Whitlow's on U Street — Restaurant in Washington

Pick ups there have historically been fine but today (Saturday afternoon) the staff were rude at pick up. I had to go through a thick crowd of people who could not hear me saying "excuse me, excuse me" because of the ridiculously loud music and chatting. I had to tap customers in order to finally get to the bar area. I did not go to the far end of the bar as I typically do because it would mean minutes of yelling excuse me and tapping on people who may or may not mind being touched. I saw a woman busy at the computer/register and I didn't want to interrupt her but I also didn't want to delay the pick up order if no other worker would walk by soon. I said excuse me I'm doing an _ pick up. She said go to the far side (by the kitchen) and I asked if it could be brought to the counter where I was and she said give her a minute..the whole time she made a face like why are you bothering me (tense and kind of rolling her eyes). I said "okay" but I wasn't expecting her to do anything right that moment anyway since I saw she was busy. I just thought she could pass on word that _ arrived and someone would bring out the food pretty soon. Then a guy with a short beard walked over and said something to me like what can I get you and I said I was doing an __ pick up then he said go to the far end of the bar...again I said "Can someone just bring it here?" and he closed his eyes and shook his head then said something that sounded like "If you don't want to walk past a few people then okaaay." Attitude was really not necessary. It was more than just "a few people" and why would I struggle through a crowd even further when it would only take the staff behind the counter a couple of extra seconds to walk the order over to that part of the bar? They were being petty and rude - that's all. I was given the bag by the male after a few minutes and I said thank you and left.

There was a guy with a beard who asked to see my ID when walked in and he seemed unpleasant but maybe they are taught to act that way (no greeting+angry face)..he left me alone as soon as I said was just doing a pick up. I still offered to show ID after telling him that, just to make sure there was no problem, but he...

Ahhhh, Whitlows. If I were in my 20s I would be here all the time!! In classic NoVa fashion the bar is replete with people who are "DC5s" meaning they believe (and have once been told) they're 9s but aren't self aware enough yet.

If you want some beer really badly, they have some real bad beer. The bar can be a bit of a sh** show, but if you can actually sit down, you can get some decent service. All the food is 'reasonable' but it's not particularly good. Same with the beer. It tastes like it's been 2 years since they washed the tap lines, but whatevs, they have a clientele and clearly don't see the need to improve. Most beers taste like they've been strained through old brown socks, even the 'good' beers. I do like that's generally big enough that you don't feel overly crowded (except at the bar area). So if you want to yell a bit to be heard, have a few mediocre beers, and kinda be jostled... the bar is the place for you!

Other areas: The upstairs deck, in the summer, is a nice, if horribly overcrowded, option. Again, this is a 'quantity' not quality place. If you're a family man, kids eat free on Saturdays (double check me on the day). So you can actually eat and drink here for a reasonable price. My kids enjoyed it up until they were about 10 -- and then opted for other pastures and options -- so we don't go for dinner too often anymore. So my primary interaction is primarily meeting my younger co-workers...

Update* Extremely rude host here. The host won’t let you sit until your party is all present. My party took awhile to get present. But the time my party was available the tables were no longer available. There Are 6 tables on the patio open but they wouldn’t sit us as they didn’t have enough staff. The host were rude, wasted my time and I won’t come back here with a large group anymore. Too much drama here.

Past review -

Best prices in the Clarendon area for food and drinks. This restaurant has been here since I was a child. The weekend brunch is fantastic as they have a wonderful buffet with everything you could think of. I love the pancakes but also the crab legs! The food is great here in generally. The food is typical American food but you can't go wrong with whatever you order. The evenings, Whitlow's has a great bar scene. The rooftop bar is a great place to relax with friends. The staff is fast with drinks and the drinks are great prices. I enjoy the gin and tonics here, it's mostly gin so it's a great bang...