Belvedere Lobby Bar

They’re in the liquor business not food business. Serving are so small and ridiculous you should take your meal across the street.

I have nothing but positives to say about the Gaylord hotel itself, and this lounge is quite attractive, plus boasts a nice view of the Christmas light, sound, fountain show (which is why this is 2 stars rather than 1)… but gee whiz it otherwise sucked big time and we wish we had never spent a dime here.
The two of us plopped down on bar stools on Christmas Eve with the intent of enjoying a drink or two or three… first night of vacation, had already seen the light show once, why not enjoy drinks where we could see it again? Ahhhh, paradise!
Then…the strangest most unwelcoming bartender experience… felt more like we were in a used car lot. Armed with a coupon for a $ 7 martini (from hotel’s coupon book given at check in), I wanted to use it. The martini list was teeny tiny, but I thought the pomegranate bellini sounded decent. Bartender immediately tried to discourage me from it. Thus began the big push for some champagne that he thought we should purchase for $ 16 a glass. Uh, could I please just have the martini? Husband also made the hideous mistake of turning down the fabulous champagne, asking for a (gasp!) Manhattan… oh my, how could he do such a thing at a bar??? How could either of us? Surely we wanted a glass of that champagne, when the whole bottle was $ 130???
Needless to say we were punished for our sins of wanting a Bellini and a Manhattan, with the WORST drinks ever! Bellini tasted like cough syrup and Husband said it was by far one of the worst Manhattan’s he’s ever had. Plus we were asked immediately to pay (even before the first sips… maybe that’s why). Yep, no «do you want to start a tab?» «Do you want to bill to the room?» Just, that’ll be $ 22. Uh, yes. My «discount» pomegranate Bellini (regular price on menu was $ 12), was $ 7 with coupon, than that meant Husband’s crappy Manhattan was $ 15! (and no it wasn’t a premium bourbon). Also found it interesting that the tab he gave us was not itemized. So he probably charged whatever he wanted Who knows? It’s hard to trust a used car salesman when they’re like this.
Neither of us has a problem paying for quality and good times. This was neither. After we finished our crappy drinks, we were once again offered… you guessed it… the $ 16 a glass champagne. When we turned it down again, he did offer a taste of it. Well, why not? This has to be the best thing on the planet, right? Uh, it was okay. Certainly not $ 16 okay especially when we weren’t wanted there to begin with.
Onward we went. Glad that this was the only sour note in the whole place for us.

Meh. Probably would be more of a 2.5 rating from me. There would be no reason to come out of your way to visit this bar which is located inside the Gaylord hotel, unless you’re already staying here. If you are staying at the hotel then look inside the booklet of coupons they give you when you check in for a coupon for a discounted martini.
The bar offers nice views of the atrium and is a great place to people watch. There’s a mix of high top tables, couches and armchairs, and regular tables. The drinks are pricy but they are strong. I tried the shrimp tempura roll and it was not that good so I wouldn’t recommend the food.

Great view of the Gaylord atrium. Very relaxing atmosphere. Drinks are strong. Prices are high. Sushi is good they have in the early evening. Always find service to be very slow. Best as a meet up place before finding something else at national harbor.

There’s no real reason to come here unless you are:
A. Staying at the Gaylord and really need a drink
B. Spent all day at a convention at the Gaylord and really need a drink
C. Enjoy paying way, way, way too much for a libation
D. Trying to pick up a thrice-​divorced regional sales manager wearing Dockers and a blue sport coat
Basically, there’s no real reason to come here — during conventions it’s overcrowded with the guys from the «Bill Brasky» skit on SNL, the service is slow and it’s super, super expensive. A glass of Grocery store wine set me back $ 14 — shit, they were charging $ 12 for a glass of Beringer White Zin which should be felony because a whole bottle is something like $ 4.
There are lots of places to grab a drink within 2 – 3 blocks of the Gaylord. Yeah, the Bill Brasky Buddies will be there too but your crappy wine will probably be somewhat cheaper.
(If you’re not familiar with the Brasky Buddies:

Less than pleasant staff, ultra high priced top shelf and limited hours give this place a 2 star.

