The staff here is great. Â The drinks are okay. Â The space is loud and crazy at night with whistles, bongo drums, bells and sirens. Â My major gripe is the crowd, and one must understand that I come from a very particular point of view. Â Not all crowds are fun for me. Â The hordes of handsome men come here for the girls; FEMALE girls. Â The environment is very straight. Â Latin dance clubs are frequently filled with a certain amount of sexual ambiguity, but this one is not. Â It's almost hyper-heterosexual. Â Unlike many dance clubs where if you come to dance and have fun, people don't care who you are or what you're all about, at this one someone like myself is likely to be ignored. Â It's simply not a social space. Â The guys and girls here are interested in hooking up, which isn't a bad thing for them. Â I'm just not included in the mix. Â The people are generally well dressed, well behaved and polite, but there's not a lot here to hold my attention.
Review Source:I only come here to dance. Fun. One time in 2006 I came here during the day to watch a World Cup match. Also fun. I LOVE Cafe Ctiron. It's my favourite place to go dancing. Most nights, the DJ plays a really fun mix of music that keeps me going until the lights come on. I like how the people who come here aren't getting drunk out their minds and staggering around spilling alcohol everywhere. You don't have to "dress to impress" and there is no velvet rope and VIP section. Just three floors of space to dance until you sweat. That's how I like it. Every friend I bring here gushes about how much fun they have, and I'm glad to share the love.
Review Source:I've heard of great things about Cafe Citron and I finally visited the Dupont bar a few days ago. The place is decorated vividly, some may say tacky, but it works for the place. I ordered a $4 margarita it was okay, I did not taste any alcohol and it was way to sour. Then I order another $4 mix drink, but when my bill came the bartender  charged me extra for my drinks than they were supposed to be.  Yet, we did receive "complimentary" shots. The bar thing wasn't a big deal because the price for the two drinks still came up to about what I would pay for one drink at another bar.
The best part of my night was definitely the salsa dancing. FUN! FUN! FUN! People who were dancing knew what they were doing then there were people like my friends and I who were eager to learn. The people were very helpful and taught us a few moves. I had a wonderful time! Will definitely go back again.
GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! OLE! OLE! OLE!
Something about a black and white ball and guys on the field. Â Something about Columbia. Â Damn it, I wish I hadn't picked Japanese as my high school language.
Good thing I still can say "Mojito" and "Empanada." Â
As part of my night on the town tour, we stopped here to enjoy the football/futball/soccer specials. Â Really affordable pitchers (yes, that is a $12 pitcher of vodka orange/cran. Â Don't fret child). Â Mojitos that taste like candy. Â Empanadas that reminded me of glorious-filling-stuffed hush puppies. Â Super yummy!!! Â
I was informed that there is salsa and dancing on the booth benches in the multi-story building on normal nights. I have to say I loved the multicultural vibe, the friendly service, and the affordability. Â Oh, and crayons and paper placemats. Â Love it. Â Tipsy people create great works of art. Â
Cafe Citron is FUN FUN FUN!
Wow I really disliked this place. The food was average, I am not complaining about that. However, the service was horrible. We were supposed to have the entire upstairs for a private party but tons of other patrons arrived.
Here's what made me give it one star:
1. they didn't honor some of the HH prices.
2. no plates on table
3. we had to ask repeatedly for silverware
4. they brought out one dish at a time (instead of all at once) so some people were done eating before others received their food
5. sugary/fake margaritas
6. when we complained, the person we spoke w/ refused to deduct any items from the bill despite the very misleading HH menu
The Cucumber Mojitos were sooooo good. I ordered their "seasonal" special empanadas. Since they weren't in the appetizer section I thought they'd be huge or at least big enough to consider a meal. Turns out they weren't and I didn't really have time to order more food so I left hungry!
Review Source:After finishing my last final (possibly ever), some friends and I went out dancing at Cafe Citron. Â It was a really fun night and I enjoyed the venue. Â Cafe Citron is relatively spacious - they have a nice downstairs dance floor and also an upstairs area and bar. Â The drinks were great. Â The vibe was nice. Â And the place was really clean and decorated well. Â The music was good - definitely things we could dance to. Â And we were pleasantly surprised when they put on some Arabic music! Â I definitely want to visit Cafe Citron again in the future. Â It's located very conveniently in Dupont Circle, near a lot of other fun bars.
