God this place looks like crap. I love it. Just come with low expectations and you'll be pleasantly surprised in a city full of $8 beers. Just bring cash. read more

Welcome to Washington, Dan's Cafetown. The first tavern in America, serving up the best squeeze bottles known to man.

If you're looking for a dive bar with a quirky way of serving drinks, then Dan's Cafe is the place for you. Expect to shell out $25 at the get-go; $20 for the alcohol + mixer and $5 for the deposit on the squirt bottle. Also keep in mind that you'll be essentially drinking straight liquor from the squirt bottle before you actually start adding the mixer, so be prepared if you're a lightweight (like me). Finding the place can be a little difficult, but just look for the unmarked green door right next to The Brass Monkey. Overall a great place to bump elbows with friendly strangers looking for a fun time. Make sure to keep your coat on in the winter, though. It gets cold inside! ALSO: no free water. $2 for a bottle. CASH ONLY!!! read more

We had an unfortunate visit to Dan's. We were not told that the bar was cash only upon arrival, and went up to the bar to get a drink! The bartender told us he "doesn't talk to bitches who don't have cash" and we respectfully walked away from the bar, without saying anything to the bartender. We understood if it was cash only and didn't put up a fight. When we did get cash and pay for a drink, we also asked for water. The bartender pointed at me and said "I'm not serving water to that bitch". All completely unprovoked, and talking about how all women are bitches. Not sure what was in that guys tea that day, but he obviously has some sort of vendetta against young women. I hope he looks into some counseling! read more

Dan's is pretty gross but if you are just trying to drink a lot of booze, it's the place for you. They serve drinks in a squirt bottle you can share with a group which makes you feel like a 20 year old on spring break, your choice whether that is desirable or not Make sure to bring cash, they don't take cards. Side note, the owner and bartenders are all super nice. read more

Dan's is so much fun. As the fool in the venue's current main photo, I thought I needed to pay tribute with a review. I like to come here to pregame or just stop by for a few on a Friday or Saturday night. The go-to here is the ketchup bottle that they fill with a fifth, give you a chaser on the side, and your number of shot glasses. You pay $25 to get it and get $5 back if you return the bottle. You buy one then your friend buys one - it makes a great night. It's cash only so stock up before you get there. You can usually catch Dan there himself making change and collecting bottles for a deposit. Prices are fair, ambiance is weird (which in this case is a plus!). As for the food, I'm not even sure they have any, nor have I ever seen anyone eat here. Just come here if you're looking to get juiced up for your night. read more

WHAT. WHAT! WHAT IS THIS PLACE. This place is: -cash only -the smartest pregame known to man/bro -$25 for your first squirty bottle and $20 for each after -DRUNK -sticky -the best -your cool friend in college's living room where you'd drink for what seemed like 5 minutes but then you get up and fall down because you don't even know why and then you go to the clurb and have the greatest night of your life because it's just -down the street from amsterdam falafel -creating the best beginning (nobody cares about the middle) and end of a night out you ever knew could exist -bye P.S. Q: what is this place like in daylight? read more

Why I love Dan: -Dan hasn't actually created a cafe. In fact, I don't think it's even a legit bar. I'm pretty sure that this guy Dan just had the absolutely genius idea of opening a liquor store with a bar in it. -Dan gives you your own ice bucket when you order a drink. You also get your own bottle of mixer and a full half-bottle of liquor. And some limes or lemons. That's enough to make 3 strooooong drinks. -He's environmentally friendly: he reuses ketchup bottles as shot dispensers. -He hasn't updated the jukebox since 1993, meaning that yes, you WILL hear Gloria Estefan while imbibing at his "cafe." -He's employed (or maybe he is one of them?) the most badass bartenders and staff ever. Especially that old man in the corner that just puts cash in the register. I want him to be my grandfather. Or something. -He put cupholders....ON THE BAR. -He hasn't cleaned out his bar. Ever. As evidenced by the 3 inches of dust on every ugly silk plant hanging from the ceiling. This keeps the AMo skanks away. Thanks, Dan! -He has created the dive-est of all dive bars, and put it right on the strip of AMo. You show them, Dan! Dan, are you single? Will you marry me? read more

