Argonaut Tavern

Down where the sidewalk ends at the less fashionable end of the rapidly gentrifying H Street corridor, the Argonaut is a holdout against the tide. It’s not slick and shiny, not trendy or modern, but it also lacks some of the down-​at-​heel charm of classic dives like Tune Inn and the Raven. Caught in a middle ground, it does nothing particularly well or particularly poorly, just another bar serving bar food with a trivia night and a patio for nice days.
On a recent Sunday visit the patio was crammed with young frat bros playing cornhole and their dates showing as much skin as humanly possible whilst still technically being clothed, which didn’t add to the atmosphere. The food on the brunch/​lunch menu was a little heavy and greasy, the water had a slightly odd taste, the patio is packed a little too tightly which hinders maneuverability, and our server clearly had too many tables to cope with, leading to slow service. I wasn’t drinking beer but the draft list did look to be a redeeming feature, with several quality local brews and a few other choice offerings from some of the big craft names.
I suppose the Argonaut will likely survive as a throwback, proudly resisting the revival taking place down the street and offering the kids a place to go to feel like they’re slumming it a little. I just can’t see it being much of a destination, and given its location at the far end of the strip, it isn’t a regular on my rotation.

Review is mainly for the chicken wing Mondays. 50 cents for some of the best wings I’ve ever had! Get the buffalo and sweet chili ones, really good. Nice beer selection and happy hour prices to wash the wings down.
Great neighborhood vibe as well. Always nice to see a wide mix of people and ages (from 5 to 75 years old) in here.

Even though we reserved the entire top floor months in advance and when we arrived there were no seats available was a HORRIBLE START. However, my friend had a wonderful birthday brunch there to celebrate his 30^th year in existence. The food/​service were simple enough and efficient. Mimosas were nice and strong.
Its a divey place, but easy to locate and does the job.

Worst.brunch.ever
Got there on Sunday at 12 with a party of 9. It started well… it took forever to order our food. My party received their order an hour later… mine never came. Someone messed up my order and I thought I wasn’t going to get any food. Then 2.15 comes along I’m ready to go… oh look, my burger shows up. My husband never got his side of grits. Food was not worth the wait and the service was horrible. I do not blame the waiter he was basically working by himself the entire upstairs floor.

I live in the ‘hood, and went here last night. The first thing me and my friends noticed was an overwhelming public bathroom smell in the ground floor bar area. Inexplicably we stayed to have dinner (I don’t know why given how gross the smell was), and had mediocre food. As I was leaving I went to the restroom and saw a huge cockroach crawling around, which really topped off the gross-​ness of the whole experience.
The whole thing was strange, because I have friends that love this place. But food, smell, and cleanliness of restrooms wise, I would not recommend.

So, after our civic duty, my friends and I decided to grab a bite and a bottomless beverage. Had a great time! The make-​your-​own bloody mary bar was the bomb! (Note: vintage reference). I switched to bottomless mimosas, because variety is the spice of life, and my lips were on fire. I like the spice. The overall experience was g-​r-​e-​a-​t. Our server, however, wasn’t that amazing, great, attentive or tolerable. I’m not going to say Alex’s name (whose name we had to ask after being in attendance for the duration of brunch), because I’m not messy, but he was 2 stars below terrible. EVERYONE else was 100% on point. I would definitely ask to be in any other server’s care! With the exception of he who shall not be named, (but already was) this place was a blast! Sin él, 5 Estrella’s, con Alex 4 estrellas.

Made the trip out from MD today to find that they were closed when both their website and Unilocal said they were open today. And it’s St. Patrick’s day… what gives?!

$ 10 bottles of wine and taco Tuesdays, how could you go wrong?!
We came after work with some friends for the happy hour and had a blast. I rate based on food, and a three is what I ate. The tacos were lackluster at best, all flavors (we tried them all). I did like the fried Brussels sprouts and the fried manchego.
Would go back for fun but not for food.

This is one of the best eggs benedict I’ve ever had! The flavors were perfect, and the sides of home fries were delicious. My boyfriend ordered the French toast and that was also amazing! They were perfectly fluffy and the brie cheese on top gave it a great exciting flavor. Next time we’re in DC we are definitely coming back!

Lousy service and food. Shrimp and grits were awful, tasted like hospital food. I told them about it, but I doubt the waitress actually brought it to their attention. The «cheddar» sauce tasted fake. And then they charge for sauces, which we were not told about. Avoid this place.

Science Trivia night is the best trivia in town… Plus it coincides with Taco Tuesday! If you like good food, drinks, and STEM trivia this is the best place for a week night. So fun, and make sure to order a Dark and Stormy!

