I lived walking distance to Cowboy for 2 years and would have loved to call this our local spot. However, everytime I've eaten there, the bald headed owner acts like he's doing me a huge favor when he serves me. Almost everytime I've eaten in his restaurant, myself and my friends are the only patrons in the entire place. This guy should be lucky someone is coming in! The poor service is disappointing because the food at Cowboy is the best bar food in Arlington. In fact, it's better than more than half the restaurants. The brunch menu has changed a bit over the past few years but the Hueuvos Rancheros are amazing! I highly recommend the brisket as well. read more

A tale of two visits. My wife and I first visited Cowboy Cafe after seeing the good reviews it got on here. We were shocked by what followed. The service was excruciatingly slow. Close to 30 minutes to receive our food after ordering. My cowboy burger came without the BBQ sauce for whatever reason. We waited almost 15 minutes for our plates to be taken away after were done. We tried the s'mores desert dish, which took about 20 minutes to arrive, and it had plastic burnt to the bottom of it. Then another 15 minute wait for check. Despite all that, the food was pretty good, so we decided we would give it one more shot later on to see if they were just having an off night. The second time, service was much faster. The food came with everything it said that it did, and there was no packaging melted onto the food. And the food was delicious. So based on my experience, it's a crap-shoot of what quality you'll get. My first visit would've rated 1 star. The second visit would've rated 4 stars. IF you do go, just cross your fingers that you're catching them on a good night. read more

Let's get a slow clap for Amanda! She is one of the most cheerful people I've met in awhile. Her recommendations are on point (chicken sandwich- fries- and to drink- the goodnight Andrew. Hats off, Cowboy! Will be back soon (already planning my 3/4 birthday)! read more

Ended up meeting some people here before heading to the Redskins game. A few of us ordered some drinks as well as some tater tots and jalapeno poppers and an afternoon football game with some people who I assume were locals/regulars (due to the conversations along the lines of, "oh so-and-so", "____ was in here last night" and all the guys at the end of the bar nodding in agreement or shaking their heads). The tots were big, fried, and filled with a creamy potato and ooey, gooey cheese (basically two of my favorite ingredients in the world). We were warned that the jalapeno poppers would be hot, and me, being Korean was just like "oh wtfever". I cried. I literally had tears coming from my eyes, a runny nose, and all of a sudden my face got really hot. I downed my drink, I got a glass of water (I would have gotten milk like another person in my party, but I'm lactose intolerant so that just would have made things messy)... And for about 20 minutes after I finished one of those things, all I could feel was my lips tingling, burning, and throbbing. The bartenders were super nice, they strike up a conversation, laugh, and joke with you, and on top of that they are hospitable- something that I come across less and less when I go out. They even humored us and didn't laugh in our faces when we said we were going to the Redskins game (and that we still had hope that they might actually win). So far I like this place. I plan on going back to try a couple drinks or taste a few things on the menu, so we'll see if the rating changes. read more

This place is so awesome that I put down my burger to Yelp it! Parking in the back, check! Awesome friendly waitress who can make amazballs recommendations, check! Great taste, perfect portions. The cozy portion of the restaurant near the bar/tvs is where u wanna be. Great music! This is like the mother of all dive bars!! Come and bring the kids, they're super friendly. Note to all my single sistahs in Arlington; this place is crawling with pretty faces and more just came in as I type! The ratio is like 10 to 1! read more

When you hear all of those songs about amazing "Dive Bars"... This is the kind of bar they are talking about. The first time you walk in the door, it feels like home. There is amazing service, food, friends and all the in between. One thing I must say though... this is NOT one of those hipster DC bars trying to be a dive bar. So if you are looking for the frat guys and sorority girls that are fresh out of college and still living off of mommy and daddy, this isn't it... go to the Ballroom... HAHA... Cheap Beer, good bar food that you actually want to eat, friendly staff, customers, and regulars. Easiest way to put it... It's like Cheers, but in Arlington... and i'l leave you with the great words of Ben Stiller...... "DO IT, DO IT"... read more

Cozy dive bar with tasty wings and friendly service! They have a tasty grilled chicken wing, cant remember what they call it but it reminded me of the Texas grilled wings from Hard Times. Waitress was super friendly and super quick with refills. Will be back to try more foods and their trivia night! read more

Even though gone through quite a transformation I still enjoy this place. Still has delicious half-price burgers on Tuesday, GREAT new brunch menu (completely different than before). I really like how the transformation has brought a ton of new people to the place but my ultimate favorite part of this bar is going in late night when they have live music and no one is there. I know that is every bar and bar musicians fear of having no one show up, but it has been two visits late night on a Thursday that I have seen this one guy with a guitar I don't know if he's actually miserable or just really sarcastic but hands down funniest musician I've ever seen. Stopping mid song to crack a joke or making up his own country song, or shouting out to a complete stranger across the bar. It's moments like that that keep their "small town bar" appeal which is something I hope they never lose. It's the best of both worlds kind of bar. read more

for the third time in the last four orderings through grub hub, the order was wrong. when I called they told me I could either come up and pick up the missing item (which kind of defeats the purpose of grub hub) or I could contact grub hub for a refund. A serious fail from cowboy cafe; I would have made sure a delivery was made on an order they didn't get right. Last time I go there for sure read more

