One Lounge

I’ve HH’d at One Lounge and also held my birthday party here (one of those bday’s that has a 5 at the end so it was a big deal!)
The happy hour food is really good. They have discounted pizzas and tacos, and drink specials. Try the sangria– it’s really good. I usually get the chicken and goat cheese tacos. I was there last week and my tacos were a little greasy (it wasn’t greasy before, so one star off for that).
The staff at One Lounge took care of me reaaaaally well for my birthday party in May. It was a cocktail party from 4 – 7 pm on a Saturday with about 25 guests. The ambience and décor in One Lounge keep it classy so it matched the vibe I was going for. The staff was really flexible and were very concerned with my guests and I having a good time. Sometimes when I rent spaces, it feels like the owners are trying to squeeze every penny out of me, but I didn’t get that here. I had a minimum to reach but no fees for the space rental and no surprises. They were also willing to work within my budget, let me bring my own decorations, and even choose the music genre the DJ played. The catered food is reallly good also.
I would definitely recommend this place for happy hour or parties/​gatherings. A friend of mine hosted a happy hour here on a weekday for her birthday and that was really fun too.
One Lounge is starting to become one of my regular spots for happy hours and I would definitely host another event here.

I’ve gone to One Lounge a few times over the past years, and most recently visited with a large group when my best friend came to visit from abroad. I like the ambiance the variety of options offered, from tapas to burgers that can satisfy a range of customers with differing budgets (a $ 12 burger is a pretty good deal at a place like this). On Saturday I tried their ginger margarita. It was borderline disappointing. No salt, a bit bland, and too sour. Would’ve liked a little more tequila in my drink. My friend got two of the «sex with the bartender.» Notwithstanding the handful of jokes associated with the nomenclature, it was quite tasty — or at least tastier than my drink, creamy and sweet.
I got the BBQ burger that came with a salad (or I could’ve gotten the fries instead). It was pretty good for the price, and it came with mushrooms. They have a few other types of burgers, including Italian and old aged. A friend tried the bulgogi tacos and liked them. The steak with spinach was good, and there were a few interesting other choices.
They have a small outdoor patio area and an upstairs portion. A couple of years ago I came here to attend an event that was upstairs. Quite a versatile place, overall. I would give 3.5 stars if the system let me, although there’s not much to love — despite quite a few decent things to like — about One Lounge.

Really fun space, but the interior seemed almost too patio-​like to encourage the «chill unique atmosphere.» Love the fact that the it’s locally owned, but the clientele attached on the night of my visit were quite an electric and slightly swanky, European bunch.
Totally awesome cocktail and wine list, but really tiny beer list. Only one draft an available — Heineken.
Have to say that though the food was filling, I didn’t think it reflected the «gourmet» menu selection the owners are looking for…
Will be back to check out the DJ another time! And to check out if the vibe improves on a weekend night. Final word: Our servers were pretty engaged all night.

Last Friday me and a few friends put together a birthday party for our other bf. I’ve been hearing a lot about ONE LOUNGE, but never been. So I call and make a reservation for 20 with Dan, he booked us right away, there was no fee for reserving the area, and they sent me a confirmation via email. We had a space upfront with 3 sofas, stools, and two tables. I plopped the balloons down (so it at least looked like a birthday party) she and her boyfriend roll up an hour later. She’s happy, we’re happy. I love a function that does not take a lot to make happen!
Now our server was not the coolest chick they could have assigned us, but one thing I do appreciate about her is that, she made sure she opened a separate tab for everyone as soon as the party started. There was no confusion. When I signed off on my credit card I knew it was everything I ordered. The bar food was pretty good we had pizza and wings. The cocktail prices were standard for DC $ 10, but they do have Happy Hour earlier before 7pm.
The bathrooms upstairs were clean. Although, they did not have a deejay the music was good– clubby, but not too techno, then around midnight it got a little more raw, but still comfortable for its diverse crowd. I like that they have a dance floor in the back too.
I recommend ONE for any occasion for celebration. I think they are the only place in DC that does not charge you for a freakin’ couch. Right now, this spot is my ONE LUV!
*Would have broke them off 5 had there been some after HH drink specials
Across from Dupont Circle Metro

Met up with a friend for happy hour, and was very pleased with all their drink specials. $ 4 bottles of Strongbow and Newcastle! You can sit outside or inside, and it was easy to find a place to sit.

