Timberlake’s Restaurant

Go for the bar only. Food was just awful. Overcooked burgers, mushy fries. So sad. There is a reason this place is empty on a celebratory Saturday night.
The bar is nice though. Good bartenders, friendly service and decent prices. They make a good Manhattan and pour a decent pint of Guinness.

Look, let’s be honest here. You aren’t (or at least you shouldn’t) go to Timberlake’s for the food. The food won’t kill you, but it’s by no means a dining destination. The reasons to go to Timberlake’s are:
–its never too crowded and you can almost always get a seat at the bar
–its got that local-​vibe to it that means most tourists will never walk in the door
–if you befriend the regular weekend bartender (Babak) and throw down some sean connery impressions with him, you will have a friend for life
–Babak will also throw you free shots on a regular basis as the connery impressions (focus on «The Hunt for Red October» and «The Rock») heat up.
–they often have Anchor Steam on tap
Have fun, get drunk… and don’t expect too much.

Mahogany G. wanted to treat Emily, Jill, and myself to dinner and drinks as thanks for helping her move into her new Dupont digs, so in lieu of getting to know the area better, we settled on Timberlakes. I can honestly say that I never been more uncomfortable in my life than I did when I walked through the door at this establishment. It went down something likes this.
— Tina steps through the door ahead of the other girls.
— Place is empty except for two elderly gentlemen at the bar. Both are staring unblinkingly at Tina. One is wearing, I swear to God, a zoot-​suit.
— Tina unconsciously takes a step back out the door.
— Girls confused, Tina steps back in. Old men still staring. Waiter has now joined old men in staring. No one says anything helpful.
— Tina smiles nervously. Steps back out.
— Mahogany takes over, and we sit down at a table far away from old men.
Awkward entrance aside, I liked this place. Excellent bar food. Emily ordered a plate of Potato Skins (bacon & cheddar), Jill and Mahogany got Hot Spinach & Cheese Dip + Crab Cakes, and I had a Tex-​Mex Burger (cheddar cheese, guacamole & salsa). Aside from my burger, everything was shared. I love sharing :)
Emily’s potato skins were AMAZING. Greasy, but somehow not too much to handle. The outside was crisp yet chewy, the center was gooey with butter and cheese, and the crunchy salty bacon bits cut nicely through the starchy taste of potato. I scarfed down my one skin in about 3 seconds and didn’t care that it scalded off half my tastebuds. I wanted more! I think I could happily drown in a giant vat of potatoes, butter, bacon, cheese, and sour cream. The spinach dip was decent — tasted like cheesy spinach. The chips were a little too fragile, though. There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to sneak a greedy scoop of dip and having the chip break on you half way, thus drawing attention to the fact that you were trying to eat a lot of dip in one scoop. No one was particularly impressed with the crab cakes — I thought they tasted sort of strange, and Mahogany opined that there was too much breading. But what do you expect from a pub? This isn’t Red Lobster, OK? My burger was pretty good. Meat wasn’t too dry, cheddar wasn’t too greasy, and guacamole on burgers is always a great idea. Actually, guacamole on anything is a good idea. I would have piled chips on my burger and had myself a nacho-​burger, but there wasn’t any sour cream left. Bummer. Maybe next time… if there is a next time — I don’t know how much more uncomfortable staring I can handle.

I took my parents to Timberlake’s when they came to town, as they are always up for «american» food. We looked at the menu and it looked good; a little more basic than some of the other Dupont restaurants, and definitely more affordable.
My mom and I both ordered seafood; I the entrée crabcakes, and she the tilapia. My dad ordered the club sandwich. We all agreed that the food was… OK. I guess I’d say my crabcakes were pretty good, but the french fries were lukewarm; not great. The service was slow but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt given the fact that they were busy.
I guess if I could give them a 2.5, I would.

This place is probably better used purely as a bar than as an eatery. The food will do in a pinch, but it’s not great. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger medium; it came out quite well done. The service was slightly less engaging than a fellow usually prefers.
The atmosphere is comfortable and casual – a clean dive.

Came in here for a drink to watch the DNC on the television but they were only showing football save for a large room in the back and I really didn’t want to deal with a bunch of people I don’t know and a tab to split.
So instead I sat at the bar and ordered a drink. I ordered a beer and Bourbon on the rocks. Now this place automatically gets a good vibe because they give a plentiful pour in a real rock glass and not some tiny what lookslikea apertif glass as i have gotten in certain other joints. The bar itself think more like english pub or traditional american sports pub. The bartender was friendly enough though a little noisy but such is the nature of it I suppose. Overall I would def. return and if your looking for a decent place to have a beer (didn’t try the food though!) stop on by it’s right up the street from the circle!

There were heavenly slices of avocado in my salad. (Please, I’m from California. I eat avocado like I eat grapefruit – spooned.)
We were in a huge group so we got the backroom, which was a little dark, but still pleasant and rather quiet. Service was slow as hell, but then again, we did order a lot of food.

Great for burgers and brunch, Timberlake’s never disappoints. Unfortunately, I can not say that about the dinner entrees. Sometimes, they leave a lot to be desired. To conclude, great for burgers and brunch, but you are at your own risk for the others. Good luck!

Awful! The fish and chips came out like fried ice cream… frozen in the middle and mushy on the outside. The beer off tap was lukewarm. And worst of all the service sub-​par. I’ve been here only once and do not plan on a return visit.

Yes, I did just walk in here to eat because it was called Timberlake’s and I do have a hetero-​mancrush on the little white boy. I mean he sings like he would make for the perfect star in some gay porn for christs sake and the women still want to leave snail trails all over him. JT how do you do it? Tell me before I have to teabag you!
Anyway, I walked into this joint while wandering around the Dupont Circle area of DC a couple years ago. I had wandered all over the damn place and was very hungry. How hungry you ask? Hungry enough to devour a whole baked wheel of brie with all the bread by myself, then get a caesar salad, then have the Beef Medallions (which were on top of some english muffins and slathered with Bernaise sauce) with a giant mound of carrots on the side (butter, yes lots of it). I think I drank a 6’er of Bud Light in that sitting too. Of course I didn’t leave without having dessert which was about 3 jack and cokes with a slice of key lime pie.
I love business trips.
The deets on the place: the staff was very down to earth and friendly, they didn’t point and laugh at the piggy sitting in the corner that didn’t seem to stop eating and drinking for a good 3 hours. The place looked more like a bar than a restaurant which was perfect since I didn’t want to feel uncomfortable drinking heavily. I’m coming back next time I’m in DC.