Booeymonger - A Local Deli Chain in Several Area Locations - Founded in Georgetown in 1973

[wolverine]

Wednesday -- Booeymonger (Georgetown). Ordered the Booeywraps. The green tortilla was perfectly wrapped around delicate and succulent grilled chicken. The chef's marinade was a welcome flavor and he finished it off with feta, lettuce, and tomatoes. It comes with fried potato wedges that seemed to have come right out of the fryer. I paired it with a well-balanced and refreshing Diet Pepsi.

[dcandohio]

When I find myself in Friendship Heights I appreciate that I can get a quick and tasty meal with an adult beverage at Booeymonger. In nice weather, that solarium sort of room is quite nice. Given some of the choices around there, Booeymonger is a good option. The portions are quite large.

[KeithA]

When I find myself in Friendship Heights I appreciate that I can get a quick and tasty meal with an adult beverage at Booeymonger. In nice weather, that solarium sort of room is quite nice. Given some of the choices around there, Booeymonger is a good option. The portions are quite large.

I'm in that area alot, but have never been. What are some of the good menu items?

[wolverine]

I'm in that area alot, but have never been. What are some of the good menu items?

I actually do like the Booeywraps quite a bit. The hot subs are also pretty tasty. For breakfast, try the Box Car -- open-face egg, ham, and cheese bagel sandwich with mustard (add tomato).

[DanielK]

The Ballston location is my office's go-to for when we have to provide lunch at a meeting.

I wish we'd find someplace else.

Yesterday was chicken salad on a kaiser roll, with crisp avocado (?!?) and sprouts. The chicken was so dry and tasteless, and the roll so doughy, that the only thing you could taste was the sprouts. I'm 0 for 3 on sandwiches there over the last couple of months.

[JLK]

I have had breakfast at the Georgetown location - surprisingly good. What I remember most is quality bacon. Thin, not thick. Perfectly crispy.

[DPop]

The Ballston location is my office's go-to for when we have to provide lunch at a meeting.

I wish we'd find someplace else.

Yesterday was chicken salad on a kaiser roll, with crisp avocado (?!?) and sprouts. The chicken was so dry and tasteless, and the roll so doughy, that the only thing you could taste was the sprouts. I'm 0 for 3 on sandwiches there over the last couple of months.

I've never been anywhere but the Ballston location and my experiences mirror yours. Everything I have ever had there has been mediocre to awful. Looking at this thread, it might be that particular location that is the problem.....

[genericeric]

I've only ever been to the Friendship Heights location, but the Box Car (ham, egg, swiss, tomato, brown mustard on a bagel) is a pretty good breakfast sandwich. I'm also a fan of the Ace sandwich for lunch or dinner, but have always found the potato wedges to be cold and stale - I'd stick with the salads for sides.

[Pool Boy]

I have one of these in my current office building where I work. I have eaten here now maybe half a dozen times out of necessity. My wife says I should stick with breakfast foods, but this location stops making that stuff at 11:00AM.

Is there anything really worth trying off of their menu that stand out....at all?

[stevem]

Is there anything really worth trying off of their menu that stand out....at all?

Roast beef and Brie sandwich, hot. 

[DonRocks]

14 hours ago, Pool Boy said:

Is there anything really worth trying off of their menu that stand out....at all?

In almost forty years, I have never had anything at a Booeymonger that I'd consider more than edible (granted, I've probably been less than ten times, and some of these were after some pretty late nights in Georgetown bars). I had forgotten that this wasn't on our Oldest Restaurants in Washington, DC list, but I think the one in Georgetown opened in 1979.

[hopsing]

The Ballston location no longer has brie cheese, so I think the roast beef and brie sandwich (which I believe was called the Gatsby) is no longer available. My new favorite is the chicken salad sandwich on croissant called the Californian. Sometimes when I am feeling decadent, I order hot pastrami on bagel (or rye) with mustard, my old favorite from childhood. This place doesn't make great sandwiches, but they are pretty good and the location is close to my house. It's pretty easy to have breakfast or lunch here and read the newspaper in peace.

[Pool Boy]

My current thinking on the Ballston location is that - 1) it is terribly convenient and 2) it is an acceptable lunch food unit (but not much more).

Sadly, I rarely have a moment to venture out of my office ever to explore more of the possible options in Ballston. Most days I bring a lunch.

[iolaire]

I enjoyed Booeymonger in Bethesda when I worked in Bethesda prior to 2010.  I liked the bagels and my favorite lunch was the:

The Manhattan 7.50

Grilled roast beef, fresh spinach, bacon and melted cheddar cheese on a French baguette with a touch of house dressing

 

I don't recall the catering.  But I do find most catering meals not that exciting.

