J Paul’s

Washington, DC, United States

3.4

Open now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 202-333-3450
Website:
j-pauls.capitalrestaurants.com
Address:
3218 M St NW, Washington, DC, DC, 20007
b/t N Wisconsin Ave & N Potomac St
Georgetown
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.3 miParada del DCWE que viene del Museo Postal
0.7 mi216
0.7 miLoudoun County Commuter Bus
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Dinner
Parking
Garage, Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
No
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
Full Bar
Outdoor Seating
No
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
Yes
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
No

Today

Today 11:30 am – 2:00 am
Open now
Local time (Washington, DC) 14:19 Monday, 23 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 11:30 am – 2:00 am
Tuesday 11:30 am – 2:00 am
Wednesday 11:30 am – 2:00 am
Thursday 11:30 am – 2:00 am
Friday 11:30 am – 3:00 am
Saturday 10:30 am – 3:00 am
Sunday 10:30 am – 2:00 am

Description

Specialties

Crab cakes! Fresh Daily Seafood! Steaks! VA Grassfed Burgers (Best Around!) Weekend Brunch! Hand-​Crafted Cocktails! Local Craft Beers! 16 Draft Beers! 14 Local Craft Drafts! World Class Service in a comfortable environment! Happy Hour! Raw Bar-​Oysters, Clams & Shrimp! Tables by the window! People watching!

History

Established in 1982.

A truly treasured place in Georgetown, J. Paul’s is marking it’s 30th year this year and still maintains our claim to fame as your favorite neighborhood dining saloon!

With a 100 year old mahogany shotgun bar built by the Brunswick Balke Coolander Company. Previously housed in a grand saloon in the Chicago stockyards, many will swear over their scotch that Al Capone himself bellied up to that very bar. Antique elevator doors from New York’s Waldorf Astoria frame the back dining room and add to the turn-​of-​the century charm. A few short blocks from the Potomac River, J. Paul’s has become an institution to those from every generation and all walks of life. Every day, politicians, journalists, artists, business people and Washington personalities share tables with students, tourists and ex-​Pats in the nation’s capital. There are many places to dine in the Washington area. There are only a few, however, that combine excellent food, World-​Class service and a comfortable atmosphere.

J Paul’s also recommends

Georgia Brown’s Restaurant

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Southern

J Paul’s says,

«The City’s best low country cuisine, live jazz and fried chicken!»

Paolo’s Ristorante

316

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Italian

,

Pizza

J Paul’s says,

«Craving Italian? Pizza? Late Night buzz? Head to Paolo’s!»

Old Glory BBQ

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Barbeque

,

Bars

,

American (Traditional)

J Paul’s says,

«Best True Q BBQ around!!»

