Five star. My girlfriend and I had a delightful experience at tonic on Saturday. What a cool building. The exposed brick and the bookshelves look amazing. The tater tarts were awesome and the food was delicious. I've walked by this place 15 times, and I am really glad we went in to enjoy lunch. FYI. Server Mckenna Is absolutely fantastic and should get a raise. Definitely worth checking out read more

Worst management that I've ever seen at a restaurant. I have never left a Yelp review for a restaurant before, but after my experience here, I needed to say something. Went to happy hour on their patio since they've got such great drink and food deals. However, the mobile platform that they use to take your orders is so faulty and 4 of our 8 total drinks that my table ordered during the happy hour time never arrived at our table. When we asked our waitress about the missing drinks at 7:15 (15 min past the happy hour time), she said that she had never received the orders through the mobile platform even though we had each received text confirmations on our phones after placing the order. Instead of owning up to their faulty platform, the manager disrespectfully told us that we should have ordered everything much earlier and walked away as I was explaining the situation. You would think that they would have at least offered for us to pay for the 4 drinks that never came at the discounted happy hour price, but nope. They were super rude and disrespectful. Never going back to this place again. If you want a great happy hour around Foggy Bottom, I strongly suggest that you choose Circa over this place read more

Overall I was disappointed with this location. Some friends and I went to the happy hour here for the cheap drinks, and it quickly became apparent that the staff is instructed to take a long time on each drink so that the happy hour prices run out and guests need to pay full prices. In fact, one waitress even informed us that we couldn't order any more drinks because they have a 3-drink-maximum per person (despite other servers giving some of our guests 5+ drinks). One round of shots came precisely at 7:01pm when happy hour ended despite being ordered around 6:40, which I can only imagine was intended to cost higher prices. The drinks were watered down and each took at least 15 minutes to arrive (even when someone just ordered a plain shot of liquor in a glass). Not only that, but each cocktail of the same type that arrived was prepared completely differently; I could only imagine Jon Taffer busting in to chastise everyone on their inconsistent training. At the end of the night, our party of seven had to split our checks four ways--which would be fine, and standard, except that the waitresses had no idea what any of us ordered, so we had to individually repeat what we each ordered at the end and pair up to get our checks. Even then, the checks that came were incorrect and we had to send them back--not once, but twice--before we finally got the right drinks on the right checks. Ultimately, most of these problems seem to be issues of management rather than mistakes by the servers, so I wouldn't punish them with low tips (though an 18% gratuity was included automatically by the restaurant). But I certainly wouldn't come back here again. read more

College restaurant bar located conveniently on GWU campus. My friend told me this used to be a pharmacy so we had to check it out! 3 floors. Patio. Each designed differently. We sat on the third floor where there were lounge couches. Great setup and great food. I had the bloody tonic and the buffalo chicken sandwich and I was very happy with both selections. I'm a big connoisseur for Bloody Mary, so any chance I get, I'm all for it! The flavor was right and the drink was so spicy!!! So good! The buffalo chicken sandwich was delicious as well! Their Aioli spread was so interesting, it gave the sandwich a unique spicy kick along with the buffalo sauce. A little spicy as it has grilled jalapeños also but so good! Recommended with tater tots!!! read more

Tonic - Bloody tonic & booooozy coffee!!! - New American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Great tots and great brews, what else could you want? Service is always friendly and the food meets expectations. If you don't make a reservation, expect a bit of a wait! read more

Visiting out of town and decided to check this place out. We were immediately greeted and taken to our seats. Menu is pretty interesting with incorporating tater tots. We tried the tater tot basket, which was pretty good and the sauces went well with it. We also tried the wings, nice and crispy. Cool thing about this place there's books along the wall you can take one and leave one read more

See all

My experience at lunch: Rude staff Slow service Dirty silverware Inattentive to empty glass Tasty food though. And half off drinks during their happy hour is notable. read more

Tonic - Salmon salad - New American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

We had the chicken nachos to share, I just had a side caesar salad and the bf had the portabella sandwich. The nachos were yummie and the bf thought the sandwich was delicious. My caesar was eh and hardly had any dressing. The service was extremely slow, but he guy waiting on is mentioned it was his 3rd day and I've been there and understand. He seemed to be a cool guy too. The other waitress seemed extremely stressed so I'm not sure if they are understaffed or what's going on, felt kind of bad for her. I know how stressful serving can be at times. The patio was a cool atmosphere so I'm sure we'll give it one more try and see how the service is next time. read more

