IOTA Club & Cafe

Iota never disappoints. Two great bands for a very reasonable cover charge. Excellent staff. Good beer and eats. Years of coming here and seeing Igor and the Red Elvises is a new highlight. Highly recommend.

Anyone who would give IOTA less than a 5 star review is just stupid. It’s got a warm and intimate vibe, like a house concert, the owner books an incredible variety of great music… I heard James Hunter here when he first popped up, and it was like a spiritual experience. Then one time he booked a group called Chilrgilchin; Tuvan throat singers in full regalia! Last night was another stellar show — Slavic Soul Party!
I’m a native of the DC area, a total music junkie, and have been to every venue in town. This is by far my favorite (although the parking can be a hassle).
Every one of the staff is always attentive and pleasant, and the food rocks. If you gave less than 5 stars, don’t come back and get in my way!

Cool vibe. I came for lunch, in between some classes I took nearby.
I ordered the gumbo. That stew, the rice it was served over, and the jalapeño cornbread that came on the side were all tasty but under seasoned.
I’d come back for a show, but not to eat.

Friendly guy at the door. It’s a bit of a maze to enter the establishment. Bright, yet dive feel. The bartenders were two young guys who were more interested in flexing their scrawny muscles and looking cool for the uninterested chicks cyclically checking social networks while letting the ice melt in their drinks. The folks at the bar were self absorbed and rude. Nonetheless, I grabbed my order from the bar and found a cozy corner near a tall boy table.
The host of the open mic was on stage playing to a crowd of about 25 people, mostly other guitar-​toting song writers. Most of them appeared subdued by antidepressants or trying to look cool. The remaining crowd was a mix of couples on dates and were talking over the crooning and guitar strumming. Who colluded blame them? All of the songs were in the same key and strum pattern.
The space has potential. If only the host was not so self serving, and mixed the outboard and monitors as well as he did for his own performances, those who signed up on the chalkboard probably would shine a bit brighter and be actually heard.

This review is for dinner for two at the bar on a Thursday night.
service
Service was fine, early in the evening one bartendress covering the bar was enough. She was just fine.
bar
Slightly above average, but very workable, selection of craft beer on tap. Well thought out, everyone should be able to find something to drink. Side note: in previous visits for brunch, we enjoyed their make-​your-​own bloody mary bar.
food
I had the Iota Gumbo, which — as much as I hate to say this — was pretty average. One of my foodie theories goes something like this, if you’re not sure what to order, select an entrée with the name of the restaurant in the title of the dish. The thinking goes, a restaurant would name their best effort for their place. But that brilliant deductive reasoning let me down. Iota Gumbo was just average. No roux or file that I tasted. The whole dish was just average. My wife usually craves their Carolina Fried Chicken, but found it also to be just average. The sautéed collard greens and mac and cheese sides were fine, but not spectacular.
details
Only major complaint was paying cover charge of $ 10 per person to finish our meals. Space is nice, the exposed brick and artwork are cool. Slightly dive bar. Don’t get your expectations too high. Definitely sit on the left side as you enter if you are eating dinner. The right side, with the stage, gets pretty loud pretty fast. There are enough garages in the area that you’ll be able to park.

Relaxed atmosphere, delicious food & live music… This is what i need. Very nice place. I enjoyed

Ima keep this short and sweet: happy hour deals are great, beer selection is great. I come here for lgbtuesdays. Also have been coming for open mic nights and other bands. The bartender Rebecca is super sweet, she’ll def bring a smile to your day. The crowd is chill and the atmosphere is cozy. Cant say much about the food but i always have a good time here.

Who charges a cover during the week prior to 8pm? Iota does…
I understand that the band goes on at 830 or 9pm, but simply walking by to stop in for 1 drink I have to pay a cover? I wasn’t staying for the band.
No thanks.

