Washington has always had a serious food and drink scene, even if most people don’t think of it that way. These posts explore the bars, restaurants, saloons, and breweries that fueled the city across the centuries.
The man whose name is over the door at 1264 Wisconsin Avenue was a Boston Braves shortstop in the 1914 World Series before he opened a Georgetown tavern the year Prohibition ended. Ninety-three years and four generations later, it is still open, still owned by the same family, and still has a brass plaque on the booth where John F. Kennedy proposed to Jacqueline Bouvier.
Washington tables still held ashtrays until a 1997 Clinton order and a decade-long fight at the Wilson Building cleared the air.
Brickskeller was an iconic DC institution that many locals remember fondly. Learn about its slow demise and the beer renaissance that arrived in DC, as well as a look back at the 1957 advertisement for its opening.
Step back in time with this captivating 1919 photo of Leoffler’s Liberty Lunch stand in Washington, D.C., where just 20 cents could buy government workers a box lunch filled with surprises. Discover the story of Severine G. Leoffler’s entrepreneurial spirit in the early days of street food.
Take a trip down memory lane and experience the nostalgia of Piggly Wiggly, the seriously southern brand that no longer exists in Washington. Check out this cool old advertisement from 1922.
Before it was Russia House, this Connecticut Avenue mansion flew the flag of the brand-new Irish Free State. A 1925 photo shows it in its diplomatic prime.
3815 Georgia Avenue NW has been a restaurant since 1929. In the 1960s it was Billy Simpson’s, Washington’s Black political forum.
Join us as we explore the lost history of Warwick’s Saloon, formerly located at 13th and Penn in Washington, DC. We’ll take a look at the bar, the billiard room, and the interesting story of a Secret Service raid.
Discover the fascinating history of Childs Restaurant in Washington, DC – the chain that originated in New York City and spread southward. Learn about the unique building of the Massachusetts Ave. location and more.
