The Pug

No politics, no bombs, no idiots. Rules I can get behind.
The Pug is one of those places that you either love or hate… I love it.
The bartender is no nonsense, yet attentive and nice. The décor is entertaining to say the least. Theres so much interesting stuff to look at/​find, you wont be bored. The beer list is awesome (their bloody mary is pretty good too).
Love my visits to The Pug, looking forward to many more.

Location, location, location… when I ended up here while waiting for a table at Toki Underground (conveniently located right above The Pug), I’m willing to bet at least 80%, if not more, people there were waiting on the same thing. The Pug is no frills, divey, cash only. There is an ATM inside. It kind of reminded me a bit of Jack’s on East Carson Street in Pittsburgh but with better draft selections and less confrontational drunkards. The Ponzi IPA from Atlas I had was quite tasty. They also had several can options, including Bold Rock Cider. They have a vending machine selling everything from cell phone chargers (at $ 6 that’s not a bad buy if you’re in a pinch) to chickpea burritos (I might question that purchase though). There is some seating if you can snag a table, while the bar stools fill up quickly. Staff was friendly, prices were a-​ok, and when our table at Toki was ready, all we had to do was walk up a flight of stairs. This is definitely not someplace I would return to on a regular basis, but it fit the bill as a place to play out the waiting game for our Toki table on a Friday night.

This used to be my favorite dive bar on H St. until they stopped accepting credit cards. Whyyyy.

My friend and I had chosen this place for brunch because it’s listed as a place that serves brunch on a list of restaurants on H street, but they don’t serve food! Haven’t served food for over a year.

I went here the other night for my friends birthday, I arrived before everyone else. I got kicked out after about 45 seconds for not drinking. I’ve been sober for over a decade and we had a baby with us. I did not misclick. That’s 5 stars. Much Respect.

Short chubby bartender is the rudest guy I’ve ever met. Doesn’t know a thing about customer service. My BF ordered a drink, and when he asked about local flavors, he pointed at an arrow and said «look at the arrow». The pub wasn’t busy, so I don’t know why he was being so rude. Anyways, I went to Toki the ramen place and the worker at Toki told us «they don’t care if you eat there just make sure you buy drinks», which we were willing to do, but left after one drink because the bartender made us all feel so uncomfortable. Do not recommend this place. I opted to stay outside in 30 degree weather so I didn’t have to be in that place. Avoid at all costs.

really cool dive bar that had character! conveniently located so you can grab a beer or two while waiting for your table at Toki underground or just drop by to hang out.
the beer selection is good but the draft selection would be more fun if they have a few more drafts especially some good dark beers!
that last bench on the right need some
fixing! My GF fell off the bench thankfully she wasn’t hurt just a little bruise.

Good spot to socialize, very interesting personas occasionally, if asked bartenders will change music to please everyone, a nice variety of decorations, I definitely say stop thru and pay a visit

Haven’t been in awhile, maybe 4 – 5 years. Used to frequent the Pug back when they were first open, and cared whether their patrons felt welcome or not. Last night had the pleasure of a scowling bartender who hates humanity. Blah. Looking for a new place when in the H St hood. That doesn’t sell $ 14 canned wine btw. Lol, seriously? Who knew such a thing existed.

It’s a pure dive. Cash only, strong drinks, dark inside. Absolutely charming in its own way. Worth a stop if you’re in the area and looking for someplace with zero pretentions.
Also hidden gem in the back there’s a vending machine with good eats from around the neighborhood if you need something late night.

Great dive bar! First came here while visiting D.C. after not being able to get a reservation at Toki Underground upstairs. My impression of D.C. has always been a little skewed because I’ve never spent much time away from tourist attractions and downtown area. Walking down H Street and finding the Pug was exactly what I needed. A bar with character that doesn’t feel forced or phony. The walls are plastered with memorabilia and vintage items and the music was great too. Even had a good conversation with the owner who showed us his duckpin bowling collectibles. I wish this was my local bar but then again I may end up hanging out there too much.

This is a staple of H Street. It’s the bar that any time of day is open to your troubles. The no bullshit bar. If you have not been to The Pug yet, you technically haven’t yet ‘been’ to H Street.

Favorite dive bar in the neighborhood.
No matter what day or time of day we go, we always have the super stoic Samoan guy serving us. He may be quiet but he wears hilarious t shirts and makes a mean cocktail. Let me be clear though — this place is clearly not froufrou and has a great beer selection and usually some weird stuff playing on tv. The walls are covered in the most random paraphernalia ever (mostly sports related). It’s a nice spot to kick back and chat with good company. Also, $ 5 well drinks = I’m pretty buzzed after spending $ 10.

Great dive bar on H Street. It’s a nice foil to some of the more pretentious bars that have popped up recently. It’s dark and dingy with whacky wall décor, and I mean that in the best way possible. They have a pretty expansive beer selection and some seating in the back. It can get packed on weekends, but overall a solid neighborhood spot.

I like Toki next door-​they endorse this place and send their clients to wait for their tables since they share liquor license. I just got kicked out of here by Russel (the bartender) because I’m not drinking. First of all, the bar was empty and it’s lunchtime. Secondly, I was sent here by the hostess at Toki after I told her I can’t drink. She said it’s OK, you can just order a soda or water. So I went anyways. Thirdly, I’m pregnant and cannot drink right now! I told Russel that too and he didn’t care, he said I can’t stay here. Wow, I’m still in disbelieve!!! I wouldn’t want to wait at this hole in a wall if I had a choice. This place is dingy, dark and ugly. Spend you money somewhere else.

