The Rooftop Bar and Lounge

3.5 stars for the rooftop bar. The ambiance is beautiful with breathtaking views of Georgetown, the Pentagon, and the Rosslyn skyline. The doorman and front desk staff were über friendly and inviting but the bartenders service was meh… we were totally disregarded for an extended period of time by a female bartender but it got better once someone else tended to us. Will definitely be back. One of our drinks were served in a cup that had a stain on the exterior which we were later told was the result of a paint event they had earlier in the day.
I’ll give it four stars because it’s a great place to unwind in the city, have some drinks with an amazing view without a cover charge.

We came for the art soirée silent disco. I’ve been a big fan of the art soirée events in summer’s past, and while I would say this is a step down from the live art performances they showcased atop the Beacon last year, it was still a cool event. They had three djs each playing unique styles, and you get headphones where you can cycle around the tunes. They also had a side show with hula girls hooping it up.
The roof has decent views of Georgetown, Kennedy Center, etc, and while there’s not a ton to see, Alexandria lit up at night has its charm, and Georgetown is pleasant to look at in the dusk. I also liked that the roof wraps around the building in a U shape to give you different views and different vibes. One side was a crazy party with dancing and yelling, and the other was mostly empty and chill, with room to sit and chat and enjoy the cool night air.
The drinks were outrageously expensive, natch, running $ 14 for a watered down bourbon shandy, one of their specials, which did not have any discernible bourbon flavor at all, and $ 10 for a 10 oz Pieroni. Ouch. Get real, you’re already charging $ 15 to get through the door. Still, we had fun.

This is one of the nicest rooftops in the Georgetown area. The view is really nice and it can get pretty crowded here on a nice evening. The drink selections is rather limited and fairly price. We enjoyed our experience and the service was great. If you can reserve the lounge area it’s enjoyable to stay for a while.

Don’t trust the staff with your CC! I was a victim of credit card fraud at the Rooftop! I opened the tab with my credit card, but as we closed out the drinks were paid by my friend on his credit card. I was still charged for the drinks, plus a very nice tip! I called the hotel for resolution and it never got resolved, then I involved American Express. American Express got the bar to send them a copy of the reciept, which they wouldn’t provide me at all! One of their staff added a tip and signed the bill!!! AND my friend was also charged for the same bad champagne!
Completely illegal and not at all expected of this establishment! What’s worse than their staff being unethical, the hotel didn’t even try to help resolve this with me! I must have called 4 times. I entertain clients there a lot. Never again…

My interest was peaked after seeing this rooftop bar mentioned in a Thrillist article. We went on a Friday night at sunset. The view of Georgetown was really cute. Drinks were reasonable. We’ll definitely be back.

Make sure you keep your receipts or pay cash if you go!!! While rooftop bar is lovely, was there for an event and enjoyed the views, unfortunately the bar tenders decided to tip themselves a greater amount than I authorized. After signing a receipt for one amount I saw a different (much higher) amount on my bank statement. Still waiting for accounting to get back to me.

Lol. Ok I will say based on previous reviews they are trying to improve. The doorman was at least friendly. Here’s the scoop: slow (but friendly) bartenders with no sense of urgency, severely overpriced drinks, very mediocre view. The side with the bar faces Arlington, so you can enjoy the view of Rosslyn’s concrete jungle while you are waiting for your Vegas-​priced drinks. The other side of the rooftop faces DC, it’s an OK view, you can see the monument. Also, this is a very small venue. Crowd is a little pretentious.
Also, the guy at the front desk asked us to hush up when we were leaving at the bottom of the elevator. Granted we were a little loud saying bye to some friends in the elevator, but come on guys, it’s an effing bar. The pretentious/​classy act doesn’t fly here, sorry. They just don’t have the view or the skill for it. For everything that Graham pretends to be and more, try POV at W. Better view, faster bartenders.

If your looking for an excellent place to unwind outside during the spring and summer, The Rooftop of the Graham Hotel is just about the best public rooftop bar to do so in DC.
Table service is reasonable and you can drink champagne all afternoon comfortable couches. The drinks are excellent and the service is first rate. When it comes to planning a party, the staff is very accommodating.
The views are beyond fabulous at The Rooftop. They aren’t as monument specific as the terrace at the W, but the view of Georgetown, DC and Virginia are unmatched by anything similar. At sunset this is the best place to be in the city to see the lights and look upon M street.
Tip: Have dinner at The Alex downstairs, this place is pretty killer as well.

I would go back here for drinks again if I were in Georgetown. The drinks were solid and the atmosphere was very relaxing. I was here on a Friday night and it was clearly the spot be seen for locals. The lounge style seating what I enjoyed best. It was a great spot to have the first drink of then night and then move on.

The Rooftop Bar and Lounge at the Graham is all about the view, which is spectacular. Everything else is just OK.
The view is spectacular. You can see virtually for miles in DC, and you get an excellent view of Georgetown. The view is nowhere near as superb as the view you can get in the middle of DC (where «major» monuments are more easily seen), but who cares?
The drinks are decent, but not mind-​blowing. I had an old fashioned, which was prepared adequately well.
This place has a tendency to get overly cramped and loud, despite the classy atmosphere — be warned.

