Thunder Grill

Went to Thunder Grill today. Got 2 cheeseburgers, which were not juicy. The bun was probably the highlight, fries were good and warm. No free refills, but at least the waiter warned us about that. I doubt I will return, there are other places to eat at Union Station.

I had the pleasure of visiting Thunder Grill on Sunday January 17, 2016 with 3 of my girlfriends. We arrived at 3:30pm, the atmosphere was modernly chic and quant. The service was amazing with our knowledgeable server and bartender. It’s also a good time for Football watching as well. We sat at a booth in front of these huge windows that looked out in front of Union Station. We ordered the soup/​salad, Fish (original and grilled) tacos, wings, dip and chips and 4 of those amazing desserts and did I say drinks, wow! We had a gluten free guest, who was completely satisfied with her order. I would highly recommend this venue for an evening, lunch or brunch. The owner is also fantastic, genuinely caring about his guest and staff. Oh! not realizing the time we closed the place down 10pm, no joke, and the service remained the same throughout!!! I love this place, you have to try it.

Delicious and authentic meals served by an amazing staff. We had quesadillas, slider sampler, lettuce wraps, and fish tacos — all delicious! And the wine was good and reasonably priced. We will definitely come back!

A nice café ambiance for relaxing in a busy big train station (Union Station): quiet, can hear each other without yelling, good atmosphere (Christmas tree was up, window sills decorated nicely). They have an interesting cocktails, wine, beer, and drinks menu (I had a mimosa which is good), though the food (southwestern cooking) was just ok. The dessert is good.
Service is good, it seems. At least we only had to flag down a waiter once.
Overall I’d say: come to this place for a break from the busy hustle and bustle of the train station, for the ambiance, not necessarily for the food.

I had the Chicken Tostada and it was wonderful! The chicken was moist and tender and the salad complimented it wonderfully! The service was excellent we did not wait long for our food and we even got a complimentary desert! All the food our group was served was delicious especially the crabcake

I had the steak tostada and the steak was delicious — very well marinated with a hint of lime. The rest of the salad was also very good, including the tostada shell. Our server Salvador was attentive and efficient. Robert, the manager, checked in a couple of times to ensure we were being well served and enjoyed our meal. I would eat here again!
Dwight

I wasn’t here long and was only in town visiting, but I was pretty underwhelmed with what I tasted from the menu. The chowder I had was fine; adequate, but nothing out of this world (it was also missing the oyster crackers as advertised). I wound up not eating the tostada I ordered, not realizing it was a salad bowl. I guess it depends on the place, in terms of what tostadas actually are. That was fine. I tried some of my friend’s enchiladas and they were just chewy and unpleasant. Her rice was dry and not particularly flavorful.
Service was OK. The restaurant wasn’t busy when we went, and our waiter didn’t check up on us too much. I’m not sure where the hostess was when we came in. It seemed eerily vacant for the time of day we went.
I was just stopping in though, so maybe I caught a slow day. I probably wouldn’t visit again if I’m in Union Station.

How this place exits is beyond me. Mediocre everything. I went there for a work lunch because our boss was taking us out.
I waiter was pleasant, but was really pushing everything with all the bells and whistles a little too aggressively. Don’t offer extras or a chips basket unless it’s on the house. We have the menus, we can order. He also didn’t apologize when he forgot someones drink for 20 minutes.
I ordered the beef enchiladas. Below average. The rice was a bit bland and dry. I don’t think it came with the black beans it said it was supposed to come with.
I would never choose to go here.

First time at Thunder Grill and I’ll def go back! The food was good and the service was good so what’s not to like! I got the cornmeal crusted crab cake sandwich with a side of french fries and coleslaw. Im not a fan of coleslaw so i wont comment on it but the sandwich was delish — nice and juicy and perfectly seasoned! Try Thunder Grill out for yourself, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Note, they have happy hour food and drink specials from 5:30 –7:30p.

Great place. The food always rocks here. Great spot for happy hour and to grab a quick bite before getting on the train. Definitely skip the dinner on the Amtrak because it’s horrible and save yourself an hour before boarding to get food here.

Great food, service was attentive but not intrusive. BBQ brisket sandwich was very plentiful and tasty. Catfish sandwich –not greasy, sauce was wee bit spicy but just enough, coke slaw was great pairing. Fish tacos were among the best I’ve had and Chopped Salad w/​chicken and roasted corn very good and flavorful. Bar keep great with customers too. The ‘thunder’ was fun. Great atmosphere for drinks with friends or with the kids.

Great place, cool and casual atmosphere. Roy & Robert are hysterical and try to make every guest comfortable and enjoy their stay with them. Food was delicious too. Best enchiladas I’ve ever had and the pecan pie alone is worth a visit.

Why do they call this place Thunder Grill because the trains under Union Station pass under it and it sounds like thunder… Stoopid… but I digress.
I wouldn’t give this place 4 star if I had the munchies.
Thunder Grill is a step up from a Taco Bell that serves liquor and that’s not saying much. It’s okay if you want to have a decent meal but no way 4 stars.

We had the flank steak fajitas. It was delicious. Our waiter was very nice. I would come back if I were craving Mexican food. Their margaritas was good too!!! We are from New Orleans and are used to good eats. Washington does not have very good food.

