Ragtime Restaurant

I came to Arlington under difficult circumstances for a funeral, but dinner here was a much-needed bright spot. The food is truly out of this world—easily the best restaurant meal I’ve had in a long time. The gumbo is hands-down the best I’ve ever tasted, the crab cake dip is to die for, and the jambalaya is absolutely incredible. Even the tuna was impressive. To top it off, we had Jessica as our server, and she was outstanding—easily the best waitress I’ve ever had. This place is a must-visit!

Stopped into Ragtime for a couple drinks and a quick bite to eat. Food hit the spot. Drinks were delicious. The staff were friendly. The place was busy with the sports games on tv. At times, all the bar stools were taken and there was standing room only. I feel this would be a great spot for Sunday football. I am excited to see what this place turns into come Mardi Grad time! Can’t wait to pop in here for Fat Tuesday celebrations!!

I’ve been on the hunt for the best buffalo chicken wrap and this place has taken the number one spot away from Dogwood Tavern who is a close second. It’s the perfect hot sauce, a delicious funky blue cheese and they do the portions right. Do yourself a favor and pair it with the tater tots, you won’t be disappointed. Edit: I’ve now been back multiple times and have yet to have a bad wrap. It’s always 🔥

It was a great vibe at this restaurant. Someone was playing his guitar and singing some pop and alternative music. Went with family and got seated quickly and the food was good.

I’ve been to Ragtime twice now, and both visits have been great. On my most recent trip, the place was busy when I arrived, but the service never missed a beat. The bartender (short dark hair and glasses— I wish I caught her name!) was very attentive and welcoming throughout. Ragtime has a warm, “locals” vibe that makes it feel instantly comfortable. The drink and food options are solid, with very reasonable prices compared to other spots in the area. I also loved the thoughtful detail of having notes on each TV showing which football game would be playing and when…such a simple but incredibly helpful touch for sports fans. Overall, Ragtime has quickly become one of my favorite neighborhood bars. Great atmosphere, great service, and great value. I’ll definitely be back!

Ate here several times while staying at the hotel next door. Food was tasty, I especially enjoyed the Buddha bowl. Reasonable prices for the area, in a std bar/grill kind of atmosphere. Setting is not really my thing as I prefer a more serene dining experience, but getting takeout solved that.

Wings are absolutely incredible—crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and packed with flavor. Easily some of the best I’ve had in the area! The service was also very good—friendly, prompt, and attentive without being overbearing. The atmosphere has a cozy, welcoming feel with a solid neighborhood vibe. We happened to drop in on trivia night, which brought a lively (and admittedly loud) crowd, but it added to the community feel rather than taking away from the experience. Overall, a great local spot—perfect for grabbing drinks, catching a game, or just enjoying some seriously good bar food.

Solid. While there’s limited parking by the restaurant, there’s a parking lot a block away so no issues. Waitress was very nice and attentive, and ensured she checked on us regularly. The atmosphere was not bad and I can see hanging with friends here. The food was good and certainly worth trying. I had the chicken and waffles, which was very good. My son the fried oysters, which he enjoyed. And my wife the wings, which she really liked.

Ben the Bartender is awesome - he's personable, works hard and is a real trooper out here working this place to 2AM. The food here is on point, they have a late night menu as well, and trivia on certain nights. Live music sometimes too. There's an open door/window format for the patio and can walk right in when it's nice out. For those of you who like to know, they do have a freeze machine for the slushie cocktails. Check the. Out!!!

Love Ragtime. It's a great neighborhood restaurant and bar, and my friends have started making it a destination for getting together. They have an impressively wide and tasty menu. I've been surprised by the few reviews about mediocre food. We've always found Ragtime to be a surprisingly good menu that reflects chefs/cook putting a lot of heart into the dishes. The value/price is excellent, too. People are friendly. The place is often busy but there's rarely a wait. We love it at Ragtime!

Stopped in for lunch and immediately loved the comfortable atmosphere. The drinks & food were great and our server was excellent.

It was okay. I only ordered fries and jambalaya! It was a lunch time saver. I didn't pack lunch and thought I'd make it through the day. Wrong! I called and my meal was promised in 5 minutes. The fries were different. Almost like the were fried frozen. No salt little taste. And the jambalaya was spicy so I couldn't really enjoy it!

Solid. While there's limited parking by the restaurant, there's a parking lot a block away so no issues. Waitress was very nice and attentive, and ensured she checked on us regularly. The atmosphere was not bad and I can see hanging with friends here. The food was good and certainly worth trying. I had the chicken and waffles, which was very good. My son the fried oysters, which he enjoyed. And my wife the wings, which she really liked.

