Temperance Hall

3.5 stars. Temperance Hall is no longer Temperance Hall. Instead, it is the Looking Glass Lounge and they are apparently owned by the people who manage Wonderland Bar. During my visit, I found the place to be no more than an extended version of Bar Pilar (tiled ceilings, relatively diverse mix of clientele [more diverse at Looking Glass Lounge], decent beer selection). Also, the bar is quite dark although you can light up your table with candles. Overall, this is a good dive bar in the Petworth area, but I’m a bit surprised by all the five star ratings. It was nice, but it wasn’t phenomenal.

Been to TH several times since it opened. Consistently mediocre at best. Food & atmosphere are just average. Not necessarily a bad thing. Hopefully new owners can make it a little better. Will give it another try in a few weeks.

well, i’ll join the legions here… this is my new favorite dc bar –great décor, prohibition-​y themed, including drink menu. old school drinks like the sidecar and manhattan, plus a decent selection of beers on tap (note – different selection downstairs). can’t say much about the food menu, except the garlic fries are pretty good. they stop serving at midnight however. i’m usually not a big fan of those mega-​selection internet jukeboxes (how can you compliment the jukebox if it has the potential to play *any* song imaginable??) but somehow, the music playing at TH is usually right on. maybe a reflection of clientele with good taste.
i haven’t experienced the back patio yet, but am looking foward to spring.

For a bar, their food was very good. I enjoyed the sandwich of hard fontina cheese and fresh crispy-​juicy apples. It came with pickled vinegary-​good onions, a tasty mustard with dark little seeds, light bread sprinkled with sesame seeds, and a cute cornichon pickle.
My husband liked his four-​meat chili (esp. the italian sausage).
Staff were attentive and very nice. Last Saturday night the jukebox played mostly rock, with a little Norah Jones thrown in. The location was convenient, just a block south of the Georgia Ave.-Petworth Metro station.
The spicy prohibition peanuts were just a little too salty though (and I usually love salt).

All the places my friends and I traditionally hang out have 2 – 3 star reviews, and since I am now so conscious about Unilocal!reviews, I now refuse to be seen in those places. Accordingly, I demanded that my birthday festivities be held at Temperance Hall, after I read all the fine reviews.
As everyone says, the décor is really cool. It has a very urban, early 20^th century vibe… if they’d had big screen plasma TVs when the Kaiser started WWI…
Much more diverse than the bars I’m used to patronizing, which lead to some interesting musical choices. The night started off with old school «A Tribe Called Quest» and moved on to «Joy Division» and such later in the night.
Their specialty is rye whiskey, so now I know that I don’t like rye whiskey! How else would I have ever made that transformative personal discovery? A great place to sit and chat with friends — the music is unobtrusive and the servers are attentive.
I was going to give it four stars, but then I remembered that they gave me and my friends a free birthday shot. Free stuff always wins my heart.

4.0 stars:-)!! Great atmosphere, cool laid back folks, and great bar food awaits you at Temperance Hall. This place has become one of my favorites. It serves an excellent offering of bar food desires amplified to an incredible tasting experience.
To start, we tried the sweet and spicy prohibition peanuts and they were bursting with flavor.
Appetizers. We decided to try the chicken wings tossed in a garlicky hot sauce with blue cheese dressing. We opted to have the hot sauce on the side. I will admit, I have had my share of chicken, let me tell you, and these wings were exceptional. I loved the salt and pepper covering they had. Really enhanced their flavor. We also tried the Junior Joes, 3 of them on soft rolls with jack cheese and chopped red onions. They were good but not my favorite. The wings were definitely better.
On to the main. We tried the Chicken Milanese, pounded and breaded on a roll with roasted garlic mayo, sliced avocado, jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickled red onion served with a salad and the grilled Black Angus hot dog, a quarter-​pound dog with mustard, melted red and white onions and swiss cheese, served with fries and a salad. I opted for the garlic fries, French Fries tossed with garlic and parsley, served with lemon and fine herb mayo. I would definitely have both again. Yum!
They are open for brunch on the weekends, although I have not had an opportunity to have this experience. But for a quick drink or dinner during the week or hell, even on the weekends, this place has a great mojo and a place you will be sure to have a nice time and perhaps meet a new friend or two!

