Cocktail Bars in Washington DC
Washington's cocktail bars cover a lot of styles. Near Eastern Market, The Wells, a gin bar behind a green door, seats by reservation for a set time. barmini, José Andrés' cocktail lab beside minibar, lists more than 100 drinks, Bar Chinois, pairing Chinese food with French-inspired cocktails, won the RAMMY for Best Bar in 2024, and The Green Zone in Adams Morgan mixes Middle Eastern drinks. Denson Liquor Bar is down a flight of stairs on 6th Street. Jane Jane on 14th Street takes no reservations. These are the twenty-four we would start with.
★ TOP 10SPIRITEDSpeakeasyAllegory
Allegory is a cocktail bar behind a nondescript door in the library of the Eaton DC hotel on K Street. A mural by Erik Thor Sandberg spans the bar and retells Alice in Wonderland through the eyes of Ruby Bridges, the first Black child to desegregate the William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans in 1960. Each menu is built as an illustrated story; the current one, Banned in D.C., draws on censored art and literature. The bar won World's Best Cocktail Menu at the 2026 Spirited Awards and the Best Cocktail Menu Award from North America's 50 Best Bars in 2023 and 2026.
1201 K St NW, Washington, DC 20005Mon-Thu 5pm-11:30pm; Fri-Sat 5pm-1:30am; Closed SunFull profile
★ TOP 10SPIRITEDCocktail BarService Bar
The most unpretentious bar on any 50 Best list, and that is precisely the point. Ranked No. 39 on North America's 50 Best Bars 2026, Service Bar pairs Chad Spangler and Glendon Hartley's meticulously built cocktail program with gloriously crispy fried chicken and a playlist that tilts toward golden-era hip-hop. The drinks are structured around accessibility, carbonated Negronis, clarified milk punches, and a rotating roster of originals that reward repeat visits without alienating first-timers. The room seats about forty, the vibe runs late, and the U Street energy seeps through the walls. It won Best U.S. Bar Team at the 2026 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards for good reason, this crew operates like a unit. DC's most complete bar experience, full stop.
926 U St NW, Washington, DC 20001Tue-Thu 5pm-2am; Fri 5pm-3am; Sat 2pm-3am; Sun 4pm-2am; Closed MonFull profile
★ TOP 10NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail BarPress Club
A record bar meets cocktail lounge in a basement near Dupont Circle, Press Club blends the aesthetics of a 1970s listening room with a 1990s record shop and a thoroughly modern drinks program. Located on 19th Street NW, it offers vinyl-forward evenings where the playlist is as curated as the menu, guests can pull records from the shelves while sipping gin-and-tonic riffs and mezcal highballs. The space is warm, dimly lit, and deliberately analogue in an era of screens. Weeknight crowds skew industry; weekends pack the room to the door. A bar that understands atmosphere is not decoration, it is the entire proposition. It currently stands at No. 34 on North America's 50 Best Bars 2026.
1506 19th St NW, Washington, DC 20036Tue-Thu 5pm-12am; Fri 5pm-1am; Sat 2pm-1am; Closed Sun-MonFull profile
★ TOP 10NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTHotel BarSilver Lyan
The first bar outside Europe from Ryan 'Mr Lyan' Chetiyawardana, Silver Lyan opened in 2020 in the former bank vault on the lower level of the Riggs Washington DC hotel. The team's eclectic drinks nod to the classics with playful serves and modern techniques, a menu built around past and present taboos, where every drink carries a story or a personal connection. Hideaways include The Champagne Booth and The Cabinet, a restored vault room for larger parties, while Sunday Lyan brings monthly industry guest collaborations. Ranked No. 55 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2026.
900 F St NW, Washington, DC 20004Tue-Fri 5pm-late, Sat 4pm-late, Sun 5pm-11pm, closed MonFull profile- Amazonia★ TOP 10Rooftop Bar
Amazonia
Perched on the second floor above Causa, Amazonia brings Peruvian-inflected cocktails to Blagden Alley with a rooftop hideaway that functions as one of DC's best warm-weather drinking spots. The bar earned a 2025 Spirited Awards nomination and builds its program around pisco, Peruvian botanicals, and a collection of South American spirits rarely seen outside Lima. The Pisco Punch gets the proper treatment here, house-made pineapple gomme, fresh citrus, and a long stir over hand-cut ice. The interior is lush and tropical without crossing into tiki pastiche, and the kitchen sends out ceviches and anticuchos that pair cleanly with the drinks list. A bar that occupies its own lane in a city full of speakeasies.
