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verification. (January 2023) |
The Tombs | |
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Restaurant information | |
Established | July 23, 1962 |
Owner(s) | Clyde's Restaurant Group |
Previous owner(s) | Richard McCooey |
Street address | 1226 36th Street NW |
City | Washington, D.C. |
Postal/ZIP Code | 20007 |
Country | United States |
Website |
www |
The Tombs is a restaurant and bar located in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It was opened on July 23, 1962, [1] by restaurateur and Georgetown University graduate Richard McCooey as the below ground bar or rathskeller for his restaurant 1789. [2] The Tombs is a popular destination for Georgetown University students and alumni, and has been ranked as one of the best college bars in America. [3] [4] It is well known for its collegiate rowing-themed interior design, as well as the 99 days club, a competition in which Georgetown seniors aim to eat or drink at the club for all of the final three and a half months of the school year. [5] In 1962, McCooey established the tradition of regular "Chimes Nights" where Georgetown's all-male a capella group, the Georgetown Chimes, would perform in the pub, inspired by the Whiffenpoofs' weekly performances at Yale's local establishment Mory's. The Chimes Night tradition continues. [6] [7] The restaurant was named after a fictional establishment mentioned in the poem " Bustopher Jones: The Cat About Town" by T. S. Eliot.
The Tombs was purchased by Clyde's Restaurant Group in 1985. [8]
The Tombs has been used as a location in two movies set at Georgetown. One scene in The Exorcist, where Father Karras tells a fellow priest over dinner that he may be losing his faith, was filmed there. [9] In 1985's St. Elmo's Fire, The Tombs serves as the movie's titular bar. [10]