A Georgetown Tradition
High in hospitality, rich in history. For nearly nine decades Martin's Tavern has welcomed presidents, statesmen and neighbors alike to its booths on Wisconsin Avenue.
Built by a ballplayer, kept by a family
When former Major League Baseball player Billy Martin opened his tavern on Wisconsin Avenue, he wanted a place where everyone — from the corner regular to the sitting senator — felt equally at home.
That welcome has drawn an extraordinary cast. Every president from Harry S. Truman through George W. Bush has dined here; Senator John F. Kennedy proposed to Jacqueline Lee Bouvier in Booth 3; and baseball legends Mickey Mantle, Ty Cobb and Yogi Berra gathered in the Dugout Room.
Now under Wm. (Billy) A. Martin, Jr., the fourth generation behind the bar, Martin’s remains the oldest family-owned restaurant in Washington — a living landmark where the history is real, the booths are original, and the welcome is exactly as warm as it always was.
Nine decades on
Wisconsin Avenue
From a Prohibition-era pour to a presidential institution — the moments that made Martin's a Washington landmark.
- 1933
Billy Martin opens the doors
Former Major League Baseball player Billy Martin pours the first pint the same year Prohibition is repealed. A neighborhood tavern is born on Wisconsin Avenue — mahogany booths, brass rails, and a welcome that never closes.
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- 1953
The Proposal Booth
On June 24, 1953, Senator John F. Kennedy proposed to Jacqueline Lee Bouvier in Booth 3 — now known the world over as the Proposal Booth, and still the most requested seat in Washington.
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- Presidents & legends
A table for history
Every president from Harry S. Truman through George W. Bush has dined here, alongside senators, staffers and celebrities. Baseball greats Mickey Mantle, Ty Cobb and Yogi Berra held court in the Dugout Room, and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright called the tavern an extension of her home.
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- Today
Four generations of the Martin family
Now led by Billy Martin Jr., the fourth generation behind the bar, Martin's Tavern is the oldest family-owned restaurant in Washington — still pouring, still proposing, still home.
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