Public Bar
- Where: 1214 18th St.
- Carded: Yes, at the door
- Cover: None
Bar Bells:
I try to like sports. I really do. I understand the basics and know enough that when the man in stripes throws a flag it’s not a cause for cheer and that a tubby bald man can make a home run.
But as much as my muted interest in sports makes me a great girlfriend, I don’t want to be at a bar where the guys are paying more attention to Lebron’s dunk than my junk.
Public for the most part has been able to somewhat strike the balance between grunting-man sports bar and a place a non-sports fan can exist comfortably. It’s like your divey sports bar dressed up in a suit and tie.
The three-level bar just south of Dupont Circle is located shoulder-to-shoulder with Eighteenth Street Lounge. The doors can be easily confused, so just look for the skin-tight glittery dresses… and head to the opposite door.
Starting from the top and making my way down – how I usually like it – the roof is big, open with some cabana-style seating. In the summer it gets jam-packed by the guys who aren’t preppy enough for Georgetown bars… or too lazy to walk from their downtown offices. The second floor is a smaller, more normal looking lounge area. The main floor has the giant screen and two bars, one of which is a big “U” shape with lots of booth seating, and both have their own private TV. Talk about sport-watching heaven.
The best part about Public? Beer towers. Literally a 3-foot-tall clear plastic tower of beer with a spout for easy pouring delivered to your table.?Now that is how you watch the game.
Public is definitely a destination bar but not one where you’ll definitely remember the drinks or food you had. I never want to be caught there without my “carefree, easy, this-took-five-minutes-(more-like-30)-look,” but it’s definitely a place where the guys and girls can have fun. Just bring on that second beer tower and I can watch any game.