This place is delightful! The food was absolutely delicious. But a warning to you if you get the pretzel and you see the mustard be careful. There is enough horseradish to harm a small rodent. Just saying. But anyway, the staff was super kind and we asked if they could but rugby on and they did it. It was a very well decorated place. It was also very clean. I have been here three times now and each time has been awesome. Please go. read more

We've always had very good meals here. Today I took two out of town friends and the food was just okay. My daughter had heard the same thing recently. Has something changed? read more

We're always excited when a restaurant is using canola oil in the fryer! So important when dealing with a soy allergy. I had a very delicious mahi sandwich and chose the tots which were hot and crisp. they kept our waters full and drinks refilled. It's EXTREMELY loud in there on a saturday night but that wasn't unexpected. read more

Bland, overpriced food. Got the crispy fried chicken sandwich and was disappointed. No seasoning or flavor, bad customer service with long wait times. read more

Came here for brunch on a Saturday morning around 10:30, plenty of seating available. They said they typically don't get super busy until noon. They won't take reservations for parties under eight; however, there is call ahead seating. Park toward the back; their entrance is in the back. We were sat in the back, but I think the front has a nicer ambiance. We got pretzel bread with beer cheese and tempura cauliflower for the appetizers. I liked the tempura cauliflower but wish there was some sort of sauce or aioli that came with it. Pretzel bread was good as well. For main dishes, we got the chicken fried chicken and chicken and waffles per our waiter's recommendations. My friend liked the waffles but said it was a little bland. My dish was also a little bland and dry. I think next time, I'd like to try something different. It was a bit pricey, but would come back again and try some other dishes. read more

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Really weird location. It's on the ground floor of an office building. You will drive by twice before you realize it, but you're not there yet, you actually need to drive around to the back. An eclectic menu, seems to be trying to have something for everyone. Philly steak and cheese was ok, tasted the mushrooms, but not the peppers and onions. The fries were little over cooked and kind of disappointing. Service was friendly, parking once you figure it out is plentiful, the soundproofing under the tables is a surprise, but the ambience is welcoming. Overall, I didn't really feel there was anything that made this place stand out. It's not really a great place for a date, seems more like a lunch place for professionals. I wish I could give it 3 1/2 because it wasn't bad. It just wasn't great, or really give me that desire to return. read more

Bear Branch Tavern - Philly cheesesteak with fries. - New American Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

Tried Bear Branch for the first time about a month ago as a last night out before the kids left for college. We scored a table outside on a beautiful summer evening. Our server, Chase, was quite knowledgeable of all the food selections and helpful in making choices. All food was good, and enjoyed by all. Definitely a cool hidden spot! read more

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Very fun vibe, with a bar in the front and another bar in the back that opens to the outside. Patio Dining as well. Family and adult friendly. We have the steak and the French dip, and both are excellent. The fries were especially good. The only miss was the elote corn-way too much sauce. Service from Chris was great. Will come back and try new entrees! read more

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Dangerously bad chicken. Should be avoided. My chicken wrap has pieces of bone and cartilage in it. The health department should SHUT THIS PLACE DOWN! Garbage, dangerous food to potentially cause bowl perforation when small pieces of sharp bone are present in food that is served. Vienna health department figure this bs out! read more

We came to town late to meet with our friends who came over from the UK. They already had dinner. The hostess sat us right away. She was super friendly. Our server also promptly took our drink orders and appetizers. We had a Beefeater and Tonic, an Old-fashion, a Sangrila Margaritta, a glass of Pinor Noir, and a Strawberry Daiquiry Mocktail. The cocktails were great. We tried the Fried Wings, the Mussels, the Lump Crab Dip, and a burger. For desserts, we shared a Creme Brulet and a Strawberry Shortcake. It's interesting to hear our English friends calling "bread" as "bougette." read more

