Arlington is tailored to the "post college greek life crowd", with bars like Clarendon Grill, Mr. Days, Whitlows, etc. Not saying it's impossible to pull there, but if you're style is more aligned with what you see at the W then you will be out of place. That being said, I've done very well at Liberty Tavern because the crowd is more diverse, and their happy hour specials are good (the food is on point; I know the exec chef's work).
I enjoy One Lounge in DuPont--a nice balance between lounge and stand up space. Happy hours can be hit or miss from what I remember, but the ratio wasn't bad for DC standards.
I second the Zaytinya suggestion. There's a bartender there that looks exactly like Roosh; he's also of Turkish descent.
The Passenger in Shaw is underrated--it brings in a mix of people and I believe opens at 5. Your best bet is to hit it up near 7-8 because you will get the best mix of different people...so not happy hour times, per se, but a bar worth checking out. There is more stand up space there, and the drinks are good (the bar is owned by Derek Brown and his brother...Derek Brown is the leading mixologist/top bar tender in DC and his speakeasy called the "Columbia Room" is a hot ticket.)
I know of another bar opening up in Shaw very soon...more blue collar esque though...all this info is coming from cooking in the city. I'll see what else comes to mind.
I enjoy One Lounge in DuPont--a nice balance between lounge and stand up space. Happy hours can be hit or miss from what I remember, but the ratio wasn't bad for DC standards.
I second the Zaytinya suggestion. There's a bartender there that looks exactly like Roosh; he's also of Turkish descent.
The Passenger in Shaw is underrated--it brings in a mix of people and I believe opens at 5. Your best bet is to hit it up near 7-8 because you will get the best mix of different people...so not happy hour times, per se, but a bar worth checking out. There is more stand up space there, and the drinks are good (the bar is owned by Derek Brown and his brother...Derek Brown is the leading mixologist/top bar tender in DC and his speakeasy called the "Columbia Room" is a hot ticket.)
I know of another bar opening up in Shaw very soon...more blue collar esque though...all this info is coming from cooking in the city. I'll see what else comes to mind.