Harbor Social

We recently visited Harbor Social inside the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, MD. Overall, the experience was decent. The food was good, but the prices were on the expensive side. We went on a particularly crowded night, which limited our ability to enjoy the games available. However, if you're staying at the hotel resort, it's a convenient place to grab food and a drink. The service could use some improvement, as it was a bit slow, but this may have been due to the high volume of patrons that evening. Despite this, we enjoyed the atmosphere and the vibe of the place. We were celebrating a graduation, and it turned out to be a good spot for our group to meet up.

EXPENSIVE!!! Love the food but felt like I needed to take out small mortgage after eatting here. They serve sliders...thats right folks! Not even full size burgers. 6 sliders will run you 36 bucks! Want fries with that? That'll be 14 bucks! Like to wash that down with a frosty beer....10 dollars please. I lpaid almost 75 bucks without tip. Food was good...service was good, but they will try to upsale you (not sure if they get commission or something). Be wary, they'll say something like "You want fries with that right?" or "You should have the fries as well!". I'm all for sampling the tasty foods, but I felt like I was buying a time share im Colorado. Would like to see the place more clean...tables looked like the seat of a public bus. Host was very professional and bar was fully stocked...just get that cocktail coupon ready...old fashions will run you 18 smackers! Maybe Ill eat here again one day after I cash my 401k?

The Perfect Sports Bar inside the Gaylord Resort is a great spot. The friendly staff made us feel welcome, and the chicken wings were delicious. With plenty of TVs to watch sports and a variety of games to play, including a bowling alley, it's the ideal place to relax and have fun.

Per my brother, Paul - “First off, never assign a waitress to a big table without experience. I’m not going to lie the ambiance is GREAT, TV’s all over the place, very spacious. (Great for a sports event) However, BRING YOUR OWN FOOD! The only good thing was the French fries and the sauce (ask for extra sauce) the burgers & salmon sliders were straight from a walmart freezer”.

Wonderful selection of sliders. Seems more of a bar than a sit down restaurant mini games around the exterior of the seating areas including bocce ball, darts, air hockey among others.

Came here Saturday night—there was an energetic vibe to this place. The bar is huge and there’s huge screens to watch games, aside from the bowling and shuffle board. It was fairly packed and service was a bit slow. We ordered Vodka Sodas and the club soda was flat, no carbonation—I flagged the bartender about this and he went to get new club soda (it took a very long time) and the new one was also flat! Was not happy with my new drink either. For food, we tried the Artichoke and Maryland Crab Dip ($24)—it was terrible, was super bland, unappealing and the bread was so hard.

It's a fine place to eat. The service was a little weird because it's seat yourself so the hostess is not able to place people in distinct areas. But the food was solid.

Hands down without a doubt the worst service I can remember ever having. 30 mins to get half the drinks, then the food came before the other half of the drinks. We asked for a sauce and she came back with the check. The served four other tables before our sauce. They take in way more people then they can handle. I only tipped because I’m a decent human being. Will pack sandwiches next time, will never return. It was awful. And 1/4 piece of cheese on my kids sliders.

Not a bad place inside the Gaylord DC atrium floor level. Free to play darts, foosball, and bocce ball. Great place to hang out. Relaxed casual place to eat with large group of friends. People seem to be having a good time. Kind of surreal when this place gets taken over by spelling bee kids, staff, and spellebrities...but I hear next year the bee is somewhere else.

Great food. Our server was perfect. I got buffalo wings, and a Shirley Temple. It's a large venue with couches booths and .tables and chairs.

This was a nice little spot to grab a quick dinner after getting to the hotel. It's definitely a sports bar vibe, but they also have duckpin bowling (not sure what that is) and I think I saw a pool table too. The place has TVs all around, it can get a bit loud, but the food was pretty good overall.

I had so much hope be said this was in the Gaylord. Our waitress was great I have zero complaints. However the taco salad was a bit frozen. I asked for no meat and they still sent it out with chicken. Then when it was plain it was frozen. Not fresh at all. The ambiance was decent. They had bowling, darts and a few other game options with some large TVs to watch sports. Probably won't be back but it's a decent option.

