Welcome back to round three of the Summer Drinking Showdown! Yesterday was an exciting one for beer garden fans, as Biergarten Haus went keg-to-keg with Bardo Brewpub. The latter emerged victorious, and will take on POV Lounge in the quarterfinals.
Today’s boozy matchup is between two bars with loyal regulars. The laid-back rooftop of 1905 Bistro & Bar is no longer a secret, though there’s a reason we named it the “Best Uncrowded Rooftop Bar” in this year’s Best of Washington issue. That’s not to say it’s never packed, but we’ve enjoyed many evenings sipping gin-and-tonics and snacking on deviled eggs without feeling suffocated (or old).
Going up against the Shaw hangout is another favorite: Garden District (née the Standard). Though this urban beer garden is the see-and-be-seen al fresco spot on 14th Street, it lacks pretension. Boots of beer, smoked meats, and freshly-fried cinnamon doughnuts guarantee a crowd, but a fun one looking to feast, drink, and dig into the occasional barbecued pig’s head.
So which bar does the outdoors better? Vote now.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
