Not to be confused with Free State Distillery in Upper Marlboro (though many also call it Arthur…read moreWheeler Spirits haha), this place is located just off of the main street in chinatown, and it's surprisingly lowkey. It's a basement bar with a bit of a dive vibe, but it's hard to ignore the nautical, blue crab theme throughout. Turns out that one of the owners is a Marylander, which is cool to see reflected in the decor in a place in dc, even though it is next door. They have a happy hour and they have a great variety of drinks in general. It's bring-your-own-food (BYOF) and there are a bunch of delicious looking Asian spots nearby, including upstairs. It didn't start getting crowded until closer to 10, which, as I said, is surprising for this part of town to me. Everywhere in Chinatown is not going to be packed and busy, and this place is here to remind you of that. Stop by if you're looking for a more chill vibe. Staff are pretty cool.

Free State is perfect for a chill bar in the Downtown area. It's exactly the kind of place you want…read moreto share a few drinks and be able to hear the person in front of you. I had a delicious orange crush drink and my friend had a sangria. The bartenders are extremely chill and nice; they only come up when you need it which is nice for good conversation. I'll easily be back when I want to catch up with friends without a speaker blaring in our ears. Great place to introduce to more people!

Amazing service and incredible drinks! Graham is the best bartender in the city…read more Also the creativity is unmatched! Order what you want from the menu but they are also willing to make you specialized drinks to your liking.

studying art history, took a trip to d.c. to go sight seeing of some of my studies. decided that we…read morewanted to go out one of our nights here, this is where we landed. cider on tap, means we're going to have a good night. walked past a group of (maybe) 26 year olds, they took one look at my friend group (realistically we are more alternative looking for what district of columbia is used to, anywhere else in the midwest we're average), guy looks over, "whispers" to the rest of his group, "DO YOU THINK THESE GIRLS GO TO ART SCHOOL?". he was absolutely right. we do go to art school.

Great local bar with large rotating craft beer selection. Highly recommend for any beer…read moreenthusiast. They have wine and cocktails as well. They are happy to recommend beer for your taste, and let you sample. It can be very busy and difficult to get a seat at the bar or get a table on a Friday or Saturday evening. We ordered food, and were expecting elevated bar food. The tater tots were a huge disappointment- they were very large squares , bland, and not crispy. The wings were okay. The cheeseburgers were the best- from the restaurant downstairs- mallard. Huge burger, done perfectly medium.

Here's a review written as part of a visit to both Churchkey and Birch & Barley (the downstairs…read morerestaurant -- together they form the "2 Enjoy Everything" concept by Neighborhood Restaurant Group): A DC Gem That Delivers on Every Level If you haven't made it to Churchkey on 14th Street yet, move it to the top of your list. I visited as part of the full experience -- dinner downstairs at Birch & Barley, then up to Churchkey for drinks -- and honestly, it's one of the best evenings I've had in DC. Churchkey itself is everything a great bar should be. The beer selection is absolutely unreal -- hundreds of carefully curated labels spanning every style, region, and flavor profile you can imagine. What sets it apart is that the staff actually knows the menu. Our server walked us through a few options based on what we liked and landed us on perfect picks both times. That kind of genuine expertise is rare. The tavern pizzas from the wood-fired oven were a wonderful surprise -- thin, crispy, and the perfect companion to a cold draft. The smash burger also deserves a mention: simple, well-executed, and hits the spot. The vibe is warm and lively without being overwhelming. Great for a date, a group, or even just sitting at the bar solo with a good beer and good conversation with the bartender. This place has earned its reputation as one of the best beer bars on the East Coast -- and then some. Highly recommend making a full night of it with both floors. You won't regret it. Feel free to adjust the tone or add any personal details from your actual visit!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

At my recommendation, my son and his girlfriend went here after a day of touring in D.C…read more. Apparently, they ordered the blue crab, mac & cheese, and chicken wings. Both reported, it was an outstanding choice. They enjoy the time before they took the Metro back home. There are no complaints about the service, and they didn't really mention what the place looks like. But it could not have been too bad. They did say, it was clean and nice in the 22-year-olds that's a compliment. They also said it was convenient to get to the metro from there.

I won't be back unfortunately and you should probably keep walking and find something else. Didn't…read morerealize what kind of restaurant this was until I was told to order off an app and then my food would be ran out to me...and that's all you get for customer service. Runners just do that. Run around the restaurant throwing food down on tables and run back to the kitchen. Never checking on anyone to see if they need anything and how the food is. I ordered the SW Salad ($16.50) with a steak add on ($9.00) at medium temp. I also ordered a cup of Clam Chowder ($5.95) as an appetizer. Chowder came out pretty much right on top of my salad, but no big deal. Chowder was decent taste, but only found one clam. Ok whatever. Salad came out looking like a side salad on a large plate with five slices of rare, tough steak. It was so rare, that it was extremely hard to cut through, but again, who was I going to talk to about it. No wait staff would even look my way. I couldn't even get a refill on my water and there is no place in the app to order a glass of water...so that's that. Unfortunately it was just an extremely bad experience for $40. I'll be looking for dinner somewhere else tomorrow night.

A year later they are still making great beer. Happy hour is until 8 which is generous for…read morediscount full pours. They also have half pours. Staff are friendly. Ambiance makes a newer brewery feel like it is older from the mid 20th century They are also on InKind I learned after my last visit. Hence, being a block from Sushi Sato I can use my cash back here in the future. Haven't tried the food since we fill up at Sushi Sato instead each time but they seem to have a nice selection. Learned from staff and customers that they are not the newest brewery in DC proper anymore, it is Urban Garden at the site of the former Right Proper Brewpub in Shaw.

