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Washington’s best rooftop bars Spend the evening with a drink and a view at one of these rooftop bars. Click the bold text in each item to get more details about that bar.
Have happy hour poolside on the Donovan House Hotel ’s rooftop deck: Cocktails, beer and wine are $5 from 5 to 7 p.m. every weekday. Stick around after that for frozen drinks and great views. New this year: Only hotel guests can use the pool. 1155 14th St. NW. 202-737-1200.
Marvin Joseph
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The Washington Post
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The Brixton , an expansive three-level British pub at the corner of 9th and U streets NW, has a large rooftop patio with two bars and views of the Washington Monument. The bar opens July 1. 901 U St. NW. 202-560-5045.
Lavanya Ramanathan
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The Washington Post
There are only 40 seats on the roof of El Chucho , a Columbia Heights taqueria from the team behind Jackie’s and the Sidebar in Silver Spring, but the house-made margaritas will be worth the inevitable wait. The bar opens June 29. 3313 11th St. NW. 202-290-3313.
Fritz Hahn
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The Washington Post
No rooftop bar in Washington can match the views from the W Hotel's P.O.V. Roof Terrace and Lounge . The White House is a block away, the Washington Monument is right over your shoulder and at night, the monuments -- as far away as Arlington House -- glow with soft white light. But these postcard-quality views come at a price. Reservations are required, waits to get to the roof -- just to the bar -- can be long, and cocktails can cost $16. 515 15th St. NW. 202-661-2400.
Katherine Frey
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The Washington Post
Jack Rose ’s large roof deck offers impressive views of Adams Morgan from three sides of the building. It's more laidback than the downstairs whiskey bar. The tiki-inspired cocktails are different from the classics you'll find on the first floor, and there are as many craft beers in cans as on draft. A wood-fired grill serves up pit beef sandwiches, grilled spicy shrimp and braised slabs of ribs. 2007 18th St. NW. 202-588-7388.
Jonathan Newton
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The Washington Post
Arlington Rooftop Bar & Grill 's spacious namesake deck has lots of seats, flatscreen TVs and room to move, plus a landscaped area with greenery and benches. The small, central bar offers a dozen beers on tap, ranging from Bud Light to Dogfish Head. 2424 Wilson Blvd, Arlington. 703-528-3030.
Astrid Riecken
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For The Washington Post
There's no better time to hang out on a rooftop deck than a lazy weekend afternoon, and that's the idea behind the Usual Suspectz's Day Trip parties every Saturday at Ozio. From 2 to 8 p.m., DJ Anonymous spins hip-hop and R&B jams, bartenders serve discounted food and drinks -- including $5 Ciroc and Bacardi cocktails until 5 p.m. -- and a good-looking crowd socializes under palm trees. You can reserve a table for bottle service (which could run you $200), but it's also possible to get in for free: just send an e-mail to daytrip@usualsuspectz.com to RSVP. 1813 M St. NW. 202-822-6000.
Justin Dean
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Courtesy of the Usual Suspectz
The views from the roof of the Red Derby aren't much to shout about -- rowhouses and more rowhouses -- but the people at this pretense-free neighborhood bar are friendly and the drinks are cheap. Until 8 p.m., specials include $1 Natty Boh and Schlitz cans and $3 whiskey shots. 3718 14th St. NW. 202-291-5000.
Evy Mages
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For The Washington Post
On the first Sunday of each month, Eventide 's expanded rooftop bar features a themed party with chefs working the barbecue grill while manager Tim Irwin leads booze tastings and bartenders shake up Prohibition-era cocktails or serve canned craft beers. Can’t wait until next month? The rooftop is open Tuesday through Saturday for drinks, beginning at 4 p.m. 3165 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. 703-276-3165.
Craig L. Moran
The rooftop bar at Whitlow's on Wilson -- dubbed Wilson's on Whitlow's -- is a large tiki-inspired deck with room for more than 200 people, $3 drinks at happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. and a relaxed vibe. Early arrival is strongly suggested; on weekends, lines to get to the roof (via a separate entrance on Wilson Boulevard) can wrap around the building. 2854 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. 703-276-9693.
Hipstamatic photo by Fritz Hahn
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The Washington Post
Most rooftop bars don't offer table service or sell bottles of vodka for a few hundred bucks each. That's not the case at Eden's Garden of Eden , where DJs crank hip-hop, house and reggae beats while champagne corks pop. The decorating scheme is D.C.-by-way-of-South Beach, from the LED screen overhead to the bamboo and greenery planted along the walls. 1716 I St. NW. 202-785-0270.
Evy Mages
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For The Washington Post
A relaxing and pleasant space, Masa 14 's long-awaited rooftop opened in April with tables and drink rails surrounding planters of colorful flowers. The menu is filled with small plates, bao buns, flatbreads and sushi, and cocktails are primarily variations on mojitos, margaritas and sangria. Stop by on weeknights between 4 and 7 p.m., when the place is filled with well-dressed 30-somethings enjoying $4 drinks and $4 appetizers. 1825 14th St. NW. 202-328-1414.
Moshe Zuzman
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Courtesy of Masa 14
There are multiple bars on El Centro D.F. 's large, tiered deck, which means you won't wait long for a beverage. That's key when the seven-day-a-week happy hour includes $4 margaritas (on the rocks or frozen), Mexican beers and sangria from 5 to 7 p.m. The roof has been tented so that it can be used year-round, but there's still a nice afternoon breeze. On weekends, the space becomes a standing-room-only party with music and dancing. 1819 14th St. NW. 202-328-3131.
