Bluejacket Brewery DC Navy Yard
Navy Yard / Capitol Riverfront
Bluejacket is Washington DC's most ambitious craft brewery — a Navy Yard brewery producing over 100 beers annually in a stunning Arsenal building renovated with extraordinary craftsmanship. The Navy Yard's transformation from an abandoned military facility to DC's most exciting new entertainment neighborhood reflects the same creative reimagining of industrial heritage that has driven the most successful urban entertainment developments across America.
Ivy and Coney DC
Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill's bar scene is the most politically charged entertainment environment in the world — a neighborhood where congressional staffers, lobbyists, and Supreme Court clerks decompress over drinks in bars where the most consequential political decisions in American history are discussed casually. The extraordinary concentration of political power on Capitol Hill creates a bar culture of unusual intensity, where conversations about legislative strategy happen naturally alongside the most mundane social interactions.
Columbia Room
Blagden Alley
Columbia Room is Washington DC's most celebrated cocktail lounge — a dual-space bar offering a casual Punch Room and a ticketed Tasting Room with a fixed-price cocktail tasting menu that has earned James Beard Award nominations. Hidden down Blagden Alley in the Shaw neighborhood, Columbia Room represents the pinnacle of DC's outstanding cocktail culture and has been recognized as one of the best bars in the United States.
The Passenger DC
Logan Circle / 14th Street
The Passenger is one of Washington DC's most beloved neighborhood bars — a 7th Street bar that has been central to DC's craft cocktail revolution since its 2010 opening, serving the Shaw community with extraordinary drinks and genuine hospitality. Its extraordinary influence on DC bar culture (the owners' alumni program has created dozens of outstanding DC bars) and its consistent quality make it one of the most important bar institutions in the nation's capital.
Crimson & Rye DC
Georgetown
Georgetown's bar scene serves Washington DC's most historically distinctive neighborhood — a colonial-era port village whose cobblestone streets, Federal rowhouses, and Georgetown University create the most atmospheric entertainment environment in the nation's capital. Georgetown's concentration of diplomats, politicians, and media figures creates a bar market of extraordinary political influence, where conversations over drinks may genuinely shape the future of American policy.
Green Zone DC
Shaw / Petworth
Washington DC's Shaw neighborhood has become the most complete entertainment district in the nation's capital — a historically significant African American neighborhood now home to the 9:30 Club, Black Cat, Right Proper Brewing, and dozens of outstanding bars and restaurants. Shaw's extraordinary transformation from a neighborhood devastated by the 1968 riots to DC's most exciting entertainment destination reflects the creative community's role in urban revitalization at its most powerful.
Churchkey DC
Logan Circle
ChurchKey is Washington DC's most acclaimed craft beer destination — a Logan Circle bar with 555 craft beers (50 on draft, 500+ bottles) that has been one of America's finest beer bars since opening in 2009. Its extraordinary beer selection, knowledgeable staff, and beautiful design have made it the gold standard for craft beer bars in the mid-Atlantic and a consistent top-10 finisher in national best-beer-bar rankings.
Allegro Café DC
Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill's cocktail lounge scene serves the most politically powerful neighborhood on Earth — a residential community adjacent to the US Capitol where members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, and senior government officials live and socialize in establishments that must serve both the casual neighborhood bar needs and the sophisticated entertainment expectations of Washington's governing class. The extraordinary political power concentrated in Capitol Hill's Victorian row houses creates a bar culture of unusual intellectual and historical significance.
Blagden Alley Craft District DC
Shaw / NoMa
Blagden Alley is Washington DC's most creative cocktail destination — a Shaw alley where three of DC's finest craft bars (Columbia Room, Espita Mezcaleria, and others) create the most concentrated cocktail excellence in the nation's capital. The alley's intimate atmosphere (pedestrian-only cobblestone alley), the quality of its establishments, and its role at the heart of DC's craft cocktail revolution make it one of the most important bar destinations in the United States.
Right Proper Brewing DC
Shaw
Right Proper Brewing is Washington DC's most acclaimed craft brewery — a Shaw brewpub producing outstanding modern ales alongside exceptional food in a beautifully designed Shaw row house. DC's growing craft beer scene and Right Proper's commitment to quality and community have made it the flagship of the Washington DC craft brewing movement, presenting the city's most sophisticated approach to locally crafted beer.
Service Bar DC
U Street / Shaw
Service Bar is one of Washington DC's most beloved cocktail institutions — a U Street neighborhood bar producing extraordinary Slurpee-inspired cocktails and genuinely innovative drinks that reflect the creativity of the DC cocktail community. Its role in the U Street cocktail corridor and its genuine neighborhood bar character create one of DC's most beloved gathering places for the creative community that has made U Street one of America's most culturally significant entertainment districts.
Off the Record DC
Lafayette Square / White House
Off the Record at the Hay-Adams Hotel is Washington DC's most politically charged cocktail lounge — a subterranean bar beneath the most exclusive hotel in Washington (directly across Lafayette Square from the White House) where political deals, media negotiations, and diplomatic conversations happen over cocktails. Its extraordinary proximity to the White House, its history as a gathering place for presidents, senators, and heads of state, and its extraordinary Washington memorabilia collection create the most unique political bar experience in the world.