Down a staircase beneath the whiskey bar Barrel on Pennsylvania Avenue SE, a new 28-seat speakeasy called The Bit opened Thursday, operating as a cocktail lounge. Velvety olive couches and framed photos of old Hollywood stars drinking fill the intimate room at 613 Pennsylvania Ave. SE.
The Bit is a cocktail lounge.
The Bit's Interior
Framed photos of old Hollywood stars drinking hang on the walls.
The bar offers martinis and other cocktails.
Original Cocktails
The bar's menu includes cocktails.
The Bit also has food options. Barrel is listed at the same address.
Food and Drink
The Bit offers food and drinks.
The Bit has about 28 seats. Barrel has a significant whisky collection, and it appears in Whisky Advocate's 2026 edition of America's Top Whisky Bars.
Part of a Bigger Capitol Hill Footprint
Weiss, who lives and works on the Hill and owns restaurants and bars, also owns the Capitol Hill watering hole Union Pub and Dupont Circle's McClellan's Retreat, according to a Weiss profile. He and business partner Mike Schuster also opened The Eastern, a wine bar with about 50 indoor seats and 20 outdoor seats about 800 feet down Pennsylvania Avenue from Barrel near Eastern Market, in July 2019, per Barred in DC.
The Bit is an intimate, spirit-focused drinking room on Capitol Hill.
Whether The Bit can hold its own weeknight crowd may hinge on broader habits among Hill staffers and residents.
