It’s Always a Good Time at Dupont’s Press Club

With a curated list of cocktails and music to match, Press Club Cocktail Bar is a hot hit for Dupont Circle. The hip subterranean lounge comes from popular party-starting partners Will Patton and Devin Kennedy, who both have extensive experience in the D.C. and New York bar scenes, respectively.

Themed drinks pay tribute to everything from Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny (who is currently enjoying an extended rum-tastic run) to all things Y2K to the Great Gatsby playing at National Theatre this spring.

Like two sides of an album, the drinks bring together two complementary menus. Play List is a four-flight menu, presented tableside with Japanese-leaning bar bites from the Hive Hospitality group’s ever-busy chef Ryan Ratino, who’s gearing up to open Georgetown steakhouse Ox & Olive this spring.

What to order

• On the liquid front, there’s cognac tastings ($20 per ounce), the Top 40 classics list, and $20-ish cocktails like a riff on a Manhattan called Devil in a New Dress.
• A wildly delicious combo of sour cream, shio kombu, and chives ($14) is far from your everyday chips and dip.
• There’s a good amount of choices on the fried front, including coconut shrimp tempura. If you have to pick one, go for the chicken katsu, served in half ($26) or whole ($45) portions.

The vibe

• With symmetrical shelves lined with vinyl records, light woods illuminated in white light strips, and ergonomic, low-level booths, Press Club resembles a stylish Swede’s basement.
• If you don’t recognize a song, instead of Shazam-ing on your phone, just glance at the DJ booth to see the real-time artist’s displayed album up top.
• You don’t skip a beat in the bathroom, equipped with a high-tech sound system blasting the bar’s tracks.

Insider tip

The narrow drinking den that takes both walk-ins and reservations fills up fast, but a seasonal patio will add about a dozen street-level seats.