While traveling for a conference my friend & I had dinner here. Â We were seated & waited on immediately. Â It was a very diverse menu with lots of variety. My Caesar salad was about average but my ny strip steak & mash potatoes were delicious. My friend had the bean salad as a side & said it was fresh & unique. Overall a great experience.
Review Source:You would think a chain like Houlihan's would be just fine. Â But - I LOVE this place! Â The service at the bar is incredible, they are friendly, attentive servers who always are looking out for all of the customers, no matter how busy it gets. Â These guys are awesome!
The food is very delicious as well. Â Whenever we go, for lunch or happy hour, there is plenty of tasty options to choose from, the food always comes out hot, and always tastes great.
The servers in the restaurant are always great as well - timely, efficient and happy. Â This place is definitely a regular for me now.
I first discovered this restaurant because of a bartender I heard was there and then to my surprise I discovered that the entire staff are awesome, professional and personable. Also in turn the food is great! Â It's the perfect set up for afterwork gatherings and special company luncheons and dinners. Â They are often able to accommodate sudden office functions with little notice. Â Plus, the best chicken fingers between Herndon and Reston, flavored, tender and generous. Great with a well deserved Cosmo. Â
Check it out!
What a fantastic joint for after-work get-togethers. Â Â See Bobby K's review for a more in depth analysis. Â It's always lively, the service is usually great, the food is good, and there's plenty of space to hang out in. Â It's easy to get to from any direction and there is plenty of parking. Â Though I've witnessed plenty of shennanigans here, the best times I've had here are with my wife and good friends enjoying each others' company. Â Though it's a haul from DC, when the boss is in town we often find ourselves here swapping stories which is perfect at Houlihans. Â
The Thai chicken wings are fantastic - very large, lots of soy sauce and sweet pepper, makes for a great taste. Â Presentation is always good here. Â The buffalo chicken salad is also decent, though be prepared, the blue cheese they serve is actual blue cheese in it's brie-like form, which I love but some may not be used to. Â The servers, like most places, vary - so we've found that althought generally good, there's been a few times when it's really fallen off - some are great, some not so good. Â The food can be very slow coming out of the kitchen - they want you to stay obviously. Â
The friendly, warm atmosphere and many good points overcomes the occasionally bad service - I like it here and will continue after-work socials there.
Unsuspecting hotel restaurant/bar that gives great service at the bar area, solid food menu that offers surprising quality and the best Long Islands around....actually, the best I've ever had. Test them.
I have been here several times and not so much as late but after my last two visits I will be returning to a habit I had left a few years ago. Â The Herndon Houlihan's gives a happy vibe for happy hour and the three server/bartenders keep their side of the house with all smiles.
Happy hour offers 1/2 price app specials except for 2 seafood items but there is plenty to tickle your fancy. Tai Chicken Wings, Beef Sliders, Spinach Dip are my usual rotation. The Spinach Dip is presented extremely well and is playful, fun and inviting...go see what I mean. The dip itself is not the best I've had but I do enjoy it.
Recently had my try at one of their burgers. The server recommended I up-size to the 10oz portion, good point! Â 100% Angus Beef, the burger was seasoned well and solid. I asked for medium temp and it came out for sure a well done burger but still moist so I will give them a neck-turn on this one visit.
I also like their Stuffed Chicken Breast and Rustic Tomato Soup. Soup is NOT my thing and even worse Tomato but this one is an exception to the rule and has brought me back to ordering soup once a month. It is rich, thick and served with Grilled Cheese Fritters! Sorry, mom Campbell's Tomato and Pan Fried Grilled Cheese should have been kicked up a step in my early years :-).
The Long Island Iced Tea here is phenomenal! Â It's like they have this secret hearty syrup that the sneak in the glass and 5 liquor drink is slick as ice and smooth as a babies butt. Note, I said smooth as a baby's butt not that it tastes like one! They have perfected the execution of this drink with quality liquors, ingredients and a BALANCE of great taste that will heat you up quickly!