Horrible service. Employees having personal conversations is much more important than serving customers. Thanks Selam for nothing.

Decent Hotel Bar — very attentive cocktail waitress despite the place being crazy busy with a 3000 guest convention going on. They have really pretty good sushi — the ahi nachos were really good. 5 – 6 tortilla Chips each with a slice of ahi, I think radish and wasabi mayo.

Ordered a grey goose martini with three olives. It tasted very watered down. I questioned the waiter and was told I was wrong. Very disappointed.

This is pretty much you’re typical high end business hotel lounge and bar. It’s totally empty throughout most of the day and begins to fill up with convention goers and business travelers after 5 pm. It’s a lovely spot enclosed by the magnificent cavernous glass surrounding this entire area of the Gaylord. It’s so large there are even smaller buildings (shops) down below.
The Belvedere has a terrific open view looking toward the Potomac River and all the glass gives you the impression of being outside.
The drinks are pricey and not too bad. Lots of business travelers and a few couples. I wouldn’t recommend going here just to have a drink unless you haven’t seen the Gaylord at National Harbor which is somewhat of a spectacle unto itself.

Cool view, overpriced, locals flood in on weekends praying on travelers.
This is the hotel bar at the Gaylord which is pretty legit and cool. It always has people in it hanging out and enjoying the atrium views. A lot of business people, the prices are jacked sky high and the food is not bad, bartenders were friendly. I’d just buy some booze elsewhere and walk in and hang out here with people, ha. Other than that its a cool location location location.

Way overpriced even for a hotel bar, however the service was prompt and it was a nice atmosphere late when recovering from travel. We were there about 10:00pm.

You’re paying for the ambience. The drinks are overpriced. I ordered a blood orange Bellini and finished it in 2 gulps. Weak drink and small. The bartender made my nephews Shirley temples and the drinks spilled over. He didn’t even clean or dry the glasses before handing them to me. I had to dry the glasses off myself. Not classy for the type of environment they are trying to portray. Bonus is the view is excellent.

I’m going to give it an extra star for the view it offers. The view is phenomenal, it offers a wonderful view of the National harbor and DC. Tripe spectacular at sunset. Other than the view it is a hotel lobby bar, nothing extra special. The sushi is surprisingly good and not extremely over priced. The staff was very attentive, conversational, and extremely polite.

If you like bars in hotel lobbies then you will find the Gaylord National Resorts Belvedere Lobby Bar glorious. Bars connected to lobbies are notorious for preying on tourists and business travelers with a sterile ambiance, high prices, and weak drinks. The Belvedere has perfected all three.
Seating is a blend of tables, couches, and a counter. It is a convenient place to meet someone, but my recommendation is to do just that. Meet the person, finish your drink, and then head some place else. Of course, there are limited choices in the area, but almost all of them will be better than the prices and service of the Belvedere Lobby Bar.

The view and atmosphere will impress most. The décor is very elegant with beautiful craftsmanship. The «open air» lounge — which is bathed in crème-​colored marble — basks in sunlight and evokes a classical Greek atrium, albeit an uncovered one.
Conclusion, I cannot afford to hang out here.
Anyways, I had a drink here waiting for my ride to another part of the city. $ 6 for a bottle of Yuenling. Ouch. Though I may be chastised by Yuenling-​aficionados (oxymoron?), Yuenling is just a fancy Budweiser. The only thing that impresses me about Yuenling (the company) is its history but no history compared to European brewers.
Business-​casual attire is requested. Yes, per the website, it is requested (not just recommended). Well, it was Friday (and I’m paying $ 6 for a mediocre beer) so I was in jeans (and I can wear whatever I want) =)