Jokerz Comedy Club

Let me be perfectly clear: I am only giving Jokerz 3 stars because of the performer we went to see there (Sinbad), & the quality of the national comedians they have had perform there (Eddie Griffin, John Witherspoon, etc.) They seem to get acts that might otherwise have a hard time booking a club in other areas of the city. I could speculate why that is *cough*, but this review isn't about that. It's about Sinbad at Jokerz!

The venue is beneath a "gentlemen's club". (that term 'gentleman' used as lightly as possible.) I did not want to be watching one of my favorite comedians ever knowing that upstairs, a group of women were undulating against a metal pole. Oy. But, the fact that it's in a basement gives it the feel of a speakeasy; the dim lighting & seating arrangements lend themselves to that scene. The two-drink minimum is fine if you drink alcoholic beverages (less so if you don't), but a lot of their drinks are way overpriced.

On to the show: It was Sinbad! So of course it was hilarious. He must've thought the location to be kind of odd too, because throughout his set he threw in a few genuinely humorous jokes about it & about what some of the other folks in the room might've been thinking.  The drinks I had weren't anything spectacular, but I enjoyed myself nevertheless. Initially when I wrote this review I didn't know if they were still open, but I just saw a listing in last week's Shepherd Express for a couple of shows they had last weekend. Even though I'm not fond of the location, depending on the act I would definitely go there again.

Love the location (tri-plex with a strip club and a UFC sports bar).  Staff were friendly.  Scored free admission by joining their mailing list.  But they really have to improve their comedian talent if they're going to compete with Comedy Cafe across town.  The local talent they brought in this Saturday felt like an open mic night.

Some friends and I went to Jokerz to support another friend competing in a comedy contest. Our mapquest directions were kind of weird and not very helpful because this place is a little tricky to find. We drove up and down Silver Spring until I noticed the Silk sign off of a side street (which was actually still Silver Spring? Streets are hard.).

There was a $2 cover charge and a 2 drink minimum. The inside is dim and the decor is cool - small tables with little lights on each one. Our server was super friendly and fantastic. I also got an order of fries and those were delicious.

The comedy contest was great and they wrapped it up with Chastity Washington doing a  nice, long set (she wasn't competing, but she was the best one there!) which was fantastic.

The only complaint I'd make is that they should get some padded seats. After about 3 hours there, wooden seats get uncomfortable!