BABA

Cocktail bar · Clarendon

BABA

Cocktail bar · Clarendon

2901 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201

Highlights

Ambar's basement offshoot for coffee, Balkan bites & rakia cocktails in a relaxed setting.

2901 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201 Get directions

@baba_clarendon

@eater

"Been There, Eaten That tried out Baba, the sister spot to Ambar in Clarendon, and writer Lori Gardner recommends ordering anything with a fresh Balkan cheese called kajmak. It’s in the steak tartare — which, Gardner says, gets an “extra oomph” from fried capers — and a dish of forest mushrooms with fried polenta." - Gabe Hiatt

Tom Sietsema Gives St. Anselm Three Stars - Eater DC

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@eater

"Ambar’s underground sister spot in Clarendon serves up seven sparkling varieties with prices starting at $8 for a glass of Cricova Moldova. Bottles of celebratory stuff like Moet and Dom Perignon will set back diners $125 and $400, respectively." - Tierney Plumb

12 Unlikely Places to Drink Bubbly in D.C. Right Now - Eater DC

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@eater

"Clarendon’s cozy subterranean cocktail bar conjured up this festive-looking drink for the fall. It features a deep pear flavor and smoky finish thanks to Hubert 1924 pear rakia, Del Maguey Vida Miguel mezcal, lime juice, cinnamon syrup and pear purée. The $17 order comes with a sweet perk: a pineapple dessert." - Tierney Plumb

15 Fall Cocktails to Sip Right Now

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@eater

"Baba also serves a la carte brunch from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays. Featured offerings include assorted pastries, custom grain bowls, tiramisu oatmeal, shaved lamb-filled paninis, and more." - Tierney Plumb

6 D.C. Restaurants With Super-Sized Brunch - Eater DC

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Angela Sanchez

Google

BABA was such a great place to have brunch. Love the decoration of the place and how the table were set up, not like a regular restaurant. The food was great, very tasty, and the drinks were on point 25cent drinks! The music was awesome and the DJ was great at taking requests and playing all types of genres, he didn't shy away from any which is great. The place can be a little difficult to find if you are looking for it from your car, and it is located in a basement I will be returning. I highly recommend this place. I had such a great time!

Elena Marlee

Google

Thank you to Pedja and Valentine for an amazing experience last night! Our group's original plans didn't work out so we went here instead and had a great time. The service, food and atmosphere were wonderful. We did the full dinner experience and every we ate was delicious. My cocktails were unique and very good. Next time I'm in town I would definitely come back and I would recommend to anyone.

Nadia Parmhans

Google

I’ve only been here once and it’s already my favorite restaurant. It’s perfect for date nights or for groups of friends or for everything. I was here with a group of friends and they brought us this really nice ginger drink that was on the house and later in the night they also got us champagne that was also on the house. Hands down the BEST restaurant ever. And the servers are really polite and just genuinely nice. Oh, there’s a DJ at 10 pm. So this place is literally everything. The food is fricken phenomenal.

InFaith Gibbs

Google

The drinks are made to perfection and are to die for! We were there on a Friday night and the ambience and crowd is awesome! The re was a DJ playing very good music, the service is great and all of them know their stuff. There was 3 of us and we had cocktails (my limit is always 3) and appetizers (chicken skewers, beef tartar, salmon tartar, risotto... ) they all come in small plates to share and tastes so good! Our bill was over $300 but we enjoyed everything and will definitely be going back!

Tatiana Russell

Google

The place used to be the neighborhood cocktail bar when they first opened but the quality of the drinks and food both seems to have gone downhill. With the amount of competition bars face these days I hope they’ll be able to stay in business.

L A

Google

BABA is currently serving as overflow seating for Ambar. The BABA-specific door is closed, but you can enter through the main Ambar door and ask to sit at the bar downstairs. We arrived at 5:40ish on a Friday and were immediately seated at the bar. The bartender had great mixology flair and made perfect drinks (Pomegranate Kiss, Ambar Espresso Martini, and good wine selection). You can order the Mezze spreads and breads for $33 and/or go a la carte. Everything was superb, and live music started around 7:30. Amazing ambience and service—we can’t wait to come back!

Andrea Martin

Google

In the cellar and through the mysterious door you enter into a great looking space with a lot of attention to detail. That detail stopped at the bar and the restrooms. The “craft cocktails” that were tried lacked flavor and I have never had a manhattan served in a martini glass. The bathrooms were really bad which surprised me based on the Google rating of a current 4.6. Also, the fact that the mens restroom door is backwards made me giggle- No one said- “fix it” .

Zarin B

Google

They close soooo early on Saturday nights! Took last call at 10:30 pm and kicked us out promptly at 11. What kind of bar closes so early 😭