Capitol Lounge Bar

Capitol Hill, Washington, DC –

A favorite of budget-minded staffers and football-loving college kids, Capitol Lounge lies in the middle between the raucous insanity of Adams Morgan and the trendy offerings in nearby Dupont Circle.

Three bars keep the joint’s fifty-plus beers close at hand – from bare-bones domestics to craft imports – while the grub runs the gamut from pub standards to specialty burgers lathered in blue cheese.

Like in any proper DC joint, the exposed brick walls in the vintage-style Nixon Room are awash in political memorabilia, slogans, campaign ads, and cartoony caricatures, including plenty of the room’s presidential namesake.

Properly dressed Hill workers drop in during the week for specials like Tuesday’s 25-cent wings and Wednesday’s $5 ribs, saucing up their ties as they enjoy a game on one of the TVs above the bar in the Kennedy Room.

The venue might not take sides politically, but Michigan fans will find a home when it comes to watching the Spartans and Lions do their thing, while most of the young party crowd that shows up on weekends heads straight to the basement, where pool, shuffleboard, and (over) drinking at the third bar are the only games anyone’s playing.

A step above a dive just steps from the Capitol Building, Capitol Lounge is where politics give way to pints and the only lobbying is by folks trying to snag a turn at the pool tables.