Acre 121

My review is based strictly on the restaurant/​food — and it was damnnnnn good!
I picked this place for restaurant week, on a day I knew the stand up comedians would go on. As most have said, it is definitly a bar BUT it’s also a huge restaurant so there’s a spot you can dine without being in the bar/​karaōke/​stand up area. This is where we sat. We could hear but still hold a decent conversation.
For apps, we ordered the buttermilk biscuits and fried pickles. The biscuits came with whipped butter and pepper jelly (not spicy although it smells like it) and were finger licking good! I wanted to order more than 2, but I’ve gotta get ready for summer.
Dinner was the half rib and half chicken w/​mac and cheese, spinach and cauliflower. The mac was OK, if you’re looking for the stringy cheese drippings with each bite, this isn’t the mac for you. However, the meats were perfectly cooked — the meat fell right off the bone, was juicy and well seasoned. Not to mention, the house BBQ sauce was worth getting 2 bowls of.
I’d go back on a Karaōke night for the laughs, since comedy night wasn’t as funny as I expected.

Ate here previously and really enjoyed the BBQ! Came back and surprisingly nobody was here, although I did come very early about 515PM. Few came to the bar. Service was satisfactory. Once order and food delivered, was left alone. I will say portions were large. Ordered fried pickles based on servers recommendation there was limited breading. There was more than what I expected, I should have know better when it had beer batter. They were ok. Chicken was good but my two sides were like warm. The collard greens and roasted cauliflower were both good, just a very large portion and needed to be warmer.

The food was good but the service was pretty bad. We kept having to remind our waitress Keanee for things we asked for, such as ketchup, water, coffee… The restaurant wasn’t even busy. Our waitress was dancing and goofing off with coworkers while we were neglected. Not sure if I’d return.

Definitely have to give a shout out to this place as being the premier UF Gator bar in DC. Came for the LSU vs. UF game and was definitely impressed. The service staff was able to handle the crowd, get food out and drinks out in a timely manner. Wish there were a few better deals on food + drink but besides that, great place. Wings were good!

I went to Acre 121 for a happy hour. The service was good and there was even a whiskey tasting. There was also a dj there who played 90s and early 00s R&B. However, the food was not that good. We had mac & cheese balls that were a little bland. My friend had the sliders and she liked them. The place wasnt crowded and had a cool atmosphere but It wouldn’t be my first choice.

I go here for Gator games (it’s the official DC game watching location this season), and it’s a convenient 10-​minute walk from my place in Mount Pleasant. The food is definitely below average. The chicken sandwich came out wrong (twice!) and was under-​cooked. The fries and onion rings are consistently soggy. The wings are just okay. Prices are good, though, and they keep the beer flowing. The staff does a good job, too. It’s a much better location than the now defunct McFadden’s, but that’s not saying much. I’ll be back for Gators’ games, but not otherwise.

Are you a Seahawks fan? If so, this place is your go-​to bar for football season. It gets jammed, so arrive early if you want a place to sit during the game. It’s a ton of fun — lots of energy, a half-​time raffle, etc.
But beware if you’re even just a bit claustrophobic: when I say jammed, I mean packed-​like-​sardines. It was impossible to get a server’s attention and I ended up waiting at the bar to order my food. Even that took 30 minutes — 10 to get a bartender’s attention, and another 20 minutes for my sweet potato fries. They were delicious when they arrived, as were my boyfriend’s order of buffalo wings, but I’d recommend ordering early next time.
Go Hawks!

