- attentive waiter - super intimate, cute, and lovely…read moreconcept - lots of creative drinks! and they find great ways to balance the strong alcohol especially as a girl who doesn't like the taste of alcohol

Bar 86 is such a fun addition to Old Town Alexandria! If you're looking for more than just great…read morecocktails, this is definitely a spot worth checking out. What makes this place stand out is the interactive cocktail experience. The owners, Jacob and Sammy, created a hidden menu where every cocktail has its own story. This month's theme is inspired by their travels through Phuket, and each drink reflects a different memory or experience from the trip. It made ordering cocktails so much more fun because there was a story behind every sip. Some of my favorite drinks were the Salt & Shame, Pearl Necklace, Tuk-Tuk Tumble, Ladyboy Lullaby, Asian Gossip, The Happy Ending Mishap, Floral Floreplay, and the signature 86 Carajillo. Every cocktail was beautifully presented and unique in its own way. The food was just as impressive. The Pommes Sautées were perfectly seasoned, the Bok Choy had a delicious balance of ginger, garlic, sesame, and soy, and the Lamb Naan Pizza was packed with flavor. For entrées, both the Steak and the Thai Red Curry Salmon were cooked beautifully and complemented the cocktail experience perfectly. The atmosphere ties everything together with an intimate speakeasy vibe that's perfect for date night, catching up with friends, or celebrating a special occasion. If you're someone who appreciates creative cocktails, immersive dining experiences, and hidden gems, Bar 86 is absolutely worth a visit. I can't wait to come back and see what theme they create next!

We stopped by for drinks and apps while exploring Old Town. They have two levels I think -…read moredownstairs is their restaurant for proper dining (Thai Signature, if I am not wrong) and upstairs is more like a cafe/lounge. The upstairs decor is very charming and whimsical and reminiscent of Alice in Wonderful. For drinks, we got the Mango Sticky Rice (Planteray 3 Star, Coconut Rum, Junmai Sake, Toasted coconut, Mango, Yuzu) and the Alice (Roku Gin, Elderflower Liqueur, Lychee Liqueur, Butterfly pea, Yuzu, Egg white). My first assumption on entering the bar was that "instagrammable" places like this are usually a gimmick - but I was so wrong. The drinks were very boozy, aesthetically pleasing and tasted fantastic. Their food menu also looked so good so we also decided to get a couple of apps to accompany our drinks. We got the Shrimp Dumpling (steamed shrimp and chicken dumplings served with homemade creamy ginger lemon soy sauce) and Curry Puff (chicken, sweet potato, shallot in the rice dough served with sweet chili peanut dipping sauce) and I am so mad at myself for not ordering more food here (we had lunch reservation elsewhere). The presentation was spot on, portions were generous and everything was super flavorful - the curry puffs tasted like Indian Samosas! The woman attending us was very sweet and pleasant. Would definitely return for more food and drinks, not too far from DC so maybe one of my next DC trips will drag me here!

Alice Comfort Cocktail is such a hidden gem in Old Town. If you're looking for a fun, slightly…read morewhimsical vibe with cute decor, solid food, and really well-made cocktails, this is definitely the spot. Just a heads up though the space is pretty small so I'd recommend making a reservation. The bar itself only has like 3-4 seats. I tried the shrimp dumplings, crab rangoon, and bang bang shrimp, and had the litchi cocktail with it--everything was honestly so good. Really glad I stumbled across this place and I'll definitely be back to try more of the menu.

I absolutely love King's Ransom! The atmosphere is really dope. It is definitely hard to find as it…read moreis in a pizza shop. I went there with one of my friends and we really enjoyed ourselves. It is a nice quiet, hidden speak easy with great vibes. The service was impeccable. The bartender was very friendly and attentive. She gave great suggestions for drinks. We decided on a sour. Which was whisky, lemon, and honey. It was perfectly mixed and served. I also tried the Toki Highball which was excellent. It was rich in flavor and not too strong. If you are really into Whisky King's Ransom needs to be on your list to visit. Unfortunately, we did not order food but the couple next to us ordered the pizza and fries and it looked delicious. The ambiance was great. Its a little upscale with dark lighting. The raised bar and lighting add to the unique experience. This bar is great for date night or just a night out with friends in Alexandria, Va. If you are in the area check it out...you won't be disappointed. Cheers!

