Lost & Found

I wanted to love this place since it’s in everyone’s favorite hidden alley, but was underwhelmed by the vibe since I was looking for something cozier and warmer. The space is large and nice, the service is good, and the beer selection is sufficient. I might go back, but probably wouldn’t make a special trip.

Lost and Found’s does a mighty fine delivery with its Blood and Sand. According to the The Mixellany Guide to Vermouth & Other Aperitifs, UK-​born Harry Craddock was a mixologist before mixology was a thing. After spending time in Cleveland and then at the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York, he went back home when prohibition started. In 1930, he published the Savoy Cocktail Book, which is where the «Blood and Sand» made its print debut. To this day, cocktails with scotch are fairly uncommon, but the basic ingredients are: scotch, vermouth, cherry heering and (blood) orange juice. I’ve seen it listed as blood orange and regular orange. Lost and Found doesn’t list the cocktail prices on their menu but this craft libation will set you back $ 12. With the disclaimer that I am almost always more likely to be hot than cold, I am always feeling a little moist when I go here. They don’t have food so plan accordingly. Maybe start your night with a hot dog at Ivy & Coney and walk some of it off on your way to Lost and Found.

First time patron, big fan. The fat bartender with the glasses is the man. Good happy hour, solid beer list, and fantastic service

Really cool spot. The beer list is varied and ever-​changing, which I love. My most recent vist I had an obsidian stout and clown shoes pecan pie stout.
They offer two different vibes: the front has tables, a bar with stools, and is covered in knick knacks, especially license plates. The back has a second bar with a more chill vibe, looks like it opens up in warm weather to get a patio type feel. Not bad.
Bonus points because they offer $ 2 for a giant bag of swedish fish and plenty of other old favorites, e.g. hostess treats. Tasted like nostalgia.

It’s 12:36AM and I felt compelled beyond belief to write this review. For the record, I did not activate my Unilocal account for 2 – 3 years until now.
Simply put… this place is the worst bar I’ve ever been to in my entire life in DC.
For a little bit of background, I travel ~200K miles per year across the country and have lived in DC for past 4 years (not to mention, my family owned food businesses in DC for past 20 years).
I saw DC develop into a mature foodie city — yet, I’m sad to write this review as my first on Unilocal.
It’s my friend’s 30^th birthday in DC. She recently moved from Chicago. We were out at Dacha. Great time with awesome people until we decided to move to Lost & Found.
Should be an awesome venue, but they clearly have pretentious bar tenders. Apparently, raising your hand to grab their attention is frowned upon and/​or not allowed. Pretty immature and unprofessional. Terrible mannerisms.
This is only the beginning…
About 20 minutes later, I tried to line up for the bathroom. For those who know, this bar has a number of unisex bathrooms. I checked each room then lined up to wait (all of the rooms were taken).
I waited… then some more…
Then a person walked out.
Before I could walk through the door, someone jumped ahead of me. It was Brian, the «owner» of Lost & Found.
I called him out for cutting in line. He simply stated that he was the owner in a threatening manner. He looked at me directly and told me to get out after I called him out. He told me that I should «get out».
Apparently, customers are beneath him.
Brian called his bouncers over and had them escort me out for calling him out.
When I tried to stop and talk to my friends about the situation, the bouncers just overpowered me and carried me out.
I’ve been to hundreds of restaurants and bars over the years and I’ve never been treated this way.
THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE.
Brian, if you want to say that I was drunk, it’s 12:36am and I’m writing this to you. My demeanor had nothing to do with my alcohol consumption. It had everything to do with your lack of concern for your patrons. Feel free to release your security camera footage.
If it was truly about sanitary concerns about the bathroom (s), you could’ve been much better about addressing the situation.
This place does not care about its patrons.
AVOID AT ALL COST!

I have been here a handful of times and have nothing but good things to say about this neighborhood bar.
It’s nothing fancy, they have a pretty impressive beer list but also serve alcohol as well as wine. Their happy hour is nice: $ 2 off all draft beers and I believe the same for wine — unclear what the alcohol special was.
They do NOT serve food, although they have a small a la carte snack options (think small bag of chips).
They sometimes have live music in the front of the house, otherwise it’s low key but can get impressively loud when the place gets full.
On my most recent visit I learned they actually have an enormous back bar /​seating area that I have never seen anyone utilize– unclear it’s exact function.
Otherwise it’s a great place to meet up with friends, limited small table seating but they have a few large tables for bigger groups in the front– and bar seating obviously.

The bartender was really nice, the industrial vibe was cool, and the cherries were dark and boozy-​delicious, but the drink selection overall wasn’t that impressive, and did seem watered down, as other Unilocalers have noted. Also, I just can’t get over places that don’t have at least a small food menu – I desperately needed to eat, and just am not willing to order packaged food as my after-​work dinner.

