Georgetown
This little shop roasts its own beans and makes its own syrups, and then morphs them into exquisite coffee drinks. It's in a mini food hall that shares…
Must-see nightlife in Washington, DC
Logan Circle, U Street & Columbia Heights
The Saloon doesn't allow patrons to pack in like sardines, with posted rules against standing between tables. That’s great, because the added elbow room…
Washington, DC
Owned by an Ethiopian family, Sidamo offers excellent, organic African coffee, tasty and strong as hell. There’s friendly staff and that just-right…
Logan Circle, U Street & Columbia Heights
Meridian Pint is the quintessential corner tavern for hipster Columbia Heights. Strings of lights twinkle overhead, sports flicker on TV, folks play pool…
Georgetown
Leopold serves full meals, but it shines most as a European-vibed spot for coffee and German and Austrian wines. Sip at one of the umbrella-shaded tables…
Logan Circle, U Street & Columbia Heights
PUB opens every few months with a new, timely theme. For instance, when Game of Thrones started its new season, it became a GoT bar, complete with Iron…
Upper Northwest DC
Washington’s most authentic Irish pub has been a favorite with real and wannabe Irish people for decades. You won’t find any cheesy shamrock schlock or…
Washington, DC
Button-down shirts are de rigueur at this gay hangout frequented by the 20- and 30-something, work-hard-and-play-hard set. Some DC residents claim that…
Logan Circle, U Street & Columbia Heights
Many locals point to The Coffee Bar as their favorite spot to hang out all day reading and laptop typing. Located on a quiet residential corner, with…
Logan Circle, U Street & Columbia Heights
Looking Glass is Petworth's neighborhood bar, a welcome-one, welcome-all dive with a great jukebox, DJs on weekends and first-rate pub grub (mmm, burgers)…
Washington, DC
Lots of regulars hang out at this pub, a scruffy, Victorian-esque cornerstone that some call the Cheers of Capitol Hill, which has been around for 50-plus…
White House Area & Foggy Bottom
It's all about the view at POV, which sits atop the W Hotel Washington. The sky terrace imparts terrific vistas over the White House, and is particularly…
Washington, DC
Compass is a homegrown roaster with seven locations and counting. This bright, clamorous branch sits across the street from Capital One Arena and it's…
White House Area & Foggy Bottom
Specialist coffee roasters aren't as ubiquitous here in DC as in other cities, so the existence of five branches of this well-regarded chain is to be…
Logan Circle, U Street & Columbia Heights
The atmosphere is low-key, and Nellie’s is a good place to hunker down among a friendly crowd for toothsome bar bites (including Venezuelan corn muffins),…
Washington, DC
Enter the Bier Baron's underground lair and prepare your liver for an onslaught of brews. The dark, dingy, pubby bar taps 50 different beers – emphasis on…
White House Area & Foggy Bottom
The central location of the Sofitel's corner bar – which also serves coffee – ensures that it is a popular rendezvous spot for tourists and DC power…
Washington, DC
What's not to like about a wood-paneled, lodge-like gastropub with craft beers flowing from 40 taps? The vintage photos of folks boozing set the good-time…
Logan Circle, U Street & Columbia Heights
This friendly neighborhood favorite serves excellent cocktails and seasonal organic tapas dishes in a snug, nicely designed space. The exposed brick walls…
Georgetown
This jewel-box cafe feels as though it has been plucked straight from the streets of Paris. Come to sip a café au lait or a glass of sparkling wine…
Washington, DC
Russophiles flock to this faded but elegant Dupont gem, with its brassy chandeliers, candlelit chambers and stupefying vodka selection. It’s a great spot…
Logan Circle, U Street & Columbia Heights
Follow your nose a couple blocks north of the Metro to this hardcore coffee shop. Staff roast beans from around the world, and offer free tasting sessions…
Logan Circle, U Street & Columbia Heights
DC Reynolds is a fine example of the dart-board-and-trivia-night corner pub genre that has colonized Petworth. The main draw is the enormous outdoor patio…
Washington, DC
An agreeably worn neighborhood joint, Larry's is known for its potently boozy drinks, dog-friendly patio and big windows perfect for people-watching. It's…
Washington, DC
The Tabard Inn Bar is in a hotel, but plenty of locals come to swirl an old-fashioned or gin and tonic in the wood-beamed, lodge-like lounge. On warm…
Logan Circle, U Street & Columbia Heights
A diverse group packs into Flash. The 1st floor is a bar, while upstairs is a pocket-sized club (you pass through a photo booth into a hidden room to…
Washington, DC
Set on a quiet street, Filter is a jewel-box-sized cafe with a tiny front patio, a hipster crowd, sullen baristas and, most importantly, good, locally…
Washington, DC
The local mini-chain wins lots of 'best coffee' awards, and locals agree it's the real caffeinated deal. Join the laptop pack and sip your foam art in the…
Georgetown
While snazzy, cavernous Sequoia is known mostly as a restaurant, we recommend it as a spot to get an alfresco drink. Umbrella-shaded tables pack a…
Washington, DC
Lauriol doubles as a decent Mexican restaurant by day; by night, it's extremely popular with the young and frolicsome. Most folks go for the fruit…
Washington, DC
If you just said the name of this bar and smiled a little inner smile (or turned red), well, that’s kind of the point. The irreverence is carried on…
Washington, DC
Lucky’s interior is nothing special – your standard double-decker dark wood and cozy chairs. It’s the crowd that sets it apart: an amalgamation of capital…
Washington, DC
Dark, intimate, close and sexy – that's the scene at Bossa. The soundtrack, if you couldn't guess: jazz, flamenco and bossa nova played in the candlelit…
Washington, DC
Kelly’s implores on its front sign: ‘Give me your thirsty, your famished, your befuddled masses,’ and the masses respond. Fans of the on-tap Guinness and…
Washington, DC
Two-story Number Nine looks like it should be a total den of obnoxiousness, what with its super-sleek, spaceship-style furniture and Euro too-cool-for…
Washington, DC
Squeezed into an old town house with a cosmopolitan bar and romantic back room, the Village is as close as DC gets to Cuba. That's not particularly close,…
Washington, DC
Rocket Bar is an almost inexplicably popular pool hall, although there’s lots more going on than shooting some stick – shuffle board, Golden Tee, all the…
Washington, DC
The Green Lantern has a mellower bar downstairs, while the 2nd floor is more frisky and clubby. It attracts a slightly older crowd, and there are all…
Washington, DC
An easygoing sports bar, the Mug is nothing fancy and a bit of a dive, but it attracts an interesting mix of preppie Hill types, Marines from the nearby…
White House Area & Foggy Bottom
This popular GWU hangout attracts students with its happy hours, pub grub (burgers $9 to $11, pizzas $13 to $17), a frat-boy-esque atmosphere and the sort…
