The Raven Grill
Categories: Dive Bars, Restaurants [Edit]
Neighborhood: Mount Pleasant3125 Mt Pleasant Ave NW
Washington, DC 20010 (202) 466-3475
- Nearest Transit:
Columbia Heights (Green, Yellow)
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Music: Juke Box
- Best Nights: Thu, Fri, Sat
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Coat Check: No
25 Reviews for The Raven Grill
Cheap brew, snacky food, good jukebox, red ambient light, comfortable booths--what else could you possibly need from a dive bar?
One of my neighborhood favorites.
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The best bar in Mt. P, hands down.
Good cheap drinks. Great selection of tunes. Awesome booths. Usually a pretty good crowd.
One star deduction for the lady bartender with major attitude. Get over yourself.
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Is this place still standing?! If it is, kudos to duct tape! :D
Sitting in their booths you wonder if you're:
A: Going to fall in
B: Sit on a syringe
C: Be overwhelmed by roaches
D: Be overwhelmed by rats
E: All of the above
But if this weren't a multiple choice test you would write that the bar has character, that it's cramped and cozy and cold in a way that you fear for your life at times.
They don't have mixers, just cans of soda, and some of the people both behind and at the bar have been there for so long you really can't figure out if they actually leave.
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Ah yes. The Raven. Where do I even start given that this was my bar of choice in DC for years? The Raven has been around in some form or another since the 30s (see the old Post article that is on the wall next to the bar) and remains a staple of rapidly gentrifying Mt. Pleasant. $3 drinks, a sketchy but endearing jukebox ("The Final Countdown" -- ha!), friendly bartenders (Marit is the current owner), what's not to like? The Raven gets crowded on weekends, which was nice a few years ago when I could walk in there on a Saturday night and would almost always see people I knew, but is empty and chill at other times.
Remember the blue tarp that covered the hole in the ceiling for an entire year after the President's Day Weekend blizzard of 2003? Remember the days before Mt. Pleasant became uptight and if you were inside at closing time they would lock the door and let you chill after 3 a.m.? That's the Raven we loved back in the day. Greatest, friendliest dive bar in DC, a city where real dives are few and far between.
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A few winters ago, a buddy & I stopped into the Raven for a respite from the blinding snowstorm occurring outside. We go in and because the rest of the building had caught fire and had since been condemned (thankfully, the Raven was spared and still open for business) there was a massive hole in the roof and snow coming inside the Raven. Everyone was donning parkas, hats, & gloves, and sipping their deliciously cold beverages (it was maybe 30 degrees inside). Marvin Gaye was playing on the jukebox and because of the accumulating snowmound (it wasn't big) by the bathroom entrance, the bartender (Toni) helpfully asked that you be careful while surmounting said snowpile. This pretty much sums up the Raven. Snowmound, lack of heat, and condemned building: the beer is still flowing and the tunes keep going. Awesome.
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Walking into the Raven is like leaving DC through a magical mirror - the polar opposite of everything "DC" is perceived to be rules the roost here.
Ok, that's really dramatic and somewhat generous, but I really love the Raven! I've met some great, down to earth people here - and I adore the strongly poured drinks for not-bad prices. Booths are also a superior seating apparatus -- perfect for comfort and conversation. The Mt. Pleasant vibe is definitely unique, and the Raven embodies that in its understated existence.
Another perk - 7 Eleven is right across the street to tend to your drunk-ass munchie needs. Anyone for a pint of Ben and Jerry's Creme Brulee and/or a taquito?
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If "dive bar" is what you are looking for, "dive bar" is what you get. The Raven is my all-time favorite dive bar, period. It is tiny, intimate, and even with the smoking ban, you can still see the billowing smoke cloud above everyones head. The juke box is fully loaded, the beer is cheap and plentiful, and the staff is friendly and efficient. I used to live in the neighborhood, and the saying goes "if you have to drive here, you don't belong here".
The Raven feels like a community gathering. A place for the neighborhood to unload after a hard days work. Don't expect to roll in there with your huge entourage, as it is really small, and seating is very limited. I am not sure why this is listed as a "grill", as they do not serve food here. They do have chips and stuff, but nothing special. I haven't been there in a while, but as far as I know, they still do not have a liquor license. So beer only, folks. The place looks like it has never been renovated, and the walls are adorned with photos of people past, and famous musicians that have dropped by through the years. There is one thing you must do when you go, and that is to memorize and recite a quote from the bathroom wall every time you go.
