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    The Bottom Line

    3.8 (377 reviews)
    Closed 11:30 am - 1:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated over 3 months ago

    The Bottom Line Photos

    Business Info

    THE BOTTOM LINE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Divey
    Loud
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed

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    Reviews With Photos

    Rumit P.

    I absolutely love the vibe of places like these---it's the kind of bars you see on TV and in movies where it's cozy, people are playing pool, it's got a hometown bar feel, warm booths, low-hanging decorations, affordable drinks, personalized service, and owned by locals. They're not bothered by big businesses like OpenTable or Resy for reservations. I emailed the owner, and he got me a table. Simple! The space is large for where it is in downtown DC. It doesn't have that annoying bougieness with $20 drinks and fancy drink glasses and garnishes. The food is good, unassuming, and served fast. The drinks are varied, tasty, and affordable. The service is friendly, warm, and genuine. I am totally coming back and recommending it to everyone I know.

    Janae T.

    The waitress Narin (sorry if I spelled that wrong) was amazing it was 6 of us and the wait wasn't that long. Any party over five they do put under one bill! But otherwise I ordered the jerk chicken with Bbq sauce and fries. It wasn't what I expected but at the same time I didn't know what to expect. It wasn't bad though. I also ordered the I street breeze and and another drink. One friend ordered a cheeseburger with tator tots, another ordered a quesadilla, a chicken Caesar wrap, and I believe a Philly steak and cheese sandwhich. Everyone enjoyed their food though and the prices aren't that and. Especially with drinks 10/10 Highly recommend

    Nisha B.

    Nice little underground bar! This place has probably been around for a long time. Farragut West metro is about a minute walk away. Farragut North metro is about a 5 minute walk You have to walk down steps to go into the bar. I was there on a Thursday @ 130. The bar/restaurant was at 70% full. Folks began leaving prob 2 from lunch. They have happy hour. I got the nachos, good. Came with a spicy sauce on the side. Good. Bartender (maybe his name was Eric or Eddie) was amazing! Friend had chicken wings. They smell good and sounded hella crunchy. lol. This would be a perfect neighborhood bar gem. I would def. come back!

    Norm C.

    Solid pub. Burger was very tasty. Bar staff was very friendly and efficient. Good selection of draft beers. Outside seating for those nice days. Plenty of tvs and all hard sports playing! Music was a little loud for me but overall a spot worth visiting.

    Bottom Line Nachos
    Nachogirl1 ..

    Nachos: bar nachos are usually a hit or miss. this one? absolute hit. Gorgeous platter. Fresh & hot. Gorgeous hefty combination of all the perfect toppings. Perfectly crispy tortilla chips. God is real. God is good. All else: music here is so nostalgic. gorgeous bar during the winter season. just a good D.C. classic. It's not the most spacious so it feels cozy & intimate. Bartenders were real nice. The music was blaring at one point and we told them to tune it down a bit. (I am not old I just get overstimulated very easily). Would recommend, 10/10.

    THE HEIDENBERGER
    Lauren L.

    The Bottom Line is a chill underground dive relatively close to all of the action in DC. I swung in here last week with my friend Lane while staying in the city for the week. The drinks and food were both pretty great. Pretty standard for a dive bar, but not bad. Service was decent as well. We were waited on and served relatively quickly. There are plenty of tvs in the bar. It was pretty loud, but nothing unexpected.

    Fish & Chips
    Jorge M.

    Great bar close to the White House. The food was great and the staff was excellent. Good place to catch a game and not too noisy. Ordered the fish and chips. Large thin pieces of fish that were fried and seasoned perfectly. The tartar sauce was creamy and the fries perfect.

    Jen J.

    An old favorite! This used to be the work happy hour location choice when I was younger, and it made me happy to be there many years later. Good service and good ambiance for a dive-y bar. Enjoyed a beer and some nachos and some good memories!

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    5 months ago

    WHO dey! Lets gooo Bengals! All of services were great and ppl are nice here, the food overall were yummy than we expected thank you

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    11 months ago

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    11 months ago

    Awesome bar! A true sports bar in DC with food and drinks galore. The manager is the nicest person ever and the bartenders are awesome!

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    1 year ago

    Al and B were the best. Great burger, miller lite, and vibes. First introduction to DC and couldn't have asked for a better first impression

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    2 years ago

    Rudy was the best server full of personality great personality great ambience would come back just because of Rudy

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    2 years ago

    Great after work HH spot-- awesome prices, sweet variety of drinks, delicious burgers . Definitely a nice spot to become a regular.

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    Page 1 of 10

    Ask the Community - The Bottom Line

    Review Highlights - The Bottom Line

    Visited Sunday afternoon to watch the Cincinnati Bengals game with a group of friends (it is a Bengals bar!).