The food is just awful. The only reason it is getting two stars at all is for the ambiance and the friendly staff. I’ve been here three times now, and every time I question why I come back. This third time my boyfriend ordered steak and eggs. He ordered his steak medium rare. The steak came out completely well done. We thought, ok rookie mistake, but whatever, mistakes happen. So we send it back and it comes out now seared, 100% raw in the middle. Might as well still be mooing. A child could cook a better steak than these «chefs.» Thankfully our waiter, Alex, was very helpful and comped the meal. If you are thinking of coming here for a good meal, DONT! If you just want some mimosas and a cool atmosphere then this is a great place.

Argonaut Tavern has been around for awhile, which adds to its homey and casual atmosphere.
Their menu is short & simple. They offer items like eggs Benedict, tacos and burgers. I like to order the chorizo omelette which comes with rosemary potatoes. This is a scrumptious dish that is very filling, the perfect hangover food. Prices are reasonable, a tad on the high side.
The tavern is very family-​friendly and they have many big tables for groups. Don’t be surprised if there is a crying baby sitting next to you. They also have a nice patio, which can be rented out for events.
This is your basic old timey tavern place with friendly people and good basic food.

I’ve been here multiple times for brunch, drinks, and dinner. This place used to be good, but the quality has gone down while the prices stayed the same. I just had mediocre steak tacos with stringy beef. And the mussels were really bad – too sour and not fresh. We were disappointed. Service was good and waiter was nice.

Not amazing, not terrible. The food is fine, the drinks are fine, the service is fine. The patio is nice to sit on while the weather permits. The fried manchego cheese is delicious and my favorite thing I’ve eaten there. The brunch menu is pretty basic but gets the job done.

I really liked the vibe of this place. Outdoor seating and great food. The kind of spicy that smolders for a long time over two beers.

3.5 Stars
Argonaut pisses me off in more ways than I can ever think of. It can be one of the best bars in all of DC but unapproachable drink prices and an antiquated menu stop it from being so.
So why would I write a review of a place that has been around the block for some 8 years and has 300+ reviews? Well after my last dining experience on a Friday evening when the floor should have been packed with people, I looked around and saw that there weren’t too many buts in the seats. This annoyed me as I’ve never really found fault in anything from Argonaut — everything is usually spot on. The burgers are comparable to just about any good burger spot, the brussel sprouts are good, the grilled cheese is fine, the mussels are great, there is a huge variety of beer on tap, and there is very pleasant outdoor seating. The service is also friendly, fast, and professional and the prices are reasonable. For the longest time, the Argonaut Tavern was one DC’s dolls — everyone loved it! It was like a little kitten you wanted to pet over and over.
My best explanation is that H Street is abuzz with many new restaurants — some of them appearing weekly. Argonaut might want to consider a little revamp of the menu — perhaps offering some newer things as in its last 8 years, the menu has gotten a little dusty and boring. Still though, it’s no reason to leave Argonaut high and dry. As I mentioned, everything is great! I even had the veggie mushroom burger recently which was excellent! Another major problem slowing things down is the red-​donkulous beer prices — I’m pretty sure the cheapest beer is $ 7. Scary! And that is too bad because The bar itself is single-​handedly one of the most unique I’ve ever seen — it is in the corner — with every side glazed — very cool and even romantic. Given the location and the awesome crew of employees, this can be one of the best bars in all of DC. Are they ready for it?

I’m definitely on the fence about this place. The bartenders are nice and hospitable. However, the management definitely needs some work.
Recently I went for their $.30/​wing night and with my friend, we ordered 25 wings. We got the check and realized they charged us for 30. After explaining to the waitress their mistake (our bones were still on the table), she promptly sent her manager over to the table. The manager, with very little respect, demanded that we verify how many wings we ordered.
It was really a shame since we had been going for the past couple weeks and spending more than the average customer. Now I’m not even sure I’d be willing to go back.

The food I ordered:
Cheeseburger
Sweet Potato Fries
Diet Coke
Ice water
The cheeseburger was so overlooked it was crispy! The sweet potato fries were really good, though a bit over cooked as well. The Diet Coke was Diet Coke! The waiter half paid attention and was pretty terrible in overall service. I asked for a couple of condiments but he just couldn’t possibly when it came to bringing them back. My ice water was served with approximately two cubes of ice. Honestly, the mediocrity of the food could be overlooked because the atmosphere was fun, but the waiter was so inattentive I won’t likely return. There are far too many other stellar choices on H St to waste another $ 20 on The Argonaut. Sorry Args!

There isn’t a restaurant/​bar I’ve given more opportunities to than the Argonaut that so consistently failed me. They have a nice staff, their beer buyer is good and they usually have good stuff on draft, but their food just tastes old, or dry, or something is slightly off about it. Half the time, it’s great; but I’ve now had food poisoning from fish tacos, a shellfish bucket thing that was terrible, and just miserable nachos with cold pork (when I asked for the veggie nachos). I want to like it, it’s just a few blocks from my house and it is sort of an H St pioneer, but it just keeps doing things that would normally keep me from ever going back to a place.
I would go for a couple of beers and the AWESOME onion rings (the honey on them is awesome). But other than that, don’t eat there.

