Blues Alley

1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW
202/337-4141
www.bluesalley.com [1]

HOURS: Daily 6 p.m.-12:30 a.m.

Blues Alley is like a Hollywood set of a jazz club, with exposed brick walls, small round cocktail tables with tea lights, and art nouveau chairs tucked in a low-slung 19th-century carriage house not far from the C&O Canal. Its stage has hosted Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, and Nancy Wilson, and more recently, Melba Moore and Terence Blanchard.

Although its main acts tend to favor jazz, promoters sometimes throw in something unique, like a three-night appearance by Chuck Brown, considered the godfather of DC’s homegrown music genre, go-go.

Blues Alley is a great place for a date, but only after you have established rapport with your partner: Patrons listen intently to the music, eschew small talk, and glare at anyone who chats through the music. Blues Alley usually offers two shows a night.

Dinner is available, although the cuisine is secondary to the music. Consider booking a seat at a late performance and heading elsewhere for dinner beforehand.