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Great bar and the food is really good as well. Lived there service at the bar and staff were all friendly. Nice interior but a little confusing where you go in and exit. Park in the back of the building that is shared with other businesses. read more

Still excellent! Food- Rainbow Trout was delicious, grilled wings were perfectly seasoned and grilled, Vietnamese lettuce rolls were outstanding ( need slightly larger lettuce leaves ). Service was terrific and atmosphere is family friendly (yes/loud). Comfortable and clean. Wonderful menu! Lots of options. Love this place!! read more

Bear Branch Tavern - Grilled wings - New American Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

The Bear Branch is quickly becoming one of my favorite spots in Vienna. This was my second visit, and once again, the food and service were outstanding. I had the swordfish, which was cooked perfectly - it was juicy and just right. What really set it apart were the dipping sauces: a fresh pesto, a Russian-style dressing, and a mild green sauce with a hint of cumin that was unbelievably good. I honestly don't know what it was served on--but whatever it was, it elevated the whole dish. My wife had the French dip, which she said was excellent, and the fries that came with it were crisp and just right. Service here deserves a special mention. Our server was super friendly, genuine, and never rushed. She went out of her way to make sure we had a great experience, and her recommendation for the dessert of the night--a blueberry pie--was spot on. It tasted homemade, rich, and perfectly balanced. The drinks menu looks great, but I went with a glass of Chardonnay. My only suggestion for the restaurant would be to expand the wine-by-the-glass options. The California Chardonnay I had was solid, but as someone who knows wine, I'd love to see a broader selection. All in all, The Bear Branch delivers consistency, quality, and warm service. Definitely a gem in Vienna. I highly recommend it, and will be back!! Superb! read more

An okay place to grab a drink; nothing particularly out of the ordinary. A bit of a hike to get to and inconveniently located, unless you happen to live or work directly in the area. The cocktails and Happy Hour deals are a bit enticing, however. read more

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My friend and I came to Bear Branch Tavern because they have $1 oysters on Tuesday nights along with some other specials from the raw bar. Plenty of parking around Bear branch. The entrance is towards the back of the building. The place was packed when we entered. The atmosphere of the front of the tavern is a more chill vibe with dimmed lighting. We were sat on the other side of the restaurant. It was more lit up and lively. There was live music this night, nice entertainment but a little too loud. I couldn't hear my friend speak. Our waiter was super friendly and attentive. We came during happy hour and they offer $2 off their cocktails. I ordered an espresso martini and white sangria. The espresso martini was very good and the sangria as well. Not too sweet, just how I like it. My friend ordered the house white wine and aperol spritz. They know how to make them aperol spritz's! As for food we really took advantage of the oyster deal, they were fresh and flavorful. We also ordered the mussels and they were on the special for $5, now that's a good deal. Delicious especially when you dip the bread into the sauce. Additionally we ordered the garden salad, roasted wild mushrooms with quinoa, and truffle fries. The garden salad was light and refreshing, really liked the dressing on it. The roasted wild mushrooms and quinoa was ok. But those truffle fries were bomb. My friend and I really enjoyed our time here. A great way to end a Tuesday evening. read more

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My family had dinner here during Restaurant Week. The place was packed - not sure if that was typical or if it was because of Restaurant Week. I thought I found a good parking spot in the front and then realized that was actually the back of the restaurant and the entrance was on the opposite side. We were seated at the high top tables by the bar. Between the music and the conversations, it was a bit noisy and loud. We could barely hear each other while we were talking. I was the only person in my party to order from the 3 course menu due to the choices offered on it. The classic crab dip was good. I also ordered a french onion soup and it was good aside from the green onions on top. I don't think I've ever seen or had green onions in my french onion soup before. The pasta had good flavor and plenty of protein. I ended up taking my dessert to go because I was too full. I liked that they offered salmon on the kids menu. read more

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Excellent service and menu choices friendly staff and I love the Tuesday oyster bar!!!!