A little pricey for what it is — $ 10 for a gin a tonic might be ok for a club in NYC, but not here. The service was a little slow. The place was trying to be trendy, but does not quite get it done.

Sometimes it’s packed with arab money/​russian bombshells and other times you’ll have the place to yourself. I enjoy the Wednesday nights with one of the owners, Seth, behind the bar… dangerous! in a good way but you may have to call in sick to the office thursday.
Menu rotates pretty regularly so no worries about getting bored. I’ve attended numerous parties here and «quiet nights» in here and always had a great time (and hated my life the next morning but whatever ;P

I held my sister’s 40^th birthday party here last Saturday night. Everyone had a great time and the staff was extremely helpful and friendly! We ordered a bunch of food for the party (mini bacon cheeseburgers, truffle frites, chicken skewers and a veggie/​cheese plate). Everything was delicious, but the crowd favorite was definitely the fries. The timing of the food was perfect, after most of the guests had arrived and not all at once. I really appreciated that touch! Our waitress was really nice and very attentive, making sure no one had an empty glass.
The events manager, Niko, and his colleague, Seth, were so easy to work with! I called at least a half a dozen other places before trying One Lounge, and they all wanted $ 2,500−3,000 to reserve a space for a Saturday night. Some suggested that I move the party to a weeknight.
Niko was great right from the start, with no crazy deposits or demands. All they required was a $ 400 food & drink minimum (they take into account the tabs of everyone in your party), which was easy enough to do with the food order and the tabs of the 30 guests who came. Niko & Seth answered all of my questions right away and helped reassure me that everything would be taken care of.
The space we had was in the atrium, just to the left as you walk in the door. It was fun and lively, with leather couches, wooden tables and nice artwork on the wall. It was perfect for mingling and there was plenty of room for everyone. They even let us stay in the space well past when we were supposed to be done.
I highly recommend One Lounge for a party and will definitely keep it in mind for future events!

This is one awesome place!!! I came here for Lia M.‘s birthday on Saturday night, the eve before St. Patrick’s Day.
One Lounge has two levels. On the lower level is primary seating, and the dance area where the DJ is separated plus a bar. The second level holds the bathrooms, and more seating with less space than the first floor.
Lia’s party was held on the first level when you first walk in. We danced, drank, and engaged with each other. Tons and tons of fun with the birthday girl. Our server was pretty kick ass too. She dealt with over 20 people flawlessly. Kudos to the GM too who was extremely nice.
I think my only complaint about One is the pricing of the drinks. I dropped $ 55 on four shots for Lia and my two friends that didn’t have a lot of alcohol to them. I took 2 or 3 shots plus having 2 Sex with the Bartender drinks. Though they were good drinks, they’re not strong drinks… at least not this night.
Otherwise, I think this is a pretty solid venue with a nice crowd to go with it.

Who knew this was such a sexy place? I haven’t eaten here, but some friends had their birthdays here, and had a space reserved towards the back, on the first level. It was a perfect area for socializing, and later the music got going (great DJ!) and the dance floor got plenty of use! They also allowed us to bring in a cake and provided plates /​etc.
The one drawback? Price. A simple glass of Zin was $ 12. Ouch!

I stopped by this restaurant around 8pm on a Friday night in September. The restaurant was dead, but I figured this was because it was after happy hour.
The hostess looked bored out of her mind as she ushered my friend and me to our seats. After about twenty minutes, a waitress finally approached our table. My friend ordered a hamburger and I ordered the lamb chops. The waitress said that she would put in our food orders and come back and check on us to take our drink orders. After another fifteen minutes she returned to assure us that the chef was cooking the lamb chops and that the dish would be out in a few minutes. My friend’s burger was ready and I encouraged him to eat without waiting for me to get my food.
After another ten minutes or so, the waitress returned to our table and informed me that the restaurant was out of lamb chops. I was dumbfounded since she previously told me that the lamb chops were cooking. Did she really put the order in when she said she did or did she give my lamp chops to someone else? I was annoyed to say the least. Sensing this, the waitress said she would go get the manager to see what he could do to rectify the situation.
A few minutes later she returned with the manager who apologized profusely for the «mix up» and told me I could select anything from the menu and that he would comp it. I selected the steak since I figured it was the largest dish on the menu and I wanted something filling. The manager quickly informed me that they are out of steak. I asked him why the dish was listed on the menu if the restaurant was out of it and he explained that this was because the restaurant was introducing a new menu the following week that would focus on small plates rather than large entrees. His reasoning was pretty lame. As far as I’m concerned, a restaurant is supposed to serve every item advertised on their menu and if they run out of something, the waitress should mention that to the patrons as soon as they are seated so that they don’t go through the trouble of ordering a dish, waiting for it to be prepared, then being disappointed when they learn that the food they have been waiting on forever is not on its way.
Eager to avoid a third strike, the manager encouraged me to order some sliders and mushrooms, which he said were two of the most popular items on the menu. I agreed because I was starving and after waiting for nearly an hour for food, I just wanted something to eat.
The food came out a short while later, but by then I was fed up with the restaurant and I decided to leave. The manager did comp the entire meal including my friend’s burger, which was the least he could do.