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20 reviews of J Paul’s

No registration required
Place rating: 4
Greensboro, NC
Caveat for review — we focused on the oysters… don’t like oysters, pass over our review. Like oysters — can’t miss this place if you are in the area. Had blue pt and malapeque oysters — so good we ordered another batch. Just fresh, served perfect temp, loved the vinegar sauce served with the traditional cocktail. Oysters shucked flawlessly– no shell fragments. We only wish we could be there for the 1.50 oysters special– but absolutely enjoyed ourselves. Service was friendly and nicely paced, we felt attended to but not rushed.
Place rating: 5
Gaithersburg, MD
I went to J Pauls for a belated Birthday celebration with my best friend and favorite cousin. It was amazing! To start they give you complimentary Bavarian pretzels with mustard. I loved them because they were not greas. I started off with the Malpeque Oysters. OMG, they were so amazing. Light, buttery with just the right amount of sweetness. I’m a huge fan of oysters. I also had the cucumber salad and a half a pound of shrimp with seasoning on the side. All was amazing. My cousin had the grilled salmon and my friend had the Georgia Brown Chicken. All were crowd pleasers. I will definitely be back!
Place rating: 5
Riverdale Park, MD
First time here and arrived just as they were about to close the kitchen. We met Chef Davis at the door and he kindly accommodated us. In fact, his AWESOME service sealed the deal on 2 trays of raw oysters, steak frites, Josh wine and margarita’s. His personal service endeared himself to us and we’d have willingly stayed all night eating. Thank you Chef Davis, for being an awesome role model for servant leader chefs. We will be back.
Place rating: 2
Durham, NC
Oh boy, we stopped into J Paul’s on a Sunday night after every other restaurant/​bar in Georgetown was packed, and I quickly realized there was a reason J Paul’s wasn’t so crowded. Maybe it’s a place to go for brunch and post-​that the place gets trashed, but it gave off a very dirty feel (and it wasn’t just because of the soap-​lacking bathrooms!) Waitstaff was passable at best, as were the restaurant conditions. They were really great about putting two bar tables together and accommodating our group of eight and they had an good drink menu and a variety of draft beers, which was great. Drinks lack prices on the menu and pour sizes, which usually isn’t a factor at all – but when your tiny sister orders a German pint and it comes in a stein {1 liter)}, that could use a little clarification – or just a nod from the waitress that it’s a huge pour. We came in for drinks, some of our party ordered oysters and apps as well, but I can’t say I’d return for either.
Place rating: 1
McLean, VA
Stopped by for a drink and the Hispanic bartender working that night wasn’t very friendly at all. Speaking Spanish to the people close to us laughing and looking at me and my friend I went there with. His other spanish speaking friends were looking at us and laughing. It was obvious they all were talking and laughing at us, maybe because we were an interracial couple? We felt very uncomfortable and asked for the check. We never received a paper check, just a verbal «5 $ bro.»
I also noticed the 7 $ we gave him in cash was tossed into a big bucket instead of a register.
We will not be coming back.
Place rating: 3
South Lake Tahoe, CA
Service was pretty good, our waitress had most of the tables in our section so it was difficult to get her attention. Food was average, I had soup and ½ a sandwich it had no flavor. It took forever to get our checks, happy hour on Saturday is only at the bar.
Place rating: 5
Newtown, PA
My wife and I came to DC from Philly for our anniversary. We wanted to hit Georgetown and eat a casual place and watch the game. We sat at the bar and Roberto was our bartender. We ordered Korean Tacos, Wings and Oysters. All were equally great as were the libations.
I am in the hospitality industry and its always a pleasure to have great food coupled with excellent service. Roberto was a real professional and exceeded our expectations. We are looking forward to coming back to visit and have Roberto serve us!
Place rating: 4
Boston, MA
Solid place to get lunch or dinner. Lunch will be in the 15 – 20 range and dinner 20 – 25 per person. Crab cake sandwich was well made, a very good lunch
Place rating: 4
NoHo, Manhattan, NY
Coming into J. Paul’s I didn’t expect to find anything on the menu that I would take to seeing as I’m allergic to seafood. Yes, that’s right, they are a seafood bar & the ½ off raw bar that my friend ate a lb. of shrimp would tell you it’s worth it! I on the other hand started out w/​dry rub grill wings followed by a chicken sandwich w/​a bacon marmalade which was phenomenal. Thank you to chef Larry who personally touched the table ensuring the food, presentation, & service was up to par. There were some crab cake sliders in the mix too!
Place rating: 1
Tacoma, WA
We went here for happy hour and got food poisoning. Three out of the four of us ordered the BBQ pork tacos. 24 hours later we were all the sickest we have ever been… food poising is not pretty. A week later I talked to my friends and realized we all got sick so we were able to narrow it down to the tacos. I decided to call and tell them they might need to address a problem in their kitchen. The manager took my infomation and was going to have the chef call me but he didn’t. So here I am writing a review.
Best of luck to anyone that wants to gamble with this kitchen.
Place rating: 2
Gaithersburg, MD
