Langston Bar & Grille

Friendly environment and great food. I’ve always loved watching the games here. Only gripe I have is the music. If no ones paying to play music, the awful auto selection will drive you out of the establishment.

Feeling generous three and a half stars but rounding up. The good– Service was friendly and prompt, even though its definitely a neighborhood feel always felt welcome. The jerk wing appetizer with dirty rice was good. The wings were super tender and the cream sauce on the wings were delicious. Also the yams that came with my entrée were really good not too sweet just the right amount of ginger and cinnamon. The owner was sitting at the bar as well and seemed like a genuinely nice guy. The bad– Pretty much everything else was meh. My friend got the grilled pork chop which didn’t seemed that seasoned well and average garlic mashed pototes and green beans. My entrée of spareribs which were country style btw also didn’t seemed seasoned at all and to accompany them was a straight out of the bottle kraft BBQ sauce which was of course not was I expecting I would of been super disappointed had I not used a groupon. So what we got for what we payed for can’t really complain and I’m sure my dogs are going to enjoy all the ribs I didnt eat.

Stopped into Langston after a shitty meal at chipotle and risking the e-​coli outbreak. The staff were very pleasant, I ordered two bread puddings to go. Got home and notice a third party in my pudding, yep it was a baby roach. I will not be returning at all, on my mother. Wtf! why me today? first chipotle and now my little neighborhood spot…#jesus take the wheel

The food was good. We had jerk wings, old bay wings, bang bang shrimp and macaroni and cheese. We came here because we purchased a Groupon but once we got the bill we found out that there is a automatic 18% gratuity added to all checks but that is not stated on the Groupon so that was a little bit of a surprise.

So… Myia, our waitress, was also the bartender and the food runner. She was awesome! Food was great! He had shrimp and grits and I had ox tails. Picked up a Groupon deal and it was well worth it! Not sure where the kitchen is though…, kinda sketchy what’s out that back door, where the food comes from. We think that they’re sharing a kitchen with the take out wing joint next door. Give it a chance though. We’ll be back!

Langston was just what I needed after a long day at the office. The shrimp and grits were on point. I think the real winner of the night was the Fried chicken and garlic mashed potatoes — that was pretty damn near perfect and comforting, They had run out of whatever side dish my roomate asked for so we waited on a fresh batch of green beans which did take a long time to come out (but to be fair we went in shortly before they closed) We were stuffed and so we got them to go — these were excellent the next day! So glad we waited on them. Here’s my only gripe (yes the location can be a little rough but that’s not really my concern because we were two women, alone, late at night and the only issues was the hipster that side-​swipped us with his backpack– if you have some sense you’ll be alright) so ahem, my only suggestion is to cook the rice a little more in the jerk wings dish it was a watery and almost like bad risotto, in consistency. The jerk flavor was way different than I expected, it was an interesting interpretation, but was not for me. Our server T, was fun and wickedly funny. She was warm and bold and I’d be happy to come back with friends whenever she’s tending bar. we were the only two other people there mid week, but a few folks did quick pickups. I thought the portions were decent and well done.

Sadly this place disappointed me. I ordered off grub hub today for me and a friend. Grub hub told me my food would be ready between 8:50 pm and 9:00 pm. I arrived at 9:08 and asked the bartender «a tall polite gentleman who was extremely busy and cramped behind the bar» where do I pick up orders. He said «Here. what you got?» I told him it was through grub hub and showed him my order. They don’t have a cpu to receive grub hub orders so he put it in for me and told me 15 – 20 minutes. Ok I’m cool with that though my wife would have been clicked. To this minute I have not gotten my food and its 10:15 pm. When I spoke with the manager he was dumbfounded and honestly he might just be used to the lackadaisical environment he was placed in mind you he said he will call me back that never happened. To be honest they seem like they don’t care and that’s the part that’s tripped me out. I gave you guys $ 44 of my hard earned and you could careless. Wow. Although I won’t be coming back ever. I ask you to see for yourself. Maybe under a different circumstance drinks or party this would be the spot but from my experience I don’t care to try. Anyway one star for the fact that you have a great crowd and bar staff. I can’t lie though food was great now that we got it!

