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After much ado—and by that we mean delay -- the Old Dominion Brew House at the convention center opened in January, and from the looks of things, the bar and restaurant is still trying to combat the relatively light foot traffic in the area during off hours. With its seemingly countless flat screen TVs and copious "tailgate" specials for weekend football games (the bathrooms even have televisions so you won't miss a single play), Old Dominion has everything it needs to eventually become an overcrowded, raucous sports bar—but for now, its happy hours are pleasantly low-key, offering reliable service, tasty brews from the Washington, D.C. area's Old Dominion Brewing Company microbrewery, and decent bar food.
Right around the corner from the Mt. Vernon Square-Convention Center Metro stop on 9th Street, Old Dominion is a place where no one's there to be seen, they're not obsessively talking shop, and on a recent visit, DCist didn't spot even one business card being shoved into a reluctant palm. Yes, the decor screams "big chain," with hand-written signs nearly wallpapering the place advertising five-dollar shots of Jagermeister and $12 buckets of Bud Light during football games. But the designers did a good job with the underlying theme, keeping it simple yet clean, with the everyman appeal of dark wood, tile floors and soft lighting that won't interfere with the glare of the televisions.
Image courtesy Old Dominion
Beer drinkers will agree the real reason to hit up the Old Dominion Brew House for happy hour is the specials. From 4 to 7 p.m., all pints are $3.25, or you can make it a 20-ounce pilsner glass for $3.99. Those prices apply to any of the 15 Old Dominion beers on tap or any of the range of other brews they're carrying at the time, which last week included choices from Smuttynose and Sierra Nevada, among others. For large gatherings, you can't beat the Beer Tower, offering 133 ounces of any draft beer with a self-serve spigot that cuts the wait out of ordering another glass. Try Old Dominion's Victory Amber Ale if you're looking for something everyone will like.
Appetizers are half price during happy hour, and while the menu doesn't deviate far from typical pub food, crispy "naked" buffalo wings come out to just $3.49 for a hearty portion (although wing aficionados may gripe about lack of variation in the level of hotness). The Southern Chicken Quesadilla, $4 during happy hour, was overstuffed with meat and cheese to the liking of our group, but the barbecue flavor that constituted the "southern" feature wasn't for everyone. A burger ordered by one member of the party ($8.99) was cooked correctly and tasted good, although the eater noted with burger covered hands raised that its oblong shape was a bit unwieldy. Check out the rest of the menu here here.
What will also appeal to more diverse groups of happy hour-ers is the full sushi and other Asian food menu available at the pub, which, although not on special during happy hour, is reasonably priced and made fresh to order by the folks at the new Mongolian Grill and Tokyo Sushi restaurants next door. (Not a surprising collaboration given that all three restaurants share an owner.) The fish in the rolls (ranging from $3 to $5) was of good quality, even if one did begin to fall apart—perhaps a side effect of transit?—and gyoza were tasty, although the sauce was not the typical spicy fare but rather a sweet concoction regarded by one person as "not normal." Except for one snag with some delayed sushi, service was good, and it's likely that you'll leave your happy hour at Old Dominion pleasantly full and sufficiently unwound.
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Lame
put on English Premiership games and good breakfast food and no cover charge and i think A LOT of people will show up since there aren't many bars that are showing these games. in the afternoons continue with American Football.
Old Dominion is now owned by Coastal Brewing Company, which is minority-owned (49%) by Anheuser Busch. I've been boycotting this place, it's parent bar in Dulles, and it's beer since the sale earlier this year. A once venerable local institution, now mired in corporate mediocrity.
Was there a few months ago and experienced a similarly light, laid-back crowd. But talk about a lack of foot traffic. I was taking my friend up there from Gallery, and he kept asking "where are you taking me...?" I think that convention center hotel is going up somewhere right there, correct? I'm sure a crowd of out of towners with no better sense will fill that place up right quick.
