Wonderland

She’s gotten almost too popular over the years, but Wonderland is still one of our favorite bars in DC. A sawdust-and-sweat mix of punk and hip-hop, this bar embodies the Columbia Heights vibe – kinda edgy, always eccentric and up for a good time. The interior is clapped out in vintage signs and found objects to the point it could be a folk-art museum, the outdoor patio is a good spot for meeting strangers and the upstairs dance floor is a good place to take said strangers for a bit of bump and grind. Trivia: this used to be Nob Hill, which was the longest-operating gay bar in the country (from 1953 to 2004), a major stop on the African American drag-queen circuit, and (of course) famous for its Sunday evening gospel concerts.