City Tavern

This place is pretty good if you’re looking for a drink and some decent food. I recommend coming during happy hour or Sunday brunch due to cheaper prices and better menu selection. The drinks are very good, very strong. My sister ordered a cranberry vodka and it was almost clear (which we don’t mind) so if you’re an alcoholic, this is your new spot. I will warn you though, there’s a lot of bar rats here so don’t stare at them unless you want to do 8 fireball shots with them because they’re lonely. The food is fine, but if you drink enough, it’s the best food in the world.

We were on vacation visiting family and just happened to find this place. We wanted to sit outside because the weather was unusually nice. We were able to get a table right away. Everything was delicious and it was a pleasant atmosphere. Our server was super nice. I noticed a couple of other people had dogs next to us and was glad to see that. We would definitely recommend!

Recently came to city tavern after many years of me not visiting with a friend for lunch! I got half and half BBQ wings and the buffalo wings with a side of fries! Everything was great I really enjoyed my food I would just say for a 5 dollar side of fries I’d expect a little bit more fries on the plate than what I recieved. Still had an awesome experience and will be back again!

I remember seeing this place for several years. Ended up here for a Saturday lunch. Place was empty. Was greeted and seated quickly. We needed some tome to checkout the menu so the waitress took our appetizer order and didn’t come back for a good while. While waiting for her yo return “Tommy” made himself known. Assuming owner or manager. He told us to tell the waitress if we needed anything to let him know. If was a very odd and uncomfortable at times. Tommy was wearing a suit with tennis shoes and was seated at the bar. To be honest I think he was a little drunk. Appetizer came and was actually pretty good. The burgers on the other hand were dry and boring. I definitely wouldn’t go back. Even if the food was good. Tommy just creeped me out.

The City Tavern in Old town Manassas Virginia is a hidden gem! We started coming here last summer and can’t stop! The foods here are true high-quality gourmet dishes. You can’t go wrong with anything you order. The atmosphere here it’s very warm, cozy and welcoming. Different places to sit if you wanted to be close to the live music or sit a bit further away. Friendly staff:) We’ve become regular patrons! We just finished out special Valentines dinner! 😉

We were traveling through the area and we discovered this local restaurant and bar. It has been serving the locals since 1963. Great atmosphere, lots of areas to choose from. An old wooden bar, wood dividers, outdoor seating, tables in different areas and a room for receptions or parties. The drinks were served promptly and the menu was extensive. The French dip sandwich was huge and the half pound hamburger was good.

Environment was pretty good. At a minimum, the crowd was very friendly. Our server was pretty good but not great. She was very friendly though. Had to keep looking for her. Food was also so-so. I'm not sure why a French dip doesn't have a massive amount of dripping cheese, a hard roll, and a larger ramekin for dipping. See my review for The Cove in Pennsylvania and you'll understand. The beer selection was respectable, and better than most, but they were out of the bells two-hearted. Environment was great this particular night because my brother-in-law was playing music up there. My father-in-law loved the single malt scotch selection.

I had the black bean veggie burger. It was excellent. Very flavorful. The black bean patty itself was quite savory. I also love that the burger comes with guacamole. So good! It doesn't come with cheese, you have to ask for them to put cheese on and that costs an additional dollar. The French fries were pretty good. The one thing I really didn't like was there were a few fruit flies hovering around our table and our food. This was annoying and gross. This is why I'm not giving the full five stars. The service was good. Our server was very friendly, polite and helpful. The food came out in a reasonable amount of time. The atmosphere is nice. It was pretty quiet when we went there. It was around 4pm on a Saturday. We got a booth. Parking is great. There is a spacious parking lot.