It does not help that 9th Street is a big, empty 4-lane speedway with few yet speeding and loud cars. The road should be two lanes with a center turn lane, widened sidewalks, bike lanes -- that might help draw more people on foot from the neighborhood, the convention center and downtown.
BostonRay says: Nice looking place but no ashtrays on the bar. That's discrimination against a minority. We will not patronize this joint.
Anheuser-Busch also is responsible for the brewing
Grolsch
Harbin Lager
Tiger Beer
Kirin
Stella Artois
Beck's
Bass Ale
Hoegaarden
Leffe
Redhook
Just because Bud is involve doesn’t mean its crap….time to get over yourself and enjoy a beer.
^^I agree, but you just know that some asshole "beer snob" is about to come along and tell you that all of those beers are crap.
I really dig most of Dominion's selections, and it's worth supporting the only local brewer whose products are actually available beyond their own premises. It's one of the few things to come out of Virginia that doesn't suck.
Its a good place and great to have in the neighborhood.
The idea to put EPL games (and maybe Champions League) as well in an intriuging one. I wonder if the owners would like that?
And boycotting it because part of it is owned by Budweiser. Christ, some people need to chill out and find a real cause.
If you're going during any other time than happy hour, save yourself the frustration of waiting around for non-existent servers, and just order a beer tower. It's cheaper, and you'll get your beer when you want it.
Also, would it kill them to put some more vegetarian friendly things on the menu?
Screw Bud. If you're going to boycott a beer company, it ought to be Coors. You name it -- minorities, teh gheys, the environment: Coors wants them wiped out. Who do you think founded the Heritage Foundation anyway?
And their brands suck, too. Jeezis, do people still drink Zima?
I think the only use for Zima is when you are into humiliation. Sortof like scat night at a third-rate leather bar, except worse.
I have to admit, Zima does mix really well with gin. Sort of a less-citrusy 7UP, and you still have that nice, longnecked bottle to humiliate your partner with.
"Anheuser-Busch also is responsible for the brewing"
lets get it straight, Anheuser-Busch is not responsible for the brewing those beers it's responsible for buying those brands.
But drink what you want, some of those beers are good despite their lack of craftbeer cred. Sadly that AB merger has led Dominion to cut off brewing some good beers like the Tupper Hop Pocket series and the Brewers Arts beers.
BostonRay needs to:
a) register his commenter ID already, and
b) wake up and smell the smoke-free air ... there are no DC establishments with ashtrays on the bar any more, unless they're hookah bars.
Also, I love it when people get pissed off when the companies they patronize become successful . . . if the beer is the same, what the hell difference does it make if wealthy local businessmen sold some or all of their company to wealthy out-of-state businessmen or corporations? Opposing big corporations when they do reprehensible things is fine, but opposing them simply because they're big corporations is asinine.
Cario,
Tupper is still availbe, in fact the Old Dominion Brew House serves it in draft and in the bottle.
http://www.olddominionbrewhouse.com/menu.htm
Worth a try. I was a fan of RFD for a while, but the food has been blah as of late, and the service has been spotty (though last time, I was amused to see a male server taking close-up cell phone photos between the parted legs of a female server who was wearing a short denim skirt...not sure about the status of her underwear).
RFD is worthless. Awful service by annoying staff who don't really know much about beer. I wish this town had a real beer bar.
RJ - Whether or not Tuppers may still be available at the OD brewhouse (and you seem to have based that assertion on a website menu, which may not be up to date), the fact is that Old Dominion and Tuppers have parted ways, because OD was not willing to continue brewing Tuppers' Pilsner, one of the two Tuppers beers. Were it not for this sad decision by OD, I'd still be patronizing their beers, notwithstanding the sale.
OD will stop producing Tuppers in December. They did it because they could sell enough of their Pils. It's still available for now. The Tuppers are negotiating with a few more brewers about continuing the line.
http://www.tuppersbeers.com/TuppersBeer/News/News.html