[DaveO]

On 12/1/2017 at 10:42 PM, Pool Boy said:

My current thinking on the Ballston location is that - 1) it is terribly convenient and 2) it is an acceptable lunch food unit (but not much more).

Sadly, I rarely have a moment to venture out of my office ever to explore more of the possible options in Ballston. Most days I bring a lunch.

Over 15 years ago I worked over there for about 2 years.  At that time Booeymonger was the "best" lunch alternative and it seems that currently that might be the case in your experience.  Better alternatives were a considerable further walk or drive.  In either case neither was considered convenient.  The only fortunate lunch time element was that I spent a lot of time out of the office offering endless other alternatives.

In any case with the scarcity of alternatives I was extremely thankful for the Booeymonger presence as it was profoundly better than the other proximate choices.   But lets face it, it is not a place to rave about.  Now as a working breakfast alternative I think it does a better job relative to many other opportunities

[Kibbee Nayee]

I've eaten many lunches at the Ballston Booey's, as well as coffee meetings and occasional soft-serve yogurt snacks.

For dinner, I would prefer to walk maybe 30 steps to SER across the lane.

For lunch, I would prefer to walk maybe 100 steps to Ballston Cafe, where the sandwiches are about equal to Booey's, and the hot and cold salad bar is the typical perfection of our areas' Korean run lunch bars. (Which, btw, I love...!)

Neither SER nor Ballston Cafe require a crossing of Glebe Rd.

[DonRocks]

27 minutes ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

I've eaten many lunches at the Ballston Booey's, as well as coffee meetings and occasional soft-serve yogurt snacks.

For dinner, I would prefer to walk maybe 30 steps to SER across the lane.

For lunch, I would prefer to walk maybe 100 steps to Ballston Cafe, where the sandwiches are about equal to Booey's, and the hot and cold salad bar is the typical perfection of our areas' Korean run lunch bars. (Which, btw, I love...!)

Neither SER nor Ballston Cafe require a crossing of Glebe Rd.

The best restaurant in that immediate vicinity is Cheesetique, by far. Get the Five Cheese Plate, just do.

By the way, I drove by there tonight, and noticed a restaurant that I'd never seen before (same side of Glebe as SER, Cheesetique, etc.) - it must have recently opened.

[Lobozooma]

There is a new Philippine Style restaurant in the old Green Turtle spot. I had a quick lunch there last week with a client. Bistro 1521 I believe. 

[DonRocks]

On 12/5/2017 at 12:22 PM, Lobozooma said:

There is a new Philippine Style restaurant in the old Green Turtle spot. I had a quick lunch there last week with a client. Bistro 1521 I believe. 

That's not the one I'm thinking of - Bistro 1521 is "okay," but not terribly authentic. 

[hopsing]

Stageplate Bistro?  Where the old Il Forno used to be?  I've only been to happy hour there.  They have a nice red (7 moons blend) for $5 along with a white, rose, and beers.  One happy hour companion said she had been there for lunch with a group of people and everybody enjoyed their meals.

http://www.stageplatebistroarlington.com/

[DonRocks]

14 hours ago, hopsing said:

Stageplate Bistro?  Where the old Il Forno used to be? 

Yes! That's it. I looked while driving by, and only noticed it during a passing glance.

BTW, there's a new Japanese restaurant in the shopping center at S. Glebe and Columbia Pike, the strip mall where one of the two original Five Guys was (the other having been in a now-destroyed shopping center on Route 7 near Bailey's Crossroads - I never have been sure which of those two was first). Anyway, their Grand Opening sign has has horrible font and coloring - I've seen it numerous times, and can't quite make out the name - the sign is bright green with white letters, and looks temporary - if you're driving by, you can't miss it; you also can't read it.

On 12/5/2017 at 12:22 PM, Lobozooma said:

There is a new Philippine Style restaurant in the old Green Turtle spot. I had a quick lunch there last week with a client. Bistro 1521 I believe. 

Pro Tip: There's a surprisingly good Filipino restaurant on the north side of Route 50, east of Seven Corners, called Fairfax Inn (blue sign on the bottom floor of an office building) - it has been there for awhile, and is open for breakfast (the first time you go, try the Tapsilog - a portmanteau of Marinated Beef (TAPa), Garlic Fried Rice (SInangag), and Fried Egg (itLOG). It's a simple, very common meal, but is tasty and satisfying.

[Mark Slater]

I still fondly remember the Golden Booeymonger in the Fraser Mansion at 20th & R St. The crown moulding in the  very elegant main room was painted in psychedelic colors. It was after the Golden Parrot and before the French restaurant called Four Ways Inn. I ate my first alfalfa srpouts there.

[dracisk]

1 hour ago, Mark Slater said:

Fraser Mansion at 20th & R St

Wow. I know that only as the Scientology building.

