Blackfinn Ameripub

Good sports bar and sit down restaurant with a diverse menu. Had the crab cake dinner, which was great-​lots of crab, little breading. Corn salad is excellent too. More memorable than I expected it would be!

Was here for a charity happy hour — where NO PROCEEDS were going to the charity itself. Ironically, since moving to DC, this was the FIRST TIME EVER I got charged for a Sprite in a bar. If a percentage of the proceeds went to the charity, I would not have minded. But I spent $ 3.73 on a Sprite because I don’t drink alcohol (and a wise man once told me to always keep a drink in my hand) — but I may as well have gone for the booze considering those happy hour prices in comparison to my Sprite price. Also, pretty sure they promised us some appetizers that they never actually gave us.

I assume the people who actually got their food during the lunch break enjoyed it. If not for the manager coming to rectify the situation I would have given it 1 star. Don’t come during the lunch hour or after lunch hour either if you expect timely service… Guess I’ll go to subway.

We were invited back to BlackFinn and went for lunch earlier this week. We were greeted very warmly and felt completely taken care of the entire time we were there. They really made an effort to make up for our original visit and genuinely care about their customers’ experience. No restaurant is ever going to be perfect 100% of the time, but the mark of a quality establishment is to step up when something isn’t right. I really appreciated the amount of time and effort they spent into ensuring that we had a great lunch and great meals to come.

Don’t eat the tacos here. Its probably my fault I ordered tacos from this type of restaurant. Aside from that, they’re served with melted cheese? The Californian taco snob that I am should of just stayed away. Oh well, still dont get them, just an opinion.

My coworkers, husband and I come to this place far too often but we’ve never reviewed it. We love it every time! The fries and calamari are the best. There were these amazing mozzarella sticks that they have since taken off the menu that were also great — hoping they bring those back. Service is pretty quick and the merlot is superb.

Good service that was fast and on point
Food was a decent value for the happy hour,
But I’d like to have seen more menu options under $ 8 for happy hour. Only reason my I didn’t give 5*

Three words is all you need to remember: Ying Yang Shrimp! OMG, to borrow the acronym from today’s youth, it is to die for!
Let me clarify though, I previously always went to the Bethesda location before they shut er down. However, the menu is the same & this has got to be THE best bar appetizer on Earth! I’d go out of my way for that shrimp! After work we’d go there from time to time, then I’d bring the Fam here on the weekends now & then.
It has a great OLD MONEY English feel to the bar, with a giant hardwood bar, old school hardwood floors and it’s just very comfortable. A great beer selection, a good wine list and, once again, YING YANG SHRIMP! Get it & you’ll be addicted as well!

Great service, better than average bar food. The hostess was very accommodating, getting us a table where we could watch our team without being in the middle of a huge group watching another game.
Our server didn’t stop by often but must have been paying attention because every time I was almost done with my beer he asked if I wanted another.

After unsuccessfully trying to watch my beloved Steelers this past Sunday at another establishment, I ended up here after using Unilocal to search for nearby sports bars. I keep forgetting I’m not in the most Steeler-​friendly country, so finding a bar (with the exception of the trusty Tortoise and Hare) that actually has the audio of the game on proves to be a difficult task. BlackFinn was no exception. The audio was the Dolphins/​Titans game, most likely because there was a huge contingent of those fans towards the back. We came in around 1:45pm, and did manage to be seated at the last available table near the solo TV showing the Steelers.
It was pretty crowded in general, and we were serviced accordingly. A manager brought out my first drink, and my boyfriend appreciated the server making a fresh pot of coffee for him since he chose to not imbibe alcohol. Our server let us sit for quite some time before taking our order. It was clear he was busy and we weren’t in any hurry, but if we were, I would have not been a happy camper. There was a mixup in my drink order during the chaos of NFL Sunday. I ordered a Lost Rhino IPA, and my second drink was clearly NOT a Lost Rhino-​not hoppy and very citrusy. I was easily able to flag our server down and he quickly remedied the situation. That did not go unnoticed and was much appreciated!
As for food, I was in a healthier mood than is typical, so I ordered the chicken and avocado chopped salad. Normally, I’d stick with burgers and sandwiches at a bar, but I must say, this salad was surprisingly tasty– ample amounts of bacon, blue cheese crumbles, and fresh avocado portioned evenly throughout. The chicken was plentiful as well. I enjoyed the zinfandel vinaigrette too, which was, for me, a much lighter touch than the usual ranch or blue cheese dressings you typically get with a chopped salad. Pricing of this item was reasonable at $ 13​.49​.My boyfriend went with a pulled pork sandwich (hold the slaw) with fries. While I cannot comment on the taste of the pork, it looked tasty, and he commented that it was good. Like the salad, reasonably priced at $ 9.99. I tried a fry, and it tasted of the frozen variety, but they were hot and crisp so you know they were not sitting under the heat lamps for a great deal of time.
While the food is typical bar food, nothing over the top or extra special, I was decently satisfied with my lunch, and would be willing to return in the future, however, I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit. Just if I happen to be in the area like I was Sunday, I’d probably stop in.

