Not to be confused with Free State Distillery in Upper Marlboro (though many also call it Arthur…read moreWheeler Spirits haha), this place is located just off of the main street in chinatown, and it's surprisingly lowkey. It's a basement bar with a bit of a dive vibe, but it's hard to ignore the nautical, blue crab theme throughout. Turns out that one of the owners is a Marylander, which is cool to see reflected in the decor in a place in dc, even though it is next door. They have a happy hour and they have a great variety of drinks in general. It's bring-your-own-food (BYOF) and there are a bunch of delicious looking Asian spots nearby, including upstairs. It didn't start getting crowded until closer to 10, which, as I said, is surprising for this part of town to me. Everywhere in Chinatown is not going to be packed and busy, and this place is here to remind you of that. Stop by if you're looking for a more chill vibe. Staff are pretty cool.

Free State is perfect for a chill bar in the Downtown area. It's exactly the kind of place you want…read moreto share a few drinks and be able to hear the person in front of you. I had a delicious orange crush drink and my friend had a sangria. The bartenders are extremely chill and nice; they only come up when you need it which is nice for good conversation. I'll easily be back when I want to catch up with friends without a speaker blaring in our ears. Great place to introduce to more people!

Great beer selection and a nice environment. Our servers were very friendly and I like when there…read moreis a QR code AND you can place orders as you go. Pretzel: These were amazing! The pimento cheese dip was great. Pulled pork nachos: Huge portion! These were also exceptional. BLT w/ tomato soup: "This hit the spot". Nashville Fried chicken sandwhich: I was quite disappointed in this, considering how good everything else was. The chicken was very dry and overly salty IMO. Not at all spicy either. Thyme fries: Loved these! Really cool flavor profile. I would happily come back and try a different entree.

I won't be back unfortunately and you should probably keep walking and find something else. Didn't…read morerealize what kind of restaurant this was until I was told to order off an app and then my food would be ran out to me...and that's all you get for customer service. Runners just do that. Run around the restaurant throwing food down on tables and run back to the kitchen. Never checking on anyone to see if they need anything and how the food is. I ordered the SW Salad ($16.50) with a steak add on ($9.00) at medium temp. I also ordered a cup of Clam Chowder ($5.95) as an appetizer. Chowder came out pretty much right on top of my salad, but no big deal. Chowder was decent taste, but only found one clam. Ok whatever. Salad came out looking like a side salad on a large plate with five slices of rare, tough steak. It was so rare, that it was extremely hard to cut through, but again, who was I going to talk to about it. No wait staff would even look my way. I couldn't even get a refill on my water and there is no place in the app to order a glass of water...so that's that. Unfortunately it was just an extremely bad experience for $40. I'll be looking for dinner somewhere else tomorrow night.

Henceforth is a gem of an institution within the H St corridor. There's plenty of good vibes to go…read morearound here. I came here for trivia in particular. I enjoyed the format of the trivia while enjoying my drink. I also thought the service was pretty decent. I will definitely come back!