I hate to write a bad review, but I had high hopes for One Lounge that were simply just not met.
My friends and I went there for Halloween as part of a bar crawl special package. Turns out, it was one of the few locations that had specials on Saturday night, so it was packed with everyone else wearing the same wristband.
By far the worst part was the (lack of) service from the employees. I felt judged and wasn’t taken seriously. We had to wait in line forever to get a drink, and it wasn’t even that good when it arrived. The dance floor was too packed and the red lighting was sort of annoying. I lost track of some of my friends in the crowd and our cell service wasn’t that great to find them.
I wouldn’t recommend this establishment.

I’ve been twice, both on Saturday nights. Talk about hell. It’s like they took everything and everyone I despise about DC and packed it into this joint. I assume it’s partly underground and decorated with red lights to simulate Hell’s depth and glow – after all, most of the regular patrons will surely end up below. The place only needs a drink or innovative shot called «Styx» and a dog mascot named «Cerberus» to complete the simulation, maybe name a bartender «Hades.»
Last time I went to this place, some d-​bag cornered me and interrogated me about what I did for a living and told me he could offer me a job making more money if I were willing to start the next week (I assume he sniffs cocaine — as most of what he was saying didn’t add up. I never feigned interest, told him about how much money I made, or acted remotely interested in what he was saying). I decided to leave shortly after. On my way out, he was giving a group of people a similar talk. I snuck up behind him, pulled him back by his forehead, and slid my finger across his throat while whispering, «Please stop talking to humans.» Then I left.
Initially, I felt bad… am I creepy? What compelled me to do that? I’ve never acted like this before, I’m normally a nice Midwestern lad. Then again, it’s hell. No sense being nice here because you are surrounded by the absolute worst.

I’m surprised One Lounge is not more popular. I’ve always had a great time here. I’ve been for happy hour (which is offered daily) a few times, though just recently tried the food, and I’ve also been late night.
For happy hour, I like their sparkling wine option. For food, I’ve had the chicken tacos, pizza, and fries. The truffle fries are delicious — lots of truffle oil and parmesan on top of a hot, crisp fry. Chicken tacos were tasty and filling, though not quite a traditional taco, as fajita chicken was used, but it was still good. Pizza was good enough to order again.
Late night, the crowd is diverse and fun, and not at all pretentious. The times I’ve been, the (hot) DJ was spinning some great hip-​hop selections. This a good place to dance, because there is a good quantity of people, it is not overly crowded.
I was really, really excited that their happy hour menu is online, because I can’t stand restaurants that don’t post it. Unfortunately, that menu does not reflect what is actually offered, so that is really disappointing. I’m also not a fan of the only restroom being on the second floor. Staff is extremely friendly and welcoming, though, and I feel the positives outweigh the negatives, so I’ll be returning.

Essen war mittelmässig, die Bedienung unfreundlich, obwohl wenig los war Keine gute Erfahrung gemacht.

One lounge is one of my regular spots. Its right off the DuPont metro so its a very convenient meeting point. Their cocktails are amazing, in the summer they have the perfect mojitos. My favorite is the coconut mojito. In the winter they have an amazing spiked hot cider and Moscow mules. I must admit the drinks aren’t cheap-​but they are well worth the price.
I LOVE that One Lounge has a full kitchen. I haven’t had any of the entrees here but it looks great. I’ve split a huge sundae with my boyfriend here… yum!
One lounge is a great place for couples. It feels romantic and intimate while still maintaining a lounge-​y vibe. Alternatively it’s a great place for a large group or private party since there are easily partitioned areas. Music can be hit or miss at One Lounge-​usually always a mix of house and top 40.
Unlike other Unilocalers, I have never thought of One Lounge as a place to go dance, I never feel like dance floor fills up and it always just seems to be 8 really drunk girls on the floor.

