All Souls Bar — Restaurant in Washington

The bartender wasn’t terribly effusive or attentive. He was just “there”. And if you needed something, you had to look for him. He had a large group of friends visiting, one who took up an entire booth and told us we couldn’t have it “because he had friends coming.” His friends didn’t arrive until 45 min later. The bartender never intervened on our behalf, and it became clear why: when they arrived, he hugged them all and kept talking to them, sending them drinks, and ignoring us. The six of us crammed into the wall space and corner bar area. I paid $50 for three glasses of Syrah (David Reynaud from Elite Wines dist) that retails for $22 a bottle. And the bartender didn’t offer to give me a bottle price or at least negotiate it down, given I was paying an unintended premium from a single glass to three. He wasn’t interested in anything except the game on tv and his friends. In hindsight, he didn’t say anything to us. He gave us the drinks we ordered and handed us our checks. Never “how are you?” “What do you like?” “Is there anything you need?” “I’m glad you’re here.” Nothing. Overall, it wasn’t awful, but pretty close. It’s not a place I’ll return until they get a better crew. FWIW: the drink selection and bar availability is quality and the...

Seeking the solace of a simple, divey bar for somber drinking during a rain storm, a few colleagues and myself piled in, shook off, and took a seat at the big curved copper bar in the small grey cinderblock building. We were presented with a brief but delightfully varied draft list, and a list of cocktails that was straightforward and no-nonsense. After ordering our drinks and settling in, we got into some small talk with the bartender, a affable, well-dressed man with an impeccable beard and a friendly smile. Through the course of the chit-chat we requested recommendations for other, similarly dispositioned drinking holes, and this gentleman provided us with a list written on a coaster that would act as a roadmap for our own little puddle-hopping bar crawl through downtown DC. This casual act of honest kindness sent us on one of the most delightful jaunts through an unfamiliar city that I've ever had, and I'll be forever grateful for the priceless information that this gentleman and scholar provided us with that night. If it weren't for All Souls, it never would have happened. I can't think of a better place in the entire town to start your night than this humble little...

I used to live in the neighborhood and recently came back for a visit and stopped by the old haunt.

Drinks were fantastic, as always. A negroni is often considered a bartender's cocktail. At All Souls, it's called a number 3. Sub-in Cynar for Campari and you've got a ripe, sweet gin sipper. Their version of a French 75 (No. 7) is also tight.

The flour tortilla chillito and veggie-lito are nothing to shake a stick at, but All Souls is a bar you come to drink at, not one you're pairing expert cocktails with lavish small plates.

Their arrangement and staff are also well-equipped to handle COVID restrictions. A large outdoor patio means a few tables can be set out with a good deal of distance between stations. A little fence sets the sidewalk a good distance away too.

A great off-the-main-drag spot, this little Shaw joint has a quiet neighborhood feel just two blocks off one of the busiest bustles...