Showing 1-24 of 24 results
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18th Street Lounge
The lack of a sign on the door proclaims the exclusivity of this swanky yet cozy club. In a beautiful mansion that once housed Teddy Roosevelt are sleek dance floors ruled by hip-hop and dub. The decor ranges from gold upholstered couches and candelabras to blue walls, gilded mirrors, marble tables and flickering candles. Its bouncers are notorious for leaving lesser patrons standing in the cold.
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9:30 Club
In 1996 DC's premier live rock venue moved from its small downtown digs to this spanking new warehouse, which holds 1200 patrons and has two levels and four bars. The calendar is packed with the most random assortment of big names - Justin Timberlake, The Violent Femmes, George Clinton and The Black Crowes. Concerts usually include three acts, with the headlining band taking the stage between and .
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Aroma Company
There's a pronounced fascination with the 1950s at this sleek retro bar, filled with those kidney-shaped coffee tables and old sofas. The tiled bar serves up the Scotch and ciggies and live jazz plays here on Friday nights.
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Basin Street Lounge
Wire-rimmed glasses and black turtlenecks may be the uniform at this sophisticated jazz venue. The downstairs lounge boasts quaint French Quarter Victorian decor, appropriate for the swinging piano, saxophone and bluesy jazz performances.
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Black Cat
Co-owned by Foo Fighter Dave Grohl, the Black Cat is head kitty of DC's indie-rock clubs. Set in a beat-up old warehouse, it draws fans of grunge and industrial rock. The cover charge varies with the band, but there's no cover in the Red Room bar, which has a good selection of Belgian beer, pool tables and a jukebox.
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Blues Alley
The city's pre-eminent jazz and blues club is tucked into a dark alley off Wisconsin Ave in the heart of Georgetown. Inside, this elegant candlelit supper club has attracted such artists as Ahmad Jamal and the late Dizzy Gillespie. Current performers include Mose Allison Trio, Ann Hampton Callaway and the Marcus Johnson Project. The Creole specialties are delicious. The crowd is largely professional.
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Bohemian Caverns
This legendary jazz club - where Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington once played - reopened in 2000, after 32 years of decline and decay since the 1968 riots. The new club maintains the mysterious cave-like decor in the basement lounge and features weekly open-mic nights, poetry readings, and live jazz and blues Wednesday to Saturday.
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Bossa
Latin jazz, flamenco and bossa nova are on the music menu upstairs in the dark, candle-lit lounge at this Adams-Morgan watering hole. The 1st-floor dining room - with high ceilings and art-canvassed walls - is also worth a visit. Come drink mojitos and martinis, and taste the delectable tapas during happy hour.
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Bukom Café
Adams-Morgan is known for East African establishments, but Bukom taps the other side of the continent. It draws a stylishly dressed crowd of West Africans and African Americans to share its excellent cuisine and sexy late-night club scene, where bands play African and Caribbean music: reggae, highlife, funky jazz. There's hardly any room to dance, so everyone kind of stands in place, bounces to the music and rubs against their neighbors.
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Chief Ike's Mambo Room
Despite the mixed crowd of young students and older professionals, ain't nobody getting dressed up here. The decor is Day of the Dead meets Night of the Living Dead : blinking lights, monster comics laminated onto the tables and voodoo critters on the walls. Dance on weekends and drink all week. Two additional clubs are upstairs: punk Chaos (not to be confused with Club Chaos) and hip-hop Cosmo Lounge.
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Clarendon Ballroom
A gorgeous ballroom done up to look like a Big Band-era dance hall, it attracts throngs of young professionals coming to hear emerging local rock bands or artists on national tours. On the nights when there isn't music, you can try your hand at swing dancing or jive to what the DJ's spinning. The upstairs deck is open Wednesday through Friday nights and is perfect for lingering over a sunset cosmopolitan.
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Columbia Station
This is an intimate spot features nightly jazz and blues. If you're on a budget the lack of a cover charge makes it especially appealing. The quality of music varies; it's mostly local acts. The vibe is unpretentious and you can order Creole and American specialties to go with your music.