Review Source:Been here several times and have always enjoyed it. The highlight from one of our visits was trying to request a song from across the balcony and the dj actually used hand signals to give us his phone # so we could text in requests. Great for happy hour or late night. Attractive crowd. Good dancing, but it can get crowded.
Review Source:I ABSOLUTELY LOVED MY NIGHT HERE! Yes, I am shouting it for the world to hear.
My friend Diana and I rolled in here this past Saturday for a girl's night. She avoided a very nasty blind date which ended up being our amusement for the night. We went to dinner earlier at one of the grab and go shops in DuPont so we could focus more on getting our drink on for the night. Diana is Colombian and I was letting her take the reigns on the night's activities. While walking down the street she mentioned that Cafe Citron had a good Latin theme and she had heard good things. I love Latin music and themes so it was going to work out great for me.
When we walked in, she and I took a table in the back where our server approached us and said the restaurant closed in 30 minutes since it was 10:30 at the point of our arrival. Little did we know that it was going to turn into a club once the restaurant closed! We ordered a pisco sour a piece and sipped on our drinks until I checked in on Yelp to find they had a Yelp offer with any purchase. You get a pitcher of booze of your choice when you check in! A pitcher of margaritas is typically $25, and our server redeemed it and gave it to us. We had no idea about this check in since we were sort of free styling this particular evening.
Long of the short of it -- we ended up being there until about 2:15am where we both salsa danced just having the time of our lives. I honestly had a great time. The theme, the drinks, the crowd, overall everything was awesome. I don't know if I could come here every weekend for the obvious reasons, but if you're looking to have a good night and just let go of everything that is going on -- I would highly recommend checking out Cafe Citron. The menu looks pretty good too if I might add.
Cafe Citron is the bomb! Just on the fact that our reservation for 16 was lost in cyber space and they were able to still accommodate us. Not only did they accommodate 16 people the also gave each table complimentary pitchers of mojitos and a appetizer platter. Plus a round of free shots and complimentary piece of cake for the beloved birthday boy. If your not from D.C or use to driving in that type of traffic.... catch the metro! ( point blank period) I got lost and drove past the place! It's a small restaurant on a very busy street and on a sunny,warm D.C day if five people are standing in front of it you will miss it.
  Don't give up! find this gem of a restaurant, enter and be prepared to have FUN! from the whimsical decor to the cool mix of music playing you  will enjoy yourself.  So after I personally devoured one of the complimentary pitchers ( don't judge me I was thirsty) I ordered not one but two Samba- Rihna , very tasty fresh and fruity cocktail.  Don't worry I did eat. I sampled the platter which consisted of a variety of items from the appetizer menu. Fried plantains, southern goodness. Battered zucchini, delicious. Spicy chicken, awesome and quesadillas, muy bien. I also had the beef empanadas as a entree, So so good. Cafe Citron was worth my hour drive, fight in traffic and getting lost. I notice Yelpers they offer a special in the " deals" section. That little coupon plus the fact they have happy hour mon- sat, you can't go wrong.
Thanks Citron crew for making my bestie and all his friends and family welcome! We had such a great experience.
Came here for happy hour, pulled in by a Google Offer I purchased a few months ago. The scene is definitely Latin -- there were some great tunes pulsing that I haven't heard since the last time I was in Argentina. The bartender provided phenomenal service, taking excellent care of us. The mojitos were delicious (albeit dangerous -- easy to throw back three without a second thought). The guac and chips were great -- some of the better guacamole I've had in DC.We thought the empandas were good (would suggest the beef and cheese - skip the chicken), though definitely unique. They came in a corn meal, deep friend batter. Think corn dog, but filled with empanada goodness. Unique, but definitely still good. Not sure if I'll come back, but it is a great spot to start the night -- def. a solid place for happy hour.
Review Source:Came in for happy hour after being lured in through a Google offer. Very eclectic little latin bar/restaurant that smelled heavy of stale spilled booze upon entering (something you probably wouldnt notice if stopping in when it gets crazy later on in the evening).
Not to be deterred, however. Mojitos are clearly their specialty and boy, do they serve them up well. I ordered the ginger mojito ($6) and the bf got the classic. Both were delicious and poured nicely. No skimping on the Bacardi here.
