Great Bars 2011: Vienna Inn
Last year, this bar celebrated its 50th anniversary, and it’s easy to see why the locals are still coming back. Frosted mugs of cheap beer are dispensed by salty bartenders who know most of their...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2011: Poste
There’s an Old World European feel to the patio at Poste, starting with an arched carved-marble entryway from the 1840s. The outdoor space, framed by soaring limestone walls, is home to a collection...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2011: The Reef
While the jungle decor and fish tanks on the first and second floors of this Adams Morgan bar can seem a bit like Disney World for big kids, the popular hangout has at least one feature everyone can...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2011: Tabaq Bistro
Though this restaurant and lounge occupies four levels, the real draw is its fourth-story roof deck. From this perch high above U Street, patrons enjoy a panoramic view that stretches from the Capitol...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2011: Johnny's Half Shell
“Preppy” is the watchword at this hot spot near Union Station where the byword is “seafood specialties and strong drinks.” The tiled floor, wicker chairs, and fishing theme give the bar a New England...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2011: Fairfax Lounge
Clubby. Wood-paneled. Subdued. The Fairfax Lounge is quintessential Washington—and everything you’d expect from an establishment that has hosted Washington’s power set for generations. On any night,...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2011: Marvin
Maybe it’s the cozy bistro seating. Or the impeccably dressed staff. But more than three years after opening, Marvin remains the undisputed cool kid of the U Street bar scene. An homage to Marvin...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2011: Gate 54 at Café Saint-Ex
That line inching along the back wall of Café Saint-Ex at midnight isn’t for the bathroom—it’s to head downstairs to Gate 54, the restaurant’s airplane-hangar-inspired subterranean bar. On Friday and...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2011: Galaxy Hut
Funky artwork, old-school Galaga and Pac-Man arcade tabletops, a stellar beer selection with 20 rotating taps—it doesn’t get much cooler than Galaxy Hut. A makeshift wall of empty kegs encircles the...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2011: Little Miss Whiskey's Golden Dollar
Behind the unmarked door of this two-story bar, walls covered in fleurs-de-lis and lion crests glow under the purplish haze of a black light. Upstairs, bar hoppers can get close in the cushion-filled...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2011: New Vegas Lounge
Motown lovers can get up close and personal with their favorite soul hits every weekend at this Logan Circle lounge. Friday and Saturday nights, the seven-piece Out of Town Blues Band plays hits by...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2011: Patty Boom Boom
This urban version of a laid-back island bar draws die-hard dancers never ready to call it a night. Reggae, dub-step, and dancehall pound out of the sound system. Everyone sips on Red Stripe and boozy...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2011: Rock & Roll Hotel
With winged guitars flying across the ceiling and a hodgepodge of vintage couches lining the side rooms, this gritty two-story music space seems miles away from buttoned-up Washington. Free DJ dance...
View ArticleGreat Bars 2011: Wonderland Ballroom
Once the exclusive hangout of in-the-know cool kids, this Columbia Heights corner bar now draws a wider mix—for better or for worse. What brings the crowds? Good DJs spinning dance tunes from the ’80s...
View ArticleNew & Noteworthy: American Ice Co.
In what was an icehouse and garage, Eric Hilton--the mind behind Marvin, Dickson Wine Bar, and the Gibson--left rough touches such as paint-mottled walls. The bar/restaurant is already a hit with the U...
View ArticleGreat 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...
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