Brick & Mortar

Really like the décor and atmosphere of this place. The staff is always nice and insightful in terms of what drinks to order. The only real issue are the drink prices but when in any major city it comes to be expected. I’ve been here quite a few times so the prices are not a deterrent at all and would recommend it to anyone looking for a bar not widely known to the public.

I was there at 05/​07/​2016 Saturday evening.
The location is nice but the bar is pretty small, so will be better if you go during the week. I was order from there special cocktail with tequila, was pretty bad, but the bartender was enough nice to offer me to fix it if I would like. He do was a little bit better. Anyways I close my top because I decide that one bad cocktail is enough.
The bartenders was friendly, just the hall atmosphere is not my type of place and I should enjoy my orders.

Really great space! I love speak easy style spots, even if they’re simply trying to re-​create it as an original spot that was only around for a little over a year. They did well with this one. Not only was their cucumber cocktail (which was only $ 8 for HH) worth every cent, but they also did it perfectly & quickly even being a full house during that time when I arrived.
For dinner I ordered the Cod off the regular menu (which you’ll want to ask for unless you like bar food), their menu switches out per season. The cod was delicious & the sauce wasn’t overpowering but it was creamy. It complimented the flavors. In addition to that, the bar tender suggested a light almost rose style white wine which was an excellent pairing, (to be very truthful, I wasn’t in the mood to search through the wine list & guess what may or may not taste right). I highly recommend this space for anyone that’s not a tourist, because it’s hidden from the Main Street level & semi-​hard to find if it wasn’t for the signage that they have as you’re walking through looking for it. But if you are a tourist it’s totally fine too, just keep it as your little secret. GO HERE!!!

Suck! I’m not a prima Donna but «I won’t be ignored «.
Watery flat beer, watery flat cocktails $ 14!!! I think NOT!
Have you ever felt invisible? This place has to go down in flames.

So I want to start with the positives here, because I really wanted to like this place and regardless of my two stars, it wasn’t all bad. First, the staff was great, friendly and attentive, that is always worth noting. Second, I really liked the setting, it was a fun spot to meet up for drinks and bites. And honestly, good people with you and good people serving you makes for an enjoyable experience.
Food and drinks, however, is where brick and mortar fell pretty short for me. My first cocktail, the Punch You in the Face was tasty but pretty weak for a whiskey based drink. My second, the New York Sour, I’m not sure what to think. If that’s a classic cocktail, perhaps it’s just me but I thought it was pretty gross. I was intrigued by the combination of whiskey & wine, but turns out, it’s a bad idea afterall. They were out of the first beer my boyfriend asked for, and they were out of the hushpuppies which was a bummer. The fried crab appetizer was pretty good but took quite some time to come out. And lastly, the burgers, while my friends said they were delicious, were all not cooked as ordered. My bf’s medium rare was barely medium, and my friends’ mediums were almost rare. And to clarify, they were all ordered and came out at different times so it wasn’t just a mix up on who grabbed which burger.

Can you say customer service? If you think you can, you’re wrong. The correct thing to say is «Brick & Mortar». I have only been here once, but it was simply a great experience.
I was there for a friend’s going away part, and as usual was the first person there. (It’s hard getting the time right when you are taking public transportation from out in the suburbs.) No one behind the bar knew anything about the party, but didn’t treat me like I was an idiot for asking about it. When one of the bartenders asked if I recognized anyone and I told him that I didn’t think I would know that many people there, he offered to asked other people at the bar. He did so discreetly, so I didn’t seem like a lost puppy.
Finally, when my friend got there the co-​owner figured out that he had written the wrong day down in the book. No problem though! It as early enough that there wasn’t a huge crowd, so he set aside the best part of the upstairs for us. The staff even continually rearranged the furniture as people came and went to maximize the mingling space.
And the drinks? I can’t say that I tried to many, because the Old Fashioned I tried was just that good. I had one with rye and one with bourbon. Both were fantastically made.
One of the thing I liked most, though, was that it was not a super trendy hipster place. Instead, it seemed like a nice low pressure, dim lights place that a 30 or 40-​something can enjoy.