Passed this placed a hundred times and decided to park and check it out; with no bullet proof protection or armed security (shady neighborhood). Upon entering, the bartender was pleasant and welcoming. Thought to myself this is GREAT, because good customer service is out the window in the DC area.
I ordered fried tilapia with side of mac/​cheese and string beans to go. See pic of this $ 15 dish. One very small piece of fish and two small sides. I honestly thought they made a mistake and gave me a meal from the kids menu.
Ordering take out, I almost never tip. I decided to check out the food first and then on my next visit, give a generous tip for great customer service.
To not feel cheated, robbed or mislead, I’ve convenience myself that I paid $ 15 for a nice friendly conversation with a bartender who threw in the fish and sides as a good gesture to say thanks for stopping in to have small talk.
As for the quality of the food… if you ask me, I think they share a basement kitchen with that rat hole Wings-​N-​Wings carryout next door… not good at all!
No way would I recommend or visit this place EVER again.
Thinking to call the cops to report I was robbed… but don’t want to go to jail for misuse of 911; food prob much better there.

So my husband bought a Groupon for this place and they never answered the phone to place a reservation. Long story short after trying for weeks, we decided to just show up and eat. The restaurant’s website lists 12pm as the opening hour, its 12:30pm and the resturant is locked up and closed even though on the door it says hours 11am-​1am. Money, time and gas has been wasted. Very annoyed and irritated about the whole situation. Never again Langston Grille, terrible customer service and we’ve never even encountered an employee. If I could give no stars, I would.

It’s really nice on the inside, small and intimate perfect for a date night. Service could have been better, had to wait a very long time for appetizers and entrees. Are waitress also forgot about our drink orders we had to flag her down to remind her. Food was fairly good but I have had better. I did like the music selection that they played, and our waitress was friendly. Would come back but only to go to the bar for drinks.

When we got here, we were a bit hesitant… Stayed because we had a groupon. & SO glad we stayed. It’s very small, I got the impression my husband and I and one other table were the only people that weren’t regulars. We both had the friend chicken, with some sort of spicy chili sauce on the side. Delicious! It’s something we will look forward to next time we visit DC!

The place seemed to be very nice from the inside. The outside wasn’t so welcoming based on the area it was on. The service was very bad it took them forever to bring our food and appetizers. The employees were nice and welcoming but it wasn’t enough. The food was very very basic it tasted plain nothing that all five of us had to eat was extraordinary. It seems that this is better for drinks instead of a meal with family. Had plenty of food left over and will not be bringing any home not even to my dog. Will not be returning. Came here for a Father’s Day dinner that wasn’t at all good.

Great date restaurant or maybe for a girl’s night out. We used a Groupon to save some money but, the price is reasonable for the quality and portion sizes in the city. My husband really loved the jerk chicken appetizer. I really loved my shrimp and grits (cheesy, Cajun spiced but not too spicy) and my peach cobbler. Two issues — it is not handicapped accessible, and in fact, one must climb fairly steep stairs to sit in the main dining area, and — probably in part due to these steep stairs– service can be slow. They were very good about checking in to see that we were happy. The music was fun, sexy, groovin — a mix of R & B, jazz, and Motown, that blended well with the menu.

Amazing food! We tried this place on a whim and was pleasantly surprised. The salmon cakes were out of this world and fried chicken was delicious and juicy. Staff was warm and welcoming. It’s a small place but cozy and nicely decorated. Definitely give it a try if you are in the neighborhood.

I treated a male friend to Langston Bar & Grill for dinner on Monday, March 16^th, 2015, and had the most amazing time. The atmosphere upstairs was the perfect environment to hangout for food/​drinks while watching your favorite sport event. The experience that really made Langston Bar & Grill one of my now favorite restaurants in the District of Columbia was the Soul Food Cuisine (absolutely DELICIOUS, I mean SCRUMPTIOUS) that it reminded me of my deceased mother (she was a fabulous cook). We started out with an appetizer the chicken livers smothered in homemade gravy with sautéed onions. Next for an entrée my friend had the crab cakes and I had the Blacken Tilapia, served with homemade garlic mash potatoes and perfectly cooked string beans (seasoned with a slight crunch), the food was so good that each bite was yummmm (ha, ha, ha…, but seriously, the food was really tasty).
If you are looking for a place where you can go and hangout for food and drinks, Langston offers the perfect atmosphere. The service is superb, our waiter Victor was so nice and charming, excellent interpersonal skills; he was very attentive, but not overly. In fact, Langston is a place where I can go alone for an outing. I wished that I would have taken a photo to post, because visually my entrée appeared delicious, but when I took that first bite, oh my goodness, the food was scrumptious. I had the best time at Langston.
I highly recommend Langston for brunch, lunch, dinner or for a social outing. Two thumbs up.

