Le Bar

My wife and I went to happy hour at Le Bar. I didn’t really like the ambiance. It felt outdated and the French theme seemed force. If I was staying at the hotel, it would be a fine bar to grab a drink, but I definitely wouldn’t go out of my way to go back.
Our server was really nice and was able to get us happy hour drinks right after the happy hour ended, which is always appreciated.

Swanky, formal, not too obnoxious and cozy, perfect place for old peeps like me. Service is attentive, maybe too attentive but wasn’t annoying. $ 14 a drink and bar food ranges from $ 14 – 16 about the same price San Francisco hotel bars would charge you.

I’m staying at the Sofitel for work and couldn’t be more pleased with the service. On the outside it looks like your traditional hotel bar, however the bartender, Mouna, makes all the difference. The food is solid and the drinks are delicious for the price. I enjoyed a nutty Moscow mule the first night and while I was initially disappointed it didn’t come in the traditional copper mug, the taste (a kick of amaretto) made it worth it. I also love a place that makes suggestions and knows their menu and this place does.

Five of us went on a Sunday to sit outside to enjoy the last of the summer days. They changed the furniture outside. Although one friend complained, I liked it better. It is more flexible and, as our party grew from four to five, we easily moved a chair and extended our table.
They put a good trio of snacks on the table– wasabi peanuts, an Asian snack mix, and a trail mix of dried fruits and nuts.
We ordered food. Everyone agreed the coconut shrimp were the best. They had shrimp flavor and the coconut crunchiness was there too. So much flavor that I skipped the dipping sauce. We also got the beef sliders which were pretty thick and prepared as requested. I thought they would need ketchup but they did not due to the sauce on there. I removed the pickle. Pickles have no place on burgers (my own personal philosophy). We got the cheese plate which had a variety of cheese, fresh grapes, dried apricots, and pecans. Yummy! The bread basket was plentiful and varied.
Service was good. The place was not crowded. Overall a good place to stop if you want to enjoy that Sunday feel.

We were here in late July and went here based on other Unilocal reviews. Frankly, the staff was inattentive and forgetful. We had too many people serving us, thus, each did not know what had just been ordered! The pear martini was fantastic as was the manager who recognized the service level as sub-​par and took care of us. We were told that the entire bar would undergo renovation and be ready (refreshed) by December 2015. We’re headed back around that time, so await another review! (Someone else said the same: wasabi nuts and the popcorn are seriously addicting!)

Trying to kill some time before a show on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, my husband and I had a bit of trouble finding a place that was open.
Le Bar was open and not too too busy outside. However, there was only one waitress working outside and, I believe, some portion of inside.
We waited a bit of time for our drinks, but our waitress automatically comped us, which was a really nice and unexpected gesture. We stayed for a second round.
I loved my Ginger Road, and the Go Orange was also lovely.
Some of the high tops outside had super wobbly chairs, so watch out, especially if you’re trying to sit on one with a cushion.
Be sure to use the bathroom inside the hotel. Super swanky.

Ambience is killer, both inside and outside. In addition, the service I’ve received has been consistently commendable.

came here during peak season, Christmas party season! got super lucky and managed to get a table on a peak Thursday night. They had a half off on bottles special, which is an A in my book. The wine selection was pretty good and the apps were good.
Overall the ambience is really chill, super friendly staff… I would totally come again!

My husband and I did a DC museum weekend… we stayed at a Kimpton near Dupont and decided to stop at the Williard for happy hour after a day on the Mall. The Round Robin bar was packed so we decided to find an alternative venue. Just a few blocks away we stumbled upon Le Bar. The bar is cozy, intimate. No blaring music! Service was outstanding, cocktails fantastic, wonderful selection of wines and our nibbles were tasty. Loved the ambiance and really appreciated the professionalism of the staff. We do DC weekends frequently (my husband loves museums) and we will certainly return to Le Bar. It’s pricey, but superb.

Le Bar was empty other than for us and 2 people at the bar. We could not get any service. After multiple attempts, where we asked the lady working at the bar, and others, we simply left and went to a normal establishment… When you come across a situation I described, it is generally a sign of a bigger problem — usually one involving poor management and poor training. Extrapolating from this experience, I would feel uncomfortable staying at Sofitel — not just eating at Le Bar.

