Places to hang out in Washington DC?

[Superfly]

Hi, everybody!

My friend from Germany is flying in tomorrow and we have to spend 4 days in DC/Alexandria. What are some names and directions to some good bars, pubs, restaurants, etc. I've heard good things about the Georgetown area, so if anybody can point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it!

Brian

[GOPisEvil]

1. If you want some delicious Italian food in Georgetown...

...Filomena Ristorante, 1063 Wisconsin Ave., NW, between K and M Streets. http://www.filomenadc.com/

[stoystown]

8. Georgetown blows

It's full of tourists and stuck up pricks truing to park their multiple Porsches.

Go to Adams Morgan, or even better, at night take the subway to U Street Cardozo and walk around.

You'll have much more fun, and your English doesn't have to be perfect.

[GBD4]

2. Cosi

The Cosi chain is everywhere, tourists like going there to make s'mores at their table.

http://www.xandocosi.com/index_main.htm

[Hep]

3. If you like live music

Check out the 9:30 club or the Black Cat. Rilo Kiley is playing the black cat next week. They are awesome.

[northzax]

28. for live jazz.

try HR-57 http://www.hr57.org/pages/680590/index.htm it's BYOB, but worth it.

[catpower2000]

4. Bars in Dupont Circle...

The Front Page is fun, usually packed, food's okay, lots of hotties of both sexes.

Rumors is fun, has a dance floor.

The Mad Hatter is for the end of the night when you're loaded and it's the best thing in the world to sing at the top of your lungs to "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi.

Cat

[On the Road]

5. I Like the Georgetown Waterfront in the Summer (K St near 29th)

There are several bars and restaurants with outside seating next to the river. Sequioa is my favorite. Boats dock right in front, people walk by, there's a big Italitan-style fountain, and it's a nice place to sit and talk before you move on. Can't help you with the clubs but there are plenty to pick from in walking distance along M and Wisconsin.

Tons and tons of good restaurants, bars, and just good places to be outdoors in DC. One that I love is Marrakesh -- it's a Morrocan restaurant near New York Ave and 7th St NW. Multicourse communal meals in a cavernous North African paradise, complete with belly dancer. It's been there forever.

You may also want to cruise Adams Morgan, the closest thing in DC to Greenwich village. The main drag is 18th St NW from Florida to Columbia. Lots of Ethiopian and other ethnic places along with bars, clubs, and a few shops. I like the Red Sea (Ethiopian) for low end and I Matti (Italian) for high end places.

[seventhson]

6. Adams Morgan (walk around) Hains point for "Adam"

Botanical gardens and the museums

Malcolm X park

[northzax]

9. going to marrakesh?

don't forget your cash, it'll run you $50/head and they don't take american express (or visa, mastercard, diners club, jcb, discover)

check out Local 16 (16th and U, NW) hottest wait staff in town. Also have a drink on the roof of the Hotel Washington, line of sight to the white house. Have a late night snack at Ben's Chili Bowl. oh, and don't forget to eat at Two Amys, the best pizza in town.

[Chilly_Willy]

16. My car was parked in front of Marrakesh

I do not recommend this place if you are parking a car, only if you go by taxi because my car was broken into in seeing view of Marrakesh on NY ave under the lights on the intersection, five cars in front of a cop on duty (that also did nothing) and the valets that stand outside were of no help when I came out from dinner and my car alarm had been going off for probably a long time!!! No help at all, "next time you should pay to park", they said.

Morrocon food is good (a little pricey) in Georgetown, the place is called something like Me and Yu and has a banner. Also, there is bellidancing at Casablanca in Old town, Alexandria. Not as big as Marrakesh, but my car has never been broken into in Alexandria. DC is another story...

[ScreamingMeemie]

7. Our funny-not really-story from when we were in D.C. last year...

Do you people in D.C. ever eat for less than 15 bucks a plate??? My daughter won the spelling bee in S.E. Michigan, and got to go to the National Spelling Bee last year. (Speller number 107, if you ever watch reruns on ESPN)

The most time we spent while there was in trying to find some place to eat for a reasonable price. We have 2 kids (one doesn't eat but we feel we must order for him anyway). The funny thing was, all of the spelling bee parents had a grapevine going for cheap eats. (The only cheap place we found was the basement of the Lincoln House bar, no ambience, but good food)

Another note $700 spending cash (given to us by our local paper) don't go far in our nation's capital, do it???

We did splurge and have the buffet at the hotel (Grand Hyatt) and it was delicious. We also splurged at Angelo and Maxi's (Excellent). But can somebody answer me why there is no smoking in a cigar bar?

On that note...Good morning everyone!!

:hangover:

[northzax]

10. not around there

of course you can eat for less than fifteen bucks a plate. you just need to get into neighborhoods and away from places like Grant Hyatts.

[ScreamingMeemie]

11. We went to Dupont Circle, Georgetown, anywhere the subway would

take us in search of a Big Boy's, Denny's...anything. Remember, we are classless, backwoods, Mid-Westerners. (Okay, my husband's a Southerner)

;-)

[northzax]

12. Denny's

sure, there's a Denny's, deep in the NorthEast, up by the Maryland line.

[catpower2000]

13. You went to DC, which has some of the best ethnic food restaurants...

in the WORLD, and you were looking for a DENNY'S???

Cat

[GOPisEvil]

14. I'm with you!

Even if you're not into ethnic cuisines, I always try sampling the local restaurants instead of going to chains (unless that chain is not available in my home area - can you say Claim Jumper and In-N-Out).

