bars

Stepping into The Board Room in Arlington, you hear competitive cheers and laughter, the clink of glasses. You smell someone’s adobo mint-grilled lamb chops and mint yogurt on its way to a table. Patrons wander the floor and gather around games, rolling up their sleeves for friendly competition.

The Board Room in Clarendon wants you to come have a drink, share a plate, put your smart phone away and play a game with friends or soon-to-be friends. In the video above, Drew Carpenter of the Keri Shull Team takes us inside Board Room.

Owner Mark Handwerger has been in the restaurant business in the area of Ballston and Clarendon for over 22 years. According to Mark, the clientele in Arlington is “intelligent folks looking to go out and do something fun that they can’t get anywhere else.”

Note that although their Dupont Circle location in D.C. is a hangout where you can take your own food and drink, the Board Room in Clarendon has its own full kitchen with a long, mouthwatering menu. The Board Room in Clarendon cannot allow outside food and drink, so plan to eat there.

When the now-closed Sehkraft Brewery left this space they also left behind their distilling equipment, which is why Board Room can offer their own “Board Room Brews.”

Borrow From the Game Library

Have a warm salted pretzel with your game of Carcassone, or try a spicy black bean burger while waiting for your turn in Settlers of Catan. Test your coordination with a game of Jenga. Have a laugh with a drink and a round of Cards Against Humanity. The Board Room also stocks staple classics like checkers, chess, Risk and Monopoly, of course. You can also play towering, oversized games of Connect 4 and Jenga.

At the Board Room you can get cozy with nostalgic childhood board games or get competitive with complex grown-up board games that will test your strategic mettle.

In all, Board Room’s Arlington location offers a game library of over 100 board games. Most cost $2 to rent. If the Board Room doesn’t have your favorite game — if you’re a Cones of Dunshire connoisseur, for example — feel free to bring your own box from home.

If during the evening you want a change of pace to celebrate defeating your friends at Scrabble, Ms. Peacock’s Champagne Lounge, attached, has a very elegant atmosphere, a separate menu, and a rotating list of cocktails involving sparkling wine. It’s the kind of place so beautiful that it’ll make you feel underdressed.

Put Down Your Smartphone and Interact

Only at the Board Room could you experience this kind of Monday night: pull up an easel for Paint Nite, head to the bar for Monday Night Football or gather around a TV for Mario Kart Monday in the gallery. Happy Hour is from 4-8 p.m. every weekday. Board game rentals are free on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Games make perfect icebreakers, cozy rainy day escapes and great date nights. Stop in at Board Room’s Arlington location any night for great food, delicious cocktails, a warm social atmosphere and constant entertainment.

If you enjoyed this article, be sure to watch for our upcoming articles as we explore the best entertainment venues Arlington has to offer. If you’re looking to buy or sell a home in the area, The Keri Shull Team is here to help.

What’s your favorite game at Board Room? Let us know in the comments!

In this video, Drew Carpenter of the Keri Shull Team takes us inside local speakeasy Baba.

At the bottom of a brick stairwell you’ll find a door opening into a warmly lit interior. Here you’ll find armchairs pulled up to tables for two and tables for four; framed paintings hung in a collage on the wall; and red velvet upholstered booths welcoming you in. Illuminated window frames decorate the wall and ceiling.

This is Baba, the Balkan cocktail bar in Clarendon.

Baba’s Drinks

Baba serves a variety of delicious and clever cocktails. The cocktail menu sorts these into categories:

• Light & Refreshing, like the plum rakia “CPR” or the apple rakia “Welcome to Belgrade”
• Strong & Boozy, like the balanced and complex “Southern Delight” or “Tiger Coffee,” chilled espresso with Irish whiskey
• Spicy, Smokey & Sour, like the “Malas Palabras” with pineapple-infused Mezcal or the peppery “Serbian Sombrero” with its pink peppercorn tequila and jalapeno orange liqueur
• Drinks with Benefits, which come paired with extras like the “Cinema Manhattan’s” sweet and spicy popcorn or the “Balkan Caviar Martini”

Manager Marijana favors drinks with Rakia, a popular Balkan fruit brandy. If you’re indecisive or adventurous, ask your server about “Baba’s Secret,” a daily special labeled only as “Whatever grandmother feels like today.”

Baba’s Eats and Events

During happy hour you can get $5 Prosciutto croquettes and $6 cocktails like their Raspberry Fizz, Zastava Sidecar, “Don’t Forget to Breathe”, and “Serbian Sombrero.”

Prosciutto croquettes, beef skewers, veal schnitzel: you can always find something delicious to pair with your cocktail at Baba.

Catch live acoustic acts here on Wednesdays starting at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, dance to Baba’s live DJ until the room spins. As Baba says, “No getting up early tomorrow, so Baba accepts no excuses tonight.”

On weekend mornings, Baba offers brunch for six and a half hours — from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday. Make sure you try their Baba’s burek pastries with beef or cheese. You can also get Balkan eggs with sautéed vegetables and Baba’s Turkish coffee with a side of walnut Turkish delight.

Whatever night you visit, you’ll find a warm and energetic welcome in a cozy atmosphere. As Marijana says: “Anyone who comes to Baba is respected as part of the family.” That’s what makes Baba one of our favorite bars in Arlington.