Dan's Cafe - Shots. - Dive Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Wow, it is a damn good thing Dan's Cafe is in the far and away land of Adam's Morgan or I would be a full blown alcoholic by now for sure. To put it simply, this place is AMAZING. Dirty, smelly, ridiculously cheap, this is a dive bar of the highest order. This is what dive bars aspire to be. The experience begins when you walk into this building looks like it has long since been abandoned and boarded up. Then you notice that behind the bar kind of resembles a liquor store. It honestly looks like the owner just went to the nearest liquor store and bought as many flasks possible of every liquor and then went to the supermarket and stocked up on cans of soda, cranberry juice and orange juice. Next, if you order shots, for $19ish you get a squirt bottle full of whatever liquor you choose. That's pretty amazing considering you get probably 20 shots out of one bottle. Loved the fact the music selection. You know they are doing something right when the newest song in the jukebox was made in 1994. Guys, if you are looking to meet girls, keep walking. This place (or at least night) can be a bit of a sausage fest. I'm talking MAYBE 4 guys for every girl. But this isn't really the kind of place you would want to pick up girls anyway. When my biggest criticism is that I had to spend the night avoiding someone I went to middle school with, this place is doing something right (by something, I mean EVERYTHING). read more

THE. GREATEST. DIVE. BAR. EVER. Feel free to take my word and stop reading now. For those skeptical-minded, picky alcoholics out there...Dans is legit. Walked in from out of town. Looked around at dusty fake hanging plants (and I mean havent been touched in 15 years, dusty), and a covered pool table with its share of dust which now serves as an extra dining table. Behind the bar, liquor bottles and cans of pop. Oh yes...the magic is coming. I was amongst a party of 4. Went to the bar, ordered a Jack n Coke. Barkeep grabbed a bottle of JD, poured it in a ketchup (or is it catsup?) bottle 3/4 full. Then he grabbed a 12 oz can of Coca Cola and 4 shot glasses and asked for $16. I was shocked. I was confused. I was in love. I was soon fucked up. Dan's is what it is. A place that should probably have been shut down long ago (no thanks to reviews such as this). Thankfully we had an itinerary for the night, or else we wouldve likely gotten wrecked at Dan's, for a crazy affordable price. As far as im concerned, DC is Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Dan's Cafe. Nothing else really matters. It's so absurdly simple, cheap, and authentic, Dan's stands on it's own. God bless America read more

HOLY MOTHER OF PEARL!!! Great things about this place (since there are many). When you get there early, you can actually find a table (since there are only 4 total up against the wall, and then 2-3 in the middle of the spot and then about 6 bar stools). This place....was created during a time when everything else around it was taking over and over charging for a bad time. This is the type of spot where you MAKE it whatever you want it to be, but classy is the LAST thing that you're worried about. Me and my friend walked in, got hit on by the guy carding while he sat on the lowest stool ever made for mankind, (because he didn't give a sh** about what anyone thought or said to him, he'll stab you in your leg and make you fall to the floor if you do or say the wrong thing)...I LIKE IT!!!! hahaha What happens next ladies and gents I will have to have you visualize in your mind. Not sure if this place even has a liquor license, but that's what makes it so damn bad a**. We get up to the bar, order a Makers Mark & ginger....he looks at us (up & down), doesn't nod or say a word, turns around, grabs the bottle of Makers by the neck pours an entire warm glass of it, grabs two aluminum cans of ginger ale....grabs a bucket (literally) of ice, slams it on the table & then says, "$17 bucks ladies"....................HARD F-ing CORE!!!!! I think I'm in love. It's like the stereotypical male that I love to hate, but deep down inside always will still want at the end of the day ;-) F*** metrosexuals....give me a MANS MAN!!!! This is THAT spot. Who gives you a bucket of ice!?!!?!?!? This guy, that's who. I'm soooo coming back again, and again, and again. read more

