Could this be the end of an era for The Guards? The Washington Post’s All We Can Eat blog posted yesterday that the restaurant and bar might be closing permanently.

While Georgetown students know it more as a bar, The Guards is one of the oldest restaurants in the area. It opened back in 1966, and their website boasts that they have “one of the most attractive bars in Georgetown today.”

They closed last night after dinner service, but their future is uncertain. Apparently owner Hossein Shirvani is renegotiating the lease with the landlord, and the closure may be a bit more than temporary. According to the Post, if the restaurant does reopen it will be after some renovations.

Since I’ve never actually eaten a meal at The Guards, I took a peek at their menu to see what all the fuss was about. It can be weird to think about our bars as the restaurants they are during the day time—I ate lunch at Thirds once, and sitting at a table where I saw people booty poppin’ the night before was a strange experience. But now I’m sad that I’ve only ever been to The Guards for the beer and late night dancing, because it looks like a real, legitimately good restaurant.

Fingers crossed that The Guards won’t be closing its doors forever, because that English-cut Prime Rib. Besides, where else are freshmen going to go out in the fall?

Photo: Flickr user Richie in London