Pub atmosphere on the first floor in this hip little slice of a place right off U Street corridor among the Ethiopian joints. Â The second floor is a live music venue with obscure bands from all over the country, and the third floor looks like their recent addition of a roof top bar that is becoming all the rage around DC. Â On Sunday nights they have started karaoke up here, which is the first rooftop karaoke experience I have seen. Â Great concept!
Review Source:Came here to see Woven hand a little while back.  There are actually three different areas.  A bar area on the first level, the concert space on the second level and a porch in the back.  The porch was closed when I got there.  Doors were supposed to open at 7:30 but they didn't open until more like 8:30.  The concert stage is very low so if you aren't tall or in the front it can be hard to see  Definitely first come, first serve so it pays to get there early.  Sound was ok, somewhere between the Rock and Roll hotel and the black cat. Â
I've heard that the fried chicken is good but I didn't have any food. Â Beer selection was kind of boring, but not horrible. Â Overall an ok place to see a show.
I went to DC9 last night to support a friend that was playing in a band at DC9. Â Located off U St, parking was a horror so I parked in some "alley/lot" two doors down for $15. Â Walk in to DC9, get id checked/BIG RED STAMP ON MY HAND and no the guy wouldn't let me put it on my wrist or someplace more conspicuous and I was like "this shit better come off because I have to be in the office early tomorrow morning." Â Not like he cared much.
Walk in and it's diveeeeyyyy. Â I walk upstairs to the second floor where they charge another $8 cover to some chick sitting on a stool with another stool to hole the drawer of cash just out.in.the.open. wow. Pay the cover and she stamps a BIG BLUE STAMP ON MY HAND gahhh fml. Â See my friend/say hi/cheer him on. Â I order a drink and stupified by the beer prices. Â Heineken/Corona/Amstel Light for $5.50. Â Blue Moon/Magic Hat for $6 awesome! Â They also had Natty Bo for $3 and Bud/BL for $4 but if I'm gonna drink beer calories, they better be good. Â Bartender was nice.
So this is a "great music venue." I've gone to alot of music venue/dives in NYC (CBGB, Uncle Mike's) and this place is not it. Â Hey sound guy, just because it's LOUD does not mean the bands sound good and I gaze up to see "lights", "speakers" and a whole lotta wires run hap hazardly along the ceiling. Yikes. Â After my friend played, we did go upstairs on the rooftop to finish my beer before heading home and that was not bad but the bartender up there was not the most personable but I remind myself where I am and throw my expectations out the door. Â I use the bathroom on the first floor on the way out, or try to at least, but it's typical dive bathroom: dirty, old, graffiti, smells of urine, gross.
Not really my scene: lukewarm staff, dirty/divey place/disgusting bathrooms, elementary sound system. Â I went to support a friend and that's about it. Â I went home and scrubbed the shit out of my hand in hopes no one in the office notices...
Last night I went to DC9 to see a show. This review will focus on this bar's venue potential as well as their food.
I was early to the show so I sat down at the bar and browsed their menu. Their offerings are admittedly attractive; fried pickles with ranch dressing, spicy and salty pecans, fried green tomatoes and an assortment of burgers among other things. I ordered Fried Green Tomatoes w/ Tabasco aioli. You often don't find green tomatoes on the menu at restaurants in the DC area.
The tomatoes were dredged in flour twice and deep-fried. When I sliced into them I was greeted with the familiar green flesh of the tomatoes and the breading stuck to them nicely. They were devoid of flavor entirely. There was zero seasoning on either the tomatoes themselves or in the breading. No salt, no pepper, no herbs, nothing. The Tabasco aioli was also incredibly lacking; it didn't taste like Tabasco and was bland as well. It needed more tabasco and salt. The green tomatoes were also surprisingly dry and the tiny bit of bland aioli did nothing to improve this.