The definition of «unwind.»
Based on all the judgement about dive bars and H Street NE, I will not write to convince you that there are true dives or that H Street deserves more recognition. I will instead write about character. The Pug IS the definition of a place that has «District Character:» including broken board games who are still playable through a donation of different pieces, old vintage décor next to season arrangements made from things found in the bar, and friendly service with simple drinks for simple prices. I have had chess on the mind since coming here along with one drink in particular:
The Drink
Hot Hard Apple Cider (mug) $ 7: A.
There’s no dependency that a rum and whiskey mug of steaming goodness for $ 7 deserves a good review. Now what if that Hard Apple Cider was more than you expected? That, ladies and gentlemen is beauty of the Pug.
Pro Tip: When waiting to eat at Toki Underground, chill here before.

We drove all the way to pub from Wheaton to watch the game after reading positive reviews about this place. When we walked in there was a heavy set bartender that wasn’t friendly from the beginning, he kept telling us most seats were taken whenever we tried to grab a seat even though the bar seemed not that crowded (maybe around 5 or 6 people there) finally we went across the other side where there were practically no one and before we sat down he asked us very rudely «are you going to be ordering drinks? If not you can’t just sit in.» Me and my fiancé are professional looking African Americans (but regardless of how we look, he has no right to ask us that), I normally don’t like to associate any incident with race but I know for sure all the white people that were in there (which is pretty much every one there) weren’t asked the same question that we were asked. My fiancé got furious and told him we haven’t even been here 1 minute plus we didn’t get a chance to properly sit down, he started saying «I’m sorry «when he saw how upset he got.
To start with his apologies didn’t seem genuine besides there was absolutely no way we would sit there after being treated like this. We left there and drove to virginia to our usual place «the champs» in Arlington, where we were welcome, very diverse crowd and enjoyed the game. I will never go back to this place even if you pay me! If you are looking for diverse crowd with good service I would not recommend the Pug.

Came here to wait for Toki to open and the bartender kicked us out because we didn’t drink alcohol. Perhaphs I like a coke? Is that not ok? It was also both mine and my fiancée’s birthday and it was 10 degrees outside. Heartless bartender!

As dive bars go this one has character it has elements of a relaxed atmosphere, an environmentalist’s dream (with recycled beer cans used as tree decorations) and a mixture of seating — but it all works… A very heavily tattooed bar tender (who preferred not to be photographed for my Unilocal account) was friendly enough nonetheless.
The bar is cash only — has great music — and is a good place to hang out while waiting for a table at Toki Underground.

Conveniently located in the same building as Toki Underground, The Pug is a great place to go if you’re waiting for a table at Toki and don’t want to go far. It’s a dive bar but with its own character and charm. Staff is friendly, plenty of beer, and decently priced, why else would you complain? I didn’t try any food, since I was saving room for Toki. But I happily sipped my beer from DC Brau and relaxed. Good beer and good company.

Great selection of beers‼My boyfriend said great place to hide and the beer is cold. But as for me it reminds me of college. Great old school music. Seating in the back for two or a group.

A nice little bar to chill and relax. A lot of people visit here while waiting for a table at Toki underground. They have such a great system because you can bring your drinks from the pug up to Toki.
The pug is a typical American dive bar with a relaxing atmosphere. Some people come to catch a game. I was there on a weeknight so it was pretty slow (mostly people waiting for Toki it seems). However, they have a decent selection of beers and interesting decoration inside. I really like the atmosphere on a weeknight.

So I came to H St for Toki Underground and as I am sure anyone who has been there knows there can be quite a wait. The fiancé and I decided to grab a drink while we waited for our order and it was raining and the Pug is conveniently located directly downstairs. I did not look up any details beforehand, so we didn’t have any particular expectations. I think the important thing to realize is that The Pug is a divebar, and it embraces that fact and does it well. As long as you know this, and like divebars, you will like this place. Do not come here expecting to order some highend or complicated cocktail, or even a martini for that matter. They have a good selection of beers and more limited selection of liquor. It’s a great place to grab a chill drink and catch the latest game or strike up a conversation with another patron.

Typical dive bar with the bonus of being way out of the beaten path for out of DCers. I like bars I can breathe in, so that’s a huge plus. Bartenders are attentive, standard bar list, and even more standard sticky floors and cramped bathrooms.

I’m not always wrong, but when I am, I like to share it on Unilocal.And I was wrong about The Pug. I had stopped in here one Saturday night a few years ago and never came back. Why? Well, I was with a diverse group and over the hour or so that we were in there, we all started feeling quite uncomfortable due to stares (let this be noted: of other patrons, not staff). I immediately decided that I would never, ever return. An ex-​boyfriend informed me that I was wrong to think that way (he likes the place), but hey… that’s why he’s an ex.
Recently, while we had a wait at Toki, someone suggested we go to The Pug, and I was not in a veto position. So to The Pug I go. And it was my kind of place. Super low-​key, casual, with reasonably priced large drinks. And an amazingly friendly bartender with a heavy pour. Plus, I just read that they have Impala Cantina tacos, which I love. And they sell Crunkcakes, which I’m obsessed with. I want to return immediately. So, see… sometimes second chances are worth it (just never, ever give a bad first date a second chance).

This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.
It’s small, sketchy and I was served a pitcher of mimosa.
There’s also a Roc N Soc Em robots game on the table next to me…
Oh, brunch was cooked on a griddle in the side of the bar. It was delicious.