Almost a century ago, Americans rejoiced at the end of Prohibition. Bars could reopen and publicly sell alcohol! No more bootleg “gin” filled with additives that could literally make you go blind! No more police raids and bartenders led away in handcuffs!
And yet bargoers have spent much of the past two decades enraptured with what they imagine to be the glamour of the Prohibition-era speakeasy: low lights and fancy cocktails at a party restricted to those in the know.
The trend of neo-speakeasies began in the mid-2000s thanks to places like New York’s legendary PDT, with its hidden entrance through a phone booth in a hot dog shop, and Old Town Alexandria’s PX, which required customers to look for a blue light off King Street, then knock on a plain door to gain admittance to a tiny lounge pouring 1920s-inspired cocktails.
These days, plenty of bars have embraced what a colleague calls “Prohibition cosplay”: sofa-filled lounges hidden behind steel freezer doors, in barber shops and in the basements of luxury hotels. Getting in requires guests to ring doorbells next to unmarked doors or make reservations in advance, sometimes using “secret” links hidden in plain sight on the website of a sister business. But can anything really stay secret in the age of social media?
Adding a disguised entrance and calling your business a “speakeasy” has become a thematic design choice, no different from deciding to use mid-century modern furniture or install a selfie wall covered in grass and a neon sign. You’re not hiding from the coppers — just the troubles of the outside world. That’s why there’s still something alluring about visiting one of these bars for the first time, trying to figure out where a door is hidden and whether you’ll be granted entrance or be relegated to a wait list.
Here’s a guide to some of the best speakeasy-style bars to seek out in the D.C. area. (Note that we said “some.” You can’t expect us to give up all our secrets.)
Warning: Contains mild spoilers about locations and means of entry.
Where’s the bar? Look for people filing into the lower level of a rowhouse squeezed between Rito Loco and an alley near LeDroit Park for what might be appear to be a house party in a typical English basement apartment.
Getting in: Reservations last 90 minutes and are made through Resy for bar stools and regular tables. There is usually space for walk-ins, but that’s limited on weekends. If you can’t make reservations and are in the area, it doesn’t hurt to stop in and ask: On a recent Friday, we asked the host if we could grab a drink. He said the night was full, but he had a table for two where the reservation didn’t start for an hour. If we could watch our time, we could have it until then.
The vibe: 600 T is one of the coziest bars in town, and not just because it’s literally in the bottom floor of a rowhouse. The exposed brick walls are in various shades of cinnamon and ebony. Rough wooden boards hang overhead, supporting clusters of Edison bulbs. Candles flicker inside the metal holders sitting on tables seemingly made from butcher blocks. Thursday night brings live jazz starting at 8 p.m. The staff is friendly, and the customers are upbeat. Everyone seems happy to be here, nursing a cocktail.
What to drink: The cocktail menu features a long list of well-crafted classics: a perfectly balanced Paper Plane, a bracing Pegu Club, a paloma with a kiss of sweet-and-spicy hibiscus thanks to Sorel Liqueur. But don’t overlook the house signatures, such as the Wisconsin Avenue Jones, a complex mix of 100-proof bourbon, herbaceous Yellow Chartreuse and a hit of mint. Most cocktails are $16 to $20, unless you visit for happy hour, which runs from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday and all night Wednesday, when there’s a special menu of $14 classics. Food options are limited to berbere-spiced popcorn, spiced mixed nuts and chocolate chip cookies.
600 T St. NW. 600tdc.com.
Out of Office at Manifest
Where’s the bar? Manifest seems like a thoughtful combo: an old-school barbershop up front, including optional hot lather shaves, and a boutique stocked with hoodies from Marni, clogs from Needles, and a variety of expensive hair and face products. There’s even a coffee bar in the back. You almost don’t realize there’s an entrance to a lounge here until you give the sales associate your name, and the magic happens.
Getting in: Reservations are required, according to the website, though the bartender told us they do take walk-ins, especially on Wednesday or Thursday, when it’s less crowded. Have fun clicking around on Manifest’s website until you stumble across the link to Out of Office, which has no menu or hours — just a link to make reservations. When you finally get to that point, you might find that booking a seat at the bar is as hard as getting a table at Moon Rabbit: On a recent Friday, the only options for two people were at 5 p.m. or after 11:15 p.m.
