Laporta's Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.8 (422) • $$$

"Our agency's go to luncheon location. No matter how many times we say we will try somewhere new we always end up at our favorite place, Laporta's! Family like treatment. Friendly staff, private seating, we love that they are willing to set up based upon our needs when we reserve for large parties. Our last Christmas luncheon was by far the smallest group of us to ever attend but like every other time they were ready for us. They always seem to be able to serve their guest as if they're the only ones there. Parking garage available, rate changes. Highest we've paid is $20 Street parking next block over, metered. Located walking distance to Old Town!!"

INCA Social

★★★★☆ 3.9 (400) • $$

"We came here for a group dinner last Wednesday. The restaurant was partly filled around 6pm. It was my first time trying Peruvian food so I was excited. I was not familiar with many of the options on the menu. The staff was very helpful with providing great advice. We started with a round of drinks. The Chicha Rum was delicious. The Latin Ice was bitter and did not have much flavor. The Inca Kolada was very strong and had an interesting mix. The rest of our group decided to stick with beers. For food I decided to try the Peruvian Sushi. I ordered the Acevichado Roll and the Tumi Roll. They were the top favorites on the menu. The presentation for the sushi was awesome. They were very similar but had very distinct tastes. They were packed with fried shrimp and topped with cream cheese and avocado. I ordered two rolls of five pieces each and it was enough to fill me up for dinner. For dessert we ordered the Sweet Sampler. This gave us a variety of items to try instead of ordering one piece of cake. It came with alfajores, churros, tres leches, suspiro, and flan. I love flan and tres leches so those were amazing. It was my first time trying alfajores and churros. They were very sweet and delicious. You can't go wrong with any of the options. Inca Social was a cool place to try. If I am in the mood for Peruvian food I will stop by here again."

The Light Horse

★★★★☆ 3.8 (418) • $$

"Nice bar with a lot of seating and great events! Trivia on Wednesdays, live music Saturdays, and football games too! It's a really nice go-to restaurant/bar."

Black Cat

★★★★☆ 3.6 (425) • $$

"When I was eight years old, I had to attend a family wedding and my parents dressed me in a child's suit, complete with a clip-on tie and black leather lace up shoes. Even though I was supremely uncomfortable for the 2-3 hours, I remember feeling very adult since my mom kept telling me I was in my "grown up" clothes. Decades later, through my wardrobe choices I was again attempting to revisit a different stage in my life, but in reverse. For this past weekend's show at the Black Cat where DC legends Tuscadero and Velocity Girl were the headliners, I dug out my old Nirvana T-shirt, the Carhartt flannel shirt which is usually reserved for yard work, faded Levi Jeans, and of course, the Doc Martens which have been gathering dust in the back of my closet. This was the standard "uniform" for the DC music scene in the late 90s and early 2000s.I've been seeing shows at the Black Cat for over 25 years. And at the risk of sounding like every other "aging cool guy," when I tell people that U-Street used to be sketch, and the now trendy Garden District Beer Garden actually used to be A REAL garden and hardware store, I'm usually met with stares of incredulity as U-Street continues its never ending march down the road of gentrification with a bookstore, wine bar, and coffee shop now neighboring the Black Cat.But I'm not going to be a hater, since The Black Cat has been beacon for local and national independent music since it was started in 1993 by former Gray Matter drummer Dante Ferrando, and a group of investors which included future Foo Fighters front man Dave Grohl.The "new" Black Cat (since the smaller Backstage and Red Room closed downstairs and only the second floor Mainstage exists now) is still an intimate space where fans can get up close and personal with the acts. There were three bands, but my group didn't arrive until 9:30, when Tuscadero went on. Even though they haven't played live since 2014, the melodic vocals and guitar riffs of lead singers Melissa Farris and Margaret McCartney still sounded amazing. They played a ridiculously tight set.This is the second time I've seen Velocity Girl this year; with the first being at the Bowery Room in NYC back in October 2023. Once upon a time, the DC scene was fertile ground for creative edgy music; unlike nowadays where most of the venues are pumping out over sampled generic crap with overly autotuned vocals from heavily stylized bands. 20 years removed from their last performances, lead singer Sarah Shannon still sounds great; and Archie Moore and Kelly Young are still guitar maestros. At their peak, Velocity Girl was described as part "shoe gazer" with equal amounts of "clean" guitar harmonies. Both bands sounded amazing!!!In another sign of the times, I counted no less than 30 kids (between 12-17) who accompanied their Gen-X parents to this show. I don't care if these kids listened to this music via CD or on a Spotify playlist, it was cool to see these youngster swaying to the music and doing the requisite 2000's "bounce" with their parents...dare I say there were having some quality "family bonding?"I'm so glad the Black Cat survived the pandemic because it really is one of the more underappreciated music venues in DC. Good acoustics, decent prices for drinks (as of this review, draft beers are $10), and even seating if you get there early enough.At the end of the night, we Uber-ed home since parking in DC on the weekends is a nightmare these days, and I recalled that famous book by American author Thomas Wolfe, "You Can't Go Home Again." While it was fun playing "dress up" in the clothes of my youth and listening the old familiar tunes, returning to places and times from your past may be enjoyable for brief stretches, but inherently, you realize the present is an entirely different reality.So the flannel goes back to its "day job" of cutting grass and raking leaves, the Docs got wiped down and placed back into the closet. My 12 year old nephew has ironically been listening to lots of 90's grunge (he went to see the Smashing Pumpkins with his parents this summer) and asking if he can have my old Nirvana T-shirt, so might as well give it to someone who'll wear it more often than I."

