The food is great for the price and the relaxed rock cafe atmosphere is a nice change from the franchise-sheek newness that is Clarendon. The staff is always extra friendly and the service is awesome as well.
The Catfish Wrap is always delicious and (as other reviewers mention) they have fresh iced tea. I had the crab cake sandwich special today and it was top notch! They serve both with little micro fries that satisfy the desire for fries while minimizing the carbs. The cole slaw and actual fries are also super tasty.
If you like beets, try the beet salad. We had it there the other day and it was better then almost any beet salad I've had at fine dining or otherwise. Real big beet chunks, fresh walnuts, and delicious goat cheese. I'm not a huge beet fan but a few more salads like that and I might join my wife in the exclusive beet lovers club.
I've eaten here at least five times since moving to Arlington and even stopped into a Red Elvises show. Its a great place to see a show.
The fifth star is missing for three reasons:
1.) When local/unknown bands play I would rather pay a premium on drinks then a full cover so I can just drop in and check the act out.
2.) It is often a little stuffy/warm in there. Some people might prefer that but in the summer I say keep it a little on the cool side or at least have some air moving.
3.) Those plastic covers on the front window just look bad. Maybe there is a better option.
The BEST place in Arlington if you want a quiet coffee and brunch and just want to chill and talk with friends AND you want to avoid the excessive noise and people watching. Â I always come here when I really want to talk and connect with friends and enjoy some pretty good food and excellent coffee. Â When I've come here with friends sometimes I've sat for hours talking. Â Not sure why it's never busy when I come here--then again I always come in the morning or afternoons and it probably gets really busy at night with the shows. Â But i"m not complaining. Â If you want to avoid the crazy and pretentious Clarendon crowds come here. Â Again, EXCELLENT coffee--the food is pretty good too but not 100% consistently good so the four instead of five stars.
Review Source:So I know see Iota as my go to for lunch, this place goes from intimate concert venue to coffee shop with awesome sandwiches or "smashers" as they like to call them. The little outside patio is the perfect place for a working lunch or to kill a few hours with some cold micro brew and hot coffee in your paws. My go to is the blt, it is the quintessential blt, good bacon, fresh l and t and perfectly toasted bread, I love their slaw too, real nice, light and seasoned just right.
Review Source:My sister Sunday evening, "What are you doing tonight?"
Me, "Well, let me tell you about the brunch I had this morning."
I've been living a stone's throw from IOTA cafe for over a year (I never threw any stones because I keep it civil, folks) and had only ventured into the funky dive bar joint for their iced tea about once a week. Their iced tea is my absolute favorite. Coming from a girl who's lived in South Carolina, I know some sh*t about iced tea. Theirs is the best. It comes unsweetened (blasphemy, alas! until you see they have simple syrup in addition to packets of in-disolvable sugar to sweeten that baby up to your liking).
Finally, this Sunday (6/16/13), I made my much overdue trip to try their food. My party of 3 walked in, and were greeted kindly by the wait staff. We asked to sit outside and were immediately seated at a high top by the window of their outdoor seating in a perfect perch to lurk on the pedestrians of Wilson Ave. Our server asked what we'd like to drink. Yes, I ordered the iced tea, duh. A friend ordered a Bloody Mary which he got to create at their Bloody Mary bar. He claimed it was bloody fantastic, as was my iced tea, again, duh.
After inspecting their brunch menu, we decided we needed the Generous Breakfast Bread Pudding to share at the table. The bread pudding was pretty decent but I don't care much for sweet food so I could have taken it or left it; I left it. I ordered the Bacon Egg and Cheddar Smasher sandwich and glory, glory, hallelujah it was not in vain. Actually not quite sure what that means so I will modernize that for you and me, it was AMAZEBALLS. Truly delicious. The sandwich was the perfect ratio of crispy, salty, and tasty with nice thick bacon and a beautiful fruit cup filled with the actual good stuff - no honey-mountain-dew-melon in sight. The sandwich was huge though and could easily be split. I also ordered a side of french fries since they had no hash browns/home fries and I needed to carbo-load for my strenuous night on the couch later. The fries were delectable! You know, the kind with that crispy reddish seasoning perfectly encrusting the precious potato parts? Yea, that kind. Yum.