This restaurant was amazing! The portions were big! The ambiance was very welcoming and nice. They also had live music as well on Friday night! Our waiter was very nice and friendly. Food was amazing!!!!! The burger was my favorite dish!! read more

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Best White Russians this side of the Potomac. Maria is a delight. Always smiling and quick with a joke :)

It's extremely loud in this restaurant and I know they have tried to make changes by adding foam underneath the tables. But I think more absorption in the form of soft goods on the walls or the ceilings are in order. I think the food is nothing to Tweet about. The restrooms are unisex and they're dirty. They would do better by offering two women's rooms and two men's rooms so that the women don't have to step in the mens' "distribution" on the floor. I would go here again for cocktails. read more

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No notes really. Great food, great service. Make entrance is in the back, so a bit confusing at first but otherwise, really enjoyable dinner in a clean restaurant, good vibes, and fresh food. Bravo! read more

This was a nice gem in Vienna - great vibes, such spacious area, lots of seating. It was a busy Saturday night with lots of people and enjoyed the environment. The drink menu and food is diverse and creative. I appreciated the range! I ended up just getting the Tuna Poke Nachos which for $16 was a phenomenal price for a lot of food. The portions size was huge and the tuna was perfect. Sadly the 1 star deduction was the service. It could've been just the one server but she forgot one of my dishes (an appetizer) and a drink request. I ended up having to cancel it when I alerted it to them. It must have been an off night for her. read more

Bear Branch Tavern - Tuna poke Nachos - New American Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

So glad I tried this place out again. Wonderful brunch drinks and food. Server was really nice and attentive. We ate outside on the patio. The huevos rancheros is really good and the grilled chicken avocado blt was huge and delicious as well. We had multiple Cuban espressos and a few other cocktails - all great. My girlfriends and I will be back. read more

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The food here is always delicious. Came here with my happy hour group and had some great drinks and food. The service here that night was great and we're able to get a table for 5 of us! I ordered the tuna poke nachos, hushpuppies and a blackberry bourbon smash. Ambiance is great here! read more

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I used to go here regularly until a friend sent me the Fairfax County Health Dept inspection report for July 2025. There were more than 20 violations! Never going back, never. Gross. read more

I really hate doing this but they really need to remove the salmon from their menu or make it a kids menu option. They can charge me more but I really need to have a full adult sizeI decided to support local and get the salmon delivered. Over $32 for a dinner salmon and this is what I received. Probably 3 ounces of salmon and a 1/5 cup of veg. My steak was also not cooked. Not medium rare. Maybe seared at best. They really need to do some quality control. Update. They pressed an ink stamp on the side of their bag. Even though I ordered the food. The ink managed to stain many parts of my kitchen. They really need to get their act together on this. Sadly they've lost a loyal customer. read more

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Loved the ambiance. Plenty of seating options inside and out. Family friendly and perfect place to grab food/drinks with friends. The staff were all friendly and helpful They don't take reservations unless it's a large group but make sure to call ahead and ask to put your name on the list read more

Went to lunch with friends today. We all enjoyed our meals. The place is pretty simple but with lots of TVs if you want to watch some sports. I had the Mahi fish tacos, I enjoyed them but they cooked have used a little more spice. The menu has a wide range of choices so everyone should be able to find something they enjoy! I'd like to go back and try some on the interesting cocktail choices. read more

Bear Branch Tavern - Mahi taco and elote corn - New American Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

My wife and I got takeout here recently. She's 8 months pregnant and ordered a burger. She selected the option to have it cooked "medium." When we got home, she ate a few bites before realizing the burger was essentially uncooked. 7 hours later, she woke up in the middle of the night puking everywhere. I took her to the hospital where her condition continued to get worse. Around 3pm the next day, she passed out and the baby's heart rate plummeted to critical levels. The doctors informed me they were about to deliver our baby prematurely. Fortunately, the baby's heart rate recovered just before they started cutting. My wife spent the next three days in the hospital recovering from the severe food poisoning. I reached out to Bear Branch to understand how this could have happened and how they would ensure this doesn't happen in the future. They completely ignored me. If our baby sustained any effects from the poisoning, we plan to hold them accountable. read more

Bear Branch Tavern - Raw meat burger - New American Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

A Vienna gem. Best bar for late night drinks. Never disappoints. The bartenderd are the best.