The vibe: First impressions are everything, and Out of Office is a stage set for date night. The curvaceous bar, which has just six seats, takes up most of a cozy room, though a mirrored wall makes the space feel a bit larger. Votives flicker among the ornate cut-glass bottles of bitters and syrups sitting on the marble counter, while bottles of spirits glow behind the bar — the brightest spots in a room colored in blacks and grays. The adjacent lounge has room for just two dozen more people, at a mix of cube-shaped booths and blond wooden chairs at low-slung tables. A mix of R&B and hip-hop plays over the speakers, both new (Drake, the Weeknd) and old (Jay-Z, TLC). Lil Jon’s “Lovers and Friends” inspires a singalong from a group we can hear, but not see, in the other room.
What to drink: The 14 cocktails on the menu were “inspired by worldly travel experiences,” according to OOO’s website. The Tokyo Garden arrives with a freshly torched sprig of rosemary, the glowing embers of which provide a lovely counterpoint to a mix of smoked mezcal, sweet pineapple juice and spicy bitters. La Boca builds on a traditional Hemingway special daiquiri but adds Equiano dark rum, blended in Barbados. The four featured cocktails are $22, while the rest of the drinks range from $18 to $20.
1807 Florida Ave. NW. manifest.us.
The Alex at the Graham hotel
Where’s the bar? The posh four-star Graham hotel in Georgetown, which sits half a block north of the C&O Canal’s visitor center, doesn’t seem like the kind of place you should go poking around looking for hidden doors and secret entrances. In fact, you’d probably walk right by the door for the Alex if you didn’t know what you were looking for, or how to access it. The person at the hotel’s check-in desk might be able to help.
Getting in: The Alex is advertised, not hidden, on the hotel website, and reservations are available through OpenTable. Reservations are valid for 90 minutes.
The vibe: The basement cocktail bar is named, the hotel says, for former Georgetown resident Alexander Graham Bell. There are cool details throughout the long, rectangular space: the network of pipes overhead, the cut-glass light fixtures above the bar, the portrait of a rabbit in country attire hanging over the marble fireplace. There’s live jazz on Friday and Saturday nights, though on the night we first visited, my date and I were forced to cuddle up on the same side of our table, as the trio was SIMPLY TOO LOUD TO TALK OVER. (The audio was rectified after their first set, so we assume we weren’t the only ones to notice.)
What to drink: The Alex was the only place where I encountered a $45 cocktail over the course of reporting: the Closing Statement, which mixes Monkey 47 gin, extra-aged VEP Chartreuse, Luxardo Maraschino liqueur and fresh lime juice. The rest of the menu is a mix of classics and originals, such as the Moonlight Serenade, which takes its light, springlike flavors from Lillet Blanc, crème de pêche and a house-steeped gin. Many of the drinks seemed just a touch sweet. Most cocktails are $20 to $24; expect to pay $16 to $20 for a glass of wine.
1075 Thomas Jefferson St. NW. thegrahamgeorgetown.com.
Back Room at Capo Italian Deli
Where’s the bar? You might know the original Florida Avenue location of Capo Italian Deli as a go-to spot for old-school salami sandwiches. Maybe you ordered one of the wildly popular Fauci Pouchy packaged cocktails to go in the early days of the pandemic. But there’s more to drink here than Boylan root beer: Just look for the bouncer, who’s probably not guarding the seeded rolls.
Getting in: No reservations are required. Larger groups can call 202-910-6884 to ask about reserving tables.
The vibe: If most bars that adopt speakeasy-esque personas want to conjure images of savvy sophisticates nursing vintage cocktails in a lounge, Capo just wants you to dance. The hidden bar is much bigger than the deli would have you believe, with a pair of bars — one of which used to be a bank vault — and long tufted banquettes, plush couches and plenty of room to move under an expansive chandelier. The liveliest nights are the first and third Thursdays of the month, when DJ Farrah Flosscett and friends take over for Throwing Shade, a dance party with elements of hip-hop, underground R&B, futuristic funk and soulful house beginning at 10 p.m., but there’s music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.
