Madam’s Organ

2461 18th St. NW
202/667-5370
www.madamsorgan.com [1]

HOURS: Mon.-Thurs. 5 p.m.-2 a.m., Fri. 5 p.m.-3 a.m.,
Sun. 5 p.m.-2 a.m.

COST: $5 Cover after 9 p.m.

Madam’s Organ has staying power, a bar whose mural of a well-endowed redhead always turns heads and announces in no uncertain terms that you’ve arrived in Adams Morgan.

The painting and the bar, a multilevel ramshackle row house that cemented its place in city nightlife history by drawing crowds for 20 years to this lively neighborhood with nightly live music, have become DC landmarks.

The party continues today: Bands playing bluegrass, blues, or jazz set a lively, rowdy tone and the dimly lit interior, and strong drinks are a recipe for misbehavior. Madam’s Organ’s catchphrase is “Where the beautiful people go to get ugly,” and in 2000, Playboy magazine agreed: Madam’s Organ was voted one of the top bars in the United States.

The rooftop deck draws patrons year-round, and the place also has a small balcony that overlooks 18th Street. Redheads, take advantage: you pay just half price for bottles of Rolling Rock.