Jack Rose Dining Saloon

Probably the only place you want to go if looking to try new whiskey/​scotch. The server was extremely knowledgeable and helped us select something to try. Really tough to get a table if there is a private event happening, so check their website and make a reservation. The food was tasty and it wasn’t outrageously expensive. So you can spend a little on a nice drink.

The main bar allowed smoking even though it’s winter, and they had a roof that seemed fully enclosed. The air was so thick with smoke that we had to leave quickly. My clothes still stink! How is this even legal?

This is a place for all the whiskey lovers to put on their bucket list. Thousands of choices on the walls, and elevated bar food to soak it up. Fried chicken skin, spicy quail and fresh biscuits with bacon jam are just a few of the notable snacks on the menu. Talk to Chris, the official whiskey advisor, if you’re feeling overwhelmed.

What a perfect place to celebrate a birthday! I made a reservation on open-​table and noted there that it was my husband’s birthday. Throughout dinner they remembered our names and treated us royally. The Kentucky Bourbon cake with brown butter ice cream was so good! Would be better with coffee. I’ll remember that for next time.
Before dinner, we sat at the bar and enjoyed a happy hour that ended at 7:30pm. That was exciting to learn and we ended up pushing our dinner plans back. Happy hour offers $ 2 off draft beers, half off all food. After 90 days of not drinking, I enjoyed this special sour beer (8%) that was brewed in some berries from St. Louis in consultation with Jack Rose folks. We ordered the scotch egg and wings, which were delicious.
When we sat down for dinner, the menu was slightly disappointing. The small plates looked appetizing but nothing from what they offered jumped out at us. I ended up going with the burger and hubbie got the fried quail. Nothing to write home about. The quality of everything was high, but flavor didn’t pop and we both finished our food and said, «This is the place you come for happy hour.» We would, at some point, like to come back to try the rib eye steak. I was eyeing the biscuits with honey butter but resolved to wait until the next time. It would be nice to have an additional cut of steak or another type of fish.
In terms of drinks, I stuck with my delicious special sour beer. Hubbie had two kinds of old fashioned’s and preferred the «sweeter» one over the one made with rye. I tasted the one with rye and liked that version better, though both were good.
After our meal, our server pitched the speakeasy downstairs. Since it was during the week, we didn’t need to worry about texting to make a reservation. It was tight down there, as it does not seat a lot of folks. But it was lovely, with different cocktails that were a couple of dollars pricier. To make reservations for the speakeasy, you would text 202−607−1572.

Let’s be clear, this place is literally perfect.
Perfect ambiance for chill or active environments, if I want to enjoy a more chill environment I drink and eat downstairs with friends and if they want to watch the game we go upstairs.
There’s 2400 kinds of whiskey here and I try something new every time because, the world is big on variety (shoutout to much tees toasted barrel and macallan 25) The food is also wonderfully delicious (shoutout to the wings and the bourbon eggs) and always helps soak up the wonderful amounts of alcohol that we are consuming.
And then there’s the service. There’s a gentleman named Forest that you should ask for because he literally changes my life every time I come here. He offers great suggestions on bourbons and is knowledgeable and friendly.
You have to visit here. Just makes sense

Had a gr8 pm w/​friends @JackRose! Our server was amazing, super friendly, Bella Columbiana, and über knowledgeable about the saloon’s inventory. The menu is seasonal– buyer beware, pictured items on Unilocal!may not be offered. The saloon’s resident sommelier looks like your traditional Irish grand-​dad roaming from table to table sharing his storied wisdom of the craft of producing the world’s best Scotches & Whiskeys. Engage him, you’ll learn massively! A gem worth the trip to DuPont Circle

3 ½ star overall review?! No fellow Unilocalers, not on my watch! I had one of my top drinking experiences in this place a couple of weeks ago. 3 ½ stars does not do the seemingly endless selection of whiskeys justice. and it’s not just a large selection of bourbon you’ve already had time and time again. This place is basically a whisky library… seriously, ladders and all.
The food was outstanding. It’s not just standard bar food. It’s smoked soup with a glass cover brought to the table kind of a place. If you’re looking for a place to spend some time and money, add this to your bourbon bucket list.

The only thing better than a library filled with books, is a library filled with whiskey – complete with sliding ladders to reach them. I just wish I knew more about whiskey so I could have fully enjoyed the experience.
Not being a whiskey connoisseur, I stuck to cocktails, which I am more familiar with. The two cocktails that blew me away were the After Dinner Breakfast (Glenmorangie Lasanta Single Malt Scotch, Earl Grey Syrup, Lemon, Tiki Bitters) and Chipilo Cup (Cimmaron Tequila, Carpano Antica, Aperol, Coffee Liquer, Hellfire Bitters, Angostura) – complex, strong, funky, and balanced. I also enjoyed the Fat Harold (Laphroaig 10yr Single Malt Scotch, Barbadillo Palo Cortado Sherry, Pina Colada Shrub, Lime, Peychauds) and The Third Date (Dickle Rye, Date Syrup, Lemon, Grapefruit Bitters), but they were sweeter and less funky and interesting on the palate (something I enjoy).
Our bartender was very skilled.
Atmosphere is a meld of wild west saloon and Old English pub. You have to see to believe it.

