Not that kind of place: Note the conspicuous "cocktails" placard. Presumably, this helps ward off eager adventurers looking to book their next African safari. (Photo: Google)
Are you young, single, paired-up but looking to let off some steam, or part of a group of friends who want to do the same? Well, there are a spate of bars in Dupont Circle (for all types), but my favorite has always been one that’s a little bit obnoxious, yet for some weird reason seems to yield results – or has in the past (huh, huh).
I’m talking about The Big Hunt on Connecticut Avenue right off Dupont Circle in Northwest.
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It has more than one level, multiple bars and is always rocking with dual Internet jukeboxes. One cool thing about it is that it seems to attract a diverse crowd. Office workers out for happy hours, dudes talking about football or indie rock, chatty girls everywhere you look: in a way, a very typical D.C. crowd, which means anything but.
As part of the bar’s kitsch identity, the walls are festooned with the trappings of a safari. But don’t worry; there’s nothing to fear. The liquor and beer tastes the same, the carousing and pick-up lines likely standard fare. This is a younger crowd of 20- and 30-somethings, though on experience, it probably skews to the former.
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Another thing: The Big Hunt is a microbrew snob’s dream. They offer an amazing 31 beers on draft, and some of these you’ve probably never heard of.
If the hankering for a Bud Light or Corona is there, you can get one of those, but if your taste runs a little more eclectic, you can also down a Bell’s Brewery Two Hearted Ale, quaff a Gaffel Koelsch, sip on a Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout, or even drink a Stillwater Cellar Door Saison. Yes, the Big Hunt will quench your thirst.
(If anyone is keeping count, I’m unsure if Sammy Hagar is on the jukebox, or if they stock Cabo Wabo, the tequila brand he recently sold to Gruppo Campari for more than $90 million dollars over two separate sales. Oh God, does that mean he’s gonna put out more music with Chickenfoot at an accelerated pace?!)
The food here is typical bar grub: burgers, fries, various chicken sandwiches, wings – even pizza, which when you think about it, really isn’t that typical for a bar. Everything is reasonably-priced except, wouldn’t you know it, the pizza. And yes, they even serve veggie burgers. The Big Hunt also has a separate tomatillo menu serving Mexican food like tacos, burritos, quesadillas and nachos.
There is also the X factor: This place is right off the circle, and I think that adds to the place’s lively mien. They regularly host beer-related events and have multiple private spaces available for your personal shindigs as well.
Plus, it helps that it’s not only next to the Dupont Circle Metro station, but it’s a pretty easy place to hail a cab if you need to.
So come with a date, without one or with a group of rowdy friends. Step through the door of The Big Hunt and have a good time in your new apartment in Dupont Circle.
