Christine Kim
Service Bar - Washington, D.C.
A native of Silver Spring, Maryland, Christine Kim was first initiated into restaurant life while attending the University of Maryland at Baltimore County, but it was only in 2011, with a move to the District and her first bartending gig where she embarked on what would ultimately become a lifelong love affair with the unique interplay between alcohol and hospitality.
A gifted copy of Dale DeGroff’s seminal Craft of the Cocktail yielded Kim’s earliest forays into the realm of craft cocktailing, but it was her affinity for high-volume, high-intensity nightlife that eventually led her to join the opening crew at Farmers, Fishers, Bakers, and then at Chef Michael Schlow’s inaugural DC hotspot, 14th Street’s Tico. As a driving member of Tico’s much-celebrated bar team, Kim graduated to opening and developing bar programs at Schlow’s successive restaurants The Riggsby, Conosci, and Casolare, where she continued to hone not only her deft hand with a shaker tin, but also the effusively warm and inviting personality with which she continues to welcome her guests every night from behind the bar.
In 2016, Kim reunited with her former colleagues from Farmers, Fishers, Bakers to undertake a new project—the now massively-acclaimed and industry-darling Service Bar at the mouth of the historic U Street Corridor. As Lead Bartender and Partner at Service Bar, Kim continues to develop her own mastery of the craft. Her passion for the industry extends well beyond her nights behind the stick, connecting with the community at home and abroad. She is a Zagat 30 under 30 member, and has been a part of the award winning team for North America’s 50 Best Bars since its inaugural debut.. Service Bar has been a finalist for Tales of the Cocktail U.S. Best Bar Team (2023 + 2024), and Christine was a finalist for U.S. Bartender of the Year (2024). On the rare evening that one might catch her on a night out on her own time, she’s liable to be found drinking Champagne and on the verge of breaking out into uncontrollable dance or karaoke.
