Whiskey & Oyster

Whiskey & Oyster Bar Opens in Alexandria’s Carlyle Neighborhood | Eater DC

"In Alexandria’s Carlyle district I found a new spot to slurp bivalves and sip cocktails with the arrival of Whiskey & Oyster, a 100-seat, glowing seafood-forward restaurant at 301 John Carlyle Street from HomeGrown Restaurant Group and longtime local restaurateur “Mango Mike” Anderson. Whiskey drinks play a big role: a repurposed dry-cleaning conveyor called the “Whiskey A-Go-Go” holds and rotates more than 120 varieties above the bar and dining room, and Brad Fazio curated a cocktail program that includes classics like The Last Word and the Black Manhattan as well as a tiki-inspired rum elixir called the Clerical Error (Cynar, Velvet Falernum, pineapple, and lime). The seafood-centric menu ranges from broiled Virginia trout to bountiful towers like the tri-level Carlyle ($118) — one whole lobster, shrimp cocktail, two dozen oysters, mussels, half a dozen clams, and two king crab legs — and 24-ounce steam pots filled with clam chowder, a hearty fisherman’s stew, or a lobster bouillabaisse in an Asian-style broth. I can saddle up to whiskey and oyster bars for weekday happy hour (4–6:30 p.m.) with $4 beers, $5 rosé, and half-off apps like lobster bisque fries or crispy duck spring rolls; the driftwood-lined room features striped nautical banquettes, 18 bar seats, a dramatic 16-seat table inlaid with shells, and a large 55-seat patio coming soon, all designed by Del Ray designer Sherri Farley with pieces from Torpedo Factory artist Chris Earney. The restaurant is open daily 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., works with The Oyster Recovery Project to recycle its shells, and donates 10 cents from every oyster sold to Alexandria nonprofit ALIVE! to fight hunger." - Tierney Plumb