DC's nightlife scene has exploded with high-end, swank nightclubs, reliable neighborhood local bars, and venues with dope rooftop decks for some summer fun. After a long day of Roberts Rules of Order for Hill staffers, exams, and study sessions for the college kids, and office anxiety for the rest of the population, the need to release some energy comes out full force. Happy hour starts in the District around 5 pm with bars and restaurants offering drinks specials, outdoor dining, and tasty eats. The late-night fun usually begins to pick up around midnight and cruises towards the wee hours of 3 am and beyond. And don't let the surplus of stiff business suits, button downs, and ballet flats fool you--this city knows how to unwind. It's a good thing they don't give out tickets for riding drunk on the Metro--expect to see your fair share of alcoholics passed out in the seat next to you. Fair warning: the Metro closes at midnight Sunday through Thursday and at 3 am on Friday and Saturday. But if you keep timing in mind, DC is a prime city for partying. Outside the walls of the office and Congress, your resume only matters if it has drink specials or a wine list all over it. If you have anywhere between $10 and $1000 to spend every night, there is a place for you.
Nightlife revolves around the bustling K Street Corridor, Georgetown, Dupont, Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, Cleveland Park, U Street, and some of the livelier suburbs, depending on your age, music preference, and mood. Most places in DC are within walking distance of each other (or at least a short cab or Metro ride apart), providing partygoers with several options for party-hopping, and it is guaranteed that hitting up six spots in one night will become an art-form for you and yours.
Georgetown
Throw on your white loafers, designer bag, and strut your stuff with your crew in tow for a weekend out in Georgetown. This is a hodge-podge of college students, upper-crust shop-a-holics, wayward tourists, and local residents who have managed to find nooks and crannies along bustling M Street that the out-of-towners have yet to conquer. Nothing beats watching million-dollar yachts pulling up to the pier at Seqouia (Map 8) and Tony & Joe's (Map 8), while you sip outdoor drinks. Need cheap drinks and some Journey in your life? Stroll over to Third Edition (Map 8) or Rhino Bar & Pumphouse (Map 8). If you're one of DC's lone Republicans (or if you're progressive when it comes to dating someone of the opposite political affiliation), head to Smith Point (Map 8). Dress the part and party with Euro-trash at Mate (Map 8) or try to impress your date and walk into the members only L2 (Map 8). Go low-key at the renowned jazz bar Blues Alley (Map 8) and blow your trust fund at Mr. Smith's (Map 8) with the other private school kids.
Dupont
Dupont, a.k.a. the gay-bor-hood, is really a mix of all types of party goers in a neighborhood that is classy, expensive, but full of dives. Watch out as you cross the circle, not just for rats, but also for the oncoming cabs. The rooftop party is at 18th Street Lounge and the underground beer heaven is at Brickskeller (Map 9). For a night of pool, check out Buffalo Billiards (Map 9); for people-watching with some margarita madness, check out the deck at Lauriol Plaza (Map 9). For a sports bar on crack, visit the three story tall Public Bar (Map 9), which is three floors and far too many flatscreen TVs. Shake your bum-bum at Café Citron (Map 9) or grab the best mojitos in town at Gazuza (Map 9). Sophisticated types abound at Circa at Dupont and the gays are grindin' at Cobalt (Map 9) and downing pints at JR's (Map 9). The hot spot the size of your average DC apartment is the plane inspired Fly Lounge (Map 9).
Adams Morgan
In Adams Morgan, you'll find trash, low-class, and the über-rich roughing it for the night. 18th Street attracts a rambunctious crowd of young kids searching for live music, local improv, and a plethora of bars with neon signs, concrete steps, and quaint awnings. The block also offers conveniently placed parking machines to cling onto when you need to vomit the last few beers before crossing the street to go dancing. Sway to reggae and Caribbean rhythms at Bukom Café (Map 16), and take in blues, jazz, rock, or bluegrass at Madam's Organ (Map 16). Roll up your sleeves at Pharmacy Bar (Map 16), DC's best dive, which caters more to locals than visitors and has a great jukebox. And before the evening is done, soothe your late night hunger pangs at Amsterdam Falafel (Map 16).
