Yes, good place for evenings. Sorry no recommendations

There's no reason you couldn't head into D.C. in the evening from Crystal City as well. Penn Quarter is a busy place with lots of restaurant choices.

In Alexandria; to eat: The Majestic Make reservations yesterday.

I am meeting friends there in a couple of weeks. I would appreciate it if you would post a trip report. We selected Alexandria because it is so pedestrian friendly and has lots of good options. On my last visit I enjoyed dinner at Jackson 20 in the Hotel Monaco.

Brado's has been suggested and very near the King Street metro station.

TYPO--Brabo's was suggested at 1600 King Street.

>> I've driven through Alexandria once, and it looked like a neat area with a walkable downtown. Would this be a good area to hang out in during the evenings?<<

Yes, there is lots there to recommend and it is a pleasant place to walk around in the evening.

Majestic - Agree here, this place is excellent and moderately priced. Definitely book.

Brabo - I think I suggested Brabo to Richard on an earlier thread and it is both at 1600 King St. and very close to the King St. Metro station. The Tasting Room is fun and a bit noisy, the dining room is a tad stuffy, IMO. Both are excellent and expensive. Definitely book.

If you're a fan of top flight food and tapas, Jaleo is DC's best and there is a Jaleo in Crystal City -- it's much easier to get a booking there than downtown in Penn Quarter. Moderately priced. I love Jaleo.

Bars, not really pubs: Bayou Room at 219, PX, Vermillion, Union Street

Thanks for the recommendations, and I will post a report about where we decide to eat/drink.

We will probably head into DC at least 1 night that we are there. I just wanted to have options. The day we arrive, we will have had a long day, so some good options close to where we are staying will probably be very welcome.

We had a wonderful dinner here in 2010. I love Alexandria.
http://www.vermilionrestaurant.com/menus/menus.html

There was also a great bar that had classic cocktails and the vibe made you think Sinatra and Martin would come strolling in at any moment. I can't think of the name of it...maybe someone here knows where I'm talking about.

I have not been to Alexandria in a few years but we ate at a pub on King St about 4 or 5 blocks from the Metro station. It looked like it had been there since the beginning of time but I cannot remember the name. Good food. Gadsby's on N Royal has great food. Not so fancy.

We live very near Old Town Alexandria and we have found a new restaurant that we really like. It is called "The Light Horse," on King St. Very friendly place, nice service, and the food is very fresh, imaginative without being haughty, and good. I like it so much that I bought a gift cert. for a friend so he can go there and enjoy it. Good wine list and very nice bar scene upstairs from the restuarant also, w/a good bar menu.

http://thelighthorserestaurant.com/index.htm

Thanks emd3....we are going back in September and this looks like a place to check out.

You're welcome Janet.

I disagree that Union St. is not a pub. They have great pub food, which is what makes it a pub instead of a bar. Last weekend I had the most incredible oyster stew there. THey have a very good menu, we have eaten there many times. Very friendly place, you will likely know someone you didn't know before when you leave. The wood and marble decor is really nice for a pub, and there is a lot of space, booths to eat in, bar space, and standing space.

I also second the rec for Jackson 20. Don't think of it as a hotel restaurant. It really is a restaurant all its own. We have had 6-7 meals there and loved them all. Also nice decor.

For nice french, if you don't want to break the bank and want a friendly place, Le Refuge in Old Town is good. But be aware that it is small amd you are close to your neighbors there. Must have reservations.

We also love Daniel O'Connell's. It is a large Irish bar and restaurant close to the river. All the dark wood and a bar inported from Ireland, and fireplaces, etc. The food is GREAT. Bangers and mash becomes a loving experience, and they have fish and steak etc., but all of it w/a creative Irish flair. Very friendly and good service. We like the booths in the back on 1st floor that overlook the big back bar area. There are quiet tables upstairs.

Maybe just us, but the last 4 times we have been to Majestic, it has not been good. Service was awful and the food was very tired- it sounds good on themenu but doesn't deliver on the plate. They need to change up the menu and get better service before we go back.

Ok, emd3 wins. Union Street is pub! I agree the food is excellent.

