I remember back in the early 70's it was a good country/bluegrass bar. anyone likewise?

you are correct sir.when it rained it leaked like hell cause of all the bullet holes in the roof.in the morning you could see the sunlight hitting the floor.during the vietnam war always there were vets in wheelchairs ballancing on rear wheels out on the sidewalk.annandale bar and grill.

The Animal Bar and Grill became Westons and now has been occupied but the Sunset Bar and Grill for the last 20+ years. Still the best place in Annandale/Springfield for music. i.e., college kids and 40 somethings rocking out to rock and classic blues.

I don't remember the names of the bars in Annandale. Is that the one with the dart boards in the back? I remember going there.

Re: "The Animal Bar and Grill became Westons and now has been occupied but the Sunset Bar and Grill for the last 20+ years. Still the best place in Annandale/Springfield for music. i.e., college kids and 40 somethings rocking out to rock and classic blues."

Not correct. The Annandale Grill was located next door to Westons (and was there long before Westons). Westons was just a bar, no music (but served liquor, unlike the Grill). The Grill was a legendary NOVA music hall and hosted shows by: Danny Gatton, Liz Meyer, North Star Band, Good Humor Band. I saw some of the best music in my life in the Grill (and drank countless beers). And the stuff about "bullet holes" is a bit over the top. As rough as the Grill looked, it was safe most of the time (maybe a rare fist fight or Pagans presence). Ultimately, the Grill closed (and at one point in later years it was a bicycle shop) and Westons morphed into the Sunset Grille. For several years, the Grille hosted Thursday nights with Bill Kirchen and Too Much Fun. When Kirchen moved on, I quit going to Annandale; it's been a few years since I've been in those parts.

Would appreciate any add'l history and especially pictures of the Annandale Grill. Anyone?

Oh yeah, regarding dart boards at the Annandale Grill: the board was located on the left wall as you entered the bar. The main traffic path into the bard and the path of the darts intersected and there was never a clear sense of right of way. I always assumed that if you were hit by dart it was your fault.

Tom Westons was a restaurant.
The dart boards were in the back of Sunset Grill.

Grillbilly Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ultimately, the Grill closed
> (and at one point in later years it was a bicycle
> shop) and Westons morphed into the Sunset Grille.


Tom Weston didn't morph, he moved.

To a larger place next to K-Mart (and later had a second joint on the Pike near Lake Barcroft).

say Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Grillbilly Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Ultimately, the Grill closed
> > (and at one point in later years it was a
> bicycle
> > shop) and Westons morphed into the Sunset
> Grille.
>
>
> Tom Weston didn't morph, he moved.
>
> To a larger place next to K-Mart (and later had a
> second joint on the Pike near Lake Barcroft).


Right about Toms moving into the old Wagon Wheel place next to Kmart and the second location at Barcroft Plaza was called Anglers Inn. More of a seafood place. Never really took off though.

"Tom Westons was a restaurant."

You're right - Tom Westons was a restaurant across the way in Annandale. The bar to the right of the Annandale Grill wasn't Tom Westons. It had an Irish bar name. Can't recall what it was called. But that was the space that eventually became Sunset Grille.

"The dart boards were in the back of Sunset Grill."

And yeah - dart bds are still in the back of Sunset. The (one board, as I recall) was right at the front door of the Annandale Grill. The dart players didn't always stop throwing as people walked in.

Grillbilly you forgot to mention the great Tex Rubinowitz!


Johnny castle and his thrillbillies usually perform at sunset Grille on thursday Nights

Mike Cotter seems to be doing a twice a month gig at same on Saturday night

Oh shit yeah! Not forgetting Tex and Bad Boys and Billy Hancock and the Tennessee Rockets. Thanks for the reminder. And yeah - Johnny Castle is a solid link to the original Grill heritage.

This is reason enough to invent time travel.

Grillbilly Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "Tom Westons was a restaurant."
>
> You're right - Tom Westons was a restaurant across
> the way in Annandale. The bar to the right of the
> Annandale Grill wasn't Tom Westons. It had an
> Irish bar name. Can't recall what it was called.
> But that was the space that eventually became
> Sunset Grille.
>

Grillbilly you better stop hanging out in the bars. Tom Weston's was where the Sunset Grille is now. I know for a fact because I use to eat there all the time. My brother-in-law was a personal friend of Tom Weston. Tom Weston moved by the Kmart and sometime after had a heart attack and passed away and his wife June ran it after that.

man I'm confused I sort of remember the current Sunset Grille as originally being the Annandale Grill and it was called something else between Annandale and sunset Grille

I remember Tom Westons being over next to the Kmart. Although I'll take a guess and say tom Westons was somewhere else before the Kmart shopping center was built. Can't remember far enough back what the Kmart shopping center was before being built.

