Denson Liquor Bar — Restaurant in Washington

The only con about Denson I can conjure up is that I haven't visited it sooner (and that's really on me)! Located in the lower level of 600 F Street (the entrance is on 6th St NW across from the fire station), Denson Liquor Bar is an awesome speakeasy in the heart of downtown D.C. Everything about this place, from the drinks to the food to the service, is 100% amazeballs. It has quickly become one of my favorite bars in D.C.

First of all, the interior looks like the Great Gatsby come to life. It's very art deco, 1920s vibe. The place reminded me of the Nomad in NYC. I love the black tabletop, inlaid with a bronze trim. The black-and-white tiling housing the liquors is also beautiful, and the wall behind the bar has a lovely shimmer that comes from gilding with gold leaf. The black leather booths fit very well with the cozy vibe and design of the bar too, although by no means is Denson a large bar (max of 50 people).

I came here on a Saturday around 5pm. They had happy hour specials going on until 7pm and I ordered one of their happy hour specials, the Honey Baby, for only $9. Usually, it's $14. The Honey Baby has vodka, Pimm's, lemon juice, honey syrup, and apple bitters. Oh boy is it delicious. I don't care for overly sweet drinks, but this cocktail was well-balanced and ideally executed. It was refreshing and the flavors complemented each other. I could easily order a couple of these Honey Babies.

My BF ordered the 6th Street Side (gin, sweet vermouth, orange juice, and angostura bitters) first. Later, he ordered an old fashioned and a Vesper. He loved all his drinks, especially the latter two. Our bartender/mixologist, French, was very friendly and knew his stuff. When we asked his opinion on the District Made vodka from One Eight Distilling, he even let us sample a little bit of it. And when French made the old fashioned, he used Vigilant gin, a wonderful dry gin from Jos. A. Magnus & Co, another D.C. distillery. He even gave us recommendations for other bars to try out, like Harold Black and Sotto.

If you're not a cocktail fan, Denson carries a diverse collection of whiskeys like Hibiki, Whistle Pig, and Macallan, as well as bourbon. For food, they have a varied menu with oysters, cheese and meat boards, caviar, lamb meatballs, panini, chicken green curry pie, and even dessert like baked blueberry crumble. We ordered a dozen oysters ($32) and the lamb meatballs ($10), and I thought the food was pretty good.

Looking forward to coming back to Denson. And if you need a good cocktail bar, I highly...

Very bummed about my experience. I was excited to come and celebrate a friends birthday, which they shoved a large party in the back. Not only do you make a reservation to be placed in the back but not enough seating to accommodate the party. The waitress didn’t bother to tell me that there is a table fee nor she would be taking care of us. Being that I came late I didn’t know the expectations. What is more interesting when I went to the bar to order my drink the bartender didn’t mention anything about the tab for the table but gladly mentioned for my martini I can stuff blue cheese in my olives from our cheese board on our table. Rude, unprofessional and incredibly insulting. After I responded he told me it would be $6 per olive if he stuffs them. Once we go back to our cramped space. I refuse to order food since I have no where to eat nor seat. As the bight proceeds and over 10 minutes of waiting for drinks we encounter 2 spiders. I ask to speak with a manager whose response was, “were in a basement & people have spiders in their house”. Wow. I can say so many things to that but he continued to add insult. Appalling service and no solution for our discomfort. I asked the GM to speak with the host but needed additional time which I found interesting because he at the time discussing the issue.

After the GM apologized for his initial response I told him I would really enjoy blue cheese olives in my martini. He made it happen as the bar manager told me it was impossible and would cost $7 per olive. Once I told the GM about that conversation he laughed it off. Everything was so light hearted to the GM.

I’m convinced this place is ran by rude people whose service is pretty terrible. I’m still disappointed about how I was treated and my experience. Not to mention after agreeing to transfer our tab over to the table - my card was still charged over $150. That doesn’t equal...

Casual speakeasy with good happy hour deals even on weekends! I love how happy hour generously ends at 7pm.

Easy to find without any frills - just look for the brightly lit Denson light bulbs below Fuel Pizza and walk down a flight of stairs. The space is cozy, great spot to impress a date or meet-up for drinks after work.

Although the $9 happy hour cocktails are a bargain compared to the regular steep $15 cocktails, it's worth paying extra! The cocktail menu changes seasonally so there's always something new to try.

Among the cocktails, the fruity Island Thyme martini with rum, thyme, honey, lime, and Cardamaro is delicious! I enjoyed the Wayside cocktail as well. Not a big fan of the rye-based Rosemary's Rye or the Risky Business cocktails. The Pino Noir is medium-bodied with a heavy dose of tannins.

The Truffle Deviled Eggs are divine (sadly not on happy hour!).They were sooo good that one time my hubby and I delightfully devoured them and ordered another round!

The Mushroom Grilled Cheese is bland and underwhelming, the hard ciabatta bread was stale and not fluffy as I hoped for. While the sandwich was stuffed with cheese and mushrooms, there wasn't much flavor. It was missing an ingredient, maybe some pesto or garlic aioli spread would elevate the flavor? The mixed nuts are so so and tad to sweet. Just go with the deviled eggs!

Come here early on the weekends as it fills up quick! Got here right at opening at 4:30 on a Saturday and snagged a comfy circular leather booth for my hubby and I. Recommend getting here by 5:30 for a booth or bar seats on the weekdays.

Love coming here - always excited to try new cocktails and grab some...