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Bugsy's Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar
Categories: Restaurants Pizza Nightlife Bars Sports Bars Pizza, Sports Bars [Edit]
111 King StAlexandria, VA 22314
(703) 683-0313
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11 am - 11 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 1 am
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Late Night, Lunch, Dinner
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Yes
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
69 reviews for Bugsy's Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar
Review Highlights
"Homey sports restaurant & bar with an old town VA feel."
(in 18 reviews)
"I love deep-dish pizzas and theirs isn't overly greasy."
(in 16 reviews)
"...player for the Detroit Red Wings, Washington Capitals, and..."
(in 3 reviews)
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69 reviews in English
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Review from Greg G.
Annandale, VA
1/4/2012
I work nearby and frequent the lunch buffet. For under $10, it is a steal. There is a decent salad bar which allows me to get my fill of veggies for the day - I load up on broccoli to justify the pizza I consume. In addition to the salad bar regulars, there is macaroni salad, potato salad, and pickled green bean salad which are usually expensive on a pay per pound salad bar because they are heavy. The only complaint I have about the salad bar is that sometimes the less popular veggies are getting noticeably old and there are no tomatoes. But, you get what you pay for and honestly I feel like I get more than I am paying for.
There are two types of pizza on the lunch buffet usually - deep dish and regular. They try to keep different varieties up at all times but usually the scope is: pepperoni, sausage (ground sausage is used), pepperoni and sausage, veggie (peppers/onions/mushrooms), margarita, and of course cheese - might be forgetting one or two other kinds.
Since I do not live in Old Town, the lunch buffet is all I have tried so I can not speak to the regular menu. The service has always been excellent - drinks are always refilled before they are allowed to become empty. -
Review from vanessa g.
Washington, DC
12/1/2011
I'm rating this place solely on 3 things: it's pizza, service & appearance as I have not experiences what other yelpers have commented on.
Pizza: I ordered the Margherita pizza which is considered a specialty pizza on their menu. My husband had a meat lover's pizza. Both of us were impressed with the taste and quality of the pizza as it was hot and looked fresh out the oven. 5!
Service: Slightly above average but that's it. The waiter was courteous and took our orders with out issue. But we did have to ask for basic items such as a straw for our drink & extra napkins. He also seemed to disappear for a while so it took a while to get our drinks as well as the check, minus 1 point
Appearance: There is an old school sports bar vibe to its ambience reminiscent of the 'Cheers' tv show. I can see why more finicky diners would be slightly repelled by this place. It is not the epitome of cleanliness, and that my friends is an important quality when you are serving food. This was not bad enough to get me to the exit door though, but i'll still minus 1 point.
Prices are reasonable, its a good option when youre on King street and wanna grab a bite to eat while being friendly to your wallet. Plus, there are many worse places on this street to get your dine on, so overall seems like a low risk to me. -
Review from Maggie H.
Alexandria, VA
8/25/2011
I wish I could like Bugsy's because it has a cozy interior and deep dish pizza is hard to find around here, especially since the trend in pizza is wood-grilled gourmet thin crust a la Paradiso across the street.
After one of our beers arrived with a bug floating in it, we found a cockroach crawling across our table. Already feeling a little queasy, I started eating the buffalo wings with human hairs fried into the batter (I disliked the batter on chicken wings and the "hot" was not really hot at all, but that was the least of our problems at this point). Hoping it was an anomaly, we checked the rest of the wings and found hairs in all but one.
There were also human hairs in the pizza, but not as many as there were in the wings. The Power Play pizza was disappointingly bland, even with the pepperoni and sausage on it, but not terrible.
Do they stay in business only because tourists will reliably visit? I don't understand but I hope they invest in some hair nets soon. -
Review from Matthew R.
Crofton, MD
11/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'm rather underwhelmed by my experiences here. The Pizza was only ok. The salad bar was rather lacking in choices. But the price was alright for what you get.
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Review from Tiffany W.