Unfortunately Brick & Mortar was way overpriced for the quality of cocktails you get. The bartenders are also a little stiff.
However the atmosphere was fun and it really felt like a speakeasy.

A fun little speakeasy in the basement. Dark environment, great craft cocktails and a delicious bar menu.
Great space to meet friends and grab a week day/​end drink.

So I got a bit lost going in, but I didn’t mind as I was early and had to wait for a friend. I found a seat at the corner of the bar, furthest from the entrance. After placing my bag down, I ordered a beer from the happy hour menu, a pilsner, refreshing and light, perfect to start my birthday night.
After my friend arrived, she ordered a red wine from the happy hour menu, a Malbec. We got hungry and ordered some food. For some reason, as I write this, I cannot come up with the name of what we got, but I remember it being creamy, cheesy, and delicious.
We ended the night with a glass of champagne. I tried to order it before happy hour was over at 7pm, but the bartender said he would wait and honor the price after we finished our original drinks, which was much appreciated so the champagne wouldn’t go flat. The vibe is quite nice in this bar. It has quiet background music, a spread of couples and friends, and a long bar with great service. What threw me off was the TVs with sports playing, which seemed odd for a ‘wine bar.’ However, I really enjoyed my time in this basement bar. I would go back with a small group of friends for drinks.

A couple of friends asked me to join them at brick and mortar for trivia on Monday. It was food trivia I’m not a foodie but I like a nice cocktail and hanging with friends so I said why not.
The bar is in the basement with a speakeasy modern theme and besides the elevator and main staircase there is a spiral staircase to a lounge looking over the bar (I love lounge spaces at bars way more relaxing).
We ordered some drinks and some food. I had a couple of their sidecar cocktails. A traditional old fashioned drink and it was great nice and smooth. The bartender Kyle was very attentive and sweet. We also got some burgers fried oysters and I believe smoked salmon of some kind.
All of it was good but the burgers are special. First they have an egg in it which surprised me but was a pleasant surprise but the overall taste was amazing. I don’t know what they use for seasoning but it was the best burger I’ve had in DC.
Trivia was fun (didn’t know half the answers but it was all food questions lol) and the crowd was friendly and laid back. Ended up chatting with a few good people outside of our group.
The crowd is pretty diverse with couples and singles boys and girls gays and straights but slightly more straights.
I am definitely going to visit this place more often and highly recommend it.

So, if they market themselves as a cocktail place they should know the difference between an Old Fashioned and a Manhattan, right? So when I ordered an Old Fashioned, the bartender asked if I wanted a perfect one.
What?
So, I said uh, no, I’ll just take a regular one. He seemed to have Jedi mind tricked himself because he snapped out of it and said «you said an Old Fashioned, sorry we have a perfect Manhattan on the menu.»
No harm done, got a pretty decent old fashioned out of it with no further drama. It wasn’t until the second round when someone ordered a drink for me. I wanted an Old Fashioned but the bartender made me their Manhattan, my friend then went back up to correct the mistake but got nothing but grumbles from the bartender. Instead of making the drink that was ordered, he simply just put the Manhattan he made into an old fashioned glass. She didn’t know any better but I did when it hit my lips.
Basically, if you don’t give a shit then it’s going to be a pretty shitty review.

How does this place have 4 stars? Pretty much everything about it sucks. We went around 7pm on a Thursday, and it wasn’t busy at all. I reviewed the cocktail list and asked the bartender for a recommendation. He told me he could make me something based on my taste. I told him I hate sweet drinks and like strong, tart and fresh flavors… like cucumbers, lime, basil, etc. He came back with this nasty sweet concoction that tasted like ass. I immediately returned it and just got an old fashioned. The old fashioned wasn’t terrible, but it also wasn’t that great. Then we decided to get the charcuterie to snack on. We asked the other bartender what kind of meats and cheeses it included, and he said «I don’t know. It always changes, but it’s always good.» Good would not be my adjective of choice. It was the saddest charcuterie board I’ve ever seen. One of the meats was literally deli meat! And one of the cheeses was hard as a rock. It was completely inedible and felt like it was sitting out in open air for two days. We couldn’t even cut through it with the knife. So we told the bartender he could take it back, and he tried arguing with us about the cheese. «It’s a hard cheese.» Listen boo, this ain’t amateur hour. He took it back and then we ordered the deviled eggs. They were small, sad and underwhelming. They were also garnished with dandelions. Yes, dandelions as in the weed. What stoner had that bright idea? We didn’t get charged for the eggs, which was nice (and the reason I gave a pity second star), but I will never be back.

