Let's just say... I was going to Union Jacks on Saturdays, they had like one good night where the DJ played some throwbacks.
But then  one night they denied a friend of mine from entering because his clothes made him looked like a "Thug."
If you're all for bar spots that racial profile then go for it but I will not be visiting this place nor suggesting friends of my to visit.
Free Trivia night...with awards....check
Great bartender who knows his drinks and has good service....check
Decent bar food....check
Decent selection of beer....check
Pool tables....check
Deer Hunter video game....oh heck yes.....
A perfectly good spot to enjoy a drink and pub fare. Â Not overly priced and pretty good happy hour specials.
The horrible bartender that DEMANDED tips on our friends birthday was the one with the piercing on her face above her lip. Horrible customer service AND the drinks tasted like crap.
The other bartender who is brown hair and black glasses is my favorite bartender. She remembered us from last time we came and we tipped her real nice. Especially since we used a coupon. I only go back for her!! And she actually knows how to make drinks and talk to customers!
I wanted to give 2 stars, but I'm much more dissatisfied than just "meh." Â It simply was not a good experience. Â I tried a couple of the draft beers, and they tasted very weak... like they were watered down. Â Is that a thing cheap bars do to save money? Â The Newcastle tasted like a Bud Light. Â I must say, the appetizer we ordered was pretty good.. but the real bummer came at the end of the night. Â When the waitress said she would "be right back" with the check, she never came back to the table. Â I finally asked the floor supervisor to find her for us, and when she came over, it was like I had never asked for the check. Â I wanted to ask for a discount because of the wait, but I really just wanted to get out of there. Â I have no desire to go back. Â But if you like nasty drinks, loud music, and shallow rich kids Instagramming each other's duckfaces, this is the place for you!
Review Source:I gave Union Jacks 4 stars because of the experience I had there for lunch yesterday. Â I have to tell you, their Fish & Chips is ON POINT! Â It was really delicious. Â I dont think the batter on the outside of that fish could be crunchier. Â The fiji apple slaw was delicious. Â The tartar sauce was even really good. Â I'm tellin' you, this was a no joke fish and chips. Â The best I've ever had. Â I cant wait to go there and try more food. Â
The restaurant was fairly empty when I walked it but got more and more crowded as I sat doing my work on my laptop. They have a half off their British Fare on Wednesdays from 11:30-4PM. Â Looking at their website, they have great food and drink specials on other days as well. Â
I'm not one to party it up with the younger crowd at Union Jacks on Friday and Saturday nights. Â But recently discovering all their food and drink specials on other days. Â You might see me over there more often. Â I mean, I'm telling you...their fish and chip= no joke. Â They also gave me a half of a lemon too squeeze over the enormous pieces of fish. Â The chips (french fries) are made British style as well. Â Can't wait to go back and try more!
Gotta love their  $1 Power Hour where all drinks are $1 (except for a couple of things which they so graciously have written on blackboards [EDIT]: forgot to write thurs/sats 10-11 pm!). Pretty awesome... dunno if it was just the night that I went but a couple of my drinks (such as gin and tonic) tasted a bit watered down. But I can't complain much when they're only a dollar!
The Jack nachos WERE DELICIOUS. For a extra price, you can add chicken or chili. So good, crispy chips, chicken, seasonings, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, etc. Pretty good. Only thing is that it can get pretty crowded and it's really my scene... but if you grab a couple of good friends, this is an okay place to chill on Thursdays/Fridays (go to their website and check out some of the other weekly specials).
2.75 so I guess round up to 3 stars. It's nice, brightly lit, and they occasionally have good music. I'll echo what other people say about the security staff - a little too rough around the edges but what can you expect when you see the vast majority of the weekend clientele are that they have to deal with.
I'd advise you to stick with beers or wine here, the shots are typically skimpy and not an entire jigger's worth of hard liquor.
Union Jack's is best before 10pm. It's less crowded, there are still good drink specials, and the clientele are a bit more laid back. Plus, you can get a pool table and not deal with a full bathroom and bathroom attendants (really?!) Come 10:30, you're kicked off a table in the bar area and bouncers start getting crazed about baseball hats.
