Black Cat

I’m going to have to give this place 2.5 starts. The artist I saw last night was great and the bar tenders were friendly and the bathrooms were clean, but the problem was with the drinks. I ordered a vodka soda and the vodka was definitely bottom-​shelf, plastic top disgusting swill. Ok, I didn’t specify what type of vodka — so the next one I got, I specifically ordered Tito’s vodka. It tasted exactly the same as the bottom-​shelf swill. I drank a total of 2 drinks that night and went home and almost threw up because my stomach was so upset. Thinking they might be just filling up top-​shelf bottles with shitty vodka, but I hope that’s not the case. Go for the music and stick with the beer.

Scruffier multi-​level club with performance area upstairs. Food available and quiet bar and coat check on ground floor. All staff were friendly. Only drawback to performance area is your sight will be limited by your height and the height of others around you.

Love the black cat! They have so much going on. Movie nights, dance parties, pink rock karaōke, great small, local, and amazing bands. Affordable above all else.

I’ve been here twice now. Once for a show in the smaller room downstairs, and once for an 80s night upstairs. I had a good time at both events. I don’t have much to add. If you print your tickets ahead of time, the line is much shorter. Others had good things to say about the food. The drinks we had were fine. No issues with the crowds. I would go back.

A pretty solid venue for smaller, more intimate shows. I saw a low key band I like here and was able to snag a seat at the bar, which offered up a great view. Acoustics were good as well. The line/​checking in ordeal is a bit confusing. They check your ID, let you in, and then you’re still in line waiting to actually go upstairs where the stage is. That second line can get a little confusing because it’s not well organized at all.
The food is mediocre. You order downstairs and wait (and wait and wait) for the food to be prepared and then you can bring it upstairs to (semi?) enjoy while you listen to the live music. The food seriously took forever to prepare and all I ordered were some onion rings.
The place is CASH ONLY. So, make sure you have cash. I really hate cash only bars or actually places in general. But, especially bars. I usually order 4 – 6 drinks when I’m out and never carry around that much cash. I also don’t use ATMs because I purposely forgot my PIN number to my check card (don’t ask). But anyways, it’s just weird when bars are cash only since people normally spend no less than $ 20 on drinks.

Pretty solid venue to see a music show in DC. I see a lot of garage/​punk/​indie shows and I always have a good time. They have a decent variety of national and local acts that perform here. The drinks are stiff, the tickets are cheap and despite what other reviewers have said the staff has always been very friendly to me. As long as you don’t act like a jackass/​drunken fool or try to smoke inside the venue you’ll be treated respectfully. My only complaints I have about this place is the sound system. A lot of times you can’t quite hear the vocals so well or the levels can get pretty unbalanced and you’re just assaulted with a loud wall of noise, but its not THAT bad, it just could be a bit better. If you see a band or act you enjoy coming to perform here, be sure to come check the place out, its a nice spot.

Came here for pinball. 4 pins in the front and two in the back. Ask for Pierce, the bartender, if you have any questions. Cool dude.

I have been here a few times to see a few bands and once for 80s night. I had fun all the times i’ve gone. Crowd is nice and not pretentious. Yes, it’s dark and dingy but that’s what’s expected when you go to a punk/​rock bar. Backstage access is $ 5 and drinks are cheap. I like the crowd here too.

Why doesn’t New York have anything like this?! An easygoing rock bar with cool themed events and little to no pretension? I came here last Saturday for the Daria happy hour which was a great idea for nostalgia-​drunk millenials such as myself. The crowd was friendly and relaxed, the drinks were pleasant, and the bar’s atmosphere was awesome.
Four stars definitely for the ladies’ room: with red leopard print stalls, cherry print walls, and a tattoo-​style mural, this place was as if I died and went to pinup heaven.
I should probably mention that it’s an automatic win simply because I love cats.