What to drink: Beverage director Rohit Malhotra’s talents come through on the cocktail menu, which had 10 drinks on our last visit. Some, like the paloma with housemade grapefruit soda and a choice of mezcal, tequila or Chacho, and the Lemongrass Mule, where vodka or gin are paired with a house lemongrass syrup and ginger beer, are easy-sipping highballs for clubbing. But then there’s the East Meets West — a boulevardier riff with Japanese whisky, American bourbon and Szechuan-spiced amaro. All house cocktails are $18. Elsewhere on the menu, there’s one beer (Stella Artois, $10), champagne (starting at $15 per glass), and a bottle service menu that starts at $300 for Don Q Cristal, Tito’s and Milagro Silver.
715 Florida Ave. NW. capodc.com.
Where’s the bar? Hidden in the heart of the downtown corridor, near the McPherson Square Metro station, the Mirror is just out of sight from the sidewalk, looking out of place in an otherwise empty building — or is it? Really, the clue is in the name.
Getting in: No reservations for entry or tables.
The vibe: Once you’re inside, the Mirror is, for the most part, a chill spot. Classic 1990s hip-hop booms from the speakers — Clipse, Ice Cube, the “All About the Benjamins” remix — while bartenders mix up a steady stream of throwback drinks. It’s intentionally dark, lit by candles with no phone flashes or flashlights allowed. The rough wooden bar planks signal a no-frills approach, until you wander to the back and find nooks with leather sofas, low tables, glass chandeliers and, what else, gilt-framed mirrors.
What to drink: The menu is packed with classic cocktails, from the airmail to the Tom Collins by way of the Brown Derby, Corpse Reviver No. 2, Last Word and Siesta. Drinks are $16. Happy hour, which runs on weekdays from 5 to 7:30 p.m., knocks cocktails down to $13 while offering $11 beer-and-a-shot combos. Note that the only thing to eat is Lay’s potato chips for $1 per bag.
1413 K St. NW. themirrordc.com.
Where’s the bar? There used to be some mystery about getting into Captain Gregory’s, an intimate bar housed in the same storefront as RailBird Kitchen restaurant. Now, however, there are signs telling you exactly how to get the attention of the Captain’s staff, which kind of spoils the surprise.
Getting in: Reservations can be made through Resy for groups of no more than four. Reservations last an hour and 45 minutes and include a $4.50-per-person fee, which gets you doughnuts. Walk-in seating is possible — the bar operates a “virtual wait list” beginning at 5 p.m.
The vibe: Nautical touches abound in Captain Gregory’s — the ramp leading from the secret entrance into the bar ends at a pillar wrapped with heavy rope. Yet there are softer touches, such as the wide, velvet chairs and the little vases of flowers on each table. Captain Gregory’s is serious about its cocktails, but it also feels designed for date night, given the small size and numerous tables for two.
What to drink: The menu is divided into sections, such as “Light and Easy Going,” where you’ll find Hotel El Floridita, a balanced, apricot-flavored daiquiri riff with extra depth from fennel-roasted pineapple and saffron, and “Modern,” where top billing goes to Amongst the Cane Fields, a potent, citrusy milk punch with the funk of rhum agricole, orange blossom and toasted almond. The rotating seasonal theme on our visit was Winter in Tokyo, which meant a focus on Japanese whiskies, yuzu-infused gin, and, in the rich and peppery Tokyo Vice, rye whiskey washed with wagyu fat, plus a black peppercorn-forward maple syrup. The kitchen is proud of its various tinctures and infusions and will happily explain why, for example, the Royal Fortune features a chamomile-infused pisco. Most cocktails are $19, with some $1 more or less. A small food menu includes a half-dozen items, such as deviled eggs topped with pancetta, crackling shrimp tempura and a wagyu burger.
804 N. Henry St., Alexandria. captaingregorys.com.
Where’s the bar? Walk past the line of cooks prepping Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken and delivery drivers waiting to pick up orders, and head for the rear of this Logan Circle fast-casual eatery.
Getting in: No reservations.
