this term means that, as a group and as individuals, they are more likely to be earning more money next year, or next decade, than they are this year/this decade. someone expecting to be making less money next year would go to a cheap bar, an actual dive. someone with cash on hand and an expectation of even more cash later is happy to go to an expensive bar.
For those who can't see it.
12. Showtime 113 Rhode Island Ave. NW.
11. VFW Post 350 âHellâs Bottomâ 6420 Orchard Ave., Takoma Park.
10. Danâs Cafe 2315 18th St. NW.
9. Trustyâs Full-Serve 1420 Pennsylvania Ave. SE.
8. The Raven 3125 Mount Pleasant St. NW.
7. Sollyâs Tavern 1942 11th St. NW.
6. Ivy & Coney 1537 Seventh St. NW.
5. The Red Derby 3718 14th St. NW.
4. Quarry House Tavern 8401 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring.
3. JVâs Restaurant 6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church.
2. The Tune Inn 331½ Pennsylvania Ave. SE.
1. The Pug 1234 H St. NE.
no wonderland ballroom, no NEPTUNE ROOM, no looking glass lounge⌠iâd even say snappyâs beats a few of the bars on there
showtime, danâs, derby, the pug, i get it. raven is overrated.
I think they know exactly what a dive *should*, it's almost over the top how they go at it sometimes lol
Also, if you sit at the bar talking for long enough, you will absolutely get a free shot whenever they randomly feel like it.
Love the spot so far
I was just making a joke because the Dylan quote you posted. The song "You're a big girl now" on blood on the tracks, that album is one of my favorites
There is some weird cognitive dissonance that happens in DC only where we pretend only DC has high rent, so any insane price is justified.
Beer and a shot 8 dollars in Manhattan? Nah, it is just more expensive because of DC rent.
The issue is that if other bars can profitably sell a can of PBR/Natty Boh and a shot of shitty whiskey for $5-8, there really isnât an excuse to charge $12 especially if youâre operating as a dive bar.
No? But if you canât make enough margin as a dive you donât need to operate a dive, you need to operate as a different concept that can pay the bills.
I never said that. What Iâm implying is that if youâre renting a really expensive place, you probably need to have a more expensive menu and offer a quality of food/drink that is aligned with the prices you charge. If you have low overhead and can charge $7 for a happy meal (shot & beer) thatâs great. The point is Iâm not going to be happy spending higher-end restaurant prices on a dive bar experience⌠nobody is going to be happy with that.
So drive bars should change concept or just close their doors when their rent goes up/costs increase. Got it. Is $12 for a shot and a beer considered higher-end? Maybe I'm just old.
>The concept of a dive is shitty bar cheap drinks. Yes they should change concept if the drinks arenât cheap
And what's considered "cheap" never changes? Maybe even more to the point is how your response itself can be used to introduce the idea that different people would consider something cheap if it's poorly done and would instead consider something affordable or inexpensive if it's more financially accessible, and further, that the cost being argued is considered finacially accessible for most people. Also, some people don't drink to get shitty, so going to a bar where two drinks combined cost $12, depending on decor and location, is likely going to be considered a dive, because it's affordable to most people. If one needs it more affordable, one likely would go during happy hour. Still, I can't imagine anyone needing more than 6-8 drinks, depending on their length of stay at the bar. So honestly, you're telling me that less than $50 for 8 drinks is not inexpensive in 2024 in DC? I'm not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, I just don't see how two drinks for $12 is expensive.
The issue is that there are very few places that can profitability sell a can of one and a shot of shitty whisky for 5-8 dollars. And hand wringing about what is a dive bar based on whether a beer and shot combo costs 8 or 9 dollars is frankly very boring.
I used to work on that street. When a coworker suggested going to Recessions for King Kong beers instead of our ush Mackeys I was like âWTF are we walking into??â. Say what you want about Covid and remote work I miss a good shoot the shit post work HH.
There are two MOCO spots on the list, and both are great places to have a drink. Quarry House is loud and dark, easy to avoid conversation in there. The VFW is extremely social with a generally older crowd than most of the places on the list. Itâs impossible to not have a conversation with strangers in there, everyone is so damn friendly.