When the bartender/manager checked back to see if my dish was okay I mentioned that the tomatoes lacked seasoning. He shrugged and told me that DC9's kitchen is health-conscious and that they prefer to let their patrons add salt to the food they serve. On this point alone I recommend to avoid their food entirely. The hypocrisy of serving a deep-fried green tomato and claiming that they skip the salt to make it healthier is unfortunate! For this kind of frying it's imperative to season the flour because otherwise the only chance that the dish would have to retain any sort of seasoning would be the moment they come out of the frier and are slightly wet from the oil. Sure enough, the table salt that I sprinkled onto the tomatoes immediately rolled off onto the plate and did nothing to improve the flavor. It's a bad sign that the bartender made an excuse for this.
The bar's capability as a live venue is a bit better. The second floor (where they hold concerts) is hella tiny so be sure to buy tickets quickly . There's a small bar and some booths on the side but otherwise it's standing only. Expect to have a hard time seeing the musicians since the corner they play in is only slightly raised above the floor and people will crowd around them. They attempt to remedy this by having a projected screen next to the stage that gives an okay view of the action but the projected image is blurry and low quality. The good news is that the space is intimate. I suggest arriving early for concerts so you can stand towards the front.
All in all I was disappointed by my experience at DC9. I'll only be back if a band I'm dying to see hits it up again.
Great place to go to hear good bands playing in DC. You can choose from 3 bars on each of the 3 floors. 1st floor is not that inviting so don't be deterred. Â 2nd floor is where the bands play. 3rd floor is an open air roof top area to recoup after the music ends or to hang out before the show begins.
Went last night to see 1975 and Ploy play. The place was jammed -- sold out! Â It was a great time! The house rocked.
DC9 isn't fancy so don't expect a gourmet restaurant, menu or ambiance just plan to get on your feet and enjoy the band.
Good beer + great fried chicken + great bartenders + great music = DC9
Me and my dining partner went to DC9 to see Deathfix a few weeks back. Â We got there early to have drinks and chat with friends before the show. Â I had never been, my dining partner had not been in years. Â They had a decent beer selection. Â The bartenders were cool and served beer and drinks quickly. Â I had read a previous reviewer who waxed poetic on the fried chicken, so I ordered that.
Fried chicken is a half chicken in four pieces with two hush puppies and a side of slaw. Â My chicken looked much better than the Yelp photo which may appear below. Â Hush puppies were tasty. The slaw was nothing special. Â Unlike the chicken. Â The chicken was delicious. Â It was brined and then fried. Â The crust was thick and crispy and flavorful goodness. Â It was $12 very well spent. Â In fact, I would go back to DC9 and eat the chicken even if I wasn't there to see a band. Â
The upstairs is small and is a great place to go see a band. Â Deathfix sounded great and also had a mesmerizing visual show. Â You could actually hear the music as it was mixed really well.
All in all, DC9 gets 4 stars for a great night out.
DC9 is in many ways a great small venue. Â They have great sound and it's a very intimate environment. Â They bring back bands that play well on a random Tuesday night and give them a weekend show. Â They have cheap tickets and reasonable drink prices. Â The rooftop bar is great when it's nice out and they have pretty good (if terrible for you) food.
Where they go terribly horribly wrong is the complete bullshit set times they post. Â I tried to go see Snowden last night. Â Doors were at 830, first of two openers is hypothetically going on at 9. Â I show up shortly after 10 PM to discover they've only just started. Â Really? Â Not cool. Â Run your club on time.
Yeah, I get that people should go see openers. Â Sometimes I do. Â If they sound good on MySpace and I think it's worthwhile. Â But I've got old sports injuries that mean I can't stand through four or five hours of being at a show while you screw around trying to get bands set up. Â I'm also an actual grown up. Â With, you know, a job. Â I don't want to see a headliner that goes on after midnight. Â Even on a weekend.
If you aren't honest about your set times and you don't put the band I want to see until stupid o'clock, I'm just not going to go to your club anymore. Â Which is a bummer. Â But I'd rather buy more expensive tickets to the 930 up the block, even to see bands I like less, since I know they will be up front about the schedule.