«Diamond in the rough» is what our server said when we got there and after our meal I heartily agree. Came here with the Groupon that was well worth it. The jerk chicken wings we got for an appettizer were not spicy, but they definitely had flavour and the dirty rice they were served with was top notch. The entrees we had were fried chicken, oxtails served with mac and cheese, fried okra and green beans. All top notch.
I can’t speak for the many bad reviews I see on this page, however my experience was great. The staff were friendly, food and drinks came in the timely manner and the restaurant was a decent atmosphere. Will visit again, Groupon or not.

Overall, I like this hole in the wall type place. It’s located in an urban community. Parking in the back alley way. The customer service needs a little more work. The music great R&B and Hip Hop and a little Reggae too, but it’s a little loud for the upstairs eating area. Probably better for the bar area.
The setup is unique like a converted townhouse feel, but it works. The FOOD was awesome! Great flavorful menu however, the need more choices for fountain drinks, such as teas and lemonade or come out the box with the style of drinks. I would come again!
The ambiance feels like there should be a band there, but there isn’t enough room for one. In my opinion, this place needs a face lift and better management team for the stock of food and drinks. I feel like it could be better than what it is cause it’s truly a diamond in the rough. I wish this business success.

This review is for the Langston’s at the golf course. I made a seperate location request but somehow Unilocal attached it to the resturaunt a block away.
I hold a lot of meetings at the local schools in the area. When it was time for lunch, one of the teachers told me to try the grill by the golf course. When I walked in I immediately sensed that this is a local hangout.
PRO’s: Super Cheap Food, family atmosphere, breakfast served all day.
CON’s: None

UPDATE!
Whenever my Bestie from CT comes to town we try to hit this spot up. The neighborhood atmosphere* at a bar is something she’is very familiar with, so we try to stop if when time allows, but usually late night on the weekend. We stopped in for drinks and a light bite to eat before heading home. We decided to sit in the downstairs bar area (our favorite place). We were joined later by a MD friend making it a interesting Tuesday early evening «turn up»!! Lol
The service (bar staff) nevers seems to diappoint and this time the food was on point too! My CT Bestie ordered a Huge Salad and Smothered Fried Chicken Livers and Onion in gravy, while I had the Beef Burger Sliders. Note: The salad and livers are worth coming back for, but the burgers weren’t different tasting than any other place’s offering of the same dish.
Again, the alcohoic drinks were on the money (tax added). We weren’t disappointed even though each time we go there’s a different bartender on duty. Last night «Jay» was manning the bar and the dining room runs (dumb waiter to upstairs)!! He had things under control and truth be told the service was just a tad bit slow, but we understood. Once again, the bar music put you in the mood to talk, cut up (laugh) and drink up; which we did!
*Langston’s is best described as a «black owned and run CHEERS», based on all the «regulars» that seem to come and go everytime I’m there! Lol
I’ll be back, at least in the bar area!

I’m the queen of letting my Groupons expire, but this time I didn’t. I grabbed my sister and we went on a rainy Friday night. Langston’s is located in the up and coming vibrant area where the new trolley’s run. We made reservations, good thing too because this place is about the size of my bedroom closet. The first floor has a bar, stools and I believe one table by the window. The restaurant was upstairs and what a set of stairs this place has. It’s a bit of a death trap. I can easily see how someone could fall down them and get seriously injured. When we got to the top, we saw about 7 – 8 tables crammed into this little space. A few televisions were on the walls, the brick was painted in a pale green color and the décor looked kind of thrown together. It reminded me of a row-​house in DC that was converted into a restaurant.
We were seated immediately by the one waitress that had to wait on all of the tables on this level. She informed us that since we were using a Groupon an automatic 18% gratuity would be charged to our bill. I’m not use to hearing a server tell me that when I use a Groupon. I’m a big tipper, to those that deserve it, so I never need anyone to force a large tip out of me. I checked out the menu prior to leaving and knew that I wanted the chicken and waffles. I was informed by the server that they no longer serve the chicken and waffles but she would ask the chef if she could make an exception. I greatly appreciated this because the chef obliged and was able to make the chicken and waffles for me.
Unlike some of the other reviewers, we didn’t wait long for our meal. Granted, our appetizer (we had the fried wings… I know, my meal and appetizer included fried chicken… what can I say, not much of a variety here) came out the same time as our entrees, but we overlooked that. My sister got the shrimp and grits and we both had a glass of Merlot. Both of our meals were just average, nothing to write home about. I do give major props to our server for being attentive to each table in the room, but I just wasn’t impressed with the food. I’m giving this place 3 stars because of the chef accommodating my order and the server being so attentive in a hectic environment.
I can pretty much guarantee that I won’t be back, but that’s why I love Groupons because you can try a place for a reasonable price and either continue to come or never come back.