Old Glory, BBQ Smack Dab on Wisconsin and M Street NW in The Heart of Georgetown - Closed

[Mark Slater]

I stopped into Old Glory today for lunch for the first time in a long while. Normally loud and mobbed, it was peaceful and less loud today. I completely forgot how good and honest the food is. A big bowl of chili with all the extras and a sliced brisket sandwich hit the spot perfectly on this lousy, cold and rainy day. I had to stop myself from over-ordering because so many things looked appealing. Based on what I had, plus the pleasant and quick service, I'll be going back soon.

[DanCole42]

Hoo boy does that bring back college memories. The way they stamp the tables always made me jump, and the bathroom with the sliding door always creeped me out. A friend's eurotrash date got us kicked out once on a very busy night.

Do they still do the jalapeno corn muffins?

[Scott Johnston]

I used to be a regular there. I always thought the food was good, honest is a great word, and I liked that the food was pretty consistant. The bar was good, and I liked the little balconey that is open weather permitting. Back in the day, there were not many choices, and Old Glory seemed pretty good!

[demandalicious]

How crowded is Old Glory on a Friday evening around Happy Hour (5:30-ish).

Friends are I are looking for a pre-movie dinner spot that will be quick, cheap, close to the theatre, and not offensive to a person in our group who is very picky.

[DonRocks]

I have not ever had a reason to disparage J. Paul's... I don't think it is a good as Old Glory (which has the same ownership), but is better than Mr. Smith's and Johnny Rockets.

I had dinner at Old Glory last night. The Pit Wings ($8.95) were not as good as they were in the 1990s, but they were still acceptable, the generous portion bursting out of their large metal pail by virtue of the bottom part being filled with tortilla chips. The Pulled Pork Sandwich ($9.95) was fine, if dry and unexciting, and the Award Winning Lamb ($15.95) wasn't bad - I liked the charred, thin slices, but the lamb itself was ordinary at best, and the price is pushing it for a relatively small amount of meat. French fries here are standard-issue frozen - not worth getting except as filler - and the boring collard greens benefitted from a squirt of one of the vinegar-based sauces. They were out of Magic Hat #9, but an otherwise mediocre beer list was saved by a decent Widmer Hefeweizen. The sauces have less character than they used to - the variety is nice, but they're nothing special at all.

I've been to Old Glory many times over the years, but it had been awhile. Service is friendly, the food arrives rapidly (be careful to order your appetizers in advance of your entrees), and the downstairs vibe is as energetic and convivial as ever - they offer a limited late-night menu from 12-1 AM, and the bar stays open even beyond that.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[Mark Slater]

I had dinner at Old Glory last night. The Pit Wings ($8.95) were not as good as they were in the 1990s, but they were still acceptable, the generous portion bursting out of their large metal pail by virtue of the bottom part being filled with tortilla chips. The Pulled Pork Sandwich ($9.95) was fine, if dry and unexciting, and the Award Winning Lamb ($15.95) wasn't bad - I liked the charred, thin slices, but the lamb itself was ordinary at best, and the price is pushing it for a relatively small amount of meat. French fries here are standard-issue frozen - not worth getting except as filler - and the boring collard greens benefitted from a squirt of one of the vinegar-based sauces. They were out of Magic Hat #9, but an otherwise mediocre beer list was saved by a decent Widmer Hefeweizen. The sauces have less character than they used to - the variety is nice, but they're nothing special at all.

I've been to Old Glory many times over the years, but it had been awhile. Service is friendly, the food arrives rapidly (be careful to order your appetizers in advance of your entrees), and the downstairs vibe is as energetic and convivial as ever - they offer a limited late-night menu from 12-1 AM, and the bar stays open even beyond that.

Cheers,

Rocks.

Since OG is back in our lunch rotation, I can tell you from experience that the tastiest items are: the Pit Dog with chili, the chili with brisket, the Brunswick stew, the quesadilla with chili or brisket, the fried okra and the burger with (you guessed) chili and cheese.

[DonRocks]

I had dinner at Old Glory last night. The Pit Wings ($8.95) were not as good as they were in the 1990s, but they were still acceptable, the generous portion bursting out of their large metal pail by virtue of the bottom part being filled with tortilla chips. The Pulled Pork Sandwich ($9.95) was fine, if dry and unexciting, and the Award Winning Lamb ($15.95) wasn't bad - I liked the charred, thin slices, but the lamb itself was ordinary at best, and the price is pushing it for a relatively small amount of meat. French fries here are standard-issue frozen - not worth getting except as filler - and the boring collard greens benefitted from a squirt of one of the vinegar-based sauces. They were out of Magic Hat #9, but an otherwise mediocre beer list was saved by a decent Widmer Hefeweizen. The sauces have less character than they used to - the variety is nice, but they're nothing special at all.