This spot is pretty close to my place, so I have been a few times. The food is pretty hit or miss but the drinks are always good and at a reasonable price. Things I have learned:
–Stay away from the wings and nachos
–ORDER the steak tacos
–Sweet potato fries are great and the sauces that come with them make them even better.
Super fun brunch spot with $ 11.00 bottomless mimosas and decently priced food.

Pretty good food, and the beer selection is impeccable. Unfortunately, of the MANY times I’ve been here, I have had crummy service at least half of the times. After dealing with an obnoxiously rude bartender and a server that never stops by, I have decided to move on and try a few of the other newer places on H St.

The waiter Jeff really sucks! Not only was he completely inattentive but he’s just not a good waiter at all! It all started when we ordered vegetarian bacon and he said it was «horrible» and «even vegans who come here think it’s really bad»! We said well we don’t eat meat so this is what we want and he said «well it’s not all that bad. You can try it».
Someone gave us our food and Jeff never once came to check on us. It was so bad we had to ask another server to go get him. My fiancé ordered eggs over medium but she got over hard. My son and I were completely finished with our meal by the time someone told him we needed him. She ordered another egg and asked for more water. He came back with a pitcher of water of which he spilled down her lap and legs and my leg and foot as well. He said «oh I forgot how porous these tables are». Not even apologizing or anything. She said please just bring the check. At that time he brought out the check and a napkin. He was pure crap! Which really blows because our first time here was great and the other waiter (Alex) was on it! Jeff never came back to get the check after about 10 minutes. My son and I headed to the car while my fiancé went to find someone to pay. I think they’re aware he’s not that good.

I am trying to support the H-​street area’s comeback so ventured to Argo. A lil ways east of the main scene it boasts a very cute outdoor patio area that is considerably more relaxed than most bars in the area.
Beer selection was small but they did have a couple 90+ point options. Bartender very sweet and friendly but always a shame when you can tell they don’t have any personal interest in the drinks.
Will go back to try food and see if that bumps a 4^th star in there. but for now the nice ambiance did not quite jusitfy the cost of the beers for me.

Years ago I tried Argonaut Tavern for happy hour. As instructed by other Unilocalers, I got the fish tacos. I guess they were okay? Worth coming there again? Meh. Also the service, the atmosphere, none of it really appealed to me enough to get me to come back.
Fast forward two years and I needed a quick option for brunch where we could get drunk on the cheap. I gave them a call and luckily they had open tables and $ 9 bottomless mimosas. Great! Pulled right up and found free parking on the side of the building. Great! Got seated immediately in their cute outdoor patio area. Great!
Then our first round of mimosas came. Okay, I get that I’m only paying $ 9, but this was tang. Tang is just nasty with cheap champagne. Then the food came. Eggs are the easiest thing to make well. But this was just the blandest stuff. My man opted for their steak dish, and he just seemed so bored with big slab of meat in front of him. A man bored by meat is a rare occurrence in my life, so I take that to be pretty indicative of how bad it was.
We did enjoy ourselves, despite the food, because the cheap drinks were doing their job (after many many glasses) and the great company. ;-P. I think the true measure of a good restaurant is that you’d have a good time even with bad company. This just isn’t that place.
I will say, we had an adorable waitress who was new to the country, and is working two jobs to make it. She was awesome! So despite the restaurant’s lack luster performance, if you go here, and have an adorable waitress, tip her well! I want her to succeed in this city but I won’t be going back, so I’m relying on you all to take care of her for me.

Great for brunch, with traditional American breakfast items done very well.
Good price for what you get. Covered outdoor patio for when the weather just won’t cooperate with the fact that it’s Sunday. Small indoor area as well.
Good place to check out!

A dive bar with yummy fish tacos? Yes please! I’ve never had anything but the fish tacos, but if they are any indication, I’m sure the rest of the dishes are probably along the same vein. I’ve always been sat immediately upon arrival and the service has been okay (aka not consistent — some servers have been fab, and some have definitely been drab). But the fish tacos are delish so I’ve kept on going back. The ambiance is casual — good for catching up with friends, low key dates (read — 3^rd date or later), and maybe even group dinners since it’s a rather large space. Over the spring and summertime, trying out the outside patio is a must.
Tip — ask them to bring out their hot sauce bottles — if you’re a spice aficionado, you won’t regret it!

