I came into town for a conference, staying in the hotel right upstairs from Recessions. On my second day in the area when they were open, I went down for wings and a beer and was met with phenomenal hospitality by the owner. Super friendly environment with pool tables, karaoke, and good eats. Excellent happy hour prices with a great local beer selection. I really loved the atmosphere, as its below ground level on L Street, offering a slight speakeasy vibe away from the hustle and bustle of the main streets above. I spent two long evenings here, one getting to know the owner and the second playing a small but super fun pool tournament. I highly recommend popping in, and I will absolutely be back to see the staff and community here at Recesssions! read more

Very Friendly Staff and reasonable prices. Great dive bar. The place should have later hours for karaoke. 12-midnight can be too early from time to time. read more

Stopped by with some friends after a bar crawl and was blown away by the incredible service that we received here. The owner treated us with such kindness and made sure our group of friends were being taken care of. It's a dive bar kind of vibe with cheap drinks, pool and karaoke. The karaoke was so fun and my friends and I had the best time. And the lamb chops!!! SO so good! Not only it tasted great but the presentation was a 10/10 (better than what you'd get at a nice restaurant). Good value too. Will definitely be coming back again! read more

I have a love/hate relationship with this place. I really enjoy coming here for karaoke, but the sewer pipes are always backed up. When you first walk in it hits you like Mike Tyson. Eventually if you get drunk enough you stop noticing it. But when you look around the room, they have commercial blowers trying to push the fecal laden air out, but it's in a sealed basement. The air isn't going anywhere except into everyone's faces. The setup for cleaning glasses is pretty gross too. Just sitting in tubs with some half filled water (cleaning solution?). I just ask for whatever they have in cans to avoid using the glassware. read more

If you are looking for a bar in a basement, here's your spot. Literally this bar is located in the basement of what looks like an office building. This is a full bar, and they serve food as well. Karaoke anyone? That's right, they have Karaoke Tuesday-Friday starting at 7:30pm and goes until 11:30pm. Happy Hour runs from 5pm-8pm daily. They offer $4 Miller Lite 28oz drafts, $4 Well drinks, and $4 wine. Also during Happy Hour the appetizers start at $5. Be sure to get here early on a Friday/Saturday as it gets very busy! Karaoke brings the people out to drink!!! If you want a spot to "get away from it all," this is your place. read more

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I title this review.... "ONE HOUR FISH N CHIPS" So my girlfriend invited me out for a meetup to attend their Monday night comedy show. I said sure because I love to laugh, I love to drink and I LOVE to eat! But....Ive also been around the block. Ive had alot of pleasant dining experiences and many shitty dining experiences...Recessions isnt the latter. It falls in the divey near towards shitty gradient. Let me draw it out for you... Pleasant Dining 9-8-7-6-5-4-[Recessions]-2- Shitty So lets get to it. So I walk in at 7:10pm. Show technically doesnt start till 7:30 but I see that the comedy show is being run by a sista so thats actually 8:07CPT. I see my friend. I sit. Im starving. I had a 45 minute work out on my lunch break and Im ready to tear it up. My friend insists I wait on our waitress to order. OK. I look around. about 20 tables with 30-40 patrons sitting around. ONE waitress. *Let That Shit Sink In* ONE WAITRESS. Yes ONE. Singular-Overwhelmed-Flustered-Gettin her cardio table hop on-Borderline this is slavery and violates some kinda OSHA law-waitress. FDS I walk over to the bartender. Its 7:15 Two Bartenders. Giving very cautious and pleasant service to three white men who Im sure walked up to the bar AFTER me. Damn it I was born the wrong color and gender #TwoStrikes (Im not sure if the bartender saw me so Im giving him the benefit of the doubt) After 10 minutes of standing and making searing burning eye contact with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum (thats mean Kass [but Im joking] Fine!) I order fish n chips, goose island IPA and a vodka cranberry for my friend. I inform the bardentender where Im sitting he's like OK I gotchu [boo] I walk away from the bar. The time is now 7:25. And right on black time the show isnt starting {Surprise, Surprise}! 7:45pm Heres where my bougieness kicks in. The industry standard for a casual restaurant is 11 minutes for your meal to come to fruitation. I check in with Tweedle Dee at the bar. He gives me the eye signal. Again "I gotchu [boo]" 8:00pm I can feel my blood sugar dropping. Im hangry. 8:05 I check in with Tweedle Dum. Hes like "I gotchu [boo]" No. Tweedle x2. You dont. Its been 40 minutes...whats the deal? (In my head) 8:10 Im hallucianting. every plate that a food runner brings out looks like mine. My blood sugar is seriously low and I need to eat PRONTO. Im past hangry. Im Hupressed (hah, get it? Hungry+Depressed shoulda got me on stage). What I am about to relay next, I dont want you to judge me. 8:15 I get up and walk the 1 block to McDonalds and order a Mc Pick meal Fries and chicken nuggets. it takes all of 2 minutes to come out and I walk back proudly carrying my ill begotten goods to my table. (food just arrived at my table. 822pm) ONE HOUR FOR FISH AND CHIPS -_- read more