Black Finn attended Unilocalchella and we decided to check them out. They had a six year bash for the restaurant. The place has outside seating and a large dining area inside. The bar area is festive. The appetizers are great. Hubby enjoyed the sliders, ying-​yang shrimp, crab and chicken quesadillas. I enjoyed the yummy soft pretzels and a flat bread. We enjoyed tastings from Oyster Bay Wines, Jameson, Three Olives Vodka & Bulleit Rye Bourbon. The menu is varied. Starters are $ 5 — $ 13. Entrees average $ 10 — $ 14. Meat eaters & vegetarians will do just fine.

Absolutely perfect lunch stop. Not even two blocks from either Farragut metro stop and usually pretty empty for earlier lunches (~11:30). Lunch special is $ 11 for soup or salad and a half flatbread, all of which are not only delicious and well-​made, but the portions are just right for a midday meal. Service was outstanding as well –thanks Chris!
One quick note: the booths next to the bar are in the same section but not actually part of the bar, so don’t be surprised if the hostess goes wild on you when you head to the bar and then divert to a booth. Very protective of those booths…

Was visiting a friend in the area and she recommended this place cause she had come after work for happy hour/​appetizers, but hadn’t eaten a meal there yet. She really enjoyed the appetizers so we decided to take her offer. For our appetizer, I really enjoyed the Ying-​Yang shrimp. It was creamy with a little kick to it, which you can make even more spicy with the sriracha garnish. For my meal, I had the Iron Skillet Mac and Cheese (may not be exact name) topped with pulled pork. Cheese was really creamy and was the perfect amount of stringy when you grabbed a bite with your fork. The pulled pork was very moist and went so well with the entire dish. We all sat outside on the patio just near sunset so lighting and weather was really nice. Super satisfying first meal in DC!

A review of the bar only.
The bar area looks like a sports bar, but doesn’t act like one.
Let me explain: The space that is the sports bar is expansive; TVs are everywhere however service is more on the serious side. Barkeeps wear collared shirts and ties; they’re easy to locate and do a competent job. Booths and tables have a fair amount of space between them, and the furniture is rather large. It’s seems to me that management has made a conscious decision to have a controlled yet convivial environment. I’ve never witnessed over-​the-​top craziness that can happen in sports bars and appreciate that.
Their Happy Hour is decent; it goes from 4 to 7, M-​F. And come to think of it, HH pricing is the only reason that I do stop by. The day to be here for that is Wednesday, called «Wind-​Down Wednesdays». Wine is half price for both glasses and bottles, and the list features respectable global vino. The bargain-​priced HH foods are formula but safe and generous in portion. I usually go with pulled pork sliders and flatbread (pizza).
One appetizer that I am partial to from their regular menu is ying-​yang shrimp (probably meant to be yin-​yang). It comes with a bit of cooling salad and is ringed with hot sauce – mix those with the crustaceans and it’ll stimulate the sinuses nicely. Unfortunately, it’s not been a HH special (in my experience), so gotta pay full price.
This particular BlackFinn has received some withering reviews in the past; perhaps they’ve taken these to heart. I’ve been a customer for about a year. My hub and I will meet friends here for a drink or come by to catch some games, and generally leave satisfied.