While I didn't try the main storefront -- which looked family friendly -- I did have a fab…read moreexperience at the hidden bar. Drinks: fantastic. You tell them what flavors you like; they mix something up for you. No menu, no frills, excellent quality. Service: Good. There were two mixologists who also did the serving and hosting, and it wasn't too busy, so we got plenty of attention. Ambiance: Fabulous. A true speakeasy experience and a luxe decadent interior. Fabulously intimate space. No pictures. And I respect it. Happy hunting, and cheers!

It's a vibe! I've visited another Aslin in Pittsburgh and was thrilled to find out there's also one…read morein DC! It's at the perfect location, right at a busy intersection of Logan Circle so great for people watching! The Adirondack chairs really added to the summer vibe! I was here on a weekend around happy hours and it was PACKED and LOUD. It's giving college frat parties in both the good and bad ways haha. But overall it's a great casual spot and decent drinks.

I went for a friend's birthday. But if you're looking for a beer "garden" to watch games and/or…read morejust hang out with friends, Aslin is the place to go. Though they do offer some non-beer options, this location may not be ideal for those who don't prefer beer. Be prepared to know what you want to order... especially when they are busy. The day I went there were World Cup games and a UFC fight on. So the venue was PACKED. I felt the person behind the register was losing patience as we tried to figure what to drink.

Happy Hour here was such a pleasant surprise on our recent visit to the area…read more We wanted a place to grab a drink before dinner and my husband suggested The Sovereign. It seemed more of a craft beer place and did not strike my fancy at first for that reason, but I was game to give it a try. I'm glad I did! We arrived during their happy hour (from 5-6:30) and chose to sit in the cozier and quieter downstairs bar. Upstairs was a little more rowdy and like a sports bar - nothing wrong with that, just not our vibe that night. The bartender greeted us promptly, and we chose a few things from the happy hour menu: Getting Alsace-y with Everyone for our drink, then the fries and Belgian meatballs. The drink was refreshing and the food was very flavorful and balanced. All said and done, we agreed that this was our favorite place we visited that evening. Would definitely recommend checking it out, particularly for happy hour.

The Sovereign is alright. I went here for a work thing. It was PACKED on a wednesday night which is…read moreimpressive. Not sure what to make of DC crowds but there were a lot of people. I had a hard time making an order. I really don't like standing around at a bar aimlessly hoping for the bartender to call on me. That was the situation I was in here. Once I got the bartenders attention it was easy and quick to get my drink, it just took a while and its annoying when they go to other people who got there after you first. The bar is full of seating too, so you have to stand behind people who are already sat and drinking to try to flag them down which feels awkward. The drinks were good though and the atmosphere was decent.

Dacha beer garden has three locations in DC. This location is in Shaw. It is not as crazy as the…read moreballpark location in Navy Yard. The closest metro stop is Mt Vernon Sq/Convention Center. The menu is varied. They have fried pickles. Hubby likes the bratwurst. The monster pretzel can feed your entire party. The bullfrog bagel doesn't contain any frogs! You can never go wrong with sea salt fries.

First time at Dacha Beer Garden-Shaw and it won't be the last…read more Super dog-friendly makes it a plus. Pup cups for the fur babes too. Kid-friendly. Crazy good brunch deals, $5 mimosa...yes! $5 bloodies...yes! Such a welcoming place with an amazing outdoor patio area. Love the mixed-age crowd for Sunday brunch, 20 somethings through 60 somethings. Everyone working there from security to bartenders and servers go above and beyond. Our server Angela was top-notch. Super nice, efficient, and helpful when trying to decide on what we wanted to eat. We're in DC 1-2 times a year and have never had time to get over to the beer garden. We'll be making time from now on. BTW, the food was absolutely delicious. Great drinks too.

I recently visited Jackpot Bar and really enjoyed the overall vibe. The ambiance is super chill…read morewith a speakeasy feel--dim lighting, cozy atmosphere, and the kind of place you can actually relax and have a conversation without shouting. It feels tucked away in the best way, like a hidden gem. The service was solid--friendly, attentive without being overbearing. What stood out most was their beer selection. There's a great variety, so whether you're into something light or want to try something more unique, you've got options. Overall, it's a great spot if you're looking for a laid-back night with good drinks and a cool, low-key atmosphere. Definitely a place I'd come back to.

Friends and I were looking for a bar for a drink before an event at Capital One Arena. We found…read morethis Jackpot (pun intended). If you're not paying attention, you'll miss the door for this downstairs bar. With happy hour every day from 4-8pm, you can't really go wrong. There isn't food for purchase but you get a free basket of popcorn to munch on. The location is small, so it did get pretty packed / busy when we were there. Patience with the bartenders as they try to get everyone's drink orders. Super easy spot for a quick drink in general or before a show at CapOne.

This was such a fun night. Stumbled upon them having bingo on a Monday night, such a fun group of…read morepeople! The bartender, Rich, gave us a history lesson and we took his recommendations and enjoyed each place we visited. We loved that they had board games, free popcorn, you can bring outside food and then the best part: no talking about the outside world!

security by the bathroom touched me and made all women in the bathroom line uncomfortable as he…read morewatched them. when a bartender was told nothing was done. also tried to justify his behavior by saying he worked here.