Now that the nice weather is here you can make good use of the cozy outside patio. Sit down and chill with a Long Island and some friends!
I have been to other locations with the Houlihan's trademark but this one stands out for their drink recipes and excellent service.
4.5 stars. Â Why was it empty on a Saturday night?
I usually don't review this type of restaurant, but it was surprisingly good . Â I was expecting mediocre "American Tap Room" fare, but I guess being in business a few years has its advantages.
Shared appetizers were fried asparagus and stuffed mushroooms. Â Even the non-veggie lovers went wild for the fried asparagus. Â Its nothing I would have ever considered ordering, but the table ordered it and I was glad. Â I don't live near a Houlihans, so I'm going to have to try to replicate it at home. Â The stuffed mushrooms were also a hit. Â Juicy and flavorful...but not really stuffed mushrooms. Â More like breaded & fried mushrooms, but I would definitely order them again.
I wasn't hungry enough for an entree (possibly a good thing too, as the only vegetarian options were grilled cheese or a veggie burger...they definitely could use a pasta or other choice on there; grilled cheese and veggie burgers are diner fare to me). Â The tuscan bean salad was too heavy on the balsamic vinegar. Â It was drowning in it. Â There was what tasted like vanilla or date balsamic along the edge of the plate...more of that please, and less of the acidic stuff. Â The tomato soup = wow. Â And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, I found 2 fried cheese balls in the soup. Â My mouth is watering now just thinking about them. Â The Key Lime Pie martini was just a tad disappointing, as it pretty much just tasted like lime, not so much like the pie. Â Dessert menu needs some sprucing up, pretty much just carrot cake and ice cream. Â Food was a tad slow coming out, but server was gracious and efficient.
I'm just trying to figure out why it was less than 50% full on a Saturday night. Â Even the bar only had about 4 patrons. Â I'm not familiar with this area, maybe nobody lives there and its more for travelers (since it is attached to a hotel)? Â I've been to the Houlihans in Columbia MD once (on a Sat nite) and it was jammed packed. Â Weird. Â I would tolerate a short wait to eat here, if I'm ever in the area again.
Had another great meal at Houlihans this past week! The food is great! I typilcally just double (or triple) up appitizers for dinner. LOVE the spicy shrimp, Tuscan bean salad and chicken tortilla soup! The thai wings are to die for as well! Â Service is fast and most of the staff is awesome! What makes this place a 5 star is the fabulous service! Eddie (one of the managers) and Victor (a bartender) are amazing! They know my name, what I eat and drink and make sure everything is to order. Â They are both friendly, courteous and seem to know what I want before I do :-). This makes a difference and will keep me as a long time customer (as long as those two are there)!
Review Source:What is with this trend of restaurants that make amazing appetizers, but then fail miserably on the main courses? Â That seems to be the only type of places I'm finding these days. Â Houlihan's is no exception.
We started our meal with an amazing spinach dip that was served on what looked like freshly made pizza wedges of crackers. Â It was spectacular, and had my evening started and stopped with this I would have gladly given them five stars.
The main course section of the menu isn't all that appealing. Â While they have several options available, the restaurant unfortunately suffers from lack of theme or specialization. Â They have a subpar offering of a little bit of everything as opposed to simply focus on staking a claim for themselves as the place to go to for (insert specialized food here - fish, steak, burgers, pasta, etc.)
To keep things simple, my friend and I ordered burgers. Â For starters, they were out of American cheese. Â How any restaurant can be out of the most standardize form of cheese on the market was beyond me. Â That's like going to a restaurant and being told, "We're out of ketchup." Â It just shouldn't happen.
The burgers were very unappetizing due to the excessive amount of grease, and the fries were just awful. Â I ate about 1/2 my burger because I was simply hungry, while my friend only ate about three bites of hers. Â When I caught site of the manager clearing a table next to me, I said, "Can you take this away from me? Â I just don't want this."
