Jack Rose Dining Saloon

 

What I had: Ommegang Fleur De Houblon, Laughing Dog De Achste Hond – Peach, and Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale on tap, pan roasted Amish chicken and a side of collard greens for me, entrée, cocktail and a few glasses of sauvignon blanc for my fiancé.
What I liked: Classy, upmarket atmosphere with intimate candlelit tables and a massive, towering whiskey bar, good crowd that minds their own, carefully selected and well-rounded draft list, superb food, quick and attentive service, definitely our type of place.
What I disliked: This being a spirits bar and resto, the tap lineup lags behind the top beer bars in the city, and I didn’t notice anything eye-catching in bottles; prices are on the high side, but that’s par for the course in Washington.
Would I go back? Yes. Qualms aside, Jack Rose was one of the best spots that we hit on our trip to D.C.
Overall Rating: 84

 

Jack Rose is one of the cooler spots in DC for vibe, atmosphere, and layout. The downstairs is essentially a library of whiskey complete with a sliding ladder to reach various bottles. The upstairs is similarly enjoyable with a retractable roof perfect for warmer months. As is the case with many enjoyable bars/restaurants in DC-it will get crowded on the weekend nights which is more of a testament to how great of a spot it is than anything else. If you're looking for less crowds hit the downstairs bar. The beer selection is usually a nice mix of styles and is handled extremely well by their beer manager who runs a quality control system that is superb. My only slight knock on their beer program is that they don't rotate new beers in as frequently as one might like to see. At any rate, this spot is top tier for ambiance, good beer, eats, and service.

 

 

I've visited numerous times. In fact, my 50th Birthday evening started with dinner and drinks right here. A great vide, not so a beer vibe, but a cool place. There are ladders all along the wall (like a big library) where bottles of liquor are stored. Go upstairs and the roof retracts so you can smoke cigars inside! The selection is above average (look at the bottles as sometimes they have some hard to find stuff), but with Smoke & Barrel and the Black Squirrel just up the street, one has much better selections within a 5-10 min walk. The food and the service are great.

Definitely go for the bar experience and the food.