Evy Mages
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For The Washington Post
The Clarendon Ballroom has been an Arlington fixture for almost a decade. It’s certainly not a hotspot any more, but the sheer size of the deck means it's one of the only places where you can guarantee there will be space for you and your friends to meet outside for cheap drinks after work. 3185 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. 703-469-2244.
Evy Mages
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For The Washington Post
1905 's restaurant is a dark, atmospheric French bistro. The rooftop bar, in contrast, feels like something you'd find at the beach. There are only a few seats at the simple covered bar, and most of the space is wide open, so it’s easy for groups to stand together and talk. From atop the deck, there’s a standout view of the Washington Monument — something to remember for watching fireworks on July 4. There's an interesting selection of canned beers, a few rotating taps and a short list of summer cocktails, including a well-made Dark and Stormy. 1905 Ninth St. NW. 202-332-1905.
Hipstamatic photo by Fritz Hahn
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The Washington Post
Rock and Roll Hotel is known for concerts and crazy dance parties, but its rooftop deck may become as much of a draw this summer. The decor is eclectic: pew-like benches, an ornate table that looks like it should be holding hats in your great-aunt's front hall and vintage ceramic tiles. The roof is tented over the bar to protect it from sudden summer storms. It opens at noon on Saturday and Sunday and at 6 p.m. on weeknights, whether there’s a show or not. Unlike the bar downstairs, the rooftop offers draft beer and frozen drinks. 1353 H St. NE. 202-388-7625.
Craig L. Moran
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For The Washington Post
The second incarnation of Mova , a gay lounge previously located on P Street in Dupont Circle, opened quietly at the corner of 14th and V streets NW in January. There are a number of similarities to the old Mova, such as the two-for-one drink specials offered between 5 and 9 p.m. every day and the retro-cool lounge furniture. The new version has an ace up its sleeve: a comfortable rooftop deck with all-weather lounge furniture and room to mingle. It’s not huge, and the views aren’t great — oh look, it’s the Fast Gourmet gas station! — but it’s a good place to hang out and have a few cocktails after work. Stop by on Sunday afternoon and pay $20 for unlimited drinks from 3 to 6 p.m. 2204 14th St. NW.
Craig L. Moran
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For The Washington Post
The appeal at Lost Society is two-fold: Its central location at 14th and U streets means that patrons seated on the tented rooftop deck have a birds-eye view of some of the best people-watching in the city. Then there's the DJ-fueled cocktail lounge inside, which makes for a jumping party on Friday and Saturday nights as well as at Saturday brunch.
Astrid Riecken
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For The Washington Post
The rooftop pool at the Doubletree Hotel is like nothing else in Bethesda, and you can check it out twice a week. There's an after-work happy hour on Thursdays, starting at 5 p.m., and a Sunday party that kicks off at noon. Whether you bring your bathing suit and jump in the pool or just lounge poolside while a cook prepares free snacks and a DJ spins tunes, it's worth a visit. 8120 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda. 301-652-2000.
Evy Mages
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For The Washington Post
The long wooden tables and benches in Biergarten Haus ' beer garden can hold hundreds, but they're best suited for large groups. So its owners created a rooftop deck with a small bar and rows of 2- to 4-seat tables made from old barrels. Everything else on the deck retains the Biergarten formula: liter-sized mugs of German beer, shade from a chestnut tree, and German flags fluttering overhead. 1355 H St. NE. 202-388-4053.
Hipstamatic photo by Fritz Hahn
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The Washington Post
A fixture of the city's nightlife scene since 2008, Marvin 's rooftop deck is so popular that there's barely room to move on Friday and Saturday nights. A recent expansion to connect Marvin to the neighboring rooftop patio at Blackbyrd Warehouse has added more space -- and a large bar -- but this is a space best enjoyed at happy hour or early in the week. 2007 14th St. NW. 202-797-7171.
Michael Temchine
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For The Washington Post
The rooftop of Dupont's busy Public sports bar is a good place to take a break from the flashing TVs and sports tickers that fill the the two floors below. Tables along the walls lend a club-like atmosphere, and long bars make it easy to grab a bottle of beer or a mixed drink. Arrive early on weekend nights or you may not make it upstairs. 1214 18th St. NW. 202-223-2200.
Courtesy of Public Bar.
If you’re getting a group of people together before dinner or a concert on U Street, DC9 ’s rooftop should be one of your top choices. The spacious rooftop at DC9 isn’t as crowded as some of the neighboring roofs and patios, and the weeknight happy hour deals -- $3 beers-of-the-week and $3 rail drinks until 8 p.m. -- make it a convenient place to congregate. 1940 Ninth St. NW. 202-483-5000.
Hipstamatic photo by Fritz Hahn
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The Washington Post
A longtime favorite for Ethiopian dining, Addis Ababa has a good-sized rooftop deck where you can enjoy a plate of doro alitcha (curried chicken served with spices and boiled eggs) or vegetarian platters while sipping Ethiopian Harrar beer or honey wine. 8233 Fenton St., Silver Spring. 301-589-140.0
Sarah L. Voisin
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The Washington Post
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