This past weekend, I went to Urban Roast with some of my girlfriends to catch up over their winter break. I absolutely LOVED it, and I'm hoping to go again soon! Urban Roast is located in Washington, D.C., and the closest Metro stops are Metro Center (orange, silver, blue, and red lines) or Gallery Place - Chinatown (red, yellow, and green lines). They offer indoor and outdoor seating (we sat inside because it was really cold.).
This place has been very popular on social media, especially for their seasonal drinks (the hot chocolate flight is a fan favorite, but more on that later.). I made a reservation for us, so we wouldn't have to wait, and I highly recommend making a reservation if you visit Urban Roast.
All of their Christmas and seasonal decorations were still out, and I loved seeing the holiday vibes that weren't completely overdone or too simple to identify what the decorations were. From the view at my table, there were presents floating on the ceiling, and some neon signs in the background, which were closer to the front. Since it was a crowded, tight space, I think the decorations at the top were really clever!
The neon sign was one of my favorite decorations in the entire place, and it was also a really great photo backdrop! It was fitting with the Christmas theme, saying "Kiss Me Under The Mistletoe," and there was even some mistletoe near the sign too. I had a neon sign in my bedroom when I lived in off-campus housing at Ohio State, and I think neon signs are excellent decor pieces that can bring a room together.
Our reservation only lasted for 90 minutes, so we tried to sample as much as we could. My friends had dinner, but since I had a late lunch that day, I was sharing appetizers with them. I tried the spinach-artichoke dip with the salted chips, and while I'm not usually a fan of this dip, it was pretty good! I had a few bites because it wasn't my favorite, but I liked how the chips also had their own taste with the extra salt on them. I also had the s'mores, which were blow-torched inside by the server at the table. It was so cool to watch, but if you want to roast the marshmallows yourself, you can head to the gas fixtures they have on the outdoor patio to roast them. The marshmallows were a little too burnt for how I prefer them, but I thought this was a really unique offering for a bar.
Lastly, I got the hot chocolate flight, and this was my favorite part of Urban Roast (and also the most highly anticipated!). This flight features Urban Roast's house-made hot chocolate and five different flavors of Bailey's. I also chose to add whipped cream to my flight. Out of the flavors of Bailey's, I found that the red velvet one was the best, followed by the s'mores, the original, salted caramel, and lastly, the apple pie. Red velvet and chocolate went together really well, and the original and s'mores, while not having a strong added flavor to the hot chocolate, were complementary to the hot chocolate. I thought the salted caramel was good, but it's not a flavor profile I normally reach for. The apple pie flavor was kind of a stretch for me, and I think it would have gone well with another drink that wasn't hot chocolate. In order of the drinks from left to right, they are original Bailey's, s'mores, apple pie, red velvet, and salted caramel.
I really loved adventuring to D.C. and visiting a new bar, and I hope to do this more often! Maybe I'll also visit Urban Roast during brunch and see what that's all about. What are some of your favorite spots to get drinks in D.C. or your hometown? I'd love to hear (and maybe visit) some of those places next!
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