>>I have not been to Alexandria in a few years but we ate at a pub on King St about 4 or 5 blocks from the Metro station.<<

Maybe Murphy's Irish Pub is the one you mean? It has been around since the dawn of time!

obxgirl, that is it. Nothing fancy just good food and a relaxed atmosphere.

obx, not tyring to "win," just that Union St. has good food and I wouldn't want someone to miss out on that thinking it is just a bar (god knows there are a lot of bars in Old Town w/good drinks and bad food).

Vermillion, mentioned above, is really nice. For a super fancy evening of gourmet dining, we love Restaurant Eve. The Irish owner also has a storefront fish and chips place on King St with a "speakeasy" type bar upstairs. Hank's Oyster Bar is good for oysters and seafood with a to-die-for lobster roll (at least, the best we can get here in Virginia). There are tons of restaurants on King Street between the metro and the Potomac, as well as lots of cute shops and antique stores; as you get closer to the river, I feel that the restaurants get a little more touristy, but I do enjoy Union Street Public House. Old Town Alexandria is a great place for a stroll and shopping during the day, beautiful colonial architecture with some nightlife but not a huge party scene, although there are plenty of pubs.

Murphy's Irish Pub often has fun Irish music with sing-a-longs at night. Pat Troy's Ireland's Own Pub does too (both on King Street, although Pat Troy's is tucked back near the courthouse). Tiffany Tavern is close to Vermillion and the metro. It looks like a hole in the wall but has great live bluegrass many nights. Near the metro a few blocks over is Carlyle Club, an old time supper club/jazz club with swing dancing some nights with GottaSwing.com, which gives a great lesson before the dancing (sort of an older crowd). Watch out for RockIt Grill, lousy food and karaoke and supposedly a rough crowd. I've heard only the regulars ever get to sing there.

Keep in mind that Crystal City isn't completely the condo and hotel wasteland it used to be. Jaleo is good, there is a Ruth's Chris with a beautiful view of the river and the airport (strangely attractive at night), plus lots of other dining options. On the walkable 23rd St there is excellent brick oven pizza at Cafe Pizzaiolo, a sports bar, and a welcoming gay bar (Freddie's Beach Bar). Watch out for the Crystal City Restaurant, which is actually a strip club. It doesn't look like one from the outside so you don't want a surprise!

Wanted to add that there is also a Morton's in Crystal City on that same street where Jaleo's is...

Hank's Oyster Bar is good for oysters and seafood with a to-die-for lobster roll (at least, the best we can get here in Virginia).
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We had a wonderful afternoon snack of wine and oysters there...great place.

Reporting back - I was pleasantly surprised by Crystal City. I thought it was a universal truth that, regarless of the city, anywhere "out by the airport" sucks by definition, but I have changed my opinion. Crystal City actually has quite a bit going on. I had 3 nights here and ended up eating in Crystal City all 3 nights for various reasons. Here is the run-down.

Legal Seafood - I understand this is an east coast chain that started in Boston. Upscale seafood, very good service and pretty good wine list. Definitely a good meal.

Jaleo - I met some friends there for dinner and we had a great meal. They have a large selection of Spanish wines, and the tapas are great. I had never been to a tapas restaurant in the US - just had tapas in bars in Spain, which is a little different. This was very fun - basically small plates that we ordered and shared amongst ourselves. Everything was really good.

Athena Pallas - This is a little Greek place on 22nd right by Eads. I was actually on my way over to 23rd where I had noticed a block of restaurants when I was on my way back from Jaleo, when I saw this place on 22nd. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but they have a cozy little patio in front with white lights strung up and it called to me, so I went. Looks like a family-operated place, very friendly people - like you are at your aunt and uncle's place or something. The food was pretty good and very reasonable. And the baklava was quite tasty.

So, if you end up staying in Crystal City, don't dispair. It is a pretty good place with a lot going on. The street scene is pretty lively - 10 pm on a weeknight and there is still plenty going on.

Crystal City is an excellent location! I have two good friends who live there. It is great for them, their bldgs are literally on top of the metro station, so in winter and hot summers they don't even go outside, just down the elevator to the metro. And the underground area by the metro station is good, dry cleaners, restaurants, take out, etc., good for living. They walk to the restaurants, and to Pentagon City Mall and Pentagon Row a few bocks away which is great for restaurants (some w/outdoor seating) and shopping, movies, etc.
And you can walk/run on the path by the Potomac River. PArks oon that path...

Crystal City is a highly desireable location for those visitors in the know and certainly for single people working in D.C. Glad you are spreading the word.