Just to warn you about Dan's cafe, it's kind of a dive. Friend: Yeah... yeah... yeah... I'm fine with that." *One hour later* Friend: Paul, there are dives, and then there's this place. I've literally burst out laughing on the metro when I overhear girls, all dressed up for a night out in Adam's Morgan, talk about how excited they are to go to Dan's Cafe. I wouldn't wear anything nice to Dan's for fear my clothes would touch the walls (or the pool table). I don't have anything classy planned when I go into Dan's. I mean, I'm drinking liquor out of a ketchup bottle, for crying out loud. The place is hard to find because there isn't really a sign. You just have to look for the condemned building and then go inside. Let's face it, Dan's is a dump. But that's the point. That's the charm of the place. It's not a faux dive--it's the genuine article. They serve cheap liquor and bottled beer. Everyone in there is friendly and having a good time (which is not always a given in Adam's Morgan). You can go there to pregame, if that's your thing. You can stumble in there late at night when reason has left you hours previously, if that's your thing. Honestly, at this point, it's really the only place I want to go in Adam's Morgan. Dan's is the King of Dive Bars. There are dives, and then there's this place. read more

Dearest Dan's Cafe, There is something I need to get off my chest and there's no other way to say this. I am in LOVE with you. Yes, yes it's true. I tried to deny my love at first because of your shoddy appearance and putrid odor, but this kind of love sees no faults. Your broken down bar stools and liquor soaked pool table are just indicators of the good times that have been had here, and let's be honest, after a few Vodka Pineapples and 20 minutes I can barely recognize your stench. The gruffness of your bartender just adds to your bad boy bar charm. Where else can I go for pints, yes full pints of liquor? Who else will pour my squeeze bottles full of soco (1 pint) and lime (1 tablespoon) for less than the cab fare it take to get there? I can think of nowhere else that I can walk in with a crisp $20 bill and leave so intoxicated that I'm jamming out to my very own rendition of Jay Z's Girl Girls Girls. Now and Forever Yours (or at least I am too old to frequent dive bars), Aleesha read more

I'm not going to go into the details of how Dan's Cafe works because others have explained it many times on here. Suffice it to say that it is ingenious and incredibly wallet-friendly. I'm also not going to go into the type of crowd that one might find at Dan's Cafe because although usually I would avoid the crowd I've seen there (usually older college students or those not far from college), few people really go there for the other people who are there. Finally, I'm definitely not going to go into the decor or the atmosphere because there is none. I repeat, it is a total dive. No, Dan's is special because it is the place to go to if you want to get drunk. And I don't mean just a little tipsy. I mean drunk enough to imbue the night with possibility. So, if your goal is to get in, get drunk in the shortest amount of time with the smallest expenditure of money, get a little dirty, and get out, Dan's is the place. It's basically the Special Forces of the DC bar scene. read more

Best dive bar in DC bar! Everyone who likes alcohol in condiment bottles should flock here. Bottles are $26, and you get $5 back when you return the bottle upon finishing. There's a jukebox that offers four songs for $1. Come to Dan's Cafe. read more

When a bar smells like an old lady's house, it's a bad thing. It's not "cool" or a "dive" bar, it's stupid. When the bathroom smells so bad like stale urine that you almost gag, that's not cool or hip, it's a health hazard. Make your own drink? Ok yeah maybe that's fun for some people. Shots out of a honey bottle? At least it's creative. It felt like someone's shitty flood damaged basement. I like laid back dive bars but this wasn't a dive bar in that enjoyable way. It was crappy in a "I think I just caught herpes from that bench" kind of way. read more