We had lunch on Saturday, November 1, 2025. As we entered the foyer of City Tavern, we were greeted by the waitress she asked if it was our first visit and welcomed us. The ambiance of the tavern was inviting; the regulars were gathered around the bar chatting and watching football. As we walked to the bar, we were greeted by the bartender he was polite and helpful. He let us know that it was our lucky day as they recently added a new menu to their repertoire. My girlfriend ordered the French onion soup as her first course and said it was absolutely the best she has ever had! As it was loaded with caramelized onions and melted cheese and it was cooked to perfection. Entree course she had the Crispy Chicken salad, the crisp Iceberg and romaine lettuce was topped with a blend of shredded Cheddar/Jack cheese, diced tomatoes, and onions. The crown jewel of the salad was the House breaded chicken tenders; they were delicious and made your mouth water. Choice of dressing was house made Ranch. I ordered the Black & Bleu Salad topped with a Cajun grilled NY strip steak medium rare with a base of mixed romaine and iceberg, diced cucumber, tomatoes, and crumbled Bleu cheese. Balsamic dressing was a perfect complement. Wow this place is a real gem.

Delicious food with a variety of daily specials. A happy hour food menu that's the best deal in town! The friendly staff creates a warm welcoming experience.

Fettuccine Alfredo wasn't fettuccine. Thin flat spaghetti that was overcooked. Sauce was just butter and cream. Portion wasn't great. Service unfriendly.

Great selection of food and drinks. Excellent location close to everything. Always good service and a relaxing ambiance.

Takes a few months to get seated. Quintessential dive. Their food is so dang good. The waitresses here are down-to-earth and awesome. Tip: Sweet Tea, French Onion Soup & Alfredo. Just do it. Merry Christmas 2024 City Tavern, don't ever change.

Horrible service, waitress never came back to even give us napkins, had to go get them myself. Food was bad, at best, chicken tinders were chewier than beef jerky. Run away from this place!!! FAST

Food was average but satisfying but the real problem was waiting 5-10min to be seated. After being seated server was attentive and came by often. We also came back later for late night drinks and food which was exactly what you expected fried and delicious. The place looks really nice and does have outdoor seating. They also have a banquet room that looks really nice. For food can't go wrong with cheese sticks and the french dip.

We enjoy City Tavern for a quick bite and good drinks! I had the MOST DELICIOUS French onion soup here recently and highly recommend it. They also have an extensive whiskey list my husband enjoyed.

Excellent service. Employees were very friendly and accommodating. Liked the Reuben Sandwich. Coleslaw was a little salty.

This place is run-down. Its one of those types with severally worn down/torn seats that expose the cushion under tattered upholstery. That might have a "dive" charm for some but the reality is that exposed cushions cannot be cleaned properly and carries all the funk from past customers. It's really bad and unsanitary. They need to fix that. The food is okay for what it is. Its basic tavern food, which is what you might expect. We've been here twice now and tried various things. Burgers and salads seem to be the safest bet all around. Venturing away from those items yields mixed results. During our visits, we did find that the staff were friendly and provided good services.

Place was empty post-lunchtime when I came, the server didn't take her sweet time recognizing there was a customer like some places do when they're slow. Food was excellent, steak could have used a little seasoning of something...maybe even just some type of garlic butter or sauce. Portion sizes were more than fair for the price for sure. I enjoyed the decor, had a unique almost pub like vibe to it. Will be back again for sure.

Came here for a St. Patty's Day celebration with friends. It's just an ok bar with just ok food. My friends ordered the Fish n Chips and the the fish was undercooked. It looked and tasted disgusting. The service was good. I ordered mozzarella sticks. They were good. Not sure if I'll be back. Nothing has me like "Ooh I'll try this next time!" Lol!

Meh. One meal on a Sunday. We didn't eat the fries, they were hard as a rock and we thought tooth repairs would be needed if we ate more than 1-2. I grabbed a Reuben, which was a good sandwich. The hubby had a bbq brisket sandwich, he said it was good. The service was ok, it took a long time to get our food considering the place was empty.

This past Sunday I had another wonderful experience at City Tavern. Food (homemade chicken noodle soup and cheese quesadillas) was excellent as always but the atmosphere and people are what keep me coming back weekly. I am writing this review in particular to give a shout out to my server Kyra. She managed the entire bar area solo with aplomb. My experience would not be the same without her. I am always treated as a privileged guest. And that's why one dines out: for the experience! Highly recommend establishment and moreover staff. Love the joint!