Falls Church, VA
7/23/2011
Came here on a Wednesday night because it was close by and I love pizza, but unfortunately this place did not impress. When I visited, the DMV was having its wonderful heat wave so I was hoping for a little air conditioning but got none. What's up with that? Also, our server commented that he would fix our wobbly table (they had these wooden pieces on the floor near what looked like all the tables downstairs so maybe they have a wobbly table problem?) but it didn't help. But I was hungry and ready to try their pizza based on everyone else's rave reviews.
Ordered thin crust pepperoni with mushrooms and it came out quicker than I thought (the menu advises a 25 min wait), but a) it didn't seem very thin, b) too much cheese, and c) it was barely hot. I don't consider myself a pizza snob, but I've had better (ZPizza, Pete's, The Italian Store, Matchbox, Faccia Luna).
One last comment - I went to the ladies room, and from downstairs I had to go what seemed like to the back and past the kitchen and it was a mess! If you're going to have customers walk through, please please please keep it tidy. When I got upstairs, I poked my head into the sports bar room upstairs and was also not impressed. It's a good size room with a bar, but the smoking was too much for me.
Sorry for the not-so-good review, but I'll take my business back to Arlington and DC. It just suits me better. -
Review from Jon K.
6/6/2011
Not bad but not great either.......
The pizza here is pretty damn good most of the time. I guess I would call this a hit or miss place. Whenever I have gone here and had dinner the pizza and service have been excellent and deserving of four stars. Also, they have pitchers of beer and outside dining which is a big plus.
The upstairs bar area is awesome. They have many pictures of popular athletes and memorabilia. I will say that the bar area is absolutely great as well. Here is my big disappointment with this place, the last time I went I tried the lunch buffet. Terrible, absolutely terrible pizza was awful and stiff. I think it had been sitting under those heat lamps too long.
Anyway, if you want decent pizza don't go for their buffet. Spend the extra buck or two and order a whole pizza off the dinner menu. This place is reasonably priced for it's location as well.
In the mood for pizza in old town? Try this place out but I wouldn't go out of my way to get there. -
Review from Brian L.
Springfield, VA
11/1/2011
I really want to like this place because my family loves to eat pizza and it is right downtown. The pizza is just blah. I mean really blah. I've eaten there about four times and I always wonder why I keep coming here. It has a great location, but that is about it.
-
Review from Sunil S.
5/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
I went here for Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Red Wings and Sharks with a friend from high school and her fiance. Aside from the fact that coming here managed to turn the tide (at least temporarily) for my Detroit Red Wings (they were down 3-0 in the series and only 7 teams before had come back to force Game 7, with only 3 teams winning said Game 7 after being down 3-0), there's a lot of good reasons for you non-Wings, non-hockey fans to check out Bugsy's.
This was my first trip to Alexandria and from talking to my friends, there aren't a whole lot of other options you have in old town Alexandria. However, the decoration and hockey memorabilia is top-notch and quality for a sports bar located anywhere. To my understanding, the bar is owned by a former Detroit Red Wings and Washington Capitals player. The pizza a beer were delicious, very flavorful and exactly how I was picturing it. The last time I had deep dish pizza was back in Chicago for St. Patty's Day. This did not disappoint my image of the place. We also got a pitcher of beer, keeping it pretty simple. I remembered they carried Yuenling, Blue Moon and some other brands. We ended up getting Miller Lite, though if we wanted to, my friend's fiance and I could have ordered a "less flavorful" lite beer and still be secure and left with our manhood in tact and without question. Yes, we're that good (see Miller Lite series of commercials).
This is a multi-level bar and we were seated near the back of the second floor. Back there, there were also a great number of TVs all around the place. Some of the TVs had the Bruins/Flyers game and there were a lot of Bruins fans who were also at the bar around the same time. Overall, it wasn't too packed, but we were only there from about 7 pm-10 pm.
If you were planning a night out in Old Towne Alexandria, keep in mind that coming here is probably not going to be a night of bar hopping, as there aren't a whole lot of other places nearby. However, it's not a bad place to check out the game and get some great pizza pies while you're at it. -
Review from Jason V.
6/10/2010
It is what it is. Stop asking it to be something that it's not.
