Redline

Too loud, crowd is annoying. I always thought that the bar was just somehow extra attractive to assholes. But apparently when owners discriminate to make sure their crowd it’s mostly white, that’s what happens. I’m white myself, but still prefer a more diverse scene. White people who are scared of drinking with non white people are not exactly great company. Anyway, never liked this bar.
Cleanup people — I get that you don’t want to have reviews that are just allot news headlines, but honestly, people deserve to know when racism accusations have actually been proven on court.
Ironically, I mainly went here for law firm recruiting events. Now I guess those same firms will have to stop going there, or risk being slapped with their own lawsuits for holding recruiting events at racist places.

I’ve eaten here twice, much to my regret. The first time I went, I found the food off-​putting and the service ridiculously slow (especially given that it was not a game night and there were maybe 15 people in the entire restaurant). The only thing slightly redeeming was the tiramisu, which was from a bakery. It took us over 30 minutes to get our bill picked up when we were ready to pay! I had to take it to the bar because our server was nowhere to be seen. I worked in food service for ten years and not checking (even discreetly) on a dropped check is a BIG no-​no.
The second time, a friend wanted to go check the restaurant out (they’d not been before). I gave Redline the benefit of the doubt and figured the previous problem was not likely to come back up. I was so very, very wrong. I would recommend going just about anywhere but here. The service is slow and the food mediocre.

I’ve heard excellent things about this establishment and couldn’t wait to experience it first hand. Unfortunately for them and fortunately for me, I was able to read about their blatant racial discrimination against an ex employee of their’s and it saved me trip. It was quiet evident that Redline was at fault due to their lack of reasoning, when they were asked why they let their former employee go. Please read the article in its entirety before you give them any of your money and time.
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Jury finds D.C. sports bar Redline discriminated against black bartender
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A federal jury has found that the owner of a Penn Quarter sports bar illegally discriminated against a former employee because of her race and awarded her $ 687,000 in damages under federal and District anti-​discrimination laws.
Jurors found that Redline owner Mick Dadlani and his company, Red Line DC LLC, violated the civil rights of newly hired bartender Briggitta Hardin around the time of the bar’s Dec. 2, 2010, grand opening.
Hardin, who is African American, said that when Dadlani met her, he refused to shake her hand or speak with her and that she was fired within an hour.
According to court records from a seven-​day trial this month before U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton of the District, eight current or former employees, including four managers at the time of the bar’s launch, were called by both sides to testify about their experiences working at the bar and with Dadlani.
Testimony by several white ex-​employees noted the absence at the time of black bartenders and Dadlani’s racially charged hiring preferences, according to Hardin’s lead attorney, Megan Cacace, of the Relman, Dane & Colfax law firm in Washington.
«Witnesses testified at trial that he wanted to hire white blonde chicks or girls» as bartenders, Cacace said.
Hardin, now in her mid-​20s and a Howard University graduate working in the communications and events-​planning industry, declined to comment about the case, Cacace said.
Red Line DC and Dadlani’s lead attorney, Sundeep Hora, of the Alderman, Devorsetz & Hora law firm in Washington, said: «From our perspective, Redline has always been a diverse place. Anyone who walks in there can see that immediately. We are very disappointed in the verdict, and at this point, we are considering all options available to us.»
In court papers, Dadlani and Red Line DC said that any actions against Hardin’s employment were taken for legitimate reasons, that Hardin never complained of discrimination to any manager and that Dadlani specifically «did not aid, abet, ratify, condone, encourage or acquiesce in any alleged discriminatory conduct.»
At trial, the defendants called two African American patrons and friends to testify about the demographics of Redline’s patrons and employees and Dadlani’s treatment of black and other minority customers.
On Jan. 21, after two days of deliberations, an eight-​member jury awarded Hardin $ 175,000 in compensatory damages and $ 510,000 in punitive damages under federal civil rights law, plus $ 2,000 in punitive damages under the District’s Human Rights Act.
Cacace said that African Americans have been hired as bartenders at the bar since the lawsuit was filed in November 2011.
The website for Redline describes the venue as a luxury or upscale «gastrolounge and bar» featuring at-​table beer taps in an 86-​seat restaurant and a 130-​seat sports pub next to Verizon Center.
The case grew out of a separate complaint to the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, which was a co-​counsel for Hardin.
The person who filed that complaint testified at Hardin’s trial about a May 2011 incident in which Dadlani allegedly closed Redline earlier than normal because of the presence of a group of customers dressed in baggy clothing or who had a «ganglike» appearance, Cacace said. That witness testified that the next day, Redline racially profiled patrons at the door, turning away unwanted customers using a fake list of guest names for a nonexistent private party, Cacace said.
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Source:

I would give this place zero stars if I could. Went there with my wife. We are a mixed race couple, and felt completely unwelcome in this «whites only» establishment. It’s disgusting that this place can still exist in the 21^st century.

I was visiting friends in the area and we agreed to meet here. I arrived first and had excellent service, print and friendly. When my friends arrived later they were ignored but I was asked if I needed anything more. When I mentioned my friends were in need of drinks the bartenders attitude changed. Now that I have read the lawsuit I am assuming it was based on their race.

Unilocal, don’t take the side of this racist motherfucker and scrub this review! And prospective customers, check this out before you spend your $ here:

I remember going to this place. Didn’t know they discriminated against Americans. I wonder if it was worth paying more than ½ million dollars to a women he fired because of her race? Well, Mr. Mike Dadlini, hopefully you can vacate the place soon so I can patronize the space again. I also remember the food was cold. Coincidence, maybe, but racists are notoriously bad cooks, it’s a fact, look it up!