[ScreamingMeemie]

24. This is why we found ourselves in the cellar of the Lincoln House.

[ScreamingMeemie]

23. Note: First the use of the word Children...one who doesn't eat...

who cannot be even coaxed to eat Taco Bell, let alone ethnic (we've tried, I get my fixes of Middle Eastern on the sly) Two, the use of Big Boys and Denny's was meant to be comic(meaning cheap) because we're cheap, get it now????

[GOPisEvil]

25. Gotcha!

:-)

[northzax]

29. eh? well them

you should have hit the Waffle House...mmm, Waffle House...

[ScreamingMeemie]

33. Funny, they were right next door to the Lincoln House...so it was a

toss up. We laughed at the newspaper article in the window declaring them the most delicious grossest restaraunt in the area.

It has a cool counter though.:-)

[Blue_Chill]

15. Do you like night clubs?

I would suggest Dream and can even get you VIP passes (free) for sat. night.

Let me know what you are into and I can tell you where to go.

[northzax]

27. you can get passes to Dream?

can you hook people up all the time or jsut this saturday? I've been to MMXXII and VIP but not dream yet...

[Blue_Chill]

36. Every Sat night just about

why you want a few? PM me in advance if you want and I'll let you know what I can do.

[youngred]

35. whoa!

Dream VIPs?

nice connection

[Tyler Durden]

17. The Torpeodo Factory in Alexandria was amazing (in 1985)

Haven't been there since, though. Downtown Alexandria was cute.

I recommend that after you do 2 days of the Smithsonian/other museums, you hang out at the Raw Bar in Annapolis right next to the harbor. If the seafood is better anywhere else, than things have changed in the last few years.

The best French restaurant I ever ate in was in Bethesda MD, near the Chevy Chase border. I don't remember the name, but it's WEST of Mass. Ave.

[Chilly_Willy]

18. Here's some suggestions

www.washingtondcnightlife.com/washingtondcrestaurants.htm
www.washingtonpost.com -> entertainment -> bars & clubs

If you go to Key Bridge (off Rt66) and go towards Gtown then you are on the main strip and if you turn right and go 5 blocks down you are at the waterfront lots of places outside and inside, bars...

If you go to the Key Bridge and go towards Courthouse go on Wilson Blvd, there's many places in around there that are great:

Gua-Rapo (2039 Wilson Blvd.)- lounge, lit up bar, you can smoke a huka upstairs, sometimes dj.

Clarendon Ballroom (3185 Wilson)

Stay in dc & gtown area they are open later than VA.

Dream - DC
www.masouda.com

Modern - Gtown
Nation - DC
Five - Adam's Mogan
www.primacycompanies.com/nation/index.cfm

[Yavin4]

19. If You Like Beer...

there's a bar that has a beer from every nation on the planet. I can't remember the place, and I'm not sure if it's still open.

[AlabamaYankee]

20. It's the Brickskeller

My son took us there a couple of weeks ago when we were in town visiting. They have over a thousand different beers, including bud lite for the truly ignorant

No Pennsylvania Pilsner, alas <sigh>.

edit for abysmal typing

[Michael Daniels]

22. RFD near 7th and F NW is owned by the same people and is nicer

Brickskellar is great but it's packed and loud on most nights, not that there's anything wrong with that.

RFD is owned by the same people and I've found the environment a little more comfortable (space-wise) plus it has an outdoor seating environment and it offers at least 15 high quality imports on tap whereas the Brick is all bottles. The bottle menu isn't as extensive as the Brick's list but it contains all the main players and several nice lesser known brands.

As an extra bonus it's only a few blocks away from lots of great "cheap" Asian restaurants and Capital Q which is probably the best BBQ joint in DC serving Texas style brisket.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

30. Do they carry all the Belgians that Brickskellar does?

:beer:

[MountainLaurel]

21. In Alexandria

I hear good things about Majestic on King Street (it's the main drag through Old Town Alexandria), especially the cake. Ecco is good for Italian. If you're around at lunchtime, head to Nickel and Somethings: It's a great sandwich, gourmet sort of place at the corner of King and Henry Cafe Monti, further west on Duke St., has also been recommended to me. Chintana has good Thai food. Mango Mike's has a fun atmosphere and is also on Duke.

For fun times, there's the Birchmere in Del Ray; there's usually an interesting show going on there.

[EOTE]

26. Good cheap food is as close as the metro...

Get off at the Crystal City stop and check out the underground mall. There are some nice bar/restaurants there, a foodcourt if you're looking to eat on the cheap, there's even a sushi bar if that's your thing. I used to work there and I got reasonably fresh sushi everyday :beer:

[sirshack]

31. My Favorite Spots

DC: Nanny O'Briens, Toledo Lounge, Pharmacy Bar, Aroma, Black Cat, Visions Cinema, Dupont Circle/Adams Morgan neighborhoods in general, Politiki, Zola, Kramerbooks.

Alexandria: Murphy's

[GoddessOfGuinness]

32. It's in MD, but it's GREAT!

In Hyattsville, MD, on Route 1, check out Franklin's General Store and Brewpub. MUCH better beer than any of the DC area brewpubs I've tried, and they have excellent food and entertainment in a local-yokel atmosphere.

:cheers:

[youngred]

34. Georgetown

The Princes Cafe. A middle eastern houkah bar. Open til 5AM. Weird Arabic music, GREAT food and as much of a houka as you can take