A wonderful spot for happy hour, drinks, and catching up with friends! Maxwell Park is definitely a great spot for getting drinks with friends, a bit past the Convention Center and away from downtown. They have a lot of outdoor seating and some spots with firepits that make this a nice option for the colder weather. Their drink menu (which rotates) was 26 pages long and has a very, very wide selection of wines and other drinks to choose from. Our waitress was very friendly and gave us great recommendations for wine and for food. We had the edamame and white anchovie toast and grilled sardines and both were delicious, unique and great selections for small eats while drinking. read more

Maxwell Park is a cozy neighborhood wine bar with a great atmosphere and delicious food and wine. The staff is very knowledgeable about food and wine which adds to the experience. I came with friends to Maxwell Park for happy hour. We found a spot and were greeted with water and an appertif of gin on the house. It was a good palate cleanser for the wine. They have plenty of wines to choose from. They have their house wines as well as a monthly theme of wines. On our visit, their theme was wine from the U.S. We each ordered two glasses. I ordered a pinot grigio from Napa and a Syrah blend. The wines were good and I chose them based on our server's recommendations. She did a great job explaining the different wines and helping us decide based on our preferences. For food we split a cheese plate, salad, and lamb burger. The food was delicious and paired well with the wine that we were drinking. It got busy as the night progressed and it is easy to see why. Overall a great spot. read more

Maxwell Park - Wine and cheese plate - Wine Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Lovely wine bar in the Shaw area. Fire pits are set up outside and they have a great selection of wines by the glass and bottles of wine. It is not the place to go if you want a full dinner.. their food is smaller plates/portions but it's an excellent place for you and a date or you and some friends to relax and have some wine. If you ask questions about the wine or what works best the staff is very friendly and willing to assist and educate you. read more

Maxwell Park - Charcuterie Plate - Wine Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I like that we were able to sit right away but it was extremely overpriced. I purchased 4 glasses of wine and 2 cheeses/1 meat board for around $100 (picture attached). The board reminded me of what they fed those kids during the frye festival. I was also seated in an area that resembles the abandoned parking lot behind my house. I guess I could have sat there with a $20 bottle of wine instead. read more

Maxwell Park - Wine Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I've been on a search for a wine bar that is less INSANELY crowded than Barcelona but also serves a great selection of wine and light bites. This one came in at 4 stars for me. The wine selection was decent and looked to somewhat rotate based on the time of year. From a food perspective, the cheese plate they gave was good but there were limited options as they focus more on the menu component of their menu. Honestly the best part was I got a seat at 7pm without an issue! read more

The I like the brick decorations. The wine is pretty good just $$$. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable on the wine varietals. Though any place that makes you go on a wait list to sit at the bar is skipable.... read more

Atmosphere is great! We loved the music,staff, and food! The only reason this rating doesn't get 5 stars is the portion size. We started with the chorizo sausages, which really felt like a main course. Thankfully we shared! Moving on from the amazing sausage, the BURRATA! Fresh, fragrent, BUT COULNT FEED A SMALL ANT. Bread was out of portion, cheese could've been bigger to match the portion size. It was wacky. But not to take away from flavor, it did taste awesome. Thumbs up on the jam! read more

Maxwell Park - Sausages of joy. - Wine Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

Could not rave more about my awesome first experience here. Friendly, unobtrusive, and knowledgeable staff, cozy bar, and of course most importantly, incredible food and drink. The menu may be limited but everything I had was hands down awesome: - Crab salad was light, fresh, and really packed full of fantastic, flavorful crab meat - Smoked trout dip was just lightly salty, just perfect with radish, pickled carrots, and sesame crackers - Banh mi style toast with a nice thick slab of pate, pickled carrots and radish, and roasted peanuts and cilantro was really fantastic and perfectly named, as it isn't a banh mi but it has all the same flavors, which come together beautifully - Goat cheese stuffed peppers were surprisingly light; they're a light pink pickled pepper shaped like cherry peppers (maybe they are, though they're not spicy in the least) I love that there's a set of monthly wines based on a theme, August's being Rieslings, and I have to say, after a traumatic series of experiences with overly sweet Rieslings in the Finger Lakes, I was wary of sampling the Rieslings here but all three that I tried were phenomenal and just as described. I love that you can have just a 2.5 oz reasonably priced pour to try more! It is a tad loud on the inside as the tiles just reflect all the sound, but that's all I'd change about this gem of a wine bar. read more

This has been my favorite DC wine bar for awhile now, and it just upped its game even more by entering the food scene. The wine there is amazing and the owner works behind the bar often, providing spot on recommendations. It's a judgement free zone for people who are new to wine and trying to figure out what they like, while simultaneously being a place to try something new for those expert wine drinkers. Now... the food. The new chef takes a spin on the dishes and they're delicious. Went back twice in one week because I needed more - the wine also was a nice touch. The burger is amazing and the taco rice bowl is really good, but the cabbage pancake that's shaped like a heart... haven't tasted anything like that before. 10/10 would recommend! read more