As a testament to how delicious I found my meal, I even took the remaining half of my breakfast sandwich and fries home to re-heat and eat later (I NEVER eat leftovers) . This time, I ate those leftovers, and they were nearly just as good as fresh. So glad I took it home.
Overall, this is a really cool place to come if you're looking for great quality food for a price that wouldn't make your grandfather reminisce about Nickelodeons. I will be back here many times more to have their perfect iced tea and delicious food.
I really like Iota's breakfast selection, but this review is more directed towards their dinner(ish) selections. First and foremost, they have Allagash White, which is a personal favorite beer of mine, so five stars for the beer selection!
For dinner we split the pear & walnut salad and New Jersey tuna sandwich. The salad was very mediocre, the pears were definitely not what  I would call fresh, but the walnuts were pretty good, seasoned with what seemed like brown sugar and maple? Could have done without the salad. The tuna sandwich was actually pretty good, a lot of tuna and made like a tuna salad should be. We also dig a "mug o' fries", which is literally a coffee mug of fries. A smaller portion for a side, but that's fine if you're actually tracking portion size like we are.
I like this place for the patio (5 stars) and people watching (priceless), but for a dinner spot, not recommending for much more than a quick bite and a beer.
I've never eaten here, so this is just a review for IOTA as a music venue. I've wandered into this place a couple of times with a friend who lives in the neighborhood, and the music has always been pretty good. Also went to see Dessa once, and honestly, it's one of the best shows I've ever been to, so there's that. If one of your favorite bands or artists is performing here, you should go -- don't whine about having to trek out to Arlington from D.C., just do it. The atmosphere is good, the venue is small and intimate, the sound is good, and the bartenders are friendly. The drinks seem a bit expensive to me, but I'm a recent transplant from the Midwest, so everything in this area seems expensive.
Review Source:I went to check out the local music scene and to have a night out. I had been here once for a music showcase with friends and decided to check it out on my own. I had a wonderful burger and fries that was made to perfection. I also had some wonderful local brews but they had my favorite Beer from Austria Steigel Radtz it's a lemony beer much like Leinekugels. I was in love! The staff was friendly and it was a good atmosphere.
I recommend.
After reading all the great reviews about this place, I was really excited to check it out. However, I don't really see what all the rave reviews are about. Â The menu items are hit or miss, and while the service was friendly, it was kind of slow. Â Actually, the first time I saw this place a few months ago, it looked abandoned and the second time, it was empty. That made me wonder if it was just a slow night or if it was deserted for a reason. Â Should have probably gone with the latter.
I met up with a couple of friends around 8pm tonight for a drink and a bite. Â The gentleman at the door was nice and explained that a band was playing tonight so that I would need to pay a cover of $12. Â Since this was my first time at IOTA, I didn't realize this but the guy was pretty cool about letting me find my friends inside to find out if we were staying for the band. Â We had decided not to, since the cover could only be paid in cash (which we never carry), and since we had just planned to come for dinner anyway. Â The guy from the front door came to our table to explain to us that if we did not want to pay the cover, that we would need to eat and leave before the band started playing. Â Understandable, but annoying considering the band was going to start in less than an hour and the food would take just as long to come out. Â
As we were preparing to ask for our check, our waiter told us that if we wanted to sit in the outdoor area (covered, slightly heated), then we could take our time eating and not have to pay the cover. Â That was pretty nice of him so we opted for that. Â The three of us each had some wine and hung out while we waited for a fourth person to arrive. Â Well, our waiter who was friendly and attentive at first stopped coming to our table completely. Â I think his shift ended but our second server didn't come out to check on us for quite some time. Eh.
