To see the rest of our Bar Snacks package, including where to get lobster quesadillas, ham croquetas, and foie gras waffles, click here.
Fried-chicken pancakes and other reasons to grab brunch at a bar.
Anxo Cidery & Pintxos Bar
300 Florida Ave., NW; 202-986-3795
Bar brunches can be rowdy affairs, but the scene at this Spanish-influenced Shaw cider house is airy and serene (despite the fact you can order bottomless sidra). We like to snack on a variety of pintxos such as salt-cod fritters or toasts capped with sour cream, beets, and pine nuts, then share heartier plates such as Basque French toast—or even a killer bone-in rib eye for two.
Bar Pilar
1833 14th St., NW; 202- 265-1751
Back when 14th Street was without tenants like West Elm and Shinola, Pilar was just a chill spot for locals. Those days are long gone, and at night the place can be a millennial madhouse. Still, you can relax like it’s 2010 during lazy weekend mornings, when a friendly bartender serves up a deliciously potent Bloody Mary plus a mean stack of pancakes laden with fried chicken, pickled jalapeños, and maple syrup.
Brickside Food & Drink
4866 Cordell Ave., Bethesda; 301-312-6160
One of our favorite hangouts in the Maryland burbs dishes up superior sports-bar grub with a side of trivia. (Thanks to one sign tacked on the wall, we now know that in Russia, beer was classified as a soft drink until 2011.) Go for anything crispy—excellent chicken tenders, sweet-potato fries, and brioche French toast battered in Cap’n Crunch.
Quarter & Glory
2017 14th St., NW; 202-450-5757
Order the sourdough pancakes at this cavernous cocktail bar and you’ll get a bottle of warm orange-maple syrup spiked with bourbon. Looking for something stronger? Supersized rum punch or mimosas for groups of four or more can pair with hangover-friendly tater-tot poutine or a fried-chicken sandwich on cheddar-jalapeño waffles.
Service Bar
928 U St., NW; 202-462-7232
Sundays at 2, this bartender-favorite cocktail bar transforms into a faux beach, complete with lawn chairs, an inflatable surfboard, and a deejay playing California-esque tunes. Dig into duck-confit chilaquiles or churros with maple-tamarind cream, and sip on an orange or grapefruit crush—it beats any vodka drink on the Maryland shore.
This article appears in the November 2017 issue of Washingtonian.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
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.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
