Like a classic work of Victorian literature, a trip to the bar often begins with an introduction to colorful characters and ends with the revelation that everyone in the room is related to each other. Continue an age-old struggle with today's Groupon: for $20, you get $40 worth of pub fare and drinks at Capitol Lounge.

Situated just east of the nation's most famous dome, Capitol Lounge floats a menu of hearty pub fare atop an ocean of more than 50 beers. Starters such as secret-sauce-tossed classic wings ($10), bacon-flecked potato skins ($9), and fried mini crab cakes ($10) lay the foundation for main dishes and weed out any tablemates that secretly only eat Play-Doh. Each plate of fish ‘n’ chips flaunts 6 ounces of pollack fillet ($12), as well as jalapeño tartar sauce that can serve as an invigorating shot between frothy mugs of Bell's Two Hearted Ale ($7/glass). Patriotic wines also abound in red and white varieties, which patrons can mix together to get blue.

The eclectic tavern, which counts many beltway bigwigs as patrons, spans three distinctive rooms. The warm, wood-enclosed Kennedy Room hosts the main bar, and the green and wiretapped Nixon Room showcases natural light bouncing off a frame-covered wall. The Loser's Lounge, where exposed bricks and sleek leather seating form a handsome retreat, summons patrons to the basement to sip brews while simultaneously failing at landscaping chores.