Cleveland Park
Cleveland Park's nightlife is crammed into the 3400 block of Connecticut Avenue, where Irish bars, basement billiards, and dimly lit enclaves serving sophisticated wines stand next in a melting pot of venues. If you appreciate a good Irish stout and/or could relate to the upper-deck scene in Titanic, then go to Ireland's Four Provinces (Map 33); if you consider yourself more of a lower-deck kind of person, check out Nanny O’Brien's (Map 17) across the street. Atomic Billiards (Map 17) is a good spot for guzzling beer, throwing darts, and shooting pool. Or grab a relaxing glass of wine after a long day at Bardeo (Map 17), a favorite of local young urban professionals.
U Street
U Street on weekend nights is where you'll find people boozing, dancing, and taking in live music; these same folks also manage to accomplish some of the best philanthropic work the city's needy and less fortunate have seen in years. Dance clubs, live music venues, and drinking are bringing money, people, and prosperity into one of DC's formerly unattractive areas. U Street is experiencing a revitalization thanks to venues such as Marvin (Map 10) and Local 16 (Map 9), with their bustling rooftop decks, the Black Cat (Map 10), the 9:30 Club (Map 10), and Velvet Lounge (Map 10), and the dance club DC9 (Map 10). For a true European feel in a comfy converted row-house, check out The Space (Map 10) and dance the night away till 5 am. Bars such as Stetson's Famous Bar & Restaurant (Map 9) and Solly's U Street Tavern (Map 10) respect the neighborhood's humble roots, while also providing a place to mingle and perhaps meet that special someone. The area still has shivering huddles of people being whipped by frigid night winds and February snow, but now increasing numbers of them are 25-year-old divas in high heels and designer jackets.
Columbia Heights
One DC's latest urban 'hoods turned gentrified hispster enclaves, Columbia Heights is home to the appropriately named Wonderful Ballroom (Map 15), where PBR and Jim Beam flows like water, and the more upscale Room 11 (Map 15), which features a lengthy wine list and elegant meals for less elegant prices.
Capitol Hill
Don't forget Capitol Hill’s The Dubliner (Map 2), Kelly's Irish Times (Map 2), and Hawk and Dove (Map 3), where you'll find plenty of eager wannabes pressing their political and professional agendas. For a nice retreat that's close to the action but a bit removed from the stench of self-importance, meander about the burgeoning strip on 8th Street SE. For upscale wine talk hit the upstairs lounge at Sonoma (Map 3) or meet up with the rest of the trendy Hill staff at Lounge 201 (Map 3).
Old Town Alexandria
Alexandria's Old Town may not be a regular haunt of frat boys or the ultra-chic, but it offers a pleasant variety of places to drink and dance, especially for the 30-plus crowd. The proximity to the water, along with the collection of art galleries, upscale boutiques, and historical sites, makes Old Town a great day-night destination. Dance the hours away at Café Salsa (Map 46) after filling up on their unbeatable happy-hour mojitos, crank out some karaoke at Rock It Grill (Map 46), or groove to some bluegrass at Tiffany Tavern (Map 46). You can always rub elbows with the über snotty locals (and a fair share of tourists) at Vermilion (Map 46), Murphy's (Map 46), or Union Street Public House (Map 46). And if you're feeling really elitist, you can try to get into PX (Map 46), a hidden speakeasy with no sign--just a blue light over the front door and no phone number.
Everything Else
The K Street Corridor has blossomed with seven swank lounges and clubs in a two-block radius all competing for your hard-earned pay heck. Europeans and diplomat kids hop over to Josephine Lounge (Map 10) and Lima (Map 10), while DC's power elite trek to Proof (Map 1), Tattoo Bar (Map 9), and The Park at Fourteenth (Map 10). If you're looking for good hip-hop during the weekdays try kstreet (Map 10). Turn heads at the swank Poste Moderne Brasserie (Map 1) where you can sip wine in their mega outdoor space or head to Chinatown for low key establishments like Irish Channel (Map 2) for a pint of Guinness and Capitol City Brewing Company (Map 2, 39) for the free soft pretzels provided to every table. Venture out of Northwest DC and you'll find girls from the Midwest at Clarendon Ballroom (Map 35) and the deepest basement bar at Quarry House Tavern (Map 25) in downtown Silver Spring. Drown yourself in Indie music at Galaxy Hut (Map 35) or Iota (Map 35). Love (Map 12), formerly known as Dream, a massive four-floor complex on Okie Street, is also a popular place where VIP membership will cost you just $500 a year and save you the embarrassment of being a regular person in the line that often wraps around the block.