Nachos are pretty decent for bar fare - two kinds of cheese and plenty of toppings + no naked chips. Lots of TVs as well for sports watching.
Not sure if the problem was with my waitress or the kitchen staff but either way with all the restaurants in Bethesda this place is probably to be avoided if you are looking for a good meal. Was served a drink in a reasonable amount of time but then sat down for 40-45 minutes without seeing my server again. Ended up talking to the manager before leaving the establishment hungry.
If you are looking for wing's you might check out Maggie's down the street. Ended up wandering into their bar. Better than Union Jack's and the food came in a reasonable time and the bartender ended up taking it upon himself to serve the food personally (even though we were in the table section).
I always have a great time when I go to Union Jacks. Â Parking is simple, there's a bar , dancefloor, pool tables, table service -- everything you need all in one spot. Â Sometimes getting a drink can take a while, and there is a $15 minimum on credit cards, but ATMs are nearby. Â There's more of a party atmosphere here than some other bars, while a larger dancefloor than most of the surrounding locations. Â
And the Bethesda Bopper isn't creepy! Â He's actually pretty friendly.
The service is god awful. The bouncers are real jerks for no apparent reason. When I called the next day to speak to the manager, he defended their conduct even though they were refusing to let me get my credit card (isn't that called theft?). I WILL NOT EVER COME BACK TO THIS PLACE AGAIN. If you do go there, do not open a tab no matter what you do.
Review Source:Union Jack's might be a treat for Bethesda, but when I compare it to the immense Buffalo Billiards in Dupont, it's more of a kid's bar. And then it also is, with a younger crowd and a small dance floor. The place has plenty of pool tables in the back, but could use another bar there. The dance floor bar is always annoying to get to since you have to traverse the floor of flailing adolescent arms and the main bar is simply just too crowded.
The one possible redeeming quality about Union Jack's is their Thursday specials. From 4 PM onward, they have $1 bottles of Miller Lite (I pretty much despise Miller, but for a buck it's hard to pass up) and between 10-11 PM, $1 will get you ANYTHING. Now that's a power hour. When I say anything, you know what I mean - beers and well-drinks so don't think you'll be getting top shelf that cheap, but still it's a pretty damn good deal.
So my suggestion is that if you're going to go to Union Jack's head there on a Thursday and maybe only on a Thursday. Have fun!
I came here for happy hour with three coworkers. I wish they had a happy hour menu, but they didn't, although their special that day was pretty good - BOGOF pizzas. We ordered the bbq chicken and the margharita, which were decently sized (just enough food for all of us). I also had a draft cider, which was pretty tasty. Overall, decent experience although nothing from this place stood out to me. I wish that they had sticky toffee pudding on the menu.
Review Source:Went here one night for dinner and i'll start by saying the decor of the place was adorable!
The waitress however left a lot to be desired.. While ordering drinks i asked for the Riesling on the menu and her response was "point to it" and "oh i didnt know we served that" WHAT?!?!? its a freaking wine, i didnt ask for it by name because they only had one Riesling on the menu.. how do you know know the type of wine the place you work in serves?? then Im pretty sure she forgot about us as I had to wave her down for the rest of the night to get anything to the table.
The only reason this place gets the three stars it gets is because I enjoyed my meal.. if it wasnt for that it would maybe get two  stars on a good day..
This bar sucks!!! Â Every time someone convinces me to go I think that perhaps this will be the time that it will be ok...but it never is. Â The service here is TERRIBLE and the servers and bartenders are really rude. Â I actually got up and left the last time I tried to go here for something to eat because the girl kept telling us she'd be "right with us" and then served a bunch of people that came in way later. Â If you go on a Friday or Saturday night, prepare to not be able to get a drink or really move around. Â It gets super crowded (I still can't figure out why) and, according to some of my female friends, groping runs rampant on the dance floor.
They will try to lure you in with their drink specials, which are actually really good on some nights, but don't be fooled my friends. Â You will just waste away the time not getting served. Â But if you decide to ignore the rest of my advice and go in when they have Beat the Clock beers or their $1 you-call-it Power Hour, pay attention to this...bring cash. Â They like to hold your credit card hostage with a minimum charge.
