Wilson Tavern

Went here the other night for a HIMYM finale viewing party (a great idea for them). The events surrounding the viewing party could have been way better and more inclusive but I appreciate them trying. My issue was with the service.
My friend and I spent 2.5 hours there and we were not once checked up on. My friend had to go grab menus for us from the bar because we couldn’t get anyone’s attention. We had to bend over backwards to get anyone to get us another drink or take our food order (took an hour for someone to ask once we had taken menu for ourselves). Not only that, but when the food came out, we had to ask for silverware and napkins, both of which took 5 minutes to bring. Worst of all, no one was apologetic and all seemed to have an attitude when it came to helping us with anything. My friend and I are not very picky, but we were both appalled at the treatment we received at this bar.
Skip this place and go somewhere like Lyon Hall where they actually try to earn your business.

Great hole in the wall.
25cent wings on Monday.
Trivia and $ 2 tacos on Tuesday.
½ prices biter on Wednesday
And ½ price wine on Thursday.
YES PLEASE. I COULD COME EVERYDAY if I lived around here. A great find.

Enjoyed brunch…1^st time here. Jen is wonderful. Will definitely be back! !
Jumbo Wings (fried hard, Old Bay seasoning), Fried Pickles, Mimosas… need I say anything more?

One of the few bars in Arlington I can actually stand! It’s fun to have a beer here or get a group together to watch sports. Their food is decent too. Beware though it gets busy sometimes and you can barely move. If you’re a Virginia Tech fan they show a lot of their football and basketball games. Go Hokies! I also had one of my first dates with my SO here… memories!

This place used to be good. The food deals are on point, namely wing and rib night. Really competitive and well prepared. It has always had a divey feel, which is trendy and fine if the food, beer and service are also fine.
The problem is it’s full on dive bar status now.
Our waiter was awful. My Iced tea had a strong coffee taste, obviously having been lazily brewed through a heavily used TJMaxx Mr. Coffee maker. He was slow to get me a water instead, even slower to refill it, and then «forgot» to take the tea off the tab. Finally, he left my group languishing as we waited for the tab to be split up, stating the it was a «5 to 10 min process» and that we should have told him to do it when we walked in. I don’t recall his name, but that matters not because that performance reflects on the management.
Do nothing right then blame the customer before tip time? I’ll be having a Natty Boh on him. Go anywhere else.

Wilson Tavern is extremely divey, but not in a charming way. I found the staff to be extremely rude and unprofessional and evidently untrained. It was not crowded and still took me 10 minutes+ to get a drink at the bar and when I did, was asked «what the hell is a vodka collins?» I decided to go with a cranberry+vodka for simplicity’s sake and found it to be watery and gross. Same with my friends’ drink. I decided to switch to beer and became even more disenchanted with Wilson Tavern when I found out that Sam Adams is not considered to be a «domestic beer» and therefore excluded from happy hour. I’m sorry, what? The entire place is dingy and almost has a film of filth on it. I was sitting at a table near the back and kept something foul but didn’t think much of it until I realized that it was a sewage smell coming out of the disgusting bathrooms. An overall bad experience and not somewhere I will return. I am giving two stars instead of one because a) I like the Virginia Tech decorations all over the place and b) it is good for groups to sit and talk which can be hard to find in the area.

After some real hiccups in 2012, this place has slowly become one of my favorite neighborhood bars. It’s got plenty of energy if you want it on the weekends, and it’s a great, chill happy hour spot. The best part, though, is the food. Easily in the running for the best bar food in Arlington. I don’t know what they changed, but at some point last year all of the food became fresh, house-​made, and delicious. IT comes out quickly, too.
Oh, and go for brunch on Sundays for food that’s a cut above anywhere else in the area and $ 10 MAGNUM SIZED bottles of champagne.

First off this a bitter review. They could be more than three stars. Issue is the owner came in and took over the «entertainment.» His selections were as bi-​polar as a manic depressive’s. calm acoustic album of the Dirty Heads followed by pumped up rap. Love both scenes, just not flip flopping through the night. Also, the «entertainment» was an appleTV and he had the remote. Hate when people skim through songs and cut song short right right when you have got back in the bet??? That is this… He just changed the songs again. Oh look! Apple TV slide show of the stock photo’s it comes with. This isn’t a bar, it’s some guys living room we are allowed to drink in.
Bar tenders work their ass off. Only reason it’s not a 1 star.
Playing thrift shop. Music stopped. People yelled. Playing it again… Now dead silence. Closing my tab, but love this song.

Wilson Tavern is a nice bar in Arlington. We walked over from dinner at Arlington Rooftop on a Friday night and it wasn’t packed. It has a fun dive bar/​pub vibe and a large drink selection. The inside was nice with brick walls and a chalkboard. There was good music playing and service was good. It is a little far from the rest of the bars in Clarendon, but the walk is only a few blocks and isn’t terrible. I really liked that it wasn’t overly crowded on a Friday night so that you could actually sit at the bar and get your order quickly.
I haven’t been here to eat, but I would definitely come back sometime to eat here.

