1920DC

in search of some amazing music sat night, we came by to realize it was CLOSED!!! WAAAAAA… $ 4 beers and amazing old school records made this place a gem on a street that’s lacking major character. Come back to use 1920, we’ll support you!

I have to try the food… why? Because if the food is bomb, then this place will get the unheralded 5 stars.
We came here for our usual Friday happy hour, and we were impressed… I loved the selection of hip-​hop music, but it wasn’t very «clubby,» which made it BETTER! I love loungey places. People were dancing, but again, it wasn’t as crowded as a club. I’m planning on coming back another time… trust.

I came here on NYE with a group of friends and I had my iPhone stolen. Which sucked but isn’t this establishment’s fault. What is their fault is that they advertised as having no cover (both in the Washington Post and on a poster on their door), yet the bouncer insisted that the guys in our group needed to pay a $ 20 cover while girls can get in for free. I also don’t think this was a blanket rule, since my friend and I were standing outside for a bit and it seemed like the bouncer let in several guys for free, which isn’t cool
A few of us went inside for a bit. Music on the first floor was good (live DJ) but it was so ridiculously crowded that you could barely breathe nor move. Music on the second floor was crappy so it was only comfortably crowded (which makes sense). Coming here really ruined an otherwise good night on NYE.

Best hip hop dive bar in the U st. Corridor, period! This place has everything you need to have a great time: decent bar food, great drink specials, strong drinks, the best organic hip hop DJ I’ve heard in DC, and a relaxed, non-​pretentious crowd and atmosphere.
Upstairs, there’s a lounge with another bar, comfortable seating, and an outside deck to enhance the experience. There’s a small dance floor too that surely gets packed on weekend nights, and TVs on both floors to at least watch a game (cause the music will be rockin!!)
But I think most will agree that the best part about this place, besides its proximity to U st and the drinks, is the music. If you love that good old school hip hop music, this place is it! Plus they now have a state of the art credit card system that makes getting your order in sooo much quicker. #5 stars!!!

This review is all about the Hip Hop. Not a place I would set out to eat.
1920DC is very reminiscent of the Hip Hop DC Days in the 90’s when we would pile into State of the Union on a Wednesday night. Previously located right next door to Republic Gardens, State of the Union was known for battle raps and local MCs performing new music. I miss that place! To me 1920DC is the new State of the Union. It’s small, but very diverse, fun, and free spirited. The DJ is EXCELLENT – spinning classic bangers all night long; we never stopped bobbin our headz!
A cool check point on a Friday/​Saturday night bar crawl with friends. Now this is what struck me as odd, we poked our heads in upstairs and they were playing House Music? And it was packed? I wasn’t ready for that, but I must say this was a pleasant surprise! If they incorporated an open mic at this spot like State of the Union (maybe they have? not sure) I could definitely see this crowd grow to be more and more authentic (synonymous w/​underground). Right now one of the reasons 1920 is such a huge deal is because people in this area are hungry for spots that play just Hip Hop where they can dance, wear jeans, and come just as they are. I’m glad to see this.
Hopefully a few more will pop up!
Green and Yellow lines: U St. Stop. Take the 10^th st. exit to avoid the long walk.

Besides someone’s tater tots that I stole from a friendly fellow patron I haven’t had the food but I cannot say anything bad about a place that has $ 4 Jack Daniels on the rocks during happy hour.
This place is where my birthday went from classy to just plain sloppy and for that I saw Thank You!

I freakin’ love this spot! As a lover of all things clubby/​loungey, I can honestly say that this local almost divey joint has my heart! Antionette P. and I ventured to 1920 after Unilocal OHs and posted up at a table for drinks and a friendly game of Uno! The cocktails are STRONG! The ILLmatic will have you on your ass, literally, my participation in drunk Twister lasted about a millisecond because of my drink’s potentcy.
Shoutout to Dwayne for the generous pours! This place didn’t strike me as a culinary powerhouse, so we ordered the fried pickles and kettle corn. Great choices! Being a late 80’s baby I recognized most of the songs, and was even introduced to tunes I never heard before. When you’re tipsy enough, there’s plenty of room towards the front to dance! Or if you’re like me, «dance» in front of the huge mirror gawking at yourself as you make up dance moves. Score!
I love the variety of people that come through this place, it definitely makes the experience more enjoyable. I can’t speak to the vibe and crowd on the weekends as I have only visited on Wednesdays, but I imagine it’s still an amazing time!
*I had no idea there were two floors; I guess that’s what visiting on a slow night gets me. I will surely be back to check out upstairs!
1920 DC, you’re tops!

