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Written by DCist Contributor Eric Denman
On U street NW between 13th and 14th, nestled between Polly's and a nail salon, Axis is settling into a rhythm and starting to be a very solid contender in an increasingly crowded strip. The wine list, which averages $12 $8 by the glass, is respectable, but the real reason to come here is for the tap list. Although it doesn't boast a huge variety of obscure seasonals, the 15 taps are well-chosen and include some great beers: Lagunitas Censored Copper, North Coast Red Seal, the ever-solid Eggenberg Pils, Morland Old Speckled Hen, Stone Smoked Porter...the list goes on. The only truly conventional tap here is Guinness, although some American macro lagers are available by the bottle. A 16 oz. pour will normally run you $6, but drops to $4 at happy hour, from 4-7 p.m.
The food menu is supposedly Mediterranean-influenced, but it reads more like a shotgun approach to a bar and grill menu, where the pellets are fired in every conceivable direction. The entree selections consist of a few preparations of steak ($18-22), fish ($17-19), several pasta dishes ($15), and duck. You'll also find standards like burgers and a grilled salmon sandwich, as well as a relatively tasty fried catfish sandwich which could use a better bun. In short, the food menu doesn't exactly captivate the imagination, but it covers all the bases.
The layout is long and narrow, with a small second-level seating area. The decor is simple, but the colors are warm and inviting, with exposed brick and earth tones dominating. Axis feels like an average neighborhood bar: it's a place you could easily come drop in and have a pint, served in weighty 16 oz. mugs, while watching the game, or just stop in for a simple meal and some wine. There may be larger beer lists in the area (both Saloon and St. Ex are about a block away) but Axis gets the job done.
Axis
1340 U Street NW
(202) 319-1340
CORRECTION: This post originally mis-stated the average cost of a glass of wine at Axis. Please note the correct price above is now $8.
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So, lessee: $12 glasses of wine? Check. $6 microbrews only a hop fiend would love? Check. Food you're better off ignoring? Check. Good to see U Street is living up to the standard pioneered by Pollys and perpetuated by St. Ex.
This doesn't sound like a neighborhood hangout. This sounds like a place locals take their suburban friends and parents visting from out of town so they can say, "Look! I don't live in a crimeridden neighborhood! Look how much I pay for a single glass of Chateau nuit san Wagawaga!"
Seriously this review, though nicely written, doesn't make me ever want to even walk by this place again. $12 average glass of wine? $6 beers?
And does anybody else find the name kind of creepy? Ever since it opened I wondered whether they were referring to the Axis powers, the Axis of Evil, or just "Axis: Bold as Love."
Chateau nuit san Wagawaga!
"Which has a bouquet on it like an aborigine's armpit."
Honestly, doesn't Polly's get some love for being first?
i agree with the previous comments. this place is not worth going out of your way for. but it's better than the empty buildings across the street, right?
At least Polly's is grubby and has a mysterious cash only policy.
Why are folks freaking out over $6 beers? The point is that they are good beers.
You are not going to get a beer for less than $3 a can of PRB (say at Solly's down the street).
A 16 oz draft of decent beer is actually OK value in comparison.
I wish beer was cheaper down the boozer, but $6 for a large mug of tasty beer is about average. Plus, in my book it's a big improvement on paying $5 for a bottle of Bud or a Corona
$6 beer is only average if everything in town is overpriced.
Agreed, $6 average, maybe slightly high. Go over to that place no H Street, Granville Moore's. I'd say the avg price over there is about $7 or $8 (but again, usually for good beer).
Again I ask, why does the choice have to be $12 glasses of wine OR vacant buildings? Why cant we have more decent MOR joints, like a Moe's Tavern minus the dank?
FYI, I'm posting this from the bar at Rustico where I'm enjoying a $2 PBR after a $7 Wolavers. They have ALL your bases covered and they're a walk from Braddock Road Metro. Five out of five shrieks on the monkeyrotica scale.
Again I ask, why does the choice have to be $12 glasses of wine OR vacant buildings? Why cant we have more decent MOR joints, like a Moe's Tavern minus the dank?
FYI, I'm posting this from the bar at Rustico where I'm enjoying a $2 PBR after a $7 Wolavers. They have ALL your bases covered and they're a walk from Braddock Road Metro. Five out of five shrieks on the monkeyrotica scale.
