Twins Jazz

It’s all about the music. I really can’t say much about the food – it’s there if you’re hungry – but that is NOT why you’re visiting Twins Jazz. Just be in the mood for a great time. Don’t go there on a first date or when you want to catch up with your friends – go when you’re in a mood to listen. Enjoy.

Around 10pm last Friday night, I was out with some friends on the curb above Tropicalia Lounge. We were relishing a little fresh air above the raptrurous crowd below, and wondering if we really wanted to dive back down amongst the masses just yet.
As we casually sized up the alternatives in our immediate surroundings, a curiously forthright, boldly mysterious, red and white TWINS JAZZ awning stirred our intrigue from across the street. We decided to check it out. What’s the worst that could happen?
The stairway up to the 2^nd floor venue gave a feeling of lush and timeless hipness, and the long, narrow space was thoughtfully arranged with various candlelit tables, bankettes, and high-​tops, all with white tablecloths of course. Imagine a high quality Armada Room with a legit and endearing soul. The stage was up front, and we made our entrance to a talented, highly skilled, and versatile jazz trio, knee deep into a cracklin’ groove. The place was not even half full, but the people there were having a genuinely good time.
There was a bar/​lounge area at the very back; for which we naturally made a beeline. The emcee/​promoter/​videographer/​booking agent was kind enough to sacrifice his extra bar stool for us. The old-​timer barmaid was pleasant as could be, and even waived the $ 15 cover for us since it was a slow night and we were obviously there to knock back a few. The coolest thing about the bar was the interior architecture & décor made it seem like we were inside a moon cave, or some trippy, outer space B-​Movie set.
The bottom line is this place is a gem. It’s a no-​bullshit, quality jazz club run by long timers with loyalty to good taste, and who put in so much love and pride that it creates one of the most positively genuine and unique experiences I’ve had in DC.

Go to Twins Jazz for the music, and the music alone. Because the food and service are both otherwise mediocre. I ordered the salmon (i.e. you really can’t mess up a salmon unless you absolutely have no idea what you’re doing in the kitchen) and let’s just say I had lost my appetite and I left the meal unfinished. Service was so awful — the wait to request for the bill, and for the server to process it took forever. So, really — (1) go to Twins Jazz for the love of music, music appreciation and to support local musicians, and (2) either eat else where and just order something light like an appetizer or a drink so you’re actually giving them some form of business OR just suck it up and eat not-​so-​delicious food for a meal.

A small place to hold enough crowd. I got the chance to sit not to far away from the stage right next to the stairs, which was good seat to listen clear and not to hear too much of the people in the back talking. The food there was decent thought the drink was not as good as I expected, I ordered pineapple vodka but it tasted like orange juice.

This is a great place to catch a good jazz show and have a glass of wine. I just had drinks but the food smelled good!

Was there for DC jazz festival 2015. Nice ambiance but we didn’t have dinner there. We go back for more jazz.

Nice find on U street. The Nicole trio was awesome. And the wait staff was great. I will return and encourage others to stop by.

I’ve been here a few times and keep going back for the music. I’ve never seen a bad show there. The food is just ok. I give only two stars because the service is a serious let down. They are very slow, frequently mess up orders, and when I’ve told the waitress and manager about it, they don’t seem to care.
My suggestion is to eat somewhere else then go to Twins’ for a show. The less you have to deal with the wait staff, the better!

I visited here for the first time this weekend, and my first impression is that this is a place you go to for the music, and the music alone. The food really isn’t that good, and is overpriced. My friend ordered a crab cake sandwich, and there wasn’t even anything on the bun other than lettuce — no tartar sauce or anything. It lacked any panache, and was simply… bad. My onion rings were light on the onion (essentially just deep fried rings of batter) and the rest of my food didn’t impress.
It’s fairly common for a music bar to have a cover charge or a minimum, but this place has both. On Friday evening, there was a $ 15 cover and a $ 10 minimum, which — considering the food — seemed excessive.
The club has a nice ambiance, and you’re right on top of the musicians — the stage was barely elevated off the floor, and the tables run right up to within inches of the stage, so the intimacy you get makes it almost like you’re part of the band. The sound in there is great, because of all the hard surfaces, and the jazz band on that night was smoking. The music is the main attraction.
But one major turnoff about this club: it’s a «listening club,» meaning they don’t want anyone talking during the performance. I’m all for respecting the music and musicians, but this isn’t the Kennedy Center: it’s a hole-​in-​the-​wall that serves food and has a bar; people go there to both enjoy the music and talk. I think that, along with the bad food, was enough to keep me from returning, unless I have a hankering for some good jazz and have money to spend.

Only had a wine and cheesecake here as we came for the music. Close, intimate seating. Good music so we will return.

This was my first jazz club experience. Apparently, I came on a great night: I saw the Larry Willis Trio perform and it was a great performance. The club is rather small, but I didn’t find that to be a problem. They try to provide a good ambiance: cloth tablecloths and napkins, tealight candles. Wines are reasonably priced (half carafe of house wine for $ 12). We ordered the chicken wings and a basket of fries. Both were well seasoned and the wings were very tasty. They require a $ 10 minimum per person in addition to their cover charge. Our cover was $ 15 per person. Our bill came out to $ 36: chicken wings, a basket of fries, half carafe of wine and one beer. I would definitely return.

Do not go here to eat. Food was deplorable… service even worst. Was very surprised to learn this place actually started as a restaraurant. Dried beans and rice with a very laughable crab cake and dry salad doused in onions. Music was good but the poor acoustics leave you feeling unengaged. Bohemian caverns or blues alley have much better ambiance.