If you don't like deep-dish pizza, then GTFO!
I grew up on this place all the way back to when it was Armand's and what was then the Chicago Combo (pepperoni, sausage, peppers, onions, mushrooms with tomato sauce and mozzarella). Now it's known as the Power Play Deluxe and it's still the same 'za and even though I live in New York City, home of the most excellent 'za in all of the land, Bugsy's is still my #1 smash-hit off the chart classic.
You can't beat the buffet deals (you can fill up for $10 or less per person lunches or late nights), the wooden salad bowls, the roaring fireplace downstairs on a cold winter night, the crowd cheering for the Caps upstairs in the Penalty Box, just don't order thin crust and have a beer or four with your deep dish pizza, please! -
Review from Hooah G.
Springfield, VA
7/18/2011
I would have given this a fourth star only if they had the same TV's downstairs as they had upstairs.
I came to Bugsy's to watch the US Women's soccer champs because Nellie's in DC was uber-crowded and way TOO loud.
Bugsy's has a really nice sports bar upstairs - but it's smoking. I was with two other non-smokers, and I thought the ventilation was ok - but they didn't, so downstairs we went to eat and watch the game.
The TVs are old and tiny - but what they lack in the viewing department at Busgy's they make up for in great pizza, great price and FANTASTIC service. We had the all you can eat pizza and salad and it was great.
The downstairs is a restaurant setting and it was comfy with tables spaced apart enough so you don't feel cramped.
Bathrooms were located upstairs - smart to keep the sports bar upstairs as the cigarette smoke rises and I'm sure you get more of the beer drinkers who need the facilities up there (no falling downstairs to use bathroom). :)
I would go to Busgy's again, to try their other dishes, and because their staff is really responsive and very friendly. -
Review from Doug L.
Fairfax, VA
11/9/2010
New job means new places to review. After a couple meals where I didn't get enough to eat, I was really craving a buffet. I remember seeing that this place had a pizza and salad lunch buffet, so here I came.
Overall, I'd have to say that this place was a major disappointment for a buffet. First, the selection was kind of weak - only like four or five types of pizza to choose from (cheese, pepperoni, some kind of meat, two veggie types). Second, the pizza wasn't very good - not sure how to describe it, but I wouldn't call it chicago style or new york style, just some kind of weird in between where the cheese was caked on and the sauce wasn't very flavorful. Third, the salad bar was pretty -
Review from Taryn B.
Alexandria, VA
5/30/2011
I was craving a deep dish pizza, so we had one delivered. The pizza was probably the worst I've ever eaten. Low quality ingredients that combined made reminded me of the fundraiser "pizzas" sold by little league teams -- the ones that make you think 'Now I know what cardboard tastes like.'
We only had delivery, so I can't speak to its quality as a sports bar.
I gave it an extra star for quick delivery. -
Review from Colleen M.
Washington, DC
6/22/2011
Years ago, I had a ton of appetizers and beer upstairs on a NYE walk of Old Town. I remembered liking it, so the Mister and I returned for lunch one weekend. We ate downstairs.
Disappointing. The Mister had the pizza, which was doughy and reminded us both of the 'pizza' served in our elementary school cafeterias - cheap cheese, undercooked dough, ground hamburger for no particular reason. I had some okay chili. It just wasn't impressive and the atmosphere was dark, dank.
Cross the street and go to O'Connell's or Pizza Paradisio, depending on what you're looking for. It might be a great place to watch a hockey game, but the food was very disappointing. -
Review from Mike R.
Alexandria, VA
8/11/2011
Nothing special here food wise. They do have decent prices and you get a lot of food...and they deliver. There are also a ton of TVs so this could be a good place to watch a game.
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Review from Gayle G.
Woodbridge, VA
2/5/2007 1 photo
Eh. If you are a sports freak (which I am not) and even more so -- a hockey fan (which I am TOTALLY not) this may be a place for you but it not really for me.
The name comes from its owner, Bryan "Bugsy" Watson. Bugsy was a defenseman on the Washington Capitals. (C-A-P-S, Caps, Caps, Caps -- OK, maybe I have been to a few games).
