Rock Bottom

With the limited sports bar options in the DC area, it can be hard to find a place to grab a pizza and watch a non-local game.  Rock Bottom provides both with affordable, local brews.  There was a time when service could potentially be sketchy and/or terrible, but things have seemed to pick up since then, and I'm overall satisfied with the service on most visits.  If I wanted to a nice, cool, modern atmosphere with great food, I would probably have to look elsewhere; but for what it is - a place to watch my teams with a delicious little pizza - it serves it's purpose and I can't complain.

In the end, it's just a chain brewpub.

Stopped by here looking for a decent dinner and mostly expecting what I was going to get. As it turned out my expectations were right. I sat at the bar and was a bit put off by the fact that it was sticky. I guess side work is a bit of an issue here.

The bartender was friendly enough and let me try the cask IPA they had. And, as with most Rock Bottom beers, it didn't do much of anything to impress me. I went with the regular IPA, which was good enough.

As for dinner, I did the salad (basic bar salad - exactly what I was expecting), and the salmon (which was a step above what I was expecting, but still mostly just a chain piece of fish with overdone veggies and rice).

I came in with relatively low expectations - I just wanted something simple - and that was exactly what I got.

There are better options in the area. But if you just want simple, this will do.

Rock Bottom deserves more of a 2.5 overall.  The service leaves a little to be desired - our server did not know she had a couple of people sitting at one of her tables.  We stopped in for a quick snack before hitting the ice rink upstairs.  The chicken mac was really good and cheesy, but the sliders were nothing special.  It was fine, but the chicken mac was way better.  I can't even remember our cocktails.  I know I asked for one of their pineapple cocktails, but they had run out of pineapple juice and the bartender decided to sub in grapefruit juice.  It was all ok.

This place isn't necessarily my first, second or third choice, SO, if all else fails, and I'm in the area, I might stop in for happy hour.

This bar is in a prime location, so I don't see them hurting for business no matter what they have or don't have.