If your like me you like drinking. If your even more like me you like getting nostalgic while you drink. And if you are me you like being weirded out by places that make you feel nostalgic while drinking even though you have never been there before. Dan's Cafe has that weird effect. Instantaneously the smell of heat from an old steam radiator reminded me of the barbershop where I used to get haircuts as a child, and the set up of the room made me feel like I had been there before and had met a loose woman who called everybody Suga'. It lacked the smoke, but looked exactly like the place one of those whiskey drinking hardened cops in the movies would come for a bit after watching a young rookie get plugged on his second day on the beat. I liked it , it felt simple and it felt homey. Then once at home with my cheap booze I got to enjoy the little intricacies of this bar. The wall of nips n' flask sizers was one. (I didn't even know Patron made nips) Then my eyes wandered to the walls and realized half were covered in fake exposed brick and the other in what looked like someone had ripped the speaker covers off several old floor model TVs, you know the ones with the record player on one side and bar on the other. Finally I looked down at my Guinness only to discover the bar had drilled holes of differing sizes for holding those sweet cups of God's goodness, and I knew I had found a watering hole, a place to go in good times, and in bad. And I was happy, and I was complete. But then I was hungry so I left to get some pizza. Dan's is good. Enjoy! read more

If you come here to purchase a traditional cocktail, a beer, or anything other than the squeeze bottle, you're a fool. You could have gone somewhere cool and clean with classier women. When at Dan's, get yourself a squirt bottle with your favorite liquor (slightly diluted by ice and your mixer) and bang it out. Came sober as a judge, left drunk as my degenerate father... 'nuff said. read more

Hidden at the end of the strip of bars on 18th St in Adams Morgan is a modest looking bar. Well, to call it modest would be like saying Ashlee Simpson sucks moderately. It has a neon sign outside, which I don't think is even lit. There's one door, and of course no windows. Well anyway, past all the trendy bars that don't let in people wearing shorts, i.e. bars using ethnic names (when did being ethnic become cool?? I didn't get that memo) or named after spirits (real original guys), is this bar, Dan's Café. Dirty Dan's. It is the best bar in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. I stumbled, literally, into it one night, the first week I was here, but the details of that night are long, long forgotten. My friend Josh brought me there a couple months later, but I was more sober then, and could appreciate the bar's quirks. It's fairly small, has an awesome jukebox pulled straight from the first Regan Administration and the clientele feels a little preppy / fratty; but the bouncers and bar tenders make it scream South East Washington. The bathrooms are another story. They look like they were stolen from a "barrio" of Guadalajara. I'm pretty sure it is the bar's official policy that there must be no less than a quarter inch of urine on ground of the bathrooms before the doors can be opened. Oh well, they're used mostly for vomitation, which is really a word that I didn't make up. Oh speaking of vomitation, you can get a bottle of liquor, ice, and a mixer for $10.00. Read that sentence again. Now go to Dan's. If you don't like standing by fratty guys, getting yelled at by your bartender, or like going places where you can dance to Britney Spears, don't go here. If you want to get drunk for relatively cheap (other than hanging out drinking 40s with homeless people), I think we have a winner. read more

The stories are true. It really is a beautiful mess and one of a kind experience. My only advice is that you start your night here rather than finish. Get a fun buzz with friends for cheap, then move on. If you're going to get fall-down drunk, you don't want to fall down on this floor. read more

I will try to include things that haven't been said. - it didn't smell that bad when I went - we arrived around 10, there was no wait. - the bartender was rude and when I tipped him he looked at me like I was gross and crazy. So I really don't know if you're suppose to tip or what. - by 10:30 the place got crowded by 11 it was super crowded! We left at 11:30 and there was a line outside the door FYI: when it's busy, do not wave him down or he will bitterly tell you to wait your turn read more

The Lowdown: - Cash Only - Great Jukebox - Cheap Drinks In the lively Adams Morgan, Dans draws a devoted crowd looking to get f'd up. They give you you liquor in a pitcher and your mixer on the side. Mix up your own cocktail to your liking. In this 20 something crowd, the pitcher tends to deplete quicker than the mixer. Mission Accomplished. Bartenders are no-nonsense and the place is very divey. But that is so hip these days, isn't it? Its not a seedy crowd, rather the weekend youngsters thinking they "love dive bars" yet still dressed well and who will abandon Dans for some club and end up singing along to Justin Bieber's "Boyfriend" later in the night. Go here - you'll have fun and you will leave hammered with some cash still in your pocket. read more