Not the best, but OK. The place is very cozy and has a nice cross-​section of folks. I HATED the hipster bozos sitting in the window booth; they tarnished my experience.
Essentially, I was sitting at a booth that cold hold 6. I was waiting for 2 more people and had a beer in front of me. 3 of these people come in. And I say, «if there are 3 of you, we could share the table.» After they sit, they act incredibly awkward and uncomfortable. When another in their party came in, and smiled at me, they said «we don’t know that guy!» Then, they passive aggressivley spoke about needing to move tables of venues. Meanwhile, they hadn’t ordered one drink.
The hummus wasn’t so amazing, nor were the fries. But, they were fine. My beer wasn’t cheap and there weren’t that many options.

UPDATE: According to DCist (12÷12÷07) the bar will be changing ownership «around New Years.» The new owners say to expect a different feel, and this reviewer guesses that that might mean that the good coffee and brunch goes away.
Ask anyone, I’m not a good person. When I was a kid, I’d cheat at cards with my younger siblings when we were playing for money. When I was in eighth grade, I broke up with a girl because I didn’t like her hair and made sure to tell her that that was the reason. Call my mom to ask her (she’ll complain that I never call) or ask my wife: I’m an jerk and I’m selfish. That’s why it’s taken me this long to write a review about Temperance Hall.
Temperance Hall is definitely one of my finalists in the Great DC Sunday Brunch Showdown™ because it has all the elements of excellence: a good menu, great coffee, and comfort.
Getting here is easy: you’re just a 5-​minute walk from the Georgia Ave. metro stop. Monday and Tuesday nights are said to be packed when they have their best specials (sloppy joe sliders! mmm), but Sunday brunch has always been quiet for me. If the three-​egg omelet with sloppy joe inside of it isn’t for you, make your own or get a breakfast club. Just make sure you get sausage and toast with that. Add a cup of really good coffee and you’re only set back $ 10. Mimosas are $ 4 and draft beers $ 6 if you need that extra something to fortify you for the long trip home.
The décor is very cool, with an early 1900s feel to it. The staff is super nice, and they often have the juke box going with the perfect song for your mood (the first time I walked in Jenny Lewis was playing and I knew I’d like it immediately). They have a nice TV showing Fox Soccer: a nice bonus.
Don’t let the 13 five-​star reviews scare you off: it really is that good at what it does. Just don’t start infringing on my Sunday brunch space, or I’ll start giving all my favorite restaurants 1 star reviews and start five-​star spamming the McDonalds in the Verizon center.

Cool décor; I really like the patio out back. Great food, especially the sloppy joes and garlic fries. Friendly staff.
My only negative is how jam-​packed it has been both times I’ve been here. Now, I’m not going to fault a place for being successful, I’m just saying this is something to definitely consider when deciding to come here. With all the 5-​star reviews, I can’t imagine it getting any less crowded, either.

I’ve been hearing about Temperance Hall for months, since one of my party-​ish coworkers mentioned a fun bar on Georgia Avenue. «Georgia?» I replied. «What are YOU doing over there?» Well now I live right around the corner, so things have clearly changed. And Temperance is awesome as my new neighborhood drink spot. Last night was my first visit, and I can already see myself getting off the Metro and heading there far too often. The drinks are priced right compared to the downtown crows (and are a dollar cheaper from 5−7pm), and the bar is for grownups. No apple martinis and Hypnotiq around here – no offense to those who enjoy such things, but I’m a girl who enjoys dark liquors made in the South, and the occassional beer as a backup. Temperance specializes in rye whiskeys, and the bartender knows his way around a sidecar. Enough said. Thus far I’ve only tasted the spicy tangy wings (my celery was missing?), and everything else coming from the kitchen looked tasty.
At one point I witnessed a bit of snark between the bartender and a customer, which didn’t seem cool (–1 star for attitude). But what was cool was that the bartender actually apologized for the misunderstanding (+1 star for customer service). As my husband always says, never discount the benefit of a well-​timed apology. Cheers!