We ordered the baked brie as an appetizer, along with more wine, and it was pretty tasty. Â The apple compote was forgettable, though. Â I don't even think we finished it. When the fourth person of our group arrived, we ordered our entrees. Â My boyfriend had the Carolina Fried Chicken with mac and cheese and he substituted the greens for sauteed veggies. Â He thought the chicken was okay (a little dry) and the mac and cheese portion was large but not very impressive taste-wise. Â The best part of his meal was the veggies, which were a little oily but tasted pretty good. Â
My friend got the collard greens as a side since she wasn't very hungry and she said it wasn't bad.  My other friend had the gumbo, and I think he enjoyed it (even though by that time, he was so hungry that he would have  eaten anything).  I ordered the Portobello-gruyere smasher, and I absolutely hated it.  It looked and tasted like sour garbage, and the side of clear slaw was horrendous.  The plate had these tiny crispy chip looking things on it, which I think were just decorations, and they were the only semi-edible thing on the plate.  I was soooo disappointed. I mean, I'm not a food snob at all but WTF?
The waitress was kind enough to apologize and clear the plate but I completely lost my appetite after the sandwich. Â I ordered a dessert for us to share instead (brownie with vanilla ice cream), and although it tasted okay, the presentation was a joke. Â Okay, I get it, it's not a fancy restaurant but have some pride in the way you put your food together. Â You know when your carton of ice cream is so frozenthat you have a hard time scooping it out? And you end up with pathetic, awkward looking pieces of ice cream on your plate? That's what our ice cream looked like. Â I don't even think she tried to use a scoop. Â And it was a tiny portion...stingy.
And when we got the check, she had charged me for the sandwich that I took one bite out of. Â I asked her if the restaurant charged their customers for food they disliked, and she said that "the food was cooked properly, so you get charged because it was a matter of your preference and not the way we cooked it"...WTF?! Honestly, $8 doesn't mean crap to me. But the whole point is customer satisfaction. Â If I were a restaurant owner, I would suck up the cost of an $8 sandwich, a $100 steak, WHATEVER, if it meant retaining a potential repeat customer. Â It's a matter of principle. Â I understand that this small restaurant doesn't want to have people sending food back all the time but I mean, it tasted like rubber covered in vinegar. Â It was disgusting. Â If your customer is THAT unsatisfied, you can't do anything about it? Â That is ridiculous to me. Â
Of course it's a matter of preference. Â I prefer to eat tasty foods. Â Needless to say, this experience left a bad taste in my mouth (literally and figuratively). Â I'll take everyone's word for it that their lunch is decent because I do not care to find out for myself. Â I'll stick to the dozens of restaurants in the area that care more about customer satisfaction, quality, and taste than $8.
Again, 5-star venue, but I've never had the food.
This place is divey in the best possible way. There is a small seating area - I would guess for people eating meals - when you first walk in, and in the back a huge, dark hybrid of bar and concert venue. Two bars helps keep things from getting too busy, and I've liked all the bands I've seen there. They get pretty good acts.
Outdoor seating/smoking area is small, but cool. If you're in the main area of the venue, be prepared to stand, and probably hold your drink, as there aren't many tables. It works, though, since most people just want to crowd the stage to see the band anyway. Pretty decent beers on tap.
I am dropping my 4 stars to 3 stars.
Iota is still one of my favorite places for live performances and open mic. However, the food is really disappointing there except for Irish nachos.
Whenever I go there, I am trying different things and last time I got the 5 shrimp appetizer and it literally came with 5 pieces of shrimp and a piece of bread for more than $10. Then I tried IOTA Gumbo and geez what a terrible combination of food.... They should change the description to "plastic sausages, 100% fat chicken breast served with breathtaking hot (since you can't breathe for 10 seconds once it touches your tongue) jalapeño" . Haven't had something like that in a while.