Came around 12:30 on a Sunday! The place is bigger than I expected and lots of room for groups and those who just want to sit at the bar. Our server was very very nice and patient with us. We all got drinks, appetizers, and our entrees. I enjoyed my salmon toast and the French toast was really good! My bf was full from our appetizers (grilled wings and nachos, which were alsooooo soooo delicious), and said his burger was just ok (he didn't realize his burger had just the meat and toppings, no ketchup or mustard or anything). read more

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The food is phenomenal. Hands down fantastic. I was very impressed. And it's right off the W&OD Trail so a perfect spot for a cyclist's pick me up. The cons: Service was a little slow. It was a week night and they were playing the first NFL football game of the season so it was probably a bit busier than usual. We were sitting at one of their outside bars that double as windows so we weren't really out of the way but maybe that still added to it? It was also very cold. I think that's the con of where we sitting as the air con was right above where we were. It is pricey. $17 for a sandwich (but it was very large). $7 for a small cup of soup. Once again, the food is great, but the price is not. What we got: W&OD Refresher - 4* held the rum because we don't drink alcohol. Bear Branch Torta - 4* the fries were amazing!! I haven't had very, very, very good fries in a looooong time and now I've found a lovely place to stuff my face with them. The sandwich was also stellar. So good that we biked home with the leftovers. Classic French Onion - 5* wow. Best French onion soup I've had. Ever. Every bite was perfection. I was torn between this and the chicken sandwich and asked the waiter for his opinion and he said the soup was the best he's ever had. So glad I trusted him! read more

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I went last night and a big game was on. The place was packed and even though the service was on point. We got seats right away, and the food came quickly and tasty as always :) read more

Pros: easy parking, good service, large space with a bar and multiple TVs, outdoor seating, Tuesday after 4 pm $1 oysters Cons: average food quality and taste read more

Bear Branch Tavern - Roasted cauliflower appetizer - New American Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

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I've ordered takeout several times, but eventually wrote the restaurant off as a loss in 2023. The food was technically what was advertised, but unappetizing in flavor and texture. The staff was incredibly unhelpful in just getting my order. The gated entrance for carryout was repeatedly closed and locked, as was the carryout door, with signage that simultaniously indicated no entrance and carryout entrance at once. After being asked to trapse through he restaurant to get to the pickup area, the back-end bar staff alternated (visit to visit) actively running from the bar on approach or ignoring me despite being almost the only customer in the room. There are better sandwich shops in the neighborhood, let alone full service restaurants and I'll stick to those. Maybe something has changed there since 2023, but I'm not interested in finding out. read more

First time here with my friend for brunch. We were able to get a table right away. What a nice spot! I got the falafel couscous bowl and my friend got the avocado toast! Both were delicious! The menu is pretty extensive so looking forward to coming back for dinner. The interior feels cozy.. little loud though. There is enough parking so no issues there. The service was ok...our waiter took a while to come back to check on us and we couldn't really hear or understand him due to the noise. Otherwise, worth checking out if you are in the vienna area. read more

Bear Branch Tavern - Falafel couscous bowl and avocado toast - New American Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

