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Neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Photo: APK, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Shaw is a neighborhood in north-central Washington D.C. just east of Dupont Circle and south of Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights. Although it has a diverse population, Shaw is distinctive from the adjacent areas due to its African-American heritage. It is popular due to its jazz clubs, bars, high-end bars and lounges, and for the marvelous food, including many Ethopian eateries. As a note, Logan Circle and the U Street Corridor are included for the purposes of this guide.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
The nation's only monument to African American Civil War soldiers. More than 209,000 names of the United States Colored Troops who fought in the Union Army are inscribed on 157 burnished stainless steel plaques. Arranged according to regiment, the names include those of the 7,000 white officers who served with the African American troops. At the center of the plaza encircled by the inscribed names is a sculpture, The Spirit of Freedom, by artist Ed Hamilton.
A Masonic temple, the headquarters of the Scottish Rite, and a prominently featured location in Dan Brown's 2009 novel, The Lost Symbol. It's almost absurdly grand, pretty easily outshining the similar Supreme Court Building in Capitol Hill, and there's nary a Washingtonian around who hasn't at some point walked by it, surprised by this enormous but unidentified building. The interior is a wild Orientalist fantasy in way that only the Masons could bring to life, and is open to the public for guided tours.
A Shaw landmark, built as the local YMCA in 1912, and designed by one of the nation's first black architects, W. Sidney Pittman. The name comes from the fact that Supreme Court Thurgood Marshall was a frequent visitor to the Y, and that he wrote portions of his opinion for the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education decision here. On the first floor, there is an exhibit portraying the living history of African Americans in Shaw.
A National Historic Site. Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week here in 1926, which later became Black History Month.
A historic theater, opened in 1910 and extensively renovated in 2012 after decades of vandalism, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
Native Washingtonians Duke Ellington and Pearl Bailey performed in the Lincoln Theatre. The theatre also hosted shows by Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Lionel Hampton, Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Eckstine, Billie Holliday and Sarah Vaughn.
The Studio Theatre can lay claim to being the vanguard of D.C. Theatre. It's spacious, modern, comfortable, and puts on absolutely top-notch contemporary dramatic performances. If what's playing here appeals to you at all, make a night here a priority.
A mainstay since 1958 and one of the few businesses in the area to survive the 1968 riots, this restaurant is a city landmark. It's been patronized by President Barack Obama, Martin Luther King Jr., Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Nat King Cole, Bill Cosby, and every recent city mayor. In fact, you might find future mayoral candidates bivouacked here, in hopes of showing that they are "of the people." It's a down-home, low-maintenance, diner-style restaurant known for serving D.C.'s best half-smokes and for its friendly staff. Take a peek inside so that you can say you've been here, but if want something fancier, look next door for Ben's Next Door, which is a nice bar/restaurant opened in 2008 by the same owners to capitalize on their fame. The restaurant displays a sign in front saying Barack Obama and his family can eat for free.
Good, cheap Greek food.
Salvadoran and Mexican food. You don't come for the ambiance or the service but the food is great and cheap.
A hole-in-the-wall restaurant that serves excellent chicken wings.
Creative sandwiches in a converted garage.
Delicious cookies and brownies and amazing sandwiches with fresh ingredients.
With the entrance hidden in the basement, this gem can be tricky to find, but the number of Ethiopian ex-pats inside will tell you that you are in the right place.
The Ethiopian cuisine here is solid, if of variable quality. But the real reason to come is for the daily late-night live Ethiopian music—likely the best you'll experience outside of Ethiopia. A real hub for the local Ethiopian community. Full bar.
A restaurant and a market. Try the spicy beef stew, sambusa, and spicy lentils.
Named after a town in Ethiopia famous for its rock churches, the food is authentic and delicious. Pleasant outdoor seating remedies the dark interior, and is indeed the main reason to come here as opposed to the otherwise superior options on 9th St.
Open since 2006, Queen of Sheba prides itself on serving fresh authentic Ethiopian food. Popular among the local Ethiopian population.
Somewhere between a cafe, a bookstore, and a bar, Busboys & Poets principally serves up hearty portions of leftist politics. Poetry readings and political rants grace the stage, while the food is basic pizza, burgers, some down-home cooking, and sandwiches filled with things like falafel and hummus. Cool place to hang out if you share the vibe. Weekly open-mic poetry nights ($5/cover) are held at each location. Several locations in the DC area.
A famous D.C. establishment serving soul food since 1944. This is another rare business to have survived the 1968 riots, as the owner fended off rioters with his gun. The food, service, and ambiance are all below average, but it's worth stopping in to see the pictures on the wall of celebrities that visited the diner when it was in its heyday and get a feeling for the history.
A nationally-acclaimed soul food diner that opened in 2003 and is very popular among the late-night crowd. Try the collard greens, sweet yams, potato salad, and mac n' cheese.
Like the Florida Avenue Grill, this is another soul food diner that doesn't have the best food, but it is worth a visit for the experience. The steak & egg breakfast, chitlin's, and fried chicken livers rank among the most popular dishes.
A Thai noodle restaurant.
A 1920s-themed Japanese restaurant and cocktail bar famous for ramen noodles.
Among the best tacos and Mexican food in DC.
Extensive menu with plenty of pictures of goats on the walls!
Tuscan food.
Georgian food, including khachapuri.
Michellin-starred Mid-Atlantic food in a former row house. More affordable menu in attached basement lounge
Hong Kong/Chinese food.
Great Italian food.
Upscale French cuisine with an impressive design to match. High prices but excellent service. A favorite among locals and visitors alike. Despite the large size of the restaurant, you will need reservations during busy times. Consider a midday visit during the week, for a more leisurely experience
This hipster café just outside Shaw in the neighborhood of Bloomingdale has a unique vibe - covered in moss and grape vines!
