Trusty's

Trusty's the real one. Down to earth, delicious, great selection of cheap drinks. There's also plenty of space to find a corner to hang with friends and play board games. If the weather is nice, I suggest the outdoor section on the second floor -- added bonus, you get to order drinks out of a school bus.

Definitely not what we expected. Trash food but super cheap. Drinks were strong just anything I expected from DC after a Nats game!!!

This is an ok dive bar in an out of the way area. I've heard of it but have never been here. You have to order your drinks and food at the bar so you need to go through bartenders for anything. There is a cook next to the bar, which is unique. If you're into dive bars its worth checking out.

34 check-ins later and probably some I forgot to log but it's still 5 stars all around. They're constantly updating their menus and accommodating customers. The service continues to be unmatched and between Tony and Andrew our experiences always end in a good night!

Easy lil dive bar, does the job for cheap drinks and eats. Heard it's a neighborhood establishment so glad I stopped by.

Good ole trusty! It's Dive bar people... what more do you want!! The drinks are fairly cheap. The food definitely hits! Upstairs there is a bus within the spot pretty dope. If you ask me. They also have a large selection of beers and ciders. The bartenders are cool and attentive. Try it out! Oh yeah they have a great trivia night on Tuesday's..

The epitome of a dive bar... And that's a good thing! Super friendly bartenders, chill crowd, and solid burgers and cheese steaks cooked on a flattop grill (plus some great chili!).

First visit in almost three years. The area itself has changed dramatically. New buildings, new street patterns. To get to the restaurant that is now on a one way street, you can either park around the corner from the metro on Potomac or drive on Potomac and make a right into 15th and right info Pennsylvania av for some street parking. Prices have increased. Dogs are allowed inside. Still regular dive bar and seems like regular cook and bartender downstairs

When it comes to a good quality dive bar Trusty's really can't be beat. The only downside is that it is so far away from my house ha ha. Whenever I'm there I like to come upstairs so that you hang out in the really cool converted school bus area, but they also have booths and more space downstairs as well as some outside seating out on the sidewalk. I like that the drinks are cold and simple, and the food is decent especially considering it's a dive bar. Back when I used to live in Southeast I came here all the time but now that I'm in Northwest it's harder to get out that way, but now that the Potomac Avenue metro stop area is getting more businesses I can envision myself spending more time in the neighborhood.

My fave dive bar of all time in DC! Always a good fun crowd and cheap drinks. Love it here!

Adds a dollar for a bag of ranch for very dry Buffalo chicken dip. I wouldn't get the dip unless you want chicken with Buffalo sauce zero zip. Zero creamy just chicken

I ordered to-go burgers, queso, and onion dip all for $55. The tortilla chips were stale. Queso and onion dip terrible. The worst meal I have ever had in DC from a bar.

Love this bar! Super great prices! $4.50 for a Yuengling! This place has one of the best half smoke's in DC. The snap on the link and the toastiness of the bun is a great combo! Great pretzels and the homemade spinach dip is delish. Really great dive bar to catch a game, have some cold beers, good cocktails, and delicious food!

Best hole in the wall- amazing people, service, and food. Don't come here if you're a drunken frat person. This is essentially the modern day Cheers! Love the bar upstairs too- it's also a school bus!

I was there last weekend and someone open my purse at the bar and stole my money. I put my purse on the chair next to me I thought they are really trusty unfortunately they are not And the bar double charged me! So I got stolen twice! I talk to the manger Mark he told me to follow up after two days so they can return the money to my card! When I called he says talk to your bank we can't do anything! so there is no point of waiting two days! If I contact my bank immediately would be better!! If you planning to go there just be careful!!

Excellent local DC bar. Extremely friendly staff... good, affordable drinks and food.