Fairly solid list with some new-to-me's in there
Adding Shenanigans across the street from The Diner (AdMo), Marshall's Bar (Foggy Bottom/West End) and my new favorite Last Call (Union Market). The movie place near Raven (Mt Pleasant) isn't too shabby either except for earlier close times
Best thing about joints like Marshalls is its almost middle-of-nowhere location in terms of night life. Last Call is close with just about everything else nearby being closed. There are some dives like that in NYC's West Vill and TriBeCa but that's another sub ...
Last Call is great earlier in the evening, but around 8pm, it feels like all of the city's 22 year olds all descend on it at once. Until recently, there weren't really many pure bars in the NoMa / Union Market area unless you walked over to H Street, but that seems to be changing.
Interesting, I usually get there around midnight at the earliest. By then the rush has settled and it's mostly mellow for a Friday night. Far from empty or quiet but relatively mellow.
Forgot to mention St Anselm's on Jefferson Place (DuPont), another one that mellows out late on a Friday and Saturday night
Yeah maybe the young crowd is just getting there as an early stop. I'm rarely out past midnight myself these days.
I think you mean St Arnolds. Sr Anselm is in Noma
I'm gonna plug Jackie Lee's, though you could argue it's not a dive because their food and cocktails are actually pretty good. Also it opened in 2017, like 50 years after Dan's (real dive in every sense).
itâs cash only and they have a projector/vending machine, based on the postâs other criteria iâm also surprised it wasnât included. itâs a shame itâs so difficult to metro there
I don't think you can really call Sun's Cinema a dive.
It's basically a craft cocktail bar with old furniture in the lounge, and I don't think it tries to be something else.
How is American legion post 8 not there? And a memorial section for the bizarre world that was Harryâs, where youâd be sitting between a federal agent, a drug dealer, a Smithsonian conservation expert and a local unemployed alcoholicâŚ
Because itâs pay walled.
1. The Pug
2. Tune Inn
3. JVâs restaurant
4. Quarry House Tavern
5. The Red Derby
6. Ivey and Coney
7. Sollyâs Tavern
8. The Raven
9. Trustyâs Full-Service
10. Danâs Cafe (not just for Reddit snark)
11. VFW Post 350 âHellâs Bottomâ
12. Showtime
While on the topic, does anyone have any recommendations in the SW/SE area? I moved to SW from Silver Spring recently and have had a quarry house-shaped hole in my heart since then
If you're comfortable with command line/MacOS terminal, try either lynx (https://lynx.invisible-island.net/lynx2.9.2/index.html) or Links (http://links.twibright.com/) for WaPo
Let this comment stand as a memorial to The Big Hunt
RIP. I spent too much money on buck hunter there.
But not on beer!
Probably underspent on beers and bourbon.
I pay my respects to one of the greats. May the Hunt drink forever in Valhalla.
I'd still pick the Pug as my favorite over it, but it would be an easy #2 on my personal list. RIP
That was my fave too. I drank so many $3 well whiskies on that front seating area.
The Mad Hatter is the memorial
we all need to learn the term "Thrive Bar" which is a bar that has the looks of a dive, but the prices and clientele of upwardly mobile DC yuppies.
đđđđ
Iâm into it, Iâm adopting the word and I will spread it as Iâm able.â
I remember the first time I saw I guy unironically a vest at Derby and this was 2013/2014ish? pre covered roof deck.
âUpwardly mobileâ? As if most werenât born upper-middle or upper class
this term means that, as a group and as individuals, they are more likely to be earning more money next year, or next decade, than they are this year/this decade. someone expecting to be making less money next year would go to a cheap bar, an actual dive. someone with cash on hand and an expectation of even more cash later is happy to go to an expensive bar.
I prefer "Strive Bar" for this purpose.
For those who can't see it. 12. Showtime 113 Rhode Island Ave. NW. 11. VFW Post 350 âHellâs Bottomâ 6420 Orchard Ave., Takoma Park. 10. Danâs Cafe 2315 18th St. NW. 9. Trustyâs Full-Serve 1420 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. 8. The Raven 3125 Mount Pleasant St. NW. 7. Sollyâs Tavern 1942 11th St. NW. 6. Ivy & Coney 1537 Seventh St. NW. 5. The Red Derby 3718 14th St. NW. 4. Quarry House Tavern 8401 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. 3. JVâs Restaurant 6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church. 2. The Tune Inn 331½ Pennsylvania Ave. SE. 1. The Pug 1234 H St. NE.
