Stan’s Restaurant & Bar

I have been going to Stan’s for about 4 years now and it only gets better with time. Best drinks and menu EVER. EVERYTHING on the menu is delicious. The atmosphere is always decent, crowded but good. The only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is because our waiter last night was a little rude. I chalked it up to him being fairly new and maybe overwhelmed. Other than that, Stan’s is definitely one of the best Happy Hour spots in the DMV.

Wow great wings steamed shrimp and alcohol. Service excellent. Doesn’t get any better

It’s downtown DC so you will have to look for parking. We got lucky and found parking about a block away. Very laid back, and you can tell the place has been there for a while and they keep the place up. The service was a little slow, but once you got their attention they remembered exactly what you as asked for. The wings were fresh and crispy. but not too greasy. I have recommend this place to a few people, and I plan to go again.

Came to the bar (it’s downstairs, I walked into the wrong building). It was about 3 in the afternoon, and it’s definitely an eclectic group of clientele. There were a lot of expensive suits, a lot of loud talking, several very casually dressed persons, and a LOT of «regulars». The bartender was efficient and nice. I felt very out of place, but not unsafe; my wife was stopped by the bouncer (?) on the way in, as if she didn’t belong in a place like this. It’s a little gangsta, if that helps. The drinks were good though, reasonably priced.

came here on st patricks day because I heard their drinks were on the strong side, and it is true! I ordered a vodka and pineapple juice which comes with one full glass of vodka and another glass of OJ. another favorite here is their wings. I ordered 6 wings grilled and was disappointed because there were not flavor options, as a person who loves sauces and flavor I was disappointed. however the wings were good but they could be better with flavor options.

Decided to go eat here with wifey after play at Warner Theater. I wasn’t so sure about this place until I saw the wings ordered at another table –they looked golden, crispy and good. She and I ordered the half size and they were as good as they look! Still good the next day!
I ordered the Pork Loins platter, it had the grill marks and tasted every bit grilled and seasoned well. The snappy greens were good too, but they could have done a lil better with the baked potato.
The atmosphere was very loud at 12AM in the morning, I love to people watch and this is a great small place to get it in. I’ll definitely Return!

I always hear about Stan’s and especially their wings so I decided to give it a try. It’s a cool little sublevel bar with plenty of seating for average sized parties. But the wings… The wings were everything I hoped they’d be. I got the baked wings instead of fried and was not disappointed. The «mumbo sauce» def could have been left behind but other than that they were great.

Sometimes you need a «low key» spot, nothing fancy, that you can just go to – to decompress from a hectic long work day over a strong drink, eat finger licking food like no one is watching, or just chill… this is Stan’s!
This bar is one of the last «OG» bars in downtown DC! It’s unassuming, no major marquee, and the interior is basic. Come as you are is the rule of order. It is a casual bar that caters to both local and commuter traffic due to its location in the middle of DC’s downtown business district. It is not uncommon to see a mixed crowd of businessmen in meetings, lawyers, your financial advisor, tourists… even summer interns… to the DC native «Bye Felicia & Call Tyrone» types up in there all at the same time! But, do not let that deter you because this is the beauty of the place! And, once inside you find yourself immersed in the true meaning and institution of what a bar is. A communal meeting place for downtime, unpretentious camaraderie and to unwind; where you get genuine bartenders; varied patrons; the sassy servers giving you attitude because they have been on their feet all day;…and the regulars who add comedy relief to your people watching time. I love places like this and embrace it all.
You can’t go wrong with Stan’s. Start with finding a table, seat at the bar and order a drink right away.
**CAUTION on the drinks… It’s a serious heavy pour!!** One may be all you need because you will quickly notice you are given a glass full of «liquika!» and a small carafe of a soda/​juice chaser of your choice for you to mix/​balance your own drink’s strength however you want! And… BOOM! There you have it… intoxication bliss! What more you need to pickle your liver?!
Now, top that with the best fried and baked wings in the city… all your worries and transgressions from the day are gone! LOL! I am a huge fan of the baked wings personally. They are my favorite at Stan’s. They are super seasoned, juicy with crispy skin and cooked to perfection. An honorable mention to the loaded potato skins too! Incredibly cheesy and full of bacon in large potato halves. You can definitely share this one plate item. There are other standard bar food items and a decent menu selection of fare such as burgers, fries, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, etc… and even for the health conscious eater in a bar of all places… there’s baked fish, steamed shrimp, vegetables, salads, etc… But, for me, the «waanngggs and potato skinz» is all you need to compliment the libation.
In all, great vibe and a cool bar atmosphere… with slamming bar food! Stan’s gets my voted as one of «DC’s Top 10 Best Original Bars!» and a great «go to» spot to hang out, connect with friends after a long work day… or when you need a strong shot of medicine… to ease the pain without a prescription… if you catch my drift!