I will still come here couple of times in a week but not sure if I will eat again.
we went for breakfast and felt invisible. No one greeted us, so we went to the counter and were told to sit down because there was "waiter service". I felt like I was our waiter. Had to get our own menus, ask, for cofee, ask for refill, ask for check, ask for the missing ingredient that was supposed to be on my sandwich, according to the menu description.
food can be decent, but a plain egg and cheese sandwich with roasted tomatoes is 7.25 (and it was missing the tomatoes). That's a lot- Had one at Society Fair recently that was over the top amazing for 3.00 less.
The bagel we ordered appeared to be a generic frozen bagel.
Coffee, however, is terrific.
five stars for coffee- 1 star for service.
I love this place. Â It is an authentic neighborhood bar where you can see great musical talent. Â The place often attracts great acts. Â They headlined Blind Pilot three years back for example. Â Great place to take out of towners on a weekday night for dinner. Â Then you can listen to all the live music for free:)
Review Source:Stopped here for early dinner on a Tues evening about 7pm before they got the indy songwriter and music on. We enjoyed a smasher "sandwich" where I substituted greens for bread, along with a very dry pino grigio, all of which was okay to fine. Desserts were awesome, we had pumpkin pie and a brownie that was perfect, seriously! Â Service was okay if a bit desultory but basically this place was fine. Probably great if you're into music and drinking beers. Â Ambiance is funky to trendy with painted curtains covering something and white sheets used as covers on some tables and other odd things about like a plastic table lamp. Wheelchair accessible but lots of twisty turns and the women's bathroom is NOT accessible.
Review Source:My bf is a known sandwich fein and said his smasher was one of the best sandwiches that he had ever had and I have to say mine was pretty A-Mazing as well! I got the gruyere and avocado and added chicken and the bf got the turkey and swiss. We also got the cup of fries - which were PHENOM! I also got a pumpkin latte that was very tasty. The staff was also very friendly and attentive! We will def be making the trip back!
Review Source:THIS IS A LUNCH REVIEW:
I have come to Iota many times from my office for lunch, and this place is awesome! Â It's a nice change from the normal chain lunch spots in the area. Â The service is very friendly and the decor is a nice change from the normal Arlington scene. Â The sandwiches (called smashers) are fantastic. Â Great cuts of deli meat piled high, can't beat it!
Pros:
They had cider on the drink menu! Not something I see enough because sometimes, beer and wine just doesn't sound good to everyone.
The smashers were AMAZING and I was incredibly impressed with the copious amounts of avocado on mine, which usually restaurants are super stingy on because avocados are so expensive. (That seems like a silly thing to be impressed by, but I LOVE avocado).
Live music. Always gives a good atmosphere. We didn't plan to go for a show but enjoyed the performers warming up/practicing beforehand earlier in the evening.
The nachos. I don't have words to describe it. Go check it out, they speak for themselves. AMAZING.
Cons:
While the live music is great, I like to be able to hear my friends during dinner. Not possible between about 6 and 7 on Friday night. But they stopped for awhile before the show, so that was fine.
As it gets closer to showtime, you see the waiter less and less.
Kind of looks like a hole in the wall so you aren't sure what you're getting till you're inside. Could probably work on the outdoor appearance a bit.
Overall, excellent experience for choosing a random restaurant/bar in the area.
This place seems to pride itself on its draw for "indy" artist performances. Â However, if you're not into the music, it might be difficult to justify a meal here.
For example, I've heard that brunch at restaurants is a rip-off, but most establishments at least try to give you the impression that you're doing something nice for yourself. Â Now, if Iota only charged a couple bucks for a bagel and lox, the stale bagel and single-serving pack of cream cheese might not have been so off-putting. Â I might have regretted not ordering the pastrami sandwich that my fiancee ate, had they not ruined it by using bland yellow mustard instead of something more respectable.
There seems to be a neighborhood appeal to this place, but mostly for the crowd that would otherwise be nursing a cup of coffee for three hours at a coffee shop with free wi-fi. Â That may also account for the "relaxed" and inattentive service here.
