Capitol Lounge is closing for good

The Capitol Lounge, a popular sports bar among Hill staffers, is closing its doors for good. (Courtesy Capital Lounge)

Capitol Lounge, a Capitol Hill sports bar that’s been popular with Hill staffers for decades, is closing for good. Its last day will be Sept. 20.

It did not specifically cite the COVID-19 pandemic for its closing, but mentioned the struggle in social media postings.

“It’s been a great 26-year run, and we’re most proud of the way our management and staff have handled incredible adversity over the last six months. Thanks to all of the love & support,” Capitol Lounge posted on its Twitter feed.

Capitol Lounge, at 229 Pennsylvania Ave. Southeast, is two blocks from the Cannon House Office Building. It opened in May 1996.

Its slogan, as splashed across its website, is “No politics. No Miller Lite.”

Capitol Lounge recovered from two fires, once in 2005 which closed the business for several months, and a much smaller fire in 2007.

Jeff Clabaugh

Jeff Clabaugh has spent 20 years covering the Washington region's economy and financial markets for WTOP as part of a partnership with the Washington Business Journal, and officially joined the WTOP newsroom staff in January 2016.

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