Team USA faces the Belgians today in the World Cup’s round of 16. Even though kickoff is near happy hour at 4, many bars are opening at noon (or before) and expecting large crowds. If you’re planning on watching at one of these popular spots, make sure to sneak out of work early for free hot dogs and crepes, discounted boots of beer, all-you-can-eat mussels, and other themed specials for the big game.
2427 18th St., NW
The Adam’s Morgan bar starts its usual Tuesday all-you-can-eat mussels night early, beginning at 3 for the match. Several varieties, all $16.50, include mussels simmered in tomato-white wine sauce or with garlic and chorizo.
Belga Café and B Too
514 8th Street, SE; 1324 14th St., NW
Stop into either of Belgian-born chef Bart Vandaele’s restaurants for dueling Belgian and American specials. The restaurants pit Stella Artois against Budweiser to see which sells more; Bud buckets and bottles go for $15 and $5, respectively, while Stella sells for $23 and $7. You’ll also find glass giveaways and a raffle for a USA World Cup jersey. Additionally, B Too will serve a special menu of Belgian dishes and beers for its competition against the Pig (see below).
1330 19th St., NW
If a large, air-conditioned space with plenty of beer sounds good for the game, head to this subterranean Dupont bar with five ten-foot screens and 62 smaller ones. Specials include $5 Palm Speciale Belgium and New Belgium Snapshot drafts, and $15 pitchers.
1299 Half St., SE
One of the biggest outdoor viewing parties will likely be DC’s official one at Freedom Plaza, but the police could make things less free if you break out a beer. Head to the spacious open-air bar outside Nationals Park instead for $6 Miller Lite, Coors Lite, Blue Moon, and Red’s Ale, food truck fare, frozen drinks, cornhole, and the game on a 165-square-foot screen. Doors open at 3.
109 S. St. Asaph St., Alexandria
You’ll find the match on a large, high-definition screen and a lineup of USA specials at this viewing party, including $9 double cheeseburgers and chili-cheese half-smokes. Wash it down with specially priced Miller High Life and Belgian-style American craft brews.
1600 Seventh St., NW
Cheers with $10 glass boots of Belgian and American beers at this popular Shaw beer garden. The Germans may have beaten the US team, but we won’t hold it against their brewers, especially when half-liter mugs go for $5. The bar opens at noon.
1513 17th St., NW
Hang out on the outdoor patio while watching the game from a window-mounted television. Happy hour runs from noon to 7, and you’ll find Belgian-style (but locally made) Port City Optimal Wits for $5. Shots of Absolut vodka, Fireball, and rye also go for a Lincoln. If the US scores a goal (fingers crossed), the shooters are free.
7272 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda
Drop into this Bethesda bar and restaurant to watch the match while sipping $1 Sam Adams drafts and snacking on $5 fried chicken. The deals start at 4, and aren’t offered in the dining room.
1238 H St., NE
The doors open early at 3 for a watch party fueled by $5 Bavik beers and a limited number of Raging Bitch bottles, as well as the usual lineup of mussels and fries. Any tabs open before the end of the match get the neighborhood 12.38-percent discount all night long.
1320 14th St., NW
This porky restaurants made a wager with its Belgian neighbor, B Too: Whoever wins the match gets to choose a guest at the watch party and offer him or her a free dinner for four at the other’s eatery. A special American menu includes burgers, dogs, and sausage gravy-smothered “freedom fries.”
2446 18th St., NW
Regardless who wins, there’s free food for American and Belgian fans alike in the form of complimentary “dirty water dogs” and crepes. The spread will be offered in the second-floor dining room during the first half of the game, which you can also catch on the rooftop deck.
7528 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda
American, Belgian, and German beers are the name of the drinking game at this bierhaus, and you’ll find $2 off half-liter drafts during happy hour from 4 to 7. Also get half off wings, onion rings, and select beers during the game, and a sausage platter with a liter of cold brew for $20 during happy hour.
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.
