Washington DC Dive Bar Guide

Drinks for a city that could probably use a few

Densely packed and endlessly unique, DC's neighborhoods offer extensive dive bar variations
Painted Lady Lounge - Detroit Dive Bar - Interior
Dew Drop Inn

Few cities need a drink quite like Washington DC, the patchwork of dive bars throughout the city a required respite from the very real…everything going on throughout the district. And while dive bars don’t cure all problems, DC’s dive bar inventory makes the pursuit of that determination a worthwhile activity.

It is impossible to discuss Washington DC dive bars without first mentioning Dan’s Cafe, a building that looks like it might have been condemned years ago that serves its drinks in a squeeze bottle with accompanying shot glass. Prices have increased over the years and some debate exists over whether this dive has been overrun by experience-seeking hipsters, but Dan’s Cafe cannot be missed.

Husband & wife co-owners Matthew McGovern and Rose Donna have opened two of the city’s best dive-adjacent new entrants to DC’s drink scene in The Wonderland Ballroom and Dew Drop Inn, two great options combining a low-frills atmosphere with affordable pricing by DC standards. And in the great dive bar tradition of contradictory naming conventions, Raven Grill holds the city’s oldest liquor license and despite its name serves no food.

The selections below span a number of DC’s unique and densely-packed neighborhoods, each divey drinking option offering something unique and reflective of the micro-community it serves.

Dive Bar Map

Our Washington DC Dive Bar Recommendations

While we’ve done our fair share of drinking, we haven’t yet hit every Washington DC Dive Bar. The recommendations below are sorted into tiers to help guide your choices depending on how much time you have to explore Washington DC. Where we’ve reviewed a location, a score is given.

SFG Reviews

We’ve been lucky enough to visit the locations below in Washington DC. Each location includes a full review and SFG score to help you decide on how to prioritize your travels.

Dew Drop Inn

SFG Rating: 9 out of 10
Wedged into an ex-brewery on the edge of train tracks, Dew Drop feels old beyond its years.

The Wonderland Ballroom

SFG Rating: 9 out of 10
Part gastropub, part dive bar feels like a difficult line to walk but Wonderland does just that.

Raven Grill

SFG Rating: 8 out of 10
The oldest liquor license in the city and home to little more than potato chips (there is no grill).

SFG Recommendations

We have not yet been lucky enough to visit the Washington DC options below, but research, word of mouth and reader submissions have led us to recommend these must-visit options.

Dan's Cafe

What better DC dive bar experience than enjoying a mixer, a squeeze bottle and your thoughts.
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Madam's Organ

"Where beautiful people go to get ugly" is hard to beat as dive bar slogans go.
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Quarry House Tavern

A deep whiskey list & impeccable tater tots below ground in Silver Springs.
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The Pug

No drink specials, no 'bomb' shots and no discussion of politics is a worthy set of house rules.
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Trusty's Full Serve

Affectionately referred to as the Bus Bar because, well, it lives a divey bus theme across two levels.
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Other Options

Below you’ll find the truly deep cuts, gems in waiting that we have not yet been able to visit. Let us know if you find a particularly potent destination.

Atomic Billiards

3427 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
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Ivy and Coney

1537 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
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Jackie Lee's

116 Kennedy St NW, Washington, DC 20011
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Jackpot

726 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
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Jimmy Valentine's Lonely Hearts Club

1103 Bladensburg Rd NE, Washington, DC 20002
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JV’s Restaurant

6666 Arlington Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22042
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Kelly's Irish Times

14 F St NW, Washington, DC 20001
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Last Call Bar

1301-A 4th St NE, Washington, DC 20002
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Lyman's Tavern

3720 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20011
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Marshall's Bar

2524 L St NW, Washington, DC 20037
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Red Derby

3718 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010
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Rock It Grill

1319 King St, Alexandria, VA 22314
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Showtime Lounge

113 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001
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Solly's Tavern

1942 11th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
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Town Hall Liquor

8135 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD 20740
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Tune Inn

331 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20003
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What did we miss? Send along your ideas on the dives and neighborhood bars we need to visit next.