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Carpool
Categories: Nightlife Pool Halls Nightlife Bars Pool Halls, Bars [Edit]
208 Elden StSte 100
Herndon, VA 20170
(571) 203-7995
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 2 am
Sat 6 pm - 2 am
Sun 11 pm - 2 am
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Music:
- DJ
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Wed, Thu
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Yes
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- Yes
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
31 reviews for Carpool
Review Highlights
"The happy hour specials are fantastic."
(in 2 reviews)
"Skeeball, shuffleboard, pool, darts and great music/dj's..."
(in 6 reviews)
"...is one of my favorite places in Reston/Herndon to hang out."
(in 4 reviews)
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31 reviews in English
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Review from Brian J.
Reston, VA
1/20/2012
whoa. when did carpool herndon become a beer bar? this is excellent news.
totally different than the one in arlington. maybe it has the same car / gas station theme, but in herndon they have an amazing selection of west coast IPA's on draft - whereas the arlington location caters more to early 20's crowd ( miller lite, bud light, etc ).
they have like 10 IPA's on tap. lagunitas, green flash, stone standard and bastard, bear republic (all CA) and bells two hearted (MI), & dogfish head (DE) top the lineup.
i think they finally quit it with the bands / cover charges...at least the last few times i've been there, i didn't have to deal with this nonsense, even on the weekend. and it looked like they converted the "stage" into a little loungy area with cushy chairs / couches.
oh and they have golden tee. what else can you ask for? -
Review from Josh W.
Herndon, VA
10/31/2011
Carpool is a waste of your time and money.
The food is overpriced, and the last thing you'll ever want to do is hold a special event here.
We had a huge group there on the Saturday before Halloween. They held a costume contest that night, so we had a ton of people dressed extremely well. In the end, the bartenders gave the prize to a "regular" at the bar who dressed up in a Carpool t-shirt and hat, who said he was dressed as the owner. A lot of people were upset that night. -
Review from Victoria S.
Washington, DC
8/21/2011 5 Check-ins Here
Carpool has its charms! It's that out-of-the way place in Reston if you want to avoid the RTC crowd (and sometimes you do). It's more of a neighborhood type place. It's never too crowded and there's plenty of room to just spread out. They have a great outdoor patio with two levels and plenty of tables and chairs.
Only reviewing the bar services...I have never eaten here. Not sure if I would even look at a menu but some people say the food is decent. The bartenders are good but I wouldn't say overly friendly but they do make sure you have a drink in hand. Prices are also great especially for happy hour.
Yes, the parking lot is a pain because there aren't any spots in the front for Carpool parking. -
Review from S J.
Herndon, VA
1/30/2012
I've been to this place a bunch of times now since I've lived in and around Herndon for the past 6 yrs. The only thing good about this place is that it's roomy and casual. Other than that it smells and the staff are rude wannabes. The last two times I've gone I have gotten sick from their unclean stale beer. You can tell the glasses they serve in are unclean by the massive carbonation bubbles that stick to the sides of the glasses. The current female bartender that works there (tattoos, long black hair) is a total wannabe. She makes you wait longer than need to be to get served if she thinks you are being impatient while she flirts with her colleagues.
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Review from Sahar A.
Arlington, VA
1/9/2012
I work in the area, and we have always preferred to bring our work parties from Reston Town Center out here because of fast, efficient service, great prices and their beer selection. This past weekend was hands down THE worst bar experience I have ever had and it had nothing to do with how busy they were. Both bartenders had horrible attitudes, seemed to hate their jobs, and the male bartender even cursed at me when I asked a question before he was ready to serve me. We were with a group of about 40 people, all in the hospitality industry and in food service, so busy, we understand. We will not be back.
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Review from Quinncee P.
Alexandria, VA
6/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place has personality. Pool, Skee-ball, shuffleboard, the works. The food isn't half-bad either. I had a Chicago dog with all the dressings and fries, and my friend had the chicken cheese steak, I believe. Correction to the aforementioned statement: the food was heaven. The fries, especially.
The bartender made a good, strong 7 & 7, but she was very unattentive, unfortunately, docking a star for this place.
On the other hand, the music was wonderfully random, pulling up obscure jams that you forgot you liked back in the day. The decor was smart, with old gas station pumps that read prices per gallon that we can only dream of now.
I'd come back to a Carpool in the future, definitely. -
Review from Sarah W.
Centreville, VA
8/12/2011
I've been here a few times with friends and always have a good time.
They have half price appetizers at happy hour.
Their sliders, cheese fries and jalepeno poppers are amazing!
They have Delirium and Hoegarden on tap - AWESOME!
Skeeball, shuffleboard, pool, darts and great music/dj's/bands on occasion.
This place definately has personality and is a fun place to hang out :) -
Review from David R.