He did show concern for our dislike of the meals, and in addition to giving us a five dollar gift card (which we obviously won't be back to use) also comped us one burger. Â He said he checked with the kitchen staff, asking them, "What are we doing different?" Â I felt like saying, "Maybe you're not doing anything different. Â Maybe your burgers have always just been greasy and nasty." Â Instead I thanked him for comping the meal, the gift card, and for being proactive. Â I also informed him that the appetizer was very delicious.
Houlihan's will definitely be crossed off my list of repeat places to go. Â For the price paid (approximately twenty to twenty-five dollars per person) I just expected a little more. Â Unfortunately this place is just an expensive Applebees.
After traveling all day, I was glad to have a restaurant at the hotel. Â We do not have Houlihan's where I live, so I didn't know what to expect.
I ordered the Chile lime shrimp, with a loaded baked potato, salad with balsamic vinegarette, and a margarita. Â I was surprised that the margarita was so large. Â It is twice as large as many restaurants we go to at home. Â The balsamic was very good with the salad. Â I was very happy with the shrimp and baked potato. Â They were cooked perfectly, and would highly recommend and order again. Â I am in town for 5 days and plan to eat there again.
The service was ok. Â When traveling, and dining alone I don't like to be bothered anyways. Â The issue I had, was when I was finished, I waited almost 10 minutes to get my bill.
I was in for the breakfast buffet Sunday morning at 10am, brought some guests from out of town thinking the food would be in the likes of their dinner, BUT it wasn't.
The breakfast buffet line up. Â You get in line and open up the buffet dishes...
Their eggs were a mix between done and undone, dry, and smelly. Â Next, their bacon were hard and old. Â Their sausage were nasty, you chew and chew, hoping you can just swallow and make it go away so you wouldn't have to spit it back up. Â Now to the pancakes...rubber, hard and dry, just rubber. Â They have danish, yogurt, milk, cereal, bagels, bread, and fruit. Â Their danish were chewy as well. Â Yoplait yogurt, can't go bad. Â We had yogurt and bananas and coffee. Â We didn't want to go back for anymore food. Â I wouldn't want to feed my dog this type of food! Â
So if you're in the area, stay clear of their breakfast. Â It's just crazy~ Â they should throw it all away and not serve breakfast. Â Our bill came to about $70 for yogurt and bananas. Â I wouldn't touch the buffet with a ten foot pole.
I like Houlihan's. Â Even though it's attached to a hotel, the food was surprisingly good. Â My husband and I both ordered chicken with mashed potatoes and a yummy kiwi salad. Â The meal was flavorful and we both were pleased. Â It exceeded our expectations. Â Houlihans also has a pretty cool email club that will send you a free meal on your birthday, and that's why we decided to give this place a try in the first place. Â Be sure to sign up!
Review Source:Hanging off the side of a hotel is usually a dead give away that a restaurant is going to be total garbage - they basically have a captive audience or rotating chuds that are going to stop in when they roll through town, and since they are just visiting, they don't have time to tell anyone that a restaurant was awful - and they don't know anyone in the area to warn them, people keep shuffling through the doors. Usually, these parasitic growths just subsist like this, without even bothering to make anything good.
Usually.
Houlihans shirks the rule a bit. The food is good, it's very clean and has some nice furniture inside, and the menu is pretty inventive....all of the dishes I tried weren't terrible.
Happy Hour was excellent - reasonable prices for large drinks.
I may or may not be back here - depending on how I travel - but if you are staying nearby, you don't have to worry about getting horribly shafted at another shitty hotel restaurant if you eat here.
I guess there is a reason most Houlihan's in the chain have shut down. Â The ambience decor is good but the food is subpar. Wait people are ok but it took eons to get a French Dip sandwich which came out tasting like fried balcony instead of roast beef. Frozen beef strips aren't roar beef.
Review Source:This Houlihan's is connected to the hotel next door, but it doesn't feel chintzy or downgraded because of that. The layout is nice, and I like the wooden furniture. The service is typically pretty good and attentive, though some waitstaff can get a little insistent on selling you menu items. This is a good place to for a lunch during the workweek, since service is fast and usually on point.
