come here again.
(3)JC M.
Breakfast is OK, that's about it. I'm not a big sports fan so having 30 TV's all over the place on different sport channels really didn't do much for me except annoy my eyes. I dunno, go to Ragtime or Four Courts instead. Unless you're a big sports fan freak and need to watch every game that's happening all over the word at the same time. If that's the case this place is golden and you'll probably give it 5 stars.
(2)Elena P.
I came here once for a Birthday lunch with some friends - two years ago - and still cannot escape the violently ill feelings that erupt when I think about the nasty orange mess that I ate that they call "Chicken fingers." Steer clear of this place unless you're there for the sports because I see a lot of people walking in out and with jerseys and they look happy (and drunk) but I never see any other patrons and the food is vile.
(1)Danny P.
Knowing I'd be in town this weekend from New York during a critical early-season matchup, but not being proactive enough to take matters into my own hands for putting together a place to watch the game, I let my friends make plans for us to watch the UGA/Arizona State game this weekend. They wanted to impress me, as I feel all people should try more of, and ined us up a bar that boasted a plethora of televisions, wing specials and all the different types of beer I could imagine. Summers is not that place. After failing to check if the bar they selected might also be the home of another collegiate fandom (it was -- Texas), we toodled around the area, now surely missing a majority of the first few series. I don't know the Clarendon/Courthouse area from my ass (which I don't know all that well either, actually) and there's a real dearth of honest-to-goodness sports bars in this area. We settled on Summers because, frankly, there were open seats and we could see through the window the game was on one of the televisions. There's something nostalgic about green checkerboard plastic tablecloths that give me the intimate experience of being in a low-budget Tzotchky's (no flair, as far as I could tell), but it wasn't what I wanted to watch the game. The service was eh, the food was eh and the waitress' lack of English was annoying in so much as my friend made a point of using every S.A.T. word in the English language when trying to order a Diet Coke. That said, both the bartender and the waitress did accommodate us by putting the game on the televisions we requested, but I think that speaks some also to the lack of people there really focused on that Ball State-Indiana matchup. The prices were average and they didn't bother us at all to get out of the booth even after it was clear we weren't ordering any more beer. So they have that going for them, which is nice. I'm sure y'all can do better, D.C., and I'm sure that it's out there. But next time I'm taking the planning into my own hands.
(2)Rudolph G.
Summers sports bar has a new and improved menu. If you haven't stopped by lately for a sporting event you should at least stop by to try the new menu items. They now have the Salmon burger , the Western bacon & Guacamole burger. I almost forgot to mention the tasty summer's Reuben. They are all served with fries or cole slaw, it can be substituted for a small salad for an additional .75 cents. The "Big Daddy" is also part of the new menu (1lb of beef), along with the 14" bratwurst and it's all at an affordable price. By the way don't forget trivia night on Tuesdays and Karaoke Thursday and Friday nights.
(4)Chris L.
This place is definitely 4 stars to go see sports. I have been to a couple of sports bars and I have never had the expectation that the food would be stellar. The food here is average at best. The atmosphere and the 20 TV's showing all the sports (Especially EPL, La Liga) you could ever want. It's a great place to hang out with friends and watch your favorite team. I plan on coming here frequently to grab a drink and watch my soccer games!!!!
(4)M J.
Terrible service. I had my credit card receipt fraudulently altered after payment and know others who also had this happened to their receipt. The next time I was there I opted to do cash tip and when the waitress received my credit card receipt without a tip she accosted me about why I did not leave a tip. Well, lady, there went your cash tip. Avoid this place!
(1)Matt D.
A friend told me that Summers was a good place to watch a soccer match. We decided to go there to watch some English Premier League on a Sunday afternoon. It's a spacious place, with flat-screen TVs everywhere. I think pretty much everyone who were there were soccer fans. The service was friendly, but man was it slow. My friend, who had been there many times before, told me to expect slow service. My friend said the reason behind it is the owner doesn't want to spend the money and hire more waitresses. On the upside, the slow service meant we didn't get bothered and could concentrate watching the match. I give Summers 3.5 stars. It has a decent beer selection, it's close to the Courthouse Metro stop, has plenty of TVs showing soccer, and the food wasn't bad.
(3)Roll T.
3.75 stars. Here's how you can assure that you have a bad time at Summer's: 1) You don't realize it's a sports bar and you hate sports 2) You realize it's a sports bar but still hate the fact that they have sports on the multiple TVs 3) You come here expecting culinary delights that will satisfy the longings in your tastebuds for hours 4) You come here expecting a beautiful mahogany interior "club" that happens to have state-of-the-art flat panel screen TVs while serving $9 drinks and $30+ entrees at the "sports" bar 5) You have a poorly shrouded disdain for foreigners and have no sympathy for their attempts to make an honest living (I'm looking squarely at SEVERAL Yelpers on that one. Shame on you!) 6) You came here for the brunch and not for the Premier League football match 7) You are the exact type of pretentious jackass that lambasted this dive sports bar whom I hope to never meet in person ... One more related tangent. It's a major pet peeve of mine when people irresponsibly review a place, and that has happened MULTIPLE times with respect to this place. Look, I despise dance clubs. There is a reason I don't write substantive reviews for places where I clearly already have a biased opinion. I would give Josephine's, Five, Lima, Anjalu, etc. all 1 star based on their music, their clientele, their drink prices, their atmosphere, and their service. The point is that why should I review a dance club when I know I don't like them? Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of this website? Shouldn't we all be responsible and NOT review sports bars if we don't like sports bars? OK, now that we got all that out of the way, I can actually turn to a substantive review. Summers is a sports bar. They have multiple TVs where you watch a variety of sports, and unlike some bars, they actually have the sound on for the game of the majority of fans choice. Summers serves pedestrian level bar food, but they have a couple of options that are decent. I would suggest that you go for their burger, especially if you are there on Monday night when they are half price. Summers does employ people who sometimes do not speak English as their first language. If you intolerant to that, then yes, you should find yourself another sports bar. I've been here multiple times, and I have never had an issue with it. The beers on tap here are nothing extraordinary. What is nice is that you can order a huge beer (22 oz) for less than $5. Sure, it's not premium beer, but you can have a cold beer and eat a burger while watching sports with other patrons who have the same idea. Isn't that the whole point of a sports bar? Based on other reviews of this place, I guess not...
(4)New to San Pedro C.
If I could give it less than 1 star, I would. The food was mediocre at best. I asked the server what she suggested and she really couldn't help. So I asked her about the alfredo for my son and she goes "it's fine if you like that sort of thing." I ordered a steak sandwich and it was blah. She asked if I wanted a box and I said no, it wasn't that great and she goes "yeh" and walks away. Never going back and we live 2 blocks away.
(1)GiselleLee L.
Don't come here for the food. Come here for the awesome array of sports simultaneously shown on the many, many flat screen tvs in the place. I had the shrimp alfredo and my mom had the salmon in basil cream sauce. Bland bland bland with a side of blah. In my case the alfredo tasted like a prepackeaged powder sauce packet and in my moms case her salmon was hard and dry. I did however get to see the hawks vs. Heat game, the ducks vs. red wings game and the mavs vs. Nuggets game. Will I come again? Yeah, but not to eat
(4)Brendan D.
First off I should start by saying I think Venu makes an excellent point- if you KNOW you do not like sports bars, then a) why visit one in the first place, and b) why go through the trouble of writing a sullying review. That out of the way, I like sports bars. Summers was pretty average though. Myself and a buddy went in on 8/29/09 to watch UFC 102, which turned out to be quite entertaining. I normally order these events myself in HD and have a bunch of people over, but due to some outside circumstances it was just myself and one buddy, so we figured we would just go out and see the fights. The cover of $5 was honestly pretty reasonable I thought. The fight was shown only in the back, smoking lounge (which if I am not mistaken may be a legal thing about having to use a separate entrance, and charging cover when showing a PPV event??). In any event that left things extremely crowded, and yes- smoky. I got over the smoke quickly, and got a reasonable seat for the fights, considering how late I arrived. The drinks were on the expensive side- $6 for a Miller Lite, though the drafts were big, I would say 22 or 23 oz. If that was in fact the case, then they are a little bit of a better deal, though its kind of lame being "forced" into the bigger buy. However, once I realized how overworked/ "in the weeds" the bartender was, the forced upsell might have been the way to go. I was a little surprised there was only one bartender downstairs, simply crazy really when you consider the volume of the bar. Part of me felt bad for her ( I have been there) and the other side of me was angry at the management- honestly just unacceptable. In the whole I thought Summers- was "ok" hence the 3 star review.
(3)Jules W.
I stopped in after seeing a sign for the $5.99 lunch special. My soup/salad was average, and my lunch partner got a chipotle steak wrap that wasn't good at all ($5.99 each). Worst of all was the TERRIBLE service. There were only 2-3 tables occupied for each of the 3 waiters, and we only saw our server twice: once to take our order, and once to bring our check, which we waited for 15 minutes after finishing our food. Atmosphere was nothing special for a sport's bar, but they did have ~4 different sports channels on, which is probably nice if you want to catch up on sports news while grabbing a bite. I'm not a fan of the smoky smell, but I DID choose to eat at a sports bar...
(1)Robin H.
If our cousin wasn't such a heavy smoker, we would never have entered this sports bar. They have a separate room with it's own ventilation system for smokers. But the main dining room is non-smoking. And the burgers are great! They're large and juicy on a kaiser roll. The buns don't fall apart like they do at Ray's or Five Guys. And you can sit in a booth for a long time and not feel like customers are waiting for the table.
(4)M G.
We went for a weekday lunch. We should always read the reviews before we go. This time we didn't. Big mistake. We were seated promptly after arriving -- this was the best part. To cut to the chase, both orders arrived wrong. The club sandwich came without bacon. Does Summers not know what goes into a club sandwich? The ordered turkey on whole grain bread arrived as beef on a white roll. This one went back but returned as turkey on a white roll. The fries were nice -- this was the second best part. We won't be back.
(1)Lee N.
I went to Summers for the El Classico Real Madrid - Barcelona match. There was a waiter at the door who saw my jersey and directed me to the side/back bar, which appeared to have been turned soccer central. I counted - I could see 14 flatscreens showing the game from where I was standing (no seats available). For 90 minutes, I was in paradise. They do a pretty good job of showing a variety of soccer games, even the early ones. Just be careful on big game days, because it will probably be packed! This place caters to the soccer crowd... and apparently serves food and beer, too! My Guinness was cold and tasted like Guinness, so I was happy. I could care less about food being average bar fare and drinks being typical - come here for the soccer.
(4)Liam D.
I've passed by this place a number of times, but never thought about stopping in. This one evening I was in Arlington passing some time and I noticed that the UFC fights were on here, so I popped in for a quick bite and to catch a few fights. Doesn't take long to realize that this place is a big sports bar - tons of tv's everywhere, lots of beer, and a decent looking menu. I had a hickory chicken sandwich and Carlsberg lager, which isn't easy to find on tap - another indication that it's a big soccer bar. I'd say this place is great for an afternoon to just lay low, watch some sports, grab a bite, and have a brew or few. I wouldn't suggest it for anything other than that.
(3)Jimbo J.
Went there on a Sunday morning to watch English soccer on a busy day of fixtures, however this world famed soccer pub was only capable of showing one game at a time. Resembled a truckstop, but at the top of a hill and with staff whose English skills are 'beginner'.
(2)John B.
It was Sunday at Summer's, opening day of football season. We had a table to ourselves and several pitchers of beer, and it was just past noon. The place was packed with fans of all stripes, shouting and taunting each other. These guys take the games seriously. There were flat screen TVs mounted side-by-side, four in a row, on one wall, and behind us, there were three other games playing on various non-flatscreen TVs. The service was awfully slow, but the Buffalo chicken sandwhich was perfect, and the fries were done just right. Standing in line for the bathroom, I got to watching a European soccer game with a bunch of mustachioed men in back. It's ok not to be a football fan at Summer's--there is something for everyone. On my way back to my table, I located the manager, and he happily switched on the finals of US Open Tennis. There were plenty of TVs to spare.