This is a sexy little speakeasy in the basement of a building near the Verizon Center in midtown. Black Friday after exploring the city (not shopping) we were looking to get a drink somewhere that wasn’t your typical Irish place or Ruby Tuesday.
As is the truth with speakeasies, you have to actually FIND the place which appears to be tucked behind another bar and downstairs. The entrance is downstairs but there appears to be 2 floors to the actual place once you get inside. The night we went was absolutely dead for being a Friday night, but oh well. Still a neat spot. Has a very vintage feel to it, with old chandeliers, old wood and wrought iron details. Low lighting and fake flickering candles, wallpaper. The entire place reminds me of a murder mystery/​haunted house.
There are a lot of cool craft cocktails on the menu here, There were flaming lemon rinds in moscow mules and a bunch of agave nectar that I saw. Even the wine was being poured in a fancy way it seemed. A lot of aromatic drinks that were prepped with care. Very cool and not something you see every day, somewhere I would come back to for sure. It’s obvious that since this place is kind of a well kept secret, it should (semi) stay that way. The drinks can’t be made with that much finesse with a ton of people crowding the bar and overwhelming the barkeep, but this doesn’t seem like that type of establishment regardless.

I recently planned a post-​work happy hour with a few colleagues here. I thought we would check out this new bar that I had heard good things about. I wanted to like it, but my experience with the bartender was atrocious.
I worried Brick & Mortar would be difficult to find since it is in the basement of another restaurant. However, there was a sign outside advertising their happy hour specials and signs once you entered the building. It’s in the basement but with an open ceiling to the floor above. There are small tables and a very long bar. Overall, a great set up.
Brick & Mortar’s happy hour specials leave a bit to be desired. It runs from 5 – 7 pm and includes beer, wine, and cocktails — but only certain ones and for $ 6 – 8. If you don’t ask for a menu or the specific specials, you will be charged full price. The happy hour cocktails, which there were 3 of, were listed on the menu. However, for wine and beer, it just specified type. My friend unfortunately discovered upon receiving her bill that you have to ask for the special happy hour wine or beer, not just one that fits the category specified on the menu. So everyone ended up being surprised when they FINALLY received their bills.
The bartender serving our part of the bar was slow as molasses. He was in no hurry what so ever. It took forever to order a drink and then to order another. When I returned to the bar for a second drink, I waited a good 20 minutes before I flagged down the other bartender. In the meantime, the bartender at our end ignored my friends and I waiting and served two sets of women who just came in despite our presence prior. He was truly an atrocious bartender. The drinks just aren’t priced well or tasty enough to make up for this. I don’t expect any of us will be returning.

We ordered a Groupon for a flight of 4 drinks for $ 15. So we went on a Saturday night. The drinks were good. different but good. The tea infused drink was my fav. We ordered small plates of scallops and grits and crab balls. The scallops and grits were cooked to perfection. I was mad I couldnt order a bigger plate.lol. It was seasoned really well and this was the second time I had grits and loved it. The crab bites were just ok. Im from Maryland and it did not come close to our crab cakes or crab balls.
The service sucked at first due to 1 bartender. He was new and seemed like he didnt want to answer our questions. Another bartender assisted us and did a great job. He explained in detail about the flight of drinks we ordered and recommended food dishes.
I will definitely be back

I came here during it’s early opening days, and they hadn’t quite gotten their act together. The place was packed, and the staff seemed completely overwhelmed. It might have been the growing pains of starting up a new place, so hopefully things got better afterwards.
The cocktails were good, but with so many mixologists taking over DC, it’s hard to distinguish great and unique cocktails any more. They’re just as interesting as the next one over.
The place is very dark, especially if you’re coming straight from the outside daylight. So give yourself a couple seconds to adjust before making your way down the stairs, or I can easily see you stumbling down and «making an entrance» you’d probably rather avoid.

