The Game, Adams Morgan’s critically acclaimed sports bar with Filipino flair, wrapped up a six-year run over the weekend (2411 18th Street NW).
The Game made a last-call closing announcement on Sunday, February 16, saying its last dish would be served that same night. Eater has now learned the subterranean space will undergo a full renovation and transform into an extension of Tiki on 18th, the Game’s tropical sibling bar upstairs. Further details on the two-story tiki takeover remain under wraps for now, but it’s looking like an early spring opening.
D.C. bar vet Jo-Jo Valenzuela and business partner Oscar Guardado replaced Ventnor Sports Cafe with the Game in 2019. Their Filipino-influenced drinking den quickly drew notice for a polished pub menu full of satisfying lumpia, sizzling pork sisig, adobo chicken wings, funky sandwiches, pork belly-topped nachos, and other food that reminded Valenzuela of home. Many of his dishes still live on at Tiki on 18th, which continues to operate daily as usual starting at 5 p.m.
The pint-sized Polynesian perch Tiki, known for its long list of Caribbean rums and thoughtful interpretations of historical classics served in funky glassware, arrived above the Game in summer 2019. The slim, leafy setup later added a bonafide sit-down bar to enjoy its popular volcanoes and frozen pina coladas.
Daily happy hour (5 p.m.-7 p.m. weekdays; 3 p.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays; all-day on Sundays) continues to feature $10 Zombies and nitro rum drinks, plus $5-and-up bites like atchara-topped barbecue chicken or Spam sliders and soy-marinated beef skewers.
Sports were a huge focus at its now-closed downstairs counterpart, which made ample use of 14 wall-to-wall TVs for big games like the recent Super Bowl LIX. Daily happy hour featured half-priced food, $6 beers, and $10 cocktails. Friday night karaoke was also a popular affair here.
For its final night of service, the Game hosted a communal dinner featuring food from its Filipino friends at Maryland favorites Kuya Ja’s Lechon Belly, Lapu Lapu, and Manila Mart.
“We set out to create more than just a bar — we wanted a place where neighbors became friends and where every game, big or small, felt like a shared experience,” per a closing statement from the Game.
Guardado’s family owns the building formerly occupied by Ventnor, which closed in 2018 after a 14-year run. Guardado is also behind Dupont Circle’s Rosebar Lounge.
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