Shelly’s Back Room

One of the best selections of Scotch and cigars. Food is amazing also bartender is very friendly n prefect bartender for having such a extreme knowledge of all types n pairings.

Best cigar I’ve ever been in. Relaxed, high end food, big cicar selection reasonably priced. You can also bring your own .top notch place

Nice cigar and whiskey joint with good food. Cool atmosphere and was surprised with food. Burgers are good!

One of the best cigar bars I’ve ever been to.
Good drinks. Descent cigar selection but could be better. It was crowded but if you get a couch seat your in good shape.

It is rare I bother with writing a poor performance for an establishment, however if I had the option to pick zero stars believe me I would. I went in yesterday for a quick pint around 5pm before rush hour, and I was treated with such disrespect by the hostesses and bartenders I am still slightly dumbfounded. First, I walk in and the hostess ignored me (there was no one else standing anywhere near the door, not a busy time for the restaurant) and when I finally got her attention I told her I’d just like to go to the bar. My girlfriend and I were escorted to the bar and sat at a small booth. There were several open booths and we picked up our menus to order. We were promptly and curtly told by the bartender that we had to move to the section of the bar that was reserved for parties strictly consisting of two. That’s fine, but if we had known this before we sat, she could have saved us the embarrassment of having us move to the front of the bar. Perhaps instead of lecturing the customer, she should save it for those responsible for seating customer. We then ordered, and for a bar with a reputation for «elegance» and charging $ 7.25 a pint, learn how to properly pour a Guinness, please! My girl and I had but barely finished our first drink before Christina the bartender came whipping around and literally threw down the checkbook. She demanded immediate payment because her shift was about to end, and offered not the slightest hint of apology about it. Okay, so I may not be a middle-​aged white man wearing a Gucci suit ordering a $ 35 cigar and working for the Trump campaign, but have a little respect! We were dressed well, and it was 5:00 pm on a Thursday! Meanwhile, our original seating had been occupied by TWO men (Yes, two! Call the manager…) who also had their checkbook flung at them by Christina the bartender. So, it’s totally cool if these two guys sit at this spot, but not us and we must pay immediately based on the bartender’s request. We will not be returning. I prefer to save my money now and buy my own Guinness, at least I know how to pour it correctly.

Max and I were strolling the streets of DC when we smelled cigar smoke coming out into the streets. I know Max loves a smoke so I acquiesced to his bad habits and we sauntered in for refreshments. Max had his usual, an Autero Fuente Churchill, an eighteen year old Glenfiddich, and a saucer of milk. I settled on a glass of Chardonnay and the crab dip as I had a hankering for some sea food. Okay, it’s a cigar bar. If you don’t smoke or like the smell of smoke — don’t come. But if you long for the days of yore when couples met and had drinks and smokes you’ll love the place. Max and I do — and we hope you do too.

Nice place to grab a drink and have a cigar! It’s nice atmosphere, the air is circulating, so your not over powered by smoke. The staff is very knowledgable, and can recommend cigars. They have a wide variety of cigars,& drinks. If your hungry they have a food menu. They also have outdoor seating for those nice evenings in the city! They also stay open late which makes it great after dinner spot. They gave cozy seats, couches, chairs, tables,& booth seating. An you can pick up a cool cigar box on the way out for a few dollars. I have seen them between 2.00 a dollar or two more for the nicer boxes!

So sad. They wouldn’t let me call in to send a bottle of champagne for a friend’s bachelor party. Fail. And no champagne for my friend. Most hotels and restaurants will.

This might be one of the best cigar bars I’ve ever visited. The whiskey selection was awesome and the they have a great cigar selection.

Fantastic find in this place. Great selection of cigars and great beer selection. The waitstaff was super helpful and friendly and made the experience a relaxing one. Well done. I’ll be back with friends for sure.

Great cigar bar with a full menu. I didn’t see a walk-​in humidor which would have been nice but the waitresses were knowledgable about cigars and will cut/​punch your cigar and offer a torch for lighting. Cigar menu was good. It seems unique now days to be able to enjoy a smoke and a good meal all in the same spot. This place is great.

