Local 16

Yeah, I wanted to like this place. Their brunch deal seemed amazing. Their mimosas/​bellinis/​pomegranate breakfast beverages were fine. The coffee was meh, standard diner coffee. The worst part was the meal itself. I got eggs benedict with prosciutto. The eggs were basically almost hard boiled. The whole thing was covered in the saltiest hollandaise/​prosciutto mix I’ve ever experienced. The potatoes that came with the meal were over cooked to the point of being inedible. I couldn’t finish the meal, and I try to ALWAYS finish my meal. I hate wasting food.
I don’t like giving bad reviews. I’ll forgive almost anything for good service or a good deal or something. Our server was negligent. I say that because one person in our party sent his eggs back TWICE because he asked for over medium and again, got something closer to being a hard boiled egg. Our server didn’t come back after he sent the eggs back the first time. Why did I pay about $ 35 for brunch at this place?
If you want bottomless brunch, pay a little more and go somewhere else. This place isn’t worth it.

Had a friend’s birthday party here on Saturday night and it was really great! We were able to reserve a space for free, and the whole staff was really friendly and went above and beyond service-​wise for her. They gave us a free bottle of champagne and were very friendly with all of us. Definitely will be coming back.

Overall the food was tasty. Loved the home fries and of course the unlimited mimosas. I was very disappointed with the cleanliness of the flute glasses and the mason jars. They had left over lip stick and were dirty. Did not seem like the staff took enough time to properly clean their dishes. this definitely brings down the value of the place.

Local 16. Ohhhhh local 16.
First, let’s start with the ok– their nightlife. In the summer time I am alllll for a rooftop so I appreciate them as an option. Their drinks can be overpriced and the music is usually not great/​repetitive but I’d give them a solid three for summer/​rooftop/​nightlife.
Now brunch. The service is usually pretty good and their food is fairly good, I’ll give them that. Nothing to write home about, but still yummy. Their menu is kind of all over the place but so far I’ve never had anything I’ve hated. That said, their actual brunch experience is a pain. I’ve never felt like I’ve worked sooo hard to give someone my money. Reserving can be a pain, they make such a big deal about when people arrive, even warning my friend (the birthday girl) about a $ 10/​per person late charge, have an inflexible policy about people ordering bottomless as a whole table versus individual choices. I could go on and on. If they had a little more of a customer oriented attitude id give them a ¾ but without it the morale of my story is there are plenty of way better and easier places to brunch. On U street or anywhere in the city.

For a brunch spot, this has got to be one of the best for value in DC! Recently with the up in prices to $ 27 for bottomless drinks plus an entrée, you can indulge in:
+ Original or pomegranate mimosas
+ White or red sangria (my pick!)
+ Bellinis, bloody mary’s, & beer
+ Coffee
As amazing as the drink selection is, the entrees selection while extensive is not amazing in taste (but good enough).
Overall, I’d recommend Local 16 for the bottomless brunch but only if you can take an awesome drink experience and subpar food experience with it :).
P. S. They do observe the two hour limit but if the bar is slow you can crash there if you are kind.

The place to come for a disgusting ratchet brunch. Glasses that are dirty as hell and also chipped. Reservations of 15+ that get packed in so tight you have to stand on furniture to sit down. And once you’re in you can’t get out. We get it Local 16, you’re making a lot of money off drunk idiots. Just know what you’re getting yourself into.

Bring back the salmon pizza!

I’ve been here several times, but most recently for brunch. This place is one of the many DC spots honoring the local tradition of bottomless brunch.
I’ve been there a couple times and am never impressed. The food is good, not great and the portions are average. While the drinks are bottomless and delicious, the service doesn’t keep them very full and God forbid you ask for a beer– it’ll take quite a bit.
Overall it’s a good location for post brunch hopping, and has a lovely rooftop, but certainly not one of the best brunch spots in the city.

