OKPB — Restaurant in Washington

Delightful speakeasy with remarkably cozy vibes, super friendly service, and delicious cocktails. This small, no-reservations-allowed space is hard to snag a spot in (unless you’re willing to wait in their multi-hour-long waitlist), but it’s 100% worth the hype and effort. I’d recommend trying to come a bit earlier in the night or on a slightly off day — we came by around 8 PM on a Thursday — and you might be able to slip in with no or minimal wait. We were initially placed at a standing table, then relocated to a proper table when one opened up after about 30 minutes. It is a smidge loud, but still manageable, and I love the cozy, homey atmosphere created by the dim lighting, almost industrial architecture mixed with old fashioned bookshelves (which double as bathroom doors), and candles.

They have a short menu of custom cocktails you can choose from, or you can also ask for any of the classics and/or tell the bartender what you typically enjoy and let them come up with a good fit. We tried a smattering of cocktails, including two from their menu, a whiskey sour, and a bee sting (which the bartender selected for us based on our general preferences). Each one was expertly crafted and extremely tasty, and made so much better by...

You should absolutely go here. I have no idea what the password was though, so no secrets spilled here. It is above a dentist's office, and I definitely would not have known this was a place from the street. Cocktails are hand written on pieces of paper ($13 to $15 each?) and below those, for $14, you have the "bartender's choice" which is a really fun way to order drinks Russian roulette style. You can just give a drink vibe to the server (like fruity, sweet, or maybe a liquor preference) and they will make you something great. An example was a drink with lime, ginger, gin, and cucumber and it was SO good and something we had never had before and never would have ordered on a menu ourselves.

Menu cocktails are fun and innovative. Autumn in New Jersey was an apple brandy cocktail, and another one was a pistachio liquor base. They do have a happy hour, so you can get Moscow mules from 5pm to 7 pm at half price. The vibe is industrial chic, the bartenders are all way too trendy and hip for you, but also very friendly and make a mean cocktail. Would...

Cocktail Bar with Speakeasy vibes + one that meets expectation. Best cocktail bar in DC.

First + foremost: Shoutout to Daniel, Thomas, Jacob; the three musketeers behind the incredible experience. We sat at the bar for hours watching them craft + talked shop about everything. Genuine, down to earth, filled with quirky cocktail knowledge. Throwing it out there, they can create absolutely anything; they each have a wild imagination in crafting whatever tasty concoction that also meets what flavor profile you’re trying to vision.

The Details: •Cucumber infused Water •Votive candles on cocktail trays when serviced your cocktail •old cocktail menus on the ceiling of the bathroom •Everyday new list of cocktails •Everyday they create their own ice blocks, then throughout the night, cut their own ice for each cocktail •Small place, but sit at the bar, make a new friend

Sure, you may have to wait in line, or drop your name on a list; or like us, waltzed right in on a Sunday night + immediately immersed ourselves in having an...