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.

Met a local Alexandrian for a drink here. Glad I was told to go down stairs…read more Loved the vibe and ambiance. Service was excellent at the bar. I had to e Winter Orchard Martini and it was excellent!! I would love to reproduce at home but the explanation on how the ingredient spiced pear syrup was homemade was insufficient. Will return!

Have been here a handful of times and has been great every time! The drinks are incredible, the…read morebartenders work so hard to make everyone's drinks and they do it with a smile every time! The espresso martini with tequila is to die for. Will continue to come back here!

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.

We reserved a table for two during a recent weekend to try The Majestic's "Brunch & Bubbles"…read morethree-course meal with Champaign. Goodness, it was great! The staff were welcoming and helpful. Restrooms in the lower level have been updated. Everything was spotless, fresh and lovely. Our server, Tony allowed us to split a delicious salad with our meal. I recommend the Harvest Salad! The beverage, breads, salad and my smoked Salmon Benedict were beautifully plated, and spiced Mediterranean-style perfectly. We finished with a chocolate mousse parfait to-die-for! High recommendations!

Back again and it seems that their menu is a little thinner. Service at the bar is outstanding…read morewith great music. Went with the roasted lamb shank. It was delicious. Polenta with mascarpone cheese. I'm going steel that trick. Still a great place to eat with a really good bar.

On Monday nights O'shaughnessy's Pub hosts an open mic. There is a lot of good talent playing a…read morevariety of great songs. The musicians all seem to be quite friendly with each other and even jam out together after solo's. In particular, I would recommend trying to catch Stephen on the piano. He has a wonderful voice that fills the room with energy. He even had the whole room laughing with a few jokes. Pros: good music, pool tables and jukebox upstairs, nice staff Cons: not all artists and musicians are created equal.

Pool pricing is obscene.. $10 an hour. Bar tender upstairs has a crazy attitude problemread more

The People's Drug....a throwback to the 90s and decades before when this drugstore dominated the DC…read morelandscape. CVS bought them out. This was named in homage to the brand. Cool backstory huh? Anyhoo, met some friends for drinks here and it was fantastic. The People's Drug has been reimagined, with a general store, lunch counter style but a decidedly modern take on its offerings. Serving chef-driven gourmet sandwiches, locally-sourced bowls, and crafted cocktails, it's the perfect place for all manner of social indulgences. I spent $100 on drinks. I had a Negroni Incognito w/Italian Dill and a couple Old Fashioneds. We didn't order any food (although it looked good going by). Will definitely try some the next time. Limited street parking so I parked in the lot next door. Warning: the joint is kinda smallish with limited seating so beware depending on when you go! Good stuff.

Extremely small menu but hand crafted specialty cocktails. Although the cocktails are made by…read moretrained mixologist they were prettier than how they tasted. We stumbled upon this place and after looking at the menu must say it's bar food. Think burgers and wings. We ordered the wings and were told they are fried twice and double coated. They were wet and soggy in side. We ended up leaving g and after the waterfront we went to Bugsys to eat as they had more options.

Our Tuesday tradition when I'm visiting is to stop in at the bar for prime rib Tuesday. It's a…read moredeal at $20 and the right amount of prime rib, mashed potato and vegetable. Last night we easily found a seat at the bar. They have a great beer selection though the wine selection is a bit limited. We ordered a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. We ordered the prime rib medium rare and it came out perfectly. It came with a scoop of mashed potatoes, broccoli, au jus and creamy horseradish, enough for a good size meal. We ordered a side of bread which was more like very crispy toast which was ok. They have a daily happy hour and food specials that always sound great but so far we've stuck to Tuesday nights which is a great deal, consistently good and always hits the spot.

- Clean bar - Fun music trivia on Mondays!…read more- Attentive and kind service - Chicken wings are meaty (1/2 off on Mondays) but sauce it really loose and thin - Great flavorful ranch / blue cheese - not sure if it's in house? - Lots of options for beers

Came here on a Thursday night and the ambiance was beautiful. Luckily we came when it was still…read morenice out. It was great sitting with the waterfront view. Joel, our waiter, was absolutely amazing and super accommodating. He helped us make our selections and was always there to restock on water, checking up on us. We got the oysters, coconut shrimp, fish & chips, shrimp tacos, and broccoli. Everything was perfectly seasoned and so fresh. This is a 10/10. I neeeed to come back during HH for their $2 oysters!

Tuna tartare appetizer saved the table from a 45+ minute ticket turn time on Monday night…read more. grateful our server made the suggestion to get the appetizer for something quick as he knew the kitchen was getting full... not his fault about the timing but quick skills on suggesting the appetizer We got crab cakes which were perfection, full of meat and absolutely delicious and blackened salmon, also perfectly cooked and delicious. The one down fall, a mouse in the corner of the bricks above our table, an employee came to see what we were standing up looking at ensured they'd call the exterminator.