They have Monday night trivia at 7PM which will keep me coming back, despite the mediocre food. I loved that trivia was pencil/paper and fairly accessible (compared to other places where it's easy to get bored if the trivia is too difficult or niche) I had the black bean burger, which was good but nothing to write home about. I think the general consensus around the table was the same re: the various apps we tried. I would say you should come for the trivia and vibes, maybe order something to nibble on, but don't expect to be blown away. They don't have any food items on their happy hour menu (11am to 7pm on weekdays) but there was a good assortment of drink options. The price point was also reasonable, which I appreciated.

I have visited Ragtime a couple times for dinner and trivia on Mondays. The food is decent, nothing too special. I ordered the French Quarter Dip this time around. It was pretty good and the portion of meat was quite large. I noticed that the serving of tater tots on the side was quite minimal in comparison. Service is alright. It takes a while to get the attention of the waiter - this is probably because it is quite busy on trivia nights. We had to wave the waiter down to get their attention. The ambiance was pretty nice. It gives off typical bar/pub sort of vibes and is typically well decorated according to the season. There is ample amount of seating indoors and some seating outdoors. This is a pretty decent place for a bite while playing trivia.

Great casual spot, a variety of indoor and outdoor seating. We were seated very quickly and our waitress was nice and attentive. I got the lavender haze with vodka instead of gin and it was amazing, highly recommend. We got the brisket egg rolls to start and they were full and flavorful. We split the jalapeño burger and it was good but a little bland, needed some type of sauce.

Came here for drinks with friends. We were a large group and were seated quickly. The sever was very pleasant and attentive!

Update: We have since been contacted by the restaurant and a resolution was reached. Apparently empanadas were the special for the next night and whoops the wrong box was used for our dessert. We will say the Cubano and Philly Cheese sandwiches were very good, and my daughter annihilated the mac and cheese! A wonderful meal ruined by the wrong dessert! Everything about this place was great, the food, our server, the atmosphere. We ordered the chocolate pecan hand pies to go. After arriving back at our hotel to eat our dessert one bite said something wasn't right. These were MEAT pies (essentially, empanadas) covered in chocolate and whipped cream - you can see the meat and even a carrot in the photo. Not a pecan to be found. Also, I'm pretty sure empanadas aren't in the menu so where the heck did these even come from?? What else can I do except write this review at this point?

One of my favorite restaurants in Arlington! Perfect sized food menu with tons of drink options. Cool Louisiana beer I've never seen before. Pasta, sandwiches, fish, hit with a Cajun spice that never misses. Egg rolls were super meaty. Cubano had a nice kick with the sausage instead of ham. Loved the flavors of the pasta. Cool decor all around the restaurant and bar.

Food and drinks always good. Very accommodating staff. The best place in town to watch football. Get the Voodoo wings and wash it down with a pitcher of Miller Lite!

Had a sampling of apps and salads, along with multiple cocktails. All were good. Loved the soft pretzels with pickled onions.

The food was very bland. The wait staff was slow. Stay away from the mix drinks. The food did come out quick. I would never order the shrimp tacos or hamburgers.

Amazing food!!! I was so happy to get the French dip!!! It was phenomenal!!! My son got the Cajun pasta -whoa baby! That was great too! We also got the loaded potatoes for an appetizer! I've never had them like that and I want more!!!! The waitress was so nice and helpful and attentive- even though the place was getting busier by the moment. We got set in the back-and I'm glad we did because it was a mom son date-not bar night. It was definitely a great trip!

I came here for brunch on a Saturday and was pleasantly surprised. When we were there at 10:45am, the brunch menu also included what looked like the lunch menu, so I'm not sure if you were able to order lunch food or not. We ordered the chicken and waffles, breakfast burrito, and brisket hash. The chicken and waffles tasted good but it was chicken nuggets and a lot of loose breading, not quite pieces of chicken you imagine. The burrito was great, had a small kick to it which was a surprise but not unpleasant. The hash was a bit disappointing , my friend said there was barely any brisket in it and was mostly potatoes, with overcooked eggs on top. Our waitress was pretty attentive but disappeared after she brought us boxes for leftovers so we were sitting for a while as we waited for our check. I did like the beer tap handles that were along the ceiling, that was a fun aspect to the restaurant.

