The Best Hotel Bars in Washington DC
Washington DC has 5 hotel bars in the BarMagazine directory, and Silver Lyan leads the pack. This guide covers the hotel bars specifically; the full Washington DC picture, all 16 bars of it, lives on the city page. Each listing is verified, with the address, opening hours and what to order.
★ TOP 10Hotel 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 North America's 50 Best Bars 2026.
900 F St NW, Washington, DC 20004Tue-Fri 5pm-late, Sat 4pm-late, Sun 5pm-11pm, closed MonFull profile- Allegory★ TOP 10Speakeasy
Allegory
Hidden behind an unmarked door in the Eaton Hotel's Radical Library, Allegory marries political consciousness with serious drink-making in a room draped in a sprawling mural that tells the story of American dissent. Ranked No.57 on North America's 50 Best Bars 2026 and winner of World's Best Cocktail Menu at the 2026 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, creative director Deke Dunne oversees a program that changes concepts entirely with each new menu, the current "Banned in DC" edition draws on censored art and literature. Cocktails are ambitious and flavor-forward, with presentations that veer theatrical without becoming gimmicky. The two-to-three-hour wait on weekends speaks for itself. A bar with something to say, and the liquid credentials to back it up.
1201 K St NW, Washington, DC 20005Mon-Thu 5pm-11:30pm; Fri-Sat 5pm-1:30am; Closed SunFull profile - Off the Record★ TOP 10Hotel Bar
Off the Record
Tucked beneath the Hay-Adams Hotel with direct sightlines to the White House, Off the Record is the power-drinking room of DC's political class, and it pours accordingly. The walls are lined with caricatures of presidents, senators, and Supreme Court justices, while the cocktail menu nods to the occupants of those portraits with drinks named after political scandals and policy debates. The bartenders, many of whom have poured here for decades, maintain a program that balances classic preparation with the kind of discreet, anticipatory service you would expect from a room where lobbyists close deals and journalists cultivate sources. Not the trendiest bar in DC, but arguably the most DC bar in DC. Washington's cocktail trajectory mirrors the city itself, ambitious, increasingly diverse, and no longer content to play second fiddle to New York. With Blagden Alley emerging as a genuine cocktail destination, global operators investing in the District, and homegrown bars continuing to earn national recognition, DC's bar scene is writing its own chapter. The next round of North America's 50 Best, revealing the top 50 on April 22, could well push the capital further up the rankings, and give visitors another reason to extend the trip beyond the monuments.
800 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20006Daily 11:30am-12amFull 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 - Round Robin BarHotel Bar
Round Robin Bar
Round Robin Bar is the historic bar of the Willard InterContinental on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC, established in 1847 and a meeting place for the city's political and social elite ever since. The room is known for its circular bar, oak-paneled walls with forest green accents, polished mahogany, leather seating and sketches of historic figures. Its signature drink is the Mint Julep, which, as the bar tells it, Senator Henry Clay introduced to Washington here. Classic cocktails and light bites make up the offer.
1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004Sun-Fri 4pm-12am; Sat 1pm-12amFull profile
More of Washington DC
These are the hotel bars specifically. The full Washington DC guide ranks the best bars of every style, and the directory lists all 16 with a map and filters.
Best bars in Washington DC