Came here for a bday dinner with a party of 20. We were in the main dining room which worked out great b/​c we took up the whole room. The food was pricey, but I already knew it would be like that. I think it was like $ 13 for a sausage pizza, $ 10 for a grilled chicken sandwich, and $ 10+ for every cocktail I got. ($ 11 for crown, $ 12 for patron). I think they had beers for $ 3 or something. From 8:30 to 10:30, we were just lounging around, chitchatting and enjoying dinner. The DJ’s IPad was playing some old school hip-​hop and R&B. To me, that made the night, so that alone gave this place the highly coveted 4-​star rating.
I think it was DJ Oz on the wheels of steel that night, so he was dope. With the type of music playing, I thought this would be a hip-​hop head’s go-​to spot, but the crowd was mainly older folk. It seems like they’re trying to cater to an older, professionals type of crowd.
This isn’t a lounge like Modern, where you have the «lounging» area and then a dance floor. IMO, it’s kinda awkwardly set up.
Oh BTW, parking is insane here so just valet your car for $ 15.

Three and a half stars; experiences here have ranged from a solid three to four. Came here once with the chus, but it was strangely dead for a Saturday night. We sat down in the lounge area, the server never came back, and we browsed the drink list briefly before wandering back out. A little too posh for us nerds that night.
Came back a month or so later for little-Ben’s birthday party and enjoyed the happy hour Skullsplitters and La Fin Du Monde. We also enjoyed watching the servers walk by; Hooters of the mod bars, anyone? A gracious amount of seating had been marked off for us with a little paper sign, and we brought enough people to fill that corner and then some. Ambient temperature was perfect, the furniture was comfy, and the wall ledges made for plenty of space to stow bags. Bringing lots of our own company made for a less awkward vibe for the place. Hilvic and Nick were kind enough to share a bite each of their respective stuffed mushrooms and hangar steak. Both lounge bites were good, cooked nicely and appropriately juicy. I could see myself returning for happy hour. Wine selection is acceptable but the cocktails are inconsistently mixed and overly sweet.

Why doesn’t anyone know about this place? I’ve never had the food, but as a bar/​lounge, this place is great. The best part is that you can reserve a table, at night, for free. Meaning you can have a nice birthday party without throwing $$$ for a table. The music is good, there is room to dance, there is tons of room to talk and there is never a cover.
I predict One Lounge to get more popular this summer. I recommend it to anyone sick of the crowded public/​18street/​lucky/​midtown/​madhatter scene. This is a nice spot for grown people.

I’m still not sure how I have walked past this place without ever entering before, but all is right with the world since I finally have. The space is dimly lit, which is actually perfect for the way things are spaced out inside. It’s kind of like a maze, one minute you think you’ve found the end, but then there’s a new stair case that takes you to another level. I would call it the classy rabbit hole of Alice In Wonderland.
The music made me feel like I was still in high school (the good parts), lots of R&B and hip hop songs that I haven’t heard since 96.
I met up with a group of friends who said that they had to make a reservation to get a table since this place is getting more and more popular, which must be true since I didn’t see one empty area on this Friday evening. We were there for the HH specials which were actually really good. The food was excellent when you compare it to the typical HH food that so many other places fill your plates with. These were actually good dishes of food that tasted FRESH! What a great thing to have for HH in DC. The drinks were even more excellent! I had the Pear Martini (not on the HH menu), which was delicious and then ate the Sauteed Shrimp Tossed in Penne Pasta black olive, sun-​dried tomato & basil with white balsamic vinaigrette… sooooo good and such a great price only $ 6!!!
I will be back again One Lounge… oh also, did I mention how it’s directly in front of the North side of Dupont Circle Metro station? YES PLEASE!

Great new place for HH and good drinks.
— HH is not just at the bar, you can take any table.
— Food is good. Try the followings
(1) crabmeat stuffed mushroom– Surprsingly generous portion crabmeat and good balsamic drizzle.
(2) Lamb slider: 2 mini lamb-​burger. Yum.
(3) Zucchini croquetts and Potato pancake: Good but they are almost same and more like fritters (see photo) so if you try one and like it, try the other. ** Be aware of the last-​long potency of garlic from Tsatziki (very garlic-​y…).
(4) Curry fries: Very tasty but if you can do fish, get ‘Fish and chips’.
Good drinks, music and food. What else can you ask?
: Darling house might feel threatened? :)
* No-​rush hour restriction for parking on one side of 20^th street. Awesome!