Located on the atrium floor of the Gaylord hotel Harbor Social is the perfect place to grab a drink, a seat and watch the premier game of the day. Last night it was a bit chaotic as I believe there was a cheerleading convention happening at the hotel. There was bowling available as well as another game off to the far right of the restaurant but I couldn't tell what it was because of all the kids. For bowling you have to make a reservation and the other game was first come first serve. The tables are located in front of two wall sized TVs which is cool for but limited if you wanted to come on a Sunday and catch multiple games. Not sure what the bar had to offer but I'm sure it was more variety there. Tables are self serviced so locking down one can be a bit tricky if you're not the aggressive type. Being serviced is even trickier. Our group consisted of roughly 11 people ordering at random so I can't even fault the waitress too much for being in and out. I wish I could remember her name because she really did try her best. Gratuity is tacked on once your party exceeds 5 so keep that in mind. We had a round of shots and I got the West Wings which were a dry rub and were really good and about the most adorable thing on the menu which is 12/$16. If I were in the area and needed somewhere to watch a game I probably would opt for Tom's watch bar instead. Parking at the harbor is terrible so be prepared to pay $20 at minimum if you're there for 3hrs or more.

The restaurant is fine but we walked in and sat at the bar. Unfortunately we had someone under 21 with us but we already ordered drinks. So we tried to move to another section and were told we had to order food with that server or leave. I was like ...where are we supposed to go? We already got drinks? So service could use significant improvement.

We connected with another family for an event at the Gaylord in National Harbor and took all the kids (4) to Harbor Social to get something to eat and play some games. The kids got chicken tenders and fries which went over well for them. For the adults we shared the sliders, guacamole and chips, and some truffle fries. Since I was not that hungry I just sampled the guacamole and chips which was good. There were a number of games there including air hockey, pool, darts, cornhole, bocce ball and duckpin bowling. The bowling cost extra but the others were free (you just need to check in with the gamemaster). My oldest (11) and I played a couple rounds of darts then we joined the rest of the crew for bowling. Overall I thought it was a great family spot as there was something there for everyone (including the big screen TVs which had live sports).

We came here after the ICE! event that was happening in the Gaylord and had a great experience. We were easily able to grab seats at the bar for our entire party and able to order some of the holiday festive drinks. We also got some sliders and truffle fries. It took a while for the food to come out, but it was very very busy given the holiday season, so definitely have some grace when going this time of year. It's a great place to relax and catch a drink. You can also hear the holiday music and see the Christmas lights change in the front of the hotel when sitting at the bar. Overall makes for a great experience.

TLDR; decently priced wings, sub-par sliders Harbor Social is a restaurant opened only during the evenings/night at the Gaylord National Resort Hotel. They pretty much just serve two things: wings and sliders. I got the buffalo wings and the OG slider. The buffalo wings was well priced ($15 for a dozen which is even better considering this is inside a resort hotel) and was well sauced, but was quite salty. The sliders were not good -- the buns were not toasted, the meat patty was smaller than the bun (these buns are hawaiian-roll sized), and were lacking in flavor (for both salt and sauce). They have some local beer though that was nice, and the servers and ambiance was lively. A fun place to be for sure, but the sliders were disappointing.

Fun place to watch a game...or play a game...or just enjoy a drink. We were staying at the Gaylord and wanted a nightcap before retiring to the room for the evening. The bartenders were great, the atmosphere was social, and they can make some amazing drinks! I forget what their "specialty drink" was, but they were making a vat of it right next to us and let us have a taste.....and it was amazing! The folks that work here pretty obviously enjoy their job, and it shows. If you go and you drink liquor, try the house special. These guys know what they're doing!

