Brian C.
Yelp
Two things make the Slip Inn one of DC's best kept bar secrets and one of my favorite Thursday afternoon hangouts:
1. The outdoor deck and tiki bar on the banks of the Potomac;
2. The cheap, good beer.
Located at the end of Arnold Avenue next to the base marina aboard Bolling Air Force Base, the Slip Inn does something rare in and around Washington -- it makes maximum advantage of the river.
The "Inn" is a small (think 10 bar-height tables with chairs, a bar, and a kitchen) building that specializes in dispensing wings, fried chicken, and good, cheap beer.
Let me be clear -- when I say good, I don't mean Budweiser Select. I mean Red Hook ESB. I mean Sam Adams seasonal; I mean hefeweizens.
And when I say cheap, I mean $7.70/pitcher instead of $4.25/pint.
Does it get better than that?
Yes.
Because in addition to solid beer offerings at awesome prices, the Slip Inn offers something almost no other bar in the city can claim to: a huge outdoor deck with its own genuine tiki bar, complete with thatched roof. The deck and bar, sitting on the Potomac, offer viewslooking back to the Capitol, Washington Monument, National Cathedral, and other sights, and looking across the river to Reagan National and Old Town Alexandria.
The deck and tiki bar are a great location for whiling away the vestiges of the day while enjoying good, cheap beer with friends, along with the occasional batch of wings or fried chicken.
I plan to go back many times over the years ahead, even once I'm no longer serving a client located nearby.