Thirsty Bernie Sports Bar & Grille

Im a huge fan of their Old Bay wings! The staff is always friendly and great service. Sometimes it is an odd crowd at the bar but overall a good place.

Tried this place several times. Very disappointing Loud expensive and bad food. If you want a sports bar this is for you otherwise stay away

We have become steady customers at Thirsty Bernie Sports Bar & Grill, specifically for the food. Service has tended to be spotty, sometimes good, often mediocre. This past Sunday evening, however, a new nadir was reached. Our continually absent server was certainly the main issue, compounded by the fact that my wife was not served half her dinner order. The place was only twenty-​five percent full, so being busy did not apply. Adding insult to injury, we simply could not find anyone to assist or even make eye contact. My conclusion is an absence of managerial oversight, no customer-​centric training for servers and an across-​the-​board staff attitude of «who cares, why bother.» We have eaten here at least thirty times in the past three years. Two things are consistent, yet incompatible: 1) The food is nearly always excellent — quality, freshness, portion size and presentation. 2) We have met a manager only once, when we had a rare food problem. No manager ever visits tables to check on the customer experience. No manager has ever introduced himself or herself, or said «thanks» on our way out the door. If the owners ever happen to be present, they similarly never circulate through the restaurant and introduce themselves to diners. Their loss! They could be receiving instant feedback, both pro and con, enabling some fine-​tuning and helping to identify the stars and slugs on their service staff. If you are OK with good food but frequently mediocre service, stop on by. If you do, the Weinerschnitzel, Salmon, Red Cabbage and Butternut Squash are outstanding menu regulars. I had to rate the restaurant at two stars because service and staff supervision are so badly sub-​par. I sincerely hope owners and managers take corrective steps. Maybe Redskins, Wizards, Caps and Nationals games are the only really necessary revenue and profit drivers at this place. That would be a true waste, because somebody sure can cook!

The food was ok, but the furniture is awful. They have bought chairs that tilt forward. By the end of dinner my butt really hurt. Several of us complained.

Gave it another shot. Couldn’t get a table, and left. There were open tables mind you, but they don’t have a host/​hostess, just whichever server thinks about seating people.
Also, not kid friendly. Have 4 standard tables. All the rest are bar tops, so unless you’re ok with your kid falling off barstools, it’s not good.

do NOT patronize — total disappointment. Used to be regular and nice place to meet friends. No longer. So called new management has perfect recipe for CLOSURE.

Soo much better with the new change of management.
Foods better, looks cleaner. And BY FAR nicer people.
Great move Thirsty Bernie. I ll start coming back!

The bad reviews are all on the money. This place is busy on weekends owing to them having little local competition. Service is just awful if you don’t know your server. I end up here too often because my kid has weekend activities nearby. I need to learn, since they have no reason to.
You won’t have much luck getting a server. The «regular» drink sizes seem pretty petite to me.
The food is quite mediocre.
The fanboy who raved about Eggs Benedict clearly doesn’t know the subject. Hollandaise sauce is over-​sour and the ham is sliced deli ham. Pretty lame.

If you’re not a regular, don’t bother. Went in to watch football on a Saturday afternoon, and ended up getting 1 refill (between two people) in 2 hours, and the channels on both TVs changed. We were clearly watching at least one of them.
Such a shame, because the waiter who sat us actually gave us great service, till his his shift ended.

I got to the bar at 6:50 and sat there for 15 minutes until a bartender actually showed up. They have a happy hour here until 7pm but because there was no bartender until 7:05, I didn’t get happy hour prices. My Peroni beer ended up costing $ 11 which is more than I’d pay in NYC.
Serving staff is slow and rude. I had vowed that I wouldn’t go here again (I was there a long time ago) and now I’m sure I won’t return. Go to Cowboy Café or to Metro 29 Diner on Lee highway (both within .25 miles) for better food, better service and better prices.

Ever sit down at an eatery and know in the first two minutes you’ve made a mistake? But then you spend the next five minutes debating with yourself and your party whether to leave? And then hunger or laziness or not wanting to perform the awkward slink-​away keeps you in your seat? Welcome to Thirsty Bernie. Now go somewhere else. Quickly. You won’t miss much and you can have a better experience for less money at plenty of places within two miles.
Yes, the old style Eurocentric menu is intriguing. But keep in mind that the original chef praised in the initial reviews has since left.
The prices are high for a neighborhood casual restaurant and a recession, although to be fair, the pastrami is good. Not great. Good. Decide for yourself if a burger should be $ 12. If you’ve been to Ray’s Hellburger in Arlington, the answer is a quick no. The wings, 12 for $ 10, were strictly average. Still, for something calling itself a sports bar and located in a strip mall, the beer is overpriced and cheaper entrees are few.
Service, as noted in previous reviews, is a big negative. Our waitress just didn’t seem like a professional one. Perhaps the owner’s wife? She got several things mixed up but didn’t seem concerned. And if you’re told that the young man at the table is celebrating his 11^th birthday, you might want to throw in a special something – a piece of cake if you’re generous like the diner across the street, a balloon or high-​five if you’re not. Anything. Just don’t ignore the fact that a family chose your place for a celebration. (OK, there was some fun interaction. The waitress had the time to discuss with the neighboring table her hair cut earlier in the day. And it was a nice doo.)
When the waitress disappeared a few times, we did have a bus person stop by with some of our order. Unfortunately we had a few questions and English was not her strength. That’s nothing against the employee but in that situation it says something about the employer.
Adding to the vibe of the evening was an older gentleman tripping over Bernie’s advertising sign for March Madness just outside the door. Thankfully a doctor was around and the man left after several long minutes on the sidewalk without needing an ambulance. And he was comped a bag of ice.
Thirsty Bernie seems to have found its niche, thriving on the North Arlington crowd that accepts a $ 12 burger and almost-​clueless service so long as there’s good parking for the Tahoe. And the parking IS good.
So when you start second-​guessing your decision two minutes after sitting down at Thirsty Bernie, your Honda will be only a few feet away.
Make a run for it.
One and a-​half stars if that were possible.