Harbor Social at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center Don't forget to get your complimentary drinks when you are a guest at the Gaylord Hotel! #gaylordnational #convention #harborsocial #maryland #visitmaryland #nationalharbormaryland #complimentary #cheers #outoftown

I thoroughly enjoyed my food, drinks & experience at Harbor Social! As you enter, there's a 'game master' & LeRoy was the designated game master for this particular Friday evening. He was super kind, fun & welcoming. I sat at the bar and ordered an old fashioned from my bartender & server of the evening, Dieter, who was super attentive and makes one heck of a good old fashioned (pictured). For food, I was debating between the Politician & the Harbor Social Wing It wings (also pictured). I decided to go with the wings & did NOT regret my decision one bit. They were cooked perfectly, but if you don't like spicy, choose something else, because they are spicyyyyy ! As far as the environment, I arrived around 8:45pm & stayed past 9:45pm & it was cool, pretty chill for the most part - there's free games like bowling & darts. Overall, I'd recommend this spot for sure!!

Solid beer list for a hotel bar, service and ambiance were both fine. Would go back if staying at the hotel, but wouldn't make a special trip.

Harbor Social is a sports and games bar at The Gaylord in the National Harbor. We stayed at the Gaylord and there was a free drinks or fruit offer that we wanted to take advantage of. We had our dinner, so really were looking for glasses or wine. This place was lively on a Saturday night! People galore...at the bar, the bistro seating, the games area, and even the duckpin lane they have there. It was quite chaotic in there; the bar was packed and the tables and counters were dirty. After walking around the place once, we noticed two seats at the bar. The bartender was nice, cleaned off the space, and then took our order quickly. Menu didn't look too great, but I will say the buffalo wings were surprisingly good. They were crispy outside and tender inside, and the sauce had a nice zing! And they did honor the drink coupons without hesitation. So overall it was not a bad visit. Would we go back? Not unless we stayed at Gaylord and probably just for the wings.

Place was alright soley based on the vibe. Was hard to get a drink a from the bar and the wait staff seemed that they were unhappy to be there. Pretty disappointed with the overall place. I'd come back but I hope service would be better.

During a visit to the Gaylord for the Music and Games Festival, we found ourselves eating at Harbor Social. Newly renovated to be self-seated, we sat at some open spots at the bar. Menu is simple to understand, and the food decent for being hotel fast bar food faire. We had to grab the attention of the bartender ourselves, which I'm honestly not bothered by - just mentioning it in the event someone waits a long time to be served. They were able to make me a pineapple juice seltzer with lime, which was great! Overall, not a bad experience!

Harbor Social is located on the lower level of Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. This place is modern and spacious with great food & drinks, TVs throughout, and interactive games like duckpin bowling & bocce ball. Since I was staying in the hotel, my key envelope included a voucher for 2 free beers/wine or cocktail of the day. The cocktail of the day was the Lagoon Bay Margarita. I ordered a glass of Rose and Prosecco. Though it was a welcome drink, it was a good pour and it tasted really good. The next night, my coworkers and I went to Harbor Social again and I ordered a glass of the rose. The pour this time was lighter than the night before. My colleagues had their fries and they said it was good. Service was a little slower the second night. They seemed to be pretty busy. Either way, Harbor Social is such a great place to hangout.

Harbor Social is basically the place to be, well, social if you don't feel like venturing out from the resort. This place has a bit of everything to keep you busy if you feel inclined. It is located in the atrium area of the hotel. It basically has an open air format. Even though you are under the glass, it still feels like you are outside. Given that the atrium area feels like an outdoor plaza. People come and go with the being a main throughfare to bypass. You can dip in and enjoy yourself a drink or small bite to eat. I can't speak on the food as I didn't ever come here to eat, but what I can tell you is that the prices are a bit high for the amount of food you are ordering. I suppose if you have a few drinks, you don't mind the cost of a quick bite. To note, if you check in and stay with the hotel, you will get a voucher for a free adult beverage here. Dependent on the night you can get a pretty good house cocktail. They have a few beers on tap, bottles, and full bar capability. What is enticing about this place are the activities that can help you pass the night. They have duckpin bowling, bocce, darts, billiards, and maybe a few other things that I cannot think of off the top of my head at the moment. I did notice that they do have a particular night where duckpin bowling as the activity for the night. Any other night, it appears that the lanes are not open for use? Staff here are great. They were on their game. They were able to describe the house cocktails easily and make suggestions if you were on the fence. Overall, it was a nice asset to have on premise. You could easily wind down your day here.