(But don't even get me started on the Black Cat....crap sound at a lot of their shows and NEVER on time...)
DC 9 is an interesting little place on U Street. The pictures look really nice online but it's basically a dive bar. I'm pretty sure the burgers were pre-frozen patties. They were still pretty good though. There is a third floor rooftop deck which was cool; would be way better in the summer. You have to pay to enter the second floor where the live music is. Ok place but not sure if I'll be back.
Review Source:I just had one of the best concert experiences in my life here. The place isn't the snazziest but where else can you get great live music for under $10 in DC? Ha, I thought so.
My friends and I came here for Kopecky Family Band, who played this past Thursday. I saw them at Lollapalooza (granted they were one of the smaller acts that played around noon) and really wanted to catch them again. They're not huge but not tiny, so I was surprised they were playing at such a low key venue.
The show was supposed to start at 8:30 but we arrived around 9ish and they were still on the first opening band (have no idea who they were). The Eastern Sea then went on (one of the best opening acts I've ever seen) followed by the main act.
The crowd reshuffles between groups and no one seemed too intense about keeping their spot, so we managed to wiggle into the front. Since the stage is really just an elevated corner of the room, being front and center meant I was literally two feet away from the lead singers. And I felt like they were serenading at me.
Overall, amazing performance and super cheap for a group that I love. I would definitely pop in on a random night and gladly shell over the cover to see more shows here, even for no-name bands that do a lot of wailing in their music. And maybe even try the food downstairs next time.
I love the food! I went with a couple of friends and everything was awesome!!
Ready for the list?
Fried Chicken: delicious, juicy, and fed three people I forgot how great hush puppies are, not normally a cole slaw person but it was crunchy and went really well together
South By Burger: my guy friend loved the toasted bun, that the patty was cooked to medium as ordered  and was in heaven with the garlic fries
Shrimp Roll: Shrimp were perfectly cooked not rubbery, it came on a nice sub roll and wasn't drowning in dressing, the green goddess is yummy and herby
Pickled Shrimp: Â soooo good, I think we could have ordered another, I loved the shrimp but the combination of he onion and capers along with was amazing. Â
Banana Bread Pudding: Â warm not too sweet comfort food dessert drizzled in pecans and powdered sugar. Â It sounded weird at first but was so worth it!
My girl friend that I went with is a foodie (had a blog and everything) and she said everything was excellent. First time I have eaten with her and she had no comments or corrections for the restaurant. Â It's nice to find delicious and approachable low country style cuisine in a dive bar that doesn't break the bank. Â I also really liked that they had multiple kinds of cider to choose from I settled on the Bold Rock and it was perfect with the meal.
This place is quickly becoming a regular destination for my happy hour, pre-concert spot in U Street since it's right down the road from 9:30 Club.
The burgers are amazing and I would go so far as to say they're my favorite burgers in the city. I have tried the Blacksmith (blue cheese, caramelized onion, blackened aioli) and the South By (avocado, pickeled jalapenos and garlic-cilantro may) and constantly have cravings to go back for both. They come with a side of garlic fries which are really tasty and crispy, just how I like them. The deviled eggs and spiced pecans are also worth getting as apps.
Happy hour deals are pretty decent ($2.50 Bud Light and $3 rails). If you're going for happy hour, make sure you go to the rooftop, as the first two floors are usually pretty dead around that time. It's great during summer, but you can still enjoy it during the winter since they have it enclosed when it gets cold. I've never been here for a show, so I can't comment on the live music or dance floor, but I'm definitely interested to in checking it out soon.
Love how this place is set up:
1st Floor -- just a low-key dive bar
2nd floor -- DANCE FLOOR
3rd Floor -- rooftop bar
It's really just the makings of a fantastic place to spend a Friday or Saturday night. Drink and dance the night away, but having an AWESOME rooftop to cool down at is great. (There's also another bar on the roof, so you can continue to drink).