Don't be an opposing team at this WVU bar. You aren't allowed to cheer. The manager will come over and tell you to sit down and to "be respectful". I am here with WVU fans. One of us had to be at the opposing teams bar. Guess my money isn't as good. No PSU bar would tell you to sit down, they'd expect their team to play better. First and LAST time to this bar.

GM Lauren, my beloved friend, I humbly beseech you to please, please, PLEASE bring back Scott Erickson (better than the Orioles pitcher of the same name) who performed tonight. This was one of the most fun evenings I ever spent at Rags and on a TUESDAY no less! This guy could kick "posteriors" on a Friday or Saturday night. Oh yeah, everything else is great here too. :)

Came here tonight to see my cousin perform. We had dinner here and our waiter Conner was awesome. He was super nice and got our food out fast as my cousin needed to get ready to perform and set up and such. He is super friendly and the other waiters and waitresses were great too. The vibe of this bar is very chill. It has many tvs so it is wonderful to come here for sports games. They are a late night place too. We saw Nachos and other stuff coming out from the kitchen at 1am! Which by the way the Nachos looked superb! I had a chicken sandwich and fries. The one only thing is that my chicken could have been cooked a little longer. But that is it everything else was great.

Got takeout from here and the oyster po boy was absolutely fantastic. Also, the fries were quite good. Staff was friendly and the service was fairly prompt with our food being ready to pickup quite quickly, all for fairly reasonable prices.

This place is good for what it is - it's not aiming (I think??) to hit any balls out of the park - it's decent food, better atmosphere, even better drinks (sweet but fun beverages). Grilled Chicken Sandwich was good. Again, nothing crazy but good. Chicken probably could have been juicier. French fries were excellent. I will be back here because it's a neighborhood haunt of mine, and I appreciate it for being one of those cozy places.

Fantastic wrap. Service was a little slow but it was off-peak and I'd go back again. Ordered to-go.

I have been coming to ragtime since 2013. The chef recently changed and the food quality has gone down significantly. I use to recommend this place to everyone but it's been so disappointing to come and have horrible food with matching service Ordered siracha honey wings which came only dipped in honey you could barely taste siracha Ordered nachos- which was burnt and had Burnt meat with no cheese lol Ordered Cajun pasta which was horrible Also ordered chicken fingers for my kid which was somewhat edible. Extremely disappointing. I usually never give bad reviews but I just had to this time

Honestly, for a bar/grill located in Arlington, this place surprised me with its tasty eats! You walk in and its a typical bar scene but, very nicely decorated. A few guys hung around the bar, talking friendly to the waitress a la Cheers. I ordered a buffalo chicken wrap with a veggie kabob and a white wine sangria. Sangria was pleasantly sweet with a slight kick. The buffalo chicken wrap was surprisingly light with lettuce, tomatoes and blue cheese. The veggie kabobs had a great char to it, but maybe was a little too heavy on the vinegar. But overall, if you're looking for a quick lunch or a totally casual place to catch up with friends, Ragtime is the place to be!

Happy Valentine's Day, to all the lovers Everything we ordered was delicious! The stars of the show were the Sriracha Honey wings and the Lemon Drop martinis! I'd literally give my last dollar for another sip. The bartender did her thing and did not miss!! We had three rounds :) Wasn't too busy and the service was great.

I wanted to grab a lowkey brunch with friends this weekend, so we stopped at Ragtime! There was no wait to be seated and no rush during our meal either, which was nice considering we had two rounds of drinks. Our waitress was very nice and accommodating. I got the Garden District Benedict, which came with two poached eggs over a bed of sautéed veggies, on top of a English muffin. It also came with some great seasoned potatoes! I thoroughly enjoyed my meal. Everything was incredibly tasty and the portion was enough that I could eat it all and be full. I also really enjoyed the drink selection. There is a special set of brunch drinks. I got the Ragtime Orange Soda and it was so refreshing, so this is a great place for brunch drinks as well. I ended up spending about $16 on two drinks, and $30 for the whole meal. Not bad for a chill brunch in the area! I can't wait to come back and try the French toast!

Surprisingly good and a convenient place to stop before heading to a movie at AMC Courthouse. My wife and I stopped here for dinner before our movie. She had oysters, I had a Cobb salad, and we shared the nachos with chicken. The oysters were not a good choice. And that's not just because the rest was still too much for the two of us. The salad was plentiful and tasty with lots of cobb-esque ingredients besides lettuce. Even better were the nachos. Corn chips heaped high with deliciousness and, for once unlike other places, plenty of jalapenos. Frankly, just the nachos plus a couple of beverages would have been plenty for the two of us. Or, for that matter, two of just about anybody. Next time we go to a movie we'll be stopping off at Ragtime first.