My friend and I came here after a very long week, and it really reminded us of a bar you would find in Pittsburgh, where we grew up. This is a simple dive bar with a nice beer selection and a good liquor selection. I ordered a Gin and Tonic ($4.55) and my friend a Yuengling ($5), which was so cheap for outside of happy hour that I was shocked when I saw the bill. We also tried quite a few of the food options including Nachos ($9), The Stacker ($8.25), and The Club ($8.50). The nachos were a huge portion, and they were covered in cheese and toppings. They were perfect dive bar nachos. The Stacker was a BLT wrapped in a grilled cheese on Texas toast, and it was delicious. The Club was also good, but I enjoyed the other two things so much more. The bartenders were nice and attentive if you sat at the bar. If you want a neighborhood dive bar, this is the place to go.

Oh Trusty's, I am so glad that you're right around the corner from my apartment. I was ecstatic to find this fantastic dive bar when I moved to the neighborhood. It's so freaking divey, I love it! The theme is gas station complete with oil can hanging lights. Head upstairs for the graffiti-fied bus bar. Yes, there's an actual bus in the bar. If I ever need to unwind and grab a drink, or want to stop at one more place before calling it a night, or hang out for awhile, or grab food... this is my spot.The bartenders and the locals that hang here are great! It's the perfect spot because if you want to hang out with people and chat, you can do that here. If you want to hang out and be left alone, you can do that here too. They have a decent little food menu that I've ordered from a few times. Your standard bar food with some unique items. I only wish that they had a fryer because man sometimes I just want some fried food lol. Very glad to have Trusty's as my local go-to spot!

In my insatiable quest to find the weirdest sh!t wherever we happen to be, I dragged the husband from one end of DC to the other (diagonally!) just so I could see the bar made out of a school bus. Since we rarely get down to that part of the District, I sweetened the deal by promising him a late lunch at Eastern Market, which I had heard so much about. Indulge me for a moment while I set the stage. Getting to the market was a hike in itself, taking longer than expected (about 40 minutes), only to find nearly every food vendor already packed up by the time we arrived. (Except the crepes people, but that's for another review.) Perhaps it was because we got there just an hour before closing, but the market was very disappointing. (Again, for another review.) So now I've got a hangry husband, annoyed that we trekked so far for nothing really. I get a couple of crepes in him to tame the hunger beast, promising him a better late lunch somewhere else, and we set off to find the school bus bar. Let's walk, I say, it's a nice day and it's only 15 minutes away. As you get away from the market area, the neighborhood begins to take on a rougher feel. I could sense my Marine husband gradually begin to transition from semi-relaxed stroll to low alert. (Don't forget he was hungry, too.) That walk seemed to take forever and he was certain I was lost. Just when I suspect he was about to reach his limit and call for a Lyft home, I saw the sign and a few people in the seating area out front. We go in. OMG there's no school bus. It's just a dive bar. Where is the freaking school bus?! The look he gave me...I assume my information was outdated. I insisted we take a seat at the bar so he can grab a beer and just chill for a bit. Of COURSE the beer on tap sucks and the husband gives me another look. I'm not a beer drinker and they aren't foo foo drink makers, so...this day is not turning out well. We might as well eat, I figure. There doesn't seem to be much else around and frankly, he probably would've had a meltdown if I'd suggested we go exploring some more. We look around and it's actually pretty cool with the gas can lights and all. I think we ordered burgers, tasty as I recall, and as we are eating we tell the bartender we had made the trek specifically to see the bus that apparently was no longer there. It's still here, he informs us. It's upstairs. (Upstairs? Who assembles a school bus on the second floor? Then again, we are talking about a school bus inside a bar...) But that section is closed right now. Of course it is! But then he offers to show it to us when the second bartender comes in for his shift. Now that's service. And once we get up there, the husband sees all the craft beers lined up in the bus and it's as if the heavens opened up around him. Point of the story: Trusty's is a cool, neighborhood dive bar. There IS a school bus in it, it IS worth the trek even from the northwest to see it and the craft beer selection is decent enough to calm a frustrated husband.

