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Hamilton's Bar & Grill
Category: Nightlife Bars Sports Bars Sports Bars [Edit]
233 2nd St NW(between N Constitution Ave & N C St)
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 347-6555
- Nearest Transit:
-
Judiciary Square Metro Station (Red)
Archives Metro Station (Green, Yellow)
Union Station Metro Station (Red)
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Dive-y
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Kathryn P. said: "Blue cheese bacon mussels. OMG! Not good for you at all but sooooo tasty! The bar staff is amazing as well!" read more »
63 reviews for Hamilton's Bar & Grill
Review Highlights
"The tater-tots were always delicious since they were..."
(in 14 reviews)
"The staff was laid back, but attentive."
(in 7 reviews)
"They will set-up beer pong, have some dart boards - lots of..."
(in 18 reviews)
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63 reviews in English
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Review from jack h.
Washington, DC
2/9/2012
I love the steak salad. The burgers are great too. Inexpensive pub food that is great. It is just a nice place to go and have a beer with friends.
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Review from Kat S.
1/24/2012 1 Check-in Here
Located on what is essentially an alley between a few behemoth, impersonal government administration buildings, I suppose Hamilton's is a good stop if you work in said buildings. I can't imagine going out of my way to come here though.
Hamilton's boasts a pretty boring beer list at fairly standard prices served by a friendly bartender. Although Friday night there are $1 PBR if you'd like to revisit your college years. In fact, a lot about this bar seems reminiscent of college years, like the beer pong tables in the basement. Food is surprisingly decent and the pretzels are slightly addictive. -
Review from Margo D.
Alexandria, VA
1/14/2012
Mixed feelings about this place. I have been told that it was a "must-go-to" place and they were right. The space was large and impeccably designed. Each room was a different mood, but they flowed cohesively. As for the food & service, the staff was polite when we had to find the hostess stand and the bathroom. ( It is so big, we had to ask to find those. When we got seated, our plates had clearly been used. We each got a milkshake, which if you are okay with spending $7 on, i recommend. As for the Ramen, no. Don't do it. The broth is strong and overpowering and they pork tastes somewhat Barbecue. Strange. The Fish Tacos look beautiful, but the sauce was so spicy, I had trouble tasting everything else. I just ended up only eating the fish.
Good atmosphere, nice staff, just make sure you order the right thing. -
Review from Merida F.
12/30/2011
Been going here for years after kickball and for other events. The food had always been pretty good and the tater tots are amazing! First bar I have ever seen to serve tots! As mentioned in previous posts, they are every accommodating, prices are good for the area, and nice to big groups, especially Kickball players :)
Listed in: The Places I Go Out
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Review from Andy S.
Washington, DC
1/14/2012
Great nachos, pub food, food selection of beer. Spacious enterior, never over crowded. Good place to sit down for a drunk with friends. One dollar PBRs are perfect for a party.
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Review from Stephanie K.
Washington, DC
11/24/2011
For those of us that remember when this place was the Flying Scotsman, hanging out here definitely evokes nostalgia of the old days. Though it's cleaned up a lot and there isn't the drunken debauchery running rampant, this is still a solid bar with friendly service and a comfortable atmosphere. Best to stop in earlier in the evening, after happy hour and before the sports teams come in.
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Review from S. R.
Arlington, VA
10/4/2011
Hamilton's is a laid back bar, great to grab a beer and some standard bar food (try the pretzels). It's not a place to go for the cuisine. It's a place where the bar tenders will remember your name and that you usually pay with a pink credit card. It's also a place where they will let you play beer pong (and any other game you want) in the basement. Go on Fridays, when the PBR costs $1. They have $3 baby shots of Grand Marnier every day.
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Review from Ken R.
4/21/2011
4 stars for location & bar food.
I've been going to Hamilton's off and on for the past few years and the food has actually begun to improve the last few visits. My most recent visit I had their Cobb salad and buffalo wings. Pretty standard bar food but the veggies were chilled and crisp and the wings were piping hot. Extra points for the sesame-ginger salad dressing. What more could you ask for?