I can appreciate the sports memorabilia here -- like the Wheaties boxes featuring Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. The stuff on the walls is overall more hockey oriented, complete with the hockey sticks hung over the bar and the goalie mask on one of the beer taps. It is pretty laid back when there isn't a game on, and the pizza is pretty good. If you can deal with the sports motif, that is. -
Review from David J.
Burke, VA
3/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
Once a year or so, I do the lunch buffet. Then I remember why I haven't been there for a year...
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Review from paul d.
Washington, DC
12/10/2010
Pros and cons after my inaugural visit.
Pros: 1. Every Caps game is shown with game volume! Even on a Thursday when an NFL game is on the Caps were on half the TVs and all the nicer ones. 2. Lots of TVs, including one on the bar at eye level - NICE! 3. Friendly bartender and patrons with several regulars. 4. Plenty decent burger.
Cons: Smoking is allowed in the upstairs bar.
Like another reviewer said, "It is what it is". What it is is just what I was looking for, but that I left smelling like an ash tray. I'd give it a strong 4 stars if it weren't for the smoking. As it is I won't be going back. -
Review from Rob S.
10/21/2008
Bugsy's embraces failure at the highest levels.
Their pizza is not only mediocre, but also typically cold.
Even for buffet pizza, this is the bottom tier... think "ketchup pizza".
The sauce is gross. The crust is doughy and typically under-done.
It doesn't encompass anything that I would actually want in a pizza other than perhaps "round".
Now, all of that aside, it isn't a bad place to go for watching a game. It is after all, a sports bar... but it is definitely THAT first and pizza place second... or third... -
Review from Jason K.
Edgewater, MD
12/4/2010
The restaurant is both a traditional pizza parlor on the first floor which is family orientated and a Sports Bar upstairs where you can order the same pizza. The pizza is great, you can order a deep dish that is good. The service is hard because the staff is also running drinks so don't expect much. It's a dark bar after all.
Food is a 4 because it is hard to find good locally made pizza and you can have access to a full bar.
Atmosphere is a 3.5 because it looses points for generally crowded and old, but gains because it has the college pizza sports bar charm.
Staff is a 3 because they try. -
Review from Cliff W.
9/29/2008
Being a huge Caps fan, I've heard of Bugsy's from my hockey circle of friends for quite some time, but never had the chance or really the motivation to go to Old Town and check it out.
Then, by fate, I was in Old Town for a weekend for a wedding that I was in and on Saturday the Groomsmen were doing the whole "hang out and get blitzed before the wedding" thing. For lunch we decided to hit up Bugsy's and I was looking forward to it as it's a mecca of sorts for local hockey fans.
We sat upstairs at the bar and I ordered the bacon cheeseburger, along with an order of wings ($.40 cent wings? i'm all over it). In the interim I helped myself to a Blue Moon which was on tap, and quite satisfying. The bartender working was quick, friendly, and on top of the ball. Whenever my beer got near the bottom he was there, like the Robin Hood of Ales, ready to give to the poor and thirsty.
My burger and the wings came out not too long after I ordered, so the wait time was good even though the bar was slightly congested, it wasn't packed, but enough to where I was impressed with how long it took for me to get my food.
The burger was great, the patty was just right, the bun was solid, but what made this burger stand out is that the bacon, instead of being strips, was instead diced up. So none of that "pull an entire piece of bacon off with the first bite" kind of business, no sir, with every bite you were guaranteed to get bacon. Such a simple idea that paid off in great dividends.
The wings were also pretty damn good as well, and I knew then that I had to come back to Bugsy's. What re-enforced the need to come back was that the groom got their pizza buffet, which is available mid day on the weekends for $6.95. The slices he was chowing down looked to be pretty tasty...
....and by pretty tasty, I mean that the next day, Sunday, I convinced my girlfriend to go to Bugsy's with me for their pizza buffet. This time, my second trip in the weekend, my girlfriend and I sat down at one of the tables upstairs at game day, and the place didn't have many places available to sit.
