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Sun / May 19
Bar / Live Music Venue
Party Earth Review Situated in the up-and-coming U Street Corridor, DC9 is a multistory haven for local music enthusiasts, with live acts blasting out its second floor almost every night. Early evenings see the softly-lit street level bar festooned with tattooed men in fedoras on a first-name basis with the bartender, while groups of hipster ... more
1940 9th Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
Party Earth Review Frequent drink specials, weekend DJs, and walls covered in TVs and photos of athletes give upscale Public Bar wide appeal among sports fans, Happy Hour enthusiasts, and weekend dance fiends alike. Exposed brick walls peppered with quotes from sports greats like Muhammad Ali set the sporty tone in this former nightclub ... more
1214 18th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Party Earth Review Three-dollar weeknight drink specials and a couple dozen TVs make Lucky Bar a fan favorite for after-work beer and sports – especially soccer, since it is one of the few dedicated soccer bars in DC. Neighborhood regulars, local young professionals, and international tourists with “fútbol” on the brain crowd around the venue ... more
1221 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20036
Bar / Café / Culture / Bookstore
Party Earth Review A combination independent bookseller and high-end café, Kramerbooks & Afterwords has become a DC staple for an eclectic and hyper-literate clientele. Lined with classics, rarer finds, novelty books, and a wide selection of politically-minded literature, the bookstore offers a pleasant place for smartly-dressed patrons to ... more
1517 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20009
Party Earth Review Though the owner hails from Philadelphia – and makes no secret of his affinity for the City of Brotherly Love – Ventnor Sports Café welcomes fans of every ilk and creed with a no-fuss “games-‘n’-beer-are-king” attitude. Twenty TVs scattered over both floors ensure no one misses an important play, while two bars serving ... more
2411 18th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
Bar / Gastropub / Restaurant
Party Earth Review Whether they’re in the mood for delectable chocolate porters or a smoked bacon lager, patrons pining for the perfect hops will fare well at ChurchKey. With more than five hundred bottles, fifty drafts, twenty reserved labels, and five casks at the ready, this cozy bar – located above sister restaurant Birch & Barley – packs ... more
1337 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
Party Earth Review Rhino Bar & Pumphouse normally kicks off the night with a traditional sports bar feel, as friendly groups of neighborhood sports lovers sit glued to the couple of dozen TVs and root for any team but the Yankees. The ground floor saloon fills up quickly on game nights, with hordes of young male professionals and the occasional ... more
3295 M Street NW
Washington, DC 20007
Bar
Party Earth Review With its laid-back atmosphere and large patio, Trio’s Fox and Hounds is a quintessential neighborhood haunt popular with easygoing locals. The slightly edgier sister establishment to adjoining Trio’s Restaurant, the Fox is usually full of khaki-clad, sandal-wearing regulars catching up outside as they survey the bustling ... more
1537 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Party Earth Review Tucked beneath 1789 Restaurant, its swankier sister establishment, The Tombs is a lively sports-themed bar mere steps from the Georgetown University campus – and the venue has been a big draw for both students and faculty since it first opened in the early 1960s. Polo shirts and college-brand attire are the norm in this ... more
1226 36th Street NW
Washington, DC 20007
Bar / Live Music Venue
Party Earth Review Whether stopping in for the jambalaya ‘n’ grits or a Bloody Mary made with pickled okra, hungry diners are guaranteed to taste the flavors of New Orleans at Bayou – where they’re equally assured of hearing live jazz or rock emanating from the upstairs stage. Due to its proximity to both George Washington University and ... more
2519 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20037
Bar / Restaurant
Party Earth Review Set in an area more often lauded for its refined, high-end establishments, Chadwicks is a casual joint that has been serving up basic burgers and beer since the 1960s. Students and unpretentious area residents flock to this rustic bi-level venue for daily Happy Hour specials and rowdy weekend shenanigans, wolfing down ... more
3205 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20007
Party Earth Review Hidden in an unassuming row house, Granville Moore’s is a rustic neighborhood gastropub that prepares a thousand pounds of mussels and potatoes every week – all from a kitchen not much bigger than a walk-in closet. The venue also serves an array of sandwiches and steaks to the hungry regulars who flood in every night, but ... more
1238 H Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
BY: Lucas
Lucas also likes: Beer Sports Rowdy Casual Anything goes Bar Flirty
more recommended by Lucas
BY: Adriana
Adriana also likes: Exclusive Nightclub Fashion Forward Shopping Jetsetter
more recommended by Adriana
BY: Jonah
Jonah also likes: Live Music Eclectic Indie Alternative Non-mainstream
more recommended by Jonah
BY: Emma
Emma also likes: Happy Hour Culture Dancing Lively Budget-friendly
more recommended by Emma
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that not all bars in Washington, DC were created equal…but that won’t stop us from trying all of them!
One thing is for sure, DC bars often have great Happy Hour specials thanks to the fact that so many of the people who work here (federal employees) get off promptly at 5pm. Politicos, staffers, and commuters double the city’s population every day, and cram into bars all over town as soon as work lets out.
Dupont Circle attracts a lot of lawyers and lobbyists to its high-end drinking dens, but still manages to entice all types with sports bars, quaint taverns, spacious haunts, and gay bars.
18th Street in Adams Morgan, meanwhile, has been dubbed the “Liquorridor” for a reason and gets crushed by college kids nightly, while ritzy Georgetown has everything from chichi bars to timeless saloons.
No DC bar crawl would be complete without going to the H Street Corridor or U Street, as both are major party hubs in the District and offer an endless array of themed bars, craft brewpubs, and bare-bones dive bars.
Oh yeah, there’s some pretty cool museums here too, be sure and put down the pint for a bit and check out that White House thing before getting back to sampling more great Washington, DC bars and nightlife.
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