Let’s talk about U Street’s newest sports bar. Less than a month old, the sports gastro pub with a serious crush on cider is coming into its own. With a perfectly timed opening to coincide with the beginning of fall, The Prospect made its debut while appealing to those interested in partaking in two quintessentially fall activities: watching football and drinking cider. Steps from the U Street metro station, the two-level sports bar occupies the space that was formerly Ulah Bistro and comes from the folks who opened Provision 14, just down the street.

For the Sports Fan
Enjoy the game/match/fight/etc. of your choosing on 40 HD screens scattered throughout the bar and outdoor patio. While you won’t be watching the Nats here for awhile, there are plenty of other sports in the rotation to take your mind off of Desi and Zimmermann’s impending DC departures. If you’re a fierce fan of your college alma mater’s football team (like my roommate and I are) and insist on testing out numerous seats and tables to ensure the best views of the screens (like my roommate and I did...note: you can see a TV from every seat in the house. Don’t be obnoxious fans like us.), the awesome and accommodating staff will let you do just that. They even allowed us access to the oft-coveted speakers, ensuring that sound for our game would dominate the area we were seated in. For a true sports fan, that is game watch gold. Enjoy all of this against a backdrop of fun decor where bowling pins, baseball mitts, and other vintage sports equipment double as wall hangings.

For the Food-and-Drink Loving, Game-Watching Tag-Along
If you’re not really into the game, that’s okay. Distract yourself with an impressive menu of elevated tailgating and stadium bites, including braised goat nachos, pupusas topped with smoked carnitas and crab, and hog wings (aka entire shanks of pork or chicken) that come in a variety of sauces (chili peach, maple mustard, cognac BBQ, and more). 

What do you pair all of that delicious food with? Here, cider is king. You can get it in the form of a slushie, cocktail, or straight from the bottle. Larger, shareable bottles are also available if you’re feeling in the mood to split with a friend; an order will you get between 2-3 glasses (or you can do as I did, and order one for yourself).

As previously mentioned, the staff was extremely flexible and accommodating, making sure we had everything we needed and more. In my book, any bar that will go through the lengths of changing multiple screens back and forth and finagling with the sound system to placate a small contingent of Notre Dame fans is definitely worth many future return trips.

The Prospect, 1214 U St.; 202-450-4130

Photo by Lanna Nguyen