Visited City Tavern in Manassas, VA last night. The food was delicious but more importantly, our server Nora was the best! She recommended menu items and she was just joyful and so attentive. Bravo, Nora!

The food was awful! Worst part is all the fresh sliced meats were cold. The scrambled eggs were cooked so hard basically over cooked. They also didn't keep fresh food items replenished. The service wasn't much better. It was Easter brunch and for 30 dollars a person it was absolutely not worth it . Not sure what is going on but at least five years ago they were way better of an establishment. I really don't think I'll be back ever again.

What happened?!?! We used to love City Tavern! Now they have a tiny menu and everything we tried has been awful. You can't make money by saving money reducing the quality of your food - because you just lose customers. I guess they are living off of liquor profits?

Some of the nastiest food I've had in a long time. The burgers taste like nothing but char, I literally couldn't taste anything else. The fries taste reheated and were also overcooked. The chilly taste like ketchup and were 90% beans. I haven't been here in years and now I remember why.

We were passing through and decided to have dinner. It was a "decent " meal. I had a Caesar salad topped with grilled salmon. I asked for dressing on the side and, of course, they mixed it in the salad. I had to send it back. They redid the salad willingly. My husband had the ribs. The meal was good, not spectacular. The waitress was a nice young lady who made sure everything was to our liking. The restaurant was empty in the dining room. We had the place to ourselves. I think they must cater to a daytime crowd, being near the courthouse complex. I don't think we would return. It was ok for that one evening, but I don't have the urge to go back.

exceeded my expectations!! wow!! the person who seated us was super friendly & accommodating!! we sat in a really cool corner booth away from the bar & noise. everything was very clean, the menu selection was diverse & all very tempting. our server was ON POINT!!!! the food was hot, everyones order was as requested & there were no complaints. will be back for sure!! has its own parking lot so that makes it convenient too. thank you!!

The food was excellent!! My mom and I had the chicken Alfredo and it was delicious!!! We met the owner on the way out and he was very sweet!! It took us 3 years of driving by to try and all I have to say is we will surely come back.

First time for my wife and I. Met family whom had been there before. Walked in and was greeted right away. Tried to seat us in the dining room next to the bar, with a Redskins game on. So loud we couldn't even hear the waitress. She moved the six of us to a very nice corner table on the other side of the dining room. Two ate table ordered a massive plate full of meatloaf, which they said was very good. Two had the fish & chips with one saying it was good, and the other had fish burnt and hard on the bottom, which was not good. I had a really good brisket sandwich and fries. The service was great! If it hadn't been for the burnt fish it would have been a five star evening.

I give high marks for location, parking, and food. The restaurant is very clean. We went for Sunday Brunch. A lot more items available than most but it comes with a lot higher cost as well. The food was great. Restrooms were clean as well.

September 2020 - COVID Review: We made a reservation for a small group of us after our church ceremony rehearsal next door. They weren't able to accommodate us for an outside table due to it being full, but we had a fairly socially distanced table indoors. The menu is really extensive and everything that our party ordered was really tasty! I just wasn't a fan of the calamari appetizer because it was too battered and oily and lacked seasoning. Otherwise, the rest of our food was good and so was the service.

First off, the staff is on point and excellent. Second, the new management is less so....here we go. There is not even one place (online or otherwise) that has correct hours. If it were just Google, it would be one thing, since they are beholden to Google to change it for them, but their own website is wrong, as well as even their DOOR! The manager has been told and he gave excuses, all while driving customers and regulars away. They aren't even consistent about when they do close- it is at their whim. Tonight, we called at 9:10 and asked when the kitchen closed and the bartender said full menu until 9:30 and after that, cold sandwiches and fried foods. We showed up 14 min later at 9:24 and the SAME bartender said sorry no food at all and just drinks. So they tell you one thing, and you plan your evening around it and then just back out and say sorry tough shit for you. Their kitchen closes earlier than any in Manassas. We have been literally there at 9:50 on a Friday night and actually yelled at that we NEED to get out within 5 minutes. That same night, we managed to get our order in before the cutoff time (another instance where we called ahead and they told us one thing and then it changed when we showed up before the stated time), we both ordered wings with Buffalo sauce. The wings arrive about 8 min later (5 min after kitchen closes) and one order is orange and obviously buffalo like always, and the other is glossy and brown and obviously BBQ, so we said something and she told us we were wrong. We asked for the correct thing and she said sorry tough luck the kitchen is closed. It had closed five minutes prior and nothing had even started being cleaned....and they had brought the wrong food! Every time something happens, we are told sorry can't help you. No one ever even tries to make it right or make any effort to fix the issues. They also fired their best, long time bartender and great manager. Please fix this issues, treat us customers better and bring back Amber and Charlie!!!!! Sincerely, Your Neighborhood Patrons (and now former regulars)

