Bohemian Caverns

Shitty service, long wait! I was at this bar an hour ago with a friend and there was no host/​hostess at his/​her podium. So I went to the bar and waited 20 mins for service. The bartender didn’t even make eye contact with us. My recommendation is to avoid this dump and go enjoy yourself at several other more attractive bars on U street with significantly better service. Cheers!

If you’re into extremely cramped, dark, gloomy, and incense smelling environments (think 1,000 sticks burning simultaneously), then this might be the place for you. If you’re claustrophobic or have issues with anxiety, run in the other direction. Honestly, I could not enjoy the music because my only thought was, in case of an emergency, we’re all screwed! I hate giving this venue a low rating as the musical guests are amazing and benefit from a packed house, but honestly, my safety is pretty important to me. When I voiced my concern about blocked exits (from guests relocating chairs wherever they pleased) to staff, I was pretty much told that they would not ask guests to move so they could enjoy the best view available. Sigh…

Comfortable, dark, caverny, and cool. Nice waitstaff!
The jazz was sophisticated and so were the artistic patrons.
Herb Scott was inspiring — check him out at Mr. Henry’s!
I wouldn’t come here for the drinks or the food. The bartender either lacks imagination or is just plain ornery. They had no Jack Daniels (for me) and my date asked for a cream-​based drink for his tummy — and was rebuffed 3 times with «they don’t have this and they don’t have that.» No Kahlua? No Jack Daniels for a Jack and Ginger? WTF? Well, make a suggestion, bartender — don’t be a dick!!!

So one, I have only ever been here to see shows of my favorite musician Federico Pena. However, the food is pretty good and the service… Well let me start with Princess! I thought she was the manager because of how attentive she was to not only is but all of the guest she served! She was freakin AMAZING! I don’t know what they pay her or what her job as a waitress really entails but she goes above and beyond. She is truly what customer service is all about! Omar you need to give her 10 golden stars and a management position because she is born to serve and provide your establishment with QUALITY SERVICE!

Went to Bohemian Caverns on a Saturday night to see Tedd Baker. Just so everyone knows there isn’t a nearby parking garage for at least a couple of blocks. Everything went pretty smoothly for the two of us, but the doorman outside said the credit card machines were down that night so everyone had to pay with cash. I can see how this would be a problem for some folks. We were admitted downstairs and traveled through the «cave» to the basement club. (The jazz club downstairs smelled a bit like mildew and felt like a basement, but the smell wasn’t too overpowering.) We ordered a bottle of Malbec, which had a decent price point. We did not try the food, so I cannot comment on it. The music that night was fantastic. The waitress was so kind to carry our bottle of wine upstairs so we could finish it. This place is not good for anyone with trouble walking. As far as I know, it is not wheelchair accessible.

Monday night Jazz was amazing! So many gifted musicians, great energy, simply fantastic. Biggest tip/​takeaway? EAT SOMEWHERE ELSE BEFORE ATTENDING.
Hopefully this place can get it together enough to offer adequate service and edible food. My group felt so bad for the wait staff that was scrambling to get the orders right and then tracking it down to the correct table. It was clear that tables were not numbered or at least there was a profound sense of disconnect. I can only imagine the chaos that is happening in the kitchen.
Management/​Owners: Please consider re-​training or re-​hiring your chef/​cook and implementing some sort of POS system that can handle your busy music nights. The waitstaff seems unsupported and lost. The food was so subpar, I would consider doing away with it entirely if you can’t keep up with general dining standards. I know these recommendations may be overwhelming but you would be doing your business and customers a disservice if you didn’t change these things.

Enjoyed this unique location. It’s a cozy place with a good atmosphere. The band was working hard and the audience seemed engaged. Everything else was fairly decent, food, drink, prices.

I haven’t been here in years, went the other night, had a good time. An improv move after eating somewhere else. Everyone seemed to know each other and the vibe was very welcoming. The bartender was friendly and made sure everyone was doing good. My drink was so strong I didn’t order anything else and I can drink, LOL. Good times!

Just for the music, it rates at least 4 stars. But for anyone who, like me, is mobility limited, Bohemian Caverns poses serious risks. Getting into or out of the place requires that you navigate a set of stairs that is uneven, curved, dimly lit, and lacking a hand rail. I had hoped they might have an alternate entrance for disabled people. But trying to get an answer to that question is an exercise in frustration; they don’t answer the phone, and emails are not returned.
I’ve been to lots of jazz clubs. This is the only one I’ve seen that goes to such lengths to shut out a large potential audience, and that doesn’t seem to give a damn about it.

Service sucked; At the 10pm show, were party of 6 and only half of us got our meals. The waiter still dropped a bill for those that didn’t get food and was surprised and was like «really you guys didn’t get any food?» There were only 2 waiters and food didn’t come out to anyone until about 15 min to the show ending. The music was ok, this was my first live jazz show, so I can’t compare it to others. Recommend you eat before or prepare to eat afterwards because service will let you down. They need to hire more waiters and cooks, bc this is ridiculous

Service sucks… one girl and they can’t multitask. Shrimp and spinach were good but the grits were cold and lumpy. More than 30 mins to order. Drink. Sad… spray some febreze on these chairs.