I don't know why I keep going back to this place. It's like every once in a while my boyfriend or myself or a friend is like, "Hey, let's just go to Union Jack's, maybe it'll be fun." It never is. Slower than pigeons, we are.
I've been here a few times late at night for the bar or the dance floor. An abundance of skeeziness. Food service is horrible. every. single. time. I've walked out before ordering anything before- not because I didn't want to, but because no one would take my order.
They have a few nights where they do a power hour thing- all drinks are $1 or something from 10-11. Maybe that'd be worth your while.
Showed up for one of their Thursday night cheap late night happy hour. Â $1 drinks. Â Sounds good, right? Â Nope. Â They took my card and then told me there was a $15 minimum to charge my card. Â Kind of sketchy.
The reason why I wanted to leave after 1 drink, despite how cheap it was, was the fact that the 1 drink took me 20 minutes to get, while I waded through a crowd of trashy college kids.
There are much better places to go for late night in Bethesda.
I think their wings are amazing!!!!!! Plump juicy BIG and like 6-8 pieces. If you get during 1/2 price app. nite......it is the boss!!!!!! Like only paid $4.50 for them.
I got the New Castle sauce and these bad boys were smothered in da flavor. Â Now get a few New Castles on tap and you are good to go!
Uh BILL? Is that you......we know you are a Miller Lite guy!!!!!!! :))))
I've been to this place a few times for reunions and meetings. When its not crowded its not so bad (or so good). When its crowded its well over capacity. Its amazing the fire marshal never shuts it down. Â I equate it to 495 during rush hour with more beer muscles. This would be a bar I expect to find in a college town.
Typical mixed crowd for the area. Typical expensive bethesda food and drinks.
The last time I was in there i had on a kilt; one of the bouncers made it a point to walk next to me and call me a "fag*ot". I'm twice the size of the bouncer but instead of making a big deal of it I made a complaint to the manager and emailed the bar but nothing was done of it nor did anyone respond or contact me.
The other UJ's in columbia is alot better. I woudn't reccomend this place unless you like crowded, drunk, rude people. Unless it was lunch and you get a decent server.
This review is highly rated solely because every other bar in Bethesda is damn awful.
If I had my choice of any bar, it would not be Union Jack's. It gets really damn crowded, there are a lot of girls I'd like to punch, and the bar is oddly shaped so either you can't get into the crevices to get a drink, or you're stuck in the crevices and cannot get out.
But... because Bethesda is the worst... this place fares pretty well. I have to say, some of the staff here are excellent... especially my favorite bartender - he is my hero and I miss you now that I am in NYC. I also really enjoy mucking it up with the bouncers, who are pretty personable and will remember you if you've been there often.
This place is awesome during happy hour, right after work. The drinks start at like 50 cents I think and go up every half hour. Well... this is how it was in '07/'08, so I am not sure if this is still their M.O... but that was cool. I highly recommend coming here for HH - the bar gets 5 stars at this time.
Just beware if you come on a Fri or Sat night. It gets insanely crowded... and it's a pretty spacious place considering the size of the other bars (I'm looking at you, Caddies) but you can barely move sometimes. My suggestion is to come here when it's not so crowded (i.e. HH), get to know the bartenders (may include losing some dignity by flirting shamelessly), and then grab their eye from afar. I will not give you the name of my lovely bartender because you cannot steal my moves... but he knows what I want and will get it for me regardless of how many people are in my way. That's the way to do this bar right. Otherwise... 3 stars.. so it averages 4.
I met my ex-boyfriend here.
Well technically, we stared each other down. Then I left. Then I ran into him on streets of DC two weeks later. He said he had gone back to Union Jack's twice looking for me since our stare down from across the room.
Unfortunately, he also ended up being a liar so this part of the review may be purely fictional.
Needless to say, Union Jack's is the kind of place that you should probably be drunk at to have a good time. I went through a phase a few years back when we came here every week because it was such a quick cab ride and we were in that shit show stage of life back then.