All the bar tenders have been great -- except the one last Friday  night. Not sure what her problem was, but she just didn't seem to happy to deal with anyone. But we all have our off days.
The Friday dance party was fun, but the 90s night they had back in August was AWESOME!!! (Hey management -- if you read these reviews -- have more 80s or 90s theme nights! They're awesome!)
It's a great, low key place to go and dance and drink. Jeans and a cute top are totally acceptable, but dresses and heels aren't out of place either.
DC9 is a favorite of mine, which probably surprises many people, because it's not quite my usual style. Â I love the low-key, chill-out atmosphere, and rooftop bar. Â Obviously, I'm not seeing any shows here, but I still enjoy this spot.
I've only ever had a gin and tonic to drink, which at times has been stronger than other. Â I definitely prefer my drinks to be mostly gin with a hint of tonic. Â However, Chris is a great bartender and I highly recommend. Â As for the food, I ordered the fried chicken, which comes with hush puppies. Â While I though the chicken had good flavor, it was slightly overcooked, as were the hush puppies. Â I prefer a lighter, fluffier hush puppy though. Â The meal is big enough for two people. Â However, I loved the garlic fries and recommend those in a heartbeat. Â No happy hour pricing on food, but mixed drinks are $3, and there are beer specials as well.
Cheap booze, great bar food (i.e. not diet friendly), friendly crowd, and a divey atmosphere make this a solid spot to spend an evening. Don't come looking for craft cocktails, but enjoy how much drunker you can get here for a fraction of the typical DC cost. Soak up the alcohol with a tasty burger, fried pickles, or what're  essentially upgraded chicken nuggets, and life is friggin great. Even better if there's a live show in the mix.
Heads up that stilettos on the rooftop will get stuck between the floorboards. Just to remind you that stilettos are really not necessary here.
DC9 is one of my favorite places to catch a show in DC. It's a shame that I don't go there more often. It's a very laid-back, unpretentious place to come for a show or just for a drink. The drinks are pretty cheap, and the staff has never been anything other than helpful and nice to me.
The place is tiny, but the sound at live shows is better than it is at comparable (and even some of the larger) venues in town. The stage is in a corner, which makes it difficult for a band to get off stage for an encore break when the show is sold out. But I love that. It feels like you're just watching a great band play for you and a few of your friends in your own living room or basement.
It's a great place to catch up-and-coming artists before they make it big (The Antlers & The XX both played their first DC shows here). But if a band has a big buzz, you'd better buy your tickets in advance or risk getting shut out. Once tickets are sold out, there is very little chance of getting in because the place is so small - few people will have an extra ticket to sell.
I'm only reviewing this place because I have AN AWESOME story to tell.
I came here on a first date, which was going okay until the dude (he will be referred to as "the dude" from now on) decided to take a bathroom break. He wasn't in there for longer than five seconds...literally...when a very rude server passes by the door and decides to yell to a bouncer-looking dude and the bartender that someone was smoking weed in the bathroom. So they knock ferociously on the door, and "the dude" opens up, at which point he is accused of smoking weed in the bathroom of DC9. Rude server insists on smelling his fingers. ISN'T THAT THE WEIRDEST THING YOU'VE EVER HEARD? Bartender starts getting all up in his face, and telling him to get out of the bar immediately.
This is the best part: as this is going down, someone else who works there comes up to me and asks me if I'm with the dude...to which I, with minimal shame, respond "why, yes." He proceeds to essentially proposition me/ask me out, by saying that he would share the weed if he ever took me out and decided to smoke in the bathroom. Charming. Panties melting.
That said, the burgers were great.
Why has it taken me this long to finally check out DC9? Â They have an awesome stage, really cool staff and to top it off (like everything else these days in DC), there's a roof top!!! Â That's fun for the whole family! Â :-)
I enjoyed myself on this Wed. night (even though that's not your typical night on the town of DC)...it worked out well since I didn't have to fight a crowd to get in or watch an amazing performance on the middle floor there. Â The bartender on the roof top even played a game called, "make me a drink that will make me happy and not throw up"...it's a hard game to play, but she did well.
