The Saloon

Its a nice bar with good food. I am not a vegetarian, but their fried mushrooms are dynamite in your mouth. Good drink selection, generally just a nice place to eat and have a conversation.

This place is great if a conversation is what you are looking for. They have a few ground rules here that are set up to aid in this concept.
1. No TV
2. No phones!
3. No standing in a crowding the bar.

It sounds kind of crazy at first but I wish more places would do this. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my phone! But it's nice to put it away sometimes and just have a good real life convo.

Other than that, I'd have to say they have the best draft beer in DC and a really cool staff. It's a great place to go and I highly recommend it!

The Saloon is one of those U Street haunts that you just kind of stumble upon.  Definitely no plans to go to Saloon, actually didn't even know it existed but glad I was able to give it a shot.

The Saloon is part no thrills bar and apparently part humanitarian effort, the entire place is filled with bricks that are signed by people who donate money to help build schools in underprivileged places.

No TVs, no jukeboxes, just a huge selection of beers from around the world and a place for you to enjoy the company of others.  

Hard to really describe the feel unless you're actually there but definitely worth a visit even if it just to say you somehow helped some poor kid get their school built.