JW & Friends Restaurant and Drivers Lounge

Went there for bloody Mary’s and brunch… service was terrible waitress after 10 minutes made our drinks while reaching in the olive jar and pulling them out by hand even so we would have stayed for brunch if we would have even been noticed after that

On a Unilocal post about $ 5 burgers on Mondays, I stopped in today to try it out. When I walked I, I was a bit taken back because the outside of the restaurant looks laid back but the inside had a stuffy atmosphere that was aiming for way more than casual dining. I had to walk through the lobby area to see if anyone was there and was greeted by an extremely rude bartender. I was told to just take a seat anywhere. Aside from a few people sitting at the bar, there were no other patrons. That should have been my clue. A man came out of the kitchen and told us where to sit. He didn’t come with menus or a kind attitude. I took a paper flyer with the specials on it and a menu. I opened my menu and it had food smeared inside… yuck. The burger special said it came with cheese and any other toppings would be .50 each extra. No mention of if it came with chips or fries so I assume those would be extra too. I had such an uneasy feeling with the rudeness that I left before ordering.
I WAS ACTUALLY CHASED BY THE ANGRY BARTENDER all the way to my car where she waited by my car door until I would tell her why I left. She said something about being too busy cleaning to help us. I truly felt threatened by her demeanor. It was like I had walked uninvited into someone’s house.
The whole thing was creepy. If you are looking for a sad and dark place to drink in the middle of the day, this is a good place. If you actually want lunch, go next door to Five Guys like I did! I won’t ever go here again and toss caution to those who do. If zero stars were an option, that is what they would get from me.

While I enjoyed the company and karaōke last night, my review is based on my dining experience, which was mostly negative. A big factor in this case was the manager and quantity of food.
Starting with the two positives, the server was super sweet. She was technically the bartender, but she was covering for the server, who was out. Second, the local Nelson County, VA Hard Rock Cider was really good & only $ 2 until 8 PM.
Now for the negatives:
So, I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich and agreed to pay $ 1 to upgrade my fries to the mixed veggies, which include carrots, brocolli, & cauliflower. I don’t particularly like places that charge extra to substitute, but this was only a dollar. Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence.
When I got my plate, I’m looking and seeing a very small amount of veggies about three bites. My friend had a decent plate of fries. So why am I paying $ 1 more for hardly any veggies. My friend made that point and suggested that I complain. I said you know what I am pretty pissed; I will complain. I took the plate up to the server who was near the bar. She agreed that it was a weak amount of veggies and that she would get me more.
I went back to my table, and before I had a chance to start eating, the manager stopped by to see how we were doing. And I told him that I was disappointed that there were so few veggies, and I paid $ 1 to upgrade. His response was veggies are a lot more expensive than fries so that’s why there aren’t many. I was livid; this is not an appropriate response and should not be a way to treat a customer.
After the manager walked away, the server came back with the additional veggies. My friend & I told the interaction with the manager, and she apologized and said that she had no control. I said you are great, but that is not a way to run a business, and I will be giving a negative Unilocal review, but I will be fair mention that you were great.
Quick note on the taste: veggies were good, but kind of hard to mess up. Grilled chicken sandwich was pretty bland and dry. Chick Fil-​A and Burger King have much better grilled chicken.
After I had eaten the veggies & most of my sandwich, the manager came back. He gave me another decent amount of veggies and apologized saying that he misunderstood me. After he walked away, my friend & I both said the same thing that he heard from the server about my threat negative Unilocal review, and he was trying to suck up. Of course he understood me because he originally said, ‘Veggies cost a lot more than fries’. He was trying to argue his point, but then later tried to redeem himself, but it was too late.
This was my experience and why it only gets 2-​stars.
Below are the issues that my two friends had, which have no bearing on my review, but supports my 2-​star experience:
Friend #1 (who suggested I complain):
1. Ordered a half rack or ribs, but got a whole rack
2. She said the ribs weren’t very good, but she was starving so they sufficed (not a big endorsement of the ribs)
3. Asked for a to go box for some of ribs, and it had taken a long time to get
Friend #2:
1. $ 14 Scallop salad had only 3 shrimp, 3 scallops, 3 croutons, and not even that much lettuce! At least if you try to sell a $ 14 salad with very little toppings at least give lots of lettuce to disguise as a big salad. She asked for cheese, and it was a very minimal sprinkle of cheese. Also, friend #1 made a valid point that technically salad should have tomatoes, carrots, and cabbage, which this one lacked.
2. Because the salad was small, she was still hungry and ordered the turkey wrap. So, she ended up spending another $ 9.
3. The turkey wrap was bland, and we didn’t think they put mayo in it as it stated on the menu. However, when she unwrapped, we discovered a very small amount of mayo (Seems to a common theme: small amount of veggies, small amount of croutons & lettuce, & small amount of mayo)

