The University Club of Washington DC

Awesome location to conduct business. First class service and amenities. The staff are friendly and caring. Highly recommend this location. I’ve been to the establishment numerous times for catered meetings.

Super nice inside, free popcorn at the bar and a solid happy hour. Truffle parm fries are amazing, but you only get like 8 for $ 8. Veggie burger was incredibly solid, as is the rest of the food I’ve had here — salads and gnocchi. Service is good, not great, but very friendly. Free pool in the bar and beautiful facilities overall. Oh, and the library has its own bar, which is awesome.

I do not use this term lightly… but what a special place. I am a reciprocal member and I was treated like a king. The service, cocktails, and food were outstanding. Chris and Emmanuel at the Bar were splendid bartenders and I could not be more appreciative of their kind service. The members were friendly, gregarious, and a heck of a lot of fun. One of the top two Private clubs I have ever had the pleasure of utilizing.

Do you get upset when there’s a dress code at the dance club? ok then. so no reason to get upset when there’s a dress code for a social club. I came here for a reunion event that was hosted by one of it’s members. Walking in there is a strong «pretentious», «snobby», environment, or some others may consider it «grown up». The event was held in the governors room and it was open bar. The service was quick and attentive. The appetizers were a little on the oily side. All in all, if I had the money and the time, I’d probably would apply and take advantage of all the other amenities that it has to offer.

By the nature of the venue it is a «social club» and I understand most people will not understand this, especially if they don’t take the time to be involved in that scene. The people that are members are friendly, intelligent, and well connected and are more than happy to show people around that want to become members.
This is an upscale social club. For those of you who think this is a «pretentious» place, please be advised that you wouldn’t think the army is pretentious because it has a dress code, nor would you wear jeans or flip flops to a nice event. Understand the situation you are coming to before commenting or going.
I have had many interactions with members and staff that have been above and beyond the call of duty. I have worked closely with the GM and staff to host events here and I have the utmost respect for those working and attending.
I love this place for bringing friends to DC to visit and to host business colleagues in a pure social sense.
One of the best establishments like this in Washington DC.

We came from Chicago to celebrate a Georgetown graduation and decided to have the dinner event here. 14 people, drinks and apps ahead of time, then dinner in a private dining area adjacent to the Taft Dining Room. The Club made up a special, personalized menu and the service was superb. Don’t miss the crab cakes, or the steak, or the asparagus, or the whipped potato, or anything. We had at least 8 bottles of wine and all were great, especially the cab.
The service, from the moment we walked in the door to the moment we left was perfect. The hostess was gracious, the waiters were knowledgeable, and the whole event worked like clockwork.
I highly recommend the club for any event that demands top notch food and service.

I am a member of the University Club and also have an obvious bias. But that being said being biased about a place that you enjoy visiting on a recurring basis is not a bad thing. I joined the Club in 2008 and with only one or two exceptions, my guests have enjoyed it thoroughly.
What makes the Club a great place? First off, the food is excellent and the service outstanding in both the grill and the formal dining room. Every single time. The bar is also a fun place to have a drink, talk with friends and meet new ones. There’s also an amazing pool table, beautiful library and outstanding health club.

I’ve been a member of the U Club since 2001, so I am admittedly biased. However, I am also a member of other private clubs in the both the States and overseas and can say that the U Club ranks as one of the best. Consider it an urban country club. Beautiful club house, great location in the heart of DC and has always had a very courteous and helpful staff of employees. The food in recent years has rivaled what one would find at a fine restaurant and the atmosphere is elegant but not «stuffy» at all. In fact, I would say that the demographic has become noticeably younger in the past few years (or seems so cause I’m getting older) but I think that is a good development. Reading other reviews I can’t help but smile and shake my head with people whining about the dress code and one being required to silence their mobile phone when inside. Heaven forbid an establishment – esp a private members only club – actually have its own rules! The ones who complained do not seem to grasp they weren’t visiting an Ihop. While that’s sad, it’s also a reminder for the need to select ones members in this age of lowering standards. As a club the U Club has it all; fine dining, activities for all ages/​interests, an indoor spa, health club, pool, library, two restaurants, a first-​rate bar, various clubs within the club, and also a long list of affiliated domestic and foreign clubs one can use. The members I have met socially over the years defy the stereotype and – regardless of background/​profession – have always been extremely pleasant and welcoming. Truly a distinguished list of American and foreign members who I am very proud to be associated with.

I came here with my boyfriend and some BU alum for the Global Toast last night.
I won’t comment much on the event and focus on the venue. As others have noted, there definitely is a dress code. Seeing we were here for an alum activity, most of us were dressed appropriately, but some of the girls did note they received stares because they were wearing flip flops.
When we walked in, workers held the door for us and greeted us. The place is not my scene; it’s a little on the upscale and pretentious side, but that’s not to say we weren’t treated well. The few interactions we had with people were great.

