We went to Cortez for NYE and I couldn't have had a better experience. The event ticket was an open bar for $60 for the whole night, the bartenders were friendly and in a festive mood, and I can't wait to go back! We went to Cortez once before during the Halloween weekend and had a great time then as well. Really well made drinks and snacks. A true gem in the middle of DC!
Bill Kindig
Super chill home town tequila bar vibe.
F Simp
Great drinks ? and diverse atmosphere!
Meg Gargulinski
I’ve been here a few times and have loved it every time! I held a birthday party here. You can reserve half the rooftop for free! It was such a great experience. We loved the drinks and service. It’s usually very empty - not a lot of people there. So if you have a big group, it’s awesome because you can pretty much have the place to yourself! It also has great views of the Monument. I’ve heard the margs are really good too.
Nora M.
Nice, cheap, happy hour, bartender was great! I could not drink and he made me a virgin drink and made it look like a cocktail for me. It was so good that my friend ordered my drink and added rum lol. You place your order at the bar with the bartender, there are QR code's everywhere. Then somebody else brings you the food. You can mix the tacos anyway you like. I got one chicken and two fish. The chicken was okay. The fish was good but they put way too much slaw. I would a still order again and just brush some slaw off. Great experience overall. We sat on the roof, it's half covered, half uncovered. Conveniently for us we sat on the covered side and it began to drizzle in and out. My only con is I kind of got stuck in the bathroom on the main floor, lower level. The doors are odd. I wish I took a photo. I would definitely return!
Divine C.
Nice vibe on a summer day. The many fans blowing in the rooftop make it more comfortable. The tacos are pretty good too!
Chell H.
Uuuuhhh what was that?? I was browsing Instagram and saw this cute rooftop bar in the area. I'm always in the Shaw area and never noticed this bar. When we arrived, no one greeted us so we just seated ourselves. After about 10 minutes we noticed no one came over to take our order or anything. The person at the table next to us said we had to order at the bar (which is fine, but there was nothing indicating to do that). I had a fish taco and a frozen margarita. The taco was okay but the margarita taste like flavored water. I had a dry experience and have no reason to come back.
Cluttered and the guy’s attention was else where and didn’t assist at all.
Hunter B.
This place was real cool. The happy hour was good in terms of price and hours. This place has a rooftop deck but it is small and sections were rented out already so even less space. I would definitely go back for happy hour here, not sure how much room there would be on the roof on a weekend though.
Kiana M.
Went here this Saturday (5/8/21) for drinks with the fam and friends.... This bar is small - with a cool, calm and collective ambiance. 2.5 floors - the half floor was the small but cute rooftop. We were seated on the second floor, close to the rooftop, but still indoors. People are allowed to rent out the entire rooftop for personal events, so the bartender sat us closest to the outdoor rooftop. It ended up being an hour before the private party arrived so this bartender ended up letting everyone chill there for 50 mins. Customer service was great! Some people in my party ordered their infamous $5 tacos. The fish taco was a hit with everyone, but the beef taco wasn't. The bartender replaced everyone's beef taco with a new fish taco. We ordered a pitcher of SHOT GIRL SUMMER cocktail. I personally LOVED IT! It was fresh and fruity. Some ppl in my party thought it was too citrusy... I'm not a tequila drinker and this cocktail hid the tequila flavor! We also ordered the $9 beer and tequila shot. It comes with a lime on your beer and tequila shot. I personally can't stand taking shots LOL. Too old for that now. I squeezed the lime into my shot of tequila and then squeezed the other lime into my Mexican beer... I added them both together and BANG! A decent tasting tequila beer cocktail LOL!!! All in all, this bar was nice! I had a good time here and would definitely recommend if you're in the DC area.
An A.
Cortez is a hidden, local gem! It's tucked away off the main artery of Shaw, and you'd never know it was a bar. This review is only for the rooftop, which has a covered, almost inside space and an outdoor space. While there are limited food options for Happy Hour ($5 small tacos and expensive chips & salsa) the drinks are good. They also have pitchers! It's a great neighborhood hangout that isn't too crowded. We had the margarita and Hot Girl Summer, which was a mango-jalapeno cocktail. Service was also pretty attentive. Adding this spot to my after-work happy hour list!
