Cafe Citron — Restaurant in Washington

I greatly enjoyed this place, the ambiance and the disposition of the staff upon my visit. As background, I am married 40 year old on solo vacation in DC and wanted to just find a place to grab a few drinks and people watch. I like observing from the corner so I have detailed review to provide. My real party days are over so I can't handle certain kinds of places where the crowd get too rowdy or raunchy or where the bouncers are not doing their jobs of keeping things in check. I ended up here by happenstance after wandering the area, which is very lively at night on the weekends. This place was certainly a great party and I will be back.

Being from Miami, I was pleasantly surprised with the mix of music, which really had everything including hispanic music with it. The DJ was certainly very good and kept a solid flow song to song without missing a beat all night. I was there from about 11 to 2 and I don't think he took a break or left his post for even once.

The entire staff was very polite: all the bartenders and servers to the bouncers at the door and also the manager that kept going back and forth to check on things.

The bartenders and servers did their jobs incredibly well here imo. As a manager within different industry, I know the value efficiency and human relations. As I observed, they excelled at it. The male bartender in particular had incredible enthusiasm throughout the night and was rallying the crowd with free shots at one point - he even noticed me, the old curmudgeon being quiet and made it point to get to me take one. All the bartenders/servers were super quick on the drinks and were dancing all night with the crowd. There was never more than a 1 minutes wait for me to get a drink and most of the time, they noticed when my beer was low and would ask if wanted another before I could, even though this place had a good crowd upstairs and downstairs.

The drink prices are exactly what you'd expect for a bar/club in DC. They were slightly less here than at other bars I've been to but the drink costs are what they are in this town.

Over the course of the evening, the crowd thickened. What I liked alot about this place is that it was a very heterogeneous crowd - from young 20-somethings to 30-somethings to a few over 40s and 50s. It was good mix of people that allowed even me, alone, to be comfortable and engage in conversation with many people throughout the night.

The bouncers also deserve praise here. I spent time outside as well (smoking is not permitted indoors). First, they were polite and professional at the door as you enter. I observed them observing the room like hawks throughout the night and doing rounds. They were always with a smile and quietly going around and actually helping the servers/bartenders clean up finished drinks and little messes or answer questions or help drunk patrons. They did alot of little things that was able to keep the place in the right mood. And the way the handled the patrons that got too drunk impressed me most. They would spot them seemingly just at the right time and before a problem could occur. It was Disney-like in this regards. They were friendly in bringing them outside and explaining the issue and asking them to leave. This of course happened a couple of times but it was never a problem - everyone left with a smile with their a friend or two to make sure they got where they needed to go. No single drunk patron was removed that didn't have someone to care for them. These bouncers were good.

Indeed, all of the employees were great. They deserve their paychecks.

10 out of 10 would...

I am absolutely appalled by the level of MANAGERIAL service we were given on Saturday night. My friends and I took my boyfriend out for his birthday and we were buying him drinks upstairs. We made our way to the basement, where he asked a bartender for a cup of water. The bartender refused to serve him unless he paid $3.00 for it. He told me about it, so I proceeded to go and ask myself. I asked for 2 glasses, and she asked me who the other water was for. She then pointed to my boyfriend and told me I could not give him water. I asked her why, and she said it was because he didn't order a drink at the bar. I told her we all bought him drinks upstairs, that it was his birthday, and she told me to have him go upstairs to get free water, because she was not going to.

I told her that made no sense at all because tap water is tap water, it should be free. Her exact words were: "This is a business, he didn't order from me so I make no money by giving him free water. I don't get paid to get him water so he can either pay $3.00 or go upstairs". However she was willing to give me water. I was frank with her and told her, I didn't order a drink from you either so how come you are serving me? She tells me "Eh well you're okay, I trust you, but not him". I asked to speak to a manager and she told me she was one of the managers tonight. I immediately walked away, gave my boyfriend the free water she gave me, and grabbed all my friends to leave. She was worried about losing money on FREE water, well she lost Cafe Citron business and 5 patrons that night.

Not only is she trying to charge us for SINK water (which would not personally give her any money as she is charging it as a bar transaction), but refusing to give water to a patron is promoting that people do not "sober" up before leaving, which is highly dangerous, AND she was discriminating by serving me and not willing to serve him. I am very disgusted with this place and hope the owner reaches out to me to correct the action of one of...

I had an appalling experience at Café Citron recently, primarily due to the behavior of one of the bartenders, a blonde woman. Upon attempting to navigate through the crowded space, she forcefully shoved me aside without any courtesy, prompting me to politely ask for an apology. Instead of acknowledging her actions, she proceeded to yell at me and even threatened to involve security.

To add insult to injury, when I attempted to address the issue, she blatantly shifted blame onto me, refusing to take any accountability for her disrespectful behavior. This was witnessed not only by my friends but also by other bystanders present. Despite the clear evidence of her misconduct, the bouncers unjustly ejected me from the premises, citing reasons that remain unclear to me.

Furthermore, the manager's lack of concern regarding the incident was deeply disappointing. It's disheartening to see such disregard for customer satisfaction and basic human decency. Moreover, the consistent rudeness displayed towards me and my friends, who are Afro-Latinx, raises concerns of discrimination based on ethnicity, especially considering the bartender's differential treatment towards patrons with fair skin and fine hair.

In conclusion, my experience at Café Citron was marred by unprofessionalism, disrespect, and apparent discrimination. It's imperative for establishments like Café Citron to prioritize inclusivity and address such instances of misconduct promptly. I sincerely hope that steps will be taken to rectify these issues and ensure a welcoming environment for all patrons...