I was really excited to come here, but I cannot believe anyone ever comes here a second time. Server was nice but clueless about service. Bloody Mary looked good and even came with a shrimp! But then when I looked at it more closely, it was old and rubbery and hard. Hard enough to make noise when I banged it on my plate (in front of my server). This nasty old shrimp had just been in my drink, so I couldn’t even have my Bloody Mary. Server didn’t even ask if anything was amiss, didn’t notice that I was upset and extremely disappointed. I was worried about food freshness, so I didn’t even order the entrée I wanted, just paid and left. Will not be back.
Place rating: 3
Philadelphia, PA
Stopped in for dinner before a movie. We were there for happy hour and the mixed drinks and happy hour appetizers were really good and came out quickly. Dinner was sub-​par. A few of us had the crab cake sandwich which was pretty tasteless. Another person had a cheesesteak egg roll which was simultaneously insulting to cheese steak lovers and egg roll lovers alike. Another person had a cheeseburger that was overcooked. I’d go back for happy hour.
Place rating: 5
Philadelphia, PA
I’m not a big breakfast person but the brunch breakfast burrito was outstanding. A nice touch is the free basket of mini corn bread with sweet butter.
The fruit that came as a side with my dish was not only fresh but recently cut. They also have their own beer on tap which is a nice addition.
Place rating: 4
Washington, DC
It is delicious place. Especially Nachos with chicken is great! I recommend its seafood too. Serving food is also very fast. But server forgot us after we finished foods.
Place rating: 3
Arlington, VA
I used to like the place better. Nor sure if I’ve gotten pickier or they’ve declined, or both. The food is somewhat hit or miss. The ribs were ok and there was a lot of shell in the crab cake. Fried chicken was quite good.
The service is just passable. I’ve eaten at the bar a couple of times when it was not busy and had indifferent, barely attentive service from bartender. One time bartender was more focused on pouring Red Bull and shots of booze for a hungover hipster colleague getting ready to punch in than on serving the paying customers.
I might come for seafood happy hour but other than that I’d go to Clydes or Bistro Francais
Place rating: 3
Setagaya, Japan
Atmosphere was good, staff ok and food just ok.
If you’re looking for a quick bite and decent beer I would suggest this place but if you’re looking for awesome food… skip it.
Place rating: 4
Brooklyn, NY
Great spot to kick back grab a drink and slurp down some oysters.
This place is happening and a good mix between bar and restaurant.
Happy hour special here is great, $ 1 oysters and cheap well drinks and beers.
The oysters are very fresh and at a dollar a pop its hard to stop yourself from eating them non stop.
The wings here are also great, crispy and flavorful
Sliders were not bad but the full size burgers were even better.
Overall great place to hang and grab food and drinks
Place rating: 2
Owings Mills, MD
The place was crowded like crazy when we ate! I had the steak and eggs and my Godfather had the corned beef hash. We both enjoyed our food, but agreed that it wasn’t anything exceptional and did not offset our feelings regarding lack of space and slow service (I waited 40 minutes for a iced tea refill).
The dining room was so packed we had to keep moving our table side to side so others could sit down or get up (my «neighbor» and I could have touched elbows by sticking them out). I understand the urge to maximize seating and therefore food sold, but I think J. Paul’s could use a little thin-​ing. Spread seats out a little more and give the diners some privacy from each other. Based on my experience today, I have no need to return to J Paul’s.
Place rating: 4
Rockville, MD
Came here on a Saturday night after the cherry blossom festival because Clyde’s was jam packed, not that this place wasn’t either but was able to find some seats at the bar. Christian, our bartender was awesome and very attentive, even with the amount of people hoarding at the bar. Seemed like she could read our minds! Came back constantly with refills and drinks. Dirty martinis were good, oysters were yummy! But not the biggest fan of the pretzels, they were a little hard and bland for my taste, but then again I’m not the biggest fan of pretzels so, meh.
Overall would come back if I’m in the area.
Place rating: 4
Raleigh, NC
This bar was recommended to me by a friend who knew I was staying in Georgetown for the night and planned to watch the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl game on New Years Day. My boyfriend and I decided to arrive a little before kickoff time for the Rose Bowl game and boy was that a mistake, the bar was packed! Luckily, the back room was open and there are TVs back there so we could still watch the game. We both had a great time watching the game and eating, I can’t wait to come back to Georgetown and eat here again! Everything was good although the raw bar is pretty pricey.
I had the chance to try out a flight of beers which worked for me since I wasn’t feeling like pounding back their tall glasses of beer. They were actually running out of their tall glasses so they gave my boyfriend two pints as its about the same amount. We tried out the steamers as an appetizer and they were pretty delicious (even better because it was a happy hour special). I ordered the tuna tar tar taco minis (listed as an appetizer) for my meal with a side of fries and he ordered the mahi-​mahi tacos. Both were so delicious! The taco minis seemed to be so small but packed a lot of flavor and were actually pretty filling considering we started with an appetizer and had been drinking beer, plus I had their steak cut fries to munch on. I had the chance to try the mahi-​mahi tacos and they were really delicious as well!
Overall, I really enjoyed my time here and I’m definitely looking forward to coming back. I may try to schedule it so that I come on a night when the raw bar is more affordable. Our server seemed to be preoccupied with the game but other than that the service was decent.