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Thu / Apr 15
Dupont Circle is home to a plethora of incredible museums, historic homes, row upon row of embassies, and a great example of Washington, DC’s hopping nightlife.
Easily the LGBT capital of the capital, the neighborhood features the largest assortment of gay-owned and gay-friendly restaurants, bars, and clubs in the city – particularly along P Street – as well as the District’s first gay bookstore.
Diplomat groupies already know that most of the city’s foreign embassies line Massachusetts Avenue, and the strong presence of international restaurants in Dupont Circle is no doubt fueled by the multicultural representatives of these embassies, who also drive a velvet-rope scene of exclusive dance clubs, trendy lounges, and chic bars unmatched anywhere else in town.
Classy coffee houses and upscale retail stores blanket Connecticut Avenue, and though most spots trend on the pricier side, jersey-clad sports lovers, fedora-proud hipsters, and young dance fanatics have no trouble finding raucous taverns, indie music mainstays, and casual hip-shaking haunts to hang out in.
During the day, the park setting of the traffic circle that gives Dupont Circle its name features musicians, farmers’ markets, and grizzled chess players who look like they’ve been staring at the same move for twenty years, while a handful of very popular bookstores and locally-owned record shops still thrive, despite operating in one of the most expensive real estate markets in town.
20s / Anything goes / Bar Food / DJ
Party Earth Review Frequent drink specials, weekend DJs, and walls covered in TVs and photos of athletes give upscale Public Bar wide appeal among sports fans, Happy Hour enthusiasts, and weekend dance ... more
1214 18th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Bar Food / Blazers / Blouses / DJ
Party Earth Review Since the early 70s, Sign of the Whale has served as a dingy retreat for overworked politicos and the barely twenty-one crowd looking to swallow their troubles and maybe harpoon ... more
1825 M Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
20s / 30s / After Work / Bar / Brunch
Party Earth Review As if the name Madhatter weren’t enough, the big eponymous figure of the character from Alice in Wonderland in the front window is about as subtle as a caterpillar smoking a hookah ... more
1319 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20036
20s / 30s / 40s / Artists / Bar / Blazers
Party Earth Review Little of Eighteenth Street Lounge’s façade would attract the attention of an uninitiated passerby, save for the bouncer who plants himself before its unmarked door or the lines that ... more
1212 18th Street NW
Washington DC, 20036
20s / 30s / 40s / Bar / Blazers / Blouses
Party Earth Review Though The Front Page may not win any culinary awards, its Happy Hour has been the stuff of legends since the place opened in 1987. Daytime sees the expansive venue playing host to ... more
1333 New Hampshire Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20036
20s / 30s / 40s / Anything goes / Bar
Party Earth Review With its laid-back atmosphere and large patio, Trio’s Fox and Hounds is a quintessential neighborhood haunt popular with easygoing locals. The slightly edgier sister establishment to ... more
1537 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
30s / 40s / After Work / Burgers / TVs
Party Earth Review A great alternative to the fast-paced vibe of many nearby bars and clubs, Black Fox Lounge is a dimly-lit den perfect for rounds of cocktails, live music, and relaxed conversation ... more
1723 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20009
30s / 40s / Business Types / Gay / TVs
Party Earth Review Rainbow flags don’t blanket the green awning out front, but nobody inside JR.’s Bar & Grill could argue that this place is in the closet – even when it gets as crowded as one. A Dupont ... more
1519 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
20s / After Work / Anything goes
Party Earth Review With its sign barely visible above the brownstone building’s doors, Science Club looks more like a historic hotel than a funky cool den of eclectic DJs, healthy eats, and solid ... more
1136 19th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
20s / 30s / After Work / Bar / Brunch
Party Earth Review A spacious basement pub with more than five hundred bottled beers and fifty more on tap, Bier Baron Tavern – located under the Bier Baron Hotel – draws a mix of beer connoisseurs, college ... more
Bier Baron Hotel
1523 22nd Street NW
Washington, DC 20037
30s / 40s / Ambient / Blazers / Chill
Party Earth Review A respite from the boisterous weekend crowds of college kids piling out of the metro a block away, Bar Dupont in The Dupont Circle Hotel is ideal for quiet evenings or a stylish slow ... more
The Dupont Circle Hotel
1500 New Hampshire Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20036
20s / Absinthe / Bar / Blazers / Club
Party Earth Review A 21st-century twist on the cabaret clubs of the 1920s, Dirty Bar is where DC’s international club kids and trendy socialites go to see and be seen – and maybe hang out in a giant birdcage ... more
1223 Connecticut Avenue
Washington, DC 20036