Live music
Asylum
A biker bar on 18th St? Yes, indeed, this is not just a gimmickâthere's even designated motorcycle parking in front! Gothic decor, heavy metal most nights see live bands, a friendly and eclectic clientele, and cheap beer await.
Bossa
The food is subpar, the drinks are pricey, but the bands are usually great.
Bukom Cafe
The "cafe" bit refers to the food, which is fine Ghanaian cuisine don't miss the "beer meat". But the attraction that draws the crowds is the nightly live musicâmostly reggae bands, but also West African music. The friendly crowd is mostly African, and a good deal older and more laid back than the rowdy neighbors. No cover.
Columbia Station
Nightly live jazz, no cover. Nothing more needs to be explained, but it's also a nice laid back place to get a drink while listening to good, local, live jazz with no cover.
Madam's Organ
Virtually anyone who's been to Adams Morgan has been to the fixture that is Madams Organ. Live music every nightâmainly blues but also jazz and bluegrass. Tuesday night is acoustic Delta blues. It owns its own atmosphere, with its stuffed animals, appliances and nick-nacks hanging from the walls and ceiling. Playboy magazine once named it one of the best bars in America, and redheads get discounts.
Cafes
Columbia Heights Coffee
Filling a small hole in Columbia Heights, this is a low-key coffee shop, with high quality beans, and a quiet, comfy place to wake up in the morning or surf the internet. Free WiFi.
Tryst
Very hip café-by-day/bar-by-night strategically placed next to The Diner same owners. The atmosphere is very friendly and encourages you to just hang out for a while. Free WiFi M-Th.
Clubs
Brass Monkey
Four bars in one, with a Karaoke bar in the basement named Peyote grill, and a dance floor with cocktail tables on the second floor. The third floor bar has pool tables and old rusty/ic couches, then there is the upstairs bar which is really divey and has a roof attached where you can go in the warm weather. Go for a crazy drunken night, but don't expect much class. Sloppy and fun if you're in the right mood.
Chloe
Adams Morgan takes a stab at high end nightclubbing. The results are mixed, but yes, this is the upscale option, with a younger crowd than the neighborhood often attracts. The price is right, but the wait is not. Show up on a weekend any time after 10PM, and you'll spoil your night with an awful, indeterminate time in line.
Club Heaven & Hell
This club is a bit unordinary, but the theme is fun. Basement is hell who would've thought hell would be the most low-key and conversation friendly?, first floor is purgatory appropriate for anyone stuck in line, and the upper floor is of course heaven, with its large celestial dance floor. Other than the gimmick, the no dress code policy and $5 covers make this a popular stop. Note that Hell does not have A/C.
Saki
Sushi bar and dance club dance club, mostly, with a lot of style think lots of white, Miami, and color changing wall panels, and great DJs. With a diverse crowd, classy atmosphere, and a friendly vibe, it's rather hard not to like this place.
Habana Village
Salseros take noteâactually, they already have taken note, and the place has a sex ratio heavily skewed towards the males probably best to come in couples. This is indeed one of the best places in the city for a night of salsa dancing DJs, and to have a few Cuban drinks.
Napoleon
The Parisian option. Upstairs is a restaurant and bar with French cuisine; downstairs is the champagne bar, Metropolitain, with a host of champagnes, sparkline wines, and mixed drinks thereof courtesy of the expert bartenders. Th-Sa is when the Metro turns into a dance club with an odd choice of 1980s pop and other retro.
Bars/lounges
Dan's Cafe
This family run operation is one of the diviest and most colorful bars in the city. The bartender, Tracey, serves very large servings of booze think an entire glass of booze for one person straight up with mixers on the side and SoCo lime shooters are served in squeeze ketchup bottles. It's a one of a kind experience. If you want a dive on 18th St this is it. Cash only.
Millie & Al's
Adams Morgan can be a bit much at times, too many shiny nightclub shirts, too many silly cocktails. Seek refuge at this dive bar pining for West Virginia that has been on 18th St for over 30 years. Try the pizza and don't miss $1 beers on Wednesday. Beware that weekends are often extremely crowded with the very drunk and very young.
Pharmacy Bar
Indeed, this is a bar with pharmacy decor it was founded by the son of a pharmacist. Come here instead for great value on drinks and some really great sandwiches, a laid back atmosphere, legendary jukebox, A/C, and good people watching.
Reef
The biggest bar in the area, with three-levels plus a more relaxed rooftop deck offering great views of the neighborhood from its tables. As its name suggests, there is an aquatic theme, and aquariums separate booths on the dancing-friendly second floor. The club, and of course the rooftop patio, can get extremely crowded, so show up early on the weekends. No dress code, no cover.
Room 11
A new neighborhood wine bar/café/cocktail spot. It has a tiny inside and a bigger patio area. They specialize in good wine for a good value, and they make great cocktails, which rotate frequently. They also have tasty small dishes like salads, soups, and panini, plus cheese and meat plates. A nice spot to relax, have a drink, and if you're interested, discuss wine and cocktails with the bartender.
The Wonderland Ballroom
Columbia Heights' neighborhood bar is beloved by the neighborhood's residents, especially the hipsters for the welcoming, local neighborhood bar vibe. There's a lot of history at this bar. Its previous incarnation as Nob Hill was a legendary gay bar that had quite a run from 1954–2004. Weekends are crowded, but people will be happy to let you squeeze. Dance floor upstairs.
Bourbon
The Adams-Morgan branch of the original laid-back Glover Park bar offers a very wide selection of its namesake liquorâ150 whiskeys, to be precise not just bourbons. Don't like whiskey? They also have a great selection of American wines & microbrews. Try the low-fat alternative grilled ostrich burger if you are feeling a little adventurous. The dance floor upstairs is popular on weekend nights, but otherwise it's better to visit at a more relaxed time of the dayâthe noise, especially from the embarrassingly classless bartenders, interferes with the proper enjoyment of a $30 Scotch.
Evolve
A small, quieter lounge conspicuously off the caffeinated 18th St strip. A good stylish place to have an audible conversation over cocktails in Adams Morgan the food is a little disappointing. No dance floor, but there are usually people dancing to the R&B anyway.
There are far too many good options to list here, especially as of-the-moment bars and clubs close and reopen under different names weeklyâyou'd be well-served to do your own reconnaissance up and down 18th St. You could hop between five places per day, and it would still take about a month to finish off the neighborhood. Many bars and clubs have sidewalk or rooftop patios in the warmer months, and they're serving anything from cheap pitchers of beer to expensive champagne based cocktails.
Be aware before you arrive on a F-Sa night, though, the crowd is as young as it is drunk, and the whole thing can look a bit like the capital's take on Mardis Gras. That's either a plus or a minus depending on your view, but you can escape this crowd if you choose your destination carefully. Regardless of your tastes, you should be sure to stop by the legendary Madam's Organ.