3.5 stars — not quite 4, not quite 3. I like this joint — it’s laid back and fun. However, it’s also become well worn around the edges, and not for the better in every sense.
This is a fun music venue though, because it lacks the hype and fanfare that surrounds some other establishments. When you come here, you’re just here for the music. Because the acts are generally more under the radar, the people coming here are here for the music — music that is probably on the verge of being far from mainstream. So, that will reflect the crowd, too. That’s what makes this place somewhat less than pretentious. It feels like the music is being performed just for you and the other people there– pretty cool.
The venue is cash only, but advance tix can be purchased for most shows on-​line with a fee. They do also have a lot of seating outside the musical staging area, so you can chat and hang out in between acts of a multi-​act show. Cool place to catch up with your peops after the show– cause you will not be able to hear much conversation during the show. Music for vocals and instrumentals has always been well balanced when I have been here. If I know a band I like is performing, I wouldn’t hesitate to stop on by to see the show.

If this were just a bar and not a venerable DC music venue with possibly the last surviving underground punk club vibe in town, the rating would be even lower. It’s dark, dingy, and dismal, with an average beer selection at best and bare bones furniture that looks like it might collapse under you. It’s generally full of the crowd you’d expect, tattoos and beards and black t-​shirts.
All of which is to say, it’s the perfect place to see that band that hasn’t quite hit the big time yet, or that peaked and cratered decades ago and is still touring out of sheer momentum, like the drugs never quite wore off. The backstage downstairs is tiny and intimate, and the upstairs is still way smaller than 9:30 Club so you can actually see the band. Yeah, the sound tends to be buzzy and soupy and your pair of Beats by Dre are probably a hundred times better, but maybe that’s part of the charm.
Go in knowing what to expect, and you won’t be disappointed. This place ain’t quaint, cozy, trendy, or chic, and someday the 14^th Street renaissance will probably drive it away with exorbitant rent and too many fabulous brunch seekers. For now, go get your grungy fix and remember the good old days.

I’ve been to several shows at the Black Cat. Typically it is pretty smooth and I have enjoyed the shows here! I’ve seen bands play both the first floor and the larger stage upstairs.
THE GOOD…
–good mix of bands that get booked
–lots of standing room
–free self-​service water coolers (every venue should offer this!)
–drinks aren’t too pricey
–reasonably priced tickets
–few places to sit if standing isn’t your thing
–bands usually come on at their scheduled times
THE BAD…
–parking can be a bit of a pain… just gotta go down every side street until ya find something
Overall I like going to shows at the Black Cat. It’s always been a pretty positive experience.

Cool little place I found on the Internet for live music. Well no live music I guesstimate due to the holiday weekend. The DJ spinning 90’s Hip Hop in the Backstage area still had me try this place out.
No cover unless you want the Backstage access then it’s a $ 5. Since the doors didn’t open until 10, I went next door to Masa 14 had a glass of wine on the rooftop (very nice) to pass the time. Went back & I ended going next door to the Food For Thought (sells a light menu of Vegan options) for a quick bite & a mini bottle of red wine for $ 7 & waited for the doors to open to the DJ… opened doors, peeked through & decided to keep it moving. Happy I did as I went walking around the U area & had more fun popping my head in & out of places.
Perhaps I’ll be back when a live show is actually playing… until then, I’d only be back for the Vegan Food next door.

Just one of those awesome DC spots you have to go to and come back to. I’m a sucker admittedly for small concert venues but this one is a great mix of grungy and hip. Amazing acts year-​round, respectable prices at the bar, and all-​around good time. Feels cool enough not to be in DC.

I used to like this place a lot. They throw fun retro dance parties and get a lot of great bands. It gets ridiculously hot upstairs on the main stage, the back stage downstairs is cramped and stuffy. The whole place is a dump. Those are the things I liked about it.
Over the past few years, the neighborhood, which used to be really dismal, has gotten super trendy. It’s not the same. And this club and the people who work here have suddenly gotten full of themselves, to match their new surroundings.
Last night, I went to Mixtape at Black Cat. I had two and a half drinks over the course of three hours. The music was okay, but it got to a stretch where I didn’t like what they were playing. I took a break from the hot, sweaty dance floor, and rested for about 15 minutes in a chair in the back. A girl with a stick up her ass who was working security decided I was wasted because I was sitting with my eyes closed (I guess), and told me I had to leave. I could see there wasn’t any point arguing with her, so I just left without a fuss. I was buzzed and tired, but I was not drunk.
Ironic that this was probably the least drunk I’ve been at this club in my 20 or more times here, and the only time I’ve been ousted. I won’t be coming back.
Pros: it’s still hotter than a gorilla’s armpit upstairs, with smells to match.
Cons: F*** this place forever. Go eat a bag of hell and die, Black Cat.