I sent them a message, as they don't have gluten-free options listed on their menu. I received two emails from Lauren and Nika, who both gave me several suggestions. They actually have several options to pick. I had the half-dozen oysters. They were meh, and I am not likely to get them again. Several were pieces. They were limp and kind of tastless without adding horseradish. So, you ask why 4-stars? This is a pub. They do pub food well; nachos, drinks, and great service. I also had the chicken nachos. Delicious. The corn chips were freshly fried (yes, they warned me about possible cross-contamination, but I decided to take the risk). The grilled chicken was flavorful and cooked perfectly. They also included other items, such as black beans and a good amount of jalapenos. I also got the optional guacamole on top. They were piled high and needed to be shared as they were so plentiful. They have a good list of cocktails. I had the "Sleigh Girl Sleigh" (a Negroni). It was tasty. The place looks small from the front, but it's a bit of a tardis. It is actually pretty large. The booths are comfortable. It's clean and in good shape. The staff was pleasant and helpful. I will return. I recommend that they identify their gluten-free options on the menu, instead of making the customer ask.

This is a nice spot for a drink or bite to eat. It's not huge, but they have bar seating, regular tables and outside seating as well. Their wings are good! Some of the best I've had in the area. Maybe a little pricey at $15 for 8 wings though. I've been here twice now and I've only tried one flavor, the honey sriracha, because it's just delicious. On my most recent visit we happened to stop in on a Tuesday and discovered their Tuesday only raw bar special. Pretty nice selection of seafood offerings at a good value. We got the peel and eat shrimp. I will definitely come back for the wings and the weekly special! Friendly service too!

Place was close to the hotel I was staying. Nice open area, which is perfect if the weather is good. Tried their jambalaya one night and oyster special another, which was decent. Large selection of beers, though I found it a little high at $8-$9 for the craft beers, but they did have PBR for $6. Found the service at the bar pretty good, but when I was at the patio table, it was very, very slow. Might have caught them at a bad time.

Lively spot near Arlington Courthouse. Popular with business travelers coming to DC for work or conferences. Some food specials and plenty of choices for drinks,

Ok food. Ok service. Maybe slightly above 3 stars, but definitely not 4 stars. Calamari - Flavor was pretty good, but about 1/4 or more of it was actually fried jalapeños. Then the marinara sauce beneath it has a lot of mixed in crunchy batter so while it may have been tasty, it's more breaded topping and not meat. Probably wouldn't order again despite the flavor of the actual calamari and the marinara sauce (minus the crunchies) being good. Brownie A La Mode - Absolutely delicious. But the scoop of ice cream was so small compared to the brownie that I had to ration the spoons of ice cream and still ran out of ice cream well before the brownie was done. Service - SLOW. The food took forever to come out. I jokingly said to my husband, "did they go to the ocean to get the calamari," because it was taking so long. Server - Nice but nothing to write home about. We were given one glass of water. Never came to give any refills despite a dry glass for an extended amount of time. And there weren't but a hand full of patrons because we went on a weekday night after 10pm. Ultimately this spot is a good place to get some late night food, but it likely wouldn't be my first option if other places like Courthaus Social are open.

Local bar in courthouse that never misses with food and drinks! We always get the wings both grilled and regular , and the nachos!

Came by here every evening while going to our hotel coming off the Metro and loved the outdoor area. Attentive wait staff. Great happy hour prices. The bar food and oysters were also very good. There were many locals stopping by which helped us know it was consistent experience

Wow.. one of the worst customer service experiences I've encountered. Not many people at the establishment. I ordered a steak burrito (on special) to go that took an hour. The steak was so burnt it made it inedible. On top of all that the bartender was extremely rude and questioned why I even asked the update on my food.

This semi traditional pub near the Arlington courthouse, is not without redeeming features, q of which are spoiled by the nasty attitude of a surly management team. Dining out is not just about obtaining food and drinks, which most of us have at home. I prefer to avoid the toxic atmosphere òf this place.

We stopped by for a late-night bite and a couple of cocktails and it was delicious! The drinks were strong and the crispy potato appetizer was the perfect boozy snack. Our server was also lovely and we enjoyed the atmosphere and live band too. Great place, definitely want to come back!

