Food was honestly not great. The tots tasted like they had been cooked six hours ago and the nachos they had on special were nothing to write home about. I had the bltecas and it was okay, but again nothing special. The host staff was extremely rude and unfriendly the moment we walked in the door, but our server was a lot nicer. If you want a quick bite, it's a fine place to go, but don't expect anything great or to find your new favorite dive. read more

I had heard rave reviews about this place, so I decided to organize a happy hour here. It was everyone pay for themselves. I ordered one glass of wine, and bought a beer for my friend. When I asked the bartender to close my tab, he said I didn't need to sign for it. I thought it was a little strange, but, I left him a cash tip. When I received my credit card statement, I noticed a $32 charge for the 2 drinks. I know times are bad, but come on, giving yourself a $20 tip on 2 drinks is a little pompous. You will get caught and I will be notifying management of this. If those are the kind of individuals they are going to employee there, then I certainly will not be having any more happy hours there. read more

I have twice been to this restaurant and both times you were understaffed and disinterested in servicing the customer. The first time was a Sunday brunch for 8 people in a near empty restaurant where I had to hunt down our waiter numerous times throughout the meal. By hunt, I mean literally walk around the restaurant searching for him. When the meal was over and we were ready and practically rushing to get out and forget the memory of the meal, he was nowhere to be found. I ended up finding a manager, complaining and getting our check closed. As conciliation my table and I got $25 to spend at your terrible restaurant. Today, trying to avoid the issues incurred by visiting the restaurant and hoping to use this giftcard, I ordered 'take out' and was given a 15-20 minute wait time. I arrived 20 minutes later, waited 10, only to find out my order was never placed. I was given the, 'oh we're sorry, please wait schpeeal' but why would I wait to get another conciliation prize to spend at a restaurant I cant ever seem to get served at. Having worked in a restaurant I understand there are natural ebbs and flows of people, but whether its in the front of the house or the back, you need more people. You also need more competent people. I still have my $25 giftcard that will likely never be used. I wouldnt regift it because it would hardly be a gift. It would mean passing on the trouble to someone else. read more

The food was just ok. Tater tots served cold, burger barely warm, service was slow, coffee ordered but never brought ...... and the only reason I noticed all the above was because the waitress was borderline rude until time to pay - then she was all friendly and chatting a mile a minute about some other table's problem with their order. If you have dietary concerns, they don't offer to make anything differently to accommodate them. Was going to have salmon but it was pan-seared in butter. Tried to ask if it could be cooked in olive oil but waitress was very abrupt and unfriendly so just opted for the burger. read more

Friendly service and fun atmosphere - GWU faculty and student hangout on campus. Very crowded and noisy during the lunch hour. Eat in or take out. Patio is pleasant in warm weather and heated in cold weather months. Food, unfortunately, is mostly mediocre. They have good chili, and their tater tots are to die for. read more

I had a very disappointing experience here. Our food took forever to arrive. When it did, the Santa Fe salad I ordered came with cold chicken. The BBQ chicken special my friend had was awful. We ordered a dessert. It too took forever to arrive and tasted stale. It was truly bad. On top of that, we think our waiter was on something. His attempts at humor came off as him being very rude and insulting. I will never go back. read more

I've been back to this place several times over the past 4 years. The menu seems to change frequently, and most of my go-to favorites are gone, but I have not been disappointed by anything I've ordered. It is one of my favorite locations for brunch. Regardless of how busy the place is, the eggs Benedict come out fantastic every time. I also recommend the salads.They do seem to be understaffed, however, so come patient. read more

I love that they add barbecue sauce to some of their burgers! My mom is a vegetarian and when I took her here she ordered the veggie burger and loved it. The food is rich in flavor and the servers are very helpful. read more

