Whiskey Charlie ★ 4.3
$$$$22 cocktails, upscale casual, 21+navy-yard{'monday': '17:00-23:00', 'tuesday': '17:00-23:00', 'wednesday': '17:00-23:00', 'thursday': '17:00-23:00', 'friday': '17:00-01:00', 'saturday': '14:00-01:00', 'sunday': '14:00-23:00'}
Whiskey Charlie on the 10th floor of the Canopy Wharf hotel pairs an outdoor deck with an indoor lounge called The Cabin, with marina-line views of the Potomac and the city's monument cluster.
Tip: Strict 21+ door. Weeknights are the easier walk-in; reserve via OpenTable for weekend sunset windows on the deck.
12 Stories ★ 4.4
$$$$24 cocktails, smart casualnavy-yard{'monday': '16:00-23:00', 'tuesday': '16:00-23:00', 'wednesday': '16:00-23:00', 'thursday': '16:00-00:00', 'friday': '16:00-01:00', 'saturday': '14:00-01:00', 'sunday': '14:00-23:00'}
12 Stories tops the InterContinental at The Wharf with a near 360-degree view of the Potomac, the Kennedy Center and the monument core, run by Gerber Group out of New York.
Tip: Reserve a window seat through the Gerber Group site for sunset; the bar walks in easier Monday to Thursday before 19:00.
Officina Terrazza ★ 4.5
$$$$22 cocktails, Champagne by the glass, smart casualnavy-yard{'monday': '17:00-23:00', 'tuesday': '17:00-23:00', 'wednesday': '17:00-23:00', 'thursday': '17:00-23:00', 'friday': '17:00-00:00', 'saturday': '12:00-00:00', 'sunday': '12:00-22:00'}
Officina Terrazza is Nick Stefanelli's third-floor Rome-style rooftop at The Wharf, with fire pits, an indoor and outdoor flow, an expansive Champagne list and Italian small plates.
Tip: Year-round terrazza; the indoor side stays warm in winter. Reserve via OpenTable for the river-view tables on weekend nights.
Allegory ★ 4.6
$$$penn-quarter{'monday': '17:00-23:30', 'tuesday': '17:00-23:30', 'wednesday': '17:00-23:30', 'thursday': '17:00-23:30', 'friday': '17:00-01:30', 'saturday': '17:00-01:30', 'sunday': 'closed'}
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 ★ 4.6
$$$penn-quarter{'monday': 'closed', 'tuesday': '17:00-00:00', 'wednesday': '17:00-00:00', 'thursday': '17:00-00:00', 'friday': '17:00-01:00', 'saturday': '16:00-01:00', 'sunday': '17:00-23:00'}
Silver Lyan sits in the former Riggs National Bank vault below Riggs Washington DC, Ryan Chetiyawardana's first U.S. bar, with the hidden Dishonesty Bar tucked deeper inside.
Tip: Reserve through SevenRooms; valid 21+ ID after 19:00. The Dishonesty Bar runs three seatings Friday and Saturday at 18:00, 20:00 and 22:00.
Death & Co ★ 4.7
$$$shaw{'monday': '17:00-00:00', 'tuesday': '17:00-00:00', 'wednesday': '17:00-00:00', 'thursday': '17:00-01:00', 'friday': '17:00-02:00', 'saturday': '17:00-02:00', 'sunday': '16:00-22:00'}
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.