You don’t have to steer clear of happy hour just because your parents are in town — you just have to know where to go. The bartenders might not know your name, but these bars aren’t too noisy and have menus with options other than french fries, while also not being stuffy or old-fashioned.
In fact, you might even have fun.
Southern Hospitality 1815 Adams Mill Road NW
Instead of subjecting your parents to loud, semi-sleazy joints like Brass Monkey or Madam’s Organ, ease them into the AdMo atmosphere at this comfort food hotspot.
Try SoHo’s warm drinks like the Kentucky Mocha with bourbon, Godiva liqueur, coffee and whipped cream or the Hot Toddy with whiskey, hot tea, honey and lime for $11. Or cool off with a Mexican screwdriver made with tequila, infused with strawberries, grapes, oranges, jalapeños and orange juice or a blackberry margarita for $10 each. Outdoor seating, plus tables upstairs, means you won’t have to fight for a spot at the bar.
The restaurant has dinner and brunch menus, but be sure to share dishes like $8 fried green tomatoes, $10 fish tacos and $13 shrimp and grits. Happy hour is from 4 to 7 p.m. on weekdays, with $4 drafts, $5 wines and $6 rails. Bottles of wine are also half-priced on Mondays and Thursdays.
Molly Malone’s 713 8th St. SE
Take your parents to this pub on Barracks Row, the busy strip of 8th Street two blocks from the Eastern Market Metro, where you can sit outside and people watch, or sit inside and catch the game — the Nats play in Phoenix this week.
The saloon has more than 50 beers on tap, from a San Diego IPA to Eggenberg Pils, brewed near an Austrian castle, to Hawaiian brew Kona Big Wave Golden Ale, to Irish beers like Guinness and Smithwick’s Ale, all for about $7. House whites and reds are $7 a glass and $27 a bottle, and they take reservations if your extended family or friends are in town.
Malone’s offers pub favorites like $14 bangers and mash (grilled sausage, mashed potatoes, sauteed spinach and gravy) and six barbecue pork sliders for $20, as well as a $14 salmon BLT and a $12 vegetarian option — grilled portobello mushrooms with spinach and feta on rye bread.
Sauf Haus 1216 18th St. NW
With large communal tables, fairy lights strung above the bar and beer (bier) imported from Germany, you can’t go wrong swinging by this beer garden with your parents.
Even on a Saturday night, Sauf Haus, which is located above Shake Shack, is clean and relatively quiet. One of the halls has a large TV and in the other room, live bands often play at night.
Its Bavarian imports include crisp juniper Pilsner, Hofbrau original and a dark brew called called Spaten Optimator. Beef brisket sliders and the platter special — two sausages, a spicy smoked pork sausage called Debreziner or Bauernswurst, pork and beef sausage with mustard seeds — are served with sauerkraut and a potato cake for $12. Two small pretzels cost $7 and for $20, you can get a two-pound pretzel.
Clyde’s 3236 M St. NW
You may not have noticed Clyde’s before. The restaurant and bar, located between Anthropologie and the little white Godiva shop, is a 15-minute walk from campus and has about half a dozen beers on tap as well as specialty cocktails. And with its upscale pub atmosphere, everyone will be in his or her comfort zone.
Some spring specials include the $10 mixes like the Honeysuckle Palmer (wild tea vodka, elderflower liqueur, lemonade and honey simple syrup), the Caliente Cooler (jalapeño tequila, orange liqueur, sour mix, orange juice and cucumber) and a classic mojito. Rail drinks cost $5 from 3 to 7 p.m. during the week.
As far as food goes, Clyde’s May special is $14 jumbo lump crab cakes served with asparagus and red quinoa. And on weekdays from 4 to 7 p.m., Clyde’s offers some steals for bar customers: $7 grass-fed burger with fries, $6 Caesar salad and $7 crab and artichoke dip with a baguette.