Some of the best finds require a little searching and The Unforgiving Minute was worth every step…read more A hidden speakeasy affiliated with a local gem the Henceforth. My date found this gem on TikTok and it became the second stop on my birthday celebration. We left Daru and a short drive later we were on the hunt. Hidden in an alley behind Henceforth we stopped to ask someone working at a nearby spot for directions. We found the alley, spotted the blue light, and rang the bell. The door opened and we were whisked inside. Up the stairs a hallway lined with smaller parlor style rooms set the tone before we even reached the bar. Velvet fabric draped the ceiling over a grand bar decked out with bottles and dim lighting. Bar seating up front and high top tables arranged along the wall. We had not even ordered yet and the atmosphere had already delivered. To our surprise our escort to our seats was also one of the bartenders. Around 10pm there was only one other gentleman at the bar. No drink menu so we went with a staple old fashioned. Watching the bartender chisel ice and lower it into the glass with with a bar spoon was a talent worth watching. It was so memorable it made me want to chisel ice myself. The old fashioned was great. The no photography rule was listed and we followed it without question. No one around us had their phones out taking pictures and my date and I were not about to be the ones to break the code. A party of women came in looking incredible, clearly there to celebrate something special. Black girl magic was fully in the building!! The couple seated at the high top to our right came in after us and we quickly became their guides. They lucked up on this place as first timers just like us and we balanced the experience together comparing drinks and sharing what we had learned. That kind of spontaneous connection is always the best part of a new space. And that is the honest note worth sharing. The bartender was clearly more in tune with the creation of drinks than creating an experience for guests. For a new visitor on a birthday celebration that gap was felt. We never even got to share what we were celebrating. It may have been an off night, but we can see how given the right inviting bartender those in the space would engage more, which feels like exactly the vibe they are going for. For a cocktail experience that elevates the night or a chance to extend it somewhere unexpected this place delivers. We would certainly go back with a group and a more inviting bartender to show us the ropes. Next time we may start at the Henceforth before coming over. The Unforgiving Minute is a gathering place worth coming back to.

I visited this store looking for Dekuyper Red Apple Schnapps, as Google indicated it was sold here…read more While the item wasn't currently in stock, the sales associate went above and beyond to assist me. They took the time to check the ordering system and even mentioned they would speak with the store owner about possibly getting it in and following up with me. That level of effort and care--regardless of the outcome--is what true customer service looks like, and I genuinely appreciated it. Note: The store is tucked away in an alley, so if you're using Google Maps, be cautious when navigating to the location--it's easy to miss or drive past.

We came in looking for a sweet red wine and had a specific bottle in mind. The employee let us know…read morethey didn't have it, but said there were other sweet red options we could try. We made it very clear that we do not like dry reds and that the sweeter, the better. He recommended a bottle, but his attitude wasn't very welcoming. We decided to trust his recommendation anyway, only to get home and realize the wine was very dry -- exactly what we said we didn't want. We were really disappointed because we were looking forward to trying a new sweet red wine. Better customer service and listening to customer preferences would've made this a much better experience. The place itself was very nice with a lot of selections.

I already mentioned Shelter in my Roost review, but it also deserves its own review for being the…read morebest beer bar that I ever visited inside a food court. Its a pretty easy feat to achieve for the minds behind spots like Church Key and The Sovereign (and I'll get to those places later). But from showcasing a well-rounded list of around 1000 beers annually including some exclusive brews in 50 taps, to having equipment like a temperature controlled tap system, side-pull taps for lagers, and a cask engine system for ales and ciders, it shows that they have features that many non-food court beer bars could only dream of! With it being Snallygaster weekend I was on cloud nine sipping and savoring a satisfying preview of the breweries that I'd be enjoying over the weekend. But I also enjoyed some of their regular harder to find brews while conversing and geeking out about good beers with the bartender. Another standout plus to the bar being in a food court that's very tech savvy was the ability to order from any restaurant in the court while sitting at the bar! Toss in plenty of cocktails, whiskey pours, a well-rounded wine list, and non-alcoholic options, and this bar is a good spot for anyone to Shelter in place in. Especially during their happy hour and special events!

Excellent selection of beers and they have guest taps! There is something for everyone, which we…read morefound out after we saw the frozen drinks they had in the corner and decided instead of have frozen pina coladas instead of craft beer. Glad we did - these were really good! And a good size, too. Service was quick and helpful as counter service only.

Amazing service and incredible drinks! Graham is the best bartender in the city…read more Also the creativity is unmatched! Order what you want from the menu but they are also willing to make you specialized drinks to your liking.