I came here yesterday for brunch to celebrate a friends birthday. She had 30 guest arriving for brunch at 12:00pm. She was told that she could make a reservation for 20 and as others arrive they would accommodate the larger party. Well, I guess they didn’t really think we were all going to show because they never found seating for the additional guest. They sat at the empty booths next to our table and were told they had to move to the bar b/​c the section had already been reserved. I would have been okay with this if the entire restaurant (besides the patio outside) had not stayed empty the entire time we were there. Our server, who was very friendly, did the best that she could but she was very overwhelmed trying to serve 30 people. Here is where the trouble starts.
We tracked down the manager to let her know that our server is trying her best but she needs some additional help. We had been seated for about 30 minutes and some of us had not even received glasses to start drinking our bottomless mimosas (an additional $ 18 with purchase of a meal). She was very unaccommodating. I believe that an efficient manager would have at least handled the drink orders to help speed things along. Our food finally started to come out. One of my friends was going to be late so someone ordered for her so it would be ready upon arrival. This also took a very long time and once again the manager seemed as if we were being a nuisance by letting her know the issue.
Some of my party liked their food but I thought it was mediocre. Overall, with the abundant options for brunch in DC there are better places to dine and I will not be returning.

I did the Sunday all you can eat (and drink Shiner) for 2 hours. Price was $ 35. Had the 19 Street Band playing during this time, and they were good.
Food was pretty good, but the beer was better!

I went to Acre 121 during the HavPlenty brunch, which was basically a turn-​up party brunch. I was NOT expecting a «party party» (I thought it would be a social soirée/​networking type event), so it took everything in me not to leave when I walked in and heard Khia’s «My Neck and My Back» song blasting through the speakers. LOL.
Against my free will, I stayed and ordered the shrimp and grits + bottomless mimosas. Both were excellent. While the dish itself was a little small for $ 18, the sauce with the shrimp was extremely flavorful. And I loved the different flavors of mimosas.
Finally, despite being swamped with drunk partiers, the waiters were extremely attentive, prompt, and polite. Score!
I’ll definitely be back for dinner when the turn up isn’t so real. :)

*** 3 ½ Stars for Acre 121***
I went with some friends for brunch. They have a bottomless mimosa deal for 18 per person but if you buy a coupon, the price drops to 15. It was the mimosas that was the driving force for this group. But more about that in a minute.
Acre 121 is located right by the Columbia Heights metro station. They plenty of seating indoor and outdoor if the weather is good. We opted for outdoor since it was a muggy August day. My friends and I each chose our mimosa flavor and perused the menu. (I didn’t opt for the bottomless at the time but got to sample the other flavors). You could pick from classic (orange), pineapple, cranberry, and grapefruit. I chose pineapple. I love pineapple and champagne so it was a win for me.
The food at Acre 121 is Southern inspired. I was torn between the chicken and waffles and the Low Country Eggs Benedict with house made pork belly. Stop right there. House made pork belly? That sold it for me and tipped my order in that favor. The full order was an eggs benedict with pork belly, a green tomato, and home fries. Most of us ended up ordering the same thing. I mean if you’re a meat eater, pork belly is probably high on the flavor list.
Our food came relatively quickly and came together which I always appreciate. You know I cut a piece of pork belly right away and tried that first. I won’t lie, it was pretty tasty. But I would have liked to try it without anything on it. I liked it in the sandwich as a whole, but I was still curious. The rest of my food was fine and I and my group enjoyed our meal.
Service was good throughout our meal. Prices are average for a DC brunch but it can add up quickly. Overall not bad.

I went here for a father’s day brunch. You would think that it would be packed, but there weren’t many people there. We sat outside and it was a beautiful day. I ordered the chicken and waffles which were amazing. The chicken was very tender and seasoned nicely. My family member ordered the eggs combo, I can’t remember the actual name but it was 2 eggs with toast and bacon. At the time there was a $ 18 bottomless mimosas deal but it was only for 1 person. You can get 4 – 5 glasses out of that one pitcher I just stuck with the regular glasses. The service was okay, I assumed our waiter was new because he was a little slow but it was also crowded inside. In addition to our brunch, we ordered a peanut butter pie, chicken biscuit and pulled pork sandwich to go. The pulled pork is nicely seasoned and tender. The peanut butter pie is great and the chicken sandwich is very flavorful.
Overall I give this place 4 stars because the food was good and although the waiter wasn’t as quick as we would have liked, he was very kind and attentive.