I wasn’t very impressed with IOTA. I’d been wanting to visit for a while and finally had a chance to earlier this week. I decided to stop by for a snack before dinner with a friend in Clarendon. It was around 6pm when I visited and this place was a ghost town. Another customer walked in a little after me but changed his mind and went elsewhere. I know this place is known for their musical performances, and sadly I didn’t get to witness that.
I ordered an appetizer (their appetizers are half off during happy hour, which is a great deal) — there are quite a few choices (wings, pupusas, seafood fritters, etc) and I went with the pupusas. You can either get 2 or 4. I stupidly went with 4, thinking they’d be tiny. Nope, they’re HUGE! I could only finish 3 of the 4, since I knew I was getting dinner soon and didn’t want to fill up too much. The pupusas were super greasy and the cheese inside them tasted a bit funky. They came with a slaw on the side, which was pretty tasty, but looked a little old. They were pretty plain and oily and there was nothing really remarkable about them.
The waitress seemed really nice, but the service was SLOW. I was literally the only one in there and my food still took 20 minutes to come out… I was wondering what was taking so long!
Bottom line — I wasn’t impressed with the food, the service was unacceptably slow, it was a ghost town during prime happy hour time, and I think there are just better places to visit in Clarendon.

Came here on a Friday night to check out the live music. 3 bands for $ 12 cover. Not bad at all! I love hearing live bands. I honestly don’t care about what kind of music. When its live, everything sounds better, IMO.
You can either sit in the very front near the entrance furthest away from the live bands, or near the bar dining area and order food and drinks from the server. I was impressed that food is served up until about midnight. The menu is pretty solid too.
I ordered the Cheese Empanadas appetizer with pickled cabbage, carrots, and spices. Served piping hot, perfectly fried, cheese just oozing when you sliced it. Yumm. Being from Arlington, there is a huge Salvadorean community in the area, so I was very much impressed with the empanadas. A little pricey, $ 6 for 2 empadanas, but whatevs. My friend ordered fried mahi-​mahi served in a warm, savory tomato sauce which I sampled. It was yummy. Two other friends ordered salads, one basic, the other had a salad served with goat cheese, strawberries and a vinaigrette dressing. I honestly wanted a bite of her salad, but that would have been sorta awkward!
I was excited because they serve bottled Fentiman’s Ginger Beer! When looking for non-​alcohol options, sometimes you just want something more than a friggin boring soda or water. This is the good stuff. Usually I can only get Fentimans at Irish pubs, so I was very happy to discover this little nugget of happiness.
Oh, the live music! Almost forgot. The space is small, so its very intimate — which I love. Whether you are sitting or standing, you will be able to see the musicians perform. If you’re sensitive to loud music, don’t complain, just bring your own ear plugs.
Our server provided separate checks, no problem. That was very cool of her.
Great place to support local artists and upcoming musicians. I need more live music in my life, I just don’t want to pay an arm and leg for someone I’ve never even heard of. I will be back.

DONT EVER GO TO THIS PLACE. Rudest staff I’ve ever encountered I would leave zero stars if I could. If you want
To go to hear real music in the area I would definitely not go here try DC

One word: YUM! Came her for lunch/​brunch on Saturday. Had the Breakfast Bread Pudding and the Turkey Bacon Ranch Smasher. Seriously amazing. We’ll definitely be back!

Love it. Local music, friendly bartenders, great beer.

I love how Iota’s lights always form a little halo around its musical guests. Classic Iota. It’s mesmerizing, no matter how dark, dank and divey this tiny music venue can get. The bare bones vibe actually complements its intimacy. You’ll feel like you’re watching a band in your own garage or backyard. I give them props for their excellent roster of shows and open mic nights. They curate well, introduce interesting new bands to the area, and support local independent/​emerging artists.
Their sound system is standard/​OK. (Once in a while it can get piercing during the louder shows. Bring earplugs, in case!). I haven’t tried their brunch menu, but their fries and beer selection is nothing to complain about. Great neighborhood spot. It gives a down-​to-​earth feel to an area that, at times, can seem otherwise.