My friend and I were looking for a quick bar to slip into around 10-11 PM and stumbled across this…read morespot. It's not too far from the waterfront, so it made for a nice walk after gelato. At first, you'll see what looks like just a pizza shop -- but if you head in and either use the side door or walk through and climb a set of stairs, you'll find the speakeasy upstairs. Very cool vibe: dark, cozy, and date-night ready. Drinks: 4/5 I ordered their take on an Old Fashioned, and it was definitely the highlight of the night but sweeter than I would have liked. They served it over a stamped solid block of ice (a small detail I ). My friend was abstaining from alcohol that night and asked for a non-alcoholic cocktail. To our surprise, they didn't just hand her a lemonade like most places -- they actually made her a crafted virgin drink, which she loved. Food: 3/5 We ordered fries and a slice of pepperoni pizza. The fries turned out to be waffle fries (not mentioned on the menu) and were overly crispy, so not really our favorite. The pizza was fine -- clearly sourced from the shop downstairs -- but it leaned oily and didn't really wow us. Service: 5/5 Pretty standard -- nothing over the top, but not neglectful either. Drinks came out reasonably fast, food followed, and we were checked on enough without it feeling pushy. Vibes: 4/5 The speakeasy itself is definitely the selling point. Dark, intimate, and stylish -- you feel like you've found a little hidden spot. All in all, the cocktails are the reason to come, especially if you're into whiskey. The food was forgettable, but it's convenient that you can order pizza upstairs. We spent about $30-40 for drinks and snacks, which isn't shocking for Old Town. Would I go back? Maybe if I was already in the area, but for a dedicated whiskey night, I'd probably head somewhere else.

Had another really good dinner at Laporta's. We come here pretty regularly and had such a nice…read morenight. We started with the Mussels Verde and they were excellent. My dining partner had the scallop special and the scallops were seriously huge and perfectly seared. The mashed potatoes with chives that came with them were delicious too. I had the Tutte di Mare and the shrimp and clams were cooked perfectly. I started with a dirty martini and I'm not exaggerating when I say it was one of the best I've had. We also split a bottle of Stags' Leap Chardonnay, which was very reasonably priced for a restaurant. Edonis was our server and he was wonderful. Very personable, knew when to check on us without constantly checking on us, and made the evening fun. The live music was great too and is always such a nice part of having dinner there. And definitely save room for dessert. They're made fresh and worth it. Just a really good night all around.

This restaurant is amazing!…read more My cousin and I visited this restaurant but for a performance first. Let me first say that, I assume, upon ticket purchase parking is free (validated at the front hostess space) and walked in about 20 minutes before the start. I say I assume because as I'm not sure if that is just for performance customers or both the general restaurant seating/tables. There are 2-sides to the space, to give a visual. The performance itself was great - 'Tygressa Sings Natalie' was amazing all night! Additionally, the service was great as well. Although the singing was occurring and the band was playing, the servers had no issue or delay in bringing items, food or just asking if you were okay. From start to finish. I ordered the painkiller (drink), calamari and pork belly to share, and the chicken fettuccine as my main course - and omg. It's been 2 days and I'm still thinking about that pasta that I reheated when I got home and ate in the middle of the night - .....that good.....

I liked the beer, but I did find the QR code aspect a little hard to deal with, especially since my…read moreservice was struggling in this area, but the staff insisted I use the QR code, so ordering took some time for me. Vibes were alright in my opinion.

We came here on a Wednesday evening, maybe 8pm. We saw some good reviews so we thought we'd try it…read moreout for the first time. It's a great little outdoor 'beer garden' that actually is quite large once we realized there was an entire section that wasn't being used where it looks as though they may have live music/entertainment from time to time. They had lots of seating options including high tops, picnic tables, and smaller tables. They are dog friendly which our pup was very happy about. We had a couple of local beers which were really good and shared their wings. We couldn't resist trying their KC BBQ smoked wings since I lived in KC for 17 years just before moving to the DMV. And I have to say, they were DELICIOUS! It was a pretty slow and laidback night for them I'm guessing, only 5 or 6 tables full, but it was just what we were looking for on a weeknight, out.