LMFAO! So I’m NOT the only person that one bartender was a douche to? This was right after the Irish bar closed. Looks like the guys’s gone.
Recently went back, the staff is waaaaay better! Love going there now!
Good happy hour, decent food.

Grimy. More of a place to hang out with your Friends than to eat. The service people are nice, but the time it takes from ordering food to receiving it is about an hour. The time is takes for receiving the check to waiting for the cashier to process your check is another 30 minutes.
The food is bland, like… Why am I paying 12 bucks for pancakes and eggs when I could have made it myself for a quarter of the cost? The alcoholic beverages are probably the best part of this place (duh)– $ 3 mimosas and bloody mary’s during brunch.
Come here if you are looking for a greasy and carb filled brunch to appease that alcoholic knot in your stomach from the night before… And do it while you drink some more.

Location:
Wilson Tavern is hands down one of my favorite places to go to in Arlington. This neighborhood bar is full of upbeat energy and personality, and is located between the Court House and Roslyn metro areas. It is about a 10 minute stumble down Wilson Blvd if you are in the Clarendon area.
Seating Situation at the Bar:
Wilson is a dive bar with an «at home» vibe. If I were friends with James Franco or Seth Rogan, I would definitely take them here for a few beers. When you walk through the front door, you are greeted with the bar area that stretches the entire length of the place. If you can’t find a place to sit at the bar, there are plenty of tables and stools available. There is also a small outside patio area to sit, which is dog friendly.
Staff:
Service: As Courtney F. stated, «The bartenders make you feel at home, and do their best to remember the familiar faces that come in.» Adam, Conor, Eric, and Carlos are awesome, and have always made time to get me a drink, and have never ignored me. I hate going to bars and standing there like a tool for 15 mins while the bartender pretends not to see me whilst standing in front of me. I know there are a few girls that work behind the bar, but I have only seen them a few times. They have always been great! I sat on the patio once, and never felt forgotten about, or awkwardly checked on every 5 minutes. The bouncers are also really nice, as well as the owner.
Crowd:
One of the strongest attributes of this bar, aside from its staff, its its ability to be busy on a Friday or Saturday night without feeling like you are riding the metro home from China Town after a Caps game. Don’t get me wrong, Wilson draws a fairly large crowd on Friday and Saturday nights, its just that you don’t feel like you should pop a Xanax to get from the bar to the bathroom. Additionally, if its busy and you are sitting a stool at the bar, you don’t have 84,220 people bumping into you and breathing down your neck to get a drink.
Drinks:
Wilson has a decently stocked bar, and a reasonable happy hour. They are a Virginia Tech sponsored bar, and have a drink called The Rail, which has about 8 different liquors in it. Their Bloody Mary’s are on point, none of that pre-​bottled garbage. It is worth mentioning that they pour their Guinness here with love. I have been to several bars in the area that have shamefully disrespected the Elixir of the Irish by filling it into a plastic cup without letting it settle, but not here!
Food:
I have looked at the menu several times, but always ended up getting too drunk before I could order. One time, I had the best chili cheese fries of my life. No, seriously. I had cheese in the corners of my mouth for god only knows how long.
Douche Bag Factor:
Ah, one of the most important factors of any bar: The Douche Bag Factor. Honestly, you can’t hide from this token guy regardless of what bar you go to in the area. The good news is, not many of those types are found at Wilson. The same goes with creepy old guys.
Bathroom:
LADIES! I have no idea what the issue is, but but from what I understand, the toilet has been replaced several times due to our inability to drunkenly pee. This is why we can’t have nice things! In any case, there is one bathroom for the girls and one for the guys. You never have to wait long, even if 3 girls go in at once.
Music:
Wilson plays a variety of jams. Sometimes I feel like Tupac is standing next to me, and we are having a moment. Other times, I feel like the Swedish House Mafia has their turn tables next to the beer tabs. Once, I swear Sublime nodded at me from across the bar. My point is, they place a variety of music, which keeps things fun and interesting.
Cool Stuff:
On the far right, there is a chalk board where you write your name, or get in touch with your inner creative drunken self. To the left, you will notice a plaque of names on the wall. To get a plaque, write your name on the board, and tally each time you come in. If you come in 8 or 10 (don’t know the exact number) times in once month you get a plaque!

