The New D.C. Dive With a Great Burger That People Are Talking About | Eater DC

"Just opened in Shaw last weekend, this on-paper dive already has the neighborhood’s attention for a well-executed burger, a dialed-in beer list, and right-at-home vibes. The eight-ounce cheeseburger uses a dry-aged Pat LaFrieda blend with a beautiful sear, blanketed with melty American and cheddar and a hefty hit of freshly ground pepper; it sits atop a thick-cut onion and comes with cottage fries fried in tallow, all on a proprietary “crusty, yet formidable” sesame bun baked fresh daily and developed with pastry chef Dru Tevis and a dough‑master cousin. Light and dark beers—two 10-ounce mugs of Czech-style Schilling Alexandr and Sojourn Midnight for $8—are, she says, “selling like crazy.” Beyond the burger, there’s a Maryland blue crab dip (sherry, shallots, Old Bay) that arrives with what she calls an “Etsy’s best” crab spreader and a “please don’t steal” tag line, a six-count shrimp cocktail with horseradish and fried saltines, and a nostalgic banana split with bruleed banana, chocolate and caramel sauce, whipped cream, and rainbow jimmies. Bar director Chris Donovan leans into icy classic cocktails—martinis to start, plus a Negroni, Manhattan, and daiquiri done well—capturing the “old man bar” desires that underpin the place. The room feels personal and painstaking: a rebuilt walnut-and-polished‑brass front bar, an oak‑and‑brushed‑copper back bar under neon-lit retro ads, hand-painted gold window lettering, family portraits by the door, and playful bathrooms (MLB greats under a canopy of baseballs in one; theater ephemera and a photo of Barack Obama meeting the cast of Hamilton in the other). Hours run late—daily until 2 a.m. (3 a.m. on weekends), with service from 5 p.m. weekdays and noon on Saturday and Sunday—and a late-night kitchen serves nearby industry folks, with an outdoor patio soon adding 20-plus seats to the 73-person setup with a new drink rail. The goal is clear: to be Shaw’s “Cheers,” a place where the bartender knows the three things you like to drink and where people from Philly, New York, the Midwest—or wherever they’re from—feel comfortable." - Tierney Plumb