Now I'm a much more sophisticated drunk.
Anyway, the crowd skews pretty young and music skews very mainstream. The space is fairly large, but everything gets packed out on the weekends except for the space in the back with the pool tables. *Ahh, breathing room.*
The food is meh, but it's not a bad place to end up if you're drunk, rowdy and ready to jam to Bon Jovi after 12:30am.
Reason #83824672 why I will never return to Union Jack's "British Pub" even if I'm socially pressured by friends to come:
Aside from the cigarette smoke that seeped into the bar area, a girl spilled a red-headed slut shot down my back on the dance floor while I was wearing a white cardigan.
Seriously...never again.
No cover? Done. I tried out the place after hearing a few good reviews on it. Most of what I was told was true. Their drinks aren't watered down and their food wasn't bad. In college park, Maryland, there is at least a five dollar cover as well as entry based on the discretion of the so called bouncers. Here, the bouncers are really nice and the only real rules for entry is that you obey the dress code which pretty much only says no white tees and no backwards hat. Basically, dress as if you are going to a decent club or lounge.
The "Dirty Bong Water" ( a drink ) is phenomenal! Easily the best I've had. Their other drinks ( huge selections) are great too. Happy hour is really cheap and worth one's time for sure.
I used to be in a little local band. Ever since it was dissolved, I've been deprived of making awkward movements in crowded areas with loud music. I get my fix occasionally at the open bar wedding after-party here and there. And once in blue moon we head to Union Jack's.
Union is a decent location, for when we don't want to drive into the city just to have a night out. In all honesty I'm a boring suburbs guy, so I actually prefer staying out of DC when an alternative is present.
I don't think I've ever had food here. I guess drink pricing is decent for a bar/dance venue. On our last outing I found the larger bar near the entrance to be quite tough to get a drink from. The bar adjacent to the dance floor had a much better response time. You just have to find your way through the packed dance floor to get there. There is a manned "tub" of beer between the 2 bars, which is good if you just want beer and have cash on hand.
The interior is not chique in any way, nor does it try to be. A decent nightlife location in the 'burbs.
On a Sunday football afternoon, I thought this location should've been crowded. Â Space was available in every section so they seated us in front of a flat screen. Â Really, any spot was great since there were several flat screens throughout UJ. Â Also, the ESPN 980 crew was blasting their radio announcers during the Skins game. Â
Initially, we were wandering the streets for some comfort grub and stumbled in front of some dark windows. Â It displayed a menu which had familiar yummies. Â Missed the doors the first time so after making a u-bie (u-turn), we discovered the downstairs entrance. Â Imagine how dorky I felt when I realized that the entire place saw us reading the menu. Â Dark windows on the outside meant everyone had a show. Â I had a good laugh.
The menu had popular/familiar dishes with comical names. Â For example, the burgers had names like Full Monte, Ringo, George, Paul and John. Â The desserts included Strawberry Fields, Lady Godiva, Sherlock Holmes, Crown Jewel and Spotted Dick. Â Yikes.
The Full Monte medium rare burger, with no blue cheese crumbles, was what I craved for that afternoon. Â It also had bacon, lettuce, tomato and red onion. Â Steak fries accompanied this order. Â I finished this cow therefore it was good. Â Quite juicy and the bread didn't fall apart. Â
Pics are found in their business profile <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/union-jacks-british-pub-bethesda">http://www.yelp.com/biz/…</a>
For the turkey or veggie burger lovers, they will substitute at no additional charge - FYI... just specify. Â
Hubs was in the mood for Fish 'N Chips. Â Nothing out of the ordinary. Â 'Twas a large single piece of beer-battered cod filet, it was! Â I'm accustomed to seeing this dish with at least two pieces of fish. Â That last sentence was so Dr. Seuss....