[DaveO]

2 hours ago, Mark Slater said:

I still fondly remember the Golden Booeymonger in the Fraser Mansion at 20th & R St. The crown moulding in the  very elegant main room was painted in psychedelic colors. It was after the Golden Parrot and before the French restaurant called Four Ways Inn. I ate my first alfalfa srpouts there.

I also recall it fondly.  Methinks you and I are relatively ancient. Alfalfa sprouts (back then), psychedelic colors, etc.  The original founders were sort of freaky.  They knew/were friendly with one of the cousins of my ex and named a sandwich after him.  He was/probably still is a spiritualish/sort of hippyish kind of person (really nice) and the sandwich was named the GuRubin.  Loyalty/friendship got me to order it a good bit;  quality-meh. 

I have no idea if the founders are still involved now though I did see one of them at one of the Booeymongers a few years ago.  The Booeymonger certainly has had a lot of staying power in general though the one in Dupont in that large building didn't last too long.

[JBag57]

16 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Pro Tip: There's a surprisingly good Filipino restaurant on the north side of Route 50, east of Seven Corners, called Fairfax Inn (blue sign on the bottom floor of an office building) - it has been there for awhile, and is open for breakfast (the first time you go, try the Tapsilog - a portmanteau of Marinated Beef (TAPa), Garlic Fried Rice (SInangag), and Fried Egg (itLOG). It's a simple, very common meal, but is tasty and satisfying.

The stated location, while not inaccurate, is a little misleading.  Fairfax Inn is north of Rt. 50, but not really on the "North side" of Rt. 50, in the sense that might make one think it is along the Rt. 50 service road.  It can be reached by taking the ramp leading to Rt. 7 from eastbound Rt. 50, and turning right on Sleepy Hollow road at the top of the ramp, just before taking a right on Rt. 7.  It is in a medical building immediately on the right once you have turned on to Sleepy Hollow Rd.  One can also get there by taking that same Rt. 50 ramp, and, prior to reaching the top, taking a right onto Seven Corners Place, which services a row of townhouse-style offices, and continuing past those offices up to Sleepy Hollow Road (you will be at the back side of the medical building that houses Fairfax Inn).

I only go into this much detail because it is worth seeking out for lunch or breakfast if you are in the general vicinity.  Quite a ways back, I worked in one of those townhouse offices, and used to do lunch af Fairfax Inn occasionally.

[Mark Slater]

1 hour ago, DaveO said:

I also recall it fondly.  Methinks you and I are relatively ancient. Alfalfa sprouts (back then), psychedelic colors, etc.  The original founders were sort of freaky.  They knew/were friendly with one of the cousins of my ex and named a sandwich after him.  He was/probably still is a spiritualish/sort of hippyish kind of person (really nice) and the sandwich was named the GuRubin.  Loyalty/friendship got me to order it a good bit;  quality-meh. 

I have no idea if the founders are still involved now though I did see one of them at one of the Booeymongers a few years ago.  The Booeymonger certainly has had a lot of staying power in general though the one in Dupont in that large building didn't last too long.

Ancient? I qualify. An article I read said the Golden Booeymonger was responsible for bankrupting the company back then in the early 80's. There is a rumor that there is a ghost on the third floor. I had friends who worked there and confirmed it.

[dcs]

End of an Era: Booeymonger Closes, by Robert Devaney, April 10, 2023, on georgetowner.com.

[hopsing]

Booeymonger at Ballston is closing or has closed to be replaced by a Nepalese restaurant.  Booeymonger Ballston couldn't survive with the empty office buildings.

https://www.arlnow.com/2023/12/05/new-nepalese-restaurant-in-ballston-appears-to-be-replacing-the-last-remaining-booeymonger/

[DonRocks]

On 12/16/2023 at 2:44 PM, hopsing said:

Booeymonger at Ballston is closing or has closed to be replaced by a Nepalese restaurant.  Booeymonger Ballston couldn't survive with the empty office buildings.

https://www.arlnow.com/2023/12/05/new-nepalese-restaurant-in-ballston-appears-to-be-replacing-the-last-remaining-booeymonger/

I first went to the Georgetown Booeymonger in the late 1970s. It has always been just awful, and honestly, I don’t see how it lasted fifty years (at 2 AM, it was either this or Georgetown Diner which at least served omelettes).

Nevertheless, it makes the list of Oldest Restaurants in the Washington, DC Area.

[zgast]

On 12/17/2023 at 5:41 PM, DonRocks said:

It has always been just awful, and honestly, I don’t see how it lasted fifty years (at 2 AM, it was either this or Georgetown Diner which at least served omelettes).

With all due respect @DonRocks, yeah you do.  You said why. Also, not carding anyone before 2 am helped.