This homie dive bar really has something good going on. Every one wants to have a bar they can go to wearing sweats and be able to chill out. BUT also be able to dress up on a friday or saturday night and jam to live music. The food is great ( I have had almost everything on the menu!) I loveee wing night! Every wednesday I go in and sit at the bar with some friends and seriously grub on some wings! The Edgar style is my most favorite!! Its a dry rub wing with dressing and hot sauce on the side. There half price burgers (tuesday nights) are a steall!!! I also love the california chicken sandwich, nom nom. The girls that work there are always extreamly entertaining. Wheither its dancing or joking around, they always seem to be having a good time, which in turn obviously makes it very easy for us to enjoy the enviroment and food. Its a great place to kick back with good people. I love going to a place and being known by name. And Cowboy makes that an easy fit. Best neighborhood/dive bar I can think of. Go on.. brighten your horizons. read more

My husband and I went one Sunday in the late morning (11ish). It is a small place, and is primarily a bar. It was packed with an incredibly noisy younger crowd. We were seated next to a group that had been clearly drinking for a while, and the volume of that group & the others in the small dining area spoke to that. The server was trying to be attentive, but they were overwhelmed. We finally got our food, and it was just ok. I had a veggie burger which wasn't particularly hot but not too bad in taste. Given the vast array of good restaurants in Arlington, we won't be coming back to this one. read more

I don't know what everyone else is getting here, but it cannot possible be the "spinach artichoke dip" (I'm using quotations because I'm questioning its authenticity), chicken fried steak or chicken sandwich. Okay, my sandwich wasn't the worst of those three, but there was nothing great about it. It's hard to mess up chicken, cheese, bacon and avocado. But serving it on cold bread and with what tasted like Lay's potato chips is one way to head in that direction. The chicken fried steak looked like they had fried it until the steak disappeared. My boyfriend immediately doused it, and the from-the-box mashed potatoes, with Tabasco, to no avail. I didn't even bother trying either one of them, but was told they were bad. Now to the worst of the worst - that "dip". I'm not kidding, it was horrible. I'm convinced it was cream of mushroom soup, without water added, and spinach. No artichoke flavor whatsoever, and served with those weird thick tortilla chips. Neither the chips nor the dip were even slightly warm. I'll caveat this by saying we didn't send it back, or complain. We ate it, partly because we were starving and partly because, well, I can't think of another reason besides I sort of liked the waitress/bartender and she seemed very busy. That leaves me to my one star. I do think it would be a cool place to have a beer. But only a beer. No food. We actually discussed how is was an ideal candidate for Restaurant Impossible, and I usually wouldn't sic Robert Irvine on my worst enemy. I really wanted to like this place. It's different, and there aren't many places that have that vibe around here. But I was very disappointed. We were still talking about it the next day, and had to go to what I consider one of the best places in the area to get the lingering taste out of my mouth... (see Plaka Grill review) read more

Kelly makes the best jalapeño margaritas in the world. Absolutely to die for. I cant go a couple days without getting one. I like to come in with a big group a friends and order round after round and Kelly be back there shakin and smiling and Margarita makin! read more

This place rocks. The service is totally awesome, always quick to ask what else can they get for you. Brunch on the weekend is great, love the Cowboy Hash. The Club Sandwich is one of the best I have ever had and the Tortilla Soup is amazing! Anyone that gives them one star is simply unhappy with life. Tim read more

This review is for Sunday brunch at the Cowboy Cafe. We've had brunch there three weeks running, it's just that good. service We always sit at the bar and we always have solid service. It's clear the bar staff know many of the patrons, which leads to some overly familiar conversation, but it doesn't detract from the service. bar Cowboy Cafe has a Bloody Mary special on Sundays, which is genius planning on someone's part. Unlike the heirloom tomato juice, pepper-infused small batch vodka, garnished with brown sugar-candied bacon Bloody Mary for $12 that you might find some places, the Cowboy Café is a solid, working man's Bloody Mary. I followed my exceptional spicy Bloody Mary with a Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA. I counted at least a dozen taps, with a good craft beer selection. Three IPAs on tap - Fresh Squeezed, Bell's Two Hearted and Lagunitas. food I always order the great dish, Cowboy Hash. Plenty of meaty chorizo and fried potatoes, topped with three perfectly poached eggs, crowned with jalapeno hollandaise. I use eggs benedict as my bellwether for brunch; Cowboy Café's eggs and hollandaise are top-notch. You'll have more than enough left-overs for breakfast during the brutal work week ahead. My wife always orders their country fried steak and eggs. We're from the Midwest and this CFS stacks up against all competition. Be like my wife and substitute a biscuit for toast. read more