I seem to recall the Angler's Inn being down columbia Pike at the shopping center that currently has a Harris Teeter. is that called Barcroft Plaza?

I also remember tom Weston passing away and his wife running the business for a while

Sap Green Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> man I'm confused I sort of remember the current
> Sunset Grille as originally being the Annandale
> Grill and it was called something else between
> Annandale and sunset Grille
>
> I remember Tom Westons being over next to the
> Kmart. Although I'll take a guess and say tom
> Westons was somewhere else before the Kmart
> shopping center was built. Can't remember far
> enough back what the Kmart shopping center was
> before being built.
>
> I seem to recall the Angler's Inn being down
> columbia Pike at the shopping center that
> currently has a Harris Teeter. is that called
> Barcroft Plaza?
>
> I also remember tom Weston passing away and his
> wife running the business for a while


True - Tom Westons moved by the Kmart
True - Tom Westons was first where Sunset Grill is
True - Barcroft Plaza is where Harris Teeter is and Anglers Inn was where the Han Sung Oak restaurant is now all the way on the left side.
True - Tom Weston died from a heart attack and June Weston ran it with help from her sister.

Grillbilly what is it? you said "Westons morphed into the Sunset Grille"
now your saying it didn't?

OK... Tom Westons was a great steak and seafood restaurant back in the sixties when Tom ran it..
Don't know what happened in between but in the mid 70's it re-emerged as the Irish Pub and then later became the Sunset Grill. This was next door to the Grill.

The Annandale Bar and Grill was always a beer joint then started having music in the mid 70's..mostly old school bluegrass groups like Benny and Vallie Cain.
Probably the guy most responsible for getting the place going was a great picker from Annandale named Mike Chafin. Later on Tex and the rockabilly crowd took over.
By the late 70's the Grill closed and eventually became a bike shop or something.

"Grillbilly what is it? you said "Westons morphed into the Sunset Grille"
now your saying it didn't?"

What I'm sure of: The strip had (left to right) a cleaners, the Annandale Grill and a bar /restaurant that I remember being an Irish themed place. In this thread I picked up on "Drinker's" suggestion that Weston's was involved, but now I'm not sure - so I take that back.

I still seem to remember that the place to the right of the Annandale Grill was an Irish place. But in any case, that space eventually became the Sunset Grille. Nevertheless, my mates and I never went in there - it was too $$$. We lived at the 'Grill. The beers were 75 cents before the music started, then went to something like $1.30 with music. I don't ever recall paying a cover charge at the Annandale Grill. But you should confirm that with another source as my memory has been called into question! ; )

Picture from way back - before my time, at least. The Annandale Grill is on the left side; the one with all the cars in front:

http://tinyurl.com/6y66uqx

From more recent times:
http://tinyurl.com/6y6ul47

Cool find there Grillbilly

thanks grillbilly thats the joint alright!

JV's in falls church


billy hancock seems to have cut way back on his appearances had a twice monthly gig at jv's but no more in last year

Weston's became the Irish Pub which became (some Irish name briefly) which became the Sunset Grill. I played on the Irish Pub dart team! :)

the place was known as mcduffy's .

yes, like!!! thanks - that was driving me crazy :)

The old Annandale Bar & Grill was indeed on the opposite end of the building from Sunset Grille. Tom Weston's was in the spot where Sunset Grille is/was. Worked there in high school for 20 bucks(cash) and lunch a day.Whitey was the cook, and he eventually opened his own place in King's Park. The AB&G is immortalized on the cover of The North Star Band's 1st album (although relocated...)See attachment.Saw tons of good music there. The microphones were tied to the ceiling so they couldn't be used as weapons in a brawl. Mailmen would be in there (in uniform) during the day drinking beers.Back lot filled with those little JEEPS.At night beers went up 50 cents when they had a band.
Attachments:

http://annandale.patch.com/articles/sunset-grille-to-close-on-thursday

The Sunset Grill was the old Irish Pub for years after Tom Westons moved out.
It was a great bar and all of the fun "Actiondale" people hung out there.
They would go there for beer and darts after having dinner at Tom Weston's over on John Marr Drive. Tom Weston died from cancer, not a heart attack. I worked for the man for 5 years-so I know that for a fact. His wife did take
over after his death. He was only in his 40's when he passed and a nicer
guy you will never meet. As far as the old Annandale Bar and Grill-they had
GREAT music-(Liz Meyer and the Midnight Flyers were the best) and some occasional gunfire (I was witness to that one night when the front door glass
got blown out) Everybody knew everybody back then and you could still walk around there at night. What a fun place Annandale was in the 1970's------------

Tom Weston's was the greatest place to eat, we knew them both, always so sweet, and was so sad when Tom passed, the place moved to lake Barcroft and followed them there back in 1979 had my parents 50th anniversary dinner there and we were treated like royalty, had one little issue with the waitress and his wife stepped in and all was great. Great place and family oriented. Lost touch when we moved from the area, what ever happened to June? And the resturant. We spent many of our anniversary dinners there as well. Steak and lobster! Or the Veal verinelli. Been a many years ago, but remember it well. The good ole days!