Ten years ago I had high hopes for Columbia Heights’ redevelopment, given its density and central location, but it still feels like a work in progress. Restaurants come (Hello Thip Khao and Mi Cuba Café!) and restaurants go (bye bye Mad Momos and the Getaway), but there remain a few mainstays (El Rinconcito II, the Wonderland).
So where does Acre 121 fit in? This space used to be the British Pub Commonwealth (I am probably one of the few who mourn its loss), and the interior layout is pretty much the same. Is it trying to be as high-​falutin’ as its predecessor? No, but that’s OK, it fills a niche. It’s near Metro so provides a convenient stop on the way home from work, or en route to a night out. And if the weather is nice enough to enjoy the outdoor patio, just an added bonus.
It claims to be a Low Country barbeque joint, but based on the opinions of people I respect, I’ve thus far been hesitant to sample any of the ‘Q. I have tried the deviled eggs however, and they were quite good. The bar is marble topped and there’s lots of dark wood. As for their beverage offerings, there were 12 fairly standard drafts beers on my last visit, including Atlas District Common and Abita Purple Haze.
The best thing about Acre 122? They offer live music, one of the few places around that still does.

We visited acre 121 again. The manager was super friendly! The patio was a great atmosphere with heaters and awesome people watching! We visited for brunch and was not disappointed!
The husband had the two egg breakfast, the highlight was the homefries! Flavorful and perfectly cooked.
I had the country eggs Benedict that features a green tomato, it was delish!
I also had the warm rum cider, it’s a great cocktail on a snowy day!

I love Benedict breakfasts – especially non-​traditional Benedicts. I had the Low Country Benedict which is a Benedict with pork belly. In my experience pork belly is a succulent, tender meat. This was tasty but not as tender as I expected. The green tomatoes and spicy hollandaise sauce were the saving grace. I would still recommend this dish to a friend.
The bottomless mimosas are affordable and have a good variety of flavors. Of the ones I tried (cranberry, pineapple, grapefruit), I recommend grapefruit.
Service was great. The waitress was honest with us when she was expecting a large group (25 ppl), and urged us to get our orders in so she could best serve us all.
Next time I’m in the area I wouldn’t mind visiting this spot again.

Happy New Years and woo-​hoo this is my first review of 2015.
We’ve lived in CoHi for a bit now and surprisingly I have not written a review for Acre 121 yet which I’ve dined at several times and pass by countlessly as I walk/​run down Irving Street.
We went for brunch on New Year’s Day and wow was it bustling with folks! I thought everyone would still be passed out from a hangover from NYE but the resilient ones came out in droves and were ready to tackle even more libations with brunch mimosas, bloody marys, and other late morning cocktails!
I myself had a warm whiskey cider to start my day and it came out not too hot and not too luke warm to enjoy on a chilly New Years Day.
For brunch, I stayed classic and got the chicken and waffles with a side of sweet potato fries. I’ve had mixed experiences with various other restaurants particularly with the waffle but Acre’s was made very well and did not have that doughy taste or bland feeling. The fried chicken was thick and juicy enough to complement the waffle and with a touch of their syrup, it was classic chicken and waffles right there!
In addition the sweet potato fries were a nice way to end the meal and again, they were cooked well and actually ate them all up!
Sad to see the cumulative average rating for this place is just down the middle but I think its based on a lot of OLD reviews and single experience encounters… and also, we are in DC so obviously you’ll get your now and then amateur pretentious reviews.
Acre has done extremely well in the Columbia Heights neighborhood and has become a neighborhood establishment along with Lou’s City Bar. Just as Target/​Best Buy changed the landscape of this neighborhood, at least Acre/Lou’s were great starting points in the revitalization process particularly with the dining scene and it’s nice to see these original dining establishments amongst the many generic ones surrounding it a la Potbelly, Five Guys, Panda Express, etc.
If you are hungry and in the need for a good olé neighborhood restaurant without the glamour or pressure reflected in say the 14^th St restaurants south of U St, then Acre is a good place to be and socialize.

