Great Bars 2013: The Gibson
Behind an unmarked door lies this dimly lit hideaway, opened in 2008 at the front end of the speakeasy trend. Service can be aloof at best, dismissive at worst (the latter tends to be the case on...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2013: The Gin Joint
Shh, don’t tell the tourists—Woodley Parkers consider this little lounge beneath New Heights restaurant one of the neighborhood’s best-kept secrets. Try house-made tonics (mint-citrus, tamarind,...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2013: Harold Black
When the owners of Acqua al 2 and Suna revealed news of their speakeasy in a second-floor room above Acqua, the response was tepid. Didn’t Washington have enough covert-bar concepts? But once you’re...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2013: Härth Lounge
A $45-million remodel in 2012 brought the McLean Hilton a creamy new restaurant called Härth along with this dramatic lobby lounge where glass globes hang from an atrium ceiling and low sofas surround...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2013: The Lobby Lounge
With a lodgey look that would fit in at any ski resort, the lounge in the Ritz is where Georgetown grownups go to escape the M Street mayhem. Pop in for a shopping break in late afternoon and indulge...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2013: Off the Record
With its walls lined with caricatures of politicos, its charmingly gruff bartenders, and a clubby vibe, this is the quintessential Old Washington bar. Power players abound at the stools and tables,...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2013: Old Ebbitt Grill
Gaze at gilt-framed paintings of reclining nudes and a mural of the White House alight with fireworks as you sip on a Manhattan or martini in one of Washington’s most legendary taverns. Crowds of...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2013: POV Lounge
Some weeks (when Metro melts down, when the Comcast guy is a no-show, when another motorcade makes you miss your son’s lacrosse game) you need a refresher in why you love Washington. Here’s where to...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2013: PX
Todd Thrasher’s Old Town spot is perfect for special occasions. Beautifully outfitted with dark wood and cream-colored cushions, the intimate second-floor speakeasy feels at once civilized and...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2013: Range
Owen Thomson—the bar manager at this new Bryan Voltaggio spot who formerly helmed the drinks programs at José Andrés’s restaurants—takes advantage of a seriously tricked-out kitchen to concoct...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2013: Round Robin & Scotch Bar
If there’s a more storied sipping spot in DC, we don’t know it. The lobby level of the Willard InterContinental has been wetting whistles since Abraham Lincoln was in the White House. Today bartender...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2013: Sidebar
If your ’90s-era youth involved a lot of Weezer and Doc Martens boots, you likely dreamed of drinking in a place like this: retro vinyl couches, servers clad in semi-ironic Goodwill sweaters, baroque...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2013: Tabard Inn
A difficult decision awaits you at this cozy inn and restaurant: Head to the bar to watch Chantal Tseng whip up elegant refreshments such as the fizzy Italo-Franco Aperitivo—with Prosecco, elderflower...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2013: TNT Bar
The oddity of a fancy-cocktail bar in the back of a counter-service fish-and-chips joint—a second location of the Alexandria restaurant Eamonn’s—isn’t lost on beverage expert Todd Thrasher (Restaurant...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2013: Wisdom
First-time visitors often walk past this unshowy Capitol Hill spot. (Hint: Look for the Chinese carryout next door.) Cozy and dim on the inside, Erik Holzherr’s little lounge boasts a wide selection...
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