12 Stories tops the InterContinental at The Wharf with a near 360-degree view of the Potomac, the Kennedy Center and the monument core, run by Gerber Group out of New York.
Tip: Reserve a window seat through the Gerber Group site for sunset; the bar walks in easier Monday to Thursday before 19:00.
Address: 75 District Square SW, Floor 12, Washington, DC 20024, Washington DC
Officina Terrazza is Nick Stefanelli's third-floor Rome-style rooftop at The Wharf, with fire pits, an indoor and outdoor flow, an expansive Champagne list and Italian small plates.
Tip: Year-round terrazza; the indoor side stays warm in winter. Reserve via OpenTable for the river-view tables on weekend nights.
Officina Terrazza is Nick Stefanelli's third-floor Rome-style rooftop at The Wharf, with fire pits, an indoor and outdoor flow, an expansive Champagne list and Italian small plates.
Tip: Year-round terrazza; the indoor side stays warm in winter. Reserve via OpenTable for the river-view tables on weekend nights.
Allegory hides behind an unmarked door in Eaton DC's Progress Library, with an Erik Thor Sandberg mural retelling Lewis Carroll's Alice through the eyes of Ruby Bridges.
Tip: Walk-in only, no reservations, wait up to two or three hours on weekends. Eight to a party max; bigger groups must book the full buyout.
Silver Lyan sits in the former Riggs National Bank vault below Riggs Washington DC, Ryan Chetiyawardana's first U.S. bar, with the hidden Dishonesty Bar tucked deeper inside.
Tip: Reserve through SevenRooms; valid 21+ ID after 19:00. The Dishonesty Bar runs three seatings Friday and Saturday at 18:00, 20:00 and 22:00.
Death & Co's DC outpost opened 2023 in the former Columbia Room space inside Blagden Alley, the New York bar group's third location with a back-garden patio and a multi-level main bar.
Tip: Reserve through SevenRooms or walk in to the main bar. The Garden patio runs Friday and Saturday from 19:00, first-come-first-served only.
Round Robin at the Willard InterContinental has run a circular mahogany bar with oak panels and political-portrait walls since 1847, the Conde Nast Traveler called Oval Office of Bars.
Tip: Mint Julep is the historic order, brought to Washington at this bar by Senator Henry Clay. Late-night small bites Friday and Saturday from 22:00.
Off the Record below the Hay-Adams across Lafayette Square from the White House pours classic cocktails under red velvet and cartoon-portrait walls of presidents and justices.
Tip: Manhattan and Old Fashioned are the order. Light fare until 22:30; the bar runs daily 11:30 to 23:30 every night of the week.