While IOTA is perhaps known for its musical acts (and it should be. Seen Dessa here twice and she had the best sound I’ve ever heard in a small club), it really shines as a quiet, hole-​in-​the-​wall dive with a great beer selection and friendly staff. Having lived in Clarendon for a year some time ago, I quickly soured on the Clarendon Scene, but IOTA has managed to avoid being another Typical Clarendon Bar full. If you’re looking for somewhere quiet, affordable, and with a solid menu (of both beer and food!) then give IOTA a try.

I first visited in ’99. Still a great little place to see a show. Intimate, if you can avoid the large brick pylon in the center of the floor and easy. Always some music and usually quite reasonably priced. I’ve never had the food. Easy walk from Clarendon Metro.

I truly love the Iota Club. I was here for the first time last night. It was an extremely intimate venue with really great beers on tap, the coolest bartender in the world, an affordable wine menu, and a variety of food options (though I didn’t get any). The venue is ALL about live music! The sound here is really unbeatable. I know when I go to concerts, the first thing I look for is quality sound and this place has it. Unfortunately, most nights the cover is over $ 10 per person, but I have a feeling it is worth it. Last night I spent $ 12. It wasn’t very crowded (Sunday night), but it was nice the musicians played for 2.5 hrs. Also, I got to meet all of the musicians (including a guitarist who plays with Wilco) and talk with them about life over a few brews. There is NO doubt I will be back. Live music will live on!

Friendliest staff in the area. Great beers and the lamb burger is a must.
Parking is not easy in this area but once onside makes it all worth while

2.5 stars
So when your gal pal tells you her boy toy crush is performing at open mic night and asks for you to keep her company, you happily oblige for the following reasons: 1. you want to check this guy out 2. you make exquisite wing (wo)man 3. you have no other plans on a Wednesday night and could really use a beer to get over this hump of a work week.
IOTA Club and Café is not so much «club» but more like a dive bar/​music venue/​bar and café. Beers are moderately priced $ 5 – 8 depending on what you order and there are quite a number of smaller breweries represented. Beer list screams Hipster: PBR, some other lesser known brews that deserve a try. IOTA is very very casual and laidback. Music acts and even comedies perform which all vary and can be seen as rather subjective but props for getting up on stage in front of everyone even if a few shots of whiskey does the trick. I did discover this girl who sang like an angel and immediately followed her on facebook and soundcloud. Out of 13 acts, she was my favorite but a majority of the acts made me want to pierce my ear drums out. Or maybe that was the mediocre sound system, don’t get to close *loud screeching noise* AHHHH! IOTA serves food which is a-​ok and edible. Since my gf is a vegetarian and was not that hungry, we split a grilled summer veggie sandwich with a side of fries. Sandwich included grilled squash and eggplant and was a bit bland and could use a certain something to add some zing! (I don’t know maybe some grilled red peppers, cheese or something. SOMETHING) Fries were hot from the fryer, thick, and greasy. Our waitress was A-​Ok pumping out our orders and running our food although towards the end, she kind of disappeared and I went to the bar to order another beer and had to hunt her down to get our check. Music venue is pretty basic, you know kind of vibing like we are all jamming in our friends garage and checking out his band basic. Über Casual, laidback, beer and food but not really my scene. Once she felt comfortable and confirmed «hanging out», I performed my «wing (wo)manly» duties and dipped out.

Terrific neighborhood brunch. The bread pudding is a perfect French toast-​like pleaser. We were tooling around debating which boilerplate brunch locales in Clarendon would have acceptable waits when we noticed that this hip club also serves brunch.
Brunch was delicious. The Bloody Mary bar was loaded (clamato, Louisiana hot sauce, horseradish & capers whaaat!) and the beer selection was ample (grab a growler of the schlafly xmas ale while supplied last.)