Been a while but I don’t recall the service being so lacking. 15 minutes at table and no one took our drink order. We finally got service but had to summon our waiter to order food and then again to order another round.
I understand evenings are busy but if the staff can’t support the headcount, I suggest upping the staff or decrease the number of tables seated.

Went here with a friend after watching a live band at The Park. Being from Atlanta I was too excited to be heading to an after hours food spot! Had to wait about 15 minutes but with a complimentary lemon drop my friend easily said it was the BEST she ever had.
I ended up just getting the Greek salad (which is huge & can easily be shared between two people) and my friend got the baked wings + salad which she loved! My server forgot one of my orders (side of vegetables) but at the end it was fine since I probably wouldn’t have eaten it. The staff is friendly and does a good job, even with the never ending crowd. Overall good experience!

I secretly love Stan’s!
So you can’t really expect much from Stan’s, BUT if you’re hungry and it’s late you can ALWAYS count on this place. I always get there big fried chicken wings and drench them in hot sauce, it’s soooo good! They have a pretty large bar so you can order whatever drink you want.
Last time I was in Stan’s, this man tried to sell me coco butter! Unfortunately, I did not purchase.
Gotta love Stan’s.

Long live Stan’s! Just think of it as DC’s neighborhood Cheers Bar. Good drinks, great baked/​fried wings, and the best conversations with friends and the tables next to you.
Per the drinks, don’t be fooled. Order no more than 2. If this is your first time, order only one. Pop your Stan’s cherry slowly. Don’t be a fool. Stan’s drinks will knock you dead on your azz.
Friendly staff. Even friendlier when they know your name. Happy Stanning! Drink responsibly!

Downtown DC staple!!! Great fried or baked chicken. Indulge in alcohol. Please do not come here if you don’t drink or eat bar food. Just go to a vegetarian holistic restaurant.
Bring your friends, crew, family… and stay for HOURS. Good service. Great location.
I am not sure I can add anything new to the reviews. Enjoy!!!

Stan’s is the place to go when you are in the city and want to pre-​game before going out. I’m not too sure about their food. I’ve eating off of their menu before but its bar food. Its not that impressive. The drinks are stiff and I’ll definitely be back.

If you are looking for late night wings, delicious fries, and insanely strong drinks (probably second only to Dans in AdMo where you make your own!), look no further.
Don’t let the outside entrance fool you. Stan’s is on point and will not disappoint!
I arrived late on a Saturday evening and as a party of 3 we were seated at a booth almost right away. The waitress was friendly and got our drinks out pretty quickly. I would recommend sharing drinks as Stan does not play around when he pours the liquor! The wings are probably the best in the city and if I remember correctly they are baked. We also got the loaded fries because you know at this point we were a couple of drinks in and they seemed like a good idea. They were also delicious.
Highly recommend Stans for anyone looking to change up the usual going out scene in DC from Chinatown /​DuPont /​14^th /​U St.

Stan’s is definitely like the black version of Cheers. The staff make it a point to get to know you and make sure they remember you by name the next time you come in. They may even pull up a chair and sit with you and start chatting.
There are two reasons to come to Stan’s though, and two reasons only:
1. The drinks. Yes, they give you a whole glass of liquor with only about a inch left from the top to add your mixer. The drinks are obviously strong. Very strong. And they don’t do rail here, so you’re getting tipsy off of the good stuff. I think their «rail» vodka was Ketel One. Most drinks are around $ 10 – 13. I have never even bothered looking at the drink menu either because I know I just want some liquor (with a splash of soda).
2. The wangs! Yes, I said «wangs». These aren’t your regular carryout wings. These wings are just perfection. You can get a half order or whole order. I believe the half order is $ 10 and the whole order is $ 18. You can also either get the wings fried or baked. If you get baked, you will get the wings split (flats and drumettes) and if you get them fried, you get the whole entire wing (you will obviously get less though to even it out). I personally prefer the baked wings because the dry rub on them is just amazing.
No need to look at the menu and order anything else, but they do have a full menu and offer things such as sandwiches, chicken and sausage quesadillas, nachos and mozzarella sticks. They don’t have a happy hour either, but since one of their drinks is about as much alcohol as two drinks somewhere else, it doesn’t matter. Oh yeah, and they also don’t split checks, so keep that in mind if you go with a group.