(5)Derrick L.
I stopped going here because the food/service is so bad. Last time I went was for opening day for the Premiership, and my breakfast was absolutely cold. I don't really have a reason to watch sports here anymore with two Irish pubs within 1 block. Won't go back unless there's a match I can't find anywhere else, and then only getting beer.
(1)Alex S.
Lot's of TV's and decent beer price during happy hour but everything else about Summer's is a joke. Tried it for breakfast once. Some serious English issues with the waitress. Asked (3 times) for milk or cream for my coffee and was given a pint of milk. The food was blah. Second time we went, sat for over an hour and only got half our food. A guy in the booth next to us went off on the waitress.. and just got a nod and OK, not even a feigned apology. Third time (why did I even go back?) had wings and beer for happy hour. Beer is cheap. Wings were mediocre at best. There are about 50 other places in DC/VA where I'd rather watch NFL. Kitty O'Sheas down the street has soccer, which is the only reason I can imagine anyone going to Summers.
(1)Rachel E.
The food is not good at all here. I haven't been here for awhile, but have come to watch the University of Oregon football games with my college alumni. The flat screens and multiple games are impressive.
(2)Dan S.
Ugh All the waitstaff i have interacted with, including the bartender, do not speak very good english. The bill is often wrong. Went there with my girlfriend so she could watch her sox game and I could watch the flyers. This also concided with a big Caps game (they had to win to make the playoffs). So what was coming out over the speakers? Some freaking contemporary easy listening shit, totally ruining the atmosphere. This is a crappy sports bar.
(2)Tim A.
Food, is by, the worst we have had in 8 years living in Arlington. It was so bad we did not eat it. Beer was cold and service was ok-----do not eat here.
(1)Meghan G.
Average in every way. Generic sports bar decor, generic sports bar menu, generic sports bar staff....are you noticing a pattern. Nothing to write home about, but this place is really a destination for soccer fans (it gets about as crowded as a futbol stadium in spain when a hot game is on) I can't say I would send anyone other than a sports fanatic here, as its just.... sort of average. They have half price cheeseburgers after 4pm on Mondays, and Mon-Fri they have a semi-decent happy hour from 4-7, half priced apps, $2.50 miller lite/bud, and $1 glasses of wine. Seems like a good place to meet for a work happy hour, as the place is fairly large inside and offers ample seating.
(3)Anna Y.
ugh. what a waste of time. everything was overcooked or dry or just plain BLEH. go for drinks. that's all.
(2)Mike S.
In a word... NOT!!! The food uniformly sucks and the service is terrible. The last time I went there, my friend and I were seated, and NO ONE WAITED ON US FOR OVER AN HOUR while we just sat there, despite our repeated requests for service. When we asked for some bread to tide us over, they couldn't even manage to bring that. We finally left and went elsewhere. I swore I'd never go back, and I've kept that vow for almost a year now. There are plenty of other restaurants in the Courthouse/Clarendon area and plenty of other places to watch sports. This one's a waste of time. The good news is, a developer is planning to raze that entire block and put up a new high-rise office building on the site. Not a moment too soon, if you ask me.
(1)Jennifer S.
I do not recommend the food. I've been here for breakfast (and the nicest thing I can say about it is, 'yuck' - Green eggs and ham would be better.) and for lunch during games. Lunch is only mildly more palatable. Typical bar food really. The main attraction here is the sports watching. I have enjoyed watching UConn games here because it has a huge amount of tv's and widescreens to choose from along with hi-fi sound. I think they feature just about every sport under the sun for viewing. I do notice that they attract a huge soccer fan crowd (and not just during World Cup). My only advice is that if you are planning an outing for a bunch of your friends to watch a game together, such as the UConn Huskies (think I'm a fan?), then you should also plan to arrive really early and save seats with physical objects on them. I have learned. Also, I heard they just had a major interior overhaul, but have not seen it personally. Hopefully the menu was included in that.
(3)Michelle B.
Are you ready for some..... rugby? Summer's has all the international games that the majority of Yanks just can't seem to embrace. The food is so-so, the service is ok, but the TV's are big, the beers are cold and watch out when the World Cup comes to town. They literally show everything: cricket, soccer, rugby, Aussie Rules football, etc.
(3)Ken S.
I have been to Summers more than once. It is consistently decent food and TVs everywhere. The service is not outstanding but adequate and the location is convenient. I wouldn't classify it as something special but I don't think you'll be disappointed either. Worth a try particularly if you want to watch a sporting event.
(3)damon n.
ok they have ok food and an ok beer selection but they show pay per view fights and sports for cheap and you don't have to deal with Bailey craziness. so 3 to 4 stars.
(3)A E.
While the number of flat screen TVs is impressive--feel like I'm in Best Buy or Circuit City--the people who run the place could be nicer. Good place to watch World Cup because no matter where you sit, you generally have great views of no less than 5 TVs. But the breakfast is gross and if you arrive an hour before the match, good luck finding a seat. And if you arrive 45 minutes before kick-off, good luck getting in. They turn people away one second and then let a crowd in the next. The best part is meeting people when you're fortunate to spy a half-full booth and they're nice enough to share, and the 22 oz beer for $6 sounds like a good deal.
(3)Anna D.
I wanted to go to Four Courts across the street for some St. Patrick's Day grub, but it was packed. Go figure that an Irish pub would be busy for St. Patty's Day weekend. :P So, I planned B it and headed over to Summers. The booth was wholly uncomfortable. Looking down at the worn seat, I could see that someone had once parked their enormous badonkadonk there, causing the cushion and the springs to misalign. My bf and I had to scooch over to the end of the booth to find a semi-comfortable spot. We had barely settled down with our menu's when our server came to take our order. What, so soon? No, we're not ready yet. I ordered the fish and chips (much thanks for Ms. Sarah for making me crave it!) and my bf got the blackened chicken and bacon sandwich. The food arrived in a timely manner, though our refills did not. In fact, the free refills (for water and my first free soda refill) never came. We must have sat for over 10 minutes without having anything to drink at our table. The food was fine. My bf enjoyed his chicken sandwich on a crispy ciabatta bread, and I ate my fish and chips with a fork because the fish kept separating from its exterior bread crumbage. We also had dessert: an apple cobbler and a slice of chocolate cake. The cake was moist but tasted like it came from a box; and the apples in the cobbler were cooked thoroughly but the breaded topping was bland. Our server always seemed like she was in a hurry. She would stop by our table to ask a question and would immediately turn away before either of us could utter an answer. On the positive side, there were plenty of tv's broadcasting a variety of sports. The rugby game with Ireland was pretty entertaining. I don't think I will be coming here to eat by choice again. Unless, of course, it becomes a plan B.
(2)Justin L.
I have such mixed feelings about this place. As a big soccer fan, they have by far the best selection of European football on the weekends in the area and decent TVs to watch them on. The atmosphere is excellent on big match days too. However, the place is almost always understaffed, the servers they do have are often indifferent or ignorant of the basic rules of service, and the food is mediocre at best. The beer selection is OK. All of these criticisms would be tolerable however, except for the fact that they seem utterly indifferent to their core customers: the soccer fans. I have been here a number of times where, after showing up at 8am, ordering breakfast, multiple drinks and sometimes a second meal, have been FORCED to switch tables and even sometimes pushed into the smoking section because the manager has deemed it necessary to switch the soccer to NFL/college football/basketball/ or even CNN (WTF?!) even when there's literally no one else there to watch it! And this isn't some rare occurrence, it seems a matter of policy. It's simply disrespectful, and a large part of why I don't come here anymore. If you are looking for a casual dining experience with better food I would suggest the Four Courts across the street.
(2)Bela P.
Don't come here if you value your sanity. Despite having one of the best tv set-ups in Arlington, Summers is generally empty. Why, you ask? Because the servers have absolutely no idea what is going on. On a recent visit, I went up to the bar and sat down while waiting for a friend. There was no bartender. None. I understand that sometimes a bartender might have to pop into the kitchen or run to the restroom, but you'd think they would another server hold down the bar, even just to say "the bartender will be right back". Nope, not at summers. I sat for a good 8-10 mins before anyone showed up. If you sit at a table instead of the bar, you're pretty much asking to be ignored. Come here if you want to watch games that you might not otherwise be able to catch anywhere (soccer/cricket?), but don't expect to order anything to drink or eat without wanting to scream.
(1)Alex S.
Summers Restaurant is AWESOME. I've been going to "Summers" since 1994, and I love that place. I think it's the best Sports-Bar in all of D.C, specially for soccer. However, before you go to "Summers", you should understand what this restaurant IS, and what it is NOT. "Summers" is a SPORTS BAR, so that should be the main focus of your reviews. They show sports from all over the world, and they even take requests (assuming you know the channel, and the game is being shown). Besides showing you the basic stuff (e.g baseball, football, and basketball), they also show you rugby, soccer (UEFA, CONMEBOL, etc), and even wrestling. In all the years that I've come to "Summers", I've never once had problems with their service. And on the rare occasion when the service has been "slow", it is usually because the place is completely packed (which happens to any place that gets swamped for a special event). I have yet to meet a place that can bring you food "in 10 minutes" (specially when they're packed), unless you go to Subway. "Summers"is NOT a Karaoke Bar (they have Karaoke just ONE night a week, and it is held at a private room AWAY from the rest of the bar), and it is NOT a smoking-bar (the smoking area is at that same "private room" AWAY from the rest of the bar). So if you don't like to hear "bad singing", then perhaps you should consider going on any of the other 6 nights, but if you MUST go on that 7th night (when Karaoke is held), then how about skipping the room where the Karaoke is being held? (specially b/c it is held in a private room with closed doors). Same goes for the smoking. As far as food, "Summers" food is ok, it is not great, and it is not horrible either. But then again, if you're going to "Summers" to get a gourmet meal, then you need help. I do recommend the chicken quesadilla. And their beer is fairly priced.
(5)Scot W.
Summer's is a great, laid back place to go for a beer, some sports and an appetizers or a quick bite. The food is far from fancy, which is not to say that its bad. The beer selection is reasonable and the prices, especially at happy hour, are very good. I have only ever sat at the bar and can't comment on the table service, although the waitresses seem friendly enough. I usually sit at the smoking bar, though I don't smoke, and must say that the service there is usually pretty good. John, who typically works in the back, is a great bartender...quirky, but good. Need a quick drink, a small, cheap nosh and some sports? If you're in Arlington, head to Summers.
(5)Jennifer G.
In our never ending search to find Scottish Premier League soccer we happened upon Summers. Actually, the bartender from Kitty O'Shea's told us about Summers. It took a while before we finally made our way here, but I was really pleased once we did! It was relatively early on a Saturday morning. We found our way here quite easily, and finding parking wasn't too tough either. You have to park in a lot, but it was free (well, I think it was!) and not a far walk. There was some sort of street fair going on too, we didn't get a chance to check it out but it looked interesting! Summers has a nice bright bar and dining area. There was a decent crowd there. It was before noon but there were still folks hanging at the bar watching some college football and having a beer- my kinda people! But we weren't here for football- well not American Football anyway! We asked the bartender if she could put on the the Chelsea/Manchester United game that we had come by to check out. Turns out we were at the wrong bar... Summers has two bars! She pointed us in the right direction and we walked over to a room that was shrouded from daylight and speckled with people enjoying some breakfast and soccer. There was waitress service in the room but the bar was closed so we had to hoof it over to the other bar for drinks. Not too bad though- especially since the awesome woman manning the bar was quick to spot us and provide another round of drinks the moment she saw us. We had some lunch since it's not good to drink on an empty stomach. I had a turkey burger and R had a chicken sandwich. Both were good, the fries were especially good. Service wasn't the quickest, but it was just one girl serving the room so it's forgivable. The room emptied out after the conclusion of the Man United game, but some new folks appeared for the other soccer games that were being televised. The food was good, the beer was good, and the establishment itself was good. It was a cool set up for early morning soccer. The one downfall was the mood of the room during the game. There were some gasps and other light noises when there were near misses- but otherwise it was as quiet as a church in here! I wanted people to be making some noise! Maybe R and I will try to stir up some chants or something the next time we're here. For ladies with a fondness for men with an accent- get yourself here on Saturday mornings! It's a virtual United Nations! We'll most certainly be back for some more soccer soon, I just hope they stop serving decaf to the people watching the matches!
