Queen’s Gambit Restaurant & Banquets

Girlfriend and I got kicked out for wearing tank tops. Like seriously? It’s a bar! Don’t ever go to that place. I hope they get shut down for bad business practices. Go to rock it grill in Alexandra instead.

What a great local place to get drinks. I’ve been coming here for years off and on and finally moved in nearby. Friendly staff, inexpensive drinks, food is OK.

Decided to check out Queen’s Gambit on Friday night. I went a long time ago, and remembered it being okay.
When I walked in, I noticed the décor was dated (probably because it was a bit empty). There were people surrounding the bar watching a person singing karaōke. I decided to order a drink before sitting down at one of the tables.
As I sat and watched someone sing a song near the DJ, my drink was good, but I couldn’t ignore all of the smoke coming from the other room. I’m guessing this is their idea of a smoking section/​room. I don’t know if there is a door there, but if there is, it was wide open. For someone who despises cigarette smoke, I was disgusted. I am not sure why this section is not closed off or outside, but there is clearly smoke inside the bar. I just had my hair done and didn’t want that stench on me, so I got up and left.
2 Stars!

Good drinks, fun karaōke, good food! A very welcoming environment and always bring friends and family when they come and visit. Love this place hand down…

So glad we found this local place so close to home. It’s a 8 $ über ride away so you can party and have a good time and get a safe ride home! Love the bartender/​karaōke guy Jeremy! When we brought in our gang (family including my 84 year old dad) to sing he was very accommodating and Oakly was nice enough to teach us how to sign up and pick our songs! The food is great comfort food and the drinks are priced right! It sometimes gets smoky though. We can only stay for awhile because my dads a cancer survivor and the smoke smoking area starts to get into the non smoking part. Better ventilation is needed when it’s gets crowded. Also handicap parking is needed for when it’s crowded. I’ve never been there when it’s been super crowded but I feel secure when I’m there. I’ve seen them handle people when they got a little out of control! A waitress/​waiter would be a nice addition.

Okay so let me start here: If you are looking for a 5 star restaurant this is NOT your place.
If you are looking for a robust menu with appetizers and sirloin steaks this is NOT your place.
However if you are looking for a nice dive bar with great drinks, mix of people, nightly karaōke and decent bar food. THIS IS YOUR PLACE.
When I first walked in the door, I was like OH HECK NO!!! I felt so uncomfortable. I was with 6 people, including my dad (who is 48) and I wanted to go to the Alehouse and they were super busy. He came up with this brilliant idea to go to this «lil place around the corner with good drinks». I am NOT the dive bar type of person. I am NOT a hole in the world type of person, BUT I HAD SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH FUN!
When I got out of my own head I realized that these were some of the coolest patrons. There didn’t seem to be a stuck up person in the building. The bartender (with the long curly hair) was the nicest!
I had the Cajun Wings, and they were so good, I order some before I left. I can’t say I would order anything else, besides wings and fries, but for bar food it was pretty good.
While I was there other people order the lemon wings, so they must be good too.
Drinks were priced well. I usually spend 100 or more in DC, so I was HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!
I will definitely go again. There were a few biker people in there and I can’t speak of other nights. It was a predominately Caucasian crowd but as an African American I did not feel uncomfortable.

I recently discovered QG after googling bars near me. Come to find out, I live a three minute walk from it! Living that close to a bar is always wonderful, and dive bars appeal to me on an emotional level. It’s like home. Dartboards, cheap drinks, and karaōke are my favorite things. Hopefully this place doesn’t change.

Douse in gasoline and light a match. This place is even dirtier than the people who hang out there– which is quite a feat. An older crowd that seems to have never grown up, probably has their 11 year old at home watching their 3 other younger children, and become sloppy and belligerent by 11:00pm. There are MANY other places to go but unfortunately not in Woodbridge. So, stock up on the Recombivax, arm yourself with hand sanitizer, and drink something strong enough to kill the germs inevitably on your glass and have yourself a ball.

