Karaoke has no logic. If you get there early, you have EVERYBODY that comes in as a brand new singer gets placed ahead of you in line. So if your plan is to sing, you'll get ONE song. Food is overpriced, the service is great. Atmosphere was electric. Won't be coming back tho.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Alfredo aka Freddy Ruiz
What a find! I was looking for a fun spot on a Wednesday night and Recessions delivered one of the most memorable nights I've had in DC. The karaoke here is top-tier. The energy was electric, with a friendly crowd singing great songs and genuinely enjoying themselves. It's exactly the kind of fun, welcoming vibe you look for in a local bar. On top of the amazing karaoke, they have pool tables for a great change of pace. I even had the pleasure of meeting the owner, Muhammad, and played a friendly game of pool against him. He was incredibly gracious and made me feel right at home. As if the night couldn't get any better, he gave me a 15% discount coupon for my next visit! That's the kind of hospitality that creates loyal customers. This is without a doubt a go-to spot for karaoke in the city. I'll be back soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Azucena Turcios Mendez
Hannah is amazing!! They do karaoke! Come early bc it gets busy. If you like IPAs, why aren’t you here yet?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Steve Savage
This is a great spot! The bartenders are nice people and the best karaoke singers somehow gravitate here. It's like American Idol!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kathryn Myers
Recessions is the kind of basement bar where you stumble in for cheap drinks and end up staying all night singing your heart out. It’s grungy, loud, and full of heart—exactly what you want from a divey karaoke spot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brian Harless
Prices are too high for a party at someone’s basement vibe . But the drinks were good !
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Alex C
What a dump. Tonic water was flat as could be meaning my gin and tonic was a gin and water. We put a few song requests in as a group when we arrived. Two hours later, when the bar is completely empty the DJ decided to SING A SONG HIMSELF to a girl seated in the middle of the empty bar rather than the paying customers who had been spending drinking the whole time. Multiple people were able to just walk in from off the street and jump us in the queue multiple times. What a joke, won't ever be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Patricia Duvall
This is a mixed review, because honestly, the bar staff and service were attentive and amazing. The vibe was also good with friendly patrons. I just had a few beers, and did not order any food.
Just a forewarning; if you’re coming strictly for the karaoke, don’t bother unless you’re a local or bar regular who knows the KJ. I was there for approximately 2.5 hours. I turned in a song about 45 minutes in and then proceeded to watch some people sing twice and people that walking in way after me sing at least once. As someone visiting the area, it was a real letdown. Karaoke: 0 out of 10, do not recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Jose Rene Martinez Bonilla
Nice place
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michael Angelo Viray
My friends and I would often come here to just hang out and enjoy karaoke. But DJ is utterly disrespectful and low tempered. Makes sense from the same past reviews of him. You'd wait hours only for his friends to get the top list when they want it. Never going back again with my friends.
Definitely would not recommend for karaoke goers. But if you just wanna hang, place is fine.
We went on a Saturday night quite late. Great crowd. The DJ is nice and will find the song you want. Good mix of locals and tourists that makes for fun karaoke vibes. Drinks were not excessively pricey and they serve food late.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dana Gleason
Vibe! It's all about the vibe. Sports, socialize, grub or just chill. It's all here in the open air!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
jn renger
Terrible service and the number of customers confirms it.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
L Schmidt
After work, we decided to stop by Recession for their happy hour. Tucked away in a basement reminiscent of an old speakeasy, the ambiance immediately sets the tone for a unique experience. We opted to sit at the bar and were promptly greeted by the friendly staff.
Although the draft beer selection is limited, it still offers a quality range to satisfy different tastes. The standout feature here is the unbeatable happy hour pricing, with a generous 28oz beer available for just $9. While we didn't sample the food on this visit, we were pleasantly surprised by the lively atmosphere, complete with nightly karaoke and pool tables.
For those seeking a fun, relaxed spot to unwind with colleagues after a long day, Recession is a fantastic choice for happy hour.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 5
Manjari Rudra
Great ambience, good food, good service. Karaoke DJ is extremely rude. He has a last come first serve policy for queuing songs. Do not recommend, bad place for Karaoke, DJ really ruins the experience.
