Decently good burgers, barely satisfactory beer selection, but a great place to sit at the end of a nice weather day in DC, especially if you can score the window seats. The waitress was really nice (er..we were one of about three tables in the restaurant at the start), but they forgot to remove the paper from the cheese in my friends' veggie burgers! tsktsk.. Still a nice neighborhood place to sit and eat, just check your cheese before you eat. P.S. For the sports inclined: they are equipped with one prominently displayed television. Nothing extravagant, but it probably does the job. read more

A few friends and I wanted one more drink before calling it a night in the Mount Pleasant area after a long day of winter fun in the snow and stuffing ourselves with pizza. One drink and some Saganaki (Greek kasseri cheese served warm and flambéed with metaxa) and I started to warm up to the place. The atmosphere is the kind of bar where I think I want to come back and have a few more drinks with friends. Our waitress was friendly but I can't comment too much on food. Maybe next time they will find a way to turn the heat on. Felt pretty chilly even in the back towards the restrooms. Stay tuned for an update as I will surely be back soon. read more

My opinion only reflects the Latin Rock night. While nice to hear some good songs from back in the day, I don't think the place is meant to do what they are aiming to do. The space is small so you are almost always surrounded, which depending on what you want might or might not be a good thing. The music is mostly Mexican Rock, which isn't bad, but larger variety would be better (maybe I didn't hear everything). On a plus side (my biggest plus) they have Chimay on tap and that is always a plus. Sadly, since I have yet to see or hear of any other place that plays Latin rock I would go to it a again, hence it gets the 3 stars. read more

I'll never understand reviewers like the one below who trashes a place because of the decor and the bad dates she had there. If you're interested in the actual FOOD, it's pretty good. The small plates are pretty much the main attraction, and there's at least 15 or so to choose from. A little like Bar Pilar, except a little more down to earth food-wise. Not a bad way to spend a relaxed evening. read more

The thing that stands out the most about Marx Cafe, besides the fact that it's a cafe praising the German Karl Marx in the predominantly Latino Mt. Pleasant, is it's decor. You step inside, and it immediately transforms from the sunny street to a somewhat tenebrific room, replete with dark paneling, and little sunlight. The exception to this caliginous atmosphere are the bay windows in the front, which open onto th street, and offer you a nice balance of dark and light. The place is a cacophony of contradictions. The menu is versatile, the staff is from everywhere except germany it seems, and the water is served from a wine bottle. My Sunday brunch was spent there conversing with friends over a distinctly American version of French Toast, a Belgian Hefeweisen, served by a Bulgarian waitress all juxtaposed against the distant sounds of Latino brass wafting out of the passing vehicles. I don't think I'll be a regular at Marx. It doesn't offer the type of menu that would cause me to return over and over again. However, for my mood that day, and the subsequent experience of my two hour brunch with friends, I can say that I'm glad I went to Marx. They're a good option for the Mt. Pleasant area, and I would recommend paying them a visit. read more

Really lovely atmosphere, affordable drinks, but I'm always disappointed when restaurants have single stall gendered bathrooms. I'd suggest that Marx Cafe change both their bathrooms to all-gender bathrooms. read more

We went on Friday night around 8:30. Immediately got a seat, though the bar was pretty full. The restaurant is pretty small and felt a little cramped. It felt like the next tables over were right on top of us. We ordered the veggie wrap (with no cheese) and the salmon. Both were good - though the grilled vegetables with the salmon were not fully cooked, but whatevs. We didn't have any problems with service - the waiter and the busboys were very prompt and friendly. I'd say the only negative aspect was the noise level - we couldn't really hold a conversation because there were so many people talking really loudly - but not necessarily a bad thing since it -was- Friday night. People were so loud though that we couldn't hear the music at all. We will probably go again. read more

What a dump! I went here when they first opened and they haven't improved at all since then. Crappy food, warm beer, lousy music, inattentive service. Yuck! read more

Visited Saturday night 05/23/09 Decent Atmosphere. The bar area is pretty narrow and small; it's quite a squeeze to move around and get a drink. The upper area house a couple tables and booths, most of which were moved to allow for a dance floor. As someone stated earlier, its does look like a wine cellar in an attic. Even though I had no clue on the Spanish rock music that was playing, it was enjoyable and very upbeat. The bathrooms are very small. Not the best place by far, but a decent place to get a drink with some friends...if you can find space. read more

