Dining Out

Union Street Public House

An Old Town Icon

With summer’s heat upon us we decided to take a different approach to dining out and write about a cool place for lunch and a good sandwich in particular. This led us to Union Street Public House on Union Street (imagine that!). Union Street (as we all call the restaurant) has a double claim in Old Town as one of the oldest restaurants and one of the newer (sorta). Let me explain.

When I came to Old Town in 1977, where Union Street sits now – contrary to what many have published in the past - was an upscale, fine dining restaurant called Kings Landing, not a warehouse. It was said that Kings Landing was Frank Sinatra’s favorite restaurant when he came to town. The late 70’s and early 80’s were also bringing change to Old Town. The rather small restaurant with the nice front yard was torn down and Union Street maximized the space and built the restaurant out to the sidewalk. The new place had it all…a beautiful Tap Room, Whiskey Bar, a casual Oyster Bar on the ground floor with a large, beautiful dining room upstairs and a balcony looking down on Union Street. The building was designed by renowned Alexandria architect Bob Holland. It is truly a beautiful restaurant.

The very first day Union Street opened there were lines to get in. Back then, there were lines at most all restaurants and bars because Old Town was so small and most of the action was within three blocks of the waterfront.

From day one Union Street was known for their large selection of draught beer, fine whiskeys and great food. Locally sourced, their food was always very good and plentiful. Union Street was also home to some of the best bartenders in the DMV – including the infamous Bruce Wytucki who has been holding court behind the bar for well over 30 years. Our bartender the day we dined was Luis who always has a smile on his face and is eager to please.

On our visit I decided I would try a sandwich that Union Street is famous for – the “My Bar My Rules” Steak Sandwich. A little history…Carlos Myer was one of Union Streets all-time great and loveable bartenders and he ran a tight ship. As was his character he developed this iconic edible! On a slightly toasted, rather large English muffin, they stack a cut up 4 oz. petite filet, sauteed onions, Swiss cheese, arugula, and garlic aioli. This is not only a good sandwich but a fun sandwich to eat. It is stacked so high that it tends to fall apart when biting in but that is what the

121 South Union Street Old Town Alexandria 703-548-1785 UnionStreetPublicHouse.com DINING OUT > PAGE 32