Over the next few minutes we will be taking a deep dive into drinking at the best bars in Washington DC. From a tall glass of beer and a shot of vodka to local drink specials and singing karaoke we are going to try and cover it all.
The best wine and cocktail bars near you will get the ball rolling. Once they have been discussed in full breweries and sports bars to watch the big game or maybe play some pool and throw some darts will get a shout out.
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Those who want to get the party started right after work or just buy some cheaper drinks will learn about the best drink specials in your area next. After they are out of the way we will move on to bars with trivia, quiz, and/or game nights around town.
Bars for dancing, karaoke, and to listen to live music will wrap this all up. Be sure to check out our Washington DC bar map that has every place we mention throughout the post pinned on it.
And you are all welcome to compare the scene here to other cities around the Northeast at that link if you want.
Cocktail & Wine Bars
Many would agree that the best Washington DC cocktail and wine bars are:
- The Pursuit Wine Bar & Kitchen at 1025 H St NE
- Flight Wine Bar at 777 6th St NW
- Barcelona Wine Bar at 1622 14th St NW
- Brut Champagne & Wine Bar at 118 S Royal St, Alexandria
- Bastille Brasserie & Bar at 606 N Fayette St, Alexandria
- Locavino at 8519 Fenton St, Silver Spring
The Pursuit Wine Bar and Kitchen offers alcoholic drink specials in your area from 4pm to 6pm Monday through Thursday.
Flight Wine Bar has a comprehensive selection of worldwide wines. An award winning range of wines from Spain and South America are offered at Barcelona Wine Bar who has some good local drink specials on weekdays.
Brut hosts tasting events and workshops and provides daily drink specials in Alexandria along with wines, coffees, and light meals.
Modern French cuisine and international wines as well as drink specials from 4pm to 6pm are available at Bastille Brasserie and Bar Tuesday through Saturday.
Washington DC Breweries & Sports Bars
You and your buddies will have a great time watching the big game at these local sports bars and breweries:
- The Lucky Bar at 1221 Connecticut Ave NW
- The Midlands Beer Garden at 3333 Georgia Ave NW
- Walter’s Sports Bar at 10 N St SE
- Astro Beer Hall at 1306 G St NW
- Ramparts Tavern & Grill at 1700 Fern St, Alexandria
- Beer on Tapz at 19520 Waters Rd #2, Germantown
- Silver Branch Brewing Company at 8401 Colesville Rd #150, Silver Spring
The Lucky Bar provides great drink discounts, dance nights, and pub fare and is definitely a favorite hangout for soccer fans. 15 TV’s, picnic tables, and an asphalt garden can be found at The Midlands.
Walter’s is a great sports bar near you that is open from 11am to 2am Monday through Thursday and until 3am on Friday and Saturday offering 24 self-pour draft beers and 30 TV’s for all sporting events.
Astro Beer Hall is one of the best spots to go for drink specials and sporting events on flatscreen TV’s.
Local microbrews and pub fare are served from 11am to 11:30pm at ramparts Tavern and Grill.
Beer on Tapz provides 20 tap beers, 8 tap wines, and over 500 beer varieties in Germantown from 10am to 10pm Sunday through Thursday, until 12am on Friday, and until 11pm on Saturday. European and American influenced beers are sold at Silver Branch Brewing Company.
Local Drink Specials
There are plenty of good bars with drink specials in your area and you can get great value if you time your visit properly:
- Bar Charley at 1825 18th St NW
- Union Pub at 201 Massachusetts Ave NE
- Froggy Bottom Pub at 2021 K St NW
- Shooter McGee’s at 5239 Duke St, Alexandria
- Senor Tequila’s at 20021 Century Blvd, Germantown
- Quarry House Tavern at 8401 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring
Bar Charley offers bottomless brunch, drink specials, and steak discounts. Daily liquor specials near you are available from 4pm to 7pm at Union Pub as well as an extensive craft beer list and multiple TV screens until 12am.
Froggy Bottom Pub has double drink specials six days a week. Shooter McGee’s features outdoor seating and provides a large selection of beers, and American pub fare every day from 11am to 11:30pm as well as daily drink specials.
Senor Tequila’s serves typical Mexican cuisine and a range of margaritas with happy hours from 3pm to 6pm Monday through Friday. Pub grub, a vintage jukebox, and daily drink specials in Silver Spring from 4pm to 2am are all available at Quarry House Tavern.
Some other places that are known to be good spots buy cheaper drinks in your area from other lists during their happy hours include The Pursuit Wine Bar and Kitchen, Barcelona Wine Bar, Brut, Bastille Brasserie and Bar, Astro Beer Hall, and Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub.
Trivia, Quiz & Game Nights
Check out this list of bars with trivia, quiz, and game nights near you:
- Solly’s at 1942 11th St NW
- Kingfisher at 1414 14th St NW
- Looking Glass Lounge at 3634 Georgia Ave NW
- Stoney’s on P St at 1433 P St NW
- Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub at 713 King St, Alexandria
- Doc Waters Cidery at 22529 Wildcat Rd, Germantown
- The 4 Corners Pub at 10111 Sutherland Rd, Silver Spring
Solly’s makes affordable beverages and pub food and even hosts events ranging from music to local bar trivia. Every Tuesday at 8pm Kingfisher hosts trivia nights in an industrial chic space.
Open mic’s, bingo, and quiz nights all go down at Looking Glass Lounge which is open from 5pm to 2am on weekdays and from 11am on weekends.
Bar trivia near you is hosted starting at 8pm every Wednesday nights at Stoney’s on P St where microbrews, small plates, grilled cheese sandwiches, and plenty more are served from 11am to 2am Sunday through Thursday and until 3am on Friday and Saturday.
Classic cuisine, beers, and daily drink specials as well as trivia on Tuesday nights are all available at Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub. Doc Waters Cidery is known for its ciders that are brewed using local apples as well as trivia in Germantown every Friday nights starting at 7pm.
Quiz evenings are hosted starting at 7:30pm at The 4 Corners Pub where they also offer American fare and beers on tap seven days a week.
Dance, Karaoke, & Live Music
Dance, listen to live music, or sing karaoke at these fun bars around town:
- Recessions Bar & Grill at 1823 L St NW
- Little Miss Whiskey’s Golden Dollar at 1104 H St NE
- DC9 Nightclub at 1940 9th St NW
- Bayou Room at 219 King St, Alexandria
Recessions Bar and Grill is a solid option for large beers, pub fare, pool tables, and bar karaoke nights in Washington DC. Little Miss Whiskey’s Golden Dollar features a large selection of beers, DJ performances, dance nights on Friday and Saturday, and New Orleans Saints games on TV.
DC9 Nightclub is a three story hipster hotspot with a rooftop terrace that hosts dance events. From 4:30pm to 2am you can visit Bayou Room who offers live music, DJ performances, and drinks.
By the way we have also covered our favorite:
Have Fun Drinking At The Best Bars In Washington DC
There are plenty of local wine and cocktail bars, breweries to watch sports at, places with good drink specials to save money, trivia, quiz, and game nights, as well as bars to listen to live music, dance, and sing karaoke near you. Hopefully we were able to fill you in on some valuable info that will make your next night out a little better.
Please use the comments to let us know if any spots have closed down or if any new cool places have opened up in your area so that we can keep our lists fresh. Now go have fun drinking at the best bars in Washington DC.