As an aside, our merry little band of staff photographers from the Smithsonian have been trying a variety of places just off the mall for our monthly "Pints & Pixels" meeting and I think we've found a home for a little while for our rowdy group. -
Review from Mike P.
Binghamton, NY
9/8/2011
It made me give this place 1 star but it should have none! I'm from outta state and looked for a place to eat. Took forever to get a menu let alone a drink or food. Roach on the table! Didn't order just left. GO to the dubliner if u want to have a good time. Hamiltons sucks and smells like old beer. Worst experience out ever!!!
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Review from Daniel A.
8/29/2011
This is a great place to go for a throwback to college days. I went for a friend's happy hour where she registered ahead to have her coworkers occupy the basement. This basically means they had first shot at the beer pong tables (of which there are four) and control of the music (via her ipod hooked up to their sound system). She frequently picks this places because Fridays they have the happy hour deal of $1 cans of PBR. You can get a bucket of six for...wait for it...$6. Not a bad deal when you are playing 10 cup beer pong or flip cup in the basement. Despite getting owned all night on the table, I really enjoyed Hamiltons for the first part of Friday evenings.
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Review from brooke S.
Washington, DC
10/17/2010
GO BADGERS! ON WISCONSIN!
Hamiltons is the official bar for the uw almuni group in DC and, although compared to other options in the dc area it totally sucks, as a bar itself its a - ok.
Friendly bartenders, leinies on tap, good food, AMAZING SOFT PRETZELS --- seriously, these chewy delicious bavarian pretzels are almost worth making the trek over to capitol hill.
In all honesty, i would never go to hamiltons if i a) didnt live on capitol hill or b ) wasn't a badger alum.... -
Review from Peter R.
2/15/2011
We were Friday regulars for a few months this summer when it was nice to sit outside after work and have a few buckets.
A few times, we ordered food, and were disappointed. Just a notch under bar-food level. The tater-tots were always delicious since they were microwaved.
Basement is full of beer pong tables, college kids and hip hop, all of which I find fun. -
Review from Sarah T.
Washington, DC
7/7/2010 1 Check-in Here
Stopped in to get out of the heat on 4th of July.
It was definitely a nice cool down. My bf, brother, his gf, and I really needed a few drinks after walking around in that heat for hours on end! The staff was laid back, but attentive.
The whole table was ordering PBR's (@ $2 bucks a pop) except I was downing their Cider. They had these delicious pretzel sticks, with a mustard and a cheese sauce which was delicious! Everything was affordable and the music playing took me back!
I was a little bummed they didn't seem to really be celebrating the 4th and showing their American Spirit (being so close to all the stuff going on for the 4th, I expected more...) But it was still so great to get out of the heat and enjoy some cold brews with good people! -
Review from Whispering D.
Washington, DC
9/23/2010
Tap dance to the bar
take some shots; eat tater tots
Party with your friends -
Review from Andrew B.
Washington, DC
Updated - 8/2/2010
Revisiting things. Service on the patio here stinks. Good thing they serve the beer in buckets, since you will only see your server once every 30 minutes. When he does arrive at the table, he will look at you as if you are annoying him and simply say, "What do you want?"
Top notch.
Would be down to one star if not for the dollar beer on Friday and tater pie.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/16/2010
If My Brother's Place is 2 stars, Hamilton's is three. While I do not enjoy the food as much here,… Read more »
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Review from Brian T.
11/2/2010 2 photos
The location of Hamilton's is ssoo clutch, only a block away from the Capitol building. This is why we had came about visiting here for lunch. I'm sure it's also a big place to go for all of the government workers to go for happy hour as well.
Walked in, and decided to sit upstairs for hopefully a more quiet atmosphere and better service. It turned out our 'waiter' was also the upstairs bartender. It's ok, he actually gave us decent service. Got some surprising beers on tap, including Leinenkugel's, Guinness, Magic Hat, and Dogfish.