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Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Posted By:
Kara Deniz
Photo:
Kara Deniz
One Lounge
Dim lighting, brick pillars, comfortable modern couches, and background beats provide the perfect chill-out atmosphere at One Lounge, a cocktail bar and restaurant located just steps from the Dupont Circle metro. The feel here is more New York cool than Dupont Circle watering hole. Service is quite accommodating; in fact, the chef came out to our table, bringing with him not one, but two free dessert samples--strawberry crepes drizzled with chocolate sauce and whipped cream, followed by fresh strawberries with cream. A glowing review was in order prior to the offering, but this act sealed the deal. When was the last time you went to a bar/restaurant in DC on a busy Friday night and the chef came to your table or the staff welcomed you back for a return visit, by name? Classy, not crowded, hip, yet casual, One Lounge is the place to be.
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Friday, October 08, 2010
Posted By:
Kara Deniz
Photo:
Kara Deniz
Dupont Italian Kitchen
Located on a lively strip of 17th Street, Dupont Italian Kitchen provides a solid, if unimpressive dining experience. Serving Italian mainstays like chicken parm, veal marsala, and lasagna, the restaurant delivers on reliable and hearty traditional dishes at affordable prices. On a recent visit, a simple penne with sausage, arugula, and tomato was fresh and filling, yet lacked complexity. The sausage was chewy and not as lean as one would hope; there was no sauce to speak of, just a hint of olive oil, leaving much of the penne dry. Dupont Italian Kitchen features an outdoor patio, which is a good spot for summer dining. There is also an upstairs bar. Dupont Italian Kitchen leaves hungry diners feeling indifferent, though the potential for more is certainly there. That's why I plan to go back, give the menu another try, and keep you posted.
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Monday, September 20, 2010
Posted By:
Magda Nakassis
Photo:
Magda Nakassis
Jay's Saloon & Grille
Many proclaim to love the dive bar--as a boozy institution in opposition to a lounge, club, wine bar, hotel bar, or generally upscale watering hole. But in a city as pricey and suit-filled as Washington, what exactly qualifies as a "dive" in these parts? I've often heard the term used for bars that I would simply call dark, or laid-back, or not for dancing. Well friends, I can assure you that Jay's Saloon and Grille is musty, leaky, dusty, and stained. The clientele is older and unpretentious, and the service is pleasant. They serve cheap pitchers of beers, are situated next to a used car dealership, and have a patio of plastic furniture and ashtrays. It all feels very distance to the main Clarendon strip--take that as you will.
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Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Posted By:
Magda Nakassis
Photo:
Magda Nakassis
Sidebar
How responsible is Mad Men (and/or Jon Hamm's smoldering good looks) for the Old Fashioned renaissance? Whatever the reasons, there's no doubt that Angostura bitters, maraschino cherries, and tumblers are in. Plenty of cocktail-focused bars have cropped up in DC, but one recent addition--the Sidebar--finds itself on the Maryland side of the border, in downtown Silver Spring. Attached to Jackie's restaurant, Sidebar feels like a glamorous dive: dimly lit, with red vinyl seating, windows with cast iron grates, pool table, austere metal chairs, and a disproportionate number of chandeliers. Hip and welcoming, it's the perfect spot to sip your high-class rye, nibble on hand-sliced curry potato chips, and rack 'em up.
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Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Posted By:
Magda Nakassis
Photo:
Magda Nakassis
Nellie's Sports Bar
Brunch, that laziest of meals, owes much of its popularity to bottomless mimosas and Bloody Marys. Hair of the dog (that bit you) promises to ease Saturday night's lingering headache and questionable decision-making. Well, why stop there, friends? Nellie's--DC's only gay sports bar--offers a Sunday afternoon beer blast with $2 brews from 3-8 pm. Factor in its rooftop patio, and Nellie's soars to the top of any daytime drinking list. And if your cumulative weekend blood alcohol content gets too high, a full menu of bar food (wings, burgers, quesadillas, and the like) is available and well recommended.
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