Barman Ryan Seelbach and his team made a speedy effort to revamp the decade-old Iron Horse Tap Room space, which shuttered in Penn Quarter on October 26. The Takoda and Cortez owner is ready to debut his third venture, the Boardwalk, tonight at 4 PM. Located near the Capital One Arena, the beachy bar will be open nightly for drinks, snacks, and games.
The location channels whimsical seaside Americana. That’s especially true on the cocktail menu. Drinks (all $12) include a vodka-based Cotton Candy Collins, a Butter Corn Old Fashioned with butter-washed bourbon, and a Candy Apple Spritz made with vodka, citrus, cinnamon, and sparkling cider. The kitchen is starting small with bar bites, but you’ll be able to get your boardwalk-style popcorn fix—free during daily happy hour—and Milk Cult ice cream sandwiches. For something more substantial, try hot dogs and chili dogs from heritage pork purveyor Autumn Olive Farms.
Iron Horse’s biker motif is long gone, but fans of the old space will still find entertainment with an expanded selection of games: skee-ball, pinball, shuffleboard, arcades, whack-a-clown, and balloon pop.
The Boardwalk. 507 7th St., NW
Check out the menu:
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.