Inca Social

★★★★☆ 4.1 (303) • $$

"This place is phenomenal! I am an out of town guest, visiting a college friend who speaks really highly about this place. I usually am extra skeptical when somebody speaks too highly of a restaurant. This place lived up the hype. The restaurant was super accommodating to every request we had. To start the service was amazing-- quick, attentive and knowledgeable. They knew what I could and couldn't eat with my shrimp allergy. Everything we ordered was delicious. I would def recommend the sushi (mangos and plantains ). I will say the restaurant is very lively -- especially since Copa America was on tv. It was a little difficult to hear especially with my friends mom. Overall, I would gladly eat here again! Amazing job!!"

Zikrayet Lebanese Restaurant & Lounge

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (449) • $$

"Had no clue it was also a hookah bar and lounge, but if the weather was nice there's a TON of patio seating.Food was quite good overall! Next time I'll just get a bunch of small plates because those were all excellent (sausages in lemon butter were PARTICULARLY great). Main dishes were ok and drink prices seemed high...thus the 4 star and not 5 star review."

The Renegade

★★★★☆ 4 (153)

"Hands-down, the best bar in Arlington. The food is amazing, the bartenders are so fun, and the space is great. Want to emphasize how good the food is -- they also have great Latin and country dance nights with live music."

Pearl Street Warehouse

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (111) • $$

"I came here for a show (ZO!, Tall Black Guy with Deborah Bond) over a weekendParking/Getting HereYou could take the metro (walk or shuttle from L'Enfant Plaza, or metro from Waterfront stop) or park in one of the garages. I opted to metro over so I can't speak on how the parking garages are at the Wharf. Every time i come there most of them are full or near full so I guess get there early if you're there for a show and hope your show doesn't coincide with a big show at The Anthem?VenueAn intimate, neighborhood-bar type of feel with a split level, an ok sized dance floor (its not the only dance floor at the Wharf, not sure how that idea came about when there's several music venues with sizeable dance space at the Wharf). Bathrooms are clean and well maintained, staff is personable. Sound was great. I'd definitely come back to see a show here again soon!DrinksI had the "Pearl Punch" don't ask me what was in it, i'm guessing a little bit of everything? But it was a nice amount and was served in a huge (to me it was huge) container and lasted me for a good while, enough to where i didn't bother buying another drink lol. Service was quick and polite. I did not have any food items so i cannot speak on that."

