Bluejacket

After waiting weeks to finally visit Bluejacket, I must say I wasn’t disappointed by this local craft brewery that also had a very good Sunday brunch menu. The server mentioned they have been experimenting with the menu to ensure there’s a nice variety. From what friends have told me and out of town guests, they were pleased. So, I guess the experimentation is working. I’ve already recommended the restaurant to friends who don’t drink. I’d visit again for the food and was impressed that they keep their online beer menu current to the day.
My wife and I prefer darker beers and knew in advance that their day’s menu primarily had IPAs, sours, and saisons. Deciding to experiment, our server did a great job recommending a variety of beers and we were pleased by those we tried.
I was also impressed by management. They read the comments on the feedback card and reached out within 24 hours for additional input.
It’s a reasonably-​sized restaurant and likely difficult to get into when the Nats are playing. I’d make reservations in advance or visit when they’re not playing.

Went to BlueJacket when we were in town a week ago. Got in on a rainy Friday night around 7:30 without a reservation. Ordered some food and some of their beers. The beer was delicious! I loved that they did small and large pours as I like to try a variety and can’t do that if it is a full pour. We tried some appetizers and nothing really wowed us. The pretzels were good but the mustard was so vinegary that I started coughing! The fries chickpeas were greasy and while the flavor was good, they weren’t a pleasant texture. Lastly, the hush puppies. How can you go wrong with fried dough?! By rolling the freshly fried balls in salt. Yes, you read that correctly. The hush puppies were fried and then looked like they were either dusted or rolled with salt. After the first one both my husband and I were brushing the salt off and not eating the outside. We both also had salads which were so unremarkable that a week later I’m not even sure I could tell you what they were. Maybe his was beet?
The service was prompt and informed about the beer and friendly. I will definitely be back for the beer. I’ll just make sure to eat before getting there!

Bluejacket has an eclectic beer selection. Would definitely come back for the seasonal selections.
I also had the chicken burger with mambo sauce. Fried chicken was crispy and soft on the inside. Good burger on the whole. Their tater tots were square (interesting choice), but a little tough.

This was my second time at Bluejacket. First time I went with just 1 other person and we had a great time, enjoyed the food and drinks. The noise level was low since we arrived early (happy hour time).
The second time was with 4 people. We had reservations, but when we arrived were told that we had to wait because our table was still being occupied. Looking around the seating area there were MANY 4-​person tables open but were told that they were for OTHER people… «we’re here and they’re not though» we said. The hosts were noticeably uncomfortable at the situation and apologized repeatedly since we closed a tab at the bar to be on time for our reservation.
Upon being seated, we had 1 very nice waiter who gave the ‘describe the menu’ shpiel and took our drink orders. Not more than 2mins later another waitress came by to say that SHE would be our server & proceeded to give the lengthy shpiel again, but we stopped her & told her someone else got our drinks. While she was gone (I kid you not), ANOTHER server said SHE would be our server. At that point, we said she was our 3^rd server and that we wanted just 1 person. Well… they kind of figured it out and we had 2 for the rest of the night.
PROS:
1. The craft beers and food are excellent. ‘The Jam’ was our favorite brew by far. The appetizer pretzel and mustard were GREAT & the Falafel Burger & tots were outstanding.
2. The atmosphere is really cool. They brew the beer onsite & the large vats are visible on the bar side.
3. The servers genuinely seem to love their job and are charismatic and happy. Experienced this both times.
4. They have a full bar in addition to craft beers.
CONS/​ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT:
1. They serve the brews at different temperatures, so make sure you ask the server (s) which are warm, so you don’t get hosed.
2. The overall lighting is EXTREMELY low, and you have to use the candles on the tables to see the menu (I guess this could be advantageous on a first date)!
3. If you go for dinner, prepare for it to be louder than most other dinner establishments (especially in the bar).
4. Pricey place. Most dishes are around $ 20
Note: Not a good place for kids.

Dave is the best waiter/​bartender in DC. His level of customer service: Master Jedi
He was able to read our minds and came through. That is all.

