Bilbo Baggins

Stopped in during a Sunday afternoon walk around Old Town. We had decent meals here in the past, but today was exceptional. We shared a mushroom /​arugula pizza and an appetizer of fried oysters, and both drank tea. The mushrooms were plentiful, the arugula fresh, and the pizza crust thin and just crisp enough. The oysters and their batter were fresh and delicious. Service was a bit slow, but friendly.

I have to say that I had only stopped in for drinks until yesterday. I really enjoy the cozy atmosphere. I tried food yesterday and it was excellent. I had a pasta dish that was really much better than I ever expected (not to sound condescending because its a pub). Definitely looking forward to going back and trying more menu items!

I went last year in March. They have amazing Cilantro fries and beer selection. A must go if you are in the DC or Virginia area. If you are a fan of The Lord of the Rings, you’ll appreciate its uniqueness and atmosphere it brings.

The 8 of us had New Year’s Eve dinner here because we hadn’t made reservations and every restaurant we called that afternoon was completely booked… except Bilbo Baggins. What a fantastic place! We were so happy nothing else was available! The food was absolutely excellent. The service was very good… but it was the food that amazed. The sauces were divine, appetizers were scrumptious (especially the duck spring rolls and calamari) and everything was cooked to perfection… it was all amazing. The prices were really good, too… surprising for a special day like that. Highly recommend if you’re in Alexandria, VA.

This place is adorable and off the beaten track. It’s small and the seating in the bar area is a little weirdly set up, but it’s quite — you can hear your friends and the waitstaff. The service is good, friendly and the beer selection is on point.

Ack, disappointing if you’re a big Lord of the Rings fan like my fiancé and I are! There’s hardly any LOTR or Hobbit décor and the menu items aren’t really that innovative. There are only a few generic items like «Gandalf’s Pie» (pizza) and they didn’t seem to have anything to do with the characters or plots of LOTR or The Hobbit. We surmised that the lack of décor is due to their fear of copyright infringement, but still, why have such a bar (that’s so enticing for many people to visit) if you aren’t going to deliver?
That said, the drinks and appetizer we ordered were pretty tasty. Best food ever? Certainly not. But it was decent and we weren’t disappointed by the calimari appetizer (fried calimari with Thai chili aioli and sour papaya relish) we ordered or our two drinks — a beer for my fiancé and the «Gollum’s Cranberry Smash» for me (Grand Marnier orange liquor and lemon vodka, blended with lime and cranberry juice and topped with ginger ale). Decent drink, but didn’t have anything to do with Gollum.
Service was decent and it’s located conveniently on Queen St (a street or two over from King St) in Old Town Alexandria.
I’d visit again, but I won’t expect much in the future. I think my disappointment is due, in large part, to anticipating and wanting to visit this restaurant for 2+ years, and then realizing how limited it is in its representation of the theme!

Not a huge fan. I felt the place was quite unorganized when trying to sit patrons. When my friend and I came here after the Scottish Christmas parade, we found ourselves waiting for awhile which wasn’t an issue. The main concern was the fact they were trying to sit us at a table squashed between two major tables that would not allow those patrons at the bigger tables get up from their seating. Our table would have been blocking it completely. The table should not have been there in the first place. My friend actually looked at the hostess then looked at me and busted out laughing. She then walked away making an unspoken point that we were not going to sit there. I followed.
Once we got back down the stairs — we looked at the main level where 3 tables had been left vacant, but had not been cleared yet. Our hostess immediately went to one of the tables and cleared it. We sat at the high top.
My friend ordered the monty cristo which she loved. She didn’t like the raspberry glaze that came with it, but luckily it was put on the side. I ordered their burger which was okay. The onion rings were good and pretty large.
Service was less than stellar. She was nice, but you could tell she was overwhelmed by the crowd. She was brought a pitcher of water to avoid having to come back a million times per my request since she was so busy. We didn’t see her much, but nonetheless she tried her best.
I don’t know if I would rush back or come back. I feel there are so many more options in the area to go to and I didn’t find the place that appealing. Just overall mediocrity at best.

Honestly, I even wrestled with whether to review, but this experience was so bad, so entirely so, that I guess I should. I do not think people should eat food here. Maybe drink. No food.
Positive: They took a reservation and actually seated us. That’s the end of that list.
Negative: All of the food and service.
I’m not complaining because I’m some hoitytoity land baron and I wanted truffles on my guacamole or something. I ordered a burger, and we ordered guacamole dip. My wife ordered gnocci (I don’t know how to spell that) with tomato sauce. That was literally just a bag of store bought gnocchi (i looked it up this time) with what I’m pretty sure was the pizza sauce on it. VERY sweet. Not good. Not worth like 16 bucks, that’s for F*$#@ sure. It was like what you’d serve a kid.
Also, all the salads come pre-​dressed with the same dressing, which is not good. Very thick and viscous. Weirdly so. Weird and salad dressing are a bad look.
My real complaint was that the burger came out raw in the inside — not medium rare even — I’d ordered Medium-​Well (because it’s ground beef at a bad restaurant and I want to see my child grow up). So they missed by about 4 levels of done-​ness. So I sent it back. It comes back, no cheese, no nothing on it. Just two flash cooked patties and zilch. Never saw the waiter again until we paid. I should have gone to Five Guys or something.
Oh, they took my other guest’s wine off the bill in recompense… which is something, if you are the sort of person who would gladly trade terrible food and service for a glass of some kind of stale wine. Personally, I’d just rather never go there again and urge other not to also. Honestly, in the DC area, this is one of those places that has been around a while and has no concept of what good food is anymore.
OH! I forgot, the dip, which came out very late (it’s guac and chips… that should be more or less instantaneous), clearly had other food on the top — the crab dip? We reasoned that they were just using the same scooper for all the dips. We were really hungry and it was very late arriving so we sort of just cleaned it up and went for it. That was total s#@t!
PPS! I forgot, our other guest’s dish (salmon or something) came with raw enoki mushrooms on it, which seemed odd. Maybe that was intentional, or maybe the kitchen had no damn clue what to do with them. I’m guess #2, based on all the rest.