The food was really good and drinks were too. The ambiance was nice and the staff were on point. Def coming back!

During a recent work trip, I had the opportunity to meet up with colleagues at Harbor Social. The food was not bad for bar food. The servers were attentive and helpful in their suggestions for food/drinks. The ambiance was what impresses the most. The multiple TVs and game sections make it the spot for watching games or having a date night.

I never write reviews but what a DISASTER. First of all, the waitresses couldn't have been nicer and the atmosphere was decent. BUT the "game master" at the front desk might be the most unprofessional host I've ever talked to. We walked in to bowl but were unfortunately told that there were "no more reservations available and they are understaffed", disappointing but we understood. I made sure to clarify after scanning the reservation QR code asking, "just making sure we don't need to fill this out" and he replied "there are no more reservations, no more bowling tonight etc". We were told we could go play any other available games for free but our great waitress explained that there actually is room for us to play and escorted us to our lanes. The game master interrupted us and other groups repeatedly to "coach" and observe and poke fun at other patrons but none of it landed. He also ran through the "rules" for us and never mentioned any other guidelines or pricing. Only that "you have 75 mins and these are your lanes, enjoy!" which implies it was like the many other first come first serve games around the facility. Our 1 hr 15 min game ends and we are brought a bill for $175.......so one of our fellow guests goes to speak with the "game master" and inquire about this steep price that was not mentioned in the many times we tried to schedule bowling and he started cursing, pacing, and saying "I think you need help hearing......that's not what I said.......you all turned away from me and didn't let me explain (he sent us to go play pool and we left by his direction)" An absolute master class in bad customer service. For the record, we had no issue paying of course and we were prepared to when we decided to come here. But the pricing was never explained at all and we were just kind of ushered around and not told how the system or reservations work. To be loudly gaslit in front of our party and other patrons was disrespectful and unbelievable. This is a nice facility and we were eager to become regulars but the man at the front desk has now driven many people away from the business for good. I feel awful for all of the other customers that have had to interact with him and for all of the employees that have to work in his vicinity. If the Game Master has 100 haters, I'm one of them. If the Game Master has 10 haters, I'm one of them. If the Game Master has 1 hater, it's me. If the Game Master has no haters, I'm dead.

We stopped by after the concert we attended at the MGM. We were staying at the resort so we decided to get a few drinks and a late night snack. Wow what a mistake. Service was really slow and we ordered the hummus and the pita were stale and the hummus tasted old. We just paid and left but definitely not going back.

Unfortunately after a few good experiences, our last night at the Gaylord Marriot, we had a bad experience at the Harbor Social. We had an inept bartender who cut us off abruptly. I would understand if we were obnoxious but we had no reason given. I talked to Eric (manager) about why we were cut off , but he just said it was discretionary. So As Marriott ambassador members we will be taking our business elsewhere. I still tipped accordingly but Eric please evaluate the bartender with the Jamaican accent. He is inept, rude, and customer unfriendly. So glad my wife got me out of there before I had words w him

I came here during the Gartner Risk and Security conference. I am local to DC and had never heard of this place. The atmosphere is dope as they have mini bowling, pool, shuffleboard, bocce and the fun drink swinging game. Music was good. Sever was extremely nice. Food is limited, but sliders were all awesome. They did make 2 drink mistakes of Whiskey vs Rum base and fireball vs makers mark but they were able to correct that. The only negative which is natural for DC is that it was a bit over priced. 13$ for a basket of fries is a bitch much. Drinks werw ~15-19 each. But I'll likely come back with friends as overall it's a good experience.

Sat at the bar and had a beer waiting on my family. They have some games that I believe are free but hard to reserve. Pretty loud on a Friday night but not overly unusual for the type of place. Would be a loud conversation but still doable. Bartender was nice but took over 10 minutes to get a drink. Just not enough bartenders for the amount of patrons they had. Again not his fault but Marriott needs to hire more help, probably. Did not try the food but it looked typical bar type. You will also pay hotel prices for everything so be prepared. Nice enough spot but 3 stars for the service.