Screw it, I'm giving this place 5 stars. Is it really comparable to other 5 stars? No way. Is it the best place to walk in sober and walk out drunk? You bet your a$$. I remember the first time I went to Dan's and wondered why it smelled like Pee. My friends told me, deal with it and you'll get used to it. Guess what? I did. Welll, to be honest, the strong vodka tonics i made helped a lot too. This place is as Dive as it gets. All cash, make your own drinks. I usually split a bottle with someone to make 2 drinks and then do it again or get some squeeze bottles of soco and lime. This place has a great jukebox, and gets packed and sweaty on a weekend night. This is usually the nights last stop...except for falafel or jumbo slice. I will keep coming back. read more

Oh, Dan's Cafe...this little armpit of Adams Morgan will always hold a special place in my heart. It is THE dive-iest of dive bars. In addition to literally being a "hole in the wall" (its entrance is easy to miss since its windowless front is probably the only unlit place in AdMo), Dans offers the following endearingly dive-y elements: 1. Sketchy bouncer and sour-faced old bartenders. 2. Worn out pool table that is frequently used as a place to sit or mix drinks. 3. Crappy juke box. 4. Wooden benches, tiny booths, and broom closet-sized bathrooms. 5. The most awesome drink special in the world: $10 for a full glass of any kind of bottom-shelf booze, a chaser, and a bucket of ice so you can promptly forget where you put your cell phone and keys or whose couch it is you'll now end up waking up on. Dan's is the kind of place you go for no other reason than to relive the glorious mess of your 21st birthday, which I think everyone should do at least once a year. read more

This is the kind of place you take your second mistress to so your first mistress won't find out your cheating on her. It's dirty, they're cash only, and I love it. Buy a bottle of your favorite spirit, a mixer, and pour yourself a drink. Yes, the photo I uploaded of the inside is dark, and it's hard to see exactly what's in the picture - perfectly representative of the place itself. read more

Dan's Cafe - a dark room with tables and chairs - Dive Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I like dive bars. A lot. For instance, if I could marry any bar in the United States, it would be Recessions. However, Dan's Cafe may even be too divey for me. It smells like urine, people. Every surface is either wet or sticky. The bathrooms... don't go to the bathroom. The solution to the grossness is always: DRINK MORE. Which is very easy to do when a large bottle of mixed shots only costs about $16. What I love most about Dan's: it knows what it is. It doesn't try to pretend to be anything but the crazy lil dive bar in AdMo. Go and enjoy yourself. Just make sure you wash your hands after you leave... read more

Dan's Cafe is an awful place that no sensible person should ever set foot in. That being said, drinks at Dan's Cafe is ridiculously cheap. A squeeze bottle of Soco & Lime is just $18.50 ($20 including tip). That's enough for at least 12-16 shots. Post-drinking research suggests that they give you an entire bottle (375 ml) of Southern Comfort ($7.95 retail). And if you return the bottle, they give you $5.00! Yeah ... what gives you money for helping them bus a table? Bottomline: I'm still debating whether I'm old for Dan's Cafe. [Original Visit: January 29, 2011] read more

