Barrel
Southern restaurant (US) · Capitol Hill ·
Rustic whiskey lounge with Southern small plates, brunch, bourbon Bible
![Barrel by Barrel [official]](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69440052/191636428_3725122577712236_5003480218903314110_n.0.jpg "Barrel by Barrel [official]")
Rustic whiskey lounge with Southern small plates, brunch, bourbon Bible
"The Southern-leaning bourbon bar on Capitol Hill is still going strong, over a decade in. Fried chicken and waffles, and shrimp and grits jazzed up with Calabrian sausage and piquillo peppers, remain popular here. Other favorites include carbonara with homemade tagliatelle and 18-month cured prosciutto, crab cake Benedict, steak and eggs with chimichurri, and “brunchy fried rice” featuring confit chicken and fried egg. Wash down bites with clarified milk punch cocktails or multiple kinds of Bloody Marys, plus a $28 bottomless pour-your-own bubbly deal to boot. Dine in 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m." - Tierney Plumb
"Home to an impressive collection of whiskeys, Barrel serves hearty dishes like smoked andouille sausage and spicy peri peri wings. Head downstairs for a fun pop-up bar or head there on Mondays for trivia at 7:30 p.m. Its stellar sibling wine bar the Eastern is located a short walk away." - Tierney Plumb
"This Capitol Hill whiskey bar does more than serve top shelf Kentucky bourbon shots, though that’s what most people are here for. Barrel also makes a juicy, peppery burger that we can’t get enough of. The barrel burger has your typical lettuce, onion, and pickles. But also a fontal cheese and herb mayo that tastes more like a garlic aioli (yes, please). It’s a little bougie, but still pretty basic (just like us), and is one of the few places on the Hill where you can escape both staffers and tourists." - tristiana hinton, omnia saed
"The Deal: $26 for bottomless mimosas There are certain nuggets of information we always keep in our back pocket, like the fact that more people live in Washington, DC than Vermont, and that bottomless brunch at Barrel is really f*cking good (which you might not expect from a lounge known best for its whiskey). The crispy honey butter chicken sandwiches and caramelized bourbon basil waffles are so delicious, you won't even question why you’re eating them in a wood-paneled room that looks like the inside of a giant whiskey barrel." - tristiana hinton, omnia saed
"Barrel is running a five-part pop-up honoring the last five U.S. presidents on consecutive weekends leading up to Election Day, starting Oct. 3–5 with a 'saxy homage' to Bill Clinton in 'Slick Willy’s Jazz Lounge' (live saxophone), followed by 'The Dubya Saloon,' 'Barry’s Aloha Bar,' 'The Barr-e-Lago Club,' and 'Joe Cool’s Cocktail Parlor,' with Halloween night themed as the 'I Scream Halloween Costume Party' nodding to Joe Biden’s love of ice cream." - Emily Venezky