Recessions - Yea I did it! Shouldnt've taken an hr with my FnC - Dive Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Drinks were great. Vibes were on point. Hanna and Kyley were outstanding bartenders and kept us drunk and happy all night.

I probably would've enjoyed Saturday goth nights better than Wednesday college night with the most god-awful DJ I've been subjected to in my life. I'm pretty sure I could DJ better with my toes. In fact, I'm pretty sure he could've DJed better with Parkinson's and a ball-gag. Eff that dance floor, I wasn't about to encourage dismissable skills. Hitting on the crowd over the microphone so everyone in the bar hears you get shot down? Classy. The music was fine until you came on, Fake DJ 007. Conveniently close to Farragut North, even if I managed to take the scenic route. Dive-ish pub vibe even as you're coming down the stairs. Cell service is shite inside but at least there's sketchy wi-fi to be had. Grappling for optimal bar perches can be tricky. Bartender was funny (not too often you hear the guy say "shitty gin" rather than "rail") and not too hard to wave down. They had a big ole telly set up in time for Superbowl season, but not a clue as how to operate it. Hefty mugs of beer at more than reasonable prices, I'd be glad to come back on a different night of the week. read more

Great happy hour. Cheap drinks and good food!!! $4 rail drinks, and $5 appetizers. Including mozzarella sticks, fries, and chicken tenders!! A fantastic spot read more

Recessions - Dive Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I almost don't want to leave this review because then everyone will know how great this bar is but I have to give it to these guys - this is my favorite dive bar EVER!!!! The staff are super friendly, the drinks are cheap, the food is pretty am and the Karoake is A - Mazing!!! read more

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This place is so weird and I love it. I suggest you pregame this place and everything will feel less weird. You walk through a hallway in an office building before you get into the actual bar which looks like it used to be an old people Italian restaurant with fake stone and a mirrored wall. It gave me serious basement college party vibes partly because of the cheap dance floor lights and partly because I'm pretty sure 90% of the bartenders were hammered. The benefit of that is they are super super nice (like really REALLY awesome bartenders) and make strong/cheap drinks. The only music there is karaoke so if you don't want to dance around while two blasted white girls sing a horrible version of don't stop believing then don't come here. My group had a lot of fun singing, acting like weirdos and getting pretty buzzed off their super cheap drinks before heading to the next spot. read more

Recessions is just weird. Not in a bad way mind you, in fact i rather enjoyed it, but it's weird. It's in the basement of a hotel. It's decor reminds you of medieval times, and by that i mean the kitschy show in orange county. The lighting is both too bright and too dark at the same time. And the drinks are reasonably priced. They play strange music ranging from 80's rock to modern top 40. It's basically a place that matches the mood of this era of recession well. It wouldn't have survived in the mid 90's when people were raking in the dough and wanted to live like it. Recessions reminds you that the world isn't the best right now but fk it just have a couple drinks. Anyways don't get the food. I mean it's ok but it's not great. Well let me put it this way, don't get the food until you've had 4-5 drinks. Sober, even at $4 you'll feel like you got ripped off. After a few drinks it'll seem edible enough, Especially at that price. Check it out if you're not feeling unreasonably optimistic about life. And they have darts. read more