I went with the roast beef club, not bad for a club. However, the menu claimed it was "piled high," please, 3 pieces don't count as high, a little misleading I must say! I choose the side salad over the fryer options and it was pretty big and filled out the plate. I totally forgot to get the pretzels that everyone was raving about, so that was unfortunate. But I did try the tots which are indeed good! The overall price for the meal in the heart of DC wasn't overwhelming, but neither was the experience. -
Review from Mai T.
Alexandria, VA
12/13/2009 ROTD 7/16/2010
What? A table for flip cup and Rockband?? How did we miss this? It could have been a totally different night for us if had a round or 10 of flip cup or Rockband sessions.
$1 PBR cans, $3 Yuengling drafts are a pretty good deal for a Friday night. I did have some of the Tator Pie, but I wasn't feeling the chili on top of it. Hamilton's is a cool bar if you're in the area, but it's not really close to anything else if you want to hit up a few places in one night. -
Review from Kori K.
Washington, DC
8/8/2008
I was on a mission. I needed a bar in town, that would host the boy's birthday party with some room to spare, accommodate us with Guitar Hero or Rock Band, and not make me pay extra.
After finding out at the last minute that the bar I had originally made plans with decided they were going to charge me, and no longer even had the games, I needed to find a new location. FAST.
After reading some articles in the Post, I gave Hamilton's a call. The manager was awesome. He said Rock Band was available for FREE and there should be no problem bringing in as many people as we wanted.
We showed up early, knowing there was another party the same night, but we might have showed up a little too early because we ran right into to the kickball crowd... Maybe some kick ballers are nice, but the early crowd could be classified as date-rape faced d-bags. They were obnoxious (not in a good way) pushed, shoved and made us worried the night would be ruined.
Thank God they left around 9. After that, the bar really opened up. We were able to not only dominate Rock Band, but set up flippy cup and beer pong tables, making it feel like one hell of a house party.
The bartenders were nice (they could use a few more though) and the food is full of greasy, dieting-ruining goodness.
Great place to have a party. -
Review from Kevin L.
7/29/2008
Table for flip cup in the back? Check.
Giant screen with a Wii for Rock Band? Check.
Packed on a Saturday night with multiple birthday parties with lots of cuties in the crowd? Check.
Amazingly swamped bartender that was impossible to flag down? Double check.
I guess you take the good with the bad in this joint that would have been virtually impossible to find had we not been trailing Laura V across town. Pretty good, but not so great. -
Review from Pam Z.
$1 PBR cans all night on Fridays.
Well, what are you waiting for? -
Review from Laura V.
Alexandria, VA
10/8/2008
YAY! for Hamilton's! I just love having a bar & grill type place near my office to grab lunch sometimes. It's head's above the Irish Times and the Dubliner.
Hamilton's has a great outside patio. Lots of tables and it's nice and warm in the sunshine. Service is great. All of the folks there are really friendly and quick with the lunch crowd.
But let's talk about the food. They have tater tots. I'll let that sink in for a moment. TATER TOTS PEOPLE!!! This alone makes Hamilton's like the best lunch spot ever for me. Add to that some killer sandwiches, soups and salads, and well it's a pretty great place. Most recently, I had the california turkey sandwich. It's my favorite one. Real, roasted turkey on wheat with avocado, sprouts, havarti-dill cheese. YUM! I also like their veggie lover's delight.
Not only is Hamilton's a great lunch spot, it's also a great spot to have some happy hour libations or to celebrate a birthday with Rock Band and flip cup.
Hamilton's, I'm glad you're around the corner. -
Review from Maya C.
12/13/2009 2 photos
Met up Yelpers after my bruised ego at the ice skating UYE. The place seemed very laid back. Drink specials...I am no longer a Grand Marnier virgin! I had two shots at $3 each! what a deal!... The roadhouse burger was delicious served with tater tots....had a helping from the tater tots chili and jalapenos...good too...is there anyhting at this place that is not served with tater tots? hmmm.....