The line is more exciting than the actual place upstairs. As far as rooftops go, the Observatory has decent views of the Rosslyn skyline and the Potomac… but they don’t compare to POV or the Hay Adams Hotel rooftop.
Drinks are ridiculously expensive, and the service is average at best.
In theory, this place is great… in practice, not so much. It is the epitome of why hanging out in Georgetown sucks: douchery with a hefty bar tab at the end of the night. This place has a sense of unfounded sense of exclusivity… you wait in line to get in, you wait for the elevator up, you wait for your drinks, you wait on lines for the bathroom, and ultimately you end up unimpressed.
DC isn’t exactly a backwater town, and there are a lot of really great places to go, so this place can suck it. If your scene is rooftop views of office buildings in Virginia, sleazy dudes sitting around in circle-​jerk formation in the VIP section, and $ 15 for a (weak) Hendrick’s and tonic… well, you’re in luck!

This review is for the roooftop only.
I stopped here on a Wednesday evening for a couple drinks with a friend. Obviously, a great view — and really unique in that its the only spot to see all of Georgetown from that perspective. Most rooftop bars in the city give a great view of downtown, so its pretty cool to have such a view of Georgetown row homes and M street.
There was an event going on that night so the couches were reserved. No big deal, I grabbed a two seat high boy and waited for my friend to arrive. Immediately after sitting down with my drink, a waitress/​hostess approached me and asked if I was using my chair. Yes, I explained my friend would be arriving shortly, so sorry its taken. Her response was «Oh. Well the event only needs two more chairs, but… don’t worry, I’ll figure it out.» Kind of rude, no? I’m a paying customer and frankly don’t care about your event.
That wouldn’t have been that big of a deal, except that an hour later another waiter/​hostess approached my friend and I on our second cocktail and said «Ladies, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we have a reservation for 2 at 8:15 and we need your table.» First of all, it was 7:45. Second of all, the party wasn’t even there yet. I said sorry, but we’re still enjoying our drinks– we’ll leave when we’re ready to go. Obviously irritated, he walked off only to appear ten minutes later with: «Don’t worry, I moved that couple to another table so feel free to stay at your spot.»
YES, the drinks are expensive but no more than any other spot in Georgetown, and YES they ask that you dress «Georgetown chic» (yes, a ridiculous description), but I get it and don’t think its terribly offensive (how hard is it to not come in a sweatshirt and sneakers?). What irked me was the attitude that everyone here is doing me a favor.
HOWEVER. The view is great. I’ll probably be back, but I might not tip as well as they’d like.

I’ve been here about a dozen times. The rooftop views are great. The drinks are overpriced. $ 13-​$ 20 a drink. This isn’t New York.
I can get over the drink prices, but what I can’t get over is the clown they recently hired to run the door on the weekends. White guy, 5′ 10″ wears oversized suits that don’t fit and quite possibly could claim the title of world’s #1 douchebag.
I’ve lived in NYC, Chicago, and Los Angeles, never have I experienced someone so rude and disgusting as a doorman in my life. I got in to the rooftop with a group of five this past saturday 7÷6÷14 so this isn’t an angry post about not getting into a place, this is a post to alarm mgmt. that I and many others will never come close to your establishment to spend $$$ while he is there.
A few things this guy mentioned to several people including myself while we were in line:
«Pull some wool to get inside quicker» — This was in front of the host Tess which is just embarrassing for women and not classy.
«Club 101 — Pay me money and you get in the door quicker»
«I lived in Vegas for 18 years years I know everything there is about clubs. Pay me and you get in»
«The fire marshall is upstairs. Can’t let anyone» Let’s 5 people in… There was no fire marshall.
Walks up to a woman on the sidewalk «If you keep that look on your face, you’ll never be getting in»
5 girls walk up «This is how you do it people. This is how you do it.»
A note to Mgmt — Until he’s gone, I won’t be back or sending anyone to this establishment. Your doorman should be a character on Saturday Night Live or bouncing a club in Queens New York.

Was strolling Georgetown last Friday night with a friend, around 7pm, looking for a place to grab a drink. I remembered hearing about this new rooftop bar, so we decided to take a walk by and check it out.
Walked up to the door and found ourselves out-​numbered by big guys in suits. They blocked the entrance of the hotel and immediately gave me the «up and down.» It’s not my first rodeo so I knew what they were thinking. I was dressed in designer jeans and a cardigan with nice, leather sandals; my friend’s outfit was about the same. I laughed off the «bouncers» wandering eyes and asked if they were trying to keep the place fancy. He smirked and said (word-​for-​word), «yea, after 6pm, you should really try to tighten it up.»
Tighten it up? What does that even mean? Looking forward to bringing my business elsewhere.