The food quality is actually good, and it looks like the cooks in the back actually care a bit about how their food looks and tastes. I'm basing this off of the lower-priced items, since I wouldn't go to Houlihan's to order steaks or seafood per se (though their calamari is not bad). If you're looking for modern American fare, this place is not too bad. Granted, it's a chain, so its menu options will be slightly generic, but it's a general crowd-pleaser.
We used to come here occasionally for home style cooking... Â I liked the meatloaf and fajitas. Â Tonight I was very disappointed, to the point where I wonder if maybe they have a new chef (or no chef). Â I ordered the pot roast and it was virtually inedible. Â First it was topped with what were supposed to be onion straws, but were soggy, greasy onions. The meat in the pot roast was pretty much inedible. Â Some was excessively fatty (not unexpected in pot roast); Â other pieces were tough and difficult to cut. Â I simply could not eat the dish, and won't be going back anytime soon. Â
I hate it when I have to cross a restaurant off my list of places to go.
This review is for takeout.
I ordered a blackbean and chickpea veggie burger and mashed potatoes. The veggie burger was extremely odd. Normally a blackbean type burger is made with smashed up blackbeans to create a patty. This version had whole blackbeans held together by rice and squishy chickpeas and some kind of pastey binding. It was very soft and fell apart instantly. It also had an disctinct asian flavor to it that was not indicated on the menu description. I suggest skipping this dish. Â
The side of mashed potatoes was the size of two helpings. They were delicious... and obviously very fattening.
Great choice to have as an Onsite restaurant IMO. Â Not everybody wants to enter an overpriced hotel joint where you stay and end up having to spend $100 for you and your wife to eat dinner. Â That gets old quick.
I'll give you Houlihans in a nutshell . . . it's better than the Fridays, Chilli's and AppleBees they compete with. Â Better food, better drinks . . . I wish South Florida had one. Â They serve their long islands in pitchers and offer different versions of the drink . . . Reasonable at $12.99 a pitcher and we got nearly 4 drinks out of it. Â The Burgers are good, the wings are good . . . I really can't complain, knowing the type of restaurant this is. Â I had their Buffalo chicken salad . . . man was that thing good and HUGE portions.
On top of all that, they allow you to use a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> gift certificate. Â So when you find them on sale for $2 . . . as long as you spend $35 at the restaurant, you will get $25 off (of course they add the 18% tip and tax . . . but good deal none the less). Â They also specialize in mini flights of martini's and desserts . . . which gives you the opportunity to try different flavors and desserts, mini versions if you are unsure of what you want. Â They have Happy Hour as well. Â You pretty much can get an appetizer, a pitcher of long islands, 2 burgers and a dessert . . . and spend 20 bucks with the gift certificate (with tax and tip included) . . . can u really beat that?
To top it off, we were given free breakfast at the hotel in the morning at Houlihans and it was a pleasant surprise. Â The bacon was cooked perfectly. Â Good selection of eggs, sausage, pancakes, fruit, bagels, OJ . . . all tasty and fresh, unlike many hotel breakfastes.
I didn't envision giving this place 4 stars, but if you put into perspective the type of restaurant this is, they do a good job of being that type of place and it never hurts to be reasonable on your pockets, especially when you are considered a "hotel" restaurant and you could easily overcharge. Â Gotta give props to them for that. Â Probably the only complaint is that they are a little limited from non hotel Houlihans . . . no Margarita ptichers . . . but good none the less.
My review counts only for the items I tried.
Starter:
Calamari - very bland and I have eaten better tasting calamari  at other cheaper restaurant.
Entrees:
Fish tacos - It tasted as if they have served the deep fried fish sold at Costco in the frozen section, added some tasteless salad toppings and wrapped in a taco. Worst fish taco I had so far.
Reuben Sandwich - Â When it arrived at our table I was very excited, it was too appealing. But with the very first bite I was disappointed, it's way too sweet for me and I love reuben, sorry not here though.
