May 17, 2009
Visited here on 05/16/2009. Huge cavernous room with the bar centered in the pit in the middle. Service was quick and the food was tasty. Only one new beer here as I’ve been to the Sterling location before and nothing too fancy was on tap here. Certainly worth stopping by if you’ve not had anything from Sweetwater, though the samplers are a bit pricey at $8.

March 19, 2009
This place was much bigger than expected. Large and open, but with a cozy vibe as well. Service was professional and friendly. They offer a very amply sized sampler, which was nice. Food was slightly above average. Some of the beers were aimed towards the masses but they were overall well made and there was a standout or two. Prices are a little pricy.

November 19, 2008
much more quiet than the one in Merrifield. same beer selection. same food selection. same price.

October 22, 2008 [ Updated October 24, 2008 ]
I stopped in on a wednesday night after a long day on the road and getting accidentally stuck in Obama campaign rally traffic in Leesburg VA. This place is fairly big, with an indoor and outdoor bar. The ambiance is a cross between chain and chic, but is loud when crowded. The crowd is textbook suburbanite. I sat at the heated outdoor bar area. They had 5 beers on tap and offered samplers. The food looked and smelled very good, but I had already eaten. The beers were decent (except for the light lager, but that’s ok). This seems to be a popular place. Worth a stop if you in the area, especially if you like good food.

September 30, 2008
Imagine going to the first Chili’s ever and being impressed by the casual devil-may-care design scheme and decor. That is what Sweetwater was like for me. Certainly a Western themecomplete with barbed wire lamps, horses, and a whole lot of red, navy and beige. The food is quite good! I was quite pleased with the spinach artichoke dip, jambalaya pasta and apple cobbler crisp. The service was almost over-bearing glasses are refilled when they are 3/4 full!

February 28, 2008
I have to rate their beer as average. I haven’t tried the full range of their offerings but the lager and light beers are weak sisters and the pale ale lacks zest. My two experiences in this restaurant were dampened by extremely rude bar staff. The food and table wait staff were very good but the bar staff had me good and PO’d before we got to that point of the night. Why go into the hospitality business if you don’t like people?

January 14, 2008
This is one of my favorite places to eat and the beers on tap are usually quite good as well. If you have the chance to stop in, the chicken tenders are among the best I’ve ever had, and the Jambalaya pasta is pretty badass. They keep their light beer (Naked River) and pale ale on tap at all times, and rotate the other 3 beers. There is always one stout/porter and then two seasonals, some better than others. If you go on a weekday, I would highly, highly recommend drinking/eating at the bar with Neil as your bartender. He’s been with the company for years and never fails to give top-notch service (and a few complimentary samples!) Deal of the year is the High Desert Imperial Stout growlers for $10/refill when it’s in production.

December 18, 2007
This is one of my favorite restaurants, and luckily it is right across the street from me. The entrees are a bit pricey, but the burgers and sandwiches are pretty cheap and are amazing. The beers are very good, and they are always changing. I love to get the sampler they sell so I can get a taste of everything they have to offer. If you are ever in the area, drop by this restaurant for a beer and some awesome food. You might even meet Robert Duval, I have, its his favorite restaurant.

August 23, 2007
This is a great restaurant with a great brewery attached. Their house beer is great and if you don’t like that, there’s enough bottled beer to satisfy most people, in addition to the other drinks. The food is great, though moderately expensive. Their steaks and desserts are fantastic and their jambalaya is nice and spicy. The best thing is their 2 gallon growlers, you can buy one initially for $20 and refill it for about $7 after that.

January 14, 2007
Jan 2007 - I’d been to the Merrifield Sweetwater Tavern a long time ago and this place was exactly as I’d remembered the other ... interesting western motif with punched brass and indian blankets. What I didn’t remember from last time was the beer. This time I tried 3 of the hosue beers and was relatively impressed. All were well made if not the best beers I’ve had. The food was darn good and the service was almost annoyingly over-the-top efficient and friendly. Nice place.