The vibe: Think of Chicken + Whiskey as a speakeasy for beginners. The freezer door leading to the whiskey bar feels more like a visual joke than the hush-hush entry to a Prohibition-themed emporium. On a Friday night, as retro dance music played, a group of women were doing shot skis — ski-shaped boards with shot glasses attached that require everyone to lift and sip at the same time — while a couple chatted with the bartender about the selection of 99 whiskeys behind the bar. There’s plenty of seating, both at the bar and at drink rails along the opposite wall. If you come right after work, there’s even a happy hour, with $3 off cocktails and a $15 combo of wings and Mexican beer. This is the only Chicken + Whiskey with a hidden bar, so please don’t go poking around the Columbia Mall or Navy Yard locations looking for the speakeasy.
What to drink: The Toki Highball is a classic, refreshing mix of Japanese whisky, soda, and a choice or lemon or orange aromatics, which are sprayed directly into the glass.
1738 14th St. NW. chickenandwhiskey.com.
Where’s the bar? The name is self-explanatory: Go to Doi Moi restaurant on 14th Street NW, and go downstairs. If you see a glowing pink light outside, the bar is open and you can head down.
Getting in: Doi Moi downstairs doesn’t require reservations, though they are offered upstairs.
The vibe: Designed as a dark, intimate hideaway to contrast with the loud, vivid restaurant upstairs, Doi Moi Downstairs is a place you want to bring a date for after-dinner cocktails — especially if you can snag one of several intimate nooks separated from the bar by beaded curtains. A section of banquettes offers a place to lean back and take in the scene, watching the action at the bar, accented by hanging ivy and lanterns. A DJ provides the soundtrack on weekends. It can feel crowded and lively late at night, if that’s what you’re looking for.
What to drink: Doi Moi Downstairs has its own food and drink menu. The vibe is playful, mixing tiki and disco. I Got U-bae, for instance, is a tropical coconut- and pineapple-forward mix of tequila and overproof rum served in a glass pineapple to show off its vivid purple color, which comes from the ube yam. House cocktails are $13 to $15. There are vodka and green tea shots and rotating “disco shots” for $6 each, wines starting at $12 a glass, and canned soju cocktails.
1800 14th St. NW. doimoidc.com.
Where’s the bar? Walking down Mount Pleasant Street NW, look for a radio antenna painted on an otherwise unremarkable door. There’s a doorbell next to it.
Getting in: OKPB doesn’t take reservations, which makes every visit a roll of the dice, considering the capacity is just 30. If there’s no room for your group, your name will be added to a wait list, you’re free to go chill at a nearby restaurant or bar, and you’ll get a text when something opens up. It all comes down to luck and timing. I’ve hustled over at 5:15 p.m. on a Tuesday and found myself cooling my heels at Purple Patch’s bar for more than 30 minutes waiting for a table to open. I’ve stopped by on a Thursday around 6 p.m. and been shown right in. I’ve tried my luck on a Friday night and waited more than 2 hours for a text, at which point I gave up. You’d think happy hour would be the best bet, but you never know how long people are going to linger: As I heard the doorman tell a couple while turning them away one afternoon, “It could be 20 to 30 minutes or it could be an hour.”
The vibe: There are two reasons people are willing to wait to get into OKPB: There’s nothing else like it, and the drinks are impressive. Opened in the summer of 2021 by former bartenders from Dupont Circle speakeasy the Sheppard, the worn and lived-in OKPB feels like it’s been around much longer. Gaze around as you sip: potted plants mounted on the walls, a screen of rows of frosted windows, shelves full of books and knickknacks, floral red wallpaper with monkey prints, the skylight at the top of the stairs. A radiator with a shelf and another plant atop it becomes a standing rail for a pair waiting for seats. The soundtrack jumps, incongruously, from Edwyn Collins’s “A Girl Like You” to Benny Goodman small group swing, and no one bats an eye. There’s lots of buzz from conversations, but somehow the click-clack of a cocktail shaker is never drowned out.
