Food

The Summer Drinking Showdown: Cantina Marina vs. Denizens Brewing Co.

A river-side watering hole takes on a brewery's beer garden.

Denizens Brewing Co. in Silver Spring is one of Washington's top beer gardens, but can it beat the watery watering hole Cantina Marina? Photograph courtesy of Denizens.

Welcome to the second week of the Summer Drinking Showdown! In case you missed the last battle, Dacha played their own version of Burn Down the Brixton, torching the rooftop pub with over 85 percent of the votes.

Though today’s battle is another tough one, the competitors are both relaxed places to hang. Cantina Marina on the Southwest Waterfront is one the best low-key spots to sip frozen margaritas by the water within city limits. Daily happy hour only sweetens the deal—we’re fans of $4 Corona Wednesdays. Over in Silver Spring, Denizens Brewing Co. attracts a chill crowd of fresh beer and barbecue lovers to its 200-seat beer garden. The production brewery teams up with BBQ Bus for a hearty menu of smoked meats, and entertains drinkers and their welcome doggy pals with live music every Saturday.

Grab a frozen margarita and chill by the water at Cantina Marina. Photograph by Amanda Voisard


So who should win today’s al fresc-off? Vote for your favorite until 5.

Food Editor

Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.