Reston, VA
4/18/2011
The Car Pool in Ballston is overgrown frat boys from Philly, Providence and Boston. The Car Pool in Herndon is overgrown frat boys from Toledo, South Bend and St Paul. I want to like Car Pool. I really, really want to. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with gas stations and gas pumps. And this place is like a museum of road travel from yesteryear (40s to the 80s). It's got a cool patio in the back, with shrubs blocking the parking lot. But alas, two stars is what Car Pool is about. And the reason is the beer and the prices. Four beers and the bill came to $32 with tip. WTF. We had no food.
If you're gonna have microbrews (their microbrew selection is excellent), have them in bottles. $7.50 for a beer? That's lunacy.
They need more staff here. Sunday afternoon (during a Capitals game), and only one bar tender? Huh?
My disappointment with the place is not an age thing. I saw plenty of guys older than me. There was just too much sausage here. What do you expect, I guess, from a pool hall? The jukebox may be good but there was no music to be heard during a (God forbid) Capitals game. What's the point in having a freaking juke box if every time you visit a place, a game (any game) is going full blast?
They'd have to lure me to get me to come back. And based on the service I got there, I doubt that will happen. -
Review from Darren G.
Reston, VA
10/26/2011
By far my favorite bar in Reston/Herndon. Very chill atmosphere, wide beverage selection, billiards, darts, shuffleboard, and sometimes even great live music. What else does a bar need?
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Review from Colin W.
Herndon, VA
10/2/2011
There happy hours are really nice. Since they dont start at 4 which is great since most people work tell 6 or later. They have a great selection of beer as well as there cajen fries. They have good standard bar food too. The wait staff have always been helpfull and quick even though they are sometimes under a heavy load. Probably the best nights to go are Wednesday and Thursday nights.
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Review from Ruth C.
When ordering 20 sliders seems like a good idea, you know Greg's drunk. I blame it on the awesome tequila rep who came in one weeknight and bought everyone a round of shots and margaritas. The sliders were Whitecastle quality at best anyways. Quesadilla and hot wings were marginally better, but the bison burger was the king of that pile of mediocrity.
Parking here is annoying, you pretty much end up parking around the corner of the building where the other businesses haven't marked their territory. Friendly bartenders of varying attentiveness, and the couches under the TV on the far wall is a nice place to lounge. A little too dim to really read the tap handles. Not a fan of their pool tables but that's more reflective of my lack of skill than anything else. Haunted bathroom with the flickering fluorescent light over the sink. Overall this Carpool is only a good place to sit and watch a Caps game if you can overlook the rowdy kickball teams that come here to wind down or get their groove on. -
Review from Ling X.
Oakton, VA
1/21/2011
Really like this place for happy hour. Bartenders are really nice. Happy hour runs until 8 with really good specials on beer, rails, and apps.
Also, the place is fairly big. And it usually has a decent amount of people. Not too crowded where you're struggling to place an order and not too empty to make it awkward.
Shuffleboard, darts, pool if you're bored. -
Review from Jessica K.
Reston, VA
11/29/2010
I went to Car Pool for the first time this past weekend because I had a living social/groupon coupon.
ATMOSPHERE - 5.0
The place itself was clean and the decor was pretty cool. The TVs at the bar are very nice. There are at least 5 fairly large flat screens so we were able to catch all of the sports events on at the time.
SERVICE - 1.0
The bar tender, a young female, greeted us promptly, however, she forgot a drink order, couldn't answer any questions about the beer menu, and ignored numerous obvious attempts to make eye contact when I needed something eventhough the bar wasn't busy at all. She also took almost 10 minutes to cash out our check because she couldn't figure out how to credit the coupon. To make things more frustrating she also erroneously charged my credit card twice which I now have to sort out after the fact.
BEER - 4.5
There is a pretty good beer selection on tap, which was great, however, the prices are not listed on the menu for some reason. This is frustrating for someone like me who is on a budget.
FOOD - 2.0
We ordered a crab & artichoke dip appetizer, wings, a turkey reuben and a buffalo chicken sandwich. The dip was pretty good as were the french fries that came with the sandwiches. The other people in my party said the wings were just okay. The sandwiches were not good at all, which was disappointing because they are pretty simple items you'd think would be hard to mess up. None of us finished them.
I would have given this a 2 star rating if it weren't for the good beer and the atmosphere. I might go back, but not to eat and not in that girl's section. -
Review from Johnny C.
NY
8/17/2007
This is one of my favorite places in Reston/Herndon to hang out. It's situated near Elden Street, Herndon. Its tucked away in the corner and not at all on show. I've always found the staff at this place very friendly and they have a really good selection of drinks. They also serve food, not that I tried but it from what I saw it did look good.
They have at least 5 pool tables which are of good standard. They also have dart boards and nice back garden to have a drink (something I'm use to coming from London, UK). It may be a bit of a dive bar but if you are young and like to socialize (and of course like to play pool) then this is the place for you! Highly recommended!