Outdated design, dive bar, with cheap beer and some of the best chicken fingers I've ever had in my life. I go here for GOTH night on Saturdays and I always have a drunken good time. The goths at Spellbound do an awesome job decorating the bar so it looks more spooky and less 70s disco. The staff is very very very friendly, remembers everyone and makes you feel welcome. They do have tasty chicken fingers, hand battered and absolutely delicious. Get your goth on, drink your jumbo Miller Lite and eat some grub, then dance the night away on Saturdays to Skinny Puppy. And with a name like Recessions, how can you not love it? read more

Best hidden gem karaoke bar in D.C! A great place to go with a group. Also had the best chicken tenders of my life here - very unexpected. Another thing to note was that we had a bit too much fun and left our phone there and the owner was incredibly kind helping us get it back not during normal business hours. HIGHLY RECOMMEND read more

I should have listened to my friend when she recommended I not eat here. This happened a couple of weeks ago but I haven't had time to write about my experience. I ordered something very simple - buffalo wings and a ceaser salad. Apparently they didn't have the parmesan cheese but I told them I still wanted it (their menu claims the dressing is made in-house) and he said okay. I get there and it is a sketchy and dank cave-like spot, which isn't indicative of food quality. I've been to some great dive bars. I work very close but it took me about 45 to an hour to get the food because I ordered ahead and didn't leave the office right away. Strike 1- the bartender was nice but scratched himself in an inappropriate place in the middle of cashing me out. Strike 2 - I go to eat my salad and they gave me a greek salad. It was pretty good but I don't understand why he gave me a different salad and didn't even mention it to me. I also discovered it cost more than the ceaser. Not cool at all. Strike 3 - the coup de grace - the wings were ice freaking cold. I'm talking cold as if they were cooked, stored in the freezer, improperly heated, then sauced. There is no way these ever reached a safe temp. Even the time it took me to get there cannot account for how cold they were. I would have heated them up except they tasted HORRENDOUS. It was a sour/rotten taste that is hard to describe but was so bad I immediately spit out the 1st bite and threw them all in the trash. Suffice it to say I will never EVER eat here again! They have a lot of good reviews, so perhaps this was just an off day. There are too many spots in DC to bother giving them another shot after this experience. I'm glad I didn't get food poisoning. read more

Fantastic bar! My fiance and I were in D.C. for a few days and decided to do a little karaoke. We found this spot (courtesy of yelp) and could not have been more pleased. It has that dank, underground feel that I personally love in a bar. They had a pretty good selection of beers on tap and a full bar. In addition to the karaoke they had a quality pool table, darts (which we couldn't play because of the karaoke set up) and big buck hunter. My finace ordered the mini crab puffs, which were a little too fried for my taste. And I had some baked potato wedges covered in cheese and bacon with a side of sour cream. Considering that most of the bars in the area had a foofi, prep edge to them I am glad we found this place. read more

The bar itself is solid. Decent prices and all the bartenders and staff are lovely people. I am a karaoke freak however, so I must point out 1 important downfall of this place. Their weekend karaoke dj is terrible at his job and not a people person. It can take over an hour to sing once, and he doesn't care less. Plus he is rude and unresponsive to guests. I recommend coming on Tuesday or Wednesday. The dj's on those days are people friendly and get things moving quickly. read more

A dive bar at its dive-iest. You get what you see here. Located in a basement, this dive bar does have a pretty good deal on drinks. $5 for a super-mug. The food is about the same price, but not very good quality. I would strongly advise against ordering food here. The atmosphere is in need of some SERIOUS updating. It's very dark and dingy in the basement. There is also a smell of some sort that I just can't put my finger on. Nothing is dirty, per se, but I didn't feel any sort of overwhelming urge to leave the immediate vicinity of my chair to walk around anywhere. Or to play pool or do karaoke. My girlfriend has actually gone to a few karaoke nights and says it's pretty good, but I haven't experienced it personally myself. Oh, and they have a $10 minimum for credit cards. I didn't really want to get 2 super-mugs during the happy hour I went to, but lacking cash, I had to order a 2nd one in order to be able to pay. I don't think I'll be making any return trips here. read more