Tonic - Portabella sandwich, chicken nachos and side caesar - New American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

It's interesting this place advertises Totchos and is a highly recommended on Yelp. Don't expect Tonic to serve them anytime during lunch on Sundays!! Apparently their brunch menu of bougie eggs and quinoa is more important than focusing on a true dish that works. Congratulations DB read more

Tater tots were delicious, along with rest of food and drinks. Prices were reasonable. Was just a four star review, but our server, Alex, was so awesome with our party of 8, that it warranted the extra star. read more

Tonic - New American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The first time I went was during the summertime, so sitting out on the patio was great. I had a pulled park sandwich and a side of tots. It was wonderful! Friendly staff and good atmosphere. Wasn't terrible busy for dinner time Second time I went was early spring and it was terribly busy. Was told to get a spot at the bar or lounge upstairs which was also full. Needed a table for one as I am traveling alone for business, finally got a two seater in the patio. It was freezing! My waitress was wonderful. I had a Swiss miss (hot chocolate + vanilla Smirnoff) which was great. Had pulled pork again and it was still great, but the tots were not hot when my food was brought out. Little disappointing in comparison to my first visit. read more

Tonic - New American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

Not sure why this place has bad reviews. The service is very quick. The prices are reasonable and there are many different options. We got the brunch tots, the Philly scramble, and buffalo chicken sandwich. They were all good, but not amazing. Which is why I didn't give 5 stars. I would definitely come back and try something else. The brunch tots is a huge serving. We had to get a to-go box for the sandwich and tots. I get full pretty easily though. Really nice place with a good vibe. The heated patio definitely keeps you warm during the colder months. read more

Tonic is fine. It's cheap and their drinks are strong, which is sometimes all I care about. Service isn't particularly welcoming or friendly. Food is basic. The tots have no flavor and the Old Bay wings were overly seasoned and overly crisp. It's always busy because it fills a void--there are not too many options in the immediate Foggy Bottom area. Their patio is nice and I can't say I won't return, because I never know when I might need a drink in the area. read more

OVERALL: Comfort food for nearby workers and GW students. Tasty, but not cheap. FOOD: I went for one thing: the totchos. Imagine a Chipotle burrito bowl with tater tots instead of rice, and you get the idea. Though they're listed as an appetizer, I got enough food from one order of totchos for two meals. Your mileage may vary. A surreptitious peek at nearby tables revealed that a majority of people were also getting their totchos on. PRICE: You can--and no doubt will--check the menu prices yourself. The totchos were $12; pricey for an appetizer, but remember that it was also a LOT of food. Think of Tonic's pricing model as similar to the Cheesecake Factory's: you're both served and charged for twice as much food as you expect. LOCATION: On the corner of 22nd and G NW, this place is conveniently located to a number of offices and much of the GW campus. We don't get a ton of dining choices in the Foggy Bottom/Farragut West area, so it's nice to have this non-cafeteria option. SERVICE: Since we didn't have a reservation, we opted to eat outside rather than wait for an indoor table to open up during a busy Friday lunch hour. Our waiter was a little on the inattentive side (beverages could have been refilled a bit more), but the food was brought out promptly and once you're staring at a bowl of totchos, the rest of the world sort of fades away. read more

Tonic - Totchos. The guacamole was a little too tangy for my taste, but you can't beat a bowl full of carbs. - New American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Great spot for brunch! Not too crowded and right next to GW. I ordered the philly scramble with tater tots and it was really filling! Prices aren't bad either. The scramble had peppers and slices of meat in it, it was pretty good but not amazing. They also have $4.5 mimosas. Definitely would come back again for the decent priced food and the tater tots. read more

A nice neighborhood place. They've got a good menu and good service. I eat there for brunch all the time and I've never been disappointed.