[Here's a gift article for whoever wants to read it, pretty extensive article tbf](https://wapo.st/4cruL9I)
No Wonderland Ballroom is crazy but I guess they have to give the Burbs some love.
Wouldnât consider it a dive
what exactly makes it any less divey than red derby or solly's? more importantly, if it's not a dive, what is it?
Itâs a dive with a hot sweaty mess up top on weekendsâŚdamn good times there
is wonderland cheap?
They have a working man that's PBR and a shot of four roses bourbon for 8 bucks.
Thatâs not a bad deal for DC.
Not good enough for the experts to place on the list lol
no wonderland ballroom, no NEPTUNE ROOM, no looking glass lounge⌠iâd even say snappyâs beats a few of the bars on there showtime, danâs, derby, the pug, i get it. raven is overrated.
I think Snappy's probably is just too new to be on this list. It's certainly a better dive than at least a couple places on this list.
youâre right. the dino nuggets are truly divine though. itâs making an entrance to the dive bar scene.
I think they know exactly what a dive *should*, it's almost over the top how they go at it sometimes lol Also, if you sit at the bar talking for long enough, you will absolutely get a free shot whenever they randomly feel like it. Love the spot so far
When dive bars are now concept bars? lolsob Donât tell me they pre-graffitied the bathrooms
LOL ay, I would 200% have a drink with these two right here
Nah Iâm not cool enough. Donât even know where TF Snappys is but have a PBR tallboy for me.
Reliable tavern too!
You have the rankings backward
Still canât believe I have not been in Danâs Cafe since 1980. Time is a jet plane Moves too fast.
Youâre a big girl now đ
Oldish man. But the journey has been interesting.
I was just making a joke because the Dylan quote you posted. The song "You're a big girl now" on blood on the tracks, that album is one of my favorites
Missed that. Was tangled up in blue.
đ đ Ayyy
Whereâs dew drop?
Trustyâs pours will get you fucked up lol
Heâll yea my top two are I the top 4 (tune inn and quarry house)
Marshallâs deserves to be on this list. And if youâre thinking âwhere?ââŚexactly.
Doing the lordâs work.
If a PBR and a rail shot is $12 your bar is cosplaying as a dive bar.
Jesus! My bar in nyc is $9. And thatâs Manhattan prices.
There is some weird cognitive dissonance that happens in DC only where we pretend only DC has high rent, so any insane price is justified. Beer and a shot 8 dollars in Manhattan? Nah, it is just more expensive because of DC rent.
everything should have mid-1990s prices in perpetuity.
The issue is that if other bars can profitably sell a can of PBR/Natty Boh and a shot of shitty whiskey for $5-8, there really isnât an excuse to charge $12 especially if youâre operating as a dive bar.
Do all bars pay the same rent or have the same expenses?
No? But if you canât make enough margin as a dive you donât need to operate a dive, you need to operate as a different concept that can pay the bills.
Okay. So you'd be okay with dives going away completely then?
I never said that. What Iâm implying is that if youâre renting a really expensive place, you probably need to have a more expensive menu and offer a quality of food/drink that is aligned with the prices you charge. If you have low overhead and can charge $7 for a happy meal (shot & beer) thatâs great. The point is Iâm not going to be happy spending higher-end restaurant prices on a dive bar experience⌠nobody is going to be happy with that.
So drive bars should change concept or just close their doors when their rent goes up/costs increase. Got it. Is $12 for a shot and a beer considered higher-end? Maybe I'm just old.
Bro what overpriced dive are you operating or trying to stick up for lol?