My friends and I came here for my birthday, and we had the best time. The whole staff, from the owner to the bartenders were absolutely fantastic. Excellent and unexpected. read more

My friends and I came here on a whim and we had more fun than we could have even imagined. Mohammed runs one awesome bar! Emily and Peter were incredible as well! we can't wait to come back in the future. read more

My favorite bar in DC. Unpretentious. Good bar food. Great prices. Incredible staff. Karaoke every night of the week. I have so much fun coming here. read more

I may be biased, as I consider myself to be a regular. I've been coming to Recessions since it opened. It's a basement bar with a dive feel. It's the kind of place where the bartender learns your drink, but stays busy enough that the crowd is always changing. The drinks are strong, the prices are low, and the crowd is there for Karaoke. If you want pretentious... this isn't for you. If you want classy... this isn't for you. If your favorite drink has 10 ingredients and needs special equipment... this isn't for you. If you want fun, fast, and cheap... come on by, we are happy to have you! read more

I agree with whoever called this bar "weird." It is. It's in the basement of an office building but looks like my parent's basement during the 70's. They have big mugs of draft beer for $10 during happy hour, but, for a place this shitty you'd think it would be a lot cheaper. Regular beers are $5 in happy hour. The selection is fairly standard. The food is bar food - frozen stuff fried in the back. The bartenders, well, I dunno. They don't really seem to care to serve you. I was the only patron trying to order but the bartender told me to wait while he ran off somewhere. My request for "all the napkins" to go with my wings was totally ignored. There's loud 80's music playing, but it seems out of place. This is the kind of bar you'd want to talk at. I dunno... not my cup of tea. read more

I went to Recessions and left with a fuzzy memory and photo. Tell-tale signs of a good time. My girl friends and I trekked to Recessions on a random Wednesday evening for some cheap drinks and karaoke. I have never been before (and also have never karaoked!), but was warned that it's super divey. No problem for me. I guess all we needed was #1: beer and #2: a mic. In that sense, Recessions delivered! Prepare yourselves for the King Kong. And I guess with that much to drink... #3: a working bathroom is important. While Recessions is dark and the bathrooms are dingy, it is a great place to let loose and truly enjoy yourself. Other places may have the frills, but you're usually just standing around, so really how much fun are you having? read more

The good: Super cheap happy hour. Friendly bartenders The not so good: Rail drinks are cheap but eh, let's just say you get what you pay for. Ditto with the food- there is a reason it is cheap. Not a bad place to go if you want cheap beer. That's the only reason I'd come here personally. read more

Ok if you love a funky, sketch dive bar then this would be a 5 star place for you. I went to happy hour for drinks with my co-workers. Ok yes if you love 28 oz. of brew then this is your place. I don't really know how to describe the decor. Perhaps 70's off-campus frat house basement with fully stocked bar. We stayed for 1/2 a drink and then left. I don't know there is debate that this is a dive bar. Ok its pretty dang close to a dive bar. Maybe doesn't fit the Websters dictionary definition but it is funky there is no denying this. read more

A little overdue (visit was August 2011) I went for an after work happy hour with a few cool peeps (probably about 10 of us) on a Thursday night. We arrived a bit after 6:30PM. It was decently busy but our group found a table immediately. Note: When you first walk in, you will instantly wonder "where am I exactly?" As other Yelpers have noticed, it is like walking through a hidden passage to get to...a basement. But you know what? It works! The drinks were strong enough and the bar food was pretty good bar food and everything arrived correctly and in good timing considering our group size. Bonus: It's KARAOKE night! In between drunken singing by people in post-work attire, it's top 40 tunes while you absorb the liquid and fried goodness. After all it's a recession...literally! You know I had to make that joke ;-P read more

As they say, some people's trash is other people's treasure. And I treasure dive bars. so this spot fits that bill perfectly. Because it is downstairs, it isn't as packed as some of the other bars in this hood. It kind of feels like your neighbor's rec room. The celing can't be more than 8 feet tall, so it does make things a bit cramped. And even though the bathrooms are gross, gross, gross..the drink specials are a sweet deal. The crowd is a good mix of all ages, but some nights skews more towards the interns if you can deal with it. And, there is a bunch to do here while enjoying the "King Kong" drafts (20 ouncers). There's a few pool tables, dart boards and lanes and a jukebox is chock full of good tunes. read more

