About DC Restaurant Openings
A guide to the newest places to eat and drink.
The Bit. 613 Pennsylvania Ave., SE.
The basement bar at Capitol Hill whiskey bar Barrel has had hosted many viral pop-ups over the years, from a PoliTiki revival to a Trump-Russia-themed spectacle. More recently, the subterranean space has been used primarily for private events and spillover seating. Now, owner Matt Weiss is ready to give the 32-seat bar a more permanent identity. It reopens today as The Bit, a speakeasy-style cocktail bar with velvety olive couches and martini service.
“More than anything, we want it to be nice, be comfortable, be cool, but not at all pretentious,” Weiss says.
Bartender Decker Beasley, who’s previously worked at Bresca and Service Bar, is behind the cocktail menu, which includes classics and some of his own creations ($15 to $22). The “Starting Gate” is basically the “charcuterie version of an old-fashioned” with toasted oat-infused rye whiskey, mustard demerara syrup, and a smoked blue cheese-stuffed fig. Meanwhile, “Garden Girls”—a tribute to Beasley’s sisters, who do floral work and landscaping—combines Hendricks gin, honeydew melon, lime, and chamomile ash salt.
The Bit also has a roving martini cart, from which patrons can build their own martinis with a selection of vodkas or gins, plus garnishes such as blue cheese olives, figs, and gibson onions. Barrel’s 400 whiskies are also available downstairs. The limited food menu includes snacks like smoked pigs in a blanket, melon with Tajín, or ice cream sandwiches.
Although the bar doesn’t really have an equestrian theme, the name is partially a reference to the mouthpieces that help riders guide their horses. Beasley’s grandfather was a jockey and some of his bits are on the walls, along with photos of old Hollywood stars drinking. Beasley says the name is also a reference to just “doing your own bit.”
Half of the bar will be saved for walk-ins, but reservations will also available on Resy.
Meanwhile, upstairs Barrel has launched its own new food and cocktail menus. Find riffs on classics, like a brown butter old-fashioned, along with a lineup of tiki drinks, including Barrel’s take on a Hurricane. New food options include a fried cod sandwich, biscuits and charcuterie, and sweet potato tots.
Happy hour runs from 4 to 7 PM Monday through Thursday and starts at 2 PM Friday with house bourbon or rye for $6.50 and other cocktails for less than $10. On Mondays, try a $10 “mystery happy meal” with a surprise beer, shot, and toy.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind DC’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.
