Laughing Man Tavern’s logo, seen in reverse, and a glimpse inside. (Photo by Samer Farha.)

At some point, you’ve probably found yourself wandering around Metro Center, peckish and parched, at the end of a long work day. And you probably have done what may be the most sober and unsatisfying bar crawl ever in order to get a seat or even a place to stand at one of the neighborhood’s few watering holes. But now, you may be able to rest easy. Laughing Man Tavern has moved into the old Reeves Restaurant and Bakery at 13th and G Streets NW, and upon setting foot into place, you’ll notice something different: namely, your ability to breathe, hear yourself (and others) talk and get within arm’s reach of the bar.

Laughing Man, a new bar from the ubiquitous Bedrock Management group (see also Rocket Bar, Carpool, Buffalo Billiards, Mackey’s, etc.), is first and foremost a bar. The owners were trying to capitalize on the lack of plain old bars in the neighborhood, according to bar manager Manny DeAlmeida, and it’s a plan that’s so simple, it just might work. Sure, the burgers at Chef Geoff’s are delicious, but getting your hands on one almost always involves uncertain hovering and at least one awkward conversation with a stranger—two things I think we can all agree are better left at work. Ditto goes for the happy hour crowds at many of the other joints in the area, which are primarily restaurants that cater to the neighborhood’s buttoned-up lunch patrons, and not their bar clientele.