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Mon / May 20
Party Earth Review Part restaurant, part lounge, and part techno dance party, K Street’s Lima Restaurant & Lounge is a near-nightly scene of bumps, grinds, and chichi nibbles. Early in the evening, the after-work Happy Hour crowd tends to populate the main floor bar, washing off the day with a few mojitos and a wide-screen broadcast of major ... more
1401 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20533
Party Earth Review A cavernous upscale temple to its namesake drink, Dirty Martini is popular for everything from a midweek working lunch – liquid or otherwise – to a post-work pre-party, to a classy after-hours soiree. Exposed white brick, sleek hardwood, and modern Italian furniture provide a classy backdrop for the foreign policy bigwigs ... more
1223 Connecticut Avenue
Washington, DC 20036
Spanish Restaurant / Tapas Bar
Party Earth Review Once patrons step into La Tasca, the hustle and bustle of Chinatown is completely abolished, seamlessly replaced with the hustle and bustle of festive guests devouring tapas and slinging back pitchers of fruity booze. Decorated like an elegant old Spanish estate, the vibrant yellow main room is decked out in spear-studded ... more
722 7th Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
Party Earth Review Marked by a single crimson bowler hat painted above its unmanned black door, The Red Derby is an unpretentious two-story dive where mellow Columbia Heights residents lay claim to cheap beers and piles of old-school board games. Über-casual regulars, many of whom first discovered the joint by word of mouth, settle in on ... more
3718 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20010
Cigar Bar / Restaurant
Party Earth Review Situated just two blocks from the White House and guarded by a saluting five-foot Native American statue, Shelly’s Back Room is one of only a handful of DC establishments where folks can still get together for an indoor smoke without suffering the evil eye from suburban yoga moms and soy milk-drinking herbivores. In fact ... more
1331 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
Cocktail Bar / Lounge / Restaurant
Party Earth Review Despite its location on the northern edge of Chinatown, PS 7’s is a distinctly American eatery, presenting hot dogs the way other upscale venues might treat filet mignon, and serving up peanut butter banana sandwiches with an aplomb commonly reserved for crème brûlée. Corporate Washingtonians step through the glass doors ... more
777 I Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
Historic Bar / Hotel Bar / Lounge
Party Earth Review It’s a never-ending battle of donkeys vs. elephants in the District of Columbia, but Off the Record, a chic lounge in the basement of the historic Hay-Adams hotel, brings both parties together for a cordial cocktail after an exhausting day of work. Located a block from the White House, this venue’s name is no accident ... more
Hay-Adams Hotel
800 16th Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
Mexican Restaurant / Tequila Bar
Party Earth Review Three distinct levels – from a classy, intimate basement to a rowdy open-air rooftop – make El Centro D.F. (Distrito Federal) a multi-faceted haunt for anyone in need of inventive Mexican cuisine or just a mess of tequila. Textured walls and rough-hewn tables make up the industrial ground floor, which swells with a trendy ... more
1819 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
Lounge / Restaurant
Party Earth Review With its sign barely visible above the brownstone building’s doors, Science Club looks more like a historic hotel than a funky cool den of eclectic DJs, healthy eats, and solid drink specials. There are no secret laboratories to support the bar’s name, but its weekday Happy Hour – 11am to 8pm and ... more
1136 19th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Party Earth Review A delectable menu of seasonal bites and a giant assortment of handcrafted ales lie behind the tall wood doors of Birch & Barley, a haven for sophisticated patrons on the hunt for good food and a lot of brew. With more than five hundred bottled beers, fifty drafts, and five casks at the ready, the venue is a veritable Shangri ... more
1337 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
Cocktail Bar / Lounge / Restaurant
Party Earth Review Policy is a bi-level venue that might also be called bipolar: offering patrons a laid-back restaurant and mixology spot downstairs and a loud, graffiti-laden lounge above. The Love Dining Room is an intimate take on the American diner, with red vinyl booths and Formica tabletops where young professionals and couples cozy ... more
1904 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
Pool Hall / Sports Bar / Strip Club
Party Earth Review Fast Eddie’s Sports & Billiards is a downtown sports bar best known for two-dollar beer specials and quick access to naked women. Purchased by the owners of adjoining Archibald's Gentlemen's Club in 2001, Eddie’s occupies the second and third floor of the building, and is strictly about sports during the day. Featuring ... more
1520 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
True barebones budget eaters know the best place to get cheap grub isn’t at the restaurants in Washington, DC at all, but at the myriad bars that dole out tons of free appetizers during Happy Hour.
Those with a little more self-respect – and a taste for something beyond sliders and fries – will still fare well, as the restaurant scene in DC is as diverse as the international city itself. Political bigwigs munch cigars and talk policy at gourmet French joints in Penn Quarter, while cheap ethnic cuisine flourishes in Adams Morgan, and stellar gastropubs continue to pop up all over town.
Chinatown makes it easy to get a bucket of something that resembles food for a few dollars, and though the authenticity of this Chinese fare is questionable, the starving students and unaware tourists don’t seem to mind.
Meanwhile, sushi restaurants are all the rage for folks looking to turn a little Japanese, and neighborhoods like U Street, Columbia Heights, and H Street continue to bring in new funky fun neighborhood diners that offer trendy and cool takes on New American fusion.
Of course, no culinary visit to DC would be complete without a piping hot bowl of chili and a dog from Ben’s Chili Bowl, which has been serving up buckets of both since long before you were born.
Sports? Pub crawls? Rowdy bars? Good beer? Then check out these suggestions from Lucas:
Eclectic crowds? Authentic bars? Live music? Nothing mainstream? Then check out these suggestions from Jonah:
Amazing drink deals? Unpretentious crowds? Karaoke with friends? Dancing all night? Then check out these suggestions from Emma:
Bar / Restaurant
Restaurant / Sports Bar
Piano Bar / Restaurant