I went to Lost & Found for drinks, and overall, it’s a pretty good bar with a lot of areas for groups.
The whole front area of the bar was reserved for our group, so we can easily fit around 20 to 25 people comfortably. The back part of the bar had a lot of area and even though it was a busy Saturday night, it didn’t feel unnecessarily cramped like Brixton or someplace like that.
The beer options were unique and I like being able to try out some different beers I don’t see on a lot of menus. The prices were average for craft beer, so it didn’t feel like they were gouging me.
Overall, Lost & Found is a good addition to the Shaw scene.

This place is definitely a fun spot a few blocks from the convention center. It has a small stage and sitting area in the front, followed by the bar. The music was great — entertaining, but not overwhelming. No food is served, however, the bartenders were extremely nice and made some good recommendations.

I came here yesterday for a friend’s birthday. The place was packed on a Friday night (as expected). This is my second time here, the previous time was in the middle of the week with a group of friends.
The drinks were good, but not great. I thought our drinks were a little watered down. However, the bar is a cool place to hang out and catch up with friends.
They have a section right near the entrance is where my friend had her party. I recommend it for others looking for a place to have a bday at a bar but unsure off space. I thought it was pretty cool that they didn’t care about bringing outside pizza, snacks, and cake.

There’s a steakhouse in Texas that is famous for staff that are rude and mocking to guests and where they’ll cut your tie off with scissors. It’s a bit of stchick for which they’re well known and patrons come expecting.
There are also communities of men who seek to be belittled, insulted, humiliated and used for their money by humiliatixes.
If you’re that kind of person who is looking to be insulted and taken advantage of financially, then COME ON DOWN to the Lost and Found Bar!
This is the place where the bar staff has lost the ability to make a good cocktail and found the minimum return on investment of your drink dollar.
Come here for an under-​poured drink served up with a side of sneer.
When you’re done, wander down the street to High Velocity, the sports bar at the Marriott two blocks away next to the convention center. There, you’ll find amiable bar staff who actually take pride in making customers happy.
I can’t believe I’ve actually just recommended the chain establishment over the neighborhood bar.
Yeah, it’s a neighborhood establishment, but it’s more like that annoying guy down the street who never cuts his grass, lets his trash blow in your yard, and let’s his dog crap on your lawn than it is like friendly old man McGillicutty who loans you his hedge clippers, is active in the neighborhood watch and cooks the brats at the annual block party.

I’ve ended up in this bar several times (day and night) since it opened and it’s always been a lot of fun, whatever the time.
The beer selection is good.

I was out with my friends celebrating my engagement last Sat night. We ordered four vodka sodas and mine was all soda. The other girls’ drinks were fine. My friends all tasted mine and agreed they must’ve forgot the vodka. I told one bartender and I don’t think she believed me, as she told me I can buy a shot to add to it! I saw her complaining about me to the other bartender. Then I went to the other bartender who made the drink, and basically just begged him to try my drink because I knew I was in the right. He refused and was equally rude, telling me to either drink it or leave. I’ve never met worst bartenders in my life. We had tipped them well and I wish we got our money back.
THE WORST!

Great neighborhood bar. I don’t know what their happy hour deals are because no matter what time I’m there the price is always relatively low. This is a great place to go to have drinks and chat with friends.
Heads up: There is no food (possibly some snacks like nuts). If you come here, don’t come hungry.

A low-​key bar that’s out of the way, Lost & Found is a great place to host events or hangout with friends you want to talk to. It’s got a good selection of beer and the bartenders are personable and helpful. The music doesn’t tend to be overly loud (a pet peeve of mine). The snacks are very low-​key, but you’re likely not there for them.
The backroom is a large open space with high tables, which is what makes it so perfect for hosting events, particularly since there’s a second bar in the back half of the building. It even has a back exit that opens to an area with decent bicycle parking, a rarity in DC bars.

Lost and Found has become our starting point when we have dinner reservations at Rogue 24. It’s a cool bar and it’s not slammed at 8pm. You never know in DC. People go hard early.
The bartenders are lovely and personable. The beer selection is on point. They’ve also got snacks like Doritos and Twinkies, which is brilliant and I’m not sure how I’ve never seen this anywhere else. Nice trademark.
The cocktails I’ve had have been meh. I had a Moscow Mule and the balance was off in the drink so it tasted too much like liquor vs ginger and citrus. So I tried one of their signature drinks next. It was a bit of a punch in the face where gin was forefront. You’re probably saying — why are you complaining about a stiff drink — and in my 20s I would have agreed with you, but in my (early ;)) 30s I want to taste less liquor and more of a mix of flavors.
My boyfriend enjoyed his beers. Maybe stick to having beers when you visit. Or if you like a strong pour, also a plus for you. The atmosphere is inviting though and you’ll have a good time.

