Ventnor Sports Cafe

Great, small local place to catch the game and good food!

Great sports bar with above average food fare. Have been there over a dozen times. I’ve only sat at the downstairs bar and always had attentive service via either Shelby or Olivia. The owner, Scott, is always around and paying attention to the patrons.
Although you can pretty much catch any televised game, they do attract many Delaware Valley sports fans who are either living or visiting in the DC area, which works for me as an Eagles fan.

My colleagues and I, all Sports Social Media Integration Specialists, from USA today, stumbled in this place after we took the silver line from our condos in McLean here.
Walking down the stairs, we were greeted by a rustic ambiance of dim light, a weathered copper bar, and a friendly bartender, Holly. I had a few glasses of Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa that were crisp and refreshing. They clearly have a good wine sommelier that chooses their wines. I felt the varietals dance across my palate as I watched the USA open from the bar.
I ordered a Cobb salad, which was a delicious blend of mixed greens, bacon, avocado, chicken, and egg. The salad was perfectly proportioned. I’d really suggest anyone try this delicious plate. The bacon was incredibly fresh, and the avocado was buttery. If you’re wandering through AdMo, I’d suggest stopping in and asking Holly to serve you a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and a Cobb salad!

Solid sports bar! Probably closer to 3.5 stars.
A few of us wandered in here one evening and snagged three spots at the bar to get some snacks, drinks, and watch some games. The bartender, Olivia was very friendly, and made sure to check up on us from time to time.
I spotted an orange flavored, organic vodka behind the bar and decided that sounded interesting. So I chose to mix it with ginger ale. It had a really nice flavor to it, but man was that a weak drink. I didn’t watch it as it was poured but there’s no way there was even a shot’s worth in that drink. So that was a bummer.
Our food, though was surprisingly good. We had an order of calamari which was nicely fried and very tasty. Plus, we got tater tots which came in a HUGE bowl! I swear, they gave us an entire bag of steaming hot tater tots. Niiiiceeee.
Given that my roommate is a Flyers fan, and this is apparently the Flyers bar, I can guess we’ll be back here.

Great burger! Had it delivered. It was a few months ago too, which is how you know it was memorable :)

Walked into this bar with some friends last Friday night, after failing to meet-​up with some other friends of ours. We walked in and grabbed 3 seats at the bar, we were greeted by the female bartender… who’s name escapes me. She gave all of us menu’s and a beer list. We put in our order, 2 beers and a cocktail, fried calamari, and tatter-​tots. The drink’s were passed out within 2 minutes or less, and the food came out not long after– I was very impressed by the speed of this– our food was SCALDING hot (I may or may not have burnt my mouth on it). I only had the tot’s, which were crispy and came in a very plentiful size for the price. My friend’s said the calamari was good. We sat for awhile snacked, and watched the games going on behind the bar (some hockey game was on). It was a nice time.
Ventnor was a incredibly chill place to sit, drink, and relax with some friends. If I’m ever in that part of Adam’s Morgan again– I’d definetly come back

I came here for wings and was pretty disappointed. The staff seemed nice and the atmosphere seemed pretty decent for a sports bar, but I just wanted to grab some wings to go. The wings were decently big, but that’s about the only positive. They were not crispy at all, a bit rubbery, and barely touched with buffalo sauce.
Maybe this place is fine to grab a beer and catch a game, but I don’t recommend the wings.

Went here for the Super Bowl and sat at the bar. Food was tasty and the service was great! Definitely a step up from other DC sports bars I’ve been to recently. Tip: see if you can call ahead to reserve a spot for big games — this is not the type of spot with a lot of standing room. They did allow reservations for the Super Bowl; not sure if they normally do. Will definitely be back to watch games!

Ventnor is a solid sports bar, with an efficient staff, and pitchers of beer. That is well known. What I wasn’t expecting was the beyond amazing crab corn chowder on the specials menu. All my friends were commenting how amazing it smelled as the server was walking by to bring it to my table. It had easily $ 4 – 5 worth of lump genuine crab meat, yet was only $ 9. The portion was incredibly generous. I’m wary of ordering soups for dinner, because sometimes the portions are stingy or they are mostly broth. I arrived starving and barely finished. The server joked that I am allowed to lick the bowl.

I come here with my boyfriend fairly often to watch sports. They are VERY accommodating with their TVs if you request a specific game, which is nice. Great beer selection and decent prices. Not the best deals in DC but for the quality of the food and atmosphere I would say it’s worth it. Chicken finger and wings are below but I’ve also had hamburger, grilled cheese, and quesadilla which are all tasty are larger portions. Would definitely recommend if you are ever near Adams Morgan.

I’ve gone here a couple of times to watch the Pats game. The bartenders are really nice and friendly. Also, they are knowledgeable about all of the beers they have and helped me pick out new beers to try. I plan on returning some time to try their burgers and wings.

