The best bars in Washington, DC: cocktail bars, whiskey and dives

9 of the 20

Penn Quarter 3

1. S

   Silver Lyan

   Penn QuarterCocktail bar$$$$

   London bartender Mr Lyan's first bar outside Europe, down in the old bank vault beneath the Riggs hotel. The drinks draw on DC's own history and culture, and on rare ingredients the team brings back from its travels.

   Book on SevenRoomsMap
2. B

   Barmini

   Penn QuarterCocktail lab$$$$

   José Andrés's cocktail lab, next door to minibar. The list runs past 100 drinks, from straight classics to modernist experiments, with tasting flights and small snacks to go with them.

   Map
3. R

   Round Robin Bar

   Penn QuarterHotel bar$$$

   The Willard hotel's round bar, dating to 1847 and steps from the White House. The drink to order is the Mint Julep.

   Map

Adams Morgan 2

1. J

   Jack Rose Dining Saloon

   Adams MorganWhiskey saloon$$$

   Three floors in Adams Morgan built around more than 2,700 whiskeys on library-style shelves, with a glassed-in rooftop terrace on top and a cellar tasting room underneath.

   Book on ResyMap
2. G

   The Green Zone

   Adams MorganMiddle Eastern cocktail bar$$

   Cocktails built on Middle Eastern flavors, from a bar that spent four years as a pop-up before it found a home on 18th Street. Order a Saz'iraq, or the mint lemonade the regulars come back for.

   Book on ResyMap

Columbia Heights 1

1. R

   Red Derby

   Columbia Heights$

   A Columbia Heights dive with a porch and a roof deck. Beers start at $3.50, Tuesday is bingo with half-price burgers, Wednesday is trivia, and the bar stays open until 3am on weekends.

   Map

Downtown 1

1. A

   Allegory

   Downtown$$$

   Behind an unmarked door in the Eaton hotel's library, a bar wrapped in Erik Thor Sandberg's mural, which retells Alice in Wonderland from Ruby Bridges' point of view. It made North America's 50 Best Bars in 2026.

   Map

Southwest Waterfront 1

1. T

   Tiki TNT

   Southwest Waterfront$$

   A big, loud tiki bar at the Wharf, with three floors of seating and a working rum distillery on the ground floor. Happy hour runs weekday afternoons.

   Book on ResyMap

U Street 1

1. S

   Service Bar

   U Street$$

   A laid-back U Street cocktail bar, open since 2016, where the list changes often and the kitchen fries chicken. Happy hour brings a cheaper cocktail menu.

   Book on OpenTableMap

The other 11

The 20 are spread across 12 neighborhoods. Adams Morgan (3), Dupont Circle (3), Penn Quarter (3), Shaw (2) and U Street (2) have the most; Columbia Heights, Downtown, LeDroit Park, Logan Circle, Mount Vernon Triangle, Navy Yard and Southwest Waterfront have one each.

Dinner first? See the best restaurants in DC.

All 20, on your own map

This page is 9 of them. The Washington, DC Bars & Cocktails pack in Whosly has all 20 — add it and every one drops onto your map, ready to save, rate and turn into a plan your friends RSVP to from a text, no app needed to answer. The pack is included with Planner Pro.

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