A pal and I headed to Black Cat for the monthly Gay/​/​Bash drag show. We started off in the little eating area to try out their vegan fare and play some pinball. The pinball was super fun and I was really happy with the veggie burger I ordered — huge, tasty, and budget-​friendly, for sure. My pal had siracha sliders which were pronounced delicious as well.
After that, we went to the main bar, where we were able to sit and have a drink and chat with the lady bartender, who was really very nice. It’s sad that it’s a surprise to get great service AND friendly conversation, but that’s been my experience in DC. Chatting with her was a refreshing change, for sure.
Then, we made our way to the Backstage where the drag show was about to start… It was a little awkward waiting for the show to start — no one was dancing, performers were milling about, there was music, but it wasn’t danceable… My pal and I switched back and forth between the main bar and the Backstage until the show began… I was impressed with a number of the queens, namely Summer Camp, who was super talented and fun to watch. The two missing stars have to do with the volume of music during the show — at one point, I had to leave the room because my ears were ringing… The dj was playing the music way louder than necessary and the song of the queen dancing was a screechy metal number, which amounted to pain, pain, pain…
Otherwise, I really enjoyed the Black Cat for their reasonable food, nice staff, fun games, different spaces in which to move around… Remember, cash only — they do have an ATM, though, if you forget.

Geek Night Out would not be super awesome if it were not for this place. Every Friday night Sci-​Fi fanatics descend on this über cool, dark, and mysterious place for Star Trek TNG on the big screen… best part is it’s FREE! How can that not make you all tingly inside? They even serve popcorn for the low low price of $ 1. And if movie-​style ST TNG for free while eating tasty cheap popcorn isn’t enough, they even go so far as to even make their own version of Romulan Ale. True to form, it’s a blue cocktail made of I don’t know what but it is soooo dangerously delicious!

Black Cat has long been a fantastic venue, a favorite of mine. While living in Tucson, despite all of the great live music there, Black Cat was a DC spot I missed. Some say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but being back in the area and getting to go to shows and events at this venue has made it clear that presence makes the heart grow fonder. The place is still chock full of character, great shows, and excellent diversity. It’s a comfortable place for anyone open-​minded, interested in good music, good ethics, and supporting the DC scene.
They also have a good little café with very limited seating (but hey, it’s a bar/​music venue), but tasty food. Vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous options available. Good prices. Tasty schmancy sodas, sweet treats, and of course a good selection of booze for the 21+ folks.
Check. It. Out.

Black cat is a great place to check out bands. It’s also 18+ so there is the off-​chance that you may have to deal with rowdy (often drunk) teens.
There are three main areas in the venue. The main stage is located straight up the stairs after walking in. The main bar area I located to the right of the stand check, on the street level. The back stage is located on street level as well, in back if the main bar.
The main bar is a great place to hang if you’re not digging the opening band upstairs or, if you just want to enjoy blackout without having to pay cover for a band or show.
The bars are cash only so be warned. Prices are comparable to tiger bars in the area with draft beer running at about $ 7. Prices are higher at 930 and lower at u St music Hall.

This is ‘The Bar I Love To Hate’. I don’t think I’ve ever disliked a place this much and returned to it as often. With most services/​experiences/​edibles if you don’t like the, place you can choose from an assortment of similar other vendors. With a music venue that frequently books acts you want to see, you’re stuck. This is how I feel about Black Cat — if I hear about a cool concert or dance night, it’s almost always here. And I will readily admit they have a really great mix of events from weekly tv screenings (Buffy especially appeals to my inner 15 year-​old), burlesque, retro dance nights, concerts and even a holiday crafts fair. Sounds awesome, right?
Unfortunately the staff is just about the rudest collection of people imaginable — the door staff always seemed pissed off to have to check you in (and 90% of the time I have bought my ticket ahead so this is a low lift), I’ve seen the bartender chug Pepto while working behind the bar, they denied entrance to a friend who bought a ticket ahead and made her miss half of a show before finally locating her reservation, and my list goes on… It would be great to be able to go at least once and say «one person who worked here seemed somewhat neutral on helping me as opposed to outright annoyed».
A girl can dream.