920 Blagden Alley NW, 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20001Mon-Tue 5pm-11pm, Wed-Thu 5pm-12am, Fri 4pm-12am, Sat 3pm-12am, Sun 3pm-11pmFull profile 
★ TOP 10Cocktail BarBar Betsie
Bar Betsie calls itself a craft cocktail bar dressed in neighborhood bar clothing, a no-reservations room on 4th Street NE from the owners of Jane Jane, Jean Paul Sabatier, Drew Porterfield and Ralph Brabham. The menu credits its classics to their creators, a Gin Blossom to Julie Reiner, a Paper Lantern to Alex Howard, and runs house features like Good Soup, Cutty Sark with plum-infused apple brandy, Dolin Blanc, Zucca and smoked sloe, plus a shooters section with a minimum order of two.
1328 4th St NE, Washington, DC 20002Mon-Wed 5pm-12am; Thu 5pm-2am; Fri-Sat 2pm-2am; Sun 2pm-12amFull profile- Florería Atlántico★ TOP 10Cocktail Bar
Florería Atlántico
Behind a refrigerator door inside a working flower shop and Argentine wine boutique in Georgetown, Florería Atlántico brings one of Buenos Aires's most celebrated bars to Washington. Founder Renato Tato Giovannoni, whose original Florería Atlántico is a longtime fixture of the World's 50 Best Bars, co-founded the outpost and designed its beverage program, opening in September 2025 alongside the wood-fired sister restaurant Brasero Atlántico with Buenos Aires native Alex Resnik as operating partner. As in the original, the cocktails tell the stories of the immigrants who shaped Argentina, the wine list digs past Malbec into small Argentine producers, and seafood-forward small plates run late. Giovannoni is emphatic that this is not a speakeasy but a piece of Argentine heritage. In 2026 the bar was named a Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards Regional Top 10 Honoree for Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar in the U.S. East.
1066 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007Sun-Wed 4pm-1am, Thu-Sat 4pm-2amFull profile - Death & Co DC★ TOP 10PINNACLECocktail Bar
Death & Co DC
Taking over the hallowed ground of the former Columbia Room, Death & Co's Washington outpost occupies a beautifully designed space split between a marquee bar and The Garden, a lush patio that operates as its own venue on weekends. The menu carries the brand's hallmark precision, spirit-forward builds, balanced sours, and seasonal originals that reflect the DC palate, while the room avoids the reverential hush of some cocktail temples. Walk-ins are welcomed warmly, and the bartenders carry the institutional knowledge of the Death & Co training program without the New York attitude. A polished addition to Blagden Alley's growing authority as DC's cocktail epicenter.
124 Blagden Aly NW, Washington, DC 20001Mon-Wed 5pm-12am; Thu 5pm-1am; Fri-Sat 5pm-2am; Sun 3pm-10pmFull profile - barmini by José Andrés★ TOP 10Cocktail Bar
barmini by José Andrés
The cocktail laboratory adjacent to José Andrés' minibar takes the molecular approach and runs with it, foams, spherifications, liquid nitrogen, and a 100-plus cocktail menu that reads like an avant-garde art catalog. barmini operates under the Think Food Group umbrella but functions as a standalone cocktail destination, with bartenders trained in the same precision techniques that define the minibar kitchen. Signature serves include the Smoke & Mirrors, a whiskey cocktail presented under a glass cloche of applewood smoke. The design is sleek and futuristic, all white surfaces and LED accents, making it one of the more visually striking rooms in the city. Where culinary ambition meets the shaker.
501 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20004Tue-Sat 5pm-11:30pm; Closed Sun-MonFull profile - No GoodbyesHotel Bar
No Goodbyes
No Goodbyes is the bar, restaurant and coffee shop of The LINE DC in Adams Morgan, sourcing from Chesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic farmers, fishers and ranchers, with a cocktail program from veteran D.C. bartender Lukas B. Smith. The bar menu splits into old dogs and new tricks, a Black Walnut Old Fashioned on Wild Turkey 101 with foraged bitters on one side, house vermouth, genepy and falernum on the other, and a togetherness drink that serves four.