    Mentioned in 11 reviews

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    The Sovereign - Mariniere Mussels | Instagram: GaoGirlsGrubbin

    The Sovereign

    4.0(604 reviews)
    1.3 miGeorgetown
    $$

    This place is fantastic! We sat at the bar on a Sunday afternoon. Great atmosphere, beautiful bar…read more I appreciate the hooks under the bar to hang your purse or bags. Thank you for having that. It's a detail that many bars forget but I can relax and enjoy my stay more when I know my belongings are safely tucked away. We got the Smorgesboard and Saffron Mussels. Both were EXCELLENT. The Mister got a few beers. The Smorgesboard had every charcuterie option and it was really fun building the perfect bite. I thought it was absolutely worth the price. I've paid more for less. Let me take a moment and collect myself before I talk about the Saffron Mussels. They were freaking amazing. The broth was mildly spicy, a powerful punch of salty herby flavor that paired wonderfully with the mussels. They were perfectly cooked with a tender chew. Served with fries and chunks of bread to sop up all that glorious broth. If you're thinking about getting the mussels, just do it. Truly, one of the best pot of mussels I've had. We are just visiting the area, but I'd definitely come back the next time I'm in town. What a delightful surprise to find this place.

    Came to the Sovereign on a Friday night for happy hour -- a great deal, cocktails for $6 and some…read morebites. Walked to the upstairs bar and was able to find a seat no problem around 6:30pm. There were still seats at the downstairs bar too. I went for a cocktail off their full menu not featured on happy hour - the tricky tripel, and it was delicious! The bartender did a great job explaining the tasting notes of all the drinks and helped me choose a good one. I also sipped the Belgian sour many of my friends opted for and that's a great cocktail for just $6 during happy hour. Happy hour is tricky -- it's really a great deal making it difficult to justify paying full price for anything but the crowd here is two folds. You have a lot of young college kids mixed with an older crowd so one comes for the deals while the other comes for amazing food and cocktails -- something for everyone! Overall I would definitely come back for dinner. This place has a very lowkey casual vibe but upscale food and drinks. The atmosphere/ambiance leaves a little to be desired with not so great lighting and no background music that I can recall but still a nice spot to pop in.

    Photos
    The Sovereign - Bottle room

    Bottle room

    The Sovereign - Steak frites & eggs, saffron mussels (ig @fanaticdiner)

    Steak frites & eggs, saffron mussels (ig @fanaticdiner)

    The Sovereign - The bar

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    The bar

    ChurchKey - Tots, fries, mushroom flatbread and a glimpse of chicken sando

    ChurchKey

    3.9(1.5k reviews)
    0.7 miLogan Circle, Downtown
    $$

    Great local bar with large rotating craft beer selection. Highly recommend for any beer…read moreenthusiast. They have wine and cocktails as well. They are happy to recommend beer for your taste, and let you sample. It can be very busy and difficult to get a seat at the bar or get a table on a Friday or Saturday evening. We ordered food, and were expecting elevated bar food. The tater tots were a huge disappointment- they were very large squares , bland, and not crispy. The wings were okay. The cheeseburgers were the best- from the restaurant downstairs- mallard. Huge burger, done perfectly medium.

    Here's a review written as part of a visit to both Churchkey and Birch & Barley (the downstairs…read morerestaurant -- together they form the "2 Enjoy Everything" concept by Neighborhood Restaurant Group): A DC Gem That Delivers on Every Level If you haven't made it to Churchkey on 14th Street yet, move it to the top of your list. I visited as part of the full experience -- dinner downstairs at Birch & Barley, then up to Churchkey for drinks -- and honestly, it's one of the best evenings I've had in DC. Churchkey itself is everything a great bar should be. The beer selection is absolutely unreal -- hundreds of carefully curated labels spanning every style, region, and flavor profile you can imagine. What sets it apart is that the staff actually knows the menu. Our server walked us through a few options based on what we liked and landed us on perfect picks both times. That kind of genuine expertise is rare. The tavern pizzas from the wood-fired oven were a wonderful surprise -- thin, crispy, and the perfect companion to a cold draft. The smash burger also deserves a mention: simple, well-executed, and hits the spot. The vibe is warm and lively without being overwhelming. Great for a date, a group, or even just sitting at the bar solo with a good beer and good conversation with the bartender. This place has earned its reputation as one of the best beer bars on the East Coast -- and then some. Highly recommend making a full night of it with both floors. You won't regret it. Feel free to adjust the tone or add any personal details from your actual visit!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

    Photos
    ChurchKey
    ChurchKey
    ChurchKey - Stairs

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    Stairs

    The Bottom Line - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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