I went to Marx Cafe to watch the World Cup final earlier today. We arrived about an hour and a half before the game so we were able to secure good seats. We ordered a falafel platter, eggs benedict and blueberry pancakes. The falafel platter was awesome, eggs good and pancakes disappointing. The waitress was friendly and attentive, even during the craziness of the World Cup Game. read more

Totally uninspiring food!! Eggplant Rollatini was way too chewy.. Cheeseburger was dry & bland..and the Spanakopita smelt a bit of old oil.. So, go there to drink but eat somewhere else.. There are plenty of better options around! The place tries to look cool with water served in wine bottles.. But apart from that the lone but courteous waitress was the only saving grace.. Serve all the beer you want but I wouldn't call it a restaurant if it cannot get the food right! read more

Really cozy pub scene here. One of those great neighborhood spots to grab a drink. They have food, which is why we went, but it was all just OK. Not bad by any means, but not great. The Cobb salad was good. The French onion soup was not. There were some other items that were fine. If you come, I'd make it for drinks and some light bar food. read more

We walked by here on Sunday, St. Patricks Day 2013, looking for a breakfast/brunch place. They didn't look busy so we stopped in. We were originally the only ones in the restaurant and got a great seat next to the window to people watch. The coffee was very good and the breakfast selections were vast. We ordered bacon pancakes, buttermilk pancakes with apples and the two eggs breakfast that comes with toast, bacon or sausage, hash browns or home fries, and a fruit cup. It was a ton of food and it was all delicious! The pancakes are very dense and moist, like an actually cake and you get three that are plate sized. The portions are over sized but we were hungry enough to finish most of it. The decor was rustic and charming. The restaurant was very clean and the music played at an appropriate volume. The service was friendly and accommodating. I highly recommend this restaurant as a great breakfast location! read more

A classic. There are not that many places like this left in DC, Good food, with good friends, star studded service and most importantly HOMEY! I love this place. It's almost the biggest neighborhood GEM a secret to outsiders. read more

See all

Some times it's really difficult to understand some people ... They are never happy , but I think if you have a happy life you happy ... If not , you don't This place it's wonderful , nice drinks , excellent beers, food it's really good and really good price Services very friendly . So if you want to have a good time go there, for sure you going to enjoy like I do every time when I go there ... Live is easy ... But you need to be in good vibe !!! read more

A good selection of decent, reasonably priced beer. Friendly service. Lively setting and interesting music and dance events throughout the week. Theres always a corner packed on the weekends with dancing couples and friends. Sometimes the music can be a bit loud for those choosing to talk at the bar and tables though. A good bar for a fun night. read more

My group only had drinks but we loved our fun and delicious cocktails. They didn't make a fuss that we were only getting drinks and they even had a DJ. I would definitely visit again! read more

Incredibly unpleasant experience in this place. After not finding my card in his Rolodex when I asked for the check, the owner seemed surprised when I asked about why it was lost and what they were going to do about it. At this point, the bartender named Will began rudely trying to bully me into god knows what about it. This dude was coked out of his wits, interrupting constantly and talking about off topic things the whole time. After 25 minutes had passed and he asked me to walk outside with him for a smoke. After never letting me get a word in edgewise and also actually admitting one of his workers might have stolen it and I should cancel my card, he and the owner suddenly got really aggressive, saying I'd wasted "hours" of their time. The bartender then said that if he found my card, he was going to staple it to the wall and that I was banned from the bar (as if I'd go back after this). These dudes couldn't handle their legal responsibilities when taking a customer's card, and they didn't even seem to understand why this was a problem. Their aggressiveness was unbelievable - two guys outside the bar who saw the whole thing actually came up to me afterwards to talk about it. Marx Cafe clearly needs to scale back their drug use and increase their focus on running a basic business. read more

This place is delightfully quirky and the food is solid. Service is always good. I like it.