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Dc9
Accommodating up to 250 people, DC9 offers music-lovers a live experience in a smaller venue. Up-and-coming local bands, with an emphasis on indie rockers, play most nights of the week. When the live music finishes (often around ), DJs keep the place spinning until about . On the 2nd floor zodiac murals and diner booths set the mellow vibe; downstairs you'll find a narrow shotgun bar and a digital jukebox offering more than 130,000 songs.
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Felix
Lines form early on weekend nights when beautiful people flock to this beautiful lounge to drown beautiful sorrows in beautifully constructed martinis. Yes, Felix is a swank place where the attitude has attitude and the bouncer behind the plush velvet ropes can be quite selective in his entrance policy. Plate-glass windows, neon letters and super-sleek decor give it serious character. Live jazz and funk banks play Friday and Saturday nights.
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Five
One of the city's hottest clubs, Five keeps its patrons happy by (1) letting them inside (you won't find super-snotty bouncers here) and (2) offering a smorgasbord of house, reggae and hip-hop with occassional drum & bass spun by well-known local and international DJs. Spanning three floors, Five has a popular Caribbean-inspired rooftop deck. The bars are where to flirt. Coupons (check the local papers) grant free entry until .
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Kennedy Center
DC's main cultural jewel is credited with transforming DC from a cultural backwater to an artistic contender in the late 20th century. The white-marble building on the Potomac holds two big theaters, a "theater lab," cinema, opera house and concert hall (and the fine Roof Terrace Restaurant to boot). It's home to the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington Chamber Symphony. Roughly 3000 performances are held here annually. Tours daily.
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Love
Beyonce and the Roots have both played Love (formerly known as Dream), Washington's biggest and most popular spot. It has four beautifully designed floors, each with its own theme and style of music. Be sure to check out the tropical-themed deck. Friday nights are hip-hop-heavy and draw an African American crowd; Saturdays feature international electronica and a mixed one; Thursdays are 18-plus. Dress code is strick and lines form out the door.
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Madam's Organ
'Where the beautiful people go to get ugly,' so the T-shirt goes. It's not far off the mark: This is the kind of perfect dive where you'll see a beautiful girl shaking her ass on the bar one minute and puking in front of the bathroom the next.
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Mccxxiii
This is where you're most likely to see an Icelandic beauty tangoing with a suave Pakistani diplomat. DC's internationalistas, many of them Embassy Row residents, congregate in the beautifully designed club (named for its street address in Roman numerals). Patrons sip martinis until , when DJs kick up the world-beat and techno so they can shimmy onto the dance floor. Sunday night is a popular gay night.
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Platinum
Beautiful people all dressed up dance to the usual mélange of world and electronic music at this well-established hotspot housed in a grand former bank. Theme nights include College and Latin; check the website as the schedule changes. Sign up in advance to get on the guest list, in which case there's no cover charge before .
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Republic Gardens
This historic club (where Pearl Bailey waited tables in the 1940s) still looks fabulous three years after its major overhaul. Exposed brick walls, shiny wood floors and modern leather furniture give it a look of slick sophistication. The program was still being developed at the time of research, so keep your eye on the website.
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Saloun
More casual and cheaper than the better-known Georgetown venue Blues Alley, the Saloun attracts patrons who are younger and less polished but more fun. The mostly local acts play jazz during the week, blues and Motown on weekends. There are 18 beers on tap and Cajun food to soak up all the liquor swirling inside your tummy.
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Velvet Lounge
DC bands on their way up continue to play at this tiny club dedicated to local talent. Emerging grunge acts play to alt-rock fans in the Velvet's upstairs hall; downstairs is a dark little pit of a bar.
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Whitlow's On Wilson
Occupying almost an entire block just east of Clarendon Metro, Whitlow's has something for everyone: burgers, brunch and comfort food; happening happy hours and positive pick-up potential; plus 12 brews on tap, a pool table, jukebox, live music and an easy-going atmosphere. It's a favorite with singles.
Showing 1-24 of 24 results
