Marvel Room in Washington DC is the 14th Street upstairs cocktail bar above the Black Whiskey, a vinyl-leaning small room with a heavy tropical-cocktail program and live jazz on Tuesdays.
Food program: Snacks
Tip: Tuesday night jazz from 21:00 is the room's calling-card event; arrive at 20:30 for a seat.
Address: 1411 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005, Washington DC
Lulu's Wine Garden in Washington DC is the Shaw 11th Street outdoor wine garden from chef Hamilton Johnson, a covered patio bar with frose carafes and a wood-fired pizza counter.
Signature drink: Frose by the carafe
Food: Snacks and pizzas
Tip: Open April to October only; the patio fills by 19:00 on Saturday. The roses-by-the-glass list is the wine value.
Wunder Garten in Washington DC is the NoMa First Street beer garden from a German-American owner, an outdoor lot bar with 14 German beers on draft and rotating food trucks parked alongside.
Signature drink: German-style beer steins
Food: Pretzels and bratwurst from a food truck
Tip: Open year-round but heated covered seating runs from November to March; the patio fills for Sunday-football and Oktoberfest.
All Souls Bar in Washington DC is the Shaw T Street cocktail bar from Adam Bernbach and Dean Cottrill since 2014, a 22-seat room with a tight classic cocktail menu and a whiskey-deep shelf.
Signature drink: Whiskey neat from the bar's deep American shelf
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: The bartender's choice is a $14 pour; describe what you like and let the room build. Cash and card both accepted.
Columbia Room in Washington DC is Derek Brown's Shaw Blagden Alley cocktail destination since 2010, James Beard Outstanding Bar Program winner with a tasting-menu Spirits Library room.
Signature drink: Tasting Room cocktail flight
Food: Cocktail snacks and small plates
Tip: The Tasting Room flight requires a reservation; the Spirits Library walk-up room runs the menu without booking pressure.
Service Bar in Washington DC is Glendon and Chad Hartung's U Street cocktail bar since 2016, the city's busiest neighbourhood cocktail room with a James Beard semifinalist program.
Signature drink: Frozen Painkiller
Food: Fried chicken and bar food
Tip: Cash and card both accepted; the frozen Painkiller and fried chicken combo is the bar's calling-card late-night order.
Hawthorne in Washington DC is the 14th Street four-floor cocktail bar and rooftop in Logan Circle from the El Centro group, with a James Beard-nominated bar program and a wraparound roof.
Signature drink: Old Fashioned with house bourbon
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: The roof opens from April to October; the basement Speakeasy below the ground floor takes the same menu year-round.