I went with a friend for happy hour and we had a pretty nice time. We had reservations for 6:00 which turns out, was necessary. $4 for "house" wine and a number of beers on tap, plus some rather inexpensive fried foods that looked good. The good: on nice weather days, you can't beat this place for ambiance. Sit outside and enjoy the people watching with a backdrop of urban/university brick buildings, along with a cold beverage. The pizza was good with a nice crust, and I'm picky. (The other stuff all looked good but all we tried food-wise was the pizza. Next time, I'm definitely getting the tots.) The neither good nor bad: You're in the city - there's a fire station down the block, so there's going to be a loud siren every now and again. And you're in the heart of a university - by the time we were leaving around 7:30, it was starting to get overrun with loud frat boys. But it seems like now is rush season so that might not be an issue at other times. The shocking truth: it's Washington DC, and I'm perfectly ok with the bureaucrats I rub shoulders with every day. The ones who work for the government I mean. But it turns out, the people who work in the "service" industry over at Tonic are the true bureaucrats. 2 examples: 1) we ordered a second round of drinks but the waitress came back and said "you can't have happy hour prices anymore, it's 7:04!" with a tone of "you really should have known better." Which might have been somewhat excusable had she come around 5 minutes earlier and said "last call for happy hour," like a good waitress would've done. Also 2) a few weeks ago, some colleagues and I went for an early lunch meeting; we arrived about 11:45. Three of our party walked in and the hostess greeted us, we asked to be seated at a 4 top in the EMPTY restaurant (literally, there were no customers there at all), but were told we could not be seated until our entire party was there. We explained our 4th was parking and would be in shortly, but the hostess was firm. Really? We couldn't sit down and wait a few minutes for our 4th? In the deserted restaurant? Here I thought the bureaucrats were the folks who work a couple blocks south of this place. But Tonic's staff and management could give them a few lessons. In this town, that's really saying something. read more

One star. Been here three times now (two brunches and a dinner) and have been disappointed each time. This is a place of conceive around the GW campus. Food is mediocre at best and portions are very inconsistent. Some plates are huge and others are barley enough to call a meal. There was a drug deal going on in the restroom. The waiter had such terrible body odor I felt sick, and the first brunch I actually did feel sick after. Tots are bad. Pancakes are just okay and the eggs were served cold. Fish tacos were huge and over fried with really no distinct taste. Okay place to grab one beer....that's all. One star. read more

Worst service ever the waitress never came to greet us and we were literally sitting there for like 15 minutes, mind you there was a guy eating right to us and she kept coming back and forth and still the waitress didn't even bother to take our drinks at least. There was also a couple that got sat after us and they got their order taken first than us. We left after that horrible service (party of 4). read more

Went for lunch today. Bartender was extremely unfriendly. Had nachos and tots...boyfriend just spent the last ten minutes in the bathroom throwing his life up. That was all we ate today, so I'd say avoid the nachos.... read more

Solid happy hour, good beer selection. Great tots and burgers. New patio! Service is reliable. Good for lunch or after work.

The happy hour was fantastic! The prices were fair and the food was yummy. We had the tater tots and old bay wings. They were both delicious and the portions were huge. Tonic's beer selection was also great. We really enjoyed this restaurant. read more

The space itself is great! So many different areas...outside, garden, bar, upstairs...so fun. We were seated quickly and the staff could not have been nicer. We ordered several dishes for sharing and none of them disappointed. The tater tots are awesome. Also, had a great flight of local DC beers which was really fun. I would for back for sure! read more

Its a little corner college bar on GW's campus. Came over before a show at Constitution Hall hoping to get a happy hour drink on a Friday night at 6pm. Bar ended up being so full we were fighting for service. The bartenders were really good at handling the deluge tho so i was able to get a few happy hour beers and stand in their vestibule waiting for a table. Waiting on a table took about an hour but we told our waitress we were very short on time and she got us served really quickly. I just wanted to get the darn tater tots! I've heard the tots are great but what really makes them good is the sauses they are served with: chipotle-honey mustard, curry ketchup & roasted habanero aioli. Also the basket was huge. read more

service was horrible the three times i tried to go. I only got my food once and left the other two times. idk if it was because i was black or your but it took 15mins to get a cup of water. Also the food is not so great either. Don't get me wrong there are alot of people who sit outside of it but i guess i had a bad experience. read more

Terrible service! I went with there with some people, one of which was a friend who works at the restaurant. even though it was 2:45 and there was no one there, it took us 45 minutes for us to get for our food! the waitress ignored us, and the food came out cold, my friend's pizza was burnt, and most of our orders came ou wrong. when we finally got a hold of our waitress, she handed us our check! we asked to see the manager, who then said that next time we came back that we could have a free appetizer. the next week, we go in and suprise suprise, no appetizer. also, like Lucy z said on the 12th, how is this place staying open? they have a lunch rush during the week but the rest of the time it is empty. and despite the emptyness the service is still horrible. read more