(4)Jake S.
I fail to understand why the food prices here are so jacked up. It's good (the buffalo tender platter is first-class), but 11.50 just seems like too much. Getting past that, I really like going here for sporting events. I hate Mr. Days, so this is the next option in the Court House/Clarendon area. The only reason is because of the televisions... they have a TON of them, and most are high-def sets. It really is a great place to watch football on Sundays and, most recently, the NCAAs. Also, it's almost never crowded, so you can usually get prime seating for whatever sporting event you're there to watch. Fantastic. The service is usually pretty good, the location is fantastic (1 block off the metro), and the beer is reasonable, despite the high food prices. Would be 5-stars if not for the food prices. I wouldn't come here for any reason other than sports , so if you're not into sports, don't bother. If you are, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better spot in the area.
(4)Clara L.
I met up with a friend here for drinks last night and to catch some of the sweet 16 bball action on tv. Well, this place certainly has enough tvs... and since there were only 2 bball games going on, every other tv had one game and the rest had the other. It was a little overwhelming actually. But during football season, that could be kinda cool. There was a special for 22oz Killians for $4.75. Killians isn't my favorite beer, but it is a decent choice. And for about $5 for that large of a glass? Why not?!? After a couple, I was happily entering into buzz-ville. I did not get any food, but picked at some fries on my friend's plate. Fries were pretty standard for bars. Not complaining. Overall, I had a good time here. It sounds like that is anomalous of the majority (ok more than the majority)'s experience though. Summers wasn't really anything too special... so maybe it was my company that made the night seem better.
(3)Matt C.
My team (Eagles) wasn't on National TV, so I came here cause they have Sunday Ticket. Walked in as the Skins fans were leaving after losing to the RAMS (ouch)! Decent place. Wings are good, tasty sauce, decent beer prices, and that's about it. The TV's are plentiful, but not the best quality. Kind of an odd interior, feels more like a family restaurant than a bar, but whatever, no biggie. Come here if you live in Courthouse and your team isn't on TV. If you want a more exciting day of NFL viewing, go to Carpool.
(3)Kathleen M.
I came here to watch the Michigan/OSU game with some serious Michigan fans (we're talking foam helmets, people). Dr. Dremo's wasn't open so we decided to watch the first half at Summers. 4 of us piled in to a booth and prepared ourselves for the drink-fest ahead. At this point I feel like I should interject that the friends I was with are a little slaphappy and like to joke around a bit. Never in a meanspirited way: they're just goofy. Well, our waitress didn't speak English. At all. Couldn't even translate Miller Lite, much less Carlsberg. So we did a lot of pointing and eventually got our drinks. Ordering food was more difficult and it took quite a long time to arrive. It was substandard, but that's kind of to be expected in a place like this. The service got slower as the day proceeded and it took forever to get our checks. I don't see any reason to go back.
(2)Brian W.
It's a boring, straightforward bar. The food is ok, the prices are ok, and the beer is ok (though they get 5 brownie points for now carrying Rogue American). The only reason I ever go here is to watch football and basketball with the University of Oregon Alumni Club. If not for that, I would likely never visit this bar. But with that said, it gets the job done.
(3)Lucas K.
Came for breakfast over the weekend. It's a little unusual for a sports bar to offer weekend breakfast/brunch but it beats dealing with the hordes at Brooklyn Bagels (see review). Had the French Toast which were light and fluffy. Homefries were nicely seasoned and not at all greasy. The coffee tasted like an ashtray and the place smelled of stale beer and cigarette smoke. And with a couple Europeans in there watching live F1 racing at 10 in the morning (race was in Singapore) with the volume of whining engines blaring, it didn't make for a good conversation environment. Then again, this is a sports bar that just so happens to serve breakfast, so you get what you pay for.
(2)Amit S.
what's so frustrating about Summer's is that it has the potential to really be a great place. But I will concur with many of the reviews here, the food is edible, service is poor, and the TVs are the same ones my parents had 10 years ago. If you are there to watch soccer, you're probably okay with the selection of channels, but if you're there to watch college football then you have to beg and plead with the Remote Control Man and even then you probably won't get what you want. Anyway, I really love supporting small businesses in my neighborhood and my initial draw was that it was smoke-free but after so many trips and not seeing any improvement I doubt I will be going there anymore. :-( please let me know if it improves
(2)C J.
This one gets extra stars because they were literally the only place in the greater DC area playing the finals of the Asia cup. And we were the crazy crew that went to a bar at 8 am on a Sunday, drank beer and watched Iraq win! :) Their breakfast was also good, but a bit expensive for the quality of food. To be fair though, it's about on par with the area. Parking was difficult even at that time, so I can't imagine on a Saturday night! How can you fail with soccer, beer, and breakfast on a Sunday morning?
(4)Jason P.
Even though this place was only a block away from my apartment I only had to go once to know never to go back. The service was absolutely terrible. My two roommates and I joked at the time that we must be on some sort of hidden camera show because there really didn't seem to be any way to screw anything up any worse. First, we were left standing at an empty hostess podium for about 10 minutes before someone came to seat us despite the fact the restaurant was nearly empty. Several servers walked by and completely ignored us. Once we were finally seated, we waited another 10 minutes before we saw our waitress. She barely spoke English. She took our drink orders and another 10 minutes later she returned with the wrong drinks. We're not picky (beer is beer, right?) so we let it slide. After another wait, she finally took our food orders. When the food finally came out 40 minutes later. Our glasses had been sitting empty for the previous 30 minutes. And she somehow managed to screw up ALL THREE orders. The food we did get was ice cold and absolutely awful. The chicken fingers looked like the kind you buy frozen at the grocery and throw in the oven. But it looks like they were burnt, then refrigerated, then microwaved until lukewarm. And finally, to top it off she somehow even managed to screw up the check. This place is just pitiful.
(1)Matt T.
I thought it was pretty impressive that there is a bar that advertises itself as a soccer bar. On a World Cup Saturday it was full of rowdy and drunk internationals, which added tremendously to an otherwise drab atmosphere. Seating was a disorganized mess and nobody really took responsibility for our table and we had to wait a long time for the bill (after asking for it about three times). But I thought the turkey sandwich was good and prices were reasonable. Not a bad spot to watch soccer, just not a great place.
(3)Krissy R.
If I never go back again I will be happy. This place is unimpressive and smelly, and the food is typical and unexciting. I ordered a burger because it's usually pretty difficult to mess up a burger, but Summers managed to do just that. I'd rather skip lunch than pop over to Summers for food.
(1)Monty C.
I have been frequenting Summers ever since I moved to Arlington 5-ish years ago. Why have I waited this long to write a review? Every February my native Hoosier blood begins to boil in anticipation of March Madness and I instinctively seek out the best place to watch multiple simultaneous basketball games. For me, my annual search ends at Summers. OK fine, so maybe you need to be an ESL instructor to properly communicate your food and drink orders, but the food is passable pub grub (it has slowly gotten better over the years) and the drink specials (namely the jumbo Long Hammer IPAs) are decent. Most importantly, the entire building is absolutely slathered in flatscreen TVs with the most comprehensive sports packages in the area. People go to Summers first and foremost to watch sports. World Cup soccer, Oregon football, and NCAA basketball tournament games push this place to capacity. One more point to remember, "Joe" the tall Maltese gentleman that looks like some sort of evil genius with monstrously bushy eyebrows, seems to be the only manager with a full understanding of all the satellite packages. He is the ticket to the game you want to watch.
(3)Jaye V.
There's a reason why I'm giving it 4 stars, but it's my secret spot for something. If I tell you what that is, it won't be a secret anymore :). And no, I don't know the owner or anything. The food is definitely 2-3 stars, depending on what you order, but the beers are good and cold off the tap. Most of the waitstaff and cooks are Asian, and the food reminds me of going to sports bars in foreign countries -- with their (kinda strange) interpretations of Western bar & grill food. If you find yourself here, do yourself a favor and don't order anything Tex-Mex off the menu. The flour tortillas were like crackers, and the meat and peppers were like an Asian stir fry with lots of soy sauce. Order something that has less room for error, like a burger or sandwich.
(4)Liam O.
Pretty mediocre. I work around here so I used to go in for lunch every once in awhile. I guess it's okay for a few sports fanatics, they seem to have a pretty wide range of games on at all times. The last time I went here, my booth smelled like piss so bad that even changing booths didn't help, so we just got up and left. To reiterate, that was the last time I went here.
(2)Bela P.
Don't come here if you value your sanity. Despite having one of the best tv set-ups in Arlington, Summers is generally empty. Why, you ask? Because the servers have absolutely no idea what is going on. On a recent visit, I went up to the bar and sat down while waiting for a friend. There was no bartender. None. I understand that sometimes a bartender might have to pop into the kitchen or run to the restroom, but you'd think they would another server hold down the bar, even just to say "the bartender will be right back". Nope, not at summers. I sat for a good 8-10 mins before anyone showed up. If you sit at a table instead of the bar, you're pretty much asking to be ignored. Come here if you want to watch games that you might not otherwise be able to catch anywhere (soccer/cricket?), but don't expect to order anything to drink or eat without wanting to scream.
(1)Alex S.
Summers Restaurant is AWESOME. I've been going to "Summers" since 1994, and I love that place. I think it's the best Sports-Bar in all of D.C, specially for soccer. However, before you go to "Summers", you should understand what this restaurant IS, and what it is NOT. "Summers" is a SPORTS BAR, so that should be the main focus of your reviews. They show sports from all over the world, and they even take requests (assuming you know the channel, and the game is being shown). Besides showing you the basic stuff (e.g baseball, football, and basketball), they also show you rugby, soccer (UEFA, CONMEBOL, etc), and even wrestling. In all the years that I've come to "Summers", I've never once had problems with their service. And on the rare occasion when the service has been "slow", it is usually because the place is completely packed (which happens to any place that gets swamped for a special event). I have yet to meet a place that can bring you food "in 10 minutes" (specially when they're packed), unless you go to Subway. "Summers"is NOT a Karaoke Bar (they have Karaoke just ONE night a week, and it is held at a private room AWAY from the rest of the bar), and it is NOT a smoking-bar (the smoking area is at that same "private room" AWAY from the rest of the bar). So if you don't like to hear "bad singing", then perhaps you should consider going on any of the other 6 nights, but if you MUST go on that 7th night (when Karaoke is held), then how about skipping the room where the Karaoke is being held? (specially b/c it is held in a private room with closed doors). Same goes for the smoking. As far as food, "Summers" food is ok, it is not great, and it is not horrible either. But then again, if you're going to "Summers" to get a gourmet meal, then you need help. I do recommend the chicken quesadilla. And their beer is fairly priced.
(5)JC M.
Breakfast is OK, that's about it. I'm not a big sports fan so having 30 TV's all over the place on different sport channels really didn't do much for me except annoy my eyes. I dunno, go to Ragtime or Four Courts instead. Unless you're a big sports fan freak and need to watch every game that's happening all over the word at the same time. If that's the case this place is golden and you'll probably give it 5 stars.
(2)Jennifer G.