A solid 2 story Irish bar, we stopped in on a Saturday night to find the bottom bar packed so we…read moreheaded up stairs. There was some confusion on if it was still closed for a private event or not and staff at the front gave us conflicting info. Upstairs was a nice spot, bar is large and they have tables and bar tables. They have some TVs and an area for darts, even though its kind of right where patrons sit so drunk person playing darts could get ya. We started off with Guinnesses and they were tasty, they were just super cold, making it hard to do the new fad of splitting the G. Bartenders were solid and we ordered some potato skins and the jameson oysters to try. Both were pretty good, typical bar food but a nice take. Biggest negative was the restrooms upstairs - really need a facelift, pretty grungy and the mens bathroom was out of toilet paper, paper towels, and soap which is pretty gross.

Introduction to my Scrapbook series & health update to start Scrapbook series:…read more Starting a new Yelp series: Scrapbook series, stuff from Scrapbooks of my now 15 years living in the DC area. I'll have various # of reviews per year. I moved to Alexandria from Arizona on Saturday, October 15, 2011. As a 27 year old at the time and being new to town, I wanted to check out the bar scene in various places like DC, Clarendon, other areas of Arlington, & the city I lived in Alexandria, more specifically Old Town. My scrapbook series of reviews will likely go into 2027 (but I'll get some done from 8/31 to whenever things get bad for me) as I may not be getting much if any Yelp reviews done in October-November time range due to high dose chemo with stem cell replacement. You never imagine what life throws your way. Sure, I had various issues when I was kid, teen, & in 20's, but pails in comparison to 40's for me. In the 20's, job situation was unstable, dating/women drama, etc. But you never imagine that at 15 year anniversary of being in DC area having to do high dose chemo. My experience at Murphy's in October 2011 & beyond: When I lived in Alexandria, this was my #1 favorite & go to bar. I liked a good Irish pub over some club or some generic bar, although I enjoyed some of those to in my 20's. Murphy's staff was cordial here, and beer was good. They had some music at times and could be crowded on a weekend. My 1st weekend in the DC area was October 15-16, 2011, I was busy with moving & settling in and starting job on that Monday. Following weekend I explored DC amongst other fun things. On the 3rd weekend, Friday, October 28, 2011, I explored the Old Town Alexandria bar scene and stumbled across Murphy's Irish Pub. It was also Halloween weekend and there were some people in costumes. I got a chick's phone #. Her name was Adele, like the singer. Tried to get a date with her but never panned out as she claimed to be busy with whatever else. I went to Murphy's a few other times and always enjoyed. I included pic of the October 2011 receipt from my scrapbook. I'm going to take a pic of each thing from scrapbook as that'll take more time, but I had to include the first thing at the very least. All the stuff in for the 2011-2017 living in Virginia era businesses included are just receipts.

I don't make it out to Alexandria too often, but since it was a halfway point between a friend and…read moreme, it worked out perfectly. My friend chose Don Taco because it's one of his favorite spots, and he kept raving about how great the tacos were. And because really, you can't go wrong with chips, salsa, and drinks for a quick happy hour. The salsa which is not pictured had a great smoky kick, the tacos were very flavorful, fresh and hot. The host and waitress were very sweet, kind and attentive. The atmosphere was pretty cool, nothing to complain about. A lot of space, we sat upstairs which I enjoyed. Unfortunately, this place isn't handicap accessible so if you're unable to walk 2 flights of stairs this wouldn't be the a great option. Thank you Don Taco Staff

I visited after my yoga party, and one thing I really appreciated was that they were able to…read moreaccommodate our large group at the last minute. We had the entire upstairs area to ourselves, which made the experience even more enjoyable. The restaurant was clean, and I loved the mini fans placed throughout the space--perfect if you're feeling a little too warm or have enjoyed a few drinks! As for the service, it was a bit hit-or-miss. The young lady who took our orders was pleasant, but it took quite a while for drinks to come out. There were also several missing items from people's orders, which caused some frustration since those items had been ordered well in advance. Now, onto the food--the real star of the experience! Everyone in our group enjoyed their meals and had great things to say. I ordered a salmon taco, which I actually saved and ate the next day for lunch, and it was still delicious. The queso, however, wasn't a favorite among our group. On the other hand, the chips and salsa were a hit. The mocktails were excellent, and everyone seemed to enjoy their cocktails as well. Despite a few service hiccups, the food, drinks, and atmosphere made for a great experience. I would definitely visit again.