On a visit with family this past weekend we decided to try one of the many restaurants in the Vienna Oakton corridor, this one Bear Branch Tavern. Glad we tried. Excellent. First thing to know, don't be happy as soon as you turn in the entrance and see parking spots. The entrance is much further back so if you want a walk after eating park there, otherwise park further in the rear. Nice entrance and depending on inside or outside seating they will walk you back. We sat inside and Julie Y was our server. Pretty good. Nice menu and extensive alcohol lost as you would expect in a tavern. Lots of TVs and good bar. WE started off with a great beer Optimal Wilt, 2 white wines (House is good) and a ginger beer. For appetizer we tried the roasted cauliflower (excellent). Main courses buttermilk chicken sandwich..which can be a little spicy but great, the buddha bowl (average) an French toast brunch (great). For dessert ricotta flan (good just hint of bitterness). Great location and good food. Not inexpensive. read more

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I love coming here and sitting outside for happy hour. Love the espresso martinis and always have to get a french onion soup. The friend cauliflower was so good, but i don't recommend bringing leftover home! Ive had great service each time ive been! read more

Bear Branch Tavern - Fried Cauliflower, - New American Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

On Saturday my sister and I decided to try Bear Branch Tavern. We finally get in and it's a nice place - LOUD, but nice. Lots of young staff - this should be good. After discussing my two choices with our waiter, Mason, I decided to order the Shrimp & Grits. Food comes out - first impression: shrimp was not the quality I expected, food wasn't hot, but shrimp was tasty and imparted some heat to the rest of the dish, the sauce was tasty, but the rice was weird and what I determined was undercooked, but it was still off. Now for the egg - unfortunately the egg was undercooked. I was hoping the heat from the rest of the dish would cook it enough to get rid of that slimy uncooked part, but that didn't happen. I called Mason over and confirmed with him that he saw the undercooked egg. He did not take my dish to fix the problem, he instead said he'll go ask about it and went to the back, leaving the dish on the table. I wondered about that, but hey let's see it play out.  Mason comes back with two choices: 1. They can scoop out the offending slimy, uncooked eggs. 2. They can fix something else for me. Wait. WHAT? I decided that I still wanted what I originally ordered and he agreed that could be done. Manager comes over, apologizes, is there anything else he can do? Well, I'm starving... No worries, I dropped the eggs myself, it will only be a few minutes. No one has brought my food, no one has come over to offer anything to tide me over, no one has come to check on me.... during which my sister has nearly finished her entire meal. While I'm waiting I've decided that I'm DONE. I'm just waiting for my sister to finish her meal and out comes Mason with my dish. He profusely apologizes (I've lost count of the apologies offered at this point and I'm over them.). Normally I would reply, but I felt like Jeff from 'Survivor' to the losers of a challenge, "... I have nothing for you." He walked away, I cut into a soft boiled egg. I called him over to remove my plate, don't say anything, Mason! I see the 'dropper of the eggs' approaching and I wave my hands to not come over and my sister tells him not to approach. Of course he does anyway... my sister tells me to wait for her in the car, I'm trying to get out when the dude insists on talking. I tell him it's a POACHED egg. You're a professional. YOU advertised a poached egg. At some point he looked wounded and said, I'm trying to apologize. Those words infuriated me, so many apologies yet I'm still frustrated and starving. He stood there, so i told him that I accepted his apology and I hoped HE feels better now.  I'm still unfed, we're on our way to a show and now I have to find food. I was going to the car while my sister paid the bill when 'the egg dropper' told us we didn't have to pay. We left and went to Wendy's. Mason, we don't blame you. Postscript: The pictures depict my first time attempting a poached egg when I got home. I wanted to see how difficult it is. It's not that difficult! Bear's eggs looked great, but that was it! This morning I realized that the dish wasn't some weird, undercooked rice... it was GRITS! Oh, boy their grits were TRASH. Oh, yeah - first visit AND last visit. read more

Bear Branch Tavern - First preparation of poached egg. - New American Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

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Very nice and cozy place.. plenty of good easy parking in back and really good food.. our server was Ben and he was excellent!.. Ben was very personable and gave good advice on what to order and food came out fast and was delicious!.. I had the French Dip and my friend Mary had the Skirt Steak Salad.. french fries are delish.. I had a very good experience.. and will go there again !.. read more