See you again soon enough DC9!!
After neighbors filed a few noise complaints with our apartment party, we decided to move on out to the bars. Â One guy was adamant that we go to DC9. Â We hopped off the bus to find that the line is out the door and down to the corner. Â This came as a surprise since I usually associate these sorts of waits with clubs and upscale bars. Â Someone told us it was "90's music night" and apparently that was meant to answer my question. Â Eventually we got in and initially just hung out downstairs. Â A large portion of the downstairs is taken up by the line for the bathrooms: always a charming attribute. Â Eventually we decided to pay the cover and headed to the second floor - the dance floor. Â The room was packed wall to wall with people dancing which is what you like to see, but honestly I wasn't quite there yet. Â We went upstairs to the rooftop bar and managed to score us a table. Â
We noticed there was a lot of overflow from Nellie's next door with is probably why the girls at the table next to us leaned over and asked "Did you guys come here together?" Â "We came here at the same time, if that's what you mean." Â People at DC9 seem a lot friendlier than I'm used to at places in Dupont and Adams Morgan. Â We met a lot of new people and eventually made our way down to the dance floor until they closed up. Â
My primary complaints are the waiting and the music: Â waiting in line for a dive bar is a new experience for me and not one I care to repeat. Â Also, single occupancy bathrooms in a packed bar are always disappointing. Â And in terms of 90's music I think my friend said it best when he said, "this is all the music I would avoid putting on a 90's mix." Â I was more interested in hearing Third Eye Blind rather than the Spice Girls, myself.
DC9 is a decent spot if you want to catch a band that hasn't gotten super huge as of yet. On nights where there IS a band that has gotten huge, it gets that super fun, basement show feel. I saw Ponytail there quite awhile ago and it was packed to gills, the singer hanging off the rafters and singing- ridiculously fun. For the most part, shows are fairly cheap too so even if you've never heard a band, trust that it's going to be pretty awesome if they're gracing the stage of DC9.
If you're not there for a show (but there's a show going on upstairs), it can get pretty hectic inside so it's best to just avoid altogether if you're going for a casual drink.
The two things I absolutely love about DC9:
- The rooftop bar - nice and breezy with narrow wooden counters along the sides so you're not stuck warming your beer in your hands.
- Hands down one of the most intimate places to see a show. Get up close to the stage, snag a set list from the stage, and bathe in the glory of being 2 inches away from your favorite up and coming band. Possibly bathe in their sweat too, but hey no pain no gain, right?!
Only reason DC9 doesn't get 5 stars is a terrible experience I had at a show. It must have been a gazillion degrees (yes. exactly 1 gazillion degrees Fahrenheit) inside during a sold out show, everybody was jumping around and dancing, and no fans were running! The worst thing is, a shortie like me can't surface to the top of the crowd for a gulp of fresh air, so I was stuck gasping for air that was moist and smelled like stale beer and had made its way between 200 or so armpits. Once somebody figures out how to work the ventilation system, I'll bump this review up.
So I came here last night with a friend specifically because she claimed that the burgers were amazing. Yeah right! Burgers at a dirty dive bar? Turns out she wasn't lying.
The downstairs was relatively quiet so we started out with a few Brooklyn Lagers and then took a look at the burger menu. There are seriously some interesting items there. I went with my old standby. A take on the bacon bleu burger called the Black Smith but I added bacon.
We both ordered them medium and when they arrived, they were perfectly cooked. They were also HUGE with some sort of oily sheen on the buns which also didn't look or taste like regular buns. Also huge were the chunks of bleu cheese. The flavors were amazing. Even the fries (which i think might have been cooked in bacon fat or something) were totally amazing. Crispy on the outside but tender on the inside just like i like them.
