Toledo Lounge

Overpriced, staff members pay no attention to details like silverware, or bringing drinks at the same time.
It used to be my favorite place in Adams Morgan, now it’s far from it. What a shame.

glad the new incarnation died. The old one was just fine

The phone number on here is outdated, but there is a number on their website: 202 450 3106.
The woman who answered was unprofessional. She answered with just «Hello?» when I asked for Toledo Lounge she said «Can I help you?» and I thought maybe I had accidentally dialed a personal number. Maybe she’s new to answering phones.

We ended up here on a busy Saturday night only because this was the least crowded spot in Adams Morgan. There were 3 of us, and we were able to find seating immediately inside. We ordered drinks from a nice but very awkward young lady who seemed to be new. She didn’t seem to know how to make drinks, and ended up making one of our cranberry vodka’s with all vodka and a quarter teaspoon of cranberry juice. While we didn’t mind the generous amount of vodka, it seemed that she was overwhelmed. We felt bad for her, but she was super nice and we made sure to tip her well!
As for the venue, it’s comfortable and nice. They have a jukebox and is a great spot for starting off drinks and chatting with friends. It’s not super fancy, or anything so great you will want to come back on a regular but if you’re in the area on a busy night and want to be somewhere that isn’t TOO packed — this is your place.
I thought the prices were standard.

I take my laptop for granted. I really do. She’s my ride or die and yet I don’t seem to give her the attention or tender loving care that she deserves even though she is by my side, day and night.
So I decided she deserved an evening out, just me and her.
She’s incredibly low maintenance since she’s used to dealing with Macs, so a night at Toledo still meant a lot to her. She’s not exactly all champagnes and caviar.
So we sat. I ordered whatever Great Lakes beer was on tap and a calamari appetizer. (She didn’t really have an appetite.) I think it was on this very day I realized I didn’t really care for fried calamari. Don’t get me wrong — it was actually really great and the breading was delicious, but my more recent healthy eating made it taste way too heavy for me.
Fortunately for me (unfortunately for my date) I ran into an old friend from childhood which left my lil’ lady to the side once again. I know she was annoyed when I shut her down, but how mad can she be. She knew she was coming home with me!
Overall, I was digging the atmosphere and service at Toledo on a weeknight. Super chill, unpretentious but with enough character and great service.
Hopefully my laptop liked it too. And if she didn’t, I’m the big spoon tonight so she better get over it.

They should’ve changed the name when they redid this place. The old Toledo was a chill dive, a respite from the madness of Adams Morgan. It had booths where you could comfortably talk and was cheap and comfortable.
The new Toledo is a completely different experience. It’s trendy and European. When the bartender said that they were aiming for a fusion of Toledo, Spain, and Toledo, Ohio, I thought she was joking. She wasn’t. They now feature tapas and some wonderful beers on tap, including an IPA that I really enjoyed (which is why I give it three stars).
If you were a regular at the old divey Toledo, you will hate what it’s become. The city doesn’t need any more «concepts» — it needs just regular bars!

There should seriously be a new Unilocal page for Toledo Lounge Part Deux — now it sucks and I’d hate for it to be confused with the glory that it used to me.
RIP one of my favorite places in DC, your cheap beers, onion rings and grilled cheese still fill my arteries and my heart. I’ll think of you on rainy wednesdays :(
BOYCOTT!

Used to love this place. Could go there, drink cheap beer, socialize, people watch, basically escape from the sometime madness of 18^th St. I was hopeful that the new ownership and the makeover would still retain that aesthetic. Its cleaned up, seating a bit more comfortable, bathrooms, much cleaner, but its no longer offers that local/​dive feel. There’s only one beer less than $ 5 — a $ 4 Schlitz. Gin and Tonic was $ 9. Menu, more expansive, but despite my hunger, not really all that appealing. The new waitress said it best, «Its a whole new Toledo Lounge.» RIP.

