Public Bar

Public bar has no unique qualities, but serves its purpose. One floor has Tvs everywhere, covering any sports event you wish to watch at any given time. The next floor is more of a sweaty dance mess (I mean that in a good way). The top floor has a rooftop, covered during with winter with heat lamps, and open during the summer. I actually enjoy the top floor, although it becomes overwhelmingly crowded on weekend nights.
This is not a place to come with a big group if you’re looking to sit down with your friends and have conversation. This is a place to get your drink on and socialize.

This review is solely for the night club scene. I come here often when I am bar hopping in Dupont Circle.
There are three floor levels. I personally like the rooftop the best. There is a pretty large dance floor and plently of seating. As far as the crowd goes, it is a hit or miss. Some nights the crowd is great. Other nights, the crowd can get a bit awkward. The crowd can be sketchy sometimes.
The music is the best on the rooftop. The first and second floor have the same music playing. The first floor is the least crowed among all the floors.

Came here once on a Saturday night before Easter and it was a chill time. They have a cute little rooftop with seats. Its 3 floors of goodness and the bottom floor has tv screens and all if you want to watch the game. They place good music to kick back, drink, and to catch up with friends.
I will say that they didnt upkeep their seasonal beer which kind of sucked. The menu said summer shandy, but it was pumpkin in March… hmm a bit weird but its ok i still like pumpkin.

I went in for a drink, it was late and the crowd was blah. I’ve been here before years ago and it was live. Maybe Friday nights aren’t the night to be there.

Been here a few times now on a Friday and Saturday night. I’m surprised they aren’t more crowded at these times.
There’s tons of steps — which is the case of many bars around this area, and there are different floors that have different things.
Overall pretty empty though. Went to the rooftop area but it isn’t really a rooftop bar. You’re outside but you don’t have a view, and it is very small and congested. So when people smoke around you, it’s almost like you’re inside.
If my friends want to meet up here then I’ll be back, but I most likely won’t come here as per my own suggestion.
The bouncers were VERY friendly though, and helpful. So that was a good positive.

My bartender, Edra, was just delightful. She was fast, charming, prompt, and just great. I will be back!

As others have mentioned, the bouncer was extremely rude. I understand needing to provide security to a high traffic bar, but a bit of discretion and respect can go a long way when doing something as mundane as ensuring the safety of the bar and its patrons. I attempted to go inside with a group of girlfriends after milling around at 18^th Street Lounge a few doors down, and the bouncer was very unclear as to what kind of actions he was going to be taking to check our belongings and our persons, not to mention being downright unpleasant.
When we expressed our concerns to please be more discrete about our personal property during the security check, he simply dismissed us on our way like we were not following his rules. Good luck to Public on treating your potential patrons as criminals — there are plenty of other great places to go in the Dupont area.

I wish I had looked at the reviews before wandering in here today. A group of us thought it would be good to dip in to get a bite and drink before the fight. If Unilocal allowed you to give negative stars, our experience would have fit the bill. After sitting for 15 minutes and not being asked for drinks or food orders, we decided to leave.
The noise volume was unbearable. The amount of over served people was ridiculous for 6PM.
After I brought it to the attention of the hostess that no one had acknowledged us, she stared right through us and offered no apology. Save your time and don’t go here…

*********BEWARE****** DO NOT USE THE ATM MACHINE HERE!
I needed to get cash and used the ATM machine that is located inside of here. 4 days later, my card info was compromised and someone spent over $ 600 at Best Buy that’s right over there on 14^th street!
This is a card that I seldom use to do anything besides pay bills and I hadn’t used that card since getting money at this ATM. I’m positive it was this shoddy ATM machine and someone rigged it to scan card info from people who use it. BE CAREFUL!!!

Went here on Tuesday for a catch-​up happy hour with my girls and it just so happened to be trivia night. I usually don’t participate in trivia but I decided to tonight. It was a lot of fun! The music was good and the questions weren’t completely random. We came in 3^rd place out of about 10 teams which means… absolutely nothing because you only win something if you’r efirst. The service was good, our waitress was very nice. The food however was just okay. The chicken wings were the driest and most tough wings I’ve had in my life. Next time I know I need to just come for the drinks and a good time, not to eat.

Forgot to hit the gym before your late night drinking? No worries Public has you covered.
Forgot to grab a jacket on a colder than expected night? No worries Public has you covered.
Yes, this bar is located in Dupont in a prime time area so on a good night you can expect to find the place pretty packed but it has three floors that you can roam and has just about two bars on each floor. This is what I would consider to be a mingling bar. You’re not going to always get the best space to dance, you’re not always going to get the best music (dj can be choppy sometimes) but you will get a solid drink and the opportunity to chat it up with that person you made eye contact with.
Like any other Dupont establishment, Public can be hit or miss but it’s pretty easy to tell when it’s a bad night. I’ve had more good nights than bad ones here and I’ve had some pretty chill convo as well. On occasion you’ll get a bro or stuck up chick but that’s dc nightlife for ya.
It’s not my favorite bar in Dupont but it’s A-​OK in my book.

For Happy Hour the food and beer is reasonably priced although obviously a reduced menu. Nothing spectacular on either front. I had a few of their wings which were okay but what drove me insane was that most of their small selection of mundane beers most were bottle and not draft.
I’ll admit that I’m prejudice against bottled beer at a bar when I could have done the same for less at home, but if you aren’t here for the food or the beer what are you here for? There is a rooftop bar, a lounge and a sports bar, but I can think of a few places that are better in that regards as well, so the only reason I can see coming here is after work for happy hour before you migrate to another place.
Service was hit or miss. One waitress was very attentive but on a different floor the bartenders were slow and inattentive. There is enough traffic an indiscriminate cliental that I’m sure they do well enough. If you’re not against German food and beer, I would recommend Sauf Haus Bier Hall right next door. Same concept but German.

