Busboys and Poets Bar / Café / Restaurant

U Street Corridor, Washington, DC –

Just north of the main party hub of U Street, progressive-minded locals can be found at Busboys and Poets, a celebrated restaurant, bar, bookstore, and art gallery where creative thought flows as freely as the house sangria.

Midweek finds mellow regulars congregating in the lounge, where they while away the afternoon on comfy chairs and sofas perfect for discussing Nietzsche over chai lattes and pomegranate juice.

Young couples start filtering in around 7pm, but if there’s a long wait for a dinner table, they join the literati in the bookstore to peruse tomes on everything from Langston Hughes to human sexuality and eco design.

An expansive civil rights-themed mural covers one wall – just one of many featured art pieces – and overlooks diners as they choose from the vegan and vegetarian selections that pack the menu or the range of hearty options like gorgonzola burgers and meatloaf.

Woven into nearly every night are spoken word, poetry, and open-mic sessions held on the stage in the back, which guests enjoy as they sip fruity cocktails from the bar.

On the weekends, brunch brings budget-minded college kids in to cure their hangovers with eggs and bacon or some “healthy” gluten-free beer.

For a bite, a book, some booze, or some brainy fun, Busboys and Poets offers guests a lot of prose and very few cons.