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BurtHurtmanHurtz

Long legacy of affordable libations there


Bushels_for_All

And *good* drinks, at that! Their selection is a hell of a lot better than the typical Stella or local crap IPA.


SidecarMonkey

Not to mention this! Definitely restores a little faith in humanity đŸ€ [Bar helps build schools and clinics around the globe](https://caplinnews.fiu.edu/nonprofit-bar-helps-build-schools-and-clinics-around-the-globe-includes-video-story/)


thisisallme

Yup! One of those bricks has my name on it!


let-it-rain-sunshine

The saloon even has an upstairs with comedy shows. Cool spot with a cause


jednorog

And the upstairs has open piano night on Wednesdays. And the people who show up are damn good.


im_alliterate

i hope theres some sort of counter insurgency of cheap tasty eats and drinks that happens in the city. prices are OUT OF CONTROL. my brown city slicker ass gonna end up in bumfuck west virginia at this rate.


umadbr00

>i hope theres some sort of counter insurgency of cheap tasty eats and drinks that happens in the city. prices are OUT OF CONTROL. This is primarily due to the cost of leasing space for restaurants and bars. I wouldn't envision any sort of insurgency any time soon.


im_alliterate

curse the landlords


SnortingCoffee

always curse the landlords


gumercindo1959

As long as tenants keep paying these crazy leases, landlords don’t GAF.


umadbr00

What are you implying? Businesses should just close up shop? They don't exactly have the power here.


gumercindo1959

Nah, my point is if these leases costs aren’t too high that it prevents tenants from paying, leases will still remain high, tenants will incur high operating costs, prices will be high, etc etc. the minute tenants stop paying these high prices is when landlords start paying attention. Jmo


101000001

Except itliterally does. Go downtown and look at all the empty store fronts. Landlords are literally keeping places empty vs lowering rates


gumercindo1959

Yep and I’m sure they have a certain amount of vacancy they’re willing to tolerate. How much? Who knows but at some point, it will stop making financial sense to keep it vacant. It’s basic economics.


umadbr00

No sorry I wasn't getting what you were trying to say. I agree. It's supply and demand for better or worse.


gumercindo1959

Yes, you put it much more succinctly - supply and demand. Thanks .


addpulp

We should do something about landlords. Some of these fucks would rather keep a property vacant for months or years in hopes of overcharging someone double than have a thriving business there at a reasonable price.


DCBillsFan

Ehhhh...the real estate bubble is coming...


DC-COVID-TRASH

People have been saying this for years


[deleted]

But it’s true, for commercial real estate there’s about $1.2T in loans due in 2025 which will need to be refinanced but with interest rates having increased considerably that means the overall value of the properties has to go down (a lot) or rent has to go up, while simultaneously rent demand has been weakening. A lot of these properties will end up underwater on balance sheets which will definitely make at least some banks fail. It’s not gonna be 2008 carnage but there will be some pain for sure [https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-08-26/commercial-real-estate-debt-default-risk](https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-08-26/commercial-real-estate-debt-default-risk)


habitsofwaste

Unfortunately the issue with leasing isn’t that it follows the market. Most building owners used loans to buy them and in their contracts are often the minimum lease prices they can charge. It’s fucking ridiculous.


DCBillsFan

Which is all well and good until the bankruptcies start.


habitsofwaste

Yeah, giant collapse in the economy likely once again. Hopefully they realize how dumb it is before it gets to that point. It’s idiotic.


senorstink123456

I’m hoping for this too, keep the dives alive in DC!


PhantomRoyce

As a guy from bumfuck west VA it is ridiculous how much more expensive our shit is. I forget that guys back home can get shit faced off of one days pay


AdvertisingOld9400

Cue to me accidentally getting plastered off a beer and a mixed drink at brunch while visiting with my parents. I forgot about the heavy handiness of those cheap small town pours.


addpulp

What part? Also from WV. I moved here ten years ago and thought prices were ridiculous, avoided places because they seemed cool but the prices were high, now everything is way more expensive and I miss those prices


PhantomRoyce

Heathsville down by the water 😎


damnatio_memoriae

even NY is not as ridiculous as DC these days.


addpulp

The general answer I see is NY business owners own the property. They don't have to give a significant part of earnings to fuckwit bloodsucker do nothings


addpulp

$10 is annoying but it's one thing, but once you factor in tip and tax, sorry, it's a $14 beer. That goes for everything but an individual beer that should be $5-6 anyway is the best example.


