Mova

Although Mova is closed, there is a much better gay bar at the same location called Number Nine. Try it!

Surprised to see that they don’t have a Unilocal listing, but I guess everyone can’t cover all aspects of their business. Place was really slow environment was nice clean place have a nice eco-​friendly terrace, was supposed to be smoke free, but I guess people can’t read. Will try to visit on my next visit

eh.
Halo used to be fun, and still deserves props for being the first bar in DC to voluntarily go non-​smoking. In fact, it was a slice of paradise to go there back then. Not sure what happened since then. I went back the other Saturday night, and it wasn’t really busy. The crowd was very low energy and the prices were high. This isn’t Chelsea!
Sure, they have a 2-​for-​1 drink special in the 11pm range, but unless you really like to drink, that’s not necessarily a good thing.
If I’m going to chill in a bar with friends, I’d rather go to a more relaxed locale with a less pretentious, more comfortable vibe… like a straight bar with lots of good beer and booths to sit down at. That said, this place is not sketchy at all, and the staff are reasonably nice.

When I lived in DC years ago, I probably would have loved a place like Halo, with all its sleekness and shininess and whatnot.
I first came to Halo a few years ago and enjoyed it enough, with its pretty crowd and it’s newness.
And it was still appealing the other night when I came back to DC for a little visit, but its appeal to locals seems to have waned significantly. Where was everyone on a Saturday night? I guess not Halo. It felt sort of like it lacked soul, despite some very nice bartending staff.

Ugh! Can the owners make this establishment any smaller??? I’m tired of being sandwiched at the bar! And better drink prices please!
***Update on the selection of candy… Not the most fashionable, a bit geekesque, probably don’t take longer than 30 or 40m to get ready. Gay computer engineers galore! Yes, I’m judging the book by the cover.

my favorite bar in DC. Love the chill environment and 2 for 1 specials during happy hour. Their mojitos are to die for. Like others said go with a friend and chill on the couches. Not really a meet up spot. Also extra points to the bartender for carding me. I really felt like I was 20 again.

It’s OK, it’s not my favorite bar in the city. The drinks are expensive unless you go for happy hour, then it’s worth it. I find the crowd varies greatly but tends to be consistently very professional.
Some of the reviews say it’s changed, but when I was going there regularly I found It’s a good place to go if you’re with friends but don’t go alone if you expect to strike up a random conversion with anyone. It was the type of bar my friends warned me about back home when I first told them I was moving here. «You’re going to hate it there, it’s so cliquish.» It can be.
They take credit cards and have no minimum. Huge plus.
Aesthetically, Halo is a little too bright and manicured for my liking. It’s a lot like drinking in a dentist’s office.

i walkied in this place and i already loved it. FUN FUN. Cocktails are kik ass. But dont go there for guys because there is no many cute men.
Its the place to rock on

Halo is a good bar. Drink prices are a little high but they have specials often — including some $ 5 specials for the next few months.
As for all the folks dogging the décor, they are probably the first to be heard saying «DC needs more hip bars like the ones in [insert fab city here].»

Ahh, Halo. Halo is… Halo. Its totally DC’s attempt at a weho-​esque bar, which is fine by me. Sure, the all white & orange (or is it pink?) interior is a bit much, but the drinks are cheap and its like two blocks from my pad, so I can’t really complain. Its a fine place to meet up with friends to throw back a couple before heading out to, you know, your real destination. I will say that depending on the night, the crowd varies CONSIDERABLY, which I guess is both good and bad. The overall feel is pretty loungey, which is nice for just kicking back and intoxicating yourself. Sometimes the music is even audible.
Some advice: don’t give the bartenders a piece of your mind, even if you’re pretty sure that you’re better looking than them. Also, I’d avoid the following one-​liner, if possible: «you know, you’re only a DC bartender, so loose the attitude.» I’ve found that it did NOT go over well, and that regardless of the number of stoli rocks I consumed, it was not as amusing as I’d anticipated. So do yourself a favor — start here, then move on.

I went here once for a gay friend’s birthday, and we of course went for happy hour to get our 2-​for-​1 drink on. Honestly, thinking of this place just makes me laugh. I think Halo is hilarious. Wannabe-​Euro lighting and décor, astoundingly overpriced drinks (but this is why the 2-​for-​1 happy hour is a draw). An odd collection of patrons — I’ve never seen such an age range in a bar. The bartenders are all super-​hot though, so there’s a bonus. The drinks are quite strong and pretty yummy, which was great at the time, but not so great for my hangover the next day.
I’d come back if someone invited me along, but I probably wouldn’t suggest this place on my own. But it is good for a laugh.

I am torn between 2 and 3 stars for this place. I went here with some friends while visiting DC earlier this year and I thought the downstairs scene was pretty fun and we REALLY enjoyed the 2 for 1 vodka drinks. The walls are painted white and they have some cool colored lights making this place look modern and fun. I remember the music being good and that they had plenty of places to sit and lounge with friends.
I guess there has been some changes since January because the place was very different when I went with my friends last Thursday (Oct 08). They renovated the upstairs section and kept the white theme going. It worked well downstairs, but I think they took things a bit too far choosing white tile floors. Maybe no one told them that while gets really dirty??? Rather than keeping the chic modern look, the floors are stained black and are sticky. Kind of gives the places a dirty feel, which is too bad because I really enjoyed the downstairs area. They also took out many of the nice tables that allowed friends to hang out and chat.
The drinks were kind of pricey the second time around and there was not as big of a crowd. Granted it was Thursday at 11:30…I thought people party until late night on the east coast. I guess DC shuts down early like CA does.
If the downstairs section is open, I think this is a really fun bar. If it is only the upstairs section, watch out for the dirty sticky floors.