I wore a stretchy denim which meant room for sweet stuff. Â He wanted to share so I reluctantly agreed. Â Good thing we did because I finished his fish but not his chips. Â The Crown Jewel was "a double fudge brownie topped with a generous scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, steaming hot fudge & caramel, whipped cream, sprinkled crushed M&M's and a Marichino cherry on the very top." Â I heart the copy/paste feature. Â
The service was friendly and quick. Â This 'pub w/grub' was not crowded during game time so the radio announcers from ESPN 980 were heard LOUD and CLEAR. Â The announcer's enthusiasm was comical when compared to the quiet afternoon audience.
Keep in mind this is a British themed restaurant/pub and they consider themselves to be a 'Mega-Pub' or a local 'One-Stop-Shop' for food and entertainment. Â A loose fusion of British with American eats.
I prefer blackfinn over here for watching games. Â My two laker friends wanted to watch the finals there, after I had watched the first quarter at Blackfinn's. Â The latter has a nicer TV setup and you don't have to strain yourself to watch the TV.
Service was pleasant at UJ's, however it was annoying to watch the game since the TVs were set up at a bad angle to watch it.
However, it is a funplace to be on Friday night...I found the 80's metal videos to be great fun to watch
Union Jack's will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first time the Yelp trivia team (as a whole, Craig and Barrie, as a whole!) won trivia. It was the perfect end to the year. Trivia was also Stump! trivia, which is every yelper's favorite, so that gets Union Jack's brownie points as well. I'll agree with Craig, though, by saying that this announcer was the least exciitng of everyone else I've met on the Stump! circuit.
Without all of this, I think Union Jack's would be a 3-star kind of place. It was spacious but the decor was awful. Especially at Christmas. I walked in, sat down, looked above me, and said "Wow. Men were definitely in charge of these decorations." No offense to men everywhere, but these were bad. Reeeeal bad. Our waiter greeted us promptly and, as I was stll nursing a bit of a hangover, brought me some water. After some hydration I perused the beer menu and wasn't totally wowed by the draft choices, especially for an English bar.
As Jim pointed out, the names for all the food is super-cutesy, which drives me crazy. I feel really stupid ordering "The Boy George" or "The Hugh Grant." I decided on "The Full Monte" (see how stupid this is?) which was a blue cheese burger. It was pretty tasty, but not the best I've had. There was some music being played in another room that was ridiculously loud, to the point that we couldn't hear the trivia announcer.
On a Tuesday night this place was far from packed, and I'm mystified by how/why it becomes so on the weekends. Although one of my former interns was a bartender here and she seemed like a pretty big slut, so take that for what you will.
Pros: Free WiFi! Â Half-priced appetizers during happy hour. Â Two dollar Corona and Miller Lite bottles during happy hour. Â Wide open seating. Â Stump! Trivia always makes for a great time. Â Billiards and darts. Â Three dollar Union Jack Ale after happy hour until the end of the night! Â Even though he was the only server for the whole place, he was able to get our food order out on time and it was all correct!
Cons: Â Two dollar Corona and Miller Lite bottles during happy hour. Â The seating area is a bit drafty on those cold, winter nights. Â The trivia MC didn't command your attention and thus, the game was a tad boring (on this night). Â There was only one server to wait the entire area throughout the night so we had to wait a bit for refills. Â Wasn't packed so it lacked that fiery competitiveness between trivia teams.
Other thoughts: Â Trivia got more and more awkward throughout the night as the trivia hostess was getting hit on between questions and at times, she had a ring of guys around her. Â Come on guys. Â You're only allowed to have six people to a team for trivia, but she let us win first place (without the prize) for bragging rights. Â I wasn't too impressed with the overall package that Union Jack's offered, but I wouldn't mind coming back for other trivia nights.
If you're ever in the Bethesda area and are looking for a chill atmosphere to play come darts or pool, grab some pizza and a beer, this is the place to go, well for the most part.
This was my second favorite "Where should we go to drink at lunchtime?" destination (terrible job), because the beers are pretty cheap (I'd recommend their own brew~ Union Jack Ale?). On weeknights it's usually pretty chill and with their game area is kind of separated so you're not bumping in to people or are constantly asking people to move to make your shot. And as other reviews mentioned, they're trivia night here is pretty entertaining.