I have to be fair, so I say okay with a 3 star vote. Perhaps this simply is not overall my kind of place. I don’t really smoke (I have had cigars in the past). We were in town and had made no advance plans, so Shelly’s was a fast smartphone search default.
It is decent bar food-​nothing special and nothing bad-​at least from what we ordered. I think they could put one more handful of fries on the order, fries are cheap and the prices certainly support it. [$ 87.00 lunch for 4 with tip-​not complaining that’s life in the big city]. We had respectively; a burger, sandwich, wrap and a lobster bisque. The food came in a fair amount of time after ordering, the server was attentive and effective (if tiny).
We were there on Saturday 13 Feb, a very cold day outside. It was very cold inside, so cold that I kept wanting to put my coat back on but didn’t want to be a wimp in front of my new wife’s Marine son! [The fireplace seems only decorative and they were doing their part for the environment by not running the buidling heat-​I guess]. I felt like I was having a flashback to a chowhall at gunnery in Grafenwoehr, Germany.
There was also a very strong, soaked into the wood, cigar smell. If that’s not something you can deal with, even on the non-​smoking side – it’s a war stopper.

Cozy cigar lounge with a decent food menu as well. Selection of cigars is excellent and very expansive. The food wasn’t bad, but not exceptionally good either. Overall, a fun way to kill a couple hours in DC.

I don’t know why I like this place so much, since I’m not a smoker! But I’ve really enjoyed hanging out in the bar every time I’ve been here, and their wings are really, really good.
You can also buy empty cigar boxes for $ 2 near the hostess stand, and they’ll sell you fancier ones for $ 5 if you ask.

I understand wanting to save a table for parties of 3 or 4. But when half the tables are open at 11:00 on a Thursday night, why do I have to be told where to sit!
I don’t like to be hearded!
But on to the real 2 star rating. I travel for work all over the world. And i make sure i find a cigar lounge first thing. This place feels like cracker barrel. Hard wood seats, old cloth arm chairs and a Thai waite staff that has that pushy attitude I’ve come to know. The cigar selection looks like a medicine cabinet. But it’s better than Ozio! And pretty much the only cigar lounge downtown DC.
The food is like… bar food. But when you’re the only game in town, I guess you can be that way.

Anytime I have the chance to find a good cigar bar in a city I am visiting, I jump at it.
I was in town on business. I had just finished a great meal at Old Ebbit’s Grill. Unilocal pointed me here for a good cigar.
I love the look of the room. The bartenders made me feel like an old friend. The other patrons at the bar were friendly and talkative (and I felt like it was more locals than out of towners at least where I sat which was cool.
One top shelf El Carillo and Lagavulin later, and I was on top of the world feeling like a big shot.
Thank you to the people of DC for making me feel welcome, and this place was a big reason why.

This is a cigar lounge. Repeat after me. This is a cigar lounge. Okay now that we are all on the same page. Love this place. It’s really hard to find a place where you can sit down and enjoy a nice drink with your cigar. There’s a few outdoor places that I’ve been to that allows you to smoke a cigar but I always get the dirty stares from the people who don’t and only to end up putting out an expensive cigar before I enjoy the whole thing.
This is where Shelly’s Back room is a plus. Everyone who’s here is enjoying their cigar. No dirty stares. Just happy people enjoying their smokes.
On my few visits here it has always been packed unless you come on an off peak hours like a Monday afternoon around 4 pm. It’s has a great atmosphere with a large cigar pairing drink menu (Scotch, Whiskeys, Bourbons etc). The waitstaff has generally been nice to me, service can be a little slow sometimes when it’s busy but it’s never to a point where I feel neglected. Maybe I have more patients than the rest of the reviewers here. I rarely eat after smoking a cigar so I typically will chow down some wings before my smoke so I can still taste it. After that filling my stomach I’ll just kick back and enjoy my Glenmorangie and cigar. Heavenly.
The cigar selection here is decently priced. It’s a little bit more expensive then what you would pay for at a store but hey they got to make a profit as well. I have bought my smokes here a few times now and really didn’t mind the price.
Any cigar smokers will be able to tell you that there is no way in hell that you can enjoy a cigar without smelling like it after that. It doesn’t matter, you will smell like an ashtray when you leave. The trick is to leave the layers outside in your car. I actually leave all of my jackets in the car during the winter months to ensure that my jackets doesn’t smell. Just brave the cold for a few minutes to walk to Shelly’s. I admit its harder to do so when the weather is in the teens outside but you will thank me later when you leave.
It’s really hard to find someone who doesn’t smoke and want to hang out at cigar bar. I typically come here with people who smokes so there’s no complains about the smell. However if you absolutely want to bring someone who doesn’t smoke, try coming during a slower time when there’s less smokers. Ease them into it. LOL