I really, really wanted to give this a higher rating; the beer is great, I like the atmosphere and design, the food we had was good if not a tad expensive, but it happened…
Our server completely killed off any fun or amusement we may have had.
We sat in the dining room on a fairly slow evening, and we simply couldn’t get an ounce of service to go with our beer and food — we were lucky to get those, and by the time I wanted a second beer, it took the better part of 30 minutes to be graced with a visit and eventually presented a beer, I basically no longer wanted by that point. Honestly, I just wanted to leave by the time I got it.
In well over an hour at Bluejacket we managed to get a few tasting size beers (ordered in one go), 2 appetizers, and one additional beer. We would have happily had more food and beverage, but alas. It was not to be.
Their beer menu alone makes me hope they up their game on wait staff, but this place might not even be able to move enough product to stick around for the long haul if others have visits like ours.

Bluejacket had been on my to try list since it opened thanks to its reputation and the creative sounding beers on their menu. I love it when people get innovative with beer so I was really excited about some of the less common styles and some of the beers brewed with more exotic fruits that I saw on the menu. Unfortunately though, the execution of these beers, while good, wasn’t top notch.
I’ve been very spoiled by living for so long in NC. I’m going to brag on my state for producing an abundance of really high quality beer including the creative beers I love so much. Bluejacket was by no means bad but after every beer, I tended to think ‘meh I’ve had a similar beer except better five minutes from my apartment in Raleigh.
My main issue with the beers is that some of them just weren’t well balanced. The strawberry rhubarb berlinerweisse had a nice strawberry taste but was lacking in tartness. The cherry sour was all cherry and not enough sour. The Mexican radio, a chocolate and pepper sweet stout was overly sweet, overly boozy, and lacked spiciness. The plum sour and the kumquat gose were both good but not memorably so.
I’m not opposed to trying this place out again but not sure if go out of my way for it. For beer in DC, I’d say the Churchkey, with its massive list of hard to find beers from around the world, is much preferable to this brewery.

I like this place. I really do. The beers are just phenomenal. They have tater tots (shut up, that’s a critical point), and the «Wurst» sandwich is just excellent. Oh, and their hush puppies are the best in the city, so there’s that little point. Really, you cannot go wrong here.
You cannot go wrong, that is, unless you have a kiddo. I think it’s not a good place for families with kids, as I think even the items on the kids menu are just a LITTLE bit. .. artsy. It’s not just a chicken tender. It’s a pretty well created piece. Grilled cheese? Sure, but swiss. The thing about kids is that (generally) their palates aren’t as developed, and they often skew a little plain. But maybe there are much more Euro/​Hip parents out there who have their kids eating foie gras much sooner. The staff are all very welcoming of kids, so really it’s just a matter of taste (again an unintentional pun ugh I suck).
Anyway, seriously — this is such a great place. If you’re sans kids, this seriously is the VERY BEST in all of the Navy Yard area. It’s definitely in the top 10 of the entirety of Capitol Hill/​Nats Park/​H Street DC area. Just get a sitter, go there, and enjoy!

Came early, was thirsty! Mike was our AMAZING server, when he said he was going to explain the Beer menu… I thought «Why?» And, was feeling a bit impatient! He deliverd a great explanation, beers, serving temperatures, casks, abvs… and then the food! Chose IPA tasters, settled on The Lost Weekend, both tap & cask. Then the Mexican Radio caught my fancy, a yummy sweet closer. Don’t forget to ask for the Bottle List, yes, you can take it with you!

THIS PLACE… I’ve been to many breweries, and countless restaurants, and even a few breweries that have restaurants… but never a restaurant right smack dab in the middle of a brewery, hahaha. It was so much fun to eat amongst the barrel aging area, and gaze at the tanks full of beer. Not only was the food delicious (had my first mumbo sauce!) but the beer was outstanding. I had 2 flights, and not a bad beer in the bunch. The service was good, and the desert was amazing — apple bacon pie with whiskey ice cream! Whaattt?!
They also have a new bottle shop attached, but it was closed when I arrived, so the hostess was able to snag some bottles for me on the way out. This place is awesome, you gotta go.

We stumbled upon Bluejacket, hard pressed for time before a meeting at the DOT. Not only was the staff knowledgeable about items that could be made vegan but they were so nice, too.
I would definitely return to Bjacket’s in the future and will recommend it to all my friends that go to DC.

