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Mon / Jan 18
20s / 30s / 90s Music / Beer Lovers
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
20s / 30s / 40s / Anything goes / Bar
Party Earth Review Situated in a neighborhood known for its rowdy nightlife, Tryst invites Adams Morgan rabble-rousers to step back, have a latte served with animal crackers, and chill out. A wall of windows offers both mellow daytime views and safety from the nighttime chaos of 18th Street, while mismatched couches and simple wooden tables ... more
2459 18th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
Anything goes / Bar Food / Jeans
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
30s / 40s / Ambient / Button-downs
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
20s / 30s / 40s / Blazers / Blouses / TVs
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
30s / 40s / After Work / Ambient / Bar
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
20s / 30s / ATM / Anything goes / Dive
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
30s / 50s Music / 60s Music / Edgy
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
30s / 40s / Business Types / Gay / TVs
Party Earth Review Rainbow flags don’t blanket the green awning out front, but nobody inside JR.’s Bar & Grill could argue that this place is in the closet – even when it gets as crowded as one. A Dupont institution since the 80s, the narrow two-story venue attracts a diverse mix of young professionals, students, and older regulars with ever ... more
1519 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
30s / 40s / After Work / Beer / Brunch
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
Affluent / After Work / Bar / Jazz
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
40s / After Work / After Work / DJ
Party Earth Review With beer and cheer o’er flowin’, Kelly’s Irish Times has been a DC staple that’s survived and thrived – and no doubt put up with loads of bad Irish puns – for longer than even the oldest of the old-fart regulars can remember. Pub purists from across the pond might decry the all-American bric-a-brac that dresses the walls ... more
14 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
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.
18 and over / 20s / 30s / ATM
All Ages / All Types / Bar
DJ / Rooftop / Steak / Wine
20s / Absinthe / Bar / Club / DJ
20s / 30s / 40s / After Work
20s / Button-downs / DJ / Bar
20s / 30s / 40s / Ambient / Chic
Affluent / Bar / Bar Food
30s / Bottle Service / DJ
20s / 30s / Anything goes
20s / 30s / Bar / Blouses / DJ
20s / 30s / 40s / After Work