One of the Best Lunches Ever — with Great Views in Washington, D.C.

A few days before departing for this year’s Freddie Awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., I found a great tidbit in one of Gary Leff’s posts.

He mentioned the Hotel Washington (formerly the W Washington D.C., formerly the Hotel Washington the first go around) and its “rooftop lounge which features one of the best views in the city.”

I’m pretty much sold on “rooftop” anything (despite a fear of heights)! After a long sightseeing walk on Freddie Awards morning, I dropped by Vue (the rooftop lounge in question) for a quick lunch. What a fantastic treat it was! Here’s my experience.

Where is Vue?

Vue Rooftop DC is located atop the Hotel Washington at 515 15th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. It’s between F Street NW and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The US Treasury Department is across the street to the west.

Here’s their website.

The Hotel Washington opened more than a hundred years ago and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Lunch with a Vue

I immediately got the cool, hip W vibe that’s still in the Hotel Washington’s lobby. I took the elevator to the top floor; Vue’s hostess warmly greeted me.

There are two (big) bars and three rows of seats: one with tables next to the rooftop’s edge, the next with tables in the bar’s middle, and a row of booths along the wall.

A quick tip: try to secure a reservation. The bar wasn’t too busy when I showed up around 12:45 PM and I was able to get a table. But those with reservations seemed to enjoy better tables and views.

The views, are indeed, pretty amazing.

Some of my lunchtime entertainment included watching snipers walkabout the White House roof.

Me being me, I ordered a Buffalo Trace Old Fashioned.

It truly was one of the best drinks I’ve ever had. My gosh, it was great.

Regular readers of this blog also won’t be surprised that I ordered a hamburger. The Vue Burger comes with truffle mayo, bacon, gouda, onion jam, lettuce, oyster mushroom, and pickles. (I asked for the mayo on the side.)

This burger was outstanding. Like, Gordon Ramsay Pub good.

I ordered the burger medium rare. The sandwich held its flavor and juiciness all the way to the last few bites.

For dessert, I treated myself to another stellar Old Fashioned.

This is a rather upscale place — where you pay for great food, great drinks, and great views. My lunch ran me $93 before tip. (And the service was fantastic.)

I journeyed to Off the Record at The Hay-Adams the night before — and I enjoyed myself. But I don’t know that I’ll burn a trail back there anytime soon.

But this really was one of my favorite lunches — not just during my travels but all time. I loved the views, service, food, and drinks.

Vue, however, is now on my must-visit-everytime list whenever I’m in D.C.