Le Bar

Trying to kill some time before a show on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, my husband and I had a bit of trouble finding a place that was open. Le Bar was open and not too too busy outside. However, there was only one waitress working outside and, I believe, some portion of inside.We waited a bit of time for our drinks, but our waitress automatically comped us, which was a really nice and unexpected gesture. We stayed for a second round.I loved my Ginger Road, and the Go Orange was also lovely. Some of the high tops outside had super wobbly chairs, so watch out, especially if you're trying to sit on one with a cushion.Be sure to use the bathroom inside the hotel. Super swanky.

Atmosphere is bright and classy. Comfortable seating that remains intimate.Caters to the older after work crowd, which is reflected in the prices and sophistication. If you're people watching, this is a great place. Heard plenty about the coming administrative changes and side business dealings while I was here.There is plenty to choose from on the drinks menu, but one of the masters of the menu took my order and made a drink based on what I was desiring at the moment. She made an amazing drink, sour and bitter while still palatable. I tried the Citrouille next, since it involved some ingredient combos I'd never encountered. Pumpkin purée, it's a winner!The trip of bar appetizers the serve is absolutely delicious too.I'll be coming back to try more of their drinks for sure!

More like "Le Indifference!"The staff at Le Bar, on my last visit, could not be bothered to acknowledge my existence much less get me a drink. Meanwhile, all around me at the bar folks were being given gratis snacks and served their libations promptly.When smoke was on the verge of pouring out of my ears (a la steaming mad cartoon character style) I finally got the attention of a manager long enough to have him toss a menu in my direction.Too bad he never came back to actually take my order.Le Bar, we're through. You've jilted me and I don't just forgive and forget. Especially when you deny my complimentary nibbles. You best believe I'm holding a grudge.

After my experience here Friday night, I have no clue why anyone would choose this bar out of the thousands in DC that are worlds ahead in all measures.Pretty much the only way the service could have been worse would be if the server had made a racial slur or sexually harassed us. I arrived early to meet a friend, and sat at a table in the bar area. After five minutes of waiting I changed my mind and decided to sit outside, but it wasn't a problem because no one had even greeted me yet. I moved outside, my friend joined me, and we waited ten more minutes with nothing. I went inside to ask whether we needed to order at the bar, or whether there was service on the patio. The woman looked at me with a clueless stare. Eventually someone with zero personality or warmth came to take our order. He did not know if there were HH specials, and after returning with them, we asked if one of the four wines on the HH list was a red or white, he clearly did not know but tried to make something up. Terrible.To add insult to injury, this place is heart-wrenchingly expensive, even for DC. Their "happy hour" wines were priced at $11, which is a joke. Regular wine list is $13 and up, and cocktails for $15. I have and will continue to pay those prices, but not at places where I practically have to beg someone to bring me a $15 glass of wine. NEXT.

The prices for the wine and alcohol are in the $13-$18 region so quite pricey. The location is good, service good, but the food is mediocre at best. I had the seared octopus which felt haphazardly thrown together with potatoes broccoli and some sort of orange sauce. Some pieces were quite fit she is well I had to take a gulp of my wine to cleanse my palate. And I half the Serano ham on baguette but instead of including the cheese they had tomato slices it just felt haphazard and Illplanned. I had the frites as well those were the best thing. For the prices this should be a much better dining experience. The ambience was very nice you could have conversations until the young typically loud Americans come in and start speaking at the top of their lungs. (I'm American btw, lol, we are just so loud). This could have been better. The servers are excellent and attentive.

I stayed at the Sofitel. I was happy Le Bar was in my hotel. They make a mean vodka tonic. The atmosphere was great. The staff was super friendly. On my last day of stay I hovered around the perimeter waiting for my shuttle. The server brought me water even though he knew I was leaving. I appreciated the thought.I would definitely recommend.

I stopped in Le Bar at the Sofitel for the last day of DC Cocktail Week. I tried the featured cocktail: the Saint Germain. It was good. Cucumber, citrus, vodka, St. Germain, all muddled together and topped with a cucumber wheel. It was good. I ate up all the bar snacks as well. Popcorn, olives, mixed nuts/sesmae stix/goldfish.Pretty good happy hour. I'd return.

I'm a fan of this quite, classy hotel lounge.It's a great place to converse and enjoy some tasty specialty cocktails. You can chill by the bar, sit at the table or lounge on the sofa.Asian pear martini and mango martini are my favorites. These are no girly drinks, mind you. They are deceivingly strong and will knock you out. Image conscious male drinkers should prove their toughness just by trying them out.By the way, if you're looking for a wild night out with a pumped up crowd, Le Bar won't be your destination. Instead, It's a very nice choice for a low key night over drinks.it normally closes at midnight, but you might get lucky as they sometimes do stay open till 1 am to make sure everyone drains their glasses---especially when Olga, a super chill bar tender, is manning the lounge.By dropping in on a random Saturday night, you just might be able to enjoy the extended drinking hour.

If you are looking fabulous, and feeling fabulous and want to feel even more fabulous- this is THE bar to go to. Located inside the Sofitel Lafayette Hotel, this place is swank-er-iffic. Le Bar is so much more than your typical hotel lobby bar.The decor is lovely- the wood is a dark mahogany (and with the high end of the hotel, is probably real) and the fabrics are deep jewel tones. The seats are soft and cushy. And somehow they made a place with really high ceilings feel intimate.Food wise, the dishes here suffice with their salads and requisite cheese plate. The drinks are the highlight. My fave? The Lafayette with pineapple juice, grenadine and Stoli Razz. Bartender. Oh, and they have Stella Artois on TAP, people. Bartender, pour me another.

This bar has a very nice, clean, metro feel to it, but still manages to be cozy. I met a friend here and the place seemed to be packed, but we found some empty tables at the back. We had relaxed and started enjoying the complementary snacks when a waitress greeted us and inquired if we were with "The Party". Unfortunately, we were not with The Party, and we admitted as much. To her credit, our waitress did not summarily boot us from the "privatized" rear area of the bar -- she went off and found space for us with the rest of the plebes. After this small snafu (caused by the fact that the space wasn't visibly subdivided into public and private areas) we were able to order two flights of white wine. Considering that individual glasses of white wine started at $11, and the flight of three cost $23, we figured we were doing the right thing. It's true that the pours for the flight are less than a full glass, but still we did well. The wines on the flight ranged from pretty good to yummy.To further prove that we could enjoy the bar at Sofitel and not spend a fortune we decided to split the sliders -- four sliders at around $12. These were adorable tiny burgers complete with cheese, lettuce and tomato, and a fabulous "tree" of condiments.Unlike Miriam W.'s awful experience with service here, our waitress was friendly and attentive. At least she was, until she went off duty. After we hit the witching hour and decided it was time to pay up and leave, there was not a wait person to be seen. In fact, a mob of people ejected from the "privatized" area had formed a smoke screen between us and the bar and wait station, so we really hadn't a prayer of getting anyone's attention. I had to get up to go request the check. Worse, I also had to get up and go find someone to give our money to. We left a decent tip, even though it appeared that the waitress who had actually done most of the work for us was no longer around to see it. Thankfully, my companion knew the menu and we got the best bang for our buck that we could, and in the end I have to say that I had a pleasant evening at Le Bar.