Granite City Food & Brewery

Granite City Food & Brewery is the perfect place if you’re looking for large comfort booth & table, TVs, quantity of beer and American bar food. Unfortunately their beer is more quantity than quality and the food is priced a bit too high for what they are.
Our waiter was great to give us a flight of all the beers they offer– however we didn’t like any of them, which is surprising consider the vast number that they offer. My oscar burger (burger with crabmeat) was underwhelming and the buns had too much butter on them.
It’s a great place to catch up with friends because of its comfortable seating and environment, but I’d pass on their beers and food and get their cocktails instead.

They say is quickly and the service was great. We were a party of 15 and the waiter didn’t miss a step. All our orders were correct, the water stayed full and overall it was a wonderful time. The food was very tasty and the atmosphere was casual and cool. I can’t wait to go back.
The Mac and cheese is really good. None of that tasteless yellow-​orange gloopy BS. It has super creamy, salty, cheesy, beer cheese and bacon!

My wife and I popped in for Happy Hour after our grand opening just up the block. Beer was great and their $ 5 food menu for happy hour is unreal. It should more than $ 5. Got the pepperoni flatbread, a safe and delicious choice. The chicken quesadilla, another safe choice, was also a great choice. What made it for me was the «sounds good but just in case I’ll get the flatbread.» Asian shrimp tacos… I am craving them and will be here tomorrow for round 2. Bartenders were also fantastic. Friendly, our drinks we’re always full and they were fast. 5 stars easily for Happy Hour, it’s a must.

Food was okay, beer was pretty good (esp for the prices), service was okay with some spotty moments.
Overall an okay experience but don’t expect anything special. We came for a birthday, they basically dropped a plate of dessert off without a word, thankfully someone at our table noticed and scrambled to sing in time.
(the plus is that the dessert was a fresh baked cookie pie with ice cream so can’t complain too much)

I went for a graduation brunch and it was super nice inside and not crowded at all. It took less than a minute for our party to be seated. We ordered spinach and artichoke dip for the appetizer and it was so delicious, the best I’ve ever had!!! I ordered a cabana cooler which was very refreshing and fruity. For an entrée I ordered the shrimp scampi and that was super yummy but I wasn’t able to eat it all. The rest of my family didn’t like their entrees which is why I’m only giving 4 stars, but other than that my experience was great!

Loved Granite City!
The beer selections were spot on. Loved the variety of beer flights to pick from, even a build your our flight! I customized my selections from «the dark side» excellent!
My wife and I stopped by for lunch on a Tuesday, loved the lunch specials menu. I chose the buffalo chicken wrap, not too spicy, excellent choice! My wife had the veggie wrap, also a good choice.
My favorite beer choice was the Bennie bock, I’ll definitely be back for more.
Service was quick, selection was decent, and they have growlers to go. This is my kind of place!
I’ll be back!!!

Came here for the late night happy hour from 9 – 1. The place was a bit disorganized with the staff not knowing which areas were considered the «happy hour» areas. REALLY??? Anywhoo… we managed to rangle two seats at the «legit» bar area. The server at the bar, Jasmine, was super pleasant and proceeded to take our orders as soon as we were ready. I ordered the juicy watermelon martini ($ 5) and hubby got a glass of «The Northern», one of the beers they brew in house. The martini came in a «regular» martini glass, not one of those mini martini glasses they tend to pull out for happy hour. It was so good. It came topped with a mini skewer of three watermelon balls separated by tiny leaves of mint. The drink packed quite a punch without the watermelon taste getting lost. My new favorite martini. The beer was comparable to a Miller or Bud light with a light amber color and served cold with a smooth taste.
We decided on ordering from the happy hour menu (with everything priced at $ 5) the chicken wings, pepperoni flatbread pizza and pulled pork nachos minus the sour cream and guac.
Our wings and nachos came in a decent amount of time, but the server said there was a small snafu with the pizza and it «wasn’t up to par». I’m impressed already. The wings were hot and had a great taste. They were not greasy and were not coated in a drippy sauce, which l liked. The nacho order looked like a regular price item, not a $ 5 happy hour deal. The chips were fresh and there was ample corn, salsa, black beans, cheese and pulled pork, which was drenched in the house BBQ sauce. So good! Our pizza finally came and it was sure worth the wait! The flatbread crust was SO thin and crispy, yet able to support that wonderful red sauce, cheese and pepperoni. The taste was great. I shared this, but would not have had a problem eating it all by myself.
After the seating situation, l admit that this will be one of our go to places when visiting National Harbor. It is definitely worth the wait to score a seat during happy hour (they also have an early one from 5 – 7, check the time to be sure). Check it out if you are in the area.

