The Best Wine Bars in Washington, by the Record

The restroom walls are lined with illustrated wine descriptions, which tells you exactly what kind of neighborhood restaurant this is. A cozy Columbia Heights pasta house and wine bar, Reveler's Hour runs a rotating slate of seasonal Italian small plates under arched ceilings and muted green tiles. The sommelier who co-owns the place steers you toward bottles you've never encountered, and the housemade pasta is the thing to build an order around.

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A wine bar in Middleburg horse country with over 70 pours by the glass, though the food holds its own against the list. Snacks lean indulgent, and the bigger plates, duck confit, lobster curry, hanger steak au poivre, are serious enough that calling this a wine bar starts to feel like underselling it. The chef's cocktail policy runs "no fru fru," which apparently still leaves room for mezcal, Chartreuse, and Aperol in one glass.

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