I'd put a little warning out for coming here on the weekends though. It can get fairly crowded, and you might even want to call ahead because they host military balls and private parties from time to time, making it even worse.
Went here for Tuesday trivia, which was run well and enjoyable. There was a decent number of people there, but nothing close to packed. I hear the place is elbows to a-holes on the weekend, so be forewarned.
The menu is filled with various cutely-named items. I grabbed the Pink Floyd, a pizza with 'shrooms. **groan** It was quite delicious though! Big, liberally applied mushrooms on a soft, tasty dough. I promptly went through it like I'd just crawled out of the desert.
Server was attentive and even remembered my previous beer order, which is impressive for a 10-top. Good selection of beers that you'd expect at a British Pub.
Didn't have a chance to try them out, but there's about half a dozen pool tables in the back along with some dartboards.
Totally enjoyable place on the weekdays to grab a drink.
So, I have only been for here for happy hour and twice for a special fund raising event, but it's not as hoochy as others make it out to be. Â Maybe the weekend crowd is different, as when it was the meat market, Shark Club. Â The female bartenders are not prim and proper Brits; more of the Spice Girl type.
I don't know what Jen L. (Yes, she actually wrote something!) has against the setting.  I love the pub decor with hard wood interiors and flat screen TVs in the bar area.  The menu boasts lots of appetizers to choose from with a great selection for vegetarians.  The food has corny British names.  I shared the Pink Floyd pizza (loaded with 'shrooms) for $9.  It was very good, and not in a  "for bar food" kind of way, but very good in general.  Appetizer prices are cheaper than other pub-style places I've dined (Elephant & Castle).
Let's talk happy hour. Â Boddingtons are only $4.75 everyday! Â On Tuesdays all British pints are $3 and burgers are 1/2 priced. Â They have Stump! Trivia on Tuesday, which is a blast. On a recent night, our Yelp team took first place honors! Go Yelp! Thursdays are Beat the Clock Bud Light nights. Â $1 from 7-8pm, $1.50 from 8-9pm, $2 from 9-10pm etc... Â They have specials every day. Â And they do have a separate pool room with half price pool on some days.
There is a parking garage practically next door, but feed your meter accordingly (until 10pm if staying late). Â I've seen police cruising this lot several times!
Edit 12/19/07: Â It is not all British pints for $3 anymore, just the Union Jack pints, and only after 7pm according to our waiter. Â Also, all appetizers except the crab dip are 1/2 price from 4-7pm.
This sure makes Mackey's seem like an authentic Irish Pub. Certainly not much British about this place -- Bethesda really doesn't have a lot of great places for drinks -- or to play pool.....so I can't complain to much about the place -- but it does get crowed and can be tough to get a drink.
I have had the food and not something I would really seek out......still prefer this to Caddies in Bethesda.
Union Jacks is the meat market bar-slash-club for the suburban post-college crowd. If you are from MoCo and you don't go out in DC because it's too far or too much of a hassle but you want a decent crowd (in numbers) and a DJ - this is your place. Huge place with pool tables and a large bar area and dance floor with windows from the street make it very much a spectacle. This place gets super packed and it's hard to get a drink and walk around. I did enjoy the atmosphere for what it was worth because it reminds me of a cheesy college club or the beach bar in Ocean City.
I have never eaten here so I can't comment on the food but it doesn't seem like this place is really trying to go for the best food reputation. Clearly, this is a bar for the masses of horny, young and drunk. If you are looking for sophisticated, upscale and trendy look elsewhere.
This place is really big, and always has specials, making it ideal for lunch or dinner. Please try the zucchini sticks if you go here, they are so good! The sandwiches are named after famous British people like Mick Jagger and Margaret Thatcher -- they also have a pizza called the Ali G.
Overall, the atmosphere is very laid back. It's a great place to meet with friends after work, because they have so many appetizers. I would suggest getting a few and sharing. Happy hour is 4-7 every week night, and 4-8 on Friday nights. The burgers are ridiculously good, too though.
It's basically really good bar food, but with more options than your usual neighborhood pub. They have all the beers you would expect from a pub, including Guinness on tap. They have a fair selection of wines as well.
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