Food was good, and came out amazing quickly. We ordered wings and fries and a salad, The ambiance was amazing to watch the national Championship. The service however was TERRIBLE, so for the negative energy comment but it's honest. drinks never came, and something as simple as ketchup was not brought either.

Came for the few cocktails as part of checkin deal. I can't speak for the food but they do have a vegetarian option. Got the cocktail of the day which was an interesting blue margarita. Tasted good and nice and strong. Good acidity.

Salmon sliders and truffle fries saved THE DAY!! Fries were super crispy and seasoned perfectly as were the sliders.

Cool scene, but the food was tasteless. Nice staff. And the drinks are pretty strong.

Located in the Gaylord so convenient of you are staying there but been there twice now and service is horrible. Food is decent but this is based on my limited orders of crab sliders and truffle fries. Service is just slow and staff is just not friendly at all. I guess they know that most of the customers are guests who are likely on business trips so regardless they are going to get a decent tip.

The Gaylord is a few steps away from my crib, so I was excited to hear that we had another cool spot in the neighborhood to hang out and have a good time. The pandemic was more damming for some than others. The huge sports bar that previously occupied this space (National Pastime) didn't survive so here comes Harbor Social! Aesthetically, Harbor Social couldn't be better looking for a sports /game lounge. Everything is free minus the duck pin bowling.. Duck Pin? WTH. Lol. I digress :( The bar is obscenely large, surrounded by several flat screens.. So if you want to just drink and catch a game.. This is the SPOT! If you noticed, I just said DRINK because I would highly recommend against you coming to Harbor Social if you're hungry. To say that the food menu is limited would be an understatement! I've never heard of a sports/gaming lounge that doesn't offer wings, chicken fingers or even a full size burger. They basically have scaled down their menu to sliders and a few overpriced apps, for example (crab dip $24)...Again..WTH!! Because it's a short walk for me, I will come to shoot a lil pool and people watch. Trust and believe, I will stop on the way to one of the many restaurants National Harbor has to offer to get my belly full first.. Lol!!

Just not a fan at all. The food is over priced and mediocre, the service is very slow, if you're going to watch sports, the TVs are positioned very strangely and there are obstructions in the way. They have open seating and depending on who your server is you may be waiting a while in between drinks. The only thing that I do enjoy when I go is the jumbo sized Jenga they have in the back area. This is a fun group game. Outside of that, bowling is expensive and the pool tables are too close together and in a high traffic area.

Trust the reviews!! Everything said this place sucked and it's correct. We had two complimentary drinks with our stay and those were fine. A watered down whiskey sour with a beer. The real disappointment came when we ordered the churros. They were vapid and completely tasteless. My partner and I stopped eating them immediately. Fortunately they took them back with no issue so +1 for the service.

good food and fun games but absolutely obscenely understaffed. One waitress for the whole restaurant on a packed night.

Very cool place in the middle of Gaylord hotel Conference center. Truffle fries were very good as was the crabcake sliders.

I feel like this place is a hidden gem in Maryland. Maybe, because it is literally hidden away in a hotel (Gaylord Palms). Even as a local to the area, I'd never been until researching places to play pool in the DMV. This place is a large and open atmosphere with jumbo screens everywhere making it a great place to watch sporting events. They also have billiards, duckpin bowling, among other interactive games. Finding a seat is usually easy enough with the sheer amount of seating they have available. And once seated, a staff member comes to take your order. They have a good drink menu with typical beers and a few interesting cocktails. The food menu has what you would expect to find in a bar. I ordered the sliders, and even though you don't get to specify a temperature when I got them they seemed to be a little less than medium. Which I think was unintentional. I was not a fan but did not let that ruin my opinion of the place. Come here for a good bar experience with plenty of things to keep you entertained!