Arrived here on a whim and was greeted with a free croissant. Score!
This is an easy-​going and cool bar space with LP records hanging in the window. From first glance, I thought that this was a music store (like everyone else). They do host live music from time to time, which is great. On the day that I went, we were graced by the tunes of a folksy local guitarist.
The bar stretches into two separate room spaces; you’ll never feel cramped here, thank goodness. There’s also a nice selection of beers on tap; check out their extensive drink menu. The bartender was also very friendly. He noticed my non-​drinking friend didn’t order anything, so he sent us two ginger ales on the house — in addition to my beer. wunderbar! (literally ;P)

There’s something really comforting about a bar or restaurant that doesn’t try too hard: a place where you can go for happy hour on weekdays, or at the end of the night on a Saturday, or anytime in between. Lost & Found is that kind of bar — a classic, social, no-​weird-​theme-​or-​unwelcome-​costumes kind of place. Good beer, good wine, a few cocktails, and plenty of space and seating.
My boyfriend and I both had birthday gatherings there — it’s a good place for a large group, especially if you can snag one of the big round tables right by the entrance. I think you can reserve one ahead of time if you call in advance, but don’t quote me on that.
I feel kind of weird giving a place five stars without raving like a crazy person about it, which I am prone to doing — see Red Hen/​Two Amy’s/etc), but I think Lost & Found’s normalcy is the main reason I like it. It’s good for any crowd: close friends, dates, large groups, or even that awkward person from your Econ class in college who you bump into on the train and says, «Ohmygod we HAVE to get together!» …and then who actually follows through on that invitation. I digress. But in any case, Lost & Found is a solid choice for anyone, anytime, and that’s why I love it.

I was lost and then found! Hahahah cause they never here that saying. I new from the moment I was the records in the window that this would be my bar if I lived in DC. This is a bar for drinking and not eating. They currently only have snack foods on the menu. I did see a few people bring in food to eat dinner while they drank and the bartenders didn’t seem to care.
But who needs food when they have delicious cocktails and a wide variety of beer? Did I mention there are two different bars? The record entrance is on 9^th and then there is another one on an alley in the back. The music they played while we there was perfect for happy hour. It was busy and there was a private party in the front area. Everyone was so friendly and attentive. I would be afraid how often I would be here if I loved in DC!

When I first walked by Lost and Found, I thought it was a record store. A record store that closes during the day and only opens at night.
The reason why I thought this was a record store was because the windows have a cool display with LPs dangling everywhere. I kept walking by during the day and thinking what sort of record store is not open during daylight hours? What is this covert shady operation business?
You realize that after you press your face against the glass (I would make the world’s most obvious detective) there is actually a bar back there. A HUGE cool bar.
We actually returned to this cool bar one night, and found a wide roomy bar (actually a really well designed space) with a neighborhood dive feel. The décor can be described as yard sale explosion. Record covers, old photos, and license plates on the wall. A couple of seats from RFK in the corner.
We sat down at one bar (the bar is actually two bars, the main bar at the front, 9^th Street, and a second bar at the Blagden Alley end, which was closed for a private event) and the bartender passed on a beer and drink menu. The beer menu is really respectable, basically over a dozen (17 total) draft beers. Ranging from Sierra Nevada to Bells to EPIC to 3 stars, there was a geographic diversity in the beer selection and one cider on draft. I like how the beer menu had a description of the style and enough stouts and porters available to keep me happy.
But since, it was snowing and I was having a mildly annoying night so I went straight to the WHISKEY! The drink menu boasts 30 ryes and bourbons and six classic drinks. I started off with the Blagden alley fizz with Bulliet Bourbon, simple syrup, lemon juice, st. germains and sour ($ 10) and ended the night with a French 75 (gin, lemon juice, champagne and simple syrup). It’s actually pretty amazing that I had two drinks that night. The first one was a heavy hitter and quite strong. I wouldn’t say they were tastiest, well blended cocktails I have had (something about sour mix that turns me off), but they got the job done.
I had a perfectly lovely night chatting with a friend, having the attentive bartender check in on us once, while watching retro TV (some weird show from like the 50s/​60s about a Nazis?). This is truly a neighborhood bar, I wouldn’t mind coming back for happy hour (until 7pm) for $ 2 off drafts. FYI– as far as food goes currently, other than snacks, utz, cheez-​its etc. nothing else is offered. Rumor has it they are planning to cater (from the Carving Room) sandwiches and dips in the future!