I'm a dedicated Four Courts regular, looking for another bar to call "home" while they rebuild. This is not it. I went in with a friend of mine and, after waiting a while to get the attention of the bartender, she refused to serve me until my friend got back from the bathroom. Even the people sitting around me were amazed at her terse response to me. Now, I understand that there are probably a million ABC rules about this, but that wasn't it. She suspected that I was ordering two (very different) cocktails to drink myself. Apparently, this is the kind of bar where patrons pound multiple drinks at a time to get drunk quickly. Don't be fooled by the close proximity to Four Courts. Ragtime is not Four Courts. If you are not already a regular here, you will probably not feel at home. If you're looking for a warm, welcoming atmosphere, this is not the place. If, like me, you're desperately looking for that Four Courts vibe, you will not find it here.

This looks like an old fern bar that hasn't been updated in ages. The food was good. Reasonable prices, too

Came here for lunch while visiting family in the area. Fun place. It was St. Patty's day and March Madness was also underway, so the TV's were all focused on basketball games. For that reason, I would say the noise level was well above average, but I'm not sure if that's typical. In any case, the staff was very friendly and the food was good pub fare. We would come again.

If I could give negative starts I would. Everything here is over priced for how horrible the food is. Don't eat here. Surprised it's even still in business

A little pricey (especially on the beer) and a little cramped at trivia time (you're basically guessing if you'll be able to find a seat, especially at the bar). Also I found multiple hairs in my takeout order. The food was fine, but that's disconcerting.

Service has seriously taken a nose dive here . Regular customers are told they can't sit where they want because bartenders are holding seats for other customers. The food was never that good anyway.

I've come here multiple times (as I write this review, I don't know why...) and it's just a very subpar experience. I've had food that was cold before and rude waitresses. Would recommend elsewhere if looking for chill bar / pub type vibes

COBB SALAD TAKE ME AWAY! From the incredible food to drinks, I loved it here. Way bigger than it seems on the outside. The cobb salad absolutely slapped. I got the frozen mango cocktail... YUM! The server was OK, he kept forgetting to check on our table. Tight spot that isn't air conditioned so if you get hot/sweaty easily this is absolutely not the place for you. Seating generally is not the most comfortable. Ambiance is fantastic... food is SOOO good... especially the pretzels. Fluffy and delicious. Again tho, the Cobb salad stole the show. Gah dayum. Chefs kiss. Whoever made the Cobb salad on Friday night at around 10pm you, sir, or ma'am, deserve an award. I will absolutely be back, given the choice!!!! Loved it!!!!

I came here for a drink after a Corporate event. The space is small, but it works well. There is outdoor patio seating available as well as ample seating inside. Not to mention the seating at the bar. I liked the fact that there was a live musician performing as well. His music was at the perfect sound level too. It was loud enough to be heard, but soft enough that you could carry on a conversation. Another thing that I liked was that Ragtime has Happy Hour specials practically all day! 11am to 7pm M-F! What?! Yes, please! Sign me up! I had the House Mule was is basically a moscow mule with rail vodka. Personally I'm a Ciroc guy, but this drink was still good. I didnt have time to try their food, but from what I could see it looked delicious. The couple next to me at the bar had Nachos that looked pretty good. The next time I'm here I'll make sure that I have time to grab a bite. Overall I enjoyed my short time at Ragtime. I'll definitely be back one of these days!

Service is (or at least for me was) outstanding! Very reasonable on all counts. Ambiance is okay. Kind of loud but it's a nightspot setting and not a restaurant setting on this Tuesday evening after 10:00 PM. Crab cakes were very good. Everything else was just plain bad. Second or third team in the kitchen tonight but I'd actually give them another shot! Service team saved the day. Not inexpensive but not outlandish either.

I hate to give it one star, because Ragtime used to be great. The service was awful, and the waiter even acknowledged he had forgot about us. I assumed that him saying that early on would mean he would start to acknowledge us...unfortunately I was wrong. My boyfriend and I made things pretty easy - no drinks and we knew what we wanted without asking anything about the menu. His wings were burnt and the four veggies were the bottom of the celery parts that looked like rolled up sticks. My salad with salmon would have been fine but I asked for it medium and almost all the salmon was not even rare but raw inside. I literally pod $16+ for salad and only three bites of salmon because the rest was raw. Disappointing and most likely will be the last visit.

I ordered the Cajun Pasta to go. The portion was big, but not huge. The flavor of the sauce was delicious, and I particularly liked the shrimp. My only critique is that I would've liked to see a little more sausage in the pasta. Overall I'd give the pasta a "B" rating. I've had better versions of this dish elsewhere, but this was still very solid. Although I didn't dine in, the interior of the restaurant was cute. Lots of TVs around!