Wow. if you want a place that is total whiskey. I would come here. It is seriously walls of whiskey. Two walls if I remember right. my memory is a little hazy from that night.
Wonderful place. except that they have some weird policies hence the lack of four or five stars. I saw something unfold in front of me on a Monday night:
Apparently, the bartenders (on a not so busy night) like to place bottles of their whiskey in front of their patrons and then blame them for it if something happens to the bottle. Then they got kicked out after they ran their card to charge them approximately $ 5. Hmmmm… bars should not do that.

I chose Jack Rose for a birthday dinner with my whiskey-​loving friend. Both of us had been to the upstairs portion for happy hour but never in the dining saloon for dinner. We had a great experience. We were greeted at the table with cheese sticks that tasted like upscale Cheez-​Its. This is a huge compliment because we both LOVE Cheez-​Its. :)
Next, we were offered an amuse-​bouche of a fried goat’s head cheese ball topped with chow-​chow and a remoulade. This was so amazing that we had to ask for a second helping, and thankfully, the chef obliged.
We chose the chicken skins for our appetizer because… how can you not order chicken skins? They were even better than we thought I could put that green goddess sauce on everything!
The whiskey-​lover went with a flight consisting of a Bourbon, a Rye, and a Scotch. He thoroughly enjoyed them all, especially the Caribbean Cask Scotch. I’m a bit more timid, so I went with one of their cocktails. The name escapes me, but I know that it included Dickel Whiskey.
For our entrees, I went with the Dorade, which was a whole fish topped with a fabulous sauce that had some heat from the bird’s eye chili. Oh, and it came with a side of «Charleston rice» which was topped with fried garlic and some type of powdered chili. It was great. My friend chose the Roseda Ribeye cooked medium. The temp was spot on, and the meat had some great marbling yielding excellent flavor.
All of the service we received was great, including the manager who came over to check on us throughout the meal and as we finished our entrees. Our waitress, Jess, was super helpful with our selections. In fact, she’s the one who recommended the Caribbean Cask Scotch.
I will definitely dine with them again in the future. :)

This place with its 2,300+ whiskey bottles on high, wall-​mounted shelving utterly seduced me. The selection of international whiskeys is impressive. We shared an Amrut single malt, distilled in Bangalore. It was a tremendous choice, deep, complex, and robust. I enjoyed the Kentucky Bourbon cake with brown butter ice-​cream from their dessert menu.
If you do get a seat at their lengthy bar, the waitstaff are jovial, professional, and expert in their whiskeys and this itself makes for an exciting foray into the world of whiskey. The patrons are tables of older men with the telling girth of years of merriment in meat and liquor, interspersed with groups of a range of ages – middle-​aged women, millenial yuppies, and the rest.
This is a place I would bring out of town visitors, and a destination spot if you are visiting Adams Morgan.

I drool every day following Jack Rose Dining Saloon on Instagram so was excited to be in DC recently and stopped by on a Wednesday night. Got there around 6pm and the dining room was full with reservations and the bar was packed. We hung around until a single chair opened up at the bar and swooped in. The bartender later spotted a second chair for us, which was reflective of her general attentiveness and helpfulness.
If you don’t have at least a general idea of what you want to drink, the whisk (e)y list is literally overwhelming. Fortunately, many of the offerings are super high end ($ 50+ for an ounce) so I could ignore a large portion of the list.
My wife has been hankering for the hard to find Woodford Reserve Four Wood, so she chose to get an ounce of that (for around $ 20). I couldn’t decide so I opted for a «craft flight» of 3 one ounce pours of small American whiskies for $ 21. It included Town Branch bourbon from Lexington (KY), F.E.W. Spirits bourbon from Evanston (IL), and Garrison Brothers bourbon from Hye (TX). Having a chance to sample 3 bourbons I’ve never had before for $ 21 was a great deal.
One nice touch is that whatever you order to drink they put the bottle in front of you with the glass (after they pour, of course) so you can look at and study the bottle at your leisure.
As a bonus, the night we were there Dad’s Hat was sampling their pre-​release rye whiskey, so I got a taste of that plus two other rye whiskeys they produce — one finished in Vya vermouth casks and one finished in port casks. I had never even heard of Dad’s Hat before so it was a great night just for that.
Honestly the food here is 3 star, but who’s coming here for food?

If you know your whiskeys this is a good place to hang. If you don’t, probably a Friday night isn’t your night. The bartenders and less excited to help out your adventurous night. I don’t blame them. There’s a lot to choose from! I would probably go for a smaller whiskey bar to perform your experiments and save jack rose for occasions with an experienced drinker.
There is a social scene upstairs with the ceiling propped opened and I heard there was a secret speakeasy downstairs! Gotta come back for that. I came too late for food so until then the three stars is my rating due to experience and service. But an extra star for the other parts of the venue I didn’t get to adventure.