Came here for St Patrick's day. It was super busy and they were clearly understaffed. However, our server worked extra hard. Food was great. We ordered some of the Irish specials. The corned beef egg rolls were amazing. Whatever spicy mustard sauce came with it was awesome! Bangers and mash was on point. For our first time ever going here it was a great experience and we will definitely be back soon!

A lot of reviews stated the prime rib was excellent so thought I'd give it a try. Order the 16oz prime rib, loaded potato and vegetables. The prime rib wasn't a very good cut, a bit chewy and was not worth the price. Loaded potato was on the smaller side. The potato toppings were scarce and the potato itself was not very good. The green beans were okay. Seemed boiled without any seasoning. Likely will not be back.

We went here for a couple of different occasions, and the staff was always so accommodating, and great at their job! The food is so good, will be coming back here again very soon!

Absolutely amazing brunch. The food was all delicious. The staff was amazing and their patio was perfect on a beautiful Mother's Day.

My wife and I dined here for the first time this week meeting for lunch on a Wednesday afternoon. The restaurant is easy to find just west of downtown Manassas on Center Street. There is a large adjacent parking lot that it is shared with an office building but we had no difficulties finding a parking space. Our first impression of the interior of the Tavern was that it look like an older Applebee's. There are framed old magazine covers screwed to the wall along with license plates and old metal signage. There is a nice looking full size bar to the right as you enter and traditional tables and booths to the left. Farther back through double doors is even more seating but that area looked more like a meeting area and was more institutional looking. Once seated we met our server, an older gruff gentleman who got the job done in an unpolished manner. We were seated next to some regulars who knew him and chatted him up. I suspect there were mostly regulars in there at the time. The crowd definitely was slanted towards the retired end of the spectrum but hey I'm fast approaching that myself. My wife ordered the special of the day which was a chicken wrap while I ordered a basic burger with O rings. The burger was OK well cooked but somewhat bland in taste. The onion rings were awesome, very crunchy and huge. My wife commented that her wrap was freshly made and yummy. Definitely a viable lunch spot as we were in and out in under 45 minutes. I thought the prices were quite reasonable but I will pick something different next time when I return as a regular.

3.5 stars. Manassas mainstay for 20 plus years. Founded by a couple of brothers who HUSTLED to make the place a success. They've since sold the business, but the place still keeps chugging along. Sunday brunch is just ok, but perhaps I'm no longer a buffet guy.

Should have known better when arriving to a empty parking lot at 5:30 pm on a Saturday. I ordered 12oz prime rib with vegetables. Prime rib was cold and flavorless and vegetable medley was undercooked.

Welcome to Old Town Manassas! At last opened in a new location in the building that was formerly KC's. They bring 20 plus years of restaurant tradition from their former location. Open today for lunch starting @ 11am. They have done an excellent job restoring this building and adding food options. An easy access location right on the corner of Stonewall St & Center St. A really nice building with multiple dining rooms & even a nice patio. Their prime rib is exceptional. You can have it with Cajun spice for an up charge of $1. You get a a salad as a side included. They have many other great options from an extensive menu. They even have private dining rooms that can be reserved for special occasions. Check it out !

