Café Citron

From the moment you walk in, you will be compelled to make your way to the dance floor. Cafe Citrone may seem small from the outside however, it’s capable of housing all of its customers as they salsa up and down all three floors of the cafe. There is a bottom floor specifically targeted as the space where everyone can go to when the first floor is overcrowded. Plus, there is a small lounge area upstairs surrounded with a couple of tables and chairs where you can also go to dance and mingle. Even if you've never been one to listen to Latin music before, the music and the vibe is addicting. If you know the right people, you can get admittance to the very clandestine VIP room in Citrone. Once inside you have access to the DJ booth, which gives you a great view of the entire nightclub. You can even request a song or two, although the DJ booth is on the smaller side so just make your way up the stairs to see the rest of what the VIP room has to offer. The crowd of people there is a mix between the "Citrone Regulars" who tend to show up later in the night, and which you can easily identify because they will be the people who stop and plant a European kiss (a peck on each check to both girls and guys) to just about everyone in the room. The second category of people in the VIP section are what I call the “newbie's “or friends of friends who somehow found their way into this secretive room through some sort of connection or another. The VIP room has two separate bar areas and it even has its own smoking room, which also serves as a great place to escape to in case you ever need to cool down from all the dancing. Despite its clandestine location, the VIP room in Citrone is always jam packed, just like the rest of the place. So be ready to shed off a few pounds after dancing to some classic Mark Anthony hits (and the occasional Pit Pull of course) or gain a couple after all the drinking that is sure to ensue at Cafe Citrone.

This is an absolutely fun place to go to if you are ready to shake a leg. Its always packed over the weekends but you can't really complain much as you would rather go to a place that is happening and packed rather than some sad little place out in Dupont. I have been here several times for their famous or should I say infamous happy hour where you can quench your summer thirst with some exotic mojitos (highly can recommend the mango mojito- loved it!) and margaritas. I still consider this one of the places to come as a group as the mojitos and margaritas will never disappoint and you can have one night to remember. The music was mostly salsa and meringue with a little bit of the latest hits thrown in. All in all its a great place to unwind on a Friday evening and get a dose of some Latin flavor.

Loud, Crowded, Hot and Spicy. Great mojito's and probably the most fun Latin dance scene in the city if you aren't a professional. When it gets going you would swear you were in Bogota or Rio and not the capital of the USA.

I’ve had two kinds of experiences at Café Citron. Experience A is where I stand around drinking mojitos trying to meet the beautiful Latin women that frequent the place. Experience B is where I actually make some headway with one of these women and attempt to impress them with my non-existent salsa dancing moves. Experience A is like going to any other international bar in DC but with a little more spice. Fortunately for me, the crowd here is friendly enough for Experience B that they will attempt to teach me some new moves. They do have free lessons on some nights but it usually requires getting there around 8:00...earlier than I typically like to go out. But the lessons can be a fun way to meet new people and start off the night (and also a good way to avoid the long line later in the evening).