Longtime favorite subterranean beer bar Birreria Paradiso is closed for business. But don’t freak out. Owner Ruth Gresser has a plan to turn the basement floor of Georgetown’s Pizzeria Paradiso into a game room complete with Skee-Ball, pinball, shuffleboard, darts, and video games in the new year. “It seems like people are in the mood to play a little more while they’re out at a bar,” Gresser says, explaining the change. 

Gresser predicts a January opening for Paradiso Game Room. “We’ve kind of had a dual personality at Georgetown over the past 10 years since we opened the Birreria in this two-level space,” she says. “Rather than continue to be schizophrenic, we’re sort of embracing the dual identity fully.”

The move means Birreria Paradiso’s robust selection of beers will move upstairs to Pizzeria Paradiso, along with the physical draft lines. Beer director Drew McCormick says they’re paring down the beers downstairs to a selection of six drafts, a collection of bottles, and a few ciders and wines.

“We’re trying to create an easy drinking environment downstairs,” McCormick says. The boozy beers and beers that require a conversation will be upstairs instead.

When the Paradiso Game Room opens, they may consider a few days of free games and they expect to attract some attention from the various pinball and Skee-Ball leagues around town. 

Paradiso Game Room, 3282 M St. NW