This may not be the right sort of place for me, I mean I had my dark basement vampire phase but at this point unless Angel is going to walk in I don’t really see the appeal. Likewise, I understand that others do, during the hour I was there the place really filled up which is great for the business.
I ordered a mixed drink that was OK — one of the folks I met got a drink that they had expected to be sweet but was far, far from it. While I was waiting for folks I asked the bartender what was good she said the BLT and burger. I got the BLT. She had told me it was spicy, which is fine for me. When it arrived I was confused and thought I had gotten a burger because it was on a bun. The bread was the over powering item and unlike at Open Road it was not a good thing. I expected the red to be tomatoes but it was in fact red pepper. The bacon was good but was buried between the pepper and bun physically and taste wise. It is safe to say when I go into this building going forward I am much, much more likely to venture up to say the 4^th floor…

5 stars for the cocktails and service.
My rosemary sour was truly delicious, and the bartender was really awesome. $ 7 happy hour aperitivo cocktails are also a great deal.
However, I would have liked Brick & Mortar to have made the ambiance their own — it really just felt like I was in the old Living Social speakeasy (which was a lame place in my opinion). I didn’t notice any difference in the décor, set up, or vibe of the place.

This could quite possibly be my new favorite bar in the city. Wow. I recently went to Brick and Mortar for some post-​work cocktails with a friend. Brick and Mortar’s schtick is that it’s a speakeasy serving pre-​prohibition cocktails, so I suppose we were destined to be in love anyway. I had the Rosemary Sour, which was superbly mixed, and the Peach Bellini, which was refreshing on a stifling day. I will definitely be back to try more of their featured cocktails!
The atmosphere at Brick and Mortar is low key and laid back with just the right touch of drama. I love the dark brick and the stark contrast with the steel barstools. It’s a place I can see myself going in the dead of winter to warm up, or in the heat of the summer to cool down.
Our bartender was fantastic and friendly. We only ordered the chips, which were delicious, but the rest of the food was so tempting. I’ll definitely be back for more food.
This is an excellent bar that really executes everything well. I can’t wait to go back!

This is DC’s best kept secret. Okay, that was an exaggeration, but this place is certainly a good place to try out.
This place was mildly busy during 6 – 8 PM during the weekdays, but I can see it being cramped during Fridays and Saturdays. There is seating at the bar and several tables along the side. You walk into Prequel and walk past Bluebird Bakery on the right and then past the bathrooms and on the right, there is a staircase that leads to the basement for Brick and Mortar. Don’t worry. This place is well ventilated as there is an opening above the bar for airflow.
The atmosphere is similar to the movies where it is dark and mainly lit by a candle. The black bricks surrounding the space adds more of a darker modern twist to the brown bricked alternative. This is certainly not a hole-​in-​the-​wall, but more of a simple place with a simple plan.
Now, to the good stuff:
I tried 3 of their happy hour cocktails —
Bellini (Peach Nectar) — The most unique of the three in terms of taste. When I think about peach, I think about the generic artificial taste from the grocery stores. However, this taste was a bit unexpected. I was not completely sold on the taste.
Horse’s Neck — A bit on the bitter side, but if you like bourbon, which is the main portion of the cocktail, then you would like this. It felt more like a watered down bourbon with some sweets, but I know there was more depth to it. I cannot pinpoint the exact taste of it as the last cocktail outshined the rest.
Cavondango? — This one turned out to be the freshest and the best one out of the three. It was sweet, but not overly sweet and it was well balanced with the alcohol. It came in a unique glass that interests you. It was a bit pulpy so don’t have that discourage you since the pulp does not congregate to the bottom of the glass. It was a drink that was on point and truly enjoyable. I am more of a wine enthusiast, but this drink made me look at cocktails in a new light.