Kramerbooks & Afterwords Café Happy Hour — Dupont Circle, Washington, DC

The happy hour

Mon–Fri	3–6 PM

Drinks

$5 draft beers
$8 house wine by the glass
$9 cocktails
$10 rotating featured cocktail

Food

$10 pizzas
$3 off all starters

Open 24 hours on weekends. A DC institution — one of the last great independent bookstore-cafés in America. Live music some evenings.

Deal last verified June 2026 (QA).

The space

Photos: Google Maps

The vibe

A DC institution since 1976, this beloved bookstore-café hybrid is one of the most unique happy hour settings in the city — drink among the shelves of an independent bookstore that's been a gathering place for Dupont Circle's intellectual community for decades. The café runs 24 hours on weekends and has been a meeting spot for everyone from politicians to professors.

Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Cozy
Hip
Good for groups
Known for cocktails
Live music
Google: happy hour drinks
Google: happy hour food
Late-night food
Vegetarian options
Takes reservations
Outdoor seating

Is that score good?

Almost everywhere scores 4–5 stars, so each site's score is shown against every venue in the Atlas rated on that site — here in Washington, DC, and across the US. The gold bar is this spot.

GOOGLE ★ 4.5 4,829 ratings ↗

In Washington, DC 105 rated venues At the median

4.0 THIS SPOT 4.5 4.9

Rated higher than 44% · tied with 27% · lower than 29% of the others · median ★ 4.5

Across the US 2,042 rated venues At the median

3.1 3.5 4.0 THIS SPOT 4.5 5.0

Rated higher than 34% · tied with 23% · lower than 44% of the others · median ★ 4.5

Each bar counts venues at that rating (0.1-star steps), lowest on the left; the curve starts at the lowest score anyone has. Ratings captured October 7, 2026.

Getting there

1517 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 · (202) 387-1400

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