Cocktail barCocktail and rooftop bar$$$Tue 17:00-00:00, Wed 17:00-23:00, Thu 17:00-00:00, Fri 17:00-01:30, Sat 12:00-01:30, Sun 12:00-18:00
El Techo in Washington DC is the Shaw Florida Avenue rooftop cocktail bar from Louie Hankins above Rito Loco, a heated 1,100-square-foot deck.
Signature drink: Mezcal paloma
Food: Latin-inspired tapas and entrees
Tip: The rooftop runs heated through winter; reserve a table on the website for sundown on Fridays. The downstairs Rito Loco shares a kitchen ticket.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$Tue-Thu 17:00-22:00, Fri-Sat 17:00-02:00
Allegory in Washington DC is the hidden cocktail bar inside the Eaton DC hotel's Progress Library on K Street, with Ruby-Bridges-as-Alice murals by Erik Thor.
Signature drink: Banned in DC menu cocktail
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Walk-ins only, no reservations; arrive before 19:00 Monday through Saturday for a counter seat. Closed Sundays.
Cocktail barHotel bar$$$Daily 11:30-23:30
Off the Record in Washington DC is the Hay-Adams Hotel basement bar across Lafayette Square from the White House, with political-caricature coasters.
Signature drink: Political-caricature cocktail
Food: Hotel bar snacks
Tip: Steal the caricature coasters; the bartenders expect it. The bar takes hotel-guest seating overflow first.
Cocktail barHistoric hotel bar$$$Sun-Fri 16:00-00:00, Sat 13:00-00:00
Round Robin Bar in Washington DC is the Willard InterContinental Hotel's circular Pennsylvania Avenue bar, the bar where Henry Clay introduced the mint julep.
Signature drink: Mint julep (the bar's original)
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Order the original mint julep; the bartender will recite the Clay-1850 introduction story while building it.
Cocktail barDive bar$$$Mon-Thu 08:00-02:00, Fri-Sat 08:00-03:00, Sun 08:00-02:00
Tune Inn in Washington DC is the Capitol Hill Pennsylvania Avenue dive bar since 1947, a four-generation family-owned room with a deer-head wall.
Signature drink: Bud Light and a shot
Food: Diner-grade American food
Tip: Cash makes the night faster; the diner kitchen runs the same menu past midnight and is the Hill's late-night staple.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$Tue-Thu 16:30-01:00, Fri-Sat 16:30-02:00
Denson Liquor Bar in Washington DC is the F Street Penn Quarter cocktail bar from the EatWell group, a narrow speakeasy-style room with a James.
Signature drink: Variety of New York-style cocktails
Food: Bar snacks and burgers
Tip: Walk in before 19:00 for a counter seat; the bar fills with theatre-goers from the Shakespeare Theatre across the street.