I’ve been wanting to try this place out for months on their science night. I thought it would be a cute date idea because I love science. Plus, it was Taco Tuesday.
First, we went upstairs for science night and it was packed by 730pm but we found a table for two. My boyfriend (Eric) went to get us drinks which took a good 15−20minutes. There was only one bartender and he kept having to run downstairs for stuff like Cranberry juice. Eric placed our taco order at the bar and we had to listen for them to shout our name to get our order.
The fish and steak taco were edible. Very little seasoning but at least it tasted like they opened a taco seasoning packet and sprinkled it on. The chicken taco was TERRIBLE. I guess I shouldnt have expected much from a $ 2 taco but I didnt expect to get canned chicken meat. Grant it… I have used canned chicken for chicken dip dishes and pasta salads but it seemed out of place for a taco. Plus, it tasted like it came straight out the can without a flickering of some type of seasoning.
This place gets two stars because although science night was disorganized it was fun competing and trying to build somthing. This night it was a marshmallow catapult. The trivia was way over my head… I guess I wasnt nerdy enough… lol.
Dont think I will give this place another try but their patio area did look like it would be fun in the summertime!

Went to Argonaut for brunch with a huge group, and overall, this restaurant fits with the general vibe of H Street with some pretty standard fare for brunch.
There were about 30 people for a birthday brunch when I was here, so things were pretty scattered anyway, with people moving around and not really sitting in the same place for long. I’m sure that presented some service challenges, but our server, Berkeley, was a pro at handling all the craziness.
$ 10 unlimited mimosas is not a bad deal. They weren’t stingy with the drinks, and kind of just gave up and gave us as many pitchers as you could drink. Can’t quibble with that.
The menu itself is very carb-​heavy. I opted for the grilled cheese and sweet potato fries. I recommend adding some bacon or tomato to the grilled cheese, for difference in flavor. Other people at my table got the steak and eggs, and one was so overcooked was inedible.
The vibe here is very hipster, and everything seems old. The upstairs apparently turns into a club, because there were mic stands and DJ stands all over the place. Very grungy.
For brunch, this place is fine. It seems to of been around for a long time, so maybe the whole DC brunch scene really passed it by. It’s just so far away from where I live being all the way at the tail end of H Street but I don’t think I would go here again unless there was an event here.

I’m going to issue a disclaimer before I even begin my review. I tried to like Argonaut, I really did. Unfortunately my experience was just so-​so.
My friend who lives and works in the area suggested we have dinner here. Being an out of towner, I said sure. We came in, were greeted, and seated right away. Our table was in a cramped corner that was right in the path of the draft that came in every time the door opened (which was often). We requested to be moved and we were moved closer to the bar. The waitress took our order and our food came out quickly. To my dismay, my grilled cheese came with a side of French fries when I specifically asked for sweet potato fries. When I brought it to the waitress’ attention she acted surprised like she hadn’t made the mistake. Then she took my entire plate so I had no food to eat. Awkward. At least leave my sandwich behind.
So my pointers for this place? If the place isn’t full and it’s cold out, give patrons the option of sitting away from the drafty door. Also, make sure the customer’s order is right. And if it’s not, then take ownership when it comes time to correct it. An apology goes a long way.
To add insult to injury, a bug appeared out of nowhere and latched on to my hand. Gross.

In DC, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype of different places. Some boast proximity to the White House, others to Capitol Hill, others in Georgetown. Interns go here, elites over here, find a rich spouse here, tourist trap here. What it isn’t easy to do, is find that little bar than can be your neighborhood bar, kinda like Cheers where everybody knows your name. Where it’s okay to bring a few friends on a casual day, or your family when you just don’t want to cook, or to just talk with the locals. But Argonaut is that place. At any given time you’ll see H St area residents just hanging out getting to know each other, or a family with kids getting a bite, or two college buddies catching up, or a few guys watching the game.
The bartenders are the best and most personable anywhere I’ve ever been, both upstairs and downstairs. On the days I frequent, Sienna is the bartender downstairs and Jeff (forgive me if it’s Jason, but I know I’m close) upstairs make you feel like you’ve been friends forever. They have poker night on Mondays, and trivia on another day, and some days a band assembles and plays of mix of kinda bluegrass and a clarinet led jazz. They also have a few tvs to show football.
They rotate beers so often I don’t even try to keep track. It’s actually cool. It keeps you from getting bored with beers and try way more than you would at a place that only has a few same olds on tap. The wings are a hit. Oddly enough, buffalo isn’t their best option. They’re okay, and the blue cheese is a little runny, but what you really want are the mango bbq wings, and the sweet chili wings. Note that Monday is wing night. The nachos are huge and quite good. I suggest adding pulled pork. And they also let you decide if you want real cheese or cheese sauce. Burgers, also pretty darn great. Haven’t really explored the rest of the menu… yet.
This is a no frills, feel at home, make new friends, no snotty allowed, bar. I love it.