The Dignitary

Great place for a night cap and a relaxing atmosphere — good music and great service.

Just stopped in for a visit with friends, right across the street from the Marriott and convention center, so it is easily accessible.

At first glances it appears to be an elegant high end bar, with a cool vibe. Strangely though with the dark wood and tin ceiling the acoustics are horrible, I heard every drink the bartender was making, clanking mixers and all, along with multiple conversations of patrons and an awful speaker system playing a great mix of blues (and my group was sitting in the very comfortable leather club chairs, a nice plus.). The staff was attentive and the whiskey selection was above average, as was the cocktail selection. So all in all a mixed bag, this place has such high potential, but I’m unlikely to frequent until the ambience improves.

My fav place for Manhattan and Guys night! Very elegant and the bar tender is very knowledgable!

Went here to meet up with some friends, pretty awesome place, great apps and good drinks. Moscow miles were excellent and mine actually came in a real copper mug, but not everyone’s. Toast with Brie and jam was delicious, and there pub mix they have on their tables is spicy and addicting. Great place to hang before going out or to stay all night. The wait staff was amazing, very friendly, attentive, and happy.

Great drinks, good service: If you’re looking for a place for these things you found it! The Perfect Manhattan is the best I’ve had.

Nice mix of trendy, upscale, and classic, I guess what you’d expect from the Marriott Marquis. The big leather couches are a nice setting to enjoy your bourbon, and the waitress had excellent recommendations.

This place has great ambience and there is a wide variety of innovative drinks available. Don’t pass this place by even though it is connected to a hotel. Oscar was our bartender and he was top notch. Checked with the kitchen to get me a special request. The food is wonderful, particularly the hummus and the tenderloin sliders.

Fantastic little speakeasy/​whiskey bar in the convention area of the district. I was here for a corporate event so cannot attest to their food menu or bourbon selection (though I’m told it’s extensive), but I *can* say that every beverage was stiff, the staff attentive, and cheese & meat plates plentiful. The atmosphere is cozy and sexy at the same time, and would be the perfect place for after dinner drinks, a date, or catching up with a friend or two. I definitely want to check out this space again on my own.

The Dignitary is in the Marriott Marquis Hotel though there is also an outside entrance. It is a very cozy, traditional bar with great bartenders. They offer a full bar including barrel aged cocktails.
This is a great place to meet for a few drinks with friends. It’s not noisy and is a classy place. They have a great looking patio in warmer weather from which I’d really enjoy kicking back and people watching.
I recommend stopping in if you’re in the neighborhood.

Really nice bartenders! super expensive drinks but they give you snacks… it was nice to get off mass ave on a friday around happy hour and not be in a super crowded bar. Nice step up from a regular hotel bar

I spent last evening here, I had intended to stop in for a quiet drink to honor a friend’s birthday. I ended up staying for the duration, met some good people, and truly enjoyed the atmosphere created by Tom and the rest of the bartenders and staff.
If you’re in DC and are looking for a nice place to confer with your colleagues or find new friends, try this place.

The Dignitary reads like a regular hotel bar, leather seating and such. It’s within the Marriott complex near the convention center so that’s to be expected.
I had the old fashioned on the menu which was good and really strong. It’s also nice that they give a nice bar snack which you don’t see that much of any more.
Great option for after work drinks that’s not crowded but I didn’t see any specials.

I contacted the restaurant via email — I sent an email to Mr. Shea — the person listed on the website but I ultimately received a response was Glenn Brown on of the other restaurant managers for the hotel. He understood my concerns and assured me that he addressed the staff at The Dignitary. This is why I updated my review from one to two stars.
I was also extended an opportunity to visit the restaurant again to see for myself with a financial incentive.
As soon as my schedule permits I will revisit with the hopes seeing an improvement.

I had a horrible experience here. I hate it because I love this hotel and stay there often. The décor is wonderful. It’s dark and sexy.
It was a great night outside, so my friend and I decided to have drinks outside. When I walked in, I specifically asked the bartender if I should order drinks at the bar and take them outside. He said no, a server will be out to take our order soon, «i promise» he said. So my friend and I went outside and waited for a server. And waited. And waited. I saw a couple walk in and out. But no one came to our table.
So I went inside and told the bartender that no one came to our table. I asked for a menu. I went back out and waited a little longer. We decided to go inside and sit at the bar. We ordered our drinks and an appetizer. The bartender was very crass. I think that he was trying to be funny, but he wasn’t. I asked for his suggestion for a good drink. He said «I know that you don’t want bourbon. You want a fru fru drink.» I said «what drink would you suggest.» He said «I don’t know what you want.»
The bartender yelled to the person that was supposed to be our waiter. He told him that we were waiting and did not receive any service. The waiter did not come over to say sorry. My bad. Goo goo gaga. Nothing!
It was just a horrible experience. I definitely will not be there again. Love the hotel, hate The Dignitary.

