No one thought it was possible. No way is there a cheap Adams Morgan bar devoid of pretension and brimming with eccentric charm! After falling into Staccato late on a Friday night, however, everyone will learn that, yes, such a place exists.
A random collection of people water at this dive - and it's a dive, but in all the right ways. Boys in button-down shirts and dressy jeans play Connect Four alongside an audience of their empty draft glasses, while casual flip-flop folk with thick glasses and ruffled hair down Guinness pints. Twenty-something women buy Dixie cup shots and hang out in approachable knots. Staccato really plays a Pied Piper tune that draws from all ranks of D.C.
While chatting with consultants and the Converse-bedecked, one never has to clutch an empty glass, since drinks are cheap. Drafts are $3, bottled brews go for $4, and mixed drinks usually cost $5. Okay, so it's not real cheap, but it's D.C. cheap. The selection isn't exotic, but Staccato carries a popular hard cider called Hardcore, advertising an apple aftertaste instead of the bitter bite of other spiked ciders. Its White Russians are reputed to be good enough to make you want to conquer Poland, as well.
The live music at Staccato ranges between different groups of delightful nobodies with a constant jam band and bluesy feel. Songs definitely live up to the bar ballad expectation, featuring singers lamenting about women and croaking that "everything is going to be just fine." Interestingly enough, a Friday night crowd of stiff indie rockers fresh from a concert at the 9:30 club were really blown away by the simple guilty pleasure of overweight Latino men fiddling away.
So should you find yourself walking from the Woodley Park/Adams Morgan Metro, this down-to-earth blessing can be found at the bottom of 18th Street just before it intersects with U Street. Stroll past all the so-been-done Adams Morgan dives to some new, seedy adventures at Staccato.
Staccato 2006 18th St. NW 202-232-2228 Metro: Green Line, U Street