If you like mojitos, this is your spot.
Sampled a few appetizers as well. Ordered two empanadas, one chicken, one cheese. They were neither of good portion or very tasty. At $7 for two, they're clearly overpriced.
Also went for the plantains, which were completely scrumptious. Comfort food to the max. At $5 these were well priced. Nice big portion. Very filling and served with a spicy mayo sauce.
Cool place. I'd definitely stop in again.
Lucky to get 2 stars as I'm pretty confident that they over charged us. Â The guacamole and chips was fine. Â The coconut tenders - chicken tenders with coconut were nice and meaty, but not overly flavorful. Â Everything was fine and the bartenders were friendly.
The salsa lesson was good and fun. Â Not a bad ratio, although slightly more gentlemen. Â I much prefer the teaching at Havana Village even though it's $10 because you are broken into smaller groups and its much easier to see what you are being taught.
I personally love Cafe Citron, however other people will say you either love it or hate it. This location tends to get really crowded really quickly but ever since they added a second-floor, it has helped with the congestion on the weekends. What I love the most about this place is that the music is always on point (salsa, merengue, bachata, latin rock) the drinks are always flowing and it's always free to get in.
It is conveniently located in Dupont Circle near the metro so transportation is never an issue. Cabs are always driving in front of the bar so that is also an option. I've also come here during happy hour which is a great place to unwind because their specials are amazing (yummy margarita pitchers!!). I would definitely say give this place a chance before you make any judgments!
I've been here a couple of times for happy hour, and it is quite a deal on drinks. Its really nice to have a variety of specialty drinks offered at a discount as opposed to just beer. Â I have also visited latenight Friday, and boy is it hoppin! Â Its so lively and loud, its a great alternative to other Dupont bars.
It is, on the other hand, pretty small and cramped, even during happy hour. Â I can imagine it would be frustrating for some on the weekends because of this.
I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT LATIN AMERICAN CULTURE. for real. this place is going to be a new spot of mine.
I came here pretty sporadically with my friend for a weekend happy hour! I got a YELP deal to get a free pitcher of their world famous mojitos for 4 or more people! I rounded up a group of us and headed out to Café Citron. Even before walking in, I was exciting for the decor and vibrancy of the establishment - I was not disappointed. We were seated quickly because we just wanted appetizers and drinks. Everything on their menu had a HH price! How cool is that!? Also, their drink list was extensive, but all amazing, which made it hard to choose what drink to try.
We got the pitcher of mojitos, which REALLY are the best mojitos in DC! I was going crazy over them! (definitely try those, they have different flavors). Now, the reason for the 4 stars. It is because I only went for Happy Hour, so I cannot judge it holistically. However, I had the wings, which were amazing and all my friends food looked amazingly presented as well! Next, for drinks I had the samba-rihna, which was a bit on the sweeter side, but delicious nonetheless!
The ambiance was modern and wild! I loved it! The service however was not up to par as the drinks! Our server was a little tone deaf (it wasn't too loud) and half the time didn't know what we were ordering! Also, when he spoke, he spoke very softly, as a server you need to be energetic and upbeat, not down in the dumps!
Definitely worth a visit fellow yelpers! OH YA! & free salsa lessons are always a plus!
I love Cafe Citron. Now, before I go any further, I will admit that I have only been here for happy hour. And since I'm not a huge latin music lover, I probably won't ever come here for late-night partying. With that being said, this is one of my favorite places for happy hour. I love the fact that happy hour is also extended to 8pm on Saturdays.
The food is always pretty good. Well, I will say that the nachos are always good because I never get anything else. The drinks here though are amazing, and are the real reason why I come here so much. $3 margaritas, $4 mojitos/caiprinhas, $5 martinis? Yes! My favorite has to be the caiprinhas, especially if they are made by Ilena (sp?)- she is the best bartender, I really only want for her to make my drinks whenever I come.
Based on all the negative reviews about the atmosphere at night, I think I will definitely just stick to happy hour.
The strong caipirinhas and delicious nachos are what keep me coming back. HH goes until 7:30, and the selection of drinks and appetizers is excellent. Along with the nachos, my go-to items are the coconut shrimp, gambas al ajillo, and the Bolivian potato cake. Wings are meh.
