We know D.C. Get our free newsletter to stay in the know.
DCist is reporting that “Arlington Institution” Dr. Dremo’s is about to finally see the wrecking ball. The massive bar complex is getting razed to make way for…. more condos (ugh). The blog notes: “Demolition has finally begun. Most of the surrounding buildings are being taken down today, and one construction worker said he had been told they’d do the actual Dremo’s building sometime next week. So, Dremo’s fans, stroll by this week to take one long, last look.”
This past January, D.C. Foodies penned a tribute to the watering hole:
I fondly remember its parking lot as one of the best ground level locations to watch the July 4th fireworks over the Mall. It is this great view I fear which sealed the bar’s fate. After years of harassment from the Arlington County government and other local groups, the owners, the Stewart family, have finally had the land sold out from under them to real estate developers. This location will soon be home to 141 brand new luxury condos. To be fair, the closure may have been inevitable as the building is falling apart and has been doing so since the bar opened as Bardo Rodeo back in the early Nineties: but that’s the real charm of the place! Dr Dremo’s is one of the best examples of an endangered species in the DC area, the dive bar, and as such it will be greatly missed.
My own memories of the place were in its Bardo Rodeo incarnation. It was my introduction to boutique beers (I think one had chocolate which I never touched). And my introduction to watching horrible films on a giant screen.
One night, Bardo put up Showgirls. We happened to walk in just as the film started up. The room was full of Arlington dudes. We laughed our asses off. Got drunk. And laughed some more.
The room got weird during the film’s gratuitous rape scene. We left. I’m sure I had better times there. But that’s the one that sticks out. An offensive rape scene in career-zapping film about strippers plus microbrews? Nah. They don’t quite go together.
One thing you can say about the joint: It was way better than most of Arlington’s bar scene. The only places that were better still stand: Galaxy Hut and IOTA.