Our awesome bartender — Mike from NY — made the experience! He played awesome music, was so funny/​nice/​talkative, and we had a great time chatting with him. We bonded over Jay Z and Kanye West, our shameful love of Justin Bieber’s new music, and had so many laughs.
The overall vibe of this bar is cool. As we walked in off of U Street, we immediately asked if the rooftop was open. Since it has been an very warm winter, it was, and we walked right upstairs. The bar area was enclosed in plastic and wasn’t very crowded. I noticed that the roof had the space for many more tables and seating options, but we were able to find 2 seats at the bar after a few minutes.
Local 16 has a $ 5 Happy Hour that runs from 5 – 9 pm! They have a selection of beer, wine, cocktails and food included in the offer, which was awesome. I opted for a glass of the house red wine, which that day was a lovely cabernet, while my friend opted to try a few of the cocktails. The wine was smooth and delicious — I ended up drinking the whole bottle (whoops). My friends cocktails and sangria were meh, but he settled on the Paloma (tequila, grapefruit juice, seltzer, and lime) which was pretty tasty. He also tried their twist on a Moscow Mule (vodka, ginger beer, and cinnamon maple syrup), but it had a bit of a weird flavor. The sangria was underwhelming, but the vibe and bartender more than made up for the lackluster drinks.
We split a $ 5 pizza, which was an awesome snack, and had a very good time! Happy Hour until 9 so close to home is an amazing find — can’t wait to go back!

I used to think this was the best brunch in DC until today. Forget they’ve raised their prices this is strictly about service. $ 27 bottomless, 2 hours. After an hour and a half our server said last call. Obviously that’s short but our table was fine with it. We simply asked for one more mimosa. Our mimosa was orange and water, really? Oj and water? Below average food and water with juice. Never will come back

The place is pretty cool, I guess depending upon who you visit with. It was a pretty laid on the Sunday I was there. I’m still unsure of the structure of this place, but if I’m not mistaken there is a time limit. We arrived around 1:45 and were there until closing at 4. The food is nothing to boast about. But there home style potatoes were pretty delish. Eggs were basic, chorizo was just chorizo. Just very very basic brunch. The Bottomless mimosas are why you would pay this place a visit. My favorite would have to be the Bellini. After several drinks I began to feel a little buzzed. For 25 – 27 bucks, you can’t beat endless drinks. Although I wish the food was much better. Note: they do not accept substitutions for the entrees.

I’ve really had a love/​hate relationship with Local 16 since I can remember.
This place is usually gross during weekend nights. It’s way over crowded, it smells like urine, and sometimes the drinks and music aren’t the best.
However, oddly enough, I always have a weird (sometimes fun) story to tell from my night here, but then swear not to come back again.
Weekday happy hour gatherings aren’t bad. I usually only go if there’s an event and have an ok time. I definitely don’t try to plan my evening to catch up with my friends here because quite honestly there are so many better places in DC to do that.
I do have to say that I do love their rooftop.

There are two sides to Local: (1) Partying (2) Brunch.
I’ve been to Local on several Friday/​Saturday nights dancing the night away. DJ Miggle always plays the best throwback music. I’ll try to leave and he’ll play just the right songs to keep me there. Even if you aren’t keen on dancing, you can go out on the patio or the lower level bar to drink and socialize.
Local 16 is undoubtedly one of DC’s top brunch places. Their menu is affordable and (depending on what you order) the food is tasty. If you do brunch, it’s wisest to opt for the bottomless brunch. $ 27 for one entrée and unlimited drinks. If you plan to get two or more drinks, it’s definitely worth it. Unlimited drinks include three types of mimosas (regular, peach, and pomegranate), beers, champagne, and coffee. They updated their brunch menu to include regular brunch items and Afghani food. Brunch is fantastic for big groups and time will fly by quickly.
Downsides? The dance floor is pretty small and can get super hot really quickly. If you like to dance, although the music is great, the atmosphere itself isn’t the best. For brunch, you have a two hour reservation window. Considering that this is a DC local brunch favorite, I understand the need to clear out tables for other parties. But if you’re having a great time. you might want to linger. So just know that you have a two hour window. The food, while some items are great, is either good/​average. So while they have lots of options (food and entertainment wise), ultimately it’s okay.
If you’re fine with okay, it’s a great brunch deal, great music, excellent outdoor patio in the summer, and friendly staff. :)

I came with a group for brunch, and we had a great time. The portions were pretty solid, and the food was good. The potato hash was one of the best I’ve had. They have a few varieties of mimosas and Bellini, and they leave them all on your table in mason jars, so you can mix and match.
They gave us some trouble about using credit cards for our relatively large party, but we worked it out.
DC has a pretty strong brunch game, and it’s definitely not the absolute best brunch, but for the price it’s (more) reasonable and still a lot of fun.