Oh and they have a really cool jukebox! -
Review from Clara L.
3/31/2009
Take notes, Carpool in Ballston... THIS Carpool was a very pleasant surprise! I had to drive out here for a meeting--yes, yes, I attend meetings that take place in bars =) and during happy hours of course. No, but it really was a meeting. haha
I was pretty hesitant about ordering food, since the food at the Carpool in Ballston has not impressed me. But it was half off appetizers, and I was pretty hungry, so I played it safe and ordered cheese fries with bacon. First off... the cheese fries are like 100X better than the other location's and there were 4 or 5 strips of bacon just chilling on top of the ooey gooey cheesey fries. yum! My friends ordered some wings, some chicken sandwich and some other appetizer. All quite good. So a big thumbs up for the food here!
And next, the draft selection! There were so many to choose from, including Delirium Tremens, Bell's 2 hearted and brown ale, anchor steam, dogfish head, pyramid... oh just so many to choose from.
The bartender girl was really nice and friendly and seems to know all the regulars at the bar. As well as how to describe beers to people.
This would definitely be a place I'd hang out at on a regular basis, if it wasn't located out in Herndon. Maybe Ballston's Carpool will shape up and follow their lead and have better food and more beers on tap eventually. Guess I can only day dream till then. -
Review from Heather S.
Bristow, VA
1/12/2009
I was at this Carpool location for the first time on Saturday afternoon for one of the football playoff games. I am familiar with the Arlington Carpool which I have always found "happening" with a decent crowd and often a line. This location, when I was there, had a max of 10 people the whole time. I left at 8:30pm Saturday PM. I know that is before most people head out for the evening but with the game on, I thought that would draw more of a crowd. Due to this, we had our own "living room" with couches to sit on and a projected screen to watch the game.
This location is in an odd location - with a Dunkin' Donuts & a doctor's office. The size is great - not too big, not too small....Lots of pool tables & dart boards. The house darts are virtually new - a rarity at a bar. The staff was pleasant. Beer was cold. Wings were very good. Crab & artichoke I would recommend passing on in the future. Ladies room was freezing. Not smoky (since it was so empty) but no left after smoke odors from previous nights. I would go here again but would definitely would want a group with me to liven the scene up a bit.... -
Review from Neil S.
Washington, DC
11/12/2009
Much slower than the one in Arlington, but great deals on happy hour and plenty of games to play with friends/co-workers.
1/2 price appetizers and I think $2 miller lite bottles thursday nights. The food is normal bar food. Don't go with high expectations, though our waitress was really on top of our service. They charged us less than $1 for darts, but made up for it on shuffleboard.
PARKING is weird, you have to park in the back of the building because the parking in the front is all assigned. And then instead of entering the bar from the back, you must use the front entrance. Annoying in the winter time. -
Review from Eric K.
McLean, VA
1/2/2009
Welcome to Siberia!
Ok, so Herndon isn't really the equivalent of a barren wasteland, but it's still a bit far out into suburbia for my taste. :) If you have to pay tolls to get out there, it's an automatic deduction of a star! :P
That said, carpool isn't all that bad. A decent selection of tap beers. Speedy service. Roomy and spacious. An adequate supply of pool tables. A vibrant youthful clientele. Plenty of TV's. Music! an ATM... Oh, and dividers between the bathroom urinals. It has everything you need in a bar. (Well, everything you care about having in a bar anyway)
Worth a shot if you live out in the area. -
Review from Lily R.
Washington, DC
7/30/2009
I was tasked with organizing a project outing at Carpool Herndon, and was pleasantly surprised! The happy hour specials are fantastic! Drinks (beer, rail, and house wine) averaged about $4 a piece, and all appetizers were 1/2 off. The beers were also bigger than your normal ones. The manager, Rama, provided excellent service and was super attentive to our group even when things started to get a bit busier towards the later part of the night.
My one complaint is around the parking. Most of the spots at the strip mall were reserved..and NOT for Carpool! Honestly, it's Herndon...is there really not enough room to create enough parking for everyone? -
Review from Faith C.
Fairfax, VA
3/29/2011
Was there last night, 3/24, had a nice time with friends from work and Ashley our waitress, ~ she was super, and on top of it all We will be back soon. Faith C.
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Review from Manuel F.
Los Angeles, CA
9/14/2009
I've been here a bunch of times, mostly with co-workers on biz trips from out of town. The crowd here is much laid back, although you can tell that some of them work in the belt and are all dressed up after. Lots of games and entertainment to keep you busy, lots of different options for group food and drinks. Check out the wings, tenders and mini-sliders or the bison burger.
Groups can spend several hours here and the outside is perfect for work or non-work catching up! They have a pretty descent Belgian beer collection, the friends enjoy stiff drinks. -
Review from mike w.
