Monday, October 18, 2021

Hip Flask rooftop bar to open at new downtown Bethesda Marriott hotel in 2022


Details on the promised rooftop bar at the new Marriott Bethesda Downtown hotel at 7707 Woodmont Avenue are coming to light. Hip Flask will serve small plates and craft cocktails, to be enjoyed with "spectacular views of the downtown Bethesda skyline," Marriott says. 

Seventh State restaurant

Names of two other dining establishments at the hotel have also been announced. The main restaurant in the lobby level will be called Seventh State (somebody get David Lublin on the phone!). It will have a pizza oven, as well as outdoor seating. M Club is a second eatery that emphasizes "cozy seating," and 24-hour access for Marriott Bonvoy members only. It will have a den/library aesthetic, with bookshelves and pottery displays - as well as flatscreen TVs. 

M Club

The lobby bar is so far nameless, however. A target opening date for the new hotel has been set for January 14, 2022. While it's unlikely to provide a Las Vegas nightclub type of experience, Hip Flask will certainly be a step in addressing the lack of rooftop bars in downtown Bethesda. Marriott has a liquor license hearing scheduled for October 21, 2021.

Lobby bar
Photos courtesy Marriott International


14 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:05 AM

    I propose Windows on the Triangle, appropriately ostentatious.

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  2. Anonymous6:07 AM

    This sounds like fun, but at level 13, it will not have the panoramic views of a taller high-rise. From the Elm Skybridge, you can easily see the National Cathedral, the Washington Monument and the US Capital Building, especially at night.

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  3. I would love to see a retro restaurant serving Mighty Mos, Teen Twists, Orange Freezes, and Hot Fudge Ice Cream Cakes ala Hot Shoppes.

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  4. Anonymous7:30 AM

    I have even suggested that the cafe at the base of the new Marriott HQ or hotel should be signed as Hot Shoppes, as a tribute to their roots. Seems like a noble thing to do and honor their past. Bethesda could use a good Root Beer stand!

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  5. Anonymous12:53 PM

    Agreed! Where is the Hot Shoppes?

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  6. Rugby5:56 PM

    Plagiarist Patrick Herron strikes again. A few hours later.

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  7. Anonymous6:06 AM

    Rugby - You sound confused. Patrick Herron is MoCoShow, which did not report on this. Perhaps it is Dan Schere of Bethesda Beat, who actually reported on the new restaurants coming to the Marriott Hotel, who has you triggered? Maybe you should post your whine in the comments on that article, where someone will actually see it.

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  8. 6:06: I don't know who Patrick Herron is, but the MoCo Show did report on this later in the day without citing me as the source. Dan Schere *DID* correctly cite my earlier article in his report.

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  9. @12:53 Homage is paid to Hot Shoppes at the Marquis Marriott though not under the HS name. The counter operation is named Anthem. My guess is now they don't want to repeat the theme, or that it will appear as a counter in one of the lobby locations.

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  10. Someone needs to get Patrick up to speed on the concept of sourcing his blogs. You can't simply repurpose Robert's reports without linking back to his work.

    WordPress has this wonderful hyperlink button. Pretty easy to do. Bethesda Magazine regularly credits Robert. Shouldn't be a big deal.

    It's a bad look for MCPS if you're literally stealing from someone else.

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  11. Anonymous1:03 PM

    The rooftop bar has a real chance of vitalizing nightlife in Bethesda. There aren't really any high-end cocktail places currently, like where you'd get a Moscow Mule in a real copper cup. The market is there -- average age in Bethesda is high enough that people would go for this over the Tommy Joe's and Caddie's drinks.

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  12. Anonymous5:24 AM

    Bethesda nightlife - LOL

    The absence of single adults 25-55 pretty much rules out Bethesda nightlife. Try The Clarendon to Ballston corridor or venture into DC

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous8:51 AM

      From what I've read, Arlington isn't what it used to be either. Navy Yards, the Wharf, etc. have supplanted them.

      It's still nice, like Bethesda. Man, remember when there were lines to get into Bethesda bars? That was 10 years ago now.

      Pike & Rose, Crown, etc probably have drawn many people from upper county that normally would have driven into Bethesda years ago.

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  13. 8:51: I think the key difference is that Clarendon was a victim of its own success - it used to be fairly reasonable to live there costwise, and became overpriced. Bethesda was already overpriced, but Montgomery County's elected officials ran nightlife into the ground over the last decade. Pike & Rose and Crown don't have the kind of club and bar scene that has the crowds and lines you remember from 2010-era-and-earlier Bethesda.

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