I love tater tots and just seeing that got my attention. Me thinking it is a sports bar, the food might not be so good but they fooled me. My meal came with a salad and tomato soup and both were very good. They had my favorite habanero sauce which is rare to find. My hot toddy drink was great too. I would definitely go back.

Reliable local sports bar. The crowd is laid back most nights and the bartenders are friendly. The nachos were pretty decent too.

This place is spot on. From service to the atmosphere to the fact that it is a «NE Patriots bar» it is very nice. Good find!

Folks always step out and qualify themselves here, so let me just say that for the the last 3.5 years of living in/​around Adams Morgan, Ventnor has been the only constant. Let me explain…
Food
Sports bar food is bland, merely acceptable, and generally less than exciting. The menu and Ingredients here ensure that you’ll enjoy your meal. Ventnor’s food is well above the «bar food» standard and they’ve got some good daily specials that pop up every now and then.
— Oyster Specials: $ 1 all night from Thursday-​Saturday.
— Burger Night: Every Tuesday. It’s a hell of a deal for an always reliable burger.
I’m a fan of several go-​to items, but would suggest that you give the nachos, buffalo chicken fingers, and short rib mac and cheese a shot.
Service
The team does a great job here. The owner has pulled together a strong team and personable staff who are attentive to your needs and ready to chat sports or just about anything else under the sun.
Whether you’re in for one game or every game, they’ll get to know you and take good care of you.
Atmosphere
Ventnor offers a good mix of locals, folks in DC on business and then the rest. It’s a packed house on game day and for a good reason. The place boasts TVs galore and there’s no need to ask about «your game» since it’s sure to be on. If it isn’t, just ask away and they’ll get you squared away.
It’s not uncommon for an impromptu late night session w/​the juke box, so just get in there and give it a shot. Even though we moved a bit further away, I still make my way «home» for a good game, some grub, good conversation, and everything else that Ventnor has to offer.

Ventnor only has about 5 tables inside and usually a staff of one person when I’ve visited for gameday in the afternoon. Tap list is very small, probably 5 beers to choose from with nothing fresh or local. Yuengling seems to be the drink of choice. Ambiance is mega cramped with corny sports paraphernalia and nauseating orange and blue décor. Food is poor bar food — wings, tater tots, nachos. Service is absolutely terrible– one server for all people in the entire bar. Beer prices are high. I cannot recommend this place for any occasion.

This place looks great and I would have loved to order delivery. I’m mostly just irritated that it says delivery is free but after I take the time to order there are 20 dollars worth of «free delivery» fees.
I’m 1.7 miles away
Subtotal 33.97
Tax 3.40
Service fee 5.10
Convenience fee 5.10
Delivery charge 9.53
Yeah right. I’ll save the extra 20 dollars for another meal.

I’m not trying to say that this was the best burger I’ve ever tasted in my life, but seeing as I can’t recall a better tasting one, that just might be the case here.
Comes with a choice of fries, pasta salad, and a few other side options. I have no idea how to describe this burger experience other than the fact that when I think about it, my mouth waters. I’ve also had the smoked salmon grilled cheese, which is amazing. They use real lettuce in their sandwiches and burgers, instead of that fake shredded stuff you see far too often. And with half-​off burger night on Tuesdays, it is so worth the trip to busy 18^th St in Adams Morgan.
I’m also a huge fan of oysters and they do dollar oysters on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (summer only) which is pretty amazing when you consider that dollar oyster deals in DC are usually only for a few hours at a time. And what’s great about coming here for oysters is that there is a large range of other food for that inevitable person who hates seafood in your group.
The staff are all very friendly, and the owner is a very personable guy. They make their own house made pickles at this bar, which are so good that I always order a side plate of them when I go.
I know there are a lot of choices when it comes to bars and restaurants in Adams Morgan, but seriously this is the spot, especially if you want burgers!

The hidden gem of Adams Morgan.
Great rotating beers on tap, coupled with great pub fare, makes this my favorite AM sports venue.
The food is delicious. I highly recommend the burgers (especially the Southwest burger), the Buffalo chicken sandwich, and the wings. The specials are also very good, sporting one of the best lobster rolls you can find in DC.
If you are looking for a place to watch the game, drink a few beers, and enjoy some solid food in AM: try Ventnor.

Great bar in AdMo.
I love coming here with my friend. The crowd isn’t the typical wild/​underage AdMo crowd (which is great). Also, we can almost always get two spots at the bar and the bartenders are very friendly. It’s a good spot to watch any game because you have a good view of the TVs from the bar area. If you’re cool and didn’t go to UNC, don’t come when UNC games are on because their fans take over the bar area, but otherwise this is a great spot for casual beers and extremely good food.