This place was kinda cool and kinda gross. My Ruben was a little weird meaty and too chewy. The fries were okay I guess. The service was nice when the restaurant kinda divey which I liked but also expected the food to be good. It was not. Trip to heidelberg down the street through made it worth it. read more

Service was incredibly slow and the food wasn't even that good. I was there for 3 hours before I got my food

Terrible service. Acted as if we were an inconvenience coming in at 11:00pm. Btw don't try to grab the pumpkins!!! #gone

My husband and I met another couple at Cowboy Cafe on Sunday (2/26/12) around noon. It wasn't very crowded (no wait) and not very noisy. They have a small parking lot to the right of the joint. Our waitress was friendly and on-top of things. The food was very good. They offer brunch on the weekends from 9am-2pm. I debated between the Huevos Rancheros (the eggs are scambled with chorizo) and Biscuit & Sausage Gravy (homemade). I eventually opted to step outside of my box (I typically will order biscuit and gravy where I can find it since few places in the area serve it) and ordered the Huevos Rancheros. It was very tasty and filling although not heavy (like b&g would have been). My husband had the California Burger and he thought it was good. Our friends had the Cowboy Hash and the California Chicken Sandwich and they also thought it was yummy. read more

Nothing to exciting but definitely a local spot. Very small but the food is decent. they have sweet potato fries and their burgers are pretty good. The ceaser salad has a bit to much dressing but otherwise I like a hole in the wall pub every once in awhile. Decent beer prices for happy hour! read more

Cowboy Cafe - Quesadilla - Burgers Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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We came here in a Wednesday for wings and beers and received good food at a fair price and nice service. The Joint Session beer is fantastic. It's local and they only have it at Cowboy Cafe. We tried all of their wing flavors and their hottest one is excellent. My favorite wing flavor was the Edgar. Their macaroni is interesting and different, with a little bit of a southwest flavoring. I can't wait to come back and try their tortilla soup. Check out their website because they have food and drink specials every day. We can walk here from where we live and it's a cozy and super casual spot. This is the kind of bar you could come to in basketball shorts in the summer, no problem- super casual and unpretentious. They have several TVs with games on. Parking is a nightmare but they have designated spots and signs giving you hints about what's allowed. This is a solid spot that is worth a try. read more

This is a dive bar that I'll travel to go to. It's quaint and just a fun place to chill. Everyone's super friendly to include customers just chatting with each other. Beer flows from the taps and you're not going to find anything like Miller Lite or Bud Light there but rather tasty IPAs or pale ales. I was last here for a Redskins game and given the irony that we were playing the Cowboys and the place is Cowboy Cafe, the management assure me this has always been a Redskins bar. But let me get one thing clear, everyone's invited whether you like sports or the opposing team. I didn't eat much this go round but as a chicken wing connoisseur, these wings are pretty good and I'll definitely come back for them to include the company. read more

My wife and I have been here a few times now (including today) and have always left satisfied! Like other Yelpers noted, this is a real dive bar on the bar side. There is also a more family-friendly section away from the bar and televisions. We've always had great service from the bartenders/servers despite their slow kitchen staff. However, good things come to those that wait as every dish we've had we've enjoyed very much! The kitchen staff's slowness has knocked off a star from my overall rating, but will still definitely come back! read more

Easily my favorite dive bar/burger joint in Arlington/DC area. Can honestly say I've never had a bad meal or water downed drink there. By no means is it fancy, but it does have a charm to it. read more

Cowboy Cafe - A1 burger w/ mushrooms - Burgers Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Great food, good for kids, and good if you just want something causal or to watch a sports game

We only went here because my girlfriend had bought a living social voucher. I'll start with the positive. The waitress was attentive and generally provided good service. It would probably be a a decent enough bar. To call it a restaurant though is a not fair to other establishments that use that term. I had seen other reviews on this site and others and held out some hope particularly for the BBQ brisket. I could not have been more disappointed. I could not determine how the brisket was prepared but I can say with absolute certainty it was not smoked. There was almost no favor in the half the serving that wasn't fat. There was no seasoning and the whole meal felt like it came right out of the microwave. Even the corn bread had a foul taste to it. The baked beans were the closest thing to edible but even they were marginal at best. They were so over done they were almost a solid block of paste. The food was so bad that I wouldn't serve it at home so I can't fathom how a business would dare serve it. In conclusion I would say Cowboy Cafe is a decent enough bar with OK ambiance but nearly inedible food. They might be able to cook a burger but I wouldn't count on it. read more