Came in early on a Saturday evening, super quiet. Service and speed were fine but I wasn’t really impressed with my food.
I made a meal out of 3 sides: mac & cheese, spinach, and cornbread. Maybe I’m just greedy but I felt the portions were pretty small for $ 16, I’m pretty sure if they hadn’t put them all on the same plate, they would have been more generous. But since it wasn’t that tasty, I wasn’t too put out.
The mac & cheese was bland with chewy noodles and it, along with the spinach, was very oily. The cornbread tasted old and oven reheated, giving it a very dry, hard consistency.
I’ll go back because I’ve enjoyed brunch here before but I’ll definitely be more selective with my choices.

We wound up here when the IHOP across the street was closed due to a water main break. Sad Face. Acre 21 looked promising, but wasn’t great. We arrived shortly before 11am and there were only two other tables seated in the whole place. Overall the service was just okay. Nothing terrible happened, but the server also wasn’t super friendly, didn’t offer suggestions, or remember who ordered what when the food arrived.
The food was pretty disappointing. I’ve had a craving for fried chicken for a while now so I got the fried chicken, but it was pretty flavorless and it was dark meat. I would have expected for $ 16 it to be white meat or at least the menu should state dark meat only. The waffles were crispy, which I like, but again were very bland. My boyfriend had the Acre Omelet and said it was bland and didn’t seem to be cooked all the way through. A friend got the chicken breakfast sandwich on a biscuit which was the only thing that anyone at the table raved about. Her’s was actually white meat and looked like the breading had spices in it!
Even though the breakfast sandwich looked good, we won’t be going back. No wonder this place was dead for brunch at 11am on a Sunday!

I almost didn’t come to this place because of the reviews, but being the GiltCity addict that I am, I bought the voucher anyways.
Absolutely worth it (for the GiltCity price at least)! The service was definitely a bit subpar, but they gave you carafes of mimosas on your table so I’m not sure how much you people drink to need it refilled every few minutes. I had maybe 2 full carafes.
My chicken biscuit sandwich with bacon and egg was SO GOOD. Maybe it’s because it literally had all my favorite things in it. Oh, and it came with a side of sweet potato fries as the default with this luscious mayo sauce that I could just eat with a spoon (I may or may not have actually done this). Being the insta freak that I am, I then proceeded to photograph this delicious meal and dcdining even featured it on their instagram :-O !!!

I would definitely give this place a solid four stars. Not everything is stellar, but if you order correctly you’ll leave happy.
Brunch is solid — they have a good bottomless deal, and an impressive array of brunch drink choices. Our waitress was a trooper and managed to keep our table of 10 with a full drink in our hand the entire meal. I got the biscuits and gravy, which was delicious — and everyone else seemed happy with their choices.
Came back for dinner and was equally impressed. The pineapple margaritas were refreshing and a great balance of booze, sweet and sour. The BBQ chicken salad is really great, and a meal in itself! The BBQ was delicious, we tried the pulled pork and the brisket and were happy with both. Be careful with sides though — the southern greens were solid but the mac and cheese was SUPER weak. No flavor and looked like elbow macaroni with some cheddar thrown at it. Fail.
The crabcakes were just OK — they (and the grits they came with) both arrived cold, and the crabcakes had a disappointing amount of shell in them.
The ice cream dessert was ADORABLE and delicious. The ice cream came in oversized shot glasses and came with cookies and dark/​white chocolate straws. Really cute touches and the ice cream was delicious.
So go check this place out! Sit on the patio if at all possible, great ambiance and breeze, as well as people watching.