The Toledo Lounge is a laid-​back place to grab a burger and chill. The casual vibe and relaxed dive bar atmosphere was an excellent place to take respite from the cold winter weather and just enjoy a few beers and a good burger. The burger wasn’t the best, but it’s pretty damn good.
It was Tuesday night so burgers were half-​price. We ordered the Swiss Onion Melt burger, and it was definitely well worth the four dollar price. The burger patty was about 8 ounces, maybe a little more; a sizable morsel of meat with decent flavour and a fair amount of juiciness. The burgers took a while to come out and this was reflected in the meat. The medium-​rare was more like medium, and the medium was more like medium-​well. Do yourself a favor and get it under-​cooked of what you usually order. That being said it’s a good burger that could only get better if it was cooked properly.
The bun was a toasted, fluffy white bun with sesame seeds on top that managed to support the burger without falling apart. The bun was surprisingly soft to the touch and yet held all the grease without falling apart; a very good bun. Nothing outstanding, but it’s great to see effort on the bun front. Sesame seeds and toasted grill marks let you know they care.
The Swiss cheese had good flavour and served it purpose of complimenting the burger. It was delicately melted over a layer of sauteed onions. The pairing of sauteed onions and well melted Swiss were excellent compliments to each other. In addition to the sauteed onions, the burger came with raw onions, a huge slice of tomato, and a whole leaf of lettuce. No frills but they got the lettuce, tomato, onion (LTO) combination on the money. Oh yeah, they serve an awesomely big pickle on the side.
The fries were hand-​cut skin-​on fries, and were very good, but could use a little seasoning. In addition to the burger, everyone managed to demolish the fries as well. The beer selection is nothing outstanding, but they still have some good beer. You can never argue against Yuengling and Sierra Nevada, and it’s almost a plus if they don’t have Bud Light on tap. The service is slow characteristic of a dive bar as such. The music was excellent but you could still hold a conversation while listening to the grooves.
Toledo Lounge is a great dive bar that serves up a solid burger. There isn’t a whole lot to criticize about the burger. Maybe not the best burger, but it’s still damn good and worth it if you’re in Adams Morgan. The chill relaxed vibe will make you feel right at home if dives are your scene. The service is slow so don’t come here in any rush. Luckily, there really isn’t any reason to leave, so just enjoy a beer and a burger.

I’m new to DC, and have been looking for some comfortable, local places that have a limited hipster infiltration.
This is one of those places.

Quiet, divey place in Adams Morgan. Really friendly staff. Nice place to just chill and hang out. Minus one star for not having dive bar like prices. Maybe harsh given the neighborhood it is in, but hey, if I am going to drink in a place that has a bathroom that makes me gag, I’d appreciate paying a buck or two less than I would at places with more hygienic bathrooms (and missing duct-​taped seats).

Toledo Lounge is not for everyone. May be a nice choice for a HH, but not a weekend night out.
yet, if you have clicked on this establishment, likely you are into Solly’s or Wonderland. If this is true, you’ll also like Toledo and find it «laid-​back» and other easy going and casual things. I predict 4 – 5 stars for you.
However, Toledo is just a little too beaten-​up for me. The waiters try hard but paying tab is very low-​tech, a handwritten list of the items you got on a notepad. Some of their chairs are duct-​taped and tables chipped. I don’t even want to know what’s going on on the restroom front.

Another place with a great happy hour that’s really hard to give a star rating to because their regular prices kind of suck. From 6 – 9 on Tuesdays and Sundays, this place is straight up amazing. One of the best burgers you’re ever gonna find for under five bucks, and 2 dollar draft Yuenglings.
All other times the beer is more expensive than you’d expect (cheapest beer is 4 bucks, even PBR) and the burgers are overpriced at 8 – 9 dollars.
The tiebreaker between three and four stars is that you can pop in here on a Friday or Saturday night and actually sit down in Adams Morgan. That’s occasionally worth the price of admission. Pay regular price on a weeknight though? There are better options all over the place.

Solid low stress bar with outdoor seating on the 18^th street strip (AWESOME), food specials every day of the week, GREAT NACHOS and beer discounts every time it rains. The burgers are pretty good as well.
Nothing fancy to this bar and thats the point.

Need a place you can tolerate on the Adams Morgan strip? This might be the one. The have great food and drink specials during the week. A decent jukebox, and there’s actually room to breathe.
Service-​wise, it’s usually just ok. If you get the tall, skinny guy as your waiter you’re set. If it’s the flighty girl with tattooes, you’re in for a long night.
Also, I bet you $ 5 someone will play Folsom Prison Blues on the jukebox while you’re there. Happens every time.

With all of the four and five-​star reviews for this place, I went in with high expectations and was a little disappointed, although it wasn’t bad at all.
Pros: Onion rings were crispy and not greasy. The milkshake was delicious – chocolatey and creamy (if a little too much whip cream). Great dive bar ambience. Under $ 40 for a milkshake, two burgers, two softdrinks and tip.
Cons: The roll on the burger was stale and tasteless. The fries were soggy. The meat on the burger was overcooked – despite the fact that I ordered it medium-​rare.
I’d go back and give it another chance, since it has a lot going for it.

