Bar Pilar
1833 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-265-1751
Neighborhood: U Street/Shaw, Logan Circle
Cuisines: Tapas/Small Plates, Modern, American, Breakfast
Opening Hours:
Open Monday through Friday for dinner, Saturday and Sunday for brunch and dinner.
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Nearby Metro Stops: U St./African-American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo
Price Range: Inexpensive
Dress: Informal
Noise Level: Chatty
Reservations: Not Accepted
Website: http://www.barpilar.com
Best Dishes:
Buttermilk fried chicken; rice and beans with pickled pork; frisee salad with a fried egg; veal-sweetbread piccata.
Price Details:
Small plates, $4 to $11.
Special Features: Wheelchair Accessible
Happy Hour Details:
Monday-Sunday
5:00pm-7:00pm
5:00pm-6:00pm: half-price draft beers
6:00pm-7:00pm: $1 off draft beers
Happy Hour Days: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays
Why go: Vintage maps and photos of Hemingway—the place is named for a character in For Whom the Bell Tolls—give the place charm, but it also has substance: The cleverly conceived small plates are of the moment—and wonderful.
What to get: The menu changes daily, but recent winners have been delicate pea shoots with fennel and a tangerine vinaigrette; a Spanish tortilla with goat cheese; an earthy stew of chicken braised with bacon and garlic; seared scallops with maple/balsamic-glazed beets and Meyer lemon; grilled banana bread with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of toffee.
Best for: Diners as culinarily adventurous as they are fiscally cautious.
Insider tip: Every Tuesday, general manager Adam Bernbach holds “cocktail sessions” during which he creates five offbeat cocktails.
See all Cheap Eats 2008 restaurants