RSS FeedAn Enjoyable Laughing Man Tavern (1306 G St NW)
Replacing the much loved and long running Reeves Bakery, the Laughing Man Tavern is open for business at 1306 G Street, NW. Brought to you by the same group that runs Rocket Bar (714 7th Street NW), the District Grill (1201 K Street NW) and will run the yet-to-be-opened Iron Horse Tavern (509 7th Street NW),we thought we’d entertain the Laughing Man with a visit (or two or three). What did we find? Read past the jump for more…
Looking at the tavern from the front deceives the senses. What looks like a storefront no different from its neighbors hides a fuller extent of finished wood space inside at entry level and one level underground. Both levels have well appointed bars with the upstairs bar set back halfway to the back wall on the right side of the entry level. A seating area with two and four tops and two dart board lanes is found in the rear left. Going down the stairs on the left gets you to the downstairs bar, larger in size and featured more prominently in its space with seating around the room’s perimeter, another two dart board lanes and an area cordoned off by sliding doors on the left side that can serve as a private function space. Downstairs is more for standing than sitting while upstairs is about equally balanced. Plenty of HD televisions can be found on both levels and adequate bathrooms are downstairs in the rear.
We’ve been to Laughing Man three times since it opened a few months ago and give it the PQ Living seal of approval. It’s a solid addition to downtown’s happy hour and grab-a-burger scene and is truly centrally located being near the Metro Center subway stop. But for Saturday evening when less full, crowds were always robust while still allowing enough room to move around and get a bar seat within a reasonable amount of time. Although we didn’t go for the bigger bites such as burgers, sandwiches and flatbreads, we did try a few of the selections off the appetizer menu including the chiptole quesadillas (above on the left), the fried calamari (above on the right) and the taquitos. All of them were just fine happy hour fare delivered by a friendly service staff. Beer is available both on tap and in bottles with the $4 food specials running 3 pm to closing and the $4 drink specials running 3 pm to 7 pm. Nothing sharp poked us in the drawback side of the column. Is this yet another sign that downtown just became a little bit more livable than it was before? We think so.
Laughing Man Tavern
1306 G Street NW
(202) 737-1797
Hours: Mon-Fri: 11:30 am to 2 am
Sat: 5 pm to 3 am
Sun: 12 pm to 8 pm
A hat tip goes out to Cheryl for reminding us that LM had opened and a nod of the head to Columbo and Mrs. Columbo for contributing their photographic skills.
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Comments
A friend of mine almost single-handedly kept Reeves Bakery in business for years with his chocolate cookie purchases. Nice to see the space used so nicely.
I went there last weekend. It is a great little bar, and I look forward to going there more often. I’m wondering if they will consider extending the Sunday closing time – can’t believe it’s 8pm! Come football season, that’s gotta change!
We were there on Saturday. The service was great, but everything else needed some work. The music was spotty and it was pretty bright. The worst part was the food. Everything tasted like it came off a Sysco truck (which judging from the Sysco brand ketchup is probably the case). It has a lot of potential, but they need to focus more on the food.
I miss Reeves. They had the best cupcakes ever. They were so much better and bigger and less expensive than the trendy cupcakeries that have sprung up all over the place.
But that said, this sounds like a neat place. The neighborhood needs more cool, low-key bars like this and Rocket Bar. Can’t wait to check it out 
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I miss the old Reeves Bakery, but this sounds like a great replacement. And a convenient option when meeting friends at Metro Center.