The High Dive

Cool bar, great drinks and a jukebox with the songs we should all be listening too. Plus they stay open late late. What more can you ask for. Definitely hits the mark as my new local.

The High Dive is without doubt my favorite bar in DC — it’s friendly, fun, quirky and completely unpretentious. The bar staff remember your name what you’re drinking and make generous, cheap drinks. It’s the kind of place where you go and never know what will happen — I’ve had evenings just hanging out with friends, and others where it’s just me and I end up meeting a bunch of new people, and always a few characters, and others playing cards against humanity with randoms.
The owners are cool and friendly — Andrew and Tristan — in a town like DC it’s pretty epic to find a bar with unpretentious, friendly and pretty hilarious guys behind the bar. Hats off to them for making a very cool bar which is certainly A Dive in spirit but with the added benefit of being clean, stylish, and selling more than just beer and shots (however, it sells plenty of those too!).
There’s no food but you can bring anything into the bar with you — and with mellow mushroom, Amsterdam falafel, jumbo slice and wok n roll right there, it’s easy to get your food fix. There’s street fighter and a jukebox which is awesome, so many songs you see you think «I haven’t heard that in years!»
All in all — great spot — go!

Really basic bar — with a good vibe and an eclectic jukebox. My favorite thing is that you can bring in your own food, I often go to Amsterdam Falafel (or jumbo slice… shhh) and bring the food over to eat at the bar.
It has a great feel to it, between the bartenders and the regulars, there’s always someone to willing to talk, or to leave you alone. If you’re not looking for anything fancy beyond enjoying a drink and a chat, this is your place.

I met up with some friends at the High Dive on Friday 8pm-​ish to get out of the cold and grab some drinks. It wasn’t too crowded, a table full of people in one corner, and a few patrons around the bar. The first thing that struck me when we walked in was how quirky, cozy, and inviting the place is with its diving themed décor, jukebox on one wall, and a TV in the background showing the iconic movie «Labrynth».
Service was very attentive, co-​owner/​bartender made a pretty mean old fashioned — one of the best I’ve had in awhile, and not watered down at all. The High Dive doesn’t serve food, just a variety of chips/​Combos however they don’t mind if you bring food from other establishments, a huge plus, — when we got hungry our friend went on an empanada run.
Not sure what this place is like on other nights but I enjoyed the chill, laid back vibe. Surveying the crowd, it seemed to be a good mix of twenty and thirty somethings for the most part. No pretencious scene to worry about, just a great bar to enjoy some drinks and tunes from the jukebox.