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    The Sovereign

    4.0 (604 reviews)
    ModerateBelgian, Beer Bar
    Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

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    THE SOVEREIGN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Trendy
    Moderate noise
    Happy hour specials
    Good for kids

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    Happy hour bites
    Jimmy M.

    I always love this place, even if the food didn't knock me off my feet this time, it was still a nice time with quality service and good happy hour prices. We got the loaded fries, Belgian meatballs, bicky on a stick, and the best of which was the Brussels sprouts. We also ordered the bicky burger and sovereign burger which were both good but don't hit quite like the legendary leige waffle burger they used to have. (It may be on the brunch menu now. Beers were also good price with unique and classic options.

    Happy hour
    Isabel W.

    I only went for happy hour but I think it was great prices and lots of options. $6 wines and draft beers Monday through Friday. Also highly recommend the Brussels sprouts!

    Sooooooo many drafts
    John K.

    Fits its niche perfectly. This is a bar with an identity and it fills it. A spectacular selection of beers on tap, an environment that caters to a group a communal experience, and great food. If you are looking for a vibrant atmosphere this is a great spot. Multiple floors spread a crowd, yet the bartenders also know what they're doing. Anything from a Kreik to a Negroni, you can trust the pour.

    Carbonnade Flamande
    Michelle K.

    We had a great dinner here on new year's eve! Expansive beer menu. Excellent food. I really enjoyed the beef short rib - it was so moist and flavorful. And others in our party enjoyed the duck and steak frites. They also had a variety of mocktails and N.A. spirits which I enjoyed. Solid service and nice ambience for an evening out. Look forward to returning soon.

    bicky on a stick: pork & beef, nutmeg, corndog batter, bicky stick Happy hour= $6
    Trung N.

    It's surprisingly hard to find an easy breezy watering hole to catch your breath if you're unfamiliar with this area. So Sovereign, thank goodness, gave us the respite we desperately needed. We happen upon happy hour and shared the following snax: -petite loaded fries ($6): fries topped with beef, mushroom cream sauce, parmesan -Belgian meatballs ($6): witbier mustard cream -bicky on a stick ($6): pork & beef, nutmeg, corndog batter, bicky stick Happy hour runs Monday-Friday 5:00-6:30 - snacks and selected drinks are $6 bucks. To be honest, the snacks were snacking. While I didn't loveeeee the pork & beef sitch in the bicky stick (too soft for meeee), it was fine and satiating. The best thing I tried were the loaded fries which tasted something you'd find in a frozen Banquet meal. Again, fine and satiating. Sovereign is located off the main drag down an alley. If you're looking for a pit stop - this is your place.

    Bitterballen. Great & unique
    Heather N.

    Loved this place!! Stopped in for a drink & didn't want to leave! Our bartender was awesome, friendly & helpful. So knowledgeable and made recommendations and gave tastes of the really unique beers on tap. It's down an alley and really cool inside. Would definitely go back next time in Georgetown!!

    Katie W.

    Very much enjoyed their weekend brunch! They had a great menu with lots of classic brunch options though I decided to try some of their mussels, which were really good. Also enjoyed the cocktail selection--the baby it's cold outside was a delicious spiked, hot cider. It's a cute walk in down an alley off Wisconsin and a lovely vibe inside

    Justin M.

    Staff are very friendly, but service was extremely slow. Restaurant was pretty empty but food still took almost 40 minutes to come out. A lot of space inside, but lighting makes it feel a bit gloomy as well. FOOD: Chicken and waffles (6/10) - Fried chicken was okay but tasted slightly burnt. Waffles are much better.

    Mussels
    Kevin B.

    This is a great Belgian restaurant and one of the best that we visited on our trip to DC. It's tucked away on a side street and it feels cozy as soon as you enter it; the atmosphere and lighting is perfect and it reminded us a lot of places we visited in Belgium. We sat at the bar and tried a variety of beers, cocktails, and some amazing absinthe. The beer selection was fantastic with a large variety of Belgian styles, my wife loved her cocktails, and the absinthe is served in the traditional sense, which was a great experience for us. The food was also fantastic and we loved our steak frites and mussels. Service was also great and this is a fantastic restaurant all around!

    Brussel sprouts
    Daphne L.

    Loved the mussels! What a great find for shared plates and individual entrees. Restaurant entrance down a candlelight walkway off Wisconsin. Service is excellent and knows the extensive beer menu well.

    Wild Mushroom Risotto
    Angela L.

    The servers were very attentive to our large party! I liked my cocktail a lot -- I do have to say i prefer the apps more than my entree. My friends risotto had some combative flavors but it was still fine -- a lot of veggies!

    Starr D.

    Lively atmosphere. Rustic ambiance. Service was efficient but lack of warmth. Felt like they were short on service staff on the Saturday we visited. Cocktails were tasty. Food came out fast, delicious, and ingredients were fresh. Platings were beautiful. Noise level high. Bar vibe to the fullest. Don't recommend come with young kids. Good value . Price is comparable to the nearby businesses. Location is convenient. Walking distance to shops in Georgetown, DC Definitely recommend by IG@WineDinenVacay

    Taylor A.

    A gorgeous gem tucked off the main road, down a lil alley. Stopped in on a Saturday afternoon and snagged a seat at one of the larger high tops upstairs. Super homey interior with a great causal vibe. Ordered the beet salad with a side of fries -- I hear life is all about balance! The beet salad was very, very beet forward. If you're into that, then I highly recommend it! Fries weren't the best I've had but they were hot, fresh, and plentiful. Lots of beers to choose from so you can definitely spend hours here before you've tried them all. The staff isn't the most attentive, so I can't give a full five stars, but I'd definitely recommend stopping in!

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    14 days ago

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    3 months ago

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    4 months ago

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    7 months ago

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    1 month ago

    Great food and service. Wide selections of beers. Only challenge is finding the place at the end of an alley

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    11 months ago

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    7 months ago

    Really great bar. Happy hour deals are excellent ($6 for a cocktail?? Incredible). Cool music and friendly bartenders.

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    The Sovereign Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - The Sovereign

    Is this a 21 and over bar, or can anyone dine?

    It's more of a restaurant with a bar area, so anyone can dine!

    Planning on bringing an infant (6mos old, fussy - someone else was in charge of picking the restaurant) here this weekend - will this be an exercise in futility?

    The infant should be fine. The question is how fussy because if she is a crier then out of respect of others having dinner I would pass. The restaurant is not very big. I did see high chairs but those are for toddlers.

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    Stairs

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    We came in on a busy Saturday early-evening for drinks before dinner. The back room was…read more"reserved", but we were told to sit back there, given the size of our group and we sat nowhere near the party that was in there. The bartender in that area was friendly, but unhelpful, directing us to use the front room's bartender, even though she wasn't busy when we approached and asked for a couple of drinks. The bartender in the main room was great, he was very friendly and once he started a tab for me he said I could use the other bar too, I guess he wasn't aware the bartender at that other bar already told me she wouldn't help me. Regardless, the drinks we had were decent. For small bites, they only had gold fish crackers, I wish they would have had more to nosh on while drinking. Overall, not a bad visit.

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    The Crown & Crow - Oh my god it's full of stars!

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    The Bottom Line - Jerk Chicken w/ fries

    Jerk Chicken w/ fries

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    The Sovereign - belgian - Updated May 2026

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