1212 18th Street NW
(202) 466-3922
Unmarked door next to a mattress store. Unassuming name. Several flights of stairs. Eighteenth Street Lounge has certainly set the stage for exclusivity, but fails to deliver. Not necessarily a bad thing, but not what we expected.
ESL is the brainchild of well-known music group The Thievery Corporation and has had the reputation of being the hangout of local celebrities and upscale yuppies. As you can imagine, we entered with high hopes. Suffice to say, ESL, on this front, did not deliver.
The crowd was lackluster to say the least. On Saturday nights apparently, the policy is B.Y.O.P. (Bring Your Own Party) and we were the only ones who did. We were definitely on the younger side, but the crowd was well dressed, sophisticated, and poised. A breath of fresh air from the bumbling, stumbling idiots of Georgetown’s wood paneled bars. Imagine a house party with everyone on their best behavior.
Things we liked: Décor. Beautiful, well-appointed townhouse once inhabited by America’s original bad boy with a big stick, Teddy Roosevelt. Lavish wallpaper, chandeliers, Baroque couches, and other charming touches give ESL an antiqued vibe. We basically felt like we were partying at our wealthy grandmother’s not so humble abode. Music. Chilled out funk served over a grooving beat. The music definitely lent itself to the relaxed feel conducive to intimate mingling. Upstairs boasted a live jazz band and a sole older couple dominated the dance floor. We saw no one else dancing and by the stares that we got, our minimal shoulder shimmies were frowned upon as well. Bathroom. Clean, crisp, with an altogether different feel than the rest of the club, the bathrooms were a momentary haven for primping. Buttery Nipples notes that the many hand soap options were an added bonus. But as an avid wearer of 3-inch heels, the stalls were not high enough for private lavatory activities. Note to ESL: the shimmer in the green paint did not go unnoticed. We appreciate the details.
Things we didn’t like: The $10 cover. Make sure you plan on spending the entire night here to get your money’s worth. Décor. While the overall look was in-sync and polished, under the critical eye of DCBW, the decoration came off as a bit chintzy. With the lights on, this space could seem like a desperate attempt to be chic. Bartenders were really nice, but the long wait for drinks border-lined on ridiculous. Rail drinks ran the usual $6 although there’s a $20 minimum for credit cards so pair up when ordering. While the crowd was refined, there was not much intermixing between parties and it seemed like people stayed with the group they came with. We were lucky to bump into old friends guaranteeing good conversation for the night.
Disclaimer: Going on a Saturday we went out on a limb, for ESL is known for it’s Wednesday Reggae and Friday night soirees.
Overall, the night was certainly not a bust and various elements of ESL peaked our interest to assure our swift return on a later occasion. All in all, potential abounds at the lounge.
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