Decent place overall.
Server was pleasant and attentive.
We used a groupon and were treated fine.
Seating was very cramped, try to get a seat away from the stage because the music is really loud. It will hurt your ears and you won’t really be able to conversate.
Wasn’t really feeling the band, could’ve sworn they showed another band on their website playing that night.
Menu was very limited.
Food was okay, fairly small portions.
Drinks were very strong and great!
If you go with a good group of friends and know what to expect it can be a good time.

Twins is a local DC jazz place. In my opinion, you have three options for real jazz in this city — Twins, HR-​57, and Bohemian Caverns. Twins has more of a structured floor plan in terms of dinner tables in straight ros. The small space means that you get to hear the music well and feel really connected to the musicians and the music. Like the other 2, no talking while they’re playing. The food was okay — but really, don’t go for the food.
When I was here on a Friday or Saturday night, the crowd was older (above 40) and and slightly more dressed up.

This review comes after a series of visits to this place — because I find myself here time and time again. Which, as a primer, should probably tell you that this is a great place to spend a date on a Saturday evening listening to live music. Lights are dimmed and volume is kept moderate so that people can listen to the music.
As the name probably implies Jazz is the main dish served here — and it functions primarily as an intimate listening club. It can get pretty busy which means that you should aim to arrive a few minutes early to grab a seat.
Be aware that you will probably have to bump elbows with your neighbor. Personally I enjoyed the smallness of the club. But it stands as testament that the place can get very busy on particular nights.
There is a ten dollar cover charge per head at each table — but the drinks are strong and the music is always lively with various interpretations of «Jazz». I cannot comment on the quality of the food, but the consensus on here seems to suggest that food is reasonable.
The atmosphere is genial — and I have never had a bad time there. The stage is small, and the restaurant/​bar narrow and long so if you really want to see the performers try to snag a table near the front.
I do firmly think this a fine place on U Street to spend a date night, a little more upscale and listening to talented performers take on Radiohead and Zydeco to name a few, with jazz infusions.

Great atmosphere! But I did somehow snag a front-​row seat (literally next to the piano) five minutes before the set. The stage is small and was pretty cramped from the 5 – 6 people on stage, but they made do. The seats start at about a foot away from the stage and line all the way to the back since Twins Jazz is shaped like a long and narrow rectangle. Tables are basically next to each other and very cozy, if you’re into that (I was!).
Food was pretty good, and it’s nice that Twins Jazz came out to be the same price as comparable jazz bars – but they include food! Anyway, I didn’t go for the food… The quintet I saw was absolutely amazing, and I’m not even a huge fan of jazz. They interacted with the audience well, and I can only hope every Twins Jazz performer is as great and well worth the price. In addition, the service was all right; it’s hard for waitresses to navigate and serve during the live music, but that’s understandable.

Great spot to spend an evening. We used a Groupon deal, and, thankfully, were not treated as such. The seating can be tight, so I’d suggest coming early and making sure you have a clear shot at the stage. Prices at places like this can be exorbitant, but Twins Jazz does not try to gouge you. Drinks are strong and reasonably priced. Just came for jazz and drinks, so can’t comment on food.
Will def return.

I came here for Valentine’s Day with one of my girl friends. Her husband was out of town on business, and my friend boy was snowed in in his home state. We did a girl’s night to Twins Jazz for dinner and some good music.
This particular night, Irene Jalenti was singing. She has a nice raspy voice for some of the songs she sang, but for some other, I wasn’t blown away. I enjoyed the show for the most part minus some pitchy parts.
For my dinner I had the Lamb Stew which was marinated lamb braised in a shallot sauce served with chickpeas and plantains. The meal was well executed and very filling. Worth the money spent.
The drinks were simple — her and I stuck to the house white wine having a couple of glasses a piece. Most specialty cocktails were $ 10; our wine was $ 7 a glass.
It turned out to be a pretty solid night. Service was not at its best. I wouldn’t assume this would be any different from any other night considering this is a jazz club. The place was fully seated at every table, but more service should have been on hand. There were many times during the 3.5 hour visit where we had stagnant waiting for a server to come refill our waters or get more drinks.
Bathroom was quite disgusting. The woman’s bathroom seat was leaning towards the side instead of directly on the toilet, they were out of paper towels, and there was a ton of debris in the floor that could have easily been swept up. It didn’t look like it had been swept or mopped for that matter in a couple of years… yuck! I just hope the kitchen isn’t the same.
A solid 3 stars — if they tighten up some of the loose ends with service and make the bathroom something better than comparable to a port-​a-​potty, then this place could easily be a 4 star review in my book.

I’m not a big jazz fan, classical is nice but jazz is too… Random and unstructured for me to appreciate. That being said, we wandered in here during our DC trip. The cover charge was $ 15, promptly stated on the sign at the top of the stairs (even though I missed it, my bf & our guest saw it). We sat at the only open spot available at the bar, had drinks & a piece of cake. My drink was supposed to be a peach spin off of a Long Island but all it tasted like was peach schnapps. I had a bad experience with peach schnapps so it wasn’t very enjoyable. Regardless, we all had a great time with the live music :-) When we were leaving, there was a party who started arguing with the staff about the cover charge so be warned, THERE IS A COVER CHARGE!!!

This is an excellent date spot. The cocktails were delicious (i.e. strong). It’s dimly lit and rather intimate. There was not a big crowd so it was perfect for talking. The candles on the table were a nice touch and you cannot beat some great jazz as the background to your conversation.
The wait staff could have been a bit more attentive, but overall I was a fan.