Nice family place, I bought kegs of beer there in the late 70's.

I'm so glad to see that someone finally got it right I have read so many times that the bar and grill became the sunset grill and I knew that wasn't right,it was at the other end.used to go there in the late 70's and my dad hung out there as a young man before we ever did.yes it turned into the bike shop at some point not sure whats there now aint been in that part of Annandale in a few years.thanks for clearing things up and setting the record straight LOL Annandale such a great place to grow up and too too many good memories

Hi, could you please resolve a minor dispute? I have lived in Lake Barcroft since 1983. Did not Tom Wetson's occupy the restaurant in the Barcroft Plaza prior to Han Sung Oak, the Korean Restaurant?

Thank you so much for your attention.

Roxanna

Roxanna Douglas Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi, could you please resolve a minor dispute? I
> have lived in Lake Barcroft since 1983. Did not
> Tom Wetson's occupy the restaurant in the Barcroft
> Plaza prior to Han Sung Oak, the Korean
> Restaurant?
>
> Thank you so much for your attention.
>
> Roxanna


Yes, it was called Tom Weston's Anglers Inn.
Specializing in seafood.
I went there once but preferred Tom Weston's in Annandale.
Not sure how long Anglers Inn lasted.

DH Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Roxanna Douglas Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Hi, could you please resolve a minor dispute?
> I
> > have lived in Lake Barcroft since 1983. Did
> not
> > Tom Wetson's occupy the restaurant in the
> Barcroft
> > Plaza prior to Han Sung Oak, the Korean
> > Restaurant?
> >
> > Thank you so much for your attention.
> >
> > Roxanna
>
>
> Yes, it was called Tom Weston's Anglers Inn.
> Specializing in seafood.
> I went there once but preferred Tom Weston's in
> Annandale.
> Not sure how long Anglers Inn lasted.

Annandale Bar and Grill was to the left at the end of the brick building that Tom Weston's was in before Sunset Grill took over Toms place. The Wagon Wheel was a cheap steak house like a Ponderosa Rustler or Buckaroo Steak Ranch you pushed your tray along and they served you

At night the Wagon Wheel was a beer joint with dancing, After it closed Tom Weston moved in and as said he passed after a HA , the American Legion met at Toms. Across the street were carnivals at times and in the rear of Jack in The Box on 236 was an Emerson's or some other restaurant

The JIB was a prime place for pot smokes to get munchies of tasty tacos at midnight, their smoked up antics were very laughable , The 3 Chefs was a good place for late night breakfast and Sat Sunday breakfast too. DAJAX Sadly there was no Arthur Treacher's there or the entire history of Annandale would have to been rewritten to show the greatness that AT's would have brought with their crisp batter fried fish chips and Ice Cold Fanta to cool the pot smokes bongs

Too many gooks in Annandale to support a bar today. Slopes don’t tip. Niggers look almost white by contrast, and we all know nignogs are more likely to steal a tip than leave one on the table.

There was a Arthur Treachers in Annandale. Lived on Backlick and went to AT all the time. It was where the Burger Chef was. Next to Andy’s Pizza. Since then it has been a Jerry’s Pizza, some kind of Title place and now is a Mexican restaurant.

But sadly I was not much into that crisp batter fried fish chips and Ice Cold Fanta as I never had any bongs cuz I was not a pot smoke then . Don't ask me about the late 60's I know nothing .

In any event I was consumed by the tasty tacos at JIB blinded by their greasy greatness and in my RT 1 hood I was a fan of the Holly Farms chicken and taters up by Beacon Mall but I did get some AT's there time to time DAJAX Only stopped at Andys one time by Kerlins Corner and did hit that ATs there a few

Was the Annandale Bar & Grill the same place as 'Annandale Grill' shown in early maps of Annandale with comments that dated until at least 1950? I've been following the comments about The Sunset Grill NOT being the former location of the Annandale Grill as some had listed. I'm looking to find a bar my dad went to along that strip when I was a very little girl during the 1950s. Any ideas?