Their food is okay, but they made one of our drinks wrong and then, instead of giving us our credit cards to close out our tabs, made us search through a huge stack to find our own. I accidentally closed out someone's tab! (They had the same type of card as mine.) Overall, if you have nowhere else to go, I'd say try this place out--but there are plenty of other places in Columbia Heights. read more

Happy hour review only: Def cheap and affordable HH in Columbia Heights. I will definitely return for some drinks prior to going out in the area. They have a limited HH list, the usual $3 for blue moon, corona, and some other crappy beer. Their $4 include sangria, margarita, and crappy light beer. They have an array of beers on tap, although it's not apart of HH, the selection is very nice. I didn't try any of the food but it looked good and was very reasonably priced. Best thing about this place is yup--happy hour goes from 5-8pm! The have a beautiful patio in the back and the front. It's also fun to come here and drink beer on the patio while women file in and out to go to yoga studio right upstairs.. hahahahah.. oh the choices that we all make in life. We got here around 5:30 and there was probably 2 other people then we left can came back around 7:00 and almost all the tables are packed. This is a solid 3 spot for HH in columbia heights. read more

Horrible. I walked in and sat in the lounge area. Bartender saw my friend and I but did not come over. It was not busy at all. Waited at least 10 min an no one came over to even offer a menu or service. Not happy and will not be coming back. read more

On my first time here, some sort of employee rushed to me and said, "Finally you're here! Come on, you gotta get on stage!" Apparently, he mistook me for the singer of a Latin band. Hahaha. That was amusing and set the scene for all subsequent visits. Zeba is cool as it has several rooms with different vibes. A chillout room which is heated and allows smoking, a venue room, and a dance room. Looking back, I really should have played along and joined the band. I always hope a similar thing will happen whenever I come back and I make sure to wear snazzy outfits, but alas... not yet. read more

This review is for their happy hour. I was visiting DC recently (moved two years ago) and some friends and I decided to go to Zeba bar on a Sunday for happy hour. It was hot as hell outside and it was nice and cool inside, plus the drink specials seemed on point. We started off with a round of cocktails, then promptly moved on to some hookah, then eventually some appetizers. Four hours later, I had drank, eaten, and smoked to my heart's content, and paid a fraction of what I would have paid almost anywhere else. The deals are AMAZING. The cocktails are fresh, well-prepared, and not too weak (as is custom during many DC happy hours). The wings were crispy, not soggy, with the right amount of sauce. The hookah split between all of us came out to $4/person, a ridiculous steal. The bartender was attentive and nice, although I couldn't believe he was doubling up as both bartender and server. He earned a generous tip! I just wish I could come on a weekend night, or for their Latin night, which looks awesome. Next time! read more

Coolest spot that I go to!! Great drinks made by friendly, fun, good pouring barkeeps. Awesome drink specials and to top it off Hookah!!!!! I love it here!! read more

I feel like giving Zeba one star misrepresents my feelings of this place. If I could give this hell hole -15, I would. Mind you, I've never even been to this bar besides once when they first opened years ago. And it was terrible then. Rudest and least efficient bartender I've ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Now in present day, I have the misfortune of living just over a block away and the amount of the noise they make is basically like having the bar in my living room. The incompetent DC police do absolutely nothing about it either. How Zeba has not been dinged for violating their liquor license is beyond me! Tonight (December 12) may be the worst I've ever heard it. I often try calling the bar to speak with a manager, but no one ever picks up and it goes to the private voicemail of a David-something. He doesn't even mention Zeba in his message. Also, his voicemail is always full. Can you be any less professional??? This place is a stain on our neighborhood and does nothing but decrease property values. If you love Columbia Heights then you should stop giving them your money. read more

Been here twice. Nice sized crowd, good music, great drinks, good food. This place is a wonderful addition to the area. It's nice that I don't have to go down to U street or Adams Morgan for a drinks and social outings. We will frequent here often. read more

Zeba: Part of the ever growing hustle and bustle of the 14th Street Corridor. I came here on the recommendation of a friend who has a knack for finding cool lesser known places. Billed as 'a Serbian Bar,' I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. I ended up sitting on the back deck, decorated by variegated lights, which is sizable and offers a great laid back atmosphere. It is by no means the swankiest deck in DC but it is perfect if you are looking for something less involved. I had a couple of beers and stuck with an IPA but there are 4 solid choices of beers on tap and a standardly stocked bar. I have heard from my friend they make great cocktails here. The waitstaff was particularly friendly and attentive. When we first arrived we were relegated to sit by a large industrial fan, the only seats available, but it took no more than 5 seconds for the bar tender/waiter to come over and shut it off for us. Sounds minor, but that is what good service is about. We ordered food. I had read reviews dubious at best about the food here but I had a more than adequate burger and my friend had the chicken kabob which he enjoyed. The menu is stark but this is a watering hole and not a restaurant. If you have to have food this place will more than suffice. I guess the only thing I have questions about is what this place is trying to be. There is a modern(ish) downstairs bar that has about 15 tables or so and, the back deck with a nod in the direction of a tiki bar, and then a club room. Not sure where this fits in with the club lighting, strobe lights, and heavy heavy base dance hall music blasting. If they can expand the menu and maintain the level of service they provided us then this place has a chance. Check it out. It is certainly worth a round of drinks. read more