Dessert:
Chocolate Cappucino Cake - The cake was not fresh and I took only one bite and left the remaining. Presentation was deceiving.
Creme brulee - This is my favorite dessert and again not here though. There is a lot of burn smell on the layer.
Service: The only saving factor was the service. Our waiter was very attentive and soft spoken. She came to our table atleast 5 times to find out if we liked our food. She noticed that we have pretty much left everything in our plate, so charged us only half price.
Bottom line: If you want great service and avg. food this is the place to be.
It's strangely conservative compared to this sister store in Chicago. Maybe it's a Virginia thing?
The food was just ok. Â It's reliable.
Do the Martini flight. Â 3 different mini martinis for the price of 1. Â Me likes!
Grateful that they could accommodate a part of 11 that turned to 13. Arigato!
I can only speak for a few items on the menu. I refuse to venture into other things because I'm downright obsessed with the Tuna Salad. If you're feeling fat, go for the stuffed mushrooms - they're absolutely delightful. They're different, but a very good different. I've tried making them myself at home, but nothing can compare!
OK back to the tuna salad. I could write a book about them, but I'll spare you. Basically, just order it. But get the dressing that comes with thai wings. it's a lot yummier with a spicy bite to it. but get the banana dressing if you want, might cool it down a bit.
my friend and i refer to this place as our favorite watering hole, even though it's anything but rundown. it's clean, modern, and almost always has ample seating. our favorite bartenders, vic and craig, have our drinks ready for us as soon as we walk in the door. best of all? craig's got a new little johnny joke each time we see him. no matter how many jokes he tells, we can never see the punchline coming!
i've never had anything bad there, even though i'm not a huge fan of the calamari. the thai chicken wings are THE best wings i've had. i also love their bruschetta. it comes with some sort of goat cheese spread that is just fantastic. their happy hour specials are pretty decent too. maybe not the best out there, but for the quality of the food and the ambiance, it's worth it.
i rated this a 4-star because i love the food, ambiance, and bartenders. i've spent many a night there getting happily buzzed (including my 28th birthday where the granite countertop in the ladies room was especially cozy) and kept on coming back! i also love that since its a hotel bar, we've also been able to chat it up with many fun and/or sleazy characters.
however, the only reason i knocked it back from a 5 is because during lunch, the service is painfully slow. i don't go there for lunch often, but when i do, i have to count on it being about a 1.5 hour excursion, which is obviously not exactly kosher when your lunch break is technically only an hour.
however, other than slow daytime service, i love this place.
Conservative decor with pleasant staff and quick service. The place gets packed at lunch, but you can often find a spot at the bar, but don't expect a lot of conversation with the bar staff since they are covering nearby tables.
The lettuce wrap app is a great light lunch alternate; the onion soup could use more seasoning.
I had been to Houlihan's once before, to meet my husband for a quick lunch during the work week. Â The first time, I was not impressed.
I got an invite to meet to of my girlfriends for Sunday lunch, and was not expecting much in the way of food.
First when I arrived, I was surprised at how empty it was. Â We sat near the bar so the bartender was our server, and did an excellent job. Â He was prompt with our orders, drink refills, but left us alone to have our girl talk in between.
My two friends ordered mixed drinks from the bar which they said were delicious---they ended up ordering seconds. Â I had a strawberry fruit fusion iced tea, which was just ok.
Our appetizer was lettuce wraps, which were delicious! Â Much better than the thai restaurant that I usually order them from. Â The chicken was well seasoned and the wonton strips added a nice crispiness.
My friends ordered the fajitas and chili lime shrimp, which they both enjoyed. Â I ordered the fish and chips with fries, and was a little disappointed. Â The fish was bland and needed seasoning, even with a generous helping of ketchup. My fries were nice and crispy, but for what I got (two fillets, fries, and a small cup of coleslaw) I felt the meal was overpriced at $15.95.