Everything I want in a neighborhood bar: the food is a bit greasy and highly customizable, the servers remembered my drink order even in my mask after a long absence, they put Jeopardy! on with sound, and they're friendly to dogs. It's a small space and doesn't have a fryer, only a flat top grill, but is, as advertised, both friendly and reliable. Very good about Covid safety, too!

Checking in at Trusty's is a wake up call if you're in your 30s (I just turned 30). Yelp will tell you it's a popular place for 30 year olds. Why? Maybe it's because there's two floors of seating and it isn't crazy loud like some of those bars where 20 year olds hang out. :) They have a good beer list (They also sell Jack's hard cider if you're into that). The food is basic, but good. I ordered the Philly cheesesteak and it hit the spot! Nothing fancy, but very tasty. The top floor has a room off the side for events and the main bar area is in a yellow school bus adding to the unique, dive bar feel to it. Every corner has games for patrons to enjoy including Cards Against Humanity. Trusty's is a local favorite for sure.

Really confused by the rave reviews on this bar. Went late on a Wednesday night to find what looked like drunk degenerates at the bar about to fall off their stools. I literally wanted to drape myself in plastic because I was so uncomfortable. My friend got a draft beer and I got a Makers. I chugged, he chugged and we left. I don't know what I was missing but I just think dive bars aren't for me.

It's a pretty weird setup. Downstairs there's food and a fairly blasé beer selection. The food is alright. The nachos are good and come with a really generous portion but the chicken cheesesteak is pretty dull. I know I should have just gotten the beef but you must experiment to advance sometimes. Upstairs the beer selection is incredible, all served in cans, and comes out of a hollowed out school bus. It's hard to explain and you should probably go check it out. Also, I think you can order the food downstairs and have it brought up but you'll need separate tabs for both floors.

So we went into this bar because we were told it was cool we went and sat down waited for 10 minutes never saw a server never saw anybody the bartender was just hanging out with his damn buddies and I asked hey man do you have a server are you serving food and he says to me oh we're just serving off the appetizer menu because the cook didn't come in today... seriously no wonder your place is a crap hole

My friends and I gather here for drinks from time to time. It is the perfect spot for a low key gathering. Cozy, quiet, dark. The food is okay; nothing special. The drinks are GREAT!! Great price and potent as hell. Plus the location is good for exploring Capitol Hill or driving further towards downtown. Warning: beware of drinks made by the bartender they call Soul. He's extremely kind and patient. But his drinks are deadly!! They will put you under the table. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!

Even though Trusty's isn't truly an old school dive (like Tune Inn), and it's the sister bar of Pour House and 18th Amendment, I still think Trusty's is doing a pretty good job of frontin' as a good ole neighborhood dive. The schoolbus standing in as a bar upstairs doesn't hurt :) Definitely one of the more creative things I've seen in DC that actually works. The seat belts don't work though :) There are various board games that you can play upstairs (most notably jenga with handwritten dares -my name is now Buttons). They also have a pretty big patio for when the weather's nice! FOOD You can get a burger, grilled cheese sandwich, and fries here for a decent price. That's about it. It's all pretty darn good though, and just what you need if you'll be hanging out here for a while. May I recommend the Ol' Reliable burger? DRINKS Go upstairs for their awesome beer can selection. They have all four of the Butternuts beers in cans (a local beer with a rich finish, they have a stout, IPA, pale ale, and hef). I personally enjoy the Hef the most (green can with a fish on it). Drafts are served in mason jars. Happy hour includes Mon-Fri 4-7pm is $1 off rails, $1 off drafts.

Fun and friendly. Good food and a great atmosphere. Decent parking is available. A great neighborhood bar.

