Denson Liquor Bar

Charming underground lair with seasonally updated cocktails.--it's never the same experience twice so I keep coming back!

Great ambiance. Great drink and cocktail selection. Great for an intimate date. Went for my birthday and loved it.

Definitely a great spot, a hidden gem! I've been back a few times over the years and I love this place, unique and great ambiance!

Pleasantly surprised by the venue. The drinks were very good, the service outstanding. However it is a little difficult to hear conversations around you as the music is so loud.

I love Denson Liquor Bar. Always a great place for a few drinks with friends or a fun first date.

Cute place below ground although we had to call to find out how to enter. Menu was just ok. Not much to choose from. Sent I back the artichoke hummus. Service was very slow but we weren’t in a rush. Still an occasional visit by the waiter would have been nice.

I wish there were 4 short rib tacos - they're so good!

The wait staff was fantastic! Available but not overly “in your face.” Very attentive!

Atmosphere was fantastic and we enjoyed the food/drink

Great Happy Hour location! The cocktails were robust but delicious. Nice selection of small sharable bites to keep you toasting till last call. Another DC style speakeasy with style and excellent service!

Slow service on a Tuesday night. Cool ambiance and feel but just understaffed. Food isn’t good

First visit. Pre-Caps game experience. Big thumbs up. Denson Liquor Bar is literally a hole in the wall. It’s not so easy to find. Once you’re at 600 F Street you’re staring at a corner pizza joint. Walk there; Denson is below ground—just down the stairs—adjacent to the pizza place, directly across from Capital One Arena. Denson is dark and cool. The ambiance is cooler. Small place that packs people in, but strategically rather than like sardines. Leather booths mark the perimeter. Bar seating is plentiful. This is a place for the serious drinker. The list of spirits is eclectic and vast. Plenty of wine and beer selections too. The food menu is interesting. It’s bar food, but upscale. You can tell that the kitchen is manned by people with formal food training. My friend and I had good single malt Scotches (me) and mules (him). We started with raw oysters. Nice presentation; good oysters. He had a “pot pie” with chicken and sausage. I had a grilled cheese/mushroom sandwich. We both loved our dishes. Service was excellent. Very attentive. Lindsey was our server. Solid A. A booth reservation is good for two hours. You’re paced well here. It’s really a solid pre-game joint. Going back next game.

Really fun. Busy on Friday night, but service was great!

Beautiful space and delicious cocktails. Great little hideaway from the commercial character-less area above.

Great find! Excellent service. Cool vibe, food and drinks were very good. A little pricey, but a small intimate speakeasy that is well worth the time!

Great place to grab a cocktail and chill. Music is exceptional. Great service

Hard to find but worth the hunt, Denson Liquor Bar has all the ambiance you ever wanted from a speakeasy styled bar. Elegant and dimly lit, it’s a fun place to just be. Also a great spot to meet for a date or a few drinks with friends. The downside - it’s a small place and frankly the service (granted it was a Wednesday) seemed a little disorganized. Everyone was friendly and the drinks were good - but at this price point 30 mins between ordering and getting a drink is just a little much.

Denson's was outstanding! We arrived for our table on time, but our table wasn't ready for us yet. To make up for this, a staff member brought us complimentary champagne to drink while we waited. Our waiter once we got to the table was knowledgeable about the cocktails and ingredients of the food. He made excellent recommendations based on my husband's difficult drink palate, and was easy to talk to. The mood was appropriate for a small thank you dinner to our friends, but could easy be appropriate for a date or celebration as well. We would absolutely recommend this establishment to any friends living or visiting D.C!

loved our service and the environment!

Had a lovely time after an afternoon show. Quaint spot. Attentive waitstaff.
Great quick bites and drinks.

The drinks and the service were great. Very cool atmosphere!

only complaint is the service was almost slow. We would've had another round or two if the server had come around more quickly! this seems to happen in a lot of DC cocktail bars.

The meat and cheese boards were great. Particularly liked the truffle cheese and spicy capicola ham. Loved the zucchini carpaccio also.
Happy hour pricing on oysters and wine made for a pleasant surprise.
Will go again

OpenTable forced me to rate Denson for their food. I did not eat there.

I've been to Denson's Liquor Bar both on a quiet weeknight and on a very busy weekend. I highly recommend advance reservations to secure one of the booths. They're comfortable and swanky. Bar atmosphere is fantastic, though the crowds on the weekend definitely put a damper on enjoying the ambience. That's not the fault of Denson's, but rather just a caution that if you want to enjoy the full experience, I'd pick a weekday evening.

Cocktails and food were okay. Overall good vibe for the place. Prices on par with similar spots in the city.

If you are coming here on a date, reserve one of the cozy, private booths ahead of time. They are perfect for a romantic evening and to actually hold (and hear) a conversation. Cocktails were great, but the food was only so-so. We will definitely be back.

Fantastic! Will return! Great ambiance, service, cocktails and food.

Great place to duck in before the Caps game or to relax with friends. Tasty cocktails!

Great cocktails. Good spot for a date and definitely will be heading here again.

Per usual the Denson was amazing! Took some friends for the first time and they loved it! Frank was incredibly professional and welcoming! Thank you!!

Amazing Old Fashion, would highly recommend for someone who's looking for a hole in the wall, classy, bar

The doorman, host and wait staff were all excellent. It was extremely busy after a show at Capital One Arenas, yet they handled it very well.

This was my second visit to Denson, to celebrate my birthday. I was excited to return but was disappointed. Their cocktail menu seemed limited, the crowd was unusually rowdy and service was poor. I don’t anticipate on returning again.

If you are the type of person who thinks they love craft cocktails, but not well enough to know exactly what you want - this place is for you. The bartenders are extremely friendly and knowledgeable about all sorts of liquor and craft cocktails. They mix them right, and take pride in their work.

I was searching for a place that had a very grown and sexy ambience as I continued to celebrate my 30th birthday. Good music, good drinks, good vibes, good crowd, etc. This place did not disappoint. Very intimate vibe, with a great music soundtrack, and awesome drinks. My interactions with the staff were short but they everyone was professional . Our waiter went out of his to take pictures of my significant other and I as well.

I also thought it was accommodating of them to allow me to change my reservation time at a last minutes notice from 10:30pm to 11:00pm. I was running late from my birthday dinner, so I appreciated that. My only con is that drinks can be a little more on the expensive side but they are worth it and it is DC so I get it. The ice cube in your drink allows the drink to last longer so you can sip and enjoy the quality of your drink and your company. Thanks Denson!

Waitress was a bit rude.

Total hidden gem. The staff is lovely. Very knowledgable and creative without being pretentious. Recommend offering the server or bartender your spirit base and flavor profile to create a custom cocktail. They're also good at the classics.

The space itself has a cool 30's hotel decor, but a completely modern vibe. It's a super small space, but they're very accommodating. We'll be back!

Made a reservation here, not knowing what I would find. It is a little hidden as you have to walk down a flight of stairs on the side of the building to enter. I will say, I do like this place and want to get back to it. We were seated at one of the tables and it is a dimly lit place that gives it a great late night feel. There are hand crafted cocktails and they do know what they are doing. They also have small bites and their grilled cheeses are good, particularly the mushroom. Definitely a great find!

I took my boyfriend here on a date for his birthday! Absolutely loved it, had great drinks and got a few appetizers. It was a little dark in our booth as the night went on, but overall great atmosphere and was perfect for a date night.