Velvet Lounge

Comfy, funky and groovy, the Velvet Lounge is a popular, divey kind of place to stop off for a drink. Often the province of local bands and DJs—and their friends whooping them on from the audience—the Lounge also books indie-rockers from far outside the Beltway, including such cult acts as Damo Suzuki and the Homosexuals. The place still has the feel of a neighborhood bar that just happens to have a small stage upstairs. A good place to drop in after attending a show at the nearby 9:30 Club.