I realize that a bad review of Dan's Cafe is going to go over like Danish cartoons in Mecca...but here it is. I heard people rave about this place since I moved to DC, so I finally paid it a visit. And I have to say that this place did nothing for me. Absolutely nothing. Personally, I don't even think this is a dive. Yeah, it meets the bare minimum qualifications...if you put them on paper and removed them from all human context. Sure. But this isn't a dive, it's just a crap bar; and - yes - there's a difference. Dan's Cafe is a "dive" in the same sense that Panda Express serves "food." This is a bar where America's marginally to moderately successful come to deride blue-collardom under the guise of celebrating it. A small temple where they bask in the fact that, should they so choose, they could afford to go to a bar much better than this...this somehow helps ease the pain of those who, while not poor, will never be rich or powerful either. It's the same emotional need that made shows like Cops and Jerry Springer such hits. It allows you to bear the pain of your own broken dreams by realizing other people out there have it much worse. You just sit back and enjoy a bottle of bitterness with a shot of schadenfreude. The owners have tapped into this, and are making a buck from it. And God bless 'em. But I don't need it. read more

Looking to not remember the evening? How about an excuse to call that ex that all your friends hate? Or maybe you just REALLY want to pour drinks out of a ketchup bottle? Well look no further, Dan's Cafe is here for you. The first time I walked into Dan's I was horrified by the look of the bar, the air touching my skin, the floor touching my shoes, and to know that this is where my night may end and start all at the same time. For $25 ($20 for drink + $5 deposit for bottle) you will get a ketchup squirt bottle filled of whatever they have available on their shelf. After that, you may continue to refill that bottle for $20 with whatever they have available on their shelf. And as you continue to fill that bottle and you're ready to leave....if you aren't completely intoxicated at this point, you may return your ketchup squirt bottle to receive the $5 deposit you originally paid for. If you're with a large group I would keep an eye on your bottles as there are many little conniving little b@$t@rd$ that try to steal bottles and return them for their own. 5/5 you lucky son of a gun. read more

So there we are, hot, sweaty, feeling a bit like an overripe peach or something left out on the deck in the summer sun and J.B. is telling me that we need to keep drinking to get through this patch you know? Like, we can plateau here, yeah, sure we can or we can keep going. What did the first guy who climbed everest tell the second guy? Nothing, because the second guy was a bitch, that's a fact, and are we gonna keep climbing or not, right? Now Freesus is coming over with these squirt bottles and a bunch of mixer, and I'm looking at this girl's thong sticking out of the back of her homemade short shorts and I'm thinking to myself I wouldn't mind swimming with that whale, because cot damn girl you are like a ying yang twins x david guetta remix and J.B. puts some drink in front of me and I slam it and hell that hurts like a goddamn bulletwound. J.B. is laughing because he didn't add mixer yet and I feel like I want to throw up, but some slorchy brunette is giving me the kind of eye one gives a slice of carrot cake at a diner after huevos rancheros at 3 a.m. so I man up and the vomit crests around the top of my sternum and subsides. Freesus turns to me and says "hey man, what do you" and it's 1AM and I finally come out of my blackout and damned if I'm not wearing my shirt inside out for some reason. There's a mountain of squeeze bottles like ceremonial corpses laying around us, we are the music at a wake and J.B. is laughing at something I am saying, or maybe he's just laughing, just because, because fuck it, what isn't funny about this? What isn't funny about getting as hammered as is humanly possible without dying or at least without looking like you are dying and wait a second there's a blonde with eyes like a coal miner's headlamp and an ass you could bounce a dollar coin off of into a metrocard slot and damned if I don't think my card still has a few bucks on it, at least enough to try and see if I can get after it in rush hour, in the small, carefully turned hours of the night before everything even the music just stops. read more

I don't think I was completely ready for what I experienced at Dan's Cafe. Kathleen did a horrible job preparing me :). Oh, I kid. I'll start with the Cons: -1 star for odor. Yes, this place initially reeks. Reeks! But as you settle in the odor starts to dissipate (because you're just getting used to it). The TV is in poor repair. It's minor, but when you need to catch the score of the all important playoff game, tough luck. Cash-only. Bummer. Now on with the Pros: For the price you pay for your drink, you get a ton of alcohol. There's no pretentiousness here. I've never had shots served out of ketchup bottles before. Genius. Served single-use and flask-sized alcohol bottles? Brilliant. Bartenders are quality and of great character. The Schlitz bull neon sign hanging above the bar is by far the best bar decoration I have ever seen. The 90's style jukebox makes for a great time in the bar. The place is small so it definitely has that "closeness" feel. It has a young crowd. read more