Recessions - Dive Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

3 stars for location but should be 5! This bar features karaoke and who can resist a Mic when you got some "juice" in your system. The establishment itself was welcoming. It's nicely lit, has a dance floor and a lot of room. Nice size pool table but the location of the pool table conflicts with the dart players. this place is perfect for that after work or school destresser....BUT I ordered a long Island and she, the bartender, forgot the "tea" ingredient and wanted to argue when I asked her "what did you put in it?" meaning where is the coke?! She took it the wrong way which made me a bit PARANOID! however, She DID made me a very powerful lemonade. As a side note, I order long Islands while Downtown Detroit, Greek town. The staff was a little uptight to be working with the crowd that this type of establishment attracts. Nobody can take a "nervous" joke. The other customers made this joint lit! The staff will bring your high waaayyy down. The DJ is a Mic hog (one of them anyway). he seems to want to be the live entertainment- he don't have any record deals himself! So who cares HOW we, the CUSTOMERS, sound! shouldn't somebody be cleaning the tables instead of being a Debbie downer? getting all in the customers way trying to SING?! If the manager changes the staff this place would be better. Girls just wanna have FUN...the bar staff makes you feel like YOU NEVER left the office - it's our ( the customer) social experience...NOT theirs! felt like we were being challenged by the staff! read more

Recessions has been one of my favorite karaoke bars in the area for years. The owner is all about ensuring his customers are satisfied, bartenders are tentative, and Devon is one of the best KJ's in the area. Also a plus that they host karaoke Tuesday-Saturday and happy hours until 8! The food is great, best HOMEMADE chicken tenders I've had. I also love the mixed crowd, always friendly and chill people here. Definitely recommend to locals and tourists! read more

Trying to be very honest about a recent experience at Recessions. First of all, I've been coming to this bar for almost ten years. They are nice people, trying to do their best to serve customers well and very friendly. I like these guys! In recent years, they have taken to conducting karaoke nights most nights of the week which is wonderful and gives everyone who works in Farragut a different activity to do--it's great and me and my friends go there to take part not infrequently. However, recently we visited Recessions and some of the singers, not to say they weren't good, they shouted into the microphone in a way just to make noise. Geez, I asked if they could turn the volume down a little bit on the soundboard, because it was causing some in our group physical pain, but the owner redirected us to the karaoke "providers" and the karaoke people didn't do anything at all, and pretended like we were crazy for complaining. The owners in turn told me that everyone was having a good time so clearly it wasn't a problem--sorry guys, if you're getting complaints then not everyone is having a good time, and there were people filtering out of the bar at the time. No one, neither the guys on the soundboard nor the owners of the bar were ready to come out into the bar and tell us it wasn't a problem, if they had, then probably no one would have been able to hear them. So like, go here if you're under 25 but for anyone else they are not interested in your business or your opinions. read more

This is a "it's fine if you know what to expect" sort of bar. It's dark, divey but has cheap drinks and cheap unhealthy food. If you want to pound back some bud lights for cheap, this is your place. read more

Want to get drunk and sing Karaoke with your friends? This is the place to do it! This place is not fancy or classy or any of that. But if you're are looking for a bartender with a heavy hand and cheap drinks/eats then welcome to your new hot spot. So why only three stars you might ask? One star off for decor and one star for karaoke wait times. When you walk in and go down the stairs it looks like a hotel corridor, don't be scared. Just keep walking and you'll see the entrance to the bar if you don't hear the music first. The inside definitely needs some tender love and care. This place is dark inside, not even their multicolored Christmas lights can save them in ambiance points. They have those basic table and chairs that you might see at a pizza joint, cheap but efficient. They also have a pool table that cost $1.50 a game (so bring quarters). Least I forget the small dance floor (which is just a wooden square in front of the "DJ" booth) in the middle of everything, it is the center piece for the Karaoke show time. But you don't come here for ambiance, you come here for to get drunk with friends and sing Karaoke. Speaking of which, If you want to sing Karaoke with your friends get there early! If you're late then it will take hours to get your name called off of the list. I waited 2 hours once to sing a song with a friend before we just decided to leave and I'm pretty sure people who signed up after us got their time to sing, which is really irritating. This place on a Friday night can get pretty packed with people and lots of people sign up to sing so maybe it was a mix up? This place is for those nights when you just want a drunken night with some friends, just being silly. read more