4 stars for the bar, zero stars for the food. The drinks were ok. They have a few good beers on tap and good HH prices. The cocktails were also good (but not great) and the new bartender guy was nice/friendly. The problem was the food. It looked and tasted like it was taken straight from a plastic bag and into the oven. We got some HH wings, which were totally devoid of any/all flavor, and clearly came straight from a big frozen bag straight to the fryer. No spicing up, nothing, just plain boring chicken wings from a bag. The pizza was not much better. They clearly took a (crappy) frozen pizza, threw a couple of toppings on it, and tossed it in the oven. Unacceptably bad food! This is unfortunate, as the location and deck are nice, and the bar was pretty cool. I hope they make it, but whoever owns this place needs to completely overhaul the food menu! Either serve something decent/edible or don't serve it at all. There are so many options in DC, if Zeba wants to stay in business, they need to do something about the crummy food. read more

Fun atmosphere. Each level has it's own vibe and atmosphere. The bartenders are super friendly. Would caution that the food isn't the best. Although, I've only had the pizza, wings, and fries on recent visits - haven't worked through the whole menu. But the drinks are great! read more

great neighborhood pub atmosphere just north of the columbia heights over developed area. didn't try the food but the drinks were good and the horse we were rooting for won the preakness so i can't complain. read more

This place is terrible. I came here on a Saturday night and all they played was house music which made it really hard to dance to. Even when my friends and I requested something more dancable, the DJ totally ignored our request. There is a random creepy magician that does magic tricks, but it really takes away from people dancing and mingling. The drinks are cheap, but are not good. Go somewhere else! The place was also filled with a bunch of Frat boys who were really obnoxious and drunk. Its a weird mix of people, but you are better off going to another bar in the area. read more

I went to Zeba last Friday night for a GlittHER party. It was great, Zeba had drink and food specials for the night (even seasonal pumpkin beer!) and the atmosphere was incredible. There was hookah on the front porch, dancing on the upstairs dancefloor with AMAZING DJ's, and another DJ playing music on the back porch. I'll definitely be back next month for this party, it was a breath of fresh air and my friends and I had a great time. read more

The atmosphere, food, and drinks are all very good! However, was one particular bartender who was very rude to me. I ordered a beer and tipped her a few dollars. A little while later I order food at the bar. When the bartender hands me my change after I pay for the food, she sneers at me and says "What? Why don't you show some love for the bar?" She said it loud enough that people sitting around the bar looked at me. I was a little taken aback since I had tipped her well before and she had not thanked me or said anything to me up until that point. She started acting passive-aggressively towards me for the rest of the night, although I ordered more drinks and tipped her well, though she did not deserve it. Although I enjoyed most other aspects of my trip to Zeba, I don't think I will be back any time soon. read more

Zeba is always my favorite spot for happy hour. I enjoy everything about it, but this incident changed how I feel about Zeba. I was there couple days ago for drinks. I had my tab opens and when I wanted to close my tab at the end of the night, the lovely bartender told me he could not find my debit card anywhere. Of course, I was very upset. In the future, I will return to Zeba, but I will only bring cash. I don't want to experience it twice. read more

I have just found my new neighborhood spot. I absolutely love this family-owned, friendly, well-managed bar with good food, good drinks, and a great happy-hour. John, the bartender, is awesome--he was the only one behind the bar on a busy Thursday night, but I didn't once wait for a drink, AND he remembered my name for my bar tab. Everything is clean; they have great drink specials, and the music was the perfect mix of throw-back hits and contemporary good stuff. And there's a panaderia two doors down. What else could you want?!? read more

They have amazing queer women's party called glittHER every fourth Friday. I highly recommend it.

Great little Columbia Heights bar. These guys are always fun, and have live music from time to time. They also make great drinks and have some great specials now and again. They consistently have a DJ and the dance floor is decent. I really like Zeba's and I recommend them. read more

nice, uptempo spot, good food, attentive bartenders. my only complaint is that the bathrooms are basically closet-size.

I am a local around Columbia Heights. I moved to the area in April and the thing that caught my eye was that they have Latin night every Wednesday, which I usually go all the way to Barcode in downtown for this night, but I decided to try something new and now I don't even think about going all the way to downtown. I am big on customer service since I work in the F&B industry in a 4 diamond hotel. I can not stress this enough...all the bartenders there, except for one encounter which I have not seen that bartender again, are always on point and are always friendly. The drinks are phenomenally made. The prices and specials you can not beat it for other places in the city. The surroundings and atmosphere attracts all types of people and personalities which is what I look for in most places. I have made this bar my neighborhood hang out spot. Whether its to stop in and grab a drink after work and chat with my favorite bartender David, or smoke hookah with some friends, or come to see a local band preform which I was actually allowed to go up on stage and freestyle some bob marley (drunk of course) or dance Latin all night long, this place is worth going to if you are in the mood for a chill place to sit back, relax, watch a game, have a conversation, smoke a hookah, support your local musicians and DJ's, or if you love having bartenders that know what they are doing and know how to treat their customers, I recommend this place of all the bars around the Columbia Heights neighborhood; not ghetto, not dirty, no hostility, not slammed with people that you can't move or dance, and not your typical bar to go to and get annoyingly hit on by drunk dudes or for the guys, girls that just want you to buy them drinks all night . Oh and for all you smokers out there, they have a back deck that is enclosed with a bar that you can smoke without having to go outside ++++++++++ to that :) Thank you Zeba bar and Staff for being such a fucking awesome neighborhood bar :) read more