I visited Local 16 with a group of friends to watch the most recent presidential debate. The food is really nothing to write home about. I ended up only ordering fries because the rest of the options looked questionable, as it’s really a very divey bar on U St. I did enjoy my drink, though — I ordered the house white wine and liked it a decent amount. The bar area upstairs is, for the most part, standing room only. We were very lucky and got there early enough to grab the only lounge area in the restaurant. It was very nice and comfortable to watch the debate from those chairs.
I wouldn’t clamor to go back, but it’s a decent bar for drinks, debate viewings, and game watching. I just wouldn’t recommend it for the food.

Coming here for brunch for the first time was good, not great.
The good:
I came with a party of 4 and we were seated immediately. Our server was attentive and made sure our mimosas were plentiful. He even suggested great vegetarian options.
The bad:
The menu is very limited. Although I’m not a vegetarian I do wish they had more vegetarian options. I do enjoy turkey bacon and sausage from time to time. They had neither option. I feel like every place has an alternative for your typical pork bacon or. sausage.
All and all the service was great, food above average and the brunch menu… limited.

I’m giving this place four stars even though personally, I will not return the next time I’m in DC.
It’s a great place if you want to dance to 90s and 00s music and not have to pay cover, but it is simply too crowded. There’s a bar on the first floor and a dance room on the second floor. Both were overly crowded and I wasn’t a fan. However, if you want to just dance, I would very much recommend going. Don’t know about brunch as I was there just for the dancing.

Still one of the best brunch deals in DC. With gratuity, it usually comes out to about $ 30. However, service has been consistently inattentive and slow. I would rather not call out specific servers, but we were on the rooftop and it seemed like all the servers were running around. I think it would be helpful if a manager came around and asked if we need refills or if everything is alright from time to time. It seems incredibly difficult to get server’s attention. I also don’t think our orders were taken until about 45 minutes into brunch. I felt bad because we kept pulling random employees for refills.
As a server who understands the demands of brunch and large, drunk, parties, I was unimpressed. I won’t be returning to Local 16 until there is some kind of change. This is just unacceptable.

I’ve been here before for a brunch and is really nice. It was a while ago but I think it was like $ 35 for breakfast and all you can drink mimosas.
Last night I came on a stop with my friends during our my bar crawl. I don’t know if it was a special Pride event or a regular Friday night, but there were wall-​to-​wall men… Unfortunately they weren’t checking for me. Haha.
The rooftop area is really cool and it’s a decent size. There’s a bar that takes up one side of the wall, it’s a great place to just hang out. The DJ on the second floor was awesome! I don’t know if he’s the resident DJ or if he was just stopping through but I would definitely go back just so I can listen to his mixes. I didn’t want to get off the dance floor! The drinks are the regular priced drinks you find in most places in DC and there was nothing special about them except — that it was strong! HECK YEAH!!! I definitely felt like I got my moneys worth. I mean they didn’t put my drink in a little cup, I’m talking big Solo type cups! #Winning!!!
So I will definitely be visiting local 16 again. Maybe I’ll see you there!

Happy hour drinks are unbearably sweet that I just left it, and there was browned mint in my mojito. Bartender took my credit card and I watch him as he left it on the liquor counter. Hmm I turn to my friend and was like ‘I hope he doesn’t lose it’ 20 minutes later I order another round of drinks and a different bartender of course can’t find my open tab and asks if I opened it downstairs. Lord behold! It was on the liquor counter still! And he has the nerve to ask me what I had ordered before!
Not only that, when I ordered wine, the bartender took a wine glass off the shelf and saw that it was dirty. He then took a bar napkin and wiped it down in front of me instead of giving me a new glass! When I ask him what kind of house wine they have, he clearly didn’t know. Instead he took the wine bottle off the shelf and didn’t say a word and showed me!
I close my tab and I see the same bartender take someone else’s card and put it in the same spot he left my card!
Never coming back here!