Good food. Good beer. Good people. Love it for casual drinking and hanging out. Also, don't want to blow up the spot too much, but there brunches are awesome. (except for the horrendous bloody mary's and mimosas). In general, great place to grab a burger and a cold beer without having to deal with the pretentiousness of most arlington establishments. read more

Love this place! The food is excellent, and the weekly specials are always interesting. I've tried about 90% of the menu and its all good, but my faves are the house-cured pastrami reuben, fried pickles, and homemade tots. The breakfast tostada is my pick for brunch, along with a delish bloddy mary. Good beers. I like the Abita seasonals they bring in and the Starr Hill on tap and you can't go wrong with an ice-cold PBR. The staff is great and the patrons are always friendly and up for a good conversation. There have only been rare instances when we had to wait a while for service, one of which was during the snowstorms. But its hard to complain about that when they stayed open during the bad weather and we live within walking distance! I haven't been to hear the live music in a while but its always a good time and a good crowd. read more

It doesn't get more down to earth than Cowboy Cafe. My fiancé and I come every Sunday after church. Get the cowboy hash and it will change your life! read more

I have eaten at this place twice for dinner and both times have been great. The service has been fantastic and the burgers are phenomenal. They give you just the right amount of food with the burger and the fries. The waiter has also refilled my soda very quickly and usually before I am completely through with the first one. The only complaint I have is that the noise level can get a bit annoying. I sat in the back room both times which I though might be quieter than the bar area. I was pretty much wrong. The first time a party of ten sat next to me and they were drinking lots of alcohol which makes it worse. The second time was a little better although it still was kind of noisy. Other than the noise factor, this place is great. It's definitely a neighborhood gem! Give it a try. You won't be disappointed! read more

This is a nice small spot for a nice breakfast. When I say small, the place is pretty small! The food is decent. I went there for brunch and the prices are reasonable. Not much parking there so good luck finding a spot. read more

Hands down my favorite place to get the most delicious handmade gourmet burgers! I've been there a total of one times, and I was not disappointed. I did have to take away a star because of the outrageous prices. Well, I guess you get what you pay for. There's so much flavor in their meat and the toppings compliment each other very nicely. I'm DYING to go back and try all of their food! read more

I would give the burger 4 stars, the service 5 stars and the fries 1 star. Definitely worth it to pay the extra $2 to get a different side. We had the Mac and cheese and it was very good. It looks like a dive on the outside but it's well kept up on the inside. read more

Cowboy is consistent...awesome service, laid-back atmosphere, and delicious food and drinks! Their burgers are my favorite, but their salads, nachos, tacos, and appetizers are all on-point. It's a hidden gem in Arlington! read more

Cowboy Cafe - chicken molehill nachos...delicious! - Burgers Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Service was awful. Came in on a slow weekend night. There was one bartender who completely ignored our table to the point of us having to physically move to the bar to get served. Even then it was negligent. Makayla (sp?), the only FOH staff member, spent the night flirting with and pouring free drinks for her regulars, eating off customer's plates (who I suspect were off-duty employees eating/drinking for free), and flipping friends the bird from behind the bar as if she was in her living room. Surprising behavior considering she was listed as one of the ABC managers. Appreciating that dive bars are typically intended to be local spots without the standard trappings of a regular bar, and with the standard caveat that one bad experience isn't indicative of a poor establishment on the whole, this place has taken a slide. read more

-Heavenly house infused bourbons -Savory house cured corned beef -The perfect neighborhood joint where everyone knows your name PS: Live music on Fri/Sat and half priced burgers on Tues read more

Absolutely, hands down, one of our favorite spots to patron! We come every Tuesday for their half-priced burgers and our waitresses always remember our order and names upon seeing us sit down. Sometimes you may wait ten minutes for a table during sports games but they're always willing to get you a drink to sip on the patio. I suggest getting the nachos as an appetizer, we do every week! read more

I'd give Cowboy Cafe 3 1/2 stars if possible! Cowboy Hash was a great brunch and the chicken bacon hash, which my husband got was very good (I thought it had a little too much thyme in it) but over all both were very well put together! I had the mimosa and hubby had a gin bloody mary, both very good! This is only the second time we've been here but I think we will come for a third!! read more

Easily my favorite bar. Great service every time I have been. The staff is always friendly and professional. The drinks are great and not overpriced like many other bars in the area. The food is also great tasting and good priced. There are nightly specials as well, which make this an excellent choice for any night of the week. read more

I love Cowboy and think it is going to be even better now that there is no smoking..sorry smokers. We catered an event with them and the food was fantastic! The Burgers are tasty! It's a great place to grab a quick lunch in Arlington without a thousand toddlers running around...rare in Arlington. read more