First time at City Tavern and it was pretty underwhelming. Stopped by to try their Sunday brunch buffet and I regret it. I don't know if this is a newer or older place but it really needs a makeover. The inside was pretty outdated with it's decor and I didn't get a "city" vibe from it at all. But who cares about the decor if the food is good right? Well it wasn't. They had your typical breakfast food but I guess I just thought there would be more variety. The only good thing I would say was the omelette bar and the guy making them was so sweet, unlike our waitress. The waitress literally dropped off the check maybe 15min after we sat down. I think it's completely rude to bring the check that early. Like yes, it's a buffet but the waitress still has to bring us/refill our drinks. Overall it was just sucky service (except the omelette bar guy) and sucky food.

They are doing their best to provide clean, social distancing dining in and take out. They have no touch menus taped to the wall. We could not read them so they did bring us paper menu. We tried the new roasted corn appetizer. It came with 2 ears roasted then rolled in cilantro and cotija cheese. Real winner. Delicious. The ribs were meaty, tender and delicious according to my husband. My chicken quesadilla was really good but needed the sauce and sour cream. It was a big one with lots of quality cheese and chicken. The pasta was good but not great. She did like the shrimp in the thin sauce. It took a really long time to get our food and we were hungry. There were not hardly any indoor customers. Maybe having to do so many to go orders really slows them down. I was sad that they no longer have Monte Christo sandwich. It was delicious. Most of our neighbors love to eat here and like everything they've ordered. That's pretty impressive.

City Tavern has had new owners and it has been a good change. Food is great. Service is good. Covid has not effected the food or service.

City tavern has a great AYCE style brunch buffet along with a waffle & omelette station on sundays that goes from 10-2! It's $20 and worth every penny. Kristen has the friendliest, fast service & makes a phenomenal drink. I recommend this place to people who want a quick & good brunch experience.

If you're looking for average bar food at bistro prices you found the spot. My waitress was very pleasant

We were at City Tavern last night for dinner in the bar area. We had a young lady wait on us (unsure of her name, sh had darker hair), she was very good, we couldn't have asked for better service. Very at tentative, smiling, just a pleasure to have her wait on us. Still not thrilled with the menu change a while back,, what we did have was very good. All the food came out on time and hot. Definitely will be back again soon.

City Tavern - Manassas Va - Went for lunch 09Oct2020 - social distancing and masks were required. Our server quickly brought out our drinks and took our order. For an appetizer we ordered a basket of onion strings with ranch & ketchup. Main lunch course - Prime Rib, baked potato, fresh vegetables (green beans); girlfriend ordered chopped salad with chicken salad. The onion strings came out quickly (a bit skimpy - should have been more), only one side of ranch and ketchup also (not enough), taste was great just not enough of them for two people to share. Main course came out girlfriends salad looked good and she said it was very fresh and flavorful; the Prime rib looked and tasted great - just like prime rib should, cooked med-rare and perfect, green beans were also very nice, baked potato (very small) and even though I ordered extra sour cream and butter I only received two butters and one sour cream. I asked for more and the server brought one more of each and two little packs of salt. Over all the tasted of the food was great - outstanding in fact. However, very skimpy on appetizers, side sauces and regular butter and sour cream to accompany the meal. We have been eating here for years, service and cleanliness has never been an issue. We will continue to dinner there and see if the portions and little things go back to the way they were. A great place to dine, we will be back!

They are very hit or miss. Most of the times I'm very happy with the service and food, but tonight I had sat at the bar where the bartender messed up my drink order and then charged me $70 for a drink I did not have. She charged my card twice and I am unsure if she actually corrected it. I will try once more, but if I have the same problems I will never go back. Just be careful and check before handing them your money.

We started going to City Tavern when they were located on Main Street in Old Town, Manassas. They had, without a doubt the best steaks in town. It was rumored that the owner was a butcher, or former butcher and took pride in his cuts of meat. Fast forward--City Tavern moved out of downtown Old Town and out on Rt. 28, entering a site that was a failed restaurant. The place was then sold and the new owners put out a new menu. GONE were the good steaks, replaced by a "drunken steak" and another one, a "Bavette steak," which is as tasty as yesterday's leftover breakfast grits--and tough enough that you can't get your fork into the gravy. I could literally not chew most of it all the way through. And the baked potato, another former standard, was undercooked, probably in a microwave the whole way through. All in all, it was a terrible experience and one not likely to be repeated because they have lost two longtime customers. The only reason it gets a two is because the server, Dominique, was very efficient and attentive. I hope the owner sees this.