The setup here is great! Big screen TVs, lot of activities, and comfortable seating. Really good place to watch games and to spend time with friends. Servers were really kind, but it seemed like there were not enough for the number of people in the establishment. As more people come in, the odds of you needing the flag down a server went up. We ordered old fashions; they were strong and not very good. They came out very quickly and my guess is that they have them pre-mixed/made - not recommended. Can't speak to the food. My suggestion: go here for games and to spend time together, and stick to beer.

Place is huge. Service was slow. Not a lot of choices for food and it was mediocre. Do note that if you are staying at the hotel, they give you a voucher for 2 drinks since you pay $27 "resort fee" which says includes beer, wine or cocktail however they would only offer the cheap wine as the only choice

Good place for kids with all the noise. Food selection is limited, but service is fast. Plenty of servers on.

The food service was not as I expected or even experienced before. The host was great providing me cornhole bags but upon finding a table for me and my family; no one came over to see if we even wanted water or a drink. So very disappointed so we played a couple of games of cornhole and left.

Think Dave & Busters Lite. They have several games you can play and it's good for large gatherings. Food is all shareable themed which is different but not bad. Servers are very nice. When I went it was crazy busy and very loud. But still a good time.

I stayed at the Gaylord hotel for a conference and came here just to relax after a long day. The hotel gives you 2 free drink coupons here so I didn't want to miss out. They have sliders and fries, I didn't try the food. But it looked good. The service was fine; they have lots of TVs and it is a game place too. It looked fine but I was tired so I didn't check it out.

Harbor Social is a reboot of what used to be called the TAPs bar, located at National Harbor. Harbor Social still captures the sports bar scene but has some added twists. You will now find a small bowling alley, pool tanles, and other games at this new bar. The food and drink menus are updated. The bar has plenty of televisions for sporting events. There are many servers going to each table. You may have to flag someone down if you have not seen a server in a while. Bar service is decent on a busy night. I did not try and of the entrées but I did go for some "bay fries" old bay french fries with a bloody mary mix ketchup. It was very tasty and filling. The drinks were pretty well balanced. Will definitely visit here again.

Imagine the worst airport food but without the urgency among the staff to wait on you because you don't have a plane to catch. Early dementia waiter brought me the wrong drink BUT redeemed himself (thus 2 stars instead of 1) by fetching some tortillas from the kitchen when the "taco" salad appeared as a mound of greens with 2nd-rate guacamole and chicken tenders that rival Kirkland brand for tastelessness. Oh ... and no tortillas.

if youre hungry not the place to go to. the menu is strictly sliders and wings. servers are nice and the ambiance is great. more so just a place for drinks.

We reserved a lane for two and were looking forward to trying Duckpins for the first time. Unfortunately our lane had a defective scoring system and we left, very frustrated, after 15 minutes. We asked the 'game master' to fix it but she just shrugged. Sometimes I threw 5 balls and it didn't score any of them. Other times it would set the pins, we'd throw, and suddenly the pins would lift as the ball was half way down. We thought about staying and just forgetting the score but after 15 minutes nobody had come to take our order for drinks and food, so we left. I'd have had more fun throwing that $50 into the Potomac.

So far this is based on service. Confusing as hell and open seating. So plop ur ads down but no one is roving to ask if u want food or beverage. No QR codes to order and pay if they are lacking staff. Great in theory bad in execution. I have been in the f and b business for 17 years and this one is bad not on fault of the workers but on the higher ups. Like there was a kid playing with his hover board and all that came to my mind is crap if that kid falls that is on the staff for not stepping in to say no.The food is ok. Bar type food where most of it can be prepped hours in advance and taken out of plastic bags from vendors to fry so I don't get why and how they are slow as hell. The only redeeming person was server Jeanne. She was lovely.

The absolute BEST SERVER I have EVER had!! Tigist Guma, is incredible, she has made our night unforgettable!!

A National RIP-OFF! The microscopic $16 cocktail with all the taxes comes close to $20 before tip!!! The sliders, which are supposed to be their specialty, are dry and the fluffy bun hides the fact that there is nothing much to eat in it, notably for the burger one. The kids meal was at $12 and our kids did not like it that much. In the end I paid over $70 for nothing. The only star goes to the waitress who was pleasant despite the crowd. NEVER going back...