Went to Marx Cafe after dinner and was met with tremendous amounts of disrespect and snobbery from the bartender named Will. He stated himself that none of the cocktails are any good and he was lacking materials to make them. The drink we asked for was a simple rum with mint(Che and the Cuban). I don't think it was racism, but I am not sure what it was. The bartender seemed like he chose to single us out and treated us far worse than his other patrons. On a positive note, the bar quickly apologized through email when i explained this incident. Fuimos a Marx café después de la cena. Pedimos una bebida simple (Che y cubano = rum y menta). El camarero de bar nos habló con dignación y nos dijo también que ninguno de los cócteles son buenos. No sé si fue el racismo, pero seguramente nos trató terriblemente. Si usted es latino sugeriría elegir otros negocios que rodean alrededor como Haydees. read more

I dig the Mt Pleasant area, but my experience at Marx cafe was far from Pleasant. Is this place open just out of irony? This place a completely charmless hole, the food I was served was over cooked, and there's nothing but rude yuppies, including the staff. The bald bartender not only ignored when I wanted a drink but was very rude and inconsiderate when I finally got his attention.No way to treat a lady. read more

Fun neighborhood place with solid drinks and jazz on weeknights. They have a nice rotation of beers if your into that.

This was the first bar-restaurant I went to when I moved here in 2006. It was under different ownership and management and I can tell you that things have greatly improved in those four years. I give Marx 4 stars mostly for the atmosphere, impromptu conversation, varied music, sports channels, and friendly staff. I have had some great food here (the wings, garlic soup, eggplant parmesan, pinchitos, empanaditas), but they tend to be the appetizers. Their burgers can definitely be hit or miss and they really should just throw away that bread - I've noticed that most customers just eat the contents. Based on the above description, I should give Marx a 3, but they also have an excellent beer selection and have cheaper beers available for folks on a budget. Their bartenders (especially Manny) knows their cocktails for sure. Oh, one more thing - they also seem to be very open and welcoming to all kinds of people which is way important to me. So, very cool ambiance, good tapas/appetizers, varied beer selection, and welcoming staff/customers wins out over dry burger. read more

I like to head out to Marx Cafe at the end of the month for DC Soundclash. It is awesome hearing some crucial roots and deep reggae riddims loudly. "Forget your sorrows and dance." I haven't tried any of the food yet. The venue is a little tight, but each time I go I find the crowd nice and chill. It's often a bit of a mob scene when you're trying to get a drink, but once you get to the bar, the bartender takes care of you nicely. read more

Yikes! Cockroach on the wall!! I downloaded this app just for this. Second time I come here and, as it is custom for any DC bar or restaurant, cleanliness is always deficient. read more

Terrible service and food. Just got food poisoning from the chipotle chicken sandwich. Smells like cigarettes and cigars. Yikes, avoid this place. read more

I wish they had more vegetarian options, but the soup and salad I had were good and fresh.

Cool place man, woot woot for communism. Even if the only way it's alive in the US is through dinky little bars like this one. I enjoyed myself quite a bit I must say. Great salamander of Yosemite, was the beer good too. I was expecting to find Old Rasputin, but since I didn't I just went with some other beer, and it was quite the delicious surprise. read more

I am hesitant to brag--don't want this gem to become too crowded! Great menu with a considerable splash of greek, but otherwise a very diverse menu. read more

This place is right across the street from me and has a pretty decent veggie burger -- yay! I just like this place for some reason. It's not that the food is really good or anything, but it's good enough for me to keep coming back. Maybe I'm just lazy and like it because it's convenient? I don't know. The decor makes me feel like I'm sitting in a cozy attic or something. They have a pretty good selection of beer. It's a nice, cheap place to take friends visiting from out of town. read more

Great atmosphere - a great place to go for a drink for sure. The food is mediocre and the service is both overbearing and slow. If you're already in Mt. Pleasant and want to drink here - the wine is decently priced and I'd recommend it, but I'd go elsewhere for dinner. read more

Only in town for the day and friends brought me to Marx. Happy with the whole experience and would go back if ever i find myself in DC again. It was a saturday evening at about 8pm and no problems getting a table, only a NY'er can really appreciate this. It was a very hot and humid night but our party of three could not be deterred. FOOD Starting off with the Reisling was an excellent idea! Crisp and clean taste paired well with everything on the table. Few apps: tzatziki with toasted pita was the crowd favorite. Tangy taste with just enough cucumber, dill, and garlic. The hummus was great also, hard to pick a winner. Falafels not overdone or dry, served with a lemon wedge scored points with me. Because it was so hot we ordered salads as entrees and the Caprese (mine) was amazing. Huge slices of tomatoes, basically the tomato cut in half with very fresh mozzarella, basil and roasted red pepper. The special of the day was Salmon which my friend thought was delicious. Although I did not personally try it i trust her judgment. SERVICE Waitress was very friendly and not overbearing. Gave us an opportunity to chat and catch up without always hovering and yet she never skipped a beat. PRICES I must say it was a fair and reasonably priced meal. Moderate pricing made the experience even better cause it felt like a bargain. Note: Other Yelp'ers commented on how dimly lit this place is....yup that's true. I'd say dark though not just dimly lit. So it's a little strange that it does feel like it could be a local bar hang out but it's lit as a date spot. Eh...minor detail and it didn't really bother me. See ya next time i'm in town! read more