I LOVE Axis! So glad I found it right after it opened. My favorite beer is North Coast Red Seal and everything I've tried there as far as food was good. (Ribs were gooooood.) A LOT better than any other bar food you'll find. Upstairs is great for big groups, but allows you to see who's downstairs at the bar.
Second on the Rustico tip.....
"A simple meal..." if only. With entrees at $15 and up, this is less a regular joint than a special night out, and the menu doesn't look all that special. As a neighborhood resident, I really wish there were more options in that middle ground between fast food and $20+ a plate meals (which, with alcohol and a tip, starts to push $100 for two). I make a pretty good living, but seriously, if I'm spending over $20 for an entree/$100 for two, I may as well go way upscale and get something really good. And that ain't happening on a regular basis.
And yes, to beat on the straw man, it's better than the boarded-up building across the street, but that's an unfair dichotomy. Any chance of more middle ground on U Street? Or have the landlords and DC gov's tax assessments pretty much killed the chances of that? Given the perpetual trouble I've had getting seated at Busboys (which is massive), you'd think they could build something similar nearby and fill that one up pretty regularly too.
Oh, and folks - Saint Ex is not in the same league as Polly's for affordability. The vibe is cool and all, and I like the patio, but it's one of the most overpriced/overrated restaurants I've ever been to.
I can understand the outcry about $12 glasses of wine, but $6 for a 16-oz glass of good beer seems pretty normal to me (and the $4 happy hour price seems great). If people know of bars where it's significantly cheaper, by all means let the rest of us in on the secret.
Sorry, but the $6 dollars I save at Tallula's for a glass vino goes straight to the rent budget.
And I'd rather live here than move back to FL and fly in for an occasional Axis beverage.
Will you lazy POS's change your profile pictures so that I don't have to stare at that dumb-arse alien of an animal any longer?
Beers for those decent non-miller lite types sound normal for $6. It sounds a bit refreshing that a bar went for some non-typical beers and didn't feel the need to be a Belgian beer bar.
The prices of the entrees is where this place goes wrong. Between that and no real reason otherwise to go in this place, I think I'll continue walking by not even really wondering what it looks like inside.
slightly off topic, but does anywhere in the area have Alaska Amber? I miss it.
try brickskellar or have you tried Rogue Dead Guy Ale? Similar and tasty. On tap at Big Hunt and some other places around town. In bottles that are pretty easy to find as well.
Rogue Dead Guy Ale is tasty but it's no Alaska Amber. Which I haven't seen in DC.
Also, ditto everyone above, $12 glasses of wine = I will never go there. although I'll still probably check out Corked when it opens.
I think a fair and impartial review of Axis is needed. First, whoever started the commentary about the $12 glasses of wine is misinformed. The most expensive glass that Axis has is a $8 glass of Malbec Gouggenheim.
Second, Axis has a happy hour from open until 7PM. You can grab any microbrew for $4 or margaritas for $5.
As far as the food goes, it's not the crap that they serve at Polly's...it's going to run you an extra dollar or two. If nothing else, you don't have to worry about rats poking their head in Axis...not to point any fingers...but it rhymes with Molly's.
Keep in mind...if you don't want a $15 dish of Spicy Chicken Penne Pasta you can opt for the bar menu. Beef and Chicken wraps with salad or fries are available for $6.50 while standard bar fare like wings, burgers, and chicken sandwiches are all available for under $7.50.
Not entirely sure where people are getting this information but not much of it is correct.
Axis does a few things and they do it really well. They do beer, reasonable appetizers, and strong drinks. The bartenders are all good guys...there's actually something behind most of them...not just a blank slate. I've had coherent and intelligent conversations with them...a definite step up from the rest of U Street.
As far as the food goes, Prime Rib might be out of line with a neighborhood joint. However, for less than $8.00 one can get Chicken Kabobs, Catfish Sandwich, Veggie Sandwich, Hamburger, Salmon Sandwich, Beef/Chicken Wraps, Calamari, or a Chop Salad.
You want fries with that? Done? Salad instead? Done? Both...fine. What Axis lacks in space they make up with trying to accomdate.