Let me preface this by saying that I really, really wanted to give them five stars just because of Adam, one of the bartenders. We go there for brunch on Sundays just because he always takes care of us! He’s the best! The brunch is also pretty delicious :)
Unfortunately, we went to this bar for my birthday this past weekend, and there was one bartender (don’t know his name, but he had brown hair and average height) who completely ignored my party the entire night. We’d be standing at the bar for fifteen minutes waiting to be served while he served people next to us who had just walked up 3 seconds before. I’m a really easy going person and we weren’t being rude in anyway, so it was just so odd. He’d purposefully walk up and pretend he was going to take our order and then fake us out and walk away! So weird! All of the other bartenders were great, though. I just think he needs to either figure himself out or they need to trim the fat :/

Meh… I’ve been here several times and if you time your visit with drink specials, which are abundant, you’ll probably have a fine time. However it lacks the character of other choices in town and the service can be downright miserable. During my most recent visit I had to compete with a damn ipad for the bartenders’ attention. Apparently he was also DJing??? He would start a song, get board with it and change it half way through. This went on for about 40 minutes while I waited for 2 orders of perogies… It’s hard to describe how annoying it all was. The other bar tenders looked young and inexperienced and were too busy chit chatting to bother getting drinks.
The food is above average but the prices are high. The bill for my fiancé and I was over $ 60 for perogies and a couple of beers. I had high hopes for a cool little bar so close to my place. Guess I’ll have to wait.

Wilson Tavern: Home of the Plaid Button-​Down. In all seriousness though, if you’re in the mood to pound a few Jägerbombs with your bros and try to take some local honeys back to your luxury highrise apartment, all the while not being able to hear a single word anyone else says over the comically loud music, this is the place for you. This place somehow manages to make you squint to see and blinds you at the same time. Seems like they’ve found the perfect combination of terrible lighting choices.
The food is decent and parking isn’t bad for the area. There is a patio area out front to escape the aural and visual onslaught, but of course finding a seat on any night with nice weather is a chore. Mostly though it’s a loud, bro bar with a middling beer selection and food that is merely okay.
Kitty O’Sheas was so, so much better.

Love it! Watched the Russell Pathetic Bowl my Hokies barely won with a large group. Had a blast. Even though it is rather small, it is THE place to watch the Hokies play. Even though it was my first time watching the Hokies here I will definitely be going back when I am not back in Lane Stadium. Wish I could comment on the food, but unfortunately, their rails are just like TOTS, so I can recall the food but I am sure it beats the heck out of Baileys. Great staff and great rails!

From the outside, this place looked DEAD. Then you open the door and your eardrums are immediately shattered to pieces. They blast a bunch of rap music and it’s funny because everyone inside looks like a trust fund WASP. We brought the diversity that night, that’s for sure. Mainly because of the ear splitting volume, I could not wait to get out of there.

I agree with Lowell P’s review. After Kitty O’Shea’s closed, I went to dinner at Wilson Tavern with a few friends and we had a fantastic time. The food was awesome and I loved that my cheeseburger came with a delicious salad instead of french fries… which allowed me to drink more beer :) They also had an amazing pickle platter. The small little bar felt cozy on a freezing winter night.
Now, the tavern has changed and I must admit I have only stopped by during weekend days. I’ve discovered that Wilson Tavern makes the BEST BLOODY MARYS. During the brunch hours, they are $ 3.00 and come in a pint glass. The bartender makes the mix in the morning and I feel a little buzzed after drinking just one. They also have good wings and a decent draft beer selection.
I plan to actually to order food with my bloody mary next time. The menu looks good and I don’t mind that there are not a lot of options… It just makes it easier for me to make a decision.

BRUNCH REVIEW: This was recommended for a group brunch, and it was okay. The food was totally fine, although it did take a looong time for some of the group’s food to come out. Also the menu was really short, like eight things possible to order and that’s the end of the menu. The portions were large, though. Service was friendly. Two stars because there are a lot of better brunch places. Try Faccia Luna half a mile west.
This place is SMALL. I can imagine that it would be hard to find a table if there was a popular football game on, showing above the bar. Also, dark wood panelling everywhere.

Wilson Tavern has a relaxed atmosphere with tasty food and yumtastic draft beer selection (lurve me some Fat Tire), and conveniently located to boot (without the popped collar brown flip flopped douchegasm Clarendon typically has to offer). The bartender was friendly, and (somehow) bar seats are comfortable for even my crickety back.
The food is fairly priced for the quality you are getting, although, I wish I had the space in my stomach to try out some more nomness. Por exemple, the B.A.B.L.T. (applewood bacon/​garlic mayo/​whole wheat) sandwich was good enough to shovel most of it into my mouth when he was (n’t) looking.
I had The «Aristocrat» (applewood bacon/​bleu cheese/​baby iceberg) salad, and that was pretty good too, even if I ordered it because of the possible reference to the exceptionally transgressive (taboo-​defying) dirty joke that has been told by numerous stand-​up comedians since the vaudeville era… Next time, however, I’ll ask for more bleu cheese (I apparently like bacon and bleu (blue?) cheese on EVERAHTHANG).
Next time I’ll make sure to dig into some Roast Shitake Sliders, Stuffed Mac n Cheese, and the Pride of the Plains Burger, mmmmm. Maybe I’ll even order the «Muffaletta», just because it sounds vaguely dirty.