Some places just feel like a good place to have a drink. One step into Sign of the Whale, and you know you’ve arrived at a place that takes pride in being a bar. They have a pretty big menu here, mainly full of typical bar fare, but the long, narrow space, with the slightly sketchy exterior, tries for a classy but unpretentious vibe. You won’t feel guilty about spending a lot of time here, and since it’s near a ton of offices and a Metro stop, spending time here is easy to do. They claim to be DC’s one and only New York bar and while that claim seems suspect, they do show all the Yankees games here.

See more: Dupont Circle restaurants, Dupont Circle bars, American restaurants, Bar food restaurants