We went here for dinner before a show at the Kennedy Center - super convenient and walkable. We ordered a couple of drinks each and got the Totchos and the chicken fettuccine to split. The totchos were definitely delicious and a good size - almost too big to share between just two people. The pasta was good, not outstanding. The drinks were subpar. We added alcohol to some of the unique juices on their menu so perhaps that was our mistake, but it was recommended as a popular option by the server. We sat in the middle section. I think we would've had more fun in the garden bar area or in the downstairs bar space. There were good/cheap happy hour drink and app options on the menu but not available upstairs. read more

Tonic - Grilled chicken fettuccine - New American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

I got to start by saying that I was shocked to see that this restaurant only had a rating of 3 stars out of 5 on Yelp. The food was just great! As a starter, I had wontons filled with a creamy shrimps and crab mix. It was by far the best starter I had in Washington. Then, I had the 50/50 burger, their speciality which is a burger with a beef and sausage patty dressed with lettuce, tomatoes, provolone cheese and BBQ sauce. It wasn't the best burger I ever had, but it was pretty good! I also had a Cider for drinking and I loved it. They have great happy hour deals and the atmosphere is awesome. I heard that the restaurant was relatively new so maybe the 3 out of 5 grade is due to a hard first months. If it's so, they clearly correct the problems they could have and I would recommend that restaurant to anybody without any hesitation. read more

Not good. Slow and not worth the wait. Tots stunk and they had cheap ketchup. Cheap! And flat tonic!

Overpriced not good food have tried it a handful of times for lunch breakfast dinner and it wasn't worth it

One thing keeps bringin' me back: TOTS (basket of tots. B a s k e t) Specifically? TOTS with dipping sauces. Aoili, ranch, curry ketchup. And the wings are dope. With (guess what?) - sauces. The HH is pretty reasonable with good deals. Although its in the middle of GW campus surrounded by college bromies, its also close to fed buildings so people of all walks of life go to HH here Service is friendly but it gets a little slow when the bar is poppin' But if you get ya drinks in and those tots, its always a good time And they have an outdoor patio for straight chillin and awkwardly running into coworkers read more

I ordered the mac and cheese appetizer with fried onions and pulled pork. The portion was larger than I thought it would be for an appetizer, but great for the quantity and price. The mac and cheese was not as flavorful by itself, but when I ate it together with the pulled pork, the pork added all the flavor and salt I needed. The tater tots and assorted sauces were also very good. The atmosphere is very chill, and it's a nice place for a casual eat. Besides our table outside being lopsided, it was a good first experience. Our server was great too, and we did not wait long at all for food to arrive. read more

Tonic - Tots - New American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

Service is great, food is delicious, and it's a great college bar with an awesome atmosphere. Very unique setup--3 story bar! With outdoor seating as well! I could live off of their tot-chos. (tater tot nachos) Enough said. read more

I've been here twice now and both times the service has not been pleasant.. the hosts were so rude and rolled their eyes at me when I walked in with my family. We were not greeted nor felt welcomed at all. It was a bad start, but our servers were just as bad. They took so long to take our order and rarely paid attention to us and never refilled our water. Besides the service, the food is amazing, I love the tots and pasta read more

I almost didn't write this review because my attitude is hey, it's Tonic what did you expect? But the fact that I had that thought in the first place pretty much sums it up. If you have low expectations and want an easy place to grab a drink or bite in the neighborhood, Tonic fits the bill. Want an example? Today I ordered the "trendy toast" billed as avocado, smoked salmon, capers, red onions, garlic oil on toasted baguettes. What I got? Some chunks of avocado and cherry tomatoes on a piece of wheat sandwich bread. Now, that's a perfectly fine meal for me, and to be fair, I didn't object or ask questions at the time because we were in a large group and I didn't really get the chance. (I also came back to the computer to check the menu to make sure I wasn't crazy.) But what was bizarre to me was that the wait staff made no acknowledgment that what I got was a far cry from what I ordered - and is far from an $8 sandwich. I would have had no problem if it was explained that they had run out of smoked salmon, etc. (and offered to charge a more appropriate price). But that's Tonic.... read more

Happy hour is a great deal. A huge order of totchos is only $6. And order of tater tots is $3. Check this place out if you're in Foggy Bottom. read more

Tried happy hour. Good service and deals. Four dollar drafts. Great wings. Tater tots. Heated patio.