In our never ending search to find Scottish Premier League soccer we happened upon Summers. Actually, the bartender from Kitty O'Shea's told us about Summers. It took a while before we finally made our way here, but I was really pleased once we did! It was relatively early on a Saturday morning. We found our way here quite easily, and finding parking wasn't too tough either. You have to park in a lot, but it was free (well, I think it was!) and not a far walk. There was some sort of street fair going on too, we didn't get a chance to check it out but it looked interesting! Summers has a nice bright bar and dining area. There was a decent crowd there. It was before noon but there were still folks hanging at the bar watching some college football and having a beer- my kinda people! But we weren't here for football- well not American Football anyway! We asked the bartender if she could put on the the Chelsea/Manchester United game that we had come by to check out. Turns out we were at the wrong bar... Summers has two bars! She pointed us in the right direction and we walked over to a room that was shrouded from daylight and speckled with people enjoying some breakfast and soccer. There was waitress service in the room but the bar was closed so we had to hoof it over to the other bar for drinks. Not too bad though- especially since the awesome woman manning the bar was quick to spot us and provide another round of drinks the moment she saw us. We had some lunch since it's not good to drink on an empty stomach. I had a turkey burger and R had a chicken sandwich. Both were good, the fries were especially good. Service wasn't the quickest, but it was just one girl serving the room so it's forgivable. The room emptied out after the conclusion of the Man United game, but some new folks appeared for the other soccer games that were being televised. The food was good, the beer was good, and the establishment itself was good. It was a cool set up for early morning soccer. The one downfall was the mood of the room during the game. There were some gasps and other light noises when there were near misses- but otherwise it was as quiet as a church in here! I wanted people to be making some noise! Maybe R and I will try to stir up some chants or something the next time we're here. For ladies with a fondness for men with an accent- get yourself here on Saturday mornings! It's a virtual United Nations! We'll most certainly be back for some more soccer soon, I just hope they stop serving decaf to the people watching the matches!
(4)Jake S.
I fail to understand why the food prices here are so jacked up. It's good (the buffalo tender platter is first-class), but 11.50 just seems like too much. Getting past that, I really like going here for sporting events. I hate Mr. Days, so this is the next option in the Court House/Clarendon area. The only reason is because of the televisions... they have a TON of them, and most are high-def sets. It really is a great place to watch football on Sundays and, most recently, the NCAAs. Also, it's almost never crowded, so you can usually get prime seating for whatever sporting event you're there to watch. Fantastic. The service is usually pretty good, the location is fantastic (1 block off the metro), and the beer is reasonable, despite the high food prices. Would be 5-stars if not for the food prices. I wouldn't come here for any reason other than sports , so if you're not into sports, don't bother. If you are, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better spot in the area.
(4)Clara L.
I met up with a friend here for drinks last night and to catch some of the sweet 16 bball action on tv. Well, this place certainly has enough tvs... and since there were only 2 bball games going on, every other tv had one game and the rest had the other. It was a little overwhelming actually. But during football season, that could be kinda cool. There was a special for 22oz Killians for $4.75. Killians isn't my favorite beer, but it is a decent choice. And for about $5 for that large of a glass? Why not?!? After a couple, I was happily entering into buzz-ville. I did not get any food, but picked at some fries on my friend's plate. Fries were pretty standard for bars. Not complaining. Overall, I had a good time here. It sounds like that is anomalous of the majority (ok more than the majority)'s experience though. Summers wasn't really anything too special... so maybe it was my company that made the night seem better.
(3)Matt C.
My team (Eagles) wasn't on National TV, so I came here cause they have Sunday Ticket. Walked in as the Skins fans were leaving after losing to the RAMS (ouch)! Decent place. Wings are good, tasty sauce, decent beer prices, and that's about it. The TV's are plentiful, but not the best quality. Kind of an odd interior, feels more like a family restaurant than a bar, but whatever, no biggie. Come here if you live in Courthouse and your team isn't on TV. If you want a more exciting day of NFL viewing, go to Carpool.
(3)Kathleen M.
I came here to watch the Michigan/OSU game with some serious Michigan fans (we're talking foam helmets, people). Dr. Dremo's wasn't open so we decided to watch the first half at Summers. 4 of us piled in to a booth and prepared ourselves for the drink-fest ahead. At this point I feel like I should interject that the friends I was with are a little slaphappy and like to joke around a bit. Never in a meanspirited way: they're just goofy. Well, our waitress didn't speak English. At all. Couldn't even translate Miller Lite, much less Carlsberg. So we did a lot of pointing and eventually got our drinks. Ordering food was more difficult and it took quite a long time to arrive. It was substandard, but that's kind of to be expected in a place like this. The service got slower as the day proceeded and it took forever to get our checks. I don't see any reason to go back.
(2)Brian W.
It's a boring, straightforward bar. The food is ok, the prices are ok, and the beer is ok (though they get 5 brownie points for now carrying Rogue American). The only reason I ever go here is to watch football and basketball with the University of Oregon Alumni Club. If not for that, I would likely never visit this bar. But with that said, it gets the job done.
(3)Lucas K.
Came for breakfast over the weekend. It's a little unusual for a sports bar to offer weekend breakfast/brunch but it beats dealing with the hordes at Brooklyn Bagels (see review). Had the French Toast which were light and fluffy. Homefries were nicely seasoned and not at all greasy. The coffee tasted like an ashtray and the place smelled of stale beer and cigarette smoke. And with a couple Europeans in there watching live F1 racing at 10 in the morning (race was in Singapore) with the volume of whining engines blaring, it didn't make for a good conversation environment. Then again, this is a sports bar that just so happens to serve breakfast, so you get what you pay for.
(2)C J.
This one gets extra stars because they were literally the only place in the greater DC area playing the finals of the Asia cup. And we were the crazy crew that went to a bar at 8 am on a Sunday, drank beer and watched Iraq win! :) Their breakfast was also good, but a bit expensive for the quality of food. To be fair though, it's about on par with the area. Parking was difficult even at that time, so I can't imagine on a Saturday night! How can you fail with soccer, beer, and breakfast on a Sunday morning?
(4)Jason P.
Even though this place was only a block away from my apartment I only had to go once to know never to go back. The service was absolutely terrible. My two roommates and I joked at the time that we must be on some sort of hidden camera show because there really didn't seem to be any way to screw anything up any worse. First, we were left standing at an empty hostess podium for about 10 minutes before someone came to seat us despite the fact the restaurant was nearly empty. Several servers walked by and completely ignored us. Once we were finally seated, we waited another 10 minutes before we saw our waitress. She barely spoke English. She took our drink orders and another 10 minutes later she returned with the wrong drinks. We're not picky (beer is beer, right?) so we let it slide. After another wait, she finally took our food orders. When the food finally came out 40 minutes later. Our glasses had been sitting empty for the previous 30 minutes. And she somehow managed to screw up ALL THREE orders. The food we did get was ice cold and absolutely awful. The chicken fingers looked like the kind you buy frozen at the grocery and throw in the oven. But it looks like they were burnt, then refrigerated, then microwaved until lukewarm. And finally, to top it off she somehow even managed to screw up the check. This place is just pitiful.
(1)Monty C.
I have been frequenting Summers ever since I moved to Arlington 5-ish years ago. Why have I waited this long to write a review? Every February my native Hoosier blood begins to boil in anticipation of March Madness and I instinctively seek out the best place to watch multiple simultaneous basketball games. For me, my annual search ends at Summers. OK fine, so maybe you need to be an ESL instructor to properly communicate your food and drink orders, but the food is passable pub grub (it has slowly gotten better over the years) and the drink specials (namely the jumbo Long Hammer IPAs) are decent. Most importantly, the entire building is absolutely slathered in flatscreen TVs with the most comprehensive sports packages in the area. People go to Summers first and foremost to watch sports. World Cup soccer, Oregon football, and NCAA basketball tournament games push this place to capacity. One more point to remember, "Joe" the tall Maltese gentleman that looks like some sort of evil genius with monstrously bushy eyebrows, seems to be the only manager with a full understanding of all the satellite packages. He is the ticket to the game you want to watch.
(3)Jaye V.
There's a reason why I'm giving it 4 stars, but it's my secret spot for something. If I tell you what that is, it won't be a secret anymore :). And no, I don't know the owner or anything. The food is definitely 2-3 stars, depending on what you order, but the beers are good and cold off the tap. Most of the waitstaff and cooks are Asian, and the food reminds me of going to sports bars in foreign countries -- with their (kinda strange) interpretations of Western bar & grill food. If you find yourself here, do yourself a favor and don't order anything Tex-Mex off the menu. The flour tortillas were like crackers, and the meat and peppers were like an Asian stir fry with lots of soy sauce. Order something that has less room for error, like a burger or sandwich.
(4)Liam O.
Pretty mediocre. I work around here so I used to go in for lunch every once in awhile. I guess it's okay for a few sports fanatics, they seem to have a pretty wide range of games on at all times. The last time I went here, my booth smelled like piss so bad that even changing booths didn't help, so we just got up and left. To reiterate, that was the last time I went here.
(2)New to San Pedro C.
If I could give it less than 1 star, I would. The food was mediocre at best. I asked the server what she suggested and she really couldn't help. So I asked her about the alfredo for my son and she goes "it's fine if you like that sort of thing." I ordered a steak sandwich and it was blah. She asked if I wanted a box and I said no, it wasn't that great and she goes "yeh" and walks away. Never going back and we live 2 blocks away.
(1)GiselleLee L.
Don't come here for the food. Come here for the awesome array of sports simultaneously shown on the many, many flat screen tvs in the place. I had the shrimp alfredo and my mom had the salmon in basil cream sauce. Bland bland bland with a side of blah. In my case the alfredo tasted like a prepackeaged powder sauce packet and in my moms case her salmon was hard and dry. I did however get to see the hawks vs. Heat game, the ducks vs. red wings game and the mavs vs. Nuggets game. Will I come again? Yeah, but not to eat
(4)Matt L.
You get what you pay for at this Courthouse neighborhood no frills sports bar. I come regularly for the UFC fights and have never had bad service, food, beer, or unfair prices. The management is responsive to complaints and the owner (I think) is always there on Saturday nights and is always eager to serve. The most refreshing part about this place is that there is no pretension here. I see people come in, all dressed to the nines, serious product and perfume, they take one look at the fact that no eager glares meet them and the furniture looks like Applebee's castoffs, and leave, I whisper to myself, good.
(4)Matt T.
I thought it was pretty impressive that there is a bar that advertises itself as a soccer bar. On a World Cup Saturday it was full of rowdy and drunk internationals, which added tremendously to an otherwise drab atmosphere. Seating was a disorganized mess and nobody really took responsibility for our table and we had to wait a long time for the bill (after asking for it about three times). But I thought the turkey sandwich was good and prices were reasonable. Not a bad spot to watch soccer, just not a great place.
(3)Krissy R.
If I never go back again I will be happy. This place is unimpressive and smelly, and the food is typical and unexciting. I ordered a burger because it's usually pretty difficult to mess up a burger, but Summers managed to do just that. I'd rather skip lunch than pop over to Summers for food.
(1)Brendan D.
First off I should start by saying I think Venu makes an excellent point- if you KNOW you do not like sports bars, then a) why visit one in the first place, and b) why go through the trouble of writing a sullying review. That out of the way, I like sports bars. Summers was pretty average though. Myself and a buddy went in on 8/29/09 to watch UFC 102, which turned out to be quite entertaining. I normally order these events myself in HD and have a bunch of people over, but due to some outside circumstances it was just myself and one buddy, so we figured we would just go out and see the fights. The cover of $5 was honestly pretty reasonable I thought. The fight was shown only in the back, smoking lounge (which if I am not mistaken may be a legal thing about having to use a separate entrance, and charging cover when showing a PPV event??). In any event that left things extremely crowded, and yes- smoky. I got over the smoke quickly, and got a reasonable seat for the fights, considering how late I arrived. The drinks were on the expensive side- $6 for a Miller Lite, though the drafts were big, I would say 22 or 23 oz. If that was in fact the case, then they are a little bit of a better deal, though its kind of lame being "forced" into the bigger buy. However, once I realized how overworked/ "in the weeds" the bartender was, the forced upsell might have been the way to go. I was a little surprised there was only one bartender downstairs, simply crazy really when you consider the volume of the bar. Part of me felt bad for her ( I have been there) and the other side of me was angry at the management- honestly just unacceptable. In the whole I thought Summers- was "ok" hence the 3 star review.
(3)Jules W.
I stopped in after seeing a sign for the $5.99 lunch special. My soup/salad was average, and my lunch partner got a chipotle steak wrap that wasn't good at all ($5.99 each). Worst of all was the TERRIBLE service. There were only 2-3 tables occupied for each of the 3 waiters, and we only saw our server twice: once to take our order, and once to bring our check, which we waited for 15 minutes after finishing our food. Atmosphere was nothing special for a sport's bar, but they did have ~4 different sports channels on, which is probably nice if you want to catch up on sports news while grabbing a bite. I'm not a fan of the smoky smell, but I DID choose to eat at a sports bar...