This Club was an aesthetically pleasing place to stay, but it was pretty uncomfortable given that one of the first things they do is email you their list of rules. They then point out their rules when you check in, and then the first thing in their Guest book in the hotel room are their rules. For example, no cell-​phone use in any part of the club except for your room, a reading room, etc. Otherwise, phones on silent/​vibrate. The other thing is the dress code. My co worker and I didn’t know about it, and although they didn’t say anything, it was uncomfortable knowing you had just stepped off a plane and were dressed comfortably, not in business casual. They tell you special exits to use if you are in work-​out clothes, shorts, etc.
The restaurant was closed for two weeks so they had minimal offerings in their continental breakfast in the athletic room: croissants, danished, OJ, coffee, etc. But pretty weak.
The room was very nice and clean, as was the bathroom. The TV was old and reception poor. The place was nice and interesting, but just not my deal. I understand it’s a club, more than a hotel, but pretty stuffy. Also, for what we got, hotel room, weak b-​fast, the $ 250 plus taxes (total was $ 315), I felt it was not a great value.

Dude, wtf… this place is sooo pretentious and rude. I went here to visit a buddy who is a member. Albeit, I was wearing jeans and a baseball cap, the guy at the door immediately stopped me from entering stating that I had to wear slacks and not wear athletic shoes.
Now, this wouldn’t usually bother me, but there’s also an athletic club in this place, so wearing jeans, athletic shoes, and a baseball cap should be a no-​brainer considering people can also workout there. Just the rudeness of this guy for stereotyping me and giving me so much grief was uncalled for.
What’s worse is one of the members… some asshole who looked like Mr. Belvedere was giving me the staredown like I was some vagrant because the staff tried to stop me. To say the least, I gave Mr. Belvedere a piece of my mind and close to knocking the fool out.
Maybe it was a bad day there, but this place seems to be filled with a bunch of old pretentious assholes!

This exclusive club is amongst the best on the DC area. Members and staff are courteous and cheerful, and the facility is lovely.
The spa is great after a long week of work, and the dinner menus are particularly well thought out. I always feel well taken care of.
My folks stay in the guest suites when they come to town and love being so close to the heart of the city. A+

I had lunch here last week for a Rotary meeting. Very nice place and would have been nice to get a tour of the club. A lot of history at the place.

The University Club is one of the most versatile Clubs in Washington. It boasts a younger membership so it’s not stuffy or pretentious. The food in every dining room is outstanding. The service is impeccable. A few years ago, the athletic facilities were all renovated and are gorgeous. The gym staff are always there to help. It has an indoor pool, active squash group and plenty of «clubs within clubs» to keep even the most sedentary (me) member or guest fit. Add to that, they have rooms for hire that rival any posh hotel in town. I’ve been a member since 1992 and couldn’t be more pleased with all the fun, benefits and community at the University Club of Washington, DC.

This is a private club. The only way to eat there is to be a member or a guest of a member. There is a new chef as of December 2010 and the menu has improved greatly. The wine list has been revamped and there are some very fine selections. With attentive and appropriate service at all of the dining rooms, this is a fine place to take family and business associates. The Grill and especially the Bar on the second floor are great places to unwind in tall wingback chairs with very generous and well poured drinks. If you care about A-​list clientele, there are a lot of Ambassadors, former cabinet members, and current members of Congress who dine there and use the athletic facilities. The members are uniformly low key and not given to putting on airs. I give it 5 stars for the combination of food, ambiance, and service. The food alone is most often 4 star material and now sometimes 5 star with the new chef. The desserts have moved from 3 stars to 4.5.

Everyone is reviewing the restaurants. I wonder if they are aware that this is also a club?
The members here seem very nice, and outgoing without having alpha complexes about them. Conversation flows easily between members, and although it is an exclusive club, it does not come off as pretentious. The facilities at the UCWDC are pretty modern, and extremely clean. The spa is fantastic, and the indoor pool is relatively empty during the day.
If you have family in town there are rooms for hire so that you needn’t crowd your space, and they can relax in the city comfortably.
And yes the food is fine. I broke some of my own rules and had a ham cheese and tomato sandwich, along with a fresh fruit plate. Everything came out fresh, and promptly.
I definitely could see myself joining– The perks to membership are outstanding.

The U Club has always had very good food, but since hiring LJ Couson and his Sous Chef from Kincaide’s, the Club’s cuisine has reached a whole new level.
For formal dining, nothing beats the Taft Dining Room (named for the Club’s first president, before he went on to become President of the US and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court). It’s one of the great Washington institutions… sumptuous fare, great wine list and gracious staff.
On the 2^nd floor, the Pershing Grill (named for General «Blackjack» Pershing, club member and leader of US forces in WW I) offers the same menu in a more casual atmosphere and «The Pub» next door has the best menu of bar food I’ve found anywhere. It’s also the only place in DC I’ve been able to find that stocks Monte Cristo Rum… one of the truly GREAT rums of the world.
All I can say is that I’m thankful for the fitness center, or I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the Club’s dining as often as we’d like!

Nothing good could possibly be said about the Taft dining room.

The Taft Dining Room is tops. The staff is excellent, professional yet unobtrusive. The buffet night is wonderful. Unlimited raw bar, wonderful salads, excellent main courses and desert. I will be back.

The Taft Dinning Room has a home-​like feel and the service is top.
Dine under a portrait of President Taft and enjoy the ambiance and delicious food.