Takoma Station Tavern

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (67) • $$

"Wow! Takoma Station Tavern (TST), Memory Lane! As a high school teen, my young self was frequenting TST. The parties were here, and guess what, they still are to this day.My honey and I attended an event before the end of 2024 and I was delighted to come! My old stomping ground! Literally! Drinks were great! Wings even better! Great food, great drinks, and great vibe!I'm biased, I'll always be a patron of TST! Say Yes to this establishment!"

B Live

★★★★☆ 3.5 (46)

"What a fantastic gem! Great drinks, great grub and really fantastic decor and style! The comedy shows have been amazing and the music nights are great! Solid service with really dedicated staff."

Earp's Ordinary

★★★★☆ 4.4 (28)

"Had drinks and dinner at the awesome pop up on a Wednesday evening. Live music. Packed house. Super friendly staff. Enjoyed more than a few manhattans and whiskey smashes over amazinggggg Brussels sprouts (roasted and sweetened with pomegranate and orange), shrimp, and pretzels. Finished up with tacos (all 3 kind) and falafel burger. Everything came with fries and all the entree portions were extremely generous... and delicious. These type of dining experiences make going out truly worthwhile!"

Song & Sazon

★★★★★ 4.8 (5)

"I am so glad that the other bar I was planning on visiting was closed for a private event, because I probably would not have stumbled upon this wonderful bar/restaurant. The restaurant is located on the second floor of a "random" building, so it might be a bit difficult to find unless you are in the know. Although there were not many folks during my visit, the restaurant gives off a very strong Colombian flare. I originally stopped by to get a drink, but I ended up trying the caserito, which was sort of a combo meal. This meal included a delicious soup, a beer filet, beans, rice, and a small salad. It was quite the meal for only $14 bucks. I do not remember the name of the bean-based soup, but it was out of this world delicious. For $14 bucks, I thought the portions were quite generous. The service was pretty good. Since the bartender/waitress did not speak much English, dining here gave me the perfect opportunity to practice my Spanish. I definitely hope to return in the near future to try more items off of the menu and maaaaybe sing karaoke."

The Block

★★★★☆ 4.3 • $$

"Still love the block! Such a great little food hall.Ordered to-go from Pokéworks to satisfy my Poké fix! While I briefly waited for my order, I was able to enjoy some live music on a Wednesday night. So nice! The block has a decent sized bar for people to sit or order from & sit at one of the community tables.It's just a great little eclectic spot with good vibes, good food joints & just a great atmosphere. Cheers!"

The Hamilton

★★★★☆ 3.9 • $$

"Great little experience at an iconic DC bar. Super Happy with my time at the Hamilton!I was just buzzing from a jazz show over in Georgetown and I wasn't ready to head back to my hotel just yet, so I took a chance for some final food and drinks for the night and headed over to The Hamilton.Arrived at around 9pm and sat at the bar. The server Brian was super nice and gave me a run down of the company that owns a few other historical bar in the DC. While he explained that the main draw of the Hamilton was the sushi, I perused the menu and grabbed a drink. I opted for the Apple Spiced Sangria, delicious. I'm not always the biggest fan of sangria, but this one was great and different from any other I tried. Think a chilled mulled wine. Perfectly sweet and spicy.After a few sips, I was ready to try the sushi. I got some yellowtail and salmon nigiri. I loved it, it was exactly what I needed. Fresh and delicious. I'm happy they had all the wasabi and ginger I could handle to go along with it.I also tried the Lamb pappardelle. Totally hearty and great to finish off the end of the night. I had a few drinks throughout the night and this was great to fill me for the rest of the night before heading back to my hotel to bed. Cute little visit to The Hamilton! Really loved feeling regal and sitting at an iconic bar in an iconic city."