Tattoo Bar Bar / Club

DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON, DC –

A biker’s joint with an upscale twist, Tattoo Bar may sport the requisite dark interior, industrial décor, and body art implied by its name, but it’s by no means a dive.

Girls in sexy dresses strut through the hanging bike chains in the entry, checking their reflections in the mirrored wall before sidling up to the sleek illuminated bar in back, while posh guys in blazers scope out the eye candy from one of a half-dozen private tables, or ogle the risqué photos of tatted models and the custom motorcycle jutting out above the bar.

Developed by the same group behind upscale Midtown, Tattoo draws many of the same patrons, including fashionable sorority sisters who rent out the Ink Room for rowdy birthdays, and smaller bachelor parties who down shots in the Rock Star Room on the mezzanine.

As seductive bartenders in fishnets attract attention from the standing-room-only crowd clamoring for specialty cocktails, DJs spinning an eclectic mix of 80s, 90s, rock, and Top 40 – often accompanied by video montages flashing on TVs and a 90-inch projection screen – bring dedicated couples to their feet to dance despite the obvious lack of any room to do so.

Although many of the stylish patrons may be afraid of needles, there’s no doubt that DC’s edgy fashionistas still make a point of hitting Tattoo Bar.