The last time Donald Trump was in the White House, his eponymous DC hotel was the go-to gathering place for anyone who was—or wanted to be—in his orbit. This time around, the hotel no longer carries Trump’s name—it’s become a Waldorf Astoria. So where will the incoming cabinet officials, White House staffers, and MAGA red-hatters hang out? We have some ideas:
The Big Board
421 H St., NE
This H Street burger bar became a right-wing darling during the pandemic for openly defying the city’s vaccine and mask mandates. Rand Paul and Thomas Massie were among the Republican members of Congress who made a point to stop by after the DC health department shut it down for violating Covid rules. (“I’m apolitical. Democrats come in here. Republicans come in here. Libertarians comes in here… This is a place where everyone’s always been welcome,” owner Eric Flannery told Fox News host Laura Ingraham at the time.) More recently, it’s been a recurring meet-up spot for the Washington, D.C. Young Republicans.
Cafe Milano
3251 Prospect St, NW
The Georgetown Italian establishment has been one of Washington’s quintessential “power” restaurants—catering to VIPs on both sides of the aisle—for more than three decades. In the early years of the last Trump administration, the New York Post dubbed it the “second White House cafeteria.” thanks to appearances by former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. We fully expect future cabinet secretary sightings at Cafe Milano to regularly show up in Politico Playbook.
The Capital Grille
601 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Ted Cruz and Steve Scalise are among the regulars of this Capitol Hill steakhouse, where Republicans outspent Democrats nearly 13 to one this past election cycle, according to campaign finance reports. “I don’t think that there’s another more Republican hangout than the Capital Grille—bar none,” says David Safavian, general counsel for the American Conservative Union and a longtime regular. As he explains the appeal: “Conservatives tend not to really care about the ‘foodie’ culture as much as Democrats do—we would rather just go have a good steak and a glass of wine.”
Dirty Water
816 H St., NE
The H Street sports bar is the rare watering hole in DC to publicly post its support of Trump. The bar co-hosted debate and election night watch parties with the Washington, D.C. Young Republicans: “I don’t really know where else I would go if I was a Republican and didn’t want to get overwhelmed with people cheering for Kamala,” owner Luke Casey, a registered Republican, said before the election.
RPM Italian
650 K St., NW
Bill Rancic, winner of the first season of The Apprentice, and his wife Giuliana Rancic are partners in the upscale Italian restaurant (operated by national hospitality group Lettuce Entertain You), and the entrepreneur is still singing the praises of Trump 20 years later. The political clientele already leans slightly right: Republicans outspent Democrats nearly two to one at RPM this past election cycle, according to campaign finance reports. The RNC made at least 20 fundraising disbursements there over the last two years.
Royal Sands Social Club
26 N St., SE
Trump has made Florida his home base and is already drawing heavily from the Sunshine State to fill his cabinet. Might the Mar-a-Lago crowd flock to DC’s only Florida-themed bar, which looks like a giant swimming pool? Especially one in Navy Yard, which has gained a reputation for attracting young Trump politicos? Co-owner Fritz Brogan is a former Republican political operative, who’s worked for Florida politicians like Rick Scott and Jeb Bush. Still, Brogan has always made a point to leave politics out of his establishments (including Tex-Mex spot Mission), which also have drawn prominent Democrats.
Shelly’s Back Room
1331 F St., NW
Ethan Lane, VP for Government Affairs at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, says this cigar bar was “massively popular” with Trumpland staff during the last administration. “For those of us that smoke cigars, I don’t think we ever were there more than we were in the four years of the Trump administration.”
Waldorf Astoria
1100 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
The Old Post Office Building used to be the MAGA hub in DC. While Trump’s name is no longer on the front, the hotel might still be a hangout for the same crowd out of old habit. A big difference now is that restaurateur José Andrés, an outspoken critic of Trump, has taken over the lobby restaurant with an outpost of the Bazaar. Even so, Republican lobbyist Mark Smith says he wouldn’t be surprised to find Trump himself return to the hotel as both a nostalgia and power move. “He wants to create more history and be seen,” Smith says.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
