Washington DC
Polished, precise, civilised. Washington Dc's best hotel-bar drinking — picked for craft, not concierge buzz.
Downtown · $$$$
Quill at The Jefferson Hotel draws a steady local crowd in Downtown. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Downtown · $$$$
The Greenhouse Bar at Jefferson draws a steady local crowd in Downtown. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Foggy Bottom · $$$$
Top of the Gate at Watergate Hotel draws a steady local crowd in Foggy Bottom. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the ev
Downtown · $$$$
Allegory at Eaton Hotel draws a steady local crowd in Downtown. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
U Street · $$$
El Techo Rooftop draws a steady local crowd in U Street. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
after votes. Sit at the bar rather than a table if you can. The conversation with whoever is pouring is usually worth it.</p> <div class="pull-quote"> <p>"One block from the White House · $$$
Descend the stairs beneath Hotel Washington and you enter one of the District's best-kept secrets. Off the Record sits one level below street level, just a sing
The Wharf · $$$
The Anthem Bar draws a steady local crowd in The Wharf. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
City centre · $$$
The Imperial is the Adams Morgan British-themed pub-and-cocktail-bar — wood paneling, Edwardian fittings, a 100+ tap programme covering British cask, German pil
Shaw · $$$
The Passenger draws a steady local crowd in Shaw. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Penn Quarter · $$$$
The Source by Wolfgang Puck draws a steady local crowd in Penn Quarter. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Hotel bars solve specific problems. You need a bar near your room. You need somewhere quiet to take a meeting. You want the drink right the first time and you don't want to negotiate a wait. Every recommendation below clears those three bars. Most are open to non-guests; we've flagged any that aren't.
Best for: business travellers, late-checkout drinks, hotel-room negotiations made civilised, anniversaries that deserve a hotel jacket. Pricing skews higher than the city average — that's the trade. The rooms below justify it.
Civilised, polished, not pretending to be a club. Pick by neighbourhood and proximity to where you're sleeping.
Looking beyond Washington Dc? See our guide to the best hotel bars worldwide, or compare hotel bars city by city.