I’ve been going to Temperance since the week they opened. While I miss having Allagash on draft, I would have to say that the bar has gotten better over the past year and a half. The food continues to impress: tasty hot dog (not the BS stadium-​flavored, over-​processed ‘meat’ product but an actual ¼ lbs black angus hot dog), burger that, for the price, is unparalled in DC, tangy sloppy Joes, garlic fries (just try ‘em, trust me), etc. Oh yeah, the wings also rock… can’t forget those.
I would also recommend brunch. It’s all the usual suspects but moderately priced, high quality food with out the hellish brunch wait (see: Saint Ex).
Bottom line: awesome bar, great food, decent beer selection, friendly folks (both working and drinking).

I loved this bar. Usually I’m not one to go on and on about a bar’s décor (just give me a beer and I wont mind one way or another) but this place made me want to sit back and relax– really enjoy the beverage. The dark wood, great wallpaper, and cool light fixtures all added to the speakeasy feel.
My beer and cocktail were great, though a little expensive ($ 6 for a draft beer?). The food was great and their French fries are the best I’ve had in the city.
Well worth the trip and a great date spot.

great atmosphere and awesome staff–
prices are reasonable and the velvety wall is amazing! great place to meet up with some friends for a drink and dinner– the fuji somethingorother is great! Who can turn down a sandwich made of cheese, apples, bacon, and flavored mustard? hmmm mouth watering thinking about it–
½ a block from the metro means you can not pass this place up!

Temperance Hall is a cozy, prohibition-​era styled pub and restaurant located a block south of the Georgia Avenue/​Petworth Metro. The dark wood, tin ceiling and glass chandeliers create a great ambiance, while the big-​screen television provides entertainment for the slow evenings — though those seem to be fewer and farther between in recent months.
Temperance has been open since early 2006, and are still pioneers in a block of Georgia Avenue that is probably better known for the strip club (The House) down the street. But as one of only a handful of restaurant/​lounges serving Petworth, and also on the northeastern edge of Columbia Heights, Temperance draws a consistent and diverse crowd from CH and Petworth as well as from further away.
Apart from atmosphere, they offer a decent selection of beers, but more importantly, one of the city’s best selections of rye whiskey. If you haven’t ventured beyond Maker’s Mark in the brown liquors, you owe it to yourself to give it a «rye». (Sorry, I couldn’t resist). The food’s also very good — what I’d call high-​class pub food. Dishes include the obligatory burger, a hanger steak, and some more interesting things like a «Chicken Milanese» sandwich (a chicken breast pounded thin and lightly breaded and fried) and sloppy joes. They also make a kick ass BLT and some of the best fish and chips in town, as well as some veggie options (that I must admit I haven’t explored too much). Most come with a side salad dressed with a very good house vinaigrette. And definitely stop in on a Monday night for half-​price chicken wings (there’s a different food special every night). They are the real deal.
All in all Temperance is a perfect neighborhood pub — the kind of place you like to walk in for a late dinner, have a couple drinks and chat with whoever’s sitting next to you. And while the weeknights and late nights can be slow, they seem to be drawing a more steady crowd these days, such that there’s often some good energy even into the wee hours. I would expect this trend to continue as development in Columbia Heights and Petworth brings in more and more residents within walking distance.

