Belgian Soulfood Has Never Looked This Good

Marvin
2007 14th St.
(14th St. & U St.)
202-797-7171

From minute one of entering new hip spot Marvin located just off U. Street we could tell we were going to be impressed. We rolled shallow this time, only bringing Shakn’ Not Stirr’d and Saki Bomb. Liquid Cocaine met us out along with her squeeze Johnny Bananas. There was no line at the door and this is always a plus. Downstairs hosts a restaurant that looked lively and smelled out of this world, the big item on the menu is chicken and waffles and while it may not ring like a gourmet meal it certainly was enough to peak my interest. We however, were not here to eat and so we headed right upstairs to the small interior bar and the infamous roof deck. Up a flight of stairs two bouncers checked IDs all the while embodying the carefree attitude that the bar’s namesake, Marvin Gaye was known for.


The interior was visually stunning. After weeks of wooden paneled interiors of some of Georgetown’s finest (although not most aesthetically pleasing) Marvin was exactly the change we needed. The decor is sexy, yet subtle with dark hued walls, dim lighting and black and white photographs in various frames around the room. The interior bar is small with two friendly bartenders serving. The alcohol of choice around Marvin seemed to be beer. Half of our group went for Stella, priced a little expensively at $6 but as Saki Bomb notes, “it was served in a chalice.” They had about four other bars on tap including Turbo Dog and Hoegaarden and majority of the crowd was enjoying a draft as opposed to a bottle beer, definitely a change from the Georgetown crowd. We opted for gin and tonics and vodka crans priced at $7.50. It seems like Marvin would be a great spot for an after dinner drink as they had some creative cocktails on the menu and the intimate setting would be a perfect location to bring a date.

The DJ spun records and played a combination of retro-funky jams and some sixties/seventies classics. Any DJ that still uses vinyls gets an A+ in my book. This guy was no exception.

Venturing outside onto the roof top deck its easy to see why this was such a hot spot. The bar is expansive, the deck is spacious and the mood is flirty but tame. Although it wasn’t an uber warm night the majority of the bar was outside on the deck and Marvin had accommodated by placing large, stylish space heaters that added decorative flair. Definitely a must for warmer nights and one can only imagine the crowd come April.

The crowd as Shakn’ Not Stirr’d noted is “more female friendly as the men were better looking than the women.” The crowd definitely was older, with an estimated average age between 25-35. The dress attire was mixed, with the men much dapper than the women. Collared shirts, sweaters and blazers were the outfits of choice for males. Our gang wore either black dresses with boots or skinny jeans and heels and we were on the dressier end of the female spectrum. There seemed to be a minimal amount of mixing, it looked like most people came with their gang. The people we did get to meet were the most engaging minds I’ve chatted with in months. The topics ranged from music to travel, and books to careers. They had interesting things to say about the U Street area, a place they frequent and suggested other surrounding bars. Normally, a line outside Marvin exists and it’s important to get there early.

The drinks were great, the atmosphere was exciting and the people interesting. As one particularly hip bar-goer forecasted Marvin “ is about to blow up.” Pencil in a trip to Marvin in the not too distant future. You will not be disappointed.