Quaint little bar in a quiet neighborhood in Alexandria alongside the waterfront. A few of my friends and I stopped by after dinner for a quick drink and to my surprise everything has a lord of the rings theme! There’s a great selection of beer (bottled and tap) and a full stocked bar as well. It is a more relaxed and chill vibe, nothing too fancy but just good olé beer and food. I do enjoy the trivia cards that are on every table — although it may be a bit dated. The best way to describe this bar is a good old neighborhood joint! I only gave it three stars because it was a bit pricey for the drinks/​beer compared to other places in DC. The service was subpar as our server wasn’t very helpful with the beer selection — I’m not a big beer drinker so I naturally had lots of questions that she didn’t answer me. Other than those two tidbits, it’s nice place to come and unwind!

Cute little restaurant tucked into the edge of old town. We really liked our dishes, take a look at how nice they looked. Also, the bread was really good.

Best pizza outside of Italy ;) And Roque is the best ;) They have a great bar atmosphere. Excellent beer selection.

This has been by far the best place I’ve been since I landed in DC area. The waiter was amazing, super friendly, and helpful!
We were greeted as soon as we came in the door and opted to sit upstairs at a regular table instead of the bar so we could talk and have some room.
I had the Queen St pasta, and was not disappointed. The beers we tried were fantastic, and the Tolkien’s Old Fashioned was strong/​delicious.
We are going to make it a point to come back here before we head home — the atmosphere is warm and friendly, and between that and the food — has just enough Hobbit /​Lord of the Rings theme to make any Lotr fan smile!

Let me qualify this review by saying I do not watch Lord of the Rings. I’m simply not willing to give up hours of my life at a time to watch «hobbits» climb mountains and look for keys they should have put on a key chain and maybe wouldn’t have lost in the first place. I also don’t read the books.
The atmosphere is cozy. It’s like an Irish bar but the spaces are slightly less secluded (which I like, because if I wanted to be secluded I’d just stay home). Ceilings are short and there are weird maps on the wall. If you wanted to feel like a hobbit, this place would probably do it for you. I liked it because the crowd was friendly and clearly having a good time. If a bar can deliver that, it’s worth a try.
Beers were really good, unique. I had a black and tan, but it was with a couple of beers I’d never heard of. Just as good as a standard Bass/​Guinness, in my opinion. The food is also really good. I tried the onion soup and cilantro fries. Delicious. The fries I think were seasoned with Old Bay, but they came with cilantro all over them and a chipotle sauce for dipping.
Service was friendly. Couple of different bathrooms, which is always nice. Definitely check this place out if you’re passing by. It’s worth a stop. It’s a street over from King Street, and you’re typically guaranteed a seat at Bilbo’s when all the other restaurants are packed.

I’ll be honest here: my fondness for this place is partly due to the clever name. With that said, though, I don’t think it’s a terrible place. The food is decent, but what you should really be here for is the amazing wine list and solid cocktails. Much like how I imagine hobbits actually go about their lives, this is a place for hearty food and good alcohol — and Bilbo Baggins delivers on both fronts.
P. S. If you want a piece of the place to go home with you, you can buy a souvenir glass!

I can’t believe that I haven’t reviewed this one, A longtime fan of The Hobbit, one of my first Alexandria pub discovers some 20+ years ago was Bilbo Baggins. I think it is one of the few restaurants in the country to sport the name, having secured the rights from the Tolkein estate well-​before the success of the movies.
Over the years I have had some meals here that Bilbo and Frodo would certainly take pride in serving, and I am sorry to say a few that not even Gandalf’s magic could save, However, the one slice of magic that never seems to fail is Bilbo Baggins’ comfy. cozy atmosphere. This is the perfect spot to enjoy a cool beverage from their massive beer selection, but my favorite thing about this hobbit hole is that they offer a wonderful list of meads that will bring out your inner hobbit all day long. My favorite was a a chilled blueberry mead, but any glass of this viking brew will put the magic in your day.

Lots of drafts and a good place for a late night eat. The menu I socked with pizzas, apps, and more. Our server was sweet and offered a table since bar was full. Ordered the veggie pizza and was happy. Trivial pursuit cards in table for all
To enjoy.