We've been to see a couple of shows here, and it's a decent place to do so. I would put it in the category of Jammin Java, but with better food/drink.
Pros: plenty of seats, good beer selections, much better quality food than you'd expect, if you want to listen to live music and talk, you can usually find a table towards the doors that let you do both.
Cons: the acoustics for shows can be hit or miss, servers sometimes a little overwhelmed, parking in Clarendon can be a nightmare.
We'll be back...
We were there for a show on Friday night. Â Reasonable entry ($12) for a 3 band line up. Â They had two bars and the bartenders were friendly and quick. Â Ditto for the waiters at the tables. Â Sandwiches are massive and can easily be shared. Â I barely made it through half of mine! Â The Irish Nachos are AWESOME and have a nice kick. Â
We will be there again for sure. Â Great ambiance and music at just the right level to have a conversation.
This is a great place to hear some lesser-known musical acts. If you time it right, you can sit very close to the stage. We went for dinner around 7 the other week and basically got to sit in Diego Garcia's lap when he went on stage around 9. It was awesome. They do move the chairs and tables out for rowdier acts.
This is also a great place to eat! I've been a few times since they've revamped the menu and everything has been good. The salmon on my salad was perfectly cooked (and was a welcomed change from many meals of leftover Thanksgiving turkey). The sandwiches we've had are massive and quite good. They have a coffee bar too, so it's probably also a good place to do some work during off-hours. During the warmer months, the front of the restaurant opens up to the street for pseudo-outdoor seating.
If you live in the DC area and enjoy live shows, IOTA should be one of your favorite spots.
Before I put my foot in Iota, I thought, is this another hipster hangout? SUSPECT!
Then my friend invited me to see a show by the DC-based band Honor by August, and my opinion was changed.
It's actually a nice, intimate little music venue. And guess what, it's NOT grungy for a change.
I like that you can listen to different bands performing right in front of you, i.e. right near the audience. It's nice being able to see the energy of musicians up close.
As for the crowd, as long as they are not stupidly drunk, the Arlington twenty- and thirty-somethings are harmless folks who like to have a good time.
Wooo hoo! Â My boys from Ponderosa played here, and it was an amazing venue. Â As someone who tours a lot with bands, I was very impressed by the acoustics in this small place.
The Venue itself is small, but there are 2 bars, and ample space to stand and be thisclose to the band. Â I cracked jokes all night with the boys, thats how close I was, and I was in the crowd...
The food is fantastic! Â I had dinner beforehand and I would have to describe the meal (chicken fingers and mac and cheese) as really well made southern comfort food. Â
There is a smoking area outside in the back of the music area (where obviously the band LIVED when they werent on stage) and it comfortably sat the lot of us, and was reasonably cool considering it was a hot summer night. Â Its really well insulated as we didnt really hear a peep out of that other band that played that night. Â
The venue was super sweet to the band, and even fed them dinner. Â 5 plates of pasta, and fresh green salad for my boys, along with a stellar crowd, good advertising, and a nice staff wins my heart every time. Â Can't wait to come back and see another great show!
This is the place you want to see an artist or band, so that when they get really big, you can say, "I saw them when they were a nobody playing this tiny intimate venue and they sold me their CD personally and autographed it for me while talking to me." Or if you're looking for a way to break into the "groupie" status, Iota offers you the chance to actually talk to the artists because, well, there IS no backstage for them to retreat to.
My only hope is that Iota will increase their draft beer offerings... four is just too few for such a cool place!
I can't believe I haven't reviewed IOTA. Â We really like this venue, especially if you get a seat at the bar facing the stage. Â I love the close proximity to the bands with the audience...even though sometimes it can be a bit too loud. Â I like the fact that there are so many local acts appearing here. Â Its also in a great area to shop, dine and roam to around the area especially when the weather is nice.
