Makers Union
Restaurant · Waterfront ·
Comfort food, holiday cocktails, sea-cuterie boards, brunch
Comfort food, holiday cocktails, sea-cuterie boards, brunch
"Thompson Hospitality’s DMV-wide American tavern, with locations at the Wharf, Reston, Arlington, and Cathedral Heights, cutely calls its seafood platter a “sea-cuterie” board. The underwater spread features a half-pound poached lobster tail, local oysters, jumbo shrimp, jumbo lump cocktail, warm butter, cocktail sauce, and champagne mignonette, all served on ice for a cool $90." - Claudia Rosenbaum, Tierney Plumb, Eater Staff
"Maker’s Union Pub is a gastropub with a lunch and dinner menu that includes everything from steamed trout to “Impossible” kebabs. The Wharf restaurant also has $35 unlimited brunch on weekends, and live music Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. " - Omnia Saed, Tristiana Hinton
"Both of the Makers Union’s Reston and Wharf locations are holding a “Blitzen Bar!” pop-up until Christmas, featuring a wide variety of holiday-themed cocktails. Their “Old Man’s Leg Lamp” serves two guests, made with spiced rum, orgeat, raspberry, mint, ginger and lemon. Feeling indecisive? Pick an envelope at random to see whether you’ll get a “Naughty or Nice” cocktail. If you’re nice, your drink comes with vodka, melon liqueur, shimmer dust and cranberries. Those on the naughty list get to sip on tequila, activated charcoal, triple sec, and lime." - Vinciane Ngomsi, Kalina Newman
"Makers Union Pub is rolling out something called Thanksgiving reheat and serve meals with two choices: a to-go meal for four and and a solo option. You can also give back by purchasing a meal for a family of four who cannot feed themselves. Before the big day, they’re also celebrating Friendsgiving from Nov. 18th – 22nd. Expect live music, family-style dinner and borrowing inspiration from Taylor Swift, friendship bracelet kits at each table." - Vinciane Ngomsi
"At the Southwest Waterfront I found Makers Union’s shiny D.C. edition, a 3,550-square-foot, pet-friendly tavern decked out with aquamarine-tinged banquettes, brass lighting, exposed brick, floor-to-ceiling accordion doors and a neon-lit “get nauti” sign. The big bar highlights six D.C. breweries on draft (plus the house light lager), a dizzying list of whiskeys and bourbons, and cocktails like a Makers Maple Old Fashioned and rum punch. The all-day American menu starts with Nashville hot chicken tenders, New Zealand lamb lollipops dunked in spicy harissa, Virginia oysters, and broccoli-and-cheddar soup, and lets you augment the popular cavatappi mac-and-gruyere with lobster or crab; there are poke and pesto grain bowls, handhelds such as a char-grilled Creekstone Farms burger with bacon and a prime rib French dip, and signature items like “Warren’s fine” fried chicken and cheddar waffles slathered with bourbon maple syrup. Anchoring dinner is a 42-ounce tomahawk ribeye for two with garlic butter, salad, two sides and shared dessert ($150), while surf-and-turf and mains range from chili-lime rainbow trout and Devils Backbone beer-battered fish and chips to butternut squash and scallop risotto and Moroccan-style Impossible kebabs. Weekend brunch brings the Reston original’s unlimited, family-style favorites—Maryland crab cake Benedicts, breakfast nachos, smoked salmon lox, and cornflake-crusted French toast—with $25 bottomless mimosas available." - Tierney Plumb