A group of friends and I visited Bilbo Baggins one day for Sunday brunch. We ordered a variety of things from different segments of the menu.
To begin, we had made a reservation in advance, but when we arrived, there weren’t enough seats (read: actual chairs) for everyone in our party. The servers seemed to have no idea how to resolve this situation. Fortunately, we were able to snag chairs from another table.
To begin, we ordered beignets for the table and were informed that only one order remained for the day. This seemed unusual since the menu didn’t indicate that they were in limited supply, but I can appreciate menu items that are made to demand and then not until the next day.
I ordered the Chilaquile Verde (obviously not typical of an English pub) and yuca fries. The table’s food came out over the course of 30 or 40 minutes and the restaurant had «forgotten» about the orders of two of our friends – not good any time, but especially when you are hungry! The Chilaquile was not bad, but was certainly not anything spectacular. It was only warm when it came out, and the salsa verde tasted like it came from a jar. The yuca fries were very hardy (unusually so for yuca).
The waitress was… quirky. Another review below mentions a waitress who disappeared and only came back at strange times, staring from afar. I’m pretty sure these two are one and the same. The waitress was exceedingly awkward and honestly wasn’t very good, although she was not unfriendly. It took four requests to get enough silverware for everyone at the table – to the point that some of us were offering up unused spoons since it seemed two friends would never be able to get silverware of their own. The server would disappear for long stretches of time, which would have been understandable had the restaurant been crowded (it wasn’t at all). When she finally surfaced, she would stand strangely over the person at the end of the table and interrupt everyone’s conversations to ask if we wanted a refill. Really, it was just kind of a strange experience.
At the end, I asked my friends to rate their overall experience, with particular notes on the food. All six of them ranked it a three out of five at best, and the three was even pushing it.

I’ve always wondered what Bilbo Baggins has been up to ever since he left for the Undying Lands. I guess he opened a restaurant named after himself here in Alexandria! When you walk into Bilbo Baggins, it looks like an old pub. The atmosphere is fun, welcoming and relaxing.
The menu is filled with many options. If you are with a large group there really is something for everyone on this menu. I went with a bunch of people after an eventful afternoon at Beer and Bourbon, so my boyfriend decided on getting a rum and coke (naturally) to keep the party going. If you are getting a drink, keep in mind they are pouring these bad boys with a heavy hand. WHOA!
For dinner, I ordered the mandarin orange chicken salad with the dressing on the side. Sadly, the waitress forgot my dressing and I had to flag her down and ask her for it. There wasn’t anything special about the salad and the chicken was a little dry… needless to say this is something I could have made on my own. Adding a little more vegetables would have jumped this to the next level. My boyfriend got the provolone chicken sandwich and onion rings. The onion rings are enormous! It looked and tasted pretty good. The basil pesto sauce on the bun, added some extra flavor. One person at our table got an order of dragon wings; what an awesome name for wings. They looked and smelled pretty good. And when they say dragon wings, they mean dragon wings, they were HUGEEEEE! I think next time I will opt for those!
Overall, this seems like a god place to come after a long day at work for happy hour or just looking for a bite to eat. I enjoyed this place and everything tasted great, however there wasn’t anything that stood out to me.

I was disappointed that this place wasn’t as nerdy as I expected it to be. There were a couple of LOTR theme signs and the some of the food/​drinks were named after the characters, but that’s about it. We also found the service to be very awkward. Instead of asking us if we were ready to order, our waitress just stood there quietly next to me and that’s how it was for the majority of our experience. The alcohol list is pretty extensive, and it’s probably a fun place to go during happy hour. Our drink wasn’t that great though — the gin in Sam’s Sangria was overpowering, and the drink tasted watered down. No complaints about the Salmon & Crab Cake Benedict, but I probably won’t be coming back.

Hmm. I reviewed this a while ago and gave 3 stars. I have since been back 17 times based on my check ins, and that is only since I got a smart phone. I guess its time to update and say that I love this place now. Husband and I come here frequently, and enjoy the intimate atmosphere, the FANTASTIC beer list, and actually really enjoy the food as well. The staff is quirky and very nice and welcoming. They have fun trivia cards at each of the tables to fiddle around with, and it is just overall a nice casual place to hang out and relax and enjoy some beers.
For food, we both really like the pizzas, particularly the garden pizza, and they have a good brie dish. I just mostly get the pizza all the time though. They have a great beer list, and always have unique offerings for draft beers — including, occasionally, SOURS! All over the bar are a lot of funny signs and things, there is always something interesting to look at. Not to mention just the outside of this place is very cute. It has basically become our favorite place in Alexandria, and friends and family who we have brought over have all loved it too. When my inlaws drove down from New Jersey to visit and arrived before the husband and I were out of work, they went right to Bilbo Baggins and happily waited there for hours, telling us to just meet them there.
If you are a beer-​lover and not looking for a fancy pants time and just want to relax with some great beers and a TV, this is a perfect bar. I hate «Lord of the Rings» but I love this place and we both think this is the best bar in Old Town — by far.