That said, we still got seated pretty fast and we both ordered the buffet, and my god was it glorious. Bugsy's had a deep dish pizza that was perfect, from the dough to the meats to the right blend and amount of cheese. As I type this, my mouth is watering and I'm thinking that maybe I put off writing this review because I didn't want to torture myself by thinking so much about their delicious slices of heaven.
Yeah, I'm definitely thinking that's it.
Caps season is about to start up, and my girlfriend and I have decided that Bugsy's will be our second home during Caps away games. -
Review from Jaye V.
7/5/2010
Had pizza from Bugsy's on a pizza party cruise last night. It was not good, and became terrible as the cheese solidified quickly into a tough cheesy mass.
I've had Chicago deep dish pizza before - in Chicago, in Michigan, even in Austin - and they were light years ahead of this place. I've even gotten pizza from Armand's (although there was something in their pizza that I was allergic to - it gave me headaches and made me feel dizzy and tired) - thankfully although someone else mentioned that Bugsy's sprouted from Armand's, it's not the same recipe. I was worried, though, when I first saw the pizza before seeing the boxes - it looked like Armand's.
The chicken pizza used breast (in tiny cubes) but was so dry it was like jerky. The sausage was in small crumbles like breakfast sausage. The mushrooms were at least fresh but was the only good part of the pizza. The crust was heavy/dense and boring.
My friend, a Chicago native, also said the pizza was terrible. He said it was like a Chicago deep dish version of Cici's Pizza. While walking past the front of the establishment later on that night, we saw that they had a cheap AYCE buffet. Looks like he was right on track. -
Review from Roger F.
Washington, DC
12/23/2008
This is a decent enough neighborhood pizza place. Definitely a step up from your Pizza Hut or other pizza chain.
The restaurant is not huge, but there's enough seating that we didn't have to wait very long for a table at dinner time. The atmosphere was lively but not noisy (except for a couple screaming children here and there).
The pizza itself was nothing fantastic (I've certainly had much better pizza), but I didn't regret eating there. We also had a side salad and it was very fresh, and the portions are definitely more than adequate.
A previous reviewer mentioned that they don't split checks, but I was there with a party of four, and they didn't even hesitate to split our check four ways. Maybe it was just the other server that didn't want to do it...
In any case, the service was good, except a little hard to track down to get refills of water (and the check, for that matter).
Not a bad compromise place if everyone can't agree on a particular type of food, or you just want a casual and lively pizza meal. -
Review from Casey H.
Silver Spring, MD
11/15/2009
This place was horrendous. My party of 4 arrived around 5:00--clearly before peak time, as only a few other tables were occupied. We sat down. And waited. Finally our waiter meandered our way, and took our drink and appetizer order. This was to set a precedent for the whole meal--the only time he stopped by were to take our order and deliver the meal. We never got a refill on our water, and we actually had to wave him down to deliver the pizza--we sat there for 5 minutes watching it cool down on the counter where the cook had placed it. To make this all worse, the two waiters on duty and the manager were clearly lounging around in the back together. I had the distinct impression that our being there was a tremendous inconvenience for them.
In the end, we shouldn't have bothered getting our meal. The food was disgusting. The pizza was caked in gooey, bland cheese. It completely submerged the toppings in a revolting layer of stringy nastiness. The appetizers were extremely greasy, though I will say that the onion rings were the highlight of the meal.
Don't waste your time with Bugsy's unless you have a thing for lazy, rude and inattentive service, along with mediocre to disgusting food. -
Review from Nina B.
11/6/2007
The all you can eat pizza and salad is a good lunch deal. Only available during lunch time. You gotta like Chicago style pizza, though. The salad bar is good, with fresh veggies and a pretty good variety considering the low cost.
There's outdoor seating for those who want to people watch in Old Town. It can get pretty crowded on the weekends and nice days, but it's the more affordable outdoor seating & eating option in the heart of Old Town. -
Review from Heidi S.
Washington, DC
6/1/2009
Given my tendency to try new and interesting places, this place always intrigued me. I will however, not be going back.
The pizza was less than mediocre - tasteless and cold. The cheese was rubbery and the sauce was bland.