Quick stop before heading the movies. It was around 7pm and the Bouncer took his time letting us in as if it was Studio 55 with a line around the block. The stairs are suspect, so had to be extra careful managing those. Once we got in, it was very dark, crowed and music blasting. I did appreciate the mix crowd of seasoned folks and the millennium crew.
After I scanned the dining area, I was really hoping for a seat at the bar, as the tables were packed. We ended up one table away from the kitchen door.
I ordered a glass of Malbec, it must have been the bottom of the bottom or a different red, as it wasn’t a good selection at all. I appreciated the Server wanted to bring me the bottle to prove that it was Malbec :-) I didn’t order any food, but the menu looked doable. Our server was very friendly and quick, so that was the high point of our stop in.
The crowding really was aggravating, as I got bumped twice by the barmaid. Since the visit was going to be short, I was a team player, yet wasn’t a happy one.
This place is definitely for the Pre-​Game to your night or for the folks that really drink hard and can appreciate the cheap drinks. Must roll dice to get a bar seat if I decide to come back.

I like a dingy dark basement bar as much as the next guy but Stan’s didn’t blow me away. Be careful on those steps by the way especially if you’ve been there drinking a long time, they are steep and scary. Once you handle the steps the security process is serious, they card everyone and not just flash a light on your card to verify your age, they run it through a machine, a little overkill but maybe they were burned by an underage in the past.
The food is all horrible for you and a bit pricey but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good. The portion sizes are huge. The wings are full sized and fried to perfection however they are not well seasoned so they don’t blow you away in the flavor department. Mozzarella sticks were also super sized and cooked well. Potato skins are cheesy, loaded with bacon and once again fried well, if it is fried then Stan’s does it and does it well.
As far as alcohol, Stan’s has a unique approach, no happy hour deals or specials but they make sure you get your money’s worth with the drinks as instead of bringing you a premixed drink, they provide you with a full cup of booze and a mixer to do with as you please, I can’t complain about being over-​served.
Stan’s is a cool place to go if you want to blow your diet on fried food and booze but be prepared for a dank place with prices that are a bit too much for the surroundings.

Let me tell ya’ll about Stan’s! I first visited this place last summer with my girlfriend for hh. I wasn’t going to eat except for drink.
When I ordered my drink I was very surprised when they brought me a glass of liquor and another glass with coke. Lovely!
After drinking for awhile I decided to take a bite of my friends food. That friend chicken was super tasty and just right!
I came back here again months later and the food was just as good. So damn good.
The bartenders and waitresses are super friendly. Last time I went was a random Saturday night and the wait was pretty long and it was extremely busy.
Mixed crowd. Older and younger. Mostly older folks.

I heard so much about Stan’s and the insane drinks, I had to try it for myself.
HAPPY HOUR/​BAR
There aren’t any happy hour specials, but for what you’d pay for a small, iced down regular cocktail at any DC restaurant/​club, you get A LOT plus some here (2 drinks+ in one). Check the Unilocal picture gallery for Stan’s! Well worth the prices! Tip: budget for regular priced items! My friend and I walked away with a $ 100 bill 0₀
This is a basement bar, with an unpretentious, mature, urban crowd. The bar gets really noisy in the calm and super crowded on Friday.
The bartender was busy, but remained really nice and attentive with a smile. We loved Mike!
The food was ok with huge/​decent sized portions. We had steamed shrimp and chicken tenders. The chicken tenders weren’t that great (ihop, friday’s=good chicken tenders.) Our steamed shrimp were jumbo and NOT deveined.
I do love good music while sipping on a cocktail, but I don’t remember any music.
Overall, a good bartender, company and drinks make the night… this is where you go to drink! We’ll definitely be back!