Maxwell Park - Petit Okonomiyaka ... so delicious - Wine Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Just had a bad experience here-came in for a glass of wine with a fun group of friends-and the bartender refused to serve one of our friends (after asking us to sit in the back booth-which we didn't want to do because we like sitting at the bar which was wide open.) Our friend had traveled all day and was tired-not drunk. Seriously bad Mojo in this place! read more

Great wine bar with a nice variety of wine selections with varying prices. They also have wine by the glass and 750 ml bottles. I love the ambience and the service. Such a cute and classy yet modern bar. The reason I don't give it 5 stars is the food. It's good but extremely expensive for the tiny portions you get. Not a place for dinner I would say. read more

This place is so cute & cozy. They offer half & full glasses and bottles and the temperatures are written on the menu. A lot of wine choices, and a few beer and cocktail choices as well. You can choose a cheeseboard or some other small plates of food they offer. The service is friendly and attentive. If you sit at the bar, the table top is a chalk board that you can doodle on. I thought that was a pretty cool detail. read more

See all

Drink and atmosphere review. Will come back for the food though! Dropped in on a Saturday night around 8pm and it was packed! Sat at the bar for a quick cocktail and thought why not get something off the wall. Although this spot is mostly wine I perused the menu and found a ton of interesting food items, snacks and cocktails. Cocktail "Samuelsson" is Salted Peanut Infused Rum, Dill and Lemon. I know what you're thinking, that sounds really weird and gross. So it taste like salty peanuts and a dill pickle. If you're into that kind of thing you'll love this drink. read more

Solid wine bar that has some good food options and a nice patio too. They have a solid selection of wines from all over the world and do monthly specials where they tailor some of their menu to a specific theme, which can bring out some unique wines and pairings that you might not normally have. Their patio also has a couple fire pits that let you sit outside pretty much year round. Definitely one of the best wine specific spots in DC. read more

This place is unique. One of the finest establishments not only in the city but in the country for its prowess. Many friends had told me that this is the location to be for exceptional wines. Brent and Nikki are two of the top sommeliers in the city and are unbelievably knowledgeable. Brent is a heralded in many news pieces and articles about his skills in wine deduction. Ur Nikki is also a rising star ( many wine magazines have noticed) and therefore a phenomenal spot to check out. read more

See all

This is the cutest, coziest wine bar. I love the selection, and I love that half glasses of wine are basically half the cost of full glasses - there's absolutely no reason not to try two different glasses and see what you like. You can also sample different glasses. The menu is extensive, but it doesn't feel pretentious, and it would be a wonderful date spot. The bartenders weren't at all attentive when I was there - an off-duty bartender had come in, and we had a really hard time tracking down our bartender to order a second glass of wine, and again when we were trying to pay. It was a slow night, so that may have been a contributing factor, but it made it difficult to get in and out. I'll definitely come again, though, and I'll see if it was an off day, because I loved the ambiance. read more

I've only been here once so far, just for drinks. It's cozy and un-pretentious, with a fun atmosphere and neighborhood bar feel, but really high quality wine and beer menus. The bartenders were friendly and helpful, and although it was busy, we never felt forgotten or like we had to wait a long time for a drink. The other people there all seemed to be having a relaxing fun evening out. There is a food menu that looked great, but we had just eaten dinner, so we didn't try anything. It's primarily a wine bar, so you can order flights from their awesome wine list. The music was upbeat and loud, but they did such an excellent job with soundproofing, that you can still hear a conversation! We loved this place mainly because they seemed to get so many things right that other new DC bars miss. read more

A few friends and I decided to try our new neighborhood wine bar to celebrate my birthday this year. I couldn't have asked for a better evening and it's in large part to the staff at Maxwell Park (we'll give my friends a little credit for making it fun too :). The owner's did everything they could to make the night special for me and that really left an impression. In addition to a great staff - the ambiance is fantastic and all of the wines recommended to us were unique which always makes it fun to try. Thanks Brent, Niki & Daniel for being so awesome! I'll be back. read more

Maxwell Park - Wine Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Why haven't I been here before ?! It's a super cool spot. Very intimate and romantic. The staff is incredibly attentive and caring. I appreciated them going above and beyond to make sure our glasses (Both water and wine!) were full and we were happy. It's a smaller place and it was full on a Saturday night so be prepared to wait a little. The menu was large enough to try a bunch of different wines. I'm not a wine connoisseur so I won't rate the wines. I had a Malbec which I enjoyed. I tried a dessert wine and didn't love it, they were nice enough to swap it out for me. Thank you! I also want to give a shout out to the 80's music turning into 90'-2000's music. Loved the vibes!! I'll be back again! read more