Lively, fun atmosphere. We witnessed a flamenco show the last time we were there (a Thursday, I believe), and it was a big hit with the crowd.
I'm docking a star because 1) Been here multiple times and don't think we have ever received an accurate bill. Once you bring it to their attention they'll gladly adjust it without any issues, but you definitely need to take a careful look before handing over your credit card, and 2) During our last visit, we were told that their oven(s)? were broken which effectively axed my week-long dream of inhaling a plate of nachos or anything else that required oven preparation. SO disappointing.
Overall a fun place in Dupont to grab HH drinks with friends after a long week. There really is nothing a pitcher of caipirinhas can't cure!
I like the mojitos here, but the thing that REALLY brings me back each week is the weekly free salsa class at 7:30 on Wednesdays! Â The instructor (Orlando?) is the boss, and he's oh so hilarious.
There are plenty of beginners and also more experienced dancers, so it's really chill and fun. :) As a salsa noob, I would highly recommend this spot.
Awesome place to go during a night out at Dupont Circle!
Great selection of cocktails: sangria, mojitos and other specialty drinks on a 2 page menu! Â Decent beer selection, although mostly typical (ie- Heineken, Bud, etc.)
A bit pricey, but they use good alcohol in their drinks...and a REALLY fun place to have you dancing shoes on at! Â Not so good at night if you want to sit down and have a conversation...much more of a dancing, party kind of place, so if you're in the mood to dance then this is your place!
For the past 3 years, Cafe Citron has been my go to place. It was always a guaranteed good time for my friends and I. However, after having a less than pleasant experience last week, I doubt my friends and I will be back again.
We decided to go to Cafe Citron because we hadn't visited in awhile and we have always had fun there. I think they are under new management because it was way more expensive than I remember, the service was slow, and the whole experience was just shady.
First, I waited forever for my food. By the time everyone was done with their food, I finally got my food. And this was only after reminding our waiter several times. After we asked the manager about it, that is when I was finally served my food. When we got our bill they actually charged us for my food even though it was clearly bad service. It was only after we requested to take the charge off that the manager did.
Second, everything is so much more expensive. Warning: Do not get a pitcher of any of their drinks because you will be charged an arm and a leg for it. We were absolutely shocked when we got our bill. Gone were the good old days when Happy Hour at Cafe Citron didn't mean you were spending money like you were eating at  a 5 star restaurant.
Finally, I had a coupon from Yelp that was $12 for $24. When we got our bill we saw that we were charged 18% gratuity. In their menu it clearly states that 18% gratuity is charged for parties of 5 or more. Our group only had 4 people. When we questioned the manager, she said that their "system" automatically charged 18% gratuity if there was a coupon associated with the bill. We questioned how this made sense when the Yelp coupon never mentioned anything about any additional gratuity in the fine print but the manager would not budge. We finally just asked them to take my food off of the bill.
All in all I was severely disappointed in my experience at Cafe Citron. I absolutely loved this place and had some really great times there. Its sad to think that I won't come back and have any additional memories there.
Meh, I guess with enough alcohol you can have fun anywhere...I suppose.
My co-workers always suggested this place. They do have a dance floor down below. The energy is fun, but for me the food falls flat. There are so many amazing places to eat in D.C. I would never come here for the food. I think I ordered tacos...yeah it was THAt memorable.
The drinks were alright, but I would only come here if it was a central meeting place to start and to head....elsewhere.
Got to DC in the early evening and my GF and I were in the mood for some margaritas. Â We were staying at the TOPAZ and Cafe Citron was right around the corner. Â This place seemed pretty cool with all the decor and had some decent latin music playing. Â
We ordered the 2 margaritas and we also orderd nachos, ceviche, and grilled calamari as we were more in the mood to share apps instead of ordering our own entrees. Â we were disappointed with their margaritas. Â the menu seemed mexican so i would have expected better margaritas and they were garnished with dried up limes :( Â The apps were all pretty delicious though. Â
i think the 2 stars is more based on the fact that we were in the mood for margaritas and we were let down. Â the food gets 3 1/2 stars.