This review is LONG overdue. I’ve been coming here for a couple of years now, and every time, it’s been an experience. From thinking «oh god, they’re taking me to the backwoods to kill me» during my ride in that very first night, to the whole bar singing me happy birthday this year. It’s an experience, and I always leave having made a new friend or two. It really does feel like you’re hanging out at your eclectic best friend’s basement. Why is there an elephant on the wall? Has that fountain always been on? How on earth am I going to top the last singer? These are the questions I always find myself asking.
My great experiences aside, this place is definitely a dive. Drinks are decent (and CHEAP!), but food is a hit (after a few drinks) or miss. There’s a McDonald’s down the street that I like to hit up after a night at QG, but I’d give up on that tradition if the cheese fries here were a little more fries than nacho cheese. There’s a few beers on tap, and although there are no featured drinks, I have to say, I’ve been offered a few experiments by the bartenders and they’ve been great every time.
For best results, go in with a big group, and sign up to sing as soon as you get there!

Whoever says they don’t like «the gambit» should never have gone there in the first place. Umm. The name itself implies the atmosphere. The owner is always on site and the staff is amazing. Karaōke is unparalleled in this area. If you want to enjoy yourself drop in, otherwise stay home and keep your negative Unilocal to yourself. This place is exactly what it purports to be. You define what your entertainment will be.

I went last Saturday with some friends… actually really enjoyed it! Not sure if I’ll have the same experience the next time, but for now I stick with my four stars :) I don’t sing Karaōke but I was content to sit at the bar. Cheap, solid drinks. Fast service. They refilled a drink of mine for free when I drunkenly spilled it (oops). Didn’t really talk to anyone other than my friends, but they seemed to be decent. Nobody obnoxious. Will be back.

Definitely a whole in the wall spot but good clean fun. Karaōke is awesome! We always have a great time. I bring a big group of people. (10+) Food is average but what you expect, it’s a bar not a full restaurant. It’s bar food lol. Works for me! The owner is very nice & friendly. Nice to find somewhere to go close to home.

If you like to sing karaōke, this is the only place in Woodbridge that I know of. Go and have fun. Otherwise, don’t bother. I believe there is a health law that says the smoking area but be completely separate/​closed off from the non-​smoking area. This place has the designated smoking area, yes, but the door stays open most of the time. My friend got up many times to close it, but it was a futile effort. Once in a while a staff member would close it, but usually they didn’t bother. The patrons didn’t bother either. We could smell the smoke as soon as we walked in, and there were only a handful of people there. I stayed three hours (we were celebrating a friend’s birthday, otherwise I would never have gone) and I was hoarse when I left. (Not from singing, from the smoke.) The women’s bathroom was clean enough, but there was water in the soap dispenser, not soap. Seriously? And no toilet paper. I had to track down a staff member to ask for t.p. My friend said the men’s room had a urinal and a stall (with no door), and the lock to the room was broken. When he went in, someone was in the stall, so he walked back out. YUCK. I had a glass of cabernet when I first got there. It tasted a little off, but I figured it was a cheap brand so it was OK. When I ordered a second glass, they said they were out. What? I wondered how long the bottle had been open, or if maybe I received the last bit out of the bottom of the box.
I used to go to this place to have fun watching my friends sing karaōke, but I’ve made my last visit. It’s so obvious the owner spends nothing on fixing up the place. One final comment: If you are expecting table service, forget it. One must go to the bar to order food and drink. They’ll pick up your empty glasses (they must need to wash them to keep going through the night) but they sure won’t serve you anything. As I wrote before, just don’t bother.
P. S. Based on the other comments, I’m glad we got there before the owner did. I feel very lucky not to have been kissed by him. Blech.

I just felt dirty in here. Drinks are pretty cheap and karaōke is fun. It does need a lot of updating and cleaning. It is woodbridge so don’t expect too much. It’s fun if you have a lots to drink and a good group of friends to hang with.