What to drink: The shortest and sweetest of speakeasy menus is a handwritten piece of paper on a clipboard with five drinks on it, which changes daily. On offer in February: Autumn in New Jersey, with apple brandy, lemon, orgeat and bitters, and the Fairbanks, with rye whiskey, apricot and bitters. You can also just tell the staff what you’re in the mood for, and they’ll deliver, though this is easier if you have one of the five bar stools. The drinks are deep yet simple — deceptively so. All drinks are $16, except at happy hour, which runs from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and includes $8 martinis, Manhattans, Fitzgeralds and mules.
3165 Mount Pleasant St. NW. okpbdc.com.
Where’s the bar? There’s literally a neon sign in the Kaiju Ramen shop on Barracks Row pointing to the bar. But once you’re downstairs in a dark, neon-lit hallway, you need to pick the right unmarked door, lest you find yourself in a bathroom. TKYO Speaks used to have a cool disguise: The door was covered in shelves holding sake barrels, so it appeared to be part of the wall. Sadly, the barrels proved too heavy, according to a bartender, and were removed.
Getting in: It’s not hard to just walk in, but the room gets crowded on Friday and Saturday nights, when a DJ gets the crowd moving. If you want a seat, try coming early, or even during dinner. (Pro tip: You can have food delivered to the downstairs bar.)
The vibe: The basement lounge is lit with neon signs, which shine on murals of anime characters. Garlands of (fake) cherry blossoms hang above the bar. Guests lounge with drinks on leather sofas or stand at high tables, watching episodes of 1980s Saturday morning cartoons or “Sailor Moon.” TKYO Speaks is a laid-back spot on Thursday and Sunday, while DJs ratchet up the vibe after 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. If there’s an anime-related con in the area, cosplaying characters are usually here.
What to drink: The focus is on Japanese beverages, so think bottles of sparkling fruit-flavored Hana Awaka sakes or Hokkaido ales — the refreshing Cherry Berry isn’t as sweet as you’d think. You can get a pretty good New York sour or pineapple margarita, but it’s more fun to mix or match highballs. Sparkling green tea can be matched with five different spirits, including Suntory Toki whisky or Bombay Gin. Even better: cocktails made with Calpico, the milky Japanese beverage, in your choice of original or strawberry flavors, with the same five spirits. Happy hour, which runs from 5 to 7:30 p.m., takes $2 off everything on the menu.
525 Eighth St. SE. instagram.com/tkyodc.
Where’s the bar? The first thing you see walking into Friendship Heights’ new food hall is a large, rectangular bar. It’s so conspicuous, it’s obviously not the one you’re looking for. Wander past the selfie stations and neon installations and stands selling kebabs and cheesesteaks, and you get to Urbano, a mural-filled Mexican restaurant with a half-dozen margaritas on the menu. You might retrace your steps back to the beginning, trying to figure out where there might be a hidden door — then realize you forgot to check on the patio.
Getting in: No reservations. Our server said there can be a wait on weekends, but rarely early in the week.
The vibe: Bright, clean and sporting an enormous bar, Turncoat is the perfect fit for Chevy Chase, from the herringbone wooden floor to the pressed tin ceiling overhead. The tufted bar stools are wide and luxurious. None of those low lights or booming hip-hop found at other speakeasies. You could bring your mom here, assuming she likes gin cocktails, butter-poached lobster rolls, and the crackly vintage hot jazz and lusher tunes from the “Boardwalk Empire” soundtracks pouring from the speakers. Turncoat embraces the cheesiness and leans into being a 1920s-theme bar: Note the mug shots of Al Capone and other bootleggers staring down at you from the walls; the back bar dressed up as a 19th-century “Rock Creek Railway” streetcar; the cocktail served in a miniature bathtub as a nod to Prohibition-era “bathtub gin.”
What to drink: The head-turner at Turncoat is the Clawfoot Tub, a potent and delicious gin and housemade tonic that’s topped with a mound of bubbly, pineapple-flavored “foam” and arrives in a ceramic bathtub-shaped tiki glass. Even more of a novelty is the Crabappletini, a funky gin martini that stars a crab vermouth — made with real meat in a sous vide — for a briny, earthy taste that’s instantly recognizable.
5406 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase (Inside the Heights food hall). theturncoatbar.com.
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