Laughing Lizard Lounge

I left a review for this place under the heading «O’Shaughnessy’s Pub», not sure why there are two listings for this place. I’ll see about fixing that.

This is probably my favorite pub in Old Town so far, but I like dive bars. Definitely has a different vibe… isn’t all professionals or people out for a single drink after work, and more of a townie dive bar. It is the kind of place you go to drink cheap draft beer, shoot pool, and maybe get some wings. You’ll run into some cool people ranging from bands that played at other places to skateboarders and punk rockers. I’m a fan.

The owner is pretty much a D-​bag.
The bartenders and cheap alcohol is the only saving grace!
**Update**
They recently fired thus said bartenders (all of them).
Will never return here again. On the hunt for a new dive bar.

This place was pretty cool. Nothing too special but fun. Music was rock i believe. Everyone I met there was freindly including the staff.

Yes, it’s a dive bar. But, it’s also a classic rock bar, a heavy metal bar and a hang-​out after work have a beer or dance your ass-​off all night in your tennis shoes kind of bar.
Old Town can be stuffy and DC can be way too dressy.

Came here the other week with my mom and we danced to an awesome crappy cover band with a bunch of dudes in leathers.
We had a great time.

Lizard Lounge, O’ Shaugnessey’s, whoever you are, you have a special place in my heart. If I were Ed McMahon from Star Search, I’d do everything in my power to give you 3.75 stars. I do in fact LOVE dive bars, but I feel like you have to get in the door with someone who has already been there before to really appreciate it and feel comfortable. It’s not like the typical trendy, flashy, glossy places you hang out in DC, but I am quite enamored with this place.
Sure, this place looks a little questionable on the outside, but don’t let that scare you off. Don’t get me wrong, it gets a little dirty and gritty in there, but I like it! This town is small, and the bar is even smaller, but I feel like Lizard Lounge can conjure up a decent crowd. I don’t think it ever gets too crowded, but everyone is definitely having a good time. If you want to have a chill afternoon, this is a great spot to sit around, grab a beer and relax. One of the major things that won me over was the great selections on the jukebox! In the span of an hour, I usually listen to music that ranges from Patsy Cline, 50 Cent, Pat Benetar, Kings of Leon, Van Morrison, Pearl Jam, Dr. Dre, Michael Jackson, Johnny Cash, Snoop Dogg and the list goes on and on… Sometimes my friends and I will jam out a little in the tiny little space of hardwood floor by the jukebox we designate the dancefloor.
The bar is small, but the bartenders are nice and friendly. There’s plenty of stools around the room, but not a huge beer selection. There’s 3 pool tables and a pinball machine, but one tiny toilet closet each for one guy and one gal… and the sink is out in the open hallway. I’ve never had the food, but they do offer some specials and cheap beer.
This place might not be for everyone, but don’t totally overlook it. If you’re feeling gutsy, check it out. You’ll have a good time.

I haven’t been in the place for a few years and there’s a reason why. There’s a certain charm that dingy dives have (see Arlington and a few other spots). Unfortunately, this is not one of those spots. This place (including its counterpart across the street) seems to draw an obnoxious crowd. Cops are always out front for a reason. Sorry, if you’re looking for a good dark, dingy dive with character, this isn’t is it.

A rather pleasant atmosphere compared to the douche-​o-​rama across the street (Rock-​It). Seems like a great place to unwind or brood in your misery. The place is dark, seedy, and has pinball. The beer selection is bleh. When having to choose between Bud Light and PBR, I choose whiskey. It should be noted that their best beer on tap is Blue Moon, for which they gladly offer orange slices. Quite classy for a dive. I recall someone saying the beers were only $ 3. I did not verify, for my frugality dissipates in the face of Gin & Tonic. The ladies seemed to enjoy their cocktails here. I think i saw a bottle of Patron on the top shelf too.
The bartender here was very friendly. Big jovial guy who I didn’t have to flag down or wait for 5 minutes. They were also good about bussing what few tables they had. I also just realized Mike ordered us shots that I drank without knowing what they were. tsk tsk.
All in all, this is the kind of place you can go with a friend and actually hear what they are saying. The Juke box seems to be trapped in the late 90s, but that’s to be expected. The place is small and houses a pool table. Dancing was not optimal, but doable. And done.

What a dump. Don’t bring a date. She’ll dislike it.

The Laughing Lizard Lounge is a real hidden treasure in Old Town. On the 2^nd floor of a building off of King Street, you walk in and are faced with a very divey dive bar. They have a small bar, pool tables upstairs, and a sink sitting in the middle of a hallway. I found the beer prices to be reasonable, and it capped off our night after a day drinking in Old Town. When we were there on a Saturday evening, the place was not very crowded, meaning we had the entire pool room to ourselves. This was perfect for our group.
I’m looking forward to my next trip to Old Town so we can stop by the Lizard again. I found the bartender personable, and I enjoy the anti-​social ambience of the patrons, since I too consider myself anti-​social. I felt that there was a lot of wallowing while imbibing large quantities of alcohol. That’s something I can get behind.