DC's Premier Dive Bar! You are not going to find a dive bar more divey and hipstery in all of the DMV area. Bring cash as credit cards aren't accepted and prepare to take shots out of a squirt bottle. Dan's Cafe sells squirt bottle full of booze and provides you with a can of chaser, of your choosing. How bad can that be?! Make sure to return your bottle to get your $5 refund. My friends and I love starting out at Dan's Cafe before an "Adam's Morgan" night of shenanigans and jumbo slice pizza. Everything from the booths to the bathrooms to the bar is decaying with dive bar chic - and it's something I'm into in 2014. Yes, you should probably make this your first stop in an evening for tomfoolery and bad decisions. read more

Where to begin with Dan's Café. If you are reading this review, you already know what Dan's Café is all about. This is not a place you go to hang out. This is a place you go to catch a good buzz and then head somewhere else. With that being said, Dan's Café is an experience and usually leads to a good story. From the outside, I do not think there is even a sign that says Dan's Café anymore. The door is barred with a small, rectangular sign that reads, "Come in we're open". Upon walking in you immediately notice the dank, stale smell. The furniture and decorations appear like they have been around for more than forty years. During my visit, there were two people working. One was a bartender and the other was a man named Dickey who is the owner of Dan's Café. I asked Dickey if he knew Dan's was recently named one of the best dive bars in America and he said he had no idea because he is 80 years old and does not use the Internet. Dickey said he has been at the place for 39 years and bought the bar from Dan in the 1970's. The concept of the bar is simple. They have small airplane bottles of name brand liquors as well as larger pint bottles of liquor. I saw just about every popular liquor you would find in the store from Absolut, Grey Goose, Jack Daniels, Makers Mark, Malibu, etc. Most people order the larger bottle sauce which comes with a squirt bottle. The squirt bottle is a clear plastic squeeze bottle that resembles a ketchup bottle. The bartender fills the squeeze bottle ¾ full of ice and then dumps your bottle of liquor inside. Then you choose a mixer which includes the usual suspects of cranberry juice, pineapple juice, coke, sprite, etc. The bartender tops off the squeeze bottle with only a little of your mixer because it is already full of liquor. Then he hands you shot glasses for however many people are in your party. The cost is $25 and you get $5 back when you return the squeeze bottle which is never really an issue. They also have industrial light larger beers for $4 and better beers for $5. read more

Dan's Cafe - Dive Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

So so so many people squeezed in this little bar squeezing alcohol from a ketchup bottle! Lol. We came as a group of 6, all managed to squeeze in a booth for 4 people, and shared shots from a squeeze bottle. With old school music playing in the background, people get drunk with a lot of drinks at a very low price. Interesting experience! read more

Dan's Cafe - Dive Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

So you know how there is a jumbo slice, a McDonald's, and a late night diner (The Diner, mmm so good) all in Adams Morgan? Well, I'm a firm believer that those exist primarily to serve late night food to people stumbling home from Dan's Cafe. Dan's is the diviest dive bar that I've ever been to, but the squeezy bottles make it all worth it! Come onnnn, shots out of a squeezy bottle are the best kind of shots! However don't be tempted to take the bottle home...they keep a deposit on them. You get your $5 back when you return the bottle! So for $25 you get the strongest mixed drink that you can get in all of the district. It is not fancy, it is not well mixed, but it is an Admo staple! REMEMBER: CASH ONLY! That is my perpetual downfall... I always forget to bring cash! The crowd is very young, lots of college kids and recent grads, but isn't that as to be expected?? BE WARNED: Their bathrooms are probably the 7th circle of hell. You have not seen filth to you see these bathrooms late on a Saturday night. However, typically by this point you just won't care! However, if you aren't drinking the squeezy bottles, do not, DO NOT use the bathroom! read more