Ann Arbor, MI
1/30/2011
Good place to watch a game, or get a beer. Great on tap selection, great t.v. viewing. Huge screens throughout. Only problem is that it is empty a lot, even at peak times, which pulls the atmosphere down to a point that the t.v.s barely keep the place alive.
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Review from black p.
Annandale, VA
1/18/2009
*****3.5 stars*****
i don't know why i feel funny writing a review bout this place but i do. perhaps it is because it's in freaking Herndorus and i loathe that town (i can say that... grew up there) or perhaps it's the fact that i have become a bit of a bar and club snob in my older age. regardless, it's where i went last night and gosh darn it, i had a fucking swell time.
so it was my brother's 30th birthday yesterday and he wanted to keep it way low key. especially since it's been so cold out... no long distance driving. we all settled on this bar since he lives in Reston.
we got there relatively early (before 8) and of course the place was nearly empty. us all being the drinkers we strive to be headed for das bar and started getting down. 45 mins later, we were all feeling good and went to the dart board section. i got my ass handed to me repeatedly on the darts but it was grand times, regardless. people started trickling in and then a dj started setting up.
this is when the night took a turn... for the awesome. old skool hip hop. i was in heaven. and i danced the rest of the night away w/ multiple dudes and dudettes i will never ever see or remember seeing again. brilliant!
yeah, sure i'd come back if there's absolutely nothing else worth doing and i am in that urrea and it's my brother asking me to go since he's the only one i'd do it for. -
Review from Bro H.
Syracuse, NY
4/5/2010
When you come to this place when it's empty, you feel depressed. When it fills with people, you wish it was empty again. Beers aren't cheap, pool is wicked expensive, and the atmosphere blows. If it was anywhere else, I'd give it one star, but in the Reston/Herndon area, this ain't bad.
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Review from Alexis Y.
Herndon, VA
6/24/2010
A good place to grab a drink, especially after work. They have a nice outside dining area, lots of pool tables and other games, and a couple of nice loungy areas. The happy hour specials are great and their regular prices seem reasonable. The sliders were excellent when I had them recently and all the bar food items I've tried are pretty good. Service is usually generally slow and nearby parking is limited but you can walk from the next lot.
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Review from ross f.
Sterling, VA
1/13/2009
This is one of my favorite places in Reston/Herndon to hang out. Carpool isn't all that bad. A decent selection of tap beers. Speedy service from a bartender with a few crazy tattoos. Roomy and spacious. An adequate supply of pool tables. A vibrant youthful clientele. Plenty of TV's. Music! an ATM... It has everything you need. During the warm months they have outdoor seating - I am a fan of being outside.
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Review from Adam M.
Chicago, IL
4/20/2011
this is a cool Pool Hall with darts In Herndon. they have a DJ most of the time but every now then then have a band. its a good place to get a bar and watch Sports. have have been there a few time and all the bartenders are nice and friendly. the crowd in there seems to be in 20's to early 30's every time i visit my parents i go here. if you go to Herndon i would check it out
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Review from Jen H.
Updated - 1/3/2010
Had some of the food this time around, it was fairly decent for bar food. Not too crowded during the week, but can get very crowded on the weekends. They've got appetizer and draft specials during the week so def check those out!
Listed in: Herndon/Reston - My Roots
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/9/2008
Not a bad spot to go knock around some balls. The tables and cue sticks are in decent condition,… Read more »
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Review from Mo C.
2/25/2009
Love it! 4 stars is prob a bit high for this little dive bar, but that's really how much fun it is. It's dark, the music is random (Gin n Juice followed by Shakira), there is an entire wall of taps (yay!) and the people that go there are chill. I will definitely be headed back when in town!
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Review from Cynthia S.
Herndon, VA
11/5/2010
Picked up a Groupon for the Carpool in Herndon and was very happy... every time I drove past this place I wondered how they stayed open because it ALWAYS looked empty. I could not have been more wrong.... inside that tiny storefront was a very large bar with a great crowd.... pool tables, shuffleboard, darts and even skeeball. I thought they would not be very welcoming as we were using a groupon but again, I could not have been more wrong, Rama, the manager took extra special care of us... when we did not use the entire value of the groupon he suggested we play pool for a while... we had dinner (great nachos and a reuban hotdog), drinks (great beers!) and played pool for about 49 bucks. We have been back since and Rama is still a very good barkeep. We were very happy there even though we were not part of the thirty-something crowd and will be back again and again...
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Review from Joe C.
Alexandria, VA
6/19/2010
I got an unwelcome feeling from the bartender when I went in there. It was closer to closing, but ordering food seemed to be a hassle. She had already closed everything down for the night (like 2 hours before closing) and kept sliding a bus tub back and forth under the taps. Stay Classy, Herndon!