So this place is...quirky. Whether you enjoy it will depend on whether you embrace that going in…read more It gives immediate NoLa vibes. I went in expecting a place that specializes in chocolate and deserts. Turns out that's not really accurate. The environment is sensual and fantastical and beautiful, but this is really a bar and coffee shop that also sells boxed chocolates. Their actual menu had one chocolate item, a cake, which they were put of when I came. I learned they were out of the chocolate cake only after I ordered a cab sauv to go with chocolate cake, so I ended up spending an additional $30 on packaged chocolates to go with my wine and that I didn't really care for. Likewise I was not thrilled with the brioche grilled cheese small plate. It said it was a trio of mini grilled cheeses served with a soup shot for $12. So I was expecting tomato soup and three little grilled cheeses wither on mini slider buns or cut like tea sandwiches. Oh no. These were Itty bitty little toasts and the soup shot was...French onion? French onion is made with beef broth and I don't eat meat so my friend tried it and did not like it. The toasts were...miniscule. And a little burned (because small things burn). I would rather just have a real grilled cheese. We also got fries, which were fine. The cocktails however - delightful. I saw cocktails going out to other people. Gorgeous. The garnishes were a delight. My friend got a bees knees garnished with a spray of lavender and he lit it on fire. I didn't know you could just burn lavender like that and it smelled INCREDIBLE. New life hack. The space is really small. It filled up when we were there. It was my friend and me, one woman reading, and then a largeparty that felt they could kind of take the place over and they weren't being loud or rambunctious per se but because they felt the liberty to kind of inhabit the small space and take over the room it got loud and we could hear their whole conversation. Likewise, we only had one server working the whole space so he was doing cocktails, coffee, food, the cash register...he was clearly overwhelmed. Not doing a bad job, he was hustling, but it was just too much for one person and I feel like they need two people there if it's busy. Maybe this large party was atypical for a monday afternoon. I still give it 4 stars because the cocktails are fantastic, the space is beautiful, I love the concept and the kitschiness and IYKYK of it, and I also see its potential as a gorgeous sexy little cocktail bar and coffee place when it is more chill. It would easily get a 5th star from me if they reworked a few of the small plates, added more chocolate to the menu itself, and made sure they were staffed more for rushes. Maybe on weekends they are, dunno.

Me, high collar, with fascinating bourbon cocktail. Her, red raincoat and hat, martini. Slide note…read moreacross the bar, code-words exchanged to authenticate our contact, and mission accomplished. The Parlour Spy Lounge experience.

We ended our date night at this speakeasy bar inside the hotel and were pleasantly surprised to…read morefind it was a Home Alone pop-up on its very last night. As a big Home Alone fan, I was instantly obsessed with the festive, nostalgic vibe. Our server, Cassie, was amazing. She was warm, welcoming, and personable, gave great drink recommendations, and even let me take home a few pop-up pieces since it was the final night. Such a fun and memorable way to end the evening and a great date-night choice. I cannot wait to see what pop-up Francis Hall does next. Highly recommend.

After going to the Good Fortune rooftop bar (in the same hotel) on a date, we stumbled upon a sign…read morefor Francis Hall. Quite curious as to what it was, we walked down the back alley to find said location. I will say the directions were lacking and it took us about 10minutes to find exactly where it was at, but it sure was worth it. Quick side note:The bar is smaller and could only seat about 20-25 at any given time with tables really only made for 2, so don't plan to bring large parties here. But We absolutely loved it. It was decorated very lovely with fantastic cherry blossom accents! It had a very awesome menu that paid homage To its founding bar tender and the local area! It is definitely has a "sexy" night out on the town kind of vibe to it, which makes it great for a place to stop in after a nice dinner with friends and to keep the evening going! The bartender was very knowledgeable of all the drinks on the menu as well, as being very friendly and engaging with all the patrons in the bar! An overall great experience and look forward to making this my new go to spot whenever I'm in Old town Alexandria

(2 out of 5 stars)…read more This is a difficult review to write because the Sonoma Cellar used to be one of my favorite spots in Old Town Alexandria. I was aware the ownership had changed some time ago, but this was my first opportunity to return and see how things had kind of evolved. The good news is that they are pet friendly, which allowed us to bring our puppy, Chewie. Unfortunately, the rest of the experience was disappointing. The service was painfully, excruciatingly slow. The staff members were polite though, and genuinely trying to help, but they simply appeared unprepared. When we asked for recommendations or information related to the wines, we received very little guidance. One gentleman eventually admitted that he was just filling in and didn't really know the wines at all. Understandable, but not the experience I was going for. The water bottle for the table served to us was room temperature, which felt odd, especially on a hot day while sitting outdoors. The wine tasting was a major disappointment compared to what Sonoma Cellar used to offer, and the overall wine selection appeared to me at least, noticeably smaller than I remembered. I was also disappointed to discover that Sonoma Cellar has adopted the increasingly common practice of adding a 3% credit card surcharge. I didn't notice any clear disclosure beforehand, and these types of fees always leave a bad impression. I know I'm a bit picky with those, but still. The establishment was likely dealing with staffing issues on the day we visited, but the overall experience felt like a shadow of what this place used to be. What used to be one of my favorite wine stops in Old Town has clearly diminished in both service and selection. We left disappointed and, sadly, don't expect to return. Chewie agreed.

We came here on a Saturday and don't believe we had a reservation. In Old Town Alexandria so there…read moreis some street parking and garages around. We ended up sitting outside in a cute courtyard but service was a little intermittent being outside. I ordered the Apple Cider Mimosa which was delicious age my friend ordered a flight. Wine was pretty good as well. We did end up ordering some food. It was still in the brunch time frame so my friend ordered a BLT breakfast sandwich. I ordered the Pimento Cheese Dip. The BLT was interesting. Cheese dip was good. I think i would come back and try the rest of the menu. Cute spot to hangout at.