I don’t go to bars for food, I go to bars for drinks. This place will have me coming back for more, undoubtedly.
I had the (mis)fortune of being served my Jeremy. I mean that in the absolute BEST way possible. He had carte blanche to decide what I was drinking and he did not disappoint. My liver may not have thanked me in the morning, but I enjoyed myself thoroughly. The drinks were strong, but not overly liquored — he mixed them well. Perhaps too well, because I didn’t know what hit me til the damage was done.
The environment is perfect. It’s an intimate spot with a great crowd. There is definitely a wide age range, but not in the creepy way. It also caters to a crowd that enjoys hip-​hop music and the entire night was like a house party with family and friends.
I’ve heard amazing things about the food, especially the tater tots. Rest assured that they’ll be ordered on my next visit. I’ve also heard rave reviews about the upstairs … I never made it up there, but it’s on my to-​do list, as well.
If you haven’t been yet, please do yourself a favor and GO. ASAP. Like tonight.

If you’re a child of the 90’s meaning you were born in the 80s or even late 70s and you had your formative years in the 90s and maybe early 00s you will love this place.
The music is fire, hit after hit after hit and I’m not just talking big radio hits, I’m talking about deep cuts on the album, whomever made the playlist the night I was there must have been listening outside my bedroom window when I was a kid because all of my favorites were played.
I was there for happy hour so I didn’t get a chance to see what the party is like once the night really gets going but happy hour was cool, the drink specials were on point. I got a chance to sample the Electric Fixation and even though it was a tad too sweet, it still was pretty good, also had a Jack and Coke that made my night, heavy on the Jack.
My only issue with this place was the burger I had here. I had a mushroom burger and like I do with most oversized burgers I cut it half and here in lies my issue, one half of my burger was delicious, tasted great, bread was buttered and burger was delicious, the other side which was a part of the same burger was almost impossible to eat, it was way too salty, I don’t know if the cook was mad at me for some odd reason and pulled a prank or what. But somehow half of my burger was good and other half was full of salt and disgusting. It was very odd.
But this place isn’t about the food, it is about the music, the people, the drinking and of course having a good time. If you enjoy mainly 80s and 90s hip hop and R and B, you’ll love 1920DC, if you don’t please stay home.

Once again y’all I hit 1920! They or let me just be specific (Jeremy) pleased me once again. Last night I had to make a run to the airport, but I was not going to miss a jump off at 1920!!! I was in like Flynn getting my Hip-​Hop on with my Coors. I had to be mindful of what my intake was, but boi I still got it in!!! And just to make things even better I got my wings to go, BOY STOP!!! I was all smiles!!! To make things worst DJ really started spinning when I had to bounce, I was blown in a good way!!! ;)

Historians of this sort of thing often assert that the 1920s was golden era of the bartender — The days when poorly concocted bathtub gin necessitated a middle-​man of sorts — a magician capable of making the undistilled shit palatable. And they sometimes complain that bartending — true bartending — the artistry of mixing together a concoction the patron didn’t even realize they’d wanted, is a lost art. Until about a couple of years ago I’d have agreed.
I walked into a lower U street bar rather late on St. Patty’s, 2010. I’d been scouring the city intent on celebrating with my first Green Beer and the last five or so spots through which I’d dragged my increasingly impatient friends were a no go. I grew desperate as Nefariously beaded Capital Hill interns hooted and flaunted their plastic riches all around me. Having dragged my boys from the foot of Adams Morgan all the way down U street they were just about done and I’d resigned myself to taking whatever it was the lounge I was in had on tap.
Lo and behold, I finally got what I was looking for. The tall, lanky guy behind the bar, after a short explanation, sympathized with me. He grabbed 3 Coronas, dumped a green liqueur into them, and slid them down the bar. My friends sighed in relief and I smiled in satisfaction. I was finally ready for my own set of idiotic beads.
Which is how I and many others ended up following this Super Bartender to 1920. Like I said, Bartending is an *almost* lost art form. So raise your glasses to one of the last practitioners of that noble art: Your boy Reggie at 1920DC!

Formally located across the street and known as Queen Makeda, 1920DC is the new improved neighborhood bar. I have to admit, I’m glad they moved because now they’ve made a fan out of me. It’s a two story bar with the first floor being more of your typical bar with a bit of seating, a TV and a front section for the DC who spins your old school hip hop. The drink specials are great and most importantly, not watered down! Upstairs the atmosphere is darker and roomier with a dance area but still a fair amount of seating for its size, along with another DJ area and TVs. It has the feel more of a lounge than a bar but the folks are just the same as downstairs and so is the good throwback music.
Aside from the drinks, music and atmosphere, I like this place because the folks re friendly and the owners work hard to build a sense of community here. They host karaōke nights, trivia nights, spoken word type activities, hip hop bar crawls, sports viewing… you get the picture. They want you to drink and dance but they also want you to meet and greet. The people are diverse in age and color and although the feeling is mostly bohemian black urban, there are no outsiders here; all are welcome!

