Home > Baltimore Bars & Clubs > Bar Review > Inside: Rock and Roll Hotel

Vibe: The Rock and Roll Hotel can be found in Washington D.C.'s "Atlas District" named after the famed, historic Atlas theater, which now serves as a dance studio and performance space. The area is an emerging neighborhood -- the theater and the club have been renovated and shops and eateries are cropping up among the stretch of dilapidated, boarded-up buildings and riot-scarred storefronts -- but not everything has been revitalized. You still want to watch your back walking to and from the club, and it's probably a good idea to park somewhere well-lit since there are no nearby garages. Another option is to take the free Atlas Courtesy Shuttle (available every Friday and Saturday from 10 p.m.-2:30 a.m. from the Union Station DC Metro stop).

Inside, you'd never know this place was once a funeral home. The club is now a monument to all things rock. Busts of Kiss members decorate the downstairs bar, winged guitars "float" along the ceiling, and photos and concert posters of legends like James Brown, the Rolling Stones and the Ramones are scattered throughout. One note: The life-sized picture in the ladies room of Twisted Sister's Dee Snyder in full makeup is a little disconcerting.

Downstairs, the main room features a large, clear space designated for band-watching or dancing. Upstairs, various rooms are available for rent (rooms that hold 15-20 people have a $500 bar minimum, rooms that hold 25-35 people have a $800 bar minimum). The Presidential Suite boasts framed pictures of rock stars' faces superimposed over famous presidential portraits. The My Bloody Valentine Suite's walls all but drip red. If the private rooms aren't rented, the suites remain open, but some nights expect a "Reserved" sign on the door, in which case you'll have to entertain yourself with a round of 8-ball in the main room. All of the rooms feature comfy couches, high-backed chairs and coffee tables for rock-and-roll-chic lounging.

Crowd: The crowd varies by performer. Many shows at Rock and Roll Hotel are 18 and older. Head upstairs to escape the teenyboppers, where the bar is 21 and older. House DJs and a reggae band were making noise the night I visited, resulting in an interesting mix of hippie-types grooving to reggae downstairs, college kids and 20-somethings in the lounge area, and a smattering of yuppies and buppies hunkered down in private rooms.

Libations: There's nothing fancy about the cocktails at Rock and Roll Hotel -- just bottled beer and simple rail drinks. Forget about getting anything in a martini glass or from a blender. You're here to rock, not sip some fancy appletini.

Sounds: Music is the obvious focus of the venue, and Rock and Roll Hotel doesn't disappoint. The main floor of the club has a DJ booth, performance stage and one kick-ass sound system. The speakers are approximately 5 feet tall and boom so much the upstairs floor vibrates. And when the sounds downstairs aren't cranked to 11, there's still music upstairs courtesy of a digital jukebox. The club features live music from the full spectrum of rock, including punk, indie, metal, Britpop and dance. When there's no band, there's usually a DJ mixing CDs and vinyl and spinning his own musical creations.

Service: Renting one of the club's private rooms entitles you to a personal staffer. For everyone else, the staff is efficient and attentive at both the upstairs and downstairs bars. Consistency, though, is another issue. My first vodka and cranberry tasted fine -- just the right amount of liquor. However, if there was vodka in the second drink, I couldn't taste it. True, straight cranberry juice is great for your health, but I was looking to booze, damn it! One nice touch is the cooler filled with free ice water at the downstairs bar. Rock and roll equals hot and sweaty, so complimentary water sure beats the buck or two most clubs charge.

Bottom Line: Rock and Roll Hotel provides an alternative to the pricey touring acts that frequent D.C.'s more prominent rock venue, and though it's not a real hotel its spacious lounge area and private suites offer sophisticated comforts while frequent live acts provide a certain alternative credibility rare in most clubs.

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