Best Georgetown Bars

With a piano set in the main room, live bands upstairs and some of the best drink specials in town, Mr. Smith's is heavy on the tunes and light on the wallet. Check out the patio garden in back, the largest in Georgetown with room for 150 revelers.

For a modest cover charge (usually just a few bucks), experience local jazz talent, a swingin? dance floor and friendly, heavy-handed bartenders. A young crowd fills this dark and intimate bar, which is a musical escape from the typical trendy nightclubs of D.C.

A Georgetown fixture since 1969, this saloon draws a loyal crowd of students, young professionals and locals with its multiple bars, packed dance floor and tiki-themed outdoor terrace. If the bumping and grinding upstairs doesn't appeal, try the main bar downstairs; it was used as a location in the 1985 film ?St. Elmo's Fire?!

Check out Old Glory for a laid-back and comfortable bar atmosphere complemented by an all-American barbecue bar menu. On a nice night, head upstairs to the balcony bar and sip a drink overlooking Wisconsin Avenue.

With a total of three bars on two floors, revelers jam to the Internet jukebox, which offers access to more than 100,000 different songs. Nightly drink specials and worthwhile happy hour deals makes Garrett's a fine choice for drinking on a dime.

Open until 2am every day of the week, this Asian-Latino fusion sushi bar and cocktail lounge is chic and stylish with an underground feel. A standout among the Georgetown lounge scene, Mate is a popular pre-club hangout. The mojitos are a must.

If you can get on the list, George guarantees a rocking night with lots of drinking and dancing. A crowd-pleasing DJ, a well-staffed long bar and several leathery nooks make George a hot spot for its good-looking and wealthy clientele.

College students flock to Rhino Bar & Pumphouse for the wings, the dance floor and the beer. With no cover, friendly bartenders and the regular undergrad clientele, Rhino is the closest thing to a dive bar you'll find along M street.