I was pleasantly surprised by this hole in the wall, not pretentious bar in downtown DC. The entrance is not so noticeable surrounded by other business next to each other. Going down the hallway to the bar made me feel like I was heading to an office. The bar is not big. We came here for karaoke and it has very good list of songs and fun crowd. Nothing fancy, seriously. From chairs, tables to floor, everything looks old but it made us comfortable to walk in casual outfit. The A.C. was not running well and we felt warm all the time. Not sure if it was only the night we went... regardless of that, I will return more. read more

So even I have those rare nights where I'm not all that interested in going out, nevertheless, going in the city, but if somebody says "Recessions" and grabbing my Smartcard and I'm out the door. I am total disbelief that I haven't written about this place yet. I think it was one of those reviews you sit on because you want to make sure you're really ready to give it the credit it deserves. It's probably my 2nd favorite bar in D.C. (Nothing will EVER top Palace of Wonders). The happy hours on Fridays are phenomenal. Giant mug o' beer? I'll take two, thanks. There's never too big of a crowd, probably because of its slightly hidden location, you won't have to wait long, and after a few of those mugs, you'll probably be able to find a place to sit without a problem. The bartenders are pretty friendly too, when my friend insisted that we all had to start drinking "Old Fashions," the barkeep looked at us like we were nuts, laughed and got out his bartender's guide and looked up the formula (because of its toxicity, at least that night, I'm going with 'formula'' over recipe). So this is really more of a tip for my Yelping friends than a review, unless I'm dying of a rare stomach disease, I'm pretty much always up for a trip here. read more

Who knew a recession could be so much fun? This place makes me nostalgic for 2008, when our economy tanked and we spent most of the year drinking off our unemployment in places like Recessions. The circle of life doesn't have to stop at economic recovery, however! Recessions meets and exceeds your expectations for any and all establishments, including those not named Recessions. In fact, Recessions delivers on things that you didn't know you want until you've experienced them only at Recessions. I wish I could give this bar every star in the galaxy, but since I'm only limited to five, I'll give them half of Orion's belt plus the handle on the little dipper. Recessions is simply out of this world! The pros: 1) Recessions is in a basement. To arrive at Recessions is a journey on its own: one descends down a spiral staircase-- you can practically feel the magic in the air-- before taking a carpeted hallway reminiscent of the Shining if the premise of that movie was set around boring administrative offices rather than an accomplished author mastering his craft in a stunning locale. (I haven't seen the film, but I think that's what the movie is about!) 2) Recessions has karaoke. Presumably it is free unless the karma it costs to sing a Frank Ocean song will haunt me in some afterlife where I'm forced to hear other terrible singers' take on "Novocaine." 3) Recessions has every form of entertainment available: a television, a pool table, a bulls-eye, a bathroom! See if you can win some money betting the neighborhood folk on a game of billiards; I owe several thousand dollars to a loan shark this way. Best of all, Recessions has Big Buck Hunter, Safari Edition! Protip for vegans: if you are unamused by the thought of shooting defenseless animals as they're grazing with their families, you can opt to shoot pumpkins off a truck instead! (And pumpkins, as far as I can tell, don't have any feelings.) 4) Recessions is literally a cavern. It is a cavern-tavern. As someone who has spent his formative life in caves, this is very appealing to me. 5) Recessions has a daily Indian-Pakistani buffet for $10.95. Before you scoff at the idea of eating unspecified Indian food from a cavern-themed dive bar, consider this: I actually had a dream about this food. I expect only excellence from Recessions; but with the lunch buffet I get Indian food transcendence. Also, come at a reasonable hour and you'll hear deep cuts from Bob Marley's Legend as you pile on your curried lentils. What better way to soundtrack your visceral inhalation of tandoori chicken than "No Woman No Cry"? If you said "Three Little Birds," you bet that's next up on the jukebox! (Recessions, you get me every time.) The cons: 1) I can't live in and/or above Recessions. Believe me, I've tried-- hell, I'll even sleep in a utility closet (which nets a fair $1000/month in this city). Thankfully, I work right across the street so I can conceivably have Indian food for lunch every day for the rest of my life. 2) The clientele. They are just too good. Recessioners (a term I just made up) are strictly the cream of the DC crop: hard-working beer enthusiasts with great taste in colored polos and nuanced opinions about women's liberation. These are the fellas I'd like to be drinking steins with after a long day at the office. Or start your celebration during the Indian buffet and come back later for dinner and dancing (and karaoke)! 3) All things are fleeting and immaterial, says Heidegger, so we will never truly "know" Recessions. In short: this is the best place I have ever been, and I have been to places. Five stars! read more