There’s a new owner, and he’s young and super friendly, just the kind of service my classmates and I were looking for after finishing a final.
This is the diviest of dives. It’s dark, it’s smoker friendly, the sink for the bathroom is in the hallway, and there’s The Clash on the jukebox. So of course, I heart it.
I went here on a Thursday night with about 8 classmates, it was pretty dead, which was fine because we kind of took over the place. Only one thing you truly need to know: PBR pitchers are only $ 6. Sweet. This will probably lead you to a Golden Tee tournament as well, as it did me, so bring some singles.
As of right now, it’s cash only because they’re waiting on credit card machine approval, and the bar food is limited to wings, cheese sticks, hot dogs and fries, but the owner told me he’s working on updating that too.
I heard it’s really crowded on the weekends, and it’s small, so that might be a downfall. But for an after work week day beer, pool and Golden Tee, I’d definitely go again.

I tried hard to like the Lizard. I’m a huge fan of dives, and I’ll have my bars no other way. After maybe 10 – 12 visits I found the staff to be impersonal, the regulars to be antisocial, and everything to be sticky. I also can’t get past the prices here. If the place is filthy, there’s holes in the walls, and the decorations look like leftovers from previous tenants, then I don’t want to bust my wallet just to drink. Sadly I’ll keep trekking past the nearby Lizard and on out to DC on Friday and Saturday nights as the Lizard, like the rest of Alexandria’s nightscene, fails to give me any good reason to stick around.

This place is the definition of dive. I felt like I was at someone’s house party at college all over again. I think the lizard is calling me back.

This place is great! I used to go here for the trivia and pool with my ex. The beer prices are great during happy hour. The live music on Fri & Sat showcases really awesome local bands. I have not missed a Fistful of Fifties show yet! Not to mention Nawat! If you’ve been there before, you know these guys.
The bartenders are very friendly, as well as the barbacks. Most are talented but a few could use some help. The locals are the best. If you are looking to have a good time and meet great people, this is the place to go. Best dive bar in Old Town. If you do go, make sure to tip your bartenders and say hi to Richard, the Lizard jester.

You have to LOVE dive bars to enjoy this place. I do like my dive bars once in a while, and I was shocked to see that Old Town Alexandria had one. It’s a nice change of pace from the usual in the neighborhood. Yes, it’s really smoky. No, they don’t have big screen TVs to watch any of the games. Yes, they do have the original Mortal Kombat Arcade Game for only a quarter a play!
I enjoyed my one night there, and would definitely go back if I was in the mood to get away from the «scene», and play a couple rounds of pool with some down to earth people.

I agree with everything George S. said and would also add that it is the smokiest bar I’ve ever been to. It’s just a perpetual thick haze. I felt dirty having walked in there.

I went there for happy hour, so it was pretty much just people from my work which was cool, but i can’t comment on the type of people that frequent this place. It is very much a dive bar, and it was really hot in there due to the weather being warm and there being no air conditioning but they had quite a few windows that were open which was a nice change from most bars. A couple of pool tables and a old school juke box made it a pretty fun room. It really was like hanging out in a friends attic or basement which was exactly what we were looking for so it was a good time.

I’m from Texas, so I didn’t think I would mind hanging out here. But after a couple of visits, the crowd, the skunky beer, and the general creepiness of the place just started getting to me.
Maybe it was the taste of soap in the beer on tap.
Maybe it was the guy who was hitting on me with my lesbian partner standing next to me.
Or the other guy who was trying to give us tips on how to play pool (oh, sorry, I forgot to say «thanks» for your «help»…)
Or the girl who passed out on the floor next to her fiancé the night before their wedding.
Or the redneck frat boy who told me I needed to get a «real» religion.
No, Lizard Lounge is something I definitely don’t miss about Alex. I don’t think I’ll ever be back.

I actually enjoy bars that are dark, dingy, dirty and smoky, so I don’t mind this place too much. It’s bigger than most dive bars in the area, and has two floors with several pool tables in one of the rooms. You know this type of place — they also have pinball and a jukebox, of course. I would say the jukebox is actually respectable, depending on who’s got the quarters. If you come here to see a band, watch out because it gets crowded and loud. Most night it’s just a DJ here.

Definitely not my kind of place. Dark, dingy, dirty, smokey. Ex-​frat-​boy-​from-​no-​name-​Southern-​school crowd. Beer selection was fine. Jukebox was good. Felt very uncomfortable there. Welcome to the South.