I've been to Old Glory many times over the years, but it had been awhile. Service is friendly, the food arrives rapidly (be careful to order your appetizers in advance of your entrees), and the downstairs vibe is as energetic and convivial as ever - they offer a limited late-night menu from 12-1 AM, and the bar stays open even beyond that.

Cheers,

Rocks.

It had been almost a year since I'd been to Old Glory. Service is still super-friendly, and the place was full at 8:30 PM on a Friday night (not surprising), with about a fifteen-minute wait for a deuce, which we got right by the window on a perfect, 65-degree evening in Georgetown. Graceland Nachos ($8.95) were as expected - a big, oval plate mounded with chips, chili, onions, canned jalapenos, cheese, lame guacamole, an ice-cream scoop of sour cream, and pico de gallo. It was what it was, which was better than either the Hand Sliced Beef Brisket ($14.95) or the Pulled Smoked Pork ($12.95). The brisket, they say, is "smoked for 12 hours," but they didn't say when, or how - all I know is that this was the driest, most crumbly brisket I've had in memory, and that it could not have been saved by any of Old Glory's six sauces. The pulled pork was more enjoyable, but not by much, and only because it was pork. In terms of sides, (two sides come with each), the BBQ Red Beans and Mac & Cheese were passable, but the Hand Cut Fries were night-and-day better than I reported in my post above, and certainly not frozen.

Is it possible to enjoy a meal without liking the food? I sure did last night, but maybe that's because I had such wonderful company, my young dining companion being a cheap date and all that - plus, we were both ravenous after seeing Star Trek (me, attempting to cover his eyes while Kirk was bonking the green girl) and walking up the Wisconsin Avenue hill (me, pointing to my left and distracting his attention while we walked past Pleasure Place).

Cheers,

Rocks.

[hmmboy]

walking up the Wisconsin Avenue hill (me, pointing to my left and distracting his attention while we walked past Pleasure Place).

We have strong philosophical differences in child rearing. You should have pointed out your GF's favorite harness.

[DonRocks]

We have strong philosophical differences in child rearing. You should have pointed out your GF's favorite harness.

Like father, like son ... LIKE HELL!

Over my dead body, Bubba.

[agm]

Over five years since the last post - not a great sign. I'll be eating here at least once, and maybe a few more times, over the next few weeks. Has anyone tried it in the last couple of years? Is there anything worth eating? Or worth avoiding?

[DonRocks]

Over five years since the last post - not a great sign. I'll be eating here at least once, and maybe a few more times, over the next few weeks. Has anyone tried it in the last couple of years? Is there anything worth eating? Or worth avoiding?

It's the parking more than the food (it's for tourists more than locals), although I suspect you'll find the food has been been on a Red, Hot, & Blue-type slow decline over the past ten years. This place was good when it first opened up, but it has spent the last decade on autopilot.

[agm]

Eh, not bad. We tried the brisket, pulled pork and ribs. All were under seasoned. The brisket was moist and tender, and was fine after adding one of the various sauces. The ribs were also moist and reasonably textured, decent flavor. The pulled pork was dry, sauce made it edible but not good. Beans were very good. This is not great barbecue, but it's decent bar food.

[Pat]

Closed. Per Popville.

[Mark Dedrick]

When I first moved to DC just over 20 years ago we would go here frequently. To someone who at the time had never been to the American south I thought the barbecue was good, the atmosphere was fun, and Georgetown was one of just a couple of happening neighborhoods in DC for young people, so we'd meet friends and go out after. And it wasn't that expensive which was key because we didn't have much money at the time. The first five years we lived here this was also probably the restaurant we took guests to the most often. I suppose I'm sad that it's closing, although I also don't think I've been here in at least ten years. 

[DonRocks]

1 hour ago, Mark Dedrick said:

When I first moved to DC just over 20 years ago we would go here frequently.

I suppose I'm sad that it's closing, although I also don't think I've been here in at least ten years. 

I, too, went here fairly frequently - maybe 25-years ago. I thought the six sauces were great fun, and I always smiled when they STAMPED your paper tablecloth with their logo. I was here a couple of years ago, and I suspect my palate had gotten more discerning, but I still really enjoyed myself. I'm sad it has closed as well.