I've tried burgers at many places in DC. BGR, Black Squirrel, Black and Orange, Good Stuff Eatery, Ray's Hell Burger (in arlington) and DC9's is the best burger I've ever had. Then again, part of what made it so good is the total unexpectedness of it all! You typically expect food at a place like this to come out of a big white Cisco bag. But this was gourmet!
Turns out the chef here (Amber) was a chef at Palena in Cleveland Park. She came and met us after we mentioned to the bartender how awesome the burgers were. Later she gave us each this litte dough ball thing that tasted strongly of rum or something. Also delicious.
Anyway I'm almost done rambling. My point is, this is a great bar in a great location with a great rooftop, great beer, Â great music and now, great food!
I was really impressed with DC9. After seeing their Liberation Dance Party being advertised and mentioned by friends, I finally came here. I came here for a 90s music dance party. Â The first floor is just a regular dive bar. The bartender on the main floor is awesome. He is quick, friendly, and will chit chat just with you and the other barflies.
The drinks are pretty decent and the food is fantastic. I had the popcorn chicken and the garlic fries. You must order the garlic fries. There are some interesting items on the menu like pimento grilled cheese, and fried pickles and pimento deviled eggs. I had a few screwdrivers, I felt like the orange juice was a tad bitter, but the amount of vodka compensated for that. The waiters were friendly as well. The main floor dining area gets crowded and basically other customers wait for you to leave so they can snatch up your seat before the table is even cleaned off. There are mostly 2 person and 4 person booths.
The second floor (the main dance floor) is kinda tiny and everyone is unintentionally elbowing each other and like anywhere you have the dance floor hog and it is hard to move around. Kinda makes you not want to dance and it gets hot in there quick. The 90s music was great and the DJ was really good and played a variety of music. The crowd is the typical DC crowd but more laid back. Everyone was there to have a good time.
The roofdeck is also very popular here and has been open sometimes during the nicer winter nights we have been having. It is also tiny and sometimes tough to move around in. Everyone up there was pretty cool too. The bartenders on each floor were decent even though it was hard to get to the bar. They have a lot of beer specials. It can be easily accessed from the U Street Metro 10th and U exit. Get here early, there was a line wrapping around 9th street with tons of people waiting to get in. I will definitely come here again.
Came here with a couple of coworkers on a Monday evening and appreciated the fact that the place was not super crowded.
We got a couple of beers, the fried pickles and had fun convos at a table by the window. The fried pickles were actually pretty delicious, and the beers cheap!
We didn't get to stay long, so I wasn't able to see the band that was setting up actually playing, but I am prolly going to give this place another chance in the future.
I love DC9 and the Liberation Dance Party they have every Friday night at 9pm (sometimes opens a bit late) for $7 you get access to the second level and all you can drink rail drinks until 10:30pm. Even if you are a slow drinker that is about $2.50 a drink. Otherwise the drinks are pretty average price, with NattyBo coming in at $3.75 and rail at $5.
There are always people in the bar having a good time, it is right off of U Street so it is one of the bars I visit often.
DC9 is IMO the best small music venue in DC. Â Why?
1. A diverse assortment of performances, can appeal to anyone any day of the week.
2. Â A nice divey atmosphere.
3. Â Excellent bar food. Â Try the deep fried pickles, the deviled eggs (OMG YUM) or, if you're there, enter a plea for them to bring back their cheesesticks. Â These were not ordinary cheesesticks people, they were huge HUNKS of cheese wrapped in wonton, served with a dijon dipping sauce. Never has something as rich, crunchy, and luscious crossed my tongue.
4. Â Official venue of Nerd Nite, one of the most interesting and fun weekend events in DC (check it out on the second Saturday of every month).
5. Cool, friendly bar staff.
6. A decent (though not amazing) selection of beers.
7. Close to metro, and...
8. A roof deck.
GO NOW.
Small rock and roll venue and bar that often books bands that soon play at larger rock and roll venue and bar.
