Carli
Carli
The Shaw is a fun and vibrant DC neighborhood. These are some must visit Shaw neighborhood restaurants and bars for your next DC visit.
How to get to the Shaw neighborhood restaurants and bars
The Shaw neighborhood of Washington DC is just north of Chinatown and east of Logan Circle. It’s a perfect neighborhood to stay in for a more local scene, or just to visit the great bars and restaurants.
DC is notorious for its slow traffic, unless you’re out later at night and grabbing an Uber or Lyft, the metro will be much faster. There are two nearby stops on the green line, the Shaw/Howard U stop and the U Street stop. Both are a short walk to the Shaw neighborhood restaurants hub on U Street and Florida Ave.
Must visit Shaw neighborhood restaurants and bars
Service Bar
Of all the Shaw bars, Service Bar is the number one bar you should visit not just in the Shaw, but in Washington DC. This bar has been ranked as one of the best North American bars, and was a James Beard Award semifinalist. This may make you think that it will be pretentious and unwelcoming. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
This bar and restaurant was created as a place to serve high quality craft cocktails in a comfortable environment. The bartenders are incredibly friendly and will work with you to find the perfect cocktail for your mood or tastes. If cocktails aren’t your thing they have a selection of wine, beer and mocktails available.
As for food, they serve elevated bar food with small bites, burgers and sandwiches, but they are best known for their fried chicken.
Service Bar is small. They have a limited number of tables and it is just as busy on a Wednesday night as it is on a Saturday night (I know from experience). If you can, get here early.
600 T
There are a couple speakeasy bars in Shaw, but this one is your classic moody cocktail lounge. It’s one block away from the Howard Theater, and if you blink you’ll miss the entrance while walking by. For weekends, it’s recommended to set up a reservation since there are limited seats. They also have some special monthly event nights like open mic and jazz nights that you can check out on their website.
This is a bar only, there is no kitchen but light snacks available. Be sure to grab food before (or after).
Capo Deli and BackRoom
By day, this is a very popular Italian deli serving sandwiches and entrees. They open everyday at 11 for lunch, and stay open until 8-10 depending on the day of the week. On Fridays and Saturdays however, they are open until 3 am because they also have a not so secret speakeasy club behind the deli.
If you want a truly unique nightclub experience, you have to visit the BackRoom at the Capo Deli. This is not your typical speakeasy, because this spot is huge. They have two bars, a large dance floor and booth seating available. The bar experience is lackluster as the lines are long, the drinks are expensive, and not that exciting. But the music was great, the crowd was fun, and best of all, there was no cover charge. If you’re in the mood for dancing, definitely stop by even just for an hour.
Dacha Beer Garden
One of the most popular Shaw neighborhood restaurants is the Dacha Beer Garden. This is also one of the largest beer gardens in the city, and perfect for enjoying food or a drink on a nice DC day. The menu has a mix of elevated bar food and German cuisine. They also have extended happy hours every day of the week, with all day happy hour on Mondays.
Being that this is a beer garden, they feature a broad variety of craft beers, including gluten free and NA options.
The Royal
On the border of the Shaw and Le Droit Park you will find The Royal. Frequently listed in the Michelin guide, this is one of the best restaurants in Shaw DC. Aside from having rave worthy dinner fare, they are also open everyday for brunch. Breakfast is available 10-12 Monday – Friday, and 10-1 Saturday and Sunday.
The dinner service is focused on Latin American cuisine and flavors. I recommend getting a few smaller plates to share, especially the masa gnocchi. Don’t sleep on their cocktails, they have a great mix of classic and specialty drinks on the menu.
They are also now part of Resy, so if you have an Amex card (like my favorite Delta Amex) that gives you monthly dining credits, you should definitely check them out.
Bonus: Shaw adjacent restaurant
Ben’s Chili Bowl
In the Cardozo/Shaw neighborhood (directly next to Shaw) is the iconic and original location of Ben’s Chili Bowl restaurant. This is one of the most popular shaw dc restaurants. This historic diner started in the late 50s in a former silent movie theater.
They are best known for their chili and chili dogs, but they also serve burgers, subs and chicken tenders. In an expensive city like Washington DC, this is one of the cheapest (but still tasty) meals that you can get.
Be sure to check out their beautiful alley mural when you visit.
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