Service was good but at the end of the night we had to get our drinks ourselves at the bar area. Will come again for the cheap drink specials! -
Review from Ari S.
4/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
I went to Hamilton's with 3 other people when we were on vacation. We have heard about this bar/restaurant and were thrilled that it was a Wisconsin Alumni bar. When we went in we were thoroughly disappointed. There wasn't any Wisconsin fan gear anywhere. If it was an alumni bar we thought it would say Wisconsin some where. We decided to give it a shot and had an okay time. Its nice because upstairs they have large projectors for the game but it was packed, not staffed well, and the food and drinks were okay. Besides the Pabst deals, that's all it has. Also we heard the raves about the tater tots and again...disappointment. I have had much better at a wayyy cheaper dive bar. It is nice that its a block from the Capitol. But that's all it has going on. Fail.
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Review from Keely H.
Omaha, NE
8/5/2008
Even though I didn't get to play Flip Cup ( I wouldn't have been good at it anyway), only played one round of drunken Beer Pong, was lousy at Rock Band, and the bartender that was not John told me to "please, just don't" when I started stacking the plastic cups around me at the end of the night (wtf?!), I had a great time at Hamilton's for Jim's Party Like A Rock Star birthday bash.
I really don't understand why they had only one dude (John) manning the bar for pretty much the entire night when there were two parties up there. I did see that they sent a second guy up (not John), but I realized that he wasn't really serving drinks....just standing around and telling people to NOT stack the plastic cups that were going in the trash anyway at the end of the night. Whatevs. I think a great time was had by all, we closed the place down. -
Review from Ellen T.
Washington, DC
6/22/2010
I love Hamilton's. It's my rugby team's bar that we social at, and we throw a lot at them in terms of the volume of people we show up with at once, the neverending requests for more food and beer, and occasionally questionable antics, and they always give us fantastic service. And welcome us back.
The staff is great- they all remember your face, if not your name and your preferred drink. They keep cool and collected even when big groups have just shown up, which happens often between the (at least two) rugby teams and the many kickball teams (and I'd imagine softball and whatever other local social sports exist in DC).
I really like the food. The menu was pretty decent before, but they recently updated it, and I definitely think it has improved. It's nothing fancy for the most part- burgers, wraps, salads, the requisite apps that every bar has- but they do it well.
There is tons of space, which is great considering how many teams show up there, as I said before. And yeah, like other reviewers said, the list of pros is huge:
$1 PBR Cans
Cheap Grand Marnier shots
Flip cup and beer pong tables
Tons of space
Patio seating
Great staff
Rock Band
Tons of TVs so all major sports games are always on
We showed up one time with an ice luge and set it up outside, and they didn't even bat an eyelash at this.
People's biggest complaints seem to be that they have to stand up to get things from the bar. I... wish anyone could see the face I'm making in reaction to this.
Hamilton's is not a white tablecloth, fancy place. It's a sports bar that caters to local teams. And it does a fantastic job of that. So five stars. Bam. -
Review from Khalib B.
Washington, DC
4/6/2010 6 Check-ins Here
Things I like about this bar.
3 levels. Top level more of a regular bar area with ample seating for groups. Mid/street level small bar with seating for very large groups.
Bottom level empty space, Buck hunter, Pinball, and tables for drinking games.
Friday night special. $1 PBRs $6 Buckets.
John the bartender. You will wait for your Guinness because he will make you wait so it is poured decently. He will also remember your face almost immediately and what you like to drink.
Beer pong/ Flip cup in the basement. I love these games and never wish to grow out of them. I am happy there is at one place in DC where I can indulge myself and enjoy my evening till I feel I am going to burst.
Simply a cool little bar with one of my favorite games. I love it so I chill there. If you need to relive some of your college days and perhaps like wild looking tater tots, stop on in and see where the night takes you. -
Review from Brendan D.