Beware the FALSE menu prices.  So I'm not disputing the "best mojitos in town" thing and I did enjoy my caipirinha, but when I was here over the weekend, the menu said the drink was $8 something  (HH price $4 something).  The bartender tells me when we're about to leave that it's $10.  Now, I know DC food tax is steep but I still didn't understand how that'd increase the cost by nearly 2 bucks.  I asked the bartender, and he proceeded to tell me - somewhat sheepishly, may I add - that the menu prices have been out of date for a little over a year now!  I don't think that's legally allowed.  I wondered whether the food prices were "out of date" on the menu as well.
I'm not suggesting you avoid this place b/c of the other good qualities other reviewers probably raved about. Just  beware the "outdated menu price" thing and ask what the actual prices are prior to ordering.
I'm so glad that Yelp reviews convinced me to try this place for an early weekday dinner with a friend before an evening of art at the Mansion on O Street. Â We were not disappointed!
Given other reviews, I would be hesitant to venture here on a weekend night (or any night for that matter), but for dinner/happy hour we were very pleased. Â It was easy to get drinks from the bar and service at our back table was sufficient, though it took a little too long to get our check. Â I hadn't eaten Latin American food in a long time and I loved EVERYTHING we ordered, especially the plantains! Yummm! So delicious - I can't wait to go back.
If you want to carry on a conversation here, arrive early in the evening - we met around 5:15 PM and by the time we left an hour later, it was already starting to fill up. Â I have a hard time seeing how this place can even try to host nighttime activity given how narrow and small it is, but I guess that explains why it gets so crowded so easily. Â Wouldn't be worth it to me, but for dinner, I'll be going back and ordering the plantains!
Came here on Saturday night with my girlfriend because they offer a free one-hour merengue lesson at 8:00 pm. We got in the door 15 minutes early and were directed downstairs to where the lesson was going to take place. A bartender greeted us and told us that we were still in time for happy hour (menu stated 7:30 pm) but I wasn't complaining. We got two mojitos for the price of one expensive DC cocktail. They were very sweet, but nevertheless delicious.
The instructor still hadn't shown by 8:15 pm. Our bartender informed us that because the instructor wasn't coming, she would have to teach the lesson herself (saaaay-whaaat?). The music started and our bartender exclaimed, "oh, there she is!" as we made our way to the dance floor.
The instructor taught the basic step and one move. All of this took about 5 minutes and the rest of the time they just played music for people to freestyle to. Great if you know what you're doing, terrible if you thought that you could actually learn a latin dance here for free.
Upside was that with a Yelp check-in, they offer a prix-fixe dinner and salsa lesson for $20.
I find the bar area a bit too LOUD and sardine-tastic in the latenight but this place has been a perhaps surprising early evening dinner hot-spot for many years - right off of Dupont circle. The entrees have been carefully prepared every time I brought guests out to dinner there and plenty of veg-friendly options, rare I think for bars around here.
The dancing entertainment has also always been wonderful. Â So many places have come and gone on this stretch over the years but Citron has clearly stood the test of time here for what it's worth.
Really beautiful yet casual setting on the main level. Fresh twists on pan-Latin cuisine and some great cocktails. Of course, don't miss out on the mojitos!
Free mojito with check-in on Yelp: check!
Mojito was good: check!
Ordered shrimp in ajillo (garlic and red pepper sauce) - holy moly GOOD!!!
Service: good.
People salsa dancing in front of us like they were experts: priceless.
Leg humping during this dancing above: even funnier.
Go to the cool underground part, you receive better service, can order food, and it's less crowded.
The staff also knows how to make a pretty good drink.
I've visited Cafe Citron for both dinner during the early evening and for clubbing over the weekend. Pretty different experiences each time but it was great!
For dinner, they have a nice mix of afro-latin dishes. Had their plantains with a friend from the Caribbean and we both deemed them quite tasty. Ask if Omar is making drinks, he was really friendly, mixes them just right, and has great answers to "I have no idea what I want to drink!" The prices are reasonable... portions aren't huge but honestly I think that's a good thing, it's just right.
The clubbing atmosphere of Cafe Citron is completely different. Two levels, both of them PACKED. Drinks don't flow as well as they do during dinnertime, but at least they are reasonably priced (think the $5 dollar range verses $10+ like in most clubs) However, the music is great, a mix of popular stuff and more rare music from whatever country the DJ happens to be from. Dress code isn't super fancy but it's not skanky either.
Go for dinner, and if you like the vibe, try it for clubbing... plus, I heard they have salsa dance lessons too!