When I go to The Raven, I feel at home. I can see and feel The Raven from years past. If you want to step outside the box, and experience a DC institution, visit The Raven.
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Ah yes. A little piece of dive bar in DC. No pearls or blazers here. (Unless it's a blazer worn in a very hip fashion. And vintage.) The Raven brings all the classic elements - dark, crowded and random, to pull together a decidedly hip bar.
The long, narrow space means if it's overly crowded, like it was on the night we visited, it's pretty impossible to stand in the aisles without having to move every thirty seconds to let someone by. We finally dove on a departing table and were able to kick back with some very strong rum & Cokes. One standout of 'random kitsch' would be some fake plastic flowers placed around on the wall. . . but when you go, I'm sure you'll notice more dive bar decor. Unless it's too dark. And crowded.
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The only thing keeping the Raven Grill from being my dream bar is the lack of a pool table. This bar reminds me of the Expansion in San Francisco where I had the best first date ever and which I refer to (lovingly) as a dirty old man bar. I like that I can stumble home completely trashed and only fall off two curbs. Also, the lack of credit card acceptance makes it impossible for me to drink my way into (more) debt which is a very very good thing...
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I must have walked up and down Mt. Pleasant St. numerous times before I even noticed this place. Currently nestled under some construction, the Raven Grill definitely does not jump out at you, but that is obviously part of the charm. With all the more upscale bars in the neighborhood, it's nice to have a place like this around. No-frills, simple drink menu, small tables, and a good jukebox are what awaits you. I'd read about the claims that it is one of the last "true dive bars in DC", and I'd say that is a pretty apt description.
Definitely a neighborhood hangout, and someplace you'll find yourself going back to. It's nice to have a bar only 2 minutes walk away.
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I heard this place is only hipster on weekends...so go on the weekdays because it's a great bar with an awesome jukebox. I think I finally found my local bar!
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The Raven is everything you'd want in your local drinking establishment. Cheep drinks, great tunes, a good mix of local people, lumpy cushions, enlightening bathroom graffiti. It's gotten a bit more popular over the years, didn't they win some best dive bar a few years back, CURSES!? but they still maintain a bit of the dingy dive bar charm.
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The Raven stands out from a lot of other DC bars. The booths are too small and slightly cramped, sometimes the seat you find slants about 30 degrees to the left, the table wobles like it's been drinking, the bathroom is an abomination at best, but overall, the place simply rocks.
Reasons being:
-cheap beer (bottles only) such as Bass, Newcastle, etc. plus the usual assortment of American standards; I think the most expensive beer they have is $3.50.
-great crowd....one night you'll find someone talking about the impacts of globalization in eastern Africa and the next night the conversation revolves around last weekend's Redskins game.
-aweseom jukebox.....it's an old school joint, not one of the new (and terrible) internet jukeboxes; full of standards from the 50s-70s, a good sampling of some newer stuff, plus some offbeat samplers as well.
Swing through, have some beers, meet someone new, stumble home......that's the recipe for a fun night at the Raven.
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"If you took a cab here, you don't belong here." That's the truest line I've ever read on a bathroom wall.
It's small, it's dark, there's hippies with fanny packs and no credit card machines. So why do I give it four stars? Because it's a place I can go in my oldest of t-shirts, hair in a pony tail, and listen to the Clash and Beck. It reminds me of my favorite bars in south Chicago, and I feel like there's no one I have to impress.
It's like taking a vacation from the rest of D.C.
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Raven is yet another in a confluence of bars and other estalishments in Mt. Pleasant that make this neighborhood seem affirmatively not like the rest of Washington D.C. Neither upscale and uber-gentrified, nor barren of anything but a corner market, Mt. Pleasant has real people establishments for real people prices. Enter the Raven, which looks straight out of the 1950s and appears to have the unfortunately bland beer selection of that era (maybe meaning it has been around that long). Slip into an old, rubbery-leather booth and order a $2.50 Miller High Life, or better yet, check out the somewhat eclectic juke box, which to my unending joy, featured several Motown CDs. (Playlist choices: "It's a Shame," by the Spinners; "Volero" by The Gipsy Kings; "I Want to Spend the Night" by Bill Withers).
