Upper King’s Antagonist Dive
Date of visit: Early October, 2025
Vibe:
O’Shit’s (affectionately named) appears to be the surly, introverted dive of upper King St. Think blue collar men taking the edge off, degenerates getting hammered, and pool tables in rooms that were once full of smoke. Smoking indoors was recently banned from this fine establishment and I was the only person who wasn’t disappointed by this development. O’Shag Hennessy’s Office would belong in any small town in America. It’s refreshing to find such a place in a city where the median income is 6 figures.
Drinks:
There was a surprising selection of taps available. Reasonable prices for the area. Alexandria bars can get prohibitively expensive so this was a relief.
I’m a sucker for a beer & shot deal and may have had several of these:
This may also be a good Thursday spot:
Visit Notes:
I had two memorable occurrences this night:
First, I made a bar buddy, as one is wont to do at such an establishment. “Cool, maybe a friend to hang out with in the future” crosses my mind, as he makes to leave and instead collapses on the floor. “Well, maybe not”
Feeling responsible for my temporary companion, and given that the average bar employee that night was half his size, I took it upon myself to lift him off the floor, drag him down the stairs, and toss him inside the back seat of his Uber, while apologizing profusely to the driver. I expect that this happens semi-regularly, if not always with the same patron. It’s also possible that I’m a magnet for these personalities.
Second, food is provided by Stage Door Deli, located on the ground floor. Their hot dogs are cheap and surprisingly good. My old watering hole (before it sadly closed) was a hot dog joint, so this was pleasantly nostalgic. Waking up with mustard stains on my clothes crowned the experience.