The food is good, the bartenders have been attentive and the pours generous. Â All in all, its one of my favorite small
When I heard we'd be eating dinner at the same bar where we'd be seeing live music, I have to admit... I was worried. Dinner at a bar? Yuck...
But I sucked up my Prima donna-ness and agreed to eat at Iota. One look at the menu and my fears were only greater; it seemed less than inspired and there were a lot of things I wouldn't trust as "bar food" (such as seared tuna). I finally chose 2 of the safest menu options: mixed greens with steak, and a side of green beans. My dinner-mates ordered fried chicken, a burger, and gumbo.
Well, as soon as the food arrived, I was humbled. Everything was really good. The steak on my salad was overcooked, but other than that, our party was pleasantly surprised. The green beans were delicious and the french fries (came with the burger) were off the hook yummy... I think they're battered or something.
As far as the club- it was fine. No real complaints or ebullient praise. But if you come here for a show and need a bite, I've got good news... Iota serves up some darn good eats.
I've walked by this place many times but never noticed it. Iota Club's sign is not very noticeable from the street. It's a small music venue that would not be out of place if it was located in Adams Morgan or Columbia Heights.
Iota Club is basically divided into halves. On one side is the restaurant side with plenty of tables, then on the other side is the stage, a small dancefloor and a few available chairs.
They have good beers on tap. I got a Blue Moon which was a tad expensive. I like how they have two bars on each side of the stage, so people aren't crowded around one bar. I saw the local band, Kid Goat on a Tuesday night here and it wasn't very crowded. It was a 10 dollar cover charge with Kid Goat as the headliner and two opening acts. Not a bad deal. I live in Arlington and sometimes I don't want to make the trek into downtown to see a local band, say at Madam's Organ, so this is a good alternative. Other than the local bands that play here, it doesn't stand out from other bars in the Clarendon/Courthouse neighborhood.
To my mind, there are only three reasons to go to the club side of Iota: 1. you graduated from U.Va. and want to see a bunch of your former classmates (that you probably didn't like then, either), 2. you're living in your parents' northern Virginia basement and going out to the city is just too far (and they won't pick you up downtown), or 3. there's a band that you have to see that is only playing there. Option three is the only acceptable reason to go.
Iota is pretty awful as a music venue, too. It was originally three 18-foot lots that have been joined together in one space, but there's a structural brick wall separating the crowd space so you can't see the whole band and it makes circulating between the bars difficult. The bars have four taps and about 12 bottles, so there's a decent selection, but the bars are pretty small so you'll be waiting on a busy night. Cover is often $10 or more, even when the booking is a bunch of unknown local bands. On a recent night, the bands each got $100 with the club holding 250 people, so the club took a good $2200 on the cover.
Hey, if your favorite band is playing there, you gotta go. But try convincing them to get their next booking at DC 9 or something.
This is my favorite venue to see a show. The is food wonderful and the drink/beer selection extensive, which makes arriving 2 hours early for a cover-only (no advance tickets!) show a pleasant experience. I recommend the Brie, the chicken fingers (ask for them if you don't see them!) and the corner seat at the bar. Wait, scratch that...I want that seat. There is also a nice little porch off the back of the bar, where you might find yourself enjoying a drink with the headlining band (and can catch a smoke for you smokers).
Shows I've seen there have been: Kings of Convenience, American Music Club, Ron Sexsmith, Joseph Arthur, Marah, Mark Eitzel, and many more that I can't think of at this very moment.
The cafe side is quite nice too. While they will serve you a different menu than the bar menu, they have always been cool about ordering off either. Not too big, might be tough for a group bigger than 4, and normally at least 80% full.
Parking is a piece of cake - if you were to drive by the Iota on your left, you would start looking for a parking sign that would follow quite quickly on your right. (I believe it's the second right past the Iota) You make the right, and you'll almost immediately see an entrance to an underground parking lot - Â free parking after 5 (or something of the sort) and is perfect for you night out at Iota.