Popped in here for happy hour with very low expectations, and those expectations were met. This place is clearly pretty hit an miss.
While the happy hour price points and offerings are great in theory – the practice is another story. We weren’t able to get the wait staff’s attention more than twice. Luckily we were able to order one round of drinks and some of the happy hour food within that time, but spent the remainder of the time with empty glasses, someone else’s entrée on our table, and the food that we had ordered was mediocre.
The location really lends itself to having a diverse clientele: people from the nearby offices, guests of the Hay Adams and surrounding hotels, visitors in the summer from the events in Farragut Square, tourists walking uptown from the White House – yet I cannot imagine any of these groups would be impressed.

Me & James went here for Friday lunch. We were celebrating his job offer!
We had excellent service from Cynthia. She knew the menu extremely well and made some great suggestions.
We had the Ahi Tuna appy which was excellent.
James had the Cuban and I had the Jambalaya Pasta, both excellent.
This place has the real dark wood and upscale feel to it. They have some great lunch specials and many grilled, backed and broiled entrée options that looked appetizing.
I had been to the one in Richmond but this was my first time to this DC location.
We were really impressed with their draught beer selections. Dog fish head, Devlils Backbone, DC Brau, Guinness, Heineken, Blue Moon, Shock Top, Stella, Flying Dog and Lost Rhino to name a few plus over 20 bottled beer options.
Two projection screen TV’s, multiple 30 inch HD TV’s and surround sound. Plus two full stocked bars.
They have a great looking patio and easy access to Orange & Red Line.
The food choice and quality from appetizers to light meals to full entrée’s they seem to have it covered.

Thinking about heading to BlackFinn for happy hour and great food? Well, pat yourself on the back because you have obviously make great decisions!
Arriving here on a Thursday evening around 6:30 PM and this place was packed. We weren’t even going to attempt to get a seat in the bar area so we opted for a table instead; while there was a 20 min. wait for an inside table, there was no wait for a patio table and since the weather was nice… off to the patio!
First off, I love the fact that the happy hour specials are not restricted to the bar area (bravo for that!). I didn’t have time to study their menu prior to my arrival so I asked our waiter for his opinion on a few dishes, which he happily provided. I settled on the Nacho Burger. It was different… but in a good way! It was well seasoned and cooked to perfection, so hands down, it was a pretty awesome burger. A burger, side of french fries, and two beers later and I was pretty much done with food for the rest of the day.
Our waiter was awesome and easily kept up with the numerous tables he was overseeing.
I’ll definitely be back.

I was actually rather impressed by Black Finn. I imagined that given its location, it would be another bland pretend Irish Pub, but it actually had quite a lot of character.
I went for an alumni game watching event, and my entire experience was delightful. My server was funny and super attentive. He definitely made the experience interesting.
The food is definitely British but it is well made and not your regular tasteless pub food. Fish and Chips is a winner. They had a great drinks selection and wine wed is a winner.
There was plenty of room to float around, not just your normal crowded mess.

This place was recommended by a local when I visited. The staff was very nice and the food came out fast. They have an outdoor patio too, which was nice.
The menu was large… tons of options!

During the Unilocal 10 Year Birthday bash, I stopped by the BlackFinn table and ended up spinning a wheel with various prizes I could win. It landed on a Free Happy Hour! YAY ME! I contacted Lara and we worked out all of the details for my free Happy Hour. Lara has clearly taken some customer service courses because she literally responded to all of my emails promptly and accurately. She was extremely helpful in assisting me to plan this special HH! She was very accommodating with the time and day that the HH could be held.
We decided on a Friday night and when my guest and I arrived, a group of tables were reserved for us. We were offered drink specials as well as a few free appetizers. Two of the three appetizers we ordered weren’t really that great, but after emailing Lara after the event, she offered to correct the situation in the future. See… those excellent customer service skills will keep me coming back for more. Our server was Chelsea and she was extremely helpful and friendly! She was running back and forth for us all night. Very attentive server!
The atmosphere was very lively with several televisions throughout, projector screens, a bar, music playing and after a certain time a DJ comes out spinning some tunes with videos playing on the screens. It’s a great place for groups, happy hours, charity events and just a cool hang out spot for a normal day. Plenty of parking was available in the surrounding area and it’s close to the metro.
The drinks were flowing, the laughs were hearty, and the fun was plentiful. Cool spot! Thanks for the free HH… it exceeded my expectations.