(1)Robin H.
If our cousin wasn't such a heavy smoker, we would never have entered this sports bar. They have a separate room with it's own ventilation system for smokers. But the main dining room is non-smoking. And the burgers are great! They're large and juicy on a kaiser roll. The buns don't fall apart like they do at Ray's or Five Guys. And you can sit in a booth for a long time and not feel like customers are waiting for the table.
(4)Lee N.
I went to Summers for the El Classico Real Madrid - Barcelona match. There was a waiter at the door who saw my jersey and directed me to the side/back bar, which appeared to have been turned soccer central. I counted - I could see 14 flatscreens showing the game from where I was standing (no seats available). For 90 minutes, I was in paradise. They do a pretty good job of showing a variety of soccer games, even the early ones. Just be careful on big game days, because it will probably be packed! This place caters to the soccer crowd... and apparently serves food and beer, too! My Guinness was cold and tasted like Guinness, so I was happy. I could care less about food being average bar fare and drinks being typical - come here for the soccer.
(4)Liam D.
I've passed by this place a number of times, but never thought about stopping in. This one evening I was in Arlington passing some time and I noticed that the UFC fights were on here, so I popped in for a quick bite and to catch a few fights. Doesn't take long to realize that this place is a big sports bar - tons of tv's everywhere, lots of beer, and a decent looking menu. I had a hickory chicken sandwich and Carlsberg lager, which isn't easy to find on tap - another indication that it's a big soccer bar. I'd say this place is great for an afternoon to just lay low, watch some sports, grab a bite, and have a brew or few. I wouldn't suggest it for anything other than that.
(3)Jimbo J.
Went there on a Sunday morning to watch English soccer on a busy day of fixtures, however this world famed soccer pub was only capable of showing one game at a time. Resembled a truckstop, but at the top of a hill and with staff whose English skills are 'beginner'.
(2)John B.
It was Sunday at Summer's, opening day of football season. We had a table to ourselves and several pitchers of beer, and it was just past noon. The place was packed with fans of all stripes, shouting and taunting each other. These guys take the games seriously. There were flat screen TVs mounted side-by-side, four in a row, on one wall, and behind us, there were three other games playing on various non-flatscreen TVs. The service was awfully slow, but the Buffalo chicken sandwhich was perfect, and the fries were done just right. Standing in line for the bathroom, I got to watching a European soccer game with a bunch of mustachioed men in back. It's ok not to be a football fan at Summer's--there is something for everyone. On my way back to my table, I located the manager, and he happily switched on the finals of US Open Tennis. There were plenty of TVs to spare.
(5)Ambrish K.
Wow, I'm surprised with how drastically contrasting all the reviews are. I am guessing that the service at this bar may not be consistent, considering the mixed reviews. Having said that, I had a good time. This bar is conveniently located, the food was good. The bar does have a lot of tv's, and considering it's not one of those trendy bars that people flock too during games (read Laughing Man), it's not usually that crowded, and you can peacefully watch a game with friends. I thought the bar was fine, but that's just me. Verdict: Go see for yourself.
(4)Derrick L.
I stopped going here because the food/service is so bad. Last time I went was for opening day for the Premiership, and my breakfast was absolutely cold. I don't really have a reason to watch sports here anymore with two Irish pubs within 1 block. Won't go back unless there's a match I can't find anywhere else, and then only getting beer.
(1)M G.
We went for a weekday lunch. We should always read the reviews before we go. This time we didn't. Big mistake. We were seated promptly after arriving -- this was the best part. To cut to the chase, both orders arrived wrong. The club sandwich came without bacon. Does Summers not know what goes into a club sandwich? The ordered turkey on whole grain bread arrived as beef on a white roll. This one went back but returned as turkey on a white roll. The fries were nice -- this was the second best part. We won't be back.
(1)Alex S.
Lot's of TV's and decent beer price during happy hour but everything else about Summer's is a joke. Tried it for breakfast once. Some serious English issues with the waitress. Asked (3 times) for milk or cream for my coffee and was given a pint of milk. The food was blah. Second time we went, sat for over an hour and only got half our food. A guy in the booth next to us went off on the waitress.. and just got a nod and OK, not even a feigned apology. Third time (why did I even go back?) had wings and beer for happy hour. Beer is cheap. Wings were mediocre at best. There are about 50 other places in DC/VA where I'd rather watch NFL. Kitty O'Sheas down the street has soccer, which is the only reason I can imagine anyone going to Summers.
(1)Rachel E.
The food is not good at all here. I haven't been here for awhile, but have come to watch the University of Oregon football games with my college alumni. The flat screens and multiple games are impressive.
(2)Dan S.
Ugh All the waitstaff i have interacted with, including the bartender, do not speak very good english. The bill is often wrong. Went there with my girlfriend so she could watch her sox game and I could watch the flyers. This also concided with a big Caps game (they had to win to make the playoffs). So what was coming out over the speakers? Some freaking contemporary easy listening shit, totally ruining the atmosphere. This is a crappy sports bar.
(2)Tim A.
Food, is by, the worst we have had in 8 years living in Arlington. It was so bad we did not eat it. Beer was cold and service was ok-----do not eat here.
(1)Meghan G.
Average in every way. Generic sports bar decor, generic sports bar menu, generic sports bar staff....are you noticing a pattern. Nothing to write home about, but this place is really a destination for soccer fans (it gets about as crowded as a futbol stadium in spain when a hot game is on) I can't say I would send anyone other than a sports fanatic here, as its just.... sort of average. They have half price cheeseburgers after 4pm on Mondays, and Mon-Fri they have a semi-decent happy hour from 4-7, half priced apps, $2.50 miller lite/bud, and $1 glasses of wine. Seems like a good place to meet for a work happy hour, as the place is fairly large inside and offers ample seating.
(3)Anna Y.
ugh. what a waste of time. everything was overcooked or dry or just plain BLEH. go for drinks. that's all.
(2)Maggie N.
Really fun place to go to watch a sports game and have a beer. One of the lady bartenders is super kind and has been working there forever. I haven't tried much of the food, I did try the spinach and artichoke dip which was yummy.
(5)Prairie S.
After suffering through pretentious, new-fangled bars in the neighborhood which offer small plates of nouvelle cuisine and craft beers with a hefty dose of shallow, over self-conscious hype, I'll gladly settle back to Summers. This is a salt-of-the-earth, genuine, hardworking immigrant owned-and-run establishment, which caters to sports-loving types, especially soccer. I'm fed up of bars in the area which (1) do not screen football (soccer for Americans), much less FIFA Women's World Cup (2) show broadcasts of baseball or golf during world competition soccer and (3) do not have the volume turned up to enjoy the sport. So it's a relief to return to Summers. This place is the real deal where people are out to watch sport, rather than to watch each other while incidentally having a flashy screen backdrop. You'll walk in notice that the screens are not 50-inch flat plasmas, you'll notice the dated interior decor, and you'll settle into a "Cheers"-era plastic padded booth, or at the wooden bar. The wait staff is not likely to be a perky twenty-something Georgetown grad working a second job, it will be an adult person. You'll order middling, typical bar food, (lots of potato skin, fried calamari, mozzarella sticks) and drink cheap beer and feel like the menu is stuck in 1993 (yes it is) but you'll enjoy the friendly service. Michael, their waiter is exceptionally sweet and has sold me on their margaritas even though I'm picky about margaritas. Their wine list is more limited than what I can offer you at my house. But whatever. Get a vodka shot instead and celebrate a goal! Everyone is there because they are into sports. Especially soccer. People share opinions. They yell out commentary. They gasp. They share. There is atmosphere here that you can't get at the fancy restaurants with a bar in front (like Tupelo Honey and Fireworks). These new places shine to turn a profit. They are not shone and cleaned with the sweat and clamour of decades of sports-loving regulars from around this city. In this neighborhood filled with yuppies, this is one place that feels like there is a real heart. It's not fake, it's old and it's not apologetic about it or too worried what you think.
(4)Irene A.
So I came here to watch the ManU game with a friend prior to going out in arlington. When we called they told us to get there at 10am, when the game started at 11am because the bar would be really really crowded. When we got there at 10am, we were the only people there so we thought we wait till 11am when the game starts. 11am came around and the bar wasn't that crowded what so ever. A little disappointing. We both got egg white omlettes which comes with a side of toast (terrible) and potatoes (also terrible) The service was decent, the waiters were friendly, but the food wasn't that great and the bar wasn't crowded for the game. ya probably won't be coming back here.
(1)Shae S.
Word on the street is that SUMMERS, my hot tub time machine, my personal passport to the 80's, is PERMANENTLY CLOSING after NYE 2014/15! Gag me with a spoon! That's so lame.
(3)Sam S.
Can't even tell you how disappointed I was in this place. Was told to come in early the day before by the staff. Arrived an hour early before the game and I was one of 2 people. The food here is weak and I was extremely disappointed. I spoke to a couple people and they said this place shut down for like a couple months and lost a lot of their customers. It's sad but at the same time changes need to be made. The decoration inside is worst then a 1980's Pizza Hut. The TV's are from 1993 The bathroom is extremely small. Amazing location but I cannot express how disappointed I was in this place.
(1)Sharon J.
Try this place!! Great burgers and wonderful service. I can see from previous (dated) reviews that they had issues in the past, but we had a good experience. It is centrally located and they have great happy hour deals. We will be back for game days this fall...lots of TVs to watch football!!
(4)Phoenix Simone W.
Not the biggest fan. The food is pretty awful, and the whole place seems a bit run down. The service is inexplicably slow, even when there are barely any customers. I came here with a friend because we happened to be nearby and were super hungry. After waiting forever for a waiter to arrive, and then even longer for our food to arrive, we expected the food to be amazing. Nope. There are many other great places to eat in the area, don't bother with this one!
(1)Tuve F.
Summers is an Arlington institution and a great place to watch sports, especially soccer. They have lots of big screen televisions, so it's easy to watch from any table. Business does seem slow after their reopening though. I went around noon on a Saturday to watch Arsenal play in the FA Cup and easily got a table just before the game began. Service was good, but my burger and fries were quite average.
(3)Ivy T.
NEWSFLASH: Summers is OPEN after 5 months closing. Can we get the word out? Business is suffering for this local institution while rumors air. Pro-Tip: if you help the bartenders with their Social Media Fu there may be free beers involved. Number 1 Reasons I love Summers: - All beers are $1 cheaper than Irish Pub across the street - Hot Tub Time Machine to the 80s? Totes. - Great music selection, if you like 80s, Americana, and new wave. - This place is not pretentious and overpriced like the rest of Arlington. Op Summer of Summers: Save Summers Grill!
(5)Justin M.
Cancelled my sandwich order after waiting for 45 minutes. My wife's margaritas took 30 minutes to arrive and were weak to say the least! Stay away from this train wreck! Watch the match elsewhere or stop at Wendy's on your way in and pack a flask in your back pocket! Terrible!!!!
(1)Amy D.
My family all got hamburgers and they were all OK. I got a blackened chicken salad. It was terrible. Pretty sure the meat was microwaved or something. Our waiter was very nice and got us out drinks quickly. But can't get over the terrible food. Safe bet is hamburgers.
(1)Andrew Y.
They're still restocking the pantry and the bar. Service can be slow as they work new servers into the rotation. The food ain't great but the beer is still pretty cheap.
(2)Kelly J.
I am surprised this doesn't have higher ratings. In fact it took me a couple years to try this place because of the reviews. I will say I'm not a fan of the karaoke because the one time I tried to attend there was smoking ?? But to go for the World Cup showings, it has been awesome. Every screen in the place is on for World Cup and the booths are nice and comfy. I got the Rueben and asked them for roasted turkey instead of corned beef. And steamed veggies instead of fries. It was delicious, and way more affordable than some places in courthouse/Clarendon. I would be willing to come back here with my mate to watch sports any time. Also the main dining room doesn't smell smoky at all, I am very sensitive to that smell..