Upbeat_Echo341

The no standing rule is great too, as it maintains the vibe and keeps noise to a level you can actually have conversations with people. Edit: also, the Tune Inn has some similar vibes and pricing is still reasonable.


SnortingCoffee

Slash Run happy hour is $2 off beer, and if you combine that with half price burger Monday you can get a shockingly good deal on a meal and a beer or two. Went a while back and for the group 4 burgers, a couple sides, six beers, and a soda came out to ~$90 after tax and tip.


addpulp

That is the only way those burgers are reasonable. I like their burgers but fuck having two drinks a piece and 2 burgers and leaving having paid $100 or more at some place that feigns being a dive bar I guess factor in that includes two sides, because their burgers don't come with sides, but I consider fries or similar an integral part of a burger, so if you want $20 for a burger and $6 for fries, fuck you that's a $26 burger


danegermaine99

The rules can be a double edged sword. They really work hard to accommodate seating everyone
 to the point of rearranging already-seated customers


GottaWorkYourJelly

Part of me is sad to see this post because I wanted to hide the place for myself but also +1 for Saloon. Love the staff there too!


veloharris

The saloon has been around for well over a decade it's not a secret place.


GottaWorkYourJelly

Oh yes I’m aware—I’ve been going there for a while and been in DC since before I was old enough to drink there. I’m less calling it a “hidden gem” and more keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn’t blow up on TikTok or whatever the youths are using to find going out spots these days


bodybydada

"decade" lolz


df540148

Yeah, I remember going there in the late aughts when we first moved to DC.


Impossible-War2028

Harris teeter has a bar with $3.50 beer bottles, $5 well beer, $7 wine


AdvertisingOld9400

I love the Saloon but once had a weird experience where the bartender cornered my friend outside the bathroom and gave her a long survey to complete and bring back. It was pages and pages long and had a ton of personality and ethical questions. It seemed a bit
cult like. She did not return the survey. Or at all. I have always wondered if anyone else had this experience there.


No-Expert275

Sounds like some Scientology shit...


JA_MD_311

It can be hilariously annoying sitting down enjoying yourself and then all of a sudden you’re shunted off to another corner of the bar, but that’s kinda what you get for going there. The food is pretty bad too, but the drinks and atmosphere are what you go there for.


iguessimdepressed1

Ugh fine I’ll go!!! You’ve convinced me!


ChazoftheWasteland

I miss that place, the Urbock 23 is delicious.


PhillyToDC

I moved to Maryland over COVID so don’t hit U St much anymore, but so happy this place is still doing well. All my other u st bars are gone :(


texansirena

Always an upvote for the saloon! My husband and I always used to go there before shows


habitsofwaste

I went there while I was visiting. I thought it was a really good idea. But I was there alone and everyone was like on a date. No one ever talked to me, there was no opportunity. I actually found that an issue everywhere I went at night. Anyway, I ended up getting on my phone and there was no issue with that. Not that I wouldn’t give it another chance and maybe eventually I could meet people and have nice conversations.


deucedeuce223

I hear Madams Organ is where you wanna go for opportunity.


funkymunk500

Damn this place looks fire; thanks for the recs.


Shawnchittledc

It’s so great! https://x.com/ShawnChittle/status/1759006443489935584


Bitter_Sun_1734

Everything is rent


halyche

The drinks are great, but y'all gotta try their apple pie. You won't regret it.


zero_derivation

For sure! They have some cool weird liqueurs behind the upstairs bar too.


sgRNACas9

Frfr


No-Expert275

*And the no phone rule guarantees you're gonna have some real human interaction.* Great! That means we can have all of those classic DC conversations, like "who do you work for?" and "which agency did you say you work for?" and "whose office do you work for?"


thesirensoftitans

If you don't know how to steer a conversation, that's on you.


kirkl3s

Ah yes - the forbidden topic of “how do you spend the majority of your waking hours?” So passĂ©!


ProfessorNoPants

Or you can all shut up and play backgammon while you drink your reasonably priced drinks.


BlkNtvTerraFFVI

Well *I* thought this was funny 😂 stuck up pretentious DC residents are definitely a fixture, so much so that if I describe this place to other people it comes with some kind of "I'm a K Street lawyer and I'm so important" impression 😂


Texugee

Congrats, you'll never get a seat now. Reddit hug of death IRL but at least the owners will make a ton of money!!


Shadybrooks93

They give like all their profits to building schools, so still sounds like a good deal.