Would I come here again? Â Probably, but only as a 2nd/3rd choice.
I have been to Houlihan's about 3 times. The first time I had chicken nachos that were so good I copied the basic recipe at home - everyone loves them. The second time I had the breakfast buffet. Pancakes a little dry,but otherwise pretty good selection and food was delicious.
Now my third time at Houlihan's was not so good. Sitting in the bar area it took what seemed like forever for someone to come and take my order. I got bottle water and chicken quesadilla. Pretty good, but I have had better many times before. Here's the problem. About 3-4 hours later I was very sick and threw up. I am guessing it was the quesadilla. I didn't really eat at all the next day and am not sure if I will ever go to Houlihan's again.
Why would anyone give a chain 5 stars...........Well!!!
I was trapped in what was called a state of emergency snow storm in Washington DC (Dulles area) this weekend. Coming from Michigan I didn't think it was a big deal and was a bit bummed my flight got cancelled until Monday. What I was really confused about was that every! EVERY! place around hotel and the city in general shut down on Saturday and Sunday. Are you kidding me? I guess I understand that if you aren't prepared for a big storm (I saw that 5 people died-yikes). Anway-it is what it is-right?
Houlihans however was open!~ The food seems to be a hybrid of chain/home cooking and they have a good beer selection. The rosemary grilled chicken breasts and Tuscan salad are great! The burger was pretty good, and the calamari appetizer with sriracha sauce is a darn good starter.
Staff is great and I eat here often out of convenience but I would eat here if it wasn't for that reason. Nice place to go!
Today a coworker and I came here for lunch. Â She claims this places is good, so off we went. Â I didn't check out the yelp reviews first because I'd like to try out a place first before I see what others think. Â
We arrived right at 11:30 and there were only a few tables that had customers. Â We were seated right away and our drink orders were taken. Â We both had water so it was a pretty easy order. We placed our orders, I ordered the Asian Chop Chop salad and my coworker ordered the calamari salad. Â They both arrived pretty fast, and I do have to say my salad was pretty tasty. Â My coworker like her dish as well.
The décor is nothing fancy, just looks like your basic chain type or restaurant and bar.  I guess they are trying to get a little trendy because they are using these funny shaped plates.  I did like how they plated my salad.  It came out on a triangle shaped plate.  The chopped salad was in the middle of the triangle, then they placed the Asian chicken on the sides, then the crunchy wonton crackers were on the top.  Pretty good a different.  The only complaint would be the portion size of the chicken.  While there were tons of Asian crackers and tons of salad, not much chicken, and I guess $11 just seems a tad high for the size.
The service was good, our server was always checking up on us. Â I guess since it restaurant was pretty bare, she had nothing better to do =) Â Overall I enjoyed this trip. Â I'd go again
Based on everybody elses reviews, I must be missing something =)
When i was looking for a table for a group of 15 for lunch on a Friday, Houlihan's was the first to come to my mind. They are well staffed and capable of handling that. Lunch was a success, the appetizer platter was yummy.
its a slalad, its a ppetizer, its an entree --- well its called Asian Chop Chop and its my favorite.
Honestly, this place is not very high up on my list. Â As a matter of fact, we go here primarly because it's close, it's cheap, and it's the best thing we can do in a pinch if we need to take folks out to lunch.
They do not accept reservations. Â Frequently you can find flies on the wall - that is if they're not already standing on your food. Â I don't understand the fly problem in here - it was particularly bad in the summer. Â However today, I should not have had a fly buzzing around my reuben sandwich.
Food will do in a pinch as I said before. Â I typically get the reuben - it's about the only thing I can eat without wanting to pass out in a food induced coma in my office. Â I'm not a fan of their salads - something just doesn't taste quite right. Â The fries are also inconsistent - today it was as if in a rush, they pulled them out of the frier about 40 seconds too early (yes folks, after two stints at the golden arches, I can tell you about how long fries have been cooked!).
Overall, I won't be clamoring to go back. Â But if work says to go, I'll go.
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