We made a reservation for brunch and when we arrived they said there were no tables available for us. Their explanation was that people were staying 3 hours at their tables (when the limit is 2 hrs for covid) and they would not enforce the rules so we left read more

I was downtown today and went to pick up something... to find out it was delayed... so where to eat... tonic was close and menu looked good... not too expensive and a wide variety.... So looking through the menu I figured why not a pizza... It was excellent, wood fired, toppings fresh... the tomato sauce has a bit of spice... it was great... nice little friend college neighborhood bar... quite happy with my choice ... next time in the area I will return read more

My parents are obsessed with this place. It has a cute atmosphere and reasonable prices. The totchos are delish!! My only complaint is the bean burger really is not great. I've had it twice (idk why I ordered it the second time) and it's just so dry and not flavorful. Wish they had some better vegetarian/vegan options. read more

Tonic - Totchos!! No meat, still delicious :) - New American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

My friends and I all ordered side caesar salads. They did not bring mine out. I asked where it was, and then they brought me one that was significantly smaller than theirs. I said that I wanted the same one they had. Then, they brought me a full one and charged me for it, and were rude when I was visibly upset. The salad was not even good. However, the mac and cheese was pretty good. read more

I have to give four stars for the service: I came here with my kickball team a few weeks ago cuz we needed a place that was open by 11. Most of our team was very late for the reservation (despite needing it to be early...) but they still held a table for us. There was plenty of space to accommodate us, and even when more people than expected showed up they pushed another table over so we could all sit together. Our waitress handled all of our drink and food orders well despite them coming in at different times. So I for one really appreciated how accommodating and flexible they were since my group was sort of nightmarish from a logistical standpoint. The food itself... was alright. I ordered the "almost philly" omelette which came with cheese, steak, and peppers. It was fine, nothing to write home about. Other people's orders looked better, particularly the chicken and pancakes and the french toast. read more

This is the go to spot if you're in the foggy bottom area. Their happy hour is very cost effective and you definitely get your money's worth with drinks. The wings are the way to go for happy hour, you can fill up for cheap. Service can be so-so, bartenders can be a bit cold sometimes. Regardless, I love this place and will continue to go in the future. read more

We've had one dinner and one Sunday brunch here, and both were fantastic. Delicious food, very good service, cool setting (an old pharmacy), and a great location in Foggy Bottom on the GW campus. Brunch highlights were the French Toast, the Eggs Benedict, and the Huevos Rancheros Tater Tots (better than it sounds). Will definitely return again. read more

Well what can I say about this place? Perhaps the only thing nice about this was the G-town area where it is located. The tater tots were delicious at least! The service was so-so (not attentive enough), the Caesar salad was bland but the blackened salmon on it was spot on. Lastly, the decor was pleasant as was the greeting staff. read more

Tonic - New American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

We were staying around the corner for 4 days visiting DC and went here because it was within walking distance. Ended up eating here twice. Sat at the bar both times. Service was great. Super friendly. Food was really good. Had the salmon, taco salad and turkey wrap (can't remember the name). Everything was delicious. read more

If you want to feel really cool, then tell your friends you know a great place for "totchos." To which they will then say "what are totchos" and you get to be the messenger of joy who explains that these are tater tot nachos!!! Happy hour is great here, we got here on the cusp of it and the bar filled up so fast!!! Their specialty gin and tonic comes in a really small little glass bottle but my friends seemed to enjoy it. I got a mocktail and was happy with that- I think it's cool that more restaurants are including mocktails, it's fun! I split the tater tot nachos with a friend and it was more than enough between the two of us- and so yummy. Quality dish alert. It had plenty of guacamole, sour cream, cheese, chicken, jalapeños and perfectly crispy tots. Highly recommend. read more

Such a cute little place! The tots were delicious! I wasn't too impressed with the truffle Mac and cheese. It was a bit watery for my taste, but still good! My husband got the buffalo sandwich and thought it was okay. The waitstaff was very friendly and attentive! read more

Tonic - New American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Toffle! Open faced burger with an egg on top and a waffle made of tater tots. What could be better? Well, there's Bells Brewing Two-Hearted Ale (IPA) on tap, which recently bested Pliny as best beer in America. Came in from out of town and this place was one of two recommendations I got from the Courtyard Marriott Foggy Bottom. Glad I came! read more

Tonic - Toffle burger. Worth trying! - New American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Tonic is a great happy hour option in downtown DC if you're looking for something delicious and not too hard on your wallet. Drinks and plates of their famous tots are available for just $4, with lots of other drink and snack options available at a cheaper price as well. We sat outside to enjoy their happy hour (great outdoor seating!) before moving inside to eat dinner. Dinner was wonderful as well - but those tots! I definitely will be coming back for them. read more