Iota, or as I call it, "the anti-Clarendon."
I'd love it if Arlington County would require that, for every condo built, one establishment similar to Iota would be built as well. While I'm dreaming, they could also outlaw popped collars. Anyone singing or requesting "Living on a Prayer" would be subjected to massive infusions of Joy Division. But I digress...
Iota has both a cafe and club/lounge. This review is only for the cafe. My date and I walked in and I was immediately taken aback. Seat-yourself seating? Surely you jest. Next thing you know, they'll make gas where they don't have to add lead. I haven't seen this done in ages, but it's a nice touch. Why sit next to the bathroom or kitchen when you can avoid it, right?
The funny thing about Iota is that the food is both eclectic AND reasonably priced. Beers here are actually affordable. I mean, half the places around here charge you damn near close to five or six bucks for a damn Bud. I had the iceberg wedge salad, which was half a head of iceberg lettuce drenched with bleu cheese dressing (with huge hunks of cheese!), bacon and tomatoes. It was honestly a meal in itself. I also ordered their spicy catfish wrap with jack cheese and black beans. This wasn't quite as good, mostly because I was assuming (and you know what they say about assuming, hurr, amirite???) it'd be fried and served hot. I'm not knocking them a star for that, since it was my assumption that was faulty, and in any event they have so many delicious-sounding choices that I'm sure to find something I'll like better next time around.
If there's live music playing, you'll probably be able to hear them in the dining room. It's not pouring in loud enough to disrupt conversations (or for you cheapskates, to listen in without paying cover!), but it'll give you a good taste of the kinds of acts they draw. Seems to be a good mix of local talent and "almost-famous" acts (I believe Juliana Hatfield has played here several times). Sorry prepsters... there's no "Don't Stop Believing" anywhere to be had here, and I'm guessing there aren't any sh*tty 80s nights either. Cry into your Hollister if you need to.
It's also busy enough to where it's got a nice vibe going, but not overly-crowded. It was just starting to get busier as we left, and by this time, Hard Times and Whitlow's were packed, so it's a nice option if you want to dine in Clarendon and not deal with the crowds (or clientele) that other neighborhood places draw sometimes.
Service seems to be "unrushed," but not in the Eurpean sense. Forgetful, perhaps? It's not a big enough turn-off to preclude me from coming again, though, and it's not like I was in a hurry or anything. Still, it was noticeable.
The verdict: I'll be back! If you're looking for something in Clarendon that isn't your typical Clarendon joint, you should really check Iota out. A beer, entree and tip may not even set you back $20!
I have been to Iota only a handful of times in the last few years and most recently last night to see Will Dailey. Â I've always enjoyed myself but have seen little reason to go except for a concert. Â I still haven't had the urge to try the food. Â The venue itself is small and intimate but there is outside seating in the back during the summer months. Â They have two bars so you're never very far from the next drink. The atmosphere is really laidback.
The acts they get vary from the local, the obscure, the virtually unknown, the almost famous and the "may never have commercial success but have cult followings" Â Iota is a refreshing departure from many of the bars and clubs in the DC area.
Great intimate place to see a band about to be, or a band that once was. Or Evan Dando, whos been both.
Iota's lineup varies wildly so keep an eye on their website (or check out the City Paper listing) to keep up with what theyve got going, they often host some tremendous little shows.
This place is really cute, but it can get pretty crowded sometimes. I don't mind though, because they have two bars in one room. I've seen some excellent people here, like Lou Barlow! They book a lot of up & coming bands, local bands, and some of my favorite has-beens.
Sometimes I'm surprised at how good the line-ups can be here. You can get really close to the stage, and it's always an intimate show because you are able to interact with the musicians. It might be your last chance to see your new favorite musician in such a small venue -- a lot of the acts go on to play bigger venues next time they're in the area.
I wouldn't eat the food here, but there are plenty of other places in the neighborhood where you could eat.
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