Upper Northwest

Cleveland Park's pool hall has weird futuristic decor, a few good microbrews on tap, and pool, shuffleboard, and darts. The pool tables are a bit expensive, and there is no kitchen if you are hungry, but it's a good option for a fun night nonetheless.

It has all you could want of a basement-level dive bar: pool, ping pong, good sandwiches, relaxed and friendly atmosphere—except it's clean and attractive. Happy hour: 4PM-7PM daily.

Friendship Height's is a rather parched part of town, but Chadwick's, a local area chainlet, is always a good bet for a drink in a traditional American environment. And nothing goes better with your beer than one of their great hamburgers.

Just across the street from that other Irish Pub, Nanny O'Briens, is a Cleveland Park fixture for over thirty years. Live music F-Sa. Trivia quiz W 8:30PM.

Whether to go to Irelands Four Fields or to Nanny O'Brien's is a matter of taste. The former is very crowded, a little rowdy, and noisy, while this one is more laid back. But perhaps the main reason to choose O'Brien's is for the excellent beers on tap. Monday night Irish jam sessions.

Right across the street from the Zoo, amazingly, is a great dive bar really, there is a dive bar across from the Zoo with live blues Th-Sa Th is the big, open blues jam session. It really should be emphasized, given just how yuppie and touristy this part of town is, it's a real dive bar—dirty, down-to-earth, unpretentious, and very neighborhoody.