S & J Restaurant

Best small town bar in Maryland.

BEST neighborhood bar for:

-getting very drunk for cheap
-guaranteed good time when with friends
-open late hours and every single holiday
-local neighborhood people watching
-karaoke and general debauchery

ah.  the S&J.  I have to give it 4 stars because it was definitely one of the most fun nights I ever had living in DC.  This is the spankin' image of a dive.  it's out in nowheresville, MD and across the street from the local "blues club" (aka a place where people with banjos and guitars get together and worship utah philips.  no haterade in that comment.  he's my friend's dad and I like his music.).  While waiting for my apartment to be made ready for me, my landlord let me sublet his girlfriend's place out there in Riverdale.  I saw this place advertising "free wifi" and thought, hey...I don't have internet at home, I'll try it.  I don't think they've ever seen an asian person before or something but people looked at me funny.  "don't get much of your kind, in these parts!" someone actually said that to me...anyways, it turns out,  they don't actually even remember the passcode to their wifi so I just tried to leave, but people kept coming up to me to ask me where I was from...awkward.  
I would have run away and never come back, but there just happens to be karaoke nights on saturdays.  
I have a terrible weakness for karaoke. So I invited my friend out to explore it with me. (honestly, I was a little frightened to go by myself.)
Josh and I, frankly, tore the place up.  The regulars, although very curious about me, were very nice and very welcoming.  They all introduced themselves one by one to figure us out.  But by the end of the night, we were asked to join them at their bonfire, asked if we needed anything, given phone numbers, and welcomed back.  DJ smurf and his boys really know how to do their thing, and if anyone is out looking for a great time in Riverdale/Hyattsville, Maryland...now you know where to go.