Intervened when Joe was amped to pick a fight with Mic and Venu, because are you really going to punch a pouty Asian girl? No, I have no idea what you said to me as you left. Bopped along to varied jukebox selections as I split a baby mason jar of Yuengling with Venu. Anorexic pickings if you're a snobby drinker. Nearly throttled Brian B after he rapped something tragically mean about one of the bartenders. Was offered a pitcher of crappy beer by a departing team who promised it wasn't roofied or peed in. Humped the bar to allow foot traffic to the bathrooms. Watched Mike S fail at the Big Buck World arcade game. After skimming some of these reviews, I'm grouchy that we didn't check out the school bus upstairs. It's a dive. Cheap beer, chill bartenders, crisp telly screens. I'm down.

True 4 star bar. Simple, comfortable, normal neighborhood bar. I'm gonna start with my one gripe: price. A corona is $6? Nah man, that's not right. Maybe it is market price in DuPont, but this ain't DuPont. On to the good. I love the feel and atmosphere here. Real unassuming, local waterhole kinda place. Where you might stop off on the way home from work, and you know the bartenders kind of place. And those bartenders are great people. Super nice, warm people. Not in a fake way either (I think). And they have an upstairs section which i didn't even know about til I saw someone walk up there on my dozenth visit or so. Wtf. Anyway, the space is great and so are the people. I do take some offense to at least one reference I saw where it said the neighborhood was a little rougher. And this was posted recently, not the 1980s. Like, really? A neighborhood full of townhouses with well kept gardens is suddenly rough because you passed someone who didn't make six figures? Stay in Arlington. Anyway. This place is great, if you're not a weiner.

And just like that, I found my favorite DC bar. Trusty's is in a strange section of Capitol Hill, almost to the river crossing toward Anacostia. It's a somewhat forgotten part of the neighborhood, just far enough away from the Capitol to be transitional. I stopped in on a week night with my wife and we both got burgers. She got a beer, I got a coke, and we enjoyed the evening. Songs were playing on a juke box along the wall, other patrons were playing board games. And when I say they were playing games, it was actually kind of intense with multiple tables competing at various games and additional stacks of games available. We checked out the upstairs which was really awesome. There was the famous school bus bar with canned drinks and even and outside area which would be incredible in the summer time. But we were all about our burgers. The burgers weren't amazing, but they were good enough to make me want to return. Honestly, DC lacks these kinds of bars with a neighborhood feel. And when they do exist, they just aren't good--it's more about the hype. For me, Trusty's lived up to the hype. People of all walks of life were in there, hamming it up, enjoying themselves, letting loose in a friendly atmosphere. The friendly atmosphere of Trusty's is really a stand out. It's just unbeatable here in DC. And for that reason, if you want to head to a bar by yourself, or just enjoy yourself, Trusty's is a phenomenal place to go. For me it's an instant favorite. I'd heard about it for years and it did not disappoint.

Best neighborhood bar. Bartenders, atmosphere, drinks, food... even the crowd... and I hate people.

Trusty's is a legend in the neighborhood and so I'd been meaning to try it out for a long time. Now that I've been I can't imagine going back. Trusty's has three pretty distinct spaces. Upstairs is a short bus that serves cans of craft beer. There is also an indoor outdoor patio space with games. Downstairs is a main bar with taps of overpriced cheap beer and a grill to get cheese steaks and other unhealthy food. There were a ton of games on downstairs and there was a diverse clientele hanging out. The problem is that at both the food and the beer we're mediocre and over priced. In the end I much prefer wisdom which is just down the block.

Out-of-the-way location, but close to Potomac Ave metro stop, unique atmosphere (2nd floor bar made out of a literal School bus), nice roofed patio, free board games, fantastic beer selection (including multiple top shelf ciders), and a knowledgeable and friendly bartender named Boon. Food came out quickly, great for groups, reasonable prices (happy hour = $1 off food and drinks). 100% a dive. 100% will return. Why 4 Stars? The part of this bar that's worth going out of your way for is the 2nd floor but it's up a steep flight of steps and not at all accessible.

