With warm weather in the air, baseball season fully in swing and gas prices rising daily, many people are due to be searching for a new local sports bar and restaurant with low prices and great food, preferably with coverage of virtually every live sporting event.
While this man-topia sounds incredible in theory, Rhodeside Grill in Arlington has set out to cater to the basic summer needs of the sports enthusiast.
Located on the corner of Wilson Boulevard and Rhodes Street, Rhodeside earns its name based off its physical location. The management took advantage of their unique environment, opening outdoor dining space adjacent to the restaurant. Inside, Rhodeside is half-bar, half-restaurant, with enough TVs over the bar and littered around the restaurant to satisfy the most devout sports fans.
A restaurant like Rhodeside must earn its good reputation not only on its diverse dining options, but serve up delicious food as well. Thankfully, Rhodeside delivers in spades, serving heaping, well-priced portions of mainly American and continental selections.
The Spinach and Artichoke Dip ($7.25) made a great starter. The dip was a blend of fresh spinach and artichoke hearts melded with mixed cheeses and topped with still more warm, melted cheese, served with crispy tortilla chips for dipping. The appetizer proved plenty for two people. For those looking for a more traditional bar-food appetizer, Rhodeside offers Buffalo & Honey Pepper Wings ($7.45), crispy fried chicken tossed in Rhodeside’s Buffalo and sweet-spicy pepper sauce, or a gigantic plate of nachos ($8.25), loaded with cheddar and Jack cheeses, pico de gallo, sour cream and choice of chili, grilled chicken or steak.
Along with the appetizer, I tried a cup of Rhodeside’s soup of the day, the Cream of Potato soup ($3.25). While the soup did not have the tender lumps of potatoes that I typically enjoy in a potato soup, the broth, chives, cheese and cracker crumbs swirled together in a great pre-meal combination.
Rhodeside mainly specializes in sandwiches and wraps, offering a variety of sandwiches including the French Dip ($8.45), sliced roast beef and cheddar cheese on a toasted sub roll served au jus or the California Turkey Sandwich ($8.25) with lettuce, tomato, mayo, sprouts, avocado slices and Monterey Jack cheese on multi-grain bread. I settled on the Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwich ($7.95), topped with crispy onions, with coleslaw and waffle fries on the side. The BBQ sauce at Rhodeside might be the best outside of Memphis, arguably the most delicious BBQ in the area. Another person ordered the Pasta Marsala with Chicken ($16.95), Penne pasta tossed with sautéed mushrooms, shallots and garlic in a creamy Marsala wine sauce. While Rhodeside features mainly traditional bar foods, don’t let the overall atmosphere trick you. The Marsala dish proves that they’re plenty capable of delivering a delicious, quality meal you could expect to pay double the price for elsewhere.
Rhodeside lives up to its bar reputation on the weekends as well, offering Acoustic Thursdays in the upstairs section of the restaurant, with “Rhodeside Spin” every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, where a DJ lends his talents to get Rhodeside moving. With 9 p.m. – midnight karaoke on Wednesday, Rhodeside is a party on almost any given night of the week.
Rhodeside Grill fires on all cylinders, allowing the family of four who want a nice, low-priced brunch outside to co-exist with a couple on a romantic date in the upstairs section and a group of drunken football buddies at the bar. Whatever you’re looking for in your dining experience, Rhodeside Grill is likely able to deliver.
Rhodeside Grill
1836 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, Va.
703-243-0145
Mon. – Sat.: 11 a.m. – 2 a.m.
Sun.: 10:30 a.m. – 2 a.m.