The drinks were very good
Service was fantastic
Best ambiance on the patio
couldn’t think of a better way to start my first evening in DC, having tasty drinks and watching the city around me.

le bar is a great lounge for after work drinks if you want to have an upscale setting and extensive drink options (all kinds of wine, cocktails, beer, hard liquor). they have comfortable and cozy seating around the outside of the room — benches with pillows and soft armchairs, but it can be hard to score depending on the day and what size your group is. if you get there early (6ish), it is easier.
i’ve found service to always be good, and they bring you free bar snacks (nuts, olives, etc), which is always a bonus. the only drawback is that drinks are super expensive compared to a lot of other DC bars, and there’s no happy hour. so, if you’re looking for a $ 5 glass of wine after work, this is NOT your place — it’s more like $ 14 here.
great place for drinks with the gals when you want somewhere nice, or for a date you want to impress.

Terrible mojito — definitely order a beer or something simple during lunch time. And you’re thinking — lunch time?! Exactly. That’s why I’m giving this place 4 stars — beautiful place to sit outside and choke down cocktails. Inside is really nice too.

I went to Le Bar for a meeting with my alumni association they were very accommodating of our group as they set up a small conference room in the back so that we can have a little privacy for our meeting. My only complaint were the prices. I’m not normally a cheap person, however $ 15 for a glass of wine is a little steep in my book!

I stayed at the Sofitel. I was happy Le Bar was in my hotel. They make a mean vodka tonic. The atmosphere was great. The staff was super friendly.
On my last day of stay I hovered around the perimeter waiting for my shuttle. The server brought me water even though he knew I was leaving. I appreciated the thought.
I would definitely recommend.

The bar itself is nice. Pretty much what you would expect from a hotel lobby bar. The cocktails are ok, but way overpriced for what you get. And they don’t have much in the way of beer offerings. The best part is the free bar snacks — I happily ate up a couple of servings of those. The crowd is mixed, primarily an older more uppity scene.

I stopped in Le Bar at the Sofitel for the last day of DC Cocktail Week. I tried the featured cocktail: the Saint Germain. It was good. Cucumber, citrus, vodka, St. Germain, all muddled together and topped with a cucumber wheel. It was good.
I ate up all the bar snacks as well. Popcorn, olives, mixed nuts/​sesmae stix/​goldfish.
Pretty good happy hour. I’d return.

I’m a fan of this quite, classy hotel lounge.
It’s a great place to converse and enjoy some tasty specialty cocktails. You can chill by the bar, sit at the table or lounge on the sofa.
Asian pear martini and mango martini are my favorites. These are no girly drinks, mind you. They are deceivingly strong and will knock you out. Image conscious male drinkers should prove their toughness just by trying them out.
By the way, if you’re looking for a wild night out with a pumped up crowd, Le Bar won’t be your destination. Instead, It’s a very nice choice for a low key night over drinks.
it normally closes at midnight, but you might get lucky as they sometimes do stay open till 1 am to make sure everyone drains their glasses — especially when Olga, a super chill bar tender, is manning the lounge.
By dropping in on a random Saturday night, you just might be able to enjoy the extended drinking hour.

Ionno.
Maybe it was the sudden cool burst of air outside that made me want to wander in for post dinner drinks with a friend.
Ionno.
Either way, I found our experience lovely. If it’s a tad stuffy, that’s just because of the patronage (we’re pretty sure the men next to us were solving the debt ceiling issue over glasses of Johnnie blue), but our server was great (she was beautiful, with smooth dark skin, and spoke French! Sexy!) and the cocktails were amazing (as they should be for $ 14).
Granted, it’ll be two years before I can go spending money all willynilly again, but I’ll be back to Le Bar in non temps.

To be clear, the 2 stars is solely based on an issue with management which was unacceptable. Before I get into it, I have to say the bartender Audrey is great, very attentive when it comes to one’s cocktail tastes and has an awesome personality.
What was completely unacceptable is what occurred after having been seated for 15 minutes and about ¼ of the way through a cocktail. This was my second visit to the bar — I mentioned the cocktail that Audrey made for me on my last visit, she remembered me and didn’t card me because she knew me. Never mind the fact that I’m 30 years old.
The manager comes over on false pretenses asking me how am I doing, how is everything then proceeds to ask me if I was carded. I was shocked and offended — but gave him my i.d. Note to management staff at places that serve alcohol: i don’t care if you think the customer looks 15 years old, the proper and professional way to card someone is to ask the bartender to ask for the customer’s i.d. you should NOT single out a customer when you are not behind the bar. I am all about compliance and I have no problem showing my identification, but that was ridiculous and unprofessional.