Kensington, MD
7/14/2008
Hamilton's is a cool little place. The patio outside is nice, and both the interior of the bar and the patrons are a breath of fresh air from its neighbor, My Brothers Place. Hamilton's bartenders are freindly, and ther bar seems to be comprised primarily of regulars, but it is not cliquey. There is beer pong sometimes, and the upstairs is fun too when it is not closed for private parties. Foodwise the only thing I have tried is the sliders (which were awesome by the way, with little White Castle like onions) so I can't comment on the menu as a whole.
Hamilton's deserves more of mine (and your!) capital hill business. -
Review from Olos N.
Washington, DC
3/23/2011
Please don't come here to solely review the food. Hamilton's has bar food. And tater tots. It's not Komi.
That being said, on Fridays you can get Pabst cans for $1.10 (all night). They'll even give you little metal buckets full of ice if you order five or six at a time. With such cheap beer also comes ample opportunity for beer pong, flip cup, and other assorted drinking games.
The staff there are all very attentive and enthusiastic about getting your drink as fast as possible. -
Review from Megan J.
6/21/2010
As a NAKID kickballer, I've spent many a Sunday afternoon at Hamilton's this summer, as they are one of our go-to places post-game because it's near the Mall and I think they sponser us.
The pros:
- cheap beer (PBRs are $2.20 or less)
- friendly bartenders
- I dig the tater-tots (though FYI, the seasoned fries are better)
- decent wings
- big tables, good for groups
- flip cup and beer pong
- patio seating
The cons:
- the food is no great shakes -- it's totally sufficient for post-kickball, but I would never choose to eat here
- no hooks inside the bathroom doors to put your purse
- you have to go to the bar to order food (not a huge deal, but they don't tell you that when you sit down)
Definitely not a dive bar, Hamilton's falls under "totally mediocre but saving this area from being a total food an alcohol desert" category -
Review from N S.
Washington, DC
2/7/2010
Hamilton's had decent grub and prices, and I felt a step above from a dive bar (hate those). In the basement, it was flashback to frat with the hip hop blaring, beer pong, and average dancers - but it was fun and it made me feel young again.
Once again, it served our blizzard needs! -
Review from Dakota F.
Hillsdale, MI
6/30/2009
Hamilton's has lots going for it: right off the Hill with easy access, generous portions, a friendly and laid back atmosphere and several different seating options. But somehow it seems out of place to me, walking away the overwhelming thought in my mind was that Hamilton's felt like it was in a suburb and not the heart of DC. It's not necessarily a bad thing, it just seemed to give off a "blah suburb" vibe. Given the noise level inside at 7 PM on a Friday, people didn't mind--it was almost deafening. Sitting on the patio was much better.
The interior has several different seating options, a roof top, upstairs room, a tiny bar and a sitdown area with sports TVs (at an uncomfortably high angle), in addition to outdoor seating. The servers are quick and helpful, the plates generously sized (sometimes to excess), the food tasty and the menu affordable. They even have some healthy/non-fatty options hummus plate and several delicious looking wraps. The sides are also affordable, though I didn't find my onion rings to be anything special.
The beer selection wasn't anything spectacular but perfectly serviceable. My one complaint was that my own beer was served lukewarm and my friend's margarita had no salt rim--minor details that I hope aren't common.
Overall, a good place on the hill for an lunch or evening with the buddies. There are classier places, or bars with more character, but Hamilton's will feed you right and keep you happy.Listed in: Washington, DC
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Review from C.P. S.
Arlington, VA
12/2/2007
Hamilton's is fun bar. Great for games, as they host U of Wisconsin sports games, as well as BoSox.
They will set-up beer pong, have some dart boards - lots of fun to hang out. Also feature some good drink specials, especially for cheap beers, like PBR and Coors Light. You can also enjoy good bar food like Tater Tots, Chicken Tenders, Nachos and a bunch of sandwiches with fries.