Best place to start or end the night. Always our go-​to spot! 3^rd floor at the rooftop is always packed and cramped but 1^st and 2^nd indoor bars are fun too

Prepare for an old timer post, where I rattle my cane and yell at the youngsters who blah blah blah don’t know any better. Public Bar used to be Five, a legendary club where I even DJed. After Five shut down and it was converted into a sports bar I stayed away.
The main room has a crazy amount of TVs and so getting your team’s game on shouldn’t be that much of a problem, if any problem at all. The bartenders that we had were quick to get us our beverages whether they were beers or shots.
The rooftop is home to Sunglass Sundays, which ironically means that even though the club shut down and a sports bar opened up that the roof still continues to have parties and DJs. During summer it seems that a lot of people check the place out.
I still miss Five though. When I was in the main bar area drinking I had flashbacks to the days where I used to DJ in the main room booth that’s no longer there. However if you never knew Five, then you’d probably enjoy this place. I don’t know if I’d go out of my way to watch a game there, but if I was in the hood I’d probably go there or at the very least consider it an option.
I’m going to go have some Metamucil now, this old man needs his fiber.

Bring your walkin’ shoes, there are a lot of stairs to climb, and they are steep. It was odd walking up three floors with no one at all at any of the bars, but then you get to the top, and it’s full of life.
Out on the roof on a warm spring night is very pleasant. It’s entirely open air, but with plenty of canopy covering, which I guess is a choice made so they can stay open during winter/​rains, but it takes away from the vibe when the weather’s nice. Still, it’s a very pleasant atmosphere. I like that the two sides of the roof have different feels, with unique music and all. To your left is more chill with brighter lights and more seating. To the right is a darker, more club-​like atmosphere where they don’t allow much sitting without bottle service.
We’ve been here a couple times and always have fun, but we always leave after one or two drinks. It’s that kind of place. The lower levels do the sports bar thing, with a giant projection screen, so it might be fun for a big game.

Came here on a Thursday just after Happy Hour. I spent most of my time on the 2^nd floor, which had a small bar (only 3 beers on tap – Bud Light, Miller Light, and Blue Moon) and was being catered with food for a private event.
Super typical sports bar, I had an OK time, but not somewhere I’d actively try to come back to. From the drinks to the food to the ambiance, everything was just completely unremarkable. I can’t believe the lines on weekends for this place – definitely not getting what’s so great!
Service was OK – once you got their attention everything came quickly. Other reviews mention the rooftop level and World Cup viewing, if I’m around I might come back for either of those, but definitely not on a random weekend just to get in.
Shining star for prices though – HH rate for beer was $ 3/​bottle and $ 4 for anything on tap.

Was here last night with some friends. Drinks were watered down and the place was packed, but we found some room to dance. A few other friends weren’t allowed up to the third floor which really made the night hard to enjoy, with half upstairs and half downstairs. We had laid our jackets on a chair and were dancing right next to them. All of a sudden a bouncer comes over and makes us pick up our jacket, ok fine. But then he gets in my friends face threatening him for no reason. We noticed that one jacket was missing so I asked the waitress (?) if I could just take a look for his jacket. Her answer, paraphrased, was «You left your jacket in the VIP section and you aren’t VIP. What the fuck did you think was going to happen?»
Um. What. We closed our tabs quickly and left. That is no way to treat people. We asked nicely and were met with hostile words and actions.

This place gets VERY crowded. Its multi level so a bunch of drunk people going up and down narrow staircases is just a big mess. My favorite was the top floor. It seemed bigger and they had better music playing! I had a great time after finding a small area that was behind packed.
Drinks or normal priced, around $ 10 each. The crowd was mid to l ate 20’s, perfect for my group of friends. There was no cover when i went on Saturday night!

My partner and I wanted to go to a bar that would play the UGA vs. GA TECH game, and public bar popped up on my search engine. The ambiance is totally awesome and cozy. Each table has their own TVs to watch whatever game they want to watch and a huge projector by the bar. The appetizers are delicious. I ordered the sliders and my partner ordered the wings. I was very satisfied with both.
It was a bit chilly on the second floor, but completely warm on the third floor. The third floor is full of couches so it gives off the vibe that you’re at home watching the game. Pretty awesome. The bathrooms were dirty on the third floor however. Overall, I’d come back to watch more games.

Went here on a rainy & stormy Wed evening for a quick bite con mi hijo.
We liked that that there were multiple HD TV’s with various MLB & soccer games.
They a large prjection screen they use during the regular NFL season… Redskins…duh.
They have Direct TV & thus NFL Sunday ticket so you can see your fav team on game day.
We were met by a friendly and professional greeter/​bouncer body guard.
He could have been a former wrestler, who knows.
Mi hijo had the Turkey club, I opted for the Carolina BBQ burger.
What a great burger, nice sized, hearty and tasty, more than enough for a filling meal.
I tried my first DC Brau beer, not a fan of the ultra hoppy beer.
Wednesday is trivia night so we joined in and enjoyed it.
This place is clean and more on the upscale casual side.
The downstairs is somewhat loud, they have music blasting… even during the trivia. A nice well stocked bar and several bar tenders and backs.
The upstairs is more subdued and causal and seemed more for the ‘quiet conversation’ set aware from the downstairs buzz.
A somewhat limited but interesting menu and a nice choice for this neigborhood that seems to cater to the college crowd. Disapponting lack of draft beer choices and specifically local craft beers.