Honestly, one of the best happy hours I’ve seen in DC thus far.
1. 3 blocks from the metro. Perfect.
2. Outdoor seating. With fans. And shade. Loving it.
3. A happy hour that goes until 9 p.m. Seriously?! Incredible.
4. A pretty decent happy hour. $ 5 fruity fun concoctions. $ 5 pizza and bolani appetizers. You can’t go wrong.
I felt slightly unwelcome in that all of the chairs in the upstairs bar were put up and none of the tables were cleaned off from the previous customers. But customers just pulled down the chairs themselves and moved other folks trash out of the way to sit. It worked out.

Make a reservation in advance if you want to have a table or sit on the rooftop for brunch.
This is probably one of the best brunch deals in DC. Entrée and bottomless limited cocktails for $ 24.
I had the salmon and bacon sandwich with home fries and Bloody Mary.
For me, used to Cajun style bloody Marys, I needed more of something. I added some Tabasco to make flavor not as flat.
The sandwich was good, smoked salmon, bacon and arugula. Something I could throw together at home, but I love to cook.
The home fries did not have the crispness I like them to have.
Overall the meal was good, but the service was great. I want to try one of their pizzas next time, as they smelled amazing.

(This review is only for the Happy Hour.)
Local 16 is a big and cool bar on U Street, right next to Starbucks. They have a fantastic happy hour.
Notes:
— Large, spacious bar with multiple floors and a large roof top space
— The roof is gorgeous. The majority of it is covered and a sliver towards the street is not covered. The floors and bar itself are wooden. There’s cool art on the walls.
— Awesome happy hour (Monday through Saturday, 5−9pm, $ 5 drinks and $ 5 apps)
— Nice bartenders, but seem a bit inexperienced
What I got:
I tried the Cider 16, 16^th Revisited, and Hemingway. These are all from the specialty cocktails on their happy hour.
What I thought:
Nowhere on the menu does it say this but the Cider 16 is a HOT beverage; it’s good but not the best choice on a hot/​humid day. In my group of eight people, three ordered the Cider 16 thinking that it was a cold drink. The bartenders put the drinks over ice when we asked. The 16^th Revisted is great– gin, mint, white wine, lemon– it’s fresh and perfect for summer nights. The Hemingway was «alight»; overly fruity and artificial tasting.
I was only there from 6−8pm. When I first arrived at 6pm, there were only 5 people on the large roof space, and when I was leaving, around 30 people accumulated up there. I really enjoyed my time and I’d definitely come back for the happy hour.

I was very disappointed in my brunch experience here today. I had made reservations the day before (by sending an email since they don’t use Open Table) and received confirmation from their end that we were good to go once I provided my cell phone number. We show up and were told that somehow they didn’t get us on the list and there would be no room available for us. We could sit at the bar, they told us, but offered no apologies, even after I showed the hostesses my email confirmation.
Since we were there and the bar was empty we went ahead and grabbed a seat. I told our bartender what had happened and his response was «that’s local 16 for you.» He acted like he didn’t want to be there the whole time, never a smile or attempt at conversation. Our dishes all came out at different times and the food was not anything that would compel me to come back. The one highlight was the bottomless brunch deal– I thought this was a pretty good bargain for the price and my champagne glass was never empty. If you’re not doing that deal, the food is really overpriced for what you get. Too many other good brunch spots in the area.

This is such a fun brunch spot*! The outside patio has a really great atmosphere. However, the food is extremely subpar. But I don’t think people choose this place because of the food. I ordered one of the pizza options and it wasn’t anything worth writing about. However, we did get lucky with a really great server who let us stay way beyond the 2 hour limit! I think that’s why we had such a great time. We weren’t rushed to leave.
*this is a great brunch spot if you are looking to guzzle oodles of bottomless mimosas with 21 year olds, recent college graduates, and people who want to party like recent college grads. Hey, no judgement, I enjoy a good Local16 brunch every so often myself.