The service was slow despite the lack of people. The salad bar was ehhh - frozen cucumbers? Really? And the selection lacking for a restaurant who seems to pride itself on a lunch buffet.
Definitely not going back. -
Review from Matt D.
Alexandria, VA
6/27/2010 1 Check-in Here
We live in Old Town and hit Bugsy's pretty frequently. Frankly, I'm not much of a Deep Dish Pizza fan but it is really good here. The quality is great and the prices are very reasonable. The bar area is okay too and the bartenders are generally friendly.
The past two times I've been there though, the bar seemed exceptionally smokey. They allow smoking at the bar but I've never noticed it much until very recently. I'm not sure what it is with the ventilation there but on a hot day it just seems stuffy and the air quality is poor. It's fine if I'm there catching a game and drinking a beer, but when I'm eating it bothers me a little more. -
Review from Laura V.
Alexandria, VA
11/21/2007
Man! I hadn't been to Bugsy's in ages and then a friend and I realized this fact and decided that an evening of pizza and beer was in order. (Please note that this review is based on the upstairs bar.)
The bar at Bugsy's is almost like Cheers to me - lots of regulars sitting around, talking to the bartenders, servers who know everyone. We know a couple of the girls who work there and they were so excited to see us after a long absence. I gotta tell ya, the people who work here are so darn friendly. I've seen them deal with a lot of crappy personalities over the years (and a lot of tourists) and they always do it with grace.
As a Chicago gal looking for a good slice of pie, I find Bugsy's to be really darned good pizza. Their deep dish is about as close as I'll get to the real thing and it's loaded with cheese and toppings. I love the tomato sauce on their pizza - it's nice and sweet and flavorful. The thin crust is great, especially if you try the "olympic" (greek flavors on a pizza).
As far as their appetizers go, I've had most of them and they're top quality. The nachos are ok, but it's weirid that they put bruschetta topping on them instead of salsa - kind of a different flavor. I usually go for the spinach and artichoke dip. This stuff has GOT to have crack in it. Seriously, that's the only excuse I can think of for eating a whole order by myself. Their wings are pretty killer as are the quesadillas.
Bugsy's has a lot of other items on their menu too. All the stuff that comes out of their kitchen looks yummy, but I'll admit I've only ever had appetizers and pizza. This is not a fancy place by any means, it's typical bar food. But I think it's really well made bar food and the atmosphere makes it even better. Oh and how could I forget the awesome beer prices and great happy hour specials!!!
If you're looking for a pizza and beer night and you happen to be in Old Town, give Bugsy's a try. I think you'll be glad you did.
P.S. If you like Hockey, get the heck over to Bugsy's! It's the only official Hockey bar in DC and it's owned by a former Washington Capitals player. He takes pride in this business and can be found sitting at the bar regularly. He'd be glad to talk body checks and Stanley Cup with ya too! -
Review from Craig M.
Acton, MA
10/14/2008
I was really excited when my wife mentioned a sports bar in the Old Town to watch College football. Unfortunately it failed to live up to a few of my basic requirements for a bar of this type iin my mind. For example, you'd think a sports bar would be able to produce a decent hamburger, onion rings, and hot wings right? Not in this case.... The burger was almost the consistency of a hockey puck, the fries literally burned and the wings not even cooked. When I told the waitress we wouldn't be able to eat the fries and wings (yes, I managed to masticate the burger to a point of swallowing because i was starving), she gave me an expression that said "you really want me to take those back?". Yes sweetheart, the food has to be edible for us to pay for it.
I also had an issue with the size and quality of the TV sets in this place. Yes there are quite a few of them, I will give them that, but they are low quality tube sets that have colors bleeding that look about to blow. If you are a sports bar, and the basis of your business is watching a game on a TV - get some LCD's/Plasma's of size that folks can see. I believe your patrons would opt for 4 or 5 games being watched on 10 nice big tvs versus, 15 different games on 30 small tvs.
With all the options for sports watching in the DC area, this place needs to reinvent themselves before they see their patrons go elsewhere. Especially if its such a pain to find parking to get here in the first place. -
Review from Billy D.
