Bar Pilar
1833 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-265-1751
Neighborhood: U Street/Shaw, Logan Circle
Cuisines: Tapas/Small Plates, Modern, Breakfast, American
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
This Hemingway-inspired den has always taken food as seriously as cocktails. But with chef Justin Bittner at the stoves, the simple small plates--coins of grilled zucchini with olive oil, salt, and pepper; radishes with butter--have made the brick-walled dining room one of the most satisfying in its casual-hangout class.
Bittner dabbles in the trendy offal and charcuterie worlds--fried pigs' ears, a house-made lamb hot dog--but his strength is more familiar comfort food. Meatballs are a blend of lamb, pork, and veal under a blanket of tomato sauce and a shower of pecorino. Chicken gets brined for 24 hours and fried in peanut oil. On the side? Coleslaw and potato salad.
Also good: Recent standouts on the changing menu have been roasted mushrooms with braised leeks; crispy potatoes with malt aïoli; honey-glazed carrots with shallots and thyme; strawberry-rhubarb crumb pie with vanilla ice cream; buttermilk pie with lemon sorbet.
Open Monday through Friday for dinner, Saturday and Sunday for brunch and dinner.