Went to Jack Rose for a couple drinks with some friends. It has an amazing selection of Whiskey and the bartenders are very accommodating to newbies (like me!). I got an old fashioned and it was delicious.
I will say, though-​it IS still in Adams Morgan, so, it’s not necessarily Dan’s Café but the crowd got a little rowdier as the night went on. Menu looked good, but I’ll have to try it when I come back.

Jack Rose has been very very good to me. Our bartender was a consummate professional who took the time to remember us from the night before and develop a relationship. As someone long on curiosity and short on capacity, I appreciated the availability of 4 oz. serving sizes for all their draft beers. My friend’s cocktail was quite strong but balanced and the whisk (e)y list is a drinker’s playground. The kitchen here is also strong and coupled with a short and interesting list of cigars for smoking upstairs on the terrace and balcony, I’m not sure I need to go elsewhere in D.C. for a great time.

This place is one of a kind. If you are a whiskey person like me, I dare you to go to Jack Rose and not be fascinated by their whiskey collection. According to thrillist: «they own the largest whiskey collection in the Western Hemisphere.»
Upstairs they have a rooftop which is quite nice, but if you are there for whiskey tasting you need to stick with downstairs. Their whiskey collection aside, the food here is mediocre and a bit pricey. For appetizer, we ordered the raw oyster and the chicken skin. The oyster was OK (it lacked flavor), but the chicken skin was pretty good.
For entrée, I ordered the crab cake. The crab cake was just average (less flavorful than what I expected), but it was quite fresh. I honestly think if you are going to Jack Rose, you should go there for whiskey tasting not for food. You can also ask Harvey to assist you, his knowledge of whiskey is unbelievable, and he is always more than happy to help his customers.
Note: If you are going with a large group of people you might want to make reservations as this place gets quite crowded.

Two levels. Top level is an outdoor patio with full bar and impressive craft beer list. Good mix of taps curated by ex-​ChurchKey staff. Cocktails are the drink of choice upstairs though. Three rooms with different ambiance. Far left is a cigar smoking lounge slash tiki bar of sorts with its own tap system. Central is the largest and with the most seating. Far right is more enclosed with a THIRD tap system.
Downstairs is a gentleman’s parlor slash library of Scotch and Bourbon. Fancier ambiance with seating for dinner. Fourth tap system down here has slightly different beers than upstairs. They have one of the largest, if not the largest, collection of Scotch in Bourbon in the US after inheriting a massive collection. When I was there during their opening week, they literally did not know what Scotch and Bourbons they had as the bottles were not yet cataloged. Now they’ve been cataloged. Come for a few beers or come with a big Scotch and Bourbon tasting group and go buck wild on the bottle list. We sampled Ardbeg Supernova 2009, Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year, multiple Bruichladdich Octomores, and even some Bruichladdich Black Arts.

You know, our original plan was to go to Dram and Grain, but they were booked, so we found two seats at Jack Rose, and man, are we glad we did!
James, you made our night. We were only in town for a few hours, but with your guidance and the ability to drop your name at that location we discussed, we rocked the town. SHOUT. OUT.
Ambience: Not so loud that you have to shout. This was not the norm, as I later found out, and had I known that, I might have stayed for another drink. The walls are beautifully lined with every bottle of every drink in the world, it seemed like. My favorite part was that there were library ladders in use the whole evening to access said bottles. It was a fabulous show.
That’s pretty much all I can say, as we didn’t eat anything there. Top notch experience and highly recommended!

This rating is for my first floor bourbon tasting experience — which, I knew was going to be amazing when we presented the bartender with 2 flight options that we couldn’t decide between and his response was, «I think they both kinda suck, I can make you a custom selection based on those 2 flight choices and your desired price range.» He definitely did not lead us astray and I even found a new favorite bourbon!
The atmosphere can probably be best described as hipster sophisticated (at least on the Saturday night that I was there) — it’s definitely not a dive, but people weren’t dressed in suits either. The ceiling to wall /​wall-​to-​wall bottles of bourbon, whiskey, and the like also adds a classy library feel.

Always a good time coming here. On the first floor, you’ll be enveloped on class and sophistication. Dark woods and marble bar tops are complemented by the overwhelming (in a good way) whiskey selection. The whiskey menu is as big as a New Jersey diner with selections from around the world and a good mix of rye, scotch and bourbon.
The bartender is very knowledgeable and friendly. Always willing to explain ingredients and offer suggestions. My favorite drink, an old fashioned, was prepared with care and confidence. I didn’t like the amount of ice being used. Would have preferred one big ice cube/​sphere. The drink was delicious and met expectations.
The 2^nd floor is a different environment. Rooftop setting that screams DC chillin. Outstanding beer selection accompanies your time at Jack Rose. With so many selections and pretty high prices, the learning curve can be steep and you will spend a lot of money; however, by knowing what you want and sticking to a plan, you’ll definitely have a great time. Jack Rose is one of my favorite bars in the DMV.