Great rooftop, great server, ok mixed drinks
We went to Cortez for NYE and I couldn't have had a better experience. The event ticket was an open bar for $60 for the whole night, the bartenders were friendly and in a festive mood, and I can't wait to go back! We went to Cortez once before during the Halloween weekend and had a great time then as well. Really well made drinks and snacks. A true gem in the middle of DC!
Super chill home town tequila bar vibe.
Great drinks ? and diverse atmosphere!
I’ve been here a few times and have loved it every time! I held a birthday party here. You can reserve half the rooftop for free! It was such a great experience. We loved the drinks and service. It’s usually very empty - not a lot of people there. So if you have a big group, it’s awesome because you can pretty much have the place to yourself! It also has great views of the Monument. I’ve heard the margs are really good too.
Nice, cheap, happy hour, bartender was great! I could not drink and he made me a virgin drink and made it look like a cocktail for me. It was so good that my friend ordered my drink and added rum lol. You place your order at the bar with the bartender, there are QR code's everywhere. Then somebody else brings you the food. You can mix the tacos anyway you like. I got one chicken and two fish. The chicken was okay. The fish was good but they put way too much slaw. I would a still order again and just brush some slaw off. Great experience overall. We sat on the roof, it's half covered, half uncovered. Conveniently for us we sat on the covered side and it began to drizzle in and out. My only con is I kind of got stuck in the bathroom on the main floor, lower level. The doors are odd. I wish I took a photo. I would definitely return!
Nice vibe on a summer day. The many fans blowing in the rooftop make it more comfortable. The tacos are pretty good too!
Uuuuhhh what was that?? I was browsing Instagram and saw this cute rooftop bar in the area. I'm always in the Shaw area and never noticed this bar. When we arrived, no one greeted us so we just seated ourselves. After about 10 minutes we noticed no one came over to take our order or anything. The person at the table next to us said we had to order at the bar (which is fine, but there was nothing indicating to do that). I had a fish taco and a frozen margarita. The taco was okay but the margarita taste like flavored water. I had a dry experience and have no reason to come back.
Have the hibiscus margarita!
Good food. Great little roof
Restaurantji Recommends
Cluttered and the guy’s attention was else where and didn’t assist at all.
This place was real cool. The happy hour was good in terms of price and hours. This place has a rooftop deck but it is small and sections were rented out already so even less space. I would definitely go back for happy hour here, not sure how much room there would be on the roof on a weekend though.
Went here this Saturday (5/8/21) for drinks with the fam and friends.... This bar is small - with a cool, calm and collective ambiance. 2.5 floors - the half floor was the small but cute rooftop. We were seated on the second floor, close to the rooftop, but still indoors. People are allowed to rent out the entire rooftop for personal events, so the bartender sat us closest to the outdoor rooftop. It ended up being an hour before the private party arrived so this bartender ended up letting everyone chill there for 50 mins. Customer service was great! Some people in my party ordered their infamous $5 tacos. The fish taco was a hit with everyone, but the beef taco wasn't. The bartender replaced everyone's beef taco with a new fish taco. We ordered a pitcher of SHOT GIRL SUMMER cocktail. I personally LOVED IT! It was fresh and fruity. Some ppl in my party thought it was too citrusy... I'm not a tequila drinker and this cocktail hid the tequila flavor! We also ordered the $9 beer and tequila shot. It comes with a lime on your beer and tequila shot. I personally can't stand taking shots LOL. Too old for that now. I squeezed the lime into my shot of tequila and then squeezed the other lime into my Mexican beer... I added them both together and BANG! A decent tasting tequila beer cocktail LOL!!! All in all, this bar was nice! I had a good time here and would definitely recommend if you're in the DC area.
Cortez is a hidden, local gem! It's tucked away off the main artery of Shaw, and you'd never know it was a bar. This review is only for the rooftop, which has a covered, almost inside space and an outdoor space. While there are limited food options for Happy Hour ($5 small tacos and expensive chips & salsa) the drinks are good. They also have pitchers! It's a great neighborhood hangout that isn't too crowded. We had the margarita and Hot Girl Summer, which was a mango-jalapeno cocktail. Service was also pretty attentive. Adding this spot to my after-work happy hour list!
Cute place, good for happy hour!