This place is OK … it is a bit over-​priced and pretentious, but I went there, so I guess I am willing to put up with both to get a nice crowd to look at, and you aren’t going to find a place better in DC to cruise the 25 – 35 crowd… both upstairs and downstairs are very well kept, the bartenders friendly and rather atypical as they are more the OmegaDC type than the Halo type patrons.
Regardless, nice place, in a nice location, offering nice drinks and a nice crowd. I wish I could say more than just nice, but that’s all it is, a nice place… nothing to write home about, but apparently worth writing on Unilocal about ;-)

Halo = Hell No.
I hate the pretentiousness of this place… but I love their mojitos! Makes for a catch 22 scenario for me but they make sure you pay those drinks… a lot for them.
The crowd is usually successful gay guys who like to talk to you about how successful they are and want to know how successful you are unless you’re a cute little twink… then they just want to get you home.
It’s not a place that is fun to go to for any reason other than being gay and being seen. Every time I have been there the crowd is louder than any music. I can’t recall ever having seen a DJ there, although it appears that they have a DJ booth.
I dunno. If I’m going to a gay bar… it’s generally not this one unless I am in the area having dinner and get suckered into it.

Halo definitely used to be much better — but it is still getting four stars. I don’t know when it went downhill, but it certainly isn’t the same Halo from 2 – 3 years ago.
The staff is generally very friendly, and make *excellent* drinks. (although they are expensive)
I’d recommend stopping in, I usually have a good time. It tries to be a lot more trendy than it really is I think — but its a nice atmosphere.

I get the feeling that Halo is a little past its prime. Even though it’s only 4 years old, I feel like it’s a little outdated, in that trying-​too-​hard kind of way. Maybe it’s just not my style, but the super chic white space with ambient colored lights and swivelly barstools seems outplayed.
Still, I always have a good time at Halo, often because someone else is picking up the tab. The drinks are tasty but you pay dearly for them. I haven’t noticed the cookie-​cutter crowd as much as some of the other reviewers, but that could be because I’m not there looking for a man: even I realize it’s fruitless.
I never protest a trip to Halo but I’d definitely recommend other places if someone asks.

Chic and trendy, Halo has a space reminiscent of Star Trek or Buck Roger’s (the 80’s version). Heavily coved ceilings, white walls and LED lighting create a clean futuristic feel that creates a mildly antiseptic atmosphere more akin to a hospital.
The drinks aren’t bad. Like most bars today, Halo has a specialty cocktail menu. I had the Raspberry Lemondrop (citron, triple sec, sour, orange juice and muddled fruit). It was balanced, but uninspired. In contrast, the Bitter Sweet Symphony was off. Cloyingly sweet, the honey was too heavy. The citron and Chambord didn’t match well.
Halo gets points in my book for being smoke-​free well before DC’s ordinance. And, the few times I’ve been to Halo, the space has people, but isn’t overcrowded.
Other reviews have reported a poser crowd, but I haven’t noticed that. The patrons seem easy going and friendly.

Expensive, slick, with friendly bartenders. Yuppies and fashion galore.
However, this is not the place to go if you do not want to feel judged by your duds from the second you enter the door until you leave. Armed with a gay friend, I heard several condescending comments about his tube socks (Stephen Colbert would be horrified).
Seems like they put something in the water that makes all the gay men the same here. Conformity and status insecurity abound.
On the plus side, they do have a couch to sit on, sometimes they do 2 for 1 drinks, and you can actually hear the conversation you are having with your friends or tricks.
I think JRs/​Cobalt are both seriously friendlier (and have just as many, if not more, good looking people).

Halo was DC’s first gay smoke-​free bar. My partner and I had went there because we had heard so much about the bar. However, there was nothing really special about it.
If you like to dress up and watch people… er, men, walk by and spend MONEY on mojitos and martinis, then this is the place for you.
Otherwise, just go to the liquor store, buy alcohol and make your own drinks at home.
The place was just ok. It looked upscale but nothing to say «OMG! I gotta have that!» It just felt too small in there.

Halo was, in fact, Washington’s first smoke-​free gay bar, and either because of, or despite that, it took off like a drag queen with a flaming wig.
Oh-​so-​tastefully designed, it’s white-​white walls washed in a computer-​controlled LED color bath positively reeks of Danish mod upstairs, while its newer chrome-​and-​glass downstairs literally opens into the neighborhood via huge sliding front windows (remember when gay bars always lived in basements painted flat black?)
You’ll find tasty guys (and the occasional girl) here to suit just about any predilection, from barely-​legal twinks (yes, they card the kiddies) through hunky self-​assured men, to more mature gentlemen of refinement. It’s a good mix, especially during weekend happy hours, when everyone seems to love superb cocktails concocted by Halo’s capable and attractive bartenders-​in-​black. Friday’s happy-​hour features two-​for-​ones, and in a classy joint like this, that’s a real bargain.
As in most upscale gay bars, you’ll occasionally stumble across a guy here with a serious attitude issue, but fortunately, the general atmosphere here at Halo is friendly and fun.
Bottoms up (so to speak ;-)