I was here on a Thursday night, so I did not encounter the sort of crowds that Zach H. alludes to. The beer gets two stars but the ambiance gets 4. I'll give it an overall 4 stars for (ironically) being a diamond in the rough of D.C.'s bland Front Page-esque bar scene.
As Nils said, the bathroom graffiti is pretty amazing (bring a pen into the john to scribble a thought or favorite quote that will live immortally). I actually saw the most brilliant one ever last night, and what do I do but forget it. I guess I'll just have to return.
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Raven is a super-hipster bar on Mt. Pleasant St., which also serves as the local bar for the non-hipster population of Mt. Pleasant. Although I imagine hipsters go here because they live in the area, not because it is a superior establishment. The inside of this crowded narrow ass bar looks like you are in Appalachia, with wooden panel walls and flashing light decorations. No, it is not located off some lonely highway, but at the bottom of an abandoned building and the double glass door entrance to the building has been broken with chains around it for as long as I can recall.
This bar only takes cash, and the most common drink ordered seems to be Budweiser. They probably serve Schiltz and Highlife too. I have only been here twice and I'm not even sure they serve food.
If you are in the mood for a few quick cheap brews or on the way back from Adams Morgan after a night out, stop in here to observe the chaos. Not a place to go with a large group, as seating is almost non-existent unless you stake a claim early. Often there is barely standing room.
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This place is a grill like I'm the Queen of freaking England. This place is a dive bar with a cool jukebox, a cool bartender, and cool booths. It's just a cool little bar to loiter at until it gets packed and you head to Marx Cafe.
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The Raven is a dive bar on Mount Pleasant Street. It's a great place to have a whiskey after work. It will be interesting to see if the place survives with the smoking ban.
GREAT JUKEBOX
Why not give it the five star status? Too many hipsters.
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No credit cards, yuppie. Also, good luck finding a seat, or even standing room, on the weekend.
This place has apparently been here forever, and it shows. It's decorated it what looks like a random assortment of vintage (or vintage-style) posters without much of a common theme except for the [not-so-]thin veneer of cigarette smoke that accumulated over the years. I think the word that's typically tapped to describe such a place is "dingy," and while I'm not so sure that's the most appropriate description, it comes close.
They have a reasonable (and very cheap, for DC) selection of alcohol. I think the last time I was there I was drinking Rolling Rock at something like $2.50/bottle. Considering that I saw a sixpack of Rolling Rock at a convenience store last night for a near-inexplicable $8 (shutting down the tanks at Old Latrobe screwing with your bottom line, Anheuser-Busch?), that's quite an achievement.
They also have an awesome jukebox, although if you don't like your local hipster/baristas drunk and awfully belting out every '80s tune you've ever heard and dancing completely awkwardly, you'd better avoid this place when it gets packed. Because if there's one thing that hipsters love, it's belting out '80s tunes and dancing awkwardly.
This place has some of the most inventive and extensive bathroom graffiti I've ever seen. There's definitely a huge, long-winded rant written by some yuppie who was pissed off that they don't do tabs and don't accept anything other than cash (immediately followed, of course, by a counter-rant). So, consider this your warning, yuppie: no credit cards and no tabs. But there's a Bank of America next door so you're probably fine.
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Great little dive bar with diner style booth seats and bar stools. Being a non-local I wanted to find some non-touristy places to have a drink. Worth the hike form the main drag near Columbus & 18th.
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First of all, I'm not sure how accurate the name of this bar is. No one here is grilling anything.
The Raven is a good old fashioned dive bar in the heart of Mt. Pleasant. It's metro-accessible, and most of its clientele live in the neighborhood, though others have flocked there through word-of-mouth. I've heard people say that the Raven is D.C.'s last "true" dive bar.
The Pabst Blue Ribbon set tends to hang out at the Raven, so don't expect a fancy wine list to be handed to you as you walk through the door. It's a good place to meet friends, get drunk and play music on the jukebox. It tends to get a little crowded though, and sometimes "outsiders" get glared at by the regulars, I'm sorry to report.
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Best hipster dive bar in DC. cheap beer. juke box. dark. dirty. perfection
I used to frequent here waaaaay back in the day and the crazy old lady bartender served me and my friends drinks even though we were no where near legal drinking age.
yeah, we thought we were the shit, and the place still is really cool.
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Perhaps DC's only real dive bar.
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I've been kicked out of this bar three times. The staff seems to have no sense of humor.
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Good place to get crunked with your fellow hipsters.
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