A bit disappointed. I saw the "We Grease to Please" sign, and was looking forward to worrying my cardiologist. Got the cheesesteak. Wasn't expecting Gino, Pat or even Jerry, but with all of the fatty meat slices and the bread soaking up the grease, I was hoping for a bit of a guilty pleasure. Instead, I felt like I was at Weight Watchers, eating Tofurkey, but with all of the health obstructions. Not even the melted provolone cheese could provide me with a bit of flavor. Alas, at least the chips had taste, but unfortunately, that taste was "extreme salty". Beer on tap is beer on tap. Can't mess that up. On the plus side, the atmosphere and staff are great. Bartender upstairs was up for a good conversation and some laughs.

Love Trusty's!!! I don't drink beer, and it's def a beer place, but their vodka sodas are strong and delish. Also, their homemade queso is great, and the pretzels are from Pretzel Bakery so, they're amazing. Awesome "dive bar" for after work drinks! PS: love the upstairs school bus bar!!!

Continues to be superd bar. Very congenital bartenders who are pleasant. Best place to have a real drink in a real bar

Large bar, including upstairs school bus. Large cider selection that appeals to gluten free sensibilities. Service is good. Atmosphere is dicey and casual. Crowd is pretty mixed and diverse which is a positive for community and conversation. Will definitely visit again. tl;dr - good atmosphere, good cider selection, will visit again

I've been coming to Trusty's long before they opened the upstairs school bus bar, and have yet to hang out upstairs (usually because it's too crowded). I have a few friends who live in this neighborhood and this is their local watering hole. Personally, I have mixed feelings about the place because it's so small that it easily gets noisy and crowded. I prefer it when our group has the place to ourselves and we can have our pick of Jenga, Connect Four, Chairs, Buck Hunter, etc. Also, when it's not too busy you can load up the juke box and hear all the songs that you paid for, instead of leaving before they get played because others have done the same (grr). Trusty's has a small grill and a menu full of bar food (see pics). No deep fryer though, just potato chips. It used to be that you would smell like grease after leaving, but they've fixed the ventilation with the renovations. Overall, I think that every neighborhood enclave in DC needs it's own local dive-bar, and here Trusty's fills that role. Under the right circumstances, this place is ideal for a small group of people to sit around a table, drink, talk, play childhood games, and watch TV. Good times, just as long as it doesn't get too noisy & crowded.

The school bus here: I heard, I came, and I sat my @$$ down! Loves: + Trivia on Tuesdays + School bus and patio upstairs + Big selection of beers + Nice bartender from Colorado + Minutes from the metro Not so love: - Grilled cheese ($6) doesn't come on Texas Toast like I was hoping, but regular sandwich bread :( - Bye Bye Burcham did not win at trivia! Not against the bar obviously. ;) Overall so glad my friend Rita chose to come here for bar trivia. Potomac Ave Metro seems far, but Trusty's makes the trek #worthit!

Cheesesteak: omg. Do it. Comes with chips. This neighborhood bar is phenomenal. Wish we lived here. Hit up trivia Tues, locals nice enough to include us - so nice. Trivia announcer is perfect for the venue, hilarious. Good food and drink prices. Super attentive staff. Gender neutral bathrooms. We will be back.

It's a bar. They have some beer. There are tables and music. Nothing to write home about in any department, and since I don't live in the area I won't make a trip back. The low review was for the food service, game selection, and cleanliness. We arrived looking to play boardgames, which is something they promote, but only found Jenga, some Trivial Pursuit cards, and an assortment of children's age games. The food took an hour and half to be brought out on a not-to-busy night, and we just ordered club sandwiches. The staff behind the bar were drinking heavily, which I am sure contributed to a few miss-delivered sandwhich orderders. And, the place could use a good scrub. It was more of a neighborhood bar then a dive. The patrons were all over the map, from small children to older couples.