Rad:
Drink Slitz or Craft beer depending on mood or checking account balance.
Can reach out and touch the lead singers if you desire restraining order.
Only small venue left after Black cats elevation to uber Hipster status.
Bad:
Not much of a hang out  when shows aren't going on.
Has more drama than a sorority house during period week.
I lost my left ear's virginity here. Â Meaning I blew it out after dancing on some speakers, next to some more speakers, next to some very sweaty men literally hanging from the rafters. Â Or something. Â I dunno, it was all very hazy after my 2nd Sparx. Â But, that was for Liberation Dance Party which was a really fun party and has now gotten too popular to give you a free ironic drink! Â I'm certainly not gonna PAY for PBR. But hey, I liked that party. Â And you still have an open bar.
My opinion of this place though tanked after The Lamest Party Ever.
Or rather, the Lamest Failed Attempt At A Party Ever. Â It was at the end of last summer. Â I think the party was Feedback? Â Or it's an outfit that has since closed.
So I rushed to get to DC9 just before 10 for the free entry (!) and the free vodka drink (!!)  The bouncer was friendly and told me to  check in for Feedback (or whatever party it was) at the bottom of the stairs, just like you do for LDP.  Yet, there was no one there.  So I start walking up.  And thought it was odd there was no music playing even though the party had started at 9pm. Â
I reach the top of the stairs to find a burly dude wearing a trucker hat moving around a couch and a woman taking a nap on the bar. Â
When I ask what's going on, I'm told the DJ hasn't arrived. Clearly no one else has arrived because the place is totally empty. Â I ask about the free entry and drink. Â The woman taking a nap on the bar cocks her head a little and gets snotty, telling me they should honor the free drink downstairs.
When I ask downstairs, the bartender says he doesn't know anything about that and to ask upstairs because they should honor that.
I think I might have even gone upstairs one more time (I was determined to get my free drink after all the trouble!) but it was dead. Â Done. Â Fucking lame. Â And not even in any remotely intentionally ironic way.
I called my friends and told them not to waste their time and I think we hung out in Columbia Heights that night instead.
I was just really taken aback by how amateur the whole thing was. Â No DJ, no music, no honored drinks or free entry for later, no ETA, no clue, NO PARTY. Â And someone taking a nap on the bar instead of at least pretending to wait for people who could start showing up at 9pm. Â Or maybe that was the guy moving the couch. Â Who knows? Â Who cares.
Since then, LDP has gotten rid of the free early bird entry and I just don't trust the whole 'open bar' thing after this experience. Â I never went back to try a Saturday night party. Â I still have fond memories of DC9 and I've encountered some friendly staff in my visits, but that non-party and the way it was handled by staff was soooooooooooooo whack.
Since parties here are now off the radar for me, for booze I'd much rather go to Nellies next door.
So it looks like a hole in the wall...and it kind of is. But if you can get over its unprepossesing exterior/interior, you're in for a good time. Â The clintele is a mix of hipster and punk-ish. Â The bartender downstairs is hot. He also thinks I'm an alcoholic. Haven't decided if this is a win or a fail.
A friend told me the drinks were expensive here, but I didn't think that the prices were much higher than anywhere else in the area. Â I'm a big cider drinker, and they have my favorite Woodchuck, 802. Â It's 5.50. Â Same price as the drafthouse in VA. Â Sure, that's only two dollars less than what I'd pay for the 6 pack at Harris Teeter. But Harris Teeter doesn't serve it to me with a smile. So there.
We saw a couple bands here on a Sunday, and it was far from crowded, but I was kind of hot in the upstairs stage area. Â I can see how it would get pretty sweaty, especially if you were jiving to the dulcet tones of Matthew Bellamy. Which I plan to do this Friday. Â I plan to liberate myself DC9 style.
We also ate here, and I was very satisfied with our veggie quesadillas. There was more than I could comfortably eat. Â Then again, my hollow leg was full of cider. Â Four big pieces of cheesy goodness for 9$, along with guac, jalepenos, and sour cream.
