Press Club Cocktail Bar — Restaurant in Washington

UPDATE: I’m huge on customer service, and to have the owner reach out and provide an accommodation and look into a system based issue (I work in tech 😉) as a result of an unfavorable experience, I easily bump my rating up. Will, thank you. Although I cannot make it this evening, I absolutely look forward to stopping by in the future. I understand it was night 2, and I hope opening and this week was a success, however your professionalism is above and beyond.

Thank you for your kindness!

———-———-———-———-———-———-— My friend & I stopped by at about 9:30p last night and was greeted very kindly by a young man (I can’t remember his name) - he asked if we had a reservation to which we replied “No”. He opted to inform us he could take our name and number & text us once a table opened up and that the wait was about an hour. We obliged, and provided our contact info, and opted to go to a place he recommended that wasn’t too far during our wait. We hung out for about an hour, and never received a text either indicating a table opened up, or that there was no availability at all. We stayed at the second bar, instead of walking back because it was cold, and we didn’t want to be turned away.

It was disappointing as we were really looking forward to spending some time in their space and experiencing what they had to offer.

I’d appreciate if next time, we receive an actual text at the time in which was discussed, given we didn’t receive a follow up text at all.

We know for next time to book with a reservation, but if the option to be notified is presented, please extend that actual service to your patrons.

Thanks! Look forward to hopefully getting a...

Heard great things about Press Club so I was excited to come here.

The drinks: I tried several and while I thought the listed ingredients were creatively used & unique, I ultimately felt the execution wasn't quite there. Solid but no wow factor. I'm only this critical given the price point since they're putting themselves up against what I consider the best cocktail bars in the city.

The food: Press Club's kitchen KILLED IT. Everything was fantastic. Nothing crazy innovative here, but not something you'd easily find at most bars. Delicious.

The space: This is where I was blindsided. Press Club's website / marketing definitely gave me "cozy / quiet / dimly lit bar" vibes. Maybe if I came later on a weeknight it would have been closer to that, but after work on an early summer evening the space was bright and LOUD from so many people in a small space. I'm not sure what the solution here is given the small space, but maybe if they added some extra touches to create a darker space with dividers it would encourage quieter chatter...? That, or go in the other direction and accept that it will be a loud bar. I just felt that the energy of the place didn't match the decorations / marketing. Just as an example, Green Zone has a similar loud atmosphere but it feels expected (it's not trying to be a dimly lit vinyl bar)

Overall, I'd come back to try new menu offerings, or on a...

I'm so happy Press Club is here in DC! Its a cozy underground bar that brings the vibes and chill ambiance. The drinks and the bites are really good. Here are a few takeaways from my visit:

The space is intimate so I'd recommend making reservations before stopping by. There's a beautiful bar, a long couch and a few chairs for lounging - great setup whether you're out with friends for drinks or out on a date. They also have a really cool wall of records that they actually play throughout the night. It adds a really nice feel to the space.

We came for a special tequila event called Vertical where we got four cocktails each paired with a small bite. I loved the experience - every cocktail had it's own great flavor and story and the food pairings were a great addition. Heads up that the drinks start around $18 so a little pricey but were really good.

The service was also great. The guest bartenders were super friendly and took time to introduce each drink, breaking down the ingredients and giving some background which added to the experience.

Overall this place is dope! If you can catch one of their events definitely do it. I will definitely be back and highly recommend...