So, I’m the first one not to give Temperance Hall 5 stars, so I feel bad, but if anything, I think I’m being a little generous with the 4 stars. Simona and I met Kristin P. here for dinner last weekend — the company would definitely get 5 stars, but everything else was just average. Well, let me clarify that — I thought the ‘feel’ of the place was very cool, as everyone else has already pointed out. The patio area at the back is great — a wonderful place to have drinks in the summertime, but the food was where it struggled to impress.
I ordered the Fish and Chips platter (being an Englishman, it’s hard not to order this, always seeking something that brings back the memories of the homeland), Simona ordered the hamburger, and Kristin went with the hangar steak. The fish had that ‘under-​the-​heat-​lamp’ kind of texture, and wasn’t particularly flavorful, and the ‘chips’, which is ‘fries’ to you lovely Americans, had that ‘fish-​been-​sitting-​on-​top-​of-​them-​a-​little-​too-​long’ kind of texture. Simona’s burger was just average, and I’ll let Kristin report on her hangar steak, but aesthetically, it certainly lost a star or two in my mind!
So, I’m OK with giving Temperance 4 stars, as I’m sure based purely as a drinking establishment, it’s a lot of fun, and if it’s put in the ‘bar/​pub food’ category, then it wouldn’t be considered disastrous. As always though, I never lose sight that it may have just been an off-​night for them in the kitchen, so if I do wander here again, I’ll be sure to report back.

YES! finally, a DC bar I truly love.
a little out of the way, but worth it. Temperance Hall is both hip and cozy, in the comfy couch, tin ceiling, antique wallpaper way. Burgers are a key yardstick in any eating establishment, and the burger was very good. as was the random german beer they had on tap.
Unfortunately, both times I have been here the service was not good. The servers were very nice, they just seemed understaffed. But five stars anyway, since the ambience far surpasses any other bar I’ve been to in the District.

I’ve been meaning to check this place out ever since I read the reviews on Unilocal.Thanks to all those who wrote before me.
TH is worth the trip to Petworth. I’m one metro stop away so will be going back! I walked in to a dimly lit bar/​restaurant around 7:30 with a friend. The bartender saw we we newbies and told us about the seating outside, located downstairs.
2 drinks each, garlic fries, eggplant sandwhich and veggie burger later… we were satiated and impressed. The laid-​back service is attentive. Everyone seems to feel like they are at home… and whoever was playing the Bob Marley on the jukebox also added to a wonderful evening…
Yey!

Great food, great drinks, and great atmosphere. The service is grand – each time I go, they make me feel so welcome. The people who work there are friendly and sweet bar none .
The apple and cheese sandwich is generous and divine. There’s a downstairs and a wonderfully relaxing back patio that are intimate and can probably be rented out. The jukebox is fun. And there’s a pool table in back where you pay by the game, not by the hour. All in all, an excellent neighborhood pub. I’ve been there when it’s busy, and I’ve been there when it’s dead — and had fun each time.

Wow! Just driving by you would not guess what a cool place is hiding on this busy, not very pretty block in Petworth. The funky upscale bar with warmly dark booths, impressive bar, and tin ceiling are a big change from what you might expect on this block.
But the best thing about this bar/​pub/​restaurant was not only the ambiance but the service! Our server was a perky Howard student who was helpful and just downright NICE! It was a very pleasant change from other establishments where food and drinks are not delivered with even a slight smile.
The food was also a big plus. Although the menu is not extensive it does seem to have something for everyone – including vegetarians. Everything that we ordered was very tasty – much better than my other «I do not want to cook tonight, let’s go out for a burger» standard stops.
Based on the tasty food and great service I plan to make it a regular haunt.

Temperance Hall is a bar and restaurant in the Petworth neighborhood just a block from the Georgia Ave./Petworth Green line Metro stop. It has quickly (it opened in Jan. ’06) become the «local» for Petworth residents. The food is American pub fare that some interesting twists. There are a number of options of vegetarians including excellent crispy eggplant and fontina cheese with fuji apple sandwiches. The draft beers feature a rotating selection of small, independent craft breweries from the States and abroad. Currently I enjoy the Wolavers Brown Ale and the German Kolsch (brought in especially for the World Cup this summer).
The upstairs jukebox is hooked up to the internet and the downstairs jukebox features an amazing selection of current and past independent music. The downstairs also has a patio which has become very popular now that we are enjoying Fall temps.
If you like Wonderland in Columbia Heights, give Temperance Hall a try. You may end up making it your local as well.