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Tue / May 21
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
Bar / Pizza Place
Party Earth Review Pizza connoisseurs know that a good pie is nearly equivalent to paradise, and if the line running out the door at Georgetown’s Pizzeria Paradiso is any indication of quality, then people should be prepared for cheesy nirvana. Located a few blocks past the typical M Street strip, Pizzeria Paradiso is an open ... more
3282 M Street NW
Washington, DC 20007
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
Party Earth Review 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 ... more
231 Pennsylvania Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20003
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
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
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
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
Restaurant / Sports Bar
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
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
Bar / Restaurant
Party Earth Review Though the name might elicit images of a quaint Irish pub, the DC college crowd knows McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon is the sort of place where people may enter sober but rarely leave that way. Five bars over two floors entice hordes of newly-legal kids, who flood in most evenings to pound bottle after bottle (after bottle ... more
2401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20037
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
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:
Exclusive hotspots? Chic crowds? Bottle service? Posh shopping? Then check out these suggestions from Adriana:
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