(4)Rustin F.
I've been here a couple times, and both times, the staff has been friendly and accommodating. On Mondays, they do $5 cheeseburgers (with fries) and $5 bigger-than-a-pint Fat Tire all night, along with half-price appetizers and $4 pints during happy hour, which lasts until 8p. $5 for a burger and fries is probably cheaper than you'll get at Wendy's, across the street, and it came with table service and tasted pretty good. It wasn't busy when I came, and unlike some bars where the waitstaff are pretty strict about switching seats from the bar to the dining area--generally so they can keep track of tips--the staff at Summers were very chill and didn't seem to care. I'll be back when I need a local dive.
(4)Chris K.
New to the area and love that it's so close. Food is bar food, which is delicious. Yet to have something bad from the kitchen. The staff has gotten much better recently considering I walked out twice due to crappy service when I moved there. They have really stepped up their game. I am really hoping that the trend continues as football season approaches. Great job, Summers
(4)Mary Kate M.
Customer service can not, I repeat can not get much worse than this! My boyfriend and I came here for a late lunch, the place was practically deserted with only one other table beside us being here. You would think with not much going on that our server would be extra attentive to us since they didn't have really anything else going on, right? No, not the case. Do you know why I know he had nothing going on? Because he was standing 10 feet away from us with his earphones in his ears playing on his cell phone. Seriously! We were here for about 45 minutes, and it took 25 minutes to get my more than nasty buffalo chicken wrap that had the two items I requested not to be on it. I asked for the tomatoes and onions to be removed. Ugh. I picked them out since I only had an hour lunch break and no tome to replace my order before getting back to the office. I should have asked for the manager right then and there. Obviously that didn't happen due to my time constraint. I had to wave him down to get my water and check. He didn't visit our table once during the meal. Convenience to my work or not, you'll never find me in here again!
(1)Khris L.
I've been coming here for about 4 years to watch soccer games, especially during the World Cup. I've noticed a lack of interest in the mgmt today when I got there and there were no seats available, however a group of people were holding seats for people who were not even there. With a bar packed the way it was today, this should have not been tolerated. Also they decided to do renovations in another area of the bar during WC season... Poor management again, but I guess they don't care, because avid soccer fans still come to this place. I could've consumed alcohol and food there today, but this was the last time Summers will see my dollars, and I'm not paying to stand up for 98 minutes.
(2)Annie P.
We came for the World Cup game. Patron camaraderie was great--really fun. There really isn't a bad seat or place to stand in the place. The service and food were, however, dreadful. We ordered 10 minutes before the game started. Half of the order came in about 25 minutes, followed by one more plate at half time which was cold and not what the member of our party had asked for. She sent it back and it was another 45 minutes before there was another cold burger (perhaps the same one...?) delivered to our table. The Greek salad came in the meantime and it was exactly like a salad you would expect from a burger place--Not really edible. If you come for a game, go for the beers and skip the food altogether.
(2)Henok T.
This is one grimy venue. I came here to watch a Euro Cup match and the bar was crowded. During times like these they force you to order something and jack up the prices. For example, a glass of diet coke will be like $3 just because a game is on. The food seems greasy and unhealthy and the place just has a crusty and dirty type of feel. No idea why this place is such a hit for longtime DC area soccer fans but I know it's been around for a while. It took the bartender forever to notice me and ask me what I wanted. I have not and will not return.
(1)Mamoon W.
The first time I went there with colleagues, it tool long time to get out food. I thought may be it is one of those days. So I went thee again after few weeks. This time, it took about 45 minutes to get our lunch. Very slow service. The food was as expected. Won't go there for the slow service.
(1)Robert T.
Surprising past reviews. We came here to watch College Football and the place was near empty. The food was the best sports bar food I've had in awhile. A larger group of people hit the bar near the end of our game and they all seemed to be happy. Must be a hit or miss place, but I'll be coming back. FYI the wings were amazing.
(4)Joshua W.
The ambiance here is non-existent and there was a confining feel in the place. Not unlike a musty old attic, or perhaps a cigarette smoker friends dusty 'garage slash den'. The haze was really overwhelming and I considered walking out for that reason alone. The lunch service at the bar was fast but the servers seemed irritated and barely spoke a word to me. The club sandwich was about as generic as they come. A true Cisco special! After my eerily quiet and unpleasant lunch I was at least happy to see I had spent under $10. My suggestion: if you like very predictable food then order ahead and go eat in one of the public spaces Courthouse has to offer.
(2)Emily V.
I went to this place to watch a basketball game - it was - unremarkable. Food was ok. Mostly tasted microwaved. Expensive for the quality. Pluses: the bartenders were nice and it wasn't crowded at all. Though I'm not sure if being empty is really a plus. I have no desire to go back but it wasn't the worst bar I've ever been to either.
(2)Darthy F.
I got the Philly cheese steak and husband got a summers burger with bacon. Sandwiches were great. Nice neighborhood sandwich joint.
(4)Sonny R.
Great place to watch sports and drink beer. Don't expect gourmet cuisine. It's a bar!
(4)Mattie C.
This was a truly awful experience. I think this is the first place I have ever walked out of without leaving a tip. We came with a rather large group after watching fireworks for fourth of july. There wree other people there, but it wasn't overly crowded at all, and there were several waiters around. We ordered some beers first and then several people ordered food items such as fries or mozzerella sticks. The food never came. After about 10 minutes of waiting about half of the drinks came (5/10?) and two of them were wrong. After more waiting, we had to ask again for the rest of the drinks. After about 30 minutes of waiting for the food we had to ask again, and again, and again. It never came and the waitress didn't even seem to care. Maybe she was upset that she had to work on 4th of July? The answer was "its coming" and an eye roll. Finally we said forget the food and just asked for the check. Of course the check came with some of the food on it as well as some additional drinks taht were never ordered. She was irritated to fix the mistakes. Everyone at that table can be described as generous tippers in most circumstances. But in this case, we all looked at each other and reached agreement with no hesitation not to leave a tip. It was probably the worst restaurant experience of my life. Looking at some of the other reviews, this does not look like it is an isolated incident. Don't come here.
(1)Rob K.
This was my second visit to Summers. I was here back in 2008 and ate here. The food was ok, nothing to set the world on fire, but not horrid. I returned to Arlington in November, 2012. My wife and I honestly came in here on a Saturday night because there were several tv's with sports on, open seats at the bar, and 12.00 Miller Lite pitchers (we returned on Sunday). The bartender was very friendly and easy to talk to. He was attentive but not over the top. Yes, as other posters have said, English is a barrier language for some employees but they all seem friendly and attentive. They have NFL Sunday ticket which was an advantage as well. While I wouldn't call this a sports bar, they do. I think of it that is a diner that serves alcohol. Overall, I would go here again. When I go out, I am not looking for the venue to make my good time, I just want a friendly atmosphere for my time out.
(3)Anna S.
I'm reviewing the dinner experience here. (My first mistake was expecting a "dinner experience.") I'm sure it's a fine spot to watch sports and drink; beer is beer. I should also say I'm giving it a rating I usually reserve for service so terrible as to verge into fraudulence, when it doesn't quite deserve that. Edible food was provided. Attention was paid. The bill for a Miller Lite, a split nacho appetizer, soup, and a salad came to all of $20 before tip. Despite the low price, however, I would still call my dinner here a waste of money. It was truly awful--"meh, I've had better" seems too generous. First, there were the nachos, which we ordered without sour cream. They came with a big ball of sour cream on top, but that wasn't worth a fuss--we could just scrape it off, of course. The accompanying jalapeños, salsa, and chili were 100% canned, redolent of cheap taco seasoning and salty can water, but hey, they were nachos at a bar, right? Who cares? Knowing we'd be full from the 'chos (and laughably, despite having ordered them, "on a diet"), we ordered light entrees: chicken Caesar salad with the dressing on the side for him, and a soup of the day--minestrone--for me. The salad came first, with the dressing not so much on the side as totally the opposite of that. This we would have blown off too if we hadn't just spent the past fifteen minutes dodging unwanted sour cream. So Matt pointed it out, politely: "hey, um, oh, sorry, the dressing was supposed to be on the side." Our waitress just stared at him. "I can go get some," she said, uncomprehending, although I don't think it was an issue of native language. "Oh, no, sorry, I think he's hoping to just get a new salad with it not mixed in," I said. She turned and stared at me now. "Uh...hold on," she said and disappeared, leaving the salad on the table. About five minutes later, she emerged again with my bowl of soup and a big plastic container of Caesar dressing stacked on the same plate, plopping it in front of me (not him) with a "here you go." We said oh no, no, we really just wanted to send the salad back and get a new salad with no dressing. "Oh...oh...kay..." she replied, in a tone that said she'd thought all along that's what we'd said, but she simply couldn't believe it. Then she finally exchanged the salad. At this point, we felt like idiot harpy betches because 5 tablespoons of Caesar dressing were clearly not worth it. But wow. My mood was already killed by the time I took a bite of my soup and recognized the same limp bits of carrot, mushily unidentifiable white cubes, and sodium-saturated broth I had been fed so often as a child. It was Campbell's--Campbell's condensed minestrone. The "soup of the day" was in fact 1/4 or so of a $1.50 can of reconstituted chemicals. I'm kinda broke at the moment, carefully budgeting my nightlife and meals out. Rich 2010 Anna would have laughed all of this off and given it a mediocre review. But when you're on a budget, it's just so depressing to waste even $20 on a restaurant meal you would consider too gross to buy for 1/5th the cost at Giant.
(1)Courtnay S.
The food was terrible and overpriced. The fries are the worst restaurant fries I have ever had, and the mozzarella sticks weren't any better. Everything we ordered had obviously been frozen and warmed up. Our waitress was not talkative or friendly. The atmosphere was just weird- no one seemed happy to be there. It was like we had all wandered inside by accident. I will never EVER eat there again.
(1)Jon H.
Came here during the UEFA final and it was, as expected, PACKED. Make no mistake, the soccer ball icon on the front of this restaurant is no lie, this is a soccer fan's dream bar. Packed with europeans, americans, all of the like, with a ridiculous collection of 15 or so CRT tvs which they must have gotten a mass discount on over the bar, every seat in the house has a view of the game. They do need to work on their HD/Cable signal, because you can't see the corners of the picture, and hence sometimes you can't see the score/time left. Other than that, pretty good sports bar. Even while it was overwhelmed from all the fans, the bartender did a good job of tending to our drinks. The drinks were decent, not very strong but not too weak. Prices were between $5-$8 for a beer/cocktail. Was a bit annoyed that the waiter/runners wouldn't take my food order and that I had to order at the bar. How hard is it to put my order on my tab? So we had to wait for the 1 bartender to come back to our side to order the hot wings. Hot wings were pretty good, a little too vinegary, but with a big serving of carrots/celery. The blue cheese wasn't very authentic, probably came out of a bottle. Still, couple drinks, some food, and a good time was less than $50 for 4 of us. Good sports bar if you're here for the game and a beer.
(3)Tammy L.
I can't speak to this place as an overall, but I was there on a random Friday night and it was a surprisingly delightfully weird place and we had tons of fun. We stumbled here with a large crew on a bar crew and expectantly found this sort of weirdly amazing place (diner to your left walking in and fairly empty bar to the right in the back). It looks like the regular restaurant type bar that's all over NOVA but this particular night there was a DJ and some karoke. And with a large group and cheap beers, it was a blast. The bar tenders were chill and I'm pretty sure they forgot to charge us for half our drinks. Definitely a random place to have a surprisingly fun night. I've also heard this place is great for soccer games during the day.
(4)Jezz Z.
Is it possible to give 0 stars? After living 2 blocks from the damn place for nearly 2 yrs, I finally convinced myself to go. Huge mistake, I should've stuck to my instinct; it did keep me away for 2 yrs for a reason!!! Will Not be returning to this place... horrible, just horrible. The food was stale, chicken wings tasted microwaved, the turkey burger was straight out of a box. Service was terrible, they speak little to no english. The manager or owner or whoever that middle eastern chauvinist dude is, who's always there, I heard only likes to hire asian women, disgusting. I also heard that Ovechkin likes going there... WHAT A MYTH!!!! HIGHLY DOUBTFUL, seriously folks lol. If u want good cheap bar food, go to Bailey's or Union Jack's. I also like Rhodeside grill.