Just came to this place yesterday because my mom had a taste for their Caesar Salad. It was in the middle of the afternoon (6ish) and the Happy Hour crowd was out in full force, especially around the bar area. The restaurant itself looks quite beautiful with a contemporary almost rustic look to it, transparent openness, natural lighting, and it’s the base anchor of a beautiful luxury apartment building. If you like your restaurant setting very loud (as I do sometimes depending on my mood), you’ll definitely enjoy the ambiance of Granite City. They also make their own beer on the spot and there’s actually a brewery inside as well, and yes they do have tours :) The things that I didn’t like too much about GC were the fact that waiter service was kinda sporadic and as a result, we often waited 20+ minutes for drinks, food, and bill to be ordered but granted, it was a pretty busy day. Also, if you’re bringing children with you but mindful that when you sit at the booth-​like tables near the bar, the seats are somewhat cylinder-​like rolls and the seats do not extend like traditional seats. There’s a rail at the bottom for adults to rest their feet but for children who are 3 – 4 something feet tall, they made slide off several times from the seat if you’re not careful. Lucky this problem can be solved by simply moving the tables closer towards the child to prevent a fall.
Now with that outta the way, onwards to the food! First off, I ordered the beer selection but I decided to do the Build Your Own Flight option, where you can customize your flight with any four of the many tap beers GC crafts on the spot. I choose the Batch 1000, Duke, Northern, and Prairie Vixen. Btw, a lot of the drinks at GC (craft beers and cocktails) are fairly cheap, especially the craft beers (you would think you’re up in Philadelphia with those prices!).
As an appetizer, I got the Maryland Crab Soup which was a combination of shredded blue crab meat with tomato broth, corn, spring onions, and carrots. It was very good and it complimented one of my drinks too (it was the Northern, tastes like it would be amazing with some cream of crab soup and saltine crackers).
For my main course, I ordered the Oscar Burger (I ordered it well-​done) which was jumbo lump crab meat topped over the specialty GC burger along with Béarnaise sauce, Havarti cheese, asparagus, lettuce, tomato, onions, and pickles. Your side options are fries, cole slaw, or something else who’s name escapes me at the moment. Suffice it to say, my burger was very good and it tasted like they actually had it on a grill too. I wish there was a little more crab meat on it but that’s just me lol: D
Finally for dessert, me and my mom ordered two fresh vanilla bean crème brûlée and for my lil brother a cookie sundae. Both of them were quite good.
This is definitely a restaurant I can see myself patronizing again but probably during off-​peak hours… Then again, those Happy Hour deals are something else lol

Pretty average experience. Great happy hour deals (decent $ 5 food menu with normal portions and a wide drink selection) but not the most attentive or friendly staff. The happy hour pork nachos were delicious, and my boyfriend enjoyed the variety in his custom beer flight. Was worth a stop on a sunny day

I was in the area with friends for something this past weekend and we walked from the convention center to Granite City Food & Brewery because the reviews looked decent and the menu appealed to us.
We walked in and waited to be seated. There were at least 5 staff members standing up front, and I am literal when I say that they didn’t even look our direction. There was no one there waiting ahead of us, they just didn’t acknowledge us whatsoever. At some point, another girl came rushing up to the front and past everyone stating loudly «I just got fired!» She grabbed her items from behind the desk, and stated again that she was fired and stormed out. Everyone stood there talking about that, and STILL didn’t even look our way. At some point I saw a woman gesture at another that we were waiting and I heard her say, «I know.» As if she knew she knew we were being straight out ignored. FINALLY someone sat us and gave us menus. We sat and waited and waited– no one ever came by to take our drink order or to even tell us they’d be with us shortly.
While sitting there waiting I was able to look up the menu of another place and decide we were leaving. We got up after about 10 minutes of waiting, and left. No one asked if anything was okay, or acknowledged us leaving.
TERRIBLE customer service. Even if the food was amazing, I’d never go in there or recommend it to others. I think maybe that girl wasn’t the only one needing to be fired.