Karaoke has no logic. If you get there early, you have EVERYBODY that comes in as a brand new singer gets placed ahead of you in line. So if your plan is to sing, you'll get ONE song. Food is overpriced, the service is great. Atmosphere was electric. Won't be coming back tho.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
What a find! I was looking for a fun spot on a Wednesday night and Recessions delivered one of the most memorable nights I've had in DC. The karaoke here is top-tier. The energy was electric, with a friendly crowd singing great songs and genuinely enjoying themselves. It's exactly the kind of fun, welcoming vibe you look for in a local bar.
On top of the amazing karaoke, they have pool tables for a great change of pace. I even had the pleasure of meeting the owner, Muhammad, and played a friendly game of pool against him. He was incredibly gracious and made me feel right at home. As if the night couldn't get any better, he gave me a 15% discount coupon for my next visit! That's the kind of hospitality that creates loyal customers. This is without a doubt a go-to spot for karaoke in the city. I'll be back soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hannah is amazing!! They do karaoke! Come early bc it gets busy. If you like IPAs, why aren’t you here yet?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is a great spot! The bartenders are nice people and the best karaoke singers somehow gravitate here. It's like American Idol!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recessions is the kind of basement bar where you stumble in for cheap drinks and end up staying all night singing your heart out. It’s grungy, loud, and full of heart—exactly what you want from a divey karaoke spot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Prices are too high for a party at someone’s basement vibe . But the drinks were good !
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
What a dump. Tonic water was flat as could be meaning my gin and tonic was a gin and water. We put a few song requests in as a group when we arrived. Two hours later, when the bar is completely empty the DJ decided to SING A SONG HIMSELF to a girl seated in the middle of the empty bar rather than the paying customers who had been spending drinking the whole time. Multiple people were able to just walk in from off the street and jump us in the queue multiple times. What a joke, won't ever be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
This is a mixed review, because honestly, the bar staff and service were attentive and amazing. The vibe was also good with friendly patrons. I just had a few beers, and did not order any food.
Just a forewarning; if you’re coming strictly for the karaoke, don’t bother unless you’re a local or bar regular who knows the KJ. I was there for approximately 2.5 hours. I turned in a song about 45 minutes in and then proceeded to watch some people sing twice and people that walking in way after me sing at least once. As someone visiting the area, it was a real letdown. Karaoke: 0 out of 10, do not recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Nice place
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My friends and I would often come here to just hang out and enjoy karaoke. But DJ is utterly disrespectful and low tempered. Makes sense from the same past reviews of him. You'd wait hours only for his friends to get the top list when they want it. Never going back again with my friends.
Definitely would not recommend for karaoke goers. But if you just wanna hang, place is fine.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
We went on a Saturday night quite late. Great crowd. The DJ is nice and will find the song you want. Good mix of locals and tourists that makes for fun karaoke vibes. Drinks were not excessively pricey and they serve food late.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Vibe! It's all about the vibe. Sports, socialize, grub or just chill. It's all here in the open air!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Terrible service and the number of customers confirms it.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
After work, we decided to stop by Recession for their happy hour. Tucked away in a basement reminiscent of an old speakeasy, the ambiance immediately sets the tone for a unique experience. We opted to sit at the bar and were promptly greeted by the friendly staff.
Although the draft beer selection is limited, it still offers a quality range to satisfy different tastes. The standout feature here is the unbeatable happy hour pricing, with a generous 28oz beer available for just $9. While we didn't sample the food on this visit, we were pleasantly surprised by the lively atmosphere, complete with nightly karaoke and pool tables.
For those seeking a fun, relaxed spot to unwind with colleagues after a long day, Recession is a fantastic choice for happy hour.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 5
Great ambience, good food, good service. Karaoke DJ is extremely rude. He has a last come first serve policy for queuing songs. Do not recommend, bad place for Karaoke, DJ really ruins the experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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