I was celebrating my birthday with some friends and we came across this place. I love wine and we were looking for something a low key to end the evening. Although I loved my wine, the waiter that was serving us was INCREDIBLY rude. He had a huge attitude and did not make us feel like we should be there. It was such a shame because the ambiance and wine selection was wonderful. After a bit of time we finally got a new server (not sure if that was intentional or what) who ended up being a lot more pleasant. We ate the grilled cheese which was delicious and overall recommend if you don't mind being judged and disrespected by one of the servers. read more

Great wine selection and knowledgeable somms. I wish it were a more chill environment, though - the blasting music seems out of place.

Cute outdoor dining area with plenty of fire pits, however the low table makes it a little awkward for eating especially in a larger group. Large selection of good wines. The pimento grilled cheese was absolutely delicious and there's good option to create a cheese plate. read more

My roommate and I have a 2022 resolution of making it in once a month for the rotating wine list. We love Maxwell. Definitely a must see if you know a lot about wine, but also fantastic if you aren't an expert! We don't know too much about wine but always feel at home there. The monthly theme is also a great way to learn more about different wines. Notes on food - the grilled cheese is elite. I'm not a wine expert, but I am grilled cheese expert. read more

Best wine bar in DC - not even close. Really knowledgeable staff. Great ownership and fun vibe. Tough to get a seat, which speaks to the popularity of the place. When the weathers nice they have great outdoor seating with fireplaces. Not stuffy at all. Staff wears t-shirts that correlate with their monthly theme. I recommend to any wine lover. read more

What a cute wine bar! I have had this place on my radar for the last year and finally trekked up to Shaw to check it out. Nice patio outside, small space inside. But vibrant and chic décor with quite the lively ambiance and bar space. What I love is that they update their wine offerings every single month. Not only that, they have pages upon pages of different varietals of every wine you can imagine. I even asked the manager about my elusive, coveted dry Riesling, which I have never found at a restaurant before, and he was excited I asked and promptly poured me a glass. They will basically give you tastes of everything before you commit, let you customize your wine flight, and talk you through what you like. Would be stellar for people looking for a little more wine education as well. We also split a couple small plates, the burrata and some kind of prosciutto dish. Amazing. In fact, I can't remember the last time I was this pleased at a winebar; my favorite new spot! read more

Maxwell's is not a friendly environment. As the clock struck midnight and I turned 21 years old, the waitress/bartender took pleasure in rejecting my first legal drink. Though, what hurt was her playfulness and enjoyment in doing such, lacking any sympathy as she turned away me and my friends on my birthday due to my license expiring the NEXT day. I will not be returning, nor will anyone i know, nor should you. Chaplin's, just down the street, welcomed us with open arms - celebrating my birthday and gracing us with free drinks and only smiles. read more

My husband and I just moved back to the area with a newborn baby and toddler. Date nights are a near impossibility with those logistics, not even considering a global pandemic. Luckily, Maxwell Park is doing a tasting menu you can carry out! After seeing this article in the Washingtonian, we had to try it. (https://www.washingtonian.com/2020/08/14/pair-flights-of-food-and-wine-at-maxwell-parks-new-navy-yard-pop-up/) We got the "choose 10" and did a tasting at home. I just emailed the contact cited in the article. (I imagine you can also call.) Brent, the owner and sommelier, met me curbside with some quick instructions on the packed up pairings. The wine was in recyclable glass vials and the food was stored in small tupperware containers. It all traveled very nicely in two paper bags my car. Because I carried out, I asked Brent to choose the items that traveled best, and he didn't disappoint! These reasonably priced, fantastic pairings helped save our sanity for a date night at home. Thanks, Brent! read more

Maxwell Park - Menu - Wine Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Maxwell has a variety of delicious wines from all over the globe and the recently got a new chef that makes such great food. I couldn't recommend it more, the food is next level read more

Awesome wine list and the servers always get the recommendations right. You can tell they really know the wines well. Also, great music ambiance! read more

Superrrrrr great wine bar! Like amazing actually. The selection is extensive and they also offer many pouring options if you'd like to do a flight of multiple wines to taste. I was super impressed with Maxwell Park and will definitely be returning. The service was also excellent as well! read more

Randomly stumbled in this place and we weren't sure what to make of the vibe. The music was R&B/90s and the atmosphere was exactly the opposite. Service was a little slow - seemed like they were short staffed. There was an overwhelming number of different wines to choose from and the server was helpful in recommending particular wines to us based on what we liked. It was nice that they let us do a little tasting of the wine before we confirmed what we wanted. read more