We spent the weekend at a nearby hotel and since the area pretty much shuts down after Friday at 5pm we didn't have a lot of options within walking distance. We had dinner here Friday night with a group of about twelve. The place was crazy busy but we were seated quickly- much to our surprise. Amanda was our server and she was very pleasant, attentive, and easy to interact with. We had the wings with the house sauce and they were delicious and meaty. We were a little disappointed that they came out with our meals instead of as an app though. The Silence of the Lamb-wich was amazing and a really neat concept.... shaved lamb and goat cheese on super-soft pita-like bread. The other noteworthy dish for this visit was the burger with a fried egg on a tot waffle (the actual name escapes me). The tots were warm and crispy and abundant because everyone got a good portion with their sandwiches. We returned Saturday night for dinner, too. This time we had salads... the taco salad and the duck with salad (and more tots). I can't say enough good things about the Duck Duck Salad! It was amazing. The duck was a perfect medium rare with crispy skin and the mango vinagrette went perfectly with the craisins, almonds, and greens. My companions both seemed to really enjoy the taco salad, too! I DID NOT enjoy the sangria... I'm not even sure how it can be called a sangria when it was more like a strawberry lemonade. Saturday night we were sent to the third floor lounge. The bartender was all alone and we were the only patrons, so he spent a great deal of time explaining the craft beers to one of my companions. He was very knowledgeable and was able to find a suitable beer for us. If I'm ever staying that part of DC again, I would definitely go back to try a few other menu items that looked interesting. read more

Looks like I wasnt alone. Bad service. Should have read the reviews. I was told he had too many tables. Which is not my issue when i am paying for a service and food. So that is why I couldn't get a water or why he disappeared? Being out of town I didn't know the rules on ordering the mac n cheese so it was wrong. got a pizza that was completely wrong and asked the waiter to check the menu which he said it was wrong. Came out wrong again. Then the manager brought it out and they just threw on the missing ingredient and had another one added that wasn't on the menu. So between the service snd wrong food it will never be a place I woild recommended. read more

As a loyal GW alum I still have to reiterate my support for this place. Opened when I was still in undergrad and glad to see still around now after all these years. Met with gf who lives in SW before a show at the Kennedy Center. Salmon and mashed potatoes were OK. She had tater tots - delighted by the three different unique varieties of dipping sauces - chipotle honey mustard, spicy ranch, curry ketchup. read more

Tonic is great to pick up some traditional American dinner but the Sunday brunch is actually the highlight. The blackened cajun chicken sandwich and pulled pork sandwich are pretty good but I always go with the buffalo wings because they are pretty spicy. Fun and casual place- fun for groups upstairs or just for drinks downstairs. I had the eggs benedict for brunch and it was probably my favorite there! read more

A good spot for a show at the Lisner, but I wouldn't venture much beyond beers and burgers. I've gotten pizzas at both their Mt. Pleasant and Foggy Bottom places and have been disappointed by bland pies both times. Still, for beers and apps, it's a good place to stop in for happy hour. read more

Tonic is one of the worst brunch places, or wait, the worst brunch place in DC. I've been to Tonic several times and the last time I was there was extremely displeasing- the fruit cup that came was at least four days old (the watermelon was soggy and other fruit cubes were turning color) and to be honest, I'm a customer with little to complain and had never sent anything back to the kitchen. But it was so gross that I had to ask the waiter to do something about it. Guess what? He brought back the fruit cup with the same chilling-in-the-fridge-for-days fruit cubes. That was my last time there, and I don't think I will go back even though I live two blocks away. LOL. read more

Oh Big Mike karaoke! You were so fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No other words are needed! We will definitely see you next time, but I wish the new manager would let you stay longer like it use to be! It was so much better, it was still a great time but I wanted to stay longer!!!! read more

There is nothing better than tots, Brian the bartender, and beers all around after a long day of trekking around DC in the rain. The food was fantastic, the ambience was fun, and the prices were on point. I'd recommend this place to anyone looking for laughs, a warm meal, and a cold brew after a long day. read more