Wow what a find on a cold DC night. First off if you don’t smoke then you need to find another place! This is a true cigar lounge. One of what three left in the city… So I sat at the ordered a beer you know wanted to see what they would recommend. So after looking over the extensive cigar menu I was helped out by one of the staff and let me tell you, he knew his cigars. I have a particular brand that I just adore and it’s hard to find. Hey they have the brand but not the particular one I want and he recommends me one. Hey I’m still a novice at this so the more info the better. Not at all pushy and very helpful.
I settled on one he recommended as I like Nicaragua grown myself, everyone has a different pallet and that’s what I know I like. So he cut it and even lit it with a butane torch. For you none cigar folk, you gotta light them with that or a match. You use a regular lighter it will impart that taste into the cigar. Kudos!!! Wish I had my xikar stuff with me. So half way I order a neat bulleit rye and wow what a pairing. It is a little marked up but hey if it helps keep them around I’ll pay It. My only problem is I wish the filtration was a bit more up-​to-​date. It needs some tlc for the non smokers. I like that I can bring my own. Again if you don’t smoke stay away but if you know anything about a good cigar and bourbon this is your kinda place. Think I’m gonna stop in over the summer and enjoy the patio and people watching in this fun part of the city.

An excellent spot for a cigar, although service can be spotty
They have a very wide selection but you can also bring your own as long as you meet the $ 12 minimum. Most of the servers are helpful and friendly. Decent list of single malts. Good cocktails. Nice place to sit out front in the warmer months.
Several TVs, usually showing sports. They can be very obnoxious about which games are shown.
The kitchen is surprisingly very good. The salmon entrée is excellent. Lots of very good salads, appetizers and snacks. The wings and nachos are also excellent.
It can get very crowded, sometimes no seating is available. Sometimes they have cigar specials on Sundays.
For some reason, cell phone coverage is terrible. Especially if your carrier is AT&T don’t be surprised to miss phone calls. The Wifi, if you can manage to get the password, is very poor.
One of the best places in the DC area to smoke a cigar but could use some improvement. Civil Cigar Lounge and Basin Street Lounge are just as good.
They are open until 3am on weekends, but the kitchen closes much earlier.

TOP FIVES!
5. The ATF has a cigar locker here! I couldn’t decide if that was good or bad for Shelly’s, but it makes sense that the guys who regulate cigars would like them (I wonder if they get the confiscated Cubans?) I forgot to get photo evidence because…
4. I was distracted by the wings! They boasted about the best wings in DC which makes THIS guy skeptical — you shouldn’t have to brag about it if it’s true. But they were very tasty, well-​seasoned with a good spice and a dash of celery seed that brings up hints of Old Bay. Grilled, not fried, and though I prefer fried, 5 star wings!
3. Smoking in the winter! A cigar is a decent 70 – 90 minute commitment, and once it gets into November, ‘outside’ becomes a bummer of a place to enjoy one, at least for my California sensitivities. At Shelly’s, it’s warm inside, the smoke is whisked away, as long as you…
2. spend at least $ 12 a person, which won’t be a problem because the cheapest bottle of wine is about $ 30 (way marked up!). We splurged and bought a few other drinks too, (decent beer and liquors) but the service was a bit spotty. But I guess the minimum is necessary because…
1. you can bring your own cigars and save a few bucks from their choice cigars (marked up as well) I brought my own, so I can’t vouch for the cigar selection, but I’ll probably check it out next time, because I’ll definitely be back!