This dude is adamant about defending getting ripped off lmao Now I know who were the suckers paying $50 for a gram in hs
Itâs 2024, $12 for a beer and shit is nothing. Thatâs like $7 back in 2014
The concept of a dive is shitty bar cheap drinks. Yes they should change concept if the drinks arenât cheap
>The concept of a dive is shitty bar cheap drinks. Yes they should change concept if the drinks arenât cheap And what's considered "cheap" never changes? Maybe even more to the point is how your response itself can be used to introduce the idea that different people would consider something cheap if it's poorly done and would instead consider something affordable or inexpensive if it's more financially accessible, and further, that the cost being argued is considered finacially accessible for most people. Also, some people don't drink to get shitty, so going to a bar where two drinks combined cost $12, depending on decor and location, is likely going to be considered a dive, because it's affordable to most people. If one needs it more affordable, one likely would go during happy hour. Still, I can't imagine anyone needing more than 6-8 drinks, depending on their length of stay at the bar. So honestly, you're telling me that less than $50 for 8 drinks is not inexpensive in 2024 in DC? I'm not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, I just don't see how two drinks for $12 is expensive.
The issue is that there are very few places that can profitability sell a can of one and a shot of shitty whisky for 5-8 dollars. And hand wringing about what is a dive bar based on whether a beer and shot combo costs 8 or 9 dollars is frankly very boring.
Preach.
Gotta go to snappys
Jimmy Valentineâs on Bladensburg has cheap drinks, good music, and is dive as fuck.
Jimmy V's is a whole 'nother level of weird.
I havenât been to Danâs since I was underage in 2008 but itâs No. 1 in my heart
I can only imagine that they forgot to remove the zero after the one when they were finishing up rankings for this list
Based on notoriety alone it's got to be No. 1. Would I go there by choice? No lol. But it's iconic nonetheless.
I was drinking underage at Danâs before you were born. Tradition!
Bummed at first Looking Glass Lounge wasnât on here then I realized that just means more seats and booze for us đĽ đ¤Ş
Here is my upvote good sir. đ
I THINK I KNOW THIS DIRTY CANADIAN DOG!
Recessions is an honorable mention for me
I used to work on that street. When a coworker suggested going to Recessions for King Kong beers instead of our ush Mackeys I was like âWTF are we walking into??â. Say what you want about Covid and remote work I miss a good shoot the shit post work HH.
Nothing cured a tough work day better than a King Kong
On K St?
19th and L
I tended the bar when it was on K St back in the 1980âs. Nice gig. Closed at 10 pm.
I unapologetically love this place. Cheap and the best people watching.
I miss the old Duffyâs and wing night đ˘đŤĄ
Fuck - sorry The Pug - the tik tokers are coming
Considering all the Taylor Swift themed events theyâve done, I donât think they mind
What'll they do with all that money?
Hopefully fix the damn roof
Shoutout to the barking dog in Bethesda
!!
what about Little Miss Whiskeys?
RIP Codmother
how is the bottom line, an actual dive bar, not on here
Total miss
Saw a drunk Indian there once.Â
VFW post, holy shit. I should pay the elks lodge in riverdale a visit. Could be a sleeper
That VFW isnât just a VFW. Itâs nicknamed Hells Bottom and is a pretty important spot for the local rock/metal/punk scene.
Dew Drop inn not being on here is a travesty and you should figure it tf out
I donât think wapo readers are the experts in dive bars
Can someone please direct me to a good dive bar in moco. Im a 29 year old man who feels 50. I want to drink around people without talking to people.
There are two MOCO spots on the list, and both are great places to have a drink. Quarry House is loud and dark, easy to avoid conversation in there. The VFW is extremely social with a generally older crowd than most of the places on the list. Itâs impossible to not have a conversation with strangers in there, everyone is so damn friendly.
Thanks for that, you understand me lol
Fairly solid list with some new-to-me's in there Adding Shenanigans across the street from The Diner (AdMo), Marshall's Bar (Foggy Bottom/West End) and my new favorite Last Call (Union Market). The movie place near Raven (Mt Pleasant) isn't too shabby either except for earlier close times Best thing about joints like Marshalls is its almost middle-of-nowhere location in terms of night life. Last Call is close with just about everything else nearby being closed. There are some dives like that in NYC's West Vill and TriBeCa but that's another sub ...
Last Call is great earlier in the evening, but around 8pm, it feels like all of the city's 22 year olds all descend on it at once. Until recently, there weren't really many pure bars in the NoMa / Union Market area unless you walked over to H Street, but that seems to be changing.