A large selection of flavorful teas and vegan food.
Opened in 2012, this coffee shop prides itself on the best coffee and knowledgeable baristas. Try the honey badger.
A tropical tiki escape, Archipelago transports visitors to the isles of the South Seas, with its tropical cocktails and an excellent Asian-inspired menu to match. Best experienced during the week or on Sunday as it gets busy along with the rest of U Street on the weekends. Features a rather amusing ode to Tom Selleck and delicious Pina Coladas.
A popular wine, sangria and tapas bar.
An extremely popular bar with a great selection of beers and cocktails.
The contemporary American Bistro upstairs (with good food but spotty service) is complemented by a very popular bar/lounge downstairs, where DJs spin bossa, downtempo, French lounge, 70s funk, etc. DJs usually spin starting at 10PM Tu-Sa, but check the website for details.
Birch & Barley
Beer selection is the primary reason to come here, with 50 craft brews on tap and 500 bottles of beer on the wall. It's a really classy, stylish bar, but it's so crowded that you won't be able to sit, much less chat with the friendly and very knowledgeable bartenders (M-W nights are best). Happy hour is busy and a good time to meet people. Downstairs is Birch & Barley, which serves the full beer menu and has excellent contemporary American dinner plates. Since you can reserve a table downstairs, that can be a good bet if you don't want to brave the crowds upstairs.
A fancy little wine bar that specializes in French and Italian wines, particularly in more offbeat wines, and the food is superb. Try the rosemary chicken liver bruschettas with a shallot marmalade, or perhaps a chili mint roasted eggplant.
Focused on the LGBT community.
A popular Bavarian-style beer garden where you can eat and drink outside on picnic tables when the weather is nice.
A popular sports bar where they root for teams from Chicago and Detroit.
A fun sports bar with a rooftop deck. Features karaoke, trivia night and drag queen brunch, along with several happy hour specials. Especially popular among the gay crowd.
Homemade beers and southern-style food in a very trendy industrial-style space.
A laid-back neighborhood bar with an emphasis on conversation over good beer. One of the few bars in the area that has the music turned down. You will find a wide variety of quality European beers, but you won't find many mass-produced beers such as Bud or Miller.
Somewhat resembling a dive bar, this venue is famous for its weekly Kostume Karaoke on Thursdays, in which costumes are provided for patrons to be less self-conscious when they sing to a drunken crowd.
LGBT-focused rooftop bar.
Check the calendar as the top shows sell out fast. This standing-room-only 1,200 person venue boasts top-notch lighting and sound systems, and expensive booze. The place is small enough where you are going to have a great view no matter where you are standing.
Hosts indie-rock and underground hip hop. The sound system certainly suffers compared to the 9:30 Club, but the cost is lower, and there's more to do here: in addition to the live music, they have another room for DJs and dancing, one for shooting pool, and another for a vegetarian cafe!
DC9 is almost always a hit. Live music is the staple at this medium-size, medium-dive club, and includes national and (usually) local acts, usually indie-rock. The clientéle is pretty hipsterish, but not at all judgmental—it's a great place to let loose and get your dance on at the regular dance parties (or the after-show late-night dance parties), regardless of whether you know what you're doing. DC9 has some incredible drink specials on quality brews too.
The city's leading venue for underground house and techno. Excellent sound system and popular stop for DJs from the Berlin/Ibiza/ London circuit during the European off season. Features a rooftop dance floor.
A high-end nightclub and lounge.
A great place to dance to Motown and pop.
Basic hostel. It is best to make reservations by phone.
A popular, clean hostel with a "no-shoes inside" policy.
A simple 2-star hotel that is a great value for the money. Breakfast and WiFi is included.
A small hotel run by the same management as the District Hotel (see above).
An all-suite hotel with a rooftop deck and an indoor pool close to the convention center.
Breakfast is included daily and a basic dinner is also included on some nights.
Boutique hotel with large rooms a short walk from Dupont Circle, with a red theme throughout the hotel. Bar/restaurant located on the premises. 24-hour fitness center. Happy hour of red wine, red beer, and red juice served M-F.
Hip hotel with sleek rooms, a lively lobby lounge with games, a cafe & cocktail bar.
A 3-star chic hotel in a 1962 building designed by Morris Lapidus. Includes an outdoor pool and a lobby bar with a fireplace.
A large upscale hotel that caters particularly to business travelers and lobbyists, as it is a few blocks from K Street and a couple more from the White House.
Old reliable. A big upscale chain close to the White House, with a big underground parking garage. Nothing unique about it, but you know you'll be taken care of.
Sleek rooms & suites, plus casual dining, an upscale lounge & event space.
This boutique hotel has sort of a Hollywood-retro-pop art thing going on and very international clientèle—a fashionable small hotel in a fashionable location. You'll probably want to dress fashionably to fit in at the lounge. Not a typical "Washingtonian" experience, but D.C. really has little to do with that stereotype anyway.
Funky women's dresses, tops, rompers & colorful jewelry. Black + women owned.
A smaller gallery focused on contemporary photography and digital prints.
Art exhibits & events in an industrial-chic space with exposed brick walls & a courtyard.
A non-profit gallery whose mission is to provide opportunities for emerging artists, focused on new, experimental works.
Opened in 1945, this family-owned business is one of only 3 businesses on U St to survive the 1968 riots.
By bus
Metrobus operates in Shaw. For more information on riding buses in Washington DC, see Washington DC#Get_around.
By car
Driving is definitely not recommended if you are not familiar with the area. The main streets are 14th St, R St, 9th St, 7th St, and Florida Ave.
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