[DaveO]

1 hour ago, Mark Dedrick said:

When I first moved to DC just over 20 years ago we would go here frequently. To someone who at the time had never been to the American south I thought the barbecue was good, the atmosphere was fun, and Georgetown was one of just a couple of happening neighborhoods in DC for young people, so we'd meet friends and go out after. And it wasn't that expensive which was key because we didn't have much money at the time. The first five years we lived here this was also probably the restaurant we took guests to the most often. I suppose I'm sad that it's closing, although I also don't think I've been here in at least ten years. 

12 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

I, too, went here fairly frequently - maybe 25-years ago. I thought the six sauces were great fun, and I always smiled when they STAMPED your paper tablecloth with their logo. I was here a couple of years ago, and I suspect my palate had gotten more discerning, but I still really enjoyed myself. I'm sad it has closed as well.

Ditto for me back in the day.  Fun place.  Interesting phenomena.  Haven’t been there in ages though.  

[Mark Dedrick]

It was definitely a fun spot. Also, for the time, it had a solid beer list. Being from Oregon I had a bit of trouble drinking Rolling Rock when I moved back here, and I could do better at Old Glory. 

[DonRocks]

7 minutes ago, Mark Dedrick said:

It was definitely a fun spot. Also, for the time, it had a solid beer list. Being from Oregon I had a bit of trouble drinking Rolling Rock when I moved back here, and I could do better at Old Glory. 

Old Glory American Pale Ale was (at least recently) contract-brewed by Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company - I know The Tombs uses/used Budweiser American Ale, and J. Paul's uses Old Dominion.

There's your Georgetown-based, contract-brewed, custom-label, beer esoterica for the day.

[cheezepowder]

America Eats Tavern is taking over the space (via Washington City Paper).

[alexandria1]

My brother went to college in DC in a different restaurant era and this was his favorite place, so we went here whenever he was in town. Food was generally decent, although not up to the level of the newer BBQ places in the area. We saw Jared Jeffries and what was presumably his mother here a couple days after he signed his big contract with the Knicks and look what happened to his career after he could no longer come to Old Glory regularly.

[DonRocks]

4 hours ago, alexandria1 said:

My brother went to college in DC in a different restaurant era and this was his favorite place, so we went here whenever he was in town. Food was generally decent, although not up to the level of the newer BBQ places in the area. We saw Jared Jeffries and what was presumably his mother here a couple days after he signed his big contract with the Knicks and look what happened to his career after he could no longer come to Old Glory regularly.

This is hilarious. What *did* happen to his career? In terms of statistics, it looks like status quo, and that he drifted around a lot; in terms of money (scroll to the bottom of that link), it looks like he made himself a small fortune, and hopefully, he won't have to work again. Apparently, he's hosting some show now, going around the world and fishing, so it sounds like he has a pretty good life!

[DaveO]

12 hours ago, alexandria1 said:

My brother went to college in DC in a different restaurant era and this was his favorite place, so we went here whenever he was in town. Food was generally decent, although not up to the level of the newer BBQ places in the area. We saw Jared Jeffries and what was presumably his mother here a couple days after he signed his big contract with the Knicks and look what happened to his career after he could no longer come to Old Glory regularly.

8 hours ago, DonRocks said:

This is hilarious. What *did* happen to his career? In terms of statistics, it looks like status quo, and that he drifted around a lot; in terms of money (scroll to the bottom of that link), it looks like he made himself a small fortune, and hopefully, he won't have to work again. Apparently, he's hosting some show now, going around the world and fishing, so it sounds like he has a pretty good life!

It made me smile from a different perspective.  Evidently Georgetown restaurant/bars and Washington Wizards have a “thing”.  At an earlier period Juwan Howard and Chris Webber were notorious partiers at Houston’s Georgetown.  It was probably closed by the time Jeffries signed that contract: hence Old Glory and further hence that his NBA career was not as accomplished as that of Webber or Howard.  A further digression is that Jeffries played on the U of Indiana team that U Maryland beat for its only NCAA basketball championship

Howard and Webber start an eventful troubled evening at Houston’s

Back to food:  they both featured cue.

[DonRocks]

2 hours ago, DaveO said:

Back to food:  they both featured cue.

As does Bedrock Billiards!

[dcs]

A Georgetown bartender raises a toast to the Old Glory Bourbon Club, by John Kelly, March 12, 2018, on washingtonpost.com.

[DaveO]

3 hours ago, dcs said:

A Georgetown bartender raises a toast to the Old Glory Bourbon Club, by John Kelly, March 12, 2018, on washingtonpost.com.

Wow.  Between the above story and this story related to the closure of the Classics, they are odes to the emotional attachments of favorite restaurants.  Interesting sociology.