3.55 - There's a SCHOOL BUS on the second floor. A BUS! And bus seats...with cup holders! Not to mention the slight bit of irony that the bar is IN the bus and drinks are served THROUGH the bus windows (might I note that the bus was indeed of the short variety, if that means anything to anyone...) They have your basic and regular selection of adult beverages but what's awesome about this place are the random beers. Gotta say, I really enjoyed my stout from a can with a cow on it. Pretty awesome. I absolutely love random stuff like this. Oh yeah, and cute little patio off the 2nd floor. Drink up inside, get warm, then go be a fool and sit outside in the cold? Yeah...I'm going to wait to sit out there when it's warm again. If you're looking for a laid back place to grab some drinks in a place that's not close to overly crowded, Trusty's is it. Nothing better than going into a non-pretentious DC bar where I can roll in wearing jeans and flip flops.

If you're looking for a drink and fun in a divey little neighborhood bar even if it's not your neighborhood, you'll love Trusty's. The place has everything you might need for a random night alone or with friends. The first floor has a full bar, a jukebox and even random games to play like Jenga and Connect 4. Awesome drinking games. If you want a bite to soak up some of the beer you might be drinking, there's a bar food menu. You can grab a burger and chips that are actually pretty tasty. Upstairs might have the best feature. The whole upstairs bar is an actual old school bus. How awesome is that? They even have the old bus seats along the wall for additional seating. It's a truly nostalgic feel AND it allows a feeling of rebelliousness for being able to drink "on a school bus". There's a little outside deck upstairs too but the bus trumps it...hands down.

I've been hearing about this bar for a whole entire year before I moved out here. It does not disappoint as the perfect neighborhood bar for me to walk to. While I wish their bloodies and nachos were more satisfactory, they have the best grilled ham & cheese (especially for the price!). I am thankful that they're just the bar around the corner. I will always be back!

Bf brought me here for my bday. Saw this place plenty of times and wanted to check it out. So glad I did. Of course, it's a dive bar but I love the atmosphere. They have board games and cards you can play with your party or even with the rest of the patrons. Cool touch. The bar.....let's put it this way, I was tipsy....TIPSY off one drink. Bless them. I ordered the Philly and my guy got the burger. Description: droooooooooolllssss

A bar with a school bus inside? This I have to see. Granted, Trusty's Friendly Bar has been around for awhile but it recently open its second floor bar. What's more, there's a shell of a yellow school bus where you can order your next round through the window. Your first question is inevitably, "how the hell did they fit this through the doors." Your next question eventually becomes, "where the hell do I sit?" The bus is a huge novelty but ends up cluttering the upstairs bar and makes it difficult for large groups. That being said, Trusty's has a great outdoor patio on the second floor. Plus, the beer prices are pretty fair (most beers served in cans). All in all, Trusty's is one great laid-back neighborhood bar. If I lived around the Potomac Avenue metro station, I'd probably come here more often. [Original Visit: July 8, 2010]

Best neighborhood bar in DC. Great bartenders, casual ambience, tasty food, cold beer, and Jameson's.

Great cheese steaks, even better staff. Good beer selection upstairs too. Great place to watch a game too, especially when there is no COVID.

-40 minute wait for food on a slow weeknight -Only 3 beers on tap, none of them local -Sandwiches served with Ruffles potato chips, yikes If you're going to try to be a dive bar, at least have dive bar prices

The trusty bar of Potomac Ave. Trusty's is everything you want from a local bar: friendly service, beer served in mason jars, trashy delicious bar food and always a seat at the bar. I went here after work with a friend that lives in the area for a quick bite and beer. Between the relaxed atmosphere and great service, it almost made me want to move to the area as it was unlike any bar I've seen in DC. It was almost as if we were transported to the set of "How I Met Your Mother" and we just grabbing a bite and burger at MacLarren's Pub. Their nachos are on point -- as in the trashy nachos from your childhood with fake cheese and all the toppings. I highly recommend. If nachos aren't your thing, they also have a fantastic Italian sausage. While I didn't make it upstairs -- this time -- I'm told they have a bar that is built out of the shell of a short bus. Can you get much cooler than that? I doubt it. Final Verdict: I'm a fan, you should be too!