This used to be one of my favorite places to come and I actually considered bringing some friends from out of town this weekend. However, due to the recent headlines, I will NOT patronize this location or any place affiliated with current owner.
To read more about the discrimination read below.

I’ve patronized this place twice but no more.
If Black lives truly matter to you, DON’T SPEND YOUR MONEY IN THIS ESTABLISHMENT!!!

PATRONS BEWARE!
This place was just slapped with a lawsuit for discriminatory hiring practices. Furthermore, it’s infamous discriminatory service is well known. I hope a smarter owner buys you out and SOON!
*** Note: One star because you can’t post Zero.

If I am ever in the DC area again, I will absolutely not be going to Redline due to the recent headlines about the owner and his personal views and opinions.
«Redlining is the practice of denying, or charging more for, services such as banking, insurance, access to health care, or even supermarkets, or denying jobs to residents in particular, often racially determined, areas.»
«Reverse redlining occurs when a lender or insurer targets minority consumers, not to deny them loans or insurance, but rather to charge them more than could be charged to a comparable majority consumer whose business is more sought after.»

«First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak out for me.» ~ Martin Niemoller
If these words mean anything to you, you will speak with your wallet, if nothing else, and cease patronizing this establishment, for as long as it happens to remain in business. Some may feel, «…well, the discrimination lawsuit doesn’t really affect me because I’m not African-​American.»
Well, think again. It does. Martin Luther King Jr. said it best, «Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.»
Food for thought.

No thanks!

I also read the WaPo article, but I can back it up with a friend’s experience. Her mother and her ate there for lunch not long after it opened. They were the only people in there. The waiter was super nice, but when the owner came out he was pretty nasty. He gave her mom a nasty look. He also spoke to the staff in a tone that was beyond disrespectful and was openly and loudly cursing. They’ve never been back, and everyone else should follow suit.

This bar was recently sued by a woman who was fired for being black. Don’t go here if you care about equality in the work place. The owner «refused to shake the woman’s hand». Fired her for no reason.
It’s disgusting that people like this run businesses and don’t know how discrimination lawsuits work.
Hope they go out of business.
The article is here.

Redline… more like RACISTline! Oh man Ef this place.

I did not give Redline 5 stars because we had a not so great experience with the first bartender we dealt with. Lana did not act like she wanted to be there, let alone bartend. Zarko, thank goodness, saved the day. Lana, if you do not want to serve others, then please stay home next time. Thanks, Zarko!

I don’t have MUCH to say about Redline, considering I was only there during happy hour for about 2 hours, but it was a pretty good 2 hours spent!
My friends and I were meeting up before a Wizards game and decided on Redline. I’m super glad we did because we had a great time! The happy hour specials were great on drinks. $ 3 well mades and cheap beer too. They also had an electric tap at each large booth that you could pour yourself! Neat addition there.
There are plenty of TV’s everywhere and it seemed like the servers had their rounds down because we never really waited long at all even though it was pretty crowded. There are a few food deals during happy hour too which we partook in. Food was pretty good!
If you’re going to a Wizards or Caps game this a great place to come and pregame!

Stopped into Redline for a networking Happy Hour and the place seemed really cool! While we weren’t there for dinner, I noticed that many of the tables had individual beer taps on them. Had I been there for longer, I would have loved to sit at one of them.
Great bar area, very tasty guacamole. If I’m in the area, I’d return.

After a quick round at our previous «Cheer’s» spot, we opted to walk around the corner and across the street for a few more social consumption’s before heading to our next destination.
The environment seemed more like a Pub & Sports Bar mixed together, cool combination. I noticed some tables had built in taps, which I’m sure beer consumers considers Redline the haven of saccharification.
There’s a huge projection screen in addition to the numerous flat screens throughout the area that provides an ease of visibility to watch your choice of events. The ALCS game was playing, so it was still pretty packed for later in the evening.
We ended up sitting right behind the bar at the high tops and in front of sitting tables that was a slight slant down from us. Even though it was Friday, I had to inquire about the games they offer for NFL game day, and we are luck as they have NFL Sunday Ticket and ESPN Gameplan.
The Bartender Tim was our server as well, and was juggling his customers with a good flow. Once we got situated, I tried the House Red, which to my surprise was a very good Malbec… Terrazas-​de-​los-​Andes to be exact. I lost track of the crew’s selections, as it came off as linear mathematics, yet everyone one was satisfied with their beverage of choice LOL.
As usual, I was in foodie mode, so I opted to try something light and went for the Tuna Tartar Spring Rolls. I became pretty static of the menu as there was a nice amount of both Vegetarian/​Vegan bites to choose from. The Spring Rolls had a good grade & marinated Ahi Tuna with insert of Soybean Coulis & Seaweed greens, a delicious creation. The dipping sauce was just as good that made it a very delicious combination.
Since this was our pit stop before our next hotspot, it served its purpose. Coming back on Saturday and Sunday for football must be planned, as I’m sure it’s a cool place to sip, nosh, watch sports and listen to a nice mix of satellite radio.
From my experience, most Bartenders are too busy constantly moving and serving to be sociable, but Tim knocked his customer service & expedient serving skills out the park as he was fantastic and very friendly.
Good ol’ Penn Quarter pubs and eateries, there’s none other place like it. Thanks Tim, we’ll be back soon!