Not a thing wrong with this place. Lovely patio, happy hour, good service, had a great steak salad. I'm not going to drone on, but it's a very solid casual place. read more

Tator tots are fantastic, foods are great, clean, great location, excellent service and nice price arrangement. We usually use as for group lunch. And I definitely recommend friends and other! read more

Nachos are subpar - low quality cheese sauce and suspect ground beefish like stuff. Don't bother. The tots are good though. Fresh, hot and crispy. read more

The turkey burger had too much pepper on it, and it took long to get a server to attend us. Only highlight was playing trivia on Monday night. read more

Had been eating at this place for the past 6 years. Food was just okay, but kept going back. Never again. It started with the waiter, when he eventually came to our table, reeking like an ashtray. Had an issue regarding food. Asked to speak with a manager. They could not find him. 10 minutes later he came up to the table and I advised him what the problem was and I tried to discuss it with him. He turned away and said he will make a change. But as he walked away he said quite loud "Fu--kin obnoxious. " Serious? I am glad to know this establishment is doing so well that they do not care about losing customers. Bye and would strongly advise others to avoid this place read more

College area around GW. The food and ambience match. Food OK, service nice , and prices Ok. Just overall OK and convenient location. Would not travel from another area to get here to eat but if in neighborhood and wanting to stop then this is fine. read more

After hearing about the tots nachos I was excited to try this place but was a bit disappointed. The food just not as good as I expected. The tot nachos were ok but just not as good as they could have been. read more

Nice happy hour specials and three floors of space to sprawl out. This is a solid choice for after work drinks and a snack. I haven't had an entree but have been for happy hour and late night drinks and have been pleased each time. read more

Staff was friendly,courteous, and timely! House made Veggie Burger was delicious! Outdoor seating creates a nice atmosphere for lunch!

I usually always come to tonic especially during the week they have great happy hour 4pm-7pm. I came in and no host was there to greet me.. I was very confused because usually someone is there. I thought maybe it was " Seat Yourself " and when I sat myself on the 2nd floor they RUDELY told me " No, you can't sit here did they not tell you ". I walked back down and still no host. I gave them a few minutes maybe they were busy.. still no host. I then RESAT my self at the " bar " on the main floor. When I sat down the server came and dropped some menus off damn near slamming them. The NFL games were on so I decided to go for the chicken tenders ( You can only get them during NFL games). I took ONE bite and it tasted like rubber. When I cut the chicken tender my meat was UNDERCOOKED! I told me server and he rolled his eyes and took it back. Never once asked me " do you want a new order of tenders or if I wanted something else" he brought me new chicken tenders and I told him " I feel sick I don't want anything else, I'm ready to leave " as I was leaving he handed me my check and made me pay full price for something that ONE. I didn't eat and TWO. Was undercooked. I am BEYOND HEATED. Worse restaurant ever !!! &' BAD SERVICE. read more

Going to an event at the Kennedy Center and failed to consider late afternoon reservations would be needed at the higher end establishments. We yelped Tonic and glad we did. Excellent burgers, Toffle and the Memphis. Both were excellent. Tots are their main side and in many of their dishes. Also had the Brownie with ice cream. Warm and delicious. Highly recommend this place for a quick bite to eat. Looks like a college hangout so late night might be a bit crazy. We ate around 5pm. read more

A nice restaurant with a great terrace. Inside it could be a little more light, but still nice atmosphere. Good and nice service. But above all, it was an absolutely great and delicious meal. Bravo! read more

I've been here a handful of times now, for dinner and lunch, and I can't quite put my finger on why but I always come away a bit disappointed. It's in a good location, it's clean, the restaurant looks nice, the staff is proficient, but something is lacking. Every time I go it's about the same, I look at the menu and am like "what do I want with my tatter tots". Nothing particularly grabs me, they use to have some killer fish tacos, but it was seasonal (fish taco's are a winter item?) and being that it's summer I'm left to try random selections. Today I had the smoked salmon wrap; I didn't like it and only ate half and removed most of the salmon. The hummus wrap is good and the burgers, but no better than I have had anywhere else. I could be convinced to go back, but I probably wouldn't choose to on my own. read more

I've been here a few times, and each visit the food and service have been fantastic. From their creative sandwiches, decadant burgers, and tasty brunch items, you can't go wrong with the food. read more