The food is really tasty

The maple bacon Flatbread was GREAT!!! THE bone in ribeye was awesome. I went with a large party and everyone was very happy with their meal. I didn’t get a picture of the Flatbread because it didn’t hang around long enough for me to take a picture. Can’t wait to go back.
The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is the wait for the food was lengthy.

Yummy. This place is great. Enjoy one of their homemade brews or try something off the wine list. They have plenty of drinks to choice from.
The food is also scrumptious. We enjoyed a flat bread pizza special that was to die for. I really wish we lived closer so I could have on a regular basis. We didn’t have one bad item on the night of our visit.

My group came here out of desperation. Nothing was open, and every location required that you were over 21. It sucked for the younger folks in my group, but us older ones came here. There were slim pickings for vegetarians on a diet, but I went with a grilled cheese with avocado. It was just OK for $ 12. Nothing to write home about. In fact, I barely remembered I had a grilled cheese. That’s how unremarkable this place was.
My friends ordered various meals that didn’t seem any better. Portions are generous though, so I guess there’s that?
The really disappointing part was how we were treated. We were neglected heavily by our server, and she was extremely rude when we didn’t respond immediately. She didn’t even try to help me select a vegetarian meal. When two from our table needed to leave, she gave us ALL our checks even though they closed at 1am and it was barely 12:15am. She began to rush us out despite the fact that we were pleasantly enjoying our beverages and chatting. It wasn’t particularly busy, and I feel like we had every right to chill after a meal. Right? Eventually she came back to me and asks, «Are you done?» I scrambled to get my cash out. I originally wanted to give her exact change so she could have her tip and go, and it would be easy. I didn’t have change though so I had to give a larger bill. The entire time I searched my wallet, she was huffing, puffing and angrily glaring at me. I am an anxious but respectful person, and this just made me fumble more. I’ve never been treated so poorly by a server, ESPECIALLY one I was really kind to.
My friends pointed out just how rude she was being, and none of us left a tip. This is something I’ve only done once before. For me to not tip means I was greatly mistreated, and the other ladies I was with have worked in the service industry and also ALWAYS tip generously. We were angry and upset by her rudeness that was most undeserved. I wouldn’t come back here if someone paid me to.

Good food and nice selection of drinks here. We had a bit of a wait but it was worth it for the nice place we were seated. The burgers were cooked well and they had a lot of options to choose from.

Came here Sunday afternoon. Our server was friendly and very fantastic. The food was good and if I had more of an appetite, I would have ordered more.
I ordered the mango habanero wings and it was spicy and sweet, and it very tasty. I will definitely be back and recommend.

0 stars –Management
3 stars –Food & Drinks
4 stars –Servers /​Bartenders
I sat at the bar Sunday afternoon for food and drinks. Waiting for my friend to arrive I ordered a city Cosmo which was regular.
While waiting a LARGE FRUIT FLY crossed me and I asked the server if she she’s the fly and she said YES SORRY. The manager had overheard and asked what he can do as another fruit fly is near him. I explained it should be fixed because his reason was the bar gets sticky? AKA WE DONT CLEAN IT UP WELL DAY TO DAY. Same time my friend walks in and we decide to move seats as he promised the kitchen was not the same issue.
Now seated we get Chedda Bacon burgers (last day before lent!) and they were really great. So we wrap up and she had desert to-​go. We pay and get the to go cheesecakes but the server said there are NO BAGS. We thought it was a joke until he explained they’re ONLY FOR PICK UP ORDERS? So customers who eat, drink and have food to go after paying and tipping great (bc our sever was good) CANNOT HAVE A BAG? He was serious and seemed helpless.
We were shocked a huge place like this could RUN OUT OF SUPPLIES especially bags on a Sunday afternoon. He felt Sorry and grabbed a manager. Then WOW here come the manager with a bag, but he did not easily give it up. He said we had an issue at the bar? /​NO THE RESTAURANT HAS AN ISSUE, A FRIUT FLY HEALTH CONCERN ISSUE /​and he tried to flip the lack of his bag supply on us.
We will not be returning!