Deliciousness - 3/5 Happiness -5/5…read more This place is for drinkers as it has no food, so if you want to lift an ale (and go out for dinner before or after, or bring food in with you), this is the place to be. They have a large beer, wine, and liquor list (although not nearly as many English beers as I expected from a place called Crown & Crow). I won't deny that I wasn't a fan of either of the mixed cocktails I had, with both (including strangely a smoky drink) being too sweet. But the beer was expertly poured and the wine was a very generous serving. The prices are also more than reasonable, which is great for a DC bar. But what really elevates this place is the service. By late night, the place was jam packed. But each and every bartender was extremely friendly and they expertly worked the crowd, getting drinks served quickly (which too few places manage to do) and swiftly clearing off tables of dirty glasses. I also greatly appreciated the free goldfish that they happily dole out to the patrons. The staff made this a really good time.

If you want a place with a good beer selection and fun vibes, then this is the spot. If you're…read morehungry, then maybe try another place first then come here for drinks.... We ordered the Mac and cheese bites but they did not have any Mac.. it was just fried cut up mozzarella sticks. Which is great.. if that's what it was called on the menu. We also ordered a fried chicken sandwich and a pub burger. The chicken sandwich was fine. The pub burger was ... meh. The pretzel bun they brought out was over toasted and looked like it was pretty dry before that. Like it was HARD. No one came to check on us after the food arrived so I had to take my plate to the check out desk to address the issue. Cait took care of it right away; I asked for just a new bun - I don't mind swapping it out myself. But in the end the burger was still just meh. Almost forgot to mention the fries .. not great. They were salted well but the fries themselves were almost chewy. When we checked out, Cait said apologized and mentioned some staffing issues. She offered to get in touch with some sort of compensation but didn't offer to waive our one beer. We left paying full price for everything. Again, fine spot if you just wanted to hang out and drink beer.

Tap 99 is a great spot to catch a game, grab a drink, and enjoy some solid pub fare. The extensive…read morebeer selection ensures there's something for everyone, while the menu offers plenty of satisfying options that go beyond typical bar food. The atmosphere is lively without being overwhelming, and the staff help create a welcoming experience from start to finish. Whether you're meeting friends for happy hour or settling in to watch your favorite team, Tap 99 delivers.

Decent beer garden, we stopped in very close to closing time so we only got to enjoy the atmosphere…read morefor about half an hour. Bartenders were quick and knowledgeable. I can see this being a fun place to hang out in the evenings, especially with the open air seating! Good vibes!

Reasonably priced, easy QR code ordering, awesome giant pretzel and loaded hot dog. Basically all…read moreoutdoors. Theres a tent, but dress for the weather. Gets pretty loud. Good as a beer garden.

Nagi, is the man. great bartender nice and friendly showed our private event a good time.read more

We stopped in here on the way to the Springsteen concert and enjoyed their Negroni very much. The…read moreroom had a really good vibe that night. Got to chat with some people that we didn't know who came to see the concert as well. All in all a great stop offering good cocktails, and a friendly environment.

Stopped into Compliments Only to try the Crunchy Boi. The restaurant was pretty empty but I am glad…read moreI came before a lunch rush. The Crunchy Boi is served on a 10 inch roll with turkey, lettuce, onions, pickles, chips and garlic mayo. I thought the sandwich was pretty good. I would ask for light mayo if I got the sandwich again. The chips added the perfect crunch and texture to the sandwich.

I've ordered sandwiches from here a few times from now and I can't say that I love them…read more When it comes to subs and sandwiches everyone has different preferences. For me it comes down to fresh breads, quality ingredients, thoughtful assembly and one of the most important for me ... balanced ratio of ingredients. Each time I've ordered, the ratio of ingredients has been what has thrown me off. The subs are large and the bread is fresh, but between the massive amounts of shredded lettuce and the thickness of the bread, the meat on my turkey sandwich gets swallowed alive to where I'm constantly opening it up to look for and re-adjust. The ingredients though do seem fresh, so it's not a matter of never trying other sandwiches in the future. I just haven't found one yet that would be worth a repeat...so it's not that there is not potential.