If you want -to remember to only bring cash -pregame and maybe not make it to the actual party -stalk some seating but almost always find some -drink out of an awesome squirt bottle -listen to some awesome 90s music this is your place. Dan's looks like nothing from outside, but it is my favorite bar in adam's morgan. The drinks are cheap, its a great place to hang with a few friends and drink wayyyy too much. best advice, get a jumbo slice after dans. Cash only, and remember to return your squirt bottle when you finish and you get some $$ back! read more

There aren't as many dive bars in DC as other places I've lived so I was stoked to stumble into Dan's the other night but it was just a gimmick. Bartenders being a dick for absolutely no reason other than to try and fit into being a dive bar. Pool table was covered with a tarp to just use as a table for people to put drinks on. I don't care if the felt is shitty let me play pool. Liquor in squirt bottles again just for the gimmick to look like a dive. The patrons are a big part of making a dive bar but the place had a ton of bros and most people looked like they work on the hill but tried to just dress the part to be accepted in a dive bar. The only thing it has going for it is the look and somewhat cheap drinks. Which is the easiest part to get right. Everything else was lame. Fix the bartenders, patrons, and let me play pool and I'll go back. read more

If Dan was man he would be that friendly homeless guy at the corner jammin' out to Whitney Houston "I'm Every Woman" (a la Bodyguard soundtrack) offering you swigs from his bottle of whiskey. Smells a little like urine, lots of a frat-like people taunting him on the streets and other people walking by interested in what he has to offer. I mean really, "I'm Every Woman?" What a great song. My boyfriend and I were walking around DC cold and a bit worn from a heavy lunch. We headed to Adams Morgan for some pick-me-up drinks before meeting up with friends in Dupont. I remembered reading reviews about Dan's and figured that people were exaggerating when they said that the place had an intense odor to it..well, they wern't. We showed up around 9 pm where there was a table of girls, curious looking "bartenders" and an older gentlemen sitting behind the cash register. I heard about the buckets and ordered myself some gin (you get to pick a fifth...the prices range by brand starting off $12 for wells to $16 for Bombay, I believe - cash only). It was awesome. My boyfriend and I were able to get two stiff drinks each out of the fifths. By 9:30 pm the place was pretty dead. We were the only ones there, chillin' out and having a good time. By this time, we had gotten used to the odor and decided to check out the jukebox. The selections are circa early 90s and definitely fit into the whole vibe of Dan's. 10 rolled around and we were done with our drinks just in time for us to roll out as groups of frat-like people were rollin' in. Within a span of like, five minutes, Dan's completely filled up! It was push and shove to get out to the streets where the air was cool and crisp. I would definitely recommend this place to others because it is one of the very few places where you can get drinks for how much they are supposed to be sold for and for the overall greatness of the experience. I will be back, Dan. read more

I need to reiterate something... this place has no AC. Yes, you can drink yourself stupid for like $12 and yes it is dark and dingy, but on a hot summer night you are gonna sweat more than a pig in a Jimmy Dean factory. It's also really meaty. I think I saw Chuck, Porterhouse, and T-Bone from the local Sigma Chi roll in with their popped collars around 11:30. read more

WARNING: This is not a review of Dan's Cafe. This is a review of my fraternity house in college, which has so many parallels to Dan's that it's basically the same review. I loved college. We used to have at least 4 blowout parties each semester, which equated to 10-15 kegs, pregame with a sorority and a late night dance party in the basement after everyone was blowing at least a 0.20. You could pee pretty much anywhere except the toilets, make out with 1-2 freshman in the same night and there was always somebody doing illegal drugs upstairs. The drinks were super cheap (free, actually), you always ran into random people you didn't expect to see (and maybe didn't want to see) and puking was not only accepted, but encouraged. The next day you would have to hold a gathering of all the attendees to exchange stories about what actually took place the night before and clear up any confusion about who slept with whom. Overall, college (Dan's Cafe) was pretty sweet. read more