1770 Euclid St NW, Washington, DC 20009Mon-Thu 3pm-11pm; Fri 3pm-12am; Sat 10am-12am; Sun 10am-3pmFull profile - Your Only FriendCocktail Bar
Your Only Friend
Your Only Friend is a sandwich bar, the unification of a cocktail bar and a sandwich shop, opened in January 2024 by Paul Taylor and Sherra Kurtz, both formerly of Columbia Room. The cocktails run to a Clarified Orange Julius, a Clean Dirty Martini with clarified olive brine, and a Carb'd Marg of mezcal, Smirnoff Ice and Mountain Dew, with three spirit-free drinks alongside.
1114 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001Wed-Sat 11am-late; Sun 11am-11pm; Mon-Tue closedFull profile - The Fountain InnPINNACLEWhiskey Bar
The Fountain Inn
The Fountain Inn revives a Georgetown tavern first established in 1783 as a rare spirits tasting room, cocktail bar and restaurant on Wisconsin Avenue. Its spirits library of more than 650 bottles leans on American whiskey, and the cocktail list draws on historical recipes. Most nights the bar runs a guided Historic Cocktail Tour through American drinks from punch bowls to Prohibition, and the upstairs room is kept for private events.
1659 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007Tue-Wed 5pm-10pm, Thu 5pm-12am, Fri-Sat 4pm-1am, closed Sun-MonFull profile - The Green ZoneCocktail Bar
The Green Zone
A bar in Adams Morgan combining craft cocktails with Middle Eastern flavors, serving a dine-in food menu alongside. The name refers to the International Zone in Baghdad, and the owners describe it as a safe space for people to be themselves.
2226 18th St NW, 20009Tue-Thu 5pm-2am; Fri 5pm-3am; Sat 2pm-3am; Sun 2pm-2am; closed MondayFull profile - CanaCocktail Bar
Cana
Cana is a Brazilian caipirinha bar and boteco on 18th Street in Adams Morgan, opened in 2024. Caipirinhas and other cachaça drinks lead the list, and the kitchen grills picanha over charcoal alongside Brazilian bar snacks such as dadinho. Records are part of the room, with DJs playing Brazilian funk and samba from 10:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
2412 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009Tue-Wed 5pm-11pm, Thu 5pm-12am, Fri 5pm-1:30am, Sat 11am-3pm and 5pm-late, closed Sun-MonFull profile 
Cocktail BarAlegria
Alegria is a 26-seat Latin cocktail bar inside the Bryant Street Market food hall in Edgewood, opened in 2023 as an offshoot of 14th Street's Tequila and Mezcal. The list goes beyond margaritas to agave and Latin flavors such as hibiscus, tropical fruit and cacao, alongside Mexican beers on draft and in bottles. The team also runs cocktail classes and mobile bar service.
670 Rhode Island Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002Mon-Wed 3pm-11pm, Thu-Sun 12pm-12amFull profile
SpeakeasyDenson Liquor Bar
Denson Liquor Bar occupies the lower level of 600 F Street NW in Penn Quarter, reached by a staircase on 6th Street opposite the fire station. The art deco room pairs craft cocktails such as the Maltese Swift, a rye sour with blood orange, honey and egg white, with fine spirits and a full food menu served until 10:30pm. Booths can be reserved, while the bar and its high tops stay first come, first served.
600 F St NW, Lower Level, Washington, DC 20004Tue-Thu 4:30pm-1am, Fri-Sat 4:30pm-2am, closed Sun-MonFull profile- Bar ChinoisCocktail Bar
Bar Chinois
Bar Chinois opened in Mount Vernon Triangle in October 2021, pairing a Chinese kitchen with a French-inspired cocktail and wine program and plenty of Champagne. The drinks run from a Calvados daiquiri to the Big Pink, with tequila, creme de cassis and grapefruit soda, while the kitchen serves dumplings, red chili wontons and garlic noodles late every night. DJs play on busy nights, there is weekend brunch, and the bar won the RAMMY for Best Bar in 2024.