I was waiting for something really good and memorable to come around for my 400^th review. Because this place really kick started a good night out well, I am choosing this place.
Divey. I heart divey bars. Take me to a divey bar with skinny boys with ironic t-​shirts anyday over a martini lounge with suits. So in this way Toledo totally fits the bill.
The bartender was very nice, and of course its pretty hard to mess up a beer. I ordered some fries and was told they would be a while because the «chef» had to go down the street for something. Well the fries came a bit later, and the bartender said they went ahead and made them since the chef hadn’t come back. From all appearances they were from real potatoes, and not frozen, yum! In a moment of hilarity the chef arrived a few minutes later with a pizza in tow and the look of a scream-​o rocker. We quiried the bartender «that is the chef?!?» and had a good laugh.
Anyway, this was a very chil location in the middle of Adams Morgan on a saturday night. I can’t believe I am saying this at my ripe old age of 28 – but I had fun in Adams Morgan. Yes, yes I did.

Saturday night, stop #4.
We chose Toledo over Pharmacy at the last minute because I’d never been there — and I’m glad, because this place doesn’t suck.
It wasn’t crowded and the music was awesome. We didn’t have to shout across the table to hear one another, which allowed one of us to fall asleep momentarily. While she slumbered peacefully in her corner, the rest of us drank our beers and enjoyed the atmosphere.
Long story short: this place doesn’t suck.

Tired of the crowded lame bars in Adams Morgan? Do you like to actually talk to the person next to you? Do you prefer spending less than $ 5 for a budweiser? Then this is your place. (I swear the bar didn’t pay me to do that commercial)
Toledo Lounge is one of the few places in Adams Morgan that isn’t a clusterfunk of people on weekends as well as weeknights. Even though it’s a small bar with a small patio, the place never seems to be overcrowded with people. Me like.
As many have said, the specials are amazing. $ 2 drafts (including sierra nevada pale ale) during HH. Depending on the night they have food specials as well. Also, if it rains, $ 2 drafts. They must have been really pouring the beers this past June, it rained daily.
Oh, and the juke box? Totally awesome music and totally FREE. This place rules

3 stars only for the burgers and the fact that they were playing the Stanley Cup when every other place on 18^th was playing the NBA Finals.
The burgers are great, and a even better deal on Tuesday and Sunday nights when they are half priced. Char-​grilled burgers, big, juicy and tasty. Even my turkey burger with no cheese and no condiment was very tasty. The boyfriend is a huge fan of char-​grilled burgers and Toledo might just have converted him from a 5 Guys fan. I will always be a 5 Guys gal though because I love my hundred toppings and I can’t tell the difference between char-​grilled and not. I will try the real burgers at Toledo next time we go though, no more of the turkey stuff (I was having a fat day).
Need to be 21 to get in after 9pm even if you’re not drinking. I had to go home to get my ID.

OK… the food deserves 3.5 stars, the décor… maybe 2 stars… but this place holds a special place in my heart. I first came here as a young 20-​something, the year W stole the 2000 election. I met a solid crew of other young 20-​something people of color and other misfits in the suddenly very conservative space of pinstriped DC, just starting out in our careers as do-​gooders in youth empowerment, arts, labor, housing rights, community development, civil rights advocacy, etc etc. We were totally out of place in the new scary Bush world. And in a district full of frilly yuppy bars, we found Toledo.
We found refuge in a hole in the wall up on 18^th Street. Every Tuesday, we knew we could meet up for some Yeunglings on tap and half off food. At one point there were almost 20 of us on the regular hitting up TL. We started calling ourselves the TL Collective.
The staff at TL started fighting to work on Tuesday nights. They treated us right. When the first of us would show up, they’d ask folks at our tables to move out. We all had our regular chairs. Mine had a hole in it. The jukebox music had us singing and dancing in our chairs.
Eight years later, we’ve survived W for the most part. Most of us are spread across the globe — DC, LA, Seattle, NYC, Boston, SF, Oakland, Thailand, Vietnam, India… TLC worldwide! Some of us reunited this past week for the inauguration, and met up for some TL love. Everything is the same! Well, they covered over the hole in my chair. The staff took care of us as usual. Tom brought us our Yeunglings, fries, nachos, and onion rings piping hot. Our pictures are still taped on the wall right above our tables right by the door above the Miller High Life sign… dusty, curling, and fading, but the TLC spirit lives on!
Thank you TL for being there for my crew of misfits over the last 8 years. We’re all grown up and all over the world, but we still love TL and all the memories.