Happy Hour is the name of the game

The best thing about living in any city is the access to so many different restaurants, shops, and bars. It is never dull, and a new adventure can literally be right around the corner. Unfortunately on an intern budget, city prices can be a bit outlandish. For this reason, and this alone, I think happy hour was invented.

The concept is genius. Take regular menu items that people know and love, and make them cheaper! Then designate time right after work, when everyone is in need of a pick-me-up and bam! you have just created the best idea... on Earth.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been able to scope out some great spots around the district, and I already have a few favorites. Meeting new friends is definitely easier over a $4 drink and a delicious hummus plate!

First up:

The Mad Hatter

This place was great! The moment we walked in the bar area was packed with young people. After snagging a table outside on the patio we were able to enjoy delicious bruschetta, and pizza for $5 each. The drinks weren't great, we had frozen mango margaritas that were small for the price and melted really quickly. The food made up where the drinks dropped the ball however, and over all I would definitely go back! 

Beacon Bar

I really liked Beacon. It's about two blocks down from my office, and their specials were pretty good. They have a great sky bar which gives a view of the whole city, but the drinks are twice as much upstairs as they are downstairs. Once we headed back down, we had two hummus plates, and they were delicious! The drinks were priced well, and the different flavors of Sky cocktails (I had blood orange and passion fruit) were fun to try. 

Pizza Paradiso

This place has by far been my favorite. Once inside the restaurant it is divided into a seating area and the bar. The rule is that happy hour specials are only available at the bar, and let me tell you, it was packed! We had a group of 6 and there was no way we were going to be able to wedge ourselves in, so we awkwardly stood in the way of the staff while we tried to figure out somewhere else to go. Graciously the staff offered to seat us and told us we could still receive happy hour deals. This made us very happy, and we showed our appreciation.

The pizza here is amazing! The crust is a little different, but they have amazing toppings and the cheese is scrumptious. The best part was that they were only $10 for a large, when normally they can be between $14-$18. 

One of my qualms with D.C. is that after living in Oregon with it's many many micro breweries, I can't seem to find decent beer on tap. That's why I was so excited when I found Rogue listed among their IPA's. Normally I'm not a big IPA fan, but I was so excited about Oregon beer, that I had to do it, and it was actually pretty good. 

These are just a few of the places I've been able to visit thus far, but these have been some of my favorites. I have always been a city girl, and I am loving being able to explore with new friends and find new places to go!