Food is surprisingly good. The staff is friendly and the parking is easy. Very kid friendly if you go at reasonable time. It is a bit pricey or it would be 5 star. Decent beer selection.

So I was up here on a Sunday night the bartender Rob I think his name was, was great. The wings were awesome. I would’ve given 5 stars but the the TV was blury almost 3d looking. Hoping it’s fixed by football season. Deff will go back for football and hockey hopefully the TV is fixed!

Decent food, service, and prices. Kids are welcomed, which is clutch for this neighborhood pub. Overall a standard sports bar/​grille kind of spot. Would definitely stop here to wait out traffic and grab a bite/​pint.

Place is good. I was in the are on business for a couple months and this turned into my local watering hole. Food is typical, if you want something with a little extra flavor go for the tacos (steak if they have them on the specials menu). It is a little pricey for what you’re getting, but hey, it is Arlington so everything is a little pricey for what you’re getting.
Staff was always friendly and did a great job.

The collective 3 Star this place is receiving is fair. Nothing special about the place. Went there on a Friday after work. The food is OK, a little noisy, child friendly and overpriced for what you’re getting. If you’re looking to be impressed in any way, then this is not the place!

The manger Lisa is very rude and the service was poor. I do not recommend. I would stay away from this place.

It’s absolutely amazing that this place is still in business with the attitudes of some of the servers and bartenders. Really — amazing.
I’ll share that I have been here a dozen or so times and usually not too bad. There’s a lady that works the bar on Monday and Tuesday nights who is really awesome. Unfortunately — she is either the owner or the only one who gives a damn.
I came in tonight and sat down at the bar to get a beer and a burger. I looked down the bar at a female bartender with a pony tail fixing a drink. She needed to open another bottle of booze and was standing right in front on me with a scowl on her face and never acknowledged I was alive. I continue to sit here waiting for a beer watching three guys hold the wall up with their asses. Some of them even look down here and see me waiting but don’t budge. Eventually someone else sits down next to me and the guy with the shaved head comes down and offers him a beer and asks what he needs. I threw a nasty look — like what the hell — and then he asks what I want. I ordered my beer and a menu. Got the beer, not the menu. The guy who sat next to me offered me his since he already decided.
I was asked what I wanted to eat, but at this point I’m just to mad to waste another penny here. It’s a shame, too, cause the food is actually pretty good for bar food. I’ve had multiple appetizers, burgers, wings, brunch, Reuben, and specials. All of it is usually well seasoned and tasty, served hot. None of that matters though when you’re treated like crap. Of to the Cowboy Café I’ll go as soon as my beer is done and I’ve paid the bill.
Final analysis — if I could give 0 stars I would. I live in the apartments next door and would rather drive somewhere else than spend another penny here. I could walk home drunk but I’d rather pay for a cab. When you drive by this place and think about stopping — keep driving. Save your money and time.
Try paying attention to your guests — that’s what we are!
One last nail in the coffin — once I finished my beer and finally got shaved head dude to come with the check and let me pay my bill — he dropped my credit card off and didn’t even say thanks.
Attention owners of TB: keep this crew working together and ignoring your customers and there won’t be any left!

Just had an amazing burger for half off (mon/​tues). The «Arlington Burger» hit the spot something fierce!

So I found myself up in the foreign land of Arlington, trying to inch my way up through a snarling traffic jam that is NOVA driving. We looked over and spotted a small oasis that looked perfect for a quick beer and restroom break. Yup, Thirsty Bernie was just what the traffic Gods ordered, but I must confess that my real reason for popping in here was that I was in desperate need of directions.
Although we didn’t eat here, I was impressed with how kind and on point everyone was behind the bar. Our bartender Virginia was very cool and I would have to give her an individual rating of five stars, for she even took the time to draw us a map to make our way back to Rt. 66.
The bar itself was very nice looking neighborhood bar, and I would certainly give Thirsty Bernie a higher rating, but as we didn’t eat here or stay longer, I just don’t feel feel right giving a higher rating. However, who knows, perhaps the NOVA traffic Gods will one day pull me into Thirsty Bernie for a longer layover, and I will be able to give it all a higher rating… But for now, with a very cold beer and friendly staff, you could do far worse, fellow traveler.