(1)Tracy L.
This review is for the Karaoke night on Fridays only: Check out the half-basement part of the restaurant and you'll discover a fun place to sing on the top of your lungs with friends. There's no individual room but an open stage. Submit your song requests to the MC and wait for your turn. Most people are pretty nice about giving the brave singers an applause. If you do run into a microphone hogger who happens to be drunk out of his or her mind, just tell the MC to tell the person to shove it. Otherwise, have fun!
(3)Windi L.
Why white people in Clarendon INSIST on doing rap songs during Karaoke is beyond me. Hell, why ANYONE would do a rap song during karaoke is baffling. What happened to audience participation? What happened to the good, classic karaoke songs from Journey, White Snake and even my favorite Boyz II Men? Went here on a Friday night... I was shocked how DEAD it was. Should have been my first que to roll out but I like a good karaoke bar. Sadly, I had a love/hate relationship with the karaoke DJ. In between songs he would play some awesome house music then some popped collared asshole would attempt to Sing/Rap "Empire State of Mind." Alicia Keys is still pissed off. The people here obviously don't know good karaoke etiquette which is if you're gonna SUCK, suck at a good song! +2 stars for their steak quesadillas. OMG THEY ARE SO GOOD. I would have stayed here longer just to eat more of them but alas, after hearing the worst rendition of Kanye West "Jesus Walks" I had to make like the baby jesus and pop smoke out that muthafucker. Speaking of smoke, you can smoke inside here.
(3)Felix Y.
I really wanted to like this place, especially when it's hard to find a good sports bar, and even harder to find one that broadcasts soccer. But our experience this past Sunday morning made it really hard for me to think about returning. The food was fine -- I didn't really have any complaints there. It was the service that sucked. We ordered two omelettes, nothing fancy, no weird substitutions or what not, but even after the first half of the match was over, we still had no food on our table. The waitress said they were "working on it." 10 minutes later, still no food. Mind you - the place was busy, but nowhere near packed. It was, after all, only a little bit before 10am on a Sunday morning. We asked another guy where the manager was, and he said the manager was not in. My S.O. then asked, "Well who's in charge? Who do you talk to if there's a fire?" The reply? "No one right now, and there's no fire." Needless to say, that pretty much killed any chance they had of recovery. Oh, and our glasses got refilled only once during the two hours we were there. There are some soccer bars in the city, and I'll go there first before I think about coming back here, even if it means having to go a lot farther.
(1)Richard K.
4 stars for the fact that is plays my UK sports (Football (the real one, where players use their foot to kick the ball) and Rugby. 2 starts for the food, the only reason I'd eat here is if the game is on and you're hungry. Decor is pretty drab and tired looking.
(3)Britt P.
Wandered in for lunch and had a burger. The portions were generous but the burger itself was lackluster. $10 and cooked well-done even though I ordered medium. Would probably just go across the street for a better burger. Can't speak to the drinks or anything else.
(2)Pinaki S.
There's only one reason to go to Summers. To watch soccer. They show it extensively. Their servers (at least bartenders) are always friendly-- try sitting in the back bar. The USMT is 0-2 here while I've watched, so I may not go back.
(4)James S.
Summers is a heck of a joint. Friendly bar tenders (I think one is named John) and a respectable tap selection are just some of it's wonderful attributes. The pub grub that is offered is mighty fine as well. Totally going back!
(4)Elina T.
My husband and I love Summers! This place is like our Cheers, a second home to us. You have to take this place for what it is: a cozy neighborhood sports bar. It's clean, staff is super friendly, and they show all the sports you could possibly want -- especially every single soccer game going on around the world, and the food is decent (think sportsbar/diner food, not gourmet). We go for the chicken quesadilla (which is delicious, best quesadilla in town) and the sports. We know all the servers and bartenders and they make you feel like family. We used to come here all the time when we lived down the street and we still go a lot, even though we moved. I'm disappointed with some of the reviews I see here. We have never experienced any problems with the service. If you come here during the World Cup or on a football Sunday, of course you should expect to wait a little longer to get served -- isn't this what happens at any restaurant/bar when they get completely slammed? Don't forget that you came here to watch a game, and not to get a quick mid-day lunch turnaround. I've also never had any problems with the servers not speaking good English. My order was always taken with a smile and no one has ever messed it up.
(5)Sunny D.
this place pretty much sucks. service - friendly, but slow and sloppy. food - bland at best, bad even for bar food, chewy/dry/crunchy when it shouldn't be, etc. atmosphere - frat house trying to be a sports bar/restaurant w/ a side of karaoke. price - free wouldn't be cheap enough to make me go back.
(1)Heather C.
I thought that I might have found a decent local bar that's not too overcrowded. The atmosphere is nice, plenty of seating (booths too) but, all good things must come to an end. Once we started looking at the happy hour prices, they seemed like normal bar prices, not a great deal - forgivable. I ordered a regular margarita (at the special happy hour price of $4.50) and wasn't too thrilled. It was definitely made with a margarita mix and had table salt instead of kosher salt; but, it isn't a "specialty" of theirs so I wasn't too surprised. Next, the menu, everything seemed pretty over-priced for what it was. My boyfriend and I both ordered the chicken tender meal - a whopping $13.95 each, which is pretty overpriced for your run-of-the-mill frozen chicken tenders that you can buy in bulk at Costco. Upon the arrival of our food, we asked for some "non-adult" beverages and waited, and waited, and waited for our server to bring them to us. After about 5-10 minutes of us watching her go from table to table taking new orders and checking on other customers, I approached the manager to tell him and he had another server bring our drinks. At this point, I was peeved, but with good service, they could have been redeemed. Unfortunately, our server did not go this route and completely avoided our table for the rest of our stay. As you might imagine, I won't be going back there anytime soon. Perhaps I'll find another local bar to try.
(1)David K.
Summers is a sports bar in a great location in Courthouse. They specialize in soccer, so if you ever want to watch Premier League or maybe F1 racing, this is your place. During football season it is OK, they have a lot of TVs and several big screens. It's a weird place for some reason though. It's never as crowded as it should be, the food is mediocre, and the staff is never very fluent in English. One plus is it is split into a smoking and non-smoking bar with separate ventilation. Unfortunately, some games are put on only in the dungeon that is the smoking bar. This area is windowless, dark and fills with smoke. With so many sports bar choices in Arlington, Summers is usually my last choice. It didn't make things better when, during a typically uncrowded night, they refused to put on a Padres game and a Mets game for my friend, despite no one watching TV. One other thing, it is a good place to meet people from DC that have to take the Metro since it is right next to the Courthouse Metro.
(2)JV L.
I go to Summers almost every other week and I haven't reviewed it yet? Here's when this place is busy: soccer games and random team gatherings (ie: it's somehow an Oregon bar). Otherwise this place is nearly empty. Why? I don't know. It's a casual place with great happy hour specials, awesome all day specials, good food, nice servers/hosts, and the location is convenient for Arlingtonians. Plus they show everything! Hockey, soccer, basketball, cricket... any sport that's on, you will find it here. I guess I wouldn't recommend it to people outside a 5 mile radius or people that don't like sports on TVs, but it's great for anyone seeking refuge from the numerous pretentious sports lounges that have cropped up around Clarendon/Courthouse.
(4)Rob R.
To risk using a phrase that is completely used too often: It is what it is. I came here to watch a soccer match with some friends. To that end, it was good to go. Besides that, I'm not sure if I would make the trip out for this place. Our bartender was attentive. The price was decent considering the location. It was just a touch musty in the bar area I was in. It was reminiscent of watching a game in someone's basement back in the day. I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking to meet up with some friends to take in a sports match (especially soccer). Cold beer, standard bar fare, loads of TVs. Recommend.
(3)Scot W.
Summer's is a great, laid back place to go for a beer, some sports and an appetizers or a quick bite. The food is far from fancy, which is not to say that its bad. The beer selection is reasonable and the prices, especially at happy hour, are very good. I have only ever sat at the bar and can't comment on the table service, although the waitresses seem friendly enough. I usually sit at the smoking bar, though I don't smoke, and must say that the service there is usually pretty good. John, who typically works in the back, is a great bartender...quirky, but good. Need a quick drink, a small, cheap nosh and some sports? If you're in Arlington, head to Summers.
(5)Christopher T.
Wow, Summers, I can't believe I have never rated this place. 5 stars for Oregon game days, 1 star for all other times, 3 star average. The good: This place is not only the home bar of my beloved Oregon Ducks, but you can smoke in half the bar while yelling at a million different televisions. The staff I know by name treat us incredibly well. They show a bunch of sports and events that nobody else does. I can leave the UFC but I like the Euro-soccer games. By far the most beautiful crowd of people I have ever seen in a DC bar, granted it was only one time during the Barcelona/Real Madrid game but it was something to see. It's right at the Courthouse Metro so us folks from DC who can't master streets with more than one letter or number will not get lost. The bad: It's in Virginia, enough said. The food is marginal at best, stick to simple fare like nachos and only eat when youre hungry and fueled by beers. The rest of the servers are awful, particularly if you get away from the actual bar, table service is slow and unpredictable, you'll just end up at the bar ordering anyway. If the Ducks didn't play here I would really be hard pressed to ever visit. We met up here one night before a film around the corner and in the cold light of day, sober, I couldn't figure out why I ever came here.
(3)Kim H.
Great place to watch a soccer game!! The atmosphere is good however, the TV's are ancient, food is not that great, and the interior is old. Despite the cons listed, I loved watching soccer here, I mingled with a lot of people and they were all very friendly.
(3)Alicia G.
Decent place to watch sporting events. SO MANY tv's here! Thoroughly average bar food - I had the wings. Can't complain about the service - we sat at the bar - and my friends are friends with the bartender so we were well taken care of. As someone else mentioned - bathrooms are not the best, but if you're already drunk, then eh, whatever! I've seen worse. It wouldn't be my first pick for sports bars, but I'd come here again.
(3)Elena P.
I came here once for a Birthday lunch with some friends - two years ago - and still cannot escape the violently ill feelings that erupt when I think about the nasty orange mess that I ate that they call "Chicken fingers." Steer clear of this place unless you're there for the sports because I see a lot of people walking in out and with jerseys and they look happy (and drunk) but I never see any other patrons and the food is vile.
(1)Amit S.
what's so frustrating about Summer's is that it has the potential to really be a great place. But I will concur with many of the reviews here, the food is edible, service is poor, and the TVs are the same ones my parents had 10 years ago. If you are there to watch soccer, you're probably okay with the selection of channels, but if you're there to watch college football then you have to beg and plead with the Remote Control Man and even then you probably won't get what you want. Anyway, I really love supporting small businesses in my neighborhood and my initial draw was that it was smoke-free but after so many trips and not seeing any improvement I doubt I will be going there anymore. :-( please let me know if it improves
(2)Danny P.
Knowing I'd be in town this weekend from New York during a critical early-season matchup, but not being proactive enough to take matters into my own hands for putting together a place to watch the game, I let my friends make plans for us to watch the UGA/Arizona State game this weekend. They wanted to impress me, as I feel all people should try more of, and ined us up a bar that boasted a plethora of televisions, wing specials and all the different types of beer I could imagine. Summers is not that place. After failing to check if the bar they selected might also be the home of another collegiate fandom (it was -- Texas), we toodled around the area, now surely missing a majority of the first few series. I don't know the Clarendon/Courthouse area from my ass (which I don't know all that well either, actually) and there's a real dearth of honest-to-goodness sports bars in this area. We settled on Summers because, frankly, there were open seats and we could see through the window the game was on one of the televisions. There's something nostalgic about green checkerboard plastic tablecloths that give me the intimate experience of being in a low-budget Tzotchky's (no flair, as far as I could tell), but it wasn't what I wanted to watch the game. The service was eh, the food was eh and the waitress' lack of English was annoying in so much as my friend made a point of using every S.A.T. word in the English language when trying to order a Diet Coke. That said, both the bartender and the waitress did accommodate us by putting the game on the televisions we requested, but I think that speaks some also to the lack of people there really focused on that Ball State-Indiana matchup. The prices were average and they didn't bother us at all to get out of the booth even after it was clear we weren't ordering any more beer. So they have that going for them, which is nice. I'm sure y'all can do better, D.C., and I'm sure that it's out there. But next time I'm taking the planning into my own hands.