The bartenders and waitstaff are all friendly and fun. Scott and Brian are like the dynamic duo, Batman and Robin. Service is fast and courteous. All and all, the place is great and a lot of fun. -
Review from Ann L.
2/24/2011
Came here for a very solid lunch - got a turkey club sandwich that was really good, but at $10 was kinda pricey for just a sandwich and onion rings. I made the mistake of forgetting to order the mayo on the side, so my sandwich was a bit drenched in the heart attack sauce. Our waiter was alright, although a bit inattentive as our little lunch ended up taking over an hour. He was also kinda pushy, insisting my friend get a box for her leftovers. After he asked, "Are you sure?" to the first two times she said no, she eventually said yes just to shut him up.
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Review from Ricardo P.
Washington, DC
8/21/2009
This place is terrible. They have cheap beer, women, and good burgers. I was trapped in there last week for about 4 hours. It went from post-game beers to post-game pitchers, to beer pong in the basement.
A good time was had by all, and I'm doing it again next week.
The onion rings are the best. -
Review from Patrick O.
Redondo Beach, CA
11/5/2009
This is a delayed review by about 4 months but, after referring a friend here today who was lost in the DC area, I felt compelled to yelp 'bout this place.
Another great find thanks to Yelp for iPhone.
I was in town, doing the usual tourist thing, okay not really, I was really visiting family but..... hadn't been back to DC in a LONG time so I thought I'd catch up on what's going on in the capitol.
After several miles of walking and blisters starting to form on my poor feet I decided that a brew was in order stat to help ease my pain and fatigue.
I discover Hamilton's and, to be completely honest, walked around the block literally twice trying to find the place.
When I finally arrived though, I was not only relieved but, impressed with the location as well - it sits LITERALLY across the street from the capitol, how cool is that???
Cold brews were to be found along with many other young professionals having fun and jamming out to great music.
This was a great spot to have a Yuengling (we Californian's don't have it out here) kick back, watch some sports and enjoy a fantastic burger cooked to order... you don't get any more American than that IMO.
Next time I'm in DC you'd better believe Hamilton's, I'm coming to you. -
Review from Wendy S.
Silver Spring, MD
12/23/2009
$1 PBRs until 8pm - enough said!
Good menu with eclectic choices and a spacious bar upstairs. There wasn't any waitstaff upstairs that I could tell, but the bartenders did a good job at notifying patrons when their orders came up. -
Review from Amy B.
Sacramento, CA
4/9/2009
The boys at Hamilton's have done an awesome job with this place!! An excellent spot for any night of the week for a low key beer or hang out for a large group...
Great food (they made some improvements to the original menu)... awesome salads and I love the Beef wrap - yummm!
Great service - always do their best to accommodate groups, both with an area to use and with drink specials.
Lots of extra curricular activities to... beer pong, flip cup, guitar hero and connect four!
More than you average casual bar (some might call it a dive bar, but definitely not a dive bar compared to next door...!).
I miss you guys! -
Review from Clint H.
Arlington, VA
3/5/2011
I've been here twice and experienced two thoroughly mediocre sandwiches.
The first was a grilled chicken sandwich and the second was a cheeseburger. There was just nothing that stood out as particularly good about either. The bread they use for their sandwiches is dry and awful.
The atmosphere seems pretty cool, especially in the upstairs bar area. The staff was pretty friendly and attentive, but it doesn't make up for my two lame food experiences.
I might have to give them another shot when out drinking, but I would recommend avoiding the sandwiches. -
Review from Demiwa M.
Washington D.C., DC
1/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
Hole in wall drink spot. No eye candy. Need a drink where no one knows your name. Come here. College students abundant
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Review from Joseph S.
Washington, DC
5/4/2009
It's the best Hill bar... it's a bit less Hill than the others, and that's a plus!
Their rooftop parties at 101 Constitution are legend already!
