barmini by José Andrés

This is one of the best places I have been in my life, it excels in every way possible... quality of food, service, experience, etc. It’s worth every cent. Very very recommended if you want to have a great time.

The atmosphere & exclusivity of this bar were very exciting! The staff was very accommodating & pleasant. We all got the drink flight & were amazed by the presentation of it. But.....the drinks were not amazing. One or two drinks were really good, but the rest were either too flowery or not flavorful enough. I might go again, but my expectations won't be as high.

While the ambiance is nice and they put on a nice show, the quality of the cocktails in the flight was mediocre. The service was also rushed and the cocktails didn’t flow well together. With no snacks or palate cleanser in between the cocktails, the transitions were often jarring. There are too many good cocktails in this town for a chef as good as Andres to allow such a poorly curated cocktail flight.

A totally unique culinary experience. From the almost speakeasy type entrance, it's different. We entered a white draped room before being brought into the cooking and eating room. There was a large staff of chefs and attendants, busily preparing for the seating. A total of 12 places were available at the L-shaped bar. Patrons were from multiple states and countries. In total there were over 2 dozen exquisitely crafted tastes, paired with beverages from non alcoholic to multiple levels of wine. The seating took approximately 2 hours, and included a visit to the attached minibar. Minibar offered a similar level of cocktails, plus is where a dessert vessel and the final check was delivered with its own flair. A once in a lifetime experience.

Barmini (50 Best Discovery and a nominee for the Tales of a Cocktail Spirit Award for Best American Bar - East) is Chef José Andrés’ cocktail bar adjacent to his two star Michelin restaurant minibar in DC. The bar offers both cocktail flights as well as a la carte options and their drinks range from classic to modern. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to do the cocktail flight, but we were still able to sample some of their innovative cocktails like the Floral Cloud cocktail with gin, lemon, crème de violette, maraschino and hibiscus cloud, and the Divine Wind cocktail with chrysanthemum Shochu, orange liqueur, butterfly pea, citrus singani and according to them, even magic. They also have inventive bar snacks like the waffle with A1 wagyu and the bartenders are really friendly and attentive. DC may not be the most exciting city when it comes to food and drinks and this place may be on the pricier side, but it’s definitely worth checking out. Just make sure you reserve ahead of time because we saw people waiting for seats even at 11pm on a Tuesday.