I love this place.
Located in an ever blooming area, this place is a stand out. Located in the old Boilermaker property, the brewhouse literally towers above you. While I see that a ton of people have raved about the food here, I come for the real star: the beer.
Of their flagships, I prefer the Mexican Radio. It’s delightfully chewy, with a nice hint of spice. Lately, their sour program has been on point as well. But I really love that every time I come here I can find something on the menu Ive never had or some collaboration w/​another brewery (both big and small).
A few words of advice when planning to go here–
— If you dont like crowds, avoid game days
— Get a few sample sizes. Maybe include something thats normally outside youre wheelhouse– you may be surprised (this means you Mr/​Ms «I dont like IPAs»)
— Trust your waiter/​bartender. theyre employed here for a reason
— Try the chickpeas
Hopefully you’ll love this place as much as I do.

I love this place.
Located in an ever blooming area, this place is a sta

Really a nice experience. On Nats game nights the crowd skews Northern Virginia and not in a pleasant way and the jerseys get tiring but of course that’s what this place is about.
That said its 100 times more inviting than any other baseball hangout and the ambience and quality is head and shoulders higher.
We got a great side of roasted Brussels sprouts that might have been on the fire a tad long.
Plus some gnocchi and chicken that was great and an order of shrimp and tortellini that packed a punch.
Wide selection of beers and that the service was excellent.
Outdoor seating looked best but it was too humid.

We decided to swing by here after the Nationals game for a snack and a beer. The beer menu looked great and I was happy with my pick. I think it was an IPA, but very earthy/​herbal notes and not an overly large amount of hops.
The food game was not as strong. We opted for some pretzels and mustard to share. The pretzels tasted a bit like wheat dough which is odd for a pretzel. The mustard was good but definitely heavier on the vinegar than usual. I wish they had offered different dipping sauces with them. I also got a small salad, which was nice and fresh tasting.
Overall I would head back for some brews but probably not the food.

Came in here late night after a Nats game, and we were able to just grab a booth in the back half of the restaurant. The atmosphere and décor are really nice and there are plenty of tvs in the back area for watching games. Right as we sat down someone brought us menus and water and our waiter stopped by right after the menus came. These were the positives.
For drinks we settled on two sour options (unfortunately I wasn’t thrilled with my blueberry choice but there are plenty of other options) and for food the bratwurst and tater tots. Man was I disappointed in the food. The bread on the bratwurst was so dried out it was impossible to eat it. I switched to fork and knife and realized the brat was super dry too, and the sauerkraut was really lacking any flavor. The tots were pretty good though.
It was a bit pricy for what we got, perhaps if I’m in the area again for a game we’ll give it a beer only shot.

Blue Jacket is a great addition to the Navy Yard area… I now just wish there was one closer to my house! With an extensive draft list, the Brewers aimed to have a wide range of beers that all have a little experimentation to them while respecting traditions of modern brewing. They also have cask beer!
The inside is great! Built in one of the few true industrial buildings left in DC, the place doubles itself as a brewery and its clearly not hidden, as all the brew tanks are right in front of you behind the bar for your gazing pleasure. I sat in the bar area at high top tables as I looked around in this industrial feeling building.
The beer, THE BEER! A little bit of everything to offer with 20 beers on tap and 5 casks as well, there is surely at least one (in my case many) beer that will please your palette. Some of the ones that stood out to me:
Forbidden Planet: a heavily dry hopped Kölsch.
Lost Weekend: a citra IPA with a bold hop that had a fruity finish.
The Jam: A tart strawberry-​rhubarb wheat ale that dared to be different but still in the end came together with great aftertaste.
The menu does not disappoint either! I’m talking good bar food such as smothered fries in cheddar & Tasso ham gravy, house made tater tots that were giant fried blocks of awesomeness, and warm soft pretzel sticks that came with their take on a beer mustard!
I overall loved this place. A combination of the extensive beer list along with above cliché food all mixed with the killer vibes and interior of the brewery factory makes for a great happy hour, dinner, or chill time before catching a ball game. I hope to be back soon!