Ahhhh... Recessions... how do I love thee? Let me count the ways: 1) You have a giant bouncer who thinks he owns the place (he literally thinks he does, referring to the club as "My Nightclub") 2) You are a cross between a Hollywood sound stage for "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and the most far-out Elk club I have ever seen. 3) You have drink specials. Sooo many drink specials. For example: $2.50 rail drinks that are strong enough to disinfect the bacteria-carying glasses they are served in (yeah!) 4) You have a creepy hallway that gets even creepier when you've become mind-numbingly shit-faced and it's only 8PM on a Wednesday. 5) You have a Packastani wait-staff that, although not likely to serve you at the tables, are extremely friendly at the bar. 6) You sport dim florescent lighting that makes that special somone a little more special. 7) You apparently have darts. Although you might not be able to find them, or access them. 8) You are conveniently located within stumbling distance of the metro 9) You have decent (but not large) food specials: the fries are not the most abundant appetizer on the menu, but the wings aren't half bad and the nachos actually deserve a try. 10) You, my dear, delapidated and dreary Recessions, have my heart. read more

If the VFW opened a nightclub, this would be it. Outdated decor, inexpensive/gross bar food, loud/drunk patrons, and less than enthusiastic service - just what I like. And with $4 King Kong (HUGE mugs) draft beer at happy hour you can't be THAT surprised when you wake up the next morning with marinara sauce covered shoes from when you housed a calzone you drunkenly purchased on your walk home. read more

This is an odd place, but I have had a blast here in the past which is the reason for the five star rating.... My buddy, Zahid who is from Pakistan comes here often and absolutely loves this place. He knows the owners (who are also from Pakistan) pretty well and they give him a discount which is nice. We have gotten pretty wasted here on many different occasions. The food here is pretty damn good too, so don't be afraid to order off of the menu as I've always enjoyed eating here. They have a few pool tables which are great. I've seen some pretty decent looking women in here too from time to time, but having said that my wife is always the hottest in the room as she has been here with me a few times too. The entrance to this joint is pretty weird, as you go down a flight of stairs and boom, you open a door to a great big bar. We went her once, and I can't remember what particular night it was but it was gothic night at Recessions. It was a fun night because of the scenery, I thought to myself who let the freaks out tonight as their were some real centerpieces starving for attention. read more

Anyplace in the district where you can get tipsy (or drunk) and full for under $20 should get at least 4 stars. Add on their customer service, and Recessions gets 5! One of the best dive bars in the district by far. You just have to ignore the seedy motel-like entrance, and *ahem*ambiance* and leave before the GWU kids get there and the karaoke. Or if they're taken over by Peace Corps/another large group (Don't get me wrong, I heart the peace corps, this place is just a lot better when it's the regulars though). I used to frequent here weekly when I worked closer. Recessions is a great bar if you're let out early and waiting up for ppl who want to go to expensive Dupont bars/dinner later. Sit at the bar, make nice, and leave a good tip (the bloody drinks are so cheap you better!). Khaz and Muhammed behind the bar will take good care of you and are super friendly. Amazing happy hour (lasts until 8pm!). The rail drinks are super strong($3!!!), and they do the super sized mugs of miller-type beer for a couple bucks. And when happy hour is over...it goes up a $1. Woot. Their food is nothing to write home about, but it's mostly deep fried and does the job of upping the odds that you'll make it home. read more