Dan's Cafe
2315 18th St. N.W.
Adams Morgan
Dan's might make you doubt your faith in humanity. Just a little. The boarded-up windows might make you think that this joint's been long closed, but inside you'll discover a weirdly crowded group of grizzled locals and brave hipsters clustered between pool tables. Avoid the crumbling bathrooms at all costs. Here's why you should go: For just a few bucks, you'll get a plastic bucket of ice, a can of Coke, a glass of rum, and an empty glass to mix it all yourself. The potential for stories goes through the roof once you have your very own bucket.
Big Hunt
South of Dupont Circle
1345 Connecticut Ave. N.W.
Pack your pith helmet and gird your liver. This hunting-themed bar pours an extensive variety of draft beers in its two long, dark storefronts. The food's surprisingly good here -- we recommend the hummus. Head upstairs to beat the crowds, but before you do, make sure you take a gander at the chandelier made out of fake tarantula legs.
The Raven Grill
3125 Mt. Pleasant Ave. N.W.
Mount Pleasant
Cash only, and no grilling (despite the name), although you can buy bags of Planter's peanuts and those bright orange cracker sandwich things. Pabst and Schlitz are the drinks of choice for those seeking ready irony, though there's also top-shelf liquor and some, er, classier beers. Jam your best buddies into a booth, crank up the jukebox and grab an ancient chess or Scrabble set. Bonus: best bathroom graffiti around.
The Saloon
1205 U St. N.W.
U Street Corridor
Located just a few steps from Ben's Chili Bowl, The Saloon rounds up a surly attitude and lackluster menu, but once you're stuffed with Ben's chili cheese fries, you might want a beer to wash it down. While the beer comes cheap, the mark-up on mixed drinks tends to deter non-beer drinkers. The place has a lot of weird rules, e.g, you can't order food AND drinks at the same time, but since Ben's is right there, why would you be ordering food here anyway?)
Also See:
Zoo Bar
3000 Connecticut Ave. N.W.
Woodley Park
Pharmacy Bar
2337 18th St. N.W.
Adams Morgan
Wonderland
Mount Pleasant
1101 Kenyon St. N.W.
The Library
3514 12th St. N.E.
Brookland