Brought a party of 6.(3 were children) We ate outside. It was a busy Saturday. Our waitresses name was Dorothy. She remembered the drinks,two appetizers and six orders without writing anything down. She was so kind and professional. The food was excellent. Two bad I was just visiting from New York.

I've been to City Tavern for events before such as dinner, brunch and last week some friends and I attended this tavern after a Toastmaster event. We ordered food. There wasn't much of a crowd during this time. One friend likes to photograph himself showing the food and the location on his Facebook Page. There were three of us and while we were eating a person came to our table claiming to be the manager and asking if we took a photo of the server. We were cordial and and agreeable to the manager and the friend who takes photos of his food explained what happened. But after this incident it made me wonder if it's worth returning to this establishment. We also went there because we may be planning a holiday event. I wouldn't be inclined to hold an event here but my friends are more forgiving.

Originally a 3 star review, I'm dipping it down to 2 stars because of the post experience. The fare is your typical "tavern" food. Burgers, sandwiches, and steaks. Nothing special. I got a Monte Cristo sandwich, my friend got the prime rib, and we split an appetizer of fried calamari. He also got a salad. You also get house bread prior to the order. It's not very good. The bread tasted borderline stale and was cold. The calamari was overcooked, the breading falling off, but overall not bad, especially with the dipping sauce that it came in. Quite frankly, that was the best part of the lunch. While my friend enjoyed his prime rib, my Monte Cristo was mediocre at best. It kinda was like French Toast meets Grilled Cheese and throw in two meats, but unfortunately it came back in the form of heartburn. The french fries that came with it (also with a pickle spear) were uninspiring and lacked and originality (they tasted like the fries you'd get at a snack bar). I asked for broccoli as a substitute, which tasted a bit better than the fries did. Next time if I come here I'll try the prime rib because he said he enjoyed it, but this visit wasn't the greatest.

Second time here and I'm not sure what the big deal is about this place--I'm not too crazy over it. Our job usually chooses this place to eat during our holiday lunches so I end up going for a free meal. The pork chops were on the menu and one was good but the other was tough and I didn't eat it. The mashed potatoes were not good--they were something I would feed a child. Get the fries--they looked way better in terms of a side.

This place is super cute, inexpensive and quite good. I hope they have rectified some of the things the last reviewer mentioned. My bread looked quite fresh and was even warm. I had the trout with shrimp and mushrooms and it was fantastic! I'd take a pass on the snap peas (I don't like sweet stuff on my veggies). They served my iced tea with an orange wedge (different, but cool). And, we were in and out pretty quick over lunch. The waitress even gave my co-worker a to-go cup for the rest of her iced tea. I'll admit, I was dining with a couple of regulars, so maybe we got extra special service. But, I would definitely stop in here again. Maybe next time for a cocktail after work.

Best potato skins in Old Town. Atmosphere is give or take; don't go here if you don't like hip hop or club music... as they blast it on a nightly basis. Definitely the shadiest place in OT now that O'Meara's is gone... I'd only recommend going for Trivia on Monday Night's, honestly. The wait staff and bartenders are all really awesome and attentive though. The only reason this place gets a 4 is the atmosphere.

Service, ambience, quality & taste... it's here! Although not the fanciest, most comfortable or greatest food place, it's kind of cool to walk into one of those few 'real' nice places, the place you want to meet your friends at! You'll find the well known fare and although not the best, it's really good comfort food... you'll enjoy a decent meal with a bit of real feel staff that care about you. This should be considered Manassas' best kept secret as an edible historic landmark. My favorite consistent meal is the Monte Christo, WOW! Not many places can boast it, but it's here and its good. Almost everything my friends and I have had here, is worth eating again. See you there!