I am sorry to leave this review, but reviews are important. My intent is to spare anyone the experience I had. I’m going to be gentle.
The server was very nice.
The Karaōke Jockey was excellent.
The dining experience was stressful, and even gives me anxiety to remember it. I’d say that operations are sloppy. The menu for LUNCH specials was given to customers, and after customers put in orders, they were told it was supposed to be the DINNER specials menu, as it was after 7 p.m. That’s pretty bad.
The food was mediocre. My meal was supposed to come with coleslaw. It was literally a mouthful of coleslaw. Who does that?
Considering the disappointing experience of myself and my friends, I’m thinking these excellent reviews must be by «friends of JW’s». My sense is that they nickle and dime the customers by skimping on things like veggies, mayo, coleslaw, etc. My friend literally had to search for the mayo on her sandwich. She said there was none on there, then we dissected the wrap and found a spot of mayo. Who does that?
I’d go there to drink and for Karaōke, but I don’t think I’d eat there again. It got scary at some point. My friend’s water cup came with a plastic bottle cap in the glass. What the wha???
Trust me, unless you have a really good reason to go there, don’t waste your meal, time, and money. This place could be nice, but something is seriously wrong.
I left a lot out, as I think I made my point.

1^st time here, and walking in it has the VFW feel to it, which is a good thing. Our server was Lisa who was obviously very busy but still on her game, she started to waiver about mid meal but she was but she’s the only waitress. Me and my sons had the burgers, the jw famous burger which were really good. My wife had the Mexican chicken wrap, which she said was pretty bland. The best part was the bill, feeding the whole family for less than 40 bucks is a deal:) overall good experience.

I stopped in here to see Andrea, a rockstar bartender beyond compare. Although see wasn’t working this, the service in this neighborhood pub was still excellent, and I soon found myself sitting in front of a plate of delicious spiced shrimp. Yum!
JW’s spiced shrimp was really quite a surprise as it was cooked to perfection. So many places over-​cook their shrimp, but JWs gets it just right. It was also satisfying knowing that for once you were eating healthy in a bar of all places. The boiled shrimp was compliment by a side of JW’s secret shrimp sauce which appeared to contain capers. Hooray! For capers for in my view they are not used nearly enough.
Besides the stellar menu and service, another thing I like about JWs is that it is clean. I mean so many dive bars can really offer to much grime for my taste, but not JWs. No, this spot is simply clean, friendly neighborhood bar that is certain to make you glad you stepped in for a few.

When visiting family in the area, we always are taken to JWs at least once. You can certainly tell there is a crew of regulars. Which is not a bad thing at all. Its not a dive bar. Its a quaint bar of sorts, with a quaint dinning area. They have live bands on the weekends, but I cannot speak of that.
The drinks are well made and the food is good. I do not understand the dive bar references. I think perhaps some people have lost touch with what would be a dive bar LOL.

JW & Friends is a friendly, neighborhood dive bar. It has cheap drinks and a friendly staff. I have not eaten here, but I heard the food is good. The décor is old and dated and it could desperately use a remodel. But the free live music, inexpensive drinks, and outstanding service keeps me coming back.

I came here for the first time recently and thought it was a very interesting bar. It has a great neighborhood feel to it. I came back the next day for lunch and the lunch was delicious. The people and the service are great and you can tell there are a lot of regulars who show up there on a normal basis which is a good sign. I definitely recommend.

Very friendly dive bar in «old» Springfield. The steaks are good and the people are friendly. There is a crowd of regulars and they are open and welcoming to newbies. I even had birthday cake while I was there. :)
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There is restaurant dining and they feature bands on weekends. I’ve been here several times with my kids and the food is consistently good. I was a fan of their she crab soup but it was not up to par on my most recent visit. Since it has typically been a favorite I’m won’t pan it until I give them a chance at redemption.
Service is friendly. This is a great spot in Springfield to grab a good dinner.

The Sat nite bands have started, looking forward to RT66 band! Some new bands on the list which should be fun!

I did a proximity search in Unilocal and found JW & Friends — I decided to check them out for a late lunch. The crab cake sandwich wasn’t too bad. Like with most dive bars, I think the bartender either makes or breaks the experience — I can tell you, she definitely made the experience great and I do hope to find myself back over there. I’m told that they have good live bands [every] Friday and Saturday nights so I think that is when I will attempt to visit again. It is a local dive bar so it is very Redskins-​fan-​friendly (and for those Steelers fans out there) so it sounds like a good place to catch a game. They offer menu/​drink specials during game time.

Love this place, one of the best places for a steak and a cold beer, always good entertainment on the weekends and the bartenders are very quick and talented.

Actually, this is a pretty cool place. I’ve never been treated rudely here. They usually have good bands on weekends and a small dance floor. The service is good and the food is good. It’s nice to know they allow private parties to rent the place but they should have announced that the place was closed for a private party in a manner so as not to insult a potential client.
Unfortunately, they have a tiny parking lot and they neighbors next door like to tow vehicle so arrive early, arrive by taxi or park across the street at the bank (after normal business hours).