Nats Park Neighborhood Eateries: Park Tavern

36 days until OPENING DAY! Folks in Natstown are clamoring for some baseball. Thankfully the team has reported, spring training is underway, and we get actual spring training games this week. (While we sit at home. in more snow.)  Time to think about summer. Ballpark food - and before / after game hangouts.  So, without further delay, here is the next installment of Nats Park Neighborhood Eateries, brought to you by Beth.

Park Tavern

200 M St. SE

Opened: April, 2013

Sigh. Oh, Park Tavern. This one is hard to write. We had such high hopes. The location is fantastic. The design is beautiful. The patio is lovely. But that’s about where the good things stop with Park Tavern.

We almost never go -- even when there weren’t many more options around. You can just tell this place lacks strong leadership. Service is usually painfully slow, the food has been inconsistent. (I will concede it’s possible this has changed recently, it’s been so long since we’ve been there for a meal and we’ve seen folks around lately because of the ice skating rink). My favorite anecdote that encapsulates Park Tavern is one time we dropped by after a game and inquired if there were any game day specials, “No” we were told. Only a “limited menu if we’re slammed.” When we looked at said menu, several prices were crossed out, in pen, with new, higher prices written in. As I said, it just doesn’t seem as if they’re making much of an effort.

Their space is a decent place for a group (it’s where I first met a lot of Nats Twitter in real life so I’ll always have that happy memory) and I remember their calamari being pretty good.

Go if you’re looking for:

• A huge space for your large group
• A selfie with a MASN personality and you’ve already struck out at Justin’s

Stop somewhere else if:

• Slow service drives you crazy
• You can find a table at basically any other restaurant in the neighborhood

Nationals Park Neighborhood Eateries: Kruba Thai and Sushi

Pitchers and Catchers are only 30 days away. Time for our next guest post from Beth - our Nats Park neighborhood resident and food critic.

Kruba Thai and Sushi

3301 Tingey St. SE

Opened: November, 2012

As the second full-service restaurant to open in the neighborhood Kruba was strongly anticipated (people went even before they were serving liquor. we were serious).

I always get a little worried about Kruba, it’s never crowded inside. I think (hope) it’s because they do a robust takeout/delivery business.

I know lots of folks might not think about Thai food and baseball going together but if you’re in the mood for something different or having a hard time finding a seat elsewhere Kruba could be a pretty good option for before or after a game. As I mentioned above, there is almost always room, even for a large party. The decor is striking, full of ornate wood carvings. And the food, especially the curries, is tasty (be warned, if something is labeled spicy, believe it!) and presented beautifully (more on that below. My experience of the service is a little inconsistent, but we’ve always enjoyed our meals.

Go if you’re looking for:

• A place where you can walk in and sit down without a wait
• Sushi or Thai (duh) with a hefty kick
• The opportunity to wow your tablemates with your meal choice. I mean seriously look at this shrimp fried rice in a pineapple! (That’s how they send it to you even for delivery. My photography doesn’t do it justice)

Stop someplace else if:

• You want your cuisine to be as American as your favorite sport
• You’re a craft beer diehard (like most Thai restaurants Kruba has a limited beer menu and focuses more on cocktails)
• You’re starving and on a strict budget. Portions here are a bit small for the price. I would say the quality is worth it, but you’re not going to stuff yourself on the cheap. Unless, you order the shrimp fried rice. That’s enormous.

Nationals Park Neighborhood Eateries: Justin's Cafe

Happy almost New Year! After a little side discussion, I am pleased to announce my first guest poster (and she's bringing a feature that will hopefully be a recurring guest post series until baseball season starts!) Meet Beth. She's one of my Nats park buddies, and she lives right in the neighborhood. The Nats Park neighborhood! She's been exploring the new eating places as the neighborhood grows. Since we are always looking for the inside scoop on the new munchies in town, the gang proposed that Beth be our Nats Neighborhood food critic. Only she didn't have a place to post her reviews. I am glad to share them over here - now we can all take advantage of Beth's knowledge and plan our next visit to the ballpark. Welcome Beth, and I hope all of you enjoy our tour of the restaurants around the ballpark. Hopefully we'll have a new post about once a week, and that should take us close to opening day. (Hurry up April! We miss baseball!)
~ Jen.

*Guest post by Beth Dahlman*

Justin’s Cafe

1025 1st St. SE

Opened: April, 2010

I’m going to start off the first write up in this little series with a disclaimer: I’m totally biased about Justin’s. It’s the only place that I’ll be writing about that was in the Navy Yard/Near Southeast neighborhood before we were. Eating there after we toured the condo we would eventually move into in August 2010 is part of what made Dan and I know we could make the neighborhood our home. We’ve met dear friends playing trivia there on Tuesdays. The checks come with our names on them instead of a table number. After dozens of pizzas and hundreds of pints of Racer 5 IPA there’s just no way I can be “objective.” But I hope I can be helpful.

Since it was the only sit down eatery close to Nationals Park for many years it’s probably the spot most familiar to Nats fans, but I couldn’t leave it off the list of places I was going to write about (due to all the sentiment expressed above).

For those of you who haven’t been, Justin’s serves an American food menu focused on salads, pizzas and sandwiches. Dan is partial to the buffalo burger and I always take a couple of the 5 Guys-esque fries when he orders one. But to me the pizzas are the standouts among the Justin’s menu (and offer the most vegetarian friendly options). They are “neopolitan-American” style with a crisp, chewy crust (the chew reminds me of a good bagel, though it’s way less dense). One is more than enough for one pretty hungry adult. Less hungry couples could probably split one and be fine. My standard order is the Wentworth plus arugula (if you could start ordering that as “The Beth” and make that a thing that would be cool). Drinks are focused on American craft beers. There’s also wine and a full bar but to be honest I can probably count the number of times I’ve ordered something other than a Racer 5 without taking off my shoes.

Go if you’re looking for:

• Fun, neighborhood atmosphere for lunch or dinner. It’s the “Cheers” of Navy Yard.
• American craft beer
• Pizza!
• A selfie with a MASN personality
• The chance to lose to my team in trivia on Tuesdays

You might want to skip if:

• Crowds bother you (a smaller space + being the only option for so long means the place can get pretty packed, especially right before and after Nats home games).
• You’re looking for a leisurely, traditional brunch. Justin’s has a tasty but limited brunch menu (and it’s not served on game days).
• You’ve got little ones in tow during prime time. While I’ve always found Justin’s warm and welcoming, I can see the seating situation and crowds of baseball revelers making it a tricky option for families when it’s crowded.
• You’re a strict vegetarian with a soup craving (most of their soups are made with chicken broth)