455 I St NW, Washington, DC 20001Mon-Fri 5pm-1am, Sat 11am-4pm and 5pm-2am, Sun 11am-4pm and 5pm-12amFull profile - Gold Clover BarCocktail Bar
Gold Clover Bar
Gold Clover Bar is a corner neighborhood bar on Florida Avenue NW, opened in April 2024 in the space that was the Truxton Inn from 2017 to 2023, by John Solomon and Neil Morgan of Solly's with Antoine Lyers running the bar. The room kept its predecessor's stained glass and dark wood, adds TVs for live sport and a patio outside, and plays a broad mix of music. Drinks run from beer and beer-and-shot pairings to classic cocktails such as a white Negroni.
251 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001Daily 5pm-2amFull profile - Jane JaneCocktail Bar
Jane Jane
Jane Jane is a classic cocktail bar on 14th Street NW, opened in 2021 by Jean Paul Sabatier, Drew Porterfield and Ralph Brabham, the team that later opened Bar Betsie. The menu is organized by spirit, with martinis and at least one Negroni variation always on the list beside house drinks, and a short menu of party snacks. The room is small, styled like a retro living room, and works on a first come, first served basis, with a golden hour from Monday to Thursday.
1705 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009Mon-Wed 5pm-12am, Thu 5pm-1am, Fri-Sat 2pm-2am, Sun 2pm-12amFull profile - L'AnnexeCocktail Bar
L'Annexe
L'Annexe is a European style corner cocktail bar on M Street in Georgetown, with a zinc-topped bar, a library-like front room and a back lounge lined with jars of house infusions. Many drinks are built on spirits infused in house, and a rotating selection of old fashioneds sits beside the signature list. Small plates such as mushroom sliders, charcuterie and a duck-fat bourbon brownie are served, and there is a small patio at the front.
2917 M St NW, Washington, DC 20007Tue-Thu 5pm-12am, Fri-Sat 5pm-1am, Sun 2pm-9pm, closed MonFull profile - McClellan's RetreatWhiskey Bar
McClellan's Retreat
McClellan's Retreat is a dim cocktail bar on Florida Avenue NW, named after the Civil War general George B. McClellan. It runs themed seasonal cocktail menus alongside barrel-aged drinks, its own single barrel selections and a long whiskey and spirits list, with snacks and provisions to go with them. Happy hour runs from 4pm to 6pm on weekdays, and bar manager Brian Nixon was voted best bartender in Washington City Paper's Best of DC.
2031 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009Mon-Thu 4pm-11:30pm, Fri-Sat 4pm-12:30am, closed Sun (temporarily)Full profile - OKPBSpeakeasy
OKPB
OKPB is a second-floor walk-up cocktail bar on Mount Pleasant Street with room for about 30 guests. It takes no reservations and seats parties of up to six from a wait list, and the bartenders work from a menu that changes often plus a bartender's choice option built around each guest's preferences. A weekday happy hour from 5pm to 7pm puts martinis, Manhattans, mules and Fitzgeralds at half price.
3165 Mount Pleasant St NW, Floor 2, Washington, DC 20010Mon-Tue 5pm-12am, Wed 5pm-10pm, Thu-Sat 5pm-12am, closed SunFull profile - ProvidenciaCocktail Bar
Providencia
Providencia is a 22-seat bar in an alley off H Street NE, opened in 2024 by Maketto's bar team Pedro Tobar and Daniel Gonzalez with chef Erik Bruner-Yang. The owners describe it as a love letter to the immigrant experience, and the drinks, listed as memories, draw on Taiwanese and Salvadoran flavors. A small kitchen menu runs until midnight, and the MICHELIN Guide added Providencia to its Washington selection in 2025.
1321 Linden Ct NE, Washington, DC 20002Tue-Sat 5pm-12am, closed Sun-MonFull profile - The WellsSpeakeasy
The Wells
The Wells is a gin bar near Eastern Market, set in a small 1920s Art Deco room with banquettes and low light, from restaurateur Hollis Silverman's group behind Duck and Peach and La Collina. The cocktail list is built on gin and changes with the seasons, with a selection of sipping gins from around the world and zero-proof drinks. Seating is by reservation for groups of one to four with a time limit, and snacks include caviar with potato chips.
727 C St SE, Washington, DC 20003Wed-Sat 5pm-11pm, closed Sun-TueFull profile
More of Washington DC
These are the cocktail bars specifically. The full Washington DC guide ranks the best bars of every style, and the directory lists all 30 with a map and filters.