Five stars just for Teddy! He was an amazing help, it looked crowded when entering and he guided me to a seat and brought me water and was honestly just very kind an attentive. I asked him if he was the manager because I had been observing him help other guests clearing plates and being an overall team player to his coworkers it seemed. He made my experience a whole lot better and I stayed a lot longer than anticipated because of his kindness and good service! He should be a manager! read more

It's getting hot in here ! From first glance the out side of this place looks like a Russian steam bath Mmmmmm.... Pour some wine all over me gurl! The handsome studs behind the bar gave me plenty to sip on that I may have wanted extend some sips back at the hotel. The few snacks we nibbled were totes the goats boat! Crowd was hella fine,Heeeeyyy! But they were Sadly, out of the Megan Lewis lobster special. However the person next to me said that plate was mad bitter . So 5 stars to the hunks and me nd my ladies getting a little drunk !! Hotel motel holiday inn! read more

Maxwell Park has always been a great wine bar. And I really appreciate the team's creativity during this crazy time - the Friday virtual wine classes are so fun! read more

I really, really, really wanted to like this place considering it is right across the street from my apartment. What could be better than a neighborhood wine bar right across the street? And one that was honored by Esquire as one of the "best bars in America"? Unfortunately after several visits I found it be a less-than-average experience. Pros: they have an interesting wine list and are obviously passionate about wine Cons: basically everything else. It's a small, corner building which looks like a cozy neighborhood spot - unfortunately however, that is not the case. It's the opposite of a neighborhood vibe - this is not a fun place for casual conversation with neighbors or staff, the atmosphere can be a bit pretentious while the interior / space itself is very average, and the whole thing can just feel somewhat awkward and uncomfortable at times. Like many other reviews have mentioned, the staff come across as aloof and rude, like they can't handle the peasants who don't understand how important the wine program there is. The main server appears perpetually pissed off and looks irritated that you're there. His attitude varies from aggressively indifferent to downright hostile. The other guy is apparently an accomplished sommelier, but certainly doesn't seem to be a fan of having to talk to people, or being around people, or having a business that serves people. A friend who was with me on one visit commented that they reminded him of the cliche of snooty wine people in the 80's, just in casual clothes instead of Brooks Brothers suits lol. Very small food menu - it's basically just charcuterie and small snacks. read more

We arrived around 6pm on Friday night, and as other reviewers have noted, the seating is limited. The host asked if we wouldn't mind sitting at the communal table, and we said yes! Problem is they had seated a party of 10 at the communal table and then gave us the last 2 seats. It was so awkward, and the server didn't even acknowledge the awkwardness for both groups! There are a lot of other wine bars in city that I will try before coming back here! Overall the wine selection was interesting and varied (across regions and varietals). The server was knowledgeable about the wines, which was a plus. read more

Maxwell Park is super cute! I love that they have a rotating theme for their main wine list. August is for Reislings! Our server was extremely knowledgable. We described what we were looking for in a wine, and he was able to give all of us terrific recommendations. We ended with a rose that was really tasty and made everyone at the table (we had a wide range of preferences) happy. It's very very small inside. They have a communal table in the back, which is where we sat. We didn't have anyone else join, but I could see how that might happen on a busier night when patio seating isn't desirable. I'm pretty sure they have a larger seating area outside than the one inside. Great vibe. I'll be back. read more

A fantastic wine bar that's all about the experience. I ventured here after a work meeting to meet up some friends/colleagues and have a chilled glass of white wine on a hot summer day. Well, surprise surprise everywhere in that area of DC had a drinking water warning. No happy hour, no tap water. Most bars in this situation would give up, but Maxwell Park was all about delivering a similar experience even in these major constraints. They offered their bottled sparkling water at a discount, and still gave us a happy hour discount on food since they couldn't make their normal selection of digestifs. Their Portuguese Wines were everything I wanted plus three more, and their Charcuterie was a perfect pairing with the sweetness of the wine. I'm excited to go back to Maxwell Park when things are at full service. read more

Small wine bar, pretty good selection, service is friendly and the bar seems to be very popular. The food looked decent but I didn't try anything. Wines can get pricey, but most glasses in 11-15$ range read more

Cute new wine bar opened up in Shaw and it's definitely unique! It has indoor and outdoor seating, but so far it's filling up quick so definitely don't take your time getting in for the evening HH specials. I didn't notice if they accepted reservations or not, but it doesn't seem to have that kind of vibe - especially with the limited small plate offerings. Which were DELICIOUS, but not meant to make a meal out of. The eclectic wine offerings are very good, and the sommeliers really knew their stuff. Their main point seems to be that they "Don't do traditional wines" - they have a tag line "ABPG" which was "anything but pinot grigio" - but if you tell them that's the style you like they can find you something even better to try! Would recommend! read more