DC and Frederick MD

Recently stayed in Frederick and hit up Brewer's Alley, a restaurant on the main drag that has house beers as well as some from nearby Monacacy Brewing. If you fancy a short drive, both Monacacy and Flying Dog are only a few miles from city center.

 

Ye Old Spirit Shop is the best bottle shop in Frederick. A short distance outside of town, off 270 South towards DC, is another solid bottle shop called Orion Wine and Spirits

For dinner I would recommend Dutch's Daughter. Eat down in the dungeon. The Oscar Filet is my favorite meal there. If you're a foodie, Volt (very expensive, though) is run by Top Chef runner up Bryan Voltaggio. He also has a really good diner called The Family Meal.

Downtown on the creek I really enjoy The Wine Kitchen.

 

Dining options near the mall are far and few, Ebbet is probably a simple easy to get to spot and is good for large groups (families). If you want to venture more into the Gallery Place area there's more choices, if some a little more upscale and trendy.

Volt is fantastic.

I'll second Ye Old Spirit as well, worth taking a look.

 

Pizzeria Paradiso in Georgetown has a fantastic beer selection plus really good pizza. It's also located in the heart of Georgetown near Georgetown Cupcake if you have any fans of the show.

 

Farmers fishers bakers is on the waterfront in Georgetown and has great food and decent selection. Just call ahead

 

If you are looking for a sandwich place in Frederick, Friscos is awesome and right next to flying dog. They have a small but decent bottle shop. I think I got a FW Stickee Monkee there. Of course Ye Olde is the best bottle shop in that area.

Other good options are Madrones which typically has some good beer options.

 

I would also recommend Pizza Paradiso, especially the Georgetown location. They may not have the largest selection, but they definitely have the most interesting & unique draft selection in all of DC. Their Happy Hour prices are also pretty amazing.

 

No beer (I don't think) but the Museum of the American Indian has the best food on the Mall. I think I've also seen cans of DC Brau at the Nat'l Gallery at the cafe on the walkway between buildings.

Also, there is a bar (I forget the name. 'Lounge' may be in the name. It may even be the 'Capitol Lounge.') on Independence that is very close to the Capitol building. Acceptable bar food and beer list.

 

Roasthouse Pub in Frederick is also solid. Good food and 20 rotating taps

 

Yes for craft beer on tap, Roast House is the best in Frederick for options. Food not very great.

Brewer's Alley is really making some outstanding beers of late and a must stop if you are staying in Frederick. Also food is pricy and not that great. Pizza is very good though. Their Old Ale New Moon is being re-released in a week or so and it is amazing. Had it on cask a few weeks back. Oatmeal stout (and barrel aged variant) are both world class (albeit not a high ABV version but around 7%-8%).

Barley & Hops (like 1/2 mile down the street from RoastHouse on Rt. 355) has some outstanding beers. Most people in Frederick have no clue about the quality of their beers and their brewmaster is amazing. Food is pretty good.

Monocacy Brewing is so/so. Flying Dog tour and taproom is outstanding.

If you really want to experience something unique and very pleasant in Frederick area, check out websites for Milkhouse Brewery and/or Red Shedmann (located at Linganore Vineyards). Both are farm breweries with great tap room experiences out in the rolling farmland east of Frederick. Really nice time out there at either place.

All places I think are pretty kid friendly. Maybe not Monocacy or Flying Dog.

 

In Frederick, I forgot, BJ's Taphouse out at FSK Mall area has a great taplist and bottle options. I'd say 2nd best only to Roasthouse. Stay away from their house beers as most are average rated. Their food is really solid as well. Jambalia was really good. Ate there on Monday night. Very kid friendly. Probably would be best place to go after soccer tournament all day on Saturday. Most places recommended will have a 20+ min. wait after 5pm on Saturdays. Barley and Hops will probably have the shortest wait if I were to guess.

 

Ebbitt is obviously closer to the mall and it's right by the White House if those are the "attractions" you seek.

If you are going to be near Founding Farmers and you like Peruvian I would totally recommend El Chalan up the street by far.

 

The most juicy IPA's in this area are probably those produced by Ocelot. You should be able to find them on draft around DC; for example Smoke and Barrel has one of their IPAs currently.

You should also probably grab a bottle of GBS while you're here.

 

Its 45 minutes driving to DC from BWI (non-rush times). Skip the metro and drive. Parking is a piece of cake in DC. A garage might cost $15-20. Street parking is $2/hr. The metro will cost $20+ if you have a few people making it never my option anyway. Good luck. Enjoy!