Gold Clover Bar

Esquire's 2026 Best Bars in America list named Gold Clover Bar among its selections, a recognition that lands differently when you understand what the bar actually is: a deliberately unpretentious, music-obsessed neighborhood spot in NoMa, occupying the former Truxton Inn space on Florida Avenue NW, positioned between U Street and H Street in a corridor that has been quietly accumulating serious drinking destinations for years.

The bar's identity is built around vinyl and community rather than elaborate cocktail theatre. A curated record library shapes the room's atmosphere, pop-culture decor fills the walls, and TVs make it a functional sports bar without sacrificing the warmth of a neighborhood local. There is a spacious outdoor patio for warmer months, and the BYO food policy signals that Gold Clover has no interest in competing with the restaurant scene around it — the focus stays on the glass.

On the drinks side, the approach is accessible and deliberately affordable. Classic cocktail formats anchor the menu, with beer-and-shot combinations offered at prices that keep the bar genuinely open to the neighborhood rather than positioned as a destination for out-of-towners with expense accounts. That pricing philosophy, combined with the music-forward atmosphere, is precisely what gives Gold Clover its character: it functions as a third place for NoMa residents in a way that more polished cocktail bars rarely manage.

The bar is connected to the operators behind Solly's, giving it roots in a proven Washington hospitality operation, and industry veteran Antoine Lyers has been involved in its development. Esquire's recognition is not the kind that typically attaches to dive-adjacent neighborhood bars, which makes Gold Clover's inclusion on that list worth paying attention to — it suggests the editors found something here that transcends the category.