Our Washingtonian Recommends lists bring you the best places to eat, drink, and be entertained—all selected by Washingtonian editors.
Menus subject to change.
Biergarten Haus
While the craft-beer renaissance has brought scores of good brew bars to town, this one has something the rest lack: a spacious year-round patio with an outside bar, occasional live music, and long, communal hardwood tables perfect for making new friends. The knowledgeable bartenders will guide you through the 20 tongue-twisting German beers available by bottle and draft. And bread, mustard, and cheese have never seemed like such an inspired combination as they do in Biergarten Haus’s pretzel rolls, an excellent drinking snack.
1355 H St., NE; 202-388-4053.
Copycat Co.
Dumplings and daiquiris come together at this cocktail bar, which dishes up Chinese street snacks alongside creative cocktails from a team of bar industry vets (owner Devin Gong comes from Barmini). Head to the dimly-lit, second-floor for a frequently-changing drink menu—past themes have included tiki classics or smashes—or check out the back patio, lined with picnic tables for quaffing beers and digging into the kitchen’s array of pot stickers, skewers, and bao buns.
1110 H St., NE; 202-241-1952.
H Street Country Club
Yes, this tongue-in-cheek prepster bar has skeeball, shuffleboard, margaritas, and comfy booths. But the real draw awaits upstairs: a quirky nine-hole putt-putt golf course ($7 per person) with only-in-Washington obstacles such as the National Cathedral, K Street lawyers made of Legos, and Ben’s Chili Bowl. If you have to wait for your tee time, you can enjoy the Tex-Mex menu at the downstairs bar.
1335 H St., NE; 202-399-4722.
Little Miss Whiskey’s Golden Dollar
Behind the unmarked door of this two-story bar, the eclectic decor includes walls covered in fleurs-de-lis and lion crests. Upstairs, bar hoppers can get close in the comfortable lounge or let their hair down on the adjacent dance floor, where it’s not unusual to see a deejay bust a move with the fun-loving crowd. Wednesday nights alternate between costumed karaoke and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, an ’80s dance party. Cash only.
1104 H St., NE.
This article appears in our Washingtonian Welcome Guide.
