Pubs
 

What are some nice public houses with atmosphere in DC? Pub grub and some older neighborhoods with character would be good.

thanks

Here are some, in order of "most excellent" to "pretty darn excellent".

http://www.churchkeydc.com/ (just get there: taxi, bus, or walk 6 blocks north on 14th St. from McPherson Square Metro)

http://granvillemoores.com/
http://biergartenhaus.com/
(the 2 above are across the street from one another - shuttle bus from Union Station Metro)

http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-saloon-washington
http://www.saint-ex.com/
(Right at "U Street" metro stop. The 2 above are a few blocks from one another)

http://meridianpint.com/ (nearest Metro is Columbia Heights - about 4 blocks)

http://www.blacksquirreldc.com/ (in Adams Morgan - nearest Metro is about 10 blocks, "Woodley Park" but there is a free shuttle from the Metro that gets you within a block of the pub. Or you could always take a bus or get a taxi...)

It's important to remember that what you consider a pub with pub food is probably not what you are going to find in DC, although I do like bardo's list. You should also know that DC is not like other East Coast cities in terms of "older neighborhoods with character" because most of them are neighborhoods most tourists aren't going to find themselves in. Capitol Hill may be the only exception to that rule.

DC doesn't have traditional "ethnic" neighborhoods, like Little Italy. DC never had a significant white working class nor a manufacturing base. So DC is a historically African American city full of people who worked in the service industry or the government. That makes it very different in feel from NY, Philadelphia, Boston or even Baltimore.

That's why people have a hard time recommending a good, old fashioned Italian restaurant but can name 5 great Ethiopian restaurants, 3 Peruvian chicken shops, and where to find the best Pho in town.

Yes, "ethnic" food only came to DC when late-20th-century strife and revolution sent us refugees from Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Horn of Africa. It is a much tastier city now.

Thanks for that....

are minors allowed?

How old are the minors?

I believe DC law is that: If a pub/club/bar serves food, then minors are allowed with an adult. All the places in my post above serve food, so you should be legal at any of them.

That said, the culture here is not to bring children into these places after a certain hour - say 7pm or so. Even then, it is not very common practice here. You're most likely to see minors at a pub for a weekend lunch or brunch but even then then only at establishments in highly residential areas, like <i>Meridian Pint</i> (above) in east Columbia Heights.