The Park Hyatt at 24th and M Streets in Washington's West End reopened in June 2006 after a $24 million redesign by Tony Chi, and its restaurant, Blue Duck Tavern, held a Michelin star from the first DC guide in 2017 until about 2020. The bar half is the Blue Duck Lounge, a cocktail bar beside the dining room that pours until midnight every day and doesn't take reservations, so it's the one part of a $180-whole-duck restaurant you can walk into on a Tuesday.
You come in past a sheer curtain printed "BLUEDUCK TAVERN" into a room of dark oak and blue burlap, with a 29-foot Windsor bench along the dining room. The kitchen is open, with a wood-burning oven in the middle and a blue-lacquer Molteni range that the hotel called the first commercial Molteni in Washington when it went in. In front of it is a 12-seat chef's table, and the wine cellar is a glass walk-through. The menu prints the farm next to each dish, Roseda in Maryland for the beef and Hudson Valley for the duck wings.
The Blue Duck Lounge in the West End
The bar at Blue Duck Lounge has a white marble front with dark veining under a wood top, a row of spindle-back Windsor stools and lit glass shelves behind it. A long wooden counter with high stools runs along floor-to-ceiling windows onto the garden, and the glass-enclosed "Capitol Hill" booths flank the bar. The booths are the seats people ask for, and the lounge is first come, first served. The lounge also pours from the Park Hyatt's Tea Cellar, which opened in 2006 with more than 50 single-estate teas and now lists about 20, from Park Signature Da Hong Pao to Silver Needles and Lapsang Souchong.
The Duck Fat Old Fashioned and the Whiskey List
Cocktails run $20 to $24, with one exception. Start with the Duck Fat Old Fashioned ($24): Sazerac Rye, Demerara, Rhubarb Bitters. The Cold Standard ($33) is Grey Goose and 3 g Hackleback Caviar. The Chocolate Negroni ($24) is Gin, Carpano Antica, Gran Classico, Orange, Chocolate Bitters. Two drinks are barrel-aged in house at $23 each, the Boulevardier (Buffalo Trace, Gran Classico, Carpano Antica) and The Upper Chamber (Reposado Tequila, Strega, Sweet and Dry Vermouth, Mezcal). The zero-proof list is $16 a drink and includes a Jalapeño Pineapple Margarita made with Clean & Co. Tequila.
Whiskey is the biggest part of the back bar, with 22 bourbons from Four Roses Yellow Label at $16 to Eagle Rare at $32, 17 ryes up to Whistle Pig Boss Hog at $250, and 16 Scotches up to Macallan 25 at $550. Louis XIII is $175 for half an ounce and $500 for an ounce and a half. For those tracking, a pour and a half of Louis XIII costs more than the whole duck at dinner ($180).
Bone Marrow, Fries and the Apple Pie
The lounge page says food is served until 10pm. The Wood Oven-Roasted Bone Marrow ($45) comes with Onion Bordelaise, Pink Peppercorn and Rye Crumble, and it and the crab cake are what people order most. The Hand-Cut BDT Fries ($15) come with sauce toum and made People's list of the 15 best French fries in America in 2014. There are also Crispy Duck Wings ($22), a BDT Cheeseburger with 5 Spoke Creamery Redmond Cheddar ($30), a charcuterie board ($36, or $48 with local cheeses) and caviar service at $165 or $295.
The Apple Pie is $38 and serves two. It made Food & Wine's list of America's best apple pies in 2013, and recent diners are split on whether it's as good as it used to be. Several diners this year mentioned slow service, and a few thought the prices ran ahead of the plates.
Blue Duck Tavern Hours and Reservations
The Blue Duck Lounge serves drinks daily from 11:30am to midnight, with last call at 11:45pm, and it's walk-in only. For the dining room, book on SevenRooms or OpenTable. Dinner is 5:30 to 10pm every day, lunch is weekdays, and brunch is Saturday and Sunday from 11:30am to 2pm. The dress code is smart casual, and parties of five or more get a 20% service charge. Our other DC reviews include Silver Lyan, another hotel bar, in the old Riggs bank vault, and Service Bar on U Street.
If you bring your own birthday cake, plating it costs $8 a slice.
Photos: Park Hyatt Washington / Blue Duck Tavern, Park Hyatt Washington / Blue Duck Tavern, Park Hyatt Washington / Blue Duck Tavern, Park Hyatt Washington / Blue Duck Tavern