Drinks are reasonably priced and glad to see they offer bottle and champagne service. A bottle of Veuve Clicquot set me back $ 140 and drinks were around $ 14 each. Nice sofas.
Wish they had more than one bathroom though! The bartender that served us was real nice and he poured some strong drinks and generous shot pours :)
Different views than say POV but great views of the Potomac and Gtown.

I did not have a good experience here.
First, upon arriving to the hotel, I was interrogated by the doorman. Here is the exchange:
Him (blocking entrance to the door): «Can I help you?»
Me: «Ummm, I’m going to the roof»
Him: «Who are you here to see?»
Me: «I’m going onto the roof to meet my friends»
Him: «Hmmmm. Well, do you have a reservation?»
Me: «Ummmmm. Yeah»
Him: «What name is the reservation under?»
Me: «Ummmm (insert friend’s name)»
Him: «Hmmm. I don’t know who that is. Are you by yourself?
Me: «Ummmm, well other than my friends already being inside on the roof like I just said; Yeah, I guess»
Him: «Hmmm. Okay. Go to the elevator and push R»
WTF was the purpose of that?! This isn’t Vegas!
Now onto the bar itself, it is very small and the women dress like sluts, they didn’t even look comfortable. I did not want a side of booty or cleavage with my drinks. They also only had TWO cocktails… TWO! and then spirits with orange juice, cranberry, etc. Oh yeah, and the two watered-​down cocktails are $ 15…and they’re pre-​made.
The bar situation was another annoyance. I walk up to the bar, order my drink from the bartender, and then he proceeds to start using his phone and then talking to his friends. Then he turns around, looks at me, and then turns back to his friends to keep chatting it up. At this time, the manager (I’m assuming) just stood right there while scrolling through his cell phone and showing pictures to the other bartenders. Finally, a woman working behind the bar noticed that I was still standing there and asked me for my order (I loudly stated that I ordered a glass of Prosecco (which they have on tap, so it literally took three seconds to pour) and that the bartender must have forgotten. The manager said nothing. So, she asks me for my last name for the tab and I walk away. Moments later, the manager comes in my face asking me what my name was and telling me that I don’t have a tab. After a brief back-​and-​fourth, he realized that the bartender got my name wrong and then just turned around and walked away. No apology.
At this point, I was pissed and just wanted to leave. All this drama, and the rooftop was practically empty. I don’t get it. I certainly won’t be coming back here. There are much better places in DC to spend $ 15 on a cocktail.

I went here with a group. We were in the basement bar, which is very swanky. We were originally supposed to be on the rooftop, but a pipe burst or something so we had to try out the basement bar. Don’t let the word ‘basement’ prevent you from checking it out. It has a nice ambiance; fireplace and they have the sidecar drink! I love that drink. Any place that serves that drink is A-​ok with me!
The food there was eh, sub-​par to me. I had the chicken club sandwich with the French fries. The fries were good and well seasoned, but the chicken tasted like it was boiled or something. I didn’t find that too appetizing.
Bottom line, go here for drinks. I think it would be an awesome place for after dinner drinks or a date.
I will be back in the summer to try the rooftop. Based on the other reviews, it seems worthwhile.

«Meh I’ve experienced better» definitely rings true.
I am not a fan of this place, nor do I think this place is a-​ok. The Graham has an awesome view, but the cocktails are incredibly overpriced. Think $ 20 for a cocktail or glass of champagne.
Now I used to live in Georgetown, and I’m fine with paying a ridiculous amount of money for a really good cocktail in a nice, trendy setting. An example is L2 Lounge where the cocktails are absolutely amazing; I would describe them as artisanal in fact (drinks made precisely with top shelf liquor and fresh ingredients by very competent people)
But this place serves SUGARY CONCOTIONS in PLASTIC glasses and charges around $ 20 apiece. And I don’t think you even get top shelf liquor for these super expensive cocktails. Not cool.
If you want a better rooftop experience in Georgetown, I guess you would be out of luck, because I can’t think of a single other place. If you don’t mind venturing farther out though, you can go to 18^th Street Lounge or Marvin, though they are less dressy than the Graham.

2 suggestions:
Fire Shiloh Corsel, your bartender on the rooftop. Ditch the plastic cocktail cups.

After miscommunication about their official opening date (thanks Thrillist! tsk tsk) and turned away the first time due to a closed party, I came back at the manager’s request and was able to check out the Observatory Rooftop Bar and Lounge for some cocktails this past weekend.
All Cocktails are handcrafted or you can choose from their wide selection of liquor. Sit and admire the Rosslyn and DC monument backdrop. The bar and lounge is beautiful: Wood patio, glass, wicker furniture reminiscent of a Miami escape, but panoramic views of Rosslyn and the DC monuments, tres sexy. Finally a beautiful rooftop bar and lounge on top of the Graham Georgetown Hotel open to the public just in time for the spring/​summer 2013! 3000 square foot rooftop bar and lounge to be exact– Just what DC needs!