(2)Rudolph G.
Summers sports bar has a new and improved menu. If you haven't stopped by lately for a sporting event you should at least stop by to try the new menu items. They now have the Salmon burger , the Western bacon & Guacamole burger. I almost forgot to mention the tasty summer's Reuben. They are all served with fries or cole slaw, it can be substituted for a small salad for an additional .75 cents. The "Big Daddy" is also part of the new menu (1lb of beef), along with the 14" bratwurst and it's all at an affordable price. By the way don't forget trivia night on Tuesdays and Karaoke Thursday and Friday nights.
(4)Chris L.
This place is definitely 4 stars to go see sports. I have been to a couple of sports bars and I have never had the expectation that the food would be stellar. The food here is average at best. The atmosphere and the 20 TV's showing all the sports (Especially EPL, La Liga) you could ever want. It's a great place to hang out with friends and watch your favorite team. I plan on coming here frequently to grab a drink and watch my soccer games!!!!
(4)M J.
Terrible service. I had my credit card receipt fraudulently altered after payment and know others who also had this happened to their receipt. The next time I was there I opted to do cash tip and when the waitress received my credit card receipt without a tip she accosted me about why I did not leave a tip. Well, lady, there went your cash tip. Avoid this place!
(1)Matt D.
A friend told me that Summers was a good place to watch a soccer match. We decided to go there to watch some English Premier League on a Sunday afternoon. It's a spacious place, with flat-screen TVs everywhere. I think pretty much everyone who were there were soccer fans. The service was friendly, but man was it slow. My friend, who had been there many times before, told me to expect slow service. My friend said the reason behind it is the owner doesn't want to spend the money and hire more waitresses. On the upside, the slow service meant we didn't get bothered and could concentrate watching the match. I give Summers 3.5 stars. It has a decent beer selection, it's close to the Courthouse Metro stop, has plenty of TVs showing soccer, and the food wasn't bad.
(3)Roll T.
3.75 stars. Here's how you can assure that you have a bad time at Summer's: 1) You don't realize it's a sports bar and you hate sports 2) You realize it's a sports bar but still hate the fact that they have sports on the multiple TVs 3) You come here expecting culinary delights that will satisfy the longings in your tastebuds for hours 4) You come here expecting a beautiful mahogany interior "club" that happens to have state-of-the-art flat panel screen TVs while serving $9 drinks and $30+ entrees at the "sports" bar 5) You have a poorly shrouded disdain for foreigners and have no sympathy for their attempts to make an honest living (I'm looking squarely at SEVERAL Yelpers on that one. Shame on you!) 6) You came here for the brunch and not for the Premier League football match 7) You are the exact type of pretentious jackass that lambasted this dive sports bar whom I hope to never meet in person ... One more related tangent. It's a major pet peeve of mine when people irresponsibly review a place, and that has happened MULTIPLE times with respect to this place. Look, I despise dance clubs. There is a reason I don't write substantive reviews for places where I clearly already have a biased opinion. I would give Josephine's, Five, Lima, Anjalu, etc. all 1 star based on their music, their clientele, their drink prices, their atmosphere, and their service. The point is that why should I review a dance club when I know I don't like them? Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of this website? Shouldn't we all be responsible and NOT review sports bars if we don't like sports bars? OK, now that we got all that out of the way, I can actually turn to a substantive review. Summers is a sports bar. They have multiple TVs where you watch a variety of sports, and unlike some bars, they actually have the sound on for the game of the majority of fans choice. Summers serves pedestrian level bar food, but they have a couple of options that are decent. I would suggest that you go for their burger, especially if you are there on Monday night when they are half price. Summers does employ people who sometimes do not speak English as their first language. If you intolerant to that, then yes, you should find yourself another sports bar. I've been here multiple times, and I have never had an issue with it. The beers on tap here are nothing extraordinary. What is nice is that you can order a huge beer (22 oz) for less than $5. Sure, it's not premium beer, but you can have a cold beer and eat a burger while watching sports with other patrons who have the same idea. Isn't that the whole point of a sports bar? Based on other reviews of this place, I guess not...
(4)Robert H.
Summers tears at my soul. This is a place that I desperately want to like, but every time I go, I come away unimpressed. When you look into the windows at Summers, you can probably tell everything you need to know about the place. The mood and decor is fairly drab and the place has a bunch of televisions for sports. Surprise, surprise, it's an unpretentious sports bar. The food is average-to-bad, depending on what your order. Edible, but it's not something that you'll be dreaming about the next week. The drinks are pretty reasonably priced, and from my experience the bartenders are friendly. The place has two real failings, though. First, the waitstaff is not particularly great, other than the bartenders. This isn't to say the waitstaff is rude or unhelpful--that couldn't be farther from the case. Their problem tends to be that they don't speak English particularly well, so if you want anything special done on your meal (e.g. hold the tomatoes), you might have a problem communicating that. Also, they are almost always understaffed, so your poor waiter/waitress is going to be trying to juggle way too many tables at once. This leads into the second problem, which is bad management. Beyond being understaffed, they have a chronic problem in that they apparently need to go through 20 steps to get any television changed. For example, I went to Summers last weekend and asked if they were playing MLB Network, which at the time was playing a Red Sox spring training game. The waitress I asked went to the back room, and returned saying she had asked the manager. Another staff member walked out a few minutes later and told me that the person controlling the televisions (I assume the Wizard of Oz, since I never got to see him) was searching. About five minutes later, and about 10 minutes into the ordeal, I was notified that they couldn't find MLB Network or a Red Sox game. If you're going here with a group of friends, you might have fun. But pray that your game is already on one of their TVs and that you don't get too hungry.
(2)Frank W.
Great place to watch the world cup soccer matches but don't come here hungry. We waited 1h+ for our breakfast. The food was average and the service actually below average.
(3)K E.
If you're looking for terrible karaoke on a Saturday night, then this is your place. I think the only reason I actually enjoyed myself is because I was drunk when I walked in. Be prepared to lose a few years off of your life due to secondhand smoke, too. Gag. My hair smelled like complete ass this morning.
(2)Mary D.
Great place to watch UFC! Best part is that it doesn't get packed and if you get there before 9:30pm there are plenty of seats. You can't reserve a table so make sure you get there early if you have a big party. Wings are decent, and their brownie sundae is awesome! Perfectly moist and warm and fudgy. Service is nothing to write home about but pretty efficient. Overall great place to watch pay per view events.
(4)Anna D.
I wanted to go to Four Courts across the street for some St. Patrick's Day grub, but it was packed. Go figure that an Irish pub would be busy for St. Patty's Day weekend. :P So, I planned B it and headed over to Summers. The booth was wholly uncomfortable. Looking down at the worn seat, I could see that someone had once parked their enormous badonkadonk there, causing the cushion and the springs to misalign. My bf and I had to scooch over to the end of the booth to find a semi-comfortable spot. We had barely settled down with our menu's when our server came to take our order. What, so soon? No, we're not ready yet. I ordered the fish and chips (much thanks for Ms. Sarah for making me crave it!) and my bf got the blackened chicken and bacon sandwich. The food arrived in a timely manner, though our refills did not. In fact, the free refills (for water and my first free soda refill) never came. We must have sat for over 10 minutes without having anything to drink at our table. The food was fine. My bf enjoyed his chicken sandwich on a crispy ciabatta bread, and I ate my fish and chips with a fork because the fish kept separating from its exterior bread crumbage. We also had dessert: an apple cobbler and a slice of chocolate cake. The cake was moist but tasted like it came from a box; and the apples in the cobbler were cooked thoroughly but the breaded topping was bland. Our server always seemed like she was in a hurry. She would stop by our table to ask a question and would immediately turn away before either of us could utter an answer. On the positive side, there were plenty of tv's broadcasting a variety of sports. The rugby game with Ireland was pretty entertaining. I don't think I will be coming here to eat by choice again. Unless, of course, it becomes a plan B.
(2)Justin L.
I have such mixed feelings about this place. As a big soccer fan, they have by far the best selection of European football on the weekends in the area and decent TVs to watch them on. The atmosphere is excellent on big match days too. However, the place is almost always understaffed, the servers they do have are often indifferent or ignorant of the basic rules of service, and the food is mediocre at best. The beer selection is OK. All of these criticisms would be tolerable however, except for the fact that they seem utterly indifferent to their core customers: the soccer fans. I have been here a number of times where, after showing up at 8am, ordering breakfast, multiple drinks and sometimes a second meal, have been FORCED to switch tables and even sometimes pushed into the smoking section because the manager has deemed it necessary to switch the soccer to NFL/college football/basketball/ or even CNN (WTF?!) even when there's literally no one else there to watch it! And this isn't some rare occurrence, it seems a matter of policy. It's simply disrespectful, and a large part of why I don't come here anymore. If you are looking for a casual dining experience with better food I would suggest the Four Courts across the street.
(2)Mike S.
In a word... NOT!!! The food uniformly sucks and the service is terrible. The last time I went there, my friend and I were seated, and NO ONE WAITED ON US FOR OVER AN HOUR while we just sat there, despite our repeated requests for service. When we asked for some bread to tide us over, they couldn't even manage to bring that. We finally left and went elsewhere. I swore I'd never go back, and I've kept that vow for almost a year now. There are plenty of other restaurants in the Courthouse/Clarendon area and plenty of other places to watch sports. This one's a waste of time. The good news is, a developer is planning to raze that entire block and put up a new high-rise office building on the site. Not a moment too soon, if you ask me.
(1)Kevin C.
I don't even know why this place is still open I went here only twice in my life time once in the early 90's and the 2nd time about 10 years later it's no good!
(1)Jennifer S.
I do not recommend the food. I've been here for breakfast (and the nicest thing I can say about it is, 'yuck' - Green eggs and ham would be better.) and for lunch during games. Lunch is only mildly more palatable. Typical bar food really. The main attraction here is the sports watching. I have enjoyed watching UConn games here because it has a huge amount of tv's and widescreens to choose from along with hi-fi sound. I think they feature just about every sport under the sun for viewing. I do notice that they attract a huge soccer fan crowd (and not just during World Cup). My only advice is that if you are planning an outing for a bunch of your friends to watch a game together, such as the UConn Huskies (think I'm a fan?), then you should also plan to arrive really early and save seats with physical objects on them. I have learned. Also, I heard they just had a major interior overhaul, but have not seen it personally. Hopefully the menu was included in that.
(3)Michelle B.
Are you ready for some..... rugby? Summer's has all the international games that the majority of Yanks just can't seem to embrace. The food is so-so, the service is ok, but the TV's are big, the beers are cold and watch out when the World Cup comes to town. They literally show everything: cricket, soccer, rugby, Aussie Rules football, etc.
(3)Ken S.
I have been to Summers more than once. It is consistently decent food and TVs everywhere. The service is not outstanding but adequate and the location is convenient. I wouldn't classify it as something special but I don't think you'll be disappointed either. Worth a try particularly if you want to watch a sporting event.
(3)damon n.
ok they have ok food and an ok beer selection but they show pay per view fights and sports for cheap and you don't have to deal with Bailey craziness. so 3 to 4 stars.
(3)A E.
While the number of flat screen TVs is impressive--feel like I'm in Best Buy or Circuit City--the people who run the place could be nicer. Good place to watch World Cup because no matter where you sit, you generally have great views of no less than 5 TVs. But the breakfast is gross and if you arrive an hour before the match, good luck finding a seat. And if you arrive 45 minutes before kick-off, good luck getting in. They turn people away one second and then let a crowd in the next. The best part is meeting people when you're fortunate to spy a half-full booth and they're nice enough to share, and the 22 oz beer for $6 sounds like a good deal.
(3)