Excellent neighborhood bar for hanging out, although the food is really hit-and-miss, more miss than hit. If you're boozing at Marx, best bet when you get hungry is to duck over to Radius for a made-to-order slice of pizza, scarf it down, and resume your place at the bar at Marx. read more

I really want to like Marx Cafe. I feel like it could be a super cute and intellectual hang out in Mount Pleasant but it really is a dimly-lit restaurant with second-rate food. I went on a Saturday night with three friends. Some of us wanted to get dinner and some just wanted drinks. Marx Cafe has a pretty extensive drinks menu but do not be fooled into ordering a fancy cocktail. This is more of a beer or a liquor + soda kind of place. One of my friends ordered a dark & stormy and it wasn't exactly how it should have been. I ordered a veggie burger with avocado and french fries. Now, to Marx Cafe's credit, their french fries are delicious. They are thin, crispy, and fresh. I'm definitely a fan of them. Their veggie burger, however, leaves much to be desired. The problem is I don't think the place really understand the whole 'veggie burger' thing. You can't just buy nondescript fake meat patties at Giant and sell them as veggie burgers at a restaurant anymore. When you're competing with places that offer more sophisticated veggie burgers (like the mediocre black bean burger + quinoa burger from the Heights, or the lentil burger from Meridian Pint), a nondescript store-bought patty just won't do anymore. The burger was merely okay, nothing great, and I could've bought this myself and paid half the price. The imitation meat wasn't dressed with anything so it was bland. Not only was it unsophisticated, it just wasn't offering me anything other than what I've had at the store. Anyway, I had mine served with avocado for an extra dollar, which was a dollar well-spent. The avocado was the star of this burger. Oh and on that point, I know I've been writing about a veggie burger for like two paragraphs but you should've seen the ridiculous size of my cold bun!! It was huge, doughy, and cold. So, overall, pretty unattractive dish. One of my friends got the pork chops (or was it lamb chops?) and was a big fan. Maybe you have to go big at Marx Cafe, but do you really want to shell out $15 for something that might not be that great? The service was pretty great, though. This is why I was so generous with my stars. read more

Came for drinks and lunch at the bar on the weekend. Saw a cockroach on the bar who didn't seem to mind us much and we immediately asked for the check. When cockroaches aggressively come out into the open it's time to leave... We were grossed out and thankfully didn't eat before we saw the roach. read more

Don't expect German or Russian revolutionary food here. They blend Mexican, Greek, Italian and American themes to come up with a menu of small plates and entrees that have no real raison d'être. The calamari and tzaziki with pita were sub-par. The bread basket is good though. They have this one good German hefeweisen on tap right now. read more

This is mostly a tapas and drinking place. Tonight, everyone was watching the world series and having a great time being social. The food is OK but the drinks are better. Check it out for yourself and have a great time. read more

Marx Cafe, I like you. I really do. Sure, you're quirky - that's why you are in Mt P and not Columbia Heights. Sure, I've seen cleaner bathrooms in Third World airports. But you have Chimay. ON TAP. You have a brilliant selection of bourbons. Your apps are pretty damn good but let's be honest here. 1/2 price bottles of wine on Monday nights? Well, Marx was rather revolutionary, wasn't he? Carry on, carry on. read more

This place really isn't worth it. I've been wanting to eat here for a while. Having gone to school in California and living near Adams Morgan, a place called Marx seemed to draw me in. However, as much as the soviets attempt at communism proved lackluster, this place is a disappointment. First, why Greek/Italian food? Wouldn't that be fascist? I was expecting Russian or German. Second, the secret to good food is not cream sauce. And I swear the salmon on my pasta came from a can. The place seems to have a good atmosphere, but that's about it. Good atmosphere and no food worth eating. Then again, maybe it lives up to it's name after all. read more

I had breakfast here (eggs dish) and it was decent but nothing to write home about. Cool atmosphere with dark wood and a bunch of small tables. Probably better in the evening for drinking. read more