Its a hop, skip, and a brief jog from the Ust metro, and in the event you should drink too much, it is a very brief ride to Howard hospital.
What I like about their dance parties: instead of gross, sketchy dudes trying to bump and grind all up to your shizz, you have people really dancing it up and not just dry humping on the dance floor. Although that's totally cool if that's your kind of thing.
Things I liked: do-it-yourself coat check, their gin and tonic, and groovin' it to "Fa Fa Fa" by Datarock.
It was so good I didn't mind the $8 cover. So come here if you really want to dance. I danced so much I needed to shower when I got home at 3am. That's serious.
DC9 is a U St. hangout that attracts a fair amount of hipsters but not so much where it ruins its appeal. It's well known for their Liberation Dance Party held on Friday nights, which can be alot of fun. The playlist consists of mostly indie rock bands. Even though I could only recognize a few songs, all of the music had a great beat to it.
DC9's happy hour I believe is their best deal. The happy hour specials are $2.50 Bud/Bud Light bottles, $3 rail drinks, $3 beer of the week (usually something good) and half off any appetizer. I got a tasty buffalo chicken tender appetizer that was big enough to be a meal in of itself for a little over 3 dollars. Great deal. Also, DC9 doesn't shortchange you by ending their happy hour at 7 like alot of bars in the metro area, but instead goes until 8pm.
The people who work there are down-to-earth, nice and never have an attitude. I'm glad there's still places like this in DC.
Liberation Dance Party:
Man in combat boots and white suspenders getting down with his bad self by himself
A petite man running around yelling bailar and taking pictures of girls
Ladies making out in the corner
Another man with a pervy mustache passed out in a booth around 11:30.
Instead of Twilight, scenes from The Lost Boys on the screen
Songs by artists I'm not hip enough to recognize
Moderately clean bathroom
= $7
Some nights its a 3, other nights it's a 5.  Last night was a 4, so that's what I'm going with.  For whatever reason when we got there before 10:30, we were able to get free cover upstairs and two free crappy vodka and redbulls.  The DJ started out with some really obscure stuff but then as the night went on he went with more mainstream stuff, like good old Snoop Dogg and Jay Z songs which was a little surprising for the largely hipster crowd.  Local band, US Royalty, played and were fantastic.  <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.myspace.com%2Fusroyalty&s=acb273f08a16b7de228dcc5a567929e4b63c559466f8ab83be5ec7d12e7d2dec" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.myspace.com/u…</a>
Friday nights are also really fun here because it's just straight up dancing all night. If  you're not in the mood for dancing, then downstairs there's a jukebox and some booths and a bar where you can just chill with your friends.  This is one of my fave places on U.
Not exactly a gay place...except for once a month when they hold the best dance party in the city...Taint...yes you heard right. Not sure if its named after that special place between your you know what and your know where, but it does make you feel about as good! Great djs and they always have some funky old movie playing on the wall that sorta clashes/meshes/enhances the whole experience. My advice go early and get your hand stamp, then go next door to Nellie's for a couple; that way you don't have to wait in the long line that can form, especially on holiday weekends!
BC - Functional...most of the time, but don't expect anything special....I mean lets be honest, pissing on a tree is functional.
My god, people. I'm no musical genius, but seriously...Bad singing is NOT improved when you do it louder; screaming is NOT acceptable (in my humble opinion) as "music"; and the fact that you call yourself something ridiculous like Bleached Blond Punks (I don't recall the actual band name, but it definitely had the words "bleached," "blond," and "punk" in it.) does NOT make you seem more deep and angsty and cool.
My ears are still ringing.
Best dance party I have ever been to.
Liberation dance party...I am coming back to DC for you, and hope that band that played some of my favorite hits (including Funeral from Arcade Fire) all with electronic beats...is there again. I've never been so pumped at a bar before..so much fun!!
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