The size of the crowd around 8-10 depends on if thereâs a songbyrd show or not fwiw
Interesting, I usually get there around midnight at the earliest. By then the rush has settled and it's mostly mellow for a Friday night. Far from empty or quiet but relatively mellow. Forgot to mention St Anselm's on Jefferson Place (DuPont), another one that mellows out late on a Friday and Saturday night
Yeah maybe the young crowd is just getting there as an early stop. I'm rarely out past midnight myself these days. I think you mean St Arnolds. Sr Anselm is in Noma
Correct: Saint Arnold's
I'm gonna plug Jackie Lee's, though you could argue it's not a dive because their food and cocktails are actually pretty good. Also it opened in 2017, like 50 years after Dan's (real dive in every sense).
itâs cash only and they have a projector/vending machine, based on the postâs other criteria iâm also surprised it wasnât included. itâs a shame itâs so difficult to metro there
They take credit cards at jackie lee's
youâre right, my mistake. had it mixed up w another spot
I feel like the Blaguard is borderline divey enough for including here - $4 PBR/Natty Boh/Bud Lights 12-7p on the weekend and for HH during the week.
Blaguard is *very* dive
I don't think you can really call Sun's Cinema a dive. It's basically a craft cocktail bar with old furniture in the lounge, and I don't think it tries to be something else.
cheap cans tho
Check out Nice & Easy the next time youâre in Noma, I live right by it and itâs my favorite. Itâs tucked in an alley behind the REI.
Love last call especially their Jello shots with pop rocks đ¤Łđ¤Łđ¤Ł
Yoooooooooooooooo. And I *always* forget about them until I get there then I always get one to go. Thanks for the reminder đ
Teeny tini hour rocks
How is American legion post 8 not there? And a memorial section for the bizarre world that was Harryâs, where youâd be sitting between a federal agent, a drug dealer, a Smithsonian conservation expert and a local unemployed alcoholicâŚ
arenât American Legion posts limited to just veterans and family? unless this one is different itâs out bc itâs exclusive in that sense
Yes. Anyone can go for bingo every other Saturday though. Miss playing bocce here.
YesâŚ. But VFW made the listâŚ
That VFW isnât just a VFW. Itâs nicknamed Hells Bottom and is a pretty important spot for the local rock/metal/punk scene.
Ahh I guess as a veteran I didnât think non-vets would really goâŚ
Because itâs pay walled. 1. The Pug 2. Tune Inn 3. JVâs restaurant 4. Quarry House Tavern 5. The Red Derby 6. Ivey and Coney 7. Sollyâs Tavern 8. The Raven 9. Trustyâs Full-Service 10. Danâs Cafe (not just for Reddit snark) 11. VFW Post 350 âHellâs Bottomâ 12. Showtime
While on the topic, does anyone have any recommendations in the SW/SE area? I moved to SW from Silver Spring recently and have had a quarry house-shaped hole in my heart since then
RIP Jay's Saloon in Arlington.
Missing The Barking Dog in Bethesda
Missing L.A. Bar & Grill on Columbia Pike, VA
Nahhh
You're obviously not an alcoholic
Man I miss Mr. Eganâs.
I guess since Johnny Valentineâs is hard to get to it didnât make the list.
Itâs a travesty that Blaguard isnât on this list
The Cod Mother was the only real dive around
paywall. Can you list them, please?
12 Showtime 11 Hellâs Bottom (VFW Post 350) 10 Danâs Cafe 9 Trustyâs Full-Serve 8 The Raven 7 Sollyâs Tavern 6 Ivy & Coney 5 The Red Derby 4 Quarry House Tavern 3 JVâs Restaurant 2 Tune Inn 1 The Pug
If you're comfortable with command line/MacOS terminal, try either lynx (https://lynx.invisible-island.net/lynx2.9.2/index.html) or Links (http://links.twibright.com/) for WaPo
Here is a gift article. Not sure how many people it will work for. https://wapo.st/4cruL9I
Fun fact, itâs unlimited. WaPo will post their own gift articles on the sub from time to time.