Long overdue review. Went here on date night after dinner after hearing about the local talent that plays Jazz nightly –which we love and had yet to find a great jazz venue. Valet parking is a block away $ 15 – 20. The venue is very much Adams Morgan but the ambiance inside is grown & sexy, dimmed lighting, velvet colored chairs just very artsy — our cup of tea. Down in the «caverns» it was even more romantic tea candles only lighting up the room with white linen table clothes & mahogany & wood beautiful caverns throughout. The stage is right in middle so every seat is perfect and the Jazz music was awesome & absolutely local talent –on this night it was a Baltimore native. Great drinks and prices. Perfect for date night! It makes me say «aahhh relaxation»

The place itself is a bit stuffy, old and smelly, but the music is fabulous! It is also small, but in a nice intimate way. This is supposed to be old place so I understand why it is stuffy and a bit smelly. However, the waiters are very attentive and the food is decent. We had a macaroni that was not bad but not the best I’ve had and the drinks were average.
I think you should visit this establishment for the musical experience rather than the food. I will most likely come back here again when visiting D.C.

There needs to be a better system of buying jazz tickets at the door. Customers shouldn’t have to go through one entrance to buy a ticket at the bar, go back outside to give the bouncer a receipt, and go through another entrance for the Jazz performance. Doing too much. I ordered the Jerk Chicken pasta and it was SO FREAKING GOOD. Our waitress was amazing and attentive as well. The lounge area seems to cater to a 30+ crowd. Interesting folks. I’d come here again for the food. Not for jazz.

An unexpected pop in after dinner. We were looking for live music, but it was «Ol School Saturdays» with a DJ, so we decided to stay and try it out.
We found a corner table next to the window… there is another spot close to the entry way that has functional window, need that seat next time.
There wasn’t any table service, as you had to order from the bar. It wasn’t a big deal until it go crowded and the pathway became the dance floor.
The DJ was spinning true old school R&B vibes to the tunes of BBD and Al B. Sure to quickly note. we ended up dancing more than sitting. My gal pal is from Washington State and I don’t think she sat down once LOL.
It was a nice mix of people, good music and I enjoyed watching the people from the streets be entertained.
I will have to make my way back for the live music and Jazz concerts. In the interim, this is a great place for a skilled DJ doing his thing on the turntables and having a blast dancing to the true 90’s R&B.

Went there for the first time a few nights ago! Place is pretty cool as the setting was like you were in a cave, which we all like! However, I pre-​ordered tickets and was told on the email to get them at will call! When we got there there was no will call and we were able to walk into the location and sit down! Never once were we asked for tickets and feel like I wasted buying tickets for something we could have just walked in for!
In addition the place smelled like a bathroom had overflowed. That was pretty distracting. The only thing that covered the smell was when our food came out. The food was good (Lobster Mac & Cheese and French Fries) and the band and singer were good as well!
My recommendation is wait on buying tickets. Just saying.

I have to say that I have no idea what other Unilocalers are talking about in regards to their food and their service.
The Food was AWESOME! We had the Lobster Mac and Cheese with –count it — 7 quarter sized pieces of lobster. It was super tasty. The catfish fingers were also amazing, I recommend getting the entrée so u get more pieces and fries. I turned around to look for our waitress to get us another water, and she literally was right behind me with a refill before I had even asked for it. The service and food was excellent.
I’m no Jazz connoisseur, but me and my girl both thought the sound and atmosphere was great. We saw Marc Cary on a saturday night. Get there a solid 45 min before show time to get seats because it does fill up quick.
We didn’t order any alcohol though so I can’t comment on their selection or service. But keep in mind that the place is pretty dark, so if you’re tucked away it’s only natural a waitress/​waiter might not see you need a refill as easily as someone else.
This is a place everyone in the area should check out at least once. It’s truly a really cool experience.

1 star for the food. Seriously don’t eat here. I’ve cooked better food at home and the extent of my cooking is ramen noodles.
Also service was ridiculously slow. Considering all I ordered was a beer and it took over 20 minutes until I got it.
The whole establishment seems ridiculously unorganized. Seriously the left hand has no idea what the right hand is doing, or if the right hand even exists. Examples: the upper bar told us we could go downstairs for the Jazz performance, then the bouncer at the door told us they weren’t ready and we should stand in line outside. One of us went back to try and order drinks at the upper bar so we could have a beer while waiting for the lower part to open and they just told us to order downstairs.
Also the food came out 10 minutes before any drinks (including water) were brought out.
The music is good if you like jazz. What the band lacks in class (I’m pretty sure one of them was wearing sweatpants) they do make up in talent.

Bohemian Caverns is a great place to catch some live music in a very unique space, but I would recommend getting dinner somewhere else beforehand or afterwards. You really do feel like you’re in a cave while enjoying the live performers, and it may be a bit too cramped for some. However, I truly enjoyed the intimate setting and the music was fantastic.
I wish I could be as positive on the food. However, the best word to describe it is underwhelming. The «lobster» mac and cheese must have been misnamed because I could not taste a bit of lobster in that dish. The brownie sundae and peanut butter pie clearly were just taken from the fridge, as we found bits of paper wrapping on the bottom of each.
Bohemian Caverns is a DC staple because of the great live performances they offer in such an uncommon environment. I’d recommend checking out a show while having a few drinks. Just don’t stay for dinner.

Pros: Great venue, intimate and cavernous. Sound is perfect.
Cons: Restrooms in direct line of servers carrying dinner plates. Seemed inconvenient for them trying to do their jobs and constantly saying «excuse me.»