Pretty nice addition to the National Harbor! I visited here on a Saturday night and surprisingly it wasn’t as crowded as I expected but it seemed like I lucked up because it got very busy soon after I was seated.
I ordered;
Asian Glazed Shrimp with Asparagus — The shrimp was a little overcooked. Asparagus was ok. The Asian Glaze was the best part and is what really made the dish.
Bison Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes and Brocollini — IMPRESSED! The ribs were fall off the bone tender, served over horseradish mashed potatoes and broccolini and topped with wild mushroom demi-​glacé. THIS WAS REALLY GOOD!
Grey Goose Strawberry Fields Martini — Sweet and delicious! I had a few of these! ;-) The strawberry purée was really good in this drink!
The prices are to be expected especially in this location. Customer service was good. Plenty of garage parking. Limited metered street parking. Perfect date night ambiance!
I didn’t partake but they have a pretty extensive beer menu (duh! it’s a brewery! lol) so be sure to check that out if that’s your thing. For those that do not care for beer, they have same nice house special cocktails, martinis, margaritas, etc.
Overall, I enjoyed my visit and looking forward to going back!

Let’s face it, National Harbor is pretty much a choice of chains. Couple that with a holiday (Christmas in our case) and dining choices go down even more. Which is why I chose to research ahead of time, look at menus and make reservations. Granite City fit the bill great for us for Christmas Eve. Fortunately we had those reservations because although it is a good-​size restaurant, they were doing quite the business!
We were given a comfy booth and a helpful and charming server. I enjoyed a glass of La Crema Chardonnay while Husband tried several brews before selecting one.
Menu has a nice variety, and walking around the restaurant I can tell you that everything I saw looked great. It was hard to decide what to try.
What we ended up with were both very good! Sirloin Steak with Mashed Taters and Green Beans for Husband, while I had the Cajun Pasta with Chicken and Sausage, Peppers & Onions… very tasty! And prices for National Harbor weren’t bad at all…$ 22 for the steak, around $ 16 for the pasta. We were both too full for dessert.
Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner experience here!

I normally hate chain restaurants, but if you’re at the National Harbor that’s pretty much all you’ll find. But, I can’t even hate… my meal at GC was absolutely delicious!
Make a reservation if you can because this place gets packed. After a 35 minute wait we were seated at a high top table near the bar, which was perfect so we could catch the Redskins game. The bar area is really nice! They have a large square bar with TVs and bar stools all around.
For drinks I ordered a Berry Cucumber Mule. I’ve been on a Moscow Mule kick lately and this one was excellent! My dad also ordered a Jack and Coke and he said that it came out very strong, so it was well worth the money.
For my meal I ordered the Rockfish tacos. I’m a fish taco fiend — as soon as I see them on a menu I has to has it. The best fish tacos I’ve ever had were in Mexico and they set a pretty high standard. But I have to say that GC’s fish tacos were a very close second! It came with huge chunks of fish that were ever so lightly battered and fried to perfection. The tacos also came with a corn salsa and a tomato salsa on the side and they made the tacos really flavorful. My brother and dad also had the Oscar burger and the Bedda Chedda Bacon burger and said they were tasty as well. And for dessert we opted for the 3 mini desserts. I was stuffed at this point but I couldn’t resist that brownie with ice cream.
Our server, Kristen, was awesome! She was very attentive to our needs and didn’t seem annoyed when we stayed a little longer than we should’ve because of the game. Most of the restaurants in the National Harbor are pretty mediocre, so it was nice to find a restaurant that can satisfy some picky eaters. I’ll be back!