I have eaten at Thunder Grill many times over the last 7 or so years and I cannot say I’ve had an overall bad experience any time I’ve been there. For starters — they’re the only place I’ve been that can get nachos right. ‘Nacho cheese’ is not real cheese and is an abomination. They don’t use it. They use fresh grated cheese and layer it perfectly. I am a fan of their nachos
I also have a peculiar food allergy. They have always been exceedingly accommodating and that is a rarity these days. Thank you for not killing me and making me itchy, Thunder Grill.
This is a staple of our regular DC experience. Is the service always on point? No. Can the hostess be a little ‘temperamental’? Yes. But the food is pretty good and I can count on them taking care of us. Highly recommend — and the seasonal butternut squash soup I had in November 2014 was absolutely amazing.
Get the nachos with chicken. So good!

All these lames giving awful reviews. This was my favoriteeeee place in DC. Okay maybe its a bit of an over statement, but seriously, I loved this place.
They have an awesome happy hour and some of the best wings I’ve ever had. And let me tell you — I’m from the Bay Area, and I know good and pretty freakin good wings. $ 3 draft beer and $ 5 helping of wings? I’ll take it. and not just any wings, these wings are freaking amazing dude. Like, ORDER THE WINGS!
I interned right at Union Station over summer and I would visit this place multiple times a week after work. Ross, the bartender, is awesome. he definitely holds a special place in my heart! So do a few of the other bartenders, but Ross was my go-​to guy.
Anyways. This place is usually pretty busy, but check it out of you can. The full restaurant menu might be just okay — but order the wings and some beer, you won’t regret it.

I’ve only been to Thunder Grill during HAPPY HOUR. Is this the best bar I’ve been to in DC? No. Is it the worst? No. Waiting for my friends to arrive, the hostess was very kind, she let me see their dinner specials and informed me of their happy hour (yay!) as I waited. The bar area is PACKED after work and it can be extremely difficult to maneuver when ordering drinks! The bartenders were generally attentive to make your drinks. Overall the happy hour drink and appetizer prices were great for being in a touristy area. Nachos were ‘meh,’ wings were above average, drink were good (not as heavy handed as other DC bars). This is a great place to grab a quick drink of you are waiting to use one of the many forms of public transportation at Union Station.

This place is so palatial
But the service is freakin’ glacial.
My breakfast burger was ballin’
And the drinks kept me alcholin’.
Would I go back? Hell yeah!
Because this place is much better than «meh»
In other words… I liked the look of the place, the food was good, the drinks were good and the service was friendly but slow.

We happened upon this place while touring Washington’s Union Station. I was looking for a decent hamburger and found one. We were immediately seated just as rush hour was beginning and were greeted by one of the friendliest and most personable female waiters I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.
The fare here is pretty predicable. .. many hamburgers, salads and sides served in a more upscale environment out in the open space of Union Station. Despite its location, the noise level was very tolerable and proved to be a great people watching vantage point.
After cocktails (a house recommended southwest whiskey sour that was very refreshing), I wanted something more than a typical burger so I decided to try the Three Alarn Burger with jalapeño bacon, pepper-​jack cheese and chipotle mayo. My wife ordered the a southwest shredded jicama, mango and choyote with a vinaigrette dressing that she really enjoyed.
We thought the food and service here were both very good.

Take into account the fact that Thunder Grill is attached to Union Station, and is probably named Thunder Grill because the floor vibrates when trains go by underneath.
The service was sub-​par. We were brought 4 glasses of water by a food runner, then our server came over and asked us what we wanted to drink. When two of us ordered soda, he informed us that there are no free refills on soda, only iced tea and coffee.
Then when he returned we needed a few minutes to decide, so he left, but first I asked about the BBQ Pulled Pork sandwich. He said «it comes with matchstick fries and a piece of fruit.» «And what is on the sandwich?» «The BBQ pork and pineapple»
After five minutes someone who I presumed was a manager game over to take our order. When he got to me, I ordered the BBQ Pork Sandwich, which was a special. He did not understand what I said, after two repetitions, which made me nervous about getting it at all!
The food came, I was very underwhelmed. The pork was too fatty for my taste, and there was wilted, shredded iceberg lettuce, on which they put the cheese, and then the pineapple (Which was so thin I almost thought it was cheese), and then the meat. The BBQ sauce was lackluster. The bun did have nice grill marks on it, though.
I probably would not go back. Getting 2 stars because my table mates enjoyed their food.

Der Thunder Grill in der Union Station in Washington, war für uns ein gern genommener Anlaufpunkt nach einem Sightseeing Tag.
Hier gab es am Frühabend jeweils eine Happy Hour. Biere und Margaritas zum halben Preis. Dazu gab es Special Happy Hour Food auch zu Sonderpreisen. Da konnt der Abend gut beginnen. Oftmals sind wir auch gleich hier geblieben, da es so entspannt war.
Direkt an der Bar, kam man schnell mit dem Barkeeper ins Gespräch, als er mitbekam das wir aus Deutschland kamen, gabs auch schnell mal einen Drink aufs Haus.
So entwickelten sich Gespärche sowohl mit der Bar, als auch mit den Nachbarn am Tresen. Sehr locker und sympathisch.
Die Speisekarte bot amerikanisch Essen mit ein wenig mexikanischem Einschlag, also neben den Burgern auch Nachos mit Jalapenos. Late Night Snack-​Specials rundeten den Abend ab.
Aufgrund der guten Metro-​Anbindung kam man von hier überall schnell mit der U-​Bahn hin.