Nashville, TN
7/8/2009
I've been going to Bugsy's for over ten years now. The buffet on Friday and Saturday nights is what separates the men from the boys.
You won't find thin crispy crusts or elegant toppings here... At Bugsy's the toppings compliment the crust, cheese and sauce - vice other places that are the other way around and the crust is merely a medium to transfer toppings into your mouth.
Be sure to get the deepdish. When you get it To Go it's like you're carrying a 35# gym weight in a pizza box. And drink plenty of water before going to bed lest you wake up with a Bugsy's Hangover (tongue dried and stuck to the roof of your mouth). -
Review from Jaclyn A.
Alexandria, VA
12/19/2010
There is way too much cheesy cheese on the pizza and not enough flavor. Just not my style.
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Review from Jason M.
Washington, DC
3/25/2009
This is just for the Sports Bar.
Great place to catch a hockey game. The staff is always friendly and there's always a good variety of games on. For those yapping about the TV's, probably 75% of them are 42" or so LCDs. They're a bit high up on the wall and not every seat has a good view but for the size of the place it works.
The pizza? The deep dish is fantastic, especially some of the weird ones like Chicken Fiesta. Salsa, chicken, peppers, onions, and cheddar/jack cheeses with a nice dollop of sour cream on top? Love it!
This place is a must-stop for Caps fans, or just hometown sports fans of all types. -
Review from Tolga E.
Hayes Valley, San Francisco, CA
4/24/2007
It's the Stanley Cup Playoffs and you are 3,000 miles away from your team during this most wonderful time of year. Worse yet, you're in DC...which somehow maintains an NHL club despite the fact 80% of the population doesn't know they exist. How will you manage your hockey needs in a place like this? Bugsy's.
It's a hockey pub. A hockey pub! How amazing. It doesn't matter if Alexandria is hard to get to or that the food might be terrible (haven't tried it...dont know). It's a hockey pub. They have a lot of tv screens, NHL Center Ice, Molson on tap, Labatt Blue in bottles. I actually ordered "a bottle of blue" and was understood by a cute bartender girl wearing a Buffalo Sabres shirt. It's that kind of sublime experience I can't find in the Bay Area that bums me out sometimes.
This place isn't much to look at (or even be inside of)...but it's a hockey pub. -
Review from Jake S.
Arlington, VA
5/10/2009
If you love hockey, you'll love this place. My friend and i wandered into this place to watch game 5 of the Wings-Ducks series, not having a clue that it was a hockey bar. We were pleasantly surprised.
They have a ton of TVs and a decent number of beers (around 10 i want to say) on tap. We each had a pizza, and we enjoyed them thoroughly. It's not gourmet by any stretch of the imagination, but it's darn tasty for bar pizza.
The service we had was great, the food and brews were good, and they even put the wings game on surround sound. I will most definitely be back during hockey season... great experience. -
Review from Richard J.
Davis, CA
1/15/2010
Oh Bugsy's. You look like you have such potential. It's got a cool atmosphere, feels really historic and everything. Seems like something that can really shine in old town Alexandria. Unfortunately, you fail on your service side and honestly, your pizza isn't even that great.
I give waiters a lot of slack. It's what happens when you've waited tables in the past. Our waiter couldn't speak English well, and wasn't of much help to us when we asked questions. Not a good introduction to your restaurant. And oh man was he slow. It took forever to get our pizza and it took WAY WAY WAY too long to pick up the check. Totally unhappy about that.
The pizza wasn't all that amazing either. It was standard, but probably not worth the hype. :/ Sorry.
I want Bugsy's to work. Maybe new management or some sort of revitalization will bring it to some sort of good standing in the area. It has potential, definitely. -
Review from Sae K.
District of Columbia, DC
3/10/2010
I love Bugsy's... I used to come here some years back when they had 1/2 price pizza on Mondays. my GF and i were dating without any of our friends knowing and we had to trek all the way to old town to have dates. why we met on mondays every week, i don't know. But we ran into this place by chance and had their BUGSY'S DELUXE pizza...
