Crimson Whiskey Bar — Restaurant in Washington

I was a bit disappointed with my visit to the whiskey bar. While I know others have shared their thoughts, I wanted to form my own opinion about the place. After a night of drinks and dinner, we decided to check out the bar downstairs since we were staying at The Motto. We were greeted upon arrival, though we initially encountered some odd staff issues. Thankfully, things were quickly resolved after the second host came by.

The pricing at this bar isn’t great. There are plenty of local spots nearby offering fantastic deals, where you can enjoy good pours for a reasonable price. Unfortunately, the whiskey selection here seems overpriced, even for some of the more basic options. On top of that, there’s a 20% service charge, so each round ends up being nearly $30, which doesn’t feel like a good value.

While I encourage others to form their own opinions, if you’re looking for a whiskey bar, I’d recommend checking out some of the local spots instead. They tend to offer better programs and more...

Was walking down from the rooftop bar and saw the Whiskey Bar sign. Thought we’d pop in for a few. Slightly annoyed at the rooftop on the Automatic (20%) gratuity for obvious reasons, but that’s a DC writ large issue. Of note the rooftop bar calculates the DC tax (10%) before the gratuity. As noted below on the receipt from the Whiskey Bar Basement…. Tax calculation After Gratuity. When asked, the server didn’t have an answer but did say that both bars are owned and managed by same company. Then why the difference? Why am I paying tax on TOP of Gratuity- which should also be Optional? This, and the other fees restaurants add automatically is what will be the downfall of these places. Wouldn’t recommend to visit again until they stop doing stuff like this. Tips should go directly to the server or bartender and should not be automatic. It’s based of service...

Great bar & food, even more amazing staff, especially their bartender Lamek! I’ve been a regular at the Motto hotel recently, traveling for work (also highly recommend!). I swung into Crimson on a last night before flying out the next day. The food was delicious and exceeded all expectations but even moreso, I really appreciated the hospitality and warmth of the whole team and the bartender, Lamek! I originally swung in to grab a quick dinner and ended up staying till close, enjoying the company, food, and drink! Highly recommend, really great team...