I think Bluejacket is a really cool spot in the navy yard area and there need to be more spots like it around DC! I’ve been here twice and recently got to try some of the food here.
My boyfriend, friend and I stopped here on our way to the Nationals game and it was packed. It’s a no brainer this would be a good pregame spot given its closeness to the ballpark. Given that it was so packed inside we decided to take a seat outside. Our waiter, of course I forget his name, was very helpful and tentative. We first ordered beers I got the Jam which was so good! It is fresh, light, and has a really good sweet strawberry taste to it. Almost doesn’t feel like you’re drinking beer! My boyfriend got the pale ale, I forget it’s exact name but it definitely has a lot of hops to it so if you aren’t into that kind of thing I suggest ordered something else.
Along with the beer the food was pretty good. Of the three appetizers we ordered I liked the sausage and the fries with scallions and this sauce that I forget the name of. The pretzels we ordered I wasn’t a fan of because they were kind of dry and really bland so I suggest saving the money and not ordering this appetizer. Overall the service was great, the food was tasty, and they have a number of beers to choose from! Whether it’s for a late night beer stop or day time baseball pregame Bluejacket is a great spot to go!

I got the half Chicken with the Pretzel stuffing and subbed their Brussels Sprouts for the root vegetables.
Melissa was our server, she was great and asked the kitchen to go easy on the Sriracha on my sprouts and they did and they were perfect!
I tried their beer called The Jam, and it’s delicious! Strawberry and Rhubarb flavors, it barely tastes like beer at all.
Would definitely recommend. Great industrial atmosphere and décor, cute for a date night or friend night out.

In terms of vices, I’m much more of a glutton than a drunk so while I enjoyed my Lost Weekend beer (although it was served a bit on the warm side for my taste) it was the food that really stuck out for me.
The menu has all of the usual bar favorites: pretzels, burgers, salads, etc. It also has all of the trendy, more upscale barfood like oysters, seared scallops, pastas, and roasted brussel sprouts. Than it has all of the super unique food like beef heart tartare, braised lamb neck and what I ordered a golden tilefish over bulgar wheat and blistered tomatoes.
The tilefish was made of a juicy, buttery and thick white meat fish. Not too heavy but super decadent. I was glad to see that they had tons of menu items that were on the healthier side.
Service was quick, efficient and friendly. This is definitely a type of place that would please even your pickiest of friends!

Pro tip: if you can make it here on a day when the Nats aren’t playing, then you’ll have a much more enjoyable experience. As of this writing, there are about 3 bars in the immediate Navy Yard neighborhood, but if you arrive at Bluejacket, it might feel like the whole darn stadium has come out. here. A friend and I inadvertently stopped by on a Nats day and couldn’t get anywhere close to the bar inside. Since the bar area inside and the tables outside are first-​come, first-​serve, we decided to hover over tables outside to try and get a seat. We eventually did after a lot of time and effort (and after people with game tickets left for the stadium).
Bluejacket has no happy hour specials, but it brews its own beers if you’re into that. We were intrigued by the homemade tots and the fried chickpeas on the menu; the tots weren’t bad, but the chickpeas were pretty disappointing. I wouldn’t mind coming back here, but it’d be nice if they had some Nats related specials or something to make fighting through the crowds on game days more worth the effort.

On a recent trip to DC, my friend took us to Bluejacket for some Saturday night on the town fun. Bluejacket is located near the Nats stadium in an old warehouse. They have re-​purposed the space really well, and it is one of my favorite setups of a brewery turned nightspot. The seating in the bar area was a bit tricky because it was so crowded. We had to wait about five minutes, but after circling once, we saw some people leaving and jumped at the table. The tables are community style, so be prepared to be close to strangers, who may or may not be annoying. They have very cool light fixtures above they suspended on bars that are connected to the table. It’s kind of hard to describe, but the effect is great. They also have a wall with all of the beers lists on little lit signs. The place was super trendy and super crowded.
We tried several of the beers throughout our visit, but none of them really blew me away or were very memorable for that matter. For food, we ordered a bunch of small snack. The picked pot was pretty underwhelming – it included pickled grapes and just wasn’t on point with the spices or something. We ordered fries with the General Satan’s Sauce & scallions. I love heat, but these were so spicy that they had my nose running the whole time. It was an interesting idea, but not executed very well. The whole time I was eating them, I was wishing I had ordered fries with some kind of cheese. The pretzels were pretzel sticks that seemed like they had come out of box and microwaved – also pretty disappointing. Last were the peppery pork rinds. I’m not a huge fan of pork rinds, so I only had one and could do without the calories.
My friend had been to Bluejacket before and loved the food from the bar menu, so I am thinking we just ordered wrong, and I’d be willing to try it again. The space itself is the coolest part of Bluejacket.