Love this place!
This is an upscale bar with a nice patio. Attached to the Marriott Marquee, there is an upscale vibe and crowd here.
Fresh cocktails and great, friendly bartenders make this a must stop if you are in the neighborhood.
Drinks are $ 12 – 16, and the service is great. Stop by!

I went to The Dignitary for a private cocktail party while in Washington D.C. and really liked the décor and ambiance. The wait staff and bartenders were very nice, competent and accommodating.
Manhattan’s aren’t too hard to make but they sure did make a good Manhattan. I would definitely come back here for a drink or two while in D.C. next.

I really wanted this place to be cooler, but it is exactly what it is… a hotel bar. With plush leather seating, wood paneling, and dim lights, it does fit with the «bourbon bar» theme. But beyond the superficial, there wasn’t that much depth.
Not to knock the fairly robust list of drinks, but the cocktails that were served seemed more to cater the «I just need a drink after a full day of work» crowd as opposed to the «I want the mixologist to spend time specifically measuring and pouring my drink to perfection» drinker.
Nothing wrong with that distinction, I guess I just had different expectations. Not to say I wouldn’t go back to the Dignitary, but it won’t be on the top of my list of bars I would pick to go to on any given night.

Outside the Dignitary, exists a sign that just says «Bourbon», for me that’s the most inviting sign you could have outside a business.
We stepped in here with little knowledge of the place. All I knew was that it was in the new Marriott Marquis and there was bourbon somewhere in there. In fact, The Dignitary, is one of the least written (other than a mention in Thrillist) about and less hyped bars in this city, which is unusual cause usually every social or other media outlet in this town tends to g*(& in their pants over every «new» speakeasy/​bar/​dive in this town.
The fact is this bar is ideally situated in a section of town by the Convention Center that is kind of a bar wasteland, and given that the Passenger will be closing after the New Year, it is going to be bar/​nightlife desert again. This is not ideal for any tourists or convention goer in the area. Luckily, this might be The Dignitary’s chance to shine.
That night after I saw the «bourbon» sign, and dragged Lia M. in, what we stepped into was a classy yet cozy bar. I mean put on a smoking jacket, slippers and smoke a pipe by the fireplace kinda cozy/​classy. Some people describe it as a «speak easy upscale lounge», I would say it’s a sitting room in the Playboy mansion. Red leather club chairs by a fireplace, red bricked walls, the bar is lined with dark woods, and they have tin ceiling tiles.
The place was filled at the 5pm on a holiday weekday with men in suits. Men in suits sitting around with a stiff drink and talking about whether it’s appropriate to get a black diamond for an engagement ring. Perhaps some of the weirdest man talk we’ve eavesdropped on.
Now let’s speak to the cocktail/​bar menu. For selection, I mean this place is not quite Jack Rose but that place is literally a Whiskey Library of Congress. The selection is a higher price point (keep in mind it’s hotel bar), but they feature 40 bourbons from the Eastern US. The entire whiskey count is 80 (not a large number). If you can do the math, bourbon is 50% of the bottles here, so you better like bourbon.
Their cocktail menu has drinks named after Presidents and also feature the standard cocktails. We made our way through a mint julep, moscow mule, and and sazerac. Of the four cocktails we sampled that night, my favorite was Lincoln Old Fashioned (Knob Creek, bitters, muddled orange and cherry, and house made simple syrup). Each drink was equally stiff.
The best part was the bartenders. Completely engaging, the type of bartender who remembers your name and makes interesting small talk, and would kindly refill the bar snack mix (rice crackers, sesame sticks, wasabi peas, soynuts & cajun peanuts) and poke fun of us for not eating the peanuts.
If I am in the neighborhood, I would be back no doubt. Maybe even to try some bar bites, but eating is never my intention at a whiskey bar so don’t count on a food review.

I really want this place to do well. It has all of the things I love in a great bar: darkness, comfy chairs, and bourbon. I have no idea why other Unilocalers had such an awful experience, but I rather enjoyed my time at The Dignitary.
It has a sexy atmosphere with leather chairs, and intimate spaces. I could see this being a good date place, to start or end the night. They even have dessert!
The cocktails are indeed strong but really tasty. My bourbon cocktail was good and sweet with the fancy cherries that were like none I had every tasted.
My server was wonderful, and really took care of us. Our food (just bites not a meal) came quickly and was DElicious. No complaints at all.
Being a bourbon lover, I plan to return to The Dignitary.