The Fireplace
The convenient jumping-off point for nearby nightclub Apex. Tends to attract regulars who gather around the cozy downstairs bar. Yes, there is a real fireplace. Perhaps the most unassuming bar in D.C., and certainly among the most consistently fun.
Your support makes our travel guides possible
We believe that LGBTQ+ people deserve safe vacations that allow them to be their authentic selves. That's why our City Guides aren't locked behind a paywall. Can you contribute today?
Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated
Reviews
Add a review
Mixed Bag
Strange...why does the clientel segregate it self ? I've never been a wall flower and refuse to segregate myself. I enjoyed both bars. Decide to have a good time and you will. Ignore any attitudes and proceed. Music on both floors differs. Bartenders should be better. Drinks..ok. Crowd is what you see is what you get.
Fun & Friendly
I love this bar. Upstairs and downstairs are as different as east and west cost. Mostly black upstairs, but if you are intimidated by color you will have more fun up than down stairs. Warning upstairs can get very crowded. If you are not being social then you need to check yourself.
My fave!
I stop here everytime I am in WDC. I tell everyone I know about this place. Storng drinks, great time. Older crowd downstairs, mostly black upstairs. I love...LOVE this place!
This is the reason why you can't believe everything you hear or see. The bar is mostly black...yes. The 1st and 2nd floors are totally different....yes. but, the people are street people. I've met everything from teachers to doctors there. It's not your place to go if you prefer to dance. but, it's a pretty chill place to go to sit and have a drink and maybe meet someone new.
They Just Care
I am in D.C. for four weeks and thought I'd check out a local neighboor bar. The Fireplace bar, in my opion, is one place not to go. Both times I went, the bartenders barely looked up, and seemed to not care if they had business or not. The last time I went, I asked for a tall Bloody Mary, so the "bartender" poured a small can of tomatoe glass into a small glass of ice, splashed it with vodka, and that was it--nothing tall about it; in fact, not a Bloody Mary at all. AND, if you need to use the ATM it will only give you $50.00, which the machine doesn't even dispense--you have to take a slip up to the "bartender" where they take their cut for the drinks and give you the change from the $50.00. Also, a loud, obnoxious guy was sitting at the bar creaming his face quite heavily with white goop that turned out to be sunblock. It took him at least half an hour to rub it all in. I love weirdness and dive bars, but this isn't just a cool dive kinda place. It reeks of bad bar service and Welfare types who probably start their days there at 1 PM when it opens. Put your money somewhere else, honestly.