Hip-​hop aficionados, this is the place for you. Seriously — they opened this place for you, so take advantage. Come any time and you’re guaranteed to hear quality, old-​school hip-​hop that’ll do even more for your mood than the strong drinks from the bar. Think classics like Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, and Run DMC, and slightly newer incarnations like Pharcyde, Tribe, and Biggie. (Not sure I have my timeline right, but you know what I mean.)
There’s two floors: downstairs has a cozy dive bar feel with the DJ up front, bar seating plus a few small tables, and board games for the borrowing. Upstairs is a little more spacious, dimly lit, and old-​school-​loungey with couches and kind of retro party lights (the dots that move around); feels like a different decade and a great little getaway spot. They have live music up here at least some of the time; it had a jazzy R&B flavor when I was there. It’s a tough call which is a better floor to be on. I’d say if you’re drinking with a bunch of friends, kick it downstairs, and if you want to snuggle up to your boo, head upstairs.
They do have food here, though I haven’t tried it. There’s happy hour specials, and daily drink specials are written on a big mirror downstairs. For some reason all I remember is that one of them involved jello shots.

Had to update my review of 1920DC even though I wrote it just a few days ago. I went back this past Saturday after meeting 1920DC’s resident legendary bartender Jeremy during the Unilocal Fantasy Land event, which btw was an awesome event. I also got a chance to meet Sasha who is the host of 1920DC’s hip hop trivia night (
). I also got a chance to meet one of the resident 1920DC DJs — Leon — during the Unilocal Fantasy Land event (told you it was a fun event). Leon was holding it down and said he was spinning on Saturday for his birthday, so I figured I would check it out and boy am I glad that I did.
What I didn’t realize when I wrote my first review is that there is a second floor!!! When I went upstairs, the floor was packed with true hip hop heads dancing up a storm. Leon was absolutely killing it spinning reggae beats from Beenie Man and then he seamlessly transitioned over to Ghostface Killah and Bel Biv Devoe. Yeah, like I said, amazing. Definitely one of my new favorite spots in DC and worthy of the upgraded 5 star rating!

Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name and you can drank a good drank and hear your favorite song. That’s THIS PLACE. If you love good food, good people, amazing drinks, and GREAT hip hop music, this is the place in DC you need to be.
It’s super chill, none of that DC pretense here. 1920 DC is truly «A True Hip-​Hop Bar». Whatever night you go (and I have visited every night of the week, don’t judge me), the DJ is going to bang. They do karaōke and hip hop trivia, if you’re looking for something fun to do during the week. If you like to eat, the tator tots are life changing, I don’t know the secret but trust me, you want to try them.
The gem of 1920DC is Jeremy, one of the best bartender’s in the city. He’ll be the smiling white guy at the bar, making sure everybody has an amazing drink in their hand. Try the «Illmatic Iced Tea», your mood will thank you.

1920DC bills itself as «A True Hip-​Hop Bar». And guess what? It is. I popped in before my event at DC9, just to see what it was like (around 5pm on a Tuesday). Pretty quiet, but Biggie was on the playlist and I was able to speak briefly with Jeremy, a bartender and partner, and check out the happy hour specials.
I went back around 8 or so, and spent about an hour there. The music is awesome — think Dre, Run DMC, etc. The first floor is small, and there was a good, chill crowd. Food was being served and there is a variety of games to be played (Jenga, Candy Land, etc.). Jeremy made us the Electric Fixation drink, which is slightly sweet and extremely strong.
Happy hour specials are written on a board above the bar or the mirror above the tables. It changes daily, but Friday’s are awesome: $ 3 margaritas until 7, $ 5 call drinks from 7 – 9. I can’t wait to return.

1920DC is my second home. If you want to have a good time after a long day at work. You have to check this place out. The drinks are great, food is tasty, and the music is bumping :-P and I can’t forget about the owners and my favorite bartender. They’re phenomenal. Great group of people.

Checked out this new spot this weekend. The staff is great. I will be attending their grand opening on the August 5^th. They will be the last stop on the hip-​hop bar pub crawl that same day.
If you know Jeremy from Tap and Parlor then you know he pours a great drink. He has brought his mixology expertise to create a solid line up of signature cocktails. I indulged in the Dark and Stormier and a few others, but I can’t recall the names.
I didn’t have any food, but I hear it is also good. Def working checking this place out, a welcome addition to the U St corridor. The DJ is always on point. If you love good drinks and good beats, this is your place.
I’ll update the review after the pub crawl!

Let me start with… there ain’t much better than a great dive bar. Add to the mix, a great dive bar with the banging-​est (yep, made up word) old school hip hop and a few of the city’s best bartenders and well… you’ve got a winner on your hands. This place is great. Easily accessible (just a couple of blocks from the subway), low key vibe, great drinks, good food and you’re family within 10 minutes of your arrival.
Looking for low key fun (in a city filled to the brim with pretentiousness)? Stop by. Have an illmatic ice tea and get your groove on. I promise. You won’t be disappointed.

I was a Queen Makeda junkie and now I’m a 1920DC addict as well… count three visits in less than a week. I beat my own personal record.
1920DC still maintains QM’s relaxed vibe, in that you can show up by yourself and leave with a few new Twitter and Facebook friends. But the look and feel is definitely more upscale.
Great djs, great food, even better patrons.
(make sure you get the burger)