That was the best pizza i have had up to that point in my life. i just like deluxe pizzas. I like costco's deluxe pizza as well, but man, that bugsy's deluxe just has a special place in my heart and belly...
oh yeah. GO CAPS!!!! -
Review from Christina B.
Arlington, VA
7/28/2009
First off, let me tell you, being from Michigan I cannot express how ECSTATIC I was to find a place near DC that was a designated HOCKEY bar!! When I first moved to the area, my Detroit Red Wings were in the Stanley Cup playoffs and my cable had not been hooked up yet, and I wanted to watch a game. Wandering down King St. I discovered Bugsy's and decided to check it out. The second floor is LOADED with hockey paraphenalia that definitely made my heart skip a beat... and best of all they serve LABATT BLUE!
Now, for those of you not fortunate enough to grow up living near Canada and watching hockey, Labatt's is a THE traditional beer to drink while watching Red Wings hockey. From that point on I knew I was HOOKED.
I will recommend Bugsy's for other sports as well... the happy hour deals with 50% of all appetizers was amazing. My nachos dish was HUGE and my friends enjoyed the wings immensely. I was also a fan of the Italian sandwich which included capicolla (which in my book is a necessity).
Also, if you go on the weekend... the all you can eat late night pizza and salad bar is KEY!
Quick shout out to the staff who is AMAZING! The place was a mad house for the hockey games and they were on top of everything! Very friendly as well. :o) -
Review from Darth J.
Alexandria, VA
2/14/2010
Bugsy's has great Chicago style pizza and it's not too expensive. It's a great (I repeat - GREAT) place to watch a game but expect big crowds for big games. Lots of local flavor. I love Bugsy's....except...
They smoke in here...it sucks. Now that Virginia has a smoking ban and this place falls in an exception...it's almost as if ALL of the town smokers flock here. Way more smoke than before.
As a result, we don't go here as much anymore.
Sad. -
Review from Andrew U.
Woodbridge, VA
2/19/2010
As a diehard hockey fan, Bugsy's holds a special place in my heart. The name "Bugsy" refers to the restaurants owner, a former scrappy Washington Capitals player Bryan "Bugsy" Watson who played in the NHL during the 60's and 70's.
I must say that I've never eaten in the downstairs restaurant level, so I can't comment on it, but the upstairs bar is a very cool place worth checking out if you're a sports fan or are looking for a sports bar type atmosphere. The bar is decorated with tons of cool hockey and sports memorabilia, and has several TVs for watching games. This place isn't like some chain sports bar - don't expect booths or anything like that, but for my money, I'd rather come in here.
I've been quite pleased with the food every time I've been here - I thought the deep dish pizza was very good. This past summer my girlfriend and I ordered an appetizer of wings, and they had to have been the biggest wings I've seen - lots of meat.
If you are a fan of pizza or sports, give it a try! For fellow Washington Capitals fans: you have no excuse for not going in. -
Review from Jason M.
Alexandria, VA
9/30/2010
I can only speak to the pizza here, as I have not had anything else on the menu. Moving here from Philadelphia, the biggest thing I miss is good pizza. Bugsy's has satisfied my urge as a local establishment for pizza night. The pizza has a lot of cheese, which to me is a good thing. The pizza tastes good and is always served hot. The Sports Bar is also an interesting place to take a look around at some of the sports memorabilia, very neat. If you're looking for a good pizza place in NOVA, I highly recommed Bugsy's. As others have mentioned, if you're looking for this to replace the pizza you would eat while living in Chicago, NY, or even Philadelphia, it is not going to answer that call.
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Review from Wells W.
Springfield, VA
12/26/2010 6 Check-ins Here
Bugsy's is a fantastic and underrated mainstay in Old Town. It is the only place to get deep dish pizza in the area that I have found. I'm a fan of their thin crust which is excellent and often overlooked here. They have a good lunch special that offers many sandwiches and a beer for $5 which you can't beat. Make sure to visit Steve at the upstairs bar. He will take good care of you. If you like hockey this is a good place to watch the game with other local fans.