We have fun every time we go. The staff is very friendly and are happy to see us each time we come in. They remember our name and always say hello.

This place never fails to deliver a down-​to-​earth good time! Bartenders are friendly and yes the food is good. Try the lumpia made by the owners. We came here after Potomac Mills, yes crazy mall, and it was totally the right fix for a chilled out night with good random company. Definitely recommend if you’re in the area!

This dive bar deserves better reviews! As a Woodbridge local I usually end up here on the weekends because it usually never fails me as a fun place to end up. Good drinks, nice bartenders, and the crowd doesn’t tend to take themselves too seriously (duh, it’s a KARAOKE bar).
I just love this little hole in the wall, it’s just good fun.
I’ve never gotten food here though, but I probably won’t because when I think of food in the Woodbridge area, QG is not something that pops up for that category.

First of all, this is a Karaōke bar. I have never had any food here nor would I. This is a place to get a few drinks and sing Karaōke. The people watching is amazing, the locals are entertaining and some of the singing isn’t that bad. I had no idea they served food until reading the reviews below.
The song selection is great. I am told there is a banquet area but I have never ventured back there (maybe next time). The outside looks like the Boar’s Nest from the Dukes of Hazzard. When you walk in it looks like someone’s front room. It’s old and divey but its the QD. Drinks are reasonable and the staff has always been friendly. This is my go to bar whereI take friends from out of town, a piece of Americana.
The crowd can vary: I have gone there it was lesbian night and the next time I went it was a younger crowd and the last time I was there it was a middle aged crowd with a little of everything else mixed in.
It can be intimidating at first but have a drink, it gets better: D It sure beats anything else in Woodbridge.

I’ve been here quite a few times for drinks and karaōke. I LOVE this place. It’s a hole in the wall type bar but I’ve never seen any drama and the crowd is generally there to have a good time.
The owner is a blast and makes a point to talk to and become familiar with his customers. The drinks are always made well and the bartenders are attentive.
The building is a bit old and it could obviously stand to have some remodeling done (I’m pretty sure the owner said he’s been there for around 11 years) so its not modern or chic or anything, but its an awesome place to grab some drinks and have a good time.
This place has to have one of the most extensive karaōke song selection.
It’s comfortable and I have never seen any nonsense going down, seems like everyone is there to have some fun.

Things I learned at the Queen’s Gambit:
— That dance song that’s like, «left foot left stomp. take it back now, y’all» is called the Cha Cha Slide, and there IS a move called the Charlie Brown! Allow me to demonstrate…
— If a male stripper is built but missing a tooth, he is a waste of good arm muscle
— «The Sign» is impossible to sing without sounding like a banshee
Thank god I had a great time at the QG, or else boy, would I be bitter about having driven 45 minutes out of my Bethesda-​Chevy Chase comfort zone.
My friend Lauren invited me out for karaōke, St. Patty’s Day style, and I agreed after she promised to be the DD. We rolled in, green outfits blazing, at 9 pm. First up: «Restaurant & Banquets»? Really? This place did not scream classy. This place screamed electric slide. In fact, the entire room danced to the electric slide two hours later.
I was very pleased by the giant green mugs of Miller Lite and the Emerald City cocktails, and I ended up paying $ 14 for one of the first and two of the second, which is great. However… WARNING: I was told by a few people in the know not to ever order a mixed shot here. The bartenders apparently charge you for each ingredient separately, and Red Bull alone costs $ 6 or something equally ridiculous for Woodbridge.
As for the karaōke… it was four stars’ worth of excellent. They had a great computer system that let you put in your name to reserve a spot and pick a song later if you needed time to look over the enormous song list, and the system would tell you approximately what time you were up to sing. The volume was perfect, no one talked over anyone, and people were really enjoying themselves onstage. I only wish this place were closer to me, because it beat the pants off Peyote.
QG would be fantastic for a UYE if we could coordinate rides somehow… just a thought :)