With scorchers on the horizon, it’s time for the great sip and sweat session that
is summer in Washington. We mined the watering holes on our Great Bars list for places offerings outdoor happy hours, and came up with this list of 23. Don’t
forget the sunglasses—you’re going to need them.
The setting: On the $5 happy hour menu you’ll find everything from sweet tea vodka
(a.k.a. River Tea) to an order of sweet potato goat cheese spread. Umbrellas provide
some shade along the Mount Vernon Square side patio, which seats about 80 patrons.
Specials: $5 house wine, cocktails, beer, and bar appetizers
Hours: Monday through Friday 4 to 6
The setting: If you are near Barracks Row for happy hour, head to this covered rooftop
that seats about 30 to expand your palate with cocktails made with rakia, a fruit
brandy commonly found in Balkan watering holes and liquor cabinets.
Specials: $4 wine, cocktails, and beers
Hours: Monday through Friday 4 to 7
Argo-Mutts Happy Hour at the Argonaut
The setting: Bring the dog along to this H Street patio happy hour. Plenty of greenery
provides some natural shade, so both you and the pup can stay cool.
Specials: $1 off rail beverages and draft beer and half-price hushpuppies. Local pet
store Metro Mutts provides doggie treats and water bowls for four-legged patrons.
Hours: Saturday noon to 5
The setting: A rustic rooftop with stools pulled up to barrel tables looks down onto
the patio lined with long wooden tables, giving you that Oktoberfest aesthetic all
summer long. The only thing better? A cold Hefeweizen and a warm pretzel.
Specials: $5 for a half liter, $10 for a full liter, $6 liqueurs
Hours: Monday through Friday 4 to 7
The setting: An open patio outside this Bethesda bar and lounge seats 50 and is a
great place to score small bites such as steamed, spiced shrimp for 50 cents each
and Chesapeake Bay oysters.
Specials: $6 martinis, $3.75 to $4.25 draft beers, and $5 wines
Hours: Monday through Friday 4 to 7
5@5 at BLT Steak
The setting: Talk about a power patio. Its 30 seats attract many DC influencers, but
its prices are affordable to everyone—$5 gets you everything from Parmesan baked scallops
to a glass of Syrah from Rhone, France. If only happy hour ran a little longer.
Specials: $5 blood orange martini, $5 wines, $5 beers, and $5 snacks
Hours: Monday through Friday 5 to 6:30
The setting: The uncovered patio seats just 16, so we would suggest leaving the office
early to make it to this DC staple.
Specials: $5 wine, $5 wells, $4 Yuengling, and half-price wings
Hours: Monday through Thursday 4 to 7
The setting: This partially covered rooftop offers sweeping views of the city and
the U Street corridor. You know a bar means business when it offers a late-night happy
hour on Sunday evenings. What better way to end the weekend?
Specials: $6 wine, $6 rail, $4 to $8 draft drinks, and small plates under $8
Hours: Monday through Friday 5 to 7, Sunday 10 PM to 2 AM
The setting: Art Deco beams are the gateway to this rooftop pavilion in Arlington,
which can entertain a crowd of about 80. On Fridays, don’t be surprised if you end
up staying to dance the night away when the downstairs club opens for the weekend.
(Check your local listings beforehand, because this uncovered spot is closed during
those summer rainstorms.)
Specials: Wednesday $1.50 domestic bottles, $4 mojitos, and $5 small plates; Thursday
$3 draft beer, $3 Corona, and $5 small plates; Friday half-price draft beer, $4 margaritas,
and $5 small plates
Hours: Wednesday through Thursday 5 to midnight (rooftop only), Friday 5 to 2
The setting: Take a break from your mini-golf and skeeball games and head up to the
rooftop for sweeping views of the city. If late meetings and projects constantly put
a damper on your happy hour outings, go on Tuesday, when discounts last until last
call.
Specials: $3 Dos Equis and Miller Light; $5 classic margaritas
Hours: Monday through Thursday 5 to 8 (all night Tuesday), Friday through Sunday 4
to 7
The setting: A covered patio seats around 50 people at this Irish pub in Bethesda,
where you can down a Guinness with an order of beef, lamb, and corned beef Irish sliders.
Specials: $3 bottled beer, $5 draft beer and rail drinks, $6 martinis and house wine
Hours: Monday through Friday 4 to 6:30
The setting: The open-air rooftop seats 160 patrons and offers a solid beer list with
plenty of drafts, cans, and bottles
Specials: $2 off all beer, $5 wine, and half off skewers
Hours: Monday through Friday 5 to 7:30
The setting: Whet your appetite for dinner with a small bite menu of oysters and clams
to pair with a cocktail or Cosmo on the covered terrace, which seats about 80 people.
Specials: $5.50 beer, $8 cocktails, and $9 Cosmos
Hours: Monday through Friday 4:30 to 7:30
The setting: A 30-seat open patio with umbrellas wraps around the pub and offers small
bites and a solid beer list.
Specials: $1 off drafts, bottles, rail drinks, and wines, $3 hot dogs, $3 pretzels,
and $6.50 crab dip with pita
Hours: Monday through Friday 3 to 7
The setting: The 116-seat patio of this Arlington spot is covered by an awning and
equipped with umbrellas. You’ll find not only a stellar drink selection during happy
hour but also small bites such as a house-ground burger for $10 and short-rib franks
for $6.
Specials: $4 beers, $5 wines, and a $5 SJF signature cocktail
Hours: Daily 3 to 7
The setting: This Columbia Heights patio, under a removable awning, seats 30 and offers
deals on its “environmental sustainability” drafts, so you can drink well knowing
you are helping Mother Earth.
Specials: $1 off all drafts, wine, and rail drinks
Hours: Monday through Friday 5 to 7
The setting: Pull up a chair early at one of this 36-seat patio’s marble tables for
half off Champagne cocktails and prime people-watching along Adam Morgan’s Columbia
Road.
Specials: Half-price Champagne cocktails, $5 house wine, and $2 off drafts and bottles
Hours: Daily 5:30 to 7
Beat the Clock at Nellie’s Sports Bar
The setting: Happy hour on the partially covered rooftop at this U Street sports bar
features a “beat the clock” theme—drink prices increase one dollar each hour.
Specials: Miller Lite bottles, rail vodka, and “Nellie beer” are $2 from 5 to 6, $3
from 6 to 7, and $4 from 7 to 8
Hours: Monday through Friday 5 to 8
The setting: We meant it when we called this one of the “nicest roof terraces” in
Eastern Market. It seats about 90 and is shaded by oversize umbrellas. Stop by for
margaritas in flavors ranging from pomegranate to prickly pear.
Specials: $5 margaritas, $4 drafts, and $3 cans
Hours: Daily 3 to 6 and new late-night 10 to 2
The setting: This partially covered roof deck seats between 100 and 150 people (with
potential overflow crowd if there is a live show that night) with booths, bar stools,
and tables to relax. Saturday and Sunday you’ll find $13 bottomless mimosas and Bloody
Marys with brunch.
Specials: $3 PBR tallboys, $4 rails, $1 off all other drinks, and half-price wings
Hours: Wednesday through Sunday 6 to 8, Saturday and Sunday brunch 11 to 4
The setting: This Arlington patio seats 30 with umbrellas providing shade for those
humid afternoons. Beer options are among the best you’ll find in Washington.
Specials: $2 off drafts, $5 wine, and $3.50 craft cans
Hours: Daily 4 to 7
The setting: To avoid the shoulder-to-shoulder bar scene, head to this intimate wine
bar patio, which seats just eight at four umbrella-topped tables.
Specials: $6 wines (rotating selection of reds, whites, and sparkling)
Hours: Monday 5 to 6, Tuesday through Friday 11 to 6
The setting: You could spend all week sampling the extensive California wine list
on the awning-covered patio, which seats 18.
Specials: $3 beer, $5 wine and cocktails
Hours: Monday through Friday 4:30 to 7:30
