The Food: The Clyde’s Restaurant Group (which includes nine area Clyde’s locations, as well as 1789 restaurant and the Old Ebbitt Grill) uses local produce and seafood when possible, so look for a diverse mix of daily specials. Raw bar selections and a surprisingly good cheese plate are popular, as are big-portioned American dishes such as crab cakes, crab dip, shrimp cocktail, a thick cheeseburger, and a Carolina-style pulled-pork sandwich. Entrees range from $9-$26.
The Scene: Next to the Verizon Center, this roomy, bi-level collection of five dining rooms and three bars stays steadily crowded day and night. You’ll see concert-goers and sports fans, families, tourists, and twenty-somethings. A grand Victorian theme, but each room has a unique focus. The downstairs bar has a sporty feel, while one upstairs dining room is decorated with Asian empire touches. There are seemingly endless arrays of decorative antiques, and Tiffany lamps and vast oil paintings throughout. Brunch on the weekends and a daily late-night menu makes the restaurant convenient before and after Verizon Center games and shows, and nearby theater performances.
What’s Nearby: The Verizon Center — home to professional and collegiate basketball and hockey teams, as well as a major entertainment events — is next door. A multiplex movie theater and upscale bowling alley are steps away, as are shops (Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Urban Outfitters), bars (Fado, Matchbox, Rosa Mexicano) and many other restaurants. Penn Quarter galleries, the Shakespeare Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, International Spy Museum, and Reynolds Center are all within a quick walk.
Insider Tips: In the walkway between Clyde’s and the Verizon Center, customers can order carryout from Clyde’s on the Walk. In the morning, you can grab an egg sandwich and a large coffee for $3.50. For lunch or dinner, a crab cake sandwich is $7.50. The menu includes fruit, yogurt, hot dogs, soups, salads